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loudlooks · 19 days

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Day 20 Discovering the first early bloomers

30 day challenge notes: quantity over quality, limited editing, stand-alone/unrelated stories unless specifically stated otherwise, not always tiva, chronologically randomly set in whatever pre-s11 season seems to fit

A/N: Season 7 Ziva contemplating life after Somalia, i just realized i've been forgetting to tag, so if you want to be tagged for the last 10 stories let me know, I have a headache, so, whatever

Tag for blocking/following: 30 days of spring

Prompt: Discovering the first early bloomers

Word count: 529

The changing of the seasons was one of the things Ziva had appreciated about living in Washington. Not every season was as enjoyable, but she liked how they signaled a passage of time and change.

Since being brought home, the seasons had mostly blurred together. Yes, warmer clothes had to be bought again, that was a given, but the first leaves falling, the first snow falling, had had little to no impact on her.

Tony’s comments on wardrobe changes, whining about the weather and his bad knee, or chatting about seasonal traditions he knew she had come to appreciate a lot, had all felt a little hollow and gray.

But now, as she stood there in the park, panting and sweating halfway through her morning run, she couldn’t stop staring at the green buds that were beginning to bloom.

Coming to terms with everything that had happened in Somalia—and before Somalia—had been a long and difficult process. She knew she wasn’t there yet. Maybe she never would get there, or know what, or where, there even was.

Maybe there was a who.

Her chest clenched uncomfortably, and she took a deep breath. Most relationships had been repaired the past six months, some, or one in particular, would take a lot more work.

She gently touched one of the green buds, careful not to cause any damage, and smiled softly. Things were changing for the better every day. The dark cloud that had seemed to follow her around, was clearing up and getting lighter with every small step forward. Abby celebrating her coming home, in her own complicated way. Ducky inviting her over for tea, as usual. McGee, well, McGee being McGee, supportive as always.

A very slow bumblebee plopped down on a half open flower. So close, she wondered if it could smell the nectar.

Her citizenship was getting closer. Memories of Gibbs’ doubts and initial reluctance bubbled to the surface. It wasn’t until he had invited her to the shooting range and then dinner at his place—fireplace cooked steak was new to her—that she knew for certain that they had finally started a new chapter.

She watched the bee take off haphazardly, looking for new life, and sighed heavily.

Her upcoming citizenship meant a lot to her, a real new beginning. A new life. And while she wasn’t worried about passing the exam, everyone had been very helpful—well, not quite everyone—the thought of starting that new chapter of her life, without having fully mended her relationship with Tony bothered her more than she would ever care to admit.

She knew he cared for her deeply, despite everything. She also knew she had hurt him just as deeply. But as the months passed, and her own healing had gained momentum, she had noticed his jokes had fewer and fewer barbs. Just last week she had caught him staring at her with such love, she couldn’t bear to meet his gaze.

They had both done a lot of healing, a lot of changing, like the seasons. She could only hope that their friendship had survived the harsh winter, and would start blooming again soon.

Tagging: @hopeless-nostalgiac

#tiva #tiva fanfiction #my fanfiction #30 days of spring

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manonamora-if · 5 months

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Retrospective 2023 (3)

Haven't looked at numbers in a minute, and since my presence online has been super inconsistent (especially here) recently, I have no idea how this will end up looking. I've updated this sheet a couple of time during the year, but not in a way it tracks old numbers... Because Tumblr has a limit of 20 images per post, I won't include the graphs here, like I did last year, but in this doc (for those interested). Also, I realised I didn't even do celebration posts for milestones this year... And there were quite a few ;-; sorry

For the relevant projects, I've also included a more detailed recap of what's been done this year. All of it is under the cut.

The projects are ordered in date of release.

Forewarning, those stats are not a good representation of IF/Tumblr popularity. The numbers should not be taken as a baseline for comparison. There are many different factors that resulted in those, most of them being out of everyone’s control. I am only comparing myself to Past-Me.

2021 Releases

Status: Complete.

No major updates, since the game is complete. Only some maintenance fixes. The source code of older versions is also available on my GitHub.

Stats:

5.475 total plays (+1.7k-ish)

30 ratings (+5), with an average of 4.4/5 (+0.1)

Inside 316 collections (+108)

Almost 2.3 views/play (+0.1)

Unsurprisingly, the interest for MtP is going down. The game is complete, has not and will not have new updates. It would surprise me if it would gain any traction at this point. I expect the additional plays not to pass 600 by the end of 2024.

2023 Milestones:

5k plays

30 ratings

PLAY | INTRO POST | RATE | REVIEW

Status: Hiatus

I wanted to have an update for this project in 2023. It didn't happen. There is actually quite a bit of work to do in the code, which I had started but didn't complete.

Stats:

40.326 total plays (+12k-ish)

97 (+28), with an average of 4.6/5 (-0.1)

Inside 2.679 collections (+913)

About 2.0 view/play (+0.1)

For a year without any update, I am honestly surprised so many people still played the game this year (average of 30 plays/day). I'm very grateful about it, nonetheless. Hopefully, I'll have something to show for this year!

2023 Milestones:

30k + 40k plays

75 ratings

PLAY | INTRO POST | RATE | REVIEW

Status: Hiatus

This was another project I had planned to complete this year and... didn't. I managed to write a bit for the game, but nothing that would warrant an update.

Stats:

2.203 total plays (+760)

13 ratings (+2), with an average of 4.3/5 (+0.1)

Inside 126 collections (+38)

Went to 2.9 view/play (+0.2)

There were a few jumps in interest in Exquisite Cadaver this year, especially considering there were, once again, no updates (especially at the start of April). But nothing very substantial... I'm honestly pretty happy peeps still enjoy the game, because the whole thing is a bit strange xD

2023 Milestones:

2k plays

PLAY | INTRO POST | RATE | REVIEW

2022 Releases

Status: Completed

Absolutely nothing has been happening with this game, not even a bug fix or anything. When I get back to this project, it will be for a complete re-haul. Which won't happen in a long while.

Stats:

3.205 total plays (+790-ish)

19 ratings (+4), with an average of 4.3/5 (=)

Inside 293 collections (+90)

About to 2.2 view/play (+0.1)

2023 Milestones:

3k plays

PLAY | INTRO POST | RATE | REVIEW

Status: Completed

There was a plan to fix the issues in the game AND add new content. But, if you've followed me this year, you've seen... nothing happened! Honestly, a whole re-code of the game is needed at this point.

Stats:

1.458 total plays (+785)

16 ratings (+6), with an average of 4.5/5 (+0.3)

Inside 103 collections (+59)

About 2.1 view/play (=)

The lack of blowing up stands on two things: the game is not that good... and I don't really have an intro post peeps can share...

2023 Milestones:

1k plays

PLAY | INTRO POST | RATE | REVIEW

Status: Ongoing

Out of all the WIPs I have, this one got the most progress. It got two major updates during the first half of the year (one of which included a maze!). The second had been spent working especially on Chapter 5 (it's a chunker) and starting Chapter 6 (for MelS). We are trying to wrap up the project for 2024.

Stats:

9.379 total plays (+6.4k-ish) (so close…)

56 (+28) ratings, with an average of 4.8/5 (=)

Inside 783 collections (+444)

About 1.9 view/play (+0.1)

A pretty decent growth for the game, though it is not always consistent. Most interest in the project happens during updates (duh), with some dozen returning players weekly. I don't think it will ever reach the level of CRWL, but it is doing pretty well considering the genre.

2023 Milestones:

5k plays

50 ratings

PLAY | INTRO POST | RATE | REVIEW

Status: Completed(-ish)

Until the first anniversary of this project (coinciding with the EctoComp once more) this game was in French only. Since last October, it was re-written to include more rooms inside the house, and a proper ending beat. It was then translated into English, and the whole thing was recoded. There are still a few kinks I need to handle, but it is essentially complete.

Stats:

252 total plays (+181)

1 rating with 5 stars (=)

Inside 13 collections (+7)

About 4.9 view/play (-0.7)

Unsurprisingly, there was little to no interest in the game. The page was visited a bunch of times, but few people clicked (probably because it was in French. Since the translation, more users have checked out the game and played it. I don't really expect much more interest from players, unfortunately...

2023 Milestones:

100 + 250 plays

PLAY | INTRO POST | RATE | REVIEW Oh... it doesn't have a page... omg.. stpid me.

Status: Completed

This year, the game was re-edited, translated to French, and recoded - a proper remaster including sound! And another game I can call complete and shelved!

Stats:

605 total plays (+270-ish)

10 ratings (+3), with an average of 4.8/5 (+0.1)

Inside 31 collections (+17)

About 3.2 view/play (+0.1)

I am not shocked to see this, honestly. It's a short meme game around a gimmick mechanic that gets old pretty quickly. Still, some interest made in late last June (somehow???) and when I published the remaster in autumn.

2023 Milestones:

500 plays

10 ratings

PLAY | INTRO POST | RATE | REVIEW

Status: Ongoing

At the start of the year, I updated this game to add a tiny bit of content (a few passages) and ensured it could be played on mobile. And published a template from this UI.

There was more content written for the game, as well as mechanics coded, but nothing is coherent enough (or devoid of bugs) to be playable.

Stats:

500 total plays (+333 !!!)

4 ratings (+4), with an average of 5.0

Inside 39 collections (+28)

About 3.0 view/play (+0.5)

Combined a tiny demo with a pre-set character, a not super popular genre, not much to do or little replayability... and you get this. I'll just check back when the game is actually complete :P Honestly, I'm just glad some peeps caught the inspiration for P-RIX.

2023 Milestones:

500 plays !!!!

PLAY | INTRO POST | RATE | REVIEW (oh and it has both an intro post and an IFDB page now!)

2023 Releases

Now that we are going into the new releases, there is less comparing, and more putting down the base.

Status: Completed

Biggest high of this year! Released the game in January, won the comp in March, was interviewed shortly after, remastered the whole thing during the summer break (which included a total re-haul of the UI, an English translation, and increased content). Hands down my best game of the year.

Stats

967 total plays

7 ratings, with an average of 5.0

Inside 68 collections

About 3.1 view/play

Lots of views on the game page without plays for the longest time, because, up until the remaster, the game was only available in French. Things picked up then the remaster was uploaded (though it coincided with the IFComp). The game is also not available for mobile play due to its interface...

2023 Milestones:

Won the French Comp!

100 + 250 + 500 plays

PLAY | INTRO POST | RATE | REVIEW

Status: Hiatus

The first Act of the story was created for the SeedComp! (which didn't win anything because I organised it, and it would have been unfair :P ). There was a plan to complete the game after the SeedComp! was over, but that didn't pan out. I have notes for it, though a re-write of Act 1 may be necessary...

Stats:

633 total plays

5 ratings, with an average of 3.6

Inside 46 collections

About 2.6 view/plays

While bummed by the average, Not surprised. The game is incomplete and plays on the noir codes, which are... something (also the twist is silly). I'll pay a bit more attention to it when the game is actually complete :P Also... It never got an intro post....

2023 Milestones:

100 + 250 + 500 plays

PLAY | INTRO POST | RATE | REVIEW

Status: Complete

Released for the SpringThing in the Main Garden, this game was supposed to be updated by the end of last year and... it ended up needed a lot more work than expected. I am still working on it. This was my attempt in experimenting with Twine, creating a parser with a non-parser program. It... didn't work all that well as a conventional parser, but it worked pretty well for other peeps.

Stats:

650 total plays

5 ratings, with an average of 5.0

Inside 56 collections

About 2.8 view/plays

Honestly, not bad considering this is a weird parser, that worked eh and still has some issues. I won't ever expect it to blow up, honestly, but it's nice to see a play or two popup on my screen sometimes.

2023 Milestones

100 + 250 + 500 plays

PLAY | INTRO POST | RATE | REVIEW

Status: Complete-ish

Created for a French Jam where I could not choose the program, the game was then upgraded and translated into English for the Text Adventure Literacy Jam a few weeks later. It was my first proper parser game (and made with Adventuron). I still need to fix some issues and typos with the English version, and retranslate back into French...

Stats: The game has currently two pages: French and English

160 (58+88) total plays

4 ratings, with an average of 5.0 and 4.0

Inside 4 collections

About 2.8 view/plays

No surprise here. Parsers are not popular on itch. (I should maybe add it to the textadventure.co.uk website....)

PLAY FR - EN | INTRO POST | RATE FR - EN | REVIEW

Assets and Other Tiny Games

Loads happened with this sections this year, with the addition of 5 new templates, and a whole Guide for SugarCube.

In January, the Setting Template was added - with the Space-Tech UI one following at the end of March, the VN-lite UI one in July, the Character Creator in November, and the Title Page UI in December.

The Guide was released in two periods, with a pre-release before the summer, and a complete one mid-december (which included a download point).

As of last month, all templates are also available on Github, and the Guides are all "playable" on itch.

CScript to SugarCube Guide/Folder

105 downloads (114 plays)

4 rating at 5 stars

Inside 36 collections

Get it here.

Tweego Ready to Use Guide

425 downloads (51 plays)

1 rating at 5 stars

Inside 6 collections

Get it here

Note: this guide got its own page in November of this year, despite being available since 2022

SugarCube Guide

1.300 "plays" (76 download)

11 ratings at 5 stars

Inside 102 collections

Get it here

Templates

2105 downloads

25 ratings, with an average of 5.0

Inside 274 collections

Get them here

After the release of Le Jeu de la Dévotion in late December 2022, I've been participating in other game jams with tiny entries. While one did get a bit more interaction than even my larger piece (Collision, wtf), little really happened to warrant a proper section (they are really tiny!).

And so these were released:

April 2023: À la Campagne [English]

June 2023: Clarence Street, 14, Collision, Intersigne [English + French]

Aug 2023: Le Diner [English]

Oct 2023: In the Blink of an Eye [English + French]

Nov 2023: Tower of Sleep [English] <- BINKSI :D

Dec 2023: Dévoiement [French]

2023 Overall Graph

Ok I lied, one graph:

Compared to last year, the graph is less very high peaks and very low down time (with a slow increase), but a more consistent base (higher than last year) with some moderate peaks for releases (namely Harcourt's and DOL-OS). The downloads have boomed, but that's because of the templates...

The increase of overall small releases (with jam/comp entries) probably helped in this staying a bit consistent (though I could do a better job at hyping up releases before and after they happen here and in other places). It would probably have looked much different if my release focus was somewhere else (like CRWL).

And that's it for stats (I'm skipping the follower/note counts)! The 2024-plan is next!

#manonamora #retrospective #2023 #year in review #games #indie dev #assets #twine #interactive fiction #interactive games #I can't tag all the projects anymore #because Tumblr has a limit of 20...#milestones #stats

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novoplata · 1 year

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Older, wiser, better.

In my 20s, I used to read all these women's magazine listicles (10 Things to Achieve Before Turning 30, etc.) and tried my best to live by them. When I finally hit 30, I realised that it's impossible to even attempt to live by stupid to-do lists written by first-world-country columnists who knew nothing about our gigantic potholes and still lack of basic amenities.

Though I no longer think it was realistic to tick the Bahamas off my list before 30, one sensible piece of advice that stuck with me was how much I should have saved up by 30. According to a financial blog I followed, by age 30, one should save up at least the equivalent of their annual salary. This means that if you earn $3000 per month, then you should have $36000 saved up already.

It hit me like a tonne of bricks. There I was, aged 30, living paycheque to paycheque and barely meeting the minimum payment of my credit card bill. I had less than $700 in my savings and I decided then that my bad finance habit would need to change if I wanted things to change for the better.

Today, six months shy of turning 40, I'm proud to say that I've cleaned up pretty well financially. I probably won't be retiring anytime soon, but if I ever get let go from my job under unusual circumstances, at least I know I won't be crawling back into my dad's house.

Your body is a temple

My next mission is to clean up my eating habits and make my diet fully or 80% clean. I stopped tracking my weight and logging my calorie intake last year, after two years of carefully counting calories since June 2020. It was simply dieting fatigue on my part and I was ready to try out intuitive eating.

Unfortunately, intuitive eating didn't work so well for me. If anything, I'd managed to gain 2.5 kilos since the last time I weighed myself. Last week, I stepped on the scale at 66.1 kilos with 25.5% body fat. My blood pressure also recorded an elevated reading. I decided then that I need to be accountable for my health and started logging my food and weighing myself again. So far, I've lost 1.1 lbs in a week.

I don't have any target end weight to hit this time. I just want to continue eating better, minimising deep-fried, sweet and fatty foods, and increasing my fibre intake.

Overall, I'd only like to focus on changing the food preparation instead of the food itself. I was raised on the deep-fryer, so this habit is the toughest to change. But slowly, I'm hoping to change this, motivated only by the fear of having a stroke!

Here's to logging food on MyFitnessPal again and weighing myself every morning! At the end of the day, if you want anything to change, there has to be accountability involved.

#life #money #finances #diet

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jim-fetter-illustrations · 1 year

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MODERATION,... yeah right!

New study just out by Harvard Medical School research nutritionist team states to avoid just 5 foods that weaken memory and focus, Human Beings can live healthier and up to 40 years longer!

(wait for it).

Ya see, No matter how old you are, it’s never too late to start eating in a way that gives you the best possible chance of staving off dementia as you age and making sure that you feel focused and sharp every day just by avoiding foods that increase inflammation and thereby promote brain health, sharp thinking and good decision-making.

(wait for it).

It's really easy now that we know,..... RIGHT?

(wait for it).

Not so easy,.....................

Ya see those 5 foods are as follows,............

1. Refined or Processed Sugars, and most sugars are both, and sugars are in 99% of all foods we eat today.

2. Fried foods, ....... yeah, that's gonna happen!

3. High-glycemic-load carbohydrates, which is basically all breads, pastas, and anything else made from refined flour like breakfast cereals, desserts, pastries, and most crackers on the grocery shelves.

4. Alcohol, all alcohols, even wine that is been said to actually be good in moderation, but now its not!

5. Nitrates,.... deli meats and cured meats like bacon, salami and sausage...... again, like that's gonna happen!

Basically the taxpayer,THAT WOULD BE 'YOU' paid for a multi-million dollar Grant-study that says "Don't eat anything you've been eating for the last 40+ years if you want to stay healthy.

.............. and what was government thinking paying out all that money for a pie-in-the-sky nutrition science,........ and we already know that much, but we like to eat!!!!

So everything we've been taught by the food industry since the 1960's that was approved by the FDA we are now suppose to believe is what is killing us?!?!

And even if that's true, WHO's TO BLAME?

No one, because nobody wanted to know because of the HUGE profits gained, so everything was accepted as OK to eat in moderation by the FDA.

"OK to eat in moderation",.... within reasonable limits; not to excess. Which means a thousand different things to a thousand different people,........ and the food industry knows that all too well.

Why don't they do a grant study on that,.... "Why everyone has a different idea of what MODERATION means"...... because then we would know INDUSTRY has brainwashed us at an early age to like what they make for us, regardless if it's gonna shorten our lives 20-30 years down the road. And Industry mandates to our political leaders, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND,... because industry has the money to control our political leaders,...... True Story regardless of if YOU think that's not true, it is!

Ya see,.... we are slowly poisoning ourselves with almost everything we've been taught to eat that was said to be OK to eat in moderation by the FDA.

This is the governing body we voted into power, both republican and democratic approving the same damn foods they FDA'ed safe to eat in moderation.

All I got to say is,............ SUCKERS! (and I'm one of ya)

But at least I didn't vote for them, YOU did, and that fucked me!

I've voted Independent for the last 40 years!

But I still ate those foods, because there's really nothing else to buy but those foods basically, because they were all approved to be safe to eat by the Food And Drug Administration........... sheesh!

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midnight-starving · 2 years

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I found out my bf has an onlyfans account and has paid for nudes, is it considered cheating?

So I just found out a couple days ago that my (29f) boyfriend (23m) had nudes of girls on his phone. I was with his aunt and I grabbed his phone, I know the password and he doesn't care that I go through his phone, trying to find pictures of our vacation to show her when I found screenshots of them and we both saw them. When he came back his aunt confronted him about them while laughing and so did I, I laughed about them but only to hide that I was extremely hurt by finding them, and he grabbed his phone from me and ignored us both and walked away.

The next day he left his phone laying around again and i went looking through his phone again and he had deleted the pictures from his screenshot folder but never deleted them from his trash, he deleted over 100 photos of the naked women and I saw that they had the onlyfans url in the photos and a video that was 5:30 long that was blacked out but the sound was still there of a girl moaning. At the end of all the photos he also had a picture of his dick that he had deleted about 24 days prior, his phone automatically deletes photos in trash after 30 days and his dick pic had like 6 days left.

I started looking through his emails and saw that he had an email about fraud through his bank account about purchasing through the onlyfans account and it used his debit card for like $20. I also found an email that took me straight to his onlyfans account that has a different name but no photos of him. I saw that he's had the account since December of 2020, we've been dating since November of 2018, and that he's purchased more then $70 worth of nudes and videos from like 3-4 specific women but is following like 7 women. It has his credit card info on it and all the purchases he's made. I also saw that they've been messaging him but I don't think he's sent anything back, I wasn't able to go through all the messages to find out.

That night he got drunk and was complaining that I hadn't talked to him all day and I finally asked him why he had the nudes. He told me that they didn't mean anything and that its just him being a typical horny guy and that he deleted them the night previously after I found them. I told him how that hurt me and made me feel insecure and betrayed and he told me he'd never do it again, that he loved me, I'm the best thing that ever happened to him and that one day he's planning on marrying me. I told him that watching porn is fine, I dont care about that as its not so personal but having nudes saved as screenshots to his phone betrayed my trust and it'll take him a while to gain that trust back. I then confronted him about the onlyfans account and he denied having an account. I asked him why he had emails then that took me straight to the account, one that had his debit card saying he paid for the photos, and then another email that also has all the nudes on it and he never said anything. He told me he found the nudes on instgram which I've looked and I couldn't find any pictures like that when I searched online. I told him if he had an onlyfans account to delete it and the emails of the girls, everything and he said ok but still never fully said he had the account, even when I asked him a second time that night if he had one and he denied it a second time.

Well I looked again last night, which its been 2 days since I confronted him about everything, and he still has the account. I took photos of everything so he couldn't delete them and then say he never had them but I'm torn. I feel so betrayed and hurt, we've talked about watching porn and how we don't feel like its cheating so we're both fine with that but not about something like having an onlyfans account and saving photos of naked people on our phones. I admit that I watch porn to get off sometimes but I've never saved nudes of other guys or personally paid guys for pictures, I've never talked to other guys or went looking at other guys on purpose like he did with these women.

What really hurts me is that he denied it even though I told him all the evidence I had, like he should know that I know and just fess up, I wouldn't be as mad and hurt as I am now but since he's denying it and still hasn't deleted it I'm broken. I'm already insecure about my body as he is skinnier then I am and I've always been on the thicker side and insecure about him finding another girl thats prettier then me. He always tells me I'm gorgeous and hot and doesn't like skinny girls and that I'm perfect but I don't know anymore. I have depression and suicidal thoughts on top of all this, I'm also a self harmer but haven't done it in like 8 years. I'm already in a depressive episode so adding this in just made me hit an all time low. I've been crying for days now and I've been feeling so upset, betrayed and hurt that I'm physically sick, like cant eat and feel like I could puke, and honestly feeling like I shouldn't be alone right now while he's at work and I'm typing this. I called into work myself today because if somebody looks at me I will cry and I work in a professional job industry and just can't do it today or maybe even tomorrow.

What I'm wondering is is it considered cheating? I've talked to a friend years ago about how paying for nudes I feel like is considered cheating and he was around for it but not sure if he heard and we never talked about it personally. I just feel so numb to everything now and can't stop crying. I dont want to break up with him, since we didn't talk about this subject personally, and I plan on talking to him again tonight about the onlyfans account but I just wanted other people's opinion on this.

#onlyf4n #fucked up #help #depression #suicidal #sad #betrayed #hurt

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meditating-dog-lover · 2 years

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Fitness journey trial and error (from Jan 2021).

I've done a variety of workouts and followed different eating methods throughout my journey. And some worked better than others and some were healthier than others.

I hate dieting and eating restrictively. I have a naturally large appetite so dieting will always fail for me. I do have some mental and emotional issues that cause me to emotionally eat sometime. That's an issue that can be resolved, having a big appetite is NOT an issue. It also helps to eat healthy too (having a large appetite is not an excuse to eat terribly all the time). And listening to your body helps too.

How do I deal with a large appetite without gaining weight and even losing weight? Exercise. Especially high intensity cardio. Those short 15 minute bodyweight circuits are not going to help much. I need something that will actually make me sweat. Like HIIT.

I've lost weight last year from doing HIIT. Both Fitness Blender and Rachael Attard. I'd even argue Fitness Blender HIIT workouts are more challenging. A HIIT session does not have to be long. It can be 20-30 mins including a warm-up and/or cool-down.

I'm sure Fitness Blender's strength workouts helped too. But I don't like weight lifting and from experience, it doesn't burn fat like HIIT does. HIIT does involve muscle work so it very likely counts as a strength workout too. I followed Rachael Attard's programs and did lose a good amount of fat because she has a HIIT routine (her HIIT workouts are effective too). However, the short bodyweight circuits that don't break a sweat (whether they are on Youtube or Rachael's workouts) will not help lose fat. Really what likely helped is the HIIT and walking.

Even with a lax diet, I was able to lose weight as long as I've done some intensive cardio. So I'd say anywhere between 2 to 3 HIIT sessions per week will work wonders (depending on how I'm feeling). And they don't have to be long at all.

I can find HIIT workouts all over YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest. Thought I do like Fitness Blender for their effectiveness and for their good nature attitude where they care more about health than looks when it comes to exercising.

I'll do 2 to 3 HIIT workouts per week (4 if I'm really up for it) depending on how I'm feeling. 20 to 30 mins works. And following a mindful diet where I can get away with not being very restrictive or eating low calorie.

P.S. I just realized that while fun and refreshing, walking doesn't do much to help me lose weight. I've always walked a lot (since my undergrad days) and have not noticed significant changes with walking. HIIT is the form of cardio that helped a lot.

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lesbianakaashi · 3 years

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The Forgotten Shounen: Katekyo Hitman Reborn

This is not a “Why you should watch/read khr” or anything like that. This is just me going into the deep dive and throwing my findings at you. I’m making this because khr used to be my favourite series when I was 15 (I had plushees, posters, tradingcards, the art book etc) and now as an adult I constantly find myself baffled at how unknow it seems to be.

1. Okay first what is khr?

Katekyo Hitman Reborn! or just Reborn! is a series by Akira Amano which was published in Weekly Shounen Jump from 2004 to 2012 (with 42 volumes) and got an anime adaption which run from 2006 to 2010 on Tv Tokyo (with 202 episodes and one OVA).

2. What’s it about?

Khr is a parody of the italian mafia and plays in a world where the mafia is heavily influencial. The protagonist is the japanese middle schooler Sawada Tsunayoshi who is known as “No good Tsuna” because of his failing grades, general weak and cowardly personality and weak physics.

He becomes aware of the mafia world when a 2 year old baby called Reborn arrives at his house claiming to be the greatest hitman and declaring himself his home tutor. Reborn was send by the 9th head of the Vongola famiglia who is ready to retire and looking for a new heir. Which of course, is supposed to be Tsuna and now it's Reborns job to shape him into a worthy sucessor.

Tsuna rejects the violence of the mafia world and refuses the position as the 10th. Thanks to Reborn and his general craziness Tsuna meets different people and starts to make real friendships. Reborn wants 6 of those friends to be Tsuna's future guardians, basically a group of people which will be closest to him in the vongola famiglia. Tsuna might have no interest in those positions but the friendships he builds with them become really precious to him.

Reborns arrivial also brings in the enemies of the Vongola family which leads to Tsuna being forced to engage in battles. Generally Tsuna openly avoids fights and prefers to run away but will put himself in danger for his friends' sake or because of something Reborn did.

Through out the series Tsuna matures and gains strenght but he never becomes a power fantasy. He's just a guy with many flaws who grows through the human connections he makes.

Personally I think the relationship between Reborn and Tsuna is one of the best student teacher reltaionships in all of manga only topped by Mob and Reigen from Mob Psycho 100. Especially the last arc really underlines their unique relationship to me.

Furthermore, khr offers a new and unique battle system: The flames. I'm not gonna go into to too much detail but the general idea is that one fights with their dying will flame which basically turns off your the savety switch so you can fight with everything you have. The flames are seperated into different categories such as: sky, storm, mist, rain, sun, lightning and cloud and have different attributes asigned to each one. Tsuna's use of the sky flame and his transformation when using it is still one of my favourite shounen transformations to this day.

3. What happened?

The series did really well and then not so well over the course of its serialisation. After the manga got an anime adaption it increased in populairty and video games, light novels, and other products such as CDs were created based on the series. Reborn is one of the best selling series of Weekly Shōnen Jump and has sold around 30 Million volumes overall. It was and still is very popular in Japan but rather unknown in the west.

According to the article "The Rise and Fall of Weekly Shonen Jump: A Look at the Circulation of Weekly Jump" khr was the 10th bestselling series in Weekly Shōnen Jump, with a total of 7 million copies sold in 2007.

This number increasing to 15 milion in 2008. Which placed khr into the 4th best selling series of 2008 in Japan.

Between 2008 and 2010 those sales declined but still kept strong with khr as the 6th top selling manga in 2009, 8th best selling in 2010 and then 24th best selling in 2012.

In November 2014, readers of the Da Vinci magazine voted khr number 17 on a list of Weekly Shōnen Jump's greatest manga series of all time.

After the anime came to an apprupt stop in 2010 for unknown reasons the manga sells took a visible hit. (Apparently the studio wanted to put the anime on halt because they were busy with other projects and give Akira Amano time to develop her story but I couldn't find any source for this claim) Furthermore, the rushed last chapters of the manga in 2012 declined the popularity of the series even more. There's no offical statement as to why the manga was ended in such a way but it's reasonable to assume that Jump either cut it considering the decreasing sales or Akira Amano choose to end it for personal reasons.

Nontheless, Tsuna not being included in Jump Force (a fighting game where you can play as different characters from Jump) in 2019 even tho he made it in earlier Jump Stars games also underlines the decreased interest in the series.

Rumors on a reboot or anime adaption of the last two arcs surface from time to time but are genereally unlikely. Artland the studio which made khr has gone bankrupt around 2015-2016. It might be taken on by another studio but rather uncommen especially with such an old series.

4. Art style

The khr anime ended over 10 years ago and the old art style might not be appealing to newer audiences.

Especailly because the anime adaption follows Akira Amanos old art style which heavily developed within the years. Here a picture comparing characters in the new art style:

A modern anime adaption in the new art style would be aesthetically pleasing. It would probably look similiar to Psycho Pass since Akira Amano did the concept art for this series.

(My personal art student hot take is that both art styles are unique and fun. Up to this day Akira Amano still has my favourite art style and even if the amount folds in the characters clothing is a little extreme I love it dearly.)

5. Criticism

The show is not without flaws and even if I greatly enjoy it it wouldn't be right not to adress them.

Daily Life Arc:

A lot of people view the first 20 to 25 episodes as fillers and quickly lose intererst in the series. This is due to the fact that Akira Amano inteded the series to be a gag manga and focuses the first chapters on world building, character introduction and comical narratives. It's rumored that the decision to develop the story into a battle shounen was made because the sales weren't doing well enough at first. So the first chapters/episodes may seem titidious but are necessary for the story and the development of the characters. The tonal shift from a more gintama like gag manga to a darker battle focused story can also be offputting to some viewers.

Either way a lot of people blame this arc when discussing why khr never got an english dub or didn't end up on Toonami. I've also read that the manga never finished serializing in the north america. However, it finished in other western languages like german and spanish.

Censoring:

The anime censors A LOT. From Gokudera's smoking habit, Yamamoto's whole character arc which deals with heavy themes such as depression and suicidal thoughts. The general bloodiness of the manga was censored and sometimes whole chapters and characters were left out even if those were important to the devolopment of others.

Filler episodes:

Out of the 202 episodes the anime has around 29 filler episodes which makes roughly 14 %.

Sexism:

Even if Reborn was written by a woman most female characters are rather flat and their storylines often tied to a male character in one way or another.

Genereal things:

Khr, like many other long running series, is sometimes criticised for a lack of world building or unpopular narrative choices.

6. Hope?

Khr isn't exactly dead. As stated before the series is still very popular in Japan and still gets new merch pretty regulary. There are also petitions floating around for a reboot or a new anime season but those never get a lot of traction. Furthermore #Reborn2期アニメ化 (#Reborn2ndAnimation) used to get some traction on twitter not too long ago. Last year the Anime News Network did a poll on which anime the readers would like to see a rebooot of and khr placed second.

Either way here's a collection of recent khr things I could find.

- In 2018 a new bluray set was released in north america

- The khr stage play reached yet another new season

- A mobile game was released last year

- Currently ongoing anime cafe event called "Concerto di Vongola"

- Last month there was an event with the former VAs and stage play actors where they discussed their favourite khr episodes.

- There has been an increase in blind reacts to the openings on youtube which might bring in a new fan base. The biggest one I could find had around 90k views and was made in 2019. On this note check out the soundtrack. The first openeing Drawing Days by SPLAY still makes me go insane (but I'm biased of course)

There also renewed hope for a new season/reboot because Shaman King, Inuyasha and Bleach got anounced for new seasons after a long hiatus. It's important to keep in mind that the circumstances for those series are differnt tho. For example bleachs new anime is often tied to the immense success of the gatcha game.

7. Conclusion

Khr is a series which used to be a flagship for Weekly Shounen Jump and is deeply beloved by it's fans, especially in Japan. It influenced other shounen series like bnha. It would be nice to see it gaining a bigger fanbase in the west :)

#khr #khr meta #anime analysis #shounen jump #katekyo hitman reborn #mirytalks #long post #manga

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nerdythebard · 3 years

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#27: Athena, Goddess of Wisdom

She had to make her appearance eventually, Gods and Goddesses.

Athena is probably one of the most famous deities. Daughter of Zeus, born despite his schemes, ready to defend the people and Olympus. Contrary to Ares's bloodshed, she represents strategy, military wisdom and careful planning. Spoiler alert: we're not making her a Battle Master ;)

Next Time: HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THE JAGUAR CRY TO THE BLUE CORN MOON!?

Let's see what we need for the SMITE version of Athena to appear in our D&D game:

Ultimate Defender: Even bigger protector than Artio, Athena is a Guardian with High Crowd Control and High Defence.

Reach for the Sky: Athena uses long-reach attacks and her Ultimate allows her to appear by her companion's side for some extra protection.

You and what Army: Athena can summon the Defenders of Olympus to form a shield wall around her, as well as taunt and goad enemies into fighting her.

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I know I've done this before many-a-times, but I really have no choice here. Athena is a guardian, she has the divine blood of Zeus in her veins... I have to make her a Protector Aasimar. We get a +2 Charisma and +1 Wisdom, 60 feet of Darkvision, resistance to necrotic and radiant damage, ability to speak Common and Celestial, the Light cantrip, and Healing Hands, which lets us recover Hit Points equal to our level once per long rest.

We're going to take the City Watch background, which gives us proficiencies in Athletics and Insight, two languages of our choice, but we're actually going to customize it and replace the Watcher's Eye feature with Legal Authority from the Inquisitor background. This allows us to become a representative of the law, pass judgments and sometimes even carry out the sentence. Basically, we can now tell those who attempt to invade Olympus

ABILITY SCORES

Strength will be first, our weapon is a spear and those are not labelled as finesse. Next is Constitution, we need to be able to take hits. Follow that up with Wisdom, it's kinda our thing, especially when it comes to strategy.

Charisma will be next, it's important for a good leader (and a proud crafter). Dexterity is a bit lower than I would like it to be, but in SMITE Athena is not the quick-and-nimble type. Finally, we're dumping Intelligence. We really need other abilities more, plus it wasn't a smart decision to punish Arachne for winning a competition.

CLASS

Once again, I'm putting a small twist on the prediction and I think this is the first time on the blog we're doing this.

Level 1 - Paladin: We start with the divine warrior. Paladins get a d10 Hit Dice, [10 + Constitution modifier] initial Hit Points, proficiencies with light armour, medium armour, heavy armour, shields, simple weapons, and martial weapons. In the artwork, we see that Athena is not turtled-up in armour, so giving her a half-plate in addition to a spear and a shield seems like a good option. Our saving throws are Wisdom and Charisma, and we get to choose two class skills (Intimidation and Persuasion).

We start by getting Divine Sense, which informs us of any celestial, fiends, or undead within 60 feet of us. We know the type, but not what the creature actually is.

Lay on Hands is similar to our racial ability, Healing Hands. We have a pool of healing energy, equal to [our Paladin level x5] which restores itself at each long rest. As an action, we can touch a creature and restore its Hit Points by whatever points we have left in the pool. Alternatively, we can spend 5 points to remove one disease or poison from the target.

Level 2 - Paladin: We get Divine Smite. Whenever we hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, we can burn a spell slot to add extra 2d8 radiant damage (+1d8 for each spell slot above 1st-level to a maximum of 5d8). Damage increases by 1d8 if the enemy is a fiend or an undead.

We also get to pick a Fighting Style. To fulfil Athena's role as a guardian, we're once again going to pick Interception. Whenever a creature within 5 feet of us is hit by an attack, we can use our reaction to reduce the damage by [1d10 + our proficiency bonus]. We must be wielding a shield or a simple/martial weapon.

Paladins also get Spellcasting. Charisma is our casting ability, and we do not learn cantrips or rituals. Paladins have access to their full spell list and can each day prepare [Charisma modifier + half of Paladin level rounded down] spells. We start with two 1st-level spell slots:

Divine Favour bathes us in divine light and power, allowing our weapon attacks to deal extra 1d4 radiant damage for 1 minute (concentration).

Heroism increases your allies' morale. Until the spell ends (1 minute, concentration), one willing creature we touch is immune to being frightened and gain Temporary Hit Points equal to our casting ability modifier at the start of each turn.

Shield of Faith surrounds one creature of our choice within range (60 feet) for 10 minutes (concentration), granting it a +2 AC bonus.

Level 3 - Paladin: With Divine Health we are now immune to disease. We also get to pick our subclass, our Sacred Oath. Athena is a devoted protector of her city and the gods, so making her take the Oath of the Crown, to uphold the spirit of the nation and service to law seems fitting. We start by getting some Oath Spells; those are always prepared for us and don't count against the total number of spells known:

Command forces a Wisdom saving throw onto one creature within 60 feet of us, as we utter a single-word demand. On a failed save, the target is compelled to execute that command to the best of their ability at the beginning of their next turn. The command cannot force the target to harm themselves.

Compelled Duel forces one creature within 30 feet to turn their attention towards us and fight one-on-one, provided they fail a Wisdom saving throw. For the duration (1 minute, concentration), the compelled target has a disadvantage on attacks made against targets other than us and must make a Wisdom saving throw when attempting to move more than 30 feet away from us.

We also gain access to the Cleric's Channel Divinity. Once per short or long rest, we can use one of the two effects listed below:

Champion Challenge acts similarly to the Compelled Duel spell, as it prevents creatures who fail a Wisdom saving throw to move further than 30 feet from us. The difference is, this ability affects every creature within 30 feet radius.

Turn the Tide lets us use our bonus action to bolster the injured. Each creature of our choice within 30 feet of us regain [1d6 + our Charisma modifier] Hit Points, provided they have no more than half of their Hit Points.

Level 4 - Paladin: Time for our first Ability Score Improvement. We will, however, take the Spear Mastery feat instead. We gain a +1 to attack rolls made with our spear, the damage dice of the spear change from a d6 to d8, we can use our bonus action to extend the spear's reach by 5 feet until the end of our turn, and finally, we can prepare ourselves for a charge. If a creature that we can see within 20 feet of us gets within our spear's reach on its next turn, we can use a reaction to make an attack against it that deals additional 1d8 damage. If the creature used Disengage before, we're not getting the opportunity.

We can also grab another spell: Protection from Evil and Good grants one willing creature we touch protection from aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead. Attack rolls against the target are made with a disadvantage, and the target cannot be charmed or frightened by the aforementioned creatures.

Level 5 - Paladin: With Extra Attack we can now attack twice instead of once during a single Attack action.

We also unlock 2nd-level spells and gain two spells from our subclass spell list:

Warding Bond ties up to one target within 60 feet of us. For 1 hour the target gains a +1 bonus to AC and saving throws, and resistance to all forms of damage. Additionally, whenever the target takes damage we take the same amount of damage.

Zone of Truth creates a 15-foot-radius sphere at a point within 60 feet of us for 10 minutes. Creatures inside the sphere must make a Wisdom saving throw or become unable to lie as long as they remain within the sphere's boundaries. They are not compelled to answer, however.

Level 6 - Paladin: We get our first Aura option. With the Aura of Protection, whenever a friendly creature within 10 feet of us must make a saving throw, it gains a bonus equal to our Charisma modifier.

We also get another spell: Magic Weapon transforms our non-magical weapon into a magical one, for the purpose of overcoming resistances and immunities. Until the spell ends (1 hour, concentration), we also get a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls done with the weapon.

Level 7 - Barbarian: Surprise! I believe it's the first time we jump into the rage machine. I can already hear you saying 'Ares should've been a barbarian!'. Maybe. Maybe not. Hear me out, though: Athena's rage is cold and calculated. Precise and bottled up, to be unleashed only when necessary.

Multiclassing into Barbarian doesn't give us any new proficiencies or skills, but we do get the Unarmoured Defence. When we're not wearing armour, our AC equals [10 + our Dexterity modifier + our Constitution modifier]. Unlike Monks, we still get this benefit even if wielding a shield.

We also get access to the Barbarian's key feature...

As a bonus action, the Barbarian can Rage and gain the following benefits (provided they're not wearing heavy armour):

Advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws

Bonus to damage rolls (+2; changes as we level up) for weapons that use Strength

Resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage

The rage lasts for 1 minute (unless we dismiss it earlier, are knocked unconscious, fail to attack a target on our turn or taken damage during such) and while it's on, we cannot cast spells. For now, we can Rage twice before taking a long rest.

Level 8 - Barbarian: We gain Danger Sense, to better detect hostility. If we're not blinded, deafened or incapacitated, we have an advantage on Dexterity saving throws for effects we can see, such as traps and spells.

We can also forget about defence when making a Reckless Attack. When making our first attack on our turn, we can choose to do it recklessly. This gives us an advantage on melee weapon attacks that use Strength on our turn, but until the end of our next turn, all attacks made against us also have an advantage.

Level 9 - Barbarian: We can now Rage three times per long rest.

We also get to pick our second subclass, our Primal Path. And this is the moment where we get our Athenian warriors with the Path of the Ancestral Guardian. With Ancestral Protectors, we can call upon spectral warriors of the past which hinder the attacks of the first creature we hit while Raging. Until the end of our next turn, the target has a disadvantage on all attacks that aren't against us and when other creatures attack the target, they gain resistance to the damage type of the attack they make.

Level 10 - Barbarian: Halfway through the build and we're getting another ASI. We're gonna raise our Dexterity by 2 points.

Level 11 - Barbarian: Normally, we would've gained Extra Attack here, but we've already got it from our Paladin levels and they do not stack. We do, however, get Fast Movement which increases our movement speed by 10 feet provided we're not wearing heavy armour.

Level 12 - Barbarian: We can now Rage up to four times per long rest.

We get a new subclass upgrade. With Spirit Shield, our ancestral spirits now provide aid to those we defend. While we're raging, and a creature we can see within 30 feet of us takes damage, we can reduce the damage by 2d6.

Level 13 - Barbarian: At this point, our Feral Instincts are so sharp we have an advantage on our Initiative rolls.

Level 14 - Barbarian: Time for another ASI. Let's round up our Strength and put the other point into Dexterity.

Level 15 - Barbarian: Our additional damage while raging now becomes a +3.

We now get a Brutal Critical. Whenever we score a critical hit (Natural 20), apart from doubling our weapon damage die, we roll one more of the same die and add it to the score.

Level 16 - Barbarian: At this point, our Spirit Shield reduces the damage dealt to our allies by 3d6.

We also get another subclass upgrade. With Consult the Spirits, we can now use our ancestral warriors to cast either the Augury or Clairvoyance spells without a spell slot or material components once per short or long rest.

Level 17 - Barbarian: With Relentless Rage, we can now fight despite death. If we drop to 0 Hit Points while raging (and don't get damaged enough to insta-kill us), we can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw and gain 1 Hit Point on a success. Each time we use this feature after the first, the DC raises by 5 and resets after we finish a short or long rest.

Level 18 - Barbarian: We get the final ASI of the build and we put two points into our Dexterity. We can also now Rage five times before rest.

Level 19 - Barbarian: Our Brutal Critical increases to two additional dice when scoring a Natural 20.

Level 20 - Barbarian: We end with Barbarian 14, which ends with another subclass upgrade. With Vengeful Ancestors, we can truly pull the Uno Reverse Card. When we use our Spirit Shield (which now reduces damage by 4d6), besides just reducing damage, the spirits now deal force damage to the target, equal to the damage prevented.

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And that is Eda Athena, the Owl Lady! Let's see what we got:

To start off, we're a tank with many protection options for both us and our allies. With increased movement, advantages on initiative and damage-dealing rolls, plus some protection spells, we can easily lead and strategize.

With a half-plate and a shield our AC is 17, we have a +2 to our Initiative, 40 feet of movement, and an average HP of 175.

Unfortunately, our spell repertoire is not great, negative modifier to our Intelligence (if you want to fix that, be sure to hunt for the Headband of Intellect), and no ability maxed to 20.

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Okay, I think this is not a bad build. As always, treat these as suggestions and modify your own builds as you please. I hope you've enjoyed yourselves and I'll see you in the next one!

- Nerdy out!

#smite #hirez smite #protector aasimar #aasimar #dnd build #dnd #d&d 5e #dungeons and dragons #greek gods #athena #paladin #oath of the crown #barbarian #ancestral guardian

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illmetbymoonlight · 3 years

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So here I am a few days into rebloggi g stuff again and not just suicide posting... guess I'm back of a sorts. All y'all to those very few who ever paid attention. And I'm sorry in advance of all the Joe Taslim stuff because damn he one fine looking man.

Idk. Forgetting the point of posting... oh yes... so ugh guess it should be said last March I got fired, then a week later got dumped then when I was teaching out to the person I thought of a best friend for comfort i go get over it there are worse problems than being dumped. The a pandemic hi amd I have spent months trying to figure myself out. Find a sense of style that actually screams me . Get back on my medications properly and regularly. Actuallu post positively about myself on Facebook even full body ootd pics.im starting to find some semblance of happiness but somethings still haunt me.

My weight being the worst. I have medical condition that went unnoticed for years because its just a phase, it's just puberty, it's just this and that. PCOS. Wasn't found until I was in my mid 20s. Its makes gaining weight easy and losing weight hard.

I worked so hard to lose almost 30 lbs when I was with same. But it wasn't enough. He said I was complacent with the things he wanted me to change. Depressingly I have since gained back yhe 30 and then some and struggle everyday to lose.

Once upon a time I lost enough to fit comfortable in a men's medium with the ability to sneak into a men's small. Now I'm a snug men's xl.

All I can think... no matter what people show me or tell me... is that not man is ever going to want me the way they want the girls whose pictures they like or share.

Idk. Some of this is coming from a conversation that involved semi flirting and even though he sorta flirted back... the back of my mind says I'm not good enough for him. I try to ignore it I really do but.... idk...

I'm tired and my brain is mush. I fell bad earlier so I'm on pain killers galore and half an ambien to help me sleep.

I've missed Tumblr though. A lot of people I follow... seeing your icons that haven't changed much and you usernames brought smile to my face knowing you're still here. I hope my little return brings a smile to at least one of you out there.

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bobasheebaby · 4 years

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75 Criminal Minds Prompts

Some of these can easily go very, very dirty, and yes I’m talking about Morgan and Garcia conversations and honestly would it be a list without them?

1 “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you’ve really stopped to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do. ― Hotch

2 “Life is a hell of a thing to happen to someone.”― David Rossi

3 “Destroying a book is like…destroying a whole world.” — Diana Reid

4 “Trust me, kiddo. I’ve been here before.” ― David Rossi

5 “I’ve always heard every ending is also a beginning. We just don’t know it at the time. I’d like to believe that’s true.” — Emily Prentiss

6 “He is the perfect man. He doesn’t hog the covers, and he poops in a box.” — Emily Prentiss

7 “Went on a diet last night. Lost 185 pounds.” — Dr. Tara Lewis

8 “Marital bliss followed by marital diss! Of course. Why didn’t I think of that?” — Penelope Garcia

9 “I don’t take kindly to being blown up. In fact, it kind of pisses me off.” — Derek Morgan

10 “You know, I've learned that, in the short time I've had the privilege of being a dad... it heals wounds, just being there for your kid.” — David Rossi

11 “What makes you feel confident?” “Statistics.” — Derek Morgan and Dr Spencer Reid

12 “NAME , believe me when I say this, I've never known a normal day in my entire life.” — Dr Spencer Reid

13 “The number of pathogens passed during a handshake is staggering. It's actually safer to kiss.” — Dr Spencer Reid

14 “No one gets therapy these days without a healthy dose of medication.” “What are you implying, NAME?” “That everyone is medicated.” — Dr Spencer Reid and Penelope Garcia

15 “He/She doesn't give a damn about black or white. The only color that son of a bitch cares about is green.” — Dr Spencer Reid

16 “I don't know everything. I mean, despite the fact that you think that I do.” “I never said that. When have I ever said that?” “Every day since I met you!” — Dr Spencer Reid and Derek Morgan

17 “I never have any normal fans.” — Dr Spencer Reid

18 “Hey, Baby Girl, whatever you’re doing, drop it.” — Derek Morgan

19 “Talk to me, Baby Girl.” — Derek Morgan

20 “There you go, Baby Girl, that’s sweet.” — Derek Morgan

21 “Give it to me, doll face.” — Derek Morgan

22 “Hey, doll face. Ready to work some magic for me?” — Derek Morgan

23 “Hey, silly girl. I love you, you know that, right?” — Derek Morgan

24 “Hey girl, you’re on speaker. Behave.” “Or what, you’ll spank me?” — Derek Morgan and Penelope Garcia

25 “It was once said that love is giving someone the ability to destroy you, but trusting them not to.” — Derek Morgan

26 “Hey baby girl, I need you to work that magic of yours.” “Rub my lamp, release the Genie.” — Derek Morgan and Penelope Garcia

27 “You really are afraid of the dark.” “I'm working on that.” “You should work a little harder.” — Derek Morgan and Dr Spencer Reid

28 “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, pump your brakes. What is this about?” — Derek Morgan

29 “Oh, and if you hate sad stories as much as I do, you should leave the room right now, 'cause this is super sad!” — Penelope Garcia

30 “Enchantress of all things possible, use your imagination.” — Penelope Garcia

31 “My least three favorite words strung together: I don't know.” — Penelope Garcia

32 “Hello, my pretties. I have seen the wizard and he granted my wish.” — Penelope Garcia

33 “She knew where to toe the line between right and raunchy.” — Penelope Garcia

34 “OK, let me get you on a secret: Guys, we don’t do well on subtle clues, OK? You got to be direct, straight up. Just tell him exactly what you want!” — Derek Morgan

35 “It’s who you are, Baby Girl. You see the beauty in everything and everyone no matter where you go. That part of you is never gonna change, and I won’t let it.” — Derek Morgan

36 “NAME, people need to know that they're important and sometimes you forget that.” — Hotch

37 “Don't you have something better to do?” “Than to annoy you for three hours? Hell no.” — Hotch and Derek Morgan

38 “I think, deep down, we're all capable of unspeakable things. Where it starts or what you call it, I don't know.” — Hotch

39 “NAME, this is the job, and I need to know that you can be objective.” “And I need to know that I can be human.” — Hotch and Emily Prentiss

40 “Scars show us where we have been, they do not dictate where we are going.” — Rossi

41 “You don't need to do anything you don't want to. Understand?” — Rossi

42 “Just be careful. That ego of yours is going to get you in trouble." — Rossi

43 “Somewhere along the line, I put myself first. I admit it, but I can't go back and change it." — Rossi

44 “It could be that, after all of these years, I rewrote history." — Rossi

45 “Time will pass and slowly you will find how much it hurts. And, maybe, you'll find something else to fill that empty space." — Rossi

46 “Where you headed?” “Nowhere in particular.” “How will you know when you get there?” — Rose and Gideon

47 “Only a man would waste $50 trying to win back that $3 stuffed animal.” — JJ

48 “This is my favorite part. This is where you hang yourself with your own tongue. So, please keep talking.” — JJ

49 “My father/mother believes that children shouldn't be shielded from the realities of the world. I do! Isn't that why we read them fairy tales in the first place?” — JJ

50 “Oh god, please tell me you don't have a crush on a fictional character.” — JJ

51 “You are the best ever.” “Aw, and you're the most perceptive.” — JJ and Garcia

52 “I once dated a guy/girl who washed his/her car more than he/she washed his/her hair.” — JJ

53 “Don't tell me what I want and don't want.” — JJ

54 “You do what it takes to protect your family.” — JJ

55 “Look, I don't speak smartass.” — Michael Russo

56 “How's it having NAME around?” “You can have him/her back whenever you would like.” Hotch and Garcia

57 “So, NAME, when are you and NAME walking down the aisle?” “Hey, whoa, whoa. Baby steps. Baby steps.” “When NAME says "I do", it'll be a national day of mourning for single men/women everywhere.” — Rossi, Morgan and Reid

58 “Ugh! This heat is brutal!” “You know, it isn't so much the heat as it is the humidity.” “At some point, it doesn't matter how you look at it. It all sucks.” — Derek Morgan and Dr Spencer Reid

59 “Need a minute?” “So, so badly.” — Matt Simmons and Penelope Garcia

60 “Hey. I came as soon as I could. What's wrong?” — Matt Simmons

61 “We ask questions, and we come home.” “No creepy weirdness?” “No weirdness.” “Good, 'cause I'm about full up in the creepy weirdness department for one night.” — Matt Simmons and Penelope Garcia

62 “Ooh, what about this one? Sunny, two-bedroom. It's close to work. And it's in your price range.” “NAME, you're moving? You don't like change.” “That's true. Change is my kryptonite. But the apartment is no longer a sanctuary. I have a new neighbor. Window's right here. He enjoys doing naked kung fu. Some things you cannot unsee.” — JJ, Simmons and Garcia

63 “Thank you.” “For what?” “For being you.” “Aw, thanks. I don't know how to be anyone else.” — Emily Prentiss and Dr Spencer Reid

64 “When a woman tells a man about her feelings, she doesn't want him to fix her. She wants him to shut up and listen.” — Emily Prentiss

65 “I just feel I can't understand others' emotions if I don't deal with my own, you know?” “The best way out is always through.” “Too bad it's not always the easiest one.” “You're not kidding.” — Dr Tara Lewis and Rossi

66 “It helps if they think you're crazy. They don't argue.” — Diana Reid

67 “I don’t hate you ... I’m just not necessarily excited about your existence.” — Dr Spencer Reid

68 “There are many paths to the same place. Trust me.” “Just so you know, you sound like a fortune cookie.” — Hotch

69 “I’m always right. Also, you’re secretly in love with me.” — Penelope Garcia

70 “I just gave the bartender my number in Roman numerals. If he/she figures it out, he’s/she’s worth a shot.” — Dr Spencer Reid

71 “Shh, the adults are talking. When it’s your turn to speak, I’ll give you permission. Okay?” — JJ

72 “Hey, mama, tell me something I don’t know.” — Derek Morgan

73 “Talk dirty to me.” — Penelope Garcia

75 “Hey, don’t make me spank you when I get back.” “Don’t listen time him/her, NAME, he’s/she’s all talk.” — Derek Morgan and Dr Spencer Reid

#criminal minds prompts #criminal minds quotes #dialogue prompts #writing prompts #david rossi #derek morgan #dr spencer reid #emily prentiss #jj #aaron hotchner #penelope garcia #nswfish

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eunjiuju · 4 years

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CHEATER: PART 2 & FINAL

Pair: Jiwon X Y/N

Tags: Angst

Still a collab; only to hurt you.

“I had a good time” The woman he just fucked in the car said, kissing his cheeks, Jiwon smirked. Women are so easy to get, just one message and they crawl to be fucked, He nodded as he gestured the woman to go out, he stayed inside the car for a while, wondering if his girlfriend is already back from Canada.

Yeah, Jiwon cheated and its not his first time, everytime his girlfriend would be out of the country (which is always) he would mess around, fuck others, drink, He is a totally a different person. Everyone in his agency knows it, he sleeps with the staff, with his staffs, he remembered how he once got caught with Y/N. he laughed at how dumb Y/N is still clinging onto him after seeing him fuck someone else.

He went out of his car, looking around to see if fans are there, seeing the coast is clear he immediately went up to his apartment, inside he found his phone at the table, he opened it and saw your message “we are over” Jiwon panicked, he tried calling you but his number is blocked, he tried messaging you sensing you weren’t gonna answer he decided to let you calm down. “Its probably her period acting” he said to himself.

Day 1-3. Still no calls from you and its what he expected.

Day 4-8. Jiwon tried calling you but its still blocked.

Day 8-15. Jiwon got alarmed as you don’t last this long unless its serious. He went to your apartment, noticed you changed your passcode, and knocked hard, calling your name until the neighbours.

Day 15-20. Soju,beers,bars was his only solution to get you out of his mind, he’s worried but it didn’t stop him from playing around, kissing her as if its nothing, kissing her not noticing that you are watching them, tears streaming down your face. But you didn’t bother them, it that’s whats making Jiwon happy even if it breaks you,

Day 20-30. Its been a month desperation finally crawled in, Jiwon realizing this is really serious, he tried calling you again, messaging you but never really bothered doing anything, His pride, pride is his problem, Until he received a text “Lets meet” from you. He smiled, yeah you really can’t get mad at him, jiwon thought.

Waiting at the restaurant both of you agreed to meet on, as usual Jiwon is late and it didn’t even made you mad anymore, You heard the restaurant door opening with a ting as you saw Jiwon going towards you, you smiled as you gestured him to sit in front of you, Jiwon immediately took your hands into his, you looked at it, stopping yourself from crying. Where did the two of you went wrong? Why did it become like this? How did it happen? How did it start? Am I not enough? Is he tired of me? Am I not good in bed? That the question you’ve been asking yourself for the whole month. Yet you cant find the answer to it, You’ve tried your best, you never cheated, all you ever think of is him, so why?

“Y/N why? Why did you ignore me?” Jiwon asked, you laughed at his ridiculous question, yeah nothing changed, he is still dumb, you’ve always adored his dumbness but this time, you cant even think of anything but pain.

“Lets break up” you chose to ignore his question, you don’t want to blame him, to blame him for not being enough

Jiwon angrily looked at you “Is that why you fucking told me to come? To fucking break up with me?” he chuckled angrily, gripping your hands tight to the point it hurted you and will leave a mark.

“I am sorry, I don’t think I can handle the pain anymore” you muttered, tears are now falling like a waterfall, you stood up, removing his hand on yours, looked at Jiwon for the last time as you walked out, to go to a friends house.

Jiwon in the other hand, was still shocked and speechless, he couldn’t believe it was so easy for Y/N to break up with him, after everything they’ve been to? After every challenges they encountered? What did I do that so wrong? I've been loving her so much is that not enough? Jiwon keeps asking himself. But he still didn't realize what he did wrong after all.

Jiwon decided to move to a nearby bar and keep drinking. But the unusual thing is even when a sexy hot girl trying to seduce him, he doesnt even look at them. He never like this, usually he will flirt with them and end up fucking them. But tonight its different. He keeps thinking about you. He doesnt want to lose you but in the same time he doesnt want to admit his mistake. He feels like half of his heart is gone. And he keeps drinking until he's dead drunk just to forget you.

Jiwon getting messier day by day. He’s always super late to the shoot, sleeping on set, not focusing on his work. He never thought how losing you could affect his life so much because he’s always confident that you won’t leave him. “Jiwon hyung, get a grip. You need to move on with your life. People are already talking about you, don’t prolong this or you would lose job” said Dongjin, his manager. “No. I don’t mind to lose everything but not Y/N. She’s my life.” Jiwon said. Dongjin decided to contact you so you could talk to him “hello Y/N. This is Dongjin. I wanna talk to you about Jiwon Hyung..” His manager goes on and on about how messy Jiwon is. “Okay, I’ll talked to him. But only this once. If it doesn’t work then he’s on his own” You said.

That night Jiwon is laying down in his house, scrolling the album on his phone, looking at your picture. He’s reminiscing your happy time when he heard the doorbell ringing. He get up from the couch to the intercom and saw you on the screen, trying to leave. He screamed “JAGI! WAIT! COME IN!” he pressed the unlock button and few minutes later he saw you in front of his house. “I missed you so much!” he hug you then going into the house while holding your hand. You saw his house is in a mess, soju bottles & beer can everywhere, dark & humid atmosphere makes you sense his sadness. “do you want to drink anything?” he asked. “no thanks, I just drank before.” You fiddling with your fingers before you continue “how are you oppa? Have you eat anything? I brings some groceries to cook for you if you don’t eat yet.” You said with a force smile. “not yet. Would you cook for me?” he asked with round eyes. “yes, please wait oppa. I’ll call you when I’m done” you proceed to the kitchen and start prepping the ingredients. Jiwon keeps going to & fro from living room to the kitchen then he goes behind you and backhug you “I missed you. So much. I thought I won’t see you again.” He’s whispering in you ears. You didn’t say anything and just let him be. He keeps following you when you move and you feel annoyed. “oppa, why don’t you sit at the table while I’m finishing this.” He nods and move to seat. He sit the while looking at you, he thought everything would be okay now.

After the meal, Jiwon and you sit in the living room, hand by hand. He feels you sweaty hands and he knew right away that you are anxious. “Y/N, do you have anything to say to me?” he asked. He look into your eyes, waiting for you to say something. “Jiwon, Dongjin has told me everything about you when I was away.” He saw you sighing before you cont. “You cannot be like this Jiwon. You and me are done. I don’t want to point it but the reason we are like this is because of you” he feels like there’s a huge rock on his head when he listen to it. “But I already forgive you, Jiwon. The thing is, I cannot be the same with you anymore. I cannot feel the same. I don’t want to lie you my heart nor to you. If we keep being like this, we won’t be happy. You need to move on with your life. I know its hard, its hard for me too. I feel you.” Jiwon feels burning anger when he heard that before he yelled “THEN WHY ARE YOU COMING HERE? WHY ARE YOU COOKING FOR ME? WHY ARE YOU LETTING ME HUGGED YOU AND HOLDING YOUR HAND?!” you are shocked from his yelling and feels sad because you came here to talked to him peacefully. “I didn’t initiate that, I didn’t hugged you back. I cooked for you because I feel I should end it with a good memory with you. Why you don’t understand that?!” you asked, frustrated. He saw you trying to get up and he pulled you down while kissing you, roughly. “stop it!” you pulled out from his kiss and push him away. “I’m not gonna fall for your trick anymore. I tried to be nice but you still being like this. I’m totally done” you walk out of him, grabbing your bag and he grabs your leg “don’t go Y/N, please don’t go” he begs you. Jiwon’s pride went down to the drain. He cannot afford to lose you anymore. “you’ve many chances to make it right but you wasted every single time. I hope you learn your lesson, Eun Ji Won” You said while you pull your leg away and run out from his house. Jiwon feels hopeless, he doesn’t know what to do anymore. And he drink himself to drunk again that night.

Everything went like a whiplash, it doesn’t seem like its real, one minute he thought everything would be back to normal, he thought he could be with her again, But he realized how much damage he gave you, Jiwon was finally willing to change but you were already gone, whats there to change? His actions were like a gunshot, no matter how much you stop the bleeding, it drained you, drained you from suffering.

Even at the end, he is still being selfish, all he wants is to see you smile eventhough tears are falling, eventhough you are suffering just to make him better. He wants you to still smile even though you don’t mean it, Just for him who is weak as he gains strength from your smile.

And Jiwon decided to write a song about you, and will always reminded him about his selfishness called “Smile”. And until this day, he still doesn't know the exact reason you breaking up with him.

#eun jiwon #eun jiwon x you #sechskies #sechskies fanfic

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kentthewolf · 3 years

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4 Things Self-Disciplined People Don’t Do ✋ — Leave These Bad Habits Behind & You Can Achieve Goals Beyond Your Wildest Dreams!

I highly admire fellow self-disciplined individuals. Because what ever their goals might be — from making the Olympics or starting a business or adhering to another eating routine — self-discipline is regularly the special ingredient..

In any case, self-discipline is a misjudged idea, principally in light of the fact that we consider the big picture as a fixed character trait. Yet, this is what the vast majority don't comprehend:

Self-discipline comes from good habits and not genetics.

As a mentor, I work with individuals attempting to be more disciplined in their lives. In the process, I've seen that it's not for absence of desire or motivation…

The reason we battle to be more disciplined has nothing to do with lack of morals or faulty genes — it's the bad or lack of good habits meddle with the chances of us being disciplined.

On the off chance that you need to turn into a more self-disciplined individual, figure out how to distinguish these bad habits and dispose of them. Self-discipline won't be far behind.

1. Depending on willpower

Individuals with a ton of self-discipline comprehend that willpower is a last resort.

Consider willpower to be the emergency brake in your vehicle — it's ideal to have, yet you would be in great difficulty if you depended on it as the essential method to slow down your vehicle.

Willpower ought to never be an essential procedure for getting troublesome things done.

Self-disciplined individuals comprehend that there are unmistakably more effective methods for remaining focused on challenging objectives. For instance, a "unmistakable advantage" some high-discipline individuals exploit is environmental design.

The essential thought is that as opposed to pushing yourself through an objective, it's smarter to design your current environment to be helpful for the objective and pull you through it.

For instance:

Suppose you need to study hard for a test. Rather than attempting to "stay focused" learning at home when you're barraged by distractions, from the enormous TV, to your friend texting you about going out for drinks, get together your things, go to a library, leave your phone in the vehicle, and locate a back corner of the of the facility where not many people sit in.

Better to avoid temptations rather than attempting to oppose them.

Self-disciplined individuals comprehend that they don't have the willpower that others might suspect they do. What's more, they comprehend that willpower is something delicate that frequently fails us. Subsequently, they don't depend on it and get innovative about alternate approaches to remain focused and committed.

On the off chance that you need to become more disciplined, ask yourself this:

How might I accomplish my objectives in the event that I had zero willpower?

2. Depending on motivation

Self-disciplined individuals see motivation as additional credit — ideal to have when it appears, yet never expected to be there.

Feeling motivated to go to the gym, study for a test, or work on that project you’ve been looking forward to is extraordinary. We as a whole love that feeling since it makes it generally simple to do hard things.

In any case, listen to this:

Feeling a that thunder of motivation isn't needed to do hard things.

Individuals often think that if “I'm not feeling it" I can't actually do it or it's not worth attempting. We approach our lives trusting that motivation will strike, however at the same time our dreams, goals, and desires blur further into memory as life appears to cruise us by.

Self-disciplined individuals don't fall into this snare since they comprehend the real essence between feeling and taking action:

Action prompts to feeling just as feeling prompts to action.

What does this mean? the connection among feeling and action is a two-way street: Sure, feeling great causes you do hard things; yet doing hard things causes you to feel better — specifically, it makes you more motivated to do more hard things in the future.

Self-disciplined individuals are addicted to taking action and the high they get from it, it’s uncanny.

They comprehend that the best way to feel consistently motivated is to build the habit of consistently taking action — regardless of whether it's exceptionally little activities at first. This way the build up momentum into the harder things with a rush that cannot be stopped.

So , yeah! there it is: The secret is that self-disciplined individuals are more motivated than most of us, and not because of luck or good genes. They basically see how to make their own constant flow of motivation by making moves and taking action regardless of how they feel as opposed to keeping an eye out, waiting for the “feeling”.

Quit waiting for motivation and figure out how to construct your own.

3. Trusting your emotions

Self-disciplined individuals realize that emotions are not reliable.

This doesn't mean you shouldn't tune in to your emotions and know about them. Indeed, profoundly disciplined individuals are frequently in contact with their emotions. Be that as it may, they're not controlled by them.

Self-discipline requires a self-awareness and skepticism of your own emotions.

The critical understanding here is that while emotions frequently communicate to us important intuition, they can just as regularly push us off track.

At the point when you're climbing through the mountains and your nervousness springs up on the grounds that you hear an abrupt shaking sound, that is most likely something worth being thankful for — your mind's method of rapidly setting you up for the chance of stepping on a poisonous snake!

Then again, when an email from your supervisor appears in your inbox saying "we need to talk," your nervousness may be yelling at you that something's wrong, however it's totally conceivable that your manager was busy and didn't have the opportunity to create a full message.

Here's another way to see it:

Emotions are common sense — your mind's reactions about how you should act, are worth paying attention to, but not to be followed blindly.

Your relationship with emotions matters for developing self-discipline since how you feel will regularly conflict with your core values:

Your values might be to work out before anything else, yet your emotions will attempt to persuade you to get an additional 30 minutes of rest.

Your values might be to adhere to a small serving at every meal, except your emotions will attempt to persuade you to get more calories.

Your values might be to ask your manager for a much higher raise, yet your emotions will attempt to persuade you that something horrible will occur in the event that you face him/her about it.

On the off chance that you want to be more self-disciplined, develop a skeptical relationship with your emotions.

Tune in to your emotions, yet try not to take orders from them.

4. Worrying over results

Self-disciplined individuals have a skill for remaining focused on effort rather than worrying about results.

The most obvious trait to self-disciplined individuals is that they are very goal oriented. They have numerous objectives, consistently pursue them, and regularly accomplish them — often times to an astonishing degree.

Here’s the secret:

Self-disciplined individuals can gain consistent progress toward their objectives because they don't invest a lot of energy contemplating them.

Instead, self-disciplined individuals maintain their focus on their actions — things they can really do and control. Things that, whenever done consistently after some time, will probably prompt the ideal objective or result.

To put it another way, self-disciplined individuals understand they cant control the result of their goals, but they can control their efforts:

You can't control whether a novel gets composed. You can control whether you compose 300 words every day during your mid-day break.

You can't control whether you shed 20 pounds. You can control if you have dessert.

You can't control the grade you get on a test. You can control how frequently you study.

Investing a lot of energy pondering your objectives is an distraction from the things you really have control over — your actions

The best mindset toward results and objectives is to "set it and forget it."

You need to think of your objectives at first. it's ideal to savor them for some time whenever you've achieved them. Yet, keep your eye off the prize and focus on the little actions you can take at this moment.

Don’t waste your energy on things you can’t control.

Follow these four tips and you’ll be the person others look up to as you breeze through every single one of your goals. Leaving little to no chance of failure and stress.

#personal development #self improvement #self discipline #self care #tip #productivity #motivation #motivational quotes #tips

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profoundbond-n-tfw · 5 years

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What the hell am I doing?!

Hey ya’ll so get this,

I know my followers and SPN Fam really don’t give a shit about my personal posts so that’s probs why I feel safe venting shit here. Only tonight I’m not actually venting.

I believe this falls under more goal setting and new years resolutions. However I had decided to lose weight this summer I didn’t at the time have the money to join a gym or pay for the extra gas to get to the hiking trails nearby.

Well this Christmas I got a little extra financial surprise. Not much but enough to get me off the hamster wheel of payday loans and to pay back other moving loans that I owed etc. It also meant I could get a gym pass and a session with a personal trainer.

My job is high stress and my plan this summer was to go everyday after work for an hour to destress and work out. Weight loss is also a goal. I hope to lose 120 pounds in one year. Starting new years day (seemed fitting) the reality is I could lose closer to 170 pounds and still be very healthy and fit. That’s how much I am over weight. I’ve lost 40 pounds in two months from hiking twice a week (15-20 km a week two years ago). I believe with me going to the gym 5 days a week and hiking on the weekends this can be a realistic goal. Match that with a personal trainer to help me through plateaus and yeah. It might be possible.

Will I lose all that weight before Vancon this year? No. I will be lucky if I’ve lost 70 or 80 pounds but still hoping for that level of work. Yeah I want to say it’s for health benefits yada yada yada but nah, I wanna look good in my ops! Or as good as one can look standing next to our boys! Yeah this is mostly a vanity thing.

You see here a horrible photo of me (in white) at Vancon 2017. I don't want to ever pay so much for a photo I look so awful and disgusting in again. And I've only gained weight since then.

You see with my weight as it is? I can’t buy clothes in regular stores, I’m limited to about 2 places here in Canada. Penningtons, and Addition elle. So yah I want to wear clothes I like and not have to pay $70 for a shirt. I want to be able to be confident in my ops with my SPN Family. The boys, & other cast.

I’m in my last year of my apprenticeship, I have a 30 page research thesis paper to write, I have exams and tests every week. My job is 40+ hours a week and my schoolwork is 30+ hours a week. I’m hoping giving myself an hour at the end of each day to work out will also give me energy. Because I’m just so fucking exhausted.

So I’m at the true beginning of my program for weight loss. 2019 is still a year of change for me, but 2020 damn she looks fine. Can’t wait to see her.

Wish me luck. I will post progress reports if anyone is interested.

Cheers, and happy New Year! May we all survive 2019 because 2020 is the year that is gonna rock it.

#my stuff #personal #my life #weight loss #happy new year #work #life #school #apprenticeship #personal goals #spn family #supernatural #tfw #spn cons #photo ops

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jason5577 · 5 years

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In Honor of Palm Sunday🌴🌿

Kings Riding on Donkeys? What the?

“Jesus is ready to go to Jerusalem, where he knows he will be killed. "See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day," (Matthew 20:18-19).

On their way to Jerusalem, Jesus tells his disciples to get a donkey and her colt. Jesus knows he is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and he is going to have a royal procession into the city of the great King. To us it seems odd, but in ancient times, kings rode donkeys. In fact, donkeys play into a strong, messianic and royal motif in the Scriptures with allusions to and prophecies of the Messiah. Respected rabbis rode donkeys and Ugaritic texts depict deities riding donkeys as well. In Islamic tradition, several heroes are called "donkey riders" and the early Christian tale Vita Sanctae Pelagiae Meretricis "presents as the apex of beauty and sensuality a woman riding on a donkey."1

Early in the Old Testament, the regal, messianic depiction of donkeys is expressed in Jacob's prophecy concerning his twelve sons. He says,

"The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey's colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk," (Genesis 49:10-11).

Jacob predicts here the great dynasty of David, and the greater kingdom of Jesus Christ, and the donkey motif is born here in this regal prophecy.

In Deborah's song of military victory over God's enemies, she sings of the wealthy who ride on "white donkeys" and sit on "rich carpets" (Judges 5:10). Again in Judges, Jair the Gileadite judged Israel for twenty-two years, and "he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities." Donkeys, not horses, were ridden by rulers. King David rode on donkeys, as they were a royal gift to the king (2 Samuel 16:2). Solomon, David's son, rides his father's mule into Jerusalem for his coronation as king (1 Kings 1:38-40).

In the Bible, the donkey is a sign of humility, labor, and strangely enough--regal authority; the horse, however, is a sign of human strength, pride, and war. Interestingly, Saul, the failed, proud, king of Israel, marks his beginning as the nation's leader while searching for a pair of his father's lost donkeys. He never rode them. Absalom and Adonijah, the rebellious sons of King David, promote themselves in their attempt to usurp the father David's throne with horses, chariots, and grand processions. Not a great sign of humility.

The prophet Isaiah, writing some 500 years before Jesus, writes, "Behold the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth; Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense is with him,'" (Isaiah 62:11). Zechariah echoes this prophecy saying, "Rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey," (Zechariah 9:9). Isaiah says, "Behold your salvation comes." Zechariah says, "Behold, your king is coming to you." The king is coming; the salvation is coming.

What kind of king? What kind of salvation?

Matthew equates the words of the prophets by placing kingship and salvation in one person, the humble man riding on a donkey, riding into a great city, where the king knows he will be murdered. Yes, murdered! It is the king who brings salvation, and it is the king who himself is salvation, but it is not the salvation (victory) wrought over the political enemies of Israel by means of military force.

But it is strange and odd, for the salvation is indeed accomplished by means of military and political overthrow. The difference is upon whom the military and political force falls. It's the military (the Romans) and the politicians (the Roman and Jewish leaders), and the people who shouted "Crucify him! Crucify him!" who are the ones that put the king to death, and produce a result, by the providence of God, a gift of eternal life, justification, righteousness and peace for all who believe. The greatest crime becomes the greatest blessing. The king is coming; the salvation is coming. They both culminate together in the one person, Jesus Christ, whose name means "Savior King."

This passage is called, "The triumphal entry." In other words, Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem is a victory ride. But hold on a second. He's riding to his impending doom. He knows he's going to be killed. It's like Robinson Crusoe knowing that if he rescues Friday from the cannibals, he'll be killed too. But he has to do it. He can't stand to see an innocent man suffer. So he leaves the comfort of his self-made, comfortable "castle." and he rescues Friday, almost to his own peril. But he gains a friend that lasts forever. Good ol' Friday!

If Jesus is our model, then the path to victory is through humility and suffering. Remember Joseph? He denied himself the pleasure of Potiphar's wife, was thrown into prison on false charges for rape, but was exalted to the throne after a while of patient endurance. As a friend of mine once told me, "You haven't lived until you've been unjustly fired." Man, I've been livin' then! Jesus calls us to take up the cross and follow him. The victory is ours by faith, and it is in him. We celebrate! (Even as we suffer).

1. Dictionary of Biblical Imagry, Intervarsity Press, p.215.

Posted by Christopher Mark Van Allsburg at 11:16 PM

Source: https://vanallsblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/donkeys-for-kings-palm-sunday.html?spref=fb

Labels: Bible Oddities, what the?

1 comment:

john Twinem said...

Saw this while doing some study; I know the post is from a while back, but it's also useful in support of this to think of Deuteronomy 17 and the description of the ideal covenant king--from among the people, not using his authority for self serving ends, under the law with everyone else, not setting up a standing army and "not multiplying horses to himself". Horses as a force multiplier for a standing army would be useful to a king who is a tyrant and an oppressor, rather than a servant/defender/protector of his people. The mule or the donkey is a great symbol of the leader's humility and acknowledgement of the Divine King.

June 30, 2016 at 12:18 PM

Picture courtesy #Vikings Season 2 Episode 9 “The Choice”

#Athelstan rides a donkey into the Viking camp as peacemaker /emissary between King Ecbert and the Vikings.

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trendingnewsb · 7 years

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I've Read over 100 Productivity Books and Summarized the 15 Most Important Tips

Ten years ago, nearly to the day, I was given a promotion from starting-level engineer to upper management. Honestly, as exciting as the promotion was, I was incredibly overwhelmed. I felt that I didn’t have enough time to do everything that I needed/wanted to do and I began to feel that I was in over my head. Something had to give.

I’d heard of productivity books being helpful, so I decided to give it a try. I was hoping that the books would teach me how to get more done in less time. Not only did they help me achieve that goal, but other aspects of my performance as well.

After reading 100 productivity books, I have found that there are 15 key elements to staying productive and being efficient. I have compiled a list of my findings to help you to be as productive as you can be.

1. Don’t wait for others to set your deadlines, set them for yourself

While growing up with our structured school system, students are used to being given deadlines and working to meet them. This causes a problem when we suddenly don’t have a deadline to work towards. We tend to get lazy because there is no sense of urgency. This is why overachievers in school tend to be average in the real world, as they don’t have deadlines to work towards once no one sets it for them.

Successful people don’t wait, they set deadlines for their personal goals. While meeting external deadlines (those that are given to you) helps you to survive and meet the bare minimum, internal deadlines (those that you give yourself) make you push through your boundaries. The key is to be proactive, not passive.

2. Keep track of your time like you do your bank account

We like to think that we know ourselves well. But when asked to recall, we can’t remember what we did at this time on this day last week. Time is the most valuable resource we have. We need to track it like we do our bank accounts, because as the old saying goes, time is money. You can always earn more money, but you can never get back wasted time.

Keep a time-sheet to record how much time you spend on tasks. Even everyday/personal tasks. You’ll be surprised to see how much time you waste on certain things.

3. Don’t focus on your weaknesses, work on your strengths instead

It’s common practice to improve your weaknesses. But that shouldn’t be your primary focus. The most important thing is to first improve your strengths. Having a strength means that you already have a foundation for it (otherwise it wouldn’t be a strength) and acquired the basic skills. You should already have a solid idea of what to improve. The difference is that this growth will be exponential versus improving anything else.

Weaknesses cause limitations because you’re starting from the ground up. Everything is so new and it can be difficult to identify what works. But once you find those weak points, you can utilize your strengths (which you’ve improved) to help turn these weaknesses into an asset.

4. Rank tasks by importance, not the order you received them

Every task does not hold the same weight of importance as others might. Always ask yourself: What needs to be done right away? Regularly rank your tasks, and get the vital ones out of the way.

Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking that because a task came earlier, it is more important than the following tasks. Some tasks have a leveraging effect, so even if they arise later than other tasks, it should be prioritized to be finished right away.

Example: You are planning to brush up on your presentation skills, so you read 20 self-improvement books to reach your goal. Then you decide to read books on speed reading. The best move would have been to read the speed reading books first, to make reading your self-improvement books quicker and more effective.

5. Don’t bite off more than you can chew

“You can’t eat the whole pizza at once.” Now while this statement may come off as a challenge (I’m sure some of you could scarf down a whole pizza with no issue) the point is that we think we can handle enormous tasks on our own. Taking on too much at once can be discouraging, and will ultimately lessen your motivation.

The solution: break down big tasks into smaller, digestible tasks to create order and relieve some of the stress.

6. Smart people know when to delegate

Don’t feel obligated to do every little thing yourself. Doing more doesn’t mean doing better. In fact, if you have too much on your plate you are very likely to make careless mistakes because you’re trying to do too much at once. Recognize which tasks can be passed on to others so that you can focus on more challenging and important tasks.

7. Use your brain for thinking, not remembering

Information is unlimited, it’s impossible to remember everything. There’s a popular saying, “You have already forgotten more than you already know.” Meaning, there is just too much information to retain it all through memory alone. There’s a variety of tools that we can use to organize our thoughts and ideas for us, such as: computers, notebooks, our phones, etc.

8. Review your productivity at the end of the day

At the end of your day, take the time to reflect what you have accomplished, and what could be improved.

Ask yourself these questions:

What have I done well?

What have I done poorly?

Why did some things not work out as planned?

How can I do better tomorrow?

When we don’t reflect, we rely only on natural growth. Successful people concentrate on deliberate practice, where they actively identify and focus on things to improve. Even if you feel that you’ve done a job well done, still consider what could be done in terms of improvement. There is always something!

9. Sometimes cutting tasks is better than adding them

Make it a practice to regularly clear out what isn’t useful to you. This can be manual tasks, physical items, or even relationships. Think about it, physical clutter doesn’t only take up space, but it inhibits our performance as well because we have the physical impression of overload. I know that I personally need to have an organized work space, or I just can’t concentrate.

Just like we need to de-clutter our surroundings, we need to do the same with our digital space, only making room for what it important and deleting the rest. Your device will work more efficiently, and you don’t have to sift through endless folders and files to find whatever you’re trying to access. Less is more.

10. Estimate time for your task

Sometimes this is something that we slack off on, going into a project without considering how much time it is going to take us. To help with this, follow the 2 minute rule. If it can be completed within two minutes, get it out of the way first.

Neglecting to estimate your time can cause you to waste time; because you do not have a real goal in mind or deadline you are trying to meet. If you don’t set a standard, then you won’t know which aspects need to be improved upon and tweaked for efficiency when the task is repeated.

Example: You are making an avocado salad. Before beginning, how long do you think it is going to take? 30 minutes? 15? 3? When we consider the task at hand and the time needed to complete it, we start planning on how to do it more efficiently.

11. Stretch your creativity no matter what your job is

We need a bit of creativity for every task that we complete, no matter how mundane it may seem. Creativity is not always a naturally given talent, but a muscle that can be trained. Perhaps you’re not the Renaissance man (or woman) of the century, but you can drum up some out-of-the-box ideas along with the best of them. We need a bit of creativity in order to step up our efficiency.

This could relate to tasks such as time management or production procedures. You need to exercise your creativity to make an already existing practice even better.

12. Know when to stop as tasks tend to devalue overtime

When the productivity of a project beings to diminish, you need to know when it’s time to call it quits. Tasks tend to devalue overtime. The longer a task is taking, the less likely it is to be successful. When it starts to seem that progress is declining, it’s time to cut your losses and reevaluate your game plan.

Example: When a business realizes that they are losing more and more money each month, they need to change their strategy.

13. Always assume that you don’t know as much as you may think you know

Because the truth is, most people don’t know much. There’s an endless supply of information relating to just about anything. Never be overly satisfied, always know that there is room for improvement. Just because you have a good thing, it doesn’t mean that it couldn’t be better. Always continue to strive for more and look for new insights. You’re really only the best if you look for new ways to grow. And most importantly, don’t allow yourself to be secretly arrogant. Or outwardly arrogant. Stay humble. You will gain much more respect from your peers and your followers this way.

14. Identify your instant gratification and ditch it

You might think that you don’t have an instant gratification trigger, but everyone has one. This is something that you don’t really need to work for, but fills you with enough confidence and feeling of productivity that you don’t feel you need to do anymore. What is yours? Identify yours, and overcome it.

Example: Your boss is always very complimentary, nearly to the point of being coddled. Since you’re always hearing that you’re doing a good job, you feel like you don’t need to do more. But in order to improve, you should strive to do more to get to the next level of excellence.

15. Start with the big picture, work down to the details

Identify the ultimate goal at hand, and start from the beginning. Then, break down every task in sequential order that needs to be achieved in order to reach this ultimate goal. Double check your tasks at hand, ask yourself how it fits into the big picture and if it is really necessary. Could you time be better spent on a different task? Don’t just work mindlessly. Always consider the big picture and the moves you are making towards it.

The post I’ve Read over 100 Productivity Books and Summarized the 15 Most Important Tips appeared first on Lifehack.

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