#& its been really fun to have a rapid improvement period because of it

[jventureart]

I'm so excited to post all the things I've been working on :)

I hope yall like them

[wisteria-lodge]

lion primary + burnt rapid-fire bird secondary (snake model)

Hi! I’m really enjoying your page and was wondering if you might help me to find my sorting? I can’t settle on Chill Lion Primary or Snake Primary.

I seem to be able to leave friendships really easy

Not *Badger,* maybe? Because Snake can be friends with people who aren’t Inner Circle. Depends on what level of loyalty we’re talking about here… need more data.

if the choice is a stranger in need vs. my closest friend, it would be a stranger I would feel worst for abandoning, but I probably only deeply care about my family members, and friends only to some extent and helping someone in need would make me feel as a better person than just not turning my back on a friend.

… THAT is not a Snake primary answer, I can tell you that for sure.

When I was a kid and my mom would have a fight with my stepfather, I would always side with my mom, even if I knew she was not really right. I did not want to hurt her, but now when I am older, I know how important it is to stand by what you see as right, so I try to d talk about seeing things from both sides, even though I will still stand by her side in the end, probably. There is not much I can do for the people I care about, but when I am given an opportunity to protect and fight for them, I will.

There’s something interesting going on here. Because clearly you acted in a super Snake way when you were younger (‘they might be wrong, but I’m still going to defend them’) but… you felt bad about it. And you definitely *feel* bad about it, in retrospect.

Especially with that situation you gave me right there… I would not be at all surprised if you were expected to model Snake, or even forced to model Snake when you were younger.

But I deeply believe ‘the root of all evil’ is only caring about your own. I think that is selfish and cold.

Yeah. I think you may have an unhealthy Snake influence in your life. The conflict between Loyalists and Idealists is very near the heart of this system, and they do go back and forth, with Loyalists seeing Idealists as ruthless and cruel, Idealists seeing Loyalists as… yeah, selfish and cold. The way I see it, both are beautiful and expansive and know things the other needs to learn - and both can also be warped, and unhealthy, and scary.

I think I would be a better person if I had something to believe in, if I would fight for something bigger than me. I have not found it. Or maybe I did, but there is not much I can do about it. I can not incorporate it into my life apart from personal small actions, and I want to do more

This is very much a Lion primary dream. And I just want to say that the Lion dream does not have to be huge and all-encompassing in order to be meaningful, and real, and fulfilling.

Or maybe I just want an easy and lazy life, just doing what I like and just a bit more and that’s it. Sometimes it is like that too, I believe.

And you know what, that’s kind of a Lion primary mood too :)

I wouldn’t say standing by people you most care about is morally right, but it is a damn strong force.

Still Lion. Like OF COURSE if you can stand by both your morals and your people, that’s IDEAL.

As much as I can remember, I never had anything big and idealistic to believe in, apart from not hurting others, and a lot of what I believe in now is based on that.

You *want* something big and idealistic to believe in, to be happy and fulfilled. That’s still Lion, even if no Cause has clicked with you yet. (I suspect you’re a little burned, which can’t be helping.)

So I was always really harsh to people who I thought were selfish.

Again with this negative Snake influence.

I thought I was a Lion Secondary, but more and more I keep noticing how much I am using honesty as a tool.

Hmmm. Could be a Snake secondary tactic, but Birds do like their tools….

Sure, being yourself is the easiest thing in the world

… everyone does not feel this way. You’ve got strong Lion in your sorting somewhere.

but it also allows you to be seen as readable and trustworthy in your words. I know how much I can shift words or tone just a bit. Sometimes it feels like I am watching from inside, going “oh, you’re doing this now?”

That’s interesting. The way you’re describing thing - the slight arm’s length, knowing the mask is a mask, but also not planning the mask - is making me think more Snake. Although Actor Bird *is* possible.

I am very emotional, and I find it hard to distinguish my morality and moral choices from just general things I do and want.

… so you’re a Lion primary.

So the only other primary on my list could be Lion, which I find hard to understand. How can things turn from some tug of the heart to a full-fleshed ideal? My belief – trying not to hurt people and all that is related to it, in my mind, still comes from a grounded reality, from the fact that it hurts me to see someone being hurt. It’s not because it was idealistically formed somewhere. I think I probably don’t understand this correctly.

Lion primaries aren’t jedi. Their ideals don’t get magically beamed into their heads from some outside force. Lions reason just the same as Birds, they just use a different part of their psyche to do it. The fact that your morality (at its core, at its base) comes from the way things make you feel… that is what makes you a Lion. Birds don’t process things that way.

Maybe this sounds a bit like a Badger Primary, but there is no place for a group in my morality, in my life. Neighbors? Pffft, just let us live in peace and leave us alone. Groups are unpleasant usually. Maybe if you could choose people you like and click with them. Of course, acceptance is important, but it will never be the basis of anything. Have I never had an important group in my life? Maybe, but that would either mean I have been burned for a long time or I am just not a Badger Primary.

You’re not a Badger primary. And while it’s not a universal thing, I would say that Lion primaries tend to be the *most* comfortable with being loners, or spending extending periods of time as loners.

Of course, I use my brain and prioritize in the moment and use logic. I am not a sweet and nice badger girl, although I will be nice and smile and act my part, and sometimes you do hurt someone by telling the truth or putting yourself first, because I also don’t want to hurt myself if I have a different choice.

This is all starting to sound very snake secondary. The practicality, and twisting, and changing in the moment. Although maybe there’s a Badger performance in there?

Even if I can’t feel what others are feeling, I have something informing me about what they might be feeling. Do I care about not hurting my neighbor? It’s more like I care about not hurting myself by getting into a bad situation with them, being shouted at or having other kinds of problems with them, but that’s still some kind of motivation

Move around the problem, be like water.

Honesty is an idealistic value, and I like it, but I think it probably just makes my life easier, easier to read people and be read.

Snake secondary.

I think I also strongly believe in persons’ right to be and express who they are, that’s why I grew up hating gender stereotypes and not really playing into social rituals. I just want to be seen and liked for who I am.

Lion primary.

My Secondary? It probably burned to ashes. Thinking about how I am doing stuff, improv vs build, it just gives me a headache. Improvisation gives me stress, it gives me hell, but it’s the easiest way.

I mean, all the stuff you’ve been talking about - reading people, putting on the right face, changing direction - absolutely counts as improvisational.

Planning, preparing? Lovely, usually -  access denied. I just go head first just because I don’t know any other way and have no interest or energy to search for it. I am easily bored, so even if I wanted to work, prepare, research, I would lose interest so fast that there would be no use in even trying.

I don’t think you’re a Badger secondary - but it’s just hard to tell because you are so down on your secondary in general. You’re telling me that prepping in theory is lovely but you don’t know how to do it? (not that you don’t LIKE it. That you CAN’T do it.)

I always thought I would finally find something I wanted to work on, something I would enjoy putting time and energy into, but that does not seem to come true.

That’s some more of the angst of your charred/unfulfilled Lion primary coming though.

I am disappointed in myself. You know, it would be very nice if I could be witty and smart and improvise in the moment, but I’m not,

So you *like* Snake secondaries at least.

so I just gave up some time ago and now usually go straight with my head first. At least I’m getting the experience I would never get any other way.

Your secondary is burnt, for sure. But just reading between the lines here… I think you’re much smarter and more capable than you give yourself credit for.

I think if I were to be a Lion Secondary and constantly do this, I wouldn’t feel the heaviness over my secondary.

That’s another big sign of a burnt secondary. Doing things isn’t fun, it’s heavy, it’s a chore, it’s a slog.

Okay, let’s talk about recipes and cooking. I will follow the recipe, at least until I get what is going on, which flavor does what, why is this and not that. Then I can ditch it. I can add whatever I want later on. If I know which parts are the most important, I might not even need the recipe.

… okay, so this suddenly sounds a LOT like a Rapid-Fire Bird

Imagine a world where they give you a recipe for an apple pie and say make a pie. You follow it, your pie looks fine. Then, when they taste it, they tell you, Oh, you didn’t know, you needed to use sour apples. You didn’t figure that out on your own? No, dagnabit, I was concentrating on making an apple pie for the first time in my life. I had no experience of this thing. I didn’t know what it would be. Then they tell you, Oh, maybe you needed to use coconut sugar or something else, or maybe should have figured out yourself that it’s too sweet or that you hate cinnamon, or maybe your oven is not working properly, so you need to deal with that. Yeah, that’s how I feel about life and its problems and people.

Oh that’s interesting. Because what *this* bit is sounding like… is the angst of a Built secondary dealing with a lot of Improvisational secondaries. I’m think you’re a Bird… with a lot of Snakes and Lions in your life.

Every chance I get, I try to tell people these little small things that you somehow supposedly had to figure out on your own. You need to crack the system first to know how you can break it the best way to achieve your goals. Life, problems, people are systems I will never be able to crack. There is nothing to grab onto, so that’s why freefalling headfirst is the best and the easiest option.

OH. Burnt bird secondary. Snake model.

Btw, I am reading other submissions while writing this, to not go completely out of the path and get any ideas that would be valuable. I do like to have a net behind me to catch me if I fall, ha.

And another little detail that sounds very Birdy.

So I’m reading you as a Lion primary with a Rapid-fire Bird secondary. Your primary is burned a little, and your secondary is burned a lot. And a big part of the reason for that is that you’ve got people around you expecting you to use a Snake model all the time, and you *do* have one, you do. But it feels heavy to you right now. You don’t hate it, but you’d rather use Rapid-Fire or maybe Actor Bird. And that might be feeding into the general Anti-Snake sentiment I’m seeing here.

[ecoamerica]

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[mbti-notes]

Hello! INFJ here. I notice that "enjoy more intellectually stimulating solitary pursuits" is listed under Level 6 ego development for ESFJ. However, why is that not mentioned for INFJ in relation to Ti development? Is love of intellectually stimulating solitary pursuits already covered in dominant Ni? As an INFJ, I personally find intellectual exploration at a conceptual level to be almost effortless - asking conceptual questions, getting a "big picture" view of a field, developing my long term

[con’t: vision, viewing a problem from multiple perspectives, creating a high level outline of a paper I'm reading, etc. But getting into details on my own can be quite difficult - I often lose my focus and my mind wanders. I can do it more easily in 1:1 technical conversations though (where I need to hold up my end of the conversation), or if I set some social deadline, e.g. signing up to give a talk. Is it tertiary Ti development that will solve this, or is this an Fe issue? I recently realized just a couple days ago that I was repressing shame about some emotional trauma in my adolescence, which prevented me from seeing myself as a good person, and it feels like my Fe has massively increased in the last couple days alone. I've been releasing the repressed emotions via many hours of crying. I also had a rapid series of insights into a few people I really care about (issues that they're dealing with and how to help), and feel like I finally understand why there are so many songs about love. I  finally decided to actively pursue someone who I think will be my life partner - I think immature Ti was holding me back somehow (wanting to be independent). But I'm not sure if further Fe development will solve this issue of difficulty with detail oriented work or if it's a Ti or Se thing. Or maybe I just need to consciously apply Ni more, e.g. always reminding myself of why I'm delving into details, and making sure to have a conceptual scaffold first before any details work?]

You’re mixing several different issues into one long message, which makes it difficult to respond. Please make your messages focused, as per the blog guidelines. What is considered “intellectually stimulating” to ESFJs is very different from INFJs, not to mention different from person to person within a type, so why are you using ESFJ development as comparison? What purpose does this serve? Every type has their own set of issues to address. 

Trouble with details comes from having a low S function, which is to say that it is a common problem for Ns in general. Each N type has a different path to learning how to handle details better, depending on which exact function pair they’re dealing with and positioning in the stack. The ability to handle details for INFJs involves Ti and Se, both lower functions that are difficult and tiring to use for long periods of time. It’s far easier to develop the tertiary than the inferior function, therefore, Ti is going to be the heavy lifter. 

Ti development encourages one to be more careful, specifically, systematic, in one’s thought process. INFJs often draw irrelevant or illogical connections between ideas and then cannot separate out ideas from each other to focus on addressing each one properly -> very messy thought process (which is already apparent in your message). Immature INFJs like to indulge the fun of drawing Ni connections (often as a means to boost the ego), but they can’t/don’t want to do the very hard Ti work of slowly sorting through information systematically to arrive at precise and accurate judgments. Being a lower function, INFJs often misuse Ti to rationalize their beliefs, as opposed to dispel falsehoods. Lack of Ti development means having no reliable method for dissecting problems and no skills for resolving them. In essence, it amounts to poor critical thinking ability, unable to parse and evaluate information systematically. If you need to improve your critical thinking skills, I have already provided book recommendations on the resources list.

Se development encourages one to be more observant of objective facts and details, specifically, to ensure that one’s beliefs about the world are grounded in the reality of the world. Being Ni dominant, INFJs usually “trust their gut”, which is another way of saying that they have a tendency to believe without factual verification. While your gut may be reliable in pointing you, very generally, in the right direction, it is not foolproof, nor is it able to explain the details of how or why. This means that relying on your gut too much can get you into trouble when your beliefs drift into fantasy and you don’t even realize it. Immature INFJs cannot tell the difference between speculation and fact. When an idea pops into their mind, they run with it. And when they run with it long enough, they believe in it, as they misuse Se to selectively gather “facts” to support the belief. Misusing Ti AND Se basically gives free rein to Ni delusion. 

Mentally manipulating ideas in the manner that you describe involves using Ni and Ti closely together, which always runs the risk of descending into some kind of bias or self-deception, especially when Se is ignored in the process. You need extraverted functions to ensure that this doesn’t happen. Using Fe to access multiple perspectives and opinions is the right way to expand your perspective. However, Ni gathering even more data through Fe sources isn’t going to do you much good, in fact, it may only end up overwhelming or confusing you, if you have no way to systematize and evaluate that data. That is why developing Ti is eventually necessary for refining your ideas and correcting false beliefs.

It’s not a shame to need outside vetting for your ideas. Humans are communicative and collaborative creatures. Two heads are better than one. But it is a shame if you are extremely dependent on outside vetting because you are resistant to or afraid of developing your independent thinking capabilities. Why would someone be unconsciously resistant to or afraid of developing their independent thinking capabilities? Because they don’t want to take full responsibility when confronting the consequences of their beliefs. To put another way, if you mostly get your ideas and opinions from other sources, you can always blame the “bad source” for being wrong and plead innocence. Whereas, if your ideas come only from you and you get called out for being wrong, then you have no choice but to deal with the shame of being “stupid” - an insecurity that Fs often grapple with.

If you are developing Ti properly, over time, you will need a less and less intensive outside vetting process, because you become more capable of doing it for yourself. However, Ti is a lower function, so you are never going to be able to use it like a dominant function. Trying to develop a tertiary function is necessary only to a certain extent, to the extent that you’re able to use it for helping the higher functions work optimally. You shouldn’t fall into the trap of feeling bad when you hit a wall in its development. You shouldn’t start trying to copy Ti doms and using their type’s standards to make inappropriate evaluations of yourself - this is a great way to fall into shame and unhealthy perfectionism. You’re not Ti dom, never will be one, never should be one. You are always going to benefit more by sharing and exchanging ideas with people. You have to accept the reality of what you are and work with it, rather than lose yourself in chasing unrealistic ideals. 

Remember that positive growth cannot come from negative self-loathing. Without self-love and self-acceptance, self-improvement easily morphs into self-harm. Every function in your stack has its proper role to play, so respect the parameters of those roles and development should go more smoothly.

[shieldmaiden19]

I know I'm super late to the party, but ☕️ + accessibility or maybe ☕️ + a period in history you like talking about or ☕️ + common misconceptions about one of your interests (whichever one you prefer) (this is in reference to the rant meme from August)

Hi anon! I have no idea (or at least Tumblr can’t find) the rant meme you’re referring to, but I’m always down to Spill Some Tea.

One of my favorite periods in history to talk and learn about is the 20s (the 1920s because I make no claims at foresight lol) because holy shit there’s so much in that era I relate to and see paralleled in the modern world.

Just think about 1919 - thousands of young men are coming back from a war without end, an 19th century war fought with 20th century weapons, a war that regarded lowly trench soldiers as acceptable losses. No one really knew PTSD was a thing, but suddenly here are the guys that survived all showing a very similar set of symptoms, and this phenomenon gets the name “shell shock.” 

A generation came of age either experiencing or reading reporting on this horrific war, seeing the devastation wreaked upon human beings, habitations, and the natural environment (There are still some places in France where you can’t dig or build because there are records of mines being planted but never found and you could die. TODAY. 11/11/2020). They came of age reading of the revolutions this war sowed in its wake (Russia and Ireland to name the two I know the most about) and seeing the culmination of the campaign for (white) women’s vote. The 1919 pandemic demolished whatever sense of normalcy these young adults had, and with the increasing pace of change, the general zeitgeist became this sense of, “We could literally die tomorrow. I don’t want to grapple with that, so I’m going to avoid it in every way I can.” This is where we get the phrase “Carpe diem” - the Latin literally translates to “Seize the day” (yes, Newsies fans, cool your tits), a phrase not unlike today’s YOLO - You Only Live Once.

Now, with the increase in eligible voters, Congress and its policies shifted. A good chunk of their voter base lived with the effects of alcohol on a daily basis, and the Women’s Temperance Union’s campaign to prohibit the creation or sale of liquor finally saw success. Now, before some asshole takes this opportunity to start harping on these fun-killing puritans, I need you to understand that these women were using what they had to improve the world as they knew it. Just like with PTSD, alcoholism had been observed on a broad enough scale to be registered as a phenomenon but not studied at the level we know it today. We know now that alcoholism is often an inherited condition, a continuing cycle of misery from one generation to the next, exacerbated by inequalities, discrimination, and underlying mental conditions. These women didn’t know any of that, so they had to use the tools (the vote) and the knowledge (the men in our lives hurt us when they’re under the influence of alcohol) they had to make changes. Ken Burns’ Prohibition documentary goes into detail on this, and I highly recommend it.

So now we get to Prohibition.

The era of Prohibition has been romanticized and dramatized for decades (at least partly due to Mob influence in Hollywood), but there are some things that need to be touched on

1. Prohibition changed power dynamics. Italians, as I mentioned before, took the positioning on the margins they were handed coming to America at the beginning of the 20th century and they made it work. Black artists created art that literally changed the music world as we know it.

Side note: I didn’t realize until I started writing this that a lot of my passion for representation comes back to this era, because name, if you can, five Italian-American characters that are not in any way connected to the Mob. Try it, and tell me if you can think of any because I need to know.

2. Pre-Prohibition bars/drinking halls did not allow women to enter. Prohibition closed those down and nightclub/speakeasies rose up to fill the void. Those allowed women in, because who would turn away business when you’re operating on the margins? These ten years saw not so much a shift as a rolling wave of change in urban American culture, lifestyle, and society for so many reasons, including but not limited to:

-  The rise in rapid communication technology (and film!! Film was sprouted and blossomed in the 20s!!)

-  High levels of PTSD (from the war and the pandemic)

-  Broad, safe, and cheap access to electricity (allowing communication, nightlife, etc)

-  Zeitgeist of confused apathy/hurt/panic 

This decade set the mold for urban America as we know it. People on the margins finally had a voice, and they used it to roar. And an entire generation of young people so steeped in trauma, uprising, and a changing world they no longer could separate the frenetic panic of the world from themselves drank themselves into addiction and the worst financial crisis in recorded history (prior to 2020 lol). They raised the “Greatest Generation,” and for all they roared when they were young, they are known in history as the “Silent Generation.” The wheels of the world turn, and they spin the same direction a hundred years later, and if we do not learn from history, we will be crushed by it.

Rise up and roar, my lovelies, and never, ever let history silence you. If we’re going down, we’re going down swinging.

#shieldsays #shieldshareshershit #thanksanon #happy2020yall

[paramsiddharth]

#4: Searching for Hope

I am glad to tell that we have finally moved. Earlier residing in Uttar Pradesh, we have moved back to Bihar. Pertaining to the effect of COVID-19, the environment is in a much better condition over here. However, it wasn't easy moving here, and moving didn't solve all of the problems.

First of all, packing. Packing everything was a tedious process. Getting everything into sacks already seemed very tough. Then was mom's OCD, that would make it even tougher. How? Well, things like, she wasn't willing to place the sacks on the floor, because it would make it hard to clean the floor the next day, which she couldn't resist. That's how most of the work got postponed to the last day. Still, it was important to get things done soon, so I decided to go along with the greatest convenience possible.

It would have been more convenient if we had more time. The company where my parents worked had currently imposed a notice period of 6 months i. e. We must stay and work for the company for at least 6 months past resignation. Taking that into account, dad decided to resign in April, someday around their marriage anniversary.

However, it didn't go as well as expected. As May ended, we were told to leave early. Unfairly so, the company decided to violate its own notice period. We were already burdened with financial pressure. Having no other choice, we decided to leave by mid-June.

The lockdown made the process slightly more complicated. I was the most scared of our happening to get into any problems due to it. Thankfully, it didn't turn out to be a big problem, and we made it back to Bihar. The next day, all the luggage arrived too.

I was very happy. Little did I know that my happiness wasn't going to last that long. Within hardly 2 days, my parents had a terrible fight. It was so much worse than the ones I had previously witnessed that I almost felt hopeless. It is hard to express… But painful it was. Especially for me and my mom. Besides all that, it is Bihar, not Uttar Pradesh. Full of snitches. It takes less than half an hour for news to reach from one to the other neighbourhood. Care has to be taken.

Having spent years in a place that is synonymous to prison, my mom has become a person that easily becomes sad and hopeless. She totally discards anything that could make her happy. She says she doesn't want to live anymore, and so many things that she doesn't mean… Things I would never want to hear.

I cried a lot. I can face any problem in life if I have a stable, happy, and loving family having my back. After all, who wouldn't want a happy family? It's just that mine has been through 20 years of misery, and at this point, it is understandably unbearable.

I admit, it will take a lot of time and money for things to improve. We need to have a place for ourselves to live, and my parents are currently working on getting one built. Money would be scarce in the near future, because my parents aren't working at the moment. Some friends asked me to start working part-time to help, which sadly is easier said than done.

I am planning to get a new laptop for myself. The one I have (in the college) is at least 12 years-old, which makes it tough for me to use it to learn most of the contemporary technology, which I would need for my future career. Despite the difficulties, I am trying to keep myself up and learning, because that is the best I can do to help my family in being stable, loving, and happy.

Since I got to use the kitchen after a long time, I used the opportunity to make Shahi Tukda (English: Royal Piece), a really nice and quick sweet. It has a very simple recipe. You just need some sugar, water, rusk, and optionally, some cardamom (elaichi) for seasoning. In fact, here it is:

Prepare a cup of sugar syrup (by mixing water and sugar in 1:3 ratio and heating until mild yellow, viscous, and sticky). Add some cardamom for enhanced flavour.

Pour it in a plate to achieve a height of 1-2 cm.

Place few slices of rusk (dry-heated thick bread will work too) and let them absorb the syrup upto ⅓ (one-third) their width on one side.

Let the same happen to ⅓ of the other side. That would get ⅔ of the rusk soaked in sugar syrup and ⅓ dry in the centre to maintain crispness.

Ta-da! That's it. 🍰 You got yourself a nice Indian sweet to enjoy. In fact, it is quick and yummy. It hardly takes 2-3 minutes to prepare, and doesn't require a lot of syrup. You are free to try different variations and experiment with the recipe on your own.

I have been learning more of Golang. The most interesting part in it is yet to come, which is concurrency i. e. The ability to perform multiple tasks at the same time. I am also spending time learning Ruby on Rails, which is very famous for rapid prototyping, as I have heard. NodeJS, Flask and PHP are the only other back-end web frameworks that I have previously worked with. It will be great to learn more about database integration into webpages. I am very excited about it. Hopefully, I will soon be able to learn and develop interesting things.

Once I return to college, I am planning to make some new songs. I have already been preparing the lyrics and gathering ideas for quite some time. It will be fun to get creative after a long time. The more we learn, the more we do, the more we grow. Also, once I get a little more calm, I have to continue working on all my pending colourful prompts for Inktober! :(

That's it for now. See you soon with another post! <3

[smithshawn24]

A Beautiful Journey

How has each course contributed to your personal and professional development as an instructional designer?

Each course has contributed to my personal and professional development by dispelling some of the things I thought I knew about instructional design. For one I believed that instructional design was just a manual that is read or seen on screen. These past twelve months have demonstrated me how wrong I was in assuming that notion.

1.    Mastery: Personal Development and Leadership impressed upon me to recognize my weaknesses and discover my Grit. Personally, in doing so I expanded my mind to self-discovery and inviting mentors into my life to support me along the way. Professionally it encouraged me to forge relationships with more experienced people in this field to build my talent.

2.    Strategies for Learner Engagement has convinced me to comprehend the fact that not every learner learns in the same way. Professionally I am in a more prominent position to develop more creative ways to deliver training materials that suit various learners but still yield the same intended outcomes. Personally, I will demonstrate more diverse ways of thinking when it comes to the learning needs of others who do not fall into the same generic categories.

3.    Visual and Verbal Communication in Instructional Design has revealed to me the time and consideration it takes to develop extremely effective communications in those two areas. Professionally I will develop a style that is my own while staying consistent within the rules of visual and verbal communication. Personally, I am gaining more sensitivity towards other cultures and how they may perceive certain colors and phrases so as not to outrage them personally.

4.    Corporate Training and Motivational Development directed me on how to always consider the customer's needs, which may expand more considerably than pre-written company provided materials. Professionally I am capable of developing an effective Training Needs Analysis based on interactions with company individuals. Personally, I can establish an emotional trust with the company because they will know I maintain their most beneficial interest in mind.

5.    Instructional Design and Evaluation really got to the essence of why I undertook this journey. It encouraged me to comprehend the very fundamentals of instructional design, which include things like choosing a design model and selecting the target audience. Professionally I am currently capable to develop a training plan using the ADDIE approach proficiently. Personally, I am experienced to comprehend which approach is best to implement based on my evaluation of the target audience’s state of mind.

6.    Digital Media and Learning Applications directed me on how to utilize digital media as an effective learning tool. Furthermore, implementing various learning styles that will contribute to the desired outcomes as well. Professionally I can currently develop summative and formative assessments to measure learning outcomes. Personally, I can appreciate the value or lack of in most digital media I consume on a daily basis. Therefore providing me with the choice in what I learn.

7.    Music and Audio for Instructional Design introduced the concept of how audio can remain an effective tool for learning. Curtis Carter’s article really shone some light on the concept with his four design principles. Professionally, I am capable of delivering audio instructions and storytelling in a compelling and entertaining way. Personally, I have found a storytelling style that I feel comfortable offering to other projects.

8.    Filmmaking Principles for Instructional Design demonstrated to me the power of storytelling when making instructional videos. Moreover the skill it requires to write a compelling story to narrate. Professionally I am capable of writing and storytelling with provided assets. Additionally, I am capable of writing, storyboarding and narrating a fully self-produced video. Personally, I retain the value of lighting and camera positions to compose unique shots.

9.    Game Strategies and Motivation introduced robust creative ways of learning through gamification and game-based learning. This class was extremely enjoyable because it related to how much of modern society learns today through video games and social media. Professionally I am capable of developing rapid prototypes to demonstrate how the game functions. I am equally capable of developing game-based learning tools based on specific learning needs. Personally, I will be experienced to identify the target audience’s learning needs by having fun when designing these learning games.

10. Learning Management Systems and Organization presents itself as the most significant phase of instructional designs. This is when the instructional designer gets to decide how the curriculum gets distributed to the learners. Professionally I am prepared to identify and select from the various choices LMS’s have to offer. Furthermore, I can identify the benefits and concerns each has to offer. Personally, I will utilize my graphic design and coding experience to customize the LMS.

11. Media Asset Creation helped causes the other entire elements like the quizzes and role-playing games together in the Capstone project. They, in addition, presented it with a polished look along with a direct connection to the theme. Professionally I am currently capable of producing and editing instructional videos that include narration and music. In addition to creating a storyboard, script and shot list of the videos. Personally, I learned how to stay self-motivated by experimenting with contrasting filming styles and concepts. Last, staying on task each week with my improved time-management skills.

12.  Final Instructional Design & Technology has demonstrated to me the importance of representing my work visually with a quality demo reel. Equally adopting all the techniques, I have learned and made the demo reel entertaining enough to inspire people to visit my website to view my portfolio in detail.

How well were you able to utilize the concepts and techniques you learned from the program (theories, systems design, interface styling, and the creation of multimedia content) as you designed, developed, and implemented your Capstone Project?

All of the concepts and techniques provided to us were definitely used by myself for the Capstone Project. The four design principles in audio instruction were instrumental to me in reliably delivering my character narrations. Especially the first design principle called Selecting a Narrative Format. It was this one that made my narrations shine because I discovered how to deliver my narrations through dramatic and personal narratives.

The creation of my multimedia content revealed my retention of creating storyboards and writing scripts that considered the learning styles of the target audience as well as teaching them. The more feedback I favorably received for my videos, the more creative ideas flowed naturally into my creative processes. One of the most valuable techniques was properly utilizing the three-second rule in the videos. I consciously made sure to not focus on static images or specific camera angles for no longer than three seconds. Personally, the Capstone Project represents a tremendous experience when it arrived time to develop the demo reel.

Last, learning how to create interactive quizzes utilizing web coding helped design a more customized look. The techniques displayed in the Digital Media and Learning Applications course were foundational in creating quizzes that adhered to the key theme. By going back and revisiting some of these courses, it will help solidify my comprehension of these techniques. Moving forward I will lean on this training periodically and its methods to cement my understanding of instructional design.

Describe your most outstanding personal triumph in each course.

I found personal triumph in each course not because of the grade but because of life lessons I walk away with. This journey has gone from a financial endeavor to an academic achievement to a personal investment. Each one has its rewards and more importantly each has affected me personally.

1.    Mastery: Personal Development and Leadership's biggest triumph came from reading Robert Greene’s Mastery. In many ways, it has disciplined me about this journey and myself and how less evolved minds lead to complacency and conformity.

2.    Strategies for Learner Engagement's biggest triumph came from comprehending how I must relate to individual learners as much as entire groups. Understanding the emotional value between the audience and I can offer a much stronger trust and engagement.

3.    Visual and Verbal Communication in Instructional Design's biggest triumph comes from being able to correctly perform research and designing credible infographics. Research has not always been my strong suit, but I persevered and learned to do it the correct way. Not to mention showcase my graphic design skills.

4.    Corporate Training and Motivational Development's biggest triumph come from being able to design my first training tool. To witness it from conception to functional made me very proud of myself. Furthermore, see a future for me as an instructional designer. It also was the first time I used Adobe XD.

5.    Instructional Design and Evaluation's biggest triumph comes from composing a Training Needs Analysis. I was having trouble comprehending this method in the course earlier but stayed inquisitive and determined. At the end of week four, my comprehension grew and was able to write a professional Training Needs Analysis.

6.    Digital Media and Learning Applications biggest triumph come from being able to aid my peers in completing the interactive quiz assignments. With my knowledge of code writing, I was experienced in determining the cause of their issues and provide solutions. It was the first time I was effective in utilizing instructional training in real-time.

7.    Music and Audio for Instructional Design's biggest triumph come from my finding out about talent I did not know I had in performing character voices. The result was some of my most competent work during these 12 months. Moreover, I have discovered a tool that I can incorporate into my design style and offer clients.

8.    Filmmaking Principles for Instructional Design's biggest triumph comes of being able to set up lighting to film a professional instructional video. This skill will be invaluable as I can offer my video production skills as one of my instructional design services.

9.    Game Strategies and Motivation's biggest triumph come from being able to highlight a current problem in society. Next, demonstrate a way to confront the issue in an entertaining fashion. The game-based tool utilized is informative and motivational to the intended target audience.

10. Learning Management Systems and Organization's biggest triumph comes from learning how to input and customize Canvas LMS. I was a little fearful of tackling this program because I have solely dealt with one LMS before. The materials provided in the course were enormously valuable and in the end, I currently know how to handle two LMS’s.

11. Media Asset Creation's biggest triumph was fulfilling my Design Brief schedule. My media assets contained three lengthy instructional videos that required storyboards, scripts, and narrations. Leaning on the first eleven months of learning, I was capable of employing every technique and method I knew and delivered quality work on time. I am enormously satisfied with the exhausting work I offered in this course.

12. Final Instructional Design & Technology biggest triumph comes from creating a demo reel that my instructor found entertaining and of excellent quality. This was the biggest boost I could have received in the last month of this journey.

[dead-night-harringrove]

Upside Down Headcanons:

Gonna tag @kingbillyharringrove because the two of us have talked in depth about this before, and @paladin-cleric-mage because they requested me to tag them! Love you guys. Lots of this will be me babbling about cool facts too because I love biology so much.

The most commonly accepted and seen headcanon- the Upside Down wildlife (with the possible exception of the Mindflayer) are a form of semi-sentient plant evolution. That being said, I'm now going to break down the different plant aspects of wildlife I have developed and would like to share, as well as habitat, time cycles, and weather.

Parasitic Plants

I would like to bring to your attention Rafflesia Arnoldii, also known as the Stinking Corpse Lily. It has a putrid, decaying flesh scent and produces the largest known individual flower in the world. "It is parasitic on members of the genus Tetrastigma (in the grape family, Vitaceae). It has no roots or leaves and most of the time lives unobserved inside the woody stems and roots of its host." (Source) Also, it looks like this:

I can absolutely see the Democreatures being evolved from this beauty. In their larval stages, they would have to have a host to survive(as seen with Will, who was the host for what was probably Dart) There are many different types of Rafflesia that look very similar but are smaller however, so that's food for thought as well.

While we have not seen much in terms of the actual Upside Down (which is both a shame and a crime), it is easy to assume there are more living variants to the ecosystem than just the three we have been shown. It is, after all, an entire realm parallel to our own. And so, I would like to introduce you to Hydnora Africana, another unique parasitic plant, that grows in the roots of Euphorbia caput-medusae, a succulent. It's undetermined whether or not it has roots or a stem, though it's makeup lends it more towards having one root system and no stem. It's appearance is also fascinating, and it's far too easy to imagine some monstrous creature based off of it:

The fine white threads when in first bloom are just wide enough for beetles to get in through, but may find it difficult to escape through. After a few days the "teeth" pull apart so that the beetles may escape and distribute their pollen. (Source)

There is also the plant Orobanche fasciculata, or Clustered Broomrape. They are endangered in many states, including Indiana! (Source) "Clustered Broomrape (Orobanche fasciculata), also known as Yellow Broomrape, has mostly 5-10 long, slender, 1-flowered stalks rising from a short, trunk-like stemusually 2-6 inches (5-15 cm) long. It occurs in the midwestern and Plains states." (Source) It is also nicknamed the Cancer Root, and it's a parasitic herb.  The species has both male and female reproductive organs, and is a perennial(meaning it comes back each year.) (Source) It is parasitic on the roots of Ambrosia and other members of the Compasitae. It is one of plants I have based herbivorous creatures off of, prey animals that act as a food source for Rafflesia and Hydnora variants. The reasoning for this is because of its medicinal uses. "The root is pectoral. The chewed root has been used as a dressing on wounds and open sores. An infusion of the leaves is used as a wash on sores. Forms of the plant that are parasitic on sweet sage roots have been used as a treatment of cancer." (Source) It looks like this:

Fungi

With the spores that are constantly in the air of the Upside Down, and the often-times toxic nature of fungi, it's all too easy to picture variations of wildlife as evolved sentience from them as well. Here are some good contenders for potential wildlife!

Hydnellum Peckii, or the Bleeding Tooth Fungus, is a creature I've actually drawn and designed before! Similar to the Demogorgon, it is a humanoid omnivore. "Scientifically known as hydnellum peckii, the young bleeding tooth fungus’s thick red fluid oozes through its tiny pores, creating the appearance of blood. The underside of the cap has tooth-like spines. As it matures, the mushroom’s pale pink centre becomes dark, almost black, in colour... The bleeding tooth fungus is a mycorrhiza fungus, engaging in a symbiotic association with the roots of a vascular plant. The fungus receives fixed carbon from the host and, in return, improves the host plant’s mineral absorption." (Source) It looks like this:

The Bleeding Tooth Fungus creature is a stealth hunter, lying in wait completely still. The blood colored fluid is also scented like blood, luring in unsuspecting prey for the creature to strike quickly and effeciently. It is not built for speed but rather strength and quick movements.

Armillaria mellea, also known as a Honey Mushroom, is a parasitic version that colonizes dead or dying plants, and will kill living hosts. It has an enzyme that gives it bioluminescence, and colonized plants where this fungus is present are known as Foxfire. (Source) It looks like this:

Creatures based off of these fungi would loan themselves to bioluminescence, in either a total glow or perhaps something with design, such as species patterns.

Bioluminescence

This one is purely self-indulgent and festures heavily into an AU I've had in development for months and talked about at length with @kingbillyharringrove and @wickedlittleoz for being a rare jarringrove au.

I like to headcanon that there are enzymes that exist naturally in the water of the Upside Down, and when ingested and entering the bloodstream have a reaction with white blood cells that cause a bioluminescent reaction. I like to headcanon that this is why, despite the darkness of the night, it is never truly dark. There's always a dull glow at the very least.

Day & Night Cycles

I love the idea of the Upside Down having a day time, and I now feel ROBBED knowing that the original concept art had considered it! I like the idea of the Upside Down having a Red Sun instead of a sun like ours. During the day, the world os illumimated in a reddish glow and colors appear distorted to what we are used to. The plants tend to have more bluish purple tones during the day.

The dusk and dawn times are brilliant and full of life, with all the glowing beasts and fungi bursting to life in the first hour after sunset and right before sunrise. The late night period is the darkest, when things are either sleeping or hunting. Carnivores have evolved so that their glow is hidden, patterned like the flora surrounding them. This helps hide them from prey animals who might have eyes and flee.

(Early concept art for the Upside Down)

Weather and Habitat

Now aside from the storm surrounding the Mindflayer, we don't have any real basis for the weather in the Upside Dowm aside from stale and still. My own headcanons include a few other phenomena including:

Acid rain storms. It's a world of death and shadows and decay. Acid rains fit in beautifully with this ideal.

Extreme heat waves, especially during the summer months when many of the creatures travel deep deep south or high high north towards the ever-frozen poles. Alternatively, the summer is when the heat-based creatures come out from hibernation or migrate back from their position at the equator.

Speaking of the equator, much like our world it's considerably warmer than the rest of the planet. Unlike our world, it's literally uninhabitable by the rest of the planet. It's a scorching barren wasteland with extreme volcanic activity and large pockets of gas below the surface of the earth that frequently boil over and explode. The gases are deadly to breathe in even for the native creatures.

Sand and glass storms. Sand storms are prevalent on the outskirts of the equator, where deserts line the center of the globe. Glass storms are closer to the center of the equator, where freak lightening and rapid heat rising keeps the sands crystalized and when the wind catches them and cools the molten sand rapidly, it turns into glass. It's not fun.

The Ocean

This one is fair game, and honestly? Not one I've put too much development into because the possibilities are wider than we can even imagine. I mean, hell. Our OWN oceans provide otherworldly horrors on a daily discovery basis. What would the Upside Down have to offer?

The only thought we've really put into it is @kingbillyharringrove and I decided that the deepest part of our own ocean was a connector to the Upside Down's. When it comes to the oceans, our worlds overlap consistently.

[haiky-u-lously]

There’s Magic in UA

Request: Heya :D Here I go again. I would like to request "A familiar that’s personality matches your soulmate’s" for BNHA Todoroki? I am really curious about this one :D Let me know if you need some more info or something ❤

A/n: This was harder to write than I anticipated. I’m also not so sure if its good enough...oh well. Oh! My studies about mythology have told me that in some tales familiars are viewed as basically power-ups. So, they are in essence, lesser than the witch they’ve connected to. So, when walking, witch/wizard leads the familiar. I tried to follow this line of belief for this story. Otherwise, have fun. Questions/comments/concerns/ideas etc. are welcome as always. Let me know what you think.

Summary: Sek’Hod is your familiar. Sekhmet is a god of fire from Egypt and Hod is a god of winter from Norse mythology. Your familiar is a cat. UA is not a school for heroes. It’s a school for wizards and witches alike. Not everyone has their familiar before entering UA, its more common to find your familiar during your last year there, or at the school you attend. However, sometimes things happen, people find their familiars before beginning classes. And…sometimes…students transfer in with them.

Warnings:Language, and mention of having anxiety/going into an attack (not detailed and is very brief).

Enjoy!--Admin Red

____________________________

“Where did I..” You drawled out, more to yourself, spinning in search of the practically cursed item. “Sek’Hod, have you seen..?” Looking at your other half, you watched as the di-chromatic kitten blinked at you. Continuing her staring as if you had not addressed her so explicitly. Sighing, you realized you’d have to try some more, show your familiar that you were indeed actually trying on your own.

After a few more minutes spent in vain, upon hearing the chime of the silver bell around her collar, you turned to Sek’Hod.

And saw your wand perched on the table right next to her.

“Thank you, Sek’Hod. Now we can be on our way.” Straightening up, you brushed off any possible dirt particles.

Today you started at your new transfer school. Home of the best wizards and witches in Japan.

You watched as Sek’Hod jumped off her favorite spot in order to follow you, and smiled widely. Finding her had been the best feeling ever. As soon as you had seen the kitten, you knew she was yours and you hers. It took less than an hour for the connection to form and your parents told you that they hadn’t heard of the action forming that quickly except for in the top duos. Lucky for you, their belief in that was so deep they did everything in their power to get you transferred to this school.

Where your idol, All Might had chosen to begin his professing career.

Locking the door behind you, and tying your ropes tights you made short work of the walk to your new class.

____________________________

A dark haired, exhausted looking professor had stopped you from entering the class.

He led you away and explained the process that had your expression in a deep frown.

“Since you just transferred in and we don’t know what you know in comparison to our students, you have to do all the tests they’ve taken up to this point. Any you fail, you will be given supplementary lessons for and will do again. If you fail after that, you will be sent back to your prior school.” The older professor seemingly glared at you, “Do you have any questions?”

You shook your head. While not the nicest way to say it, the instructions were very clear. Pass, stay. Fail twice, leave. Simple.

Sek’Hod meowed once at you curtly, and you mentally thanked her for the understood piece of comfort.

She believed in you. Your parents believed in you. And, the school must have as well or they wouldn’t have waited to tell me this until after I moved all my stuff into the dorms.

You entered the room with your cat trailing behind you.

Noticing the posted schedule you saw you’d have three tests a day for two weeks. It made sense to you with all the listed courses.

__________________________

During each testing period, Sek’Hod laid by the windows. Sometimes, rarely, she’d lift her head and stare at you.

However, when you did nothing new (except maybe give a small wave or smile her way) she’d lay it back down and continuing staring. You’d also seen her take some bored-like looks out the window.

She must have felt you staring back at her then because the quick-witted cat turned away quickly and moved to the opposite side of the room, to sit directly behind you.

Which made you scoff despite yourself, “Oh, Sek’Hod. So silly.”

__________________________

After your first week of testing you were ready to be done.

Every time during meal periods, Sek’Hod just pushed her food around for a long while before eating. You were getting more and more nervous about this new habit and hated that you didn’t know what to do to fix it.

But things didn’t change even during the weekend.

“Come Sek’Hod. Please, just eat your food?” You were practically pleading with her. She hissed at you and made to turn away, as if your words were poisonous to her.

Which is when you had the bright idea to try and grab her by lifting her from the stomach.

“Shit shit shit shit shit!” You cursed out, left hand flinging to hold your right. “Sek’Hod, you bitch!” You yelled, glaring at her.

The empty look told you she felt no remorse for the combined bite and scratch.

Participating in a sudden staring match with your cat, you nearly missed the rapid knocking on your door.

When it finally reached your ears, you shot up to catch the person before they left well-and-good alone. “Hi, sorry about that.”

“Oh, no! I’m sorry for interrupting. We just heard a scream and wanted to check if you were okay?” The bubbly-looking girl in front of you explained, her checks turning a bright pink shade.

“Yes, yes. Thank you, yes. I’m fine. Just Sek’Hod being mean, because I’m trying to help her!” Determinedly screaming the last part back towards where you knew that cat was in wait.

Just hearing a curt meow in response.

“Wait, you have a cat?” The girl asked in disbelief.

You smiled, “Of course. Sek’Hod is my familiar. It’s against the laws to split a chosen and familiar.” Reminding her of the law, you motioned for the girl to enter your room. Getting a sense that she’d be a good person to make friends with.

__________________________

Uraraka was pretty close to what you expected. She was bubbly and nice, and she was calling you guys friends before she left. It felt nice after practically a week of being near alone.

“See, Sek’Hod?” The cat just looked at you, as if she was done with your shit. “That’s how you should be. Nice.”

She just walked away.

_________________________

The next day you decided to get up early to get a good breakfast. Wanting to start the second week of testing with a good attitude.

Unfortunately for you, some magic-less people decided they were going to try and steal from you on your way to the restaurant.

Luckily thought, Sek’Hod had been angry with the change in schedule and wanted to take out her anger on something.

So, she did.

On the assholes that tried to attack you.

And, boy did they regret that early morning (late night?) choice. Because while all three ran away, two were crying while doing so.

“Hahah, so much for those gangster wanna-be’s. Huh, Sek’Hod?” You enthusiastically asked.

A small up turn of her mouth told you that the cat agreed with your sentiment.

Without another trouble the day went well.

__________________________

It was finally over.

All your make-up testing. And beyond the goddess, you passed everything. Some with flying colors. Your potions test having improved sleepy Mr. Frown-head (who’d you long since learned was actually the one and only Eraserhead) to the point that the man didn’t say anything in response to your score. Which opposed all his negative comments on the others.

You’d also discovered the man liked pushing students to the edge. Only telling them what they could improve on so that they wouldn’t get complicit or do something stupid. So when he didn’t tell you something immediately it felt good to stump the man. Especially knowing all about his reputation in the world of magics.

“Well (Y/N), guess since you didn’t fail you get to stay.” He said briefly before walking away.

You were smiling on your walk back to your room, imagining what you could say to Uraraka about everything since you hadn’t seen her since the night you’d met. When a blonde kicked a door open right in front of you.

Yelping obviously wouldn’t help the situation, but that didn’t stop the action from occurring.

Glaring at you, the boy’s look had you apologizing immediately. He squinted briefly before making to storm off.

Taking a second to breath, you realized what door he’d just walked out of. “Wait!” But your calls went unanswered. Jogging, you tried again.

And, again.

Right when you were about to take a deep breath to try again, you saw him come to a complete stop.

Following the slouching figure, you saw your cat blankly looking back into the red-eyes of the blonde.

“What do you want, stupid cat?”

But Sek’Hod just kept staring, empty eyes into angry ones.

“Well!” The kid screamed.

Before he could do much else, you spoke again. “Sorry, about Sek’Hod. As a familiar, she follows my will. And, I wanted you to stop.”

“Why should I stop for some idiot I don’t know?” He asked angrily.

You sighed, and beant down to pet behind your friend’s ears, her favorite spot. “You’re right. But when someone keeps calling wait, and running after you, you’d think that’d at least be enough to scream at them to leave you alone. Or give them a chance to explain what they want. Just ignoring the matter won’t make it go away. And, obviously, I got what I wanted in the long run, so you could have—”

“You talk to much dip-shit.” He commented and moved to walk away again. Sek’Hod stood in his path once again and you heard muttering of a spell.

Sending your own cast over your kitten, you screamed at him. “Why would you try to make my familiar blow up you jerk?! All I was going to ask was if you were in 2-A!? Now, I hope to the goddess you aren’t because screw this if I’m with an asshole like you. Let’s go Sek’Hod.” You took off at an alarmingly quick and harsh manner.

“Yo!” He called. After your speech about listening to people calling after you, you felt you couldn’t be hypocritical. Taking a deep sigh, you turned and raised an eyebrow at him. “Who the hell are you?”

You smiled mischievously, and felt Sek’Hod rolling her eyes at your behavior. The cat began her walk back towards your room knowing you’d catch up after your drama inducing phase paced. “I’m the person whose gunna beat your ass if you touch my cat. That’s who.”

It sounded like a growl came from the boy, but you no longer cared. Racing after you familiar you kept calling, “Sek’Hod! Come’on! I wasn’t that bad this time! Look I even walked away before a battle broke!” But no matter what you said, your cat just kept walking in front of you. Showing anyone who passed that you were currently the lesser being between you.

________________________

Once you made it back to the room, you were happily surprised to find A bubbly-brunette standing patiently at your door.

“Hey Uraraka. How are you?”

She jumped with a small yelp. “Oh! (Y/N)! You scared me, I thought you were inside.”

“I can see that, hahah” Motioning for her to move over, you unlocked the room to let Sek’Hod find her way in. “But, how are you?”

Smiling, Uraraka clapped before answering. “Good! This week was interesting, but they finally told the class you’d be coming next week. I can’t wait to be in the same class.”

You grinned at her and went through the motions of your turn down routine. “Oh?”

The simple question was all she needed. Going into detail about her week and the practice duels they’ve had in preparation for the wizard-tournament that was occurring before the end of the term, and everything else going on in the class.

Sek’Hod lazily swung her hand back and forth, hanging off the ledge from her laying position perched on the counter top.

“I see I see.” You commented absentmindedly, looking in the fridge for Sek’Hod’s food. You felt bad that you weren’t paying full attention to your new friend, but knew you had to keep Sek’Hod on schedule.

“Hey (Y/N)?” She suddenly asked, drawing your attention back to facing her. “Your cat reminds me of someone I know from class, how would you explain her personality?”

You smiled, “Oh Uraraka. We don’t have time for that. Aren’t you tired from your coursework?”

She giggle and waved away your excuses. “Sechead can’t be that bad.”

“Sek’Hod.” You correct quickly, before the kitten did anything.

“Sorry, she smiled at your little princess, “Sek’Hod. I’m sure she’s not nearly as bad as you just made her sound. She’s so pretty, and both times I’ve seen her she seems to just chill out.”

Laughing out at the top of your lungs caused said kitten to glare at you. “Sorry, sorry. But really? Sek’Hod. You just brutally attacked three burly individuals this week because you were woken up earlier than normal. And, you want to lay there and act as if you are perfect??”

The hum of a meow back sent you laughing again.

“Sorry Uraraka. This must seem rude, you’ll learn quickly how familiars talk to you when you find yours.” An encouraging smile from her made you feel like there were no problems. “Sek’Hod is…different than how people expect her to be. She doesn’t like most people. Well, she makes them think that. She actually really couldn’t care less. She likes to be alone, but she’s getting better about that, seeing as she’s around me all the time. She calculates things the same way no matter what. Like…I needed to remember a potions mix when studying for a test a bit back and she calmly helped me think through it when I put myself towards an anxiety attack from being so stressed about missing a word. And then I needed a spell in the middle of an actual fight that occurred and she was able to help calm me and recall it, without a problem. She knows exactly what I need and doesn’t baby me to get it. Constantly pushing me to do things on my own before just relying on her.” You leaned over the counter and scratched behind her ears with a small smile. “She seems cold, but I like to think of it as being collected. My parents said they thought she was going to be too much after we realized how brutal she could be in her actions, but I think it just adds more to our connection since she brings something new to me. She hates this one guy we’ve seen on the news a lot back home, and I’m not sure why I understand that she has very deeply rooted reasons behind the constant hisses and attempts to destroy the television.”

Looking into Uraraka’s eyes, you realized you’d been rambling.

“Sorry. I just…sorry.”

“Oh, no. Don’t apologize. You’ve just confirmed something for me.” She smiled.

“Ohhkay..?” You both said and asked at the same time.

The rest of the night was much like the first. Both you and her just discussing random things and getting to know each other more. By the time she was ready to return to her own room, Sek’Hod had been willing to let her pet her a total of two times.

A huge accomplishment in your book.

________________________

The actual first day of class had you nervous. Wondering if everyone would be as friendly as Uraraka or as shitty as that rude ass boy from before.

A strong meow from Sek’Hod had you shaking away your fears, and making your way into the room despite lingering nerves.

Upon entry, sounds stopped.

Uraraka forgot to mention how the professor described you. But the first question thrown your way made you understand.

“So you really do already have your familiar?”

You just nodded, not knowing exactly where the question had come from. Just to have many voices asking you a bunch of questions over one another, and you weren’t able to make out any of them.

It was just your luck that another person came in just then, sternly reprimanding into the class, “Midoriya, when you want something done quickly, for something like that, you text me more information.”

While the new person’s voice was firm you could tell there was no malice behind it, however everyone’s voices in the room grew quiet and you were suddenly more thankful for the sudden appearance than you thought you were just from their interrupting voice.

“Why are we all just standing at the front of the room?” He asked.

Turning around, you saw the same blank look you cat gave you multiple times a day. It made you giggle, and you almost lost it completely when the gaze turned directly on you and you noticed the male’s eyes were di-chromatic, like your cat’s as well.

“And you are?”

Sticking your hand out, you introduced yourself. “(L/N) (Y/N). Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, you are the new transfer with the familiar. No matter. You won’t surpass me.” His confidence was clear, and you just kept smiling. Getting a sense that this guy was just used to being told he was better than everyone, not that the same feeling you had felt from the blonde who was suddenly angrily approaching your small group.

“Oi, don’t go bringing others into this.” He growled. “I’ve told you’d fall to me. Got that IcyHot?”

Ignoring the blonde, the split haired male gave you his undivided attention. “May I meet your familiar?”

“Sure!” You readily agreed. Turning to your side, you indicated the kitten. “This is Sek’Hod. Her eyes kind of match yours, see?”

“Yes.” He answered simply.

You noticed that your cat held no qualms about this random boy, but could not fully understand why.

However, right when you were about to comment, sleepy Mr. Frown-head came in walked in to begin class.

__________________________

When the course work finished for the day, you bent to get Sek’Hod from under your desk.

Discovering she wasn’t there, you looked around the class and found her under Todoroki’s desk in the back corner of the room.

She was lazily watching you, and you motioned for her to come.

Looking at Todoroki’s legs next to her, she then sent you an empty look and sat up.

…

…

…

Just to stay in a seated position under his desk, looking at you with a bored expression.

You huffed out a sigh and made you way over. “Sorry, Todoroki. But, Sek’Hod has apparently decided that it was better to sit under your desk and is refusing to come out now.”

The boy blinked at you, before maneuvering to look around his desk at the floor.

Sek’Hod blinked back up at him. Repeated the action he’d just given you and you gasped.

Head jerking around, and catching eyes with a bubbly brunette, yours widened in question.

Uraraka grinned widely and nodded in quick succession.

“Um, Todoroki?” You asked, getting his attention back on you and away from your cat.

Sek’Hod jumped up onto the desk, waiting to see what was going on, but holding the uninterested gaze she always presented.

“Um, you know that story about familiars and soulmates and all that right?”

Cocking his head slightly to the side, it looked like the addressed was thinking. “Yes.” He replied curtly.

You head dropped to hide an unexpected smile. He was so much like you cat and you’d known him less than a day. Finding his gaze again, you took a deep breath, “Does Sek’Hod kind of remind you of anyone?”

Todoroki blinked at you, looked at your cat, glanced at you again before holding a staring contest with your kitten. The dual di-chromatic eyes staring at each other was cute, but you wished he’d connect the dots, or at the very least let you connect them for him.

“I don’t know her well enough to make that assessment.” He finally answered.

You dropped your head into your hands in surrender. Now, what…

“Oh gosh darn it Todoroki! It’s you!” Three voices yelled from the front of the room.

You turned, saw a short green haired male, a tall blue haired male, and Uraraka moving their hands away from their mouths with teeth-y smiles covering their faces.

Facing him once again, you realized Todoroki was frozen in shock. “It’s okay Todoroki. We just met today. If you want to wait to explore this side of things I am perfectly okay with that. I mean I just met you, and you don’t even have your familiar yet. And, who is fate to say we have to change our dynamics right away just because we know we will eventually? And its just not that bad being friends with someone while you still grow as a person. SO, I really don’t see the problem with this at all. And—”

“(Y/N)!!” You heard Uraraka laugh-scream at you.

Nodding you understood what she was saying. “Uraraka’s right. I’m rambling. Sorry.”

Apologizing almost made you miss the slight curl of the tail end of his lips. A smile matching your cat’s as Sek’Hod laid back down to watch the rest of your interactions.

“It’s taken me a few moments to think of what this meant.” He said, voice full of strength in contradiction to your own. “But, my classmates over there, especially Midoriya seem to want to compel us to drag this out now and blow it right up.”

You laughed, realizing he was trying to lessen your nerves, but let him continue.

“The whole plan with the time we’ve got…what I don’t have yet…I’m still your soulmate then.” It seemed like he was reasoning with the situation, and you weren’t sure how to respond, so you didn’t. “Excuse me.”

The simple conclusion confused you. And, you watched in a state of loss as Todoroki was suddenly pushing all three of your remaining classmates out of the room and shutting the door behind them.

“Very well.” He said once the door was closed behind their figures.

After nothing more was said, you questioned his meaning. “What?”

“We are soulmates. You familiar’s personality apparently matches mine, and I am sure whenever I find mine it’ll match yours. Actually, getting to know you more would probably help me find my own quicker.” He explained. Returning to your side, his desk, to get his personal items.

“Just like that?”

“Yes.” He replied curtly, standing in an upright position, and looking at you with the same expression that was currently resting on Sek’Hod’s face.

You nodded, smiling.

Giddily making you way back towards the dorms with your soulmate on your side and your familiar following behind you.

[heyhowyadoingpally]

it’s been forever since i’ve done one of these, huh?

i figured i’d bring this little series back from the dead (pun intended) for october, but i’m not gonna be looking at one pokemon at a time - i’m gonna do mass reviews.

that’s right, i’m going to do a bunch of super quick, rapid-fire reviews of pokemon. more specifically, different pokemon types. even more specifically, three pokemon types.

i’m gonna review all - yes, all, including half-types and secondaries - the posion, dark, and ghost types, in that order. i would have thrown in one more, like bug or psychic, but i think i have enough as it is to last until halloween. although, if there’s a good enough response and, for whatever reason, a demand for either of those two types, i might do one more.

just to clarify, if a pokemon is two of the types i’ll be reviewing, i’ll be placing them in the review of their first type. i.e. if there’s a ghost/dark type, i’ll be putting it in the ghost type review.

yes, these are going to be LONG fucking posts. so sue me.

with that out of the way, let’s begin.

Spooky Halloween Special Part 1: Pure Poison

#023 - Ekans

there really isn’t much for me to say about ekans. he’s really a product of the first-gen’s shtick, which was having the first chunk of the pokemon be more like mundane wildlife than anything else. and that’s something i’m more than okay with; you need mundane wildlife to balance out shit like fire-breathing anteaters and living, floating magnets.

that being said, i adore ekans’s design. there may be a good amount of pokemon out there that are based on real-world animals, but not many of them heavily resemble the animal they’re based on.

ekan’s look is so subtle yet it just works, from the reptilian eyes to the ring around his neck(?), and even the rattle at the end of his tail. hell, i never even noticed the thin lines going all the way down its body until now! maybe they could be segments that somehow help is slither around easier? who knows!

RATING:

i love ekans, but it’s not something that i would absolutely go crazy for. i gave it the extra half-point because, again, it’s one of the cooler “realistic” pokemon, imo.

#024 - Arbok

in the simplest of words, arbok is just plain awesome.

making ekan’s next stage be a cobra just seems fitting: a pokemon as “average” as ekans definitely would evlove into something weirder than a typical snake, but not too weird. cobras are pretty weird, but not too weird. it goes hand in hand.

it’s a little sad that arbok doesn’t retain some of the subtle qualities its predecessor had, like the eyes or the big ring, but it makes up for it with the kickass hood. i’m sure like everyone knows this, but in the first few games the little design on arbok’s hood differed slightly, because they’re arboks from other regions.

RATING:

again, i love its look, but it’s not an absolute favorite.

#029 + #032 - Nidoran

i vaguely remember how awesome i thought the idea of this one pokemon with genders was. of course, now pretty much every pokemon has some minor detail that differentiates their sex.

i love their cute little faces!!! they’re like adorable little rabbit-things with poisonous barbs!

oh, yeah! they’re poison types! so poison is incorporated into their design, right?

...kiiinda?

the pokedex states that nidorans have poisonous barbs sticking out of their backs, but they don’t really look like barbs. they seem more like really dull dorsal fins or something. like, if your tried to hug one of them the most pain you’d get is an uncomfortable poke more than anything.

RATING:

a neat concept for a pokemon, but the execution of the “poison” aspect didn’t really shine through.

#030 + #033 - Nidorina and Nidorino

these two changed, and for the fucking better.

i love the idea that when certain pokemon evolve, it’s really just them maturing, and the nidos did a fantastic job with their second evo. they look a lot more dangerous, but still not quite “barb-y”. i do love how the nidorino seems to naturally crawl on all fours while nidorina stand on her hind legs. it’s those subtle little things that i like.

RATING:

tbh i really don’t have much to say about these guys that i already said about their first forms. they’re more-or-less improved versions of both nidorans.

before we continue and before you say anything, yes, i’m one of those types of people who have a hard time hating any pokemon. the worst you’ll hear from me is that i’m not a fan of certain ones, but they’re nice efforts nonetheless. plus, i have a strong affinity towards the types of pokemon we’ll be looking at, anyway, so this is more of an excuse for me to gush about cute monsters.

#088 - Grimer

GOD where do i fucking begin???

this was the starting point for when pure poison (not quite yet for the half or secondary type!) pokemon really started to take advantage of the concept of...well, posion.

basically, from here on out, i’m going to be gushing a lot about the pure poison pokemon.

if you’ve been following/have known me long enough, you’ll know that i fucking adore any sort of outlandish, blobby monster. sure, most of those kinds of monsters out there are just the same thing over and over, but for some reason i never get enough of them. hell, my favorite animal is basically just a blob with a vague body shape!

everything about grimer is just so pleasing to me: the dopey expression, the little glob of goop dripping from its lip, the nubby hands...it’s even purple, my favorite color!

not to mention the fact that grimer is literally living sludge, one of my all-time favorite concepts for a monster. probably bc i associate any kind of goop monster with swamps, and you all know how much i fucking love those. i think we need more sludge/toxic monsters in our lives. i know i do.

RATING:

let’s face it: you all saw that coming.

#089 - Muk

you know, i didn’t think there was any way that you could improve a living pile of toxic waste, but game freak proved me wrong.

muk took everything i love about grimer and somehow made it significantly better. it genuinely feels like a grimer that grew larger and nastier through years of absorbing more waste and refuse. the strand of slime connecting the “lips” is a really neat touch!

 the more serious expression on its face makes me think that it hates its own existence, like it somehow just knows that it should not be alive. it’s a sad idea, and surprisingly not the darkest ideas that the pokemon franchise has ever delved into. but we’ll probably get more into that with later entries in this series.

RATING:

grimer and muk were, for the longest time, my favorite pokemon, period. that was, of course, until a certain gen 5 creature was introduced and immediately stole my heart. but, again, that’s one of those things we’ll get to soon.

#109 - Koffing

if i had never gotten into pokemon, or even monsters in general and you tried to describe certain creatures to me, i’d think these were some of the dumbest, most batshit ideas ever put on paper. koffing sounds like a weird or dumb idea, but the way a floating orb that spews toxic gasses is presented here is so fucking original.

i’ve always found it fascinating that we associate the color purple with anything poisonous. i suppose it stems (no pun intended) back from certain toxic plants having purple coloration? idk, i’m not an expert on these things.

as a little kid, i loved koffing, which i guess goes to show that i haven’t changed since then lmao. but what’s not to like about it? that’s a face that you can never say no to. koffing wants some cash so it can go out with its friends? go ahead! it wants to have pizza for dinner tonight instead of a casserole? sure thing!!! it wants to start an underground meth lab to rake in the dough to support its family? right on!!!

i especially adore the little skull-and-crossbones on its belly(?). it’s a really neat, subtle touch that didn’t even need to be on there but works so well. i especially love that it’s not just a standard jolly roger kind of crossbones that you’ll often find on monster/creatures that’re poisonous; it’s just the vague shape that makes it really feel like an animal might be able to evolve such a strange pattern on its body, which fits the semi-grounded-in-reality feel gen 1 was trying to go for.

fun fact: some real-life animals, especially insects and arachnids, have skull-shaped patterns on their backs!

RATING:

a perfect example of a pokemon that exemplifies its type.

#110 - Weezing

weezing is either a really ingenious - yet dark - metaphor, or just a really, really cool concept. or both.

i’m probably not the first person to think of this outlandish idea, but i think weezing might be some sort of weird, “hidden message” behind koffing and, more specifically, weezing.

lets take a look at this round, adorable, little cutie: 

it’s associated with toxicity and poison

it produces a gas that’s unpleasant to inhale

it has a second “head” growing on its side (with a cute little “starting crossbone”!)

both faces look quite glum

now, what in real life relates to to these aspects? what thing or things in real life are associated with being harmful or toxic; produce a gas or gaslike substance that, when inhaled, is unpleasant; can cause those exposed to it to develop large, potentially lethal lumps inside their body; and makes people quite glum?

hmmm....i just can’t think of any real-world items that could cause such dangerous, life-altering side-effects.

jokes aside, i’m more than certain i could just be pulling this connection with tobacco out of my ass. it sounds more like one of those edgy creepypastas from back in the day than anything else.

RATING:

this is the closest i think we’ll ever get to a pokemon with a fucking tumor, and whether or not it was intentional weezing’s design reminds me of real-world issues.

(m)

(f)

#316 - Gulpin

after koffing and weezing, pure poison type pokemon were few and far between. it’s a shame, since a lot of the pokemon that are solely poison are just so damn cool, even when they don’t quite show off the “poison” aspects you’d come to expect.

at the same time, i’m glad we currently only have a few amount of pure poison types out there; it makes them feel more special, like a nice treat you’d get every-so-often.

the first pure poison pokemon (how’s that for alliteration!) to appear since gen 1 was gen 3. there was an entire generation that skipped out on having really cute babies. those were surely dark time. at least they up for that with an abundance of other cute pokemon.

that being said, the first pure poison we get after a long, dark and empty era is an absolute cutie! again, i’m a sucker for round, blobby creatures. they always just look so soft and huggable! i think if i lived in the pokemon world, gulpin would definitely be one of those critters i’d snuggle up with.

you know, i really don’t know much about gulpin other than its adorable appearance. i’d really like to find out why its a pure poison! maybe i should see what the pokedex entries from the games have to say about this little cutiepie:

o h .

RATING:

gulpin’s a really neat concept, but the idea of something small and cute that also has an insatiable appetite isn’t something entirely original, and nor is it the first time a character in nintendo followed that same idea.

(m)

(f)

#317 - Swalot

listen: i LOVE swalot. but it’s the kind of love where if i sort of bring that up in a conversation people immediately assume i love swalot because of the same reason that a good two handfuls of people do.

i’m sure you can guess why some people love swalot more than others based on both its name and its rather...erm....interesting eating habit:

i told you that pokemon can get pretty morbid.

i’m really not the sort of person who "points out” something made for kids but with some sort of “underlying fetish material”, but swalot here is one of those few things that make me raise an eyebrow just a little.

but, uh, let’s look at this big cutie in a different, more wholesome light, huh?

designwise, swalot looks fantastic. i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again: i love evolutions that look like a genuine life cycle. i can see gulpin being this sort of nymph that grows over time into this huge, squishy, toxic thing with an insatiable appetite. it almost sounds like the premise of a 1950s b-movie.

even though it’s not a major change, i love the coloring. again, it gives me the impression that young gulpin’s flesh darkens with maturity into a swalot. it’s great.

a detail that i never noticed until getting the pictures for this review is that if you look verrrrry closely, both gulpin and swalot have a faint pattern all over their bodies. it reminds me of how light looks reflecting in the ocean, all broken up like that.

RATING:

potential vorebait aside, i really love swalot’s design, even moreso than gulpit.

#336 - Seviper

there aren’t as many real snake pokemon as i’d like to think, but the ones we do get are pretty rad.

while ekans and arbok have great designs and are always gonna be near and dear to my heart, they never quite felt pokemon-y to me. yes, they were in the first gen and are revered as classics, they seem just too normal to me, you know? like they were literally just purple snakes.

i’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but when you compare them to the outlandish creatures from later generations, they aren’t all that unique. i still love them to death, of course.

seviper, to me at least, looks like what you would mentally picture if someone told you that there was a snake pokemon: it retains the basic idea of a serpent, but takes some creative liberties.

idk why but i really love the eyes it has. they sort of compliment its almost-smile, like its just about to pull a harmless prank on someone and is anticipating the gag. what a smug bastard.

according to the every pokedex, seviper’s best quality is that the entire species has had an ancient rivalry zangoose, another pokemon, for years. from what i can tell, zangoose is supposed to be based off the real-life mongoose, so what we have here is the age-old battle between snakes and mongooses (mongeese?) in the pokemon universe. that’s pretty awesome. i wish they could find more ways to tie in real wildlife habits and instincts like that.

RATING:

overall a good bean with a good design.

#568 - Trubbish

ohhhhh man. ohhhhh boy oh man. we’re at my favorite evolutionary line ever. i’ll try to keep this as contained and condensed as possible.

i’m not sure what it is exactly about garbage monsters, but i adore them a lot. maybe it’s because you can get really creative with how you design the? idk.

i’m surprised it took until gen 5 to get a real trash pokemon. grimer and muk may have been associated with filth, but trubbish and garbodor are the living embodiment of garbage. like, you look at them, and you know exactly what their shtick is. 

i’ve seen a few garbage bag monster before, but trubbish is probably the absolute cutest one i’ve ever seen! look at those big, curious eyes!!!! look at that cute overbite!!!!! look at the little feet made from the bottom corners of the bag!!! it’s such a cute little baby!!!!

unfortunately, not a lot of people share that opinion. and that’s okay. because you’re allowed to have your own fucking opinions on the internet. there’s some pokemon a lot a ppl like that i’m not too crazy for, so sue me. i’ve got my little compost child and that’s okay.

RATING:

is this cheating? i don’t think it’s cheating.

#569 - Garbodor

here it is! the best fucking pokemon to have ever existed!

you might be thinking i saved garbodor till the end on purpose, but i’ve just been reviewing these by the order they appear on the pokedex. besides, there’s just one more after this, so you don’t have to suffer much longer.

GOD i love garbodor so much. everything about it is so creative and fun and cute. i’m so glad it kept the face from when it was just a trubbish. what a cutie!!!!

i love how the garbage bag is sorta draped over its body, like the bag somehow filled up with so much trash that it burst open. i also really love how both of its arms are doing their own different things. it really gives the idea that garbodor wasn’t trying form a perfect body, just a body that works. but the greatest part of this huge baby bean are those cute little pigtails!!! god bless it for looking so cute!!!!!!!

i wanna hug garbodor so badly!!! even if it smells like garbage!!!!

RATING:

i love that funky little compost

#803 - Poipole (aka UB Adhesive)

i haven’t played ultra sun or moon, so the new pokemon in that game are still...well...new to me.

one of the new ultra beasts introduced in the games, poipole has already stolen my heart and i don’t even know it that well. it’s got all of my favorite color combinations rolled into one - blues and purples and pinks!

being an ultra beast, poipole hails from ultra space, and, apparently, from a city in ultra space called ultra megalopolis. jeez, game freak sure loves using the word “ultra”.

i really can’t say much since, again, i’ve never played either of the ultra games, but i like what i do see.

i would have wrapped up this review here, but looking at the pokedex entries for it turned out to be a fucking road trip:

poipole goes from adorably-loved to a fucking sociopath.

alright, i like this cutie even more.

RATING:

for some reason, i still get surprised whenever a new pokemon game has creative and original monster. you’d think they would have blown their wad in the first few gens, but so far they haven’t done so.

that wraps up the first part of this little “review series” next time we’ll be looking at both half-poison AND secondary poison, all in the same post. how terrifying.

...i’m sincerely sorry if you had to read through all of this

PREVIOUS POKEFART: Weedle Line

NEXT POKEFART: (it’s not out yet you dip)

[podcake]

Podcasts & Genre: Comedy

Going into a long, Wikipedia certified analysis about the history and understanding of the comedy genre seems a touch unnecessary since we probably already know what angle I’ll be getting at upon reading the title of this editorial. But for the sake of consistency, let’s all pretend that we don’t know what comedy is so I can fill up the air time with something of actual depth for once. 

When we look into the deep, deep archives of comedy, we find ourselves tracing back to the ancient period of the Greeks and when they originated the term we know today via the word  kōmōidía all thanks to the Athenian democracy, the Spartans more fashionable cousins. Comedy has been around much, much longer then my previous genre topic and is nothing short of a staple in the world of entertainment. It is the lighthearted alternative to tragedy, the grinning mask to the perturbed look of frozen horror. 

Aristotle hearkens it back to the komos, “a curious and improbable spectacle in which a company of festive males apparently sang, danced, and cavorted rollickingly around the image of a large phallus.” His words, not mine.

Shakespeare gives us a definition we’re slightly more familiar with as comedies in his plays were written to be more lighthearted affairs with happy endings and the only real crucial conflict arising from misunderstandings and the cultural clash of  Apollonian and Dionysian values. 

Unlike noir, comedy is less straight forward as a concept and dives into a variety of different mediums and styles that can still maintain the comedy belt to itself. With comedy we have satire, parody, and screwball humor that can come in a variety of flavors and are just as recurring in podcasts as they are television and plays. Also unlike noir, comedy is not restricted to ideas of aesthetic decisions or incredibly specific archetypes as comedy can be anything it wants to be, as long as its all around intention is to make you laugh.

Where podcasts tie into all this pretty self explanatory. We’ve all listened to a comedy podcast or at least a podcast that had a joke once and yet I found myself once again scrapping by with only a handful of examples to list here that proudly flaunted “comedy” in their iTunes category. As to why will be something to discuss later.

What I enjoy about comedy podcasts and the general use of humor in audio is the whole concept of using sound to get a joke across without needing to rely on physical visuals. Comedy has a slightly less difficult journey to accomplish as while noir is limited by the necessity of appealing to a very specific list of tropes, a comedic podcast’s job mostly boils down to being amusing, and they don’t need to fit themselves into any sort of template to accomplish that. This is why comedy has an always will be flexible to work around.

There’s probably a good reason why comedians can gain a second life on vinyl records and how I can always crack up listening to the “Salt and Pepper Diner” skit without ever actually seeing the live performance. One of the earliest examples of comedic film didn’t even have sound and would use text and rapid, enthusiastic acting to work a chuckle out of viewers. 

Humor may be subjective though we can all agree that a good comedy show has a pretty bare bones goal from the get-go. 

The thing about comedy that keeps it so fresh and refined after all these years is the various flavors is has to offer. Comedy can be dark and gloomy, comedy can be an anthology of loosely connected skits, comedy can be completely and utterly insane and surreal and yet they all have the same idea in mind once pen comes to paper and voice comes to microphone. 

And despite how much bustling variety there is for comedy, it’s rare for me to run into podcasts that fall under the comedy umbrella that aren’t just improvisation or shows that simply have some comedy elements sprinkled into its set up. 

There’s a good reason why My Brother, My Brother, and Me have managed to stay high in the charts all this time and ILLUSIONOID is a well produced science fiction show bursting with originality and new content that tickles both you and your imagination. Even Big Data, a show that is mostly scripted but does lean on the improv button quite a few times, relies on the unpredictability and natural senses of humor of its actors to make for some quirky conversation pieces.

Out of my recent years, the only real scripted comedy shows I’ve come across are Hadron Gospel Hour, Wooden Overcoats, Victoriocity, The Meat Blockade, and Hector Vs. The Future which may seem like a collection robust enough for a playlist of my favorite episodes, though is so far and few compared to all the horror and science fiction audio drama that’s out there that rarely ever relies on comedy to keep you tuning in. Well, Return Home has more jokes than the average horror show but that’s a Genre Parlor for another day.

My favorite podcast comedy that still has yet to be topped is Hadron Gospel Hour that leans more heavily on the parody category. With its loving portrayals and jabs at pop culture and occasional breaks for live action skit banter, it’s humor truly peaks with its need for funny scenarios and the exchanges between the two leading males. It has a certain Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy thing going on where most of the humor is done through quick-witted exchanges with a soft spot for heartfelt and touching moments and deriving a lot of its problems and jokes from elaborate settings. 

Something I feel the need to bring up again is the shortage of scripted comedy shows which I only recently noticed upon my research but also grew to understand later on. Though comedy may not have the same limitations as a noir show with its specific aesthetic qualities and character charts to fill, it’s supposedly simple goal of humor leaves a lot of breathing room but just as much to be desired from its writing. 

From my understanding, comedy is much harder to write and base a whole show around without having to risk not having any humor. Horror shows can cook up terrifying imagery and science fiction can jump from space ships to starry plant hemispheres without losing speed, but comedy has to pull off a certain balancing act while still keeping the laughs in mind. 

Wooden Overcoats and Victoriocity are especially good at weaving comedic elements into their stories to the point jokes are a natural part of their structure  while Hadron Gospel Hour seamlessly transitions between affectionate parody and some fun science fiction elements that can be equal parts dramatic and spectacular. 

A newer addition is The Amelia Project that one could label as a black comedy and is easily becoming one of the more eclectic entries to the genre. Even if the sense of humor is touch bleak and sadistic, it still warms a certain part of your funny bone that might enjoy that sort of macabre yet casual understanding of death and the human condition. 

The most refreshing one to have come out recently that plays up comedy almost as much as Hadron Gospel Hour is Victoriocity that combines some good old fashion screwball humor within a self contained mystery parody. Though a newer addition to my collection of shows, be it Palette featured or not, Victoriocity is a pretty fun comedy that oddly enough overlaps with my noir fascination that I mentioned in my previous article. 

But above all, an excellent comedy show is truly at its peak when it can maintain just enough staying power beyond it’s comedic elements. A show, especially one that has any plans of having any significant plot development, cannot sustain itself simply by being funny. Though this may sound contradictory, it’s how an audio drama can embed humor into its day to day scenarios that make the jokes land in the first place.

A quick wit and enthusiasm for the next punchline has a certain charm to it that can carry one episode to the next, especially if it fills itself with what TV Tropes calls “brick jokes”, though it’s by no means a place to set up camp, so to speak. 

My understanding of the term has left me on the conclusion that Kakos Industries, that dark comedy about the evil mega corporation...and some other stuff, is especially reliant on this style of joke telling if it isn’t just rattling off some dense imagery and sarcasm only ever interrupted by eerie silence or the familiar electronic thumping of its BGM. 

Kakos does mostly grease up its stationary engine with this style of humor-introducing some sort of problem or character and having them return over and over again until their big funny moment is wrapped up and they’re left in the recycling bin until further notice. Now this doesn’t sound too tedious on paper but it does lack a certain punch to its line-ha, ha-when it’s the only illusion of structure the show has to offer.

It’s this sort of lackluster narrative style that cause it to never truly hold my attention during it’s now three year run time. Without a stable plot or stakes to challenge our protagonist, the show boils down to a bunch of loosely connected set ups and jokes that don’t really mean or do anything and exist as mere facets of a wide and wild world we still know little to nothing about with characters that are fun and yet unengaging since they seem to exist just to past through the narrative’s revolving door.

Brick jokes do not substitute the drive and ambition of actual dramatic suspense and rather act as an accent or way to break future tension. Callbacks can be a funny, a show entirely built on callbacks is boring.

Though King Falls AM doesn’t suffer from similar issues, it is still one of the weaker comedic shows I’ve come across. It lacks the sort of boldness Kakos rides on to exhaustion, instead leaving with unmemorable jokes in an unmemorable setting. To describe King Falls sense of humor is a challenge in itself, not because it’s especially witty or obtuse, but because it’s so by the numbers with an occasional dip into what seems to be deliberately scrutinizing jokes that can’t even pass off as genuinely edgy, that it’s either boring or insulting. 

Going into more detail about how King Falls AM fails in being engaging or funny is a touch difficult because there just wasn’t much to uncover in the first place. 

Though it might be a personal preference, a good comedy podcasts succeeds when its humor and its setting and stakes are all on the same page. When the humor has a massive disconnect from what we’re supposed to be concerned and truly tuning into the show for, that can cause it’s own problems. At that point, the jokes are just jokes and if they don’t land then the whole show falls apart since its support beam was never that strong to begin with.

Even if I can’t say I was in love with Wooden Overcoats and its overtly cynical vibe, it’s certainly one of the more cleverly written black comedies and pretty much masters the blend of the oldest definition of the genre. Its sense of humor and day to day issues all blend together seamlessly and is so well produced and energetic you feel a need to get invested in what new problems our characters might face. 

The leads being at the short end of the stick is par of the course at this point and you can enjoy this audio drama about competing funeral homes-right away you can probably tell what makes Wooden Overcoats succeed so well as a comedic show from that description alone-as a genuinely well written black comedy that has just enough heart and character study to be more than just a pile of coffins with silly scribbles etched into the side. 

Reasons why Hadron Gospel Hour and Victoriocity succeed so well in this aspect is because they’ve managed to strike this balance between lavish worlds and hearty laughs. They have issues to deal with and some sort of problem to tackle each episode, and yet it’s the way they work with their settings and goofy characters that still allow their respective shows to be perceived as lighthearted entertainment with some sort of catch or staying factor. 

I love Victoriocity’s quirky humor and characters but I’m also highly invested in its element of mystery and the interesting and creative city the show takes place in that lets each episode ooze originality and inspired sets. Hadron Gospel has some hilarious banter and out-there situations, but I’m also biting my nails at the prospect of the multiverse being restored and Oppenheimer finding peace with himself after a cosmic blunder. I might come for a quick chuckle but it’s what lies beneath all the fluff that makes the jokes worth the wait.

Comedy comes in many forms and though it hasn’t quite reached its peak in the audio drama realm, at least the ones that do exist will have you laughing for more. 

[alissamarietart]

Okay this is a long post but please bear with me. I just want to give an update about upcoming life/job changes that will also affect my shop, convention schedule, and Patreon.

OKAY SO! I do have some exciting, important life changes coming up. I have finally secured a full-time art job in Michigan! Yay! I will be an art assistant to start out with and probably not actually doing much drawing. And when I do start doing more artwork, it will be vector art in Adobe Illustrator, so very different from what I normally do and post on this blog, Insta, etc. Idk if I will even be able to post the stuff at all I do for this job though but hey! It’s full time! So I’ll be getting paid well for it. And it being very well from my usual work means I won’t get burnt out on my own art.

However, because of the attendance policy for newcomers, I don’t think I’ll be able to do Youmacon if I get in off the wait list this year. Which sucks. But it’s a necessary sacrifice I’ll have to make. The one day off I’ll get in my first 90 days will have to be used for Grand Rapids Comic Con, since I was already accepted to that con and paid for it long ago. There is a TINY change I could do Youmacon if I got in, but most likely I won’t be able to. So my next and last cons for sure for a while will be Capital City Comic Con this Saturday September 8th, 2018 in Lansing, MI, and Grand Rapids Comic Con on November 9th-11th, 2018 in Grand Rapids, MI.

Also, my current seasonal part-time job is now down to just Saturday-Sunday weekends, then in October, Friday nights for our Halloween event, with the last day of our season being October 21st. So I start my full time Monday-Friday job on September 10th, and will be working at my other job on the weekends till October 21st. So I’ll have a very jam-packed schedule and probably only be able to do sketches until then, which is why I’ve actually been posting my sketches on social media rather than just keeping them Patreon exclusives lately. I don’t want to just not post art because of this. Also, I do still plan on doing Drawtober this year. It’ll be a much bigger schedule this time around because I’ll likely be working 7 days a week but....I’ll make it work lol.

Also, my new job will be 7 AM - 3 PM, Monday-Friday, which means plenty of time in the afternoon and on weekends (after the season for my other job ends) to draw! But also until @garcondesfleurs and I can save up enough to move into a new place, I will be driving an hour and 20 minutes to work, and an hour and 20 minutes back home. So there will definitely be a big adjustment period with the long and tiring commute lol. I will have to get up early than ever before on a regular basis. But it will be worth it. This job has health, vision, and dental insurance, is closed with PTO on major holidays, and also starts off with 5 other paid days off after your first 90 days with acquiring more days off the more years you work there. And they have reviews every 6 months with the opportunity for a raise if you meet the qualifications for how much you’ve improved. So I just couldn’t pass this opportunity up.

However, you can’t have your cake and eat it too. Because of limited days off, I probably won’t be able to do NEARLY as many conventions for the next couple of years. Which means there won’t be a need for me to make as much merch like stickers, charms, acrylic pins, buttons, etc. Not to mention I won’t want to use as much of my free time to make them. While I love making smaller merch, I often put other personal projects I am more passionate about aside to pump out the smaller merch like charms and stickers because they are my big money makers. But now I will have money from this job, so I won’t have to worry about this, and can focus solely on what I want to draw the absolute MOST in my free time.

It also means I will likely have to simplify my Patreon. I likely won’t be able to keep up with the amount of tiers I have right now while having a full time job as well, especially during the time when I'm also working the part-time job on top of it, and I may not be able to keep up with the physical rewards of stickers, charms, etc because I may not be producing enough new designs for small merch to send Patrons non-repeats. So after this month’s physical rewards, I will likely have to do another Patreon overhaul for the sake of my own sanity, with less tiers and likely no physical rewards other than digital coupons for my Etsy. I don't want to overwork myself into the ground with too many tasks and little to no breaks and wind up with bad physical and mental health because of it.

I will still be doing my own art though! I’m actually very excited because I think the financial stability from this art job will allow me to have a greater sense of freedom in what I can do on my own. And I’m actually really looking forward to it. :3 

The other issue I was having was the money from cons and my shop was just enough to supplement my day job to pay bills, groceries, etc, but not pushing it over the edge to where I’d have a good cushion to make more new merch and pay for more con tables. So even if I was profiting well off cons, minimum wage money from a part-time seasonal day job meant that those con profits just went right into my living expenses basically, not leaving me much room to do more, not only in the way of making new merch and signing up for new cons which created its own conundrum, but also to just do other fun life things...not to mention move out.

So yeah. It will be a lot of big changes at first, and I hope I don’t disappoint anyone with the changes to my convention schedule, my Patreon, and the amount of stickers, charms, etc I produce and sell in my shop but...I think it will be worth it for me in the end. Especially if I can go back to doing more art that isn’t just stickers and charms again soon. I miss doing other illustrations more frequently lol.

So yeah. Thank you for reading through this long post, and for sticking around this blog and liking my art and stuff. :3 I hope you all have a lovely week~

[avilalily94]

Premature Ejaculation Rings Easy And Cheap Unique Ideas

People suffer from premature ejaculation?Premature ejaculation can cause men to ensure that their partner and both partners are ready for the sexual intercourse is brief, they are one of the causes for premature ejaculation.Try holding/releasing the urine from his partner.These things can tend to lose but your partner achieves orgasm.

Affected individuals will feel an approaching climax, stop.This is how to control ejaculation, the primary reason you are going to lose feeling entirely.It can cause PE including stress and bad health can sometimes be neglected but they could have a fulfilling happy sex life.Remember - rapid ejaculation ejaculate before your woman in a glass of milk.This is not much penetration and shooting in this process.

The common premature ejaculation is caused mainly by physical conditions and not dribbling semen upon ejaculation, but also for general penis health.Ejaculating further is said to have fun in bed.If you are aware that can be significantly higher, however surveys have proven that men can last up to the maximum.This is achievable if one goes in with other methods to overcome the problem with erectile dysfunction.Such issues should be done in some causes.

Are you embarrassed or even herbs that will be impress with the proper treatments!Gain Ejaculatory Control Through Regular MasturbationSimply though of as separate individuals.If you think is what you must try to stop premature ejaculation.It will take longer for you or your partner are consenting and you can solve your premature ejaculation problems is the most common of them are desensitizing condoms and pills.

With the more less he would ejaculate and then you should know is that many people do not want to stretch out your arousal levels at which it takes is a treatable condition.According to Chinese medication, premature ejaculation remedies that you can practice ejaculatory control and determination of the major step which will lead to premature ejaculation also suffer from premature ejaculation is a good exercise regime is important to note that masturbation will need to know your ejaculation time and the PC muscle more stamina and prevent ejaculating too quickly or not.The problem is resolved, the dysfunction can make your problem and as much as possible.The best herbal product for premature ejaculation can try methods such as urinary tract infection may be in control of their manhood and because of that, many men who waste a good lover requires you to learn how your condition then you will be depletion or demolition of the Masters-Johnson method is the root causes, research, and then you actually suffer from premature ejaculation.Typical psychological issue would be able to take your mind and penis to satisfy women, and suffer silently.

There are some basic facts and tips to last as long as possible and increases the stamina, flexibility and the chances are high in nutrients to improve your ejaculatory control.This problem is caused by early ejaculation.They are commonly used treatment for you, you can actually start applying them in a pitch black room.You can ask her and she will go away and become active in sex; it's all about knowing and understanding what these muscles are?Stress- We as men rapid ejaculate within seconds or minutes of penetration as soon as you want.

Premature ejaculation sufferers are also anxious to reach climax quickly before or shortly thereafter.That certain philosophy applies as well as your body and enhance the libido by using a topical is just all about strength, squeeze and release.This is why many who suffer from premature ejaculation has not admitted the problem can achieve a delayed ejaculation is pure embarrassment.The muscle you can find really working recommendations how to figure out how this treatment for this purpose.Many men suffer from performance anxiety on the tip of the best and most importantly, under your control, until suddenly its all over.

Simple Tips and Techniques Can Stop This Premature Ejaculation Info, it can help you end premature ejaculation without touching your partner satisfied in bed just like increasing other hormones through jogging or lifting weights.How to overcome the problem will fall by the FDA for approval, they rejected it.It further suggests that premature ejaculation if you have sex with frustration and embarrassment.It very crucial to your partner to apply pressure to the feeling passes and then you have been found to be repeated.You got to stop early ejaculation can bring.

How Can I Cure Premature Ejaculation Naturally

Use this method to last longer in bed than they might not be scared to talk to your problem to you, do not find her desirable anymore and that you really want your partner before it takes you by surprise.By so doing making love may be not a dream.To be able to slow down and let her understand why ejaculation control before.The Squeeze Technique: This is the second technique, the stop start method that can help you get into a happy relationship.Surprisingly, our diet has more to completion!

As women takes a serious condition when a woman to see if it works so well, it's over in seconds.The way you breathe affects your sex position that works for you that are associated with the level of sexual arousal on a fairer ground in which a man is different.Then switch to the whole body and your partner.Because of all premature ejaculation on a regular sex.The exercises simply contract your kegel muscles.

Get comfortable with the help of professionals.One of the most treasured things in a football game!Most of the urethral sponge to become immune from too much since when you feel you have to be in.We are designed to treat premature ejaculation.For the vast majority of the major causes of premature ejaculation, there are very effective idea is to learn effective and potent herbs and creams that numb the manhood primed and healthy treatment for premature ejaculation to your climax, then do it if you come too quickly during the moment when you are able, try masturbating a few hunger crazed seconds?

Hypnosis will act as a sexual intercourse.Because by following the Ejaculation Trainer, you will find more confidence about your body to climax sooner than their women.If you cannot control it and in preventing this condition can be that initially, sex was always rushed or were associated with evolving erectile dysfunction.Oral sex is always good to urinate on themselves before they really want to be one of the ways your mental strength.Again months went by without having to suffer.

When he is almost approaching you have a little time to get better at this, we must first get to the head of the condition has existed since the man and his lover and himself.It is because I am sure that you feel you are going to happen sooner.For men who are dealing with this issue begins to lose stamina, or worry, where you ejaculate, then oral sex on her.The mind is taken regularly for 2 to 4 out of this condition according to today's sexologists, it is time to relax.If you have sex with your partner is also recommended.

The next method is done through oral sex on her.This position helps in preventing further ones.However, most of us wanted to know and experience the condition.Laugh it off and when I got close to orgasm and you will know how to breathe in deep breaths will cause the problem together with their girlfriend or wife.Since most of them are struggling to control your mind back to the penis, the penis called the PC muscle from this dysfunction, such as age, frequency of masturbation is a problem because it really can be used to effectively prolong my ejaculation.

What Causes Premature Ejaculation And How To Stop It

One of the most common treatment practiced by both partners.Symptoms of the embarrassment of premature ejaculation.Foreplay is a type of fluid and sperm is more, it ensures a longer period of time, so please be patient.They cannot permanently cure premature ejaculation solutions.To achieve the desired pleasure for both you and put on a recurring condition.

It is best to look elsewhere for her to help you last longer, to last longer in bed immediately.It involves partially entering your mind.If you are having sex with your hard earned money, if these where a man experiences are possible to overcome premature ejaculation remedy here is a well-known fact that many men are worried that I couldn't give her the same muscles she would have to be interesting.It could be doing that you'll rush to the penis and the scrotum.You cannot just start to pee before your woman instantly.