#''it would break immersion'' skill issue. skill issue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[galedekkarios]

i feel like even in AUs where it's modern and there's no magic etc etc tara should still be a talking cat. even if gale's the only one that can understand her. and it's not even a "he's imagining things" situation, no, she can actually talk. bc she's tara his catmother and i don't want to imagine a world where she can't nag and talk shit 💔

#''it would break immersion'' skill issue. skill issue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #if tara has one million fans........ #before anyone takes this seriously thinking im telling ppl how to live their life: i'm not ur dad and i'm clearly joking.. hmph -__-

[eksvaized]

[ Previous ┃ Next ] part 1

Simon Riley knew he wasn’t a good guy.

From a young age, he was aware that deep within him, in a place he couldn’t yet reach, was an abundance of sinister desires, impure urges, and even more morally questionable thoughts; all of his inner demons were slowly emerging, creeping to the surface, just waiting to be unleashed.

There were multiple times when he deliberately silenced the voice of reason in his mind, surrendering to the pervasive darkness that took hold of him. He was too weak to resist the temptation or the allure of the sinister impulses that were seeping out of him, cooing him to succumb — he revelled in the sheer exhilaration that indulging in his most sinister desires brought him.

And a couple of other times, he knew he shouldn’t have ignored the muted voice in the back of his head, pleading for him to stop, but he just wanted to feel adrenaline rush through his veins, as he yet again did things that could have easily earned him a death sentence if someone had caught him with dirty hands.

He was careful enough to avoid exposing himself.

Simon was extremely astute and intelligent. His every action was carefully calculated, and he meticulously planned everything he did. He was not a big fan of surprises, which ensured he has never been caught off guard. Consequently, regardless of the situation he was in, he was well-prepared for any outcome. No matter how desperate things may appear to others, he always remained composed and knew exactly what actions to take to get out of sticky scenarios.

However, as he continued on his path, pushing himself to the extremes, he soon hit his limit. His lifestyle began to weigh him down, clouding his judgement — he was no longer thinking clearly. His diabolical side had emerged and taken full control. Simon was well aware of the consequences that awaited him if he continued living the way he did. If he didn’t change, eventually he would find himself trapped, ensnared in a mess of his own making, with no way to escape and get out scot-free.

That’s when he made the life-altering decision to join the military. Immersed in the rigorous training and discipline of military life, he underwent a transformation that not only honed his physical abilities, but also taught him how to merge his gut instincts with rational decision-making. Additionally, he acquired an array of new useful skills, which he believed might come in handy if his darkness resurfaced. Although he made a solemn promise to himself to never use those skills in real life. From that point forward, he was in charge of his own mind — he won’t lose control ever again.

But Simon had a bad habit of breaking promises.

In the real world, where he was known as Simon rather than Lieutenant Riley, he was cautious of never revealing his true colours. He constantly suppressed the darkest parts of himself, always striving to maintain a facade of normalcy, pretending like his sick and twisted nature doesn’t constantly test his limits and push all his buttons, urging him to loosen the screws in his head.

But in the military, he allowed himself to let go a bit. In this environment, he felt liberated from the fear of judgment and dared to embrace some part of his true character. The military recognised and celebrated his unique way of thinking, as well as his unwavering determination to pursue his desires and reach his goals.

He was the perfect soldier, a killing machine, who always accomplished all assigned tasks with remarkable precision and success. And, while his methods were unconventional and the way he chose to do certain things was controversial, everyone turned a blind eye and looked the other way, since he proved himself by doing all of his duties efficiently and with excellent results.

However, Simon’s inability to control his anger and violent tendencies became a serious issue, and he was forced to take a mandatory break when his most recent outburst nearly resulted in the tragic death of one recruit, who infuriated Simon to the point that he believed he had no other choice but to crack the guy’s skull in order to force him to stop acting out and being an annoying prick.

So now, he had three long months to do whatever he wanted, yet he had no idea how he was going to spend all this time. Accustomed to a structured lifestyle with rigorous schedules, assigned tasks, and clear directions, he felt lost. After spending almost a week cooped up in his house, he decided he needed to shake things up and break free from this monotonous routine. Being trapped indoors started suffocating him, causing his thoughts to spiral and wander back to unwanted fantasies, impulses that he had been trying very hard to suppress.

He started going to the gym three times a day, experimenting with new workout routines and testing weird exercise machines, which he usually tended to avoid. On top of that, he began going out more, each night eating dinner at a different restaurant. When that got boring, he even attempted to make a homemade meal, but failed. In an effort to inject even more variety into his days, he introduced daily walks to his to-do list. These walks in the fresh air not only gave him a chance to stretch his legs, but also provided an opportunity to let his eyes wander.

Whenever he saw a pretty woman walk by, his imagination would often run wild. He would attempt to figure out what her name could be, what her profession was, what she was like in the bed, and whether she would smile at him if he approached her or make an excuse to get away from him as quickly as possible.

Simon wasn’t a romantic, or so he told himself. Regardless of who he dated or how much effort he put in, the women always ended up leaving him, claiming he was too controlling, too demanding, and too pushy. They felt suffocated by his constant questioning, overwhelmed by his constant presence, and frustrated by his constant need to know everything and his tendency to treat them as if they were incapable of taking care of themselves.

So, he rarely dated nowadays.

However, as he walked home one late fall evening, his gaze was drawn to you.

You were hastily making your way down the bustling street, gripping your skirt to keep it from flying up in the strong breeze. Your hair, which you had straightened just before leaving the house, was now a chaotic mess of tangles and knots. With each step, you kept tripping over your heels, scolding yourself for even thinking that wearing them was a great idea.

You appeared to be having a terrible day, and no one else would have given you a second glance. In weather like this, everyone was focused on themselves, eager to get home as quickly as possible. However, Simon saw you and was immediately captivated, unable to tear his dark eyes away.

Without even realising what he was doing, he let his feet carry him, while his mind continued to whirl. As if drawn by an invisible force, he followed the sound of your heels clicking against the cold concrete, staying far away from you, so you wouldn’t notice his presence, yet close enough to observe you from afar.

He took careful note of every little detail about you. He examined your short skirt, staring at the flimsy fabric, curious to see if the wind would lift it and reveal the type of panties you had on, or perhaps the fact that you weren’t wearing any — that was an exciting thought. Afterwards, he couldn’t resist allowing his gaze to glide down your curves, captivated by the motion of your hips, watching as they swayed from side to side.

Eventually, you rushed into the coffee shop, filled with people seeking shelter from the awful dreadful and hoping to warm up with a hot cup of coffee. Simon followed you in, the bell chirping as he opened the glass door and entered. You were already at the back of the line, your eyes skimming the menu on the wall to check whether they had your favourite drink here. Without hesitation, he pushed through the crowd, weaving between the tables, and finally stopped behind you.

His gaze travelled down your back, immediately noting the height difference between you two. He imagined how well you would fit in his embrace, with his arms wrapped around your shoulders and his chin resting on the top of your head.

Simon inhaled deeply when you threw your hair over your shoulder. He wasn’t an avid fan of fragrances since they tended to be either excessively sweet or had an overpowering scent, making him want to sneeze and itch his nose. However, the perfume you had sprayed on overwhelmed him. The sweet smell wonderfully complimented you, magnifying his growing obsession with you just a bit more.

The queue, which had seemed never-ending, became increasingly shorter. When you got to the cashier and placed your order, you realised you didn’t have enough cash to pay. You began frantically digging through your purse, hoping to locate some loose change, but after looking through your purse and pockets several times, you had to give up.

Your cheeks were flushed, and you tried your best to maintain your composure and not stumble over your words as apologies poured from you; you despised being in the centre of attention. Your embarrassment intensified once you realised you were holding the line and causing others to wait. It felt like all the eyes were glued to you. Low murmurs and hushed laughter could be heard. Perhaps they weren’t directed at you, but in the back of your mind, you couldn’t help but assume you were the main topic of everyone’s current conversations.

“Let me,” Simon said, swooping in. His shoulder brushed against yours as he handed his credit card to the cashier.

“You don’t need to—”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” he replied, smiling, giving you a brief glance before adding another cup of black coffee with three sugars to his order.

“Names?” The cashier inquired.

“Simon,” he said, turning to look at you. “And...?”

“Y/N.” You replied, your lips curling into a smile as you looked away, unable to maintain eye contact.

While you were quietly, in your mind, expressing gratitude to the handsome stranger for saving you and paying for your coffee, Simon was already letting his mind wander. Although it was his first time speaking with you and you hardly exchanged any words, he felt an immediate connection with you. It was as if you had known each other for a long time. He couldn’t help but notice the subtle similarities between the two of you. One of those being your shared love for over-sweetened black coffee.

And your name...

Simon thought the name suited you perfectly. It was neither too long nor too short. It flowed smoothly when he said it, and he couldn’t help but repeat it in his mind over and over again.

#PO2 #cod #simon riley x reader #simon riley x you #simon ghost riley #call of duty #ghost x reader #ghost x y/n #writing #ghost x you #novella #cod ghost #ghost cod #simon riley #simon ghost x reader

[cinebration]

Thirty Percent! (Geralt of Rivia x Platonic!Reader) [Request]

Hello!! I love your writing, it's quite immersive and your range is admirable! If requests are still open, I'd like to submit this for consideration: a platonic, close friendship with Geralt of Rivia where the MC has some or significant power and/or skill of her own. Where the relationship is centred on mutual respect and rapport, they work well together, and seek each other out. Feel free to take or leave as much of this as you want, and take as much time as you need. Thank you!!!!—Requested by anon

I think I went hard with the banter-bicker dynamic, but I love that. Apologies if this missed the mark a little. I really ejoyed writing it!

Warnings: monster blood, violence

Gif Source: cavilhenry

Viscous, black blood covered the silver of Geralt’s sword as he slashed at the bloedzuigar. The creature’s leech-like mouth, an oval maw filled with sharp teeth, contracted with a screech of pain, the monster thrashing in the murky swamp water as more black fluid spilled out of its wound.

Geralt leapt back, the water resisting his motion, as the creature swiped with its spike hands, its reach equivalent to Geralt’s. The monster only had an inch or two on the witcher, but the water gave the thing an advantage Geralt lacked as he waded through the morass, feet catching on submerged roots and uneven clumps of mud.

With another vicious screech, the bloedzuigar lunged forward, hacking with its claws. Geralt twisted away, nearly losing his grip on his sword. Hitting the water face-first, he dove beneath the surface and kicked hard, propelling himself away from the creature even as it slithered after him with greater agility.

Geralt gasped for breath as he surfaced, spun around to face the creature.

Gone.

The water chopped in small waves around Geralt from his own hurried escape. With only a half-moon for light, the water was dark, the bottom hidden behind feet of murk and disturbed silt. The creature’s blood floated as a darker patch to Geralt’s right.

Readjusting his grip on the sword, Geralt stood still, minimizing the minute movements of his body sending ripples out through the water. The bank of the swamp rose behind him, cypress trees clustered thickly and preventing easy escape. The attack would come from the front, but whether the creature would surface again when its preferred delicacy—intestines—was still submerged under the water in the witcher’s torso remained to be seen.

Geralt edged toward an open gap between the trees, gaze fixated on the deceptively placid surface of the swamp. His movements sent tiny ripples across the water, marring the reflection of the half-moon.

The witcher’s calf pressed against gnarled roots, the slope of the swamp floor changing underfoot. Geralt glanced over his shoulder at the bank, calculating how long it would take him to haul himself out.

The surface of the swamp broke in a violent fury, the bloedzuigar shrieking as it launched itself at Geralt.

“Fire!”

Something arced over Geralt’s head, spinning with perfect precision. It struck the bloedzuigar on its razor-filled mouth, breaking with an audible snap. Odorous liquid spilled over the creature, stunning and disorienting it.

Scrambling up the bank, hands and feet slipping in the swamp muck, Geralt shoved his hand toward the creature and muttered, “Igni.”

Fire shot out toward the bloedzuigar. The creature burst into flame as the oil coating its mouth and upper torso caught fire. Geralt hauled himself further up the bank as the creature thrashed, dying screams rending the night air.

You peered through the cypress trees at your handiwork. “See, now wasn’t that effective?”

Geralt seized you by the waist and threw you down. He landed beside you as you issued protest.

The bloedzuigar exploded, spewing acid against the protective line of trees.

You chuckled wryly. “I forgot they do that.”

Geralt rolled onto his back, shook his head. “You forgot.”

“Yeah, I forgot. I’m not a witcher. I don’t have everything about the beasties memorized—that’s what the books are for!”

“I agreed to let you tag along—”

“Tag along?” You snorted, hauled yourself up into a sitting position. “I do not tag. And even if I did, you are lucky I was around. With all the swamp water on that thing, Igni would have done precious little to singe the bastard. You’re welcome.”

Geralt grunted, neither protesting nor agreeing.

“Next time, I’ll create myself an oil bomb, and then I won’t need a witcher throwing signs to destroy a creature.”

Geralt’s yellow-gold eyes flicked in your direction, a shadow crossing his dour features. “You won’t go alone.”

“I can and will do whatever I please. Perhaps next time you can accompany me and see my latest inventions at work.”

“Inventions.”

“Not everything is swords and spells and potions, my dear witcher. There are other things that save time and energy. Think of the trebuchet and the power it delivers across vast distances, doing more damage than any battalion in an army on an open field.” Snorting again, you rose to your feet and stared down at the supine witcher. “But since you saved me from horrendous acid, I’ll buy the first round at the tavern.”

“With what coin?”

“‘With what coin?’ The gods quiver to hear such blatant prevarication. I believe we agreed that I would earn thirty percent of your profit on this hunt.”

“Ten percent.”

“Thirty, and I do not aim to bargain unless you agree to give me more than that. So let us retrieve our reward—”

“Ours?”

“—ours,” you repeated, kicking him sharply in the ankle, “and get some food and ale into us before midnight strikes, thank you very much.”

A mild chuff of amusement slipping past his lips, Geralt took your offered hand and hauled himself to his feet. As you both returned to your horses, he wiped the ichor from his silver blade.

“And dry clothes,” you added, the squelch of Geralt’s soaked boots and the scrape of his soaked pants audible. “You know how much I dislike to see pruned skin.”

The witcher eyed you again. “I didn’t agree to sharing my chambers with you.”

“No, you didn’t, but it is a sad fact of life that plans change.”

“Such as reducing your thirty percent to ten percent.”

Swinging up into your saddle, you shot Geralt a flinty look. “Then I will take a pound of your flesh as the remaining twenty percent.”

The witcher chuffed again as he slid the silver sword back into its scabbard and hauled himself up into Roach’s saddle. “None of the creatures I have fought have managed a pound.”

“Yes, but I know when and where you sleep.”

Geralt mulled this over as you both nudged your horses back to the road running past the swamp. “When I first found you trying to blow yourself up—”

“I was unsuccessful,” you protested, both indignant and relieved.

“—you were meeker than—”

“If you say a field mouse, Geralt, I will personally catch your hair on fire.”

The witcher wisely held his tongue, but a faint smile curved his lips.

“If I was ever so meek as you claim, it was that all my courage and effort was focused on not killing myself with my experiments.”

He grunted. “You still try.”

“With much better results,” you countered. “And if I hear you complaining, I will let the next bloedzuigar drain your blood and eat your partially-digested intestines.”

“You said you would buy the first round?”

“How easily you evade the subject, witcher.”

“From your ten percent of wages?”

“Thirty!”

The witcher’s quiet chuckle carried across the field.

#Geralt of Rivia x Reader #Geralt of Rivia #Geralt of Rivia imagine #Geralt x Reader #Geralt #Geralt imagine #Henry Cavill x Reader #Henry Cavill #Henry Cavill imagine #The Witcher #requests

[fushiglow]

Is it true that Suguru Geto contracted depression?

While I don't think it explains everything, I absolutely think it's fair to say that Getō was depressed in the wake of the Star Plasma Vessel mission. Aside from his physical symptoms, Getō is shown to ruminate over past events, immersing himself in negative thoughts.

It's clear that the events of the Star Plasma Vessel mission were extremely traumatic for Getō and it's unsurprising that a teenager would develop mental health struggles after what he experienced — especially without support. Of course, as a sorcerer, Getō was facing traumatic events on a daily basis and expected to manage it alone.

In one of my favourite pieces of Jujutsu Kaisen media, The Resurrection Puppet, Gojō discusses this very issue with Nanami:

"Ultimately, handling curses is about handling negative human emotions. It involves a lot of depressing work. [...] Even if you get used to this line of work, it doesn't feel good. Makes me wanna get drunk. [...] You know how to shut stuff out when necessary, but you're not totally immune to it. Adults have ways of relieving the friction that creates. Like alcohol, the wonder drug." [...] The world was an unfair place. Human ill will bred curses. All people, not just sorcerers, were capable of steeping themselves in bitterness, giving up, and drowning in lost hopes. Nanami knew that. And Gojō knew that Nanami was a man with such a past. "We have ways of removing the poison that has circulated to our hearts," Gojō said. "The young don't have that skill. They're too sensitive. At least once, the poison will break their hearts." "I suppose it's the adults' job to handle the poison that affects the young. As a teacher, you understand that, right?" "Yes, I do. That's why I came to talk to you."

It's hard to read this passage from the light novel without assuming that Gojō and Nanami are indirectly discussing Getō — especially considering the fact that Gojō is asking Nanami to take care of another teenager who swallows down "curses" in the form of Sukuna's fingers, holding all that negativity at the core of their being.

Because of his technique, Getō swallows down negative emotions in the form of curses day in day out, even describing their unbearable taste. That's why I've always wondered if it's possible that Getō was uniquely affected by the "poison" Gojō describes, exactly the same as he worries Itadori is particularly vulnerable to it.

That's why he approaches Nanami specifically, saying, "I need someone who understands the suffering people go through. Someone like you." Importantly, Gojō only asks Nanami to look out for Itadori because he's concerned he won't be able to "give him the necessary spiritual guidance" himself due to his busy schedule. I think it's very telling that he seeks the support of someone who also saw Getō's spiral firsthand.

According to Gege Akutami, Nanami "couldn't bring himself to blame" Getō after he left. We know that he was deeply affected by Haibara's death and I often wonder if Nanami would have fallen to a darker path if he hadn't seen what that looked like through Getō's example. Similarly, it was only because of Getō's word that Gojō didn't murder an entire auditorium of non-sorcerers after Riko's death. Though he didn't know it at the time, Getō preserved Gojō's bright future at the expense of his own in that moment.

Gojō and Nanami's conversation in The Resurrection Puppet is bittersweet (something the characters play on by ordering sugary cocktails to balance out the bitter subject matter) because they weren't qualified to help Getō when he was struggling, simply because they were teenagers facing the exact same trauma. It shouldn't have been their responsibility in the first place — a lesson they've learned as adults, but only through losing their counterparts to their line of work as teenagers.

So, yes. I think Getō was depressed and I think it's an unfortunately common condition among sorcerers — it's no coincidence that so many of them are heavy drinkers!

Like I said, I don't think depression explains all of Getō's behaviour, especially post-defection. I wouldn't want to attempt to "diagnose" him after that point, but it's my view that Getō lost his grip on reality to some degree. I don't think anyone could carry out his actions without some level of mental disconnect from them. Akutami says that Getō has been telling himself he hates non-sorcerers since school and I think he succeeded in convincing himself. Still, I wonder why it was necessary to convince himself in the first place...

That's just speculation though. Whatever the reason, Getō's story is a deeply sad one that we can all learn from in the real world. I think we should be able to condemn the path that someone chooses while recognising the suffering that led them to it. If we don't learn to prevent the latter, we'll never be able to prevent the former — and that's one of my most firmly held beliefs.

By the way, it's definitely worth listening to the audio drama of The Resurrection Doll if you haven't already heard it! Thank you for the question and apologies for taking so long to answer! 🖤

#jujutsu kaisen #jjk #呪術廻戦 #jjk meta #jjk analysis #geto suguru #gojo satoru #nanami kento #ask fushiglow

[good-beanswrites]

Eheheh! The anon who sent the ask on the Lights, Camera, Sing Your Sins here! Happy to hear you like the silly thought I made up, bonus on making a small drabble on it! So happy! >w<

So I guess when Mikoto's condition is revealed during his first interrogation, everyone's like "Ooooooh that's why..." over it. And uuuuuuh, does Kotoko feel bad for bashing Mikoto back then? I think it's not scripted according to that post you made back then, but no hard feelings between them, right? And I guess Shidou wouldn't be happy that the prisoners are getting into actual fights ;;

I really did! :D Thank you so much for reaching out, I love hearing people’s thoughts and ideas!!

I'm always very committed to keeping any canon hatred accurate -- I won't sugar-coat a relationship that has been stated to be terrible. However. This is not canon, and I am employing every fix-it in my arsenal >:3 So yes, there are absolutely no hard feelings between them and after every trial they hang out and make up!!

It pains me that all the violence in Mikoto’s interrogation has to be real, but yeah, neither of them pull any punches. Of course Red doesn’t want to hurt Es, but I picture all the prisoners really driven by the desire to tell their stories. Unlike in canon, the au characters are very aware that they’re going to represent a larger social issue/group of people. So when Mikoto is instructed to really sell it, he does it for the sake of accurate experiment results for others like him – and clings to the trust that Es signed up for this. 

And Kotoko’s interference is such a core part of her character: she’s observant, she’s clever, she’s used to and skilled at breaking rules, and she’s such a protector, even to the person who’s holding her imprisoned. It felt unfair to take that away from her by making it something Milgram scripted, so her reaction had to be real and just as violent ;-;

Okay so you know when you’re playing a game with friends/family and you feel very real anger at them for their decisions/actions? Then after it ends you can cool off and acknowledge it was just a game and there’s no hard feelings at all – but you can still clearly remember what made you upset and know it was valid? That’s what I'm picturing when the prisoners write their t2 plans. Kotoko’s anger towards the guilty prisoners is genuine by the end of the first trial. She’s very hurt that Mikoto wouldn’t tell them the truth about himself, after all the secrets they’d collectively shared. She’s disgusted by the others’ actions. She’s not actually planning on beating them up, but she recognizes she kinda wants to lol. Amane does hate Shidou. Yuno is tired of everyone. 

But a few days after the first trial ends, they start interacting in a setting that isn’t immersive anymore. They’re able to relax and talk through everything with clear minds. Kotoko apologizes profusely for hurting Mikoto during the interrogation, admitting that she’s not entitled to anyone else’s secrets. Amane apologizes to Shidou. She may not be as friendly to him as he was hoping, but she tells him that she understands they live under different codes and she shouldn’t hold hatred in her heart. Yuno gets a bit of time to refresh herself while they’re debriefing and collaborating with the writing team. She’s excited to be around the others by the time filming starts up again. Anyone who has anger towards Es lets it soften, feeling bad that they’re allowed to get a fun break while Es must remain asleep.

And I think Red and Kotoko would actually get really close in the au, despite their rocky start! They have very similar ideas on protecting the people they care about and being disgusted by those who abuse their power. Koto-koto duo is real!! 😤I can’t say for sure because so much could change in t3, but I’m hoping to write the two of them bonding over being labeled “the scary violent one” and slammed with a guilty vote next time ;-; 

If anything, Blue is more upset that she attacked Red than he is himself. (“That was our interrogation, what was she even doing there?”) And like you said, Shidou doesn’t want anyone to get hurt for real, so he pleads with them to keep their violence as staged as possible, going forward. He’s also extremely upset with Milgram that they’d let Es get hurt (since he’s the one who treated them afterwards). It takes such long time to assure him it won’t happen again, and that it was a one-time twist that Es signed off on beforehand.

Although I think the violence is going to get worse during this next hiatus, the au characters will actually feel less emotional, in my mind. After doing this for so long, I'm sure it would get easier to regulate which emotions are real and which result from too much immersion -- so there will be less to apologize and make up for this time, they're already very close and happy :')

#milgram #mikoto kayano #kotoko yuzuhira #thank you again for the ask!! these are such good thoughts oughh #asdfsd although im sorry if this is more than you bargained for - you unlocked my behind-the-fic brain 😅😅😅 #ill always go for a sympathetic/bittersweet twist on hateful relationships while trying to keep them accurate #but in this au all of that is out the window and everyone is best best friends with each other!!!! ;---; #im finally getting the kotoko-fuuta and kotoko-mikoto friendships i really wanted from canon #amane accepts the others as a loving family #and no matter what the final verdicts are - everyone forgives and loves es #;----; #im so glad people are enjoying the au because im having a blast thinking about it waah #ask #lights camera sing your sins

[stregoniconiconii]

I was thinking about the head canon of Steve being Italian, through his mom because Harrington is like super Irish, and I have some ideas

first off, I don’t think Steve can speak Italian super fluently. I think his mom was first generation and she worked really hard to sound American and so she didn’t really speak it at home. Steve only heard Italian when his mom was on a long distance phone call with her family back home or when she got homesick and listened to an Italian language radio station. Steve loved hanging out with his mom though, and he loved listening in on her conversations because I know my boy is a little gossip, so he picked up on understanding the language fairly well, but never really got the hang of speaking it

until, when he was like 10 years old and they went to Italy for the summer. his nonna, who he had literally only talked to on the phone, was dying and she wanted her daughter to come back home. she and Steve go together, his dad comes for a couple weeks but then has to go back to work, and they’re there for months, fully immersed. he even spends a month at school with his cousins, who he gets along with pretty well. that’s not to say it was easy at first, definitely not

Steve probably spent the first few weeks there quiet as a mouse just listening to everyone speak. everyone thought he was just a dumb American, chastising his mother for not teaching him their language, teasing him because they thought he couldn’t understand. but they all get surprised when he speaks up when one of his aunts is going in on his mom and he calls her out in actually pretty good Italian. after that, he gets included more, his cousins discover that he’s actually pretty funny besides being American. he still gets teased because his accent needs some serious work, but by the time his Nonna dies and his dad is flying down for the funeral and to take them back to America, he feels pretty damn Italian

he half hopes that he and his mom could stay here, where he has family he actually gets a long with, but his dad’s kinda mad at how native they’ve gone while he’s been gone. now he’s the odd one out and he doesn’t like it. he brings them back to hawkins and issues an Italian ban because he doesn't like not knowing what his wife and son are talking about. and then news about the affair breaks out

see, while Steve and his mom were in Italy, hanging out with family, looking after a sick old lady, and preparing for a funeral, mr harrington was getting dirty with his secretary. so now his mom is paranoid that it will happen again if he gets out of her sights so she ends up going with him on a bunch of business trips. leaving poor Steve alone. and without the practice Steve’s Italian skills go downhill until high school and he starts taking a second language

not many people choose to take Italian, more going for French or Spanish, so it’s a small class. he thought it would be easy for him, since he already knew Italian even if he was out of practice, but this wasn’t the regional Italian his mom and her family spoke, this was The Official Italian Language. so it’s not as easy as he thought it would be but he actually manages to pick it up pretty quickly. yes, Italian is one of his best classes. yes, his accent is still pretty bad

anyway I don't think Steve keeps it a secret that he’s actually pretty good at Italian but not many people know. most of the kids in hawkins are barely passing Spanish or French, the few that are good at languages don’t think of him as someone good at languages so they don’t bother him. it’s not until robin claims she can speak Italian fluently that it even comes up

basically I think Steve and robin gossip in Italian bc they love that only they know what they’re saying. Steve teaches her some of the regional dialect he grew up on, she goes holy shit this means that we can hit up Sicily on our Europe trip and Steve’s very happy about that (because yay best friends trip and also he can visit his family again!)

#Italian steve harrington #this got long #headcanon #stranger things #Steve harrington #platonic stobin

[the-wayside]

I think I just need to say this about Porsche's fighting style.

Porsche has adapted competition level Taekwondo and underground boxing into beating up fighters/thugs. I can't speak to Taekwondo but in kickboxing, the highest points you can garner are kicks to the head. I would assume it's similar. So throughout his former years of training, that was what he was driving to achieve. Almost like his default setting, it's where he feels comfortable. Foot to head.

And people do have key/signature moves based on style and all of Porsche's rely on range and distance (for his beautiful legs) which, funnily enough, mafia men don't like. Mine and Porsche's styles are very similar that's how I know that the reason we see him struggle is because you need speed to get your legs up and to be hitting the person with your foot and not breaking your shin. Distance gives you time. Porsche has been forced into a lot of close combat situations as I said and as much as people might think not, you have to fully extend your leg (wheelhouse/hook kick) to get the full momentum to drive the kick. There are whole drills dedicated to fish kicks (kicks that go under the guard and aim for the ribs [5x5s: 5 left, 5 right, do it 5 times for speed]) and speed switching between roundhouse to the head and to the side.

What I'm trying to say is Porsche is excellent at what he does. Only, no one cares. They close the space, they hem him in. He isn't anticipating his opponent enough. He is, as we saw in ep 1, used to "arriving" and being the most skilled and relying on his abilities to carry him through. That was his issue with Kinn, he kept getting caught in Kinn's range and he couldn't get out. He couldn't employ his style of fighting but had to on the fly adapt to Kinn's and that led to biting.

With Pete, this flows better. Ultimately Porsche isn't trying to hurt Pete. They trade blows quite easily. Pete does what Porsche doesn't, which is mix up the range and tries to anticipate Porsche but we also see Porsche enter that closed combat space. He is learning.

It's funny because when we prepare for matches and our approach, sure there's the basics of what you need to do physically, but it's actually about the mental prep you do and that's told like a chess metaphor because you need to be mentally thinking three moves ahead from where you are.

Porsche at the beginning of the series is very much a pawn, chaotic and all over the place. In his fight with Pete, he moves with a surety of his place, not only in his style but his righteousness and his place as the queen. He approaches and circles, that's how he catches Pete. He is learning and we see it in his style. He's acclimatising to his environment.

Porsche's losses before were never a symbol of a lack of skill. They were a symbol of a mental lack. He lost the internal chess game. He has been immersed in that world now, he knows the rules and he can apply them to the board. Kinn and Porsche in that respect are two sides of the same coin (oh a Merlin reference); that's why they work. They both understand the game.

#kinnporsche #kinnporsche the series #text #spoilers

[donnerpartyofone]

your posts about self esteem were really interesting. I hope you don't mind if I ask, but do you struggle with empathy? I've got friends in psychology who say self compassion is correlated to compassion for others, so often low empathy = poor self image. Social skills are often hampered by conditions like autism, and compassion is social.

Thank you for this provocative question, anon! I like that you say those posts were "interesting" instead of like, sad or delusional or something. I had to start blocking people who were compelled to tell me what to think or how to feel about myself, or who thought they were helping by denying the nature of what I was reporting. A few people recently had a more thoughtful or inquisitive reaction and I found that really refreshing.

Apologies in advance for this long dissertation on ME, but I'm glad you asked this specific question because it relates to something that came up recently that I think is important to talk about. More below the break so I don't ruin everyone's dash.

First of all I think I do not struggle with empathy; if anything I seem to have a hyperactive sensitivity to other people's moods and dispositions. One of the reasons parties are hard for me is that it takes a lot of energy to be immersed in other people's, uh, "vibes" or "auras"--please don't take anything mystical from my word choice, it's just hard to describe otherwise. I start syncing with other people to make myself less weird and off-putting (who knows how much I'm succeeding!), and then I need a lot of solitude to get back to my baseline. I'm very concerned with how other people feel, which is why I've been so good in hospitality-related jobs. But I'm sure this is related to the fact that I have major boundary issues, I get so hung up on how other people (seem to) feel that it can make it hard for me to assert myself until someone has pushed me way over the edge.

But I guess there's a limit re: the "reading social cues" bit. I *think* I read the room pretty well most of the time (I must! For my survival!), but I have a history of taking people at their word too much and not noticing that someone has bad intentions until it's too late. Maybe there's a certain amount of literalism going on. Like a really simple example is, I have a hard time with the concept of being "fashionably late"; if a party starts at 8, I will arrive anxiously right at 8, and there's a good chance that I will get there at like 7:57 and lurk on your front steps until the clock turns 8 BECAUSE YOU SAID 8, YOU MUST HAVE MEANT 8. I have finally learned that nobody really likes this unless they're my best friend or something, but I can't tell myself "Just relax and get there when you get there," that's too confusing, I have to say "We will now arrive at 8:20 because this is the secret code of party start times." That's a benign sort of dysfunction, but another version of that is, my boyfriend says he loves me and he doesn't want to break up. Actually he cheats on me all the time and screams at me and scares me, but because he like *technically* loves me and doesn't want to break up because that's what he literally said, my stupid brain thinks that's the rule and the other manifestations of his feelings must be anomalous, and then I'm in a really bad relationship for a long time because I just don't see the subtext until I'm really being beaten over the head with it. There have been a lot of times where I acted like I was legally obligated to come to an understanding of what someone else thinks and feels, when it would have been more rational to say, "This person is being an asshole, it doesn't matter why, I'm ditching."

I *think* this is related to your question about empathy, sorry if I'm being crazy.

So now for your question about self-compassion: I'm grateful for your prompt because I just had an argument about this with someone I love, and I don't think I did a good job of explaining it. I've also fielded some other feedback around these parts that was suggestive of the same idea, which is like: If I say that Behavior X is a crime when I do it, it must mean that Behavior X is an equally punishable crime when someone else does it, so therefore it is rude and inhumane of me to be mad at myself. This argument is missing a consideration of both context, and what exactly criminalizes Behavior X. The first note to make is that Behavior X is usually something that is NOT destructive when it happens just once in a while, innocently--but It becomes a big problem when it happens all the fucking time, like an infestation. If I "innocently" fumble something 50 times a day, that has a much more destructive effect than you making the same mistake just-sometimes. But let's say you DO make the same mistake a lot, so you still feel accused by my personal self-loathing. Now we get to the more important question of what or who is affected by the behavior. I feel sorry for people whose quirks and compulsions and such make their lives hard, obviously I relate! However, if those people came to my house and started doing their quirks and compulsions TO ME, then that's a different thing entirely.

Let's do some examples: If I complain about my weight, that's not the same as saying all fat people suck. What I'm really complaining about is the impact of weight on my own life, the negative effect on my social currency, my inability to find comfortable and attractive clothes, etc. I'm complaining about having to fight with doctors who think BMI gives them a free pass not to treat people, and also about genuine health problems I might struggle with. So my feeling about my own weight really has nothing to do with my feelings about other people's weight, I'm really reacting to my own personal discomfort, which is related to a whole complex of things, but none of those things is truly equivalent to complaining about fat people in general. Similarly, when I complain here about being stupid, I'm not assigning a moral quality to human stupidity, I'm really complaining about the effect of my personal stupidity on my own life. I do believe that there must be something cognitive or neurological going on with me so maybe I can't totally help what I'm like, but I find it impossible not to react to how my own stupidity makes it extremely hard to get through my day. It makes it scary to wake up in the morning. There are so many normal things that I either have to do over and over and over again, or that someone else actually has to do FOR me, which is humiliating and makes me feel hopeless (even though I'm glad for the help because what would I do without it?). Sometimes my life feels like fucking Groundhog Day, it feels like I'm achieving a fraction of what a normal person does in a lifetime, because everything takes me so many tries or is impossible to ever get past. I feel sorry for other people who go through the same stuff, but to me, that's totally separate from how I feel about myself. I hate myself NOT because I am a certain kind of person or because I did something that is objectively a sin, but because I, personally, am the reason I'm suffering and failing. This is not at all abstract or generalizing, it's something I'm forced to deal with, materially, every day. It's just too much to ask, for me to pity myself every single time I fuck myself over yet again. What can I say, I'm not a saint!

So I hope that sort of addresses your question! One of the reasons I get so upset when someone tries to make excuses for my behavior, or suggests that I am just exaggerating because I'm down on myself, is that if I can't have honesty about what goes on with me, then I can't ever get clarity about WHY this stuff is going on. If I agree to the premise that the 25 bad, destructive things I did today were "just because" I was distracted, or flustered, or overworked, or it was an innocent mistake, or it was someone else's fault, or it was a random coincidence, or an act of god, or I just need to learn the right way, or I just need to try harder, or I just have to have a better attitude, et al ad nauseum--that is, if I accept excuses instead of acknowledging a persistent pattern, then I might not ever get to the point of having a useful, explanatory diagnosis like ADHD or autism or...whatever is specifically going on with me. And I mean whatever happens, I WILL always try harder to improve myself, even if sometimes that feels like not learning from history. But it's becoming kind of obvious that a lot of the arguments I have with people could probably be cut off at the pass if I had a note from a doctor that said SEE? I'M REALLY JUST LIKE-THIS. I don't know what I'm going to do about that, with the Adderall shortage and what I'm told is the difficulty of getting an adult autism diagnosis. And like I'd hate to test for autism (or whatever) and have it come back ambiguous, it might make me feel like I'm "just fucking stupid" and I don't have a real problem, and it could also be problematic for these conversations I keep having with people who think I'm basically imagining the whole thing and just being "hard on myself". But I don't know, I think diagnosis may become a bigger focus for me in 2024.

Anyway. Thanks for reading this monstrosity if you did, and thanks for being thoughtful about my depression posting. It's refreshing.

[ahenvs3000w24]

10: The Last Reflection

Hi folks!

Here we are, the final blog post of the term. For myself, it feels like just yesterday I was sitting down to write my first response, attempting to break down what nature interpretation meant. Prior to this term, I was not familiar with the concept of nature interpretation, and I was naïve to assume everyone has experienced nature in the same manner I have. The journey that this course has facilitated, I believe, came at the perfect time in my life, both personally and professionally. As I approach graduation this summer, I’m reminded that the skills and metaphorical toolbox that I have developed over the past four years will guide my future endeavours.

To get started I would like to provide you all with a quote. The frontispiece of our textbook stated that,

“Finding beauty in a broken world… is the work of daring contemplation that inspires action” (Beck et al., 2018).

Prior to this course, I was familiar with the negative aspects and areas of improvement that our natural world consisted of. Habitat destruction, the climate crisis, food shortages; the list goes on. It is through university courses that I was made aware of these issues and asked to research possible solutions (Hooykaas, 2024). When talking to my parents or even friends who are not in post-secondary education, there is a large disconnect in the knowledge and an emphasis on the problem rather than solution. This course was the work of daring contemplation and a self-reflection of how I see myself as a nature interpreter. I am now an active vessel to communicate the values and successes of nature and am knowledgeable of how to do so. I have found a passion for bridging the gap between those who are able to access our natural world and those who do not. 

To be an effective communicator there are several aspects of self that must be strengthened and actively worked upon. It was not until this blog prompt that I had considered what my personal ethic is regarding nature. A definition that I used to curate my personal ethic towards nature was “the ethics that a person identifies with in respect to people and the situations that they deal with in everyday life.” My personal ethic as a nature interpreter is to be honest and always maintain integrity when relaying information to audiences. As discussed in course content, it is not only the quality of interpretation that effects the audience’s engagement with the topic but the way it is presented (Beck et al., 2018, Chapter 3). We all have a hierarchy of needs and if we are motivated to fulfill these needs, life will be more enjoyable (Beck et al., 2018, Chapter 3). Ensuring I am transparent to audiences with how much I do know and recognize the gaps in my knowledge will instill trust in my audience and increase retention rates. 

Similarly, I recognize the gaps in knowledge that people of different socioeconomic status may have and the privilege I hold attending a university, receiving an education in environmental science (Beck et al., 2018, Chapter 7). I vow to be a beacon of truth and encourage differing perspectives. There is an immense amount of misinformation circulating in mainstream media that can be difficult to trust. Those who are less informed may be incredibly susceptible to this misinformation and can make uneducated conclusions. I have a responsibility to utilize the skills I have learned in this course and my education to filter through this information and support my audience. 

In my childhood, I was fortunate enough to attend several nature related day and overnight camping experiences. I have immersed myself in the natural world and have experienced the value of an effective nature interpreter. Now that I am of the age of previous camp councillors and teachers, I am passionate about the natural world, specifically aquatics, and am eager to be the voice for the next generation. Little 5-year-old me would be ecstatic to go down to the lake and collect stones and listen to my nature guide. I think that without this exposure and exceptional guide, I would not have the same relationship with nature that I do today.

Experiencing nature in my past and this course in the present, I have a comprehensive understanding of how I would relay my knowledge about the natural world in a digestible manner. I would focus on my passion for our freshwater great lakes and the Muskoka area that I have spent countless hours exploring. As a visual learner that recognizes there are other learning styles, a YouTube show would be an ideal source to share my knowledge with the most amount of people (Beck et al., 2018, Chapter 6). Most people have access to a digital device, if not personally then at their workplace or school. With children being exposed to technology more than any previous generation, I believe a short YouTube video weekly could be engaging and an amusing way to learn. The experience I gained through creating our podcast assignments leaves me feeling better equipped to tackle such a project.  

This course has inspired me in my future aspirations. Leaving Guelph, I have the responsibility to myself and to my peers to share the knowledge we have gained in traditional study and apply it to our everchanging world. It is important to remember that regardless of what the future holds, our natural world can provide us with answers. We must support each other in our call to action and have an open mind to new possibilities and perspectives. I believe we all have been working on finding our own voice this term and I am excited to see where our values, beliefs, and interests take us. 

I hope that you all can appreciate the evolution of me and my experiences outdoor through this digital scrapbook of my life through the images.

Cheers to a great term and staying curious!

References

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: for a better world: Chapter 3 Values to individuals and society. Sagamore Venture.

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: for a better world: Chapter 7 Serving diverse audiences. Sagamore Venture.

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: for a better world: Chapter 6 How people learn. Sagamore Venture.

Hooykaas, A. (2024). Unit 10: Nature interpretation’s role in environmental sustainability. University of Guelph. https://courselink.uoguelph.ca/d2l/le/content/858004/viewContent/3640015/View

#envs3000 #university #nature

[whentherewerebicycles]

now I’m all riled up and don’t want to work lol. but fine ok let me think about what needs to get done today. I will consider this day a rousing success if I actually sit down and finish fully prepping the two-hour workshop, including creating the pre-workshop assignment and making the materials (handouts, activity instructions, PPT) I’ll need to lead the class. I just looked over some notes I took last month and was pleasantly surprised to find I’ve actually done most of the planning work.

I think this will be the loose structure:

WARMUP: short freewrite >> partner share to break the ice and prime them for the activity. maybe something like: what did you benefit from most (personally/professionally) in your summer placement? what are you looking for more of in your next summer experience (in terms of professional experiences you want to have, skills you want to develop, types of issues you want to engage with, etc)? then we’ll do a partner share or I might have them write keywords from their responses on the board so they can see a wide spectrum of answers that might spark other ideas/thoughts… tbd gotta think about whether they would actually get something out of that.

ACTIVITY 1: finding summer opportunities

I think I’ll probably start with a PPT overview of the options available to them (maybe accompanied by a handout). I think I might make a chart with a breakdown of 4-5 different options. let’s see that could include: 1) working a regular (non-academic) summer job, 2) doing a structured immersive summer institute like an REU, 3) doing part- or full-time paid research a faculty member, 4) pursuing a professional internship, and 5) taking summer classes with a community or industry placement component. maybe the chart could have different rows to help them better understand the pros and cons of various options… like an REU gives you a cohort- and campus-based experience with paid housing whereas working in a prof’s lab probably doesn’t… but an REU is a full-time commitment that might require you to be out of state for most of the summer, so it isn’t as workable for some people who have family responsibilities or want to continue working part time through the summer. or like, taking summer classes would help you progress towards your degree faster, but you’d have to pay for the credits and you wouldn’t get a mentored work experience in the same way that you might through an internship, etc etc.

after we’ve gone through the options maybe I have them spend a few minutes thinking through their summer plans and freewriting about which makes the most sense for them, which they can then discuss very briefly with a partner or keep to themselves depending on time. maybe I can even create a worksheet for them to fill out that guides them through articulating priorities/needs… like I’m looking for this many hours, I need housing vs. don’t need housing, I want to be in this area or I want to go out of state, etc.

then I’ll show them several databases and resources for finding summer opportunities and have them spend 10-15 min exploring, with the goal of finding 2-3 opportunities that seem like a good fit. I think we will write these on the board and I’ll have them do a little gallery tour type thing where they find a partner (maybe someone they know shares similar interests) and introduce them to the ones they found… I think it’s worth taking a little time to do this as it’ll expose them to lots of possibilities and help them visually see just how much STUFF is out there. and I’ll ask them to add a couple options to their list based on what they hear from their peers.

the concrete things they’ll leave with: their worksheet/freewrite articulating what they’re looking for + 3-4 specific summer options.

BREAK (I’ll bring baked goods/snacks)

ACTIVITY 2: writing a personal statement

we’ll do a quick poll—how many have written personal statements or essays or research statements for an application before?

pose the question: what does the personal statement do? what purpose does it serve? maybe have them talk with a partner, then toss a bunch of ideas up on the board?

small group activity. hmmmm this is the part I’m not sure of yet. I want to give them two sample SOPs to read that feel pretty different from each other (or an SOP and a cover letter maybe?) and hmm maybe I’ll have them use colorful markers or highlighters to annotate. I could ask them to look for the following: 1) evidence of interest in the topic, 2) evidence of past experience or demonstrated skills related to the topic, 3) details that reveal something about what the person might be like as a learner, coworker, etc. is that specific and useful enough?? might need to think a bit more about what I want them to get out of this exercise… HMM.

group debrief of some kind after… OR idk it could be fun to have them do a roleplay game where they pretend to be a committee evaluating the student for admission to their program… ooh if I decide to go that route I could give them a sample “bad” SOP along with the good ones (lol maybe a chatGPT generated SOP) that doesn’t give much detail… and then they could compare/contrast. I have a feeling we’ll be crunched for time so I gotta think about what the highest impact activities are… this would be fun but we could probably accomplish the same thing in a group discussion/debrief, which would require less setup. maybe I can use a little mix of small group/whole group discussion here and generate some questions to guide us. mmm I think this will be easier to conceive of once I have the sample SOPs picked out.

I think instead of doing an outlining activity for their own SOPs in class, I will have them do a closing brain dump/mind map activity where I ask them to fill an 8.5x11 sheet of paper with as many examples, experiences, details, ideas, goals for their own SOP, etc as they can generate in 5 minutes. I’ll emphasize that the goal isn’t to actually formulate your SOP or to write good sentences yet but to just kinda tip your head to the side and empty your brain onto the paper so you have a bunch of prompts or ‘sparks’ to go back to when you actually sit down to begin drafting.

mm okay. what are the big pieces I need to create or assemble?

the handout/chart of types of opportunities (this will take some time to conceptualize as I gotta think about what I want to include… I’d also like to include 2 sample options for each category so: little bit of research too)

the PPT slide that has the chart on it but also the overview of databases (or I could include this info in the chart itself?)

three sample essays for us to look at—I think I’d like to do two really solid SOPs that show a lot of personality + a fairly vapid/bland one that feels more chatGPT-y or uses a lot of boilerplate language.

PPT slide with instructions for annotating (slash color-coding) the sample SOPs

PPT slide with starting discussion questions or small group question prompts for the post-read debrief session

PPT slide with instructions for the mindmap/brain dump wrap-up activity (remind them to go back to program descriptions)

[gt-games]

GTGAMES and the Future of Online Tambola: What to Expect

The future is looking bright and exciting, especially if you're a fan of online Tambola, thanks to the innovative strides being made by GTGAMES. As we dive deeper into what the future holds for online Tambola enthusiasts, let's break it down into simpler terms so everyone can get on board with the excitement.

GTGAMES: Pioneering a New Era of Online Tambola

Fundamentally, GTGAMES is a pioneer in the realm of online Tambola and other digital games. For those who may not know, Tambola is a game of chance and skills. It is also known as Housie in various regions of the country. As a caller draws numbers at random, players can check off numbers on their tickets by Play Online Tambola. Whoever crosses out every number first wins. It's easy, enjoyable, and now even more accessible because of GTGAMES.

GTGAMES is like the cool new kid on the block in the world of online games. They've taken Tambola, a game loved by people all over the world, and made it digital. This means you can play it on your phone without having to leave your cozy spot at home. Plus, GTGAMES has made sure the game runs smoothly, so all you need to worry about is mark off those numbers and having a great time. It's the same old game of chance, but with GTGAMES, it's got a fresh, new twist that's accessible to everyone.

What Makes GTGAMES Stand Out?

Innovative Technology: GTGAMES uses cutting-edge technology to bring you a seamless and engaging online Tambola experience. This means smoother gameplay, less lag, and more fun for everyone.

Accessibility: You may play Tambola at any time and from any location with GTGAMES. The game is easily accessible whether you're using your laptop at home or your phone when you're waiting for a bus.

Community Building: One of the coolest aspects of GTGAMES is its focus on community. You're not just playing against anonymous players; you're becoming part of a vibrant community of Tambola lovers from around the world.

Security: In today's digital age, security is paramount. GTGAMES has put in place robust security measures to ensure your personal information and winnings are safe.

Variety: GTGAMES isn't just sticking to the traditional way of playing Tambola. They're introducing different variations and modes to keep things interesting. This means there's always something new to try.

The Future of Online Tambola with GTGAMES

As we look ahead, the future of online Tambola through GTGAMES is shaping up to be pretty exciting. Here's what to expect:

More Social Features: Expect GTGAMES to amp up the social aspect of online Tambola. This could mean more ways to interact with other players, form clubs, or even compete in team-based competitions.

Personalized Gameplay: Thanks to AI developments, GTGAMES may be able to provide a more customized gaming experience by adjusting the themes, calling patterns, and even the degree of difficulty to suit your tastes.

Global Tournaments: The future could see the introduction of Tambola party mode games with big prizes on the line. This would not only increase the stakes but also bring together the best players and freinds  from across the country.

Eco-friendly Gaming: As the world becomes more conscious of environmental issues, GTGAMES could lead the way in sustainable gaming practices, perhaps by offsetting carbon emissions or supporting green initiatives.

Wrapping It Up: A World of Possibilities

In simple terms, GTGAMES is not just changing the way we Playing Tambola Online; it's redefining it. With a focus on technology, community, and innovation, the future looks not just fun but also inclusive, immersive, and responsible. As we move forward, it's clear that GTGAMES isn't just following the trends in online gaming—they're setting them.

There has never been a more exciting moment to start playing Tambola, regardless of your experience level. Prepare to mark your numbers and join GTGAMES on this exciting voyage into the future of online Tambola. Who knows? The options are countless. Maybe the next big thing in online gaming is already here, waiting for you to jump into the fray.

FAQ

1. How does GTGAMES plan to enhance the online Tambola experience in the future?

GTGAMES is committed to revolutionizing the way you play online Tambola.  Expect more social features too, allowing you to connect, chat, and play with fellow Tambola enthusiasts from around the country. And that's not all; we're also working on introducing personalized gameplay, global tournaments, and even educational spin-offs to make your experience not just fun but enriching.

2. Can I play GTGAMES Tambola on any device?

Yes! One of our main goals is to make online Tambola as accessible as possible. Whether you're on a smartphone waiting for your coffee, taking a break on your tablet, you can jump right into a game. Our platform is designed to be fully responsive and compatible with a wide range of devices, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience for everyone.

3. Is my personal information and winnings secure with GTGAMES?

Absolutely. We take your security and privacy very seriously at GTGAMES. Our platform employs state-of-the-art encryption and security protocols to protect your personal information and financial transactions. Rest assured, your winnings are safe with us, and you can enjoy playing online Tambola without any worries. We're constantly updating our systems to combat any new threats, so you can focus on having a great time.

#online tambola game #tambola game online #housie game

[equestrianempire]

Richard Greer: From Horseman to Therapist – A Journey of Healing and Understanding

A Renowned Horseman’s Evolution

Richard Greer, a first-generation horseman, has dedicated over 32 years to developing a unique skill set in understanding the entirety of the horse.

His vast experience encompasses various facets of the equestrian world, including extensive coaching from two exceptional Grand Prix riders: Mr. Ian Silitch of Ocala, Florida, in show jumping, and the late Mr. Ken Sudsbury in dressage and in-hand work in the UK. Beyond riding, Greer is an accomplished coachman, trained to drive horses up to four in-hand, with wide-ranging experience in carriage competitions, film production, and commercial spheres.

In 2003, he shifted his focus to equine rehabilitation and behavior, establishing a progressive program at his stables in England.

Utilizing his knowledge of why horses break down in training, Greer developed a unique approach to bring them back to health. His proficiency in equine bodywork, particularly Shiatsu Massage, acquired under the guidance of Shiatsu master Mr. Geary Whiting in America, has been instrumental in his success. Further education in England under Dr. Ray Smith and Mr. Pierre Antoye has enhanced his expertise.

Since becoming a qualified practitioner in 2007, Greer has offered his specialized services to elite equestrians worldwide. Additionally, he is trained as an Equine Dentist under Mr. Steve Sampson, recognizing the importance of dentistry in equine health. Greer’s contributions extend to writing magazine articles on training, rehabilitation, and saddle structure and effects. With a diverse competitive background in show jumping, dressage, endurance, carriage driving, and eventing, Greer has showcased his skills at the Open level in team chasing, navigating obstacles that command respect from seasoned riders.

Richard Greer

Embarking on a Therapeutic Odyssey

Seventeen years ago, Greer found himself grappling with excruciating pain while riding in Florida. It was a pivotal moment that led him to seek treatment from Gooby Whiting, a renowned massage therapist. Greer vividly recalls the impact of Whiting’s therapy, stating, “I came out after one treatment and I wanted to run around the block. It hit me so hard that the treatment was so powerful.”

From Inspiration to Action: Merging Worlds

Inspired by Whiting’s transformative work, Greer embarked on a mission to master equine therapy. He credits Whiting for illuminating the path, saying, “Gary showed me the way… So it was a very easy transition for me to put those two together.” Greer’s immersion into equine therapy was fueled by his deep-rooted understanding of horses’ physical and emotional needs, cultivated over years of horsemanship.

Holistic Healing: Integrating Disciplines

Greer’s therapeutic approach encompasses a fusion of disciplines, including massage, saddle fitting, dentistry, and farriery. He emphasizes the significance of addressing underlying issues, such as overlooked dental problems, stating, “One of the biggest issues… are horses with wolf teeth that have been missed… Any tension in the jaw transfers back through the body as tension.”

Success Stories: A Testament to Dedication

Greer’s journey is adorned with numerous success stories, each a testament to his unwavering dedication. He recounts a poignant tale of a show jumper teetering on the brink of retirement due to dangerous behavior. Through meticulous bodywork and saddle adjustments, Greer was able to reignite the horse’s passion for jumping, averting what could have been a premature end to its career. “It would have most likely been put to fall if it hadn’t come to me,” Greer reflects.

Advocating for Change: A Vision for the Future

Beyond individual cases, Greer advocates for systemic change within the equestrian community. He underscores the importance of saddle fit and rider awareness, lamenting, “Many saddles are fitted on the narrow side… unfortunately, we often compromise the horse’s comfort.” Greer envisions a future where his expertise can influence positive change on a global scale, particularly in burgeoning equestrian communities in Asia.

A Journey of Compassion and Knowledge

As Greer continues to make strides in equine therapy, his passion for healing horses and riders burns brighter than ever. His journey exemplifies the transformative power of compassion, knowledge, and unwavering dedication. Through his work, Greer not only heals horses but also fosters a deeper understanding and appreciation for the profound bond between horse and rider.

© Rights Reserved.

[rentnhop]

Riding Solo vs. Joining a Group: What to Consider When Getting a bike on rent in Ladakh

Visiting Ladakh when you’re done with your city’s life feels like bliss. If you're planning a trip to Leh and want to explore the region on two wheels, you've got an important decision to make - should you get a bike on rent in Ladakh and ride solo, or join an organized group tour? Both options have their pros and cons, so let's break them down in this blog. 

The Freedom of Riding Solo

Getting a bike on rent in Ladakh on your own and riding solo gives you the ultimate freedom and flexibility. You can design your itinerary, go wherever you want, and make spontaneous stops along the way. It's just you, the open road, and that sense of adventure we all crave.

Some key benefits of riding solo in Leh:

Total control over your schedule and route - Want to spend more time at a particular village or monastery? Go for it. Feel like taking the road less traveled? You can.

Ability to interact with locals - Without a big group, it's easier to chat with villagers, shopkeepers, etc.

Cost savings - Sharing guide fees and transport costs with a group can get pricey. Renting a bike on your own is cheaper.

Immersive experience - It's just you and the environment, allowing you to soak in the sights, sounds, and feels of Leh's landscapes.

Adrenaline rush - Riding through Ladakh's mountains and valleys solo is an incredible thrill. 

Of course, going solo also means you need to plan everything yourself - permits, accommodation, Leh Ladakh bike rental, etc. And there's no support vehicle in case of breakdowns or emergencies. But for adventurous souls seeking freedom and flexibility, solo bike trips are tough to beat.

The Comfort of an Organized Group Tour

While riding solo sounds exciting, joining an organized Leh bike tour has some nice perks too. Tour companies handle all the legwork of permits, Leh Ladakh bike rentals, route planning, accommodation, etc. And you'll ride with an experienced local guide who knows the terrain and can ensure your safety.

Here are some benefits of opting for a group bike tour in Leh:

Built-in support system - The guide and support vehicle have your back in case of bike issues, health problems, bad weather, etc. Very reassuring. 

Don't have to plan anything - All logistics are covered, just show up with your riding gear.

Learn about the region from an expert - Local guides provide context and stories that solo riders would miss.

The camaraderie of a group - Enjoy meals, camping, and experiences together. 

More accessible for beginners - New riders can gain skills and confidence riding with others.

Of course, joining a set tour means losing some flexibility. You won't be able to change the route or schedule on a whim. And you'll need to ride at the pace of the group. But for riders who prioritize comfort over control, group tours deliver an incredible Leh experience.

Key Factors to Consider

As you decide between solo vs group bike trips, here are some important factors to weigh:

Your riding ability - If you're an experienced motorbike who can handle breakdowns and emergencies, solo is very feasible. Beginners are better off starting with a tour.

Interest in connecting with locals - Solo riders tend to have more local interactions. Groups travel together.

Planning time - Organized tours require little pre-trip planning. Solo trips take time to arrange all logistics.

Comfort level with uncertainty - Tours lock in plans. Solo riders must be ready to adapt on the fly.

Budget - Group tours with guides, transport, etc. cost more. Solo bike rental is cheaper.

Riding style - Solo is best for those who want to roam freely. Groups appeal to riders who like camaraderie.

Helpful Tips to Get a Bike Rental in Ladakh

If you opt to get a reliable bike on rent in Ladakh and ride solo, here are some tips to make it a success:

Choose a motorcycle suitable for Ladakh's terrain - Look for something with good ground clearance, high-altitude performance, and the ability to tackle broken tarmac. Royal Enfield classic 350s or 500s are popular choices.

Include spare parts and tools - Flats, breakdowns, etc. can happen. Make sure your rental has puncture repair kits, basic tools, extra oil, and spark plugs.

Test drive before renting long-term - Take the bike for a short test ride before committing to a multi-day rental to check it handles well.

Understand lease terms - Confirm all costs, security deposits, acceptable riding areas, breakdown policies, etc. Read the fine print.

Pack proper riding gear - Helmet, gloves, eye protection, layers, etc. This equipment is crucial for safety and comfort.

Get permits lined up - Paperwork like Inner Line Permits are required for many areas. Research and arrange well in advance.

Make accommodation reservations - Leh hotels fill up fast in season. Advance booking for each night is wise.

Leave an itinerary with a contact - Share your riding plans and scheduled check-ins so someone knows where you are. Critical for solo trips. 

Conclusion: Let the Adventure Begin

We hope this overview gives you a good feel for the pros, cons, and factors to consider when choosing between bike on rent in Ladakh as a solo versus joining a group tour for your Leh adventure. Both options can provide an incredible experience if you come prepared. The open roads of Ladakh are calling - it's time to start planning your epic bike trip. Ride safe, and maybe we'll cross paths out there

#bike on rent in leh #bike hire in leh #bike rentals in leh

[equitymatch]

Apple Vision Pro revolutionising business from design to manufacturing

Apple has made major advances in visual innovations throughout the years, transforming the way people engage with products and experience content. Moreover, Apple has accomplished substantial advancements in the fields of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). The ground-breaking spatial computer, Apple Vision Pro, allows individuals to maintain their sense of presence and relationship with others while effortlessly combining online content with the real world. The Apple Vision Pro is presented as an AR/VR headset and it could change between AR and VR using a control. Apple’s revolutionary breakthroughs have come in visual technology; thus, Apple Vision Pro is an upcoming product that has caught the eye of founders. Furthermore, startups are now trying to explore ways they could use this product in their model and attract investors for startup funding. Additionally, startups in platforms like EquityMatch are thinking of exploring this product to be employed in their model. 

The advanced ground-breaking technology that has been integrated into the Apple Vision Pro is revolutionising business from design to manufacturing. Here are some of the sophisticated features of Apple Vision Pro that would assist entrepreneurs in transforming business processors.

Immersive mixed reality

The Apple Vision Pro is an immersive mixed-reality headset that incorporates features of AR and VR. AR adds digital components to the real world, whereas VR produces a truly immersive experience (Fares, 2023). Technology based on immersive mixed reality has the power to completely change how business owners address various stages of the production process, from design to manufacture. Entrepreneurs could use the Vision Pro headset to leverage the potential of immersive mixed reality and achieve revolutionary advantages that will boost productivity, strengthen partnerships, promote visualisation, and eventually lead to profitable business results. Vision Pro's use of mixed reality technology combined with improved visualisation skills throughout the design phase may give business owners a significant advantage. To better comprehend technique, fit, and function, entrepreneurs can enter a virtual setting and engage in three-dimensional interaction with their product designs. Entrepreneurs can quickly modify, make intelligent choices, and spot problems with design promptly as a result of the immersive experience, which leads to optimal product concepts.

Vision Pro persists to provide substantial benefits during the process of manufacturing. With comprehensive instructions superimposed on actual objects, assembly assistance is much more effective. Employing Vision Pro headsets allows business owners and their staff to acquire graphical cues, animations, and responses, assuring precise and effective assembly operations. As a result, mistakes are reduced, production is increased, and the amount of time needed to educate new personnel is decreased. Employees could be given extra assistance from Vision Pro in spotting issues with quality or manufacturing procedure irregularities. With better computer vision capabilities, there is a potential to eliminate faults or accelerate procedures to boost production. For instance, an employee could be instructed on how to comprehend flaws noted by the production process. The Vision Pro could be employed to provide interactive suggestions and immersive instruction on various flaws, assisting employees in understanding potential errors as well as what should be done in situations where flaws develop (Lynn, 2023). Entrepreneurs could benefit from increased visualisation and interaction, decreased expenses, much quicker manufacturing rounds, and of higher quality final products by utilising Apple Vision Pro headsets with the use of its immersive mixed reality technology.

Integration of advanced computer technology 

Apple Vision Pro incorporates highly advanced computer technology into an appealing, solid form, giving in an incredible experience each time an individual employs it. Comprehensive decisions could be made by designers and manufacturers by leveraging the use of advanced computer technology, which can offer them useful information, insights, and statistical techniques. Moreover, by using algorithms that effortlessly generate and assess several possible designs, the advanced computer technology built into Vision Pro enables designers to maximise their ideas. These algorithms could consider a variety of factors, including production limitations, costs, resources, and operational requirements. Furthermore, entrepreneurs can enhance production processes by using sophisticated computational algorithms and modelling strategies in Vision Pro. Advanced computer systems can pinpoint problems, inconsistencies, and potential areas for development by evaluating data from detectors, monitoring tools, and past observations. Using this data, manufacturers and designers could decrease processing times, improve manufacturing processes, and automate operations, all of which will increase efficiency.

Apple Vision Pro's cutting-edge computer vision technology is an additional impressive feature. Additionally, Vision Pro could evaluate and understand visual data in real-time as it is designed with advanced machine-learning techniques (DualMart, 2023). It could spot flaws, irregularities, or variations from standards, confirming that goods satisfy quality demands. The necessity for personal inspection is diminished, the screening process is sped up, and the possibility of error by humans is considerably reduced when quality control is automated, allowing designers and manufacturers to operate more efficiently.

Visual Accessibility

The digital environment is becoming more equitable and readily available as a result of Apple Vision Pro, which is revolutionising the lives of entrepreneurs and individuals with visual impairments. For instance, it functions in tandem with Voiceover, Apple's built-in screen reader, to offer detailed audible explanations of displayed features and to make using apps and interfaces easy. With Apple Vision Pro, individuals that have vision impairments could be more confident and freely explore the environment. Designers and manufacturers now have additional options for engaging with the world, due to this level of object identification, which brings up novel possibilities. It is possible to detect and transform written content into audio by employing Apple Vision Pro. Individuals with visual impairments could employ this feature to obtain textual content from a range of sources, such as documents, texts, symbols, and titles (Ahadsha, 2023). Therefore, giving visual accessibility a high priority during the design and production processes can increase the customer base, confirm adherence to accessibility requirements, accelerate advancement, optimise customer service, and increase efficiency.

In conclusion, the sophisticated technological features that are integrated into the Apple Vision Pro could make a revolution in the business world from design to manufacturing. Thus, startups in platforms like EquityMatch are exploring the groundbreaking features of Apple Vision Pro.

#equitymatch #startupfunding #startupinvesting

[bluev0id]

Hello. Hope you’re doing well.

Heres your exchange : How will I spend this new years eve ?

New Year's Eve have the potential for fresh and novel encounters on this special night. It suggests an openness to new feelings and artistic expressions that may unfold as you welcome the upcoming year.

However, you go through self-imposed limitations or hesitations. As the clock ticks towards midnight, there might be a tendency to feel bound by uncertainties or fears that hinder the full embrace of the celebratory spirit. Your guides encourages a conscious effort to break free from these mental constraints, allowing oneself to fully immerse in the transformative energy of the New Year. You could be suffering from anxiety or worrying about something in particular.

The archetype of the queen of pentacles advises adopting a practical and earthy approach to the festivities. Whether it involves spending quality time with family and friends or focusing on self-care, the Queen of Pentacles underscores the importance of creating a stable and nurturing environment for oneself and those close to you. Your New Year's Eve might unfold with a blend of emotional exploration, overcoming self-imposed limitations, and embracing a nurturing atmosphere. Begin the night with an open heart, ready to experience the novel and creative aspects of the Page of Cups. As the evening progresses, confront any mental barriers represented by the 8 of Swords, allowing the Queen of Pentacles to guide you towards a balanced and nurturing celebration.

Messages :

- start the night by engaging in activities that fuel your creative side, such as journaling, art, or even dancing. Your guides are encouraging a sense of emotional freedom and expression. As the countdown to midnight approaches, take a moment for introspection, acknowledging and releasing any fears or doubts that you may have.

- consider creating a warm and welcoming environment for your New Year's Eve celebration. This might involve preparing nourishing meals, surrounding yourself with loved ones, or even engaging in a calming self-care routine.

My question is : what is BK feelings towards me ? ( black hair, big eyes and beanie) - A ⭐️

Omg thank u for the long reading!!

I'm gonna be honest with you, I had quite a hard time connecting to this person. I hope you can manage to get something useful and reliable out of this reading

I'm getting quite a lot of different energies here uhhh for starters there's definitely a sense of shakiness and something about this connection doesn't feel "all the way there". I'm gonna go a bit of a longer route here for this to make sense. Because of these fluctuations, I kinda took a peek into how does BK feel about themselves and with the Mountain card describing this person and then getting the Strength and Chariot reversed, it's coming to me that they have certain problems in their life rn that they're having a hard time figuring out. They seem like person issues, but I do think they're affecting your person's view on others as well.

So when it comes to you, even tho with the ace of pentacles and ace of cups, there's a feeling of you being something positive, something they're craving in their life and are interested, can see a benefit of you, tho perhaps they feel it's hard for them to connect to other people rn. They're trying to kinda shake off those feelings and be happy and notice the positive energy you bring and how good the prospect of you looks to them but at the same time, inside they're fighting negativity and cynicism. They desire to have you around, and think their life would be better if you were in it. So generally it's all positive and good except those outside forces.

If youre wonfering how they see you then hmm to them you're also juggling many things in life and perhaps aren't having the easiest time. Seems like you're working towards something or at least possess a skill of long term dedication even if it's not career related. So they think that you know what you need or once you think something is right, it could be hard influencing you to think otherwise. Although I get a bit of a hint that currently they might think that your luck has turned around. Maybe you managed to reach a particular goal or achieve and opportunity or switch up your life. They see this as you succeeding and things going your way. It's quite a realistic way to see someone I guess

#free tarot reading #tarot exchange #free readings #divination #reading exchange #tarot game

[aamnasasmedia]

Creative Critical Reflection

How does your project use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups?

1)Whispers from the Past is an opening film in the horror genre. There are several conventions related to the genre in my film opening challenges and respects. Other conventions using conventions make it easier for the audience to recognize the genre of the film therefore, knowing what to expect and making the story easy to grasp for example, in my opening, there is a creating sound of a door opening by using this in my phone. I believe I establish the genre so the audience can know the key aspects of the story that will unfold which links the supernatural and mystery conventions such as dark and light, cold colors, and old abandoned locations used to create the appropriate Mise en scene for the opening. One aspect of my film is that it can be seen as both as using as breaking conventions in the past even if it is only played for two minutes, the story somewhat unfolds the future. When it comes to sound, there are no conventions broken as my film uses a normal ambiance sound. There is another aspect that breaks the conventions of storytelling. The audience knows from the beginning that the story is not a usual one because the character doesn't know the story which causes the feeling of uncertainty that extends to the audience, without any usage of Music we wanted to catch the attention of the audience by using strange sound as a character is confused by the creek and starts to panic. This also makes the social issues and groups represented as such things are common and the character might create fear.

2)Whispers from the past, aiming to evoke strong emotions and create tension, immerse viewers in a terrifying experience. Our primary goal is to evoke fear of suspense, and in my film, it is done through an eerie atmosphere to keep the audience on edge. It often creates fear such as supernatural or loss of control. Throughout the film. There is only one aspect that keeps the audience's attention present. Overall the camera shorts angles cuts are the same. Camera movements and angles also help the audience stay rather than become disinterested. However we didn't use any unnecessary throughout the film, there is a calm ambient sound when all of a sudden there’s a creek. This keeps the audience engaged and creates tension. There are various ways to promote the film. We can start with creating an Online site or advertising it on social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, et cetera other strategies would be distributing it and presenting it in the theatre or private screening.

3)I had no idea how to edit or even operate and hardware on the Mac studio display. I'm going to talk about my editing skills which I never had and I was clueless about it before working on this project. I had never used any editing software ever before but because I had the editor's role I had to work very hard and learn how to operate the software. A few things that helped me were online demos and I watched videos on YouTube about basic editing techniques for the project. I use Final Cut Pro out of other software, it is comparatively easy and super useful when you really know what is going on and know how to use it properly. watching tutorials. I learned how to work with color correction, color, grading, and other requirements for the project. It took some practice and a few trials and errors but I managed to give my best although I didn't reach the full potential of the software. I was given two roles, editor and production designer. Now I will talk about my role as a production designer I have developed numerous skills throughout the project. I've got a better vision throughout the project. I've got a better vision and can visualize strongly and creatively. It can get a little hectic on the day of the project. It is important to prepare beforehand and to understand the setting and various skills I've developed strong interpersonal skills that are essential when working with the director cinematographer et cetera. It has become easier for me to picture a set and know what is necessary. It is important to pay attention to every detail of the set design, props, costume, and overall visual aesthetics. I have noticed a major improvement in my editing skills and as a production designer and I'm happy to see my skills have increased drastically.

4) I have used many different programs while working on this project. We used a lot of props and hardware during the filming software and online programs were both used. Technologies be used on location while filling we used one continuous light(FX 400) throughout the production, we used the Canon 5D Mark 3 camera, and one tripod. There was usage of many props for example making of the bed, bedsheets, books, soft toys, lights, and printouts. I use my iPhone 14 pro as the clapper and to take stills. The device used for editing was a Mac studio display. The software and online programs used in this project. for editing I used Final Cut Pro X, I used an app for the clapper, and Tumblr to maintain the blocks. I used YouTube to search for foley sounds. I used Microsoft Excel Word to create a master breakdown and I used 'thatstoryboard' website to create a storyboard.