#(I may even try to add a visual later if it keeps bugging me haha!)

[asheanon]

❛  it was an accident ... simply an accident.  ❜

(what's the accident? The chandelier? Her ultimate abduction??? Did he spill his wine on Lorien??? Im gonna reply to our threads today bc this meme sparked potojoy)

From: 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑷𝑯𝑨𝑵𝑻𝑶𝑴 𝑶𝑭 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑶𝑷𝑬𝑹𝑨 𝑺𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑺.

The light, though perhaps not as bright as it made itself out to be at that moment, was enough to create strain. A twinge of pain met her weary eyes as she opened them.

Coming into focus were the various shapes and forms of something… immaculate. Rows of gilded embellishments, elaborate and vaguely damask in design, stretched across a marbled ceiling. Crowning the room, at its center was the assailant to her waking vision - a golden chandelier of similar sublimity.

A chandelier…

. . .

“Would you share this dance with me, my dear?”

It was as if she had been in a daze, the gleam of crystalline dancing in the light was cast in the reflection of celadon irises. She glanced at him - her friend, Lorien, donning layers of alabaster, aptly ballroom-baroque - his hand extended for the taking. With a warm smile, she accepted.

Here’s to another dance. One more acquainted than the last.

A tragic misstep due in part to a lack of spatial awareness perhaps wounded his pride, but the stifled laughter that was shared in turn only enriched the experience. Fellowship at its finest.

With their song drawing to a close, she began to wonder who was next. Perhaps Mina or Branson? Beyond the violinist’s shoulder, briefly, the Burmecian caught her eye. He appeared to still be brooding in the corner. Emitting an insurmountable aura of withdrawal, it was as if he reflected any and all social advances by this power alone, hovering over a drink and an assortment of hors d'oeuvres. Well… if he was next, perhaps their round could be shared at the table instead of the dance floor.

As the wayfarer and the violinist came to a stop, they exchanged gentle words and additional chuckle before parting ways.

Amidst a delectable array of various bruschetta, canapé and other such appetizers, a recent addition of roasted blueberry ricotta crostini called out to her - it was truly delightful. It would seem the spirits were too, the way some attendees drunk themselves silly. Eager to partake of one himself, Branson reached for the platter before, suddenly, they saw Lorien come storming by.

Though a grin was classically plastered upon his face, it evidently forced - he did not acknowledge the two, marching along with the utmost haste. What had transpired was unclear; however, visually, as she trailed after him, she spied what looked to be but a glimpse of a “bloody” footprint left in his wake. For just a second, a beat; as if it was a matter of luck she had seen it. It was soon covered by the ruffles of an oblivious guest’s ball gown.

Had he been hurt somehow? In that instant, she excused herself. She stepped outside of the ballroom. Upon entering the empty neighboring hall, she realized her eyes had not deceived her; a line of red footprints stained the floor. Upon further inspection, it seemed a little darker and thinner than blood... but no matter. Pursuing them for a ways, it wasn't until she nearly made her way to a door leading outside before it happened…

She felt… tired. And faint. He was nowhere in sight. The room she found herself in was vacant, save for its furnishings. She steadied herself upon the arm of a chair before allowing herself to have a seat in it. Her consciousness was beyond her control. The revelry beyond the walls soon faded out.

. . .

It was coming back to her. Some of it, anyway.

She sat up slowly, taking note of the status of her own person; her ivory gown, still white as snow - her slippers and other layers to her attire remained, all unmarred. No marks upon what skin she could see (a perhaps unnecessary observation to make as an Ethereal, but even still.) The lengths of her hair were… they were fine, but oddly maintained. Even the folds of her dress were laid out with care. Whoever had placed her here was either mindful or… something else.

With movement registering in her peripherals soon after, her study strayed. It was then that she realized she was not alone.

Before her stood a familiar figure; the shape of the feathery crest upon his head was enough to identify him, though the debonair attire proved just as memorable. Immediately inquiring on her concerns over the matter at hand, she was given what may have been the most vague (an oddly suspicious) answer she could have likely ever been given:

❛ it was an accident … simply an accident. ❜

“An accident…” She echoed.

At odds with her addled mind, the nearly ever-present curve of her lips was lacking, if not outright absent. Her gaze made its way back up to what was now becoming an eerily recurring theme looming above them. Or a part of it.

Here she was yet again - a white dress, a chandelier and him… There was a pattern beginning to form.

An accident… Was this all really just an accident?

[fantroll-purgatory]

@silenteko

So up top it looks like you’re doing this for an AU in which:

there are trolls that have not yet fully matured who live on a sister planet called Tronia

sister planets have “princesses” who presumably retain local authority to govern, though the Heiress’s and the Condesce’s authority would presumably supercede it

the canon trolls still exist and interact with your trolls (indicating interplanetary communication) but presumably haven’t played SBURB yet

mutantbloods are automatically assigned the Cancer sign

That’s all I can glean so far? So apart from those rules, I’m going to review your character as though she’s Alternian, since it takes place in the same universe.

Name: Sallva Spiral

You don’t really mention why you gave her this name, but since she’s a self-insert I am going to assume that the first name is at least somewhat related to your first name. The last name could do with some obfuscation though; ow about Xilleh, which is just “helix” backwards and with an extra ‘l.’ It’ll also help hammer home the “mutated DNA” theme I’m hoping to include. I also like it because now both her first and last name have two l’s side by side, which kind of looks like a strand of DNA that has unwound before replication!

Strife Specibus: woo! I am unsure if it’s an actual weapon or not, but before the game she doesn’t have one. Her Strife Specibus consist of two mini scythes (she got the code from a friend of hers), connected to chains that cuff to her wrist. That way, if one gets knocked out of her hand, she doesn’t have to jump all over the place to retrieve it in battle

I think that’s still a specibus; it’s just scythekind. In the meantime, I’ve had a look at you and your co-author’s profiles on deviantArt, and I think y’all may be interested in the mechanics of the Spiral Knights MMO since it links your names together! In light of that, maybe you wanna try swordkind, given that it’s the iconic Spiral Knight weapon? You can still keep the concept of a weapon that’s cuffed to her wrists.

Fetch Modus: I am unsure of what to give her. As if I’m going to be honest, she’s more likely to use a bag than a Fetch Modus

How about we split the difference with a BACKPACK MODUS, with 4 compartments that have limited space?

Blood Color: Gold! Haha

So here is where I’m trying to hammer home the mutantblood concept bc you’ve made a goldblood with very very obvious seadweller ears, and those two generally don’t…mesh…

I may lose the ears, but I’m gonna take a page out of CD’s book for an “aquablood” mutant we got a while ago and make her a polyblood to preserve some of the interesting aspects of this character. I’m thinking cerulean, since there’s overlap there both in the symbol visual and in eye-weirdness. Also lets me keep one of the colors in her initial color scheme with easy design justification.

She could be a polyblood who was basically assumed to be a “pure” goldblood because of her eyes, but whose true abilities lie in being a latent ceruleanblood.

As for why she wasn’t culled as a baby: this yellowblood doesn’t really look like a mutant, and even if her weird cerulean eye is an indication that she is, look at the other one. She’s got partial voidrot! She’ll be dead soon anyway. So the reason Sallva is still kickin’ is because, as a gold/ceruleanblood, her cerulean side generates enough energy to temper her voidrot, while her gold side dampens her psychic abilities by feeding off the energy. No telekinesis.

Symbol and Meaning: Her Symbol is actually from the Extended Zodiac, so I am unsure of it’s meaning.

It’s Gemsces, sign of the Prudent! A quick rundown: overbearingly smart, restless and skeptical, and always looking to take care of others. Also, prudence means showing careful thought and planning for the future.

Troll Tag: spiralLights! It’s a reference to her original last name that I had given her before I found out about the 6 letter thing.

Quirk: she replaces her ‘s’ with ‘5’, her ‘a’ with ‘@’, and her ‘o’ with ‘0’

While this dovetails with canon, we’ve also found with Hiveswap Friendsim that quirks needn’t necessarily be all that complex! We’ve been operating off the quirks of a bunch of real dramatic trolls for a while now. But maybe that’s who your troll is! If we go specifically with the polyblood redesign, the “too many quirks” could also just be a reflection of her inner self, which is a soup of contradictions.

I think I can make up sufficient reason to keep these quirks; Sallva can swap her s’s out for 5′s because of the 5 nucelotides we commonly see in DNA and RNA. She can swap a for @ because it’s a spiral. As for swapping o with 0, I have I think a sufficiently interesting backstory for her that’ll make that work.

Actually let me just add another one, for fun, if you’re keeping the new last name: Sallllva doublles allll her ‘l’s. The quick br0wn f0x jump5 0ver the ll@zy d0g. Give5 her @ nice llittlle dr@wll, and overdramatic to boot.

Special Abilities: She’s a Gold blood, so it’s obvious she has some sort Psychic ability. Hers is Strong Empathic abilities. Sometimes they can be so strong she gets confused as to which emotions are hers, she can also guess a person’s thoughts sometimes.

Goldblood abilities are typically telekinetic in nature, not psychic! But I really really like this concept, so I think this gets folded into the polyblood mythos; she’s heavily empathetic because of the psychic abilities that ceruleanbloods sometimes get!

To make things interesting, let’s make it so she has stuttering resistance to psychic attacks; sometimes active resistance, and sometimes an even lower resistance than usual depending on her mental state.

Lusus: Her Lusus is a mix between a Snake and an Eevee. Why? Because I like Snakes and am a Proud Slytherin and my favorite Stuffed animal is an Eevee. Her Lusus is Deceased

Also works for the polyblood theory, since polyjuice potion uses snakeskin and Eevee is like, the Pokemon for taking a generic base and turning it into whatever you want.

Personality: She’s paranoid. It doesn’t really affect her often, but she was one of the few in her session who was Skeptical about SGRUB. She’s loyal though, as well as possessive. She’s actually killed trolls who picked on her friend, who’s a mutant blood. She gets most of her traits from me. She’s my ‘True Sign Troll.’

Interest: She loves Art, her cat Frisk, Writing, Snakes, Plants

Iiiiiii don’t know that trolls can have cats as like…pets? But let me sell you on a different idea: when Sallva’s yellowblood lusus was killed, she despaired. Her mental health went downhill. She was unusually prone to psychic manipulation. Until…she was found by a ceruleanblooded lusus who had lost its charge. It is highly unusual for a lusus to bond with an adult troll, but it had just lost its troll at a very young age, and was mostly acting on instinct to find the nearest unbonded ceruleanblood. Most ceruleanblood lusii seem to be bug-like, but we could argue for something like the Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro:

Picture that version of Frisk in a kernelsprite!

Title: Mage of Life - She actually uses her ability over Life to control plants to help her fight, or to talk to animals to get help. I am unsure all of what a Mage of Life can do, but I do know they make brilliant doctors, especially if they reach God Tier, which Sallva does. After ascending to God Tier, she refused to kill another Soul, mostly because she can feel their pain. The only exception being her Ex-Matesprite, Adrium.

Hmmm. Once again, since this is a self-insert I’m loath to change stuff like names or signs or titles since people usually come to it after a great deal of introspection. Makes more sense to retrofit the character abilities so…

Let’s consult my co-mod’s write-up on what a Mage of Life is!

I don’t know that she’d be able to control plants or ask animals to get help, but it makes a lot of sense to me that she’d be able to encourage nearby creatures to help just by broadcasting her distress. Also I really like the touch that she’s essentially railroaded into the Hippocratic oath after god-tiering because of overblown empathy. I would be most interested in seeing how Adrium’s death would affect her, since her anger wouldn’t supercede his pain.

D/Ancestor: I am unsure, I haven’t actually come up with them quite yet.

How about the Inklling? Unlike her descendant, this troll was mistakenly assigned as a ceruleanblood. She was most famous for having devastatingly accurate hunches when solving mysteries, much to the chagrin of the tealbloods below her. In reality, this was her empathetic abilities manifesting themselves, though they were deeply tempered by her partial voidrot, and therefore not detected by her fellow caste.

Land: Land of Jungles and Deserts - *Snickers* I most put her here because I wanted to be able to make her complain about being a Sea-Dweller in a Desert and stuff.

So since we’ve made it so she’s no longer a seadweller, how about we subvert this here by submerging her in water? Maybe Land of Corals and Chorals to really hammer home an almost mermaidy theme?

Dream Planet: Derse - My baby’s a proud Derse Dreamer. Anyway this is relevant in the way the Derse Dreamers are Blue Team, and Prospit Dreamers are Red Team.

History: Sallva actually blames herself for her Lusus’ death, why? Because her Ex-Matesprite killed her. Adrium (Ex-Matesprite) is a violent troll, but Sallva overlooked his faults until it was too late. She gets revenge during the game and kills Adrium, though she looses her eyes and a piece of her horn to the fight, she reataches her horn with a vine though. She currently only has a Moirail (which I might upload later.) Her Sprite is Frisksprite, who jumped in the orb thingy (I forgot what it’s called.) They live on a sister planet to Alternia called Tronia, and have in fact met the Cannon Trolls a few times when Tronia’s Princess went to visit her fellow Princess, Feferi. They haven’t been there since Alnaya (Princess) got in a fight with Feferi. Though a few of them remain friends with the Cannon trolls, for example; Sallva and her Moirail Nellie still being friends with Nepeta and Equius(did I spell his name right?)

(And did I do this submitting thing right?)

Yep, you spelled his name right and submitted the character correctly! Let’s move to the redesign!

As always I try to keep self-inserts in particular as close to their original design as possible. Credit for the outfit goes to naphal.

Hair - just added stuff here and there to give it volume!

Horns - I gave her a second set to match with goldblood norms!

Visor - changed to match new eye colors

Mouth - added teeth since both ceruleans and yellows are a toothy bunch

Shirt - so USUALLY you’re not really allowed to display your symbol in anything other than your blood color, but I thought keeping it black was a nice nod both to the voidrot and to her polybloodedness.

And that’s it! Hope my feedback is useful.

[benandcoblog]

Why Fitness is Important in Your Sedentary Setting

The weekend is usually filled with get-togethers with family, friends and colleagues. Sometimes, you’ll be out at bar, restaurant, a cookout, or even just heading home so you can watch Planet Earth II on the 4K. Summer is here, and it's incredibly warm, while we all know the routine of humidity, which makes us tired so we tend to do less.

As a graphic designer, you’re mostly sitting at your desk for 8 hours a day, which means you’re also a sedentary designer. If you aren’t physically active it can host a number of problems. Especially for your lower back and wrists.

Today, I’m co-writing an article with Erica Sideri, a high school friend who is insanely fit, beautiful and healthy (this is the type of girl you want in a relationship, guys and girls) and who also enjoys the sweet life of working out at Cross Fit West Vegas. She has some solid advice for anyone who is piloting a chair during the weekday like me, so take it away Erica!

Hey there everyone!  My name is Erica Sideri and I have been involved in the fitness industry for, well, my whole life! I was a gymnast for my entire childhood / adolescence and my pursuit for health and wellness continued throughout my twenties after that. It hit its peak around the age of 28 when I discovered CrossFit – and I haven’t come down from that high yet, haha! To me, fitness isn’t just about looking good, it’s about FEELING good and being healthy on both the inside and out. Of course everyone wants rock hard abs and toned arms/legs, but it’s extremely important to stay healthy and active so you can live a long and happy life while maintaining your independence - I know I want to be up and about, able to take trips, and try new activities well into my 70’s, 80’s, and beyond!

One of the most important aspects of health and wellness is NUTRITION – “You can’t out train a bad diet.”  This is 100% true in the fitness world.  CrossFit explains that the base for all of your fitness goals is your diet – try to follow an 80/20 rule, meaning: 80% of the time you are on point with your nutrition, and 20% of the time you live your life and enjoy a cheat meal, some drinks on the weekend, etc.  Just don’t let one bad meal turn into a bad day, and then let that bad day turn into a week…a month...etc!  People get easily frustrated with changing up their diet because they think it’s an “all or nothing” 180 degree change – if only it were *that* easy.  If you change too many things at once, nothing will stick and you will resort to bad habits.  Set weekly/bi-weekly goals and start small. We all know we shouldn’t eat fast food 5 days a week, so start by cutting down to 2-3 days a week and learn how to meal prep! Not only will you be healthier, your wallet will thank you.

For those of you who sit down all day for work, you are especially at risk for injury and illness.  The human body isn’t meant to be stagnant for long periods of time. Paired with proper nutrition, making a point to stand up, stretch, go for short walks throughout the day will help you out in the long run.  Here is a small 5 minute routine with some basic calisthenics and stretches to help keep you mobile and break up your day a bit:

·      10 opposite toe touches per leg (20 total)

·      3x samson stretch per leg (alternate and hold each for 5-10 seconds)

·      5 “around the world stretches” per side (nice and slow)

·      3x standing quad stretch (alternate and hold each for 5-10 seconds)

·      10 arm circles forwards

·      10 arm circles backwards

I know some of you ladies out there may be wearing skirts and dresses to work…so modify the movements accordingly. And yes, your co-workers may look at you funny but that’s when you tell them WHY you are doing what you are doing, and then invite them to join – spread the wellness!

Ben Libby: Everyone has goals in life and some of those are becoming more fit and healthy, what made you decide to participate in cross fit?

Erica Sideri:  I was bored with my workout routine at the time and I was looking for something new.  My sister had started CrossFit almost a year before me and she wouldn’t shut up about it, so to make her stop bugging me I finally took a class… and the joke was on me because I ended up falling in love with it!

BL: Before moving to Las Vegas, did you think about other places? Why Las Vegas?

ES: I was living in Atlanta after I graduated from college, in my early 20’s, ready for new adventures.  I honestly didn’t think of anywhere else at the time – I had visited Vegas the year before I moved and I was in the hospitality industry at the time.  It seemed like a no brainer to come out here. Ten years later and I am still loving it!

BL: Have you ever thought about nationally competing in lifting contests? Or what about those fit swimsuit completions? (I’d totally vote for you.)

ES:  I have competed on larger stages in the CrossFit world, and nationally as a gymnast, but right now I am happy working on my fitness for me – it would be cool to train and do an Olympic Weightlifting competition one of these days though!  And no – I get mistaken for a figure competitor/bodybuilder ALL OF THE TIME but that’s not for me.  I struggled with an eating disorder as a gymnast and while I am very healthy and I have a great relationship with food now, I have no desire to be that strict with my diet!  It is impressive what those people do for sure – but I’d rather lift heavy weights, eat carbohydrates, and still look good 😉

BL: Depression and Anxiety are common in young adults, do you think it’s a good excuse to not hit the gym?

ES: I believe depression and anxiety are real things that can be absolutely detrimental to a human being – I have been there with depression and believe me, it is a nightmare.  I do, however, believe that being physically active can help with these issues.  They may not be the solution to the problem at hand but focusing on your body can in turn help you focus on your mind.

BL: Ever since getting in great shape, have you personally felt more amazing both in your confidence and appearance?

ES: I’m not going to lie – I love being fit, I love the way I look, and it does make you feel amazing and confident!  But what has made me the happiest is finally understanding that YOU are in charge of YOUR happiness – not sweating the small stuff and trying to be present and live in the moment is the key to true happiness.

BL: What’s your daily meal plan like? Can you give us a “Day in The Life of Erica Sideri”? Do you also use pre/post protein shakes?

ES:

·      Breakfast: Eggs (usually 4 whites, 2 yolks), sautéed peppers and onions, avocado, oatmeal with honey and cinnamon.

·      I typically train after breakfast, so I do have a protein shake mixed with water and a supergreen supplement afterwards (a GREAT way to get another serving of veggies for the day – I know that’s a tough one for some people).  I use “Syntha-6” whey protein and “Amazing Grass” chocolate flavored supergreens.

·      Lunch: shredded chicken or pork (or some other type of protein I have prepared in my crockpot), a green veggie serving (asparagus, spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, etc.) rice (I actually eat white rice mostly!)

·      Dinner: same as lunch typically but I switch out the protein and I try to have another form of starch (sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, corn tortillas, etc.)

·      Before bed: casein protein shake and a bowl of cereal 😊

I may add a protein bar, yogurt, and/or piece of fruit somewhere in between for a snack – especially when I am at work!

Thanks so much for co-writing this article with me Erica, I'm sure we'll be able to inspire those who are commanding a chair force one at their desks to realize that health and fitness is incredibly important while designing and developing visuals for the consumer and commercial world.

Erica Sideri is a Bayhost at Top Golf and a coach/personal trainer at CrossFit West Vegas.  She is a people person who truly loves helping others achieve their fitness and wellness goals.  Erica was a gymnast for many years before becoming a highly certified trainer.  She really enjoys lifting heavy things and being upside down! Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Erica has also lived in Atlanta and has resided in Vegas since 2008.

If you dig this article, you should follow and tap to love some IG photos on her Insta; Erica Sideri