#this is basically an improved version of that one post with the 3 jades

[tin-bt]

Sorry that i disappeared, I'm really sick and I feel terrible, i have no ideas, motivation or anything, BUT! TODAY IS JADE'S BIRTHDAY SO I HAD TO PUSH MY BOUNDARIES A LITTLE, WHO CARES THAT EVERYTHING HURTS!!!! JADE TIME!! :D

Its for the girl, anything for her 🫶🫶🫶

(i will get back to doing you guys' asks once i feel a little better, this alone took me all day 😭 im usually very quick with art but not these past few days, this is actually the first time i draw anything since i got sick💔)

[murdereraisuha]

I have this AU idea that I’m going to call a Pair Swap AU. Basically, characters are grouped into pairs, then the relationship dynamics between all the pairs are swapped around. Then, it turns into a challenge to figure out how the new dynamic would work for each pair and what the resulting changes in backstory/personality/story would be. To make sure the characters aren’t completely warped, the rules are that neither their base personalities nor their unique magic should drastically change.

For example, for the main cast of TWST, a possible arrangement of pairs and dynamics:

Riddle & Trey = Childhood Friends

Ace & Deuce = Bickering 1st Years

Leona & Ruggie = Boss and Henchman

Jade & Floyd = Twins

Kalim & Jamil = Master and Servant

Vil & Epel = Mentor and Rebellious Mentee

Ortho & Idia = Android and Creator

Lilia & Malleus = Experienced and Inexperienced Immortals

Silver & Sebek = Knights in service to the same person

Then, after rearranging them, I have:

Riddle & Trey = Master and Servant

Ace & Deuce = Knights in service to the same person

Leona & Ruggie = Childhood Friends

Jade & Floyd = Android and Creator

Kalim & Jamil = Twins

Vil & Epel = Bickering 1st Years

Ortho & Idia = Experienced and Inexperienced Immortals

Lilia & Malleus = Mentor and Rebellious Mentee

Silver & Sebek = Boss and Henchman

To start with, I’ll explore how the new dynamics for Kalim & Jamil and Jade & Floyd might work under the cut. If anyone’s interested in this, I’ll make more posts.

First off, just want to note that I am not going to try and fit the new story to the Disney movies, it is going to be based solely on how the backstory/personality changes might impact the original plot.

---

For Kalim and Jamil to be twins, one needs to be transferred to the other’s family, so we’ll turn Jamil into Jamil Al-Asim. Furthermore, in canon, Jade and Floyd’s twin dynamic specifically has them be equals without any concept of an older or younger brother, so for this AU Jamil and Kalim are also treated as equals. They are both considered the heirs of the family, and when they grow up it is expected that they either inherit the family business together or just choose 1 of them to inherit it.

Since Jamil isn’t forced to hold back for Kalim’s sake now, he can freely flaunt his talents. He consistently surpasses Kalim, which could lead to something like Farena & Leona’s situation where everyone fawns over Jamil but dismisses Kalim. However, given Jamil’s unique magic and his more abrasive behavior in canon post-chap4, maybe the servants + family become split, with some backing Jamil and his greater talent while others back Kalim and his greater approachability. Then we get a situation where they’re both subconsciously or consciously envious of the other, creating tension in their relationship beneath the surface level impression they give off of being twin brothers on good terms with each other.

At NRC, I think it could go either way on who’s the dorm leader and who’s the vice dorm leader depending on the previous guy’s criteria for choosing his replacement, but I think it’s more likely Jamil would get the top position even with Kalim putting more effort into improving his skills. For the new chapter 4, this could just turn into a role-swapped version of the canon one, but I’m digging the equality thing I have going on so I think it would be fun to have an even split in the dorm, the same as back home, where some people are just fine with Jamil being the dorm leader while other people think that Jamil is too unrelatable/scary and they want Kalim in the lead instead. This then leads to conflict between the twins, and around overblot time they both finally let loose their frustrations and how inferior the other has made them feel. The ending lesson/revelation is that they don’t have to let others drive a wedge between them and they don’t need to fight, so the aftermath is them beginning to work through all those years of conflict.

---

I wanted this arrangement of pairs + dynamics to be interesting but not overly hard to figure out, which is why Jade & Floyd as Android & Creator was the very first one I thought of. Since Floyd is canonically a genius and very fast learner, it’s not too much of a stretch for him to get good at robotics. Then, Jade’s butler-like behavior and skills translate well into him being an android created to handle stuff that Floyd doesn’t want to deal with.

In this AU, Floyd is now an only child (though maybe that wasn’t always the case ouo). I feel like he might have befriended Azul earlier and/or developed a more cautious/melancholy attitude due to the absence of his responsible partner in crime. When they go on land to attend NRC, electronics catch Floyd’s eye, and before he reaches winter break of their 1st year, Jade has come into existence. 

I don’t have the details fleshed out for Immortal Ortho & Idia, but I think I’ll keep Ortho as a kid, so Jade is also going to retain his 17 year old appearance. I feel like Jade would look less obviously robotic than Ortho, cause why make an android based on yourself if you’re not going to go all the way and give them the ability to completely impersonate you. Like canon Ortho, Jade isn’t registered as a student, so he can attend classes in place of Floyd without having his own classes/grades to maintain. He also can’t be vice dorm leader, so Floyd officially gets that position now. Jade is basically the honorary vice dorm leader though. 

I think they would still kind of be the same as in canon regarding working with Azul and stuff at Mostro Lounge, but there’s going to be subtle differences. For example, if Floyd is not basing Jade off of a dead brother, he might be more dismissive of Jade’s wants and feelings since Jade was made solely to serve him. On the other hand, if Jade IS Floyd’s dead brother, it’ll definitely be less straightforward. Floyd's existing chaotic nature + any additional temperamentalness due to lingering grief makes him difficult to predict. Would he be more awkward, not sure what to do now that he has Jade again? But it isn’t really Jade, is it. Unlike Idia who may have had a way to convert Ortho’s brain to digital data or something so the android Ortho is really his brother Ortho, the best Floyd can probably do is make an AI based on his fleeting memories of Jade. So, is this Jade? Can he even call this android by the name Jade? Is he forcing this completely new person to be someone who’s long dead?

---

I’m kind of torn on how the new story chapters are going to work. Characters are still in the same dorms as before, so do I keep the 1 dorm per chapter and focus on the dorm leader? Do I keep the 1 dorm per chapter but shift focus to the paired characters so I neglect Azul but show off the Leechs? Or do I completely mess around with the story, so chapter “3″ is still on Azul but I put in a new chapter somewhere for the Leechs? Idk. Anyone who has ideas to add onto this, feel free to add ‘em

[samtheflamingomain]

25.21%

I've been sober for 3 months today. 92 days. 25.21% of 2021.

I could've posted more updates, more milestones (it took a LOT not to post on Day 69) but I wanted to kind of save it up for a Big Day. It was also a decent way to continue to incentivize my continued sobriety: a full pass to do a shameless, hardcore bragging sesh.

Anyway, this post comes in 2 parts: the TL;DR for those who only want the gist, then more in depth on my ability to stay sober, the lasting effects of rehab, etc.

I tried my damnedest to pare this absolute novel down, but it's long, so feel free to dip out if you just get bored. Onward!

TL;DR: I went to rehab the beginning of July for 3 weeks and haven't had a drop of alcohol since. I've lost weight, I'm more healthy, my daily anxiety level went from 8 to 2, I haven't had an anxiety attack in 3 months, and everything generally just seems... easier. My memory and concentration have improved. I've been productive and I've been meditating every day. I'm saving money, and while I sometimes fantasize about getting drunk, that's usually all it is.

Honestly, it's been much easier than I expected, but I think a lot of that is because for the first 3 weeks, the time in which I would usually break down and start drinking again when trying to get sober myself, was spent behind a locked door. So far I haven't had any days where I was close to giving in. I haven't had many days where I've been depressed about it, missing it or really tempted. Maybe 3-4. I've basically just gotten on with my life as if alcohol doesn't exist.

To wrap up the short version for those ready to peace out, I'll leave it with a bit of advice.

I don't feel qualified to give any specific advice, because my story feels very unique to me, and I honestly don't think what worked for me will work for MOST people. Sometimes people spend a year in rehab and still drive straight to the liquor store on their way home.

That said, there's one thing that I've found pretty universally true: you have to really want it. For a while, I floated about without much of a "reason" to stay sober. I don't have a spouse, kids or a job I've been fired from, so I didn't see the point.

It's taken me a while, but after not being "convinced" by a few superficial "reasons" like weight loss and saving money, I thought I needed something more... permanent? Consequential? I now realize that my "reason" for getting sober at a young age after only a few years of alcoholism is that I don't want it to get to a point where I'm hurting other people, drinking myself into multiple lasting health problems... I don't want it to become permanent or consequential.

Anyway, that's my two cents. If you do have something like kids or trouble keeping a job, definitely use that as your reason. But for anyone who's a pretty "functional" alcoholic like I was, "not letting it go on long enough to become disfunctional" is a good enough reason.

This is going to get stupid long, so feel free to walk away now, just glad you read this much and it really does mean the world when people listen to what I have to say.

Now some more things in depth. I'll go in chronological order: what made me get sober, what I took from rehab (and what I left), and how it's been the past few months.

I started drinking when I got kicked out, manic out of my mind and homeless unable to sleep. It took a while until I was able to sleep without alcohol, but by then the addict brain had taken over. I'd tried a few times to get sober myself, but I never made it more than a week without, and always got back to daily drinking after a few months maximum.

Some people need a "wake up call", a "last straw" or a "rock bottom". Something external to make them realize they can't go on as they are. For me, the catalyst was my health, which is more of an internal reason I suppose. I didn't have a heart attack or liver failure, but my anxiety was getting uncontrollable and I knew it was directly tied to my drinking.

My life had been starting to feel tolerable, and I was more financially secure than ever before. Things were looking up... except for the alcoholism. This is a weird analogy but the only one that makes sense to express why, if I was doing so well on paper, I decided to go to rehab: you have to sweep before you mop. If I hadn't been in the place I was, I don't think I would've been successful at rehab. I had to sweep up the cat turds from the floor of my life before I was able to mop up the shit stains with sobriety. I know, I'm a true wordsmith.

When I finally called the hotline that hooked me up with a bunch of different rehabs, I knew I was in for a wait. It was about 5 months from that call to checking in, which isn't too bad considering I've been on the waitlist for a neuropsychiatrist in ALL OF CANADA for 4 years.

That brings us to July 12th, Rehab Day One. I've gone in depth in multiple other posts but to touch on it briefly, if I had to describe my experience in a sentence I'd say "the place I went to got very lucky with me".

What this means is that, of the 5 people in my group, I think this exact program was only ever going to help me. At the same time, I didn't even know what I would need, but this exact program was 90% of it. I didn't think 3 weeks would be long enough, but for me it was. The hours-long, repetitive, basic-ass CBT groups held 5 times a day 7 days a week was absolute torture for everyone but myself. While it was a drag to spend an hour on defining what a cognitive distortion is, the routine and repetition, something I've never gotten out of any outpatient program, helped me to really absorb the information and let it rewire my brain.

I've always said that I'm someone who should be spending an hour a day with a therapist for the rest of my life, and while that's not even remotely feasible, this was as close as it's ever gotten, and it proved me right, because it worked. I've done biweekly therapy for a short time but even that didn't come close to the way my brain changed in those 3 short weeks.

This program required absolute commitment and open-mindedness. This isn't because it was hard work or difficult concepts, but quite the opposite. While I hate the entire concept of art therapy being used as a cure-all for mental illness, I willingly got out of my bed, went downstairs and tried doing a dot mandala for an hour because I'm willing to try anything to get better. A lot of people might think they are, but really aren't. To use the mandala as an example, one guy was really into it, I wasn't, but we both finished. The other 3 tried, messed up a few times, and then scrolled through their phones. When I say this program necessitates complete engagement, that's not a compliment. It shouldn't be a chore to engage with the program. It shouldn't take me actively saying "I know I've known this basic concept since 4th grade, but maybe hearing it again will help" to get something out of a rehab program. So again, in every way, I got lucky, and so did they.

Before I finish with the rehab section, having had a few months to reflect on the whole thing, I now have an endless list of things wrong with it. I arrived, greeted by the most jaded and disillusioned of staff, and quickly became disturbed and at points concerned with just how negligent the staff are.

Maybe it's because I've been on the psych ward where they won't even let you have shoelaces and shine a flashlight on your face every half hour through the night, but it could've been so incredibly easy to sneak in alcohol. I brought 2 full water bottles, fully expecting to have to dump them out upon arrival, but they said "nah it's fine". Is it though?

Then there were actual counsellors there who were... okay. I recall one, the one I thought was the smartest, reading a handout aloud and coming across the word "delve" as in "let's delve into..." and stumbled, then said she doesn't know that word. The room was silent. As she pulled up Google on the screen I said, "it means to dive into it". She Googled it anyway. Synonyms include "dive in". If that was the only example I wouldn't mention it, but this was the first of at least 10 words she had do Google, none past a 10th grade level, from HER OWN MATERIAL. From that point on it became clear that they had no fucking idea what they were doing.

We had one last one-on-one counselling session before we left and the counsellor just filled in boxes to questions on her computer, rephrasing everything I said to fit into the buzzwords and "lessons" we'd "learned". Example. Me: I do think I'm better able to catch myself thinking 'oh I can just have one drink' and say 'no I can't'." Her: "Okay, so would you say that you can recognize negative cognitive distortions like permission-giving thoughts and counter them with a more rational and less emotional mind?" Like girl, blink twice if your boss is holding your family hostage. She gave me some papers, detailing all the online courses they were signing me up for and options for more treatment they'd be sending me, a phone number to call and a phone appointment for the next Monday. I never got that call, the phone number is a hotline, I never got a single email from them, and given how shitty they really are at their jobs, I didn't feel the inclination to try and get those resources. If they even exist in the first place.

In summation, it was a place where it was physically impossible to get alcohol. That's really all I can say in its favor. Oh, and they let you have your cell phone.

Now on our timeline I'm back home. I want to kind of analyze why it's been easy for me.

I often said that my main goal of going to rehab was to lock me away from alcohol long enough for it to reset my brain. Most people thought that was naïve, but that's exactly what happened. But I'm well aware that my experience of "instantly became sober and literally hasn't had a single hard day in 3 months" is absurdly unusual.

I put this down to a few things. Firstly, I'm on seven different meds for my mental health. Almost all of them have their effects dulled or even eliminated when you drink. So when I noticed my mood, fatigue, memory, concentration etc all getting better at once - right about as I left rehab, I don't think it would be a stretch to say that all those meds started working properly.

Secondly, I've been keeping myself busy, but that's something I've always been good at. Now I specifically choose to undertake projects that will eat up a lot my time and put me in a state of flow. I recently made an entire card game from scratch, and let me tell you, I didn't think of alcohol for a week.

Thirdly, my other goals now get in the way of alcohol. I'm getting old and my body is deteriorating. But I've always wanted to do just one last season of gymnastics. Well, I need to lose weight for that to happen. I've already lost 35 pounds, and after another 20 I'll be ready to go. Also, I used to spend more on alcohol per month than rent. Even though I've done a few shopping sprees lately, I haven't come remotely close to how much I was spending before.

I want it more than anything. I want to be sober more than I want one night of "fun" that will more likely than not lead me back to where I was a year ago. I never want to need anything as much as I needed alcohol.

Lastly, just a few more random thoughts.

A lot of people, myself included, worried about the fact that I work at a bar as a cook, but honestly the entire time I'm there I'm thinking about food, not alcohol. If I'm hanging out with some regulars before/after, I can watch them drink and be perfectly fine with my coffee, because the coffee is $2, and I used to spend $20 after every work shift.

I also decided in rehab to start taking better care of myself as best I could. This started with getting my second vax which I'd been putting off, then an eye appointment, then new glasses, then a dentist appointment where I was informed I need to do $3000 worth of work on my implant that's erroding my bone matter, so that sucks, but I caught it early. I've also been meditating every day. In just 3 months, I've made pretty big improvements to my self-care and my daily routine.

One of my fears about sobriety was "missing out" on "having fun". A few days ago, all my housemates got together to play Mario Party, and it was kind of my first night doing something social while sober. It was a breath of fresh air - I wasn't constantly running to piss, I didn't worry about running out of alcohol, I didn't get sloppy and obnoxious as I can sometimes do. I even came very very close to winning my first game of MP. When I reflected on the night, I realized that, if I'd been getting drunk the whole time, I would've sucked at the minigames, been a hindrance to anyone unfortunate enough to be teamed with me, and likely would've stopped caring about the game itself after the first few turns.

Yesterday I was making my 4th pot of coffee of the day when I realized there was a full glass of wine just sitting on the counter. I had absolutely no idea where the hell it came from - nobody in my house drinks wine. I shrugged and poured that sweet sweet bean juice. It was only when I sat down and took a sip of coffee did I find myself thinking automatically, "this tastes so much better than wine". I only realized then that it had been rose wine, the only kind I've ever been able to tolerate. It was the ultimate moment of possible temptation, and the thought of just chugging that glass - as I may've done in the past - didn't even cross my mind.

I'm so glad to be where I am. I'm about to undergo some serious financial changes - i.e. going absolutely broke - but drinking isn't gonna help that, so I'm cautiously optimistic.

Stay Greater, Flamingos.

[fmdinyeong]

third time is the charm right? so yeah......... another revamp for inyeong and this time it’s going to be the last. i just didn’t feel like i was going anywhere with her the way she was and that her motives were slightly too superficial to my liking so i took the opportunity to revamp her and make her an older more jaded version of who she originally was supposed to be. phew. that’s a lot. anyway.  i have her BIO, her PROFILE, and again those basic PLOTS. you can (and probably should since i’m waaaaay more likely to reply there) add me on discord @ moonpsy #4969 or like this post and i’ll hit u up <3 

tw: dieting, plastic surgery, depression

okay so same backstory as before; youngest of four kids, very spoiled from birth, ppl never told her no. she did a bunch of different classes/activities growing up, never liked one thing specifically but her parents still indulged her

decided she wanted to be an idol bc she became obsessed with the Lifestyle of idols. nothing about the music or the performance or anything rly she just wanted the fame and the success and the fans basically 

so she auditioned for dimensions with the intention of debuting there, back in 2013 

she never really... tried to do anything when she was in dimensions bc she didn’t think she had to? she did improve on her dancing skills but she didn’t push as hard to improve her vocals esp bc the lawsuit went down and the company was in shambles and whatnot 

7rophy was announced and she wasn’t in the original line up. she told on one of the girls who was, telling the person responsible for the trainees that the girl was in a relationship, and the girl was kicked out of the company but bada still didn’t make it to the group (for reasons like... she didn’t fit the image, she didn’t fit the concept etc etc etc

bada basically felt like she wasn’t going to go anywhere staying in dimensions. so she took the shot of auditioning to bc and got in bc of her decent dancing skills but mostly bc of her looks (she was always pretty but she got a nose job, did some dieting and started taking constant trips to the dermatologist so she started filling exactly the standard of visuals that bc has)

bc was... a whole different story 

the competition there was something else entirely and it basically kicked her butt. the thing is that inyeong thrives on competition. she wants to win, and she knows that to win she needs to be the best. she compares herself to others and that doesn’t make her feel lesser. instead she sets the goal for herself that she’s going to be better than them. 

so she became one of the most diligent trainees, applying herself the hardest, improving the most to the point where she only got good comments during all the evaluations 

she even got the chance to participate in decipher’s the winter’s tale mv in 2018

but her debut never came

and then bc debuted their soloist in 2019 and honestly bada hates her soooo much. she thinks she’s too untalented to have debuted, she has nothing special going for her and she doesn’t understand how she was given a debut before bada was. 

honestly the start of 2020 was terrible for her (lmao same girl). at age 22 she was pretty much convinced she wasn’t going to debut ever and that she was just going to be asked to leave the company, esp with the trainees getting younger and younger, even with her being as good as she was. inyeong got into a seriously depressive episode because she felt like things didn’t have purpose anymore and the one thing she had going for her didn’t offer her any prospect. she was terrified of the possibility of having to find something else to do of her life and at the same time determined to quit bc

her brother minseok kinda pushed her to keep trying, to keep insisting, to keep going. and it was worth it bc by mid 2020 bc let her know she would be debuting in 2021 

she thinks the concept of chroma is pretty convoluted and she doesn’t know how bc expects the public to fully get on board with it. but honestly she’s too happy about debuting. 

in regards to the group and being a leader, inyeong is... i’m not gonna say aoa’s jimin bc yikes but she’s definitely no nurturing and caring leader. she’s very strict with the girls and watches them with hawk eyes. she’s not going to let anyone ruin her debut for her, not them or even herself, so she’s keeping them on a tight leash. when the full group debuts she’s going to act more as a quiet leader, who just keeps an eye on the girls most of the time and lets them do their thing but behind the scenes yeah she’s... not the nicest lmao she’s always going to have a softer spot for chroma crystal though.

personality wise she’s lost a lot of the immaturity that drove her decisions. she’s def still v self-absorbed and cutthroat, def isn’t the nicest person to speak to, but she’s also more conscious of how what other people think about her might affect her career so she’s more careful in her interactions... for now. she doesn’t have a skip on her step as she used to, and like i mentioned, she’s way more jaded and serious about things, but her interactions with people are mostly neutral.

i think this is it!! for future reference the groups she dislikes are origin, wish and femme fatale so anyone from those is like........ almost guaranteed she dislikes them lmao we can work with that though! 

[completeoveranalysis]

TRC Translation Notes Volume 12 (Chapters 83 - 90 + Omake)

The second dose of the new translation notes sent in by @giniroangou, now looking at Volume 12. 

Highlights include: fantastic closure on the names of the dragonflies, improved Fai and Kurogane banter, Tomoyo being boss, Kyle being extra, and justice for the Pretty Hair Detectives.

Chapter 83

p.6 - The story about the inventor of the maze (Meiro-san rather than Maze-san in the original text, since “meiro” is the Japanese word for maze/labyrinth) is a bit more ridiculous in the translation than it needs to be - rather than getting fed up with visitors “passing through” his bedroom (which raises some very strange questions) he just wanted to make sure that no one could reach his bedroom (which… perhaps raises other questions, but still makes a lot more sense.)

p.10 - The name of Ryuuou’s dragonfly, Ryuuga, is written as 龍牙, which means “dragon fang.”

p.18 - Ryuuou’s line after Syaoran saves him has been translated as, “You may have underestimated me, but you’re a good guy.” The original meaning of this was closer to, “You may be soft, but you’re a good guy.”

p.19 - Apparently this was pointed out by notpotable already, but there’s definitely a mistranslation when Tomoyo says, “The way he pilots his machine is very much like the one I know.” I would translate her line as a more general statement along the lines of, “The way that people pilot their machines truly does reflect who they are.” Of course, this is still in reference to Syaoran’s actions, but it becomes a broader observation as well.

p.24 - Fai’s “Syaoran” here was originally “Syaoran-kun,” as usual, but the Japanese wording of his line feels a little more casual overall. The translation has it as, “You couldn’t avoid that collision and still remain true to yourself,” which certainly got a lot of mileage in analysis, but the original line echoed something that you actually ended up saying in your post - “If you’d avoided that collision, you wouldn’t be Syaoran-kun, right?” In the end it’s the same idea, just with a slightly different nuance.

p.26 - Grosum’s dragonfly name is Legend, not Regent, which makes more sense in relation to his Jade counterpart (though what this references for Piffle World’s Grosum is anyone’s guess.) Chunyan’s dragonfly name, Renhi, is written as 蓮姫, meaning “lotus princess.”

Chapter 84

p.40 - The translation has Fai describe Syaoran, Sakura, and Mokona as “children in the same family,” but in the Japanese version he just calls them “siblings.” <3

Chapter 85

p.60 - There’s a weird mistranslation of one of Mokona’s lines here - in the English version she talks about needing a water flow that would show the way, but her point in the original was that if they flew under the waterfall and all that water dumped on top of them they wouldn’t be able to fly anymore.

Chapter 87

The title of this chapter was translated as, “A Banquet of Laughter,” but it should actually be, “A Banquet of Smiles.” While Japan does have an identical word for both “laughter” and “smile” (笑い/warai), in this case the word used is “egao” (笑顔) which purely refers to smiling.

p.90 - Something went terribly wrong here and I’m laughing - in his explanation about Raigyo, Yamazaki is translated as saying that they’re only 3 centimeters when they’re fried, but the word the translator took that from is “fry,” meaning young fish rather than fried fish. So basically they’re small when they’re still young.

p.91-92 - There were a lot of mistranslations between Kurogane and Fai here that completely changed the tone of their conversation. Instead of saying that Kurogane is all better now and he should wave too, Fai points out that Kurogane chose not to bind up his hand despite the severity of his injury, and is complicit in helping him hide it (at the top of the page he says he’ll wave enough for both of them.) This leads more naturally into his observation that Kurogane doesn’t want to be too obvious about it for fear of making Sakura feel guilty, to which Kurogane protests that he just didn’t want to go to the trouble. When Fai pushes him on page 92, he’s responding playfully with something along the lines of, “Sure, we’ll leave it at that,” or more loosely, “Whatever you say.”

p.98 - Syaoran doesn’t actually call Sakura, “Your Highness” here, he’s just using basic polite speech. (I’m really tired of translator-san doing this by the way - it always creates a larger sense of distance than is actually there. Syaoran’s polite speech does imply a certain amount of distance, of course, but this goes a little far for me.)

When Mokona says her contribution to the race was “nothing to shout about,” she’s literally saying, “Though I can’t talk about it too loudly,” with an implication of, “This is just between you and me.” Her choice of words indicates that she’s referring to her rule-bending assist with the first checkpoint.

Chapter 88

p.106 - As a clarifying point, there’s a “kiiii” sound effect in the background during Kyle’s entrance, which would indicate some kind of high-pitched noise (also evidenced by Mokona’s reaction.) This would indeed imply that Kyle is shattering windows with a sound-based attack, presumably with the ultimate goal of breaking the glass around the feather so it becomes more accessible to him. It’s all still very extra though, hahaha.

p.107 - I’m only just thinking to mention this now, but Tomoyo’s title translated as “Madame President” is actually just “shachou” (社長), a gender-neutral title most often used for company heads, so just “President” would have sufficed there. Or, you know, “Boss.” BECAUSE SHE’S A BOSS. ...I’ll see myself out.

p.116 - Kyle’s warning(?) here is very awkwardly translated. The proper meaning of his original line is, “There are people with the same face in different worlds, but you never know if they’re actually different people.”

p.120 - This isn’t quite clear in the translation, but here Tomoyo orders her team to land the blimp (meaning what they’re all currently on) in a safe place and see everyone back home.

Chapter 89

p.132 - To soften Nokoru and Shougo’s intrusion a little, their original line was not so much that Tomoyo would need them to help her explain, but that they ought to join the discussion. There’s more of a sense that it’s their responsibility to help explain and apologize given the large role they played.

p.134 - The explanation for Tomoyo’s false sabotage is a little shaky here, so to clarify - it was intended as a diversion for the real saboteur to make him believe someone else was after the feather, and as a way to keep the Tsubasa family vigilant during the course of the race.

p.138 - Syaoran’s “Doctor Kyle!” here was originally just, “Doctor Kyle.” I swear I do not correct every punctuation difference that pops up and I know it gets a little ridiculous, but it really does make a huge difference in tone. Just look at his face! And now compare the effect that line has with the exclamation point vs without. There are a lot of scenes that feel much more weighty and intense in the original manga simply because of the punctuation.

p.140 - Tomoyo’s, “I didn’t bother to help you,” could be cut entirely - it wasn’t there in her original line and I think it sounds a bit rude tbh.

p.142 - Fai’s line to Syaoran about banning fun is actually a proposition that he temporarily lift the liquor ban. In Mokona’s follow up, she says that they should drink to celebrate Sakura’s first victory, not her own.

p.147 - In the original text, there’s less of an implication that Tomoyo-hime has walked through Kurogane’s dreams specifically - he’s just saying that given who she is it’s not surprising that she has this ability.

p.148 - What’s been translated as Kurogane saying, “Did she look okay?” should actually be Tomoyo saying, “She looked well.”

p.149 - Tomoyo’s line on this page is beautiful in the translated version, but I think it has slightly different implications than the original. Instead of “Please don’t resist too much. Allow yourself to heal,” she says, “Please don’t be too reckless so you can heal soon.” The concept of allowing himself to heal is certainly implied there, but there’s no sense of deliberate resistance, just that Kurogane doesn’t always take care of himself the way he should. Ultimately, while it’s still a significant moment between the two of them, Tomoyo’s original lines feel less weighted.

Chapter 90

p.155 - Sakura isn’t asking if Tomoyo gets drunk easily here but the opposite, whether she can hold her liquor well.

p.163 - “They call it a sewing machine,” seems to have been translated as if it were one of Sakura’s lines, but this is actually Tomoyo chipping in to say, “It’s called a sewing machine.”

Omake

p.175 - “Shadow Hero” would be better represented as “Shadow Protagonist.” Mokona is literally being presented to us here as the lead character and it’s glorious.

p.178 - Kurogane says the pictures in the Jade version of Maganyan looked pretty/sparkly, but he never says that they’re too pretty so he might not actually disapprove! (Judging by his face though, I wouldn’t bet on it.)

P.178-179 - Regarding the Country of Fog/Country of the Lake discrepancy: This world was first introduced to us in a chapter titled The Country of Fog (Kiri no Kuni/霧の国) and here it’s Fai who calls it the lake country aka (Mizuumi no Kuni/湖の国), but the first case could easily just be a description of the place rather than its formal name, and the second case could just be Fai’s impression of it, even with the matching title card of sorts on the following page. The way these names are depicted in the English translation makes them look somewhat official, but it feels casual enough in the Japanese text that I wouldn’t be surprised if that world actually has a completely different official name that we simply haven’t had occasion to learn.

[sinsins52]

Everything Wrong With Everything Wrong With Teen Titans Go! To The Movies

ORIGINAL VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq3g4pJY07Y&t=0s

1.He’s slightly improved in a few ways, but he still has the same terrible intro that begs for likes.

2.He also still refuses to put his sinning intro over the actual title card. So really it’s Everything Wrong With _____

3.”A full minute of intros and I’m not even sure because two of them were for the WB” The 2nd one was for WB Animation, which is no different from all the other major animated films, it ain’t that long of a log sequence until the Marvel joke one.

4.”And already the first joke is them playing off the Marvel Cinematic intro. There’s so many Marvel jokes in this movie one might think they’re a bit bitter because they’re kicking their ass in the movie industry” Marvel is the dominating force in the superhero movie industry, and this movie spoofs a lot of that, so no duh there’s some Marvel jokes. Hell, there’s some potshots at DC, even in the first trailer!

5.”The welcome to Jump City sign is well within the center of the city. I think everyone knows where they are by the time they get that far in” That’s how it works in real though, or in the least my city is like that. And get used to him being pedantic, even by Sin standards..

6.”I don’t think anyone’s accidentally going to Jump City, one of the most riddled with crime places in the world, right next to Gotham or Metropolis” I…don’t get this one. I mean I don’t even know how to explain why you’re wrong I don’t even get your point. That accidentally really throws me off.

7.He sins all the references in this establishing shot, even though they are basically cute Easter eggs that are not sins.

8.”Batman’s not even liked in Gotham yet he has his own building” But maybe Jump City likes him fine. Also, this version of the DC characters is different in tons of ways, so why are you assuming it’s exactly like the other version in this case?

9.”I am upset that this isn’t even a gag character. It’s an actual person who exists in the DC world” That same world also has Kite Man and Condiment King. Just saying, the DC universe is weird and it’s not weird for a spoof movie to acknowledge this.

10.”Before he was crushing buildings with no problems, but now he can squeeze between them without them even building” He was punching at them before to destroy them as they were smaller than him but these two were a bit taller and there was a small space. Do the math.

11.”The safe is comically huge in comparasion to the actual bank” Congrats, you noticed.

12.”This why you can’t bring Starfire to a petting zoo” They were balloons. They pop. Come on.

13.”I get it, they’re supposed to be failed heroes but they’ve done plenty of stuff even in the TTG to be known within their own city” Maybe to the citizens or something, but not to this random villain we’ve never seen in the show before, and maybe he’s not super up to date anyway.

14.”Can’t Wonder Woman still fly in this world? I’m not sure why they gave her the invisible jet other than lol references are funny again”. If I had an invisible jet, I would show it off as much as possible…Maybe not “show” per say…

15.Also, the jet isn’t really a joke so that doesn’t apply here.

16.”Of all the heroes in Jump City, they had to pull out the A squad for Balloon man?” He still a pretty decent threat though, with all the destruction he was doing.

17.”They only make movies about real heroes” “But they’ll sure as hell make a Netflix original about just about anyone” If you’re referring to the Marvel shows, they're about pretty well liked and solid heroes, even Iron Fist isn’t that silly or an idea given their roster.

18.”The titans can afford to make their own movie, they have a private island and own a giant building” You mean like they do make? The one Robin dislikes because it is is so rnky dinky and he wants a serious Hollywood movie?

19.He really over analyzes a background reference to Young Justice.

20.”Further proof that the bat credit card has been canon all along” How does that Utility Belt movie prove this?

21.He shows off a fairly lo0ng clip just to sin another background gag. He likes to run the clips for too long, almost like he wants the video to be longer for extra watch time…

22”Breaking the 4th but yeah, he’s not Deadpool” That would work better if not for the actual Deadpool joke they make later. Oh and this character that character!

23.’I get it, this is a comedy movie-” And that’s when you should have stopped talking. His sin is that Slade being more comedic is “insulting” even though it really isn’t.

(By the way, this scene has them thinking Slade is Deadpool and Slade finds that comparison stupid because there’s plenty of guys with swords like him. The Titans would be amazing at Cinema Sins!)

24.He says he’s removing a sin for the Circe of Life spoof…but he ends up adding one. Whoops.

25.”Batman kills a baby-” In a dream sequence.

26.”This improvised song already has a billboard” A visual gag for a song is a sin I guess. Also, no sin removal for this?!

27.”This might be a bit overboard for a nitpick-” Lol.

28.”Would it have been okay if his dad wasn’t a cop?” No, but that fact does make it a bigger deal.

29.”Stan’s cameos are not subtle but neither are the references in this movie” And yet when they are subtle, you sin them anyway.

30.”Leaving them with the permanent injures” “And huge medical dat making him go right back to that life of crime-” Yes, because if he didn’t have bills, he’d just…give up crime for no reason? Also, I have no idea what he says but it sounds like “Dat” for screw it.

31.”Raven, who didn’t know the time cycles even existed prior to this was able to summon them from an unknown location because that’s how her powers work now” That’s how they’ve always worked but okay.

32.”When I think of rad, I definitely think of terseness are on tricycles” What, you don’t?

33.”What’s up with the 80’s fetishim in this movie? Take on Me, Tricycles-” I don’t think Tricycles are an 80’s thing.

34.”And Batman doesn’t remember the Teen Titans being the ones that pushed his parents into an alleyway to be brutally murdered” Eh, it’s scarring and all but I can buy him not remembering their exact faces and hey, they don’t dwelll on it too much since you’re not supposed to think about the logic in this silly movie too hard.

35.The bit where Cyborg and Beast Boy fal to be saved prompts him to go into this long winded rant on how it’s not possible. And I thought the previous sin was pedantic. This is after he sinned the movie for having bits that go on too long, by the way.

36.The sin counter randomly drops to 42 before going back to 85 in the next sin.

37.”Superman skips leg day, because that’s what happens when you can fly anywhere” …K?

38.”You already have Netflix, so there’s literally no reason for this” This is on a bigger scale and tell that to DC.

39.”Can you guys mainly do this so that Robin can get the movie? Wouldn’t this be the right choice?” I have no idea what you just said.

40.”He would have to keep up this facade all these years to compete these movies” Correct me if I’m wrong but there’s nothing to indicate “Jade Wilson” has been around for years, just that she’s a big director and those can rise fairly quickly sometimes.

(Frankly the real sin is that he didn’t just give the Robin the movie right away so can finish his plot quicker. Seriously, he just made it more complicated for himself)

41.”Slade, instead of using the swords and guns he has, decides to instead blow up an entire town” I think that’s far more efficiency in this case though.

42.”For a plan this is pretty retarded” Ugh.

43.”Added camera shake to make things more intense” Yes, that is why they did that, well done. Also, I hardly even noticed that here.

44.”-And I don’t mean that shitty Netflix original series were Starfire looks like a hooker” It’s not for Netflix and something that way you worded that bugs me.

45.It says Episode Sin Tally.

SINS VIDEO SIN TALLY: 45

SENTENCE: Mind Manipulation

Yep, our old friend Moliminus actually beat SeriesSins to it. I wanted to give SeriesSins time to do his video, but his taking his time so here we are. I will do his sometime in January if all goes well. I think this is the most sins for an off brand video, but that’s only because this video is 27 minutes long for some reason.

Anyway, I want the SinsSin post that goes up closest to Christmas to be a Cinema Sins video, so we’re doing Off Brand sins next week as well. And with it, we go back to a 2000’s animated movie.

[cqlfeels]

Here I go folks!

Quick background for those who are unaware. It'll be very quick, very oversimplified, don't come for my head for not properly conveying the sophistication (...and problems) of Confucianism.

So! LXC is an almost perfect 君子 jūnzǐ, which can be defined as:

man of noble character; man of virtue; gentleman (originally a Confucian term, meaning an ideal man whose character embodies the virtue of benevolence, and who acts in accordance with the rites and rightness)

A 君子 jūnzǐ has many duties (arguably, almost all of Confucian philosophy concerns itself with how to be a 君子 jūnzǐ) but for now I'd like to talk about 五伦 wǔlún, or Five Relationships.

The idea is that there are five core relationships (father-son, husband-wife, elder brother-younger brother, ruler-subject, friend-friend) and if everyone knows the proper way of acting in the context of these relationships, society will be at peace.

The basic principle in all of them is that the inferior obeys the superior, who has the responsibility of making the right choices. I'm not saying that authority figures haven't ever abused this system (oh boy they have) but the pure Confucian ideology is actually meant to ensure that both people are getting something out of the relationship: the inferior gets someone looking out for him, the superior gets someone supporting him. So the superior should NOT be bossing around the inferior just because he can, he should always have the inferior's best interests at heart. Keep this in mind, it'll be very relevant.

Okay, now the reader's digest version of the obligations of each party:

Father-son: the father must educate perfectly, the son must obey unquestioningly. This is considered the core relationship, and if you get it wrong, you'll probably get all others wrong (according to philosophy, anyway.) Functionally, LQR and the Jades have this kind of relationship. I'll also mention that some Confucian texts explicitly tell parents to not let affection get in the way of molding your children's character, which is not relevant to the discussion at hand but I'm a LQR apologist :3

Husband-wife: the husband must be gentle, the wife must be understanding. I'm not gonna dwell on this one because it's irrelevant for this post.

Elder brother-younger brother: the elder must guide, the younger must respect. At the same time, the elder must be a good example and the younger must not fall short of the example set by the elder. It's also pretty important that the elder be gentle with the younger, who in turn must be obedient. There is also the matter of precedent - the elder will have more experience, so the younger should ask for advice when necessary, while the elder should pursue wisdom to have something of value to teach. Confucian scholars would weep at how well LXC and LWJ embody this relationship.

Ruler-subject: the ruler must be competent, the subject must be loyal. This one is pretty complex because Chinese politics are hell, but for the purposes of this post, suffices to say that as the future Lan-zongzhu, this is a relationship LXC has been preparing to fulfill properly his whole life.

Friend-friend: an exception! There's NO superior or inferior in this relationship - it's a bond between equals. Ideally, they'd be the same age, but there's precedent for age gaps, especially when it's not a huge one. A friend must be trustworthy and encourage growth in his friend, and he himself must pursue the path of self-improvement. Romantic entanglement aside, wangxian is a pretty good example of this relationship.

You'll notice LXC is the superior by default in lots of relationships in his life. If you exclude father-son, he's always the superior. If he marries, he'll be the husband. Obviously, he's older than LWJ, but JGY and NHS also expect him to act as their Er-ge. He's either a sect leader or preparing to be one all his life.

Now, any eldest male in a ruling family will be in the same position as LXC, of course. But 1) he has a glaring lack of friends so he doesn't have many equals, and 2) LXC's adherence to Confucianism is remarkable. As a good Confucian boy, he doesn't seem too keen on behaving in non-standard ways when it comes to relationships. And I suspect it's because he'd see it as irresponsible - his father didn't adhere to ruler-subject, father-son, or elder brother-younger brother, and who knows what the hell was up with his husband-wife relationship. LXC probably has... issues with the Five Relationships.

I'll also admit JGY is a weird one. In general, JGY seems to be pushing for an elder-younger relationship, while LXC seems to be pushing for a friend-friend one, but there are exceptions and on the whole, I think they functionally have a mix.

Now let me go back to what I said earlier: the superior is responsible for making the right choices, and he has to look out for the best interests of his inferiors and of society at large. LXC takes that responsibility VERY seriously. He embodies the selfless leader frighteningly well. He genuinely, to the best of his ability, puts his personal wishes aside and uses his authority for good. (He fails at this many times, but you can't say he doesn't try!)

That is... A lot of responsibility. Maybe not so much for an adult - he seems to be doing okay post timeskip - but for a teenager, it's a lot. And like I said, he doesn't have friends he can just learn alongside with. He's always supposed to be the one with the answers.

And I was thinking about this and no matter where you place nielan becoming friends - they were young, and LXC definitely still didn't have everything figured out.

In the framework of the Five Relationships, NMJ must be either LXC's friend or elder brother. LXC can never be NMJ's superior. Now here's the thing - NMJ isn't a Lan. He's not NEARLY as Confucian as LXC. But that's not the point. The point is, LXC will be going against no principle if he turns to NMJ for help of any kind. There's no pressure for him to be an example to be followed because NMJ is not supposed to follow him. And for a boy raised to be Perfect, that's very important!

Fandom rightfully loves how pre-timeskip LWJ gets to be Just A Boy around WWX, but LXC suffers as much pressure as LWJ - arguably more. There's reason to think NMJ might be the person LXC can be Just A Boy around.

Of course, NMJ isn't WWX so I'm not suggesting they're running around town giggling or anything! But I AM saying they might be like "that thing I did in public - now we're alone can we discuss if that was a good call?" or like, swapping My Didi Is Very Cute stories over a meal.

I'm not saying any of this is canon, but in CQL LXC's facial expressions and body language are much less Elegant And Wise around NMJ than around other people, and that would fit. LXC being actually expected to lower his guard around NMJ would make nielan a unique relationship among all the others he has, and it'd explain why he physically acts different with him.

And in MDZS, you can very easily make a case for NMJ being protective of LXC even beyond death. And again, NMJ definitely doesn't care about strictly following the Five Relationships as much as LXC does, and he can definitely be protective just because he loves LXC (platonically, romantically, fraternally, makes no difference), but if he gets to see a vulnerable side of LXC other people don't get to see, it wouldn't be weird for him to take that to heart extra hard.

Tl;dr: if anyone wants to make LXC be 😌 around everybody but 🥺 or 🤔 or 🥳 or 😏 around NMJ, Confucianism can back you up, have fun

I'm busy right now but I'm leaving my ADHD brain a reminder here to talk about nielan and Confucian thought

[allisonilluminated]

The Seven Sins of Fanfiction

Hey all,

This blog is primarily focused on helping newer writers (and maybe some older ones) improve their fanfiction and increase their views.  Since that’s the case, it’s important to understand exactly what not to do when you’re writing.

These are the worst things you can do while you’re writing.  I can guarantee everyone reading this post has done at least three of them, and probably all in some shape of form.  This is the sort of thing that makes you want to click away immediately, that you cringe at when it’s in the first paragraph or laugh at how bad it is.  These things that make you stop reading other stories, just think about it for a moment.  What if fewer people are reading your own work because you’re making the same mistakes?

Yeah.  If you want to improve, you gotta know what you’re doing wrong.  Number Seven is the least worst, then the list descends to Number One, the worst thing you can do in fanfiction.

Note: This is a subjective list.  There are people who disagree with some of these points (especially the non-grammar ones), so it’s important to remember that these are the things I find most degrading to the quality of the story being written.  As a writer, you have the creative liberty to write whatever you want.

#7 – Bad Romance

“Wo-o-o-o-o, o-o-o-o, o-o-ah, caught in a bad romance fanfiction but it’s the only 100k fic for my OTP so I’m like contractually obligated to read it.” - Lady Gaga, mostly

We’ve all been here.  You know that moment when two characters meet, then suddenly decide to kiss, and the next thing you know they’re screwing on the patio with some kinky ass BDSM shit.  What about those cringe fics where suddenly Harry is spouting some creepy possessive stuff like “my only” or “softest light of my life” to twelve year old Ginny.  You know what I’m talking about.

Good romance is an art.  It’s about flawed characters (later) coming together in a beautifully intimate way (later) to make something even more beautiful.  There is so much bad romance on FFN and AO3 that it just blows my mind.

Giving tips would take an entire post, so here’s a good article on the absolute basics you need to write a good romance: https://www.nownovel.com/blog/romance-writing-mistakes/

#6 – Bad Dialogue Tags

“No!” he howled.

“Yes,” she growled angrily.

She retorted snarkily, “Well, screw you.”

“Fuck you too,” he scowled sadly, before gratingly mumbling “I still love you though.”

Alternatively:

“No!” “Yes.”  “Well, screw you.”  “Fuck you too.  I still love you though.”

There’s a glorious word in this social construct we call English, and it’s “said.”  Use it.

You don’t need a fancy word for every tag.  You don’t need a fancy word for almost all tags.  Eighty percent of your tags should be said, exclaimed, and asked, and more of said than the others.  Maybe a whispered or a yelled for some flavor.

Adverbs are your enemies.  I struggle with this, but you should use them extremely sparingly.

On the flipside, if your reader doesn’t know who’s talking, your dialogue is meaningless to them.  Also, use line breaks every time there is a new speaker.

The trick is finding some happy medium between the two examples.  A handful of fancy tags, a lot of said, and if there are two people talking back and forth you don’t even need to tag every sentence.

#5 – Bad Messaging

I don’t want to put down an example for this one, because I think writers feel liberated to write some really awful shit in fanfiction because it’s “not a serious medium” or “it’s the internet, I have free speech.”  Let me say this right now:

Stories that make rape a positive thing are not okay.  Stories that portray suicide in a glorified light are not okay.  Stories that show slavery, or torture, or all of the other horrendous things human beings do to each other in a romanticized or glorified manner are not okay.

I don’t care if it’s your fetish.  I don’t care, it’s just not okay to write about these things in a positive light.  The only reason this is so high on this list is because these stories aren’t as common as the rest, and are mostly marked M/Explicit so you can avoid them.

#4 – Overdescription

Hi my name is Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way and I have long ebony black hair (that’s how I got my name) with purple streaks and red tips that reaches my mid-back and icy blue eyes like limpid tears and a lot of people tell me I look like Amy Lee (AN: if u don’t know who she is get da hell out of here!). [[I’m not related to Gerard Way but I wish I was because he’s a major fucking hottie. I’m a vampire but my teeth are straight and white. I have pale white skin. I’m also a witch, and I go to a magic school called Hogwarts in England where I’m in the seventh year (I’m seventeen). I’m a goth (in case you couldn’t tell) and I wear mostly black. I love Hot Topic and I buy all my clothes from there. For example today I was wearing a black corset with matching lace around it and a black leather miniskirt, pink fishnets and black combat boots. I was wearing black lipstick, white foundation, black eyeliner and red eye shadow – My Immortal

Oh boy.

Writers, let me introduce you to this wonderful thing called your profile.  Assuming you aren’t drowning in copypastas, this is the perfect place for your character descriptions.  Alternatively, have you heard of Tumblr? Literally, stick them anywhere except the middle of your story, and I can guarantee you the readers that actually care will find them if you mention them in your A/N.

Show, don’t tell is one of the fundamental principles of writing. When you’re describing a character, you probably don’t need more than three adjectives and a one sentence description of their outfit. Yes, that applies even if your character has a special non canon outfit.  If we must know, work the details into the story. Info-dumping description is telling, and is one of the worst world building and characterization mistakes you can make.  Period.

#3 – Epithets

The blond girl walked to the door, and started as a burly man opened it.  “May I help you?”

“Yes, I’m here to get a consultation,” the graying businessman said as he ran a hand through his oily hair.

The youthful therapist nodded as she shut the door behind him. Rummaging on her desk, she asked, “Why are you here?”

“Well,” said the jaded economist to the buxom woman.  “This author thinks they’re being clever by not giving out names, but they’re ruining this story.”

The best way to get someone to leave your story is epithets.  

Epithets do not create mystery.  Epithets are not a good substitute for proper nouns.  Epithets will not make a clever opening, or add variety to your dialogue.

Epithets will ruin your story, and should not be used.

They come in varying degrees of horror.

The noun.  You might be able to get away with saying just “the woman” or “the child” under certain circumstances. This is almost an excusable offence.

The noun with one adjective.  This is already unacceptable. If you though you were going to solve Sin #4 by doing this, you’re digging yourself an even deeper hole.

The noun with one modified adjective.  Because they can’t just be sexy, they have to be shockingly sexy.

The noun with multiple adjectives.  This is automatically overdescription on top of being a horrible thing to subject another person to.

The noun followed by a relative clause.  Because there’s always a way to make it worse.  “The girl who was now holding his hand” is absolutely disgusting, and so is “The girl that was sitting across from her” or especially “the girl she knew had a chocolate bar somewhere in her pocket.

The noun followed by a relative clause with adjectives.  Put it together and what have you got?

Compound Epithets.  Oh. My.  God.  This deserves its own sin.  Even if your character has blue hair, you should never ever ever call them a bluenette.  Ever.  Ever ever ever. AAAAAAAAH!

The author has made her point.

#2 – Bad Grammar

I find bad grammar extremely agitating, mostly because there are a lot of great tools and easy fixes to solve the problems.  Most word processors have a built in spell checker, and a lot of them check for grammar as well.  If you need an alternative, grammarly.com has a good free version that’ll catch a lot of mistakes.  Of course, proofreading your work before posting is always a great idea.  Here’s a quick list of some of the most common grammar issues you should be on the lookout for:

A new paragraph for a new idea.

A new paragraph for a new speaker.

Dialogue formatting

Periods

Commas

Run on sentences

Using line breaks

Spelling

Capitalizing starts of sentences

Capitalizing proper nouns

Choosing CONSISTENT capitalization for canon terms (Pokemon vs pokemon, for example)

Repeated words.

Sentence fragments

Tense

#1 – Bad Characterization

“What?” you’re probably asking yourself right now.  “How is bad characterization possibly worse than poor grammar?  Than epithets?”

Allow me to explain.

When an author writes a story, a good story, they are creating characters who act like people.  They have wants, needs, hates, motives, and a concept of who they are, even if they’re only fictional.  The author gives them life, spirit, a spark that keeps you reading and wanting to learn more about them.

That sense of identity is what makes them real to us.  Why you binge a show on Netflix, or read a novel in one night.  Reading is a connection with these characters on a deeper level than you might realize, and this connection brings them to life.

Take that away, and your story is dead.

Your gray OOC Gary Stu overpowered Ravenclaw Harry who grew up with Snape and has a goblin half brother AU is not a story about Harry Potter.  It’s a story about an OC named Harry Potter, and Harry loses any integrity he had as a character in Rowling’s books.

That’s why there are fics with horrible grammar and massive following, alongside fics with incredible grammar and sentence construction but no followings.  Unless you maintain a basic level of your character’s identity, the essence of what makes them empathetic, you’re not writing about that character.  This is the worst sin, because even with all of the others in play, if there is good characterization you can still create an incredible story.

Just by fixing these seven problems, your fic can instantly jump from bad/meh to incredible in the way people perceive it.  Hopefully this list can help you determine things to either go back and revise or work on for future chapters.  When have you committed one of the seven sins?  What other sins do people make all the time in their writings?

Thank you to all of the amazing people who have followed, Allie

Support Me:  Fanfiction.net - Archives of our Own 

[aharris00britney]

@agentwashsims​ said: I️ knew you wouldn’t disappoint on the curly hairs!

Thank youu! lmao it is a pretty basic edit but I'm glad you like it ;-;

Anonymous said: Could you convert the solid colored EA Cruella DeVille style for girls or tots?

Actually it has already been converted HERE (warning: she uses an ad thing :( )

@verdigreedy​ said: You're doing a great job! Thank you for sharing with us!           

Thank you ;-; RIP imagine that there are cc creators out there that don't share ;-; how much cc are we missing out on

@simmiezoo​ said: I would love a flipped version of the Zoey hair - I usually use hairs that are flipped the other side. I don't know if it's easy to do. Just a suggestion! It looks great btw. :) 

I can try! No promises though lmao it should be pretty easy but sometimes it isn't

Anonymous said: Brady hair won't show up. Do I need to have Pets installed? I don't have it.            

Hey! @ayoshi​ tested it, Braxton, Jordie, and Zoey hairs for me and they all showed up fine for him. He does not have Cats & Dogs installed so that isn't the issue. I think you have to have the most recent game update.

Anonymous said: Hello. Can i find out what kind of lenses do you use on sims?💚💚💚            

I actually updated to quartz V2 a few days ago, and recolored them in 20 more swatches! Jade is gonna let me post my non-defaults, I just have to finish the previews

@lizziesimmer​ said: The link to your post of the clumsy braids are gone! I don't know what happened to them but I need them back!!   

Yeah, I had planned on revamping them ;-; I still do! Just haven't worked on them in a few months weeks lmao hopefully I can get them finished soon

Anonymous said: Thank you so much for not using Ad.fly and making it easy for everyone to just download your CC without having to go through an ad hell  <3 Talented and considerate.. what more do we need :)            

Aaaaah no problem!! There are tons of creators that don't use ad.fly! or at least give you the option of ad.fly or not

Anonymous said: Bless u for editing that middle part curly hair from cats and dogs. It made me feel like my sims was George fucking Washington.            

rhfdncv omggg screaming it does look kinda like a George Washington hair

Anonymous said: Will u make a Arilee Hair without the Bangs ? That would be so awesome ❤️ Love u and the cc u make. Such an talented person u are. Lots of love.            

Awe thank youu!! Yeah I am gonna finish the no-bangs version sometime this week and get it out <3

Anonymous said: do you know if anyone that has (or could you hehe) remake those toddler camo pants for adult sims

I don't actually :( and I sadly am not that good at cc clothes ;-; maybe another creator will see this and try it out

Anonymous said: I just wanted to say that you're my favorite CC maker c': I just adore your work and how unique your cc is! <3 You have so much talent and I can't wait to see more from you.            

SO SWEET!!!!!!!!!! YOU GUYS R LITERALLY SO NICE AND JUST GOOD PEOPLE ;-;

Anonymous said: I think your Jordie Hair may have caused my game to bug, I got the never loading ring of death :/ Cute hair though           

Hey! As I said before, @ayoshi​ tested it and my othe recent hairs for me, and his game was fine :( a lot of mods broke with the patch so it is probably one of them

Anonymous said: I love all the stuff you make! You're super talented!

Omggg no I'm not ;-; thank you though, I'm glad you like it

Anonymous said: Does your username mean anything?            

A - Austin, Harris - my last name lolol, 00 - for 2000 aka the year i wss born, Britney - for the legendary Miss Britney Spears

@simnook​ said: You make the most amazing cc and it’s been cool to see how much you have improved since you first started. love your blog so much 💚

Thank you dude!! Literally I bet it was a journey to see my old cc previews vs now! Like last night I went back and looked at the previews for my Roseanne hair and i didnt fill in the area behind the '18 ea colors' all the way and just GOD I cringe at myself

@cowplant-pizza​ said: hi love! just wanted to ask if you are working on the middle parted curly hair from cats & dogs! its a tad flat imo, and i trust you more than anyone to do it justice!!! ily ♥         

This was sent before I released my Zoey hair :P hope you liked that

@simsinsanmyshuno​ said: yooo i have a suggestion: can you make that one floofy curly hair from C&D (lmao the bigger curly hair for women) shorter i feel like it would look really cute like shoulder length            

I think @wild-pixel is working on a hair like that actually!!

Anonymous said: the jordie hair is so cute!! thank you for everything you do for the community!

<3

Anonymous said:Hi I was wondering if we have to pets for you newest toddler hair to work?      

As long as the post/preview says BGC, it means it is Base Game Compatible :) I do think, however, you have to have the most recent update to the base game

@spideywil921​ said: Omg could you potentially make a child version of the Half Up Do with the braids from Cats & Dogs???            

I might if nobody else has done it by like Tuesday??

Anonymous said: Can you do recolors on some of the male CAS tops in pets? You’re one of my favorite cc makers and I love your stuff 😩😩 

Lololol I am not that good of a recolor, I actually recolored 4 CC tops a week ago and have the post in my drafts still contemplating about posting them ;-;

Anonymous said: You should start a gameplay            

rip nooooo

Anonymous said: So, I love shaved hair, so I checked out the hairs, and while looking for a hair, I came across Tae Hair, so long story short--- where can I download it? It isn't in the list.            

It's in there :) just click the download and you should be able to find it

@deviants​ said: hey! this is super random but I’ve been watching you create content for a while now and tbh you've gotten so fantastic!! you’re one of my favourite CC makers :)     

Aweeeee thank you so much <3 I'm glad you call me one of your favorites

Anonymous said: Hi, where did you get the scar eyebrow in your Rebecca hair?  <3            

Please check my resource page! It is listed in there on Lora's cc chart

Anonymous said: Hey I love your cc!! Are we able to download the sims you make? They're just so perfect. What's your origin id? xx   

Thank you!! I am gonna work on getting Taylor and my male Sim posted this week :)

@itacorcoran said: I wanted to say your content is so amazing! It's the best sims 4 hair i've ever seen its unique and interesting and barely any clipping if at all :D I hope you're well i pretty much download every sim hair i see on here ^^     

Thank you!!! My hairs def aren't unique but I appreciate it!

Anonymous said: Which did you prefer, likey or knock knock?    

Right now I really like Likey but Knock Knock is soooo good I think it will overpower Likey later down the road.  Same thing happened with Signal

@simskru​ said: I'm literally in love with you and everything you've created, just saying       

TYSM!!! That is so nice ;-;

[remnants-of-rwby]

RWBY Research and Analysis: That Freezerburn Hug.

Hello - i’m here to overly look into a moment that has some mixed signals! As with anything rwby that just doesn't have a straight answer, let’s look  into something to figure out what pops up! So with this topic, the Weiss/Yang hug; Is it just a hug or is it something more? Only a few things to do to really get to the bottom of this.

Here is what’ll be discussed in this:

* Yang Hugs, Pre and then Post Fall.

* Hug research - types of ways people naturally want to express affection, whether it be platonic or otherwise.

* The Way the Hug is done; the emotional and physical stand points; How it could be Platonic, How it could be Romantic, and how people are getting these mixed signals.

* Brief Conclusion.

Yang hugs differently in comparison to Pre-fall and POST-fall and so does Weiss, in the sense that Weiss wants to willingly hug; but this could be voiced for the fact that Weiss has become a more caring, empathetic person. Let’s backtrack more and study how Yang physically expresses herself in terms of care/affection with, you know, hugging.

PRE-FALL

      Yang used to hugged in a way that it was like she was giving her whole heart. she closes her arms entirely around the person, forcing them to only accept and not reciprocate in any way, which I think says a lot about her character then; she doesn't want or expect it back, she only has the one goal in mind; 'know that I care; I'm here, I got you.' Yang, ironically from the pre-fall, does the "Bear Hug". In 1876 was when “bear hug” was fully used. this name is possibly inspired by how a mother bear completely covers her baby with her front legs when protecting them with her body. Odd, doesn’t that characteristic sound...familiar… a person who uses their own body as a shield/attack mechanism to protect something the love and care about? Oh wait - that’s what yang does.

Short version: Goldilocks is a mother bear. Oh the irony.

POST-FALL

Yang now? She almost needs that affection in return, instead of being this never-ending fire, she seems to need that... extra kick, that support in turn.  She lets people in, she hugs them in a different manner, supporting their head and cradling them closer to herself, which sends different emotional levels of an emotional state. a supportive, protective, emotional state.

Now the fun important part: THE HUG.

first and foremost, there is a vast difference of hugging a person; depending on gender, height, emotional intentions, length of a hug, the position of where the arms are and how the hug starts, etc..  The first person we see yang actually hug first post-fall is technically ruby- but this isn't post-trauma yang. the out-in-the-world, yang. the first person we see her hug once she's getting back on her feet is Weiss.

Now, when you hug someone, you normally give some form of a signal that you're about to hug them. Like a 'hi', or a happy excited sound when you see them, moving slow/steadily towards them, making eye contact or some other way that would indicate a hug or a need to physically embrace that person.  Hugging is all about touch and how you approach the person. the focus of this: why are they hugging - the emotional standpoint!

For Weiss to give a surprise embrace directly after a conflict shows how much Weiss trusts still Yang, even after ALL that happened, and how much pain Weiss must have felt being alone and dealing with all she has dealt with, you can see and, thanks to amazingly improved V..A.ing, hear it- the sorrow, the pain. What i noticed, is how much Weiss only knows Yang in her previous mindset. She just trusts yang to accept a hug, no need to send any sort of approachability or slow measure or anything - just immediate need to tightly embrace a person she missed and probably worried over. this is .. a friend who misses another friend, deeply. Pure, unfiltered friendship. this is full on "I was traumatized when I saw you last and grew used to The Team and i’ve been alone seeing all ‘ve seen and i really need to freaking hug you-" she missed Yang. her positivity, her strength - how could she not, with the life she was enduring back in Atlas? not the mention the freakin' crash and the deaths she heard and - this warmth is deeply lacked, certainly.

Now, notice how yang accepts it: surprise. not mainly surprise because- holy cow Weiss hugging?- but it also in general, a surprise - she wasn't expecting a hug in any way, at least not yet given these circumstances; she is also concerned. you see it in her eyebrows, her eyes, her mouth lowered in expression; it's confused, concerned, surprised, and questioning: she doesn't know whether or not to hug back, or how to respond to this due to :

A. The circumstances of being in a hostile moment and just briefly less stress.

B. they had barely talked moments before this, and the conversation yang was just re-engaging in was battle-mode.

Studying yang still; we see her gradually accept the hug after Weiss very emotionally explains the sudden need for this “I missed you so much”. We see yang comprehend this, smile and sink into the hug, fully agreeing on missing her teammate. “I missed you too.”

Now with hugging someone, it is all about intention - what physical signal are we trying to send? this tells our body how to act, so we send a platonic/familial/or romantic signal in our embrace. now, what is the hug we see? this is a Tight hug, protective hug. the hug you give someone when you don't want to lose them or if it felt like you did and you just got them back - it is an emotional hug. There is nothing cold, cut off, or … emotionally distant about it.

what is the difference between platonic hugging and romantic? well, duh. placement! such as arms around the neck, or shoulder, or upper back - this is neutral zones, people; the ones Weiss did.IMPORTANT FACTS, FREEZERBURN SHIPPERS.  weiss is giving a deep, wholeheartedly PLATONIC hug! she is sending zero mixed signals. at least, it seems she isn't meaning to. Aside from how incredibly close she is hugging yang in the fact that there is zero space between---i’ll get back to this...

Right, so as for the rwby fandom? I can see people are getting ALL KINDS OF MIXED SIGNALS. Myself included! Where are we getting these mixed signals, you ask? it is all in the visuals, ladies, and jets.

yang hugs in a far more close, intimate way, post-fall, and trauma. she lets her arms and hands drop to the mid back with Weiss slowly, and the hug lasts in long duration. The duration is important to note. In fact, let me note the important fact, in simple terms: Platonic hugs should -supposedly- last about 3 seconds. ( on a personal note this is BRAND NEW INFORMATION for me - i freaking love long arse hugs. Those are the best t.b.h. Like 5/10 seconds, T.Y.V.M. xP) Hold your those, though - there is a reason for this! Like all things, duh . “ A hug lasts about as much time as many other human actions and neurological processes, which supports a hypothesis that we go through life perceiving the present in a series of 3-second windows.”

Friends who are close and endured what they endured is a important factor in the time-length of this hug. The closeness of the hug. this can easily be seen as 2 very close people who endured a lot, whom were not able to see one another, and miss each other. This could easily be friends who went through, perdition and back with no communication at all. I would certainly be this blunt in hugging a friend like this on either POV of yang or weiss - and it be platonic as heck, but because I like to look at things from all angles; we should also look at this in the mixed romantic signals; i’ll be using the basic way of studying physical closeness common in romantic POV.

the simplest way to give the example of this being in a romantic lighting is with old-school male/female roles. (forgive me if this seems judgmental - it’s the only way of relationships in which i’m proficient in understanding and is in no way to say heteronormativity or that lgbt+ follow a male/female type relationship trope; as in “so who’s the guy/girl in the relationship?”. Right, onward; )

So, Here is the way it could also be painted: the basic setup of romantic hugging between a male/female is "a woman will tightly hug and close her arms over the neck, while the male is supporting/lifting the female. Due to the traditional role of the man to support and protect the woman, he holds and supports her while she's clinging on him." in romantic lighting for this... you can see where, if you look at it, it could have this mixed signal. Not only that, but yang is indeed lifting Weiss in the hug in a very supportive manner - though it doesn't help weiss is so short, even In heels.

Let's look at how else mixed signals could be indicated: not only the position in which they hug, but it could be seen in a really personal, intimate way with the hug with other parts of the body placement, such as....the hip placement. normally when you hug friends, extended family, strangers; our hips are NOT placed together, tightly, to one another. That time of closeness in a hug is reserve for those we love/are close too. So this could be a platonic expression that shows us how close as friends and teammates these two are….but then there's the knight summon floating off during the received hug, like a heart melting from a harshness of what she's endured. this gives all kinds of - this is really romantic and loving- kind of vibes. In a platonic scope, this is like the two friends no longer -bearing- the pain and burden of all of what happened and they aren't so… jaded or harsh like they've had to be; they have a friend that cares about the another.

The most neutral way i can put this is these two missed each other, in quotes to be exact - they care about one another, and clearly worried about the other. This is automatically a platonic expression of a very trusting, close friendship. Is it more than that? Right now - no. that isn't canon. It could be hinting, absolutely - but again, this action *confirms* nothing. What we got was a very loving *friendship* reunion that melted my god dang heart. Freezerburn platonic moment or not  - this was a much needed moment in the steps to seeing team RWBY back together and it was beautifully done.

I’ll be doing a frame-by-frame analysis for anyone who might  want a even more in-depth look at this close moment, if anyone would be interested. If not - i’ll eventually get around to it when i hit the volume 5 episodes.

[i-globalone]

             After a lot of rumours and speculations Xiaomi has officially launched Mi Mix 3 in China ,recall it was the Mi Mix that started off the bezel less trend in the smartphone world which was followed by various design evolution and now today we have the latest Mi Mix 3 .  Like we expected the Xiaomi has improved up on its bezel less legacy with the new Mi MIx 3 and they claimed to have achieved a screen to body ratio well above 90%  by implementing a sliding design.By moving the selfie cameras to the rear slidable panel they could utilize the entire front for display thus allowing them to has an effective screen to body ratio of 93.4% .                 The sliding mechanism implemented on the Mi Mix 3 is magnetic,thus there are much fewer things to break or wear out, Xiaomi also claims to have tested the mechanism more than 300,000 times to gauge its endurance. Interestingly they have also included feature that allows the user to assign five different sounds to the sliding motion, while at the same time can also assign different actions to be executed when you push the screen down, like answering a phone call, or starting an app etc. Now coming to the build quality the Mi Mix 3 is build out of   7000-series aluminum alloy with tapered ceramic back to ensure better durability .The Mi Mix 3 comes in three enticing colors – a sweet Jade Green, Sapphire Blue, Onyx Black, while there is also a “Forbidden City Palace Museum” special edition that comes with 10GB RAM, which is also the most expensive in the bunch.                   Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 features a 6.4 inch FHD AMOLED display with  a bezel-less design with 103.8% NTSC color gamut and offers Always on Display functionality. It would be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor coupled with 6/8/10GB RAM ( limited edition) and offers upto 256GB of internal storage.  The camera departments of the Mi Mix 3 features a  dual camera on the back with 12MP main sensor with 1.4-micron pixels and fast dual-pixel autofocus, and a secondary 12MP sensor with telephoto lens for 2x “optical” zoom. The front-facing dual camera system consists of one 24MP camera and another 2MP sensor for depth perception in portrait shots. The main cam is capable of pixel-binning, which can could virtually combine sensors of individual camera for a large 1.8-micron pixels that are supposed to gather more light in night shot scenarios.           Xiaomi has also equipped Mi Mix 3 with  decent  3200mAh battery with fast-charging technology while it also support wireless charging. Besides the unique 10GB RAM version,which is a first for the industry the Mi Mix 3 will also have a model with 5G connectivity, coming in “early 2019” when the first 5G phones from other manufacturers are expected to make a cameo, too. Recall previously, the Mi Mix 3 was rumored to come with Snapdragon 855, so it is entirely possible that the 5G model would also have  Qualcomm’s next-gen 7nm chipset.            The Mi Mix 3 is available for pre-order immediately, and pricing takes off at the mere 3,299 yuan ($475) for the 6GB RAM / 128GB of storage model. The next trim is 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for 3,999 yuan ($575), while the record-holding 10GB RAM model is a “Forbidden City” edition that has 256GB of storage and costs 4,999 yuan ($720).  About Unknown Hi ,this is Arun the Founder and Editor in Chief at Techconfigurations.com ,He is basically a tech enthusiast and love to spend time with tech gadgets, he is also interested in product design ,in his free time he loved to travel and watch sci fi and fantacy movies. RELATED POSTS

http://m.globalone.com.np/2020/01/xiaomi-mi-mix-3-with-93-screen-to-body.html

[jessicakehoe]

7 Summer Beauty Essentials From Gee Beauty’s Muskoka Pop-Up

Gee Beauty, the popular Toronto destination for all things skincare, makeup and wellness, has packed up its bags and headed up to cottage country to set up a two-week pop-up shop in Muskoka from July 2 to 15. Located at the Duke’s Building in Port Carling, the space will be filled with a summer-focused mix of products, plus bestsellers from brands like Dr. Barbara Sturm, Skinceuticals, Dr. Sebagh, Goop and more. The timing was just right for the brand, who will be closing the doors of their Toronto location for renovations during the same period.

Photography courtesy of Gee Beauty

“It’s something that’s been in the backs of our minds for years,” says Stephanie Gee, one of the four Gee women who founded and run the brand, with Mom Miriam and sisters Celene and Natalie. “It worked out that there was one opportunity left over in this one specific pop-up space, so we took it the second we could and have been making it happen behind the scenes ever since.” The pop-up will also stock items from the brand’s lifestyle arm, 6 by Gee Beauty, with candles by Le Labo, bathing suits, sandals, jewellery and a few clothing items.

Photography courtesy of Gee Beauty

“Our focus as a company is all about lifestyle beauty,” Gee explains. “All of our makeup, all of the products we retail are all high-quality and results-driven with the understanding of timing being so precious.” Muskokans can also pop by for a quick brow fix or skin boost, with quick in-the-chair treatments on offer. The idea was to create a beauty oasis outside of the city, with easy-to-use products for a little boost without going full glam. Nothing too complicated, time-consuming or labour-intensive—basically, just what a cottage retreat should be.

Photography courtesy of Gee Beauty

Here are some of Stephanie Gee’s skincare essentials for summer 2019, all available at their Port Carling pop-up.

1/7

Stephanie Gee’s Summer Essentials

Skinceuticals Phloretin CF

($180, Gee Beauty)

“Vitamin C is the only antioxidant that can correct and protect and repair damage all at the same time. So basically, it will protect you from environmental damage—like sun and pollution—and protect the collagen and elasticity in the skin, and it will work on pigmentation and unevenness at the same time. You wear it once in the morning and I also recommend putting a drop on the back of each hand to protect them from pigmentation as well.”

Buy Now

2/7

Stephanie Gee’s Summer Essentials

EltaMD UV Sport Broad-Spectrum SPF 50

($41, Gee Beauty)

“The Elta MD Sunscreen is a huge bestseller for us. It’s lightweight, oil-free but nice and hydrating. There’s a scented and unscented version, too, so and it’s good for any skin tone or type since it’s a universal tint.”

Buy Now

3/7

Stephanie Gee’s Summer Essentials

G.Tox Ultimate Dry Brush

($28, Gee Beauty)

“Goop’s dry body brush is amazing for helping to exfoliate dead skin, and improve circulation and blood flow.”

Buy Now

4/7

Stephanie Gee’s Summer Essentials

Skin Perfecting Mask

($92, Gee Beauty)

“It’s a clay-based mask with salicylic acid so it’s great for pores and excess oil but you can also sleep with it overnight as a spot treatment if you experience any breakouts.”

Buy Now

5/7

Stephanie Gee’s Summer Essentials

Prime Skin Tinted Power Primer Medium

($56, Gee Beauty)

“This is one of my favourites because it really enhances your natural glow—it has very minimal, light coverage and SPF 20 as well. You can wear it on its own or underneath a more full-coverage concealer if you want. One pump all over is really beautiful. Even if you’re just getting ready for a dinner, it’s nice to have a little something on the skin.”

Buy Now

6/7

Stephanie Gee’s Summer Essentials

Joanna Vargas Twilight Face Mask

($100, Gee Beauty)

“These are really fun and cooling. You can leave them on for 20 minutes to an hour, and they’re super thin so they almost melt into the skin. They’re great for inflammation, and overall very hydrating.”

Buy Now

7/7

Stephanie Gee’s Summer Essentials

Jade Roller

($40, Gee Beauty)

“The Gee Beauty Jade Roller, Gua Sha and 24 Karat Gold Bar are our bestselling beauty tools, which you can put in the fridge for an extra cooling sensation. They’re great to promote circulation, help with puffiness and inflammation. Even if you have a blemish, you can use a jade roller to really help calm down the irritation.”

Buy Now

  The post 7 Summer Beauty Essentials From Gee Beauty’s Muskoka Pop-Up appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

7 Summer Beauty Essentials From Gee Beauty’s Muskoka Pop-Up published first on https://borboletabags.tumblr.com/

[thebengali]

Pune-based Learning company, eNyota Learning, recently achieved a significant milestone – 10 years of successful operations and growth. Founded in 2007 by Instructional Designer, Keya Thomas, with co-Founders Anand Timothy and Karl Monteiro, eNyota is one of the new breed of Pune-based eLearning companies founded by professionals who are not entrepreneurs by education or legacy, but former employees who had strong ideas of how things ought to work and how they could be improved.

Has eNyota been successful in making a difference? In creating an engaging work-culture? In creating great solutions for clients? While employees, customers, and market forces are better equipped to answer such perception-based matters, this article focuses on the fact that the company has established itself as a learning services provider, and has navigated its way through choppy and calm waters for a decade.

I have known Keya and Andy as colleagues since 2003, and then as industry-peers post 2008. An innovative Instructional Designer, Keya, has always been an outspoken learning professional, fearless with her convictions and understanding of what learners need. Andy, soft-spoken and imaginative, is one of the best relationship managers in the business, adroitly handling teams, clients, management, and risks with equal aplomb, effortlessly. Karl Monteiro added business management acumen to eNyota with two decades of financial and business administration experience in different industries.

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Keya Thomas

Anand Timothy

Karl Monteiro

It was a great curiosity for me when Keya launched her company and Andy joined a while later. One of my initial questions to them in the early years was “how challenging is it for a husband-wife couple to work together in business?”.

As the years went by, I often found myself taking opinions, exchanging notes, and then, suddenly, it was a decade. I figured it was time to take stock since every startup doesn’t make it, every company that does make it through the initial years, doesn’t necessarily last a decade, and while every company in this age claims innovation, a company that sustains deserves to stand out.

Excerpts from an interview with Anand Timothy, co-Founder and Director Business Development, eNyota Learning, on what has been achieved, thoughts on the journey, trends in the industry, and what lies ahead.

  1. Why did you start a learning company of your own?

We started eNyota Learning in January 2007 after working in the custom eLearning space for a few years. Keya started the company on her own really and I joined her a little later when we felt that this could go someplace.

We both had the entrepreneur bug and shared a passion for the learning and training space. So starting our entrepreneurship journey in a space that we both loved was a great opportunity. We learned a lot from our experience working in the various eLearning companies between us. On the positive side we felt we could do a few things differently to stand out and of course, we had some very strong ideas around what not to do as well. We started off small – just the three founders – Keya, Karl Monteiro (my childhood friend), and I, with each bringing something to the table. We really did not know how big eNyota Learning would get.

To be perfectly honest, Keya and I looked at the world through some rose-tinted glasses based on our experience in the early 2000s. Nothing in our experience could have prepared us for the economic upheavals of the 2008 financial crisis and of course, the disruption post the emergence of the first real smartphone which is the iPhone. I think it was not just us. The whole world was impacted but it really was a crazy time for us because we were just starting our entrepreneurship journey. So all our ideas about the positive change and the negative change was left to ideas and theories. Our first realistic goal was to survive the initial few years and learn what it meant to do business. Having a partner like Karl who had run multiple businesses helped Keya and me (this was our first venture).

2. How does it feel to complete a decade as entrepreneurs?

The most basic feeling is a sense of accomplishment and relief that we have been able to stay the journey for 10 years. At times we do wonder if we did the right things over these 10 years. But we have realised you cannot second guess yourself. As long as you have learned from the ups and downs, you are ahead of most others. We went through two distinct rough patches during these 10 years and to keep our wits and spirits during those phases, made us wiser and more resilient. We have all learned a hell of a lot. For me, that is the key. And we are not jaded. We still look at the future with optimism. I am glad we have been able to keep our energy levels and optimism. I know many entrepreneurs who have run out of steam just because of the burden of expectations. Be X number of people or X million dollars by X number of years etc. We are still enjoying the journey.

3. Why did you choose to start your business in Pune?

We choose Pune because it was home for all three of the founders! Karl and I were born and brought up here. And Keya has been in Pune since 1990. I think most entrepreneurs choose home turf to start a business. Plus, the talent in Pune is something we’re very happy with, being a university city and all that comes with it.

4. Where do you see Pune heading as a business destination, talent base, innovation centre?

There are a great number of start-ups in Pune. Not just in eLearning but in the tech space in general. And all of that is because of the great talent that is in Pune. Pune is also a great tech hub in India with great educational institutions and that’s why the supply of talent is still good. But the job creation is simply not keeping pace with the number of people coming out of these educational institutions. There are fewer jobs vied for by a lot of candidates.

  I think you will see a lot more product companies in Pune. That is a definite trend I see. Pune has more knowledge-centric service companies and only traditional IT-related services. So that is a good thing. Hopefully Pune can stay ahead of the curve. But sadly, more has to be done to help Pune create an entrepreneurial ecosystem like Bangalore.

  I also think that given this situation, educational institutions have to up the quality of the programs to make talent ready not just for the jobs of today but also for the careers of tomorrow. Automation in general across all industries is growing rapidly. Mobile technology is here to stay and disrupting entire industries, the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence is changing the possible versions of the future faster than most people can imagine. How do you help students choose which career path they choose – based on their expectations of the job situation in 4-5 years when they graduate?

5. What is eNyota’s differentiator for clients, employees?

For our clients:

Client-centric Thought Process – Focusing on what is the best outcome for the client

Design Thinking – combining the disciplines of Instructional Design, User Experience and User Interface to come up with a solution

Full Service Provider – Most number of options when it comes to tools and technology for designing that solution – from low tech solutions like rapid authoring tools to complex solutions involving custom mobile apps, custom software, and web-analytics to track usage patterns and measure outcomes

For our employees:

Opportunity to work for a company which is growing and where a team member can grow and learn

Opportunity to work with a company that is focussed on research and innovation and not just good project execution

Opportunity to work for a company where you can be yourself as long as you are aligned to our customer centric approach

6. What are the three trends/directions you feel will drive the learning industry in the next 5 years?

MicroLearning vs the 1-Learning Hour unit size for eLearning courses so far. This is not just breaking a 60-minute course into 4 modules but really focussing on ‘Relevancy’, separating the need-to-know from the nice to know. Looking at content from a pull strategy via learners taking control of their own learning needs vs a push via LMS strategy. That’s why ‘Relevancy’ to the users is going to be important. And making it available when they need it and in the easiest way possible.

Mobile-centric course design meant for consumption on mobile devices. The tablet has lost its fizz and phones are getting to a size that makes them realistic consumption devices. Combined with MicroLearning, a lot more course content is going to have to be built for mobile phones than ever before.

Further Automation in course design and development. The days of custom coding are numbered. Authoring tools are going to get more and more powerful. It’s going to the dominance of Authoring Tools vs Custom Design and that includes video creation. Video-based learning is going to be much more than ever before.

These are the top three as far as we think. There are a few others that are going to disrupt the industry slowly but surely but it will be centred around making these three things happen anyway. Any company, product or solution that does not help in these three goals may have a hard time in the coming years.

“Our First Realistic Goal Was to Survive, and Learn What It Meant To Do Business.” – Learnings From A Decade of eNyota Learning Pune-based Learning company, eNyota Learning, recently achieved a significant milestone - 10 years of successful operations and growth.

[i-globalone]

             After a lot of rumours and speculations Xiaomi has officially launched Mi Mix 3 in China ,recall it was the Mi Mix that started off the bezel less trend in the smartphone world which was followed by various design evolution and now today we have the latest Mi Mix 3 .  Like we expected the Xiaomi has improved up on its bezel less legacy with the new Mi MIx 3 and they claimed to have achieved a screen to body ratio well above 90%  by implementing a sliding design.By moving the selfie cameras to the rear slidable panel they could utilize the entire front for display thus allowing them to has an effective screen to body ratio of 93.4% .                 The sliding mechanism implemented on the Mi Mix 3 is magnetic,thus there are much fewer things to break or wear out, Xiaomi also claims to have tested the mechanism more than 300,000 times to gauge its endurance. Interestingly they have also included feature that allows the user to assign five different sounds to the sliding motion, while at the same time can also assign different actions to be executed when you push the screen down, like answering a phone call, or starting an app etc. Now coming to the build quality the Mi Mix 3 is build out of   7000-series aluminum alloy with tapered ceramic back to ensure better durability .The Mi Mix 3 comes in three enticing colors – a sweet Jade Green, Sapphire Blue, Onyx Black, while there is also a “Forbidden City Palace Museum” special edition that comes with 10GB RAM, which is also the most expensive in the bunch.                   Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 features a 6.4 inch FHD AMOLED display with  a bezel-less design with 103.8% NTSC color gamut and offers Always on Display functionality. It would be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor coupled with 6/8/10GB RAM ( limited edition) and offers upto 256GB of internal storage.  The camera departments of the Mi Mix 3 features a  dual camera on the back with 12MP main sensor with 1.4-micron pixels and fast dual-pixel autofocus, and a secondary 12MP sensor with telephoto lens for 2x “optical” zoom. The front-facing dual camera system consists of one 24MP camera and another 2MP sensor for depth perception in portrait shots. The main cam is capable of pixel-binning, which can could virtually combine sensors of individual camera for a large 1.8-micron pixels that are supposed to gather more light in night shot scenarios.           Xiaomi has also equipped Mi Mix 3 with  decent  3200mAh battery with fast-charging technology while it also support wireless charging. Besides the unique 10GB RAM version,which is a first for the industry the Mi Mix 3 will also have a model with 5G connectivity, coming in “early 2019” when the first 5G phones from other manufacturers are expected to make a cameo, too. Recall previously, the Mi Mix 3 was rumored to come with Snapdragon 855, so it is entirely possible that the 5G model would also have  Qualcomm’s next-gen 7nm chipset.            The Mi Mix 3 is available for pre-order immediately, and pricing takes off at the mere 3,299 yuan ($475) for the 6GB RAM / 128GB of storage model. The next trim is 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for 3,999 yuan ($575), while the record-holding 10GB RAM model is a “Forbidden City” edition that has 256GB of storage and costs 4,999 yuan ($720).  About Unknown Hi ,this is Arun the Founder and Editor in Chief at Techconfigurations.com ,He is basically a tech enthusiast and love to spend time with tech gadgets, he is also interested in product design ,in his free time he loved to travel and watch sci fi and fantacy movies. RELATED POSTS

http://www.globalone.com.np/2019/12/xiaomi-mi-mix-3-with-93-screen-to-body.html