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flyandfamousblackgirls · 5 years ago

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RASHIDA RENEÉ WANTS YOU TO KNOW YOUR HISTORY by Alexis Rene Moten (Culture Jock)

Let’s start this article with a quiz: Name a Black model from the 1990’s that isn’t Naomi Campbell or Tyra Banks?

Stumped? It’s safe to say that if the question were asked to name a White model that wasn’t Kate Moss or Cyndi Crawford, best case scenario you would’ve excelled with a list to provide. Maybe something like: Linda Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer, Christy Turlington, Shalom Harlow, Carla Bruni, Heidi Klum..you get my point.

At times, Pop Culture can be a fair-weather friend. Monday’s It-girl becomes Friday’s nobody and by Sunday there’s a new hot thing in town to get all the girls in a fuss. But as nostalgia-trends rises as capitalism’s newest enterprise, endorsed largely by social media app, Instagram, history is being retold by the agenda of it’s curator. The selective hearing of Instagram accounts like @90scelebvibes (391K followers) and @90sanxiety (793K followers) present a facade that the past was rather beige, leaving largely out the credit due to the Black and people of color creatives that developed and inspired the trends imitated today.

Bay area based, Fashion archivist Rashida Reneé, takes on self-love to a familial level celebrating her love and the appreciation of Black designers, models and other fashion industry influencers that otherwise go forgotten in our modern culture. In fashion, as in anything else, things old become anew. However, Reneé takes on the responsibility as a trend gatekeeper, providing evidence of what fashion used to be and recognizing the faces we longed forgotten.

Q: Name a Black model from the 1990’s that isn’t Naomi Campbell or Tyra Banks?

A: Beverly Peele, Gail O’Neill, Iman, Kara, Young, Karen Alexander, Louise Vyent, Roshumba, Veronica Webb, etc.

Culture Jock: What is a typical day for the most hated hoe in the city?

RR: (laughs) It’s weird, I kind of like to keep it to myself. Keep track of what I like and my thoughts. I don’t know. I'm very low-key person in real life, but when I do leave the house (pauses) I do, I promise! I just like my personal time, but when it’s time to be out I am present, as much as possible. I do what I do becauseII like giving information to people and give them links and information just so they know.

CJ: What brought you into fashion archiving?

RR: My whole archiving process was originally for myself and filling in spots of information where there it was empty of black people. Of course, there is street fashion, but in terms of online fashion, sites like Manrepeller, you didn’t see a lot of black girls doing it and the people doing it I thought were lame. Finding other black people who weren’t anti-black in those kind of spaces. I felt a lot of people were trying to make us to assimilate. Everyone was kind of like doing the same things and it was like, ‘Naomi Campbell!’ But if it were any other dark girl it didn’t matter. So, I started my own blog and then I had to stop myself from posting Naomi Campbell’s photos too. I would do one picture of Naomi Campbell a day and try to really give props to other black woman involved and black people in general. When I was younger I was familiar with the other models not just Naomi Campbell, my mom was really in it with Naomi. She worked in a beauty salon, which had magazines of all the models. Like, black hair magazines, they always listed the models so, no matter what you knew who they were. Whoever it was in the 90s, ‘this is who that is and this who that is.’ You’d see the oldest Destiny Child’s video shoots in black hair magazines. I just haven’t seen other people doing that. There are other girls now that focus more on Hip Hop in 90s and 2000s. Livejournal, fashion spot, Tumblr, people didn’t go out of their way to scan the black models or even try to name them. It’s funny, people online, they don’t even try to hide their biases. No one was really fashion blogging the way I like or how I see .

CJ:In your piece for Office Magazine you mention, from Patrick Kelley to today’s influence of Dapper Dan, American culture from its roots drips of Black influence and culture. Why do you think Black culture is so immutable and where do you see the ownership of our creations.

RR: People I mean know, it’s just like, it’s weird and odd to even talk about. Not just people referencing me or copying, I feel like I am being gaslit all the time or being told that. People love stealing from black people. People love stealing from black people. People love stealing from black people and lying about it. People hate black people but they think we are cool. I can’t even (pauses)yeah it’s very weird. The twitter thing is weird (sighs).

CJ: It is weird.

RR: (sighs) It’s not really helping them. It’s boring to live with no personality. To see someone interesting and steal from them to bolster themselves. [On social media] we have the means to share with each other, like, moments that are of shared experiences of oppression and that is even imitated. I don’t know why the copy of things are okay. It is such a multi-layered thing. Or the way the Stans talk like mainly the Black queer and Black trans talk and how all of that is now being used by everyone. Ariana Grande, ya know, icons talk like girls on the ballrooms did back in 2006. Parodying things. It helps them develop their own brand, I don’t understand their fascination with us anyway. I’m into my own shit and own culture. I like the way black people express themselves and other people use us and what we do to talk to each other or communicate and then take that to feel cool. I’ve always been,like, ‘why would someone want to be like this?’ or pretend. I don’t get it. People run out of content. I know people used to make fun of me and the things I used to be and ironically they are into it now. People need to find their own hobbies. They are bored.

CJ: The internet is complex. It’s a parody of itself.

RR: Knowing your history is important. You need to know where you came from to know where you are going. When it comes to fashion archives the question is, ‘what is it that you are looking for or trying to highlight?’ My concern is that fashion archiving is feeding into nostalgic trends, where it’s easier to mimic what was done before rather then create new moments. Do you share the same sentiments?

CJ: What is it about fashion that excites you?

RR: It’s so fun and so funny. The dolls are taking over. That’s how most things go, the things that happened come back with a hyper focus. It really is going full out now. It’s interesting to see how people are dressing now. [Fashion] is always reflective of the political climate. Think about the 80s everyone is dressing like a dickhead. Then when people got sick of dressing like a dickhead, minimalism comes in. We cycle through trends so fast, today. I remember a girl wearing a hair clips and no one was into it. Then the next week everyone was wearing them, then I see Cyndi Lauper in an interview wearing hair clips. She’s like 50-something and she’s wearing hair clips made out of Swarovski crystals. It’s so interesting. It’s funny how it happens. Now everyone is into fashion.

CJ: Who are your biggest fashion influences ?

RR: My biggest influences are Naomi Campbell and my mom. Girls I follow on the internet. My mom is from San Francisco lives her own life and is very eclectic. I get a lot from her and different taste. Foxy Brown is also very inspiring, I reference her a lot I think about her and Steven Miesel. Steven knows how to do everything. Steven can do everything. Everyone knows I am a crazy Beyoncé fan. But, I have different girls for different moods. My main inspo is Naomi and Foxy Brown. I really gravitated to Foxy because she was more into Prada and Chloe when Stella McCartney was there. Because of Foxy I love Chloe. She was very cool. Naomi is, you just aspire to that level of greatness. There is no one else. Even in her flaws she handles them so well. I can’t imagine someone else with that kind of rap sheet to not get fully canceled. I judge people by how they react to criticism. She handles it really well. I find that really inspiring.

CJ: What film or television do you think has the best fashion catalog? If you could what character's closet would you love to raid?

RR: I am so frazzled. There’s so much stuff I like. I write things down specifically, because I can never remember. I watched The Nanny last year with Fran Drescher, when I was really depressed and was like, ‘Wow this is inspiring.’ Brenda Cooper, her mind. Everyone had a look in. Pose, is another one. Everything has intentions from the main characters to the background characters. I really like the first season of costume design. It’s commitment to that era. Someone is always dressed like, Karen White or Jodi Whitley. Elektra is very dynasty, that high lady energy. I love that about the show. I love Glow, the costume designer, Beth Morgan. I love when people do era shows, specifically the 80s and they don’t try to soften it, especially in makeup or hair. They aren’t scared to embrace the ugliness, I love that. That’s what good costume design is about. High fashion is easy, but what really gets me is watching old movies and looking at the clothes.

CJ: We are moving into a new decade of 2020. I have a feeling it may be the year of 2020 vision and final clarity. What are your aspirations for this new era and what do you hope to see from the world?

RR: I feel like the children are our future. That’s what I’m looking at, to see what the kids are into. People are more focused into what they look like and I remember if someone dressed a little bit out of fashion it was a huge deal and get talked about. But now they are embracing their weirdness and experimenting. Do you watch that Tik Tok stuff? I just want a regular life. Happy, healthy, all my kids are happy and healthy. When I move to [Los Angeles] and get hotter, hotter and I want to become, what is that called, a wellness person? I want a Goop moment, but with Solange aesthetics. Maybe make a propaganda film to get people to stop wearing wigs.

#Rashida Reneé #Rashida Renee #Foxy Brown #Naomi Campbell #Beyoncé #Black fashion

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floatingcatacombs · 4 years ago

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Evaluting Gatchaman Crowds Through Rui’s Outfits

12 Days of Aniblogging 2020, Day 1

Oh, I’m fashionably late to this one. Gatchaman Crowds is a 2013 superhero anime that serves as a soft reboot of the old tokusatsu franchise, only now with 21st century shitty anime tropes. From this painfully generic setup emerges a surprisingly layered evaluation of technological disruption in the smartphone era. For this reason, Crowds is a favorite amongst anime bloggers as a superhero work that’s actually trying to do something interesting.

Unfortunately I don’t care about any of these guys

But it’s also a favorite amongst all sorts of weirdos because of the character Rui Ninomiya. A horrifying amalgamation of the technolibertarian CEO and trans femme hacker archetypes, Rui is by far the most interesting character in the show, because they’re a surprisingly prescient look at how the tech industry will function throughout the 2010s. But they’re also a ‘boy’ who never leaves their house without dressing in the most girly clothes imaginable. Predictably, this is catnip for me. But the funniest part of the whole situation is that nobody ever addresses it. Rui never provides an explanation for their outfits and the rest of the cast just uses she/her until they properly get acquainted and switch to he/him.

I could tell you that Rui’s obviously trans and wrap up the post right there, but that’s honestly not the most interesting angle of attack here. So I’m just going to use whatever pronouns I feel like in the moment for them and focus on what really matters: fashion! Rui has a surprisingly large wardrobe throughout the show, so I’ll be doing the heavy lifting of ranking each of her outfits. Oh, and also maybe a little analysis of what she represents. Spoilers for the whole show, of course.

7. The Yellow Dress

Let me lay out Rui’s ideology before I lay into their fashion disaster. You see, they’re a tech disruptor who believes that governments and bureaucracies are too slow to achieve the monumental (yet unspecified) change that society needs. So, they preside over a smartphone app called GALAX that successfully predicts Pokemon Go’s geosocial AR gimmick three years early. GALAX is a technolibertarian’s wet dream – crowdsourced emergency response, interest-based meetups, and matchmaking for people who need specific help and the people who can help them, all deeply gamified.

Their outfit here is about as messy as their politics, but at the same time, what a look. She’s got blue-and-white-striped programming thigh highs on under her combat boots, which are both such trans iconography, you know? While they may just be a reflection of early-2010s 4chan crossdressing culture, it’s also totally possible that Rui directly influenced or reinforced trans girl fashion, like the accelerationist she is. What a prescient show, in all sorts of weird ways.

6. Lace-up Dress with Bunny Ears

It wouldn’t be an anime girl cosplay without some bunny ears, now would it? Rui spends 5 minutes in an early episode just wandering around the city in this outfit, listening to people’s conversations and feelings on GALAX. There’s something very funny about how nobody even notices them, like they’re completely invisible despite their ridiculous outfit. This actually factors back into the tech stuff! Like pretty much every tech company, Rui’s app and vision are both sleek and shiny but rely on tremendous amounts of dirty labor kept as hidden as possible. From Amazon’s inhumane warehouse conditions to Facebook’s trauma-inducing moderator farms to Apple’s child labor-tainted supply chains, there’s always suffering humans behind the too-good-to-be-true magic of tech companies. Rui’s lie by omission is failing to mention that the app relies on invisible extradimensional beings called CROWDS that are manually controlled by underpaid workers to assist its users. One of the workers comes to Rui challenging their vision and arguing that they should be sharing this tech with the movers and shakers of the world, not trying to keep it invisible. He threatens a collective walkout and Rui fires him. At this point, we’re not even operating on metaphors.

5. Green Business Casual

Sure, most tech companies have cruel labor underbellies, but there’s also the separate risk of moral rot. It’s what causes Microsoft to take on ICE contracts and Google to develop censored versions of their search engine at the whims of authoritarians. Many tech companies start off with an altruistic message, but without a serious ethical core, they will start doing a whole lot of evil as they bend to financial and other pressures. Rui’s version of this is extremely literal: she made a deal with the devil to gain the ability to use the CROWDS and launch her app. Except this devil is also a butch gender-noncomforming alien (there is a Lot of other gender going on in this show that I don’t even have time for) and the two of them seem to have an extremely fucked-up relationship. Like any good Faustian bargain or any bad attempt at raising more venture capital without a viable business model, eventually the whole thing comes tumbling down and now you’re doing something terribly fucked up. Rui looks good in a dress shirt, at least!

4. Whatever your abusive partner puts on when she body-snatches you

Of course the center won’t hold, GALAX is subject to a hostile takeover, and to nobody’s surprise, an app with the flimsy promise to change the world for the better can actually be way better at ripping it all apart. I guess the prescient social media parallel here is Facebook being used to propagate Myanmar’s ethnic cleansing, or really anything related to Twitter for the last 5 years. FuckedUpAlienMimic!Rui sure does have cute fangs and a way more refined fashion sense though. I don’t feel like looking into that one.

3. Business....Futch?

I know I’m not done outlining Rui’s arc, but I’m going to skip ahead for a moment to say that Gatchaman Crowds also has a second season! I’m largely ignoring it here because Rui is pretty much stripped of all plot relevance and most of her outfits are less exciting, but I had to include this one. For two episodes, she puts on bright yellow stirrup leggings and an oversized polo shirt, with a cute ponytail to boot. It’s a ridiculous look, but still feels really evocative to me. Sometimes a girl just has to put together completely uncoordinated outfits and see what happens.

Unlike the disruption-focused first season, Gatchaman Crowds season two, which aired in 2015, is about how unfettered technolibertarianism can easily descend into fascism. Goddammit.

2. The Bunny Ears Outfit Again Oh God Who Hurt Her

The weight of the world comes crashing down in Rui’s hands, she’s bruised and beaten in a surprisingly sadistic manner by her alien ex-business partner/girlfriend, and she’s locked out of her own company which is very quickly causing society to fall apart. So what does she do? She puts the bunny dress back on, and wanders the streets again until she has to call upon the powers that be to fix her own mess. It’s silly that the powers that be in this world are superheroes, but I bet you forgot that this was technically a superhero show at this point. Anyways, my extended metaphor is quickly drifting off course, but I guess this is the part where Rui gets grilled by Congress and slapped with an antitrust case.

1. Every Trans Girl Stereotype Rolled Into One

I’ve been incredibly harsh on Rui throughout this writeup, because I’m harsh on the industry she represents, but I’ll make it up with this section. Look at what she’s wearing! A choker, the gothiest Hot Topic dress imaginable, arm warmers, no less than three asymmetric garters not even holding up anything, and the tallest black boots she could find. It’s incredible! If the first outfit on this list was hinting at her relationship to stereotypical trans fashion, then this outfit just screams it. It’s the perfect goth femme hacker look, a style commitment I have no choice but to respect.

Gatchaman is a weird show. After spending most of its runtime thoroughly dunking on tech disruptors for being too optimistic and uncritical, it takes a last-minute turn into Lockean state of nature arguments. It settles on “the masses are inherently good enough that empowering people through technology shouldn’t ever be a problem”, ignoring all the suffering that happened due to Rui’s unwillingness to curate their own technology. I’d give Gatchaman Crowds an average rating, but it’s one of those interesting average ratings where instead of being milquetoast, they tried something and failed and wrote themselves into a corner. But hey, at least there’s an interestingly gendered character!

#12 days of anime #gatchaman crowds #rui ninomiya #trans #technology

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tekthetek · 5 years ago

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Swap Meet Rules!

The island of Hanako is set up as a self-guided tour where you can swap furniture, clothing, and DIY’s as you wind along a beautiful path across my island! I have hundreds of items available to swap, as well as lots of freebies and pretty sights to see. I am constantly renovating and adding new swap areas. I host events several times per week, so follow me for notifications about future events!

Please read these rules from start to finish. Anyone not following these rules will not be invited back to future events. I don’t charge an entry fee for any of my events, so please be respectful of my island and the rules I have created for it!

1. I use Turnip Exchange to organize my queue. I will send out a link to the queue shortly before each event, so join the queue as soon as you can to make sure you get a spot! As amazing as the app is, it will occasionally give me trouble, so don’t hesitate to reach out to me on Twitter or Discord if it isn’t working properly! I have the settings set so it only gives one person at a time the dodo code so we hopefully won’t overwhelm the server, so please come in promptly when it’s your turn!

PLEASE NOTE that the way I control how fast people come in is by “kicking” each person from the queue once they are on my island. Nobody is in trouble, I promise! This is the only way that I know of to control how fast people fly to my island, because if too many fly in a row, the server crashes and everyone’s inventory resets, which is frustrating for everyone. Thanks for understanding!

2. Feel free to catch bugs, go fishing, and visit the shops! Also feel free to take photos of anything you like! If you want to make my day, post them and tag me on social media!

3. There are freebie stations set up all over the island; feel free to take one item from each station!

4. You can take as many items as you like as long as you leave as many items as you take. Take one, leave one! Anyone not following the 1:1 rule will be banned permanently from my events. Please be respectful to both myself and fellow players and follow the 1:1 rule!

5. To ensure a good experience for everyone, the ONLY items that you are allowed to leave during swap meets are furniture, wallpaper, flooring, and DIY’s. Do not leave clothing, shells, crafting materials, tools, fruit, etc in swap meet areas. Please don’t bring those types of items to my island. I want to make sure everyone has a good experience and has a wide variety of quality items available to them!

6. Please be respectful of my island! Don’t pick or run through any flowers, don’t attempt to get into any of the the areas that are gated off, and please stick to the path that is laid out for visitors.

7. In order to make sure we have a nice variety of items available for everyone participating, the following items are NOT PERMITTED to be left during swap meets:

- Cardboard boxes of any kind, including cardboard box-related DIY recipes

- Tape Decks and cassette players

- Clothing, fruit, tools, crafting materials, or anything that isn’t a DIY recipe, a clothing item, or a furniture/floor/wallpaper item.

I’ve noticed that these are often left behind and stay behind, so in order to provide the best possible selection for all of my swap attendees, please don’t bring these items with you. Thank-you for understanding!

8. I do not charge an entry fee for participating and I do not plan to do so for the foreseeable future. I don’t use these events to make bells; I do them because I enjoy the social part of the game! Tips are appreciated, but not required. I take all tips that are left for me and treat them as donations towards the island. I usually match 100% of all tips given from my own bells and use the combined funds to add a bigger variety of items to my swap meets and to expand swap areas and add more interesting features to my island.

9. When you’re ready to leave, PLEASE do so by leaving through the airport rather than using the minus button to ‘leave quietly’. When people do this, it crashes the game for everyone else around 75% of the time.

10. Additional rules to be added as needed.

#animal crosing new horizons #acnh #animal crossing swap #TekTheTek #TekSwaps

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meowloudly15 · 5 years ago

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Stranded: Epilogue

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Gwen sat on the ledge of a skyscraper back home in Connecticut City, posting a five-star Welp review for her phone provider. They had provided quality interdimensional cell service.

She closed her browser and was about to switch off her phone when she accidentally selected her photos app. Intrigued, she scrolled through them.

The first one was super blurry, but she had kept it because Noir didn’t have his mask on in it. Ham had pulled it off, and Noir was considerably less than pleased.

The second one was the selfie on the bus home from Alchemax. Gwen’s gaze lingered on the photo, precious because it had captured rare footage of her being happy. Such moments were few and far between these days, but she wondered if they would increase. After all, she did have hope now. And she knew that she wasn’t alone.

Gwen smiled softly and switched off her phone, sliding it into her pocket. She pulled on her mask and hood and pushed herself off of the roof, falling into the emptiness below as though she were descending into a pool, knowing that something would catch her.

That safety net was her.

A webline blossomed from each of her gloves and adhered to the side of the building across the street. Gwen yanked downwards on the lines, redirecting her momentum.

It was time for her to fly.

But first, she needed to make a long-overdue pit stop.

Gwen landed in the cemetery a few minutes later. She approached the headstone of a certain Peter J. Parker. Nobody was around to see her, so she pulled off her mask and sat down on a mixture of dry grass and dead leaves.

“Hey, Peter,” she finally said. “It’s… it’s been a while.

“I should have come earlier. I, uh, I should have been at your funeral. But… but, you know, there are lots of things I should have done. And it’s no use dwelling on them now. The past has already passed.”

That last sentence was a good one. Gwen paused to jot it down in her notebook.

“Anyway… I’m here now. I’m here, and I just got back from an adventure. I… I hope you’ve been having fun, wherever you are. I hope you’re having a less interesting time than I’ve been having.”

Gwen sighed, pressing her hand to her forehead.

“I, uh, I went to another dimension a couple days ago. It feels like longer. It was longer. I think. Time is weird. Time travel, that is. So is dimensional travel. But you probably knew that already. I’m sure you’d love to hear more about the sciencey stuff, but I don’t really get it. You’d be able to explain it to me, I know that much.

“Well… I met you in that dimension. Not the real you. I mean, he was real, that’s for sure. He was Peter, but he was a different Peter. Older. Blonder. He had spider-powers, like I do. And he married Em Jay, who was a lot less of a jerk in that universe.

“You… he died again. And I didn’t stop it. Even though I could have.”

Gwen exhaled deeply.

“Then I met you again. This Peter, Peter B., was from a third dimension. He was older. A lot older. No glasses. Spider-powers, too. Consider yourself lucky you didn’t have to live that long.

“There were other Peters, too, but they were a lot less like you.

“Then there’s Miles. He ended up getting spider-powers. And he took over from the Peter in that dimension, the one I went to, after he died. Miles was really sweet. He was kind and nice and went out of his way to make people happy. He’s a lot like you, at least in terms of personality.

“Seeing all of them… it made me remember you, even though I didn’t want to. It made me remember what I did. And… I’m not trying to put blame on you or antagonise you or anything, but… I wasn’t in the right, but neither were you. We both made mistakes, and we both paid a price. You paid a bigger price than I did, obviously.

“But I’ve died, too, in some ways. Really, from learning about the other dimensions, I should be dead and you should be alive. And that makes me feel super guilty. I feel like I’ve stolen something from you, the life that you should have had.

“I… I don’t really know what it is I did that made you so, uh, vitriolic. I could try and guess, but then we’d be here all day. I know you have all the time in the world, but I don’t.

“Whatever it was that I did… I’m sorry. I’m sorry for ticking you off. I’m sorry for not caring about you. I’m sorry for making you envy me. I’m sorry for being a bad person.”

Gwen blinked. Tears brimmed in her eyes.

Why did she bother bottling up her emotions, anyway? What good had that ever done? She was going to lose people. People were going to die, to move on, to leave. She would do the same one day. It was the way of the world. But did that make friendship, or love, any less worth it?

She hung her head. A valve hidden deep in her heart swung open.

“I made a silent promise not long after you… after I killed you. And I’m repeating it here and now, so that you can hear me. You can quote me on this. I mean, you probably won’t, but... you know what I mean.

“I said I’d never stand back and watch another innocent die because of me. Or because of anybody. I’ll never take a seat and watch somebody’s suffering. Not again. Never again.”

Gwen sniffled, her voice cracking.

“You always made me a better person, Pete. And now… now I’m gonna be better. Forever. For you. I’ll never forget you again. I promise.”

Gwen stood up and dried her eyes, pulling back on her mask. Her father’s “missing” police scanner was abuzz with chatter. She listened to it.

“...suspicious blue-and-red man with a skull on his chest walking down Birch Avenue. Appears to have some sort of glowing watch.”

Gwen turned back to Peter’s tombstone. “I’ll visit you again. I’ve got so many more stories to tell you. I’m sure you’d love them. But right now… I’ve got a job to do.

“See you around.”

She shot a webline into the air and swung away.

THE END

First | Previous

WARNING: LONG AUTHOR'S NOTES INCOMING

I started writing this story on my phone during a long car ride on the 28th of December. It grew from a small what-if concept into... this. This is the most ambitious fanwork I've yet published. I say "yet published" for reasons I'll discuss later.

A huge shoutout to @gammathetaalpha, who was kind enough to betaread this story for me in its almost entirety. If there are problems in Days 1 or 9, I'm to blame. Please check out her other fics; she writes lots of MCU stuff! And thanks to my other friends off of whom I've bounced the occasional idea!

Of course, thank you all for reading this story, whether you've been here since the beginning, left halfway through, or joined near the end! It's been a heck of a ride completing this thing, but your continued support has helped make it worth the while!

Now, I'm sure you're all wondering, "What's meow up to next?" Of course, you probably aren't. But I'll tell you anyway! I'm working on a webcomic, due to be released in December! Keep up with my Tumblr blog (the username's the same) for more info! Also, I fell headfirst into the Homestuck fandom a month ago, and I started writing a fic. The first chapter will be posted tomorrow, on the 25th! For those of you who are only here for the Marvel, I'm sad to say I don't have anything much ready for you right now. I have a one-shot regarding Endgame and a couple of Spiderverse fic ideas that are both halted. But stay tuned, just in case I do anything else!

Oh, yeah, and I'm thinking about posting dramatic fic readings on YouTube! This is definitely one fic that I would love to record myself reading! So stay tuned, yet again!

Thanks again for reading! I hope it was as much worth your while as it was mine!

#stranded #stranded fanfic #gwen stacy #spidergwen #spider gwen #ghost spider #spiderverse #into the spiderverse #spiderman #marvel #writing #writers on tumblr #long post #fanfiction

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starwarsstreettalk · 6 years ago

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Reylo? (Part I - Pro Reylo Perspective)

Definition: Reylo (pronounced RAY-LOW) – the romantic pairing of Rey and Kylo Ren from the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy “ST”.

So about the Reylo concept... there are certainly many arguments for and against Rey and Kylo coming together in a romantic, or frankly in any way. That being said, this post will provide some Pro-Reylo thoughts and observations. It will be followed in a coming post with anti-Reylo opinions as well, as I like to play Devil’s Advocate. Disclaimer: before you like or dislike my post, it is not the place of this author to weigh in on what she would LIKE to happen, only what I think WILL or WILL NOT happen, based on clues in the story, movies and novelization only. I may also point to subtle clues given by the writer/directors. Please read with an open mind.

Reylo clue #1: Rey and Kylo’s first meeting on Takodana

Kylo Ren takes Rey captive on Takodana. He doesn’t have time to find BB-8 and believes that the girl has the map in her head, and he is interested to know more about her, so he takes her with him to Starkiller Base. So, Kylo Ren, with a stormtrooper only yards away, makes Rey unconscious and “bridal” carries unconsious Rey to his ship himself - and quite a distance besides!

Kylo carrying Rey to the ship was NOT in the novelization. It was only in the movie. Visually, JJ Abrams maybe wanted to create imagery that will be more significant as the story moves forward, particularly, a surprisingly tender connection between Kylo and Rey. The Dark Prince and Secret “princess”. From a fairytale perspective, this was like Aurora meeting Prince Phillip or Ariel meeting Prince Eric. Someone of Kylo Ren’s importance and rank surely would not normally carry a grown woman approximately 1/2 mile. He would make an underling, a soldier do it. This may very well have been foreshadowing a romance very early on in the story before anyone really realized what was potentially happening. In the director commentary of the movie, JJ Abrams basically references this fairytale story aspect himself. It’s not your imagination!

Reylo clue #2: “I’ll Come Back for you” dialog (Rey’s Vision on Takodana)

Going back to Rey’s vision in Maz’s castle basement when she touched the lightsaber, in the novelization, Rey hears what is called “THAT voice” and someone says “Stay here, I’ll come back for you.” We did not see this from the flashback of Rey being left on Jakku by her ... well somebody. Is this novel reference what we think it is? Was it Rey’s parents? Or could this actually end up being spoken in Episode IX by Ben Solo? You decide! I can picture this and I kind of like it. It would certainly be thematic.

Why include this “...I’ll come back for you” line in the novel but take it out of the movie? Was it cut from the script at some point? If so, you have to ask yourself why? Maybe it’s because we were not allowed to hear that person’s actual voice in Episode VII. It was too early to reveal the person behind that bit of dialog. Or it could just be that it was unnecessary (if it was indeed her parents) to have them say they would try to come back.

We have no idea still if Rey’s parents meant to actually return to her or not. Hopefully we will find out. If not, Rey needs to move on from this past of hers. But if this was actually Kylo Ren/Ben Solo, imagine that there is a scene where they are together and for some reason he has to leave her behind but promises to come back, harkening back to the last time she heard those words that have haunted her for all of these years. If Reylo is real, he WILL come back, indicating that she was special, she is loved.

Reylo Clue #3: Kylo Ren’s “Money Shot”

Need I explain this one? Well, let me go ahead and do so anyway. Look, regardless of what great physical shape Adam Driver was in by the time of filming this particular force connection scene in Episode VIII (the one where he is wearing only black, high-waisted pants), Rian Johnson would not just decide “oh heck, let me include a beefcake shot of Kylo Ren” (only the second one in Star Wars history) if Kylo Ren is in ANY WAY related to Rey (brother, cousin, etc…) - that would just be icky. And whether you like him or not, Rian Johnson is too sophisticated a filmmaker for that. This is not some sleazy CW show.

This is the scene that actually made me realize there WAS a Reylo dynamic. I had no idea there was a Reylo before I watched this. I was honestly, completely oblivious. I thought for sure, Rey was Luke’s daughter. This was the scene that prompted me to do the research on the Google machine. This is why it is an obvious clue. After all, I watch a lot of those sleazy CW shows. I can tell when two characters are going to eventually hook up.

Reylo Clue #4: The Hut Scene, Bare Shoulders and Hand-touching All the Way Across the Galaxy

Like the Kylo Ren shirtless scene, Rey is all wet and her shoulders are bare in this scene holding a little blanket barely covering her wet clothes and body. Things are getting a little familiar, no? We go from fighting and snarky dialog to clothing starting to come off and sitting in front of a fire within hand touching range of each other. That Rian Johnson… I hope I still sound objective here, but again, this is where my “CW” radar went off. Firelight, bare shoulders, wet hair, gloves off, bare hands reaching out, softly touching, Rey and Kylo have tears running down their cheek, then Dad comes in and interrupts. What is happening???? Separate those two!!!

Reylo Clue #5: Snoke taking credit for the Force Connection = Disappointed boy

When Snoke reveals to Rey, in front of the kneeling Kylo Ren, that it was he, Snoke, who opened the Force connection bridge between Rey and Kylo, Kylo looks slightly upward with a subtle yet angry face as if to say “What the Hell????” He was surprised, disappointed, hurt. Snoke said he saw Kylo Ren as too weak to hide his feelings from Rey. Snoke used Kylo as a tool to get at Rey, the real threat, not Luke Skywalker. This is yet another blow to Kylo Ren, who saw the Force connection between him and Rey as something special, something the Force intended. Instead of an opportunity for Kylo to find a kindred spirit in Rey, he learns that this experience was something manufactured by another person. It reminds me of that Hallmark Christmas movie where the girl creates a dating app for her business and starts “dating” the cute guy that came up as a match in order to show her boss how well the app works. Then the poor guy finds out she was just going out with him to forward her career and he decides to move back to his hometown, but she races to find him before he leaves to tell him that she really likes him and they end up together at the end. The point is that the dude was hurt to find out that it wasn’t “fate” that brought them together but some stupid computer algorithm. Technology can be a real bitch sometimes. And so could Snoke apparently.

Reylo clue #6: Kylo’s Botched “Proposal” to Rey after the throne room fight mirrors a classic literary romance!

Fans of Pride and Prejudice, like me, will find strangely familiar the moment that Kylo Ren, in a moment of passion and heightened self-confidence, asks Rey to join him in ruling together. When the offer is not immediately accepted, his ego takes over. He makes Rey cry and tells her she is nothing, a “nobody”, only then to tell her that regardless of her being a nobody, with no real connection to anything or anyone, she means something to HIM and wants her to join him. This is, of course, followed by her justifiable rejection of this proposed partnership and the pair of them going their different ways.

This is mirrors what happens in the novel by Jane Austen, but in this case Mr. Darcy is Kylo Ren and Elizabeth Bennett is Rey. If you read P&P, you will also know that Elizabeth misjudged Mr. Darcy based on her initial impression of him and that first impression somewhat tainted her reception of Mr. Darcy’s marriage proposal. Also, despite being raised wealthy and well-educated, Mr. Darcy’s social awkwardness caused him to inadvertently hurt her feelings while expressing his true and tender feelings for Elizabeth.

We also see that Mr. Darcy’s pain of rejection influenced his transformation into a better, less proud man, worthy of Elizabeth’s love, and his second marriage proposal is more graciously accepted. If Episode IX follows this story influence, we may see something of a transformation in Kylo Ren aka Ben Solo. Look for signs in the first act of Episode IX of Kylo changing his own behavior and proving himself more worthy. Otherwise, I’m not sure how he would be worthy of a romantic relationship with anyone, except someone as mean as him who will stab him in his sleep.

Final thought on this scene – if Kylo Ren’s feelings for Rey were not romantic, would he have extended his hand to her? If Rey were a man, would he hold out his hand to him? No, he would not. He wanted her to take his hand and walk away with him like they were the new power couple, like a King and Queen, like a Prince and Princess, not merely as a “partner in crime”. He is a man, she is a woman. It seems reasonable to him that she would say yes to him after they just slayed the dragon together. Also, Kylo Ren has been thinking about this new vision for the future, internally planning. This is not spur of the moment. He knew Rey was coming to him, he knew what he had to do.

Some last thoughts

These are the big clues, albeit not as obvious as Anakin and Padme, and the Han & Leia thing was way more obvious, more flirtatious. If Reylo was the plan from the beginning, this is definitely a slow burn but totally possible, a modern day twist of the classic story - designed from the beginning to shock and surprise and audience.

The Reylo concept has been a very divisive topic among Star Wars Fans. The point here is that you can be objective and scientific about this, keep feelings out of it.

I will not be disappointed if Rey and Kylo don’t have a romantic relationship in the last movie of Star Wars. I just hope the ending makes sense. This is the Star Wars universe, not real life. Yes, we interpret movies and TV through a current day lens, but anything can happen in this world. The filmmakers are trying to surprise/shock us. At this point, would Reylo be the shock/surprise or would Reylo be the obvious outcome? Is the average fan even aware of Reylo? I asked my mom about it and she just doesn’t see it. What percentage of people also watched Episode VII or VIII and Googled “Rey Kylo Ren romantic” and found two years worth of online post about it?

Final thoughts

For Reylo to happen, there has to be a catalyst for Kylo to be redeemable, a believable turning point.

Does Rey have to have a romance?

Do you think we’ll see a more mature, more confident, sexier version of Rey in this story? If so, then I think we’ll see her with a sexier counterpart/partner, someone with the intensity and passion of Ben Solo (Kylo), not Mr. Nice Guy Finn or Poe. (see my next post!)

What is the true significance of Rose’s line about not destroying what we hate but saving what we love? Will Kylo love Rey, and vice versa, and will that be key to ultimate end of the story?

And by the way, what did Kylo mean when he said to Rey “don’t be afraid, I feel it too.”

#reylo #Star Wars #rey and kylo ren

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eeveelutionsforequality · 7 years ago

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@mod vape, do you have any tips for dealing with hypersexuality or addiction? bc uh. getting off hurts. idk if it’s specifically because ive been doing it so goddamn much or because of the fucking legion of medical problems i have, but it’s DEFINITELY making my abdominal pain worse and i dont know how to stop gjdfjhk.

Well, firstly, go to the doctor about that pain - there are injuries, illnesses, sexual dysfunctions, and all sorts of things from that could be causing a pain like that (it could be a pulled muscle, a cyst, maybe you aggravated a pre-existing health issue, etc), and it's best to rule out anything too dangerous as soon as you can, and to treat anything treatable. Even if it is tied to or caused by overdoing sex/masturbation, just mitigating that habit isn't guaranteed to fix it.

I was getting some pretty bad pain from even small dildos/vibrators, and I decided to go to the doctor in case it was something dangerous - thankfully, it turned out to just be a sexual dysfunction (basically spasms and tightening of the muscles in the vagina, in my case caused by trauma). I was supposed to get therapy for it, but I never went because I was having another therapy at the time and my carer was like "But what if they cancel each other out!?" and I was like "That's not how it works..." Sometimes it acts up but I think I've got it mostly under control. I've also had to go to the doctor for sprained/strained wrists more times than I would like to admit... I used to be like "Oh I played my guitar for too long" or "Oh I think I leant on my walking stick for too long" and now I'm just like "Wanker's cramp".

Trust me and my plethora of injuries when I say that doctors are professionals, they went to medical school, they see genitalia on a daily basis, they've seen eyes and ears and giant sores full of puss... it's really rare to get a doctor that will look down upon or judge you for that. Sure you'll get the odd "You should masturbate less", "Here's a big speech about the risks of STDs and pregnancy", "Have you told your therapist about this", but it's more of an "I'm contractually obliged to impart medical advice" than an "I think you're gross" 99% of the time.

Secondly, I do have tips, but I'm still hella bad at dealing with my own issues - I still smoke more than I want to, drink til I puke, sleep with strangers, lose days to laying in bed alone, have an aching pain in my wrists, etc. Obviously I don't have all of the answers, so I can't promise that they'll be the best tips in the world - it's worth doing some more research of your own, and it might be worth talking to your doctor/therapist if you can't manage it on your own.

You haven't given much detail about how specifically it affects you or what the addiction is to (sexual stuff in general, masturbation, casual sex, porn, etc), so I'm going to try to cover as much as I can (like dealing with sexual thoughts about people in your life, limiting the number of times you masturbate, etc) and I hope that at least some of what I say is useful to you.

Okay, so the first tip I have is: try not to slip into the mentality that cold turkey is the only way to go if it's not what you want - thinking "I can't have this. I'm not allowed this." can increase cravings. Thinking "I'm allowed this later... if I stay motivated not to do it now and if I only do it in moderation, and it's gonna be great." can make waiting out those cravings a lot easier, provided you have the self-control to not slip back into a bad habit after once.

Ways to avoid slipping back into bad habits include: having time (or number of the thing) limits for when and how long you are allowed, having something to do afterwards that takes your mind off it (for example "once I've done it once, I have to get up, take out the rubbish, email my boss, read that global warming article, and get ready for bed"), other rewards/punishments (put a book you really want in your Amazon basket then click "save for later", if at the end of the fortnight you've accomplished your goal then buy the book, if you fail the fortnight resets and you have to wait two more weeks - set smaller goals with smaller rewards, and larger goals with larger rewards), keeping and going over a diary so that you can see what worked and what didn't, if there's a pattern to failures, progress even if you're not meeting goals (at which point try to make the upcoming goals a little easier since you're expecting too much of yourself), and so on.

Secondly, and it's the most generic tip ever but it's SUPER important for addictions because they can damage your pre-frontal cortex... healthy diet, exercise, meditation, mental exercises, getting some sun, and other daily tasks are super important.

You need to get into the habit of something like reading or pottery or drawing for at least half an hour to an hour every day - turn off your internet, games, distractions, and maintain concentration on what you're doing. This helps repair the effects that addictions can have on your pre-frontal cortex and dopamine receptors by activating the parts of your brain that work towards maintained motivation and focus for smaller or distant rewards, which in turn will help your brain work normally again, which in turn will increase motivation and willpower.

Cooking more difficult meals will have similar benefits and a healthy diet improves your overall health. Exercise does the same even more effectively than either, and it has the added bonus of energizing you, increasing your focus on other tasks that you do afterwards, various health benefits, lifting your mood, and helping you be tired by the end of the day so that you'll be able to sleep easier - insomnia is a really dangerous trigger for any addiction, but especially a masturbation or sex addiction, because you're in an environment that is associated with that behaviour and the behaviour makes it easier to sleep afterwards, so you've every reason to start doing it if you find yourself unable to sleep.

Which brings me on to another reason why keeping a diary is especially important - you need to isolate your triggers. Establish what happened immediately before the behaviour, what you were thinking, and what potentially led to the behaviour. Then you can work towards either avoiding those triggers, lessening them, being mindful of them, or training yourself to exhibit a different behaviour in response to them - for example, if having a shower triggers you to masturbate, try singing in the shower instead, training your brain to react to showers with the urge to sing instead of the urge to masturbate.

You might also want to try sleeping meds, so that you can take them, read until they start to kick in, and then immediately go to bed and try to sleep - that way there's less of a gap between going to bed and falling asleep where something could happen.

Routine can also be really helpful for some people - you're supposed to fall asleep between about 10pm and 1am for optimal sleep, and you're supposed to wake up between 6 and 8 hours later. Get out of bed as soon as you wake up to avoid lethargy, and either exercise or go for a short walk, or do something that starts your brain and body working for the day. After that, prepare breakfast, don't watch TV or distract yourself while you eat. Continue the day with a routine that works for you, and you could set a time at which you will masturbate (or maybe a date you're allowed to go to the club and pull... how you work in routine if you have a long-term sexual partner is something you would need to talk to them about) that doesn't interfere with your routine.

Avoid bars, pubs, clubs, tinder, grindr, and anything else that can be a trigger for that or makes quick hook-ups easy - I know that I can go to the pub near me (because there'll be nobody there for that, it's an "old people come here to watch football" pub), and that I can go to a pub or bar with friends if I'm having a good day, but making sure that my flat wasn't within walking distance of a club and deleting dating apps was really helpful to me (it meant that even if the temptation was there the effort required to act on it was too much and took too long, so I'd catch myself).

I also log off any tumblr that I'm following people on that post NSFW, porn, sexual stuff or anime stuff if necessary - just like how I log off any tumblrs where I follow political blogs if I'm getting overwhelmed by that. But it is still good to have a tumblr for NSFW stuff, to have somewhere that you can express certain things, reblog things, feel less alone, enjoy things that you enjoy - don't demonize the side of you that likes sex, don't lock it in a cell in the back of your head, just tell it that it can't control you.

I'm also working on not putting myself in as many situations that can make me feel like I'm being too flirty or as many situations that cause too many uncomfortable or sexual thoughts at a time when they're stressing me - like, I don't come online as much when I'm drunk now, I don't have as many sleepovers, and I don't tend to maintain physical contact for as long (like, I don't hold hands as often as I used to), for example.

That said, you can't live out your life hiding from people who your brain might think something sexual about - isolating yourself is unhealthy. Humans are social creatures and social interaction is good for us, talking to people about our problems is good for us, distractions and fun are good for us. I find structured social plans make things easier - so, I like plans like "lets cook together then eat the awesome meal", "lets go see a movie", "lets go to the town center and taste hot chocolate from as many cafés as we can before I puke", "lets go to the fair" and things like that (that said, agoraphobia is awful and ruins like 90% of my social interaction). Keep people in your life who you're comfortable with and who make you happy.

Remember that what you're thinking or mental images that pop into your head aren't evil, it doesn't mean that you have a crush on them, that you actually want to do sexual things with them, that you can't be their friend, or anything like that... they're just thoughts. You didn't choose them. Just let them pass.

Your surroundings and triggers are incredibly important things to stay on top of though, be that to mitigate stress in social situations, or to prevent you from engaging in more sex/masturbation than you want to or than is safe for you to.

Don't spend your day in the same place that you masturbate - even if you don't live alone you can avoid being in bed when you're in your room, you could get a sofa, beanbag, comfy chair, gigantic cushion, or other comfortable place to sit in your bedroom so that you don't have to be in your bed, and put that in a part of your room with different posters/decoration to those around your bed.

Lots of things can become associated with certain behaviours in your brain, from sitting in a certain place to feeling a certain emotion. Try to avoid being too exposed to those things at times when you don't intend to be doing something sexual, and replace them with other things that make you happy, keep you distracted, and aid in training concentration and willpower (maths games, board games, card games, puzzles, reading, cooking, exercise, drawing, writing, etc).

Even things like separating any porn or sexual pictures in your phone into a hidden folder instead of having it pop up when you go to look for pictures, or keeping magazines or the pornhub bookmark out of sight, can really help with lessening the regularity with which things pop into your head.

Finally, and I've hinted at it throughout this, mindfulness and meditation are things that many addicts find incredibly helpful. It's really worth doing some googling, watching some YouTube videos, and learning those techniques (and it's good to be doing research in general into ways to help addictions or hypersexuality disorders, because there are quite a few schools of thought and there are probably a lot of things that I've missed).

Meditation, like reading and exercise, helps train your mind into maintaining focus, not reacting to distractions and urges, relaxing, letting thoughts pass by, and being less hectic and loud - it also has health benefits, can help you sleep, can help you take time from your busy schedule to yourself (an urge that may have been previously feeding the addictions instead, as they can be linked to a need for control), and can help you work through thoughts or anxieties.

Mindfulness helps in various ways too - for example, smokers found that being mindful (observing, essentially) helped them quit because it led to them paying more attention to how bad the cigarette tasted, and it also allowed them to non-judgmentally observe the cravings that they felt, observe why they were feeling those cravings, and allow them to pass by. It's about letting your thoughts exist, letting things exist, acknowledging them, but not letting them control you.

You can study mindfulness for yourself - research it online, read one of the many books about it, watch YouTube videos, etc - or you can go to the doctor and ask for a therapy that teaches mindfulness (I found learning about it in my own time more helpful, and have had more success with that, but I think that was mostly related to not having a great therapist - plus, online gives me more opportunities to look into the how and why, to see how other people do it, to look deeper into it, to take as long as I need, while therapy was just an elderly lady snapping at me for using my phone and telling me to imagine that my thoughts are clouds and distracting me constantly).

So yeah...

Step 1: Go to the doctors for that pain, it's probably something minor but it's better safe than sorry.

Step 2: Do more research, Mod Vape doesn't know everything.

Step 3: Keep a diary and try to isolate what things are triggering you, what you're feeling beforehand, and be mindful of what you're thinking, what you're feeling, and what you're gaining/losing from the experience.

Step 4: Try to keep yourself away from things that trigger you, but also remember that you don't have to entirely abstain from valuable things - you can train new reactions as responses to those things, you can work on self-control, and so on.

Step 5: Work on your routine, diet, exercise, habits, and hobbies, so that you can improve your willpower, motivation, and health.

Step 6: Research and practice meditation and mindfulness.

Step 7: Set and work towards small goals, rewarding yourself for successes and keeping track of your progress.

Step 8: If you can't control the addiction or behaviour, if the thoughts are becoming difficult to live with, if these problems continue to cause you distress, there is no shame in seeking professional help. You don't have to do this alone.

Remember that chemical imbalances and other neurological issues can cause such things - if you can't manage it alone, that could be a warning sign that something serious or physiological is going on. Not being able to quit doesn't necessarily mean that somebody's "not trying hard enough", and instead of beating yourself up talk to somebody who can do blood tests, scans, or whatever else is necessary to make sure that you're okay and that you overcome your struggles.

~ Vape

#Mod Vaporeon

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pokefanbri · 4 years ago

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https://www.facebook.com/104057744428568/posts/156998459134496/?sfnsn=mo&d=n&vh=e

Fucking told him its a huge red flag if someone doesn't get rid of their apps. Multiple apps. Smh 😠 "oh yea i don't use them anymore" proceeds to use fb dating app" for real come on bro!

Some comments of the post:

"If you have to be checking up on your Partner then you shouldn't be with that person.. Idk how people have time for all this .. love yourself and know your worth.."

"If you're in a serious committed exclusive relationship you should not be on tinder. That's how I met my fiance and as soon as we said we are gf and bf and exclusive we both deleted it. Honestly if I was her I would have broken up with him too"

"a person also has a right to trust their gut feeling and check things out if something's not feeling right. Knowledge is power"

I've already discussed this but this news clip further validates my point of the topic, nothing more. I could call him out on hs bs further with detail, but I won't....yet, out of respect even though he probably doesn't deserve it. Til he reaches me & apologizes for everything he's done, i can say whatever tf I want & i could make a whole damn list.

Its the events of this what happened that started our downfall to begin with cuz i didn't trust him & he didn't even try to gain it back just left it as is when I could've turned my back right then & there, no apology either. Didnt apologize much actually, not even when i last saw him. But from then we spiraled & he got bored of me. I wasn't giving him what he wanted in whatever way & he wanted to find more. Closed himself off from the beginning & that created his boredom 😒

Would've had a blast together like a normal fucking couple if he was less closed off, & wouldn't have felt the need to do shit behind my back.

I'll stop talking about it for now, I have the anger & urge to keep going but I wont...actually no Screw it im pissed 😡 but ill keep it light. Its just not fair, I did so much for him but I was disrespected in different aspects of the whole relationship. Fuck! I've talked about the positives alot cuz i do love him..but the negatives are such bs too.

I want a good ass sincere apology for all of it so I can forgive him & move on, ive already apologized myself even though I dont think I should have to 😒. Didnt even give me a straight answer for the breakup, it was always a different excuse when I know he just wanted to pursue other women without me around im not fucking stupid. His own toxicity was too much even for himself & I was in the line of fire, to where i was the toxic one? No fuck that its unacceptable, he always lied when it came to covering his own ass.

For all i know he's watching me squirm & taking pleasure in all the pain I'm going through over him cuz he likes the attention. But no I actually don't think so on that one he's still good & ill give him credit where its due. But I gave him all the attention he wanted/needed & still wanted more from someone else. Really dude fucking really!?

Man up & own up to your mistakes, speak to me where I can actually hear ur voice speaking back to me with sincerity. We'll apologize together. Yea ull be pissed about this, but after u get over it & calm down. Give in & call me, granted when ur ready, & open up for once in your damn reserved life. Itll help us both with more closure & may even take a weight off our shoulders if we just talk it out, no arguing...since we're done there's no point anyway..a friendly non judgment zone cuz idc, i won't think of u any less.

U confused me during & especially after the relationship cuz i didnt know who u really were, i know the good cuz that's what u allowed me to see, ive accepted the bad that I knew already & from what ive learned...i accepted u regardless.

I always forgave u & not cuz im passive, cuz forgiveness is what the Bible teaches.. ive forgiven u & myself the best i could especially with the last things ive showed u, (accept this part cuz im pissed rn & standing up for myself, ill delete eventually maybe if u ask cuz nobody wants to be seen any less of a person. but I can make it alot worse, calling me the mistake was the worst thing u ever said to me & pointing out your faults so u can be better throughout the relationship was my only toxicity to u) we actually never really fought except the 1 time, just argued a tiny bit rarely about little things.

Ive tried using every ounce of my courage to show u how much im sorry for any wrong ive done. but its up to u now to make things right. U know me, ive always said that u can talk to me about anything. I want to be able to trust again & move on whilst staying friends. What else do u have to lose, might even have a great heart to heart convo dude to dudet

Everything ive ever said up to this point lies all my Questions. But here's most of the list, we both were equally in control of the relationship. Maybe u didn't want me to? But doing everything I had to for myself & the household, what u & ur parents wanted of me & just me being me cuz i had to, u had your own part to play & did provide...but did u actually not want me to cater to u if it were a sign u were lazy or something? Like did u not feel worthy of me? What is it u think is my "addicting personality" that isn't fixable on the surface? What is it really that u didnt like about me? This is why i don't have closure, u left me like this, confused as well as wanting more since u held back so much. Was that on purpose to give me even more false hope & want me to pine over u? Did u ever or do u still, love me at all? What did u want from me & out of the relationship, what was the purpose of it from ur perspective & why do u think i couldn't give that to u? What did i lack that u felt compelled to not tell me so I could improve & vise versa so we both could improve? Why wouldn't u allow me to help u become a better man when (I shouldnt have to btw), its exactly what u wanted but maybe didnt see it? Do u realize your own faults even as u do them? Lol. Like i genuinely want to know as much as the good ive seen, cuz to be better the more open of a person u are the more u understand yourself too.

Unless claiming u want to be a better man is part of ur alluring charm in love bombing process to land a caring girl on purpose lol...god I hope not, that would just mean u rinse & repeat like a for real narcissist 🤔 seriously tho look into that im not even kidding, im asking cuz i care. Im pissed now but 1 thing is that im trying to not put ur behavior against u cuz maybe u can't help it, its just the way u are, all ive seen & experienced points to maybe 50% of u lol. Ive always suspected narcissism, a real psych problem that might be worth looking into. But yea 1 of the reasons especially why im so forgiving & trying not to put it against u, why i still care despite u being a dick lol. I chose to look past it, all the time & up to now cuz I understand what its like to have psychological ailments. The worst part about it is most dont realize it, so i encourage u to do some research & self reflection & admitting it to urself are the 1st steps. Okay? There's different kinds & levels to being 1 too, i found that fascinating. bryan is definitely a different type, ur more lighter than that...definitely not the worst which is the physical harm type. Trust me its worth finding out more about yourself, just dont use it to ur advantage in a bad way but i trust u to do right & grow. Not sure a discarded supply (ie me) has ever tried telling a narcy what they might be for the benefit of their own self awareness 🤔,idk if its ever been done, but theres a 1st for everything? U can find alot on it in quora digest alone but Google is also ur friend.

You always were worth every effort of mine to help u in any way to be happy, & i was most happy when u were. U mean alot to me still, its the effect u had on me, I was under ur spell lol its hard to rid myself of it still, not sure when it'll pass. I chose to see it as a gift rather than a curse, that ur effect on me is still so strong when I shouldn't give a damn. If u really are a narcy, then I understand & don't put alot against u cuz its just the way u are & i need to accept it, but if it somehow helps u to help yourself cuz of it, then whats the harm? But, even in doing this or having my socials public for u...maybe just feeds into what u want...i still dont care, I want u to see how bad or good im doing without u in my life, so u know im okay at least. U promised friendship, least I can do is allow u to keep tabs on me too we spoke of, on my end of things.

The 18th of June was the last time i saw u. It'll soon be a month ago in about a week & a 1/2 & your birthday would mark 2 months. Cant believe we couldn't even last through to that 😔

Mark my words playa I will be contacting u on that day lol. Can't ghost your homie forever sweetie

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hollywood-hobo-blog · 7 years ago

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How I Prepared Going Homeless

When I personally knew I wasn't going to be able to pay the following months bills I had to begin planning my next move. I had 0 friends or family friends to fall back on and since I am originally from an area with a cold climate, I had to manage my money to the best of my ability. This included a travel pass south to warmer weather. In this post, I am going to reflect and reference my previous post of "How To Be Homeless and NOT Look the Part"

It is very important mentally you do not act homeless even if you are. The idea behind this is to manifest it mentally that you are not disabled but very capable. This is all just a passing and is temporary and regardless of what happens, you will make it out well and alive. I am with you on the same journey.

Things to Prepare: 1. Itinerary 2. Needs 3. Agenda 4. Financial Plan

Expenses: Bus Pass: $$$ Gym Membership: $$$ Public Storage: $$ Mailbox: $$

I'm not including shelter as I want to handle this post with extreme care as I am currently without a home.

The worst of this is by the end I didn't have enough money for food. In fact, I only had 7.00 for a meal, and I split that for an entire week which I'll talk about in a future post. These are purchases that'll make a difference to your homeless experience as it has done for me.

1 & 2. Itinerary + Needs

My favorite application is called Transit. It's available both for Android and iPhone. I recommend everyone this application. It's not only accurate in transit time but also interactive. On this application, you can drop pins and create favorites of your nearby places.

- Bus Pass/Transportation: You will kill your first hundred in transit. I should have taken initiative but I couldn’t. If I can go back I would buy a month pass. It's not a good feeling but this will be almost like your second home especially when you do a graveyard shift at Denny's as I will be doing tonight. You will board transit at least fifty times like I have in a day for daytime sleeping, shelter, and job interviews. Do not lose your bus pass. It is your holy grail. If you do spend your money only when needed then be selective of your employment oppertunities as you will be only wasting money if you know you won’t get a job.

- Education/Study: Go to Google Maps on your laptop or a computer and find a popular college or university nearby. One with a fairly large student population. This will be the spot you will spend your days writing or reading. Take advantage of the library and read about a skillset or a career you would like to pursue. You're homeless. You don't have any obligations. This doesn't mean you can slack off. Keep yourself busy. Be occupied. The goal is to NOT BE HOMELESS FOREVER. Once you find the campus you wish to "attend" go on your Transit app on your phone > Search > Type in the school > When the school shows up, press and hold the name > Favorite with an icon

- Gym/Hygiene: Find the postal code of the school you are "attending" and type the following in Google: "Gyms near 00000" Google will show you on the map of gyms closest to your school. Research the cheapest gym you can find that doesn't go based off a contract. On contract, if it's cheaper but you want to mostly pay month to month and not a year. If not gym, a public pool will suffice although I like to keep my options open in case I do want to begin working out. Write down the fees, call in advance, figure out your expenses straight to the penny. Do not lose control of your expenses. Go to your Transit app after and repeat the process as above.

- Mailbox/Banking: If you open a bank account, the teller will want you to provide a mailing address. USPS has great rates for a small mailbox, however, if you do come out of state/country, this will not work. In this case, you should go for a PRIVATE MAILBOX. Not a P.O. Box because that will not fly with any bank. For this service, use Yelp. Filter your proximity to the postal code and use the map to find one closest to your gym, your school, and with a great price. Cheaper the better. In my instance, the university I "attend" provides a private mailbox service for the students. I told the man owning the shop I was enrolling at the university and am currently living in a hostel without an actual address. Since I'm out of state, all my mail will have to be sent home which I wasn't planning on going and I need to collect some of my school documents through a mailbox. This is the only workaround I know for homeless people who are out of state/country. Again, call in advance if you have doubts. Mailboxes are fairly cheaper than public storage and are often given a great deal price like 3 months for 40.00

- Public Storage/Clothes: Do not carry your whole closet around. I bought one backpack from Goodwill for 5.00 when I arrived in LA which had my important papers, laptop, chargers, etc and one backpack strictly for clothes. Public Storage provides month-month but is crazy pricey. Use the same technique as above to find a location closest to store this backpack. You are to come to this storage to collect clothes to wear and if possible to replace dirty ones aside for laundry in the future if you are lucky. Remember, public storage closes and opens at different times between week and weekends. Prepare wisely for the weather. Repeat the location save in Transit.

So far in your Transit App, you should have at least three stars circulating one area, all of which should be of okay walking distance. The last thing you should do is find as many Starbucks, McDonald's, Carls Jr, Winchells/Dennys (best if they're open 24hrs) and plot those on your map. You will need these places best for bathroom emergencies and sleepless nights. In the end, you will have cultivated an entire square of places that will be your new home.

If you are sleeping outside be sure to find a safe place and DO NOT BE-FRIEND OTHER HOMELESS PEOPLE. I'm fortunate to be around one gentleman who follows his routine, doesn't talk to anyone, goes to sleep, and doesn't bother anyone at all. In a way, he brings me security even without speaking. I keep my sleeping spot close to the gym so the first thing I promise myself to do is take a shower. You should do the same.

3. Agenda: I actually found this part fun and also reduced a lot of my stresses. I open my calendar app on my phone and schedule every bit of my day until it's 10:00 pm where I spend eight hours writing, micro-sleeping, and drinking coffee at Denny's (Depending on the change in my pocket) If I'm at Denny's doing graveyard then I don't prioritize the shower. If I sleep outside, then I have to shower the next day. This pattern sort of help to ward off any regulars at the gym who may see me as a homeless person shaving, brushing his teeth, and showering. I cater my agenda to being a student since I am 23 years old as of right now. I can pull off a youthful student and nobody as of yet has spotted me as a homeless man.

4. Financial Plan: This is my constant work in progress. It is not easy getting employed especially if you lack documents that get you employment. I speak fluent English and that is all. I don't understand Spanish so when I was at one point hired as a dishwasher, I was fired the next day because of my speed. This was sad because of my language barrier and the manager didn't pay me and I didn't fight it for personal and legal reasons. I am not in a good position right now but I'm working on this solution. My game plan for the time I do get employed is saving up for a bike and a bike lock so I can do delivery services on my bike with UberEats and other services on a bike. The difference between regular employment and employment with this service is it's a job that accepts my documents and is willing to give me income with my tax number. The only problem is I don't have a bike but when I do, I will work a lot and get paid weekly instead of bi-weekly. I will set my own schedules and be quite better off as I know my way around this city very well. My goal is to earn at least a thousand in a month (That number gives me chill as I stand with just four dollars right now.) Every day is a struggle, I want to kill myself at one hour and another hour I want to keep going. If you’re reading this and feel stuck, I want you to keep going.

I hope these pointers will help. I'm sorry if I missed out anything. Please share this with anyone you may know who is homeless or to be homeless. I will answer any questions to the best of my ability.

#writing #hollywood #homeless #how to #tips and tricks #life #depression #hobo #hollywood hobo #california #los angeles #feb #life hack

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ericvick · 5 years ago

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How to protect yourself from renter fraud

When Robyn Flynn recently rented a home in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., she found herself with a shady landlord who refused to make repairs. Like many renters, she didn’t know anything about the landlord before she moved into her new place.

“I always owned a home before this move, so I wasn’t sure if the landlord was typical or if he had a bad reputation,” said Flynn. “A friend of mine in Boston told me about this service called MySmartRenter that I could use, and I found out that the landlord has multiple lawsuits against him for not taking care of his rental properties.”

For Flynn, learning about the lawsuits will give her extra knowledge she can use when confronting her landlord about the condition of her home. She also plans to proactively investigate a landlord before she rents again.

While Flynn’s situation revealed a bad but not necessarily fraudulent landlord, rental fraud is unfortunately common. A study by ApartmentList.com found that 43.1 percent of renters have come across a listing they thought was fraudulent and that 5.2 million renters in the United States have lost money to rental fraud.

“A lot of rental fraud happens when people can’t see a rental in person because they are renting long distance,” said Igor Popov, chief economist at Apartment List in San Francisco. “Unfortunately, I suspect we’re about to see more of this because of self-isolation and social distancing during the pandemic.”

One in three victims of rental fraud lost more than $1,000, and 17 percent-plus were out more than $2,000, said Popov, noting that it’s usually a security deposit or the first month’s rent for a nonexistent rental.

Common types of rental fraud

Rental fraud often involves listings that are not available or don’t exist at all, said Popov.

“The most common scenario is a ‘bait-and-switch’ scheme where a landlord advertises a unit, accepts a security deposit, and then later reveals that particular apartment isn’t available,” said Popov. “Renters may lose their deposit or end up with a less desirable unit.”

Two other common types of fraud occur when a scammer hijacks a legitimate listing or makes up one for a nonexistent home.

“For example, the scammer will take a legitimate real estate listing for a property that’s for sale and download the photos and address,” said Popov. “They’ll collect the security deposit and disappear before someone realizes that the property isn’t available for rent.”

Other issues include rentals that are missing promised amenities, such as heat, air conditioning or laundry equipment. In that case, the landlord tries to get the lease signed and all of the deposits before the renter discovers the problem.

“Unfortunately, younger renters tend to be victimized more than older renters, with about 9 percent of 18-to-29-year-old renters reporting that they lost money compared to 6.4 percent of all renters,” said Popov.

Ways to protect yourself

One possible protection is the app George Genel, CEO and founder of MySmartRenter.com in Concord, introduced in January. It provides renters with information about prospective landlords.

“Tenants are used to paying for landlords to check their credit, but nobody thinks to check on the landlord,” said Genel. “There are subjective sites that people use to check out an apartment or a landlord where people post complaints, but that’s not always fair to a landlord who gets a complaint about not changing a light bulb when he was out of town.”

Genel’s app won’t necessarily prevent all renter fraud, but users can pay a flat fee to learn more about a potential landlord.

“We designed the app so that renters don’t have to request permission from a landlord to run a check on them,” said Genel. “A renter just needs the name of the landlord and address of the rental, then we are credentialed and compliant with the Fair Credit Reporting Act to pull nationally available information on someone.”

MySmartRenter.com costs $19.95, $34.95, or $49.95 for different levels of searches, with the basic level verifying that the landlord owns the property being rented and checking the national sex offender registry and for civil court actions. Other levels include a criminal background check, bankruptcies, liens, and professional licenses. Parents of students renting off-campus housing can use the app, and landlords can proactively be certified by it.

The most important step any renter can take to prevent becoming a victim of fraud is to gather information about the local rental market and a specific rental, said Popov.

“Visit the property in person if you can,” he said. “Verify that the landlord owns the property by checking city records or asking the building manager. If someone tells you that you can’t see the property in person, then that’s a red flag that something could be wrong.”

Other potential red flags, said Popov, include a lack of photos or only exterior photos, prices that are not typical for the market, or requests for a security deposit made with cash or a wire transfer. It’s best to pay with a credit card or a check so the payment can be cancelled if necessary.

Renters must be vigilant and verify as much as they can about a rental before they sign paperwork or provide money. If you are victimized, you can report fraud to the Federal Trade Commission, local law enforcement, or the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs hotline at 888-283-3757.

Subscribe to the Globe’s free real estate newsletter — our weekly digest on buying, selling, and design — at pages.email.bostonglobe.com/AddressSignUp. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @globehomes.

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thekweenofkats · 5 years ago

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If you are in your middle 20′s.... read this.

The middle 20 years of age... As a child, I wanted to grow up really fast. School workload and endless, pointless drama seemed like forever. I wanted, we wanted to grow up. That life seems more care free, full of fashionable experiments, the pouring rain of monies allowing you to feel comfortable. Everything feels aligned. In place.

Life isn't pretty. Let's start there. You had this dream in the back of your mind. "I want to be a lawyer", she said. No, that's because you're confused with a fixed school system that didn't provide a variety of modules to begin with. Being the science student was the 'it' choice. Nobody would be standing next to you and say your way of thinking is stupid. People fed you lies. "Who cares about interest? It won't get you anywhere in life. At the end of the day, the way to survive in life is a good job. Good income. Throw away all of your dreams that won't roll in the cash." That's what these grown up people always told me and I believed them.

I'm sitting here writing this post on my company's laptop working as a legal intern. I'm grateful for this opportunity but yeah, that's just how far I can go (now, Moana's theme song is stuck in my head and i'm crying inside because the furthest I can go is here). I decided to proceed with law school and ended up with a degree in this because politics was fairly interesting at that time I was stuck in science stream. It was more interesting to me so jumping there seemed like the easier choice. My sisters are already qualified doctors, none of these science stuffs, especially Physics (which I sucked at the most) was gonna make me become one of them. Throughout law school and after, I realized that litigation and practicing as an advocate & solicitor weren't my interest either. I did sit for the killer CLP exam (by killer, I mean extremely difficult) and almost passed. But yes, that's the case. I almost passed and didn't make it, so as for now I'm just a person who happens to have a law degree. Old people would call me 'pointless' and 'wasted opportunity' because I didn't want to pursue any further at the moment. This is how far I go.

I'm sure many of you can relate to what I'm feeling now but in your own story. Getting a degree in something that won't guarantee you a promising career. I've had endless conversations with my peers about not getting job offers and the stressful job hunting process. Getting turned down after interviews. Not being good enough for the employers. Being unemployed for months give you space for every negative element you could think of. Under employment is another issue. You got a job! However, it's for a position lower than what you can actually offer and your qualification. It's devastating and disappointing. You're mad at yourself and the world. It seems like the economy is glitching into a corrupted file. Is there really no option fit for me? Internship is the only way to save my life and feed my cats, pay my bills. I need to survive and thank goodness they chose me to work here although it's not much. I still have something to spare for food. I'm grateful with what's on my plate right now.

Let's move on to social media. It started when I was pretty young (Remember Friendster, anyone?) Honorable mentions are MySpace, Tumblr and the old Facebook. Yes, Facebook used to be so much fun but I just can't stay on that page anymore. Twitter all the way. Instagram is the breakthrough of all. It started as a platform to share your memories and happiness with your friends through digital pictures. Now, it is where most careers are formed. Social media influencers and online businesses are taking over. What's mind boggling is that all of these are fun but can sometimes be too damaging to look at (online business is an exception). We have these pictures on Instagram with everyone looking flawless, going on this beautiful escapade trips, enjoying their lunch-time with employees etc. Tell me, how many times have you ask yourself how old you have become after seeing your friends' engagement, wedding and baby pictures?! "I'm 24, confused as hell with my life, but people seem to have their lives figured out. I'll never be like them", she said.

TURN OFF THAT APP RIGHT AWAY ONCE YOU REALIZE YOU'RE TALKING TO YOURSELF THAT WAY. It's only gonna get more worse from there. I find this a good way to practice self-love (other than social media cleanse). Comparison destroys our self-esteem, self-confidence and self-worth. The reality is nobody's life is perfect. People show what they want you to see online. Behind the scenes, they won't show you how many times they've attempted to take a selfie. The fight that they had with their partner before posting that lovely picture of them together. The expensive aftertaste of the meal that they had posted on stories. That's the reality. But, what we can do about it is control how we perceive these things we see. Don't let the 'social media life' consume your real life. If you find yourself feeling negative about it, take breaks. Nobody owes anyone anything. Post the picture that you want. Post that singing video you want. The vlog that you've worked hard on filming and editing. We should be learning to control our own thought process and feelings, we can't control how others think and live.

So, if you're in your middle 20's and you're feeling similar things, it's okay. Life is full of work for everybody (except for the rich and capitalists, sorry not sorry). Keep going. Keep thriving. Don't give up on working to better yourself. It's still a long way. Funny isn't it? We are only 20 years into our lives. Barely even reach half a century. All the best everyone.

#motivation #20 #life #crisis

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lovehaswonangelnumbers · 5 years ago

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New Post has been published on https://lovehaswonangelnumbers.org/energy-update-the-lunar-eclipse-and-the-conjunction-of-planets/

Energy Update ~ The Lunar Eclipse and The Conjunction of Planets

By Crystal and indigo guide to the galaxy

‘Do you know what black magic is? The science of distortion and manipulation of time and space to entrap a being. Do you now who has been subject to it? All of humanity. Do you know what is happening now? The return of the embodied true virtues and right ethics for humanity through the Holy Trinity in zero time point. This is the True Liberation for all humanity from black magic and the return to innocence!”

After Jupiter’s alignment with the galactic centre in November 2019, everything has taken on a different course! This was the actual grounding of the switch to the True Life. Since then, all signs and messages that each soul wanted to give to each person, have been absolutely delivered to everyone through synchronistic events and real life encounters! Everything was shown clearly! And right after, came the eclipse around Christmas day that broke down and revealed all resistances each holds through the distorted ego personality! Now, the eclipse on the 10th and the conjunction of Pluto and Saturn on the 12th brings the sudden blow! The turning of the events upside down! This is what we have been waiting for! The sudden awakening and revolution! The True Being is taking over!

The energies that are being released these days are so powerful and create such multiple pressures that depression or illness are the most common results if one identifies with the toxic personality and the scenarios that play all around Earth. The key is to totally place yourself into the True Light of Christ and surrender your whole being to it. This is the revelation of all illusions and deceptions many have been having. This is the dissolution of karma in action. Masks are off! You do not have the control anymore, your True Self has it!

These are the energies that can lift one to ascension or bring one down to absolute fall, there is no middle situation here! Do not mistaken sudden success coming from the dark elite of any kind, as a win because very very soon the result will be more than bitter. It will be devastating! The dark elites without showing who they truly are, have been hiding and manipulating the human consciousness for eons, holding people as slaves without them being able to see their true self. These are last attempts of the ruling dark archon’s elite of harvesting the souls. Do close your ears to the sirens. Those still serving as slaves the dark agendas of power, fame and control, will now see clearly who they have been serving or admiring because of the thirst of their distorted ego. Masks are off! The dark manipulators have the most sweet and promising masks!

Only the True Holy Mother, True Holy Father and True Holy Child now show us the way as ONE, from within. This is the time of revelation/revolution of the lost, the suppressed and the misguided! All children of the True Light that have been misled, now awake! What they will see, will shock them! There is pain hidden in this shock. This is the pain of eons and eons of distortion, slavery and the exploitation of their Light! True responsibility of the Self is now given to every Child of Light. This is the breaking of all mirrors of distortions. This is the dissolving of conditioned polarities! This is the time of correction! This is forgiveness for all! This is going back to the beginning! This is rebirth! This is the time of happiness of the innocents!

This is the 3 which becomes 4!

We are here! We hold hands! We are ONE!

Eirini 🌈

Following is the message that Light worker and friend Christa Maria Magdalena, received from Jesus Christ from the 5th dimension:

”Yes, now is the time for what you all came to this planet! My promise to you, that what I did you will do and even more, will fulfill itself now, in this time! Because you all, who did awake now, are here to step into your master position, like I did! You all did prepare yourself in so many lifetimes for this, many times through extremely painful learning experiences! You got trained through so many great light beings! Now is the time of decision, if you choose to continue to live in the world of illusions or if you want to grow into your real being of the creator! You are surrounded from so much support that you don’t really need anything. Just to be your real I AM in its total great creator power, to declare it yours, to fall in love with it absolutely and to share this Love with everybody around you! This, will of course change all that has been forever. But inside of each of you, is the only safe place, where you will find all you need! The way leads through silence. You with yourself in total love and trust for yourself and to find here the creator and goddess and live it through you! Here nobody can lead you, this path you must go on your own, you with your real Godself in deep trust in yourself! Here is everything, this is your path of being a master! But I will be always with you, whenever you call out for me, you will be filled with my golden love energy! You will be never alone, this is impossible, because in truth we are all one!!! It is all a never ending circle of being! Have the courage to do the step towards yourself and here you will find me as well!!! You are the masters of the new earth, the new humanity!!! Welcome in your real being!!!!”

Thank you Christa Maria Magdalena!

~~~~~~~~~

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rafi1228 · 5 years ago

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Requirements

Basic HTML, CSS and JavaScript knowledge

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Description

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World Cup 2018: Guardian writers pick their highs and lows

New Post has been published on https://writingguideto.com/must-see/world-cup-2018-guardian-writers-pick-their-highs-and-lows/

World Cup 2018: Guardian writers pick their highs and lows

From Modrics magic and Pavards screamer to unwelcome theatrics and wearing the wrong T-shirt, our writers give their take on the tournament in Russia

Nick Ames

Match of the tournament Russia v Croatia had it all: a spectacular goal from Denis Cheryshev, unbearable tension during a see-sawing extra-time period, raucous celebrations when Mrio Fernandes equalised and then shootout heartache for the hosts followed quickly by an acknowledgment that they should hold their heads high.

Player of the tournament Luka Modric. He was influential from the first game but by extra time of the Croatia v England game it was impossible to take your eyes off him. Modric has played more fluently but the way he dragged himself and his team through against the odds was breathtaking.

Goal of the tournament It seems a long time ago now but Ricardo Quaresmas trademark trivela for Portugal against Iran was a luscious piece of skill that bears watching time and again.

Personal highlight It sounds a bit mawkish but watching the sun rise over Kazan Arena from my apartment, only a few hours after seeing France beat Argentina 4-3 there in a stunning game of football, gave rise to a feeling of immense gladness simply to be here. Nobody would take covering this tournament for granted.

Biggest disappointment That we did not see a more diverse tournament from the quarter-finals onwards. Europes primacy was disconcerting and, while we may have to wait to see if it is a trend, not entirely surprising. It was a regret off the pitch, too, because the vibrancy that tens of thousands of Latin American fans brought to the early stages was one of the aspects that made this month special.

Trickiest off-field moment The weight of responsibility has rarely felt heavier than when, having booked a minibus to take yours truly and seven colleagues from Kazan to Samara in time for England v Sweden, the vehicle arrived an hour and 20 minutes late. That was the good news. A confused driver, who had somehow got lost en route to our apartment, then emerged and explained that (a) the sound on his sat nav had packed in and (b) he didnt know the way to Samara anyway. At this point the risk of blank column inches across several of the UKs major organs looked severe but, with the help of our phones and a rotation of front-seat assistants, we just about muddled through the six-hour journey in time to cover the quarter-final.

Fondest memory of Russia Less a specific memory than simple pleasure that visiting supporters and locals interacted so joyfully and saw each others best sides. In regional cities such as Samara and Volgograd, particularly, one could see just how much it meant to people who had never experienced anything like this before; the only shame is that so few fans from western Europe, in particular, felt emboldened to join in.

What now for England? The good feeling of this summer must be bottled because normality will kick in soon and the reality is that, if England are to succeed, they need to ensure the best players are given a workable pathway to the top. The current crop are decent but not good enough to lift major trophies: until top clubs development processes tilt in favour of the players that will remain the case.

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Dominic Fifield

Match of the tournamentPortugal 3-3 Spain, a game which set the bar high for the tournament and probably gave both teams false hope as to their own capabilities in Russia. Cristiano Ronaldo was a force of nature, Spain pinged their passes and looked irrepressible and an upbeat tone was set for everything that followed. The World Cup, if not necessarily Spain and Portugal, lived up to expectations thereafter.

Player of the tournament Eden Hazard. The Premier League has long grown accustomed to the Belgians genius but here he was illuminating the world stage. He provided goals, assists and mesmeric dribbles and will have been privately disappointed to finish only third, even if his declaration that his time at Chelsea may be up was a sting in the tail.

Eden Hazard passes the ball during Belgiums World Cup third-place play-off victory over England. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/Guardian

Goal of the tournament Right-backs had some fun in Russia. Take your pick between Nachos goal, skimmed in off both posts, against Portugal and Benjamin Pavards stunning reward against Argentina.

Personal highlight Jordan Pickfords save from Carlos Bacca, and Eric Dier claiming a penalty shootout for England. Followed closely by the glory of The Motherland Calls and the Stalingrad memorial.

Biggest disappointment Argentina, who I had bafflingly suggested might win the tournament. There was no pace, no energy and far too much reliance on Lionel Messi. They were fortunate to escape the group and beaten more convincingly by France than the 4-3 scoreline suggested.

Trickiest off-field moment The flies, the flies, the flies of Volgograd, who swarmed all day off the Volga marshes. Oh, and the mosquitoes of Repino, who came out with a vengeance at dusk. My God, they loved me as much as I detested them. They will not be missed. That said, vanilla oil was a bit of a find, and more pleasant than DEET.

Fondest memory of Russia St Petersburg. An incredible city, a glorious blend of Paris, Vienna and Amsterdam, with a dash of Scandinavia thrown in. It was heartening to see Englands players making the most of their days off to visit its sights, from the Hermitage to the Winter Palace, via the fairground.

What now for England? For once England leave a tournament in a promising place. They have a plan, a manager with a vision and a crop of young players waiting in the wings to make their mark. The Nations League, which starts in the autumn, will not be straightforward but it could cultivate the renewed interest in international football. The World Cup was all about progress. Now they must maintain it.

Thomas Hitzlsperger

Match of the tournament Portugal v Spain.

Player of the tournament Eden Hazard.

Goal of the tournament Benjamin Pavard against Argentina.

Frances Benjamin Pavard hits his sumptuous volley against Argentina. Photograph: Kieran McManus/BPI/Rex/Shutterstock

Personal highlight Mbapps solo run against Argentina.

Biggest disappointment The Germany team.

Trickiest off-field moment Because England did so well and Gareth Southgate became so popular, I was asked to wear a waistcoat in the TV studio. The crew were really excited about it but I wasnt happy at all. I decided against it. Fortunately, they kept me on until the last day

Fondest memory I went to Volgograd before the World Cup and was overwhelmed, having visited the Mamayev Hill monuments and Rossoschka, a Russian-German military cemetery. It was a history lesson like Ive never experienced.

What now for England? Keep the team spirit alive and practise more possession and fewer set pieces.

David Hytner

Match of the tournament Belgium v Brazil. For Belgiums counterattacking masterclass in the first half and the breakneck drama after the interval. The pace and intensity were incredible.

Player of the tournament I loved the way Paul Pogba handled himself but Luka Modric was the stand-out performer. I have long thought he was the finest central midfielder in world football and he oozed class and control. Showed his courage to step up in the last-16 shootout against Denmark, having missed a penalty in extra time.

Goal of the tournament Toni Kroos v Sweden. OK, it seriously messed with me on deadline but the intelligence, technique and execution, with Germanys World Cup hopes on the line, were extraordinary. I thought it would spark Germany into life. I was wrong.

Personal highlight So many. Here are some. Watching Brazil live. Enjoying Tite (Cheechee). Being there for Mrio Fernandess equaliser. Having a stroll in Gorky Park and Neskuchny Garden. People watching on Novy Arbat. Being on a fan bus packed with Colombians when the Colombia team bus overtook. Meeting Carlos Valderrama. Finding out what a good bloke Dejan Lovren is. The emotion at the final.

Biggest disappointment Neymar was the coolest kid in the world at Brazil 2014. I remember him doing keepie-uppies as he strolled out for a training session and looking as though he did not have a care as 200 million Brazilians invested their dreams in him. The king turned into a princess here. His theatrics did him no credit.

Neymar reacts after a challenge in Brazils group game against Serbia. Photograph: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Trickiest off-field moment My first full day was in Rostov-on-Don, where I was covering Brazil v Switzerland. I had to get to the stadium for the press conferences. There was no tube. I could not get an uber, yandex or regular cab. I had not yet discovered the game-changer that was the Google translate app. I was completely stuck and it was a horrible feeling. I would be saved by a big-hearted couple, whom I had met the night before, and they drove me to the stadium. It set a good tone.

Fondest memory of Russia My take-away was the heartfelt desire of Russian people for their country to be appreciated. Every single Russian I met in every single city ran through the same questions. What do you think of Russia? What do you think of our city? And, invariably, what do you think of our women? It mattered to them that visitors departed with different perceptions. Moscow is now one of my top five cities.

What now for England? Quite simply, to enjoy the positivity for as long as it lasts.

Stuart James

Match of the tournament Belgium 3-2 Japan. I expected Belgium to stroll to victory but Japan were absolutely terrific. When Japan went 2-0 up, through Takashi Inuis superb goal, James Ducker, from the Telegraph, and I looked at each other in the press box as if to say: What on earth is happening here? Belgium, to give credit where it is due, responded brilliantly. What a way to win the match, too the best counterattacking goal Ive ever seen.

Player of the tournament Hard to look beyond Luka Modric, who has been so influential for Croatia in what will surely be his last World Cup, but lets not ignore the contribution of NGolo Kant, even if the Frenchman would quite happily go under the radar. Kylian Mbapp deserves a mention too he is going to be a superstar, if he isnt already.

Kylian Mbapp of France takes a corner in the group game against Peru. Photograph: Michael Regan/FIFA via Getty Images

Goal of the tournament Spoilt for choice. Benjamin Pavards strike against Argentina was tremendous. I also liked Nachos goal for Spain in their thrilling 3-3 draw with Portugal what technique again. But Im plumping for Denis Cheryshevs second against Saudi Arabia. Elegantly stroked into the top corner with the outside of his left boot, it was a thing of beauty and set the tone for this World Cup.

Personal highlight Watching and reporting on England in their first World Cup semi-final since 1990, when I was 14 years old. I never imagined for a minute that Id find myself in that situation when I left for Russia. And what a moment when Kieran Trippiers free-kick hit the back of the net. Lets just not go there with what happened later.

Biggest disappointment The amount of play-acting but in particular Neymars rolling around. It was embarrassing watching him at times and sad, too, given his talent. Hes not alone, though, and it has got to the stage where Fifa needs to confront the issue head-on. Sadly, it will probably ignore it.

Trickiest off-field moment I could write a book on this one. I got lost quite a lot and didnt master the metro in Moscow until day 30 (I went home the following morning). Getting in and out of the hammock in my apartment in Sochi was testing. And I somehow ended up with five courses after ordering soup for lunch in Saransk. Thank heavens for Google translate, which prevented more buffoonery like that and became my best friend.

Fondest memory of Russia So many to choose from but Id probably say walking to the Mordovia Arena in Saransk for Perus first World Cup game in 36 years. I remember turning this corner and seeing thousands and thousands of red and white shirts stretching as far as the eye could see. They were marching, singing, laughing and smiling having the time of their lives. It was an extraordinary sight and gives me goose bumps whenever I think about it.

What now for England? The balance doesnt feel right in midfield and that showed against Croatia, so Gareth Southgate has got some work to do there. But lets just be positive: theres a feelgood factor that hasnt been there for ages. Heck, Id quite like to take my son to an England game now and I never thought Id say that.

Martha Kelner

Match of tournament I watched the group match between Spain v Portugal in a poky hotel room in Volgograd on a 13-inch TV made at least a couple of decades ago. But even that could not dampen the enjoyment of a game for the ages. It lived up to all the hype. As for that Ronaldo free-kick at the end, he just knew he was going to score. Incredible.

Player of tournament Eden Hazard may not have reached the final but he was consistently brilliant for Belgium, turning in three man-of-the-match performances. He was still captivating his audience in the mixed zone after the third-place play-off, all but announcing that he wanted out of Chelsea.

Goal of tournament Might be slightly coloured by the fact I saw it live but Jesse Lingards 25-yard curler against Panama his first international goal was a stunner. Yes, the opposition were limited and England were already well on their way to a rout but after watching him having lumps taken out of him all afternoon it was a welcome, beautiful interruption.

Englands Jesse Lingard, second left, curls the ball into the net for Englands third goal in their 6-1 win over Panama. Photograph: Dave Shopland/BPI/Rex/Shutterstock

Personal highlight Being inside Spartak Stadium to witness England finally win a penalty shootout. You try to remain impartial as a journalist but you also report what you experience and its impossible not to have felt some of Gareth Southgates joy that evening. He said afterwards hed never get over the penalty miss at Euro 96 but you hope leading a team to a penalty shootout victory eased the burden.

Biggest disappointment That Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could not assert themselves more on the tournament. But that blow was softened by the emergence of another superstar in Kylian Mbapp.

Trickiest off field moment Getting stuck in some pretty epic match-day traffic in Kaliningrad before England played Belgium there. We were still for half an hour about three miles from the stadium with the clock ticking closer to kick-off. Cue abandoning my taxi, hiring a bike from a nearby shop and cycling to the stadium over the main highway, which mercifully they had shut for the afternoon.

Fondest memory of Russia Meeting a 17-year-old girl waitressing at a restaurant in Samara, a city 1,000km south-east of Moscow. When I told her I was from London, she could not contain her excitement. She wanted to know everything about England and were now friends on social media. In fact this whole trip has been a reminder not to confuse people with politics. Particularly the younger generation of Russians have been friendly, inquisitive and so welcoming.

What now for England? To continue progressing, to blood new talent such as Ryan Sessegnon and Phil Foden. And to use the knowledge that Euro 2020 will feel somewhat like a home tournament, with seven games at Wembley, to train their sights on the future.

Amy Lawrence

Match of the tournament France 4-3 Argentina. If your heart didnt soar at the sight of what Kylian Mbapp did here, youve no business watching sport (Argentinians excepted). The interweaving storylines, high emotions, brilliant goals, passing of batons and lurching drama made for an all-time classic.

Player of the tournament Mulling this over in the days before the final the cases for Luka Modric and Mbapp felt particularly strong. Not much changed there during the final both are absolutely deserving of the highest accolades but something about Paul Pogba, the way he has commanded games, made his mark, played his role so emphatically for the team, and influenced the final swung it.

Frances Paul Pogba holds the trophy as he celebrates winning the World Cup. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters

Goal of the tournament Welcome to the old screamer versus purity of technique versus team goal dilemma. Belgiums match-winner against Japan was seriously impressive especially in the context of a match they were trailing 2-0. Lionel Messis cushioned second touch against Nigeria is a thing of beauty in itself. Benjamin Pavards lasered volley just about gets my nod.

Personal highlight Away from the stadiums, being in the evocatively named Snob Bar in Kazan riveted to the 3-3 humdinger between Spain and Portugal accompanied by high-speed house music and a guy lolling around in a giant polar bear costume for no obvious reason. In the stadium, seeing the Swedes and Mexicans start an impromptu dance-off to their Bye Bye Germany song after the dramatic, topsy-turvy ending to Group F.

Biggest disappointment Not being able to lay my hands on a Rock Arsenal T-shirt Ekaterinburgs finest radio station, dont you know despite an extensive hunt.

Trickiest off-field moment Trying to survive 90 minutes of Japan v Senegal sitting next to someone who had absolutely no idea how to manage some seriously intense body odour.

Fondest memory of Russia Peruvians. They seemed to be everywhere I went. Watching the world go by from the banks of the Iset River in Ekaterinburg, somewhere I doubt I would have ever ventured to without this World Cup, was lovely and of course enhanced by little groups of wandering Peruvians.

What now for England? Creativity. Find it, nurture it, encourage it, use it. A culture of doing well in tournaments is now in place across the age groups. Adding finesse at senior level is the missing ingredient that could make a telling difference.

Sid Lowe

Match of the tournament Spain 3-3 Portugal, my first game, was quite a way to start a tournament in which I seemed to get lucky often (confession time: journalists dont always feel lucky exactly when games are dramatic and decided by late goals). Even Switzerland-Serbia, supposedly a nice quiet night, turned out grand. Argentina-Nigeria inside the ground was quite something. But the best games were not mine. Enjoyed Belgium-Brazil (and, unfashionably, I think Brazil were good). But my favourite was probably Belgium-Japan.

Player of the tournament Rakitic? Kant? Mbapp? Im leaning towards Eden Hazard and Luka Modric, not least because in true sports journalism style this judgment is being delivered before its actually over. In honour of this World Cup, could another rewrite be on the way after the final? Yes, it could. He may not have been the best but when it comes to what actually happened over the month, the things that players actually did, the impact they had, the effectiveness, the key moments, then Antoine Griezmann.

Goal of the tournament 1. Cheryshev. 2. Cheryshev. 3. Cheryshev. OK, OK, its actually Toni Kroos or, better still, Belgiums winner against Japan. Only its not for me: see also personal highlight, below.

Personal highlight Watching the brutal beauty of Edinson Cavanis goal against Portugal, a 100-metre one-two between him and Luis Surez, the ball smashed from one side of the pitch to the other and back again, before flying in off Cavanis face. Inside a stadium, Ive rarely been hit and it really did feel as if youd been hit by a goal quite like that. And then theres Felipe Baloy scoring for Panama. Wonderful.

Uruguays Edinson Cavani scores his sides opening goal against Portugal. Photograph: Andrew Medichini/AP

Biggest disappointment In a word: Spain. Also, from a cynical point of view, I cant help wondering what might have been for Belgium and Uruguay in the other half of the draw two teams I would have liked to see reach a final. Off the pitch: not really getting the chance to experience Moscow which, when I was all too briefly acquainted with it, looked great. Or England-Colombia, for that matter.

Trickiest off-field moment Being in A&E worryingly close to kick off on Englands semi-final but I had left Russia by then so that probably doesnt count. A cup, two tea bags, a tea spoon and no kettle: eh? The couple we thought had departed the restaurant and headed home returning just as we were borrowing the still almost-full bottle of wine they had (or had not) left behind. Or how about the very, very first moment? Land in Moscow late, switch phone on … Lopeteguis done what, now?!

Fondest memory of Russia

Match-day cakes in the hotel, of course. Football street lights. 2am sunrises and walking through St Petersburg at dawn.

What now for England? Carry on, while recognising the reality beneath the feel-good factor. (Englands World Cup record is actually remarkably consistent.) Play, and try to play: there is plenty to be positive about. Be nice still. Nice is good. And nice doesnt have to come last.

Nick Miller

Match of the tournament Maybe just because I was there, but I havent been more viscerally thrilled by a game for a long time than Belgium v Japan. If anything summed up the strangeness of this World Cup, it was a knockout game being turned round by Marouane Fellaini and Nacer Chadli.

Player of the tournament Luka Modric. To play as well as he has would be remarkable under normal circumstances, but to do so with the looming prospect of a trial on his mind has been astounding.

Goal of the tournament Christian Eriksens against Australia was probably the best I saw live, but just because it was so unusual I loved Benjamin Pavards against Argentina.

Personal highlight The game wasnt hugely memorable in the end but I was at Brazil v Switzerland. Watching Brazil at a World Cup is like visiting some sort of venerated monument: often not that impressive on the face of it but the history and stories behind it are inescapable.

Biggest disappointment Morocco. I got swept up in gushing pre-tournament predictions and thought they might embarrass Portugal and/or Spain, but their performances turned out to be akin to a limp bit of lettuce.

Trickiest off-field moment It was broadly fine, other than the scandalous confiscation of my deodorant at the Luzhniki. Oh, and I was also stopped at a metro station and instructed to produce my passport, which I did not have on me. Brief visions of a future at Vladimirs Big House flashed before my eyes but my press pass turned out to satisfy the lust for admin.

Fondest memory of Russia People dancing in the Moscow streets after Russia beat Spain. The impromptu party that formed around a busking, instrumental post-rock band in a park was a particular highlight.

Fans in in Nikolskaya Street celebrate Russias victory over Spain. Photograph: Mikhail Pochuyev/TASS via Getty Images

What now for England? Heres a hot take for you: I genuinely dont know. In theory it should be bright, a talented young team due to be supplemented by further promising young talent coming through, but how often do theories work out in international football? I fear this will turn out to be one of those long, hot, strange summers that will feel as if it didnt happen in a few years.

Barney Ronay

Match of the tournament In the flesh, Spain versus Russia. Perhaps the most lop-sided match Ive ever seen and one of the oddest. Sensible people will point to the fact Spain lost their manager and just didnt play their system well. But still hard not to wax on about the limits of possession football and the weird agony of watching Spain pass the ball. Plus of course the hysteria of Russia and penalties.

Player of the tournament Luka Modric. Best player for a tiny nation in the final. Ran further, aged 32, than any other player at the World Cup except his teammate Ivan Perisic. But of course its about the craft with Modric and his ability to drag a game his teams way was of the highest class. Put him in five or six other teams here and they could have made the final too.

Goal of the tournament Ricardo Qaresma for the one-off trivela-style curler, a wonderful piece of individual skill he keeps on doing year after year. And Belgium in the last minute against Japan for the ultimate high-pressure team goal, made by Kevin De Bruynes laser-pass and Romelu Lukakus dummy.

Personal highlight The absence of any fighting or trouble, not to mention mind games, wars of words, handshake-refusals or anything much apart from the football.

Biggest disappointment Get a grip Brazil. This was once a team of tough guys, charmers and rogues. Nlton Santos, Jairzinho, Romrio, Lenidas and Carlos Alberto are turning in their graves watching the current diving, weeping lot. And half of them arent even dead.

Trickiest off-field moment After a lot of early running around five flights in three days, five games in six days I did briefly fall asleep on a stool in an airport departure lounge. When I woke up I couldnt remember with any real certainty what city I was in. I looked at my boarding pass, but I wasnt sure if it was the right one. Eventually asked someone.

Fondest memory of Russia Football, people, meat, beer, beetroot, wide streets, huge buildings, all-night bars, amazing supermarkets and the busking folk dance duo from some conservatoire who popped up on the street in Moscow one night and performed an astonishing routine for a few roubles in a hat. This is from someone for whom the words amazing folk dance dont exactly trip off the tongue

What now for England? Fifty years of hurt.

Andrew Roth

Match of the tournament Spain-Portugal kicked this tournament into high gear. Spain at moments played the best football of any country at the World Cup and both sides scored lovely goals, capped by Cristiano Ronaldo hiking up his shorts and curling that free-kick round the Spanish wall in injury time. Very satisfying draw.

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ntrending · 7 years ago

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Last year in tech: 2017 edition

New Post has been published on https://nexcraft.co/last-year-in-tech-2017-edition/

Last year in tech: 2017 edition

Year-end wrap-ups are the best. We get to sit here in our new holiday pajamas and dish out harsh judgments on everything that happened during the past spin ‘round the sun. Interestingly, though, the end of 2017 doesn’t look all that different from the beginning. Smart home stuff is still popular, social media emotions still fluctuate wildly between “ooh, fun!” and “ooh, scary!” and nobody cares about fidget spinners.

So, before we roll into 2018, let’s take a look back at all the stuff that happened in the tech world since the last time they dropped the ball in Time Square.

Best of What’s New

If you want a look at the best new tech from this year, you should check out our 2017 Best of What’s New selections. It’s a collection of important and influential new products and technologies that came into the world in the last 12 months or so. It’s a great way to see promising new tech, free from all the negative stuff that also happened.

Fidget Spinners came and went

The Google Trends report—a graph showing how many people were searching for any given topic at any given time—for fidget spinners is fascinating. At the beginning of the year, these plastic toys registered a zero, but by the first week in April, the score was pinned to 100. It was a meteoric rise for a truly useless product. Now, the score sits around 3. The age of the fidget spinner ended as quickly as it began, leaving the toys relegated to their bargain bin coffins.

Net Neutrality died

The FCC voted to repeal 2015 regulations that classified the internet as a utility, meaning it should be equally accessible for all people. We won’t know for some time how this will actually affect the Web as we know it, but it opens up the door for internet service providers to start making crucial decisions about who gets access to what content and services. Get your wallets ready.

Augmented reality got more interesting (and less depressing than actual reality)

We spent a lot of time this year fussing around with virtual furniture in our real-world spaces thanks to Apple’s augmented reality ARKit. Microsoft also bet big on AR by integrating its Mixed Reality tech into just about every device running Windows 10l. We even got to see the wonderfully ridiculous Magic Leap AR glasses for the first time after literally years of hype. Expect a lot of digital creatures—and probably also more couches—in your future.

WannaCry

This year gave us the largest ransomware attack of all time. It spread across networks of out-of-date computers, some of which helped keep hospitals up and running. The software, which demanded a Bitcoin ransom before decrypting a user’s personal data, didn’t require users to click on anything or fall for an elaborate phishing attack. It simply searched for weakness and exploited it. It got so bad that Microsoft had to issue a one-time patch for Windows XP, an OS it hasn’t supported since 2014.

HQ trivia happened

The top app charts are still dominated by social media, smart assistants, and addicting games, but a live game show app made one of the biggest, loudest splashes. The app started earlier this year, but now gets hundreds of thousands of viewers during each one of its live shows, which happen twice each weekday and once a day on weekends. The show has had some hiccups, including its unnecessarily toxic live chat, but it’s carrying a lot of momentum into 2018. We’ll see if it fares better than QuizUp, another trivia app that raised tens of millions of dollars four years ago, only to lose most of its users and sell for a bargain-basement price.

AIM died

AOL Instant Messenger played a very important role in the formative years of many internet users, myself included. It was everywhere from college dorms to workplaces, and its away message function was the prototype for the eventual rise of social media—in which we have to type everything we think and feel into a text box that our friends can see and react to. Now, AIM is officially dead. I tried logging into my account before it was shut down, but I couldn’t remember the password. RIP, AIM. My 17-year-old self will truly miss you.

Bitcoin got expensive. Then it got cheaper. Now it’s kind of expensive again.

At the beginning of the year, a single Bitcoin was worth roughly $1,000. By the end of 2017, one Bitcoin is worth approximately $15,000. Of course, it might be zero tomorrow, or it could be $100,000 and all those who got in early will be driving around in yachts with the word “blockchain” written on the back. There’s no telling, really.

Tesla birthed a bunch of new vehicles

It was a busy year for Elon Musk and his many companies, but Tesla’s 2017 was particularly packed. The first Model 3 electric cars started rolling off the line, though fewer of them than promised. That probably doesn’t come as all that much of a surprise. Musk also pulled back the curtain on the new electric semi-truck and a new Roadster that claims the title of “world’s fastest production car.”

AMD came roaring back

With the release of its Ryzen processor products, AMD rose up to take on Intel’s position of CPU dominance in the PC world. Even if you’re not a total computer game geek, the competition is good if you plan on buying a new computer any time soon.

PUBG PC

The biggest PC gaming hit of the year was Player Unknown’s Battleground, a multi-player free-for-all shooter that drops 40 players on an island where only one player can emerge victorious. The learning curve is relatively steep and the potential for mayhem is high, but the game crossed 30 million active players on PC alone before it got a port over to the Xbox One earlier this December. If you’re a player, you may have seen me crawling around in the fields, hoping to go unnoticed until I die anticlimactically.

Switch saved Nintendo

Both Sony and Xbox unleashed powerful new consoles this year, but it was Nintendo that dominated the living-room. With its portable playability and an arsenal of really excellent first-party games—including the best game of the year, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild—the Switch was the most fun gadget to happen this year.

HDR became really important

High-dynamic range is a complicated concept, especially when you consider how many different aspects of electronics it actually touches. TV makers embraced HDR to give their displays more impressive colors; content providers like Netflix and Youtube started providing more HDR-compatible content to take advantage of those fancy TVs; and most major smartphone makers, including Google and Apple, made HDR the default mode on their cameras. We have seen the future, and it’s extremely colorful.

Homes got smarter

We won’t know exactly how many smart home devices sold in 2017 until this year is in our rearview mirror, but Amazon says it sold “tens of millions” of Echos during the holiday season alone. Google doesn’t share its sales numbers, but with the Google Home Mini matching the Echo Dot’s $30 price point at most major retailers, it’s a fair assumption that they sold a bunch of them. The notable exception in the smart home boom is Apple, which missed its 2017 shipping window for the upcoming HomePod speaker, now slated for early 2018.

iPhone X

While Apple had trouble on the HomePod front, it also released the most-notable smartphone of the year. The iPhone X made waves with its FaceID unlocking tech as well as its $1,000 price tag. Real talk: Phones aren’t that much different at the end of 2017 than they were at its beginning.

Twitter grew up, literally

You can now tweet messages with up to 280 characters and conglomerate threads into one big message you can send all at once. The company also updated the way it treats its blue checkmarks for verified users and kicked up its fight against hate speech,—but it still has a long way to go. Elon Musk sure seemed happy about Twitter this year, at least.

Equifax leaked your info

Remember when one of the world’s biggest credit agencies gave up a bunch of crucial personal info on people who had never even actively engaged with the company as customers? That sure was fun.

Drones were kinda boring

DJI unleashed its adorable Spark drone in 2017, but not a lot has changed in the space when it comes to hardware. We did get some confusing drone legislation though. In May, the government repealed the requirement for drone pilots to register their crafts when used recreationally. Then, in December the regulation came back. Not confusing at all.

The year in cameras

As a photographer and camera writer, this segment of the market remains close to my heart and, despite the continued dominance of smartphone shooting, cameras actually made a small sales comeback in 2017. Compact camera sales are still off the proverbial cliff, but both mirrorless cameras and DSL

OK, that’s it for 2017. Alexa, set an alarm for 2018.

Written By Stan Horaczek

#Technology

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