#I'm a beginner who can't spend as much time as I want on these so I'm still pretty happy with them

[roboromantic]

one of my assignments for photoshop class was to make 3 animal posters and choose one of the provided images below for each one to turn into a seamless tile bg for it using the pattern adjustment layer

I wanted to do a bat poster but clearly none of these are really good for that. so I edited the shit out of the concrete picture and got it to look like a night sky and tbh I was pretty proud of that.

but I just noticed I have a 90 on the project bc the teacher says it doesn't look like the bat poster used one of the provided backgrounds, but if I can prove it is then they'll update the grade.

I have a bad habit of merging layers instead of using groups so I don't have like every single edit saved, but I DO have enough test patterns that I think I can conclusively prove I used that image. but it's very funny to me that apparently I edited it well enough that even the teacher doesn't realize I used one of the assigned images, lol

also I can't mention the posters and not include them so I'll put them under a readmore (if this site will work properly for once) bc they're kinda big

(we were required to use a photograph of the animal and include its name on the poster)

[nerdieforpedro]

I love how you write and it makes me so glad you are here.

can I ask what inspired you to start?

signed - a maybe inspired future fic writer

This is such a wonderful ask! 🥰

I'm glad you enjoy my writing. I have ideas and I write them is my short answer and explains nothing I realize.

The long answer:

I've written fanfic before, off and on for maybe the last 10-15 years. Very different fandoms. Started out with anime, dabbled a bit in Yaoi then transitioned to Marvel and now I'm firmly planted in the Pedro Pascal, Oscar Issac, Benny Miller triangle of hotness.

Fanfic for me is an expression of a story, show, movie, video game or pice of media that I enjoyed so much, I just had to make something. I can't draw, no mixing of hot tracks or beats, I've just started dabbling in photo editing this year and am a beginner at that. It's all purely fun for me. I enjoy it and it's fun to share with other people who create and are like, "Hey! You like that? I like it too. Let me see yours and I'll show you mine. Where'd you get the idea for that?" And then hilarious conversations leap from there.

What inspired me to start specifically in the Pedro Pascal fanfic world was The Mandalorian. It was the first time I realized, "that's the man I've seen before!" And then realized I've seen Pedro Pascal in many of my favorite shows, (The Mentalist was watched for the sake of completion. After season 6 and the first episode of season 7, there wasn't a real reason to continue other than spending time with my mom. She's fine, when I tell people that they think she's passed on but the woman is still lifting 50 lbs mulch bags in her mid seventies. She more than fine.) I then became fixated on this man, reset the password on my AO3 account and found Pedro Pascal character fanfics. I was then led back to Tumblr which before I was on years ago for anime and read fics by @secretelephanttattoo ( I shall always sing about Headshots. It inspired the first fic I posted on Tumblr and is just so damn cute. El is also just a sweetheart.) and @morallyinept whose Tendrils fic only deepened my brain rot for that tall beskar bucket, she's also a dear friend who's made me laugh, cry in a good way, inspired me and very time I turn around she's crafting something new. Fics, banners, self-care, doodles, smut, databases, and all sorts of Pedro interviews and dialogue. Because I'm a fangirl of them both and many others actually, I keep 👀 on them.

What keeps me going is the fandom overall and that despite, recent tribulations let's say politely, we're all still here. Geeking out over a goofy, handsome, I know he gives the best hugs, actor who loves what he does and has been working at it for years and it's finally paying off.

I've met wonderful friends and moots who reach out, give me encouragement, tell me I do well (I'm starting to listen to them I swear. I'm not good at taking compliments in person so it's even worse online FYI.

So I hope this answers your ask and I do encourage you to write that weird, funny, smutty, cute, sweet, dark, twisty, angsty fic that you want to write. I do hope whoever you are, you tag me in it so I can read it. 🤭

Special love to the following and if I left anyone off, I'm sorry. It's after work, I rubbed my eyes, wipes my glasses because I got them wet while writing this and it was a lot:

@maggiemayhemnj @megamindsecretlair @soft-persephone @angelofsmalldeath-codeine @magpiepills

@mysterious-moonstruck-musings @for-a-longlongtime @i-own-loki @undercoverpena @connectioneverywhere

@soft-girl-musings @perotovar @julesonrecord @lotusbxtch @604to647

@yorksgirl @pedroshotwifey @fhatbhabiee @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin @bitchwitch1981

@jessthebaker @avastrasposts @inept-the-magnificent @lady-bess @grogusmum

@schnarfer @boliv-jenta @iamskyereads @iamasaddie @chaithetics

@tinytinymenace @yourcoolauntie @alltheglitterandtheroar @musings-of-a-rose @rhoorl

@trulybetty @laurfilijames @wannab-urs @legendary-pink-dot @din-cognito

@sin-djarin @beefrobeefcal @spacecowboyhotch

[icypopz]

with a physically flexible s/o ♡

↬ from anon ; 👋 hello. i saw that you write for blue lock (thank u) and i was wondering if i could please request headcanons of meguru, hyoma and rin with a s/o who's physically flexible. it's ok if you don't write this, i hope you have a great day.

↬ notes ; bachira meguru, chigiri hyoma & itoshi rin x gn!reader

↬from ice ; had fun writing this bc ive always wanted to be flexible LOL living out my dreams in fiction

↬ warning(s) ; joking threats, spoilers for chigiri's backstory

please reblog ! it helps a lot :)

[ bachira meguru ! ]

bachira would be very impressed the first time he sees you showcase your flexibility. actually, scratch that. bachira is impressed every single time you do even the simplest tricks because he can't seem to wrap his head around how a human can be so... stretchy?

he's your #1 fan! every time you're stretching even before you start contorting, bachira will be cheering for you like "go y/n! yeahhhh! you're awesome!" he lowkey likes seeing how you get embarrassed because of his enthusiasm. (he thinks it's adorable.)

definitely wants you to teach him how to do the most extreme stunt ever, but you convince him to start off with something more beginner-friendly like splits. bachira is super focused while you're teaching him, and after a few days of stretching, he finally gets it! he's so proud of himself and he just does it All The Time for no reason until raichi threatens to break his legs.

he also may or may not make some jokes about you putting your flexibility to good use with him but will never go too far. he just likes teasing you and seeing your reaction. tells everyone else in blue lock that his s/o is the most flexible and coolest person on the planet, they've all heard so much about you by now that they swear they already know you.

more content utc !

[ chigiri hyoma ! ]

chigiri, as we all know, is a prince who always manages to keep his cool. so even if you suddenly start performing crazy feats the most this man will react is probably just his eyes widening. don't worry, he's really impressed, he just doesn't show it on his features.

however, he makes up for it by asking you a million questions about your flexibility! nothing invasive, of course, just queries like "when did you start attempting stunts?" "why do you like it?" "how do you even do that?" it shows how invested and interested he is in your flexibility because it's something that makes you happy.

chigiri is also quite concerned about you though. he knows that contorting yourself into all these positions isn't going to be easy on your muscles and tendons, so he reminds you to warm up and cool down every time you start stunting. he just doesn't want you to experience the same pain he did of having his dream almost ripped from him when he tore his ACL. so he might come off as slightly overprotective, but he has good intentions at heart!

he likes stretching with you for sure. it's just a cute way for the two of you to spend more time together before he's rushing to football practice and you're heading to practice your stunts. you'll both look out for each other and wish each other luck during these little sessions, and it always has to end with you planting a soft kiss onto chigiri's cheek for luck. (he says it's for luck, but actually he just likes you kissing him.)

[ itoshi rin ! ]

rin acts like he couldn't care less about everyone else but you're the exception: you're his entire world and one of the few times itoshi rin has been stunned was when you showed him how flexible you were for the first time. no joke his jaw was on the floor.

he thinks it's an awesome skill, and will kinda gush about it to you at first. he gets shy if you tease him about how many compliments he's showering you with and then gets grumpy. the conversation after that is something along the lines of: "aww, rin, you're so cute!" "no. shut up. i'm never being nice again." "nooo, i was just messing with you!" "too much praise will inflate your ego." "aren't you the biggest egoist here?! hypocrite!!!"

to be honest, he's more impressed by the amount of work you've put in to become this limber. he knows how hard it can be to maintain a specific physique in terms of muscle and flexibility, so he genuinely admires your hard work and effort. rin also likes inviting you to the gym so he can work out/train while you stretch and do your own thing.

rin actually doesn't think about the fact that you're flexible that much. he just thinks it's an added bonus to how amazing you are as a whole already, though he'd never admit that to you for the life of him. (he loves you but he Cannot handle your playfulness.)

✧ thank you for reading ! if you have a request, feel free to send it in 🌠

© icypopz 2022. do not repost or modify in any way.

[asecretvice]

hi!! i’m rereading “and this, your living kiss” (for about the sixth time bc i love it so so much), and i’m very curious what your personal opinion is about on the road? you write both opinions of the book so well and i know it’s one of those books that garner very opposite strong opinions. i read the book after reading your fic for the first time and certainly have my own strong opinions. would love to know your thoughts about it!

(and once again thank you for the absolute gift that your fic is, i love it so deeply)

Firstly, thank you so much for your kind words about my writing. It means the world <3

On the Road is a tricky one, isn't it? The short answer is, I do enjoy it. The longer answer includes a "but." And then a couple more.

Just looking at the specs of the book, it's pretty unusual that I should enjoy it--the subject matter is mostly [white] dudes being dudes, it's more or less "literary" fiction, there's just...SO MUCH misogyny, and I'm simply not a big fan of stream of consciousness [or free association, or spontaneous, or whatever you want to call it] prose, because it's difficult to do it both clearly and interestingly. And yet.

The guy does it well. The book is full of energy and passion, ridiculously gorgeous turns of phrase, and for the characters [real people!] he spends the time on, the portraits are so detailed and beautiful and ugly and real. Down to the way he captures their speech patterns!

It's been a little over ten years since I've read it [what is. time.], but I plucked the book off my shelf and was able to find you the exact passage in the first chapter where I decided to trust Kerouac as an author, and allow myself to go with his flow:

They rushed down the street together, digging everything in the early way they had, which later became so much sadder and perceptive and blank. But then they danced down the streets like dingledodies, and I shambled after as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!" What did they call such young people in Goethe's Germany?

I mean, this thought starts with another device I tend not to like, the sort of, "If only they'd known, then this wouldn't have happened!" or "Little did they know, it would all end soon" or what have you. But it isn't laid out that way, as a wink or a gotcha. It sets up the dim result, but then gives you the answer without holding your hand about it--you can only burn like that for so long, really. And the nod to "young people in Goethe's Germany," and mentioning the colors blue and yellow, in my view, are an intentional reference to The Sorrows of Young Werther.

The structure is great! This passage is three sentences, the middle one taking up the bulk of it. It's got all sorts of qualities that well-meaning teachers might try to convince you out of, but he's long past that beginner's stage. Read it out loud! It sounds right. The rhythm of this whole section works, with the lead up sentence, the one that flies higher and higher into a climax, and then the short denouement that brings you back down to earth. Not to mention the poetics of it; you could easily split that middle sentence into lines and be wowed by the structure of it:

and I shambled after as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved

Or hell, just say aloud the phrase "candles exploding like spiders across the stars" and delight in the recurring phonemes like /k/, /l/, /d/, /s/, etc.

And you know, maybe that does nothing for you. But I can't imagine that most folks wouldn't at least appreciate the sentiment and how real it feels, how some are in their youth, and then things becoming "so much sadder." Or relate to times when you felt fully mad or overwhelmingly desirous. Or being the person shambling behind, the one ever so slightly on the outside, observing the ones who seem to be truly living their lives to the fullest [Writers' Syndrome(tm)].

So yes, I enjoy the book and I enjoy the pictures Kerouac paints us. It certainly helps that I read this book right around the time I started watching spn. I believe it was probably a month or so after I'd caught up. It was on the docket anyway because I had discovered Ginsberg for myself not very long before I watched the show, and I'd made a point to seek out a few of the beats thereafter. It was rather a synchronous turn of events that helped cement the two things--spn and beat literature--together for me, beyond the movement's heavy influence on Kripke. [If you don't think I have a beats-style spn fic that's been waiting to be written since that time which I've nicknamed Sulfur Sutra then you are sorely mistaken :p ]

Anyway, I did reread the first chapter before writing this post and yeah, the mommy issues and misogyny are in there right away also, and like...okay, that tracks why I recall so well certain moments of the book where I got so frustrated I would be taken out of it and just sit there like

[I hope he felt my eyes. Burning shame into his soul. Like my dude. Really?]

The other part of it is...well...he was in fact describing his version of reality. You don't have to like him on account of it, but I don't doubt for a moment that the guys talked that way, or thought that yes indeed Marylou should go to the kitchen or go sweep the floor or whatever. It takes place in the 40s [not like it doesn't happen all the time today]. Look at it from a more historical/anthropological perspective, if that helps.

Thankfully, there are antidotes to all this. I would highly recommend what I've found to be the best one: Minor Characters by Joyce Johnson. She was part of the beats, and was in a relationship with Kerouac for a couple years. On the Road was reality as he perceived the era; Minor Characters as she perceived it.

In terms of my fic, I agree with and hold both Dean's and Charlie's perspectives simultaneously, as they both come to do after they discuss it with each other and finish the book themselves. The gender politics [and in a few passages, the race politics] are shit, but there's a reason the book has remained popular since its publication, and inspired so many adaptations and other stories. To this day its effects are felt in the American zeitgeist, and for that reason I'm still happy to recommend it to people with the obvious caveats. Besides, as is often the truth in these cases, the book is so much more interesting and beautiful and nuanced than pop culture makes it out to be.

You said you have some strong opinions--feel free to tell me what they are! I'm interested to know ^_^

Thank you again for your kind words, and your ask. I had a lot of fun answering it!

[ftmboi-hooters]

follow me on my slightly exhibitionistic hotel sauna adventure...

first person, reader description: wet, slit, cocklet, tiny dick

I'm staying at this fancy hotel for just one night. It's already late but I don't want to miss my chance to use their sauna.

I grab my towel and go on a little walk. I'm not totally sure where the gym is, but after a few rides in the elevator I notice the very obviously labelled button for the top floor. Well. At least I found it.

The gym, the changing rooms and the sauna are completely empty. I hesitate but decide to change in the men's area. There's no one here anyways.

I walk into the sauna area as a little towel burrito. After reading the instructions for beginners I take a quick shower and spend some time in the steam bath and the sauna. Just being naked turns me on pretty often, but I try to ignore it. During my next quick shower I slip one finger between my legs, just to check and to no one's suprise I'm very wet.

My fingers glide so smoothly along my slippery slit. They slip all the way around my excited cocklet. I turn off the shower and get back in the steam bath. Sitting cross-legged with my hands in my lap two fingers start stroking. I start imagining myself cumming in this steamy room as people walk just past the door. But I have to take a shower break again, as the heat gets too much. This time I go into the sauna and immediately start playing with myself again. Nothing crazy, just stroking and imagining the possibility of people entering.

A figure wrapped in a towel walks past the glass door and I stop. The man gets in the shower, probably wanting to use the sauna too. I move to the steam bath again, while he lays down in the sauna. The steam is incredibly thick, making it seem like the glass doors are frosted. I'm pretty sure he can't see me, so I get back to stroking. Now even more riles up by the thought of cumming this close to a stranger who could maybe see me. Oh how badly I need to expose myself to others.

Another man enters the area. He also takes a quick shower but then joins me in the steam bath. I still have my hands in my lap, just stroking seconds ago. And I really don't want to stop. My fingers move slow, pretty sure it's not noticeable. But I can't really continue like this. The heat is getting to much anyways, so I get out and in the shower. I think about the settings of the showerhead, my plan B, as one of the men also enters the shower.

After cooking in the steam bath for a bit longer I get back to the changing rooms. There are two shower cabins with frosted glass doors, both unoccupied. I get in, turn on the water and switch through the settings. I'm not disappointed. Three strong jets from the middle of the showerhead. And they spin. More precisely: They spin around my tiny dick.

After turning up the pressure a bit more I'm already struggling to keep my legs straight. I hear people changing just meters away at their lockers. The water jets circle my cocklet again and again. I brace myself against the wall as I tense up and cum hard, trying so so hard to keep quiet. The room is empty again when I finish actually showering.

I just came in a hotel changing room shower. And I would do it again.

[hambiichu]

I am your mentor, Kid

You sneer at Kaito's words and sarcasm; he is aware of how easily you may be teased, irritated, and stubborn while working under his supervision. You hope he gives some respect from it even though you know he's trying to lighten the mood of the stressful case you two handle these weeks.            

He's experienced these situations before, even the worst ones, so you can't hold it against him.Considering that some cases are more serious than yours, you can never truly understand what it's like to be in his position.Moreover, he has a strong poker face, making it hard to tell what his true emotions are.

But, of course, you looked up to him as a mentor, and despite working at the station for two years, Kaito treated you like a beginner, even though you had some experience; in his eyes, you were still his rookie under his supervision, which irritated you to the bone.

 And, oh, you also have a secret crush on him for two years; who can blame you when you find him attractive and intelligent? That is something to fuel your delusional mind on a daily basis.

You huff at his next statement remarks, twisting your body to face Kaito, the man grinning with delight. "Ugh, you always come up with those boring repeatedly remarks and sarcasm! Can't come up with anything new?"

 Kaito puts a hand to his chest in mock offense, feigning hurt. "Oh, so you think I'm boring, huh? Is that it?" He gives you a playful glare. "You wound me, kid."  

 He concludes, "At least I am funny and kept you entertained; it would be so boring without someone like me to lighten the mood."

You scoff, not expressing that his remarks have demoralised you, even though nobody else could make the case that has been bothering you so much any easier without him.

"You're not funny," You crossed your arms because you didn't want to stroke his ego any more. He knew you too well and that you were easily defeated but couldn't accept it.

"Ouch! You hurt my feelings," exclaims Kaito, mockingly gasping. "Oh! You hurt me, kid! The majority of people called me funny, and you're the first one who said I am not." He puts his hand on his forehead and makes a fainting motion.

"Damn right I am."

Kaito lets out a wheezing chuckle, and you smile with enjoyment at your hidden crush's laughter. Without him, life would be terribly boring, so you are grateful for the little time you get to spend with him. You stayed in line since you knew you had to act professionally because the station has tight dating policies, particularly for mentors.

Though it would be a waste of time to date during these times of crisis, you hope to move on with your secret crush, Kaito. For now, though, you're enjoying the friendly banter between you and him. Maybe in another life, you're dating him, who knows? Maybe is in your delusional mind again. 

Even though you saw signs from Kaito, you dismissed them, assuming it was just pleasant banter between him and his rookie. Since you are obvious, it makes sense that those who had a crush on you in the past rejected or turned it down, as you are unable to distinguished. 

Kaito twirls his pen between his fingers, his eyes lighting up for you. "But hey, you enjoyed having me around, kid. I know you, and you can't deny me."

Giving him a warm smile and a flutter in your heart, you said, "Yeah, I like having you around. I am lucky to have you as my mentor." 

"Lucky to have me as your mentor, are you now?" He pretends to grumble, but the corners of his mouth quirk up in a smile.

He leans back in his chair again, crossing his arms. "Maybe I should stop being so easy on you. Make you earn your place here, instead of just being my little apprentice."

He tries to keep a serious expression, but the twinkle in his eye betrays his lightheartedness.

"But really," he adds after a moment, his tone shifting from playful to earnest. "I'm glad you're here. Despite your smart mouth and tendency to drive me up the wall, you are talented and determined. And I wouldn't want anyone else at my side while solving these cases."

[cloudycaffeinatedcryptid]

What do you think the comfort activities would be for each counselor? Like if they had a really long or bad day and they just want to decompress at the end of it?

ooooh thank you so much for this <3 this is the perfect break between writing binges & i love this question!! prepare for a lot of headcanons, i had to think about this a lot

Abi - i think she draws, that's pretty canon, it calms her down. i also think she paints when she really wants to zone out & not think (she loves watercolor but she's been experimenting with acrylics lately) & she does a lot of landscape paintings. the only color that usually sits untouched is red. the smears on her fingers bring up bad memories. she also burns relaxing incense & listens to soothing instrumental tracks

Ryan - he listens to his podcast usually, but i think his sister plays piano (she's very good) & she often gets him to sit down so she can teach him scales or beginner songs & it relaxes him. otherwise i can see him settling down in the comfortable chair wedged in the corner of his room with his drawing tablet, lights dim, & just working on some art. occasionally his sis barges in to play her DS on his bed while he does & then they both just exist together in silence

Nick - they give us so little about Nick that i honestly could just say anything about this freak. but i think he gets stoned & watches terrible movies when he needs to decompress. he's seen Llamageddon eight times. i can also see him going for short walks or half-listening to nature documentaries while he cooks

Emma - when she needs to wind down, she love taking hot baths. she has a ton of bath bombs & oils & products, so she lights some scented candles, turns off the lights, puts on some relaxing tunes, & soaks. i also think she learned to sew so she could mend her own expensive clothes, but then she ended up enjoying it, so she sew/embroiders sometimes on the side to relax. she prolly does yoga too

Kaitlyn - she goes for runs, for sure. it's good exercise, builds her stamina, & helps keep her mind off... everything. she likes the early morning runs when it's just chilly enough to barely see her breath & she has a killer playlist for them. her guilty pleasure is rupaul's drag race & so every season you can catch her, fresh out of the shower, in her sweats, mug of coffee in hands & a bottle of wine on the table, pore strips on, enraptured & getting way too intense about the show

Dylan - this mans pops three edibles & opens the NASA website so he can watch space in real time. if he can manage it, he'll lay for hours on the floor with his cat purring on his chest. sometimes he'll watch cartoons or sci-fi shows to zone out, or he'll put on his headphones & try to forget the world. no i'm not projecting

Jacob - he strikes me as the kind of person who considers working out to be relaxing, so he spends a lot of his free time doing that. otherwise i see him being into cheesy rom-coms (altho he'd never admit it) so some nights he makes himself some popcorn, mixes in m&ms, & settles in to watch The Notebook for the tenth time

Laura - she's def one of those ppl who can't go too long without doing something so her "relaxing" time is usually cleaning, animal care - possibly a gamer. she likes staying busy. whenever she actually settles down to relax, it's usually with & bc of Max. they play checkers together & watch movies they can make fun of. they binge criminal minds together. she's not great in the kitchen but she helps Max bake sometimes & she's an expert on the grill. i think she would enjoy taking up gardening if they get their own property

Max - he loves his relaxation time. he bakes, he naps, he definitely would enjoy gardening, but he always relaxes easier when he's with Laura <3 he prolly plays idle video games like animal crossing, he was for sure heavy into pokemon, & he loves cartoons. the most relaxing time of the day for him is 3pm, when he can eat cereal on the couch & watch scooby-doo, & he doesn't need a blanket bc the blinds are open & the sun keeps him warm :)

[transgymbro]

im sure youve probably answered this before, but do you have a specific gym routine you follow? or one you could recommend?

my issue with the gym isnt even an issue of social anxiety or body insecurity, it's the fact that i genuinely have zero clue what im doing lmao 😅 any advice at all is appreciated, thanks man

I actually haven't answered this one before! This is under a "read more" because it got stupid long. Also sorry this has taken so long I've been grinding on my finals

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert, I'm literally just some guy on the internet who likes going to the gym. Please consult an expert such as a doctor or fitness coach if possible before trying anything I say. If you happen to be an expert/experienced in this, please correct me if I got anything wrong. Also, YMMV.

So generally, when you go to the gym your routine is going to depend on your goals and how many days you're going to be able to go.

If your main goal is to cut (lose body fat): You want to concentrate on cardio, and if you do strength training at all you should focus on lighter weight with a higher number of reps each set

If your main goal is to bulk (gain muscle mass and strength): You'll want to aim for less cardio, heavier weights, and less repetitions.

WARNING: Be careful when you are going up in weight, you can seriously injure yourself if you try to lift something that's too heavy. What I mean by be careful is:

Make sure you can move your current weight easily before trying the next one up. That is, don't go up until you're able to do 15 reps on that weight.

When you move up in weight, don't go up by more than 5-10 lbs. This will make sure that if it turns out you can't lift as much as you thought, you won't hurt yourself.

Have a spotter with you, if possible. If you have someone who can/wants to go to the gym with, you, take them, especially if they have more experience. Having someone there to catch the weight can make the difference on whether or not you get injured.

Listen to your body. If you are hurting/experiencing sharp/unusual pain, STOP and either go down in weight or stop altogether for the day.

Make sure your form is correct. Lifting with bad form is already likely to injure you, and the risk goes up the heavier you're lifting. You can have someone else check you or check online for tutorials.

As for your exercises across the week, it depends on how much time you have to spend in the gym. Some people have time every single day to go, and others can only go maybe two days a week. Regardless of how much time you have though, it is important to give your muscles a chance to rest. Now, this doesn't mean you CAN'T go every single day, you absolutely can if you know what you're doing. But generally for people who are new to the gym I wouldn't recommend it. For one, if you're not used to the strain you're going to take longer to recover and get over the soreness, and if you're super sore it'll be difficult to really push yourself. Also, beginners aren't typically in tune with their body yet, that is, they don't know when to stop pushing to avoid injury. So, it's best to split the muscles you work out across your gym days.

A very common one routine is called the push-pull split. This divides the muscles you will work out into two groups, depending on their motion. The muscles that go in each category are

Push: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, Quads, Calves

Pull: Back, Biceps, Glutes, Hamstrings.

Typically, one would go to the gym 4 days per week and do: push, pull, push, pull, or vice versa. However, this split is also good for people who can only work out twice a week. My brother actually goes to the gym three times per week (last I checked with him) and modifies this split into push, pull, and legs, so this is another option if you want to really make sure you're getting a pump on your legs.

My personal split is a three day split of muscle groups. Shoulders/biceps/triceps, chest/back, and abs/legs. This is how my aunt (former amateur bodybuilder) trained me when she was getting me into weightlifting and I've generally kept the same routine, but you're free to switch any of those days or muscle groups around, so you could do something like biceps/trips/back, abs/chest, shoulders/legs. Generally I would try to keep biceps and triceps together since both are your arm muscles, but that's really only a personal preference.

For the most part, what you choose to do here is up to you as long as you make sure you're giving your muscles a chance to rest.

Now we're getting into specifics: How many reps? How many sets? Generally, 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps on a weight that is manageable but challenging (i.e. you can lift it, but you're getting tired at about the last 2-3 reps). However, there are some (not exhaustive) special cases that I'm listing below

Cutting - Do you remember what I said about low weight high reps earlier? This is where it comes in. If you're on a cut you may want to go for a lighter weight than your normally would (for example, if you usually lift about 20 lbs use the 10 lb weights) and go for 15-20 reps, or if you're advanced, until failure.

Strength gain - High weight, low reps. You'll want something a bit on the heavier side, but you'll only be doing this for about 5-8 reps per set. I do recommend, however, grabbing a lighter weight as well and doing what we call a drop set (we'll get into what this is in a second). Once again: be careful when lifting very heavy weights. You don't want to injure yourself.

The Big Three (Deadlift, Squat, Bench Press) - These ones are the ones people tend to try and go as heavy as they can go on. They are the most rewarding, but also the most dangerous lifts you can do. If you are a beginner, do not attempt going heavy on these without a spotter. Generally for these, you'll want to do less reps the heavier you go. If you have a spotter you can go for a one rep max, where you lift the most weight you know you can lift for exactly one rep. Alternatively, these can go hand in hand with strength gaining, and because of how heavy these can get, you may end up only getting 3 reps in (I can only bench 145 lbs for 2 reps right now).

Drop Set - A drop set is a set where you start with a weight slightly heavier than what you can complete a full set with, do a low amount of reps, and then drop down to a lower weight and repeat, up to the lowest weight available to you. These are very good for building your strength, because they allow you to keep going and working your muscles without injuring yourself. Example: I want to drop set my bicep curls. I can bicep curl about 25 lbs for 10-12 reps. I would start with 30 lbs, do 5 reps, then drop to 25 lbs and do 5 reps there. I could stop there, especially if I'm using dumbbells because I don't want to have that many dumbbells with me, but I could go to 20 lbs, do 5 reps, then to 15 lbs, and then repeat until I'm using 5 lbs. These usually work best with machines rather than free weights because again: there is definitely such a thing as too many dumbbells.

Also: Make sure your first set is a warmup set. That is, do slightly lighter weight and slightly more reps to get your muscles warmed up and ready to lift the heavier stuff. Warming up your muscles will give you a chance to practice your form and prepare your body to handle the heavy shit.

I will also say that your diet will have a massive impact on how fast/whether you reach your goals, but since you asked about the gym specifically, I'm sticking to that scope.

[the-fibre-stuff]

I've been keeping an eye on knitting lessons in town to share with the students at the school in case they want to learn more. But since the LYS moved out of town there really isn't anything. I did just find one that I can't recommend - it's for beginners, they provide materials, and it's $85. For two hours. (That's about 5 hours at minimum wage)*

Now, obviously my classes at Michaels aren't a good point of reference, because I probably should have been paid more (although a lot of that problem was because I rarely had more than one or two students), but my former LYS is currently charging $60 (so about the same instructional price) for a 2x2 hour class. The 2.5 hour beginner knitting class is $45 (AND includes materials). (Same 6 student limit).

And the list of what they're trying to cover in 2 hours is too long! cast on, knit stitch, purl stitch, "bind off", how to read a yarn label and pattern AND starting a project. (I get that the project is really a necessary selling point, but they really don't work in a short class, you need to do multiple sessions so people can go work on it at home). And I'm sure they're saying "look how much we're covering" to make it look like good value for money, but if even one of the potentially 6 students is struggling with knitting, either that one is going to not really learn anything, or if you do it wrong NO ONE will learn anything (it's really easy to spend so much time with the one person who's struggling that you don't have enough time for everyone else, but then still not manage to help the one).

You need time to actually practice the skills in a knitting class. At least if you want the class to not be a rip-off. I guess this class is intended more as a "knit a headband" activity thing, but it's one that you finish at home? This feels deceptive, in that it's charging people (a lot) to learn how to knit, but is more about a "come experience knitting" thing than a "learn to knit".

Also, where does everyone stand on teaching foreign knitting without billing the class as such? I know that the internet has lead to the Americanization of the terminology, but hopefully the instructor is teaching the standard terminology not just the internet/American terms? (I just discovered today that some of my books from the 1970s don't have a section with notes for Americans, so people who are hoping to use grandma's collection may be in for a surprise.)

*I am not trying to suggest that the knitting instructor should only make minimum wage, and I'm aware that the supplies and potentially the location cost something, this is only provided for those who don't want to have to look up the conversion to CND

[correctpathos]

Learning to Draw #1 - :)

My Manifesto that will be read as I lay destruction to The Works

I'm in my late 20s. I'm doing this because I can't find anyone else showing a similar process as a genuine sucky beginner. I used to draw a bit in my early teens. Slated for greatness at my art GCSE, a master of using the ruler for two-point perspective, I could achieve an 'A' they said - if I chose it - and I bet you're wondering how I got here... At home I drew my favourite anime characters. They weren't good, but whatever. I drew Itachi from Naruto and was so happy with this one that I took it to my parents to use their scanner. I subtly wanted to show it off, but I said I thought it would be cool if I scan it and colour it in on my cracked version of Photoshop CS5.

All I remember is they both saw it and had a good laugh at Itachi's hand. "It looks like E.T - 'phone home'". I didn't colour it in, and don't think I drew anything after that. The GCSE Art I took was bizarrely thin on teaching theory/skills and more about trying out a variety of creative mixed media - textured collages, pottery, and the like. I didn't draw a single thing and somehow achieved a B.

So anyway, I kept wishing I knew how to draw. Not as a professional or anything. Just enough to convey a sketch of an idea on the page that didn't look weird. What inspired me to pick it up again was some of the artwork in the RPG book for 'Warlock'. Thought it was rad as fuck. Wish I could do that.

Figuring out how to do this has sucked so much ass. So many 'beginners' post absolutely passable drawings to undermine your confidence, or they bait you in and say "yeah, I'm learning to draw...I stopped a few years ago when I finished up with Sistine Chapel". Fuckers. One egregious example was on the 'learntodraw' subreddit where someone said their husband started drawing a 'week ago', presenting a near photo-realistic image. Later admitting after backlash that their husband had only just started 'taking it seriously this week, but has drawn before'.

All the other guidance essentially consists of happy-go-lucky 'just draw :)' or locked-in 'drawing is like working out, put the reps in'. In-between are mentions of 'the fundamentals' but the best way to learn these are???

A few months ago I attempted 'Draw a Box'. I gave up because I'll be honest, it is incredibly boring to spend your evenings drawing 250 boxes, cylinders, and then once you finally think you're onto the interesting stuff you get asked to do several pages of arrows. I still hadn't drawn anything apart from basic shapes.

The structure was good for me though, so I thought let's buy an online art class. The course recommends joining their community and sharing your first work, which you must draw 'from your mind'. Here is Chroknight. This took approx 2 hours of really trying. This was still attempting to incorporate ideas about perspective and breaking down shapes I had heard about from Draw a Box. So this probably shows a month of learning. This is what I want to see when I look for a beginners journey.

I did this for a bit and drew some heads before becoming so fucking angry at the entire process. "People can be broken down into very basic shapes - squares, circles, triangles". Yet what really happens is a lot of complex rules around curving, avoiding tangent lines, and so on. I watch as the 'forms' get drawn in and say "okay, how the fuck do you make that look like a person?". My forms were often weirdly askew so I tried to correct them. The heads just don't look right. I was really struggling to spot that my forms were so wrong that it wasn't until I got to the details or the end that I was like "oh, wow this is really off". People who can draw say "just make sure your forms are correct first", and I get it - but often I can't tell until I start putting features on.

I know they're not like if you just picked up a pencil for the first time. This was around 2-3 months of learning. I was really feeling angry and impatient that after drilling facial features and head forms that they still looked so weird and were taking a significant amount of time to draw. Each of these took at least an hour. Could've watched X-Files.

"This is why an understanding of anatomy is so important" the instructor says on their demo. Proceeding to practically, to my untrained eye, ignore their forms and freely draw 'skin lines' to indicate anatomy. How do I do that? "Study anatomy". The assignment for this part of the course is to draw each body part 'until memorised'. More grinding. I was too angry and couldn't face it.

So here I am a few months on. I am going to restart the course and actually begin 'grinding'. Drawing regularly, from reference, whatever. I am banning myself from artist YouTube videos about how they learn because these people are already great and their advice amounts to variations of studying/grinding or even worse "learning to love art again". I am also leaving the communities full of people posting things I can only aspire to and saying "any feedback UnU?", "why do I suck? :(".

x

[traegorn]

Hi, I really like your podcast, do you have any book-recommendations for someone who wants to move on from introductory 101 whichcraft books?

Unfortunately I really don't.

Like beginner stuff is easy to recommend because in the solitary practice driven world of the modern witchcraft movement it's the main way 90% of us get started. Reading for your first few years becomes a necessity, and for a lot of folks that's where they find out what a lot of the options are.

And so those books sell. Those books get published.

One problem is, after that, you get into more specialized things. There is no general intermediate version of Witchcraft. People branch off and get into way more specific things. It's like how when you're a kid there's just "science class" but in college it splits off into so many disciplines. If you tried to write one book to cover all of it, it would be massive and unmanageable (or just not end up giving you enough information to be worth it and just be another beginner book).

The other problem is that these books are harder to sell for publishers because the audience is smaller. You always sell more beginner books for any topic (because there will always be folks who want basic understanding but not more -- be the subject carpentry or witchcraft), plus those that specialize will fraction off to what they want to do next.

So yeah. That means there are way fewer "intermediate" books out there.

And book availability aside, the main reason I can't recommend any... is that I haven't read a lot of them. Y'all, I love doing witchcraft -- I've spent the last twenty five years of my life being a witch -- but I don't actually enjoy reading witchcraft books like some of y'all. I mean, don't get me wrong, I research the hell out of stuff I do, but I'm pretty set in my practice. I learned a lot of stuff by trying and doing within the frameworks I've developed. I also learned stuff from working and discussing with other witches. I stopped actively reading witchcraft books for fun a couple of decades ago.

Folks ask me "what do you think of [author who first published five years ago]," and my response is either "I don't know their stuff" or "Ah fuck, you're going to make me read something aren't you just to find out whether something is terrible or not." Or I ask one of my friends if the author is terrible. Most of the time it's that third thing.

I'm like the opposite of @asksecularwitch in so many ways.

Like so many of my witch friends just spend so much time reading witch books, and that's great. I'm glad they're enjoying it, but I'm not that person. I've always been much more one for direct conversations with other witches -- and then when I do research something spending more time with non-witchcraft sources to make sure I'm getting the cultural, historical, and scientific sides right.

So, uh, yeah.

That's why I don't have any good recs for you.

Sorry?

Uh, anyone else wanna chime in?

[foliosgirl]

Hey. I had loose thoughts in my mind about Folio as a drum teacher, so I don't know already where this will end (probably in smut, hehe). I'm writing this from Folio's and my perspective.

Let's start with Folio. Enjoy. If you want to be tagged let me know :)

Songs (as an inspiration):

Amber Mark - Mixer

Bad Omens - Malice

Drake feat. Jay-Z - Talk up

Majid Jordan, Naomi Sharon - Waiting for you

Phil Collins - Easy Lover

Zayn - Sweat

Lenny Kravitz - Again

Bad Omens - Just pretend (Live 2024)

Coldplay - Clocks

Thornhill - Nurture

Linkin' Park - Numb

Twenty One Pilots - At the risk of feeling dumb

TD_Nasty, Clara La San - Where u wanna be

Architects - Black lungs

I'll extend this. Maybe :)

Teach me

(Nick)

It's been a sucky time since Noah, the singer of my band suffered from a burn out and nobody knew when it would go on again. Our project Concrete Jungle OST, a soundtrack to our comics, had been released a few days ago.

My cell phone beeped:

"The fans are crazy about your OST album. Some of them like it a lot, but a lot of them don't like it at all. So it's the same as always."

I didn't even read through any comments like that anymore. The message was from our tour manager Matt.

I was exhausted too. It had just been too much lately. Nicholas, our bass player, was the only one who had somehow managed to get through this time reasonably well. Jolly, the guitarist, was already composing new songs after we had canceled our dates in Europe and the UK because he couldn't stand still and do nothing. It was hard for me too, but as a drummer I couldn't write my own songs if I didn't even have a melody. I needed something to do other than spend hours a day improving my drumming. I decided to give drum lessons for the first time in my life. In the garage at my parents' house a few streets away was my current kit and the old one I'd had since childhood. I couldn't part with the old kit. Even today, I sometimes only practiced on the small old kit so that I could play in a more reduced way. Besides, it didn't bother anyone in the garage.

In my own apartment, the neighbors were too close and would never have accepted it. I went to the music school where I was taking drum lessons myself at the time to ask Scott, the head of the school, if I could put up a notice. It said:

"Offering drum lessons for beginners and intermediates ages 6 and up. Nick: +1 323 xxxx xxxx".

It felt good to be back.

"Is Scott in?" I asked the obviously new receptionist.

"Just a moment. What's your name?"

"Nick" I replied a little nervously and looked at the posters on the walls.

"Hey Nick!" Scott said and greeted me with a handshake. "How's it going?"

"That's why I'm here. I need to do something. It's been very stressful over the last few years, but Noah's burnt out and we don't know when we'll continue. Certainly not in the next six months. He has 2 therapy sessions every week and the rest of the time he hardly leaves his bed. But I can't go on making music on my own. I have a big request for you. Can I put this up here? I can make good use of the time now and give lessons in my parents' garage. You probably still don't have enough teachers, do you?"

"I'm sorry about that. Sure, put the note up. No problem. Tracy, could you give Nick some tape so he can put the note up?"

The receptionist handed me the tape and grinned.

I tore off two small strips and read through my note again. Relieved, I exhaled and gave her the tape back.

"Oh Nick, I have a really talented boy who would probably be happy if he could take a few lessons with you. I'll let him know straight away, all right?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll see you soon, Scott. Take care, buddy!"

I closed the door, grabbed my skateboard and headed back home.

After all, I'd been out for about 15 minutes today.

I put on my headphones and played my playlist (Linkin' Park - Numb).

At the intersection, my cell phone vibrated. "How are you? I'm sorry. I can't say it enough. (Noah via iMessage).

I rolled my eyes. He had already apologized 100 times. It was for the best instead of us all breaking up at some point. The mood had been very tense over the last few weeks because we were all just exhausted from touring.

"I'm giving drum lessons soon. Scott already has a student for me. I've just put up a notice. Maybe a few more will join. Otherwise, I hope you get a little better every day. And stop apologizing!"

'Where u wanna be' TD_Nasty, Clara La San

I couldn't listen to it anymore. A favorite song of my ex-girlfriend. Our relationship didn't survive all the touring. I had hardly been home in the last two years, always on the road. I missed her, but it was better that way, even though we had been in a relationship for a very long time. Since high school, 10 years. I skipped the song, no, I even removed it from my playlist for good. Fuck it.

'Architects - Black Lungs'

I put my left leg back on the board and used my right one to continue riding home.

Exhausted, I flopped down on the couch and turned on the TV. Netflix and chill. Although it was sunny, I had no motivation to do anything else today.

---

(Stella)

I took my little cousin to music school for bass lessons. My aunt worked a lot and didn't have much time for him, but at least she picked him up from his lessons after work. I couldn't do much with him. He was 13, in the middle of puberty and exhausting. But not because he was loud, just the opposite. He couldn't get a sound out. Even with me, he only talked the bare minimum. Well, bass was probably the most suitable instrument for him. With anything else, he would be more the center of attention and I didn't see him there at all. "Have you got a new drum teacher by now? I'd still like to take lessons." I asked Tracy, the receptionist at the music school. "Unfortunately not, but look, someone put that note up last week. He gives lessons in his garage. He was a really nice guy who also studied with us."

'Offering drum lessons for beginners and intermediates ages 6 and up. Nick: +1 323 xxxx xxxx'.

I took a picture of the note with my mobile.

"Okay, Taylor, have fun."

Wordlessly and at a snail's pace, the teenager walked into the rehearsal room.

I rolled my eyes. "God forbid. I'm done with kids." I let Tracy know. "Until the right one comes along."

"The right one won't come along and I'm already too old."

"At 29?" she asked with a grin. "Thank you," I laughed.

I was already 34. Fucking 34. I was always estimated to be younger, which of course made me happy, but I just wasn't having any luck with men.

I didn't even want to fall in love anymore, my experiences were too bad, I preferred just to have sex without commitment.

It also suited my job as a nurse better. The constant shift work was anything but relationship-friendly.

'Hey Nick, do you still have a slot for a beginner? I'd be delighted. -Stella'

I sent the text message.

The next day I received a reply: 'Hi Stella, sure. When do you have time? Can you come tomorrow at 4pm?'

I looked at my duty roster.

'That fits. Can you send me the address?

I didn't hear back until my shift was over at 3pm the next day.

'Sorry, I hope you can still make it. I'm a bit stressed." This time, the message arrived on WhatsApp with the location stamp from Google Maps.

Now I was stressed too. I hurried home to get something to eat, packed up my dad's sticks and set off on my bike. I arrived in front of a beautiful house just in time. I couldn't miss Nick because he was already shmashing drums. I didn't see a doorbell on the garage, so I decided to call him.

"Stella here. I'm outside the garage."

A good-looking, dark-haired man opened the garage from the inside and invited me in.

"Nick. Nice to meet you. You want to start drumming?" I nodded. He was so damn attractive that it made me nervous and left me speechless at first. His hair was freshly cut and styled back. He was muscular and wore black trousers and a dark red T-shirt. I also noticed his countless tattoos. His left arm was completely full and he had one on his neck, that was all I could see.

I didn't want to come across as weird, so I tried to forget how handsome he looked and started talking.

"Yes, I have to. For my father." "For your father?" he asked, puzzled.

"My father passed away recently. I live in his house now and I'm sure he'd be happy to have his drums used." I smiled. "Oh, I'm sorry about that. Can you read music sheets?" "No. Does it matter?"

He shook his head before answering my question in the negative.

"Okay. What do you know about drums so far?" My eyes drifted to the smaller kit. "May I?"

"That's what you're here for."

I sat down and adjusted the chair. I played everything one by one and told him the names of the drums and cymbals.

-"That's right. Can you play anything yet?" I grinned and played the simplest things I could. I was amazed myself that I hadn't forgotten how to do them.

"Good, what do you want to achieve?"

What did I want to achieve? "I want to get better." "We can do better," he smiled and sat down at the other kit

---

(Nick)

In the meantime, I had just accepted my 5th student. Another beginner, or rather my first female student. I decided not to take on any more new students. It was incredibly stressful and the mother of the boy Scott had referred to me was incredibly annoying and always pushed him so hard that I had to control myself not to freak out.

Stella, my new student, didn't seem to be a teenager anymore. At least that's not how her message read. I liked the Italian name. It reminded me directly of my partly Italian-born family.

I listened to my band's song 'Malice'.

'No matter how long it takes. I'm going to practice 'Malice' again and destroy everything on the next tour. Anyone against us including Malice in the set again?

I wrote in the group chat of our band. Somehow I missed the guys. Hanging out together almost every day after such a long time and getting on each other's nerves, but also growing closer together and now not seeing each other for an indefinite period of time was extremely strange. In general, it was strange to be alone so much, to no longer have a relationship, even though we had all the time in the world to have this relationship now, but it was too late.

I still had our photo as a lock screen. I hardly noticed it anymore.

I played 'Malice' for the first time in many years. It sounded like shit.

I was too slow on the double bass pedal and it annoyed me. I had forgotten the time, because when I sat down at the drums, time flew by. I was very ambitious to get better at it. Stella, my new student, called to say she was outside my garage. I opened the garage door and in front of me stood a slim woman with dark hair and a plunging neckline. Her large breasts immediately caught my eye and I couldn't tell if they were real. They distracted me. I hoped she didn't notice my gaze and was covering up the fact that...fuck, she's your student!

She seemed to be a few years older than me. A strange feeling that I should be teaching someone grown up among the children and teenagers, but certainly exciting. She looked at me shyly through her green eyes as I introduced myself and I asked if she wanted to start drumming. Such a stupid question. Why else was she here?

I took the opportunity to look unobtrusively at her ass as she adjusted her chair in front of the kit.

Fuck, this was never going to go well. I liked her, but she was my fucking student.

[zhongrin]

Heyo. Anon from before, and I wanted to say congratulations for beating Belobog!

I appreciate the encouragement, and I figured that I should inform you of what I'm up to in the game. I have nearly done almost all the hidden and side quests that I can access at Trailblaze Level 20. But I am still there. Still farming.

But in my perpetual state of farming, I thought of your response to my post, which is how ruthless HSR is for new players, and I wholeheartedly agree.

So I did enough quests and stuff to pull on the beginner warp and ended up with Gepard as my lone 5*. Tried for Robin too, but didn't get her, unfortunately.

Even with Gepard, I legitimately could not do the two fights for Equilibrium 1. Gepard is arguably a good shield, but because I'm still in the beginning stages, I can't trigger his shield often enough to get protection from enemies, so my characters die. Couple that with the fact that I only really have 3 DPS units in my account - Physical Trailblazer, Dan Heng, and Serval, and it just got so frustrating.

I had to take a breath and walk away because I got so frustrated. I tried every team under the sun with the units I had leveled. I tried two sustains in my team with March 7th and Gepard, along with Trailblazer and Dan Heng. I switched out Trailblazer for Serval. I switched March 7th for Serval. I switched Dan Heng for Serval. I tried switching March 7th with Natasha (as much as I could build her). And on and on and on.

It was infuriating to me that despite grinding and leveling up my characters, their traces, and their light cones to the absolute highest levels it could go, I still died by a large margin. It wasn't even close.

As I kept dying over and over, for me, that's when I had the thought of the Gacha system completely screwing over my hopes of progression.

In my gacha pulls on the beginner banner, I ended up with more 4* light cones than characters. That isn't a bad thing. But the 4* Light Cones I did pull, I can't use. I have no Nihility units. I have no Imaginary units. I have no Quantum Units either. Aside from Natasha, I have no other Abundance units. Already, that means that I have a very limited selection of elements that I can use to fight against enemies, and my team building is really limited.

Furthermore, I got a lot of characters with repeating elements. They are characters I can't use to their fullest potential. Case in point, I got Tingyun in my pulls on the beginner banner. I've heard she's great. But because I can't reliably heal or shield every turn, I can't swap her in because it means one less sustain unit. She's a support, yes. But she can't support if she's dead.

On top of that, she uses lightning, which also means that she's vying for the same spot that Serval is. I could try to shove her and Serval in a team together, but then if I come across a unit that's immune or resistant to lightning, my damage is nonexistent.

So back to the teams I was trying and failing to do Equilibrium 1 with - one of my issues with having two sustains (either Gepard and Match 7th or Natasha) is that my team becomes very Skill Point (SP) Hungry. For Gepard, March 7th, or Natasha to be able to do their sustains, they need a skill point, which takes away from the ability of my DPS to do any sort of damage. And on top of that, since the Equilibrium enemies have more than one in the horde, I'm playing a game of... can the shield or I hold out long enough to heal from the relentless enemy attacks?

At that point, I found the game frustrating because it felt like I was spending all my time doing SP management. I couldn't break the enemy shields because I didn't have the elements to do so. I couldn't do damage because I couldn't break the shields. In my latest attempt, I was surviving yes, but because of how long I was engaged in the fight, the computer I was using overheated and shut down in the middle of the fight.

So guess who had to do the fights from the beginning once again?

At that point, I was on like try 5 when the computer I was using overheated. I tried again, but gave up my play session after I died.

I'm bad at turn based combat. I fully admit to that. But I find it messed up how you can literally level up a character's levels, traces, and light cones to the max, and still not be able to clear.

I play Genshin too, which makes HSR all the more frustrating. While I found the beginning of Genshin hard to get used to, I could still clear content if I leveled up my characters, their talents, and their weapons to the max. I could visually see enemies dying quicker because of the effort I put into my characters.

But not HSR.

I get that the way I play HSR could be a skill issue. I fully get that, especially as I'm bad at turn based combat. But it is frustrating, especially after spending 20+ hours grinding my characters to as high as I can go, to know that I still can't beat the dang trial to ascend my Equilibrium level.

I'm gonna hope that at some point, I get lucky with enemy RNG and I can squeak by by the skin of my teeth to ascend my Equilibrium level and advance the story.

But until then, it's back to the Calyx grind.

thank you thank you! please do, i love hearing other people's experience with games and stuff ᰔᩚ

orgh…. yeah, it's definitely super ruthless especially with team comps. i hope you at least have friends who have maxed-out characters so you can clear the calyxes everyday without too much pain??

this is a very amateur opinion and i'm not sure if it'll help much… but as you said, i think gepard is more usable in later parts of the game. as of now you won't be able to use his shield that often. i'm seeing my brother's build and you also need energy regen, which i don't think you've even unlocked in the relics at your state of the game (idk if it plays a major difference but it feels like it would). idt you can build him that efficiently in the beginning, and if i remember correctly there are not many enemies that will do AoE attacks anyway. i'd say swap him out for march 7th.

i find asta really useful and is generally a good support, or, since you have serval, maybe she could work too? if i remember right, i think i went for dan heng-bronya-trailblazer-march 7th for equilibrium lv 1 quest, but you can always replace bronya with serval/asta maybe? trailblazer also swappable with natasha if you find march's shields isn't making it.

sobsob i already get frustrated reading your whole story, i can't imagine how painful it is for you ;;; have you tried looking at some guides online? there should be ones that can help with directing which team you need to use to specifically clear that quest, and with f2p characters. 20+ hours is INSANE…. you did a lot more than me because i completely disregarded almost all side quests. atp when you level up your equilibrium you'd be ready for equilibrium lv 2 trial orz

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

Would you recommend a hognose as a first snake? Or a sand boa? I'm not worried about hissing sounds because I actually can't hear anything lol

I'm not getting a snake for a few years but I rlly want to have a snake in the future and I really like hognoses and sand boas,,

They can both make perfectly decent first snakes if they're the right snake for you!

I don't often recommend hognoses for beginners - they're not bad first snakes, but they can be a little picky in ways that can be tricky for new keepers to get sussed out. Hissing aside, they can be fussy with their food, how you set up their enclosure, how you present their food to them, and just about everything else. I think hognoses are great pets for people who are willing to be flexible and listen to their snake!

Hognoses can have a bit of a learning curve, but they're not difficult snakes by any means. Do lots of research first if you go with one, and make sure you're buying a well-started snake that's already eating unscented, f/t rodents. Aside from their unique little personalities, they're easy to care for and easy to handle, and they can thrive with a beginner as long as you do your research.

I can recommend sand boas for a beginner with far fewer reservations.

Sand boas - Kenyan sand boas are probably your best bet for a captive-bred baby - are also pretty dang easy in terms of care. Like hognoses, they can be picky, so you'll want to get a well-established snake, but other than that they're much easier. Many of them will like to spend a lot of time hiding in their burrows, so if you want to see your snake all the time, they might not be the best choice for you. But they're very fun, sweet little snakes, who are almost invariably easy to handle and care for.

[huntinglove]

3 & 7 for your hazbin s/i for the s/i ask game!

Hi hi!! Thank you so much for the ask!!

3 – Have you ever imagined any episodes or segments of your F/O's source starring your S/I? If so, what did they get up to?

Yes, but mostly to help me fill in the blanks of her development and storyline! Some of the things I've imagined with her are:

Her visiting the human realm and disguising herself among the people so she can visit her mother's grave and "chat" with her. She eventually meets this older looking man who's in there to take care of his great grandfather's grave, he tells her all about his war victories and inventions too!

Her having to quietly reflect on her morality after spending the day with Camilla and helping her manufacture and sell weapons to all sorts of people. Some that she actually agrees with and others who she genuinely despises, having no moral compass when it comes to war and battle really bothers her, in her eyes power should only belong to those who've earned it, because the ends always justify the means.

Her having Pentious meet her father for the first time, and both of them having some cat and mouse moments, but eventually getting along as they notice similarities between them. Eligos can't quite blame her for being in love with Pentious, he fell in love with a human as well.

7 – Within canon, is your S/I considered a hero, villain, anti-hero or a regular citizen? How does this affect their day to day life and their relationship with your F/O?

Eris went through minor character development in that sense, if I'm being honest!

At first, she starts off as a silent anti-hero, doing her father's bidding and looking forward to taking over the family business. Satan, Camilla and Zestial have a big part in raising and training her, making her one of the best warriors in hell, as well as a beginner artificer!

She holds on to tradition very dearly, so she scoffs at the idea of redemption for sinners, until she notices that one of her friends is actually residing within the hotel!

Her and Cherri keep a close eye on Angel and the whole ordeal slowly grows on her, noticing that her friend has people there for him now, people who actually want the best for him and who care about his real self, instead of the facade he always forces himself into.

When the whole clubbing night happens and her and Pentious help each other out through their woes, she feels strange for caring so deeply for someone and decides to "inspect" the hotel from up close...

It takes a while for Zestial and Camilla to notice she isn't in the Wrath Ring anymore, but once they do they reach out and question her about it, she explains the whole ordeal and her feelings and they help her cover up for her father and for Satan, so that she can stay undisturbed at the hotel!

She basically went from someone very set in her ways and putting the will of her family above her own to someone who wants to figure out what she wants for herself.

Little does she know that she could also be redeemed eventually, having been born from a human and having the soul of one...

[machidielontheway]

i am chatty today because i've got ✨The Anxieties✨

i choose to stop two choirs this year cause i didn't have fun like before (a long while, actually) and i had said to friends "i will come back with you to this other choir, the one we met all in, like you already have since a year". and i really thought i would cause it would let me keep community, and a regular occasion to work on what we'd see with my singing teacher.

but in the last two months i felt so relieved and free to not have to go back to the choirs i stopped, i began feeling like going to this other one would be again 'stiffling', even tho it's at a very low level (beginner level, altho a good beginner level). and that it would become a chore again.

i went to the open session yesterday and seeing all my friends and having fun in the warm up was really, really nice. but the choir work in itself, while of good sound quality and with a good chef, was so sloooow to my own needs. and we can't talk for real when in session, or just quick when the voice working is changing, so it's texting or nothing.

and i felt that i would be soon unfulfilled / bored in it, of the pace, and also the songs are nice but not really my taste (it was once 100%, but now it's only 50% to what i heard was planned.)

cons : - lot of people, mask is somehow accepted. i don't want to go back to singing in mask because it's really hard and creates problems which i have already, in terms of Singing. but given how covid moves lately i also don't want to be in 60 people's company in one medium room without a mask. - "slow" pace, potentially boring "what am i doing here" thinking. i could definitively bring something to do, or just read or something, as lot of people do, but i don't want my choir experience to be "you come for 2 hours and, besides warming up, you sing 15 of them". i know a good numbers of good / high level singers are in this choir and don't mind cause the ambiance is really nice, the quality is here, and the community is good, but i don't think i would have liked it. - i already have three weeks a night taken (danse, tv night with friend<3, and instrument soon if i'm not averse to it after the trial class tonight). going to choir would make it four nights a week taken every weeks (unless i double one night which is possible but not ideal especially on the long term). and i want that time to try new things / try to go forward in my life ! - i don't want to double down on my "choir the last years has been more of a duty sometimes than anything else" and continue and risk disliking it even more. i feel like simply singing in the grass or in a church with friends brings me much more pleasure, simple giddy fulfilling and without anxieties. yeah i can't sing masterpieces i've been dreaming to sing since years, needing 40 persons, but those masterpieces are not going away. they will still be sung in years and years (indodana and baba yetu my beloved)(that, funnily enough, are going to be sung this year in one of the choir i left lol. didn't change my decision) - having "one night more" gives me a little more time to try to be more active in reaching out to friends and proposing drinks or outings or so (....maybe. that's the plan. "if you wish you had a friend like that, be that friend" post)

pros : - singing and spending a little time every week with my friends, who as adult is hard to do in other circomstances ! - not feeling like my friends are having fun and sharing time together and i'm all alone not being there :( - working on what i'm working on with my singing teacher... maybe (loosing your long-time used crutches / wrong things you did because you didn't know better is very hard in context of choir where you body has sooo many automatisms)

So cons are winning a lot. but i'm so scared i'm making the wrong choice !! especially imagining them all having fun and feeling like i'm the one not there, shunned of my own desire. it uh. it hit a little bit deep in the never healed wound in my heart.