#'getting married for tax purposes' type outfits

[whatareyoudoingwithamaserati]

WHY YOU🫵 SHOULD VOTE FOR BEEFGEEF‼️‼️

For context: beefgeef is made up of cats (me) and sasa (@manicpixieautism) and we have both made it into the real life/oc QPR part of @qprsmackdown!

Reason number one: we’re gay, and that’s cool!

For real, though. We are the definition of opposites attract for many many reasons, including but not limited to the fact that I am six feet tall (in my dreams) and sasa is four foot six (all the time). Its my tiny polly pocket and I am his very very tall tree. We also are bested by an ocean and 7500 kilometres and a seven hour time difference because god knew that we’d be too powerful if he put us on the same continent.

We both have many many tags dedicated to each other on both our blogs and between archiving things that remind us of each other, sometimes we get up to really corny cheesy public flirting just because we can :]

Our theme song is Hell and You by amigo the devil, which sasa sent to me one day. I then proceeded to attempt to learn it on the guitar so I could impress and woo it with my mad mad skillz. It’s about loving someone that you’d be willing to rot in hell with them, about being flawed and imperfect and shitty and loving someone despite it all (because home is the last place I’d stand to be with anyone but you) and it’s one of the most romantic songs I think anyone’s sent me.

Speaking of music, even Spotify endorses us, and totally not because we both have over one hundred thousand minutes listened on both of our individual wrapped.

We both also Make Things and we Make Things together! We both crochet and it knits and tats and occasionally I sew and I have so many spots on my patch pants reserved for things dedicated to him. My favourite one is as follows :]

(it reads I love you so, never let me go in Hungarian, and is a lyric from a hungarian metal band sasa introduced me to!)

We may not be very good at traditional romance but by god when we give it a try we slay it hard, one of us can yell BABE and the other will instantly come running, its lovequeer and I’m loveless and together we say I love you so so so much (because it’s never hard for me to say when I’m around it). We both live out of our beds and in PJs because of disability but when we get dressed up we manage to pull off the most bizarre side by side because I only wear black & band tees while he can pull off the most beautiful swagful outfit paired with things its made!!! By hand!!! We share a love for cats and are full of pain and misery and disability but manage to be so so good and happy for each other, and I always manage to feel good and better and uplifted when I’m around him <3

We choose to love and support each other despite not feeling the allo type of romantic attraction, the thought of getting married is physically repulsive to me but if he asked, I would say yes in a heartbeat. (I would also say yes for tax evasion purposes, but that’s beside the point). I know a lot of people won’t date disabled people because of how much work we can take but I would care for sasa through the worst flare up of my life because when it’s him, the work is worth it and easy and it deserves all of the best parts of me. We’ve built our clusterfuck of a QPR on choice and adoration and inside jokes and so many years of watching each other change, and no matter who it’s become and who I’ve become, we still choose each other, because I love who he is and who it makes me want to be, and I’d choose him in any lifetime I had

Also! It’s our anniversary in nine days (8 for it!) and I think that’s super super good reasonings for why we should win

Still not convinced? BEHOLD! SCREENSHOTS OF US! (Below a cut because I am not going to make a new colour of the sky post just yet)

[luc1d-dr34m5]

I would love to know what the deal with dreadful harmony and happy chaos is 👀. They seems like fun together!

Yesss YESS YESSSSSSS sorry i am so excited as i type this rn just ajdjwjmJQHE HEHEHEHE THERE WILL BE MANY SPELLING MISTAKES IM SORRY

I might get some lore parts wrong since looking for other sources of GG lore is sadly not on my schedule so if u know other things then correct me

If it gets too long im putting it under a read more but but okay so basically so give a basis and such:

Dreadful Harmony was known as 'The Architect'. They are like, the other half of 'The Original' not in a literal sense but in a partners sense. They were Partners in the discovery of magic basically, while yes The Original still is the one who discovered the Backyard n got magic from there The Architect is the one who created a lot of the first spells ever. Due to this both of them are technically teachers of the Conclave and Asuka but to make sure theyre not confused, The Original is reffered to as 'Teacher' while The Architect is reffered to as 'Tutor'.

The Architect also has like, developed a magic theory called 'The Circle Theory' aka how circular forms of spells n such are the best way to express magic due to how imperfectly perfect it is and such, this one ill leave vague but basically this theory is kinda hard to grasp because theres a lot of intricacies in it. Asuka tends to use more geometrical shapes so while he can use Circle theory its a bit more taxing on him cuz hes not used to 'imperfection' in a sense.

Anhways on back to the YaoiYuri that is DH(Dreadful Harmony) and HC(Happy Chaos). The lore kinda changes here but tried to keep events close to canon/give explanations here. The Architect was trapped by the Universal Will like somewhere in the backyard bc they were the biggest threat at the time and this caused The Original to slip up and get caught as well. Anyways Things happen as plot like The Original getting out and wandering the backyard for years in a mad state but at the same time The Architect was absorbing all the info in the backyard like he was but instead of wandering theyre literally trapped and then The Original gets absorbed by the Universal will again so she can have an understanding of Human emotions only to like, fuck up bc of The Original aka Happy Chaos having become insane and flooded with pure human desire.

on the opposite end, The Architect lost all their humanity, their emotions their desires, not their memories, though, this does mark their shift to becoming Dreadful Harmony. Anyways Dreadful Harmony is like, freed after Lethargy's lore happens cuz Lethargy is like, DH and HC's missing humanity mashed together in a Valentine vessel HC got the Universal Will to make hence why Lethargy V. has free will i might elaborate more on Lethargy lore if wanted.

Bacl to DH and HC, their past relationship as The Original and Architect was romantic, they were abt to get married even. Its why DH's current outfit looks like a wedding dress in a way, cuz that was a very important moment in their life and yeah romantic love doesn't always define humanity but tbh these two are just, In Love. in general. Something that can be platonic and romantic and the spaces outside or betwene but the love is there and persists until now cuz like.

DH and HC call eachother their 'partner' and give like, diff answers each time asked if it was romantically or platonically. Even if DH doesnt have emotions nor desire they have Biases due to their memories and thus act upon said biases like how HC is so full of human desire he cannot truly love in the sense a normal person can. These two cannot love normally yet they still love eachother in their own ways. While HC lives for human emotion yet DH doesnt have any thus doesnt rlly deter the other so much cuz their love dosnt give either of them purpose.

If HC finds a purpose if DH is free from their prison theyll gladly follow along, filling up empty roles that oppose or support HC, either way they have the same goal for different reasons, HC cuz he cares abt humanity as a whole and DH because the world ending would be Horrible for the people they have Biases for. HC's reasons are selfless in a sense while DH's reasons are selfish yet regardless they aim for one goal so they go for it hand in unlovable hand clutching one another in a loving way.

They both are Wax figures, they direct and fill in empty roles as they see it in different manners and ways. Also demon imagery with Happy chaos and Angel imagery with Dreadful harmony is very intentional. Contrast babeyyy

Also to elaborate how their love for one another doesnt really count as a "Purpose" is cuz they both like Drama, Drama King n their Drama Queen, which is which u decide. Their love for ome another is so inherent they just know it'll always be there so why desperately cling onto it when its guaranteed to be there.

They are judt so RHRHRHRH TO ME not to mention the dynamic and relationship Dreadful Harmony has with Asuka is swimming in my brain alongside this just wkdjwnsnsn If things are confusing i can elaborate!! They are so silly to me.

[biglifequestions-blog]

Big Life Questions

In 1991, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes; an incurable autoimmune disease that would have killed me were it not for the discovery of a breakthrough treatment some 70 years earlier. Had my great grandmother—who lived to be an octogenarian with four grandchildren and eight great grandchildren—been diagnosed with the same condition, natural selection would have swiftly eliminated her and the potential for offspring as unceremoniously as it had thousands of others. By pure chance, my mother, uncle, cousins, brothers, and I would never have been born. Twelve unique progenies, gone; an entire branch of the family tree stunted and withered at the hands of a few faulty genes.

As luck or God or the Universe would have it, I was born at exactly the right moment in history to not only survive type 1 diabetes but thrive. And here I am today at age 29: a walking, talking, breathing, body with blood circulating and nerves firing, alive with not only conscious thoughts, but also feelings, opinions, beliefs, quirks, aptitudes, and proclivities. From this foundation, I’ve created a full and complicated life that includes accomplishments, hobbies, aspirations, and emotional connections to other walking, talking, breathing bodies. That I am even sitting here now in a 600-square-foot apartment in Philadelphia with a Chihuahua named Peanut napping sweetly in my lap, able to freely express myself through the typed English word using an online platform capable of sharing those words with millions of people around the globe, all while my loving husband cooks his take on vegan enchiladas in our tiny kitchen is nothing short of a holy-shit miracle.

I wish I could say that the mind-blowing awareness of my mere existence—never mind the trillions of complex, improbable events that coalesced to have me adopt a Chihuahua—has compelled me to live each of my 10,500+ days on this earth to their absolute fullest. I wish I could say the knowledge of my finite and delicate reality has inspired me to follow my passions, live authentically, and weather life’s storms with grace and fortitude all while dedicating my time and energy toward the betterment of society. Surely a life as precarious as my own would catalyze an ongoing quest to align mind, body, and spirit; to be a role model for overcoming adversity against all odds.

Alas, I am not quite so enlightened.

Last Saturday, for example, I spent the entire day in worn-out sweatpants eating buttered toast and playing Candy Crush on my iPad. Between waiting for more bread to toast, butter to melt, and lives to reload, I scrolled through the bottomless pit that is the /AmITheAsshole sub on Reddit, grappling with the complexity of human social norms while also getting my daily bump of “my life really isn’t so bad” by contrasting my comparatively insignificant problems to the drama of Internet strangers. By sunset, I had succeeded only in eating a half loaf of bread and irritating my husband by finishing off the butter and bringing crumbs into the bed. (AITA?)

I’m sure you’re wondering how I’m able to justify such a flagrant misuse of my time. While I don’t exactly know the answer to that question, I can hazard a guess it’s because I’ve collected enough insignia of a successful life—academic degrees, a wedding ring, my handsome husband, a Pinterest-inspired apartment, stamps in my passport—that the pressure to fill my days with meaningful, enlightened activities has lessened. So long as I continue showing up to work, paying taxes, saying “I love you,” and periodically posting #humblebrags on Twitter about some new promotion or my latest vacation, what does it matter if I occasionally splurge on procrastination and carbohydrates?

…right?

Until last year, I had only peripherally considered that there might be more to life than just achieving and owning things. From high school honors to senior job titles to a committed relationship, these milestones were my markers of success, happiness, and security. I craved them, worked for them, plotted how I would make them happen, and invested all my energy into proving to the world and myself that I was smart, hard-working, lovable, deserving; often to the detriment of my own physical, mental, financial, and spiritual health.

Moreover, I was actively encouraged to seek more of these achievements: to play an instrument in both orchestra and band, attend academic summer camps, double major in college, study abroad, work late, work weekends, work, work, work. I believed these tangible symbols would unlock the secrets to all the Big Intangibles: happiness, passion, fulfillment, security, joy, peace, gratitude, love. And when those fleeting moments of accomplishment came and went, and the Big Intangibles didn’t instantly manifest, I turned to my old, worn copy of the “Perfect Life Checklist” (which I wrote myself at the age of 10) and chose my next goal to appease the restlessness and disappointment in my heart.

And then, after years of sacrificing sleep and sanity to acquire these tangibles, it all came to a climax in May 2018: I had just graduated from a prestigious university with my master’s degree, was months away from marrying my soulmate, and had just been offered a dream job in a new city. Life was perfect or as perfect as I could have contrived. I awoke in my fiancé’s bed the morning after graduation expecting to feel elated, happy, fulfilled; or at the very least, well-rested and content. It was the first Tuesday in perhaps my entire life that I technically had nothing to do and I felt completely, inexplicably…. empty. 

Where was the happiness I was promised; the light at the end of the tunnel I built, brick by brick? I felt a sudden urge to laugh followed by the very real experience of tears. 

And then, in response to those tears, a harrowing, gut-wrenching, pass-me-the-wine-no-the-whole-bottle question materialized before me as if posed by some older, wiser, separate self: Who would you be without all these labels, titles, and accomplishments?

Who am I?

The answer that came was enough to make me want to dive under the covers and let the carbon dioxide build up around me.

Before I go any further, I want to recognize that despite living with a chronic illness, the problems and concerns I’m describing here are distinctly privileged-people-problems. I understand and appreciate that my ability to grapple with questions about my identity and personal fulfillment are luxuries only possible because of that privilege. I don’t have to worry about basic necessities like where I’m sleeping tonight or from where my next meal will come. I don’t wake up worrying about whether I might get arrested, mugged, shot at, or bombed if I walk out my front door or if I might be persecuted for my skin color, openly practicing my religion, or loving who I love. That I even have health insurance to afford the medication that keeps me alive is a blessing that I am keenly aware not everyone with my disease has.

Yet it’s precisely this knowledge—that other people who were born into different circumstances must work a hundred times harder and maybe not ever get to the point I find myself at now—that makes answering these Big Life Questions even more important. With all my privilege and so few barriers standing in the way of me living a magnificent, inspirational, blessed life of service and passion, why am I not making every day, hour, and minute count?

I pondered that question again a few months ago when I was asked to give a presentation at an all-employee meeting for work. “All-employee” meaning, of course, the entire company; hundreds of people in-person and remote gathered in one moment to critically judge my outfit, throat-clearing tic, and the way I pronounce “gala”—or at least, that’s what it felt like. A naturally nervous public speaker, I practiced obsessively to minimize the risk of forgetting my own name and spent copious time working through every worst-case scenario. In the shower, on the train, before bed, in my dreams; I worried and rehearsed that speech so many times that my ultimate irrational fear of a light fixture falling from the ceiling and concussing me mid-word could have come to fruition and my lips would have continued mouthing statistics while my hands, of their own accord, gesticulated to slide 5 bullet point 2 at the 20-minute mark exactly as rehearsed.

This exercise was, like many of my endeavors, not borne out of passion and commitment to a good cause, but a calculated attempt to take on another “professional development opportunity” in the hopes that it would indirectly increase the likelihood of my future happiness by one, maybe two, percent. Because more responsibility at work = more money = more success, stability, and therefore infinite happiness, right? The irony of all this calculation is that an activity I expected to yield happiness had the unintended consequences of increasing my stress levels by 1000 percent and costing valuable time with my friends and family. 

And tell me, what exactly is the point of investing all this energy and being so completely exhausted if there’s no greater good, higher purpose, or feeling happy and inspired before, during, and after? What’s the point of tackling any endeavor if it’s only going to lead to a buttered toast/social media binge to cover the feelings of emptiness and dissatisfaction?

Until now, I’ve asked but not fully grappled with these Big Life Questions. But I want to. I want to wrestle and spar, analyze and critique until awareness turns into action and potentially transformation. In my short life I’ve had the opportunity to answer some medium life questions whose answers led to amazing, unexpected changes. Questions like, “What more do you have to lose?”, “Would you be willing to relocate?” and “Will you marry me?” I’ve answered and then watched life shift miraculously to accommodate my new conceptualization of what’s possible. And now, I feel myself standing at the edge of another new conceptualization with an ever-present awareness of my own potential, mortality, limitations, limitlessness, and connection to the rest of humanity. 

This blog is a chronicle of my attempts to answer and act on life’s biggest questions, including, but not limited to:

Who am I?

What is my greater purpose in life?

How can I find joy in the mundane?

How can I make the most of every day?

How can I be kinder to myself in deed and thought?

How can I honor and love my body?

How can I love unconditionally?

How can I forgive myself and others?

How can I overcome my fears?

How can I have more faith?

How can I live in the present moment more often?

How can I align my career and work with my passions and higher purpose?

How can I be of service to others?

If you decide to follow along, I hope my words can provide some perspective on how to begin answering your own BLQ’s, even if what I’m describing is a case study in what not to do. Consider what follows to be a record of hard lessons learned, a magnifying glass for bad habits, an arena for confronting fears and traumas, a whiteboard for exploring crazy ideas, and with a little luck and determination, a launching pad into the magnificent, inspirational, blessed life of service and passion I hope to live.

[the-traveler-errant]

100 Character Questions  for Dust

So there was a thing I saw a while back that was supposed to be one of those things where someone sends a number, and you answer a question for it, and instead of doing that, I just went ahead and filled all of them out for my reaper character, Dust, an extremely apathetic hitman for the forces of The Divines and the Abyss who goes after necromancers and undead creatures. 

I spent too much time on this. It’s going under the break. 

1. What do they smell like?

He smells faintly of lemons and gunsmoke.

2. What is their voice like?

He doesn’t have a voice, and speaks through sign language, writing, or occasionally telepathy if in the presence of a mindreader/psychic.

3. What is their biggest motivator?

He exists almost completely for his job, that of collecting escaped or kidnapped souls and executing necromancers on behalf of the forces of The Divines and The Abyss. He comes to realize that he truly believes the dead should rest in peace, or they should endure whatever torment they’ve earned in the afterlife, and those who disturb them need to be put down.

4. What is their most embarrassing memory?

He has no memory of his life before he became The Reaper, and due to his uncomfortable amounts of apathy toward anything that isn’t his job. He’s basically a supernatural Terminator.

5. How do they deal with/react to pain?

One of the perks of being The Reaper is having an extraordinarily high pain tolerance, to the point where broken limbs are just inconvenient because they keep him from moving properly. However if he takes too much damage, he temporarily fades into a different dimension where he starts to rebuild himself, before reappearing at something he calls a “Sanctuary”, a place that connects him to the mortal plane, and potentially other realms as well. It usually takes him about an hour or so to reform, depending on how messed up he is.

6. What do they like to wear?

Loose hoodies, jeans or sweatpants, sneakers. After he finally starts making friends, they start to encourage him to try finding a better style, and he starts wearing actual outfits that aren’t just lazily put together.

7. Which of their relationships have impacted them most positively?

An angel and demon, who are his connections to The Divines and The Abyss, eventually befriend him and convince him to start acting with more of an identity and personality outside of his job. They offer him advice, and he starts to help them with personal issues that they’re otherwise unable to perform themselves due to certain laws.

8. What’s the weirdest thing they’ve ever eaten?

The first time he tried baking, it didn’t go very well for him. It was especially weird because it was the first time he had tried eating since becoming The Reaper and returning to the mortal realm. He did discover that he actually has a preference for food: lemons.

9. Describe the way that they sleep.

He doesn’t. Instead of sleeping, he reads or practices certain tricks that he feels will help him do his job more efficiently. Later on he starts baking, and learns how to play the cello.

10. What is their favorite food/kind of food?

Anything with lemons, or anything lemon flavored.

11. What do they feel most insecure about?

Nothing that really comes to mind right now.

12. How do they like to dress?

Once he gains a sense of style, he likes to wears grey pants, a black turtleneck, and a black coat.

13. How do they react to feelings of guilt?

Confusion mostly. He doesn’t really know much about being close enough to someone to feel bad if he’s wronged them, and has a sort of blunt logic about all his actions. Though he does try to apologize and understand why what he did hurt them, or why he should feel bad.

14. How do they react to/deal with betrayal?

He’s unsurprised and sort of takes it as a minor inconvenience that he expected. Everyone wants a chance to cheat death afterall.

15. What is their greatest achievement?

Taking down a revenant that had been summoned specifically to slay him, every time he regenerates, thus allowing a prolific Necromancer to work uninterrrupted for an extended period of time. It took a lot of cunning and trickery to take it down, but he managed it.

16. What are they like when they’ve gotten too little sleep?

N/A

17. What are they like when they’re drunk?

N/A

18. What kind of music do they enjoy?

Noir-styled jazz music and piano solos.

19. Are they right or left handed?

Ambidextrous.

20. Fears?

Losing his only friends now that he actually has something he cares about, and failing to live up to the reputation of the previous Reaper.

21. Favorite kind of weather?

Windy nights.

22. Favorite color?

Black and yellow.

23. Do they collect anything?

Non-fiction books, antique weapons, occult texts.

24. Do they prefer either hot or cold weather more?

Cold. He likes having an excuse to wear long coats and scarves and give himself that ominous look of Death waiting with their cloak in the wind.

25. What is their eye color?

He doesn’t have eyes, but his eye-sockets glow with light-blue embers that act as a sort of pupil.

26. What is their race/ethnicity?

His actual body is composed of solidified shadows and smoke that resemble something humanoid, and his head is a skull missing its lower jaw. So, uh, I guess his race is “Grim Reaper”?

27. Hair color?

None.

28. Are they happy where they are currently?

He has friends, a purpose, and a cat. He is content.

29. Are they a morning person?

Can you technically be a morning person if you never sleep?

30. Sunrise or sunset?

Sunset. That’s the time that most Necromancers begin their work, and that means he gets to go to work against them.

31. Are they more messy or more organized?

Organized to a fault.

32. Pet peeves?

Anyone who thinks they can tempt him with knowledge of his previous life, or who call themselves the masters of life and death, and people who make excessively long megalomaniacal speeches.

33. Do they own any objects of significant personal importance?

His pistol that he carries around nearly everywhere. It was his first weapon, and it has the word “Taxes” engraved in the barrel. It was the first clue to his friends that he actually had a personality lurking in that not-so-empty skull of his.

34. Least favorite food?

Blueberries.

35. Least favorite color?

Greenish-brown.

36. Least favorite smell?

Burned lemons or gasoline.

37. When was the last time they cried?

Not since he became The Reaper. He just feels a sort of hollowness now if he ever feels anything close to sad.

38. Were they with anybody the last time they cried?

Nope. Utterly alone.

39. Tell us about one of the times they got injured?

That aforementioned revenant broke his arms and legs and kept him damaged enough to not move, but not regenerate somewhere else. If it weren’t for his Demon contact dragging him out and forcing Dust to claim his mortal home as a sanctuary, he would have been completely boned.

40. Do they have any scars?

Nope.

41. Do they struggle with any mental health issues?

Depression.

42. Do they have any bad habits?

Workaholic, he hyper-focuses on tasks, and isolates himself too much.

43. Why might someone dislike them?

He’s almost too robotic, he’s creepy and silent, he’s literally Death, he’s not very social or good at anything involving social activity, and his humor is very dry since he’s not used to telling jokes or understanding them.

44. Why might someone love them?

He’s studious, loyal to what few friends he has, starts to genuinely care about his purpose and the principles of freedom and rest associated with it, and he’s trying to be better and improve himself outside of just his job. He also never really lies, as he has no reason to most of the time. He’s also nothing if not a professional when it comes to his occupation.

45. Do they believe in ghosts?

Ahem. He is The Reaper. Who hunts undead. And necromancers. And trapped spirits.

46. Is there anyone they would trust with their lives?

The Angel and Demon who still need names.

47. Are they romantically interested in anyone?

Not right now.

48. Are they dating/married to anyone?

Nope.

49. Do they like surprises?

Nope.

50. When is their birthday?

November 1st.

51. How do they usually celebrate their birthday?

He’d ignore it, but his friends usually drag him out for something, even if it’s a quiet affair like a trip to a museum or antique store, maybe a restaurant or bakery.

52. Do they have any family?

Nope.

53. Are they close to their family?

N/A.

54. What is their MBTI type?

No idea.

55. What is their zodiac sign?

Apparently it’s “Scorpio”.

56. What Hogwarts House would they be in?

Ravenclaw, probably. He doesn’t have the ambition for Slytherin.

57. What D&D alignment are they?

Lawful Neutral, later Lawful Good.

58. Do they ever have nightmares? If so, what about?

Nope.

59. What are their views on death?

Depends on how clean the mirror is. He does believe that souls should be left alone where they are, and the dead should rest in peace, or the damned should endure their punishment until further notice. Anyone who thinks they can rule over Death is sorely mistaken.

60. What is something that they’re sure to laugh at?

He doesn’t really laugh, but he can give the impression of a small smile sometimes.

61. When bored, how do they pass time?

More work, weapon maintenance, target practice, or reading books on new techniques he might incorporate into his own work.

62. Do they enjoy being outside?

It’s too open for him. Too easy to be spotted.

63. Do they have an accent?

He signs, so not really.

64. Upon seeing a slice of chocolate cake, what is their first reaction?

No lemon, no interest.

65. If they knew they were going to die, what would they do/say?

Sigh very heavily and focus on a sanctuary to return to.

66. How do they feel about sex?

Not his thing.

67. What is their sexuality?

Asexual.

68. Do they become squeamish at the sight of blood?

Nope.

69. Is there anything that they find really gross?

Not really?

70. Which TV Trope(s) best describes them?

Man I am seventy questions into this, I’m gonna go ahead and pass on this one.

71. Do they enjoy helping people?

Not really, unless it’s something his friends ask him or if it lays souls to rest.

72. Are they allergic to anything?

Nope.

73. Do they have a pet?

He has a fluffy orange cat with a very flat face that he’s named Pluto.

74. Are they quick to anger? What are they like when they lose their temper?

Nope, he’s too apathetic and tired for that.

75. How patient are they?

As patient as Death. God that came out ediger than I intended.

76. Are they good at cooking?

He’s okay at baking, but he’s practicing and getting better.

77. Favorite insult? Do they insult people often?

Doesn’t really insult others at all.

78. How do they act when they’re particularly happy?

He doesn’t show it very well, but he does tend to move a little lighter and allows himself to do some more recreational stuff, like reading a book or practicing his music.

79. What do they do when they learn about other people’s fears?

Remembers it for later.

80. Are they trustworthy?

Unless you’re a necromancer or escaped soul, then yes, you can trust him completely.

81. Do they try to hide their emotions? Are they good at it?

Nope! He’s just very apathetic and not really good at even expressing his emotions.

82. Do they exercise regularly?

Another perk of being the Reaper is having very good physical prowess. Something just around an Olympic athlete's level of physique. He’s not the strongest or fastest, but he can at least go for silver and gold most of the time.

83. Are they comfortable with the way they look?

As comfortable as one can be when you have a body that’s literally shadows and a skull.

84. What are some physical features that they find attractive on people?

Nothing really.

85. What kind of personalities do they find attractive?

He just doesn’t really have a type, but he’s quicker to befriend others if they remind him of his Demon and Angel friends.

86. Do they like sweet foods?

Only if it’s lemon flavored.

87. What is their age?

N/A.

88. Are they tall or short or somewhere in between?

Short, somewhere just a hair under 5’3’’

89. Do they wear glasses or contacts?

Neither.

90. Do they consider themselves attractive?

Doesn’t really care.

91. What is their sense of humor like?

Very dry and a little too subtle. He doesn’t make many jokes, but he appreciates gallows humor and some references that he might actually understand. He usually surprises everyone if he ever cracks any kind of joke.

92. What mood are they most often in?

Neutral, or he’s either curious or confused.

93. What kinds of things anger them?

Disrespect toward the dead, anyone who threatens his friends.

94. Outlook on life?

To serve his purpose and find another one that he can choose for himself. He feels like the actual point of life is to live it and earn whatever you do in the afterlife. Wouldn’t have considered that question before he started befriending people.

95. What kind of things make them sad/depressed?

Nothing really, until he’s made aware of just how lonely he actually is. He just kinda forgot what it meant to be anything other than isolated and alone.

96. What is their greatest weakness?

He’s not good with any sort of socializing, and he’s bad at reading people and can be lied to easily. He focuses on his work too much, and ignores the fact that he was once human.

97. What is the greatest strength?

His ability to learn and adapt to any given situation, as well as his perfect memory. He can improvise in just about any situation.

98. Something that they regret?

Ignoring his friends’ invitations and attempts to befriend him for so long.

99. Biggest accomplishment?

Stopping a Lich from ascending to godhood and wiping out his army of undead near single-handedly, but that’s something I’m still tinkering with for the future.

100. Create your own!

He can be completely silent when he wants to be, and uses that to set up traps to make his job of assassinating undead creatures and necromancers much easier, and sometimes even flashier to spread his reputation and use that to prevent future Necromancers from trying anything.

[evilelitest2]

Letters to my Grandmother: The Republican Bubble and Party Asymmetry

The Republican Bubble

So everybody knows that the US is a two party system, our politics are filtered through the democratic or republican perspective, those two parties control the political narrative, and all power is confined to these two parties.  And in many ways, the leaders of the two parties fundamentally agree on many issues, both parties are ok with campaign contributions, both parties are ok with Gerrymandering (until very recently) both parties are very close to the corporate class etc etc.  From about the late 70s onwards, there is a general consensus of what the parties will tacitly agree on (money in politics, interventionist foreign policy, neoliberal economics, free trade, socialism=bad, don’t address wages, deregulations etc) with a small area of fierce disagreement (Abortion, gun laws, taxes, gay marriage, prayer in school, Obamacare).  This has broken down in recent years, but for twice my life type, that was the default of American politics.  This is why people get disillusioned with the two party system, after all if you’re top priority is getting money out of politics, BIll Clinton and Obama aren’t going to do you any favors in that department.  

But it is important to understand that just because the two parties are opposed and share many similarities, they aren’t mirror images of each other, this isn’t the Capulet and Montague where they are both basically the same people but wearing slightly different colored outfits, these are fundamentally asymmetrical organizations, their fundamental build up is radically different and beyond a few basic elements, they are really quite distinct. I understand the temptation to see them as just the Right and Left wing mirrors of each other, like the factions in Princess Monokee, but I think this is a very...limited way of understanding these groups.

There is a great book called “Party Asymmetry” which talks about how the parties are fundamentally organized in an entirely unique way, their very makeup is distinct from each other, they are organized in fundamentally different ways.  Let me break some of these differences down

Firstly, the Democrats are significantly larger than the Republican Party, you might be tempted to think that they are each 50% of the population, but that frankly isn’t true.  You know that map of the US which shows the majority of the states as red with mostly the coasts as blue?  Yeah, well….most of the population live in those blue states.  Remember in 2016, the Democrats had surprisingly low democratic turnout, and the Republicans had shockingly high voter turn out and despite that, the Dems still got 3 million more votes.  The Republicans are a minority party, it’s just that the 18th century set up of the US political system means that parties are rewarded for having the most land rather than the most people.  And this is important to understand for the Republican psychology, they know full well that if democratic reforms are ever issued, then they are going to lose.  Like if you abolish the Electoral College, then the GOP will likely never win a presidential election, hence why they are so absolutely terrified of ever letting the democrats win.

Secondly, the Republican base is extremely….monolithic.  It is overwhelmingly white, overwhelmingly Christian, majority male, and most importantly for our purposes, overwhelmingly old.  The Republicans are a primarily the party of old white people though not exclusively (Hi Grandma I love you very much), and when your party is well...dying that puts them in a very unusual position.  Every year, elections get harder and harder for Republicans because more and more GOP voters die and more and more Democratic voters come of age, but here is the thing.  Elderly people are the most consistent voters, they will vote more than any other group in the US, while young people are the least reliable voters.  I’ll get into the reasons for another time, but just remember this, Elderly people vote consistently, young people vote inconsistently.  Actually elderly people are the best voters because they don’t just vote in the presidential election, they vote in the mid term elections, they vote for the governors, they vote for Senators, Representative, they even vote in the state legislature, I mean when was the last time you voted for your state representative.  However the downside is that appealing to old people usually comes at the expense of leaving anybody else.  Except my grandparents of course (I love you very much Grandmother).

Thirdly, the Democrats actually are a governing party, the Republicans are not.  What do I mean by that?  Well the democratic party, as a collective whole, wants to live in a multi plural democracy where decisions are made via compromise and the 4th estate is a major check on power.  There have been numerous reports that show that democratic voters approve of politicians who make compromises in order to produce progress or support the party most when it makes the country function day to day, and care what the mainstream news has to say. Imagine for a moment, that Obama was able to get a partial gun law passed that only banned a certain class of weapons with the help of some republicans, or if he was able to pass a major climate change initiative in exchange for allowing massive corporations to make huge amounts of money off of it.  Most democrats would be ok with that, and would applaud it as a victory.  If the NYT or the Washington Post, or CNN came out strongly against Obama calling him a dangerous liar, democrats would care, and listen, even those who don’t value those reporters would at least consider what they have to say.  If Obama insulted the Prime Minister of Australia on a phone call, most democrats would be upset.  In all of these instances they might mute how upset they are or reduce it if they felt it would give the Republicans a win, but there would still be effect.  This is not true of the Republican Party, because they don’t care about governance, at least the base doesn’t, not anymore.  They approve of their political leaders who don’t make compromise, who have the most inflammatory rhetoric, and who treat the Democrats as an opposing side in a war rather than simply an opposing party.  

   What does this add up to?  Well the Republican Party is...well it’s a culture.  Democrats are notoriously disunified compared to the far more organized Republican unity, and that is because being a Republican is an identity in a way that being a democrat is not.  Democrats are primarily unified by ‘OMG the right are completely insane we need to stop them before they destroy the country” but beyond that there isn’t much of a unifier, because being a democrat basically means “being interested in actually governance”.  It’s not just that Clinton, Obama, and Warren are all radically different politicians, they isn’t even much of an attempt to unify them except against a common enemy.  

Republicans meanwhile have a full identity, they have a subculture, they effectively are their own nation using the European sense of the term.  Republicans watch their own TV, listen to their own radio, they read their own exclusive newspapers, they have their own media, their own music, they have their own entirely exclusive world view.  The only voices who Republicans care about are those of...other Republicans.  If you ever meet “lifetime republicans”, you will notice how all encompassing the experience is, everything they do is either “Republican Approved” or its the so called “Apolitical Media”, aka stuff which works hard to not show much in the way of overt political bias.  Imagine the Republican base like an insular subculture, there is a lot of room for disagreement and alternative opinions within that group, but all of them rally together against any sort of outsider.  They don’t care about the mainstream press because they have their own alternative press, they have their alternative culture, they have their alternative understanding of politics, they have an entirely distinct world view and psychology, and one which means they only trust are others of their community.  Notice how frequent the claim of “Rhino” or “Cuckservative” is among mainstream Republican pundits, while only the far left has the whole “This person isn’t a Democrat”.  When Obama faced off against Clinton, neither was like “oh this person isn’t a real leftist”, they were instead like “I respect my opponent, but they are wrong”.  Meanwhile even before Trump showed up, Huckabee, Ryan, and Romney were all implying the other was a traitor who was secretly trying to destroy conservatism.  And there is no single kingmaker on the left the awy you have for the Right.  

The left and the right share a lot of traits, but their is no singular figure on the left who demands as much power as Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity on the right, there is no network that is the left wing Fox News, and the left doesn’t have an entire alternative unifying subculture that binds them together.  So why did the right go this way while the left did not?  Well I will explain that...next time.

Oh that was a great ending note, but I love running things, so this is my last notice on the difference between the two groups.  Republicans know full well that their way of life is dying out, that if the democrats can win like...two elections, that's it.  They are fighting for a way of life which is on the verge of coming to an end at any point, so they are always going to be more committed to this than we are, and that is why republicans need voter fervor so much, they know that their base will do everything you want voters to do as long as they can protect them from gay people getting married, black people not being shot on police whim, or poor people being able to live comfortable lives.  

[jobsearchtips02]

Your Employment Questions Answered With This Gread Recommendation

It isn’t all the time straightforward to search out work, particularly if you end up unsure of the correct place to look. Plenty of recommendation exists for job seekers. Here’s a information that can enable you resolve what one of the best locations are so that you can seek for your dream job.

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Just be sure you register for the group insurance coverage your organization has supplied for well being causes. You possibly can have your premium deducted out of your test. Married couples ought to examine plan choices, in order that they select the higher plan.

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You need to all the time guarantee that you’ve got letters of reference which can be up to date and able to use. Plenty of people speak about having references, however it’s higher to have precise letters readily available. Your earlier employers might not reply the cellphone or have moved their workplace and this might stop the interviewer from reaching the contact.

Attempt to keep constructive always together with your feedback on social media websites about previous employers. Corporations these days will test your on-line posts, corresponding to Fb. No matter you say on-line have to be skilled.

Check out your expertise. Should you’re missing some expertise, take a category to make up for it. You do not have to go for a full diploma. Any courses that assist to raised your expertise in your space of experience will enable you within the job market. So take some courses to extend your expertise and pump up your resume.

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As talked about earlier, it is not all the time straightforward to get a job. That is the rationale why it is essential to look in plenty of locations and never only one. This text has a ton of knowledge that will help you, you simply have to make use of it!

You’ll want to discover an outfit that corresponds to the place you need to get. This needs to be adopted if you happen to shouldn’t have a job, otherwise you simply desire a new one. You can encounter somebody who might enable you professionally if you are on the job, at a profession truthful, and even on the grocery retailer. At all times look your finest when on the lookout for a job; do not depart your own home in a matted method.

from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/your-employment-questions-answered-with-this-gread-recommendation/