#update 232

[gofancyninjaworld]

OPM Manga Update 232 Review: Butterfly and Back

Story: Place Yer Bets!

The chapter opens with Murata casually flexing his rendering skills with a hand-drawn bicycle. This man!

The story opens to a defeated looking hero with incongruously-small butterfly wings on his back. Wondering why he's doing this. McCoy calls to ask if he's ready, and soon, he's on the trail of a monster for the benefit of a select group of punters.

The 'demon'-level monster turns out to be a giant, terrified monsterised chihuahua, which advances down the road uncertain of what to do. It's a planted Wolf-Level monster, intended to give the falsely-badged C-Class hero the appearance of a tough win against the odds.

But life turns out differently. Under the stressor of its most feared situation (being outdoors), Shiverhuahua blows up into a genuine demon-level monster, and soon, 'Papillion 800' is locked in a real life-or-death battle, all while McCoy thinks that he's acting to perfection.

As the odds lengthen, Mad Devil Yankee (the real identity of the hero) forces himself to face the monster, driven by the twin imperatives of wanting to save his mother from whatever harm McCoy has planned for her, and the desire to live up to the example of his hero, Mumen Rider.

Just as it gets hopeless, with characteristic timing, Saitama comes in and blows the monster away.

The major donor looking forward to an upset win is furious, and McCoy storms onto the scene to tell Saitama and Genos off for interfering.

Saitama may ask himself who cares about credit. Genos does, when it comes to making sure his master is recognised for his work. McCoy is about to find out why the Demon Cyborg lives up to his moniker...

.... but luckily for him, and for his role as bad-guy fixer, Child Emperor interrupts to mock him for having his rigged game upset. McCoy excuses himself quickly. Child Emperor explains the hero gambling ruse (more on that to follow). I'm just going to step out a bit to note that it's quite heart-warming to see that when Genos asks why the kid is giving them this information and Child Emperor admits to having been the one who'd been suspicious of Genos, Genos doesn't blow up but lets it slide. I like his little reassuring smiles.

After finding out what this is all about, we see Saitama sleepless in bed, furious at the idea of being thought so ill of as to deserve a x20 rating. However, he also smells opportunity.

The next morning sees him discussing with Genos the possibility of betting on himself to make money. He starts to portray it as a way to teach the Hero Association a lesson but Genos sensibly points out that it makes no actual difference to the house, which puts him on the spot. Luckily for Saitama, the odds start rolling again, meaning the game's afoot again. Saitama runs out the door, Genos following in hot pursuit.

They overtake the heroes assigned to the monster, and Saitama is just about to place his bet (his multiplier having risen to x25) when there is a scream: someone's purse has been snatched by a race-car driver! For a moment, Saitama is torn as to what to do, then...

... the lady is overcome with gratitude for having her family jewels saved. Saitama is also overcome with emotion, but it is not gratitude. At least he's getting a better public image!

However, he's then overwhelmed with a blackness. His depression is back, fuelled by his realising how close he came to the edge of becoming a corrupt money-grubber.

Temptation is never far away, and the lady offers him a diamond ring as a reward. After a long struggle, Saitama refuses it, saying he's not doing this for money.

Well done, Saitama.

Lots to say under the cut.

Meta: A Tawdry Affair

Method in the madness

A race car to snatch purses? Man, it seems anything can happen in this story! Still, when I look at how unsurprised the public is that Saitama caught the driver, I think there's method in the madness. Heroes are really super humans. Even your regular C-Class hero is impossible to out-pace on foot or on a push-bike. Modern problems call for modern solutions.

A world in which people are not surprised that the no-name hero catches a race car is a scary world.

Dirty laundry

The first thing I have to say about this is that it's tawdry. Not a great crime that leaves a giant stain to be dealt with but rather dirt, grubbiness, an all-pervading grubbiness that greys the entire fabric so that no amount of washing can make it look clean. Let's dig into this pile of dirty laundry, shall we?

Nothing wrong with aspiring to be more

I've got to give it to Mad Devil Yankee. In a world where people are often typecast for life (see Garou's despair at being considered a monster), his being able to turn his life around is testament to some serious mental fortitude. Furthermore, he's B-Class Rank 4, all without having joined the Blizzard Group: that takes serious strength.

If you remember nothing about the story, you might think that a high-ranking B-Class hero working independently is no big deal. If you do, you know this guy is the real deal: Fubuki is a hero-crushing asshole.

Turning heroism into bloodsport

It's inevitable that people would bet on heroes. Heroes are very much public figures, and the monsters are an unpredictable lot, so that makes for a highly exciting spectacle. As we can see, a lot of the people watching Papillion 800's predicament aren't anything to do with the HA.

The Hero Association getting a cut of the action is morally reprehensible. And as we see, it leads to moral conflicts. McCoy may be organising it, but the HA is facilitating it. As long as the money's coming in, look the other way.

Like a rotten apple, McCoy being allowed to operate unchecked taints everyone by association.

Unforgivable is what this betting did to Mad Devil Yankee. In a world where people often feel typecast for life (like Garou), turning one's life around in two months from infamous ne'er-do-well to hero has taken an incredible amount of mental fortitude as well as physical prowess. Additionally, as B-Class Rank 4 and yet not press-ganged into the Blizzard Group, this guy is really something in toughness. He's admired Mumen Rider, but his work ethic is all his. And for him to have nearly tossed this all away, thinking himself unworthy to think of himself as a hero, that's a crime.

Getting a guy to think that he deserved to die for making the best of an impossible situation? God, that's ugly.

McCoy bet that Mad Devil would not be psychopathic enough to bet his mother's life and dare him to threaten his mother's health. Even though he'd been coerced, he thought that a true hero wouldn't have taken up such an impossible task under any circumstance. And yet he hung in there and did his best to fight.

Threatening peoples' families is truly the lowest of actions. Using the very benefits given to heroes as leverage digs a basement under that cesspit.

It was good that Mumen Rider put it in perspective for him: no matter what had happened, he'd been faced with a very strong monster, and he'd stood up to it anyway, knowing that it was unlikely to end well for him. That's the stuff a hero is made of. I'm glad that Mad Devil looks to stay a hero, but for him to have been brought this close to despairing over his life and choices, is unforgivable.

Mumen may not have the best muscles, but he has the best words. Often imitated, but never equalled.

Take one wrong step...

Speaking of corruption, it's scary how easy it is to try to play the odds if there's money to be made. Saitama realising how close he'd come to actually participating in the hero betting game for profit was a salutatory reminder that this shit is easy to do and dangerous. If he'd chosen a little differently, he could be several hundred thousand yen up, but he'd have sold his soul to the worst of human impulses.

It's as Saitama said in a much earlier chapter, take one wrong step, and you're in hell.

Came real close to selling your soul there, didn't ya?

It's one of the things that has most endeared me to Saitama. His recognition that no matter how hard he works, there's still a lot of chance in how things have turned out for him and he remembers this when he looks leniently on people like Hammerhead, who he sees as not too different from him. Just one or two bad choices and that could have been him. That kind of wisdom and humility serves him well.

With friends like this...

I'd love to say that Genos would stop him, but damn, that guy… It's a pity he's a cocksucker has such a narrow viewpoint. Every so often, Genos reminds me that he's far more observant and intelligent than he usually gives out. He's noticed the odd rankings and monster disaster levels, and it made sense to him that it was a gambling ploy. So did he investigate the oddities? No man, he filters everything through the metric of 'does this threaten my access to Saitama sensei?' and if the answer is no, he doesn't give a shit. Seriously.

Yeah, yeah, corruption and problems at the Hero Association, but does it actually affect anything *I* care about?

Also, seeing him see what's wrong with Saitama's proposal to gamble but following Saitama to see what happens anyway… no, man, this fixation of yours is wrong. A healthy reminder of why King is so necessary. He'll not just point out what's wrong, but he won't go along with it.

Genos sees clean through Saitama's scam but stop him? Hell no! He's coming along to see what happens.

The Grab Bag of Pop Culture is Back, Baby!

This story reminds me of what's at the heart of One-Punch Man: its love of finding and referencing popular works while making them something of its own. If you know Squid Game, the rich guys betting on human lives will feel very unpleasantly familiar. If you don't, that's fine too: it's self-contained enough to not need familiarity with its references to work. It's true that a lore-heavy story such as this would often be put in an extra chapter, but because what's happening here is exceptionally germane to what happens next, it's here as a main chapter. I liked it quite a bit.

I am VERY GLAD not to see Narinki as one of the major donors betting. I would like to believe that he appreciates too much the actual sacrifices made by heroes to want to bet on their lives.

More on Monsters

I also liked a lot the fact that the HA has had to raise Saitama's ranking to maintain their fiction of a demon-level monster otherwise, it'd create more problems. Heh heh, suck it, fools. Although as it turns out, it was accurate.

Something else about monsters. When you see a monster, you see a monster. They're living creatures, and they don't rampage all the time under all circumstances, not even the newly-transformed ones. Given that most monsters (including the late Shiverhuahua) gain the power of human speech, they could have just talked to it to understand it better. It's a problem because I'm sure that Shiverhuahua was a very inoffensive monster indoors -- just looking at its sweet look and trustingly wagging tail as it was faced with a guy with a handgun and an electrified prong gives me a nasty pang -- but under the right circumstances, many a monster can blow up into a true terror.

Under the right circumstances, this monster would never have hurt a person

And so it happened here. To the end, the thing was terrified and confused. The nasty human habit of exploiting monsters is perhaps inevitable -- where anything occurs, humans will find a way to exploit it -- but the short-sightedness and failure to understand the beings they are exploiting just adds to the outrageousness of it all.

Where is this going?

So what's this leading up to? Not too sure. Saitama might have another bad night if he thinks about how close to the edge he danced, but he's not the reflective sort of guy. Oh yeah, he really didn't like the idea of being thought of as trash. Now imagine how your disciple feels. It's interesting to see that Child Emperor is continuing to dig. Naturally, this isn't the first of the wrong doings.

Come to that, if Child Emperor moves over to the Neo Heroes, he's going to have a nasty shock to find McCoy there too. That's going to be something worth seeing.

I digress. Back to what this is all leading to. There's going to have to be some precipitating event that starts giving heroes a push in a big way, and that brings the Neo Heroes out. Looks like it's going to be a target-rich environment whenever that happens.

[cuntwrap--supreme]

I may not have a Spotify, but, according to my iPod, I have mental illness.

[thetiredfroggy]

Silly tenth doctor doodle!!

My apologies for my absence btw!! I've been really busy with work and college :) also my computers apparently broken now so yippee ig

[ketogummiesdeborahmeaden]

Deborah Meaden Keto Gummies: Consumer Reports | Benefits, Ingredints & More

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Deborah Meaden Keto Gummies never make you feel exhausted or lazy; rather, it inspires you to lead an active lifestyle. It supports living a healthy lifestyle and aids in eliminating all excess body weight.

[writingdotcoffee]

The "Alt" NaNoWriMo Challenge

I'm a big fan of NaNoWriMo and the energy the event breathes into the writing community. Hundreds of thousands of people start working on their novels at the same time. Lots of people share their progress and cheer each other on. Several now-famous authors have started their best-selling novels during NaNo over the years.

That said, it's not for everyone. Writing 50,000 words per month is a serious commitment. Doing it alongside school or work is no joke. In fact, most people who sign up don't finish. According to these stats, only 1-2 out of every 10 participants complete the challenge.

I've never joined NaNoWriMo myself. I'm a slow writer, and I know that I would burn out. Instead, I set a different writing-related challenge for myself every November.

In 2018, I started reading one short story every day. It turned into a regular habit, and I ended up reading hundreds of short stories over the following few months.

Last year, I wanted to build a 30-day writing streak. In the end, I wrote for 232 days in a row. 2023 became the most productive year of my writing life by far with over 250,000 words written.

This year, I will be doing something similar, and I want to invite you to come along for the ride.

The Idea of "AltNaNo"

The idea of finishing a novel in a month seems outrageous to most people. That's what makes it so compelling. It's like standing at the foot of a snowcapped mountain with a rope and a couple of ice picks. The challenge itself is inspiring.

The AltNaNo challenge is the exact opposite. The goal is as small as possible on purpose. The focus isn't to achieve this massive feat but to squash all excuses and merely start writing.

You may not be able to write 50,000 words in a month. But almost everyone can find 15 minutes to write every day.

The Challenge

The goal is simple: Write for at least 15 minutes every day in November.

Writing 100 words and calling it a day after 15 minutes is a success.

Spending longer and writing 500 words is a success.

Wrestling with a difficult scene for 15 minutes and writing only a single sentence is a success.

Spending 15 minutes trying to write after a long day and not producing a single word is a success, too.

Be a tortoise. We all know how the story goes.

How to Join

I've set up daily challenges for the first week in Writing Analytics, if you wanted to join us there:

Day 1/30 ✅

Day 2/30 ✅

Day 3/30 ✅

Day 4/30 ✅

Day 5/30 ✅

Day 6/30 ✅

Day 7/30 ✅

I'll be posting daily updates on the blog as well.

PS: If you'd like to learn more about developing a writing habit, check out this free course I launched a few weeks ago.

[allidrawscomics]

Tigress Queen 232-234

Tigress Queen updated!

[pinksmonkey]

The Ultimate Byler Evidence/Analysis List (Part 3)

If you missed parts 1 or 2, here they are: Part 1 and Part 2

198. Bi Mike Masterpost

199. Byler Parallels Masterpost

200. The Choices The Writers Made

201. The Significance Of Mileven Not Getting Each Other

202. The Importance Of Byler Getting Each Other

203. The Importance Of Byler Getting Each Other - Part 2

204. Moments I've Been Thinking About

205. The Painting Ensures Byler Endgame

206. Byler Canon-Comforts

207. Will's Season 5 Arc

208. Elmike's Transition

209. Mike, Will, And El's Individual Arcs Each Season

210. Mike Wheeler's Playlist

211. I Ship It Because It's Endgame

212. I Love You On Your Bad Days

213. Mike Wasn't Lying When He Said "I Love You" And It Doesn't Rule Out Byler Endgame

214. Mike Was Thinking About Will When He Jumped Off The Cliff

215. Will Needs Mike

216. So Many Things Wrong With This Post

217. Why Byler Is Endgame

218. Amount Of Byler Scenes Compared To Mileven

219. Mike's Choice Of Words

220. Fundamentally A Story About Queer Themes

221. We Should Talk About This Way More

222. The Gay Beautician/Hairdresser Trope

223. If Byler Doesn't Happen

224. You Only Need To Understand Five Things

225. Who's Getting Books And Who Isn't?

226. Crafting A Confession

227. You're The Heart

228. Pocketgate Details You Might Have Missed

229. The Piggyback Drawing

230. Green Socks

231. Byler Fights VS Mileven Fights

232. I Didn't Say It, You Didn't Have To

233. Heroes

234. The Difference Between The Monologues Is Obvious

235. "Something I Never Stop Thinking About"

236. The Importance of Tiger Pride

237. Why Heroes Will Be Back

If you have anything else you think should be added to the list, let me know, leave a link in the comments or a repost. I will continue updating this list with any new awesome analyses. Happy Byler-ing! ☺️

238. Season 1 Mike Queercoding

239. Fandom's Reaction To The Will Is Gay Theory Repeating With Mike

240. Tropes and Byler

241. The Superman Reference

242. Milevens Are Insane

243. Mileven's Season

[matan4il]

Daily update post:

Yesterday, there was a terrorist attack, two people were stabbed in the area where my mom's cousin and his wife live. I found out about it as I was returning from a medical appointment, going through a road where in Nov, a terrorist shot to death a young Israeli man.

Based on what the IDF has found of Hamas' armaments (which surpassed Israeli estimates), based on how things stand now, Hamas would be capable of continuing to fire rockets into Israel for at least 2-3 more years. That's why, even as the fighting continues, there are new defensive measures that will be built along road 232, the same road mentioned in the NYT's article about the Hamas rapes during the Oct 7 massacre.

Speaking of that article, apparently despite the insane amount of evidence in it, and mentioned recently in regards to the subject of the rapes, some are trying to deny that this part of the massacre happened. This is a perfect response (IMO) from feminists.againstantisemitism on IG:

Cyberwell, a watch dog that monitors antisemitism on social media, has reported a sharp rise in antisemitic posts since Oct 7. And not just of the new, anti-Zionist kind. There has been a rise in 1000% in posts accusing Jews of killing Jesus (yes, the Jew crucified by Romans almost 2,000 years ago... funny how you never see people going around saying Italians killed Jesus... almost like the whole thing isn't about who actually killed Jesus, and more about providing yet another excuse for antisemitism, a hatred that pre-dates Jesus), and 1600% in the hashtag saying that Hitler was right, the guy whose antisemitic, genocidal ideology, the attackers, maimers, rapists, kidnappers and murderers of Oct 7 would happily co-sign. All of this, while the world appropriates the Jewish slogan "never again" to use against Jews defending themselves. Make it make sense.

And here's a reminder that what starts online, doesn't stay online. There have been unprecedented levels of antisemitism in many places, including in New Zealand. What got to me the most is the report on antisemitic incidents targeting school kids, and that only 40% of parents report these (sometimes 'coz previous cases have not been treated right, or the school is seen as being ill-equipped to deal with antisemitism). A 2021 survey found that 60% of New Zealanders agreed with antisemitic statements, so it might be argued that this recent outburst has been waiting to happen for a while, just waiting for an excuse to.

Here's another piece that I sadly could only find in Hebrew so far. It reveals some more of the interrogations of Hamas terrorists, this time covering how Hamas terrorizes civilians in Gaza. Here's my loose translation of a testimony's summary, from a Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist (Muhammed Darwish Amare). It can be found (with the full testimony in the vid and appearing) at the above link: "Someone told me that they took explosives, to place them from his apartment to a spot 2 meters (6.5 feet) away from him. The man came down and told [the terrorist]: 'Oh man, how are you placing the explosives by the door, and then if they explode, my kids and I will be gone.' He responded, 'If you don't like it, then get out of here.' The apartment owner said to him, 'These are my kids, this isn't right,' and the explosives placer replied, 'I will lay them even if you don't like it, and I will even place them between you and your wife.' Then he took out his pistol and shot the apartment owner in the leg."

Another testimony, found at the same link, this one is of a former Hamas member (Zuhady Ali Zahdy Shahi): "I felt that we civilians are human shields. Why should we protect them? We want to be saved, too. That's Hamas' mistake. People left their house [during the fighting], and there was a safe passage, because the army told us to go south, that there will be food and water there. They drew a safe passage for us, and then we ran into [Hamas terrorists], who made us go into one of the neighborhoods. They told us, 'No one is going south, there are bombings, and no one can continue on the street.' We went into the Shifa hospital, and we got stuck inside. [The terrorists] sat among us, with the civilians. They were scared of the soldiers. I even argued with one of them, and told him, 'Your place isn't here, with the civilians, but downstairs [in the terror tunnels].' He told me that the moment the war would be over, he will punish me, he started threatening me." When asked what he thought of the IDF, Shahi said, "Truth is, based on what I've seen, I wish you would stay with us. If they would have stayed where we lived, we wouldn't be starving. The moment the army came into Shifa, we were scared of what would be done with us, but it was the opposite. They brought us food and water, and sat with us. We felt safe."

This is 56 years old Ilan Weiss.

His 53 years old wife Shiri and 18 years old daughter Noa were kidnapped by Hamas, and released in the hostage deal. Ilan himself, who was a member of the emergency team at kibbutz Be'eri, left his house on the morning of the massacre, as first reports came in, and wasn't heard of again. He was considered missing (meaning, it was unknown whether he was kidnapped or killed on Oct 7). Today it was announced that his body was identified, and he had been murdered during the massacre. May his memory be a blessing.

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[twice-inamillion]

Master List 2

Twice Dome Arc

Chapter 174: First Day in Osaka

Chapter 174.5 Side Story: Flashed

Chapter 175: Second Day in Osaka

Chapter 175.5 Side Story: Overdue Punishment

Chapter 176: Meeting Her Parents

Chapter 177: Mina’s Birthday Gift

Chapter 177.5 Side Story: Family Trip

Chapter 177.6 Side Story: New Trainer

Chapter 178: Tokyo Dome Surprise

Chapter 179: Eating Out with Momo

Chapter 179.5 Side Story: Drunken Date

Chapter 180: Tokyo Trip

Chapter 180.5 Side Story: Relaxation

Fancy Arc

Chapter 181: Sana’s News

Chapter 182 Side Story: Teasing 2Yeon

Chapter 183: Tzuyu's Congratulation Gift 

Chapter 184 Side Story: Pushing Boundaries

Chapter 185: Showcase - Fancy You

Chapter 186: Chaeyoung’s Birthday Wish

Chapter 187 Side Story: Award Show

Chapter 188 Side Story: Protector

Chapter 189: Children’s Day

Chapter 190: Jihyo’s Concern

Chapter 191: Twice’s Future?

Chapter 192 Side Story: Prepping

Chapter 193: Play In Future Home

Chapter 194 Side Story: Jealousy

Chapter 195: A Special Date

Chapter 196: Nayeon’s First Night

Chapter 197: Nayeon’s Morning Sex

Twicelights World Tour Arc

Chapter 198 Side Story: Viewing Party

Chapter 199: Dahyun’s Birthday Sex

Chapter 200 Side Story: Bratty

Chapter 204: Member/ House update

Chapter 201: Member Practice

Chapter 202: Sana’s Appointment

Chapter 203 Side Story: Doctor’s Orders

Chapter 205: Tzuyu’s First Time in Bangkok

Chapter 206 Side Story: Addiction to you

Twice in Hawaii Mini Arc

Chapter 207: Happy, Happy

Chapter 208: Night With Mommies

Chapter 209 Side Story: Poolside Chat

Chapter 210: Forever Jihyo

Chapter 211: Shower Sex

Chapter 212: Honeymoon in Hawaii 

Chapter 213: Children Adventures

Chapter 214: Family Trip (Jihyo, Jisoo, OC)

Twicelights World Tour Arc

Chapter 215: Lips

Chapter 216: Momo in the Studio

Chapter 217: Side Story- Clothes

Sana Mini Arc

Chapter 218: Ambush

Chapter 219: Sorrow

Chapter 220: Twisted Reality

Chapter 221: Side Story- Confused

Chapter 222: Without Sana

Chapter 223: A Change in Sana

Chapter 224: Side Story- Imagination

Chapter 225: Childhood Dream

Chapter 226: Reunion

Chapter 227: Side Story- Stretching

Chapter 228: Side Story: A Rough Ride Home

Chapter 229: Bunny Nayeon

Chapter 230: Feel Special

Chapter 231: Side Story - Green Room

Chapter 232: Sister Talk

Chapter 233: After Jimmy Choo

Chapter 234: Yoo Sisters

Chapter 235: Side Story- Until She Wakes

Chapter 236: Fall Festival

Chapter 237: Side Story- Disneyland

Chapter 238: Nov-Dec Update

Chapter 239: OC’s Birthday Part 1

Chapter 240: Side Story - Party Planning

Chapter 241: OC’s Birthday Part 2

Chapter 242: A Surprising Christmas

Chapter 243: Side Story- New Toy

[gofancyninjaworld]

OPM Manga Update 232 Translation

It's out:

[homestuckreplay]

Fluthlu Vs Wizards!

(aka: What's Up With Rose And Her Mom?)

The Elephant Shrew is the fastest land mammal on Earth smaller than half a kilogram, and has been recorded to reach speeds up to 28.8 kilometers per hour. This has no relevance to Homestuck, but it's a fun fact I learned today!

This whole section of Rose updates has primarily been about her feelings towards her mother. In Rose's mind, she knows exactly who her mom is and what her motivations are for acting like she does. As readers who are only getting one side of the story at a specific moment in time, I don't think we can draw firm conclusions yet.

Brief analysis below the cut; about 1.4k words.

The first thing we learn about Rose's mom is on page 174, and comes from a conversation with John.

TT: I battled through her cloud of gin and derision once already this evening.

This suggests that Rose's mom drinks a lot, and mocks or scorns her when they interact. In this conversation we learn more generally that Rose doesn't leave her room for fear of an encounter with her mom - on pages 231-232 she sneaks past the hallway to her mom's room, seeming scared.

We then get the following information later in act 1:

Your panoramic window offers a view of your yard below, and the mausoleum housing your dead cat, JASPERS, who died when you were young. Your MOM had the structure erected with a spirit of scornful IRONY in response to your youthfully innocent request to hold a funeral for the animal. At least, that is how you have come to interpret the gesture in retrospect. (p.225)

Hanging just next to your door in the hallway is a painting of an EXQUISITE WIZARD. Your mother collects these awful things IRONICALLY. She must know how much you detest them, and there is no doubt in your mind she stores these dreadful things in the house to bother you. (p.229)

And in act 2, pages 358-380 have primarily focused on Rose's relationship with her mom, including the true extent of her mom's ridiculous number and size of wizard statues (I say this as a wizard lover), and their currently ongoing fridge door battle. Rose takes this battle very seriously, and spends time thinking of the perfect rebuttal.

She also calls her mother a shrew - a term generally considered offensive and sexist, meaning a woman who is unpleasant, argumentative, and nagging. It is not surprising that a child would view their mother this way. However, we haven't actually seen them interact, and all we have is Rose's perspective.

So here's my problem. If we take Rose 100% at her word, then her mom totally sucks - she's a cruel alcoholic who makes Rose feel unsafe in her own house and mocks the earnest, genuine actions and desires of a child. This in turn has made Rose into someone who second guesses all her actions, is concerned about being watched, squashes down the childish parts of herself, and tries to match and exceed her mom's passive aggressive gestures.

I don't want to dismiss this interpretation, or downplay Rose's problems - even if she's wrong about some things, I think that Rose is clearly hurting because of this relationship, and that her mom isn't taking meaningful steps to help. But Rose can be traumatized and still wrong about a lot of things. And I don't think Rose is all that emotionally intelligent or good at reading people - she's dismissed John's problems as less serious than her own (p.174), and her 'condolences' towards other Sburb players do not read as sincere (p.249).

With that in mind, here are some alternative interpretations.

Rose's mom is clearly very well off. She has a large house, far too large if it's just the two of them living there, and one that's designed and decorated around being aesthetically interesting, not around being good to live in. It's even dangerous - the walkway to the observatory has no safety railing, with a several story drop onto rocks and the waterfall.

Rose's mom spares no expense on ultimately empty gestures for her daughter. The few hundred dollars a lifesize princess doll costs are nothing to her. She spent $15,000 on a frame for a child's drawing that any other parent would have stuck to the fridge with a magnet. The lowest estimate I could find for building a private standalone mausoleum is $50,000, and they can be a lot more than that. Rose's mom has the money to make the house safer and more comfortable for her daughter, but she doesn't.

I think Rose's mom has the classic rich parent trait of throwing money at her child as a substitute for love. We see a microcosm of this on the fridge - in addition to the frame, she buys a pack of magnetic Ws to help with Rose's poetry, and she buys a velvet pillow for the thank you note to rest on. She gets the vacuum cleaner Rose bought her plated in bronze to say thank you, instead of just using it and showing appreciation that way (I could not find a solid price estimate for bronze plating a vacuum cleaner). This might be well meaning, but it comes across as cold and impersonal, and as something that takes no effort or sacrifice from her part if she has millions of dollars to play around with.

In contrast, Rose's gestures - a tailored insult to her mother, a handwritten and notarized thank you note, an embroidered poem, and a drop of her own blood - are personalized, handmade, and painful or time consuming. Although we see that growing up in an environment where money is equated with love has left its mark on Rose, as she leaves twelve cents to cover the cost of the letter W. This is an insignificant amount of money to most adults but especially Rose's mom, but she still has to do it, because the relationship is transactional in that way.

On page 377, we get 'She's up to her IRONIC HOUSEWIFE routine again. That mop bucket doesn't even have any water in it!' which to me is really solid evidence that Rose is missing part of the picture. Because an ironic housewife routine is a fucking wild thing to do. If Rose's mom's wealth is generational, she might have grown up with a hired cleaner. She might simply have never been taught how to clean a house. Like, even if it had water, that bucket isn't correctly shaped for that mop. And cleaning in high heels? Possibly thinking the vacuum cleaner would still work when bronze plated, given that she still tries to use it? Honestly, I think she could be just as lost in that big, lonely house as Rose is.

The real elephant in the room is Rose's mom's possible alcoholism. Both times we've physically seen her (p.231, p.376) she's been holding a martini glass, and there are several liquor bottles on the kitchen counter. It is, however, evening. Rose's mom definitely likes to drink, but we don't know if it's to problematic levels that would impact her parenting ability. It's also possible that Rose would prefer to see her mom as an alcoholic because it's an easy and concrete thing to blame their problems on. It means she doesn't have to see her mother three dimensionally - and we know she doesn't want to, given her refusal to psychoanalyze her mom despite her interest in the topic generally (p.360).

By putting the blame on an outside substance that her mom might have been addicted to since before she was born, Rose doesn't have to question if she's done anything wrong as a child. To be clear, when a child is 13 I do think the parent shoulders the blame for an unhealthy parent-child relationship, but it is common for children to blame themselves in that situation and wonder if they could have saved that relationship by being 'better' in some way, and Rose might want to avoid those feelings.

Finally, alcohol is probably something Rose doesn't have access to. Rose, who wants so badly to be taken seriously as an adult and tries to convey intelligence and maturity, lives in a house where this one specific sign of adulthood is very visibly present, but she's probably not allowed to touch it herself. I think Rose wants to see herself and her mom as equals - in their war of passive aggression, Rose doesn't defer to her mom the way John does with his dad (p.92). But Rose's mom wants to keep her young, buying her a princess doll and keeping her childhood drawing welded to the fridge. It makes sense that Rose is angry about the signifiers of adulthood she can't access, like being allowed to decorate the house or drink alcohol.

So, that was a lot of words to say 'I have no idea what's going on between Rose and her mom, or how accurate Rose's beliefs are'. I definitely don't think Rose's mom is a good parent. Clearly, her behavior has meant that Rose doesn't feel she can be honest with her mom or address problems head on, and clearly Rose's mom is not taking action to fix this.

This appears to be the biggest source of problems in Rose's life, so I hope we get some conclusive information soon. Even if their relationship doesn't get fixed, I think and hope that this will go on to be a source of character development for Rose, because - and this is crucial - I need Rose to accept that wizards are cool.

[dorianwolfforest]

I have 140 dabloons, 2 guard dogs, a medium size bag, a coat, gloves, boots and my ass is on full display, it is moon town out here, ass out like a trout, because no one sells any pants

Is

Is anyone else on dabloon tiktok

[ketogummiesdeborahmeaden]

Deborah Meaden Keto Gummies: Customer Complaints 2022-2023| Must Check

Deborah Meaden Keto is a dietary product that promotes weight loss through natural means. This natural product damages your body while helping you lose weight. This substance has been demonstrated to be quite beneficial in helping people lose weight.

It makes use of ketosis for its benefit. When the body is in a state of ketosis, fat is used as fuel instead of carbohydrates. The body produces ketones as a secondary energy source when this happens. The metabolic state known as ketosis occurs when the body uses fat as fuel rather than glucose for energy.

[lenasai]

evacuation fundraisers that need your help - last updated 11/7

weekly gaza funds spotlight campaign:

€11,439 / €50,000

previous gaza funds spotlight campaigns:

dr. isam's family: $6,022 CAD / $70,000 - NO DONATIONS IN EIGHT DAYS‼️

mahmoud qaddoha: €7,480 / €100,000

ahmad abuabdou: €7,558 / €12,500 - NO DONATIONS IN EIGHT DAYS‼️

hassan abdullah: $6,690 / $40,000

hossam abo shab: kr66,948 SEK / 200,000

firas al-shaer: $9,057 / $50,000

raghad and family: $83,629 / $100,000 - NO DONATIONS IN SEVEN DAYS‼️

mosab moqat: €6,546 / €7,500 - NO DONATIONS IN SEVEN DAYS‼️

saja mashharawi: $6,704 CAD / $45,000 - no donations in four days!

nizar zakout: CHF26,294 / CHF35,000 - NO DONATIONS IN SEVEN DAYS‼️

ghazi mekawi: €10,935 / €50,000

vetted fundraisers:

i try to not use links in vetting info where possible because tumblr limits the number of links in a post. many of these campaigns have provided vetting info in their pinned posts, so check them out! for campaigns reblogged by 90-ghost, you can check the notes and see that people have linked his reblog in the notes for easy access.

hanangaza1: $17,545 / $100,000 (see pinned post)

jaberfamily3: $1,800 / $29,000 (reblogged by 90-ghost)

ahmedhmood: £793 / £60,000 (#23 on this list)

farah-alaa: $4,269 / $35,000 (see pinned post)

osama--basil-blog: €4,072 / €15,000 (see pinned post)

shadi90: kr17,026 SEK / kr200,000 (see pinned post)

ayaalanqar9: €15,478 / €30,000 (see pinned post)

heba-213: $2,747 CAD / $30,000 (more info here)

hazemsfamily: €19,069 / €50,000 (#75 on this list)

ahmed-fathi-gaza: €21,272 / €80,000 (reblogged by 90-ghost)

khaled-12: $145 CAD / $30,000 (reblogged by 90-ghost)

sondos22002: $1,288 CAD / $30,000 (see pinned post)

mohiyfamily: $110,955 / $120,000 (reblogged by 90-ghost)

yousefalyazjii1: kr71,305 SEK / kr200,000 (see pinned post)

saeid19: €410 / €50,000 (reblogged by 90-ghost)

ahlam910: $1,542 / $50,000 (see pinned post)

reem-alajrami: €232 / €5,000 (see pinned post)

ghadafamily3: €3,821 / €20,000 (see pinned post)

s-sa-mo: €7,965 / €10,000 (reblogged by 90-ghost)

mahmodsyj: $9,221 / $25,000 (see pinned post)

nybalalser and mohmadelser: €2,537 / €50,000 (#66 on this list)

rewaida97: €3,520 / €30,000 (#35 on this list)

ameertaims: kr34,043 SEK / kr200,000 (#59 on this list)

mohmoud-j: $23,723 / $60,000 (more info here)

fayezjadallah: £5,785 / £25,000 (#355 on this list)

hanan-famliiy: $4,526 / $20,000 (see pinned post)

khadigayousef2024: €28,932 / €30,000 (reblogged by 90-ghost)

najah-tamim2023: €3,369 / €20,000 (#113 on this list)

eslamfa999: $29,220 / $50,000 (#308 on this list)

abeerashraf-2: €3,220 / €50,000 (see pinned post)

more vetted fundraisers:

osamafamily2: £5,597 / £50,000 (#12 on this list)

leenmata123: €1,754 / €64,000 (#33 on this list)

fatooamaahe: €6,813 / €40,000 (see pinned post)

supportmohammedmsiam1: $2,055 / $25,000 (#198 on this list)

mohammedmoner: €1,527 / €30,000 (#26 on this list)

unvetted but likely legitimate:

mahmoud04: €412 / €65,000 - no donations in five days!

gaza-yhiaaboassi95: $45 / (no goal listed)

[bergdg]

Analyzing Invention: Jan-Aug 2024

We are now two-thirds through 2024. Each week, a new challenge has appeared as part of the Inventor's Fair, a Magic: the Gathering card design contest blog here on Tumblr.

For the uninitiated, each week, a design challenge is announced on the blog and members of the community create cards meeting the design specifications. At the end of the week, a few winners and runner-ups are selected from the submission.

So let's take a look at some of the trends so far this year - January through August.

Art. Katerina of Myra's Marvels. Illustrated by Gaboleps

The Contests

Through August, there have been 33 contests: 11 being led by @abelzumi, 10 being led by @spooky-bard, and the rest led by an assortment of judges (Note: there were 6 contest in which the judge didn't identify themselves).

Throughout these 33 contests, there have been 723 entries, spread over 110 unique participants. Of those participants, there have been 17 who have submitted at least 17 submissions (50+% participation). A special shout-out to @nine-effing-hells for their 33 submissions.

On average, there have been 22 participants per contest, with the highest being Common Wonders (30 participants) and the lowest being a tie between My Better Half, War Never* Changes and Spoiled for Choice (16 participants).

Fig. 1 - Line Graph of the Number of Entries Per Contest. Blue dots represent the number of entries for a contest, and the green line represents the 3-contest average.

The Submissions

As previously mentioned, there have been 723 unique entries (some of which had multiple designs, such as all the ones submitted for My Better Half).

In previous evaluations, we looked at all sorts of data: such as card types, mana value, and rarities. While prepping for this iteration, I asked what folks would like to see. The request: let's see some color breakdowns. So let's deep-dive!

Starting off, let's look at general color identities. If they are at least partial in the color, they'll be included here. In order:

Black: 232

Blue: 224

Red: 215

White: 211

Green: 156

Most of the colors are pretty close in the number of entries, except poor ol' green. This is the same from what we saw in the January-April update as well. (The order then was almost the exact same, with just blue and black swapping places).

The pattern is similar when we look at solely mono color entries, with Blue and Red swapping places:

Black: 91

Red: 87

Blue: 83

White: 80

Green: 55

Fig. 2 - Image of Kermit the Frog, with text saying "It's not easy bein' green".

Now let's dip into a well we haven't before: multi-color entries!

Based on our general color tendencies, you might think Dimir (blue-black) OR Rakdos (black-red) would be in the top spot. And while they do make a good showing (at #2 and #4 respectively), the top spot might surprise you:

Orzhov (W B): 35

Dimir (U B): 34

Izzet (U R): 30

Rakdos (B R): 26

Azorius (W U): 24

Boros (R W): 23

Simic (G U): 22

Gruul (R G): 20

Selesnya (G W): 16

Golgari (B G): 13

Unsurprisingly, all 4 green guilds were lowest on the list. I was surprised that Golgari was lowest though, with the general black designs being the most prominent.

For three colors, most of the 10 options are fairly close, between 3 and 5 entries each. The slight stand-out was Abzan (W B G) with 6. There has been only a single 4-color design, Atraxa's Command designed by @khyrberos (g w u b), and four 5-color designs.

There have also been 35 colorless cards designed. I'll give a note here on lands - since we are looking a color identity and not mana cost, many lands are in a color bucket, not just here in colorless land.

Well, that about sums things up for this time around. It's always cool to see everyone's submissions each week as part of the @inventors-fair! Y'all are awesome, and I can't wait to see what designs you come up with through the end of the year. And maybe, just maybe, think about adding some green :).

[stabbyfoxandrew]

Arsonist Neil / Firefighter Andrew AU- Page 3

─────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────────

Part 193, Part 194, Part 195, Part 196, Part 197, Part 198, Part 199, Part 200, Part 201, Part 202, Part 203, Part 204, Part 205, Part 206, Part 207, Part 208, Part 209, Part 210, Part 211, Part 212, Part 213, Part 214, Part 215, Part 216, Part 217, Part 218, Part 219, Part 220, Part 221, Part 222, Part 223*, Part 224, Part 225, Part 226, Part 227, Part 228, Part 229, Part 230, Part 231, Part 232, Part 233, Part 234, Part 235, Part 236, Part 237, Part 238, Part 239, Part 240, Part 241, Part 242, Part 243, Part 244, Part 245, Part 246, Part 247, Part 248, Part 249

list updated on 10/25/24

*there's no part 223 because apparently i skipped it when making the posts and i ain't re-numbering them all. oopsie :')