#there is...one thing id like to draw from 160

[neuroborreliosis]

in a fortuitous turn of events, i was able to begin - really actually begin - treatment yesterday.

i had grown tired of waiting for the call i was told i would receive when my blood work results arrived at the stram center. it's not that i don't trust my stram providers; rather, i don't trust albany med. they screwed up my blood work the first time, only drawing three of the nine vials they were ordered to draw. if not for the mix-up with my legal name (on my medicaid card, on my id) not matching up with the name listed on my blood work order, they probably wouldn't have even noticed they made a mistake. but they did, because i had to go back to the hospital a day after initially going to get the blood work done, have my doctor send over a new order with my legal name on it, and get the vials redrawn so they could be sent out for analysis. when the phlebotomist came in, she informed me that the day prior, whoever drew my blood (a younger phlebotomist who had struck me as frazzled, distracted) only drew a third of the amount he should have.

anyway, the stram center kept trying to reach out to them regarding my results - normally it can take up to two weeks, but it had been a month, and they still hadn't received anything. so yesterday, dillon accompanied me to the hospital where i asked the receptionist at the blood lab what happened to my results. she gave me a number to call along with two extensions, and told me the person on the line could search up my results for me. i called the number, that very same receptionist answered, which i thought was awkward and sorta funny, and she transferred me to whoever it was that was supposed to help me.

the woman on the other end of the line asked for my name, date of birth, and when it was that i came in for blood work. she looked me up under both my legal name and my actual name, and she came up with nothing. she told me she was going to do further digging and call me back. i told dillon i was fed up and pissed, how could a hospital just disappear nine vials of blood, especially today, when everything is computerized, accounted for, supposedly?

i told dillon fuck it, let's drive to the stram center, i'll get a new blood work order printed, make sure it has my legal name and sex on it (that was another issue, stram had my sex as M when it was never legally M...ugh) and go to labcorp to get new vials drawn. when i arrived, the lovely amazing helpful sweet receptionist named natalia looked me up in their system and saw that my bloodwork had in fact arrived a few days prior - i hadn't gotten a call from katie because she hadn't gone over the results yet. in a stroke of luck, katie had time before her next appointment, because the patient was late. so she took me into her office, went over the labs with me, sort of rushed but equally as thorough as always. b12 and vitamin D deficiencies. slightly better than the results from 8/2022, but mostly the same. i'm good to start antibiotics, she said! she prescribed me liquid D3 (a supplement called k2d3) and a liquid supplement called "methyl factors" that contained b12, b6, folate, and one other thing. and she sent in my rx for antibiotics - bactrim 160 mg and cefdinir 300mg. i was told to take two each per day, early and evening, and take the three different probiotics two hours between doses of antibiotics. i was told to start one antibiotic first, then add the second after 2-3 days. i took the first dose of bactrim last night, the second this morning. i am also taking l-glutathione at night, along with melatonin and my regimen of things that help me shit. i am still taking suboxone once a day, in the morning. i started taking the k2d3 (any time a day, once a day) and the methyl factors once a day, in the morning.

i'll update again soon, with more deets on how i'm feeling, how my body is responding to the treatment. for now, i'm tired, but i feel like the sicky is a herxy sicky, so that makes me hopeful.

[zluty-spendlik]

Hello thank you for tagging me (I cant see it in your post, but I got a notif? sorry if I got that wrong)!!

1) Were you named after someone?

Chosen name? No. Deadname? yes, and its actually a funny story-- Since I was named after my parents' friend, but they had two friends with this name. One of which (the one who i wasnt named after btw) had a HUGE crush on my dad. Long story short, she thought this was a declaration of his undying love for her and tried to hook up with him.

2) Last time you cried

Today I think. Im really sick and im hurting all over my body :((

3) Do you have children?

Im a scouting counselor so yes, 9.

4) Do you play sports?

Unfortunately, im having troubles with my left arm and actually cant do much, but I hope to start doing fencing after getting surgery. I also go out for a jog from time to time and hiking, sort of.

5) Do you use sarcasm?

Not on people i think it might hurt, but otherwise yes, a lot. With my little sister and when shittalking ppl (like annoying teachers, or friends' ex bfs/gfs) in particular. However, I do have trouble picking up on sarcasm from other people.

6) What is the first thing you notice about people?

Their clothing style. I try to pay attention to shoes, too.

7) Whats your eye colour?

Blue, with like a yellowy circle around the pupil (its weird)

8) Scary movie/Happy ending

I hate scary movies, I get scared super easily haha. Like I cant sleep at all. So, happy ending it is!!

9) Talents

Languages I GUESS cause rn i dont feel very good but usually i get it right-- I can sing really well, and I draw quite okay!

10) Where were you born?

Brno, Czech Republic

11) What are your hobbies?

DOING ART DOING SO MUCH ART

12) Do you have any pets?

I mean...kinda? So, my neighbour died a mysterious death and her family didnt want the cat since its speculated the cat indirectly caused the death so now my family has the cat and shes a bitch (my sister adores her tho)

13) How tall are you?

No idea, im short tho. A little over 160 cms probably.

14) Favorite school subject?

Art, english and latin.

15) Dream job

An artist, 100%. Id love either making video games or animated movies!! My huge dream is working at Amanita design, an AWESOME czech video game studio!!!

No pressure tags: @hana-loves-bumblebees @devet-tisic-plantazniku @morti0re @yourfairlady

Thank you for the tag @bunniezai, this looks fun (人*´∀｀)｡*ﾟ+

1) Were you named after anyone?

I was, yes! A famous person my parents looked up to.

2) Last time you cried?

Two days ago. I'm not someone who cries often but also, exams lol.

3) Do you have children?

No, I don't.

4) Do you play sports?

No.

5) Do you use sarcasm?

Yes, but only with people I'm close with and believe I can joke with without coming across as mean.

6) What's the first thing you notice about people?

I'm not sure? Maybe the way they talk, or how they dress.

7) What's your eye color?

Dark brown.

8) Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings. Never been big of scary movies. If it was between happy endings and tragedies, then...

9) Talents?

I mean, I know I am good at making arguments. That's one upside to the neurodivergent tendency to see links / connections in everything.

10) Where were you born?

(Lmao isn't that like, specific?)

11) What are your hobbies?

Curating my blog definitely,,,,, Spanning from editing to giffing to writing analyses to tagging posts. I just have fun

12) Do you have any pets?

Yeah! A small black dog.

13) How tall are you?

166cm.

14) Favorite school subject?

History, and history of art, which is a mandatory highschool class here.

15) Dream job?

Anything that can help make a better society for everyone, really /////

No pressure tags: @demolitionlovrsskk, @hesperidia, @literallyheretorotaway, @lucythejudge, @neo--queen--serenity, @rotisseries, @smol-bean-of-the-smols, @why-cant-turtles-fly + everyone who wants to, please feel free to join!!!

[mino-diabolik]

#Muse answer to Basic Q&A ★

Mystic Edition

Thank you for the tag @mukami-kuron-mrsadisticcat ⭐️

Whats your name? Is there a meaning behind it?

Mystic Tsukinami! Though not so long ago I was just Jomei, which is my mother’s middle name. I still use it, but just for official issues.

As far as I know, one of the servants assisting in my mother’s labor commented something like ‘mystic child’ or something like that after I was born complete healthy and my mother gone uninjured despite all the warnings given in the past, and she thought it was a lovely name.

Any prefered Alias or nickname that you'll like to be called as?

Almost everyone calls me Mys! My name is a bit difficult to pronounce in any other language aside from English, so—

What kind of person do you think you are?

I’d like to think I’m a decent creature. You know, not too demonic and not too human, either. Momma was brought up by humans, after all. Under some cult-like Catholic Church, on that. Suffice to say, she’s passed on a bit of humane morals on me——

….What I’m getting at, is that I’ll most likely treat you better than any other members of my family.

When is your birthday? How do you celebrate it?

My birthday is on September 19!

I don’t do much at home, really. Just some congratulations from my family and a few extra treats throughout the day. But later on—oh, you better believe I’m calling up all them bastards and wrecking havoc until dawn.

What's your age?

‘Will be turning 247 this September. But hey, I don’t look a day over 18, right?

Which… you know, ain’t always good.

People are always asking for my ID when I drop by the States. Terrible. I mean, it is a fake, but who’s gonna believe someone that says they were born before the Revolution?

What's your gender?

Male.

How tall are you? Are you satisfied with your height?

I’m five-foot-seven, or 170 centimeters.

….And well, yeah. I’m okay with it. Momma is 160 and Shin 175. Guess it makes sense I’m somewhere between that. Some people do really like making it a thing to tease about, though——

Where did you come from?

Oh, boy. I’m the creation of my parents’ first passionate night together, after they finally let their feelings loose, and before they were heartlessly torn apart〜 Fufufu… Yeah, Momma was never really shy about talking about it. It was honestly something out of novel and I didn’t mind.

Haah, then I was born in the Kingdom Below, painfully unaware to the shit-show that my life was about to become.

What charm do you suppose that you posses?

I’d say that my smile is one.

People have commented on it on the past a couple of times and, well, I’m quite prideful ‘bout being able to make others light up a little after smiling at them.

Do a voice impression, will you?

[Mystic processed the question for a moment, before his face began lighting up. He smiled, clearing his throat.

He straightened his back and scolded hid expression in a rather out of character coldness. He folded his arms, slowly placing his hands on either side of his arms.]

Are you perhaps an idiot?

[His voice was obviously heightened in pitch, as though to represent one of those mocking royal personas.]

I have said it over and over it again, yet it seems as though that nothing seems to process through that void skull of yours! Have you tried actually going through with whichever plans I give you and not fuck up your missions?!

[Around here, he began having trouble keeping it together. No matter how much he fought it, in the end, he exploded with laughter.]

Name one of your favorite activities, can you?

Outside any unhealthy ones… I really like drawing my charcoal. Surprising my friends with their portraits is always nice.

How do you greet someone in the morning?

I say hi? God, you have no idea how bad it was having to bow and shake hands or kiss a hand.

I’m glad we don’t do that anymore…

What's the last thing you say to someone before going to bed?

I wouldn’t say a person, but after my Familiars and I get fixed on the bed, I each pat them and say good night. It’s quite cute when they’re just so tired and can only whine in response, fufufu.

Favorite possession (item)?

My motorcycle! That thing has carried me everywhere since the day that I got in the 50’s.

Why not talk about your hairstyle a little?

Pff—hahaha! I don’t have one, as you can see. My hair is naturally messy like this. This is the kind of hair that you just can’t comb down! Believe me, my caretakers did their best since I was a kid—even using magic—but nothing worked. And if it did, a bunch of loose wisps will start falling back on place.

Any unique characteristics on you?

The mismatch of my eyes, I’d say. It’s only something I have in my family, after all.

Heh… maybe even my A4 waist—

Do you have a special nickname to call someone as?

I tend to call Kazuha “boss” and “boss lady,” because I don’t want strangers knowing her name. She was pretty infamous in the past, so people putting dots together won’t be good.

Fufu… I called Ayato “Tako-sama” once and he freaked out, hahaha! I still do it once in a while, though. What’s he gon’ do about it?

What's your favorite color and why?

Red.

Any shade of it really. It just gets my attention, whether it’s in the cover of a book or a certain shirt.

What do you enjoy doing?

Despite being worked half to death, I really like doing me job. I never had that amount of freedom and ability to places I otherwise couldn’t have on my own dime.

It’s nice having travel and accommodation be paid by sponsors★

What's your special skill?

I’m pretty good in music.

Singing, playing instruments… you name it.

Demonstrate a short love confession! I dare you〜

A dare? You really think you can get me to spill out my heart with a dare?! Hah, what a joke!

…But fine, I’ll do it—ehem!

I—I like you! I like you a lot, okay?! It’s been driving me insane for the longest of time. I thought I’d finally lost my mind! Do you understand how stupid it is for me to fall in love with you? I must really be an idiot… I really never learn. I never, ever learn… Don’t just stand there saying nothing!

Just… please, answer me.

Your favorite food, and why?

I like seafood a lot. Not sure why, though. I don’t even remember the first time I had it, but I just know that I’ll definitely wold it down if it’s served.

Your favorite drink, and why?

I didn’t drink tea often in the past, but Kazuha once sat me down with a tea pot of berries with a bit of honey—it was real good and sweet.

I normally prefer tangy and spicy things, so she said I might enjoy ginger tea, but she refuses to make it.

Any favorite book?

Said it many times before, but Edgar Allan Poe’s story collection “Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque” has been one of my favorite rereads for a while.

Any favorite genre of movie? Hmm, why?

I don’t know, really. I never really liked one single genre of movie. All of them include more than one theme, and I like it that way. My favorite combination are mystery and romance with a bit of suspense, maybe.

Favorite game? (If none can skip.)

——

Favorite music? Why?

I like all music. From classical, to jazz—jazz is really good, though—to whatever mess-but-with-nice-lyrics is being made nowadays.

You should play my playlist on shuffle—it’s quite something. Hahaha!

What's your weakness?

Well, my loss of blood, of course. That motherfucker is my biggest pain in the ass.

Anyone that you respect?

All the elders of my family, including Kazuha.

They keep our household together and always have a way to fix any issues they are brought or come across.

Do you have a wish?

…To forget——

Anything to say to those that are watching your interview?

You must really like me to have stuck around until the end? Well, I’m flattered★ Hopefully you learned something new〜

[suicidefrantic]

Name: Chuuya Nakahara

Alias: Arahabaki, King of Sheep (Former), Twin Dark (former with Dazai Osamu), Slug, Ability User A5158 (Special Ability Department)

Hair Colour | Eye Colour: Orange | Gray (Former) , Bright Blue 

Birthday | Birth Place:  April 29 (Taurus) | Yamaguchi, Japan 

Gender: Hermaphrodite (Identifies as male) 

Age: 22 , Merged with Arahabaki at age 7

Height: 160 cm (5'3")

Sexuality: Pansexual 

Likes: Hats, Fighting, Alcohol, Rock music

Dislikes: Claims to hate Dazai Osamu 

Ability:  For The Tainted Sorrow

Affiliation: Port Mafia, Sheep (Former)

The quest to find a vessel for Arahabaki….

Chuuya was born to two loving parents, they were accepting towards their child, and wished to give him the very best of the world. Chuuya showed no signs of being abnormal at his birth aside from him being born a hermaphrodite rather than one specific gender --- though his parents would have happily allowed their child to choose their ideal sex when the time came. However, that time would never come. It was all due to the appearance of Chuuya’s ability that began to draw unwanted attention to the small ginger who didn’t know much about the world. He was two years old when his ability first manifested itself. The ability was harmless, simply throwing small fits if he didn’t get his way and floating up to the ceiling and away from his parents--- sometimes just being found sleeping up on the ceiling rather than where his parents had left him (this was how they had discovered Chuuya’s ability.)

Chuuya’s parents had two names picked out for their child, for a boy Chuuya--- for a girl Chiyura. Though they had decided they would let the child choose once they became of a decent age where they knew what they felt most likely, but decided on calling their child ‘Chuuya’ until that time came. They were loving and accepting parents, but life wasn’t meant to be simple nor loving for Chuuya. By the time he turned five the government had set their sights on the young gray eye boy, seeing potential in him. In fact they had a firm feeling that this child was the one who would bond with the god, Arahabaki, in the future. They sought to make a deal with the child’s parents, offering to buy the ginger from them--- only for Chuuya’s parents to refuse. The government were forced to take the child by force instead and to do so they made sure they disposed of Chuuya’s loving parents. What was worst was the young child could only watch as he was carried away and the sound of gunfire was heard and the spray of blood. Something inside Chuuya broke that day , he couldn’t fight back as he was forced to sleep soon after he saw the blood fly up into the air. 

When he awoke he found himself completely stripped of his clothes and in some weird testing chamber, submerged in water with a tube shoved down his throat. His body was pressed tightly into a ball and he couldn’t move. He continued to fade back and forth into consciousness,fluids were pumped into his veins to test his body to see if it was in fact compatible with Arahabaki. Chuuya was not known as his name but rather as Ability User A5158 . He was branded with that ID upon his neck , a fact that Chuuya was not completely aware of. By the time he turned six, that was when he began to hear a voice in his head. At first, he believed he was hearing the men in the white lab coats talking to him through some odd device, but it was different. He didn’t feel alone, it was like someone else was with him. Yet at the same time, they weren’t the same either.  Though all of this changed when Chuuya turned seven and the entity got stronger. 

His body couldn’t handle the sudden burst of power and the gravity manipulation only grew more and more until finally an explosion happened. Chuuya blacked out, though he could only vaguely remember being tricked into saying some passage or saying--- “ Oh, Grantors of Dark Disgrace, Do Not Wake Me Again.” That was enough for the small seven year old to break out of his prison and create mass chaos. Though since the merging was still new, Arahabaki fell asleep leaving Chuuya freed and very confused. Arthur Rimbaud was the one who had truly been responsible for trying to use Arahabaki--- thus freeing both the God and the child that was now his vessel. This is the main cause for why Chuuya and Arahabaki both lost their memories of anything prior to this--- though not many of Chuuya’s original thoughts had remained behind to begin with as Arahabaki had been feeding upon the child trying to absorb him and make him into his own body--- thus making the child’s existence fade away. 

Chuuya could recall the existence of Arahabaki ,which was surrounded by blue-black darkness and sealed away-- though only vaguely. He however has no clue how the seal was removed, he could only vaguely recall someone’s hand pulling from the seal and freeing him (a thought that later appeared after he got over the shock of all that had happened prior to him being free.) Chuuya decided he would do anything in order to find the truth about his origins. 

-Chuuya was brought in to Sheep by one of the council members by pure accident. It was a happy accident, especially once word got out of what Chuuya’s ability was. This led most of the Sheep members (who were old enough) to take turns raising Chuuya and training him how best to fight. 

-Chuuya had no memories, but it was another happy accident that he could recall his original name, Chuuya Nakahara. This only happened after a nasty blow to the head during training one day. Prior to that, he was simply going by the name of “Lost Boy.” Chuuya didn’t really care for that name and honestly thought of just making up any name, anything was better than Lost Boy. He didn’t know why he hated it so much. 

-He continues to claim he will grow, but deep down knows he most likely will not. He secretly hates himself due to his hermaphrodite status. Thus claiming he would rather not get too close to anyone, shamed by how his body didn’t look like what he believed a ‘normal’ male should. Yes, a little Chuuya was curious one day. 

-He used to like milk, but now can’t stand the taste of it due to being forced to drink it so much . Milk did not help him grow. 

- Being merged with Arahabaki is why he has such a low tolerance towards alcohol. He doesn’t understand such, though he loves the taste of wine and doesn’t consider himself a lightweight. 

-Once when drunk he declared he was a God while standing on top of the bar. This did not go well for him in the end.

- He can sometimes hear Arahabaki and actually has conversations with him, or attempts to. The God is protective enough of his vessel to not allow him to die too easily. Though figures if he did happen to die within the right conditions, he could snag his body. Chuuya hates Dazai because he can easily allow Arahabaki the right conditions if he let’s Corruption last longer than fifteen minutes. Arahabaki’s strongest times where they can converse is when Chuuya is asleep. 

-Chuuya’s dreams are typically filled with chaos and destruction. He however does wonder what the life he forgot was like. 

-He has a collection of Fedora hats, because he has come to like the style. His favourite besides the hat that used to belong to Rimbaud is a white fedora with black around it. 

-He feels most at ease around Kouyou (Ane-san), especially when she strokes his hair. It easily calms him down, even when he is in extreme anger like state. She is also the only one he has ever confined in about his ‘self image issue.’

- Chuuya was once forced under a psychiatrist’s care, prior to Mori stepping in to ‘sort things out’. Chuuya was diagnosed with paranoid personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder. Chuuya was not happy being held hostage. He was drugged and could not use his ability, and it was the only time he could not hear nor feel Arahabaki. He was there for exactly a week. He couldn’t help but feel like Mori might have done this on purpose, at first he had blamed Dazai though. He didn’t share either thought out loud. 

-Chuuya’s eyes used to be gray, but upon being poked and tested on(not to mention merging with Arahabaki) they turned bright blue. 

-He has a really good singing voice. He is typically embarrassed about it unless singing drunken karaoke. 

- He is one hell of a cook, something he downplays a lot. 

- Because he had no memories of his childhood, he tried to give himself a childhood (which he was robbed of). He came up with this on his own, and even kept it a secret from everyone (until later when he told Kouyou about it.) Growing up in Sheep was a blast, but he knew deep down that Sheep was not exactly a normal childhood. 

- Since  he lived like he did when he was in Sheep, he enjoys the finer things in life. He especially loves lobster.

-He does sometimes get lonely when he is in his place alone. He was used to Sheep for the longest time and sometimes this causes nightmares. 

-He keeps a journal (diary) , as well as writes and sketches from time to time to center his mind. 

-He once made a drunk video once and sent it out. He still doesn’t know who has the video and who has seen it. Dazai was the first person whom he sent it to. This was one of the very reasons why Hirotsu started supervising (babysitting) Chuuya when he went out drinking--- even taking his phone away when he tried to call Dazai. 

- He is very competitive, especially when it comes to games. 

-He has had some very interesting dreams, that were nightmares. He calls them the what if dreams or exploration. They make him wonder about his life, and his choices. He typically will begin to ponder about his life after waking up from these dreams. 

-He has a strong fear of dogs, he doesn’t know why.

-He has a tendency to bite the inside of his cheek … a lot. 

-He has slight issues with his vision. It isn’t anything noticeable as he has perfect vision--- though he believes it is a side effect from Arahabaki being merged with him. He sometimes gets dizzy spells and his vision gets blurry. He keeps this to himself , as he doesn’t need people to think he is weak. 

-He wonders sometimes how long he has to live before Arahabaki takes over him and he dies. This is a recurring nightmare for him. He doesn’t allow it to change how he goes through life. If he dies, he feels like it might as well be going down fighting rather than sitting around doing nothing. At least he was free. 

-He has a fear of enclosed spaces , thanks to certain flashbacks he gets from time to time in them. 

-He has a tendency to break things he touches sometimes. 

[dailytafsirofquran]

Daily Tafsir of Ibn Kathir

The Story of Yunus

We have already discussed the story of Yunus, peace be upon him, in Surat Al-Anbiya' (21:87-88). In the Two Sahihs it is reported that the Messenger of Allah said:

(It is not right for any person to say I am better than Yunus bin Matta.)

(When he ran to the laden ship.) Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "It was filled with cargo.

(Then he (agreed to) cast lots,) means, to draw lots.''

(and he was among the losers.) means among those who have been overcome. This was because the ship was being pounded by the waves on all sides, and they were at risk of drowning, so they drew lots, and whoever lost would be thrown overboard so as to lighten the load. The Prophet of Allah Yunus, peace be upon him, lost the draw three times, but they did not want to throw him overboard. He took off his garment so that he could throw himself into the sea, and they tried to stop him. Then Allah commanded a large fish from the Green Sea (i.e., Mediterranian Sea) to cleave the oceans and come and swallow Yunus, peace be upon him, without cutting his flesh or breaking his bones. The fish came and Yunus, peace be upon him, threw himself overboard, and the fish swallowed him and took him away, traveling through all the seas with him. When Yunus had stayed for some time in the fish's belly, he thought that he had died; then he moved his head and legs and arms, and saw that he was alive. He prayed in the belly of the fish, and one of the things he said in his main prayer was: "O Lord, I have taken as a place of worship to You a place which no other person has reached.'' They differed as to how long he spent in the belly of the fish. Some said three days; this was the view of Qatadah. Some said seven days; this was the view of Ja`far As-Sadiq, may Allah be pleased with him. Some said forty days; this was the view of Abu Malik. Mujahid said, narrating from Ash-Sha`bi, "It swallowed him in the morning and cast him forth in the evening.'' And Allah knows best how long exactly was. Allah says,

(Had he not been of them who glorify Allah, He would have indeed remained inside its belly (the fish) till the Day of Resurrection.) It was said that, if he had not already done righteous deeds during his time of ease. This was the view of Ad-Dahhak bin Qays, Abu Al-`Aliyah, Wahb bin Munabbih, Qatadah and others, and it was the view favored by Ibn Jarir. This is what is indicated in the authentic Hadith which we quote below, if Allah wills. In a Hadith narrated from Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, he said:

(Remember Allah during times of ease and He will remember you during times of difficulty.) And it was said that what was meant by the Ayah:

(Had he not been of them who glorify Allah,) was the meaning of the following Ayat:

(But he cried through the darkness (saying): "La ilaha illa Anta, You are glorified! Truly, I have been of the wrongdoers.'' So We answered his call, and delivered him from the distress. And thus We do deliver the believers.) (21:87-88). This was the view of Sa`id bin Jubayr and others. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him -- and I do not know of anything narrated from Anas that he did not attribute to the Messenger of Allah :

(When it occurred to the Prophet Yunus, upon him be peace, to call upon Allah in these words when he was in the belly of the great fish, he said, "La ilaha illa Anta, Yo are glorified! Truly, I have been of the wrongdoers.'' This call went and hovered around the (mighty) Throne, and the angels said, "O Lord, this is the voice of one who is weak but known, in a faraway strange land. Allah, may He be exalted, said, "How do you know this'' They said, "O Lord, who is he'' Allah, may He be exalted, said, "My servant Yunus.'' They said, "Your servant Yunus, from whom there kept coming acceptable deeds and supplications which were answered!'' They said, "O Lord, will You not have mercy on him for what he did during his time of ease, and save him from this trial and tribulation'' He said, "Of course.'' So, He commanded the great fish, and it cast him forth on the naked shore.) Allah says:

(But We cast him forth) meaning, `We threw him out,'

(on the naked shore) Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, and others said that this refers to land in which there is no vegetation and no buildings.

(while he was sick,) means, when he was weak of body.

(And We caused a plant of gourd to grow over him.) Ibn Mas`ud and Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Wahb bin Munabbih, Hilal bin Yasaf, `Abdullah bin Tawus, As-Suddi, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak, `Ata' Al-Khurasani and several others, all said that gourd means squash. Some of them mentioned that the squash has a number of benefits: it grows quickly, its leaves offer shade because of their large size and smooth texture, flies do not come near it, and its fruits provide good nourishment; they may be eaten raw or cooked, and both the pulp and the peel may be eaten. It was reported that the Messenger of Allah used to like squash and would look for it wherever it was on the serving dish.

(And We sent him to a hundred thousand (people) or even more.) It is as if he was commanded, after he came forth from the fish, to go back to those to whom he had been sent in the first place, and they all believed in him.

(or even more.) Makhul said, "They numbered one hundred and ten thousand. This was reported by Ibn Abi Hatim. Ibn Jarir said, "Some of the scholars of Arabic, the people of Basrah, said that this means up to one hundred thousand or more.'' Ibn Jarir interpreted this Ayah as he interpreted the Ayat:

(Then, after that, your hearts were hardened and became as stones or even worse in hardness) (2:74).

(Behold! a section of them fear men as they fear Allah or even more) (4:77), and

(And was at a distance of two bows' length or (even) nearer) (53:9). The meaning is, not less than that, but rather more.

(And they believed;) means, these people to whom Yunus, peace be upon him, had been sent all believed.

(so We gave them enjoyment for a while. ) means, until the time of their appointed end. This is like the Ayah,

(Was there any town (community) that believed, and its faith (at that moment) saved it -- except the people of Yunus; when they believed, We removed from them the torment of disgrace in the life of the (present) world, and permitted them to enjoy for a while.) (10:98)

(149. Now ask them: "Are there (only) daughters for your Lord and sons for them'') (150. Or did We create the angels female while they were witnesses) (151. Verily, it is of their falsehood that they say:) (152. "Allah has begotten.'' And, verily, they are liars!) (153. Has He (then) chosen daughters rather than sons) (154. What is the matter with you How do you decide) (155. Will you not then remember) (156. Or is there for you a plain authority) (157. Then bring your Book if you are truthful!) (158. And they have invented a kinship between Him and the Jinn, but the Jinn know well that they have indeed to appear (before Him).) (159. Glorified be Allah! (He is free) from what they attribute unto Him!) (160. Except the servants of Allah, whom He chooses.)

[bellagbear]

I’ve been called nomadic by several people. It is true that I don’t associate home with a specific location, but rather with a place where I feel comfortable and I can read, write and do my creative things. Therefore, the question of being back or going away is a tricky one. Is it even a goodbye or a welcome back when you feel at home in many different places? I’m writing this post because I’ve been back in Kenya for about 2.5 weeks now and planning to stay for longer. I want to share the creative projects I’m doing here.

My stay here now is different from the last time though. The first time I came to Kenya to do research for my master thesis which is finished now. This time I’m back for love and to see if I can make a life for myself here with all the skills I’ve learned so far in life. In this article, I’ll show you the art projects I brought, and I’ll also tell you a bit more about my plans in Kenya.

Sewing abroad: what to take on a journey to a different continent

I’m back! Or: Monthly Sewing Update March 2019

The Quilt Projects

Quilting the Kenyan quilt

  The work on this quilt occupied most of my previous six months in Kenya and the five months I spend in the Netherlands to finish my studies. Now, the quilt top is finished and the quilt is ready to be quilted. When you quilt you sew through all the layers of a quilt to keep the layers together. I already made a start with the quilting as you can see in the picture:

I won’t show a photo of the complete top, because that is a surprise for next week’s post. You can read more about The Kenyan Quilt here:

The overall design of the Kenyan quilt

I am designing quilt patterns: Kenyan quilt update

Crazy quilt blanket

This project was started on the aeroplane to Kenya. The top is made from leftovers of The Kenyan Quilt and an old scarf. Part of the scarf is used in some tote bags I made as presents. However, the scarf fabric was so soft I wanted to use it as a blanket as well. I call it a crazy quilt because I’m using many different embroidery stitches to sew through the layers. In this way, I am teaching myself to embroider.

Crazy quilt blanket

The Dear Jane sampler quilt

Last time I went to Kenya I missed working on my Dear Jane quilt. And these days, my motivation to finish this quilt in the next ten years has even increased because I reached the 100 blocks milestone! Now there are only about 160 blocks to go… The first Dear Jane block in Kenya is finished:

Dear Jane Quilt Block C-7: Megan’s Mountain Laurel

The Dear Jane sampler quilt

100 blocks Dear Jane milestone

The Cross Stitch Projects

Death of Discworld cross stitch

This piece is part of an art trade where I get awesome dragon scale gloves. The pattern is by Lyndisfarne Cross Stitch, who makes trademarked Discworld patterns. The Discworld series are satirical fantasy books by one of my favourite authors Terry Pratchett (GNU). Check them out if you like fantasy, humour or social commentary.

Unconventional X stitch giant octopus cross stitch

It always looks amazing to combine something most people associate with homeliness, such as cross-stitch, with something macabre. Most of the patterns Unconventional X stitch (UXS)  creates are like that. I am a fan of the work UXS  does and what that means for the cross-stitch community. UXS their work helps to reach a bigger audience for cross stitch because of the original patterns they offer. As a tribute to that effort, I decided to make one of their patterns for myself. I finished a big part of the bottom and it is exciting to see this pattern come to life. The fabric is from Jodyri Designs.

  Shards of Fire dragon cross stitch

This pattern is made by another person in the cross-stitch world I greatly admire: Pinkythepink. The pattern is based on original artwork by Euclidstriangle. Both my love for dragons and bold colours is big, so when I saw this pattern, I had to make it. I was not aware of a large amount of speciality thread and stitches this pattern uses though, many I had never seen before! But I won’t let that surprise stop me. I will rather see it as a learning opportunity to expand my skills and knowledge of cross-stitching. So far, I love the process of learning how to use the speciality thread.

Hot air balloons cross stitch

This is a big cross stitch project I brought to Kenya last time, and since it’s not finished yet I carried it again. This is a kit from AlieExpress I ordered to see if they’re any good. For the longest time, I was very suspicious about the thread choices of this kit. However, the past week I started filling in the top right corner and it is coming together nicely now. Thank God for perseverance.

Embroidery Projects

People suck embroidery

 My friend is coaxing me to make an embroidery piece for the Big Memory Quilt I’m making for her. I do it gladly for her though because she gave me a great drawing as inspiration:

This embroidery will become part of a big memory quilt I’m making for her. A lot of her old childhood clothes and such are used in that quilt.

The Big Quilt introduction: a Memory Quilt

Coat of many colours badge

I wanted to make my boyfriend a coat of many colours. However, I don’t know how to do sew clothes yet. So, this badge is going to be the first step to achieve my bigger plan. The picture below gives you an idea of what I’m going for.

What will I do in Kenya?

My goal is to continue my research into the future of pastoralism and conservation. In the coming months, I’ll be writing proposals and meeting with people to decide which exact direction to take with my work. Besides research, I also want to write for non-academic publications about my research and experiences in Kenya. One place is the Dutch Website WereldWijven. I believe it is important to share your research and experiences with other people. If there is a way to make people benefit from the research, I will find it and execute it.

One of the events I joined so far to work out research plans is the Camel Caravan organised by IMPACT, the organization I collaborated with for my research. The Camel Caravan is a yearly event that aims to create awareness about the challenge pastoralist people face and the importance of the Ewaso Ng’iro river in their lives. During that caravan, we walked through pastoralist areas and met many people with stories about the challenges they face. It was a great inspiration for future work. But I not only went to Kenya for my career. I also fell in love and  I want to give that love a chance.

Conclusion: many quilts and embroideries

If you think these are a lot of projects, you are right. Not all of them must be finished though, so it doesn’t matter. I’ll just work on whatever takes my fancy and see how far I get. Some questions for you:

What are you planning to work on in the coming months?

Do you take art and creative projects with you when you go on a trip?

What is your favourite kind of project to work on while travelling?

In the coming months while I’m in Kenya I will update this blog as often as I can. Also, whenever I write a blog post, I’ll be sure to update you people on my adventures and work in Kenya. In the meantime you can also find me on a new website I’m setting up to collect the stories I write: Bella G. Bear Writes.

Would you like to know more?

 The Dear Jane quilt: seeing red, am I mad?

Quilting techniques with Dear Jane 101: Foundation piecing

How to turn a faux leather coat into a peek-a-bookbag

How to make a turtle rag quilt

 Next week’s post:

– A showcase of the finished Kenyan quilt top

See my DeviantArt or Instagram (username: bella.g.bear.art) for more artwork and WIPs. You can also follow my blog by clicking on the button on the left or by filling in your email address. There will be a monthly update at the end of every month and a new blog post every Sunday or Monday.

Kenya 2.0: I’m back! Or did I ever leave? I’ve been called nomadic by several people. It is true that I don’t associate home with a specific location, but rather with a place where I feel comfortable and I can read, write and do my creative things.

[realtrafficsource]

The Best SEO Tips For Quick And Fast Results

If you’re looking for the best SEO tips to get you started down the path towards quick results and efficient website strategy then here’s what you need! I’ve put together the best information, gathered from years of hands-on experience, testing different tactics and trying various strategies. These are the best practices that will enable you and your website to reach a new level, or to get off the ground running right away.

Our best SEO tips

1. Keyword Basics: The most important thing with keywords for your website is that you have to begin the process with proper research. Take advantage of free tools and services at your disposal such as the Google Adwords tool, and consider paying for more advanced and detailed programs.

Remember that keyword density is a thing of the past, there is no density you should be opting for. Instead, focus on natural inclusion of your targeted keywords, working them in where possible without doing it excessively.

Note: The fastest results are seen in targeting a larger number of lower level competitive terms.

2. Create Great URLS: There are many steps that go into creating great URLs. Starting from the beginning, you should pick a domain name that is short, memorable and includes your most important keyword phrase. While hyphens are acceptable, more than two begins to get excessive and spam-like.

For your individual page names, also include a relevant keyword, so that each URL looks something like www.your-main-keyword.com/targeted-page-keyword.html. When possible, avoid using session IDs and other dynamic page variables that add a lot of unnecessary junk to your page URLs.

Note: If you already have a site that you cannot adjust the page structure to accommodate keywords in your URLs, then consider buying additional domains (building mini sites) to support various segments within your niche. These additional mini sites will drive traffic to your main domain.

3. Find Long Tail Keywords: Long tail keywords often are the secret to great search engine rankings. Long tail keywords include at least three words, and when you find ones related to your niche you will be facing much less competition. Additionally, the traffic you see as a result will be much more effectively targeted, ensuring you see better results.

Note: Add longer tail keywords into your URL will help as well (see #2). Do a quick search and you will see most “experts” agree that the buyers are found with the Long Tail Terms. Boost your earnings through driving more of the right type of traffic….buyers!

4. Use Latent Semantic Indexing: Latent semantic indexing, or LSI, is the process of including related keywords and phrases to your main phrases in order to boost your site’s value in the search engines. So if your site was about coffeemakers, you can include other related words, ranging from coffee makers to iced coffee and organic coffee and on down the list to help boost your rankings. This will also keep your site from appearing as spam, as you won’t just be reusing the same keywords over and over again.

Secrte best SEO tips: The more content you have on your site about the general topic, the better your site will do for the specifics within that niche. That’s how a site becomes an authority on a topic.

5. Get Smart with Internal Links: Many websites don’t properly use their internal links to their own advantage. However, it’s an easy way to help each of your pages gain a higher and more targeted ranking in the search engines. Be sure to include each page’s main targeted keyword or phrase in internal links pointing to it, and always be sure to reference your other pages with links within your site’s content when appropriate.

Example: You sell a type of Coffee maker. Make sure that anyplace that keyword is found on your site that it is linked to the specific product profile page. This helps the individual profile page rank higher in the search engines.

6. Dive into PPC: Whereas other SEO strategies take time to work, pay-per-click advertising is a great way to see instantaneous results. Start running a campaign for your website, backed up with all of the keyword research you have already done. Begin small, as costs can quickly get out of hand if you don’t know what you’re doing. Experiment with different ads, different bidding strategies and different targeted keywords until you start to see consistent results, then pick up the pace and run larger campaigns.

Note: One sure way to confirm that the keywords you’re targeting with your SEO efforts will drive the right type of traffic is to pay to get them their 1st. If they don’t buy then target a different keyword phrase.

7. Optimize your Images: Always include an ALT tag for your images that describes what the image is – with targeted keywords and phrases. This ensures that people who can’t see images see something in their spots, but this also helps you get found in image based searches. Additionally, try naming your images with a keyword in the filename, as in, targetedkeyphrase1.jpg.

Note: Don’t overdo it. Some people will read that and then force a bunch of keywords in every image on their site. The idea is to do what you would typically do but this time do it “right”. If the image is relevant – name it something relevant. Oh, and also, if it is a button or something else that isn’t relevant to your niche, name it something with numbers, as in, 1010101.jpg.

8. Optimize your Title Tag: Many people think that anything they put in their title tag will be sufficient but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Your page title provides an excellent opportunity to boost your rankings, as well as draw people into your site to see more visitors.

To begin with, your title should be kept short, no more than 60 or 70 characters in length. Also, ensure that every page has its own unique title, instead of merely listing your site’s name on all of them. Work your targeted keywords into the title and be sure to be more descriptive and exciting than just labeling a page as “Home” or “About Us”.

Secret best SEO tips: When giving each page its own title, try and include product model or product names to help drive targeted traffic..

9. META Tag Notes: The META Keywords tag is no longer used by Google for ranking, although other search engines may still make use of it. More important are the META Title and META description tags. Keep your title to 70 characters or less, and keep your META description to 160 characters or less, anything more will just get cut off by the search engines. Of course, remember to include your targeted keywords in these META tags.

Secret best SEO tips: The META description is what the searcher will read in the organic listing so try and make it sound compelling and give the searcher a reason to click on your site.

10. Link Building, What Not to Do: Many people go in the entirely wrong direction when it comes to link building. For example, buying links or participating in a link farm is a strategy that’s doomed from the get-go. You should also avoid low quality, spammy directories and you must understand that tactics like link exchanges, blog commenting and forum posting have all been devalued as compared to how they used to be viewed. Also remember that when you build thousands of links in a few days, you will stand out as unnatural.

Note: It’s best to build links over time from high value sites. Think of sites that are in your niche that you consider the highest value and work directly with them to get a link to your site (can link out to them – see below).

11. Link Building, What you Should Do: Submitting to high quality, respected directories such as DMOZ (it’s very hard to get accepted), Best of the Web and others can pay huge dividends. You should link out to your niche authorities to help boost your own reputation, and you should focus on providing catchy, unique and engaging content that serves as “link bait” for your site. Social networks can be beneficial when used in the right fashion.

Secret best SEO tips: Link Bait is content that is so good that people want to talk about it. One way to do this is provide content that is controversial.

12. Don’t Forget Canonicalization: If you want to maximize your search engine results while also improving your ability to track your site’s traffic, then you need to ensure that your pages aren’t being counted more than once. Your home page may be coming up in different ways as http://yourdomain.com, http://www.yourname.com and http://www.yourdomain.com/index.html. This can confuse the search engines and impact your tracking stats. Use 301 redirects to move your pages to one home page, and fix any issues with other pages on your site as well.

Secret best SEO tips: Talk to your techie about implementing this strategy. WordPress has a great plug-in for this that makes it really easy….yet another reason why I LOVE WordPress.

13. Stick with HTML: The benefits of JavaScript and other program languages are lost when they aren’t searchable in the search engines. Everything you do you want to be helping your cause of ranking highly, which means sticking to easily accessed HTML for your website. Avoid overcomplicating your site with excess forms, frames of any kind, or any code that isn’t searchable.

Note: As I stated in #12, I love WordPress. Why, well one of the main engineers at Google said it best, “WordPress does 80-90% Google loves without changing a setting”. If you haven’t already I would look for ways to use WordPress in your business.

Like I said at the start of this list. Go through each item and check it off. If you are doing each of these then you’re doing most of what’s required to get good SEO scores. Stay tuned for our next email with more tips and strategies on what you can do to boost your SEO rankings!

View best SEO tips article here:

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[legalmadeeasy]

A Guide for Sole Proprietorship Business Registry in Singapore

Who can be an approved for Sole Firm in Singapore?

An approved delegate should be:

A characteristic individual Something like 18 years of age Of sound psyche Occupant in Singapore (ie with a Singapore private location) An approved delegate will be named provided that you are the sole proprietor and you are living abroad.

Ventures for setting up a sole ownership in Singapore:-

Setting up a sole ownership is an extremely clear interaction. You will just have to follow these straightforward three stages:

Stage 1: Reservation of name

Each business needs a name to separate itself from different organizations. Whenever you have concocted a name for your business, you can run a pursuit on BizFile+ to find in the event that the name is accessible. You can make Registered company in Singapore Online by our Experts Advices.

Try not to choose names which are: indistinguishable from a current business, unfortunate, for example names which are profane, indecent or hostile; or names precluded by request of the Clergyman for Money. The name application costs S$15. After endorsement of the name, the booking will be substantial for 120 days.

Assuming you miss this cutoff time, the name will be delivered for use to different organizations, and you should begin the technique all once more.

During the name reservation process, you will be requested to choose the essential and auxiliary exercises from your business from the Singapore Standard Modern Characterization (SSIC) code. Pause for a minute to survey the SSIC before you start the enrollment cycle and recognize which code best suits your business exercises; it will save you some time in the application cycle.

Stage 2: Place of work

While presenting your enlistment, you will be expected to give a work locale. Remember that a P.O. Box address can't be utilized. In the event that your business will be little in scale and you consider conveying it from your home, you can involve your personal residence as the place of work under the Work space Plan.

You ought to apply for endorsement under the Work space Plan before you present your business enlistment to ACRA. Also the Singapore Company Incorporation is crucial process.

Aside from giving a place of work, at the hour of enlistment, you will likewise be approached to give your private location.

Remember that both the street number and your private location will be displayed on ACRA's site and will subsequently become public space.

Stage 3: Online enrollment

At the point when you have all the data from stage one and two, you can sign in to BizFile+and present your application along with an ID duplicate of the proprietor. While signing in you will be mentioned to utilize your SingPass.

All proposed entrepreneurs, including accomplices or approved delegates, should support their assent on BizFile+ before the business can be enlisted.

On the other hand, you might draw in the administrations of an enrolled recording specialist like Acclime to present the web-based application for your benefit.

The enrollment will be endorsed in the span of 15 minutes after the enlistment expense is paid. Current expenses are S$15 for name enrollment, S$100 for business enlistment for one year or S$160 for business enrollment for a considerable length of time.

Post-enrollment prerequisites and consistence:-

When your business enrollment is settled, there are a few things you ought to consider and know about:

Recently enrolled organizations will get a free business profile Contingent upon the kind of business action, you might be expected to acquire specific licenses or endorsements from other government organizations You will be given with an Extraordinary Element Number (UEN). This is a distinguishing proof number that all business elements should utilize while executing with government offices.

[greatdrams]

No longer lost in translation, a Whisky Tourist’s Guide to Japan

Tokyo has long had a special place in my heart, when I visited the first time I was a whisky fan who was exploring a city that had long been a fascination to me, now a decade later I returned with work and my experiences were a little different this time. Here is the GreatDrams whisky tourist's guide to Japan.

Check out the GreatDrams Ultimate Bar Guide to Tokyo too

Also see the detailed look at the Hakushu Distillery

Finally check out the most unrepeatable Japanese whisky tasting I've ever taken part in

Japan is more westernised now, easy to navigate and easy to communicate. Only time I needed my Google Translate app was in Duty Free to explain the concept of a flight transfer. Last time I was here it felt like another world, now it feels like my world; easier to navigate and communicate than France was when last there a year ago.

But has this westernisation come at a cost? I’m not sure in truth, but there were obvious let downs for me; I had spent ages pre-trip relearning business customs, phrases for getting around and how to order various sushi and drinks, but none of that was needed. And only one bar, Bar Butler, hand carved the ice balls whereas last time I was in town every bar did.

Maybe I have a romantic view of my last trip here a full decade ago, tho unlikely as I remember it vividly as I was ill for much of it with a form of Guillaume-Barre disease that effectively paralysed all the muscles in my face, meaning I had to manually chew and drink all drinks including neat whisky through a straw (would not be able to do that in the West now, but straws and plastic bags are everywhere here) which set in six hours after I landed in Japan and lasted until ten days after I was home. It was scary but I was so convinced I’d never be back here, and I am not one to really dwell on stuff like that, that I travelled the whole city, saw it and experienced it all. Who knew; the face freeze might have spread elsewhere as Guillaume-Barre often does, but it normally starts from the legs up, so I had to get on with things whilst I could.

Hence why I don’t think there is a huge amount of romantic rose tinted glasses retrospection here… although last time I did get to meet a monkey and have a photo with him, though like most photos from that trip I look miserable despite having an absolute belter as my face muscles could not raise a smile… I must have been the moodiest-looking tourist ever.

What hasn’t changed is the how busy and the extreme individuality of nearly every citizen within a culture of extreme conformity.

One of the things I was most impressed with was the people; they are so approachable and gentle, even if they cannot speak English they do their best to work out what you are saying.

The best example of this was when I was bar-hunting I kept getting to the address on Google and then drawing a blank as the addresses are so random and there are so many floors to each building with very few properly sign-posted that it is so hard to work out how to get in there unless you know the area. With that in mind I had to ask a LOT of people for help with directions and two in particular were incredible. If they can’t direct you they will walk you where you need to go, as noted in my Ultimate Bar Guide to Tokyo, “there was one guy who walked five blocks in circles asking people until it was clear it was impossible to find the place, then there was the guy who walked back from where he was going to discover the bar was on the 8th floor of his apartment block and he never knew. Be prepared to clock the steps in trying to hunt them down”.

Unbelievable.

[divider]BARS[/divider]

Japanese whisky was once the pride of each bar, now a selection of limited edition and single cask Scotches haves replaced that as they cater more for locals - which is understandable, but a challenge for tourists.

If you’re looking for bars, firstly check out my Ultimate Bar Guide to Tokyo, but here are the ones I would highly recommend:

Butler Ginza Branch

8 Chome-7-7 Ginza, Chūō, Tokyo 104-0061, Japan

Le Connaisseur

〒104-0061 Tokyo, Chūō, Ginza, ８丁目-４-２６

Tokyo Whisky Library

〒107-0062 Tokyo, Minato, Minamiaoyama, ５丁目5−24 南青山サンタキアラ教会

[gallery type="rectangular" link="file" ids="33051,33052,33053"]

Bar Benfiddich

〒160-0023 Tokyo, Shinjuku, Nishishinjuku, 1 Chome−13−7 大和家ビル

El Calvador

SK Bldg 4F, 1-3 Maruyamacho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Shinagawa Highball Bar

Exit Shinagawa Station using the East Exit and walk about 300 metres straight ahead of you, you cannot miss it

[gallery type="rectangular" link="file" ids="33047,33048,33049"]

.

Hibiya Bar Whisy-S II

8F Noco Building 5-6-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku

[divider]BUYING WHISKY IN JAPAN[/divider]

No whisky tourist's guide to Tokyo would be complete without a list of retailers you should try to visit if you’re looking for interesting whiskies, although there are no guarantees that there will be any gems, but you simply never know and ranges seem to change daily in some of them:

Liquors Hasegawa

http://www.liquors-hasegawa.com

〒104-0028 Tokyo, Chūō, Yaesu, 2 Chome−1, 八重洲地下街中4号

Liquor Mountain

1-2-16, Kabuki-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Shinanoya World Wine and Foods - Shinjuku

Absolutely brilliant range of bottles - including limited edition Scotch and Irish whiskeys, as well as standard Japanese bottlings. 〒160-0021 Tokyo, 新宿区Kabukicho, 1 Chome−12−9 タテハナビル

A family-run liquor store about 300 metres down the road (east)

Just down the road from World and Liquor Mountain, I’m pretty sure it was a mom and pop store and was crazy cluttered, but at the back of the shop was a glass-fronted cabinet with a load of local bottles as well as some Scotch offerings and various interesting Japanese bottles too.

Isetan Department store

Great store, like the Harrods of Tokyo, and not only has it got a few great bottles there you can buy samples of many of the bottles they sell so you can try the stuff as well as buying it.

〒160-0022 3-14-1, Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Isetan Duty Free store near the Ginza Station

Address: 104-8212 4-6-16, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

The best part of this store is that, whilst their range is super-limited, you can buy the bottles and pick them up at the airport once you are past security to save on your luggage packing, given you will probably have other bottles to pack in as well!

  [divider]MOVING AROUND THE COUTRY VISITING DISTILLERIES[/divider]

Tokyo, and Japan a whole, is really easy to move around, make sure before you travel you get a JR Pass from jrpass.com, it will cost £206 with special delivery and arrives super-swiftly. This will be your gateway to Tokyo and the whole of Japan as, as long as you use any of the JR lines which take you all over the place.

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Make sure you get a SkyRoam device, I hired one for around £115 plus £7 per day I was away and it was invaluable; it is effectively ‘internet in your pocket’ and actually felt like I was carrying ‘the internet’ each day. Good battery, allows you to connect five devices at once to it and mimics a local 4G network which you then connect to without paying more than your daily fee through SkyRoam. Marvellous. At times I got better connection than I do in my office! Buy here, and yes for this one I have an affiliate link as I was so impressed with it. Use coupon code GREATDRAMS to save 10% on your booking... win-win. 

One thing to say up front; don’t expect many, if any distillery exclusives to add to your collection, Suntory do not seem to see the value in them and the distilleries I visited were too young to have mature spirit, although Asaka had bottles of their spirit that had been aged in various casks for up to six months available for around £28 - £40.

Gaia Flow

Travel on the Bullet Train from Shinagawa Station, which takes about 50 minutes - I would advise going to the ticket booking office and reserving a seat free of charge as these trains get really packed and you do not want to stand all that way.

Once you arrive at the Shizuoka Station, take a 35 minute taxi to Gaia Flow. Taxis will be outside the station to the left, and they are unlikely to know where you are going so show them the address and if you have a GPS device pre-load it so they can have a look.

Definitely call or email ahead of your visit as their visitor centre won’t be fully open until mid-way through 2019 but they are set up for brief tours if you so desire but it is courteous to let them know before you arrive so they can be free.

Asaka

From where you are staying take the JR line to Tokyo Station, which is MASSIVE, and take the bullet train to Kohriyama Station which will take about 80 minutes if memory serves. Then get a taxi to the Asaka Distillery. Again get in touch before going to ensure they are available and able to show you around. They have a shop which take cash only, but where you can try numerous young versions of their spirit including one maturing in Mizunara wood. They usually have limited edition whiskies in for purchase too that are limited to around 300 bottles each.

Hakushu

[gallery type="rectangular" link="file" ids="33044,33045,33046"]

Nearest station: Kobuchizawa, 1 hours 59 minutes from Shinjuku station in central Tokyo, then a 15 minute taxi to the distillery (or use the courtesy bus put on by the distillery at the weekend if it works with your itinerary). Simple.

[divider]IN SUMMARY[/divider]

Check out the GreatDrams Ultimate Bar Guide to Tokyo too

Also see the detailed look at the Hakushu Distillery

Finally check out the most unrepeatable Japanese whisky tasting I've ever taken part in

Japan is a phenomenal country with awesome people and an amazing amount of things to see and culture to experience so make sure you plan well and pay attention to train times as they are NEVER late.

The post No longer lost in translation, a Whisky Tourist’s Guide to Japan appeared first on GreatDrams.

from GreatDrams https://ift.tt/2NJgEkA Greg

[exactlyonebraincell]

[ID: a series of images. image 1: a quote “Resistance to representation, however, is not the only difficulty posed by those replicating chambers and corridors. As Karen discovers, the whole house defies any normal means of determining direction.”

image 2: ‘The Winchester House has 160 rooms, with a total of more than 10,000 windows, 2,000 doors, 52 sky-lights , 47 fireplaces, 40 bedrooms, 40 staircases, 6 kitchens, 3 elevators, 2 basements, 1 shower, and 349.7 other impressive-sounding numerical statistics. What makes it most interesting, though, is what it doesn’t have—any rhyme or reason…… The entire house seems to have been randomly assembled, disassembled, and reassembled numerous times, with no master plan or design. And in fact, that’s pretty much what happened. Stairs lead to nowhere; floors have doors and windows in them; doors open into solid walls. All of this and more was due to an inexplicable obsession that drove its erstwhile owner, Sarah Winchester, to keep the building continuously under construction for 38 years.’ alongside an image of stairs which lead to nowhere

image 3: two photographs of haunted houses, the first captioned ‘Abandoned House (door), Frankfurt, MA’ and the second captioned ‘Army Barracks, Vancouver, WA’

image 4: a quote reading ‘I know a little of the principle of design, and I know this thing was not arranged on any laws of radiation, or alternation, or repetition, or symmetry, or anything else that I ever heard of.’

image 5: a pale pink blueprint of a house with very many rooms, everything illogical and convoluted

image 6: a quote reading “The width of the house inside would appear to exceed the width of the house as measured from the outside by 1/4".”

image 7: a cream-coloured house with wobbly, curved lines where you might expect straight ones; the blue windows are also wobbly. outside is a leafless tree

image 8: The layout of a home can contribute to the feeling of unease. Humans have a natural, evolutionary need to feel safe, and haunted house architects can exploit this. "It's what we call 'lack of legibility' -- it means the homes have a confusing layout and it looks like you could ... get lost," McAndrew said. "There are hallways that twist and turn, and rooms that are hard to find. If you got in there and suddenly had to get out, escaping would be difficult." …… "I make sure I have some lower spaces that are really wide, and some tall, thin spaces to make people feel uncomfortable," he said in a phone interview. In presentations, he uses the term "darkitecture" -- unnerving design devices like crooked towers or vertical forced perspective, which makes objects appear closer or further away than they really are.

image 9: a sketchy blueprint drawing of Hill House (from Jackson’s novel)

image 10: a quote reading ‘Every angle"—and the doctor gestured toward the doorway—"every angle is slightly wrong. Hugh Cram must have detested other people and their sensible squared-away houses, because he made his house to suit his mind. Angles which you assume are the right angles you are accustomed to, and have every right to expect are true, are actually a fraction of a degree off in one direction or another…… I am sure, for instance, that you believe that the stairs you are sitting on are level, because you are not prepared for stairs which are not level—" They moved uneasily, and Theodora put out a quick hand to take hold of the balustrade, as though she felt she might be falling……"—are actually on a very slight slant toward the central shaft; the doorways are all a very little bit off center—that may be, by the way, the reason the doors swing shut unless they are held; I wondered this morning whether the approaching footsteps of you two ladies upset the delicate balance of the doors.’ End ID]

(also this id is just copy pasted from the op’s (@pinkmitski) notes for easier accessibility)

the haunting is architectural

House of Leaves (2000, Mark Z Danielewski) // Winchester Mystery House (x) // Haunted Houses (2010, Corrine Bay Motz) // The Yellow Wallpaper (1892, Charlotte Perkins Gilman) // Floor Plan of Winchester Mystery Mansion (x) // House of Leaves (2000, Mark Z Danielewski) // Krzywy Domek (x) // 'Darkitecture': The art and psychology of haunted house design (Jessica Rapp, 2018) // Floor Plan of Hill House (Shirley Jackson) // The Haunting of Hill House (1959, Shirley Jackson)

[frontproofmedia]

Who Can Defeat Canelo Alvarez?

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By Hector Franco

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Published: January 29, 2021

Boxing fans are now less than a month away from the in-ring return of arguably the best fighter in the world pound-for-pound, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KOs).

Alvarez will be making one of the quicker turn arounds of his career when he defends his WBA and WBC Super Middleweight titles against WBC mandatory challenger, Avni Yildirim (21-2, 12 KOs).

Yildirim isn’t an elite fighter, and in his previous bout in February 2019, he lost a decision to Anthony Dirrell after the bout was stopped due to a clash of heads.

The news of Yildirim being Alvarez’s next opponent was met with apathy as the continuation of the title belt organizations forcing fighters to face at times what would be considered less than stellar opposition has felt like more of a nuisance over the last few years.

The expectation is that Alvarez should quickly dispatch the Turkish fighter.

In his most recent bout, the Mexican fighter put on one of the best performances of his career, winning a dominant unanimous decision over the United Kingdom’s Callum Smith.

It seems now at 30 years of age, Alvarez is at his peak as a fighter, having put together all of the teachings from his trainer Eddy Reynoso to go along with the best resume in the sport sans Manny Pacquiao.

The expectations are at their highest with Alvarez as winning will now be just as important as how he wins. There is also the expectation that Alvarez will forego the standard two-fight a year program that boxing has been on for the past 20 plus years and step in the ring at least three times in 2021.

After Yildirim, fans will demand that the Mexican fighter step in the ring with a fighter who stands a chance at defeating him.

The question is, which fighter has the best chance at toppling the pound-for-pound superstar?

JERMALL CHARLO (31-0, 22 KOs)

Houston, Texas’ Jermall Charlo currently holds the WBC Middleweight title.

Last September, Charlo defeated top Middleweight contender Sergiy Dereveyanchenko, firmly establishing himself as one of the top Middleweights in the world.

The Ukrainian Derevyanchenko gave current IBF Middleweight titleholder Gennadiy Golovkin all he could handle in October 2019 and came close to defeating Daniel Jacobs in 2018. Charlo’s performance against the Ukrainian eclipsed those of his contemporaries.

Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe feels that Charlo is now the best fighter at Middleweight and would beat Alvarez should they ever meet in the ring.

“Jermall Charlo is the best Middleweight in the world right now,” Ellerbe stated to BoxingScene.com. “There are few other guys at 160, namely Canelo, who will have something to say about that. Jermall is on a mission to prove something to the world. Jermall’s style is all wrong for Canelo. They would never put him in there with Charlo. I don’t think Canelo goes anywhere near Jermall. He’s an animal.”

Unfortunately for Charlo, Alvarez recently relinquished his WBA Middleweight title, making it unlikely that he will return to the division.

However, Charlo may be willing to move up to Super Middleweight as he stands at 6 feet compared to Alvarez’s 5’8.

Charlo represents a challenge, and unlike many of the available opponents for Alvarez, the Texas native could make for a major pay-per-view event that could have a large crowd if the bout were to take place in Texas.

CALEB PLANT (20-0, 12 KOs)

On paper, Caleb Plant, the IBF Super Middleweight champion out of Nashville, Tennessee, looks to be a stylistic nightmare for Alvarez.

Plant is younger and bigger than Alvarez, with an ability to fight off the back foot using lateral movement with fast hands.

While Alvarez has alleviated many of his past weaknesses, such as fighting in spurts, he still has slow feet. If Alvarez is unable to close the distance against Plant, he could find himself behind on points.

Plant will be making the third defense of his IBF title against Caleb Truax this upcoming weekend.

If Alvarez’s goal is to become the undisputed champion at Super Middleweight, starting with Plant would be a step in the right direction.

“I know that’s a fight that me and him both want,” Plant said to DAZN’s Brian Kenny in an interview. “At some point, me and Canelo are going to get in there and do our thing. We will have our showdown, and when we do, I can promise you it’s going to be fireworks. I think Canelo is a great fighter, but I feel like I have all the tools and the weapons to beat him. I will get my hand raised when we fight, I can assure you that.”

GENNADIY GOLOVKIN (41-1-1, 36 KOs)

At 38 years of age, IBF Middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin is no longer at his best. In his last two performances, he struggled against Sergiy Derevyanchenko and scored a seventh-round stoppage against the relatively unknown Kamil Szeremeta in a mandatory defense of his title.

Golovkin may not be the threat to Alvarez he was when they first fought in September 2017; he does represent potentially the most significant payday out of any opponent.

Their first two meetings sold over a million buys on pay-per-view, and their rematch won the 2018 fight of the year award from numerous publications.

Their first fight ended in a highly controversial draw, and in the second encounter, Alvarez won a disputed majority decision.

Alvarez is currently at his best while Golovkin seems to have left his best days behind him; however, their previous bouts were closely contested, with a majority of fans and pundits having Golovkin winning both bouts.

The question would be if Golovkin could be to Alvarez what Juan Manuel Marquez was to Manny Pacquiao?

A rival that gives you trouble no matter where they are in their career.

“I don’t have anything to prove to anyone, I did my job already by beating him twice, and right now, I want to stay at 168, and if Golovkin wants to move up, we’ll see what happens, if that’s what the fans really want,” Alvarez stated to The Ring. “I’m at 168, and I don’t have to do any favors for anyone. I’m at 168, and our goal is to unify here.

“I feel like I’m at my peak, and I continue working hard. If a fight happens a third time with Golovkin, I feel so good that I could most likely knock out and do some serious damage.”

Alvarez would undoubtedly be the favorite in a rubber match against the Kazakhstani puncher. However, based on how their previous encounters turned out, Golovkin could still prove to be a worthy challenge.

ERROL SPENCE JR (27-0, 21 KOs)

Along with Golovin and Charlo, Errol Spence Jr. represents a substantial potential payday for Alvarez. Both Spence and Alvarez have had bouts at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and a fight between the two could fill up a stadium.

However, how much of a chance does the unified Welterweight champion have against Alvarez?

Spence recently returned to the ring in December 2020 after a severe car crash and won a unanimous decision over top Welterweight contender Danny Garcia.

The performance against Garcia was impressive as he shut down the Philadelphia fighter while controlling the range in which the fight was fought.

But, it didn’t provide enough evidence to predict him to come out victorious against Alvarez.

The Texas native is big for the Welterweight division, but it’s unknown how well he would do at Junior Middleweight, let alone at Middleweight.

“I think it’s a great fight, especially at 160,” Spence said to DAZN’s Chris Mannix regarding a fight with Alvarez. “I’m a guy that sucks down to 147. I mean, I really think that a lot of people see probably 80 or 70 percent of who I really am at 147 pounds. I’m holding around because I wanted to be undisputed champion at 147, but if there’s a great fight at 160, I can definitely go up to 160 and fight easy.

“I think it’d be an all-out-war. Have it at AT&T Stadium, 100-thousand plus.”

At 31, Spence still has unfinished business at Welterweight with Terence Crawford, but should an opportunity arise to face Alvarez, a more well-known and accomplished fighter; he should take it.

DEMETRIUS ANDRADE (29-0, 18 KOs)

WBO Middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade hasn’t secured a major fight with any of the other top Middleweights. Despite fighting on the same streaming network (DAZN) as Alvarez and Golovkin, he has yet to face either man.

At 32, the southpaw from Providence, Rhode Island, has a relatively thin resume and is arguably unproven. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Andrade wouldn’t be a formidable opponent for Alvarez.

Andrade has a vast amateur background winning numerous Golden Glove championships, and is a fighter that can fight in many different styles.

Unfortunately, Alvarez may view Andrade as a high-risk-low-reward fight and is unlikely to face the Rhode Island native unless he can defeat other elite fighters.

The problem for Andrade has been getting elite fighters to step in the ring with him.

“It’s like Jermall Charlo, Billy Joe Saunders, Callum Smith, and GG have a poster of Canelo over their beds and be like, please pick me Canelo, please pick me,” Andrade said during an interview with DAZN. “I feel bad for Canelo. We need to start fighting each other so that we can demand the Canelo fight. Canelo shouldn’t have to fight me, GGG, Charlo, and all these guys. We need to fight and eliminate who needs to be eliminated.”

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS (30-0, 14 KOs)

According to ESPN, the next man in line to face Alvarez should he come out unscathed against Yildirim is WBO Super Middleweight title holder, Billy Joe Saunders.

Saunders arguably falls within the same category as Andrade as a fighter who may be better than his resume suggests.

Last May, Saunders was in line to face Alvarez, but the fight was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Saunders last defended his WBO title against Martin Murray in December 2020 where he won via unanimous decision.

The undefeated United Kingdom pugilist's best performances came in 2017 when he won dominant unanimous decisions over Willie Monroe Jr. and power puncher David Lemieux.

Saunders has the look of a natural southpaw who can fight on the move in a relaxed state. With Alvarez’s greatest weakness being his slow feet, Saunders could prove to be a problem for the four-division champion.

When Saunders has stepped up in competition, he has always enhanced his game. Against Alvarez, he will be a big underdog, but he should be at his best.

If Alvarez plans to fight in the United Kingdom, a fight with Billy Joe Saunders could be the fight to do it.

There are other fighters throughout the Super Middleweight and Light Heavyweight divisions that could provide Alvarez with a challenge, such as former two-time WBC Super Middleweight champion David Benavidez and WBA Light Heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol.

The only fighter at this time that would be a favorite to defeat Alvarez is unified WBC and IBF Light Heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev who may be the hardest puncher in all of boxing.

However, Alvarez’s pit stop at Light Heavyweight in November 2019 against Sergey Kovalev was a one-time occurrence as an opportunity to win a title against a fighter who still has a name but is no longer at their best.

Alvarez has a plethora of options that could make him more money at a lower risk. It's unlikely that the four-division champion would face Beterbiev in the near future.

Alvarez is at a pivotal point in his career. He stands on top of the mountain as the number one fighter pound-for-pound and boxing's biggest moneymaker.

The Mexican's motto over the last few years has been "No Boxing, No Life." With that motto behind him, it may not be until he is past his prime that he suffers another defeat.

(Featured Photo: Matchroom Boxing)

[perfumeoilbejw181-blog]

6 Easy Facts About Natural Cosmetics And Natural Pharmacy Described

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The brand name now boasts even more than 400 items and also becomes part of multinational. It was among the very first brands to be provided the tag for licensed natural health and wellness and charm products in France in 2002. From dietary supplements, pleasant pillow scent to 'elegance' 70% raw chocolate, wishes you to really feel good throughout.

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Every year in Might, the roses are chosen by hand, before they are completely bloomed, in order to extract as much oil as possible. Rose oil efficiently combats totally free radicals, promotes the skin's very own production of collagen, tightens up veins, and reduces the aging processes says the brand. arb makes use of even more than 50 organic components accredited by Ecocert, no parabens, sulfates, colorants or artificial fragrances and also will certainly grow a tree for each item acquired as component of its effort to eliminate environment change.

9 Easy Facts About Anti-aging Beauty Products Shown

The first product of the brand name was an aromatic natural throat-soothing syrup with honey and aniseed; a recipe inspired by 'rakomelon', a warming up spirit-with-honey mixture. In order to support Greek farming areas, the brand name has formed collaborations with organic farmers, local areas and farming unions, consisting of among others the Mastiha Growers Association of Chios island, the Cooperative De Saffran of Kozani, as well as the Union of Santorini Cooperatives.

Excitement About Beauty Products

At Balanced Wellness Integrative Pharmacy, we believe in holistic health and recognize that there are numerous things that can affect the health of the person, consisting of items used on the skin. The substantial bulk of skin treatment, cosmetic and health products on the marketplace today have harsh chemicals that add to poisoning as well as hormone inequalities in the body.

Products are made with all-natural active ingredients that get results. We are proud to offer our customers a large option. From their mild milk cleanser to their absolutely outstanding Amaze Gel as well as hyaluronic acid product, we are big fans of the items and also use them as well! Dry, mature, and also sensitive skin require a safety cleaning remedy that eliminates contaminations, excess oil, as well as makeup without removing away the skin's natural wetness.

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With its one-of-a-kind mix of ginseng, and aloe vera, the Amaze Exfoliating Gel heals, calms, and also fixings damaged skin. Incorporating the natural astringents of mandarin and rose with the stimulating and also healing residential or commercial properties of arnica, silica, and also witch hazel, this revitalizing toner rehydrates the skin as well as functions to shrink as well as tighten pores.

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Viva's Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum urges the skin to keep its natural dampness from morning to evening, leaving a lovely skin tone all day as well as daily. Hyaluronic acid is 100% natural, removed from plants. This key ingredient imitates a sponge, drawing dampness in while additionally stimulating the manufacturing of collagen, leading to skin that shines.

The Only Guide to Anti-aging Beauty Products

This is the following level of skin hydration! Vitamin C is essential for the body and also plays an important duty in keeping healthy and balanced, resistant skin. While young skin is full of vitamin C, aging skin normally loses this nutrient in time. Other aspects like exposure to UV light, pollutants as well as cigarette smoke compound the decline of vitamin C, adding to indicators of aging.

This lotion includes a powerful quantity of Vitamin C that aids battle hyperpigmentation, sunlight damage, dark spots triggered by acne scarring, and additionally increases collagen production and aids brighten the skin tone. With rosehip oil, wonderful almond oil, night primrose oil, as well as vitamin E, this product assists to fight severe dark areas of the skin to aid heal the scarring.

This incredibly powerful cream dramatically improves complexion as well as begins to decrease creases after simply a couple of applications. The secret is in the active ingredients: Astonish Cream is loaded with vitamins and also anti-oxidants in addition to recovery as well as hydrating herbs like aloe, rosehip oil, and also lavender. This unique solution also consists of powerful herb substances like alpha lipoic acid, and hyaluronic acid, plus all-natural fluid silk stemmed from pure cocoon.

[eswynn]

2017 Retrospective

As the year draws to a close, I once again find myself reflecting back on the things that I have achieved during the last twelve months. Though this year has certainly been busier and more productive than previous years, I feel like I still could have pushed myself to accomplish more. Let's take a look at what I completed during 2017.

#1: Against Atlantis has been on my list of projects to finish since I first started working on the concept in April of 2015. Through all the craziness of 2015 (and part of 2016) I kept trying to revisit this "Steampunk Serial," but it wasn't until this year that I really pulled my boots on and got into this piece again. If you're open to some radically different, totally out-there steampunk, then you should totally check out Against Atlantis here: http://www.thunderune.com/2017/06/against-atlantis.html

#2: Another book project that came to completion this year after a long haitus was "Stealing Wings: A Novel of the Cygnus War." For those unfamiliar with The Cygnus War, it was one of my first major projects. Conceived of in 2005, the Cygnus War was a free-to-read online sci-fi series that followed the naval career of a tough-as-nails female fighter pilot named Tessa Eisenherz. In total, the series ran for almost 160 episodes (now available in an omnibus edition here: http://www.thunderune.com/2011/03/cygnus-war-omnibus-edition.html) and has spawned several novella-length sequels in the years since (Dark Salvage, Voyage of the Tereshkova, and the latest installment, Stealing Wings.) Unlike the other two sequels, which take place after The Cygnus War, Stealing Wings chronicles Tessa's life before the Navy, in the early days of the war, when her biggest concern was getting out there, off the ground and into space, to make a difference in the galaxy in any way she could, to prove, even if only to herself, that people with genetically modified ancestry are worthy of equal rights, equal treatment and equal pay. If you're new to The Cygnus War, or even if you've read everything in the series, this book makes a great place to start and ties nicely into the existing canon. Check it out here: http://www.thunderune.com/2017/09/stealing-wings.html

#3: This year also marked my foray into transgender issues, rights, activism and artistry. As part of this, I wrote two poetry books that carry transgender themes to them (check out Trans Physical Dynamics here: http://www.thunderune.com/2017/01/trans-physical-dynamics.html and Red Gender here: http://www.thunderune.com/2017/06/red-gender.html) and I've also written almost 50,000 words worth of informative and activist articles on what it means to be a transgender invidual. (You can read those on my blog here: http://www.eswynn.com/search/label/activism). I have a book in progress (utilizing these articles and some additional new material) called "A Safe Degree of Trans" which I'm hoping to complete and release in 2018.

#4: Another project I completed this year that has been on the back burner for longer than I'd like to admit was my "meat monster" short story collection entitled "Devoured From Within." This horror sci-fi book features a great deal of new, never-before-seen stories along with some that were originally published as part of magazines or book collections released by "Schlock!", Horrified Press and other publishing houses. If being eaten alive or assimilated into something against your will terrifies you, then this is the book for you. Check it out here: http://www.thunderune.com/2017/06/devoured-from-within.html

#5: I've also explored a number of new ways to express my creativity this year. Among these are about a dozen minimalist art pieces done in the style of one of my favorite artists, Patrick Nagel. I've also tinkered in leather work and dice engraving. In addition to that, I've built and painted seven new battle jackets (see them here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/EllieValkyrie) and I'm currently in the process of designing and building a casual game with RPGmaker MV.

#6: Last but certainly not least is, of course, my work with Immanion Press and my contributions to Storm Constantine's Wraeththu Mythos. Though I completed the rough, initial draft for Echoes of Light and Static last year (as a Yule gift to my partner) revisions and the official launch of this second book in the Gold Country trilogy were all done during this year. The fanbase response was impressive, and many people have asked when they could expect the third book in the series. Well, as of this writing, I'm about 16,000 words into the rough, initial draft of the third and final book in the Gold Country Wraeththu series and I plan to finish it sometime this year. To read the other two books in the series, check this link: http://www.immanion-press.com/info/books.asp?authorID=127

In addition to my work on the Gold Country series, I also have a story out this year in Storm Constantine's seasonal Wraeththu anthology, "Songs To Earth and Sky." Check that one out here: http://www.immanion-press.com/info/book.asp?id=513&referer=Hp

And hey, this year I also got engaged! By late June 2018, I'll be married! I'm excited!

[xnxadultstore]

Hand-Lettering – Best ‘How To’ Books and Lettering Supplies

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Hand Lettering (An Interactive Guide to the Art of Drawing Letters)

This 160-page e-book has the most effective opinions of any lettering e-book on Amazon.

Learn 5 main hand-lettering kinds, then remodel your writing into artwork.Practice pages enable you area to grasp every letter in each model.Sections exhibit find out how to embellish your letters, combine totally different kinds for emphasis and flare, add ornamental results like shading, and mix textual content and illustration.Easy-to-follow tutorials and sections to hint, coloration, or full make hand-lettering approachable for anybody.Project concepts exhibit methods to brighten on a regular basis objects, create placing artwork, and add a significant contact to presents by way of hand-lettering.

Click to Order Amazon US    Amazon UK     Amazon Canada     or   Book Depository

Hand Lettering for Relaxation

 An Inspirational Workbook for Creating Beautiful Lettered Art by Amy Latta. While hand lettering can look intimidating, artist and blogger Amy Latta has a pleasant and down-to-earth strategy that gives you the arrogance to attract spectacular designs after observe. This e-book incorporates 46 workshops that can assist you progress by way of the steps of hand lettering.

Click to Order Amazon US, UK or Canada

The Ultimate Guide to Modern Calligraphy & Hand Lettering for Beginners

This is a brand new e-book in 2019 by June & Lucy. They present a reasonable Learn to Letter e-book of their Hand Lettering Workbook with Tips, Techniques, Practice Pages, and Projects. You also can discover them on Insta to share your work and ask for ideas.

Click to Order Amazon US, UK or Canada

Happy Hand Lettering: An Inspirational Guide for Creating Beautiful Words of Life

This e-book has nothing however 5-star opinions! WOW! The writer says ” We will not be aiming for perfection, we’re aiming for Joy and by hand lettering scripture verses, optimistic messages and life-giving phrases, inventive hearts can launch their inhibitions, feeling free to make errors, attempt once more, and have fun the journey– each in lettering and in life.” This e-book is massive eight x 10″ & spiral certain.

Click to Order Amazon US, UK or Canada

Pretty Simple Lettering

Modern Calligraphy & Hand Lettering for Beginners: A Step by Step Guide to Beautiful Hand Lettering & Brush Pen Calligraphy Design. This e-book is Spiral Bound 11 x 10 with 126 Pages.

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The Art of Whimsical Letter by Joanne Sharpe

This was one of many first books I picked up on the subject of hand-lettering and it’s nonetheless one among my favorites. Her examples are each simple to observe and simple to adapt to your individual model.

Joanne then demonstrates twenty artwork strategies for creating quite a lot of lettering kinds utilizing many alternative instruments. She supplies you with fifteen primary alphabets, starting from easy pen-and-ink renditions to more and more elaborated texts that reference calligraphy, classic fonts, and doodle artwork, amongst different kinds. Joanne additionally teaches you find out how to flip prosaic lettering into web page artwork itself, merging textual content into illustration, or ornamenting phrases with ornamental drawings.

Click to Order Amazon US

Joanne Sharpe additionally has simply revealed a e-book entitled The Art of Whimsical Stitching you probably have ever taken your favourite coloring e-book artists to material, that is the proper accompaniment for you.

Chalk Lettering is SUPER widespread proper now and this e-book is wonderful. It has a observe chalkboard constructed proper into the e-book.

The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering: Develop and Create Your Own Style

In over 60 classes, be taught the ABCs of lettering (actually) and primary kinds: serif, sans serif, and script. Next, find out how to format a design, mix varied kinds into one cohesive piece, add shadows and dimension. Master extra superior letter kinds, from faceted to ribbon to “vintage circus.” Use banners, borders, thrives.

Click to Order Amazon US    Amazon UK     Amazon Canada    or   Book Depository

Zenspirations Lettering and Patterns by Joanne Finke

This is one other of my private favourite books that’s full of nice info to take primary block lettering to one thing actually particular to brighten your initiatives.

Click to Order Amazon US   Amazon UK    Amazon Canada  or   Book Depository

Creative Lettering and Beyond

Inspiring ideas, strategies, and concepts for hand lettering your method to lovely artistic endeavors

This e-book has 4 sections that includes totally different artists, Gabri Joy Kirkendall, Laura Lavender, Julie Manwaring, Shauna Lynn Panczyszyn every share their very own specialties within the e-book. After a quick introduction to the varied instruments and supplies, lettering fans will discover ways to grasp the artwork of hand lettering and typography by way of partaking, easy-to-follow step-by-step initiatives, prompts, and workouts. From the essential form and type of letters to cursive script, spacing, and alignment, artists will uncover find out how to remodel easy phrases, phrases, and quotes into lovely works of hand-lettered artwork.

Click to Order Amazon US, UK or Canada     or     Book Depository

Dawn Nichol runs an exquisite hand lettering group on Facebook and Instagram the place she posts a lettering problem a day and invitations these new to the artwork to share their photos with others on social media. In her first e-book, she goes into some fundamentals and provides you fairly coloring pages to observe and another initiatives to have enjoyable with.

Words to Live By – Creative Hand Lettering, Coloring & Inspirations

This e-book could be very primary and consists of fairly a bit of fabric in it that isn’t strictly lettering workouts or classes. If you might be model new then it is a good e-book to start out with however you’ll need to transfer on to one thing else for a extra in-depth introduction or be part of her on Facebook right here. She additionally affords freebie observe sheets on her web site.

Click to Order Amazon US, UK or Canada       or     Book Depository

If you have got a creative youthful member of the household, Dawn has created a e-book only for them as nicely. Adventures in Hand-Lettering 40 Exercise to enhance your Hand Lettering abilities Many of the opinions say it’s a terrific e-book for starting adults as nicely.

Hand Lettering Supplies

Hand lettering provides will be as easy & cheap or as complicated and dear as you need, identical to all different artsy endeavors we pursue as adults. We have pulled out our private favorites and crowdsourcing from our socials for what lettering provides folks love probably the most. If we have now missed your favorites, please tell us within the feedback.

Hand Lettering Paper

You will want good paper to observe your lettering initiatives onto so that you just don’t mess up your precise venture and to be taught the method. This huge pad by Strathmore is 11×14 with 50 spiral certain sheets. The paper is appropriate for lettering, drawing and blended media initiatives. For lettering, you don’t need to use your watercolor paper because it has a texture that makes it laborious to kind easy traces you will have in your lettering. I additionally actually just like the Visual Journals by Strathmore that are available a number of sizes and forms of paper. Either artist paper or blended media paper works nice. Canson Multimedia Paper is one other nice possibility.

You can use Tracing Paper over samples within the e-book to get a really feel for the shape and construction of the letter. Inexpensive pads of graph paper are nice for practising your sizing and spacing of letters in addition to getting a deal with in your ascenders and descenders.

Hand Lettering Pencils

I first discovered about these ridiculously lovely pencils from Dawn Nichol referred to as Blackwings, they really are a step above in case you are an artwork provide junkie like I’m. Harder pencils will work higher than a primary #2 you might be used to as a result of they gained’t smear and are simpler to erase after you ink on high. This is a superb chart to determine which pencil will work finest for you. Koh-i Noor Mechanical Pencils are a terrific selection in addition to common cheap mechanical pencils.

Hand Lettering Pens and Markers

Prismacolor Hand Lettering Kit

Prismacolor has come out with a terrific set that features every part a newbie must get began.  2 pencils, 7 illustration markers, 2 dual-ended artwork markers, an eraser and a ideas & methods pamphlet.

Click to Order Amazon US, UK or Canada

Tombow Hand Lettering Pen Kit

Each set consists of two Dual Brush Pens, Fudenosuke Calligraphy Pen, MONO Twin Permanent Marker, MONO Drawing Pencil and MONO Eraser.

Click to Order Amazon US, UK or Canada

Micron Pigma Pens

This is my favourite set of six totally different nib sizes. It is barely appropriate for element work and embellishing your hand lettering.

Faber Castell Pitt Pens 

You might have already got some Pitt Pens since they���re our favourite pen to make use of in Coloring Books as a result of they don’t bleed by way of the paper. Tombow Brush Pens and cheap double-ended Sharpies work nicely too. 

Best Brush Pens for Hand Lettering

Waterbased Markers 

Tombow Brush Markers

Durable nylon brush tip can create wonderful, medium or daring strokesIncluded colorless blender pen softens and blends colours, making a watercolor impactThe water-based ink is non-toxic, blendable, non-bleeding, and odorlessTips self-clean after mixing – Color Options

Amazon US, UK or Canada

Brush Lettering for Beginners – Tips from Tombow

Kuretake Fude Real Brush Pen

Amazon US, UK Or Canada

Kuretake Zig Brushables

24 Pack of twin tip brush pens, 48 coloursEach twin tip brush pen affords two colours, making them excellent for mixing and shadingWater-based Pigment, Acid-Free, Lightfast, Odorless, Xylene FreeThese work fantastically for coloring books as nicely

Amazon US UK or Canada

Koi Coloring Brush from Sakura

Alcohol Markers

Alcohol markers do NOT react to water however they’ll mix fantastically by both mixing them collectively for an ombre impact or utilizing the colorless blender.

Copic Markers

I’ve talked about Copic Markers in reference to coloring books right here the place they actually aren’t the most effective factor to make use of normally, nonetheless, for hand-lettering, they’re divine!

These are high of the road for artists and the value displays. Although costly, the factor to recollect is that they’re refillable, you’ll be able to change the nibs and they’ll final you a lifetime with correct care.

You can begin with a primary set earlier than you make investments lots of within the set proven above. That is a dream come true up there. But I began with this primary set. Remember these are very blendable with the colorless marker and into one another so you’ll be able to mix to create a myriad of colours with a primary set and a little bit of coloration wheel data.

Click to order Copic Markers Amazon US, Uk or Canada

Spectrum Noir

The poor man’s ( or girl’s) Copics. They are alcohol-based however they don’t mix as simply and don’t have replaceable nibs or refillable ink. They are attractive pens although and are simple to make use of to your hand-lettering initiatives.

Spectrum Noir Markers Amazon US, UK or Canada

Pentel Color Pens

Not all alcohol markers are costly, a set of Pentel markers will work nicely for hand-lettering and be kinder to your pocketbook. These are fabulous for element work whenever you aren’t in search of the comb model lettering, or to make use of for outlining or detailing in your hand-lettering.

Pentel Color Pens Amazon US, UK or Canada

Crayola Super Tips

Yep! That’s proper, good outdated Crayola’s are nice for hand lettering, you will get thick and skinny traces from the identical vivid completely happy marker and when you children contact them there gained’t be any fireworks. They don’t mix nicely however you gained’t be utilizing these to your skilled presentation, they’re nice for enjoyable and to observe your lettering with. Spring for the massive field!

Crayola Super Tips Amazon US, UK or Canada

Sharpie Pens

Raise your hand if you have already got a sharpie assortment! I do know I do. The twin ideas are excellent instruments for hand lettering, simple to search out and cheap. You can purchase them by the field so that you’ll all the time have them available. The twin tip is my favourite not just for artwork however for my kitchen marker, my automotive marker, I’ve one among these just about in all places. Plus, you’ll be able to write on something together with your sharpie so if you’d like cute lettering on that clay pot within the backyard? Sharpies are your instrument of selection. These are available a number of colours in addition to black.

Click to order a dozen Sharpie Dual Tip Pens

Gelly Roll Gel Pens

Ok, I confess to having an unnatural love for my Gellies! I’ve used these fairly pens since I used to be scrapbooking my 30-year-old daughter’s child books and guess what? Those pens nonetheless labored after I pulled them out of my craft storage after I began coloring virtually two years in the past. I’m nonetheless in love with them. The glitter and the metallics are simply so attractive and vibrant. Take care as you do with all gel pens and look ahead to smearing however the dry pretty shortly. You can use them to letter or so as to add elaborations to your hand letters. You can get the massive field with all the colours right here or organize them in smaller batches like Metallics and Glitters and so forth.

I exploit these glitter pens to reinforce little areas in my lettering to make them tremendous particular.

Click to Order the Gelly Roll Glitter Pens right here.

Brush Marker Storage

Brush markers must be saved horizontally so you have got numerous choices, these cheap stackable cubes or this Crafter’s Companion possibility which holds 72 Copics or another markers you have got and love. It is designed so the markers stick out a bit so you’ll be able to seize them simply.

LightView Pro Flex Magnifying Lamp – 2 in 1 Clamp Table & Desk Lamp

This will are available fairly helpful too to see up shut if you end up including particulars.

Click to Order Amazon US, UK or Canada

Hand-Lettering Tutorial Video’s

How to do Cheater Calligraphy by Dawn Nicole

Brush Lettering Practice

Hand Lettering Accents Tutorial

If you have got any questions or different favourite tutorials please make sure to share there beneath.

The post Hand-Lettering – Best ‘How To’ Books and Lettering Supplies appeared first on XNX Adult Store.

[savan27]

I dare you to answer all 170 questions minus the ones you already answered

Jesus Christ Al

1- how tall do you wish you were: I could stand to be a bit taller

2- dream pet: dragon

3- favorite clothing style: don’t have one

4- favorite video game growing up: didn’t have one

5- 3 things/people I think about most: various characters, friends and what is available to eat

6- warning label: WARNING: PRONE TO STRANGE FLIGHTS OF FANCY

7- opinion on {insert thing}: {insert thing} is not to be spoken of

8- greek personality type: melancholic 

9- Ticklish: Yes

10- allergies: none

11- sexuality: Demiromantic Asexual

15- favorite YouTuber: either Dan and Phil, Thomas Sanders or Rhett and Link

16- height: 5′4

17- what would I change my name to: Either Sage or Amaris

18- weight: 122 lbs

21- religious: no

22- pet peeves; being condescended to, people who break the spines or books or fold pages

24- Orion because I like the myth behind it

25- Favorite star: how could  pick a favorite?

26- ball-jointed dolls: yes

27- fears: failure, spiders, social interaction

28- global warming: real and dangerous

29- reincarnation: possible

30- favorite movie: Can’t choose

31- scare easy: no but I startle easy

32- pets: 31 in my life and counting

33- rate blog of questioner: 10/10

34- calm color: blue

35- place to go: Colorado

36- born: Florida

37- eye color: blue

38- introvert/extrovert: introvert

39- horoscopes and zodiac: I believe to some extent

40- hugs/kisses: hugs

41- want to visit: @my-best-is-messy @eldritch-aberration @ace-psychopath-in-a-tardis @book-nerd1127 @crypticinfrastructure @themanwiththesuitcaseofflies @anne-heist @aph--rome @tombstonescreak

42- love deeply: My close friends

43- piercings: aside from my ears(which I already have) don’t have an interest

44- opinion on tattoos and piercings: cool

45- smoke: NO

46- crush: no

47: sound I hate: silverware sliding against a glass plate

48- sound I love: violin

49- backflip; no

50- split: used to be able to, not anymore

51- fav actor; Misha collins

52- fav movie; can’t choose

53- felling right now: so many questions

54- color id like my hair to be: blue

55- happiest; listening to music and daydreaming by the pool

56- calms me: my cat

57- disorders: maladaptive daydreaming(only official one anyhow)

58- URL meaning: favorite oc and favorite number

59-three word description: nerd, weird, quiet

60- evolution: real

61- unfollow for: discrimination and of course porn bots

62- follow for: quality memes, kindness

63- fav kind of person: honest

64- fav animals: cat, owl, frilled shark

65- three of my favorite blogs: @my-best-is-messy @eldritch-aberration @tombstonescreak

66- fav emoticon: on laptop so I’ll just say the knife

67- fav meme: can't choose

68- MBTI: INTP-A

69- star sign: Taurus

70- dog roll over on command: no

71- clothes I wear most often: t-shirt and jeans

72- in a moment

73- platform shoes: no

74: fact: I have memorized every song of all my favorite groups 

75- front flip: no

76- birds: yes

77- swimming: YES!

78- swimming/ice skating: swimming

79- wish didn't exist: prejudice

80- wish existed: dragons

81- piercings I have: ears

82- enjoy: reading

83- fav person to talk to: can’t choose

84- first impression of Tumblr: overwhelming

85- followers: just blocked all the porn bots, down to 38

86- mile within ten minutes: yes

87- matching socks: no

88- touch toes with straight legs: yes

89- birthstone: emerald

90- be an animal: cat

91- flower to represent me: Carolina Jasmine

92- store I hate: JC Penny 

93- coffee per day: dont drink coffee

94- fly/read minds: telepathy all the way

95- camo: no

96- winter/summer: summer

97- hold breath: 1 minute

98- least fav person: Donald Trump

99- look up to: fictional characters

100- store I love: Barnes and Noble

101- fav type of shoe: flip flop

102- live: Florida

103-vegetarian/vegan: no

104- fav gem: serpentine

105- milk: so much 

106- bugs: from a distance

107- spiders: NO

108- paranoid about: everything

109- draw: not even a straight line

110- noisiest question asked: ever had sex

111- question I hate: Do you have a boyfriend yet?

112- bitten by a spider: yes

113- waves at beach: yessss

114- cloudy/sunny: clouds

115- person to cuddle: Volunteers?

116- cloud type: ???

117- color of sky: don’t want to change it

118- freckles: yes

119- fav thing about a person: mind

120- fruit/veggie: fruit

121- do right now: stop answering questions

122- ocean/sky: ocean

123- sweet/sour: sour

124- bright/dim lights: depends on mood

125- believe in magical creature: many yes

126- hate about Tumblr: unreasonable hate and anger

127- love about Tumblr: the cool people

128- think about least: ???

129- written on tombstone: I benefited the world

130- punching the face: Trump

131- love and hate about myself: independent to a fault

132- smile with teeth in pictures: yes

133- computer/TV: computer

134- roller coasters: yesssss

135- motion sickness: no

136- ear lobes: detached 

137- karma: possible

138- attractive 1-10: 4

139- nicknames: cat, catfish, Yoda Breath, Katie Quinn, YO YO, doo floppy

140- imaginary friends- many

141- therapist: no but I probably should

142- good or bad influence: depends on the day

143-giving/receiving gifts/help: giving

144- angry: ignorance 

145- languages fluent in: 1

146- prefer boys, girls or non-bianarys: all are cool with me

147- androgynous: no

148- fav physical feature: eyes

149- fav personality trait: intelligence

150- 3 people to talk to in person @my-best-is-messy @eldritch-aberration @tombstonescreak

151- live in past: Classical Greece

152- BuzzFeed: no

153- meet partner: N/A

154- platonic kisses: sure

155- play with others hair: yes

156- embarrasses me: everything

157- make me nervous: lots

158- biggest lie- just tell a lot of small lies really

159- following: 160

160-  # of posts: 6, 280

161- drafts on blogs: none

162- # of likes: 10, 878

163- last time cried: two days ago, library of congress was too pretty

164- long or short hair: LONG

165- Longest hair has been: long enough to sit on

166- reason for felling on religion: I just don’t care

167- care how world was created: yes

168- wear makeup: no

169- handstand: no

170- Truthful answers: yes

[philipholt]

The PICO-8 Virtual Fantasy Console is an idealized constrained modern day game maker

I love everything about PICO-8. It's a fantasy gaming console that wants you - and the kids in your life and everyone you know - to make games!

How cool is that?

You know the game Celeste? It's available on every platform, has one every award and is generally considered a modern-day classic. Well the first version was made on PICO-8 in 4 days as a hackathon project and you can play it here online. Here's the link when they launched in 4 years ago on the forums. They pushed the limits, as they call out "We used pretty much all our resources for this. 8186/8192 code, the entire spritemap, the entire map, and 63/64 sounds." How far could one go? Wolf3D even?

"A fantasy console is like a regular console, but without the inconvenience of actual hardware. PICO-8 has everything else that makes a console a console: machine specifications and display format, development tools, design culture, distribution platform, community and playership. It is similar to a retro game emulator, but for a machine that never existed. PICO-8's specifications and ecosystem are instead designed from scratch to produce something that has it's own identity and feels real. Instead of physical cartridges, programs made for PICO-8 are distributed on .png images that look like cartridges, complete with labels and a fixed 32k data capacity."

What a great start and great proof that you can make an amazing game in a small space. If you loved GameBoys and have fond memories of GBA and other small games, you'll love PICO-8.

How to play PICO-8 cartridges

If you just want to explore, you can go to https://www.lexaloffle.com and just play in your browser! PICO-8 is a "fantasy console" that doesn't exist physically (unless you build one, more on that later). If you want to develop cartridges and play locally, you can buy the whole system (any platform) for $14.99, which I have.

If you have Windows and Chrome or New Edge you can just plug in your Xbox Controller with a micro-USB cable and visit https://www.lexaloffle.com/pico-8.php and start playing now! It's amazing - yes I know how it works but it's still amazing - to me to be able to play a game in a web browser using a game controller. I guess I'm easily impressed.

It wasn't very clear to me how to load and play any cartridge LOCALLY. For example, I can play Demon Castle here on the Forums but how do I play it locally and later, offline?

The easy way is to run PICO-8 and hit ESC to get their command line. Then I type LOAD #cartid where #cartid is literally the id of the cartridge on the forums. In the case of Demon Castle it's #demon_castle-0 so I can just LOAD #demon_castle-0 followed by RUN.

Alternatively - and this is just lovely - if I see the PNG pic of the cartridge on a web page, I can just save that PNG locally and save it in C:\Users\scott\AppData\Roaming\pico-8\carts then run it with LOAD demon_castle-0 (or I can include the full filename with extensions). THAT PNG ABOVE IS THE ACTUAL GAME AS WELL. What a clever thing - a true virtual cartridge.

One of the many genius parts of the PICO-8 is that the "Cartridges" are actually PNG pictures of cartridges. Drink that in for a second. They save a screenshot of the game while the cart is running, then they hide the actual code in a steganographic process - they are hiding the code in two of the bits of the color channels! Since the cart pics are 160*205 there's enough room for 32k.

A p8 file is source code and a p8.png is the compiled cart!

How to make PICO-8 games

The PICO-8 software includes everything you need - consciously constrained - to make AND play games. You hit ESC to move between the game and the game designer. It includes a sprite and music editor as well.

From their site, the specifications are TIGHT on purpose because constraints are fun. When I write for the PalmPilot back in the 90s I had just 4k of heap and it was the most fun I've had in years.

Display - 128x128 16 colours

Cartridge Size - 32k

Sound - 4 channel chip blerps

Code - Lua

Sprites - 256 8x8 sprites

Map - 128x32 cels

"The harsh limitations of PICO-8 are carefully chosen to be fun to work with, to encourage small but expressive designs, and to give cartridges made with PICO-8 their own particular look and feel."

The code you will use is LUA. Here's some demo code of a Hello World that animates 11 sprites and includes two lines of text

t = 0 music(0) -- play music from pattern 0 function _draw() cls() for i=1,11 do -- for each letter for j=0,7 do -- for each rainbow trail part t1 = t + i*4 - j*2 -- adjusted time y = 45-j + cos(t1/50)*5 -- vertical position pal(7, 14-j) -- remap colour from white spr(16+i, 8+i*8, y) -- draw letter sprite end end print("this is pico-8", 37, 70, 14) print("nice to meet you", 34, 80, 12) spr(1, 64-4, 90) -- draw heart sprite t += 1 end

That's just a simple example, there's a huge forum with thousands of games and lots of folks happy to help you in this new world of game creation with the PICO-8. Here's a wonderful PICO-8 Cheat Sheet to print out with a list of functions and concepts. Maybe set it as your wallpaper while developing? There's a detailed User Manual and a 72 page PICO-8 Zine PDF which is really impressive!

And finally, be sure to bookmark this GitHub hosted amazing curated list of PICO-8 resources! https://github.com/pico-8/awesome-PICO-8

  Writing PICO-8 Code in another Editor

There is a 3 year old PICO-8 extension for Visual Studio Code that is a decent start, although it's created assuming a Mac, so if you are a Windows user, you will need to change the Keyboard Shortcuts to something like "Ctrl-Shift-Alt-R" to run cartridges. There's no debugger that I'm seeing. In an ideal world we'd use launch.json and have a registered PICO-8 type and that would make launching after changing code a lot clearer.

There is a more recent "pico8vscodeditor" extension by Steve Robbins that includes snippets for loops and some snippets for the Pico-8 API. I recommend this newer fleshed out extension - kudos Steve! Be sure to include the full path to your PICO-8 executable, and note that the hotkey to run is a chord, starting with "Ctrl-8" then "R."

Editing code directly in the PICO-8 application is totally possible and you can truly develop an entire cart in there, but if you do, you're a better person than I. Here's a directory listing in VSCode on the left and PICO-8 on the right.

And some code.

You can expert to HTML5 as well as binaries for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It's a full game maker! There are also other game systems out there like PicoLove that take PICO-8 in different directions and those are worth knowing about as well.

What about a physical PICO-8 Console

A number of folks have talked about the ultimate portable handheld PICO-8 device. I have done a lot of spelunking and as of this writing it doesn't exist.

You could get a Raspberry Pi Zero and put this Waveshare LCD hat on top. The screen is perfect. But the joystick and buttons...just aren't. There's also no sound by default. But $14 is a good start.

The Tiny GamePi15, also from Waveshare could be good with decent buttons but it has a 240x240 screen.

The full sized Game Hat looks promising and has a large 480x320 screen so you could play PICO-8 at a scaled 256x256.

The RetroStone is also close but you're truly on your own, compiling drivers yourself (twitter thread) from what I can gather

The ClockworkPI GameShell is SOOOO close but the screen is 320x240 which makes 128x128 an awkward scaled mess with aliasing, and the screen the Clockwork folks chose doesn't have a true grid if pixels. Their pixels are staggered. Hopefully they'll offer an alternative module one day, then this would truly be the perfect device. There are clear instructions on how to get going.

The PocketCHIP has a great screen but a nightmare input keyboard.

For now, any PC, Laptop, or Rasberry Pi with a proper setup will do just fine for you to explore the PICO-8 and the world of fantasy consoles!

Sponsor: OzCode is a magical debugging extension for C#/.NET devs working in Visual Studio. Get to the root cause of your bugs faster with heads-up display, advanced search inside objects, LINQ query debugging, side-by-side object comparisons & more. Try for free!

© 2019 Scott Hanselman. All rights reserved.

      The PICO-8 Virtual Fantasy Console is an idealized constrained modern day game maker published first on http://7elementswd.tumblr.com/