#some of this advice is more Australian specific sorry

[purpleshift]

TIL that other countries' equivalents of Trove are neither free nor an official project of their national libraries? (thanks based National Library of Australia for making it free everywhere I guess - I found it on the Library of Congress's e-resources page while checking the LoC's e-resources access conditions for news databases lol)

As other people in the notes have said, for more historical newspaper action you can go to:

your local public library (or more likely, the public library network that's closest to where said niche flour brand operated, unless you're very sure that the interlibrary loans systems will play nice with each other (sometimes there's a fee for cost of services and that's normal for the system, sometimes a library network tries to charge out of network ILL fees and then the rest of the libraries in the Greater Sydney Metropolitan Area retaliate by refusing them service)

(probably important to note here that ILL librarians are not allowed to retain copies of stuff they've made copies of for you under copyright law, so you'd better hang on to those copies or you'll have to go through the whole process again)

your local university library, assuming they've reopened to the public after COVID (or were ever open to the public in the first place, like the UTS library)

I'd just like to add a few extra alternatives for completeness:

your local state/territory/province/other sub-national entity library - aside from the aforementioned free-everywhere service Trove, in Australia it's mostly the state/university/national libraries that subscribe to databases and other such e-resources because, like, it's definitely not super cost effective to purchase database access for a user population of *checks notes* about 100k people per metropolitan council? The State Libraries (at least the SLNSW does, this is most likely the case for other Australian states and territories too) also support (read: partially fund and provide state wide services to) public libraries, so some (not all, but some) are part of the state library consortia that buy access licences to the e-resources, so you can end up logging in with your public library card to the state library website for e-resource access like a newspaper archive database

(sorry I cbf looking at all fifty US states plus your territories to check if they offer remote e-resource access, I wanna catch the first ever Carlingford light rail tram at 5:00 am in a few hours and it will take more than three hours to check that)

your local national library - if your local $SUBNATIONAL library is lucky enough to have remote access to e-resources but for some reason the connection is slow, say for example, you logged on while the librarian training classes are doing "intro to XYZ database" class today, maybe your local national library _also_ offers remote access to e-resources? It's worth a shot!

(unfortunately you will be SOL if you're in the US because the Library of Congress only has "free public access" and "on-site access" (or also "on-site Congressional Research Service staff and contractors", but that's not really something a member of the public really needs to worry about) access levels, so unless you're able to get to the reference rooms in Washington DC, you just can't use some of them)

(you will also be SOL if you're in the UK and looking for the national library to help you out there but that's because the British Library still hasn't restored access to things like their databases and e-resources after the cyber attack in October 2023 (yes as of December 2024, that was more than a year ago, who is underfunding the libraries gdi), with it being projected for 2025)

maybe there's a secret flour/wheat/wheat by-products industry consortium that has a business library of some kind? business libraries are real, though they're usually called "special libraries". I have no idea how to find one in countries that aren't Australia but in the unlikely chance that you are looking for something in Australia, you can find an Australian library that participates in Libraries Australia things (like Trove) on the Australian Libraries Gateway

(that's about half the recognised library sectors except school libraries (i.e. K-12/13 etc primary/secondary/middle schools) and health libraries (in hospitals, but the ones for the doctors) haha!)

Also if you're looking for news articles I'd recommend stuff like Factiva (by Dow Jones) (which is on-site access only for the LoC) but if you're looking for the advertisements, uh, I dunno any specific non-Australian ones but you wanna look for the word "facsimile" in the database description, like in the Gale Primary Sources Times Digital Archive. Good luck anon!

I would like to say that your passion for sphinxes has inspired me to work on researching my own niche interest! Love your videos and wish me luck finding info on a small flour brand that shut down in the 90s with five related search results left on the internet!

I recommend trying newspapers.com!!

The subscription is insanely expensive I’ve had like 4 different free trials with different emails. This is the way.

[soup-mother]

Hello Australian people on Testosterone, my partner is in waiting list limbo and a friend offered it some spare T gel and they're really considering it but are worried the doctors will either get grumpy at them for getting around waiting times or might straight up not let them go on T at all. does anyone have any experience with a situation like this? like what the general attitude of gender related doctors is about being on T before getting a prescription etc? in a relatively sized city (not Melbourne or sydney), sorry for not being specific about the state for not telling everyone where i live reasons, can be more specific in DMs if anyone has advice for them.

even if you don't know reblogging would be helpful if you know ppl who might be able to help!

[akajustmerry]

do you have any advice on calling out or navigating really subtle racism? i joined this activist group recently to do more stuff for palestine, and the mostly white member base seem to feel REALLY threatened by the fact that i'm blak. people take every opportunity to rake my contributions over the coals and nitpick my statements and make fun of me and it feels incredibly racially charged, but it's in such a subtle way whenever i point it out people just scoff like oh you're pulling the race card? you see racism everywhere? you're not even dark skinned how can we be racist towards you anyway lol? idk no one else gets treated this way and idk how to report it to the higher ups bc the anti discrimination stuff in the org is mostly about slurs and such rather than this subtle bullying. has this ever happened to you? were you able to overcome it?

hi lovely <3 good on you for being proactive in your community. I'm so sorry you're experiencing all these mocroaggressions though! unfortunately, it's all too common for First Nations people, even from settlers of colour sometimes. without knowing the specifics of your org, here's some general advice:

even if the org has weird policies on what counts as racism, they'll definitely have a no bullying policy that will be broad enough for you to report about. australian orgs hate talking about racism because they're mostly white. so they're far more likely to be comfortable acknowledging bullying, like the nitpicking and scoffing you're describing.

strength in numbers - I know u said you're pretty much the only Blak person in the org. But if you have people you trust that will support you, ask them to back you up when you make a complaint. if this org is really about activism for Palestine, their members should be supportive of First Nations peoples here and abroad. Find people you can trust to back you up.

put their comments in a context they'll get - I know doing this can be shitty but it's worked for me in shitty leftist groups I've been in. if the people saying this racist shit to you are also passionate about Palestine, ask them if they would discredit a Palestinian person the way they try to do with you.

If you feel unsafe, leave - honestly, helping out in community is great but you're no help to anyone in an organisation where you're being bullied. If you complain and it goes nowhere, get out!

stay safe and again I'm so sorry these people are ruining what should be a helpful community. you deserve better!

[knuckles-bloody-for-me]

So just wondering basically whatever you can think would be good advice or insight or tips for someone wanting to move to Melbourne from the UK

Doesn't have to be limited to the likes below;

healthcare, prescriptions (I have a few chronic illnesses; nothing too serious, but I do need different medications etc), Visas, nominations, what sort of yearly wage/income would I need to be comfortable, taxes/insurance, bills, education (I don't have a family; but say I wanted to do a uni course, could ?); rent or buy, is a car needed, should I look into city living or suburb living, is it safe for a single female to move there & live on her own... and yeah just anything else you or anyone else can think of, l've never moved abroad before

Okay a lot of this you should check out on our government websites because I was born and raised here so I dont know how it works for people moving here.

Healthcare we have reciprocal rights with the UK. We can use the NHS and you can use Medicare, but I don't know how long that lasts for? Like do you get it for a month, 6 months, however long your visa is? Idk, but I'm sure googling it would bring up an Australian government website that could help!

We have something called the pharmaceutical benefits scheme that makes a lot of common prescriptions a lot cheaper (standard contraceptive prescriptions from the discount pharmacy can be as low as $8 for a 4 month resupply). It doesn't cover everything but as an able bodied cis person I've never needed anything NOT on the PBS. Doctors appts can be hard to get and a lot out of pocket, but again, don't know how that works for people moving from overseas sorry.

Wage and income is extremely varied. If you want to live in the most central part of Melbourne you'll need to find a job with a VERY good wage, like $90k p.a. at least. If you live further out in the suburbs then rent is lower and you can live on a lower income. National minimum wage atm is $24hr so it would depend if you work a casual job, part time, etc. This impacts how much tax you pay too. Like if you earn more you pay more tax on it etc. There's a government website that explains that too!

You'll probably have to rent to start with, and our rental prices are cooked atm and the government isn't doing anything to regulate it. Buying is also extremely difficult apparently, with supply shortages and high competition for what properties are available.

I think a woman living alone in melbourne probably has to have the same wits about her as living anywhere. Don't walk with headphones on at night, always lock your door, tell friends if you're going on a date etc. Men's violence against women is an ongoing issue here, we've had a lot of women murdered by partners this year specifically, im sure you could look it up and find a wikipedia page about it. But it's also less than a lot of other countries, and of course, gun violence here is rarer than a double rainbow. Look up Australian mass shootings and you'll see how few we have compared to That Gun Country, and actually looks about the same as the UK list I just found on Wikipedia.

A lot of your questions about tax and visas and healthcare you'll need to look at Australian government websites, these are way beyond what I can tell you about because its so different moving here from overseas as opposed to someone born and raised here. About the only other thing i could tell you is that getting a partner visa (moving here because you are someones long term partner) is about $10k Australian. I've never moved abroad either so dont know how it all works in reverse! Invoking @idsb again and anyone else who has moved to Australia and can help with some of this

[chandajaan]

hi chanda, please feel free to ignore this if you want to, but i was wondering if you could talk a bit about what your adhd diagnosis process was like? i was told to get tested by a therapist at my college but the process sounds so stressful, especially if youre an adult and a woman

hi!!! id love to talk about it! the short answer is yes it can be stressful, but not enough that it's worth putting off if you need the diagnosis to receive support. In my personal experience being an adult woman, while limiting my research to online papers it did not at all affect the service and support I got from healthcare providers.

I hope nothing here puts you off seeking a diagnosis but I am being as honest as I can, so contextually it is important to note that the biggest factor in getting diagnosed is the healthcare system in your country, I'm Australian and despite the free healthcare system here I did rely at least in some part on private healthcare to help speed up and prioritize my diagnosis and hopefully my treatment. overall I would say I spent 800 on getting diagnosed, I could have gotten this for free but it would have taken much longer and in my opinion a slightly lower quality of care.

The first time i suspected i had ADHD was at 15 when i actually did some research about it, and i just got diagnosed at 23. the thing that finally pushed me was getting over my own self-doubt, and that was pushed a lot by having a good support system. my parents while loving, weren't the support system i needed, my husband was the one who really pushed me to go out and do the work to help get my process started. so having people actively motivated to get help is something I needed, it says I got a lot of support from Facebook and tumble groups, the more local the better as they provided great advice and recommendation for services.

you have to learn to be persistent with doctors and health care, make sure all your appointments are booked and be fast because wait times are inevitable on more than one occasion I had to follow up with someone I had waited 3 months to see only to find out they had taken my money and not booked the appointment (I still got my appointment on time but I would have missed it if I hadn't spotted their mistake) I did not face any microaggressions or hostility for being an adult woman seeking treatment and everyone i spoke to was very supportive. this isn't the experience that everyone's had but it was mine.

the attending appointments and booking and money, which is more of a waiting game. everything else is pretty much self-documentation. document and research your symptoms as much as you can, focus on what the DSM-5 needs to diagnose you and have personal examples and possibly childhood reports if you have them always helps. i had an on-hand list of all my symptoms and the way it impacted my life. being organised ironically is important, luckily the wait gave me enough time to make sure I had all my symptoms listed.

anyway sorry, this is so long but I thought id cast a wide net so if you need anything specific let me know!

[christian-witchy-business]

So I'm a 16 year old looking into being a Christian witch, because I'm feeling drawn to that path, and I feel like God wants me down this path as well. I've told my mom, and she accepts me, so now my next path to take is finding something right for me. So, that being said, maybe have any advice for a newbie? Thanks 😊

Hello! Congratulations on discerning a new path for yourself and welcome! I’m so glad your family is accepting of your desire to pursue a non traditional form of Christianity.

I have three major pieces of advice.

First, you do not need to be a specific “archetype” of witch, especially not at first. You don’t have to come into this saying “I’m a Green Witch” or “Im a Hedge Witch.” You can take time to explore what paths interest you and research those further. Let yourself get interested in various different types of magic and don’t bind yourself to one idea. If you like cooking, look into food magic. If you think you may like divination, start learning tarot. Think spirit work is cool? Do some research and learn how to protect yourself before you start inviting things into your home, but go for it. Mix and match your interests and don’t let anyone tell you that you have to pick just one.

Second, remember to center your faith. There are some great Christian witch blogs here and some Christian blogs that, while not inherently witchy, are very open to mysticism and folk magic. Off the top of my head I can think of @adhdcatholicwitch @hymnsofheresy @mysticismmess in particular. Go hunting through tags to find others. Remember that God is central to our faith, not magic. Yes, magic does cool stuff, but God is the river that all that power comes through. We can’t do anything without God and, as Christians, our devotion to God needs to come first. Pray. Do devotionals. Light candles and burn incense and talk with God. Chat with Saints if that’s your thing. Read the Bible and work to understand it beyond what you were taught in Sunday School and mass. @queerlychristian has some amazing sermons and material on interpreting the Bible beyond a literal guidebook or rulebook.

People (both witches and regular Christians alike) will try to tell you that this isn’t an acceptable path and that Christians can’t dabble in magic. Finding a healthy and strong relationship with God will help you persist in your path despite the opinions of others.

Finally, be careful who you learn from and what you practice. Magic is cool, there’s so many different things to explore and rituals to learn! But remember that not every ritual is from an open religion or culture. Learn what terms and actions are closed to you. Stay away from people who claim that there’s no such thing as a closed practice. Most indigenous magic systems (Native American religions, African religions, Indigenous Australian, etc.) are closed and many others require initiation and training. Also, Kabbalah is a Jewish practice and anyone who tries to tell you it’s fine for a Christian because “it’s the same God” is probably antisemitic. Check out @will-o-the-witch for more info on Jewish witchcraft and how to be a good ally to Jewish people (who aren’t just Christian Lite���️). Note that staying away from them doesn’t and shouldn’t mean that you are the equivalent of a 4 year old putting their fingers in their ears and going “la la la not lisrening.” It means not practicing closed traditions. Learn about them, know what Voodoo actually entails. Ask questions about what the evolution of root work in America was. Know which Native American groups practice what types of religions. Ignorance is not the same as respect.

Also, if you plan to follow Norse pagan blogs, make sure you do a quick scroll through the blog before following. Most are amazing people with great resources but unfortunately white supremacists have decided that Odin and Thor loooove and support white supremacy (spoiler: they don’t) and have hijacked the religion. 99% of Norse blogs are great, just be on the lookout for Nazi bs. Also, be wary of any witches that deny the presence of male witches or say anything about how witchiness is derived from womanhood. This is usually a calling card for transphobic behavior. There are a lot of TERFs in the witch community.

This got long and I’m sorry. If you have more specific questions, feel free to DM me and we can chat more. These are my major tips when starting witchcraft on tumblr.

Tl;dr: 1) explore what you love, 2) remember to be Christian first, witch second, and 3) be aware that there are racists, transphobes, sexists, and assholes in the witch community and be somewhat on the lookout for them.

[gaming]

Indie Game Spotlight: Necrobarista

Coffee. Feelings. Interpersonal drama. Gangsters. Does this feel eerily familiar for you, too? Now, add in a man who claims to be the ghost of Australian folk hero Ned Kelly and robots…with knives. That’s right, it’s Indie Game Spotlight time and we’re talking Necrobarista!

Damon wrote the script for Necrobarista; they now handle social media, community, and communications for Route 59. To keep it simple, they said, “That basically means I spend a lot of my time making really bad memes.”

How would you describe Necrobarista?

Necrobarista is a visual novel about death and coffee, set in a back-alley cafe frequented by both the living and the recently departed. It’s made in full 3D, which is a very uncommon way of developing a visual novel, and we’re placing a lot of focus on cinematography and developing a unique anime-inspired aesthetic

Necrobarista is set in a specific location. How is this important to the game?

Being set in a cafe is super, super important to the game. Our cafe, the Terminal, is a liminal space. Literally. It sits on the boundary between the real world and the afterlife, and its customers are a mix of the living and the dead. This lends it a feeling of being a place of transition—between here and there, between being unfulfilled and being satisfied with your life, between uncaffeinated and caffeinated.

The aesthetic for the game looks amazing! How did the team come up with it?

Thanks! It was a really long process - Route 59’s first prototype started development in 2014, and you can take a look at some footage of it here. You can see the origins of our art style in that video, and after nearly five years of iteration, we’ve settled on a really cohesive and (we think) gorgeous aesthetic. I’m currently working on some videos that show off never-before-seen prototypes, so make sure to look out for those on our Twitter and Facebook in the coming weeks!

How do you think Necrobarista will impact visual novels, gaming, and anime?

Necrobarista will:

1. Hopefully inspire a wave of 3D visual novels with interesting and innovative aesthetics.

2. Be the first good videogame. Also, Maddy will be added to Super Smash Bros and Reggie will call us to say that he’s proud of us for making the first good videogame.

3. Eventually, be adapted into an award-winning anime, bringing everything full circle.

What’s some advice you could give to anyone looking to get into the indie game scene?

Learn tools and make games. If you’re into code, pick up Unity or Unreal Engine and follow some tutorials to learn how to use them, and then make some tiny/constrained games. If you’re more into writing or art, try something like Twine or Bitsy or flatgames. Don’t try and make a masterpiece, or the game of your dreams - just make little things and then progress to bigger stuff. Don’t forget to share the games you make, and - most importantly - be good to people! 

What can players take away from Necrobarista?

Necrobarista’s gonna break your heart. Sorry.

Necrobarista will be released on PC and Mac via Steam (add them to your wish list), PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch! In the meantime, check out Necrobarista.com or follow their Tumblr! 

[not-poignant]

Hi Pia, I hope you’re well. Please feel free to ignore this if it’s too personal... but how do you deal with death as a concept when you have the chronic illnesses that you do? Are you afraid to die, and if you are, how do you keep from constantly thinking about how you could die early (so to speak) if your health takes a turn? I’ve had a lot of health scares recently and it’s getting harder and harder to just live without feeling constantly afraid. Thank you for everything you do.

Hi anon!

Firstly, I am very sorry to hear about your health scares. They suuuuuck. They really suck. I’m replying partly out of solidarity, but I don’t know if I have anything that will really work for you, because sometimes I really struggle to find things that work for me, but I’m happy to share what I’ve picked up along the way. <3 And I hope in the meantime that things pick up for you.

The timing of this is pretty spot on, in that I’m going through pretty serious scanxiety at the moment (what we call ‘anxiety around getting scans for cancer’ in my cancer support group that I’m a member of). I had a full body PET scan two weeks ago (no results yet), and I have a head/neck MRI on Friday, for which I can hopefully get the results Mon/Tuesday. But I don’t have my follow up with my Endocrinologist until late July, so I won’t know for about 6 weeks if I have any new tumours in my abdomen.

I definitely don’t want to die from this disease, and it will probably be the thing that kills me. Not any time soon, that’s less likely, but it’s just...likely overall. A lot of the statistics are stacked against me, I have three primary tumours in my head/neck, and there’s no indication that my body is going to stop growing them, and there’s no cure and likely to be no cure in my lifetime.

So yeah, I get anxious. I am afraid to die (I mean in general, unless I’m suicidal, but also specifically the way this disease is likely to kill me: progressively taking my hearing, my ability to swallow and talk, my ability to move my arms and my head and my neck, my sense of balance and ability to walk upright without collapsing, and more - which doesn’t even count metastatic disease - is a horrible way to die). And I live with the knowledge that like, it literally takes one scan result to change my entire life all over again (hence, scanxiety).

BUT, living in constant fear is just...not helpful. It’s understandable, it is an understandable emotional response, but it’s not a helpful response. Because what matters most in these scenarios is quality of life; and you get quality of life (in chronic illness and acute disease) by managing emotional outcomes as vigilantly and with as much self-compassion (and patience) as possible. So these are the things that work for me, if they don’t work for you, that’s fine, some might even feel completely wrong for you, that’s also fine and normal. The things we tell ourselves to cope in this are deeply personal. I hate the phrase ‘fuck cancer’ for example, other people who have cancer use it as a battle cry and feel strong because of it.

***

* ‘Can I literally do anything more than I’m doing to change the outcomes of my illness without hurting myself? No? Then admit you have no control over this and let it go.’ This is something I tell myself when I start panicking. ‘But what if I get this result what if this happens what if this tumour starts growing again what if.’ I just look at myself sternly and say: ‘HOW is this helpful?’ It’s NOT. Knowing the answers to any of those what ifs changes nothing in the moment except my anxiety, distress and fear levels. And then I say ‘so WHAT would be helpful? What do you have control over?’ And then I might wait and think... ‘well...I really like that Youtube channel One Meal A Day I might watch one of those videos’ or ‘well...I might journal about my feelings and give them some space (see further down) and then try and let them go because just cycling around them isn’t productive.’ Sometimes we hang onto anxiety because our brain convinces us it will somehow be helpful. With this stuff it rarely is.

* WORRY TIME. Yay worry time! Set aside 5-20 minutes a day (or every three days, or once a week, but you might need to start with once a day when things are really bad) to write down ALL of your worries about your illnesses. All the irrational things, the logical things, ALL of it, no matter how embarrassing. And omg, chase those worries down. Really sit and be with your worry. Give it space. Let it speak! But do it with the intention that once those 5-20 minutes are over, that’s it. You’re done. If your worries start up again, say gently to yourself: ‘You told me all of this during Worry Time, but if this is new, please save it for tomorrow, I will give you space to share with me then!’ Treat your worry like a little animal that doesn’t know any better, and has to be taught some boundaries. Worry Time becomes the boundary. That doesn’t mean you won’t feel anxious the rest of the time, just if you do, it’s easier to step back mindfully and go ‘huh, I’m anxious right now, that’s really interesting, but I’m going to do something about that tomorrow, and so for now I’m just going to acknowledge it but I’m going to try not to let it ruin my day.’

* ‘Everything right now, this moment, this second is exactly the way it should be.’ This is Taoism, and some people hate it. I use this most often when I’m in excruciating pain, or terrified, or literally in a panic attack. I don’t know why it helps so much, but it does. And I think it’s because it works like this: ‘Everything right now, this moment, this second is exactly the way it should be. Terrible things are happening all over the world. Other people are feeling pain like I am. Animals and plants go on living and dying. Right now everything in this moment is perfect messy imperfection and I am a part of that, a small cog in a huge ecosystem. I am a part of something, I belong in this, and I hate it - I really hate it - but even that is part of that messy imperfection. It just is. And therefore, I can release any attachment or urgency to change the things that I cannot change.’ And then...I will still be in pain, or having a panic attack, or terrified, but it will feel integrated and connected to me. It will feel like it’s a part of something. Still, ultimately, sometimes useless but...even useless excesses of terror are a part of the messy imperfection of life.

This leads onto the second:

* ‘In this moment, I am okay.’ Not like, literally 100% healthy. I’ll never be that. But I’m okay. I’m okay as a person and a human being who deserves love and comfort, and I’m okay to just grab another minute to feel okay. You can pair this with mindfulness meditation, and Smiling Mind has a great free app, and most of the meditations are between 5-8 minutes long. Sometimes ‘I’m okay’ doesn’t mean ‘I feel okay’ - and that’s okay too! I’m not trying to erase my emotions, I’m not trying to make myself never feel afraid of dying, that is an appropriate response to something that literally threatens my life but isn’t doing it urgently right this second. And because it’s not doing it right this second, well, right this second, I’m okay.

* Goals that have nothing to do with your health. For me, probably pretty obviously, it’s my writing and my art and similar. I have responsibilities towards my loved ones and my animal companions. Sometimes just...putting my head down and getting stuff done helps take my mind off things, and that also makes me feel productive and like I’m more than my illnesses. Socialising is a part of this. You are so much more than your illnesses, but you have to live that way too, that’s your responsibility to yourself, to remember that you are more, and then to embrace that in your actions (I mean, keeping in mind spoons/energy levels), even when you’re not always feeling it.

* Look at the things you can control and shore them up where you can. Like, consider writing a will. One of the things I’ve had to do is consider what I’ll do if I get sick so quickly I can never finish Fae Tales or never write anything again. These practical steps can be distressing, but sometimes they can answer background anxieties you didn’t know you had, and put them to bed. ‘I don’t need to worry about this, I’ve already done this part.’ Sometimes it’s just knowing that every time you see a specialist, you’re going to write down your questions, so you no longer need to worry about forgetting them. Things like that seem little, but they add up as background anxieties we do have control over.

* If you can afford it; Therapy. Depending on your illness/es, there may be support groups. Some are dodgy as shit (Fibromyalgia groups have categorically been the worst spaces I’ve ever encountered for genuine support), but generally speaking for serious illnesses, there are support groups. They can be an incredible resource. I help moderate the Australian/New Zealand Para/Pheo Support Group (there’s only one, lol), and like sometimes it’s depressing (people I care about do, on occasion, die), but knowing I’m not alone, knowing I can get advice about what to ask my surgeons or my Endocrinologists or Oncologists, especially for a rare disease? Fuck that’s so invaluable. And being able to help other people advocate for themselves has been really empowering for me.

* Don’t expect to get rid of your fear or anxiety entirely. If you’re alive and you’re human and you like life, you just can’t do that. So remember that when you’re feeling those things, you’re being a normal human being, and you are not alone (even when you feel like the loneliest person in the world, even that’s a part of it). It won’t fix those things, sometimes you can’t. Some days I just give as like, shit days, it happens. June I’ve given up as kind of a shit month honestly. Am I having good moments? Yes. Am I stressed every day about this disease? YES! Fun times. (I won’t be stressed every day if the scan results show that everything is the same tbh, like, then I’ll go back to ‘normal’ where I rarely think about it).

* Don’t write off the day until the day is over. I used to have this habit (and still can sometimes) of writing off the day as being ‘a bad day’ because of a terrible morning. I actually started this habit as a child, because of trauma and abuse, and it was something I kept doing because of mental illness. So this is something I was doing long before cancer came along and additionally kicked my ass. These days, even though I feel so bad sometimes I feel like hell, my entire life is a write off, I try and keep in mind that one thing can change the tone of the day and make it better. And that ‘thing’ can be me and my choices. And the fact is, even if I try some Youtube videos, or to pet my cats, or talk to friends, or whatever and it doesn’t work, at least I can look back and reassure myself: ‘You’re trying so hard, you’re really trying your best’ and also ‘you know this never lasts, it never has, you still have moments where you feel good, which means you’ll have a moment where you’ll feel good again. It’s okay. I’m okay.’

* Dark humour can be a saviour. Oh boy, can it ever. But be careful who you share it with.

* Gratitude for what you have now, and not what you might not in the future, because the future is an illusion, it’s not here now. But you are. I have a journal where I write down something I’m grateful for every day. Even if I’m feeling cynical and hateful and anxious and bitter. And then I might just say ‘I’m grateful for chips’ or ‘I’m grateful for that nice leaf I saw but nothing else’ lol. Just something. I’m grateful I can still hear, I might not hear one day, but I’m listening to a song right now. That matters. I’m grateful I can walk. I’m grateful I can read this post. I’m grateful I can still write my books despite the mild cognitive brain damage I got from radiation. My gratitude doesn’t always feel warm or nice, but I am still, somewhere, deep down, glad I haven’t lost those things.

***

It’s hard, and many of these things take time to learn, and repetition, and getting back on the wagon when you forget. Some days they won’t help, and some days you’ll be so glad of one 5 minute mindfulness meditation it saves the whole rest of the day for you. Sometimes sleeping is a really good reset tool for the brain.

Some people find Buddhism helpful (all life is suffering can become pretty zen when you’re suffering), I found the philosophy of Taoism helpful on top of my regular paganism.

ANYWAY this post is now...2,200 words long fuck that’s longer than some of my university essays I’M SO SORRY so I’m going to stop. Just, please anon, from the bottom of my heart, be gentle with yourself. It’s hard. This stuff is hard. It requires an unfair amount of effort to make it less hard, but that’s all life gives us, because life never promised to be fair or just or compassionate to us. So we must be fair and just and compassionate to ourselves. And that, in its messy imperfection, is all we can do to be a perfect part of this world. <3

[slightlyaggressiveaffirmations]

my nutrition class at school is almost 100% counting calories makes me feel like shit for eating like a normal human and honestly it makes me want to just stop eating all together

Hello frond.

I’m sorry that this has sat in my inbox for so so long. Because I have an ED, I wanted to be extra, super careful about how I responded to you. I’m not the best person to talk to about food and nutrition, because I have a very unhealthy relationship with food and with my body.

It’s just awful that your class is making you feel like this, and I’m very sorry. Calorie counting is complex, and different people have such different energy requirements for so many reasons that to rely solely on counting how many calories are in what you eat is not helpful. My own nutritionists - both before and after my ED diagnosis - never even discussed calories with me. They always discussed my individual needs, my personal goals and how different foods affect my body personally.

For example: dried fruits are often recommended for fibre, and some are low calorie. For me, they are a big (and sad because I LOVE them) no-no. They cause my IBS to flare and make me bloated.

Exercise is also a big factor in your health - and not just in relation to weight. Whole of body health involves a lot more than what your body looks like and what you weigh, and your lifestyle is a factor in that. The foods you eat are also important in ways that have nothing to do with their calories. Are you getting enough protein? What kind of sporting activities are you participating in? Some activities will mean you want to have more protein than your classmates, while others might warrant increasing your carbohydrate intake.

And of course, if you have underlying medical conditions, that is also important, and calorie counting isn’t relevant to that.

You need to eat the right food for YOU and just blindly counting calories really isn’t helpful - and it sounds like what it is doing is just making you feel bad about yourself, and that is very bad for your wellbeing.

I got some advice for this response from a nutritionist that I like, called Dr. Emma Beckett. She is an Australian, and her twitter handle is @synapse101. She is an academic, and she knows where to find lots of resources that are body positive and that promote healthy choices that are right for the individual. Also her outfits are food-themed. If you want more specific advice, you can ask her and she will help you.

Whatever you are eating, it is not BAD. Food has no inherent value as good or bad. It’s just food. You are not good or bad because of the food you eat. You’re just you, doing your best.

I hope you can find something more useful than just counting calories and being told there are simple goods and bads in food and in health.

- The Slightly Aggressive Affirmer

[gwenbrightly]

Family

Crossposted from ffnet

Her family is growing, Carmen muses one day not long after her most recent brush with death. She's known it for a while, now, deep down. This is just the first time she's considered exactly how different this family is from the one she grew up with. Shadowsan has yet to lift the strict regimen of bedrest he had inflicted upon her as soon as they had moved into their new (and first ever) home base. Which... probably is for the best, honestly. His mutterings about how he didn't rescue her from Coach Brunt so she could die from hypothermia do pose a very real point. She's not out of the woods yet and won't be for quite some time still. But laying on the couch watching Zach and Ivy butcher another karaoke song on the small machine they've hooked up to the tv while Shadowsan looks on in disgusted confusion, she can almost forget that.

"Dooon't stop belieeeevin!" Ivy sings at the top of her lungs as if she's never heard the definition of the word quiet. Her brother continues the song with equal enthusiasm.

"Just hooold on to that feeliiiiiing!"

"Streetlights people!" they finish, holding the end note longer than necessary.

Carmen's not sure she's ever seen her former teacher look so relieved when their singing finally dies off. As much as he'd probably deny it if anyone ever said so out loud, Shadowsan is definitely the father of the group. Consistently there to shoot them worried (or outright appalled) looks whenever they do something especially stupid or making sure they don't stay up too late during their off time. It's nice to have someone else around to do some of the worrying. Goodness knows how much of it she's done, herself, lately. And then there's Player, obviously the baby of the group, for all his intelligence and common sense. She's never asked his age, but he just seems so much younger than her, or Zach, or Ivy. With his youthful stature, it's difficult not to wonder how much his parents know about his hacking activities, but she can't dwell on it. She would never have made it this far without his help. Probably wouldn't have even left the island...

"You know I love you, bro," the female redhead starts in again, interrupting Carmen's thoughts, "but pineapple is not a real pizza topping."

"You're only saying that because you've never tried it." Zach insists with an eye roll.

"Nope, and I never will." his sister tells him. Carmen sits up a little, wondering what brought on this familiar debate. There are takeout menu's scattered across the coffee table not far away. Ah, that explains it.

"Must everything be a production with you two?" Shadowsan interjects tiredly. Although she has her suspicions that they've grown on him deep down, he has yet to warm up to their constant shenanigans.

"You do realize we could just order more than one kind of pizza, right?" Carmen reminds them, deciding it's time to step in. They freeze, only now realizing she's been listening to their conversation.

"Oh. I, uh, I'm sorry if we woke you, Carm." Ivy offers guiltily, only just realizing how loudly they've been bickering. "Nah, it's okay. I was already awake." Carmen says with a shrug. The conversation has been keeping her entertained, if nothing else (though the singing would have been a deal breaker if she had been sleeping still) . Hyperactive, spontaneous, and more than a little crazy at times, Zach and Ivy are a bit harder to pinpoint when it comes to assigning them a specific role within this family of thieves and hackers, she thinks absentmindedly. Some days, it's like working with toddlers. Others, it feels like they've got years on her in age. Like when Ivy gives her that look of utmost concern that makes her feel guilty for nearly dying on them all over again. Or takes the lead on a mission because Carmen's out of commission. Or when Zach offers some piece of surprisingly insightful advice before fearlessly leaping into danger. They all take turns taking care of each other, the Argentinean supposes. And somehow, it works.

"If you're sure. You still need your rest, y'know." Ivy tells her after staring at her for a minute, wanting to make sure her sister of sorts really is okay.

"Trust me, I know." she confirms, snuggling back against the pillows arranged on the couch.

"You had better." Shadowsan comments with a frown. These reckless kids will be the death of him, he swears. But… in a good way, perhaps. They're nothing at all like his students from V. I. L. E. They're far more selfless and caring. He finds he's needed the change of pace.

"Anyway," Zach asserts, "we should get back to deciding what we're gonna have for dinner. Can't plot our next moves on an empty stomach…"

"I suppose that's true." Carmen agrees with a smile. She is starting to get a bit hungry.

"I guess pizza does sound kinda good. But only if you make sure you order some without pineapple this time." Ivy decides after a moment's deliberation. And this is all it takes for things to spiral back into utter chaos. If anyone had told her she'd end up finding a family so real and unbreakable under such bizarre circumstances a few years ago, Carmen's pretty sure she'd have laughed in their face. Yet here she is, caught in the middle of a debate over the merits of different pizza toppings. Somehow in running away from the only family she'd ever known, she's managed to find a new one, made up of individuals who are some of the most caring, selfless, and courageous people she's ever met. It may not be perfect, but it's hers. And somewhere out there, Julia is dead set on changing the world, and Gray – Graham – is performing charitable acts for those in need. Carmen would consider them family, too. They've changed her for the better. Even if she's not sure she's ready to explore exactly what the nature of her relationship with a certain Australian is. There will be time to worry about that later. Labels are awfully restricting anyway, on her opinion. And maybe, someday, she'll even find out what happened to her birth parents. But for now, she has her family, and they have her. No matter what. Which, in the end, is all she really cares about.

[saltycharacters]

How do you come up with such original designs (for humans and creatures? I can easily come up with diverse personalities for my characters but when it comes to designing their looks I melt into a puddle of disappointment

God, this ask is about 2 years old, no joke. I’m so, SO ashamed that I never got around to replying to this- I had a super detailed explanation planned, but I kept forgetting about it and putting it off aaand yep. i am so sorry man. I’m not even sure if you’ll ever see this lmao. But I feel bad about leaving it as is, so better later than never.

I’ve mentioned this here and there, but my main strategy for character design is juxtaposition- finding shapes in an animal or an object or etc and replacing it for something similarly shaped. Here’s a basic example of what I mean: 

I use this method more than any other for character creation, as you can see

And this doesn’t only work for animal characters! It can be done with humans/humanoids too!

And you know how practice makes you better at things? Well fun fact, you can actually train yourself to become more creative and get the ideas that you like! It just takes time. Over the years, I’ve actually taught myself to to notice shapes more frequently in things, and that’s why I keep getting so many ideas. And with enough practice, you can actually get pretty abstract with your juxtaposition- Take my character Bail for example, whom I gave eyeball fingers.

Believe it or not, I didn’t just put them there randomly. I actually had a thought process behind it and it went something like this:

Of course, this isn’t the only way to make characters, and it’s definitely not everyone’s aesthetic. So here are a few other tips I can give you, in regards to character design!

For animals

-Change/create an animal character into a really weird, obscure or exotic animal. Have a lot of cats and dogs? Want to change it up? Think out of the box! I turned my cat character into an Australian quoll, and it rocked! I actually have a lot of pictures of weird animals saved into my phone for this reason. It really helps keep things interesting- plus, it’s super fun and a great drawing prompt!

-Combine animals. This is advice I’ve given to a few of my friends before and they seem to really like the idea, so I definitely recommend taking a few animals and mashing them together. Not even just two animals- try three, or four, or more. I actually find mixing at least 3 or more animals produces more satisfactory results.

-Have a lot of animal characters and not enough people? Turn some critters into humans! I’m currently having a blast redesigning old ocs like this, because I tend to make more funky creatures than funky humans and it really helps. You can also do the reverse- go from human to animal.

For humans

-Do you find yourself thinking that your human characters look too similar/boring? What can you do to change that? Ironically, a lot of times this answer is very simple. Visibly diversify them. Give them different skin colors, for one. Hair is a given, but specifically try to vary between straight hair and wavy hair and curly hair. And give them vastly different hairstyles. Don’t be afraid to look them up. Skin features such as freckles, moles, vitiligo, scars, acne, facial hair, etc can really help make your character(s) stand out as well. Additionally, give them visibly different noses. Chins. Head shapes. Body shapes. Give some wheelchairs. Give some prosthetics. Etc etc- Like i said, this all seems super obvious, but I get people telling me they think their ocs are too mundane and I glance at them, and they look identical- save for the varying hairstyles and clothes. We’re use to seeing such diversity in real life to begin with- even as you pass by people on the street, most don’t look anything alike. So of course you’re gonna find something lacking when the only distinguishing factor you use is hair and clothes. Really, don’t be afraid to make them as different from each other as possible!

-Also, remember that juxtaposition thing I talked about? Use it for clothes. Design some really funky clothes. I actually based my ocs around some really cool outfits I made with this method, and it’s very useful for creating humans.

And lastly, the second most used method (by me) for character creation is to just doodle- I doodle a lot and often I accidentally create something I really like. Start with a headshape, I usually go with circles. Keep adding random things to it, and eventually, you may end up with something super cool.

Even though I doubt the original asker will read this, I do hope others find some of this advice useful!

[drferox]

🌪️Doubts in hind sight

Anonymous said to @ask-drferox: 1/3🌪️ i'm aware that this is definitely not a black-and-white easy answer kind of thing, but do you have any advice for people who have worries about their vet's handling of a situation? of course 'talk to your vet' is a good one, but aside from that. i sort of feel like even though there obviously wasn't any ill intention, my late cat's hepatic lipidosis wasn't taken as seriously as it should have been and i wasn't given some information about specific treatment concerns that i should have

2/3🌪️ been made aware of. there's nothing that can be done now and i don't want to ascribe blame (bc i feel a lot of guilt about various things too) but having no idea if her treatment probably shouldve played out different or not (or if, given her symptoms, her death was actually as unexpected as the vet thought it was or not) is really interfering with my ability to grieve properly. part of it's a personal issue but i'd like to at least reach some level of closure about this that isn't just

3/3 🌪️'it's impossible to say'. at the same time though i'm aware that feelings like this after losing a pet probably arent uncommon (even when they're unfounded), and ultimately im a layperson and not a professional! i want to be able to examine this without just giving in to 'it is what it is; they're a vet so they made the best choices' (also acknowledging the subjectivity of 'best') but i also don't want to fall into 'i read some papers online so i KNOW that this professional is a dumbass!'

Take this advice with a grain of salt, Anon, as I don’t know which country you’re in and I mostly know about Australia.

I’m very sorry for the loss of your cat. I know hepatic lipidosis can be difficult to turn around even if it’s the only condition at play and can require a lot of intensive care.

If you have a confirmed diagnosis, reading up on it from sources that are not trying to sell you something (an ebook or homeopathic remedies, for example) may or may not put your mind at ease, but it will make you more informed if you still feel the need to ask questions about what has happened.

Asking questions of the treating vet is a good first step, since they were directly involved, and should be able to explain their reasonings and treatment choices.

Consulting with a different vet in the practice is also an option, or taking the medical records & blood results to an unassociated clinic may also give you some peace of mind, though they will be limited in what they can infer by only what it contained in the medical record.

Australia also has a series of Veterinary Registration Boards which can handle cases like these.

The boards register veterinarians to practice (and if they are not registered, it is illegal for them to practice veterinary medicine so that’s a whole other problem). They also mediate complaints or concerns about professional behavior, including malpractice. The only complaints they really don’t handle at all are about pricing of services. That’s for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, vets don’t police that among themselves.

If you are in Australia, you can write to the relevant Vet Board and express your concerns or complaint in a letter. (You can’t do this anonymously, by the way). The VB can then write to the vet in question and ask them to explain, relay that to you and go back and forth. They can act as an independent but professionally informed mediator, ensure happenings were to industry standard, explain things, request additional information and so on. And if any sort of malpractice was found to occur, they will handle as appropriate. Whether that’s counseling and training, or something harsher.

I’m not sure of your specific circumstances and whether you feel you need to go that far, but it’s an option that exists in Australia and presumably there are similar setups in other countries.

[cathkaesque]

I hope you're doing well! I was wondering if you might have some advice for me. I'm going to be finishing studying this year and am looking into unions. I'll be a librarian living in australia. obviously there's always the iww but I was wondering if there's a specific union or? sorry, I realise you might not be able to answer this but I figured I'd ask. thanks xx

Generally your best bet is joining the union that’s already established in the workplace and is most likely to  and then linking up with other militants tto win it to a combative position. Personally I think the IWW is more of anarchist party rather than a proper union and would be best seeing itself as a militant faction within the labour movement rather than trying to build its own separate thing. In Australia I think you’d either want Community and Public Sector Union or the Australian Services Union. Basically see what’s around and whatever brings you in touch with your workmates is the route to go.  

[vampireloreskill]

Get To Know Me 

tagged by @fourfinefreshfishforyou a billion years ago, thank you so much!! i actually Did have fun filling this out even if it took me forever 

 anyone who still wants to do this can say i tagged them!

1. WHAT IS YOUR FULL NAME? Who wrote this? A fed??

2. WHAT IS YOUR NICKNAME? Kris

3. BIRTHDAY? This year

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK SERIES? Would you believe me if I said Warriors

5. DO YOU BELIEVE IN ALIENS OR GHOSTS? Ghosts no, aliens sort of... I’m not sure I buy into whole other civilizations but I find it hard to believe that there isn’t some kind of life outside of our planet even if it’s just bacteria 

6. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE AUTHOR? Rick Riordan is pretty cool

7. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE RADIO STATION? Christmas

8. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FLAVOR OF ANYTHING? Strawberry or peach 

9. WHAT WORD WOULD YOU USE OFTEN TO DESCRIBE SOMETHING GREAT OR WONDERFUL? Amazing

10. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT FAVORITE SONG?  Your Type - Carly Rae Jepson

11. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WORD? I’m a big fan of defenestration

12. WHAT WAS THE LAST SONG YOU LISTENED TO?  Your Type - Carly Rae Jepson

13. WHAT TV SHOW WOULD YOU RECOMMEND FOR EVERYBODY TO WATCH? I don’t like to blanket recommend shows because everyone has such different tastes

14. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE TO WATCH WHEN YOU’RE FEELING DOWN? Tbh I just mope around until I either feel better or give up and go to sleep

15. DO YOU PLAY VIDEO GAMES? This is an Assassin’s Creed and Sims zone ONLY

16. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR? Strangers on the internet knowing my second biggest fear

17. WHAT IS YOUR BEST QUALITY, IN YOUR OPINION? Objectively it’s probably my ability to see things from other people’s perspective but TBH I much prefer my sense of humor and ability to laugh at my own jokes whether or not anyone else finds them funny 

18. WHAT IS YOUR WORST QUALITY, IN YOUR OPINION? My inability to self moderate

19. DO YOU LIKE CATS OR DOGS BETTER? I want to say neither,, but I may be leaning towards dogs in recent years :/

20. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON? Winter, but lately Autumn has been sneaking up on it

21. ARE YOU IN A RELATIONSHIP? Nah

22. WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU MISS FROM YOUR CHILDHOOD? Being small... I loved hiding in tiny spaces and being picked up

23. WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND? *cowboy voice* Now there’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time...

24. WHAT IS YOUR EYE COLOR? Dark brown

25. WHAT IS YOUR HAIR COLOR? At this point it’s basically black but I still like to say dark brown

26. WHO IS SOMEONE YOU LOVE? God, my family, probably a lot of people idk I catch feelings easily

27. WHO IS SOMEONE YOU TRUST? Literally no one but God 

28. WHO IS SOMEONE YOU THINK ABOUT OFTEN? A lot of seemingly random celebrities, if you count constantly reciting names in specific patterns as thinking 

29. ARE YOU CURRENTLY EXCITED ABOUT/FOR SOMETHING? Yes, lots of things! 

30. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST OBSESSION? lmao

31. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW AS A CHILD? REDWALLLLL

32. WHO OF THE OPPOSITE GENDER CAN YOU TELL ANYTHING TO, IF ANYONE? I’m not sure what the opposite of shrug emoji is but the answer is still no one

33. ARE YOU SUPERSTITIOUS? I’m not, but someone needs to tell me that

34. DO YOU HAVE ANY UNUSUAL PHOBIAS? I’m not sure I have any phobias? Irrational fears, Sure

35. DO YOU PREFER TO BE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA OR BEHIND IT? Behind it!

36. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HOBBY? I REALLY want to get into dollhousing

37. WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? I know I said Les Misérables in a previous tag meme but I now remember that I actually read the first book in C.S. Lewis’s space trilogy a while back more recently

38. WHAT WAS THE LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Spider-man: Into The Spiderverse which was........ AMAZING 

39. WHAT MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS DO YOU PLAY, IF ANY? When I was younger I had a lap harp but that’s about it

40. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ANIMAL? Opossums

41. WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 5 FAVORITE TUMBLR BLOGS THAT YOU FOLLOW? I’m not a fan of naming names in this context sorry!

42. WHAT SUPERPOWER DO YOU WISH YOU HAD? A lot, but I’ve concluded that for any powers gained I would inevitably just end up becoming a super villain and/or batman so hard pass

43. WHEN AND WHERE DO YOU FEEL MOST AT PEACE? When I first wake up, and just lie there trying to hold on to what I was just dreaming about

44. WHAT MAKES YOU SMILE? It’s basically physically impossible for me not to grin like a fool watching Wander Over Yonder

45. WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY, IF ANY? Does Wii Bowling count

46. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DRINK? Apple cider

47. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WROTE A HAND-WRITTEN LETTER OR NOTE TO SOMEBODY? I don’t know? Probably when I wanted to wake up at a certain time

48. ARE YOU AFRAID OF HEIGHTS? Sometimes? Depends on how possible it is that I could fall

49. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PET PEEVE? Dry skin currently 

50. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO A CONCERT? I was going to say no but I have the distinct feeling that I have even though I didn’t remember absolutely anything about it except maybe the auditorium?

51. ARE YOU VEGAN/VEGETARIAN? No

52. WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP? Zookeeper

53. WHAT FICTIONAL WORLD WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE IN? Um. Eternia?? ajfghdk 

54. WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU WORRY ABOUT? Not growing as a person

55. ARE YOU SCARED OF THE DARK? Not really, but I do like the ability to turn on lights if I need to

56. DO YOU LIKE TO SING? My vocal cords were made for Christmas carols and little else. But yeah, sometimes.

57. HAVE YOU EVER SKIPPED SCHOOL? I’m not... sure?

58. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE ON THE PLANET? I’ll let you know when I’ve found it

59. WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE? Where I already do

60. DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS? Yes

61. ARE YOU MORE OF AN EARLY BIRD OR A NIGHT OWL? Night owl

62. DO YOU LIKE SUNRISES OR SUNSETS BETTER? Sunsets

63. DO YOU KNOW HOW TO DRIVE? I feel like I could make an educated guess in an emergency

64. DO YOU PREFER EARBUDS OR HEADPHONES? Headphones

65. HAVE YOU EVER HAD BRACES? No

66. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE GENRE OF MUSIC? I feel like it’s probably pop or disco tbh

67. WHO IS YOUR HERO? Jesus 

68. DO YOU READ COMIC BOOKS? Here and there, the only series I’ve actually read all the way through is Cable & Deadpool (2004) but I want to get into Venom

69. WHAT MAKES YOU THE MOST ANGRY? Not to be cliche but injustice of any kind

70. DO YOU PREFER TO READ ON AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE OR WITH A REAL BOOK? Real book, I like turning pages and the way the cover fits into my hands. Can’t say I’m a fan of the smell though.

71. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL? Vocabulary

72. DO YOU HAVE ANY SIBLINGS? Yes

73. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT? Sims 4 packs

74. HOW TALL ARE YOU? 5′2 or so

75. CAN YOU COOK? If it involves anything other than a microwave or a toaster then,,, no

76. WHAT ARE THREE THINGS THAT YOU LOVE? Vampires, villains in love, wood paneling 

77. WHAT ARE THREE THINGS THAT YOU HATE? Intrusive thoughts, Marius Pontmercy, mint flavored toothpaste

78. DO YOU HAVE MORE FEMALE FRIENDS OR MORE MALE FRIENDS? I... Have more female mutuals

79. WHAT IS YOUR SEXUAL ORIENTATION? Bisexual but like it’s Complicated. Also this is the first time I’ve ever actually said that directly so ✌️🎉

80. WHERE DO YOU CURRENTLY LIVE? A fed wrote this

81. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TEXTED? My mom

82. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Earlier this month

83. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE YOUTUBER? I don’t really follow any, but I used to be obsessed with the videos of this one guy who acted out crossovers of DC/Marvel characters with action figures and had a really great voice

84. DO YOU LIKE TO TAKE SELFIES? I do! I just never do anything with them once I’ve taken them lol

85. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE APP? I don’t have one right now, but I adore choose your own adventure ones

86. WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR PARENT(S) LIKE? Pretty good with my adoptive parents. I want to be closer with my birth mom but I don’t... really know how to go about that without being a disappointment. Never met my birth dad which has been eating at me somewhat lately.

87. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOREIGN ACCENT? Uhh Australian maybe??

88. WHAT IS A PLACE THAT YOU’VE NEVER BEEN TO, BUT YOU WANT TO VISIT? Mexico

89. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NUMBER? 6

90. CAN YOU JUGGLE? Do you take me for a clown

91. ARE YOU RELIGIOUS? Yes, I’m a nondenominational christian 

92. DO YOU FIND OUTER SPACE OF THE DEEP OCEAN TO BE MORE INTERESTING? The ocean, it’s teeming with life and I find it bafflingly fascinating how there’s still so much we don’t know about it

93. DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF TO BE A DAREDEVIL? Absolutely not

94. ARE YOU ALLERGIC TO ANYTHING? Almost every single time we go shopping in Sam’s Club I get inexplicably feverish and nauseous and feel like I’ve thrown out my back until we get to the check out. That and I may have a dairy allergy? But honestly my stomach is acting out every other day so who knows really.  

95. CAN YOU CURL YOUR TONGUE? Ye

96. CAN YOU WIGGLE YOUR EARS? No

97. HOW OFTEN DO YOU ADMIT THAT YOU WERE WRONG ABOUT SOMETHING? Not as often as I should

98. DO YOU PREFER THE FOREST OR THE BEACH? Aesthetically, the beach, but forests are less sandy

99. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PIECE OF ADVICE THAT ANYONE HAS EVER GIVEN YOU? Pat, don’t rub (When drying your hands)

100. ARE YOU A GOOD LIAR?  mmMM I don’t really lie, like, seriously about stuff that I can recall? I’ll jokingly say stuff that blatantly isn’t true and even then I sometimes feel guilty and confess seconds later. Unless you count lying by omission? Or saying stuff like “I’m fine” LMAO. The World May Never Know

101. WHAT IS YOUR HOGWARTS HOUSE? We Don’t Discuss Harry Potter On This Blog, but ravenclaw all the way and any test that tries to sort me into hufflepuff isn’t Valid 

102. DO YOU TALK TO YOURSELF? Generally just when I’m alone

103. ARE YOU AN INTROVERT OR AN EXTROVERT? Introvert

104. DO YOU KEEP A JOURNAL/DIARY? I’ve tried, but I just don’t have the attention span for it asdfgh. Sometimes I write down my dreams though.

105. DO YOU BELIEVE IN SECOND CHANCES? Yes

106. IF YOU FOUND A WALLET FULL OF MONEY ON THE GROUND, WHAT WOULD YOU DO? Convince someone else to pick it up and check for ID

107. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE ARE CAPABLE OF CHANGE? Yes

108. ARE YOU TICKLISH? That’s a personal question

109. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ON A PLANE? Yes

110. DO YOU HAVE ANY PIERCINGS? No

111. WHAT FICTIONAL CHARACTER DO YOU WISH WAS REAL? Count Dracula from Monster Family (2017) ok so,,, i know he tried to freeze the entire world because a married woman rejected him but LISTEN

112. DO YOU HAVE ANY TATTOOS? No

113. WHAT IS THE BEST DECISION THAT YOU’VE MADE IN YOUR LIFE SO FAR? Following Jesus

114. DO YOU BELIEVE IN KARMA? Mm, not karma per say, but I do generally think that what goes around often comes around in way or another

115. DO YOU WEAR GLASSES OR CONTACTS? No

116. DO YOU WANT CHILDREN? NO

117. WHO IS THE SMARTEST PERSON YOU KNOW? Idk! there a lot different types of smart people

118. WHAT IS YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING MEMORY? Nice try, but someone might actually read this

119. HAVE YOU EVER PULLED AN ALL-NIGHTER? I’m basically nocturnal so... yeah

120. WHAT COLOR ARE MOST OF YOUR CLOTHES? Various jewel tones

121. DO YOU LIKE ADVENTURES? Ehhhhhhh

122. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ON TV? Not that I know of

123. HOW OLD ARE YOU? 21

124. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE? I can’t really think of one right now

125. DO YOU PREFER SWEET OR SAVORY FOODS? Whichever I’m in the mood for!

[eldritchsurveys]

176.

part 6 of that weird long bzoink survey

Have you ever mowed the lawn? >> A couple of times long ago.

Do you get an allowence? >> No, I get an income.

Where do your parents work? >> ---

Did you ever know your great grandparents? >> No.

What does family mean to you? >> It doesn’t really mean anything to me. For all intents and purposes, Sparrow is the only person that counts as “family” because once we’re married that’s literally what we’ll be, legally. I have no connections to the people I’m blood-related to, and I’m not even interested in having “family” at this point because it’s been such a source of bullshit for me. I don’t even want “in-laws” lmao because her mother is always like “you’re part of the faaaaamily” meehehfhhhhhhh fuck that.

What does friendship mean to you? >> I don’t know. I’ve always had a hard time really understanding what a friend is supposed to be for me, which is partly how I ended up in so many bad friendships. I would like to be in a mutually beneficial friendship, but I’m really not sure how they work, and no one I’ve asked about it seems to have had any insight except, you know, “don’t be a dick”-type advice, which is largely general.

What does true love mean to you? >> Love is just behaviour, for me. A way of treating people that shows compassion, appreciation, and interest. I don’t really know any other way to think of it than that.

What's your favorite band/group/singer? >> I don’t know, man, I have a million.

What's your favorite movie? >> The Fountain. Also, Interstellar. Also, Sunshine.

TV show? >> I like a lot of tv shows, I don’t really have any stand-out ones.

What radio station do you listen to most often? >> I don’t listen to radio.

Do you get snow days often where you live? >> Yes, unfortunately.

Do you try to run from things that are bothering you? Does it work? >> I try to distract myself from things that I can’t do anything about, or feelings that aren’t productive. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

Can you smell fear? >> I’m guessing not.

Would you ever pet a lion? >> If I had an opportunity and could guarantee not getting eaten, sure.

What's your favorite perfume? What's your favorite cologne? >> I like oils. Like from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab.

What's your favorite overall smell? >> I don’t have one.

What's your favorite sign? (star, heart, rainbow, skull) >> I’m not sure.

Do you know how to play marbles? >> I didn’t know there was a specific game related to them.

Do you know how to play jacks? >> I do now, but when I had them as a child no one taught me that there was a game you’re supposed to play, so I kinda just fiddled around with them.

Do you know how to play poker? >> I’ve forgotten by now.

Tape or tacks? >> Depends.

Plastic, wood, or wire clothes hangers? >> I prefer wood, but they’re more expensive.

Do you have a light in your closet? >> There’s a light in the main bedroom’s closet.

Do you collect spare change lying around the house? >> No.

Do you like the taste of Tums? >> Not particularly, but it’s not terrible.

How about Pepto Bismol? >> I’ve never tasted it.

Do you have a fast or slow metabolism? >> I don’t know. I’m guessing it’s average.

Do you drink coffee? >> No.

Is the room you are in right now a mess? >> Not really.

When you slip and fall do you laugh it off or freak out? >> I definitely laugh. Especially if it seemed like it probably looked comical to an observer (which a lot of falls really do).

What is your definition of feaking out? >> I don’t know, there’s a lot of ways to freak out.

Have you ever played in a refridgerator box? >> Nope.

Do you still draw with chalk? >> Nah.

Have you ever finger painted? >> I don’t recall having done so, but who knows.

Have you ever had a pie in your face? >> No, thank god.

Ever bobbed for apples? >> No.

Ever hit a piniata? >> No.

Played pin the tail on the donkey? >> No.

Have you ever been on tv/the radio? >> I’ve been on television.

What's your favorite number? >> 9, or 19.

What's your favorite letter? >> V.

What's your favorite color?  >> Gold.

(>0.0)><(0.0<) <- Is that cute to you? >> Sure. Looks like two Kirbys.

What's your favorite onomatopoeia? (Crash, bang, zoom, meow) >> Hmm... zoom is fun.

Have you ever been fishing? Is it really all that much fun? >> I’ve never been. I figure it’s probably more relaxing than fun, but I wouldn’t actually know.

Ever been minurature golfing? >> Yeah.

Are you a tennis geek? >> No.

Computer geek? >> I don’t really consider myself any kind of ‘geek’.

Video game geek? >> ---

Anime geek? >> ---

D&D geek? >> ---

Are you one of those people who watch Naruto? >> “One of those people”, lol. Okay. Anyway, no, I don’t watch it.

Do you agree that even Pokemon is better than naruto? >> I really don’t have an opinion.

Ninjas or dinosaurs? >> Hm.

Do you watch stand up comedy? >> Sometimes.

What's your favorite tv network? >> I don’t know. I don’t usually watch regular television.

Do you have one night that you could play on repeat forever and ever? >> Nah, I’m good.

Is there one dream you wish you could just live through once? >> Any of the ones I’ve had about Idris Elba, lmfao.

Do you think people with a British accent are hot? How about Australian? Irish? >> I’m really attracted to the cadence of some Irish accents. A person still has to be otherwise attractive to me for me to be attracted to them, though; the accent isn’t going to override everything else.

What is your ethnic background? >> As far as I know, Black American, Native American, and Haitian.

Do you eat ramen? >> Sure.

How about microwavable pot pies? >> Not so much anymore, but I do like them.

What's your favorite topping on popcorn? >> I like kettle corn.

Sweet or regular pickles? >> Regular. Every time I think I want a sweet pickle, just one slice is enough.

Have you ever tried pickled eggs? >> No.

What's the grossest thing you've ever tasted? >> Whatever it is, I don’t remember it now.

Have you ever lied about your age? >> No.

Do you look your age? >> Apparently not.

What age do you look? >> According to people I’ve polled in random places over the past few years, I seem to look somewhere between 21 and 27 to most.

What kind of dreams do you have most often? >> I don’t know, anymore.

Do you even dream a lot at all? >> I’m not sure. I don’t remember upon awakening. I guess this is the tradeoff -- I haven’t had sleep paralysis in months, but I also feel really distant from my dreamself now.

What is the name of your favorite teacher of all time? >> ---

What is your mom's name? Dad's? >> ---

Do you have any siblings? If so what are their names?  >> ---

When was the last time you threw up? >> I don’t remember. Probably at Gardella’s like 6 months ago or whenever it was.

What's the worst part about throwing up? >> The anticipation, I guess.

What do you do for personal growth? >> *shrug*

Do you wear jewlery a lot? >> I’m usually wearing it.

Would you rather die burning or die freezing to death? >> I don’t know how either feels, so how could I really choose?

In other words do you prefer the hot or the cold? >> At this point in my life I prefer the heat, even with my sensitivity to it.

Do you really believe that in 2012 we're all gonna die? >> Oh, so that’s how old the survey is.

Where do you think the Mayans went? >> I’m sure there are anthropologists and paleontologists that have some idea about this.

Who do you think built the pyramids? >> The people that lived there at the time...? Is there evidence someone else did? Or just conspiracy theories, as always?

If you could read anyone's mind who would be the first person you'd read? >> No, thanks.

Who's your number one on your friends list? >> ---

Do you know what the word Mollycoddle means? >> Yeah.

Do you think it's cheating to put questions on here that aren't real Qs? >> No, I just delete them.

Have you ever been dizzy without spinning? >> Yeah.

Do you like to make yourself dizzy? >> No.

Do you agree that milk cold is the equivilent of butt warmth? >> What.

Do you believe that if you want something enough you'll get it? >> No, because there still needs to be some effort put in, not just really hard wishing. But I do think that desire can be motivation to put in that effort, so in that sense, sure, yeah.

Have you ever wished on a star? Did it ever come true? >> No.

Have you ever thrown a penny in a wishing well? >> No.

What was your favorite mall ride? (mini carousel, pony, helicopter) >> Hmm.

Do you take care of your cuticles? >> No, I just leave them alone (which is better than young!me, who used to pick at them constantly).

Do you even know what a cuticle is? >> Yeah.

Do you believe that everyone has a soul mate? >> No.

If you could keep any person in the world as your pet who would it be? >> LOL nah, I like my inworld pets best.

How would you treat them? >> How I’d treat a pet would be determined by both their desires and their limits, and my energy level lol.

Would you put them on a leash when you went out? >> No, because I think that’s kind of... uncouth. Doing that sort of thing in public, I mean. There are plenty of discreet ways to be kinky without having to like... advertise it like that.

How would you punish them when they were naughty? >> That depends on what was agreed upon.

Are these inappropriote questions? >> For many people, they certainly would be. I just happen to not care.

I'm sorry. Have you ever seen Scary Movie? >> I’ve seen #3, but that’s it.

Which is bigger? The Godfather or Star Wars? >> Er...

What are your views on the second Godfather movie? >> ---

It sucked I think. Anyway are you inbred? >> Well, no.

What's your favorite text word? (lol, wtf, brb, g2g) >> I don’t know.

PC or Mac? >> I use PC.

[backpackingfemale-blog]

Backpacker Advice - Safety and also Security

female safety items during travel

My goal is to start by simply saying, that I privately have never had any kind of basic safety or security difficulties even though travelling - different than using a bottle connected with half clear shower serum going absent after My partner and i left it inside the bathtub (I was gutted! ). If you follow simple advice and use your personal sound judgment then neither must you.

female safety items during travel

Desired destination Safety

A person should always check your own state's foreign office regarding information how safe your current destination is definitely. This will probably provide the official placement of your government upon in which destination's safety.

Nonetheless any travel warning coming from your unusual office will not necessarily mean you may not head out. Often there might end up being a small part associated with this country that basically safe, nevertheless the foreign business office will announce the complete nation unstable. So it will be some sort of good idea to combination check with some other unknown offices and reporting agencies.

Precisely what To Do If Your own personal Destination Will become Unsafe When There

You're not likely to be able to experience political alter, specifically outside of cities, nonetheless it can happen - navy effet in Bangkok seem to be to take place every several or 4 years.

Normally tourists are not a new focus on and your vacation will be not affected, however you should always stay away from virtually any mass protest as well as display.

If you locate yourself in the very less likely situation of sense hazardous or a concentrate on, you have a couple of alternatives. The first is for you to go to your own personal charge. Be aware that embassies will often become targets by themselves rapid if your charge is a targeted, subsequently neighbouring embassies will most likely present refugee - We. at the. a British Citizen, must be fine to go to help the Australian, Us or even Canadian embassies along with perversité versa.

Note down charge includes before you proceed.

The second option is to buy out as quickly since possible. This may always be as easy as getting the bus away, but while complex as contacting the particular foreign office back residence intended for specialist advice. I actually must state that that is extremely rare, and possesses not happened to myself or perhaps anyone I get met.

Safety measures For Ladies

You should outfit correctly when travelling to particular destinations. Respect religious persuits in regards to attire code and get away from sexual being a nuisance by dressing up conservatively. Take into account wearing shoes or boots you usually are capable of running inside, while visiting high risk regions.

Avoid getting alone following dark. If it is actually inescapable stick to properly lit in addition to crowded parts.

Keep any rape burglar alarm with you when you attend areas where you may possibly be vulnerable. Be sure it will be easy to access instructions with your pocket or linked to (not in) your personal bag.

American women can easily often appear promiscuous in order to some cultures, so in case stressed either ignore this or maybe tell them a person don't like it and they also should back off. When adopted walk into some sort of store or motel as well as tell the owner. If possible ask them to call up the police.

In the event that snapped up or attacked, yell seeing that loud as you could as well as activate your rapadura alert, don't try to be able to plead or even bargain. Combat back, use just about any things around you and shoot for the head, knees or perhaps privates.

If you tend to be sharing a dormitory using another traveller that may be producing you feel uncomfortable, you ought to let them and typically the hostel supervision know -- ask to go rooms when necessary. Most hostels give female only dorms, and so if you are apprehensive concerning sharing with guys this is the best solution.

How To Stay away from Getting Broken into

A related principle to not acquiring robbed anywhere - occurs common sense.

Don't demonstrate off your own valuables, specially not in the risky location or in a region where valuables are rare or hard to are available by.

Never have an excessive amount of on your person and also ensure important items are usually secure and invisible, both in a zipped bank account or locked bag. Retain other valuables safe within your hostel.

Blend in. What exactly I mean by means of which is don't act similar to a new tourist. Don't look through that will big wad of notes inside your finances, looking for the proper foreign money.

Seek safety suggestions out of your hostel. Don't move to a location that an individual have been advised never to or an area just where you will stick out along with become a target.

Keep Alert. Especially when with CREDIT machines and whenever handing above currency. Primary locations to get pickpockets are generally markets in addition to transport dernier.

If you are proceeding to become drinking, may take almost any valuables out there with you and stay added cautious.

Don't drift off in public transport or maybe retail outlet items you don't would like to lose in the cost to do business pockets. From what My spouse and i have heard via many other travellers this is often the most frequent scenario where persons have goods stolen.

Have a tendency keep gear together. Specifically cash : always include an emergency stash, My partner and i. e. in a match of clothes. Documents furthermore, you should have photocopies of your passport retained independently from the authentic.

I am not just a huge fan of safety pouches/ wallets/ belts, I think that they act like magnets for you to thieves - alerting those to the fact you possess something precious on anyone. If you insist about getting one, never receive it in public, constantly move to the very discreet place.

If you sense beneath threat, look with regard to exit items and take into account leaving as well as running.

Exactly how To Protect Your personal Things In Hostels

All people have these kinds of false misconceptions it is the actual locals who are in order to get their belongings, yet the unhappy reality is usually the biggest threat is definitely from your fellow individuals.

Fairly obvious really, contemplating you happen to be sharing a area with an regular regarding 6 strangers for every night time. However it is crucial to consider only a little minority of men and women resort to help theft.

Most hikers usually are wealthy and it can certainly end up being very tempting regarding some people to aid their selves - even in order to items you wouldn't expect. Avoid put anything past individuals - from chapsticks to be able to chargers; tuna to tooth paste - I've heard the particular lot.

The problem is actually most people are also trusting; the golden principle in hostels though is just not to trust anyone having your current belongings, particularly certainly not full strangers.

The bulk of crime will be opportunistic, not planned.

Departing your own personal iPhone on demand untreated is just giving somebody a opportunity to rob it rapid don't offer people options.

If you actually are leaving something alone ensure it is based away instructions that should go for when you usually are sleep too. Always retain valuables in a very locker as well as hostel risk-free.

Scams

Despite the fact that I stated earlier I have got never been any casualty of crime though treking, I have certainly find scam or two -- and you should too.

They goal travelers, so you tend to be likely to find all of them for most tourist destinations a person visit, in particular in establishing countries.

Several scammers get very good strategies to receiving your money. Go with belly feeling, you may usually impression when a thing is awry of course, if that sounds too good to get true, it probably is usually. Never hand over funds, property or details right up until you know everything is definitely legitimate.

Simply use registered taxis, avoid the use of cards throughout non reliable stores or even hostels. Once more common good sense is key, use the idea and also you won't fall target.

Privately, the hotbed intended for hoaxes is Hanoi, Vietnam : every hour We was right now there I ended up being targeted by scammers usually.

In this article is a list involving some cons you may possibly encounter, some more significant than others:

Scams

The particular Over Friendly And Good Salesman. Someone starts some sort of conversation with you upon the neighborhood, usually quite friendly; "where are an individual from?... Oh I enjoy the item there... Do you recognize these kinds of and such? inches. After a while they might offer you a "mates rate" package deal for a new massage for example, that they can will arrange for anyone within the phone. However while you get at this time there, you actually find the owner connected with the massage therapy parlour had not been aware of this particular package, or the parlour isn't going to even exist.

How To be able to Avoid: After having a few associated with these you just learn, and ignore the dialogue to start with. Never pay to get something before you can observe it.

The English language Pupil. Again someone should come upwards to you being incredibly helpful, they will consult if they can easily discuss with you in Uk because they are understanding. They then parents along with student fees or perhaps ebooks, etc.

This may appear to be it could be legitimate, but it took place for you to me 3 times with three or more days in Hanoi. There are numerous scams like this specific - in which play to help your emotions rapid nevertheless most of these sob reports are scams.

Just how To Avoid: Merely point out sorry, I can't aid or I have simply no money in me. In the event you feel bad in that case donate to a signed up charitable organization.

The Scooter Sales person. Some guy on a moped will pull right up subsequent to you and offer you to promote you something. Commonly in order to just take your personal money and journey off of without giving you the product or service.

How To Avoid: Basic, don't acquire anything by someone sitting down on the getaway vehicle.

Typically the Distracter. Extremely common. Any thoughts will be put within place including children approaching up to you, folks wanting a photo together with you, a person spilling one thing on you, and so forth Just about all the while someone more will be choosing your own pocket.

How To Steer clear of: May carry too several valuables in your person. Make certain your case is straightened and wallets are compressed. Be sound the alarm and guard your purchases when fumes screens similar to this are set in place.

The Fixer. You will be taking walks along the lane minding your own business any time an individual will start aiming at your shoes and boots (or bag, or whatever) expressing it is broken and requirements fixing. Then one or maybe two a lot more people will certainly start saying the same. They will will try to correct your current shoe whilst a person are still jogging as well as charge you for typically the services.

How To Keep away from: This happened in my opinion about more than one situation. I actually started by merely saying "no", if this didn't perform I surpassed the street and after that ultimately would start jogging.

Often the Drug Seller. Simple, anyone will offer you drug treatments. If you buy these, they will tip away from any police officer with regard to a reward.

Keep away from: Clearly don't buy prescription drugs. In case you absolutely have in order to, obtain other travellers, as well as through someone a passenger has stated they have delivered from just before.

The Phony Police Officer. An individual proclaiming to be a law enforcement officials officer may ask to be able to see your passport and also claim it is cast, or claim money you merely gave to a seller seemed to be counterfeit, and request you to pay out some sort of fine.

How To Prevent: A difficult a single, although extremely rare because the fees and penalties for the scammers are incredibly high. Tell them an individual have been suggested for you to always pay fees on a local police place to avoid con-artists. When they are reputable police force officers they should include no issue with this. Never ever get into a unmarked police car, look for these people to take you to help often the station in a new marked just one. If many people have a problem using this these are most most likely a scammer, consequently get in touch with the police or your own personal charge.

The Fake Solution. Anyone will sell anyone a bus or even additional ticket, that is in fact just a piece regarding paper with creating with it.

How To Stay away from: Buy primary, from the accredited travel agent, or perhaps from somewhere a revisionist has successfully bought coming from.

The actual Credit Card. An individual card will probably be scanned 2 times or amounts copied.

Precisely how To Avoid: Never allow your card out of your personal sight. Ensure that merchants swipping your credit card in entrance of you - in the event that they "need to consider it out the backside to the actual machine", inquire to follow these individuals. Inquire for, and keep invoices.

The particular Border Crossing. Anyone will be questioned in order to take something across the particular edge, for someone holding out on the other aspect. This specific almost certainly implies you are being utilized because a drug mule instructions and if you find caught carrying out that inside some places it is actually good bye for you.

The way To Avoid: Never, ever before take anything across the border that isn't your own own. Assure your tote hasn't been meddled having as well.

If You actually Be a Victim Of Criminal offenses

To begin with, if you are usually ever threaten using a system always give up your current belongings, it really just isn't worth the cost, especially as you actually should be totally covered by insurance. Also these days it doesn't take long to be able to cancel and get substitutions regarding passports, cards, and so forth.

You need to act immediately in the event you are a sufferer of crime. The 1st step will be filing any police review (this can be vital if professing your insurance). You could nonetheless need/ want to go to your embassy first according to the nature of the criminal offenses.

You will additionally need to stop any objects stolen since soon possible.