#whoo-ee this is a long post

[birdiebirdjay]

oh. oh my god.

the more i really start to think about harry potter, especially the weasleys, the more fucked up everything seems. oh dear lord.

actually, thinking about everything this way made me see molly so much differently. before, i really only saw the neglectfulness and borderline verbal/emotional abuse towards f/g and ron, but like seeing her whole life of parenting written out like that? absolutely mindshattering.

oh wow. of course abuse is never excusable, but really seeing molly in this situation helps me understand everything so much better. it was never the characters' fault, it was the situation they were written into. why why why did the weasleys have so many children? jkr is so flipping bad with math, what even. fucked up a perfectly good family is what you did. look at them, they've got trauma.

aLSO THAT LITTLE BIT AT THE END ABOUT PERCY AND SCABBERS? OH MY GOD. I LITERALLY SHUDDERED, THE HAIRS ON THE BACK OF MY NECK ARE STANDING UP. genuinely that is so creepy, did percy ever find out about peter pettigrew? gahh, for his sake i hope he didnt.

thinking about young percy (really, any young weasley) is so goddamn sad. 0/10 do not recommend (you'll need therapy if you don't already).

Yes. The Weasleys had too many kids. An analysis. (Part 1 of 2)

Everyone who read Harry Potter read about the prejudices regarding the Weasleys: They all have red hair, are poor and have more kids than they can afford. Insert a sneering Malfoy here.

The books were adamant that that was not the case. The Weasleys are depicted as the best family in the books. (Just look at the others. The Dursleys were narrow-minded, bigoted and abusive. The Malfoys were bigoted terrorists. The Lovegoods were weird. Let’s not even start about Merope and Riddle.)

However, if you look closer, the prejudices have some truth to them: They had more kids than they could afford. However, money isn’t the issue here, not really.

Yes, the Weasleys are clearly depicted as members of the working class. They don’t have much money and fall back on second-hand stuff a lot of the time. Ron in particular is shown to be using hand-me-downs in book one.

However, they don’t live in abject poverty. The family owns their own home on their own land. They have a garden to grow their own vegetables and they have chickens. This means that food scarcity shouldn’t be a big issue for them, because they can produce a lot of it on their own. (Magic should make this even easier, because they can use it for the gardening stuff. And if we assume that you can duplicate food, this should keep everyone well-fed.)

The main issue when it comes to money isn’t that they don’t have anything. They have clearly enough money to stay comfortably over water. They just don’t have enough money to buy all the fancy shit the wizarding world uses as status symbols. (Like racing brooms and dress robes.)

Could things be better, money-wise? Sure. But one can have a loving, comfortable childhood, even with second-hand clothes and working class food. So no. It’s not about the money.

It’s about time. 

And it's also about how the parents divide that time (and the work that comes along with it.)

The Weasleys follow a family structure one would expect from a muggle family of their time (the second half of the 20th century): Arthur is the one who goes out to work and earns money, while his wife Molly is a stay-at-home-mother who takes care of their home and kids. It’s also just their nuclear family that lives in the burrow. There are no other relatives (no grandparents and no aunts or uncles, either) living there.

I find this a little bit weird, tbh. The nuclear family (parents and kids) living alone, without any other relatives and with the father as the sole breadwinner, is a pretty new development. The practice only really established itself after the Statute of Secrecy went into effect. It developed first in the upper classes (who used this to flaunt their wealth) and in urban centers (where there was no space to live together with your extended family.) Before this, living with one's extended family was very common, especially in rural areas, where it was beneficial to stick together. The Weasley’s don’t really have a reason to live as a nuclear family. There is no need for wizards to follow the Muggle trend, and things were different before the statute. Living with other, adult family members would also be beneficial, especially for Molly. And the books do suggest that the extended family is quite large, so “They don’t live with other relatives, because they don’t have any” doesn’t fit their situation either.

This is a common theme for Rowling, by the way. She tends to ignore the extended families of her characters, whenever it is possible. The numbers of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins that get mentioned in the book is incredibly low. (The only character who seems to have close connections to his extended family is Neville – and that’s because the other members of his nuclear family are completely absent because of health reasons.)

Anyway. When we look back at the Weasleys, this leaves Molly basically as a tradwife. (Minus the religious baggage.) But let's start at the beginning. 

(Note: I will focus on the books in this. I don’t consider the games canon and will not use them as a source.) Arthur and Molly were born around 1950. We know that he went to Hogwarts from 1961 to 1968. They were close enough in age to start a relationship while still at Hogwarts, and they married shortly after graduating. For this to work, she must have been in his year or maybe the year below or above.

Bill was born in 1970 and was followed by six siblings, the last who was born in 1981. So from the age of ca. 20 to the age of ca. 33 Molly was either pregnant or nursing at least one baby at any given time. (There might have been a short break in that pattern between Charlie and Percy, but it only got worse after that.)

As I said before, Molly and Arthur seem to have a very traditional division of labor between them: He works at the ministry and earns money, she takes care of their home and kids. This means that Molly has drawn the short end of the stick.

While Arthur is working one job 9-5, Molly has to work three jobs and at least one of them is 24/7. Let’s pick them apart:

Her first job is to take care of the home. Molly cleans the house and does the laundry. It is also very likely that she is not only responsible for cooking, but for food production in general. This means that she takes care of the garden and chickens. This would be pretty exhausting, if not for her magic. She can likely cut down on time and effort by using magic for most of those tasks.

On top of this, she is also producing at least some of the clothing her family wears. We don't see her sewing, but she knits a lot. She is using magic for that, too.

Her second job is to raise their kids. Molly is their primary caregiver and does most of the parenting. This is a difficult job to begin with, but there are seven of them. This is where her workload starts to stretch her thin. It can’t be easy to do the laundry, while Ginny needs to be fed, Bill and Charlie are arguing in the backyard, and the twins have just vanished. Magic is less helpful here, because a lot of the work requires her to interact with her kids. She can’t really flick her wand to speed that up.

On top of that - and this is where things get even worse - there doesn't seem to be any kind of elementary school in Wizarding Great Britain. At the very least, the books do not mention any form of primary education and Hogwarts seems to be Ron’s first school. But Hogwarts still requires its students to be able to read, write and do math. Having some education about the Wizarding World couldn’t hurt, either.

However, someone has to teach the kids. And this someone is probably Molly, because Arthur is at work, and they don’t have the money for a private tutor. They cant sent their kids to an elementary school, because there is none. (And they obviously did not send them to a muggle school.) 

So this is her third job. This is another job she can’t really speed up with magic, because she can’t hex the knowledge into her kids’ brains. (Or at least I hope she can’t, because everything else would be disturbing.)

This means Molly has to take care of their home, produce their food, take care of their kids and teach them elementary school-stuff. All while being pregnant and/or nursing for circa 13 years straight.

Her workload just isn’t doable for a single person. It might have started off okay, when she only had Bill and Charlie, and it probably got better once most kids had left the house to study at Hogwarts. But the years in between must have been hell. And she did not really have any help to do it.

Arthur was off to work most days and seems to spend quite a lot of time on his hobby. Additionally, he just doesn’t seem to be all that involved as a father and seems to take care mostly of the fun stuff. 

His parenting style is much more relaxed than Molly’s, too. He’s probably the parent the kids go to when they want to do something their mother would say no to. This, of course, makes parenting even harder for her, because she doesn’t just have to deal with the kids, but also with Arthur’s parenting decisions. There are no other adult family members around to help her, either. They also don’t have the money to hire help. (No wonder Molly dreamed of having her own slave house elf. It would have allowed her to drastically reduce her workload. It’s a really disgusting wish, but I understand where it comes from.)

This is where the family dynamics probably took their first severe hit: It’s very likely that Molly’s workload left her with more work than she was able to do consistently. Whether Arthur pulled his weight in that regard is questionable (and he was at work for most of the day anyway.) She also had no other adults to help her, so she probably offloaded her workload elsewhere: her kids.

Yes. I think it is very likely that the Weasleys parentified their kids, especially Bill, Charlie and Percy. We don’t see it with Bill and Charlie, probably because they had already left the house when Harry meets the family. Still, it’s a little weird that both of them went to live so far away from home. Yes, sure, exploring tombs in Egypt and taming dragons in Romania is fun and exciting in and off itself – but being so far away from home that mom can’t rope you into household chores and babysitting duty is probably a really nice bonus. It would also relax their familial relationships quite a bit, because moving away gives them control over when and how they want to engage. (And it’s probably easier to be the fun big brother to your younger siblings when you aren’t required to watch and control them every day.)

We do see it with Percy, however. He looks after and take responsibility for his younger siblings a lot, especially at Hogwarts. You can see it in the way he looks after Ginny and how he’s constantly at odds with Fred and George because they refuse to follow any rules.

Fuck, he still does this after the big row with his father. Yes, the letter he sends to Ron is pretty obnoxious, but he still wrote it. He did not need to. At that point he had cut all contact, after all. He clearly cared for his younger brother and wanted to look out for him, even if he did it in the most annoying way possible. It would be interesting to know whether he also wrote to Ginny or the twins or not.

Also, did I mention that the Weasleys have too many kids?

They have too many kids.

It’s a numbers game, really. The more kids you have, the more time you have to use for household chores (you need to clean more, wash more, cook more, etc.) You also have less time to spend time with each kid individually. This is especially true for quality time – so time that isn’t spent on chores or education. Time that is spent playing and talking with each other, just to enjoy each other's company.

Molly is already working three jobs. She doesn’t really have any opportunity to spend time with her kids equally. She’s too busy looking after the home and teaching the older ones, while watching the younger ones and making sure the twins don’t burn the house down. 

I just don’t see her spending quality time with her kids regularly, because of this. It’s just difficult to talk with Charlie about his favorite dragons or read something to Percy or to play with Ron, when there is always someone else who needs her more. Full diapers. Empty stomachs. Unyielding stains of unknown origin on Arthur's work robes. A sudden explosion on the second floor. And probably everything at the same time and all the time.

So yeah. Chances are that her attention and her affection can be pretty hard to come by at times. (To a certain degree, this also applies to Arthur, because he is away from home so much.)

Let’s look at the timeline.

It probably starts pretty harmless:

1970 - Bill is born, and he’s the only kid for two years. Yeah, it’s Molly’s first child, and she is a really young mother, but she is a stay-at-home-mum, and it’s just one kid. It’s mostly her and Bill who are at home, and her workload isn’t all that big, because she can use magic for most stuff. The war has started, but it probably hasn’t kicked into overdrive just yet, so this shouldn’t affect her too much either.

1972 – Charlie is born. Molly’s workload is expanding, but things should still be pretty manageable. Also, they don’t have another kid for almost four years. This allows Molly to adjust to caring for two kids. She can also relax from both pregnancies and births. If it wasn’t for the war, this might be her favorite years as a mother.

When Arthur is involved in parenting Bill and Charlie, it’s probably on the weekends. I can imagine him taking them out to do fun stuff, so their mother can get some rest. It’s probably a great time for him, because he can bond with his boys. I can’t see him do much more than that, though. Molly has a handle on things, and interfering could be seen as overstepping.

1976 – Percy is born. This is probably the moment, where the attention-distribution in the family gets a little bit wonky. Molly has three kids now, and it’s the middle of the war. Bill is almost six, which means that she has to start teaching him, while simultaneously nursing Percy and keeping Charlie entertained/away from trouble. This is probably still manageable. She can wait a little longer with teaching Bill, so she can teach him and Charlie together. She can also hand him (and maybe Charlie) over to Arthur, so he can teach him/them on weekends.

Additionally, Arthur is probably still taking Bill and Charlie out for some bonding-fun-time. However, the war is in full swing now, so leaving the house gets increasingly dangerous. Their trips will get shorter and stay closer to home. They will happen less frequently, too. He will also end up working more because of the war, doing overtime much more frequently. When he is home, he is going to be exhausted, as a result.

1978 – Fred and George are born. The attention-distribution in the family falls off a cliff.

This is when Molly's workload starts to become overwhelming. Charlie will be 6 at the end of the year, Bill will be 8. She has to start teaching them, if she hasn’t already. Otherwise, Bill will not be ready when he starts Hogwarts.

And on top of everything, Molly has to take care of the twins. She has to do everything that needs to be done for a newborn – times two.

So her workload explodes. Molly is raising five kids, now. She needs to educate Bill and Charlie, nurse Fred and George, and has to make sure Percy doesn’t fall to the wayside completely. She also has her household chores that aren’t related to her kids. The war is still raging on. Arthur is probably tied up at work most of the time, and when he is home, he’s exhausted. And Molly will be pregnant again in a year. (Really, why do they have so many kids during a war? One or two, I would understand, but this is getting irresponsible.)

This is probably the time when Bill has to take over at least some chores, not just to learn how to do them, but to take some pressure off of his mother. This might not be parentification yet, but it will get worse over time. I assume he has to look after his younger brothers a lot.

On top of all that, it is increasingly hard to shield the kids from the war. At least Bill and Charlie are old enough to understand that things are really, really wrong and scary. And there is not much Molly can do about it.

1980 - Ron is born. The twins are already old enough to open cupboards. Molly is not having a great time. She probably hands over Percy to Bill and Charlie (“Go, play with your little brother!”), so she can take care of baby Ron while keeping an eye on the twin shaped chaos that is growing by the day. She will be pregnant again in a couple of months.

Bill (who will be 10 at the end of the year) and Charlie (8) still require teaching. Percy (4) isn’t old enough just yet, but he will be, soon. (And, let’s face it: It’s Percy. Chances are that he wants to learn, even now.)

The war is still in full swing. Arthur is still overworked and underpaid. Everyone is tired and scared. This also affects the kids. There is probably a lot of pressure on Bill as the oldest brother to watch over his younger siblings, to make sure all of them stay safe. They don’t spend much time outside their home, because it’s just too dangerous to do so.

Around 1980/81 is also the time when Molly’s brothers Fabian and Gideon die. (Gideon can be seen in the photograph that was taken of the Order before James and Lily went into hiding, so he was still alive back then. But we know that he dies soon after the photograph was taken.) Molly never talks about her brothers in canon, but this must have been horrible for her.

1981 – Ginny is born. They are seven kids now. Fabian and Gideon will be dead by the end of the year (if they aren’t already.) Molly’s workload is at its peak, while her ability to pay equal amounts of attention to her kids is at an all-time low. She’s grieving, the rest of her family is in danger, and Arthur is stuck at the ministry. This means that she will likely lean on Bill’s support even more. As Charlie is 8 now (and will be 9 at the end of the year), Molly might consider him old enough to help, so he might see an increase in responsibility, too. At this point, we are in parentification-territory.

With each day, the twins grow more into the troublemakers we see in canon. This sucks away attention and affection from their siblings (simply because they need to be watched and disciplined).

I think the following years are very formative for the family dynamics between the kids. It’s probably less pronounced for Bill and Charlie (who are stuck with chores and babysitting-duty and will leave for Hogwarts soon-ish) and Ginny (who gets more attention because she is the youngest child and only girl). It’s worse for the others. Percy, Fred, George and Ron are basically in direct competition for their mother's attention. I think the dynamic develops as follows:

Fred and George are active and pretty extroverted. They explore a lot and start to play pranks on their family members. This is overall harmless, but Molly has to pay attention to them, to make sure that no one accidentally gets hurt. From this, the twins learn that they can get Molly’s attention by causing trouble, so they will lean into it even more.

This sucks away attention from Percy and Ron. It causes Percy to veer hard into the opposite direction: He tries to gain Molly’s attention by following all her rules and fulfilling her wishes. This earns him her affection and will turn him into her golden child in the long run. It will also put a strain on his relationship with the twins, because Molly compares them a lot, especially when angry. This will cause Percy to perform the “Good boy”-role even harder (because he doesn’t want to be treated like the twins), while they start to resent him on some level.

Ron on the other hand is still too young to affect the family dynamic on his own. He internalizes that his mother cares more about his siblings and that there is nothing he can do about it.

The only good news: At the end of the year, the war ends. This will bring a lot of relief. (It’s short term relief for now, things will need some time to go back to normal.)

However, the end of the war also means, that Percy gets a pet. Either late in 1981 or early in 1982 he (or another member of the family) finds a rat that is missing a finger on its front paw. Percy keeps him and calls him Scabbers.

We all know who Scabbers is, of course. I just want to highlight how fucked up this situation is. Percy is 5, when he adopts him. Because he was a little kid, he probably took him everywhere without a second thought – into the bathroom, into his bed, you know, everywhere. There is probably no part of Percy’s body Scabbers hasn’t seen. Percy probably told him everything, too, all his worries, all of his fears. It’s just creepy.

And keep in mind, Scabbers – Peter – is not just a random wizard. He is a Death Eater and mass murderer. We don’t know if he ever hurt Percy (there are fanfics that do explore that possibility). He probably didn’t, but the idea alone is nightmare fuel.

To get this back on track: This could have impacted the sibling-relationship, too. It depends on whether the other kids were allowed to keep pets.

With that, we are done with the war and with Molly’s time being pregnant. The family dynamic is already fucked up – and it will get worse, as the kids get older. However, this post is long enough, already. So we’ll take a break here. Next time, we will look at how the dynamics shift, once the kids start to go to Hogwarts. See ya!

[birdiebirdjay]

controversial opinions on characters? (specifically harry potter)

hi anon! thanks for the ask :)

hmmmm i have quite a few

i don't like luna lovegood. i think she's very irritating as a person and i would absolutely go batshit if i had to interact with her in real life. she is the wizard equivalent of a flat earther and an anti vaxxer, not a spiritual guide. hermione wasn't narrow minded for doubting her and xeno, they were the narrow minded ones for never questioning their beliefs despite the MOUNTAINS of evidence against them. rahhh she makes me so angry. (i hate that i have to specify, but this isn't misogynistic, i would feel the same if she was a guy.)

lucius malfoy is a relatively harmless guy, he's just slippery. he gives me such peacock vibes. he just wants to show off and look rich and not be questioned. (also he def dotes on narcissa and draco which is adorable to explore in fics <3 i think he would be an amazing father to a little girl and would have loved a daughter which i like exploring in my fics, but that's just a headcanon)

draco is the same way, i feel. iirc he's usually too scared to start shit unless crabbe and goyle are there, he just makes me laugh tbh. of course he does do and say some shitty things but i am just. unable to take him seriously. this may be because i haven't thought about his character in a while, but as of right now, i don't really see him as evil OR a sympathetic little boy. he's just. a little dude. (he is more dangerous than his father though, i'll give him that.) i mean if marauders stans are allowed to glorify james potter and put him on a pedestal, i'm allowed to have this.

percy weasley! i love percy so much, i think this is an uncommon opinion but i don't really know. i think he's amazing, i've already talked about him a lot on my blog so ye :)

i think the weasley family is dysfunctional asf. i don't think i personally can explain it, but this post by @/arkadijxpancakes does a great job of comprehensively analyzing their history and dynamics as well as showing why each weasley is the way they are. super good read!

albus dumbledore: i don't know why this is controversial but i actually think he was a good character, all things considered. yes, he did some bad things, but they were to help save the wizarding world in the end. he set it all up.

severus snape: i think he's awesome, deserved WAY better, and was a traumatized character who is severely overhated. please don't try to fight me on this, you'll just give me a headache.

lily evans: this is a very new opinion of mine but... i don't think she was a great person. i used to wonder 'how could james potter, a shitty little twit twat, end up with such a wonderful and kind and amazing person?' but i've come to realize, she's really not those things. she was kind of a shit friend from what we know. i still think she's very interesting, but not necessarily a good person.

harry potter!! i want to include him because i think that quite frankly he is an awesome little dude but is super underrated and borderline disliked by a big part of the fandom. though i personally feel like he could have been written better in some ways, i still love him tons and i think he deserves more appreciation <33 (also i adore the idea of an oddly specific au where percy and oliver team up to take care of lil tiny first year harry)

neville longbottom: this may be the most controversial one yet but i just don't feel the hype. i feel like he was largely unimportant in the first six books besides as a side character (but it's been a while since i read most of them, so correct me if i'm wrong) and yeah he was cool in the seventh, but like... i still don't feel it. he was pretty boring imo. i think i logically understand why he's loved, but i don't personally relate :/

(canon) james potter: hate him. -100000000/10. he can go die. (OH WAIT HE ALREADY DID!) i'm sorry, i just cannot like him. fanon james is awesome and super cute and lovable, but fanon james is a whole different person than canon james. if we compare young severus to harry, james is dudley dursley in literally every way. rich, privileged, gets away with everything, and loves picking on powerless and vulnerable people for fun. the only difference is that james potter tended to do it with a partner/group, and dudley could do it on his own. oh, and dudley apologized, i guess. it was pretty half assed but we did see him trying to be better with the teacup and stuff. they both suck, obviously, but at least dudley had a slight turning point. maybe i just don't like james because we never saw him be apologetic or regret anything in canon? idk.

cho chang: i honestly really liked her! i thought she and harry could have been super cute ever since i read the third book. now obviously valentines day of 1996 was a disaster, but i still think that if she and harry had met up again after the war and after they had figured themselves out, they could have sort of talked and apologized and moved on and possibly rekindled. idk, this isn't really as ~controversial~ as some of the others because i feel like cho chang is just more forgotten than unpopular or controversial, but i don't see a lot of charry content out there so i'm putting this here :]

one last thing i almost forgot, VIKTOR KRUM IS A FUCKING CREEP!! i used to be more hesitant about voicing this opinion because he's so loved in the fandom, but GOD DAMN he's a creep. as a famous, rich, popular adult, he asks out a 15 year old and is super nice to her and appreciates her intellect and is generally very sweet to her, but that just. that literally just sounds like grooming to me?? wtf?? i mean if i was asked out at 15 by an 18 year old, i would be VERY creeped out. also he comments on how attractive ginny (15 at the time) is at bill's wedding when HE IS IN HIS 20s. he then makes a comment along the lines of 'what's the point of being famous if all the good looking girls are taken?' HEY HERE'S AN IDEA, FIND A WOMAN INSTEAD OF A GIRL??

there's gotta be more controversial opinions i have but no one else comes to mind right now; feel free to request opinions on specific characters! i have a lot of those :]

[eliounora]

ok so I was thinking I would finally watch bbc merlin. considering all the other shows I've seen and post about, it's long overdue. I should to add it to my repertoire. so I got on netflix and I was like whoo-ee saved by the bell, it's not on here anymore. then I remembered I have a vpn so I thought damn it, will have to watch it after all, but alas! not on the uk netflix either. so now I'm leaving it up to fate that some of you will be like "worry not, I have found you a link on the high seas," in which case I will watch bbc merlin [checks calendar] 11 years late. but is it ever too late to watch an adaptation of arthuriana that will without a doubt throw me so deep into the throes of fanfiction that I won't be able to do anything else than repeatedly read different tales about the main characterts kissing? we'll see

[theroguequeenaniki]

I have a LOT more pictures and videos, but for this post, here are ten. (A lot of the pictures that I haven’t posted are blurry, but still great for memories, lol.)

Here is my fan-account/post about this weekend when I saw Tiffany Young in Dallas!

Friday November 15th 2019 - Sunday November 17th 2019

Whoo! A lot has happened this weekend! It was a very fun weekend, lol.

I went to Dallas with my sister, and one of my best friends, Raven ( @snek-and-angle), for a concert.

Friday November 15th 2019

Day before the concert.

On Friday I didn’t do a lot, mostly spent the day in great anticipation, and I packed, and did my nails, and all that. My brother and his girlfriend informed us they weren’t able to come to Dallas with us, so that’s the main reason I’m writing it here. B/c I’m using it as an introduction. Initially, this trip was going to be me, my friend Raven, my sister, my brother, and his girlfriend. But, last minute it ended up just being me, Raven, and my sister. But we still took my brother’s car. (He and my sister traded for the weekend, lol) So, yeah. I went to bed late b/c I was up packing. Lol.

Saturday November 16th 2019

Day of the concert.

My sister and I got up early, I got up at like 8a, she’d been up for a little while, lol. Raven had messaged me she was up at like 7a. So, we got dressed, made sure we had everything we needed, I grabbed a beverage (my usual cherry coke lol), we said bye to our parents (who were still in bed lol), and the cats, and hit the road. First stop was picking up Raven. We picked her up and then we officially were on our way to Dallas! 

We made one stop along the way, and that was at Buc-ees, b/c, well, we needed gas, plus, it’s Buc-ees. Lol. So, we got our gas, and also grabbed a snack. I got a chicken caesar salad and a pepsi icee. Then we drove the rest of the way to Dallas. We made really good time, and got there like 1 ½ hours before Check-in for our Hotel. So, we went to see if we could check in early, we couldn’t, b/c they didn’t have any King Suites available yet, but they allowed us to check our bags, and told us they’d call or text if our rooms were ready before 3p. So, we went to do a little exploring. There was a small park by our hotel, that had some Christmas decorations. We also popped into a Starbucks, but my sister & I didn’t get anything, only Raven did. We were going to chill there for a while, but..they closed. Lol. So, we went back to the park, and sat on a bench, and just did people and dog watching, chatting, and playing on our phones. Lol. Some kids came up selling bags of M&M’s for a $1, my sister and I declined, but Raven bought some (she loves M&M’s lol).

Our rooms weren’t ready before 3p, so at 3p we went back to the hotel, but only my sister’s room was ready. So, we got our bags, and went up to her room. We hung out in there, and I actually started to get ready for the concert, b/c our room was taking too long, lol. My outfit was a black lacy top, black leggings, and a maroon skirt, along w/ black boots. (Though at this point I was still wearing my tennis shoes lol)

My sister and I finally went down to see if our room was ready, and it was. So I got the room keys, and went back up, and Raven and I went to our room to finish getting ready.

Our hotel was Hotel Indigo, it was a pretty fancy hotel, located in Downtown Dallas, it stands where the Historic Dallas Opera house used to be. It was really nice and I loved it, but I think we felt a little out of place, lol. Anyway, we had two King Suites. One for my sister (which she was going to share w/ my brother & his girlfriend, but they didn’t come) and one for me and Raven. They were nice, they had a living room and a bedroom, a flat screen in both rooms, a really nice bathroom, a keurig, and a mini fridge. Mine and Raven’s suite was actually a little bigger lol.

So, once we were finally in our room, we finished getting ready. I did my hair(pig tails, w/ black and white bows, w/ metal buttons from Hot Topic, lol), makeup (literally just bb cream & lip gloss lol), put on jewelry(bangles, a cat ring on both ring fingers, my Buffy ring on my left ring finger and my ring from Sarah Rees Brennan on my right ring finger (yes, I wore two rings on each finger lol), I prepared my bag(tickets, id, money, lightstick, camera, portable phone chargers, etc), I put on my black boots, and then my sister met us at our room, and we went to dinner.

We went to a place called Zenna, which served Thai and Japanese food. And it just so happened to be Happy Hour, so I had a California roll and it was very good. We also had some edamame, and some spring rolls (which were some of the best spring rolls I’ve ever had). For my entree I had Teriyaki Chicken w/ fried rice, it was really good. I also had a coke for my drink. It was a really cool restaurant. Our waiter was also pretty cool, lol. We couldn’t finish our food, b/c there was so much, so we took the leftovers back to the hotel. (Leftovers I am currently eating while writing this post, lol) Raven and I then grabbed the things we’d forgotten, and then went back downstairs to get an uber and head to the venue. (My sister went back up to her room b/c she wasn’t going to the concert lol)

We took our uber to the venue, the guy literally got out of the car and opened the door for us, like a chauffer lol. (Raven followed along the route on her phone for as long as her phone would let her, and I followed it on google maps, I also texted my sister when we got in the uber, and when we got to the venue, for safety, always be cautious, you guys). And then stood in line for about an hour until doors opened at 7pm. We only had general admission tickets, so we didn’t get to meet Tiffany (this time, I’m hoping to get VIP the next time she tours, b/c I’m sure she’ll tour again, lol). The line wrapped around the side of the venue. It was cold, I brought my jacket, as I was wearing a lacy top, Raven had decided not to bring hers, b/c she was wearing a sweater, and we weren’t going to be outside very long. We ended up sharing my jacket back and forth, lol. A girl came around the line passing out glow sticks, we took them, but then after a while realized we didn’t want them, so we gave them to the people behind us, who were very happy to get them, b/c we’d gotten the last two. Some guys walked by offering “free hugs” and “free hugs from an Englishman” or something, Raven and I ignored them, lol. Once doors were open, the line moved pretty quickly, and we were inside by 7:04p. lol.

Once inside, we headed straight for the merch booth. I bought a tour t-shirt, the pen, and the photocard & stand set. Raven bought a lightstick. (I had my Girls’ Generation molar bong lol) Raven then bought a beer, and we went to find a place to stand, we were near the back. We took a pictures of our lightsticks together, and I was starting to accept that I would probably have a hard time seeing the stage, when the staff opened up the stairs to the balcony. Luckily, we were right by the stairs, so we booked it up there, and got a spot right on the railing, and I had a perfect view of the stage. (With a column blocking only a very small portion of the stage) I was right by the trash can, but it didn’t bother me (there wasn’t anything smelly in it) and it meant that there was no one but Raven beside me. Some girls asked Raven about her light stick, b/c it was the Tiffany Young one. Raven went down to buy another drink, and she bought me a coke. (B/c there was a $10 minimum & she needed to close out her tab lol) I took a few sips.

Then.

The show was starting. I had my lightstick in one hand, my camera in the other, and my coke at my feet (it was a bottled one lol). Everyone was chanting “TIFFANY! TIFFANY! TIFFANY!” the pink ocean below me was beautiful (I was part of a smaller pink ocean up top, but, of course, we were really all one pink ocean lol) Tiffany came out on stage dressed in sparkly blue shorts and a white top, white boots, blue lacy gloves, and a cowboy hat a fan had given her at the VIP Meet & Greet. I was floored. I was in awe. I was crying. I was screaming. I was singing. There in front of my eyes, in person, was the real life Tiffany Young of Girls’ Generation. I wasn’t looking at a screen, I was looking at the real Tiffany. She was singing Run For Your Life and I was so excited. I was filming, then I was taking pictures. She performed Over My Skin next. I’m not going to list the full set-list, b/c I can’t remember the order, and I can’t remember the names of some of the cover songs, lol. I didn’t film most of Run For Your Life and Over My Skin b/c I was taking pictures. Talk as well. I mastered, somewhat, the art of watching her on stage, and not looking at my camera, but keeping my camera on her. A few times it panned down to the audience, but, I mean, I was dancing and waving my lightstick and living in the moment! Because Tiffany Young was in front of me on stage putting on an amazing show and I was so so happy! Every song was more exciting, I didn’t touch my phone for 2 hours! I barely noticed how much my feet hurt (Raven and I both wore heeled boots, b/c they make our outfits look cool, and they make us taller, lol) I was living in the moment, I was seeing one of my idols, live and in person, for the very first time, after TEN YEARS of being a Sone. I was moved. It was..it was magnificent. I loved every second of it. I filmed most of the concert, though. Every song she performed, I just about died. Run Devil Run. Heartbreak Hotel. Teach You. All of them. I loved them all. She talked about how amazing we all are, and how much she loves us. She talked about mental health, and how important it is to take care of yourself, and to take care of those around you. She told us to let those we love and appreciate know we love and appreciate them. She interacted w/ us, and answered questions. She pointed out a fan w/ a rainbow flag. It was wonderful. It was magnificent. When the show ended, it felt like no time had passed, and I wanted it to go on forever! She came back out for the encore, and performed Magnetic Moon and Run For Your Life (again, I got it in full this time). And right as Run For Your Life ended, my camera died! Lol. I managed to get it back on to snap a few more picture, and then I put it away.

After the concert.

Once she had left the stage, and it was clear the show as over, Raven and I took some selfies, trying to get the stage behind us. And then staff told us they were closing off this section. So, I grabbed my coke from the floor, and we went back downstairs. We took a few more selfies, then tested Raven’s phone to see if we could order an uber, we could not b/c her phone wouldn’t come back on. So, we decided to use mine and order a lyft (b/c for some reason I had the lyft app already downloaded, even though I’d never used it before lol) We went outside, and it was freezing. We stood w/ the crowd by her tour bus for 20 minutes, while I tried to figure out the lyft app, and also hoping she would come out sooner rather than later..she didn’t come out before we left. But Raven was freezing, and our feet were killing us. So, we left to find one of the streets Lyft was telling us to go to. We found it, I ordered the lyft, and then we were on our way back to our hotel. (I texted my sister when we got in the lyft, and followed the route on both the lyft app, and google maps, for safety precautions) Once back at the hotel, I asked the front desk for some cutlery, so we could go up and eat our leftovers from dinner. Raven ate hers, but I only ate a few bites of mine, b/c it was cold and we didn’t have a microwave, lol. We went back down to the lobby in our pjs and bought powerades, lol. I made sure most of my stuff was packed, so the next morning wouldn’t be difficult, finished my powerade, brushed my teeth (and washed off my bb cream & lip gloss lol), had a bit of an issue when a very small cut started bleeding..but I dealt with it, it was fine. Lol. Then, we then watched some Holiday Baking competitions on the food network in bed, and then went to sleep. At least, she went to sleep, I was awake for longer than I wanted to be, b/c some of our neighbors were having a real good time, if you get what I mean. I also had a bit of a headache, which I assume was from the concert, b/c of the super loud music, and probably the crash from the adrenaline rush of the concert. I did eventually get some sleep though.

We did make one fatal mistake that night, part of the reason are feet were killing us at the concert is because..we wore the boots to dinner. We knew we were going to go back to the hotel after dinner, b/c we weren’t going to let my sister walk back alone, and we had things to get from the room, but we wore our boots anyway. So, our feet were already dead before we even left for the show.

Sunday November 17th 2019

Day after the concert.

I had set an alarm for 9:30a, so we woke up then. I actually set the alarm sound as Run For Your Life, b/c obviously. Lol. We got up, my feet were so sore, but so were my legs. I have a blister on one of my toes, lol. My sister texted saying to tell her when we were awake and ready to go. I told her we were awake, and we’d be ready soon. We got dressed and finished packing, I started drinking my coke from the night before (cause caffeine, also it surprisingly wasn’t flat! Lol). I took the shampoo & conditioner, and the lotion, b/c they were Rosemary Mint scented. Lol. I wore my Magnetic Moon Tour t-shirt, b/c of obvious reasons. I did not wear the boots, I probably won’t wear those boots for quite a while. Lol. We made sure we had everything all packed, and then we left the hotel at 10:30a.

We went back to the parking garage, and I was confused b/c I was looking for my sisters car, even though we came in my brothers. Lol.

Then, we went to a Japanese dollar store called Daiso, b/c we don’t have them here in Austin. It was so cool, and most things were $2. I ended up getting a cat fan, a purple erasable pen, a notebook, a pair of pink heart shaped glasses (like the ones from Taylor Swift’s You Need To Calm Down video, lol).  I also bought some soda flavored hi-chews that are fizzy (Raven says they’re really good), some cookies & cream pejoys. A Meiji Black Chocolate bar. A Dars white chocolate bar, that Raven said was a brand she loved in Japan. White chocolate coated cookies that Raven also said she loved in Japan. And a Hokkaido cream pastry, b/c, again, Raven said she loved them in Japan, lol. She actually got a green tea one, and I tried it and it was good, lol.

After Daiso, we headed to McAlister’s Deli to have lunch with my aunt and her boyfriend. (B/c they live in Ft. Worth.) I had the Four Cheese grilled cheese (though I took off the swiss, so it was a 3 cheese, lol, I also axed the tomato lol) a bag of chips, and a coke. We hung out and talked for a little while. And then we had to head out, so we could get back to Austin before it was dark.

So, we left Dallas/Fort Worth, and headed home. We stopped for gas. We stopped at a rest stop. And our only other stop was at Starbucks, where I got a Toasted White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino. We got back to Austin as the sun was setting. We dropped off Raven, right before the sun fully set. Then my sister and I drove home. When we got home, our mom was on the front porch (to smoke..b/c both of my parents still smoke), and so she opened the door for us, cause our hands were full, lol. Sister and I greeted all the cats, aside from Luna, who was still hiding. And gave them treats, but they didn’t eat them, lol. Then when my mom came inside, we showed her what we got at Daiso, and I showed her my merch. Luna eventually came out of hiding, and came straight over to me to say hello. I gave the cats treats again, and this time they wanted them. Lol. Then I ate half of my left-overs from Zenna (b/c I brought them all the way home lol). My sister & mom both seperatly ordered Panda Express through Uber Eats. Lol. My dad got home (he spends every Sunday over at his brother’s house for football lol). And, things were pretty normal for a Sunday night, lol. I was at my computer watching videos for a few hours, and scrolling Twitter. Occasionally going to talk to my mom. The cats have been doing their thing. And then I typed all this up, while eating the other half of my left-overs. Lol.

Overall it was an amazing weekend and I’m so happy I got to experience it with one of my best friends and my sister. I’m so happy I got to see Tiffany Young live. I think I’m still in shocked disbelief. Like, it feels like a dream. If not for my feet still being sore, and my merch, pictures, and videos, I probably would think it was a dream. Lol. It was the best weekend! 

[birdiebirdjay]

waitwait this is gonna sound a little weird,,, but bear with me

so in my multilingual, gender non conforming, queer little brain, the parent terms have two meanings. mother can mean 'female parent', or it can mean the (male, female, nonbinary, any gender, no gender) parent who does the more stereotypically 'maternal' things, and vice versa for father. i don't know if this sounds sexist, but i really don't mean for it to!! it's very late at night (or very early morning) and i'm trying to word this correctly but failing.

anyways there's the whole thing about snape being fem coded in a lot of ways? there was a really good post about it, some examples were like how he would likely poison, not fight someone and like how he brews potions (cooking metaphor ?) as opposed to doing things like aggressive spellwork. additionally, the way he dresses, the long hair, how he's often soft-voiced and sly (so basically a lot of elements of jkr's often misogynistic portrayals of women). also he's always talked over and treated as inferior and never taken seriously in canon and

anyways, the point i'm trying to make is, he is definitely (in my head at least) a much more maternal figure than a paternal figure. i absolutely adore my father, he taught me loads growing up, and he was just amazing in so many different ways. however, i feel like my experience is pretty rare? like when you look at 'fathers', there's no real definitive duty? like i guess there's the 'father provides for the family', but the mother duty (I DO NOT MEAN WOMEN SHOULD BE OBLIGATED TO DO ANY SORT OF DUTY, I DONT BELIEVE IN GENDER NORMS, IM JUST USING HEAVILY SIMPLIFIED WORDS AND DEFINITIONS TO TRY AND GET MY POINT ACROSS) is more all encompassing. like, a mother figure will teach you how to do the practical things, like how to get a fitted bedsheet on, how to make curry with the right amounts of spices, how to iron your shirt, etc etc (i'm repeating myself at this point but i really don't need anyone getting the wrong idea: fathers/male parents can do these things too, i am using a VERY simplified version of my idea and i'm trying my best). (actually, thinking in this way, my dad did a lot of 'maternal' things for me, which might be why i'm still so close to him.) a father might,, idk, a father figure might teach you the less everyday things? someone help me out here my childhood was weird

anyways, back to the Sneep: he seems like the kind of parental figure who would teach you the things you need. like, this is a sort of headcanon, but i feel like he must have helped out a few abused slytherin kids, especially with how his own childhood was. (well he would have helped students in general, but the abused kids thing is a special thing about him to me.) he would teach you how to brew healing potions, how to handle knives properly in the kitchen, and maybe this is a stretch, but he'd probably even understand the basics of periods and how to help his AFAB children students through it. if someone dropped by his office feeling stressed and broken down after a conflict with a friend, he would (awkwardly) nod along and provide a listening ear. maybe he wouldn't be the best at helping, but he'd be there and he'd listen because he understands how it feels when no one does. if he heard the first years complaining about the cold in the dungeons, you bet there'd be a stuffed animal enchanted with a warming charm waiting in each student's bed that night. it's the small things but he cares he really does!!!!!

uhh yeah i got a little carried away writing this-

ok so hear me out

I see a lot of sentiments about The Slytherins appreciating and seeing Snape as a father figure of some sort and even doing nice things for him on fathers day (very cool and good) BUT CONSIDER AS WELL:

it becomes just general knowledge that Snape has a grumpy "I'm not your dad" disposition even as he very much does all the fatherly parental things (because he's just grumpy and contrary like that even when he cares so so much and they all know it)

SO NOW CONSIDER ACTUALLY:

To be cheeky, the Slytherins dont give him father's day gifts. They give him MOTHER'S DAY gifts

they really do appreciate him so much, and The Sneep is OH so annoyed, and DEFINITELY not holding back tears, as he quietly cherishes all his mother's day cards and puts them away safely in a little box which he will keep forever. He's a single mother

[animeangelriku]

3 and 6 for the fic ask! :O

T U M B L R!!! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME THAT I HAD THIS ASK!!!!!

(THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ASKING AND I’M SO SORRY I TOOK SO LONG TO ANSWER!!! I’m assuming you mean this one?)

3. Describe the differences between your first fanfic and your most recent fanfic.

WHOO-EE, where do I even begin? I’m gonna go with my first and most recent posted fanfics, which are both Puzzleshipping, so that’s really nice!! The first one is the story of a love confession during New Year’s Eve, while the most recent one is a scene I wanted to explore right after the Black Clown fire.

The first one is just... actually not as full of typos and grammatically incorrect sentences as I thought it was going to be, but it does have my obnoxious use of Japanese terms inserted into a story otherwise written entirely in English. And it’s just so cheesy and cliché and SO out of character for everyone involved, and even though I kind of cringed just going over it now, the feelings I had while writing that first one and the last one I wrote are the same? Which is kind of amazing, honestly. The first one is also longer than the last one, and it’s more of a “tell everything instead of just showing it” deal, which I want to think I’ve gotten better with, especially with the last fic. The narration in general kind of shows my age and my “writing expertise,” too, because I wrote the first one when I was around 13, and I wrote the last one at 24. You can definitely tell with the first fic that I was just beginning to write and post online, and so my style was very much copying most of the fics I was reading at the time. WHICH STILL happens, but I want to believe that my style is more “defined” now? Kinda?

................ the first fic and the last fic I posted are 11 (almost 12!) years apart. THAT’S INSANE.

6. Name three stories you found easy to write.

(All of them are Puzzleshipping, is that any surprising to anyone?)

1. A Hotter Touch

2. Poison

3. things you said when you thought i was asleep

[leaffystudies]

My Extended Essay Advice

Whoo, you’ve finished IB1, exams are behind you, you can almost taste the lie ins and you’re already planning your post-exam holidays for next may. But wait, there’s one huge thing standing in the way: THE EE! It seems entirely overwhelming and you have no idea how to start, let alone how you’re going to get 4000 words written. This is exactly what I’ve just gone through, and I think I’ve found a great way to Get. It. Done.

Step 1: The question.

You’ve got to find something you’re actually interested in if you’re going to make it all the way. So, formulate a great question, make sure it’s focused and specific, as well as actually being in one single subject so that you can find the perfect mentor. Mine ended up being ‘How far could Kant’s Categorical Imperative provide a guiding principle within biological research’. It’s a philosophy essay and focuses on just one scholar.

Step 2: The mentor

Finding a good mentor will allow you to actually get it done, and give you the most support possible. Don’t choose your favourite teacher because that’s not going to go very well, let’s be real. I chose a teacher that is really organised, so he could give me advice and support, and he also set up regular meetings to check my progress.

Step 3: The guide

Before you start writing, make sure you know what you should write. If you search ‘IB EE (your subject) guide’, you’ll find a specific guide which explains how each of the criteria sections applies specifically to you. If you know how to succeed, it’ll make it easier to write.

Step 4: The sections

If you ignore everything else in this post, this is my single biggest tip. Break that whopping 4000-word essay into easy 500-word chunks. That means that it is easier to focus on what you need to write, and makes it easier to reach the word count. While it’s okay not to write 4000 words, most high scoring ones will need to be at least 3500. But it also allows you to know how significant the section needs to be. Mine were: Intro 500, Kant 1000, Criticisms 500, Applications 500, Examples 1000, Conclusion 500

Step 5: The writing

Just write as much as possible. Literally, just write. Keep a record of the sources you use so that you know where to add references, but apart from that just put everything onto paper, so that you’ve made a start. I tackled one section a day, and it only takes like an hour to get each one done.

Step 6: The editing

Now that you’ve written it, edit the hell out of it. Add references, move paragraphs, change words, add facts, rewrite conclusions or introductions, and check that the whole thing flows well. I took out whole sections and moved almost 6 paragraphs into different sections.

CONGRATS, YOU’VE ACTUALLY DONE IT. You have written your first draft. It shouldn’t take too long, and now that it’s done, you can get it looked at and get on the road to success! Good luck, and I believe in you!

[cksmart-world]

The completely unnecessary news analysis

by Christopher Smart

January 26, 2021

GOD BLESS AMERICA — PLEASE

Dear Lord, where to start... Please tell the haters to stop hating. OK, OK, that's too general. Try this: Tell the people in Idaho that Trump didn't win the election. We know, that's really not how you work, Lord but if you can part the Red Sea this shouldn't be such a big deal. Jesus preached love and understanding, so like, Lord, what is with the evangelicals who espouse hate and that America without guns is not America, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. And QAnon? Democrats eating babies? It would be funny, Lord, but they believe it. They prefer a false prophet to Baby-Eaters, and who can blame them? The Bible is full of tales where people are led astray by others who are up to no good. The Good Book doesn't come right out and call them Republicans, Lord but as you've always said, if the sandal fits... We know, that's Old Testament, but still. Our new shepherd, Joe Biden, has big problems to solve: the pandemic; the economy; the climate; Ted Cruz... it's a long list. As you know, Joe likes to pray a lot. So the staff here at Smart Bomb is breaking tradition — except for Wilson and the band — and we are praying that you will help him kill those Philistines with kindness. Not actually “kill” them, but you get it, right?

THE EDSEL, THE HINDENBURG AND A GONDOLA TO ALTA

After decades of study (read squabbling over free lunch) the committee to perpetuate itself has determined that the best way to get multitudes up the totally over-used Little Cottonwood Canyon is by gondola. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, says he is “leaning toward” a gondola, rather than cog rail or enhanced bus service, because he thinks gondolas are cool. But seriously, that would join the flying tank and the vacuum beauty helmet on the list of dumbest ideas ever. First, you would need a gigantic parking lot at the base of the gondola near the canyon's mouth. Second, by the time you stand in line, get loaded and travel the nine miles up the canyon, it will be noon. The only advantage, according to Wilson, is that you could get good and stoned on the long ride up. Cox says he will wait for studies and a pubic process to make his decision official. But don't forget Greg Hughes and friends at the UTA rode trains in the Swiss Alps from one five-star lodge to the next in order to help with the analysis. Maybe if Hughes were governor (perish the thought) we'd get a train. But then you'd need a gigantic parking lot... On the other hand, we could have buses departing from many locations with little parking lots and it would save a ton of taxpayer dough. And that's why it's totally out of the question.

CHRIS STEWART SEES ABE LINCOLN IN THE MIRROR

Utah Republican Chris Stewart wrote an op-ed in the Deseret News recently with the headline, “America Needs Heroes Right Now,” in which he cited Abraham Lincoln as the nation's great healer and his hero. The staff here at Smart Bomb was hoping he wasn't looking in the mirror when he said that. If he wasn't laughing, he's an imbecile. Stewart, one of Trump's stalwart ass-kissers, says he's shocked that an angry mob overran the Capitol on Jan. 6. “I unequivocally condemn anyone who destroyed property, assaulted police or intended to commit violence... ” He forgot to mention how for weeks Trump summoned his followers to D.C. and then in a one-hour diatribe told them to march to the Capitol and take their country back. Stewart and Burgess Owens were among 147 Republicans who gave Trump's big lie — Stop the Steal — credibility by refusing to certify the election of Joe Biden. “It seems there is a sense of severe disquiet in America,” Stewart said. “Something is broken in our society.” Gee, now how did that happen? It didn't have anything to do with Democrats stealing the election, did it? It wasn't years of vilifying Nancy Pelosi as the devil, was it? It wasn't labeling AOC and Dems as socialists, was it? Abraham Lincoln? Give us a f-ing break.

Post script — Well, that's a wrap for another week here at Smart Bomb where we keep track of White Supremacists so you don't have to. One thing continues to puzzle us: Why are the so-called White Supremacists such knuckle-draggers? Purity of race? They have to be kidding. These people are giving Neanderthals a bad name. We have learned that some of those white knuckle-draggers at QAnon are bummed out because “The Storm,” otherwise known as their white lightning-induced prophecy, didn't come true. According to Qers, Trump was supposed to declare martial law and install himself as El Presidente and then there would be all kinds of public hangings: most notably Democrats and Mike Pence. Getting hanged is bad enough, but getting hanged with Mike Pence? That is cruel and unusual punishment. To make a weird story short, everyone in QLand was to live happily ever after, including crazy Michael Flynn who would be QAnon's Grand Something-Or-Other and would wear robes and a conical hat. But Trump split to Mar A Lago and the Qers had been had. They probably still don't realize that everyone who deals with Trump eventually finds themselves in a big pile of something that stinks. We call it Trumpism.

Well, Wilson here we are in a brand new post-Trump reality. If it weren't for the deadly pandemic, we'd be partying like it was Mardi Gras. But until the vaccine gets here, we'll have to stick close to home. You and the homebodies in the band surely must have a theme song for that:

Clouds so swift Rain won't lift Gate won't close Railings froze Get your mind of wintertime You ain't goin' nowhere Whoo-ee ride me high Tomorrow's the day My bride's gonna come Oh, oh, are we gonna fly Down in the easy chair! I don't care How many letters they sent Morning came and morning went Pick up your money And pack up your tent You ain't goin' nowhere Whoo-ee ride me high Tomorrow's the day My bride's gonna come Oh, oh, are we gonna fly Down in the easy chair!

(You Ain't Goin' Nowhere — Bob Dylan)

[iztarshi]

Day of Story and Song -- Episode 69

The last episode! I'm not sure the transcript is actually finished yet, but people are working hard on it. So, if I run out of episode I'll just have to stop and catch up later.

I'm actually on the edge of my seat going IS THIS GOING TO WORK? Or will this not work and they'll be pushed to figure out the "cut the bonds" bit?

Whoo! Davenport's a GREAT pilot. Maybe that's why he forgot so much? Time spent learning to pilot spaceships was probably also erased.

Taako, is this REALLY the time to confess to shoe theft? Not the most urgent issue right now.

….they're trying to get Merle angry. Which. I think is a losing proposition, honestly. He doesn't go much beyond surly. Or possibly they're confessing because they might be about to die. Who even knows.

I am completely not sure whether Clint cheated there because I can't remember the rules governing the Living Grimoire as applied to spell levels.

Yeah, I mean, Magnus can't use magic, but on the plus side he has a sword so overpowered it was never meant to be IN THE GAME.

…I'm missing kind of nine minutes of fight, but I don't WANNA stop and wait for it. It was probably just dice rolling?

(I came back to this nine minutes. I can't believe i missed Magnus using his grappling hook to swing into TWO overlapping zones of deadly magic.)

I was just going to comment on John going One Winged Angel when Griffin called him Sephi-john.

Oh no, Merle's nearly dead! Except, y'know, right now I'd expect Kravitz to give some leeway on that whole thing until the planes aren't in imminent danger of destruction, so I'm not TOO worried.

*laughing* I'm just really entertained that Taako's never been OFFICIALLY frightened before.

XD Taako's… well, that was a bit long for a one liner. But I liked it.

Oh, yeah, Magnus lost the Raging Flaming Poisoning Sword of Doom defeating the first John form. Which I don't blame Griffin for doing, because MAN that was overpowered.

Aww, Merle had the most Bond. Which makes sense, since he spent a lot of that being steady and wise and generally trying to give people hope.

Oooooh, the bond engine talks! Or maybe the Light talks through it?

…oh… it lets him summon a person through bond, that's really cool. Anyone he needs.

I have caught up there, so I'm taking a break. And wondering who the other two would call. Pan's the obvious one for Merle, since who else do you call on in times of trouble? For the others, most of the people they have are a bit more… people-y. As in, only mortal and possibly in some serious shit themselves. Taako could call Lup, but she's saving the world right now. Taako could call Kravitz, that would be pretty cool!

Oh! Maybe Magnus will call Julia?

Aaaw, he summoned Troth! And I'm finding that adorable mostly because I know she's from another game, so I kind of appreciate the crossover. Although, isn't she also inside the Hunger?

Caught up again. I should stop being so impatient and wait until they've actually had a chance to transcribe it.

Justin nearly rejects a bond attack on the grounds he doesn't have much bond and I know it's not Taako, it's his player, but it is easy to imagine Taako going, "Yeah, don't think I really connected that much and people probably don't care about me, so I'll pass."

YES! He summoned Joaquin! That's awesome, even if he didn't roll very high!

I went and slept in there, but now I'm back.

He rolled a whole lot higher on Joaquin's actual attack :D And also got a hug, I like these two.

"Travis: Uh, Griffin, if we wanna do...and you can cut this out - but when we wanna do Bond attacks, does that just count as an attack?"

Ha, no, you can't bond attack and then ALSO hit it with Railsplitter three times.

*laughing* Merle uses the bones that let him ask the DM a question to ask if Griffin's had fun. That's so cute, and kind of amazing to imagine in character tbh. Merle wants to know God's enjoying himself.

Garfield the Deals Warlock is really stretching the bounds of "people who care about you" but I guess ANY relationship is a bond?

It occurs to me that when they do the graphic novel they're going to actually have to figure out what Garfield looks like.

Roswell! This bond thing is the BEST.

Justin's app for rolling large numbers of dice is very useful.

I'm laughing at Taako's speech. But, hey, he really IS pretty damn powerful on his own.

Clint's use of the ball of whatever that lets him go back nine seconds. Interesting. I do wonder if Griffin had a plot intention for that?

Voidfish summon!

Ha, yes, they can't EAT the orbs, orbs are not information. But they can do some damage, because they are huge amorphous magical jellyfish and that's pretty badass.

Ee, Magnus summons the Power Bear. This is all so cool!

I think the transcribers didn't quite get a paragraph here fixed up yet, because things kind of don't make sense in the middle of Griffin's description. I'm still impressed they've transcribed it this fast at all!

Oh, noooo, Lucretia telling them to run. But does she really think Magnus would leave her? Probably none of them would, but Magnus most of all.

Aww. Taako's leaving because he has to get to Lup. That makes sense -- he's not abandoning them so much as going to someone else.

*cracks up* Taako checked everyone was doing okay and when they were he came back. That's both hilarious and really cute. It's… TAAKO being torn like this? Caring about two groups of people and wanting to be wherever the danger's worst because that will be who needs him?

I'm not sure Griffin should be narrating this bit? Like, I am down with the last episodes being more story-like because he has to wrap things up, but isn't it up to Justin whether Taako summons Garyl? Let alone whether he rides him at the Hunger?

Never underestimate the ability of these guys to respond to a Mysterious All Powerful Being by getting hung up on what to call it.

Ohhh, they're counting making the shield as cutting the bonds. I guess it did cut the Hunger off from, uh, everything. Maybe including itself.

"Jeffandrew: By any measure, Merle, you won."

You saved all the things! That counts as winning.

And I guess this guy will take the Light back now it's… Now that things are in a plane he can reach, probably including the Light since it was there when the Hunger fell apart. And the Light can go back to being wanted and used by people who actually know what to do with it.

Aww, Angus.

Wow, the world is really, uh. Really good post-near-apocalypse. And Angus goes to school and makes friends, which is great!

Davenport becoming a sailor makes sense -- he can't be a pilot anymore, but he's still a traveller and explorer by nature, and even ONE world has a whole lot to explore!

*laughing* Somehow I didn't see Kravitz HIRING Barry and Lup coming, but sure. They're actually really well suited to that.

I did NOT see Barry acquiring DNA from Lup's note coming. Yay for Lup in her own body again! I mean, I figured the body would happen somehow, but not that it would happen like that.

I like that Griffin's narration stops at the NPCs this time. I want the PCs to be able to pick their own happy endings.

Oh, Taako :D He's still Taako, and because he's still Taako, he's portraying the world-wide love for him into a brand. I love that he hired Ren. Good taste in assistants.

WTF with the random duelling at Taako's school? I think you're kinda messing up Griffin's happy ending where everyone came together in peace, but I kinda like it? Everyone's still PEOPLE and even the people who brought about this peaceful ending through love are still the people who murdered someone to save a spell slot on healing once. They're better people, but Taako's still self-centred and callous sometimes, and thoughtless fairly often.

Sazed surrendered himself! It's good to know that people know that Taako wasn't responsible for that. I mean, Taako himself didn't seem inclined to, uh, clear his name or anything, which might be because he still thought of the incident as "half his fault".

*laughing* Taako just checking that Ren is okay with him dating Death before he hires her.

Ren and Taako having a business relationship/friendship is SO CUTE.

Afterlife vacation. I wonder what you do on one of those? Also, I'm reminded of Korra and Asami going to the spirit world. It's the new thing, gay people going on interplanar vacays!

Taaaaaakoooooo, read Angus's letters you jerk.

*pfft* I like that Angus has grown into less of a pushover? Like, he still loves Taako, obviously, but he's also not taking him too seriously when he's being ridiculous.

I had to stop to crack up at Angus knowing about the silverware because, yeah, Taako did a very bad job of ever hiding that.

Merle's in vestments and my first thought was "is someone getting married?"

Merle's adventurer summer camp! That's remarkably cute. As is this focus on the next generation, actually. Even if Taako's school is sometimes questionable, they've all got experience to pass on.

"Travis: I just want to say, canon, I would imagine that Taako and Magnus actually try to call Merle all the time, but like he forgot to turn his Stone of Farspeech off of silence. And so like--

Griffin: That is so fucking true to life and I love it."

XD

Merle's conditions for accepting leadership of somewhere are Terrible Puns.

Aww. I do love that he's living with his kids? I didn't say that when the adventure thing first came up, but he's really returned to take care of his kids. I do wonder what their mother thinks? But it's great.

Mavis is such a sweetheart.

It IS a wedding.

Aww, Killian and Carey's wedding! What a great place to end it.

Magnus also has a school! Everyone was really feeling they had stuff they needed to pass on to the next generation here. Although, since it's Magnus, he also has a school for DOGS.

As an aside, I wonder where Fisher and Junior are? I hope they're okay, you know. I hope everything being untangled and put back in its place means that they're home, with the other voidfish, being fed artworks and sharing those they love.

AWWWW. Magnus, along the way to looking for something worth dying for, finding something worth living for instead!!!

Aw, Kravitz, bending the rules one last time for his friend.

*snff* Magnus and Julia's reunion.

Fisher!

Ooh, so that's where they ended up. Between the planes, able to go anywhere, looking for stories.

…I wonder if they're going to get a cameo in the NEXT Adventure Zone, because Griffin's basically made them perfect crossover fodder.

"Justin: Thus ends the Adventure Zone: Balance, the story of four idiots that played D&D so hard they made themselves cry."

They played D&D so hard they made EVERYONE cry.

[ronaldmorton]

8 Ways to Prevent Dog Boredom Like a Pro #jwpet

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of PetMate. The opinions and text are all mine.

http://ift.tt/18nrv7n var ts=document.getElementById(‘ti-pixel-tracker’); var axel = Math.random() + “”; var num = axel * 1000000000000000000; var ti=document.createElement(“img”); ti.style.display=”none”; ti.src=”http://ift.tt/2vFRLgg&#8221; + String.fromCharCode(38) + “i=hNOrl” + String.fromCharCode(38) + “ord=”+ num + String.fromCharCode(38) + “s=” + encodeURIComponent(document.referrer); ts.parentNode.replaceChild(ti,ts); JSON.stringify({“program_id”:”64fc5ec0-7396-11e7-885a-22000a7d00a4″,”post_id”:”736ad0dc-7872-11e7-a053-22000a7d00a4″});

“My dog is bored, do you have any ideas to keep him occupied?” Knowing how to prevent dog boredom is one of the most asked questions we receive here in the Fidose of Reality offices.

Of all the lessons dogs have taught me throughout my life, the greatest is that living in the moment is what life is all about. I’ve heard dog/ parents say, “I can’t play with my dog any longer, he has arthritis” or “I want to play with my dog, but he’s old and can’t last long.” My advice? Make do with what you have! No matter what your dog’s age, there are things you can do to keep his brain spry.

From enrichment toys to clever mental stimulation ideas, here are 8 ways to prevent dog boredom like a pro:

Brain Game: Flex Fido’s Cerebral Muscle

Mental exercise is as important as physical exercise, so keep a dog’s brain active and his instincts keen. Depending on your dog’s size and preference, consider the Petmate® JW® Hol-ee Gourmet™ dog toy collection, which comes in three designs and two sizes. Our dog tested out the turkey leg, steak, and the peanut. Made of long-lasting rubber and nylon, the outer shell can be stuffed with larger treats while the inner nylon “bone” is ready for pet-safe peanut butter or another spreadable canine delicacy. Ensure the piece of treat can actually fall out of the toy. The goal is to encourage game play but not to drive your dog bonkers because the treats are stuck inside the toy. See?

Dexter and Zola love their new Hol-ee Gourmet!

Hol-ee Hide & Seek

Hide and go seek is a perfect year-round game for dogs of all ages. Not only does this game work perfectly on rainy days, but it heightens a dog’s sense of smell in a fun and rewarding manner. Start out with a few of your pooch’s favorite treats and put them in the Hol-ee Gourmet Dog Toy. This game will require two people initially. One person stays with Fido in a room while the other hides. When ready to be sought, the hidee lets out a “come, Fido” or “whoo hoo” sound to initiate the game. As Fido scours room to room, occasionally let out a verbal signal. Once found, praise him like he just won an Olympic medal and reward with the Hol-ee Gourmet dog toy. Once the dog gets the treats out of the toy, do another round or two or three. One caveat: Be sure the favorite Limoges vase or grandma’s heirloom plates are removed first.

Play Date With a Canine Pal

For dog parents with multiple pets, this is a fun group game—or good for a gathering of friends with dogs. Dexter’s BFF is an All-American Pooch named Zola, who is 13 years young. We decided to gift Zola with some of the Hol-ee gourmet dog toys. Her keen vision, hearing, and mental astuteness is thanks to her diligent dog mom. Be certain the dogs get along and do not fuss at each other for the toys. For a competitive spin, time each dog. The quickest canine is dubbed the winner. Here’s how our day unfolded thanks to these fun dog toys:

Teach No Jump

Perhaps your dog is a jumper. Maybe when company stops by, your precious pup is so excited to see the person that he or she jumps on their legs or lap. Keep a Hol-ee Gourmet toy on hand and stuff with a few treats when company is coming. Have the guest hand Fido the toy so that he or she has something to busy them while the guests enter your dwelling. #winwin

Trick Train

We are huge advocates of trick training to build confidence and give the dog a job to do. A dog with a ‘job’ is a happy dog, and by job we mean doing something that makes them feel good, pleasing for you, and the dog is satisfied. Oh, and it also really helps nurture the bond you have with your dog. For example, shake paws is a nice stretch for the shoulder muscles but be sure to do both front paws 5 to 10 reps for a balanced workout.

When teaching a dog any new tricks or games:

Positive reinforcement

Never force a dog to do something

Start slow

Work in short bursts- no more than 10 to 15 minutes and always end on a positive note

Don’t get frustrated or mad at the dog: Patience is key.

  Indoor Dog Limbo

Using a standard agility hurdle, dogs get their Caribbean groove on with this variation of “How low can you go?” fun. Let the music play while dogs walk under the limbo stick, lowering the bar a notch each round. The last dog to successfully go under the limbo stick without knocking it off wins. As an aside, I’ve actually judged a doggy limbo contest and it is incredibly fun, especially for the dogs who get oh so low.

Sit-Down-Stay-Up

This will help work the different muscle groups and is a repetition of sit, down, stay, and then tell the dog to get up. You want to reward for each set. I use small and low-calorie treats. You can even use one of the Hol-ee Gourmet dog toys as a final reward as you wind down the session so the dog can have some independent fun.

The excitement of seeing the PetSmart store!

Take a Trek to PetSmart

“I train German police dogs. They send them to me, with all this formal training, they are prepared to defend and protect, but they are clueless when it comes to walking into a pet supply store. So I take them to PetSmart® to start getting them used to everyday life, the feeling of the floor on their paws, and how to socialize with people in the general public.”

Those are the words of an acclaimed nationally known dog trainer, who a few years ago, shared those words with me during an interview on how to properly socialize a dog. Every week, my dog and I have a standing “Mommy and Me” date where we go out as a family and start at PetSmart so he can pick out a new dog toy or treat while I get his supplies.

On your next trip to PetSmart, stop by the toy and enrichment section and pick up a Hol-ee Gourmet dog toy for your pining pooch! You can see a pack of pooches enjoying their Petmate toys on Petmate’s Instagram page.

Fetch Your Dog a Holee-Gourmet: Giveaway Time!

Your dog could win a 3-pack of Hol-ee Gourmet enrichment toys by visiting the Petmate Facebook Giveaway: Easy peasy!

Head on over to Petmate Facebook and use this Facebook Giveaway Link to enter! Good luck, and you have until September 25th!

Snag a Doggone Pawsome Deal

From the comfort of your mobile phone or computer, use discount code BLOGPAWS to save 15 percent off your purchase of Hol-ee Gourmet dog toys. Since Santa is coming soon, shelters could use some toys, and the price is right, shop til you drop…or at least wag til you drag. Okay okay, no more puns. You get the idea: 15 percent off is a fab price cut! Stock up and save and beat the holiday rush!

Visit the Petmate.com website and use discount code BLOGPAWS

Your Turn

What’s your favorite form of preventing dog boredom? Will you be using code BLOGPAWS to reward your dog with a Hol-ee Gourmet dog toy? Bark at us in the comments below!

The post 8 Ways to Prevent Dog Boredom Like a Pro #jwpet appeared first on Fidose of Reality.

8 Ways to Prevent Dog Boredom Like a Pro #jwpet syndicated from http://ift.tt/2k1J2Eq

[birdiebirdjay]

i mentioned to a friend of mine (fellow harry potter fan, but she has never interacted with the online fandom) that people now glorify the marauders and have a whole fandom devoted to worshipping them/bashing snape and she was,, shocked, to say the least.

it made me realize how delusional marauders stans/snaters actually seem to the outside world because like... snape was the good guy? that's like the ultimate end to his character arc?? and really i totally get being delusional over characters sometimes, because i too like to pretend about alternate universes where the marauders weren't complete pieces of shit as teens. i too enjoy the characters of older remus lupin and sirius black (even though i hate that their wrongdoings were more or less brushed off + never seen as serious, we do see more of them as people than we do of james potter). but bashing the man who:

spent about half his life being abused and tormented in various ways

spent a few years with a cult that accepted him and gave him some semblance of protection, then turned around and went back to the 'good guys' (who had literally never done anything for him before this, some of whom had even actively taken part in his abuse and others who had turned a blind eye to it) at great personal risk to his life

literally spent the rest of his life trying to make amends and aiding the light in defeating one of the most powerful dark wizards of all time, still risking his life for basically no reward except the knowledge that he was protecting the wizarding world?

i just cannot see it as anything but insanity.

add onto that preaching about how amazing and pure and lovable the marauders were and accepting outlandishly out of character headcanons and fanfiction as canon?

it's impossible to fight them because nearly none of their arguments are based in fact. how do you convince people that a 16 year old boy did not, in fact, deserve to be dangled upside down, choked with soap, and have his pants taken off in front of a crowd? how do you do that when they're such firm believers that he was an evil racist blood supremacist who deserved it and more?

in short, i am genuinely both confused and somewhat horrified of the marauders fandom.

[birdiebirdjay]

interesting addition, but i sort of disagree?

i say that tentatively because i do understand why you might say that, but i still feel like this is just something that could happen between very close friends. like, something very similar happened to me in middle school: there was a girl who was absolutely horrid towards me and spread tons of rumors about me, but had the biggest crush on my (male) best friend. of course, the situations aren't exactly the same because she wasn't as much of a jerk as james was about it, but it was still fairly obvious and she would hit on him quite often. anyways, i (angrily) pointed out her horridness to my friend, and if i remember correctly, i spent a whole phone call ranting about how rude she was. after i mentioned her massive crush on him, he interrupted me with a super calm 'you know i hate her too, right? i have three classes with her and they're all torture.' and i was like. ecstatic.

to be clear, i had/have no romantic attraction towards this friend. i think there are two reasons this memory sticks out to me so much that could also apply to severus and lily's situation/why he was so happy about her disdain for james:

(warning, small personal rant ahead lol)

the fact that a very close friend was basically saying that they agreed with me and wouldn't leave me for The Other Person. for context, my friend in this situation was, at the time, one of the only friends i had genuinely loved, wanted in my life, and relied on for a while. maybe even the only one. i was fresh out of an abusive household, chock-full of trust issues, had been bullied at school since i was a child, and ready to snarl at anyone who dared to come near me. (now that i think about it, there were some scary parallels between our friendship and snily's friendship. i genuinely don't mean to self project more than necessary here, but my experience did help me analyze severus'.) my friend was an exhausted teenager who had little siblings to deal with, plus a dog and several cats, plus sports yesr-round, and barely enough time to care for himself, but always valued kindness and goodness over everything else (and he does to this day). i don't know how, but we became best friends. he took care of me, and he helped me heal in some ways. at the stage in our friendship the girl incident happened in, hearing that he agreed with me and valued my views was groundbreaking for me. i think that snily was nowhere near as healthy as our relationship, because iirc, lily often put severus down, ignored his views, or was condescending/seemingly hung out with him out of pity. in a friendship like that, of course severus would be over the moon about her agreeing with him, however small of an agreement it was.

the validation itself. though we don't know what happened outside of the text, we still never really see severus validated. he is abused at home, no one acknowledges or does anything about it. he is tormented and harassed by the marauders at school, everyone knows and people are either used to it or just turn a blind eye, because literally everyone loves james potter and thinks he's amazing. he is purposefully lured into a werewolf's hiding spot and was nearly killed, and he is then silenced, not allowed to acknowledge this or tell anyone, and is, on top of that, expected to be grateful that james potter stopped just short of killing him because he got cold feet. even putting aside the friend thing, having validation from anyone must have felt amazing which i think is a big reason why he joined the death eaters so quickly but that's not the point.

wait,, i sort of just realized something

snaters like to throw around the word 'friendzoned' when talking about him, but severus and lily weren't even friends in the end? it was never 'i don't like you romantically', it was 'we were friends and now we are not'.

canon snily was never actually romantic in the first place, it was more of a close sibling-like best friends bond (i think). (it was a pretty unhealthy friendship for both of them in their later years, but that's completely unrelated.) where did the friendzone thing even come from? was it just because lily ended up dating james and then people interpreted severus' hate for him being caused by that? because as far as i remember, severus hated james for making his life a living hell during hogwarts.

i don't know, i just feel like a lot of snape hate comes from misconceptions within the fandom

[ronaldmorton]

8 Ways to Prevent Dog Boredom Like a Pro #jwpet

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of PetMate. The opinions and text are all mine.

http://ift.tt/18nrv7n var ts=document.getElementById(‘ti-pixel-tracker’); var axel = Math.random() + “”; var num = axel * 1000000000000000000; var ti=document.createElement(“img”); ti.style.display=”none”; ti.src=”http://ift.tt/2vFRLgg&#8221; + String.fromCharCode(38) + “i=hNOrl” + String.fromCharCode(38) + “ord=”+ num + String.fromCharCode(38) + “s=” + encodeURIComponent(document.referrer); ts.parentNode.replaceChild(ti,ts); JSON.stringify({“program_id”:”64fc5ec0-7396-11e7-885a-22000a7d00a4″,”post_id”:”736ad0dc-7872-11e7-a053-22000a7d00a4″});

“My dog is bored, do you have any ideas to keep him occupied?” Knowing how to prevent dog boredom is one of the most asked questions we receive here in the Fidose of Reality offices.

Of all the lessons dogs have taught me throughout my life, the greatest is that living in the moment is what life is all about. I’ve heard dog/ parents say, “I can’t play with my dog any longer, he has arthritis” or “I want to play with my dog, but he’s old and can’t last long.” My advice? Make do with what you have! No matter what your dog’s age, there are things you can do to keep his brain spry.

From enrichment toys to clever mental stimulation ideas, here are 8 ways to prevent dog boredom like a pro:

Brain Game: Flex Fido’s Cerebral Muscle

Mental exercise is as important as physical exercise, so keep a dog’s brain active and his instincts keen. Depending on your dog’s size and preference, consider the Petmate® JW® Hol-ee Gourmet™ dog toy collection, which comes in three designs and two sizes. Our dog tested out the turkey leg, steak, and the peanut. Made of long-lasting rubber and nylon, the outer shell can be stuffed with larger treats while the inner nylon “bone” is ready for pet-safe peanut butter or another spreadable canine delicacy. Ensure the piece of treat can actually fall out of the toy. The goal is to encourage game play but not to drive your dog bonkers because the treats are stuck inside the toy. See?

Dexter and Zola love their new Hol-ee Gourmet!

Hol-ee Hide & Seek

Hide and go seek is a perfect year-round game for dogs of all ages. Not only does this game work perfectly on rainy days, but it heightens a dog’s sense of smell in a fun and rewarding manner. Start out with a few of your pooch’s favorite treats and put them in the Hol-ee Gourmet Dog Toy. This game will require two people initially. One person stays with Fido in a room while the other hides. When ready to be sought, the hidee lets out a “come, Fido” or “whoo hoo” sound to initiate the game. As Fido scours room to room, occasionally let out a verbal signal. Once found, praise him like he just won an Olympic medal and reward with the Hol-ee Gourmet dog toy. Once the dog gets the treats out of the toy, do another round or two or three. One caveat: Be sure the favorite Limoges vase or grandma’s heirloom plates are removed first.

Play Date With a Canine Pal

For dog parents with multiple pets, this is a fun group game—or good for a gathering of friends with dogs. Dexter’s BFF is an All-American Pooch named Zola, who is 13 years young. We decided to gift Zola with some of the Hol-ee gourmet dog toys. Her keen vision, hearing, and mental astuteness is thanks to her diligent dog mom. Be certain the dogs get along and do not fuss at each other for the toys. For a competitive spin, time each dog. The quickest canine is dubbed the winner. Here’s how our day unfolded thanks to these fun dog toys:

Teach No Jump

Perhaps your dog is a jumper. Maybe when company stops by, your precious pup is so excited to see the person that he or she jumps on their legs or lap. Keep a Hol-ee Gourmet toy on hand and stuff with a few treats when company is coming. Have the guest hand Fido the toy so that he or she has something to busy them while the guests enter your dwelling. #winwin

Trick Train

We are huge advocates of trick training to build confidence and give the dog a job to do. A dog with a ‘job’ is a happy dog, and by job we mean doing something that makes them feel good, pleasing for you, and the dog is satisfied. Oh, and it also really helps nurture the bond you have with your dog. For example, shake paws is a nice stretch for the shoulder muscles but be sure to do both front paws 5 to 10 reps for a balanced workout.

When teaching a dog any new tricks or games:

Positive reinforcement

Never force a dog to do something

Start slow

Work in short bursts- no more than 10 to 15 minutes and always end on a positive note

Don’t get frustrated or mad at the dog: Patience is key.

  Indoor Dog Limbo

Using a standard agility hurdle, dogs get their Caribbean groove on with this variation of “How low can you go?” fun. Let the music play while dogs walk under the limbo stick, lowering the bar a notch each round. The last dog to successfully go under the limbo stick without knocking it off wins. As an aside, I’ve actually judged a doggy limbo contest and it is incredibly fun, especially for the dogs who get oh so low.

Sit-Down-Stay-Up

This will help work the different muscle groups and is a repetition of sit, down, stay, and then tell the dog to get up. You want to reward for each set. I use small and low-calorie treats. You can even use one of the Hol-ee Gourmet dog toys as a final reward as you wind down the session so the dog can have some independent fun.

The excitement of seeing the PetSmart store!

Take a Trek to PetSmart

“I train German police dogs. They send them to me, with all this formal training, they are prepared to defend and protect, but they are clueless when it comes to walking into a pet supply store. So I take them to PetSmart® to start getting them used to everyday life, the feeling of the floor on their paws, and how to socialize with people in the general public.”

Those are the words of an acclaimed nationally known dog trainer, who a few years ago, shared those words with me during an interview on how to properly socialize a dog. Every week, my dog and I have a standing “Mommy and Me” date where we go out as a family and start at PetSmart so he can pick out a new dog toy or treat while I get his supplies.

On your next trip to PetSmart, stop by the toy and enrichment section and pick up a Hol-ee Gourmet dog toy for your pining pooch! You can see a pack of pooches enjoying their Petmate toys on Petmate’s Instagram page.

Fetch Your Dog a Holee-Gourmet: Giveaway Time!

Your dog could win a 3-pack of Hol-ee Gourmet enrichment toys by visiting the Petmate Facebook Giveaway: Easy peasy!

Head on over to Petmate Facebook and use this Facebook Giveaway Link to enter! Good luck, and you have until September 25th!

Snag a Doggone Pawsome Deal

From the comfort of your mobile phone or computer, use discount code BLOGPAWS to save 15 percent off your purchase of Hol-ee Gourmet dog toys. Since Santa is coming soon, shelters could use some toys, and the price is right, shop til you drop…or at least wag til you drag. Okay okay, no more puns. You get the idea: 15 percent off is a fab price cut! Stock up and save and beat the holiday rush!

Visit the Petmate.com website and use discount code BLOGPAWS

Your Turn

What’s your favorite form of preventing dog boredom? Will you be using code BLOGPAWS to reward your dog with a Hol-ee Gourmet dog toy? Bark at us in the comments below!

The post 8 Ways to Prevent Dog Boredom Like a Pro #jwpet appeared first on Fidose of Reality.

8 Ways to Prevent Dog Boredom Like a Pro #jwpet syndicated from http://ift.tt/2k1J2Eq