#talking about body neutrality is great and yes the sustainable option

[mybg3notebook]

Loving your analyses of Astarion's behaviour and character so far! It has really reaffirmed in my eyes just how much of a bastard he really is. (I say that fondly, of course.) Do you have any thoughts on why the general reaction on tumblr has leaned so much towards woobifying him? After looking at his actual (explicit and implicit) morals in game it seems quite odd that some people are reading him as an edgy soft boi who just needs a hug from the right person to fix him.

Hello!

Thank you very much! I really enjoy seeing chars in a deep way. It makes me change my opinion on them, sometimes. That's why I like to do these analysis, even though it's a lot of work for a person who doesn't speak English as a native.

Lol, please, I won't be offended. Astarion is a bastard in the whole sense of the word, lol.

However, I find Astarion an interesting evil (evil neutral imo) char to explore the narration of “abuser who found a greater abuser”, with all the topics I talked about in those posts. I would feel a bit disappointed if Larian suddenly changes him into a man who always had a gold heart (because for that, you need to give hints, even in EA, and none of that has been seen so far).

An example of how this is done is with Shadowheart, she is evil and she supports a lot of cruelty that Astarion does too, but we got meta-knowledge (and not so much meta when we see her heavily drunk after killing the tieflings) that gives us enough reasons to believe she has some heart in her, despite Shar and her teachings. I do not support the idea of “she is a softie”, because she is not, but she doesn't have the same level of cruelty nor revels in murder so much as Astarion does. They represent different degrees of evilness. What plays in her favour is her face, which gives the idea of more softness than she truly has; the same happens with Astarion. Lae'Zel is less cruel than Astarion in general, with more logical reasons to be so because her brainwashed culture made her to be more pragmatic than a taster of cruelty, and yet, she receives a lot of more hate in the fandom... and it is clear to me why: she is not “beautiful” in the traditional white euro-centric standard sense.

And this is my point to answer your question (remember all this is personal opinion): I think there are many reasons why people woobify Astarion (not only in tumblr, but also in Reddit or in Larian Forums, it's a big part of the EA fandom).

First and foremost, I believe it's his appearance. If he were a bugbear or a goblin, few in this fandom would give a thought about his abuse, his pain, Cazador, etc. They would focus on his “bastard” side and leave it at that (again, Lae'Zel has this treatment). I want to make clear that I'm not questioning people's taste, everyone can like whatever they want to. I'm saying that, for me, there it proof enough to sustain this idea that Astarion is woobified because he is beautiful: when you read that a lot of people in this fandom never had an interest in Larian's previous games, or isometric rpgs, or even turn-based combat games (there are some people who are giving feedback against the game being a turned-based combat one! It's the nonsense because it's basically Larian's style), but they bought bg3 because they saw Astarion, even though they knew nothing about him.... All this, clearly, shows to me that a lot of people approached this game for only one char, for only his design (a big amount of them say it explicitly), and it is not far-fetched to know that people justify more easily beautiful villains than ugly ones. We can explore a lot of examples of this in many fandoms. People can love villains because they have real complex reasons to be so (like Loghain in DAO), but they also can like whimsical villains just because they are “hot”. I feel this is Astarion's case, he is a “beautiful villain” who apparently has always been evil. His reasons for his whimsical evilness is more like “it's always been in his nature”. Unless the family part has a different role in his backstory (mirror option) and it's not a mere line for a player to play a “good aligned” Astarion when picked as Origin. I don't like to read much about it in that scene because the game still doesn't have companion Tags; those options in the mirror can be there just for the player to pick, flavoured with each origin, but not necessarily the three of them are canon. This will be seen once we have the companion tags activated as it happened in DOS2.

What we can say for sure is that Larian knew what they were doing when they picked Astarion's design; they choose a dangerous white guy with white hair and evil alignment: an archetype that catches a lot of people in many fandoms.

Part of his woobyfication process has a deep root there, in my opinion. Again, if he were a bugbear, a goblin, a githyanki, a monster-humanoid... we would not have 90% of the EA fandom collapsed with his image, or Larian focused on him to the point that after 4 patches he had new scenes, lines, corrections, and development, while Wyll is still there, sitting in the bench of “the less developed chars” (with around 2k less lines than the rest of the chars, and his personal quest bugged since the first day). Yes, I don't like the preference on one single companion when I am seeing the “future Beast” (from DOS2) in Wyll.

Second, he is a vampire. Vampires are a great element in any fantasy narrative. You know you will have a lot of fans behind a vampire char. Not by chance Vampire The Masquerade is one, if not the most important product of White Wolf, which keeps still giving them a lot of profit despite being decades old. Vampires are always a good element of personal horror, of lack of control of your own body, and also an allegory of abuse, power, and rape. This concept of “being a monster without control” that they embody helps a bit more for the woobification.

Third, people tend to mix a lot headcanon with what a character gives us as canon. We can have a long useless discussion about which is more worthy: canon or headcanon, or about why one should or should not respect canon, but putting all that discussion aside, and considering the previous two points, I see that a small part of his woobyfication comes from the fact that people love denial and self-projection instead of analysing of what they are given (and let's be honest, we know in tumblr, reddit and others social networks, people lack of reading comprehension skills, which makes analysis all about self projection without a real effort in understanding the character's perspective. It's all about the player unilateral perspective. How can you analyse a char you didn’t play with or explored in all its paths? ).

So if their beautiful character is behaving in a way they don't want to, they start considering him “random” (I read this so much that confuses me, because Astarion has clear patterns for everyone who wants to see them, like the rest of the companions. He is not random, he follows pretty well all what I listed here, that list helps you to predict what he will disapprove or approve) so they end up filling this apparent “randomness” with headcanons and self-projections. Don't get me wrong, I don't despise headcanons, I love them, I have a lot of them and create with them. But I also like honest analysis and separate what I want from what I get from a company (to correctly give them feedback, otherwise I will be giving them my headcanons).

If you don't want an aspect of a given char, and you want to deny it, it's perfectly fine. Do it, it's your entertainment, but be honest with the fandom about it, acknowledge this is a personal denial you enjoy. And mainly, don't use headcanons and self-projections to attack the rest of the chars you don't like in their own tags. We know how aggressive some people in this fandom are, and it's a bit frustrating to see aggression without the slightest effort in understanding the character they hate.

There is also something sad to say, related to self-projection, that contributes to Astarion's woobyfication too: a lot of players are survivors of abuse who connect with him from trauma, and I can understand if denying his past is a way to help them to release any kind of pain or need for vengeance against their abusers. It's a natural and totally understandable projection. The woobyfication, then, ends up in an intense self-projection where they give to the char something that they needed because their own trauma.

This is why I would like Larian to give us other survivor chars that people can project onto, whose stories are really about survivors of abuse who were not evil in the beginning. Because I feel a lot of people approached Astarion as a narration of a “victim who will become a victimiser” or as a “bad behaved victim”, instead of what I think it's shown: an abuser who found a greater abuser (and his story is about punishment of the abuser and the concept of justice in a world which has none), so trauma survivors will end up with disappointment if they think Astarion is something similar to the representation of what they experienced. Plus, vampirism is never good to use as allegories of abusers/victims because the relationship Sire/Childe is too sick and twisted. So, again, this is a mere opinion from all what I've been reading since the game came out.

I hope Larian sticks to the narration they seem to follow with Astarion: an abuser who found a greater one, and now wants to become the next Cazador, and this woobifycation doesn't change the real potential of a dark deep story that I believe they want to give us: not every char is redeemable, and sometimes evilness is capricious. We had chars like these in bg1 and bg2 after all. 

#bg3 early access - answers

[flesymetahiq]

Magic ask for magical characters

God, it’s good that I am subscribed to such great writers who are trying in every possible way to help develop other characters associated with their favorite fandom, live happily <3 Egm, thank you XD

Bad English warning ~w~ I’m really sorry

The questions were constructed by @arcanecadenza, thank you very much again and sorry >w<

1.Magic always comes at a cost… what price does your character have to pay in order to practice it? What kind of trade-offs are involved?

I want to talk about Eleanor, earlier I mentioned that her mother (Akane) came from the Haiko clan, in fact, they were not just cursed magicians who also owned dark magic (of course). The clan leaders concluded in their bodies the energy of that nine-tailed fox-demon which had been killed by their ancestors. And it would seem that this is not a curse at all. But many of them died because their body would simply explode, they could not withstand so much energy, some did not die such a painful death, they turned into monsters, but in their case, it would be better to die at the hands of Haiko magicians.

Haiko Fuji, one of the clan’s leaders, acted quite cunningly, passing with his blood his curse to another group of people (Some of them were Madara and Tsunobi), so his daughter Haiko Akane  got only part of the energy of the nine-tailed.

To use the power of the demon inside you, you must donate your blood. The demon is held at the expense of being marked in the form of red symbols, it is on them that the Haiko magicians make a deep cut, thus giving their blood. After that, many painful transformations take place with their body.

Elinor currently does not use her inherited power, which is called a curse, because she does not even remember about it, nor about her past, which is probably to some extent good for her.Not to say that the marks and symbols on her body do not cause her questions. Of course, Eleanor was very scared to find them on her body after amnesia, but any attempts to connect them with her past and remember ended in loss of consciousness, so she tries to cover them up and not especially go in touch with them.

About the magic associated with the elements.The best, but at the same time the most dangerous source of this power is fire. Wizards specializing in fire magic often gain great strength, but pay for it by dependence on the elements of fire, burns, and sometimes even die in flames, for example.Anyway, magic consumes a lot of energy, which is very difficult to recover, it is also likely to pay for the use of magic. It is also worth mentioning that Elinor, after applying any serious spells, suffers very much later, fainting or migraines

2.“For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” What kind of magic directly opposes that of your character? As in, what kind of magic would complement theirs so perfectly that it would be difficult for either one of them to get the upper hand on the other?

That will sound a little funny. But for example, the complete opposite of the demonic magic of Elinor is white magic. But since it uses just white magic, its opposite is demonic, it can also be clarified that if she possessed demonic magic, she could never use it with the magic of elements.

3.What kind of magic would effectively neutralize that of your character? 

Magic associated with the penetration of consciousness and its control, so Eleanor can not resist.

4.Is their magic more suited to offence or defence? Or is it more versatile? What is it like when used in a fight?

The magic that Elinor uses now is more suitable for defense than for offence,which cannot be said about its demonic side.

Spells that are/were more commonly used in fight.

Fire(more for offence)

🔥Fire ball. A spell in which fire erupts from the mouth in the form of a massive ball of roaring flame.Also associated with this spell, the creation of a small fiery sphere in the hands

🔥Fire trap. With this spell, the enemy is in a circle of flame, which over time begins to narrow.

Water (more for defence)

🌊 Streaming the water:The spell draws water from a source.  In this case, the magician can manipulate it, for example, create large waves, barriers, shapes, whirlpools and so on.

🌳Earth (more for defence)

Eleanor uses only one spell, by.  which creates strong currents of wind, most likely it will be able to repel the enemy or prevent him from approaching

.🍃Wind (more for defence)

Eleanor uses only one spell, which creates strong currents of wind, most likely it will be able to repel the enemy or prevent him from approaching.

Dark Magic spells

Puppeteer(more for offence)

With this spell, contact with the enemy is necessary, for example, you must touch him, after which Elinor forms the threads connecting her hands with the body of the enemy, and gives her full control over his body, making the enemy his puppet.

Devil eyes (more for offence)

With this spell, under a step one big circle is formed, inside of which there are  smaller circles, each circle is crossed out by a small line, once at the intersection points, raised bayonets rarely grow.The circles begin to spin, new points of intersection begin to appear, and hence new bayonets.

5.What are some interesting subsets and/or sub-practices of their magic? Like, what’s something they can or something that other practitioners of the same kind of magic can do that would surprise someone else?

In addition to the magic associated with the elements and demons, Eleanor is very fond of doing all sorts of wonderful tricks.  The most elementary, for example, she can make a dancers  from an ordinary napkin and arrange a whole ball of napkins ladies and gentlemen at some feast, which will be very effective and beautiful.

6.If they have a magical gateway, does their magic shape it? For example, the pool of water in Asra’s oasis and the fact that he travels to it is by way of bodies of water is likely representative of his affinity for water magic.

There are special mirrors that are a portal to Augusay (the kingdom where Elinor herself was born). These mirrors are in the house of the late aunt Elinor, but she still does not know about their existence.

7.Does magic run in their family? Alternatively, if they are an Apprentice, how does their magic compare to that of their aunt?

Aunt  was a rather advanced sorceress; her magic was completely based on the elements of the elements, especially the element of fire was developed.Unlike her brother, Victor (Elinor's father), she owned magic.  I also mentioned several times that Elinor inherited magical abilities from her mother Akane too.

8.How sustainable is their magic? Where do they fall on a sliding scale of getting tired after one spell versus feeling more and more energized the more they cast?

If you do not talk about the dark magic of Elinor, then it is quite stable.  However, depending on the spell.  If this spell (for example) is associated with the creation of large spheres of fire, then the larger the sphere, the greater the likelihood that Elinor will lose consciousness.  If for example the mass of water that Elinor controls is very large, then she will not be able to hold out for too long.What about dark magic, the longer Elinor casts spells, such as the devil's eye or a puppeteer, there will be a chance that she will lose control over herself, otherwise her body will transform into a nine-tailed Demon, more precisely, a seal on her body  will be destroyed.

9.Where does your character’s magical potential come from? Is it inherent? Is it because of some sort of bargain that they struck with an entity/Major or Minor Arcana? Is it a skill that was taught and honed? Is it a combination of things?

I wrote earlier, so the answer will be short.  The magic of Elinor was inherited from her mother as well as the curse of the nine-tailed, about the Haiku clan I already described in questions regarding apprentice 10.If you had to assign an elemental denotation to their magic, what would it be and why? Fire, earth, air, or water?

Fire.Her entire clan had a predisposition to fire (Uchiha lol)

11.What is their relationship with magic like? Is it something they feel blessed to have or is it more of a burden/curse to them?

Eleanor does not know about her demonic power, so her abilities would be a terrible curse for her.  So she believes that this is a great gift that can make the world a better place, so she is trying her best to develop her magical demand.

12.In what ways could they potentially misuse their magic? If you’re not sure of what I mean, just think of how a skilled waterbender could just as easily bloodbend to accomplish their goals/get what they want.

Many options, especially if you take dark magic, the puppeteer’s spell is very suitable for achieving any goals, because with it you gain control over someone else’s body.

13.What school(s) of magic best encompasses that of your character? Abjuration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, evocation, illusion, necromancy, or transmutation? Yes, this is a Dungeons and Dragons question because I’m a nerd and I’m very curious. 

Oh... I think.. Oh.. conjuration probably. 14.What kind of ethics are associated with your character’s practice of their magic? What kind of in-universe laws do you think might exist that pertain to it?

In my opinion, the most important laws regarding magic are the prohibitions on using any ancient forbidden spells, agreements with creatures from other worlds, and the prohibition on using magic outside Hogwarts (just kidding), that is, I mean the prohibition on using magic for the purpose of killing  innocent people (yes my fantasy is as sucks as my English, sorry)

15.If your character was tasked with teaching someone else about their magic, where would they start? What would the learning curve look like for that?

It is difficult to imagine Elinor as a master of (hehe) magic.  To begin with, she would test her apprentice to make sure that he / she would not abuse his magic and spells, whether he / she would use magic for good.  After that, it will be necessary to explain all the dangerous moments associated with magic, its advantages, the minuses of the story and the consequences of its correct and incorrect use and much, much more.

#the arcana #the arcane game #the arcana apprentice #ask #magician #the arcana oc #fan apprentice #the arcana ask meme #ask meme

[mskinkyafro]

Us Against the World ( Flynn x MC)

A/N: VOS is such a great mystery so far, I'm loving this book and I'm loving the chemistry between Flynn and my MC Aaliyah Olivera. This takes place back in chapter 11 and I included most of the same dialogue and added some of my own from the arraignment scene. Plus I wanted to shed some more emphasis over the fact the D.A. publicly discussed Aaliyah's love life in front of the town and how that felt for her. Also this sat in my drive for a minute, I've been feeling insecure about my writing lately but I feel like this fic is worth publishing. Since this does take place back in chapter 11 it isn't compliant to how twelve started so it's canon divergence. 

Sidenote: I briefly describe Aaliyah's appearance in this fic and the hairstyle I detail isn't an option in book. The reason I changed it is because sometimes the hairstyles offered do not flatter the darker MCs as much as I'd like so in my HC and this story and any future fics she's rocking a natural shoulder length kinky-curl fro.

Summary: After the hearing, Flynn and Aaliyah head back to his place to regroup from the day. They have a heart to heart about today's revelations and how to move forward from this minor setback.  

Rating: PG-13 slight cursing

Aaliyah walks up the steps entering the Birchport's courthouse. Once inside she noticed that it was everything she'd expect for the small coastal town. As she entered the courtroom Aaliyah was taken back by how many people came to the hearing. She was faintly irked at the nerve of the townspeople. Some treating this hearing, Kate's life as some sort of entertainment.

Spotting Flynn in the row directly behind the defendant's table she made her way over. "How are you holding up?" she asked him carefully.

Aaliyah noticed the anxiousness and apprehension radiating off him. 

"Considering that this place is just one bad massive flashback? You tell me…" he drifts off his eyes avoiding hers. 

Sympathizing with her best friend's brother she squeezed his hand and doesn't let go as she tells him

"I'm here for you, Flynn."

His face is kept neutral but the usual spark that she's seen in his eyes the last few days are not there at that moment. It almost breaks her heart to see him so forlorn. Her thoughts were going a mile a minute that she didn't notice the look Flynn gives as his eyes look her over up and down, admiring the all-white pantsuit that fit her like a glove and accented her coffee colored skin. He opens his mouth and says

"Though...that look is a pretty decent distraction. I'm not gonna lie I think I'm a bit...afraid of you in that suit…I mean that in a good way. " A blush is evident on his face as he tries to regain his composure.

Flashing a coy smile his way she playful shoves his shoulder and says

"Only decent?"

He gives a small eye roll 

"You know what I meant…" he rubs behind his neck

"You never do anything just decent and you yourself aren't either. What I meant is that you look amazing."

She places a chaste kiss to his cheek and says

"Thanks, Flynn. Let's hope it has the same effect on the prosecutor."

Then she drops her voice in a sultry tone so that only he could hear her

"And there's nothing you should be afraid about. I only bite when you ask me too." Aaliyah tosses a wink in for good measure. 

Flynn grins and shakes his head. He then tells her what he found out when he went to talk with Tony Roz. After explaining they've hit another dead end when the doors behind them opened and who entered was Grant with Kate by his side who held her head down. Aaliyah tried to give her a small, comforting wave but Kate seemed to not notice. She appeared to look distant and haunted. Frowning she murmured to Flynn 

 "God. We were supposed to watch her walk down the aisle to be married, not arraigned."

"I still can't believe this is happening." Flynn said back.

The chamber doors open, and the judge and bailiff walk in. 

"All rise for the honorable Judge Samantha A.Winters" the bailiff announced loudly to the courtroom.” 

Everyone rose from their seats and he bailiff continued 

"This is a hearing to determine the bail for Kate O'Malley in the alleged murder of Tanner Sterling." 

Judge Winters sits down and brings down her gavel and says

"You all may be seated. Mr. Emerson? Proceed when ready."

Spectators sit and Grant rises looking confident and in his element and he begins his opening statement as to why Kate is innocent. As he continues on Aaliyah leans into Flynn to whisper

"Do you know the prosecutor?"

His body tenses in annoyance as he answers her question 

"That's Mac Hornby. Birchport's D.A. Let's just say he's a frequent guest at Sterling's garden parties."

As he finishes talking Grant is walking back to sit next to Kate at the defense table when the Judge then turns to the district attorney.

"Mr. Hornby, your opening remarks, please."

"With pleasure, Your Honor" he replies with a million dollar smile. 

He then launches into his opening and at every corner attempts to discredit Kate and paint her as a murderer. Sitting next to Flynn, Aaliyah can feel and see him physically tense up as the D.A. spread lies about his sister, from the way his hands balled up into fists to the way his nostrils flared. So she reached to squeeze his hand once more and give him a reassuring look to keep him from exploding in rage. She says gently

"Easy. Easy."

Hornby continues on with his opening. Disapproving of his message Aaliyah whispers again "He's really sticking with Walsh's narrative."

Vindictively Flynn responds "You mean Pierce's narrative."

After ending with closing remarks Grant calls Aaliyah to the stand as a character witness. She stands from her seat and before she makes her way Flynn squeezes her hand in support in which she gives him a small smile in return.  She was sworn in and Grant asks her a few questions to shed light on the true nature of Kate. She answers them with ease. Soon she's answering questions from the D.A. and inside she can feel her irritation and loathe of the man build. His next question catches her off guard

"...And yet, your own character is pretty questionable isn't it?"

Quirking her eyebrow but maintaining a neutral professional face Aaliyah responds 

"That's up for interpretation. I'm a reporter from New York. I take it that most close-knit communities are wary of visitors. But I believe that most can testify that my character is an open and shut case, just like this ridiculous accusation."

Hornby takes a step closer to the stand and chuckles and moves so he faces the audience.  

"My, my, my Ms.Olivera. You're a fiery one, aren't you? You have a sharp tongue and quite the mouth. I'm assuming that's what attracted the defendant's brother in engaging in a romantic and sexual relationship with you?

Stunned and angry at his remark Aaliyah was a taken back but managed to reply coolly. 

"Excuse me?"

The D.A. then turns back to Aaliyah, his eyes fierce. 

"Isn't true that you have become romantically and sexually involved with Kate's own brother, Flynn O'Malley?"

At this point, Aaliyah is furious with the line of questioning and it takes all her energy not to lash out. 

"What…? How would you even…? How does that question pertain to Kate?!" She says, her voice raises slightly near the end. 

Not holding back Hornby pushes  "Answer the question! Yes or no?"

Feeling challenged Aaliyah was about to answer when Grant interrupted

"Objection! Relevance?”

The D.A. then exclaims  "The relevance is her bias! Aaliyah Olivera is so tangled up in the O'Malleys at this point, that she's practically one of them!"

Grant chimes in again more aggressively 

"He's badgering the witness! Objection!"

Then Judge Winters voice rings clear throughout the room. "Sustained! I will not let my courtroom become a circus."

She then eyes Mr. Hornby . "Consider this your last warning, Mac."

"Understood. No further questions. "

He steps back and is heading towards his seat but the damage was already done.  The crowd is buzzing at the latest revelation regarding the visiting journalist. The bailiff motions for Aaliyah that she can leave but she then speaks

"I have something to say before I step down, may I your honor?"

The judge nods

 "I'll allow it."

Aaliyah's voice rings loud and clear throughout the room.

"I may not have grown up with Kate O'Malley here in Birchport but since I've met her it feels like I've known her my whole life. I know that Kate would never, ever hurt anyone no matter if they've wronged her. She's the victim and I refuse to let anyone construe it otherwise."

Her eyes look to the D.A. after she says the last sentence before continuing her speech.

“I'm going to fight to prove that my best friend is innocent no matter how high the stakes grow. I can't be bribed, intimidated or manipulated to leave things be or to go away. I will uncover the secrets and blatant corruption that is poisoning Birchport one way or another." Aaliyah's gaze lands on Chief Walsh and the Sterlings as she finishes.

She then steps down and makes her way back to her seat with her cheeks burning for the fact her love life was blasted out unexpectedly and that everyone's eyes followed her, judging. She sits down next to Flynn who is ready to blow his gasket.

"That...that was…"Sighing she finishes his sentence 

"A disaster, I know but losing our cool will only make it worse."

The hearing continues on with a distinct pattern of people detailing Kate's true nature and the prosecution twisting it around. Finally, it comes to an end and Judge Winters weighs in her thoughts. She reluctantly denies bail for Kate and bangs her gavel down. 

"This hearing is adjourned."

Aaliyah and Flynn can barely make out Kate's small cries of protest  

"But...But I…" 

The bailiff grabs her to put her back into her cell, silent tears roll down her face as she's taken away. 

"No...Kate…"

Aaliyah sinks onto the bench frustrated that everyone is believing the lies that are fed to them. Not standing being in the room much longer Aaliyah stalks out in anger. She briefly makes eye contact with the Sterlings who give her icy glares. She turns her head quickly and makes her way out the courthouse. 

She stands to the side, breathing in and out slowly to calm herself. Especially since the citizens that pass her keep giving her side glances or snidely whispering while looking her way.

"Aaliyah!" She turns and sees both Grant and Flynn coming her way.

"I can't stay long. I'm going to start prepping for the trial but I wanted to say sorry that I didn't prepare you for Mac's question regarding your…" he says looking between Flynn and Aaliyah, his voice is professional but Aaliyah can see a flash of  disappointment in his eyes as he realizes that she isn't available and he's not her first choice. 

"...personal life. If I'd known that-" she cuts him off.

"It's okay Grant. It's not your fault." 

He checks the time on his watch briefly then glances back at the two.

"I gotta run, but take it, easy guys."

He pats Aaliyah on the shoulder and clasps hands with Flynn before walking away. Flynn then turns to Aaliyah his eyes filled with concern. 

"Hey, you alright?"

She sighs while running her hand through her kinky curly fro. 

"No. Not really. I really need a stiff drink and to get the hell away from other people as I can." 

Her other hand motions to a pair of older women who can be seen staring at the two.

"Well, how about hard liquor and a sailing around the local coastline sound? I usually take my place out for a spin when I need to clear my head."

She smiles slightly that Flynn is trying to cheer her up. 

"That sounds perfect, actually." They walk to his bike where he hands her the second helmet and they ride to the Marina.

Once there he helps her onto his home and head inside. Making their way into his living room he tells Aaliyah "You grab the alcohol and I'll get us sailing."

She nods and he leaves out of her sight. She rummages through the cabinet and finds two glass and she grabs his bottle of whiskey. She can feel the boat slowly moving as she walks to the roof. She walks to stand by him as they watch the sunset and pours them both a glass. Handing him his their eyes lock and he silently thanks her before turning back to the sky. They take a swig of the alcohol at the same time. Aaliyah wasn't a usual whiskey fan but was appreciative of the warm burning sensation it provides at the moment.

 A comfortable silence passes between the two for a few minutes before Flynn speaks. "Look, today in court was terrible. Not just because of Kate but…"

He pauses and gulps down the rest of drink before continuing  "What that bastard did to you was terrible. Using our…damn it!"

"I've never been so humiliated and embarrassed before. Not because I'm ashamed to be with you Flynn, but for the fact that he had the audacity to broadcast something so personal. Who I decide to spend my time with is no one else's business, and I'm pissed that he caught me off guard like that."

"I wanted to beat that smug smile off that asshole's face."

He clenches his glass in his hands as his facial expression grows dreary. "I've told you before I'd do anything for you. But at this rate, I'm worried, Aaliyah."

Aaliyah reaches over and places her hand softly on his face to make him look her in the eyes and asks softly 

"What are you trying to say?"

His eyes are sad. 

"What I'm saying is, I want you to be safe and comfortable. I'm not sure what exactly we are..." She cuts him off and tries to lighten the mood by saying.

"I thought we were a dynamic private investigators duo with not by the book tendencies." 

Flynn gives her a small smile but his grim expression returns 

"True. But I believe it's much more than that. We don't have to label it just yet but I care about you a lot.” 

"I care about you too Flynn."

He sighs.

"This is why I'm saying if you wanted to stay away from the Birchport after today...or me, I'd understand if you left especially after your talk with Walsh, Kate's hearing, and the way the townspeople looked at you afterward."

He breaks eye contact and gazes out at the rolling sea.

“I couldn't protect my baby sister like a good big brother should. She's in the place that to this day gives me nightmares. I've tried so hard these past few days to save and defend her but after today looks like its all for nothing. I've failed her."

Flynn looks down and brushes Aaliyah's hand from his face.  

"I'd hate to see you go but I'd hate it even more and myself if something happened to you. I couldn't live with myself if I failed you like I've failed Kate."

She stays quiet for a moment and then she lifts his head, delicately placing her hands on his cheeks to lock her eyes with his and places a soft but passionate kiss on his lips. She breaks away and says.

"Flynn, you're one of the reasons why Kate is alive. You never stopped questioning and searching since the moment she disappeared. You're relentlessness and love for your sister is one of the reasons she's here with us. Even though seeing her cuffs is hard, I rather it be that than us finding her too late. You did not fail her, understand?

He tried to interrupt but she kept going.

"No. I'm not going to hear otherwise. And if you think I'm going to run when things start to heat up you're wrong, mister. I promised that I was going to get to the bottom of this all for Kate. Nothing and no one is going to stop me."

She removes her hands from his face to grasp his hands into hers, gently rubbing her thumb across his calloused hands.

"Plus if I did go, I couldn't imagine not seeing you,"  she says sheepishly.

Closing her eyes momentarily before opening them again and shaking her head quickly she speaks more firmly, her eyes are determined.

"I don't care if all of Birchport disapproves that I'm heavily involved and sleeping with the "resident bad boy" Flynn O'Malley. All that matters is that I like you a lot and I'm not letting snide remarks or stares keep me from spending time with my partner in crime."

At that moment she turned her head to gaze at the swirls of pink and purple in the sky that she didn't see him move closer to her and places a smoldering, smooth kiss on her plump lips. Any self doubt and worry melted away from him and her heart rate escalated. After a few minutes, he breathes heavily as he barely removes his lips from hers and murmurs softly

"Kate's lucky to have you as a best friend. You're unlike any girl or any person for that matter, that I know. I'm glad that I met you and have you by my side."

Aaliyah smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist "It's up to us to solve this. You and me against the world, you think we stand the chance?"

He smirks at her and pulls her even closer into his warm embrace, she inhales his scent of whiskey and old spice. "I like those odds. As long as you're always in my corner."

"Without a doubt Flynn."

She lays her head on his chest and relaxes for the first time that day. Together they watch the sunset, hoping for a better tomorrow.

#choices the stories you play #choices fanfiction #veil of secrets #flynn o'malley #flynn x mc #choices vos

[meditativeyoga]

The Dreaded Down Dog

NamaStay. Sit. Roll over. Great pet. Well, here it is. The feared down dog blog - Downward Confronting Pet or Adho Mukha Svanasana. I've been considering composing this for a number of years as well as, like my healthy and balanced eating, it reoccurs. The moment has involved share ideas and create a conversation about this complex posture. I do not desire to create anti-ahimsa and also asana disagreements. I am, besides, a yoga teacher.

That being stated, I think this dreaded down dog blog needs to happen since I am a yoga exercise teacher. I put individuals in this present. I exercise this pose. I educate degree 1 courses as well as therapeutic, useful motion in my courses. Despite the course title, many students appear with body unseen areas (locations of the body that have actually been mistreated, mistreated, excessive used, or locations of the body that are just simple perplexed) as well as there is a lot of confusion when it concerns downward encountering canine. I intend to share some details I have actually located valuable in both my training and also practicing of this posture. So right here we go:

Always heat up the shoulders before practicing or instructing DD.

Down dog is not a sitting present. *(see below for even more on this).

Have choices for your pupils. There are lots of options.

Om shanti should happen in your shoulders, not simply in your heart.

Muscles of the shoulder complex are connected to your head, back, rib cage & elbow!

Upper arm bone, shoulder blade & collar bone are the 3 bones of your shoulder girdle.

Killer shoulder stability and also movement, remarkable. Eliminating your shoulders, not awesome.

Head of your humerus (arm bone) relaxes in the glenoid fossa.

All directions of motion of your shoulders must be checked out for healthy shoulders.

Svanasana not SAVASANA. Yes, I have actually listened to that in a class. Down encountering corpse?

Very happy spines are neutral spinal columns. DD is a neutral spine.

Arms expenses is shoulder FLEXION, not shoulder extension.

Never fail to remember shoulders are externally revolved in DD, yet there's a lot more.

Always bear in mind all shoulders are unique. It always relies on the person.

Stabilize shoulder joint with co-contraction of your external and also interior rotators.

Actions of potter's wheel belt muscular tissues in DD support head of the humerus in glenoid fossa.

Need the simplest heat up ever before for shoulders? Shoulder flossing.

Angry shoulders result in furious arm joints which result in furious wrists which result in ...

*DD is not a resting pose. It's just my opinion. The more money I find out, the more I believe I have a great point of view here. I do not leave pupils in DD to remainder. I do not leave students there to heat up. I see students battling in this pose considering that it's an EXTREMELY challenging position. I aren't sure when it came to be the go-to sitting position. I've taken a lot of classes lately, from degree 1 to advanced, therefore numerous instructors placed the class in DD as the first or second present. I see people suffering, straining, and also fidgeting in the position because our lives do not need we spend a great deal of time in shoulder flexion, specifically loaded shoulder flexion. (Bear in mind arms overhead is shoulder flexion, not expansion. Please stop showing "expand your arms overhead."At least consider it.)

I talk with pupils prior to and also after course and also I am advised how most of us spend excessive time on the computer system and also inadequate time reaching to the really top cabinet for that cute meal we neglected we also had. I understand in my very own practice, also after a number of years of exercising, I do not experience DD as a relaxing pose. I like the pose, yet I know just how much work I require to do to be in DD for a prolonged period of time. And I still do not intend to be in DD to "rest." And for the love of God, Expert, Gandhi, Shiva, Hello Cat or whatever else you count on, do not place me in DD for 108 breaths and after that offer me a rest in youngster's posture for three breaths and also after that repeat DD for 108 even more breaths. That's 219 breaths with shoulders in flexion Om shanti shoulders, bear in mind?!

DD is Dandasana, staff present, shoulders in flexion, fingers reaching, crown of the head reaching, heels getting to, legs functioning, back in "best" neutral and so considerably a lot more. Have you tried that recently? For five full breaths? I have. I don't want to hold it for 108 breaths. It would be enjoyable to function up to that.

Consider other sitting posture alternatives for on your own and your students: Table top. Child's posture. Half canine at the wall. A chair variation. Standing in Tadasana. I motivate the pupils in my class to check out various other poses.

As I stated formerly, one of my go-to warmups for the shoulders is called Shoulder Flossing. It is extremely simple, and also if you sustain friendly position while flossing, you will gather a great deal of valuable information about your real shoulder range of activity. If shoulder flossing bothers you and/or students in your course, I would certainly figure out why, and consider not spending a bunch of time in DD. I sometimes challenge myself to instruct courses down dog-free or no more than one breath in down pet. It's enjoyable to obtain imaginative! External turning, flexion, anxiety, protraction, co-contracted inner and also outside potter's wheels is the optimal positioning for presents like DD, handstand, forearm stand, and so on. For stability, movement and also woofability, get your shoulders established. It's a great deal of work, it's not restful, but it's crucial to avoid impingement as well as shoulder injury. There's so much to this challenging present. Always maintain discovering and also remain out of the pet house.

Here's a valuable 'Shoulder Flossing' video clip:

More shoulder tips!:

#asana #Yoga #yoga teacher

[idkjustastesgood]

Burger 21 and the rise of hipster fast food

(You can read more about the Burger 21 brand here)

If you’re from the US, or at least the part of the US where I live (the upstate, East Coast part), then you’ve probably seen them around. They’re often called “[Something] Burger.” They’re either modern or painstakingly retro inside, though that retro aesthetic usually won’t extend to technology like automatic menu screens or mounted flat-screen TVs. They may have a liquor license and full bar. Sometimes they use terms like “crafted” to describe food, even if it’s the same general type of food (albeit from ostensibly better ingredients) that you can also get for a dollar at McDonalds.

I think I’ll call them “Hipster Fast Food.” Actually, someone probably already has.

I just realized I might sound dismissive, and that’s partly my fault for choosing a word like “hipster,” and all the connotations that come with it. In this case, though, I don’t begrudge hipster fast food its hipster-ness. After all, this is capitalism – you survive by pandering, one way or another, and it’s ingenious to acknowledge Americans’ love of fast food, then temper it with a general suggestion of sustainability, mindfulness, and wholesomeness – all the guilt-free charm we wish the big dogs like McDonalds, Burger King, and even pre-revamp Wendy’s had. The idea is that we can eat better and do better by our communities and planet without giving up the food we love, and while that idea is probably fallacious in the extreme, it’s also tantalizing as hell.

Besides, for all my snobbery, I like fast food. Unironically. Even though, despite accounts like this, I don’t eat much of it. I like fast food. True, I’ve never cared for McDonalds, except their fish filets and fries (and even their fries have lost some luster, since they got allegedly revamped to be more “natural” and less sodium-filled), but I still remember my first Whopper with fondness. That was probably the first time I tried mayonnaise on a burger, and I’ve never regretted that decision. My favorite fast food chain is and probably will always be White Castle, a traditional part of any visit to my maternal grandparents in Chicago (unfortunately, my hometown has no White Castle franchises). Those sliders, with their peculiarly onion-y steamed lack of crisp (this is not a bad thing to me; depending on the food, I don’t necessarily care for crispiness as a texture), were heaven to me as a kid, and though it’s been awhile since I’ve had one, I think I’d probably still like them.

One thing you might have noticed from this list is that this is exclusively burger restaurants; no Taco Bell or KFC.

This is because I also like burgers. A lot. With cheese, specifically, as well as other optional add-ons.

I’ve learned to love other fast food, of course. McDonalds’ fish filets, as previously stated, as well as other forms of heavily-breaded fish that I can cover in enough ketchup and tartar sauce to make them bearable. Fried chicken, especially chicken tenders – again, the more breaded, the better (I am neither a chicken- nor a fish fan). And I do actually love Chipotle (after the South Park episode about Michael Jackson and Billy Mays’ deaths, my family started calling it “Chipotle-way” and never really stopped), although I think Chipotle itself probably falls into the hipster fast food category.

A good rule of thumb when deciding what is and isn’t hipster fast food is: is this restaurant encouraging me to think about what I’m putting into my body? Are they hyping the freshness and sourcing of the ingredients, or letting me watch them make the food? Are they trying for “authenticity”? If the answer is “yes,” then you’re probably dealing with hipster fast food.

And that’s not a bad thing. All the paragraphs leading up to this one are my roundabout way of saying that since I love burgers – beef and dairy together in general (I’m a terrible Jew), but especially burgers – I’m perfectly happy with the hipster fast food trend. Thanks to this trend, I can always find a burger around (although I realize as I write this that, since this is America, finding a burger will never really be a problem). Some people question why I’m always ordering the same meals from different places, but honestly, this is an example of why: because every place does it differently, and it’s interesting to compare and contrast. And with the hipster fast food trend, if you can afford the price of a jumped-up burger and fries, you can get a lot of comparing done.

My favorite hipster fast food has to be Five Guys. I’ve been told Five Guys is the East Coast version of In-N-Out Burger (I can’t say for sure since we never did go to one on our family vacation to California). What I know is the one in our town goes for a retro look, with red and white tiles, except for the optional machine that lets you mix your own shakes, and the random bags of unshelled peanuts that line the outside wall. These peanuts are free for customers to sample as they wait for their orders; little paper shells are provided to hold them. The burger patties are a bit thin, but allegedly unfrozen, and they taste good; tender, flavorful, and rarely burnt. Besides, to compensate for the patties’ thinness, Five Guys burgers come as doubles; you must specifically request a single patty to your burger, making it a “small” instead of a “regular.” The fries are thickly cut and well-seasoned, even if it’s with nothing more adventurous than salt and pepper. Five Guys deservedly has a great reputation as a burger place and (relatively) local chain, with food critic reviews framed and hung on the walls of our local franchise. It’s the standard, at this moment, to which I compare my hipster fast food experiences.

When I went to Burger 21 tonight, I was thinking of Five Guys automatically, and I was also thinking of my other recent hipster fast food experience at Smashburger. The latter was almost perfectly mediocre, with just the hint of interesting menu and reasonably well-cooked food that makes you think “maybe I should go back one more time and give it another try.” The patties were wide and tender, but thin, and my burger was soggy, the condiments it came with overwhelming it. The fries were fine, but thinly-sliced; apparently, a troublesome trend. It wasn’t the sort of experience that drives you off, it just makes very little impression either way.

Burger 21 was a similar experience. In fairness, I had just left my shift at 8:30 pm, and was also slightly grumpy because by deciding that we would eat our burgers at the restaurant, my mother and ride was Deviating from the Plan, so I may not have been at my most receptive. After a brief disagreement over whether we should enter at the main double doors, or the single door farther down the wall that opened up toward the bathrooms, we entered Burger 21 and immediately became confused about whether we should order at the counter that had the bar behind it (that was the one), or the counter lined with stools labeled “take-out pickup” (that was not it). A helpful employee corrected us, and we got in line, trying to figure out if the menus he had given us and the brief mention of “bringing the food out to [you]” meant we should order at the counter or wait for someone to come to us. Eventually, we ordered, then I changed my drink order, and then finally things were nailed down and I began to relax.

I was pleased to find the handwashing station, located outside the bathrooms, meaning I could wash the “office” off my hands without having to touch a potentially urine-covered door handle, or grapple with the perpetual “which restroom do I use (the dysphoria one or the one full of cis people who may beat me up)” question of anyone being trans in public. (Being assigned-female transmasculine, I should say. If I were transfeminine and assigned male, both restrooms would be full of cis people potentially ready to beat me up). If their plan really is to pander to The Millennials ™, I would advise Burger 21 to invest in gender neutral restrooms, or at least a third, family- and wheelchair-sized gender neutral one-staller. It shouldn’t be too hard to add some plumbing to a large closet so the rest of us can pee in safety.

Another thing about Burger 21 that I liked was the condiment bar. Where other places had a sidebar of ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and sometimes relish, Burger 21 has a long bar of various sauces, located next to its utensils and drinks. I remember a Cajun sauce, and one based on Korean barbecue, as well as my personal favorite, chipotle mayonnaise. I only tried the chipotle mayonnaise on my burger and fries (we got the Half-and-Half fry order, which included both white and sweet potato fries, and I think it went slightly better with the sweet potato), but for me, one reason to go back to Burger 21 is pure curiosity whether the other more unusual condiments are any good. It may be a gimmick, but it’s the kind of gimmick that works on me. For the record, though, the chipotle mayonnaise was a little bland. However, at least this was preferable to other throat-scalding attempts I’ve witnessed to make “spicy food” for white people, where the “spice” came from too much pepper in the dish and nothing else.

If I were a trained chef or professional food critic, I could talk about the burger and fries themselves for pages, but I am not and so I can’t. However, I’m not sure I need to. The interesting twist to the burger was that it was a real beef patty that seemed hand-formed, like good bar food or maybe a burger from Applebee’s or some other higher class of sit-down restaurant chain. It was thick and juicy and didn’t seem to have been stamped out of a sheet of beef, the texture that the thinner Five Guys and White Castle patties do sometimes have. I ordered my burger medium, and although it was more charred and crispy than I prefer on the outside, I was pleased to see just a hint of pink on the inside. That said, the taste of the meat, and the burger overall, was just a little bland, not flavorful enough to make me forget the charred texture. I did think the Burger 21 touch of putting the tomatoes under the patty, rather than on top of it, was a smart idea, since burgers that have been lifted, bitten, or cut in half tend to lose their tomato slices easily, especially when the patty is thicker. On the topic of the burger’s fixings, though, I did think it needed pickles (the restaurant included lettuce and tomato, and sometimes onion depending on the order, but no automatic inclusion of pickles as far as we could tell, and we didn’t think to grab relish from the condiment bar).

The fries were very, very thin, much less than an inch across, and less than an inch thick. They reminded me in shape of the shredded lettuce on my burger, because they had a shredded look to them; they seemed too short and thin to be sliced by a human hand. This was a trend I also noticed at Smashburger, and my mother and I debated whether this was an attempt to make less potato look like more, or to make people believe they were eating less French fry per bite than they actually were. My mother also said the sweet potato fries looked thinner and less filled than the white potato fries, but I wasn’t so sure about this. In any case, the tiny fries made for messy and inconvenient dipping into condiments, so I hope this particular fast food trend dies soon.

Smashburger and Burger 21 are both poster children of the hipster fast food craze. The same modern look, the same half-ordering, half-being-waited-on system of food acquisition, and even the same thin-cut fries. Burger joints like this are as common as Chinese takeout restaurants and pizzerias in our neck of the woods, and they survive either through quality, or through uniqueness, if not both – whatever can inspire enough name recognition that customers 1. remember their brand, and 2. want more of it. Burger 21 was a pleasant experience, but if it wants to become the next Five Guys or In-N-Out, it probably needs to punch up its flavors, build its “sustainability” reputation, and maybe clean up its restaurant layout. Hipster fast food is a dime a dozen right now, and while I’m just fine with that, I don’t have a vested interest in seeing any of these places succeed. If I stayed that disinterested after becoming a customer, that may be a bad sign.

#burger 21 #burgers #foodie #food review #fast food #review #just tastes good #idkjustastesgood #original #writing

[lindafrancois]

5 Reasons Why Quinoa Is a Superfood And Perfect For Weight Loss

Quinoa is a superfood, and it is increasingly becoming popular with those trying to lose weight. It is considered a complete food because of high protein and other mineral content. 

Weight watchers love Quinoa. Because this superfood has some impressive benefits like it is low in carbs which helps maintain blood sugar level and lower high blood pressure and cholesterol, making it a great dietary addition for diabetics. Available in red and white grains, quinoa is cooked the same way as rice and is loaded with several health benefits. It has successfully taken the centrestage when it comes to breakfast, snacks and desserts option in many households.

According to an agricultural research paper:

“The quinoa is an excellent example of ‘functional food’ that aims at lowering the risk of various diseases. Functional properties are given also by minerals, vitamins, fatty acids and antioxidants that can make a strong contribution to human nutrition, particularly to protect cell membranes, with proven good results in brain neuronal functions. Its minerals work as co-factors in antioxidant enzymes, adding higher value to its rich proteins. Quinoa also contains phytohormones, which offer an advantage over other plant foods for human nutrition.”

Here are some of its key benefits:

1. Quinoa is fibre rich and gluten-free

One of the important benefits of quinoa is that it is high in fiber. Fiber is widely known to relieve constipation, prevents heart disease by reducing high blood pressure and diabetes. Fiber lowers cholesterol and glucose levels, lowers the risk of developing hemorrhoids.

It also helps in losing weight because it makes you feel fuller for longer. Yes, quinoa is also gluten-free and is a great alternative to gluten-containing grains.

It is a nutritionally dense whole grain that gives a higher amount of antioxidants than other common grains eaten on the gluten-free diet. It is also one of the few plant foods that is considered a complete protein. That means it contains the nine amino acids needed to be considered a protein.

2. Quinoa helps control blood sugar

Since quinoa has low Glycemic Index it is essential in controlling blood sugar levels. It’s GI is 53, which is considered low. The glycemic index is a measure of how quickly foods raise blood sugar levels.  Foods with high GI increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart diseases.

Quinoa also happens to be very high in antioxidants . Antioxidants are substances that neutralize free radicals and are believed to help fight aging and many diseases.

3. It contains iron and lysine

Iron aids in neurotransmitter synthesis, regulation of body temperature, enzyme activity and energy metabolism. Quinoa is particularly high in magnesium with with one cup having about 30% of the RDA. Quinoa also contains lysine. Lysine is mainly essential for tissue growth and repair.

4. It helps control headaches and boosts body immunity

Quinoa is rich in magnesium and vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 improves energy metabolism within brain and muscle cells. It also sustain cellular health through oxygenation. 

Magnesium which relaxes blood vessels and alleviates migraines. Magnesium also improves transmission of nerve impulses, regulates body temperature, detoxification, and helps in keeping bones and teeth healthy. 

5. Manganese in quinoa helps in blood circulation

Manganese is an antioxidant, which helps prevent damage of mitochondria during energy production as well as to protect red blood cells and other cells from injury by free radicals.

Quinoa stands tall and proud amongst all its grainy counterparts for its high quantum of nutrients. Low in calories and dense in energy, Quinoa is also renowned for its role in boosting digestion, metabolism and its heart protective properties. These 5 reasons should be enough for you to get a pack of this superfood the next time you visit the supermarket.

Here’s a recipe to try out: 

For more on health and nutrition, talk to our expert Truweight Nutritionist today. The first consultation is on us! Click here to avail!

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[topicprinter]

There are quite a few ways to make some extra cash online. If you follow this subreddit, you probably know that already.You’ve probably also noticed that one of the most challenging parts of online entrepreneurship is finding the right niche.Look around, and you’ll find tons of information about how to do the whole “making money online” thing.Whether it’s affiliate marketing, dropshipping, selling t-shirts, or whatever else, you’ll find a wealth of step by step guides that can teach you just about everything you need to know about strategies that work.Sure, there’s a learning curve at play there. And it can get kind of overwhelming if you’re new to all this stuff. But with some time, dedication, and perseverance, you can learn what you need to know to start making a profit as an internet entrepreneur.Whether your goal is to bring in some extra beer money with a fun, low-maintenance little side hustle, or to create something you can scale over time into a liveable, sustainable income, you can make it happen.But you may have noticed something. Despite all the awesome free information out there, there’s one thing that, at the end of the day, no one can really spoonfeed to you.And that’s finding a niche.In a lot of ways, that’s really the tricky part. And it’s a central aspect of a bunch of different kinds of online businesses.Maybe it’s not universally applicable, per se, but niche selection is essential for such perennial /r/entrepreneur standbys as affiliate marketing, dropshipping on Shopify, creating monetizeable Instagram accounts, and more.It’s also important to what I do, which is Kindle publishing.I know there are other Reddit posts out there about finding a niche, not to mention a million blog posts on the subject.But even so, I wanted to share my own “in-the-trenches” knowledge and experience because I noticed there’s a lot of bad information online.I love this stuff. I remember when I was starting out spending hours upon hours throughout the night (and often saw the sun come up) researching different niches.Again, my experience is with ebook publishing, but I’m also talking about broader concepts that are applicable in other entrepreneurial pursuits.So here’s my advice on finding profitable niches. And it’s maybe a little contrary from what you’re used to hearing over and over again.So let’s get started.This is a pretty long post, so here’s a quick TL;DR of the key points.Go for profit over passion. Profit potential takes precedence over your own personal interest in a subject. Remember, you can always outsource your content and copy to someone who does know a lot about the topic.Go for big, evergreen mass market niches that always sell. I’ll explain why, and what these niches have in common.Focus on solving a specific problem. “Getting in shape” is a broad niche. “How to get a six pack in 6 weeks or less” is a specific problem.Autosuggest is one of the most efficient ways to pinpoint those specific problems. This applies on Amazon, as well as on Google and Youtube. You can also find tools like KeywordShitter and AnswerThePublic that make it easier to find and collate that information.Should I Pick a Niche That Interests Me?This is a pretty common question, and yes, I have been asked this by people quite a few times.And honestly, this is something that comes up periodically here at /r/entrepreneur, I’ve noticed.There are two pieces of advice you see a lot. And they’re mutually contradictory.Some people will say, “Yes, go for your passion! You’ll be miserable if you’re grinding away writing content for a niche in which you have zero interest. Find what moves and drives you, and channel that passion. If you’re into cars, do affiliate marketing for auto accessories. If you’re into fashion, try finding a subniche in apparel and accessories.”Others say the opposite.“No matter how much you love something, when you create a business out of it, it’s going to feel like work. And this could lead you to resent something you used to love. Don’t make a business out of your passions or hobbies. Pick something toward which you’re more neutral, but that you know is going to sell.”So which is it?Both arguments honestly have some pretty good points.Personally, I like to lean toward the second option: choosing a niche based on the bottom line, not on personal passion.That’s not to say you can’t choose a niche you’re at least somewhat into. But here’s why I’m more in favor of Option 2:A lot of hobbies and interests are, frankly, kind of hard to commodify. If you’re into, say, French symbolist poetry, there’s not a whole lot you can really do with that. At least, not at scale.With some things, commodification kind of “feels wrong.” Think spirituality, that kind of thing. This is pretty individually variable, though, and I’m not here to make any value judgments of any kind.Chances are, you’ll end up outsourcing most of the “grunt work” anyway. A quick look through /r/juststart confirms that when getting started, most people write their own content. But as someone who’s published tons of books and stuff, I’ll say this: no matter how much you enjoy writing, doing it all day, every day, in high quantities, burns you out like nothing else.Even if you’re a super gifted writer -- a professional writer, even -- you’ll reach a point where you’ll want to outsource that kind of thing.Why? Because if you’re doing all the work yourself, you will reach a point where you can’t scale anymore.For instance, let’s say your output is 1 book per month. And after a few months, I guarantee you’ll want to take a break to recharge.But if you are outsourcing your work, you can get 3, 5, 10 books done PER month.(Again, my experience is in Kindle publishing, so I’m talking mostly about content, info products, etc. But I’m sure it’ll apply to physical products, creating an app, etc.)At the end of the day, the goal here is to start a business and make money. For that reason, it makes a whole lot of sense to focus on profitability, the level of competition, the potential for a “first mover” advantage in a nascent market, and other things like that.Again, you might have a hobby or a passion that actually does lend itself well to starting a business of some kind. Selling products, writing a series of books about it, blogging about it and posting product reviews with affiliate links, whatever.But don’t feel like you have to start with your own interests. If you don’t HATE it or if it does not go against your values, then it’s fine. (But NEVER go against your values because you’ll end up sabotaging yourself. For instance, I will not promote a business that is related to drugs, violence, or porn no matter how much potential there is because I will not feel good about doing it and I end up sabotaging myself.)Not interested in learning about knee high and thigh high boots tailored for the thicker calves of plus size women, even though there’s a rapidly growing market for that kind of thing?Find a writer who’s a plus size woman who loves fashion and wears a lot of boots during the winter. Get her to write up your product reviews, or write up general supporting blog content like fall fashion style guides and editorials about body positivity.She’ll gladly write for you. And no offense, but she’ll end up doing a heck of a better job than you, because it’s what she loves.And, what you end up paying her is a tiny fraction of the amount of money you’re ultimately going to make from that content. Check out my post about what kind of freelancers to avoid to save yourself a lot of headache, though.There’s a lot you can outsource, and for a lot less money than you might think. So don’t toss an idea just because it’s not a personal interest of yours.The advice I give to my students is: get some stable, consistent cashflow going first, then you can focus on your passions.You’ll enjoy these passions a thousand times more if you do this because there’s no pressure to make a profit from it. You’ll be way more creative also.Do I Need to Be Knowledgeable About My Niche?I kind of touched on this one in the previous section.It probably depends on what kind of business you’re running, what your goals are, and other variables that can be different from person to person.But what I do want to emphasize here is that you don’t have to feel like you need to be a world class expert on a subject to build a business around it.Don’t let yourself succumb to the whole “imposter syndrome” thing. You’d be surprised what you can do with some simple Googling in your free time.We live in a freaking golden age of information right now. Thanks to the internet and smartphones, you are literally holding the entire wealth of human knowledge in the palm of your hand.With just some determination, some free time, and the magic of Google Search, you can quickly learn the basics about almost anything.And honestly, the basics are all you’ll really need.When it comes to content -- whether it’s a book you’re selling, or a blog post housing affiliate links -- what matters is that you know more than your audience about how to solve their problem.Someone needs to attach two pieces of wood together with a nail? You don’t have to be a world class authority on hammers to give them the answers they need. You don’t need to know about the rich history of hammers, or how hammers are manufactured. You don’t even need to be all that knowledgeable about building and construction in general.You just need to know that your audience needs a hammer.And oh, look, you have a bunch of great product reviews of the very best hammers for their specific kind of nail. Or, you’ve got a comprehensive ebook that gives a full step by step guide to hammers and how to use them to pound a nail.So don’t feel like you need to be a #1 authority or expert on your chosen niche.How to Find a Niche: Start with the Timeless Evergreen Niches That Always, Always SellWhen people talk about niche selection, they put the biggest emphasis on specificity. They focus on narrowing things down.Now, don’t get me wrong. That’s definitely something you should do. But that step comes later.Before you begin, you want to focus on “selling what sells”.There are big, massive, evergreen niches where there will always, always be a market full of people itching to break out their pocketbook and pay you for solutions to their problems.Now, these niches have some pretty important things in common. And I think it’s worth talking about those things.What is it about these things that make them so perennially profitable?It comes down to basic human desires. Love, sensory pleasures, material wealth, self-confidence, social success, self-actualization. These desires are basically universal, at least within contemporary Western culture.They revolve around things that people want on a very deep and fundamental level, in ways they’re not necessarily even fully aware of.Love and friendship. For the most part, humans want to find a romantic partner with whom they can share both emotional and sexual intimacy. Someone to love them and support them.Social success. People want others to like them. This ties into things like beauty and getting in shape, although that also relates to the desire to find a mate. It also ties into self-help topics, like how to be more confident, how to get better at public speaking, etc.Material wealth. Good old “how to make money.” Whether it’s investing in real estate, starting a small business, or whatever, people are always looking for ways to make more money. Again, this also ties into the concept of social success.Entertainment. People like to have fun. They like humor. They like to laugh. They like to read about celebrities or whatever, vicariously reveling in the sumptuous glamour and sexy scandals of the rich and famous. A lot of late 20th century sociologists and thinkers wrote about the concept of the “culture industry.” Think of that kind of thing.Self-actualization and personal fulfillment. People want to feel content in their lives. They want to find a sense of peace with the immanent reality of their own existence. They want to find ways to create meaning and infuse their lives with a sense of purpose that makes them feel complete.As I mentioned, there might be some cultural variance here. I am not a psychologist, nor am I a sociologist, nor am I an anthropologist or a historian. Someone more knowledgeable on these subjects might be able to weigh in here.So, here’s a list of the specific “mass market evergreen niches” I’m referring to. Each of them ties into at least one of the general human desires I was talking about above.Mass media. Celebrity bios, stuff about TV shows or entertainment history, that kind of thing. Also “geek stuff,” pop culture stuff, etc. Think “pop culture,” which kind of runs the gamut from trashy tabloids, to comic book and TV show fandoms, and everything in between. Everyone partakes of the mass media culture industry. There are radically different audiences within it -- from blue collar housewives who devour the latest from TMZ, to sophisticated urbanites with a refined appreciation of contemporary interior design and decor, to people who are geeks and proud of it, guys who play D&D or have an encyclopedic knowledge of Star Wars trivia. Sports stuff is in this category, too. Even fashion fits here.Diet and weight loss. This is America. We’ve got a massive obesity epidemic going on. We’re constantly surrounded by foods that are bursting with calories, but that aren’t very filling. (Seriously, take a look at the nutrition facts on those little cans of Coke and stuff. It’s insane.) People are always trying to lose weight -- and unfortunately, in most cases, failing at it. It can take some time to find a regimen that works for their personal tastes and their lifestyle.Fitness. Another thing people want is to get fit and get in shape. This one pairs well with weight loss and dieting, but it’s really its own distinct niche. Getting fit doesn’t always mean losing weight.Self development. Self-help books are always a perennial bestseller. One of the most important things we need to do in this life is to understand ourselves, and sometimes even better ourselves. I mean, think about it. None of us chose to be here, and if we did, we don’t remember it. We’re thrust into this world, as conscious beings capable of joy as well as suffering, facing down the eternal coldness of the hard problem of consciousness. People look for ways to infuse their lives with meaning and a sense of purpose. They look for a compass to guide them through life’s confusing twists and turns.Cooking. Everybody eats food. Some more, others less. So cooking is another perennial niche you can consider. Cookbooks sell like crazy, believe it or not.Dating and relationships. Finding a romantic partner is another big part of human life, at least for the majority of people. There are also the many problems of long term relationships and marriage -- dealing with disagreements, keeping sex interesting after multiple decades, rekindling romance in the wake of an empty nest, etc.Gaming. This one’s maybe a little more recent and modern than the others, but it really is a golden niche. I guess you could really stick this into the “mass media entertainment” category, but I thought it deserved a mention on its own.Making money. Everyone wants to find ways to bring in some extra cash. Money doesn’t buy happiness by any means, but what it can do is secure the base of the Maslow Pyramid. And that’s really important.There are more to this list. But what’s important here is what these niches have in common: an appeal to basic, deep-seated, universal human desires for things like love, acceptance, wealth, and meaning.So these things are evergreen. There is always money to be made. You might be thinking, “Aren’t these super saturated and high competition?”Sometimes, but they’re also massive and broad. There’s plenty of room in these markets.The Key to “Niching Down”You might not actually need to narrow your niche down as much as people seem to think you do. After all, go too niche, and you’re faced with a limited market. Sure, you might make some money, but you’ll hit a ceiling.Anyway, the key to pinpointing a subniche is to focus on answering a specific question or solving a specific problem.“How do I lose weight?” is a big thing, but it’s not necessarily super specific. There are a lot of ways to lose weight. There are also a lot of reasons for losing weight, and a lot of different subsections of the population of “people who want to lose weight.”You’ve got people who are morbidly obese, whose very lives may depend on dropping the extra adipose tissue that’s slowly destroying their bodies.But then, you’ve got, say, women in their 30s who aren’t obese, but who want to lose a few pounds. Like, 25 lbs or less. It’s not a health issue for them, so much as an issue of beauty, confidence, and sex appeal.The way each of those groups goes about losing weight is going to be different. Their specific problems are different, and they’re looking for different things.So let’s say you want to write an ebook and sell it on Amazon Kindle. You’ve got weight loss in mind as the topic. Cool.Now, you need a specific problem.The Power of Autocomplete: Finding the Exact Questions Your Audience Is AskingSo what’s an example of a specific problem? And how do you go about looking for them?You can find them by doing some keyword research. It’s not just for SEO -- it’s also a way to get a peek into what your audience is thinking.In my case, the focus is on what people search for on Amazon. These days, when people want to buy something -- whether it’s a product or a book on a subject -- they’ll usually go to Amazon directly, rather than using Google.But in other businesses, Google or even YouTube might be where you want to focus.Whether it’s on Amazon or Google, you can learn a lot about what people are asking and where the demand is at by checking out what comes up with the autocomplete feature.You can also check out resources like AnswerThePublic.com to find these questions, or use a tool like KeywordShitter or Keyword.io. The latter two actually draw from Google’s Autosuggest feature, so it’s a quicker way of getting that info than doing it manually.Either way, you’ll find queries and searches like these, which are what you want to focus on.“How To Lose Weight Without Diet And Exercise?” “How To Draw For Kids” “How To Lose Weight Journal” “How To Cure A Migraine”Sometimes they’re actually phrased in question format, and sometimes they���re not but you get the picture.Hone in on these specific questions and searches. Then, offer your audience a specific answer.Whether you’re putting together a buying guide for protein shakes or you’re writing a series of ebooks about weight loss and getting in shape, you can maximize your profits by offering a specific solution to a specific problem.This is what’s worked for me over the years: BIG Evergreen Niche --> Specific Problem Within That NicheI’m not the only person offering this advice, or at least I don’t think I am. But, it works.I realize that this subreddit is pretty diverse. Not all of us sell ebooks, or create monetized content. There are people here with cleaning services, with restaurants and bars, with brick and mortar boutiques, and more.So my advice might not be applicable in every single case. But if you want to make some extra cash online, in a way that revolves around informational content, this strategy has worked time and time again.I do hope this was helpful to some of you guys out there. Let me know if you’ve got any further questions about this stuff.

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