#and like. knitting is already implemented

[ssspringroll]

oughghh actually would die 4 a custom functional knitting machine object. one day maybe if i ever have some cash ill commission somebody for that lol

[rockingtheorange]

Aneesh on IG live: (part 4, additional facts)

Amy's wife in the movie wasn't casted but she wears a ring, so it actually shows her married status

Matthew is a wonderful director: if he sees you struggling he'd help you asking "how can I help you reaching what you want to reach? Let's figure it out together."

Yes, Tzp and Nick are good friends (if it was necessary mentioning)

The RWRB cast texts even in private and she said she received texts from Matthew and Nick even the day of the live

Amy wasn't at the polo match (in case we get to see the extended version of it, she won't appear)

The night of the movie release everyone was super happy and waking up to the news of top 1 on Amazon Prime made all of them very proud

Everything was shot in London

The cast bonded a lot and they used to go out dinner (even before start shooting), Aneesh went to theater with Rachel and to a Filipino restaurant with Casey

David was a working dog so he couldn't be casually petted or played with but Aneesh was able to give him a little pet when she was allowed to

One thing she learned from playing Amy: be a badass and don't apologize for it

Aneesh wasn't on set the day of the cake scene but Matthew kept giving updates through texts

Just like movie Nora is a mix of book June and Nora, movie Amy ended up being a mix of book Cash and Amy because of time management (+ she didn't hide June in her pocket, it's just conspiracy 😔💔)

Uma Thurman is very sweet

Her favorite line was "No one in their right mind would ever give you a gun"

She read the book 5 times. 2 before even shooting and 2 in the process (the other one either before auditioning or after shooting was over, not sure). Now her book is full of tags and highlighted in lots of colors

If she could add a characteristic from book Amy, she wanted to have her knitting on the plane but the scene was already very full of elements and even if she discussed it with Matthew, they weren't able to implement it

She trained before starting shooting not knowing what the demands to play Amy were and weapons training was also discussed but eventually cut so she didn't have to go through it

The last day of shooting they had a rap party and Matthew gave a lil speech

She said she was going to post a video about her bangs and she did☺

Here for part 1, part 2, part 3

[fcb-mv33]

“Next to Max they will all be number two. He is the best and fastest driver of the moment. If you come in second, you've already won. At least in terms of experience (laughs).”

“He enjoyed a sensational training - starting with his parents, who both also raced and put Max in the kart early. His father Jos prepared every detail for Max, but Max also implemented it.”

“In addition, with all his talent and extremely high driving level, he also has the necessary mental strength. He has everything a champion needs. Like Fangio, Senna, Prost, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel or Lewis Hamilton. They are all knitted the same.”

“In addition to the super talent and the feeling for the cornering speed, they have one thing in common: the total focus on their sport and the egoism to prevail. This also includes annoying a team. You can forget a driver who never looks up.”- Franz Tost on Max

[greentrickster]

People always talk about how Tumblr went to trash because of the whole 2018 debacle but honestly? As someone who only started using tumblr way after, I’ve like.. known no difference because I didn’t use this site back then, and even if I did I would’ve considered it positive for me personally since I’m not a fan of nsfw stuff haha

As someone who was there, there were genuine problems with how and why the system was implemented. The biggest problem was that the programs they used to search for an ban already-posted NSFW stuff were... let's call them less than stellar. Here's a picture from one of my own posts that got flagged, for example:

I realize the pure, unbridled sexual passion of Phase 1 Clone Troopers wearing kilts over their armor and knitting may be a little rich for some people, but I personally don't think it was deserving of a potential ban. Not only that, at first you didn't even get notified if one of your posts was being banned - if you were lucky, another user saw and told you; that's how I found out about this one.

Other sloppy handling included posts and even whole blogs getting instantly deleted, no take-backs. People lost a lot of writing, art, and work with no way to retrieve it, even when the actions were mistaken at times. People were angry. People were right to be angry. Regardless of whether you enjoy nsfw stuff or not, the whole thing was handled with no fineness whatsoever, especially when considering that one of tumblr's old bylines used to be 'go nuts, show nuts.' This was a site that had traded on the fact that you could choose to include that content here, as well as other types.

Tumblr promised a freedom of choice and exploration that can be very hard to get on the internet, especially these days. And that ability to choose was taken away. Some people make light of it because the content taken away was nsfw stuff, but that's not the important part. The important part is that a promise was made, a choice was removed, and trust was broken, all in a very sloppy manner. I saw all this happen. I was there before and during, and I remain here after. Loss of choice is not tragic because it affects something you, personally, partake in or enjoy. It's tragic because it's a loss.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hey its the Nigerian anon from earlier, and I haven't read events yet I'm going to wait for more reliable translators to bring it out. For now I've only seen twst Zazu, the other version of the outfits and 'catch the tail'?

Catch the tail sorta reminds me of the annual wrestling festival my community holds as well as the masquerades (these aren't as fun, much more traumatising than it sounds). So it's a good reminder at least

Twst Zazu who I've only seen the design of reminds me of Ambrose the third in a Appearance, I showed my fellow Nigerian parents his design but their first response was 'why was he white' ' and reminded them of the dancing guy in African attire.

The outfits I'm a bit more skeptical on, on one hand they seem to implement traditional fabrics, on the other it seems to be a more sexualised version of it. And frankly I'm not a fan of the fan service.

Thoughts?

[Referencing this post!]

Hello, and welcome back!! ^^ It’s good to know that you’re patiently waiting for quality translations for the ongoing event. Sometimes quick translations can result in misinformation spreading (which I’m sure you’re aware of!).

Only 2 parts of the story are out at the moment, but we’ve already seen some exciting things! A new character, a new environment, and lots of new lore…!! ✨

Wrestling isn’t too big of a thing in my part of the world, but it’s cool to see that it is in other places! These kinds of events bring people out and help a community feel more tightly knit~ I wonder if Catch the Tail took inspiration from similar kinds of wrestling festivals in real life?? Side note: hopefully those masquerades aren’t that bad 😅

I believe our twisted!Zazu is named Kifaji!! He seems to serve a similar role as Zazu did in The Lion King, giving morning reports and overseeing the royal household. He has a sort of angular disposition, I think much less “soft” than Ambrose. I’m glad that TWST isn’t afraid to introduce more elderly characters like Kifaji, Ambrose, and Marja (Epel’s granny); it really helps the world feel more “real” than if they just kept throwing young attractive men at us. Funnily enough, Leona actually has a line in the event where he’s all like, “yeah, as if you common tourists would be allowed to meet the king” (Farena/Falena). It feels like the devs are teasing us with that 😂 They knew how hyped we were for his design to be dropped bdkwbzjNvwjwvwjs

I understand why Kifaji’s skin color may be a little odd to your parents seeing as they don’t have the full context for TWST or the event 😅 The Sunset Savanna does seem to boast a light skinned portion of the population as well (Rook, Ruggie, Sebek’s grandfather before he moved to the Briar Valley)! I believe this is also true of Africa, no?

By the outfits, you mean the alternate versions of the Catch the Tail attire, correct? As I said in my original post, I’m not familiar with African fashion so I’m not really at liberty to speak at length about it. I don’t think my opinion should have a lot of weight on this matter, and I don’t want to step on the toes of anyone that does have something substantial to say about this, so I’ll only be giving very precursory thoughts.

I was giving the originals the benefit of the doubt since it would be virtually impossible to “accurately” represent all of Africa in a single outfit without taking some creative liberties and incorporating elements from various parts of the continent. I feel like the bold colors and patterns have a lot of rich history and culture behind them! However 💦 I’m a little less forgiving with the alts??

I’m fine with the arms being exposed because it serves a practical purpose (the goal of Catch the Tail is to grab the opponent’s mask thing off their head snd that’s probably easier to do without the fabric and jewelry in the way). I don’t know about the exposed midriff though? Maybe I’m just misinformed or misunderstanding something (again, I’m not that educated on African fashion), but it resembles a skintight crop top to me and kind of gives the vibes it was only presented this way to be “hot”. I sort of get it from a business perspective; it’s a gacha game and the companies behind TWST want to make money so some degree of fan service is to be expected. However, I can definitely see why this could read as perhaps insensitive fan service 😔

That being said, I’d like to take this opportunity to say 💦 while I’m flattered that some people want to know my opinions, I would prefer it if I wasn’t asked to give my thoughts on these kinds of very specific cultural things. I don’t feel right talking about it in detail since my own knowledge is limited, and again, I don’t want to misspeak or to talk over those who know better than I do.

[alltimefail-sims]

A story in two parts... 🙃

The Apple Nectar actually ended up being okay quality though! Not too shabby for Lea's first attempt.

As promised, my thoughts on nectar making are below the cut ↓

The nectar making skill is built slowly and gained at a much slower rate than horseback riding, for instance. I'm assuming that's because it's a 5-tier skill instead of 10-tier skill, but Lea didn't level up to level 2 until 4 or 5 bottles later. 🥴

That being said: even a poor, unaged bottle of nectar goes for 55 simoleons. That's a good profit, especially if you're growing your own produce, so it's a lucrative skill right off the bat. Considering that Lea can't get a job because a horse and a ranch are basically a full-time job, it's nice to have a skill that can help pay the bills. I also love the "aging" rack because, surprisingly, it's functional! Hallelujah! I'm so tired of getting a plethora of cute, decorative objects that serve no function or even go as far to allude to an actual skill without providing it (I'm looking at you, woven basket decor items - but more on that later). However, I had no idea how long it took to age a bottle of nectar. I'm guessing it is worth the wait and will increase the price, quality, and potency when consumed...but I'd had a bottle of apple nectar put away for a few days and it still hadn't aged. (I just looked it up and Google says 1 week, which feels reasonable in "sim time." I was worried it would be longer.)

I do wish there were a few more animations while making nectar just so it could be more interesting to watch, but honestly I don't think it takes that long to produce a bottle in comparison to other skills in the game (like gardening... GOD growing and tending crops in TS4 is excruciatingly tedious). Plus, if you have the "rancher" skill, you can sometimes get additional bottles out of one nectar-making session, so that's really nice. Visually, I'd compare this skill to knitting and cross-stitching due to its repetition, and if you're wondering what it looks like... well, the trailer shows it all lol. I don't think there's much to it: they stomp a little, fall, get up, repeat until the nectar is complete. Then they step out, seal the bottle, and the bottle goes into their inventory. There are some pretty funny expressions you can get though (outtake below).

Because this skill's animation is pretty repetitive and simple, I think they should have thrown one or even two more skills in there. After all, this pack is $40. Basket weaving, as I mentioned above, would even used a similar animation to an already existing in-game skill (cross stitching) so I think this would have been fairly easy to implement. In fact, I'm still shocked it isn't a part of this pack. There are some good decorative objects and CAS items that allude to Native culture, but by and large the pack lacks actual substance to represent actively living in these cultures - I think skills like basket weaving or pottery would have been a great way to add substance to the pack AND create an opportunity to talk more about Native American cultures and pay proper homage to their traditions and skillsets. I would have loved seeing elder native sims mentoring young sims in basket weaving like they can do with knitting, for instance... that would have been so adorable. 🥺❤️ It just feels like a real missed opportunity on their part. One recipe (smh) and a couple decorative objects/cas items are a good start, but more could have definitely been done. If modders can implement these things for free, game devs should have no problem implementing these features. ESPECIALLY when you consider the pack's asking price... and I stand by that!

All that being said, I am pleased with this skill and find the animations cute, but it's certainly not intensive enough that they can justify it being the only skill in the pack separate from horse-related skills. (Which, for the record, I don't really count because that's the whole selling point of the pack. Anything horse related should be a given).

I'm not trying to diminish the amount of work it took to animate and implement horses - I haven't experienced many bugs personally, and I know adding an entirely new living creature with customization and personalization is tedious. Even so, I still don't think the full price is justified. Comparing it to Cats and Dogs, I think this EP missed a lot of good opportunities to implement a new career, skills, and gameplay. I even feel like we could have gotten some new dialogue interactions, or even a spiritual/cultural trait related to Native American ideologies or customs (kind of like the child of the island/child of the ocean traits we got with Island Living) but I've yet to see many notable additions in that regard. If this pack was a $20 game pack I think I would feel totally different. I'm having fun, but I would never be able to justify spending $40.

SO... would I recommend it? Honestly... so far, yeah. I would just snag it when it goes on sale for $20 (or through other means. You do you). $20 is the price it should have been in the first place. But I am shocked at how much fun I've been having. The CAS and Build/Buy is really good, maybe my favorite in a while (but I'm into the rugged, dirty, western style quite a bit... if that's not your thing, this pack won't do anything for you). The horses are cool and in my experience after playing it for a few days, they're animated really well (surprisingly... I thought this pack would be 'My Wedding Stories' all over again). I also love this world. It's right up there with San Myshuno, Brindleton Bay, and Windenburg for me.

Coming up: I'll be taking Lea into town- she's a loner, but it's time to force her out of her comfort zone so she can make some friends. (Plus, I really want to see the new dance floor animation haha.)

Like always, if you read all that, I have big big love for you. I leave you with a little kith upon your head (or a respective big thumbs up if physical affection is not your jam).

[remcycl333]

whenever I manifest something small, the moment I assume I already have it and it happens almost instantly And the thing is, I get too stressed and obsessed when I'm manifesting supposedly big things. I say I already have my desire but then during the day I go crazy about my desire not showing up so I go back to the state I don't have desire again, I know it's normal to have doubts when manifesting but I'm afraid of having a victim mentality. While I manifest small things very comfortably and confidently, I overcomplicate big things and it becomes an obsession. I am afraid of not being able to manifest the life I dreamed of. what should I do?

you are right, "small" things and "big" things are just as easy to manifest! i think your issue is that you are allowing yourself to fall victim to your negative thoughts and doubts. your negative thoughts and doubts don't manifest! they are simply tools, indicators that you have fallen out of your desired state. all you have to do if shift back to the state of the wish fulfilled.

if you feel stressed or upset about not having your desire in your 3d, and you find you keep falling out of the state every few seconds bc of it, feel free to let out your emotions! if you need to cry, do it. it can be much better in the long run to purge those feelings than to suppress them. if you want to implement a self-soothing tactic, such as eft tapping, breathing exercises, etc) you can do that as well! you don't have to be perfect 24/7! whenever you feel calmed down, shift back to the state of the wish fulfilled. all you need to do to manifest your dream life is make the state of the wish fulfilled your dwelling state, and you do this by going back to the state of the wish fulfilled more than you go to the state of lack. so every time you enter the state of lack, as long as you're sure to shift back to the state of the wish fulfilled, even if it takes 20 minutes, you'll be fine. don't beat yourself up too much! and it'll get easier with time.

also i understand what you mean when you said you feel like you have an obsession with your desire. for me it really helped me to find hobbies to do, such as reading, knitting/crocheting, playing video games, etc. it's not a bad thing to think about your desire 24/7 at all! but it helped me PERSONALLY to distract myself from thinking about my desire all day and night because it helped me feel like it was done and my desire was mine if i wasn't constantly worrying about it. plugging my distraction technique once again bc it truly helped me sooo much.

anywayz i hope this helped you! :)

[fuck-customers]

i'm stretched v thin rn. It feels like I have No Time to do the things i like because i'm always at work/psyching myself up to go to work. i cant draw. i cant knit. i cant read books. i cant even do those things on my day off because i'm afraid that if i get too engrossed in an activity it'll already be time to go to bed and i'll have to go to work the next day. its making me feel super isolated from my humanity that i cant even play a video game for a few hours without thinking 'ok be aware of the time because if you lose track of time you'll have to go to sleep and get ready for work tomorrow'

if joe biden was really based he'd implement universal income right now

[sergeantsporks]

Gwendolyn called the Clawthornes a Clan, not a Family. Those tend to have more closed ranks, both in terms of family secrets and traditions and whom you get to mary. (Yes, that would make Caleb a huge outlier but I guess Evelyn's parents just gave up when she literally got a boyfriend from another world.) Both have a physical and a traditional marker of being a born Clawthorne. The wild hair and -lyn name and the nose and being a palisman carver respectively.

OHHHHHHH yeah, she DID call them a clan! See, like, now this is bringing up all kinds of interesting questions. Were the "covens" initially the nine biggest clans? Like, nine big main clans (probably less stringent about rules and associations with strangers), and then you have a lot of specialized clans, with specific apprenticeships and skill sets, so like, there would probably be a metalworking clan which is allied to but separate from construction clan, and obviously a palisman carving clan, stuff like that! Non mandatory to join/be a part of a clan, there are just normal guys around, but it's a good way to find a closely knit community of several families and hone a skill set. And then there's a reinventing of smaller clans through covens like the tiny cat coven, but still regulated by the empire. That would partly make sense for why it was so easy to implement the coven system, like, I know a lot of ppl speculate there was already something similar in place, but the wording of "clan" makes it a lot more likely. Oh my gosh, worldbuilding unlocked. Evelyn being part of a clan and bringing Caleb in. He really WAS looking for a community with Phillip, not a family, so finding a community (and partner) he loved, not just marrying into a family, but a whole clan? Perfect.

[leon-swedfinqs]

Harvest Omens -- AKA Mari is going insane

I should be doing my school work right now (disregarding the fact that it is almost 2 in the morning as I start writing this), however I have a lot of thoughts in regards to my partner and I's Good Omens Stardew Valley AU -- while I still love and regard my d&d au with my whole entire soul, this is currently our hyperfixation/idea fixation so a lot of the stuff we are doing/thinking about is in regards to this idea in particular and i am vibrating with so many thoughts and ideas that i cannot necessarily easily translate to the page or to a drawing and its driving me NUTS -- If you want to listen to the mad ramblings of frankly an insane individual /j in regards to their stardew valley x good omens crossover au of madness youre welcome to keep reading

To start, here are some portraits of the two main idiots I made using this portrait maker. It was a ton of fun to translate them into something more tangible to look at -- they do not exactly look like this, however, but this is the closest I could get with the maker so that is what I am working with. The main crux of why this idea came in the first place is because I started playing the stardew valley 1.6 update (which i cant do much of anymore THANKS UNIVERSITY :D) and subsequently playing this new update with the existing Stardew Omens mod, or well, the updated one by @counterklock (hi if you see this sorry for tagging just wanted to credit) which can be found HERE

So what exactly is the deal with these two? What is their place in the overall story???? I will say that there may be some similarities with the existing popular crossover fic "Untitled Stardew Omens Fic", however we generally have been trying to keep things purely original in this instance in order to keep these ideas purely separate. Don't want to step on any toes!!! (both the mod and the other au fic)

Start off with (at least in our writing so far) who I suppose is the main protagonist and who's perspective we get the most of -- Crowley.

Crowley in this story does work for the Joja Corporation, or as it can be interpreted, Hell (not that working for a capitalist organization wasn't already hell to begin with). The corporation wants to expand their business into new untapped markets, one of the most glaring ones being tight-knit rural communities much like Pelican Town. While there is a Joja Mart there, it doesn't earn enough of a profit as they would like. The biggest hurdle in this instance is the loyalty the members of the community have to each other and to their local businesses. This is where Crowley comes in, as he is the key player in their ultimate plan: the Rural Reliance and Trust-Establishment Initiative. What's the main goal? To infiltrate these communities, carefully gain their trust, and slowly dismantle their reliance on more local businesses and encourage them to utilize Joja products instead. In order to fully implement this initiative, they had to do a test run, with Crowley as their guinea pig.

Under the falsely made person as "the grandson of a well-loved community member who has since long past", Crowley is sent to live on a piece of property Joja secretly bought for this project and implement himself as a member of the local community. By acting as a community member and local farmer, he slowly shifts the townsfolks' reliance to be towards Joja products. Crowley, being a city person for practically his entire life, has a lot of reservations about "going up there and making some trouble" in the small rural community -- however, it does not seem that he has much of a choice in the matter.

It's safe to say that Crowley...fumbles his way through this assignment. And as a cherry on top, the assignment so far has been doing the complete opposite of what it was supposed to do. Instead of shifting the townsfolk to start using Joja more often, slowly yet surely this project has been drawing their employee (Crowley) away from them, their products, and their practices, as he gets a taste of life outside of that, and truly sees the extent of their malicious practices outside of a city setting. He struggles to farm at first, making a mess out of his first set of crops and desperately trying to grow at least one batch of flowers (because that is what he really wanted to grow in the first place), and often fails at being a consistent social presence within the community. Overtime, he starts to grow into a farmer that rants and vents to his crops, he develops a mysterious aura as he "becomes linked with the forest" and starts to befriend the local witch, and he finds himself falling head first into a crush on the self-imposed isolated, old-fashioned, overly kind librarian. He's a city kid that finally allows himself to relax, and through this allows himself time for self-reflection and personal growth (you can pry genderfluid!crowley from my cold dead fingers -- you thought this au crowley was cis/ Sike!!! he doesn't know that he is until later so its a surprise for him too)

Meanwhile, Aziraphale has been a member of Pelican Town for as long as anyone could remember. He grew up in this community, this place is truly his home. As a baby/young child, Aziraphale did live with his "mother" (a placement for god essentially), but one day she just...disappeared, and he was considered abandoned/orphaned. The saying "it takes a village" does truly apply to Azi in this case -- he grew up with the members of the community, being parents by nearly all of the adults, and experiencing his childhood with all of the local kids as his family. The community center, library, and local farm were his sanctuary, his true home. As members of the community he grew up in moved away and/or died over time, and the community facilities (such as the CC) slowly became decrepit and broken, Aziraphale started to lose those stable parts of his life. As he lost more and more of his support network, Azi became more isolated, a self-imposed social recluse. He made a home within the library, and isn't seen outside of it for long periods of time since.

He can be found outside every now and then, of course. Twice every season (except for Winter), Azi would go to the bus stop and have a quiet picnic with himself. Grandpa (or "crowley's gramps") was like a father/grandfather-figure to Azi -- he was the one who raised him the most, who taught him and actively took care of him. His death impacted Azi the hardest, as it was his last close personal connection that was finally lost. Having that picnic lets him feel close to the one who truly considered him family. Along with that, once a week in the late evenings (right before the store is to close), Azi can be found in Pierre's buying groceries. More often than not, this trip is on a sunday to allow him to pray to Yoba in the personal chapel. He could also be found, roughly once a month, in Gus's saloon purely because of the fact that the menu has "maki rolls" on the list.

Whether it was truly because he couldn't see that it was half buried in the dark, or the fates decided that these two should properly meet, regardless Crowley ultimately found Aziraphale through a lost book. "Anyone could've returned this book, surely?", "why didn't he even bother to go check to find the book?" -- is what many may be asking. For that, I present the following response: "They're gay and they can do whatever they want"

They're both complete idiots, but they're my idiots. I have thoughts about many of the other characters too and how they fit in this world (anathema -- witch, new -- previous walmart id, works with adventurers guild right now. adam and the Them just casually living in the valley), etc.etc. for other charcters, but I will not get into them now due to time and my own mental sanity. I want to make sure everything fits within the current lore as much as possible, while also not leaving specific people out and making them upset.

I have so much more I could say about this au, but alas I am tired LOL you may either ask or ill expand upon this post later teehee

[deadlysoupy]

I'm gonna be honest I can't actually remember if I already sent in an ask BUT: 📽🤖

you're all good dw babygirl!!! also haii 🙂

📽- What was your first TF series?

tfa! watched it back in... 2020 possibly? back when i still had access to instagram an edit dragged me into it (it was about bumblebee. who could have guessed lmao). i really liked the show for implementing this self-made man idea instead of starting from the top of the Earth team. the bond they have with each other is still one of the most tight-knitted in my opinion and i love remembering it, i save it when i really miss it so it doesn't get boring or old

🤖- What got you into TF?

in a more recent sense - Earthspark. i was never exposed to transformers in my youth (except for Bayverse movies but i could barely remember them and didn't care enough. not many bright colours scoff), so i'm very fresh to them in general. but Earthspark intrigued me a lot and i really needed a soft show to replace some i've lost that year, so it came in at the perfect time and i've never regretted watching it

[mrskrstic]

detachment, november snow, and the sacred heart

"Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!" Psalm 27:14

Surrender is hard.

Though the concept seems longstanding throughout hymns of old and even in contemporary worship songs, it's much easier to lift your hands and sing about it on cry night than to consciously live it out. It's one thing to vehemently insist to a struggling other that the Lord is sovereign and will deliver on His promises, and entirely another to hold that reality in the hollow of your own heart and wait. To wait and hope is perhaps the greatest act of rebellion against the modern world that's hooked on instant gratification without the labors of patience. Yet even though we are only pilgrims, travelers passing through the world, we cannot help but be tainted by a disordered want for immediate results. God bids us wait, and we roll our eyes like moody children.

Sometimes God does not bid us wait for long. Advent is coming in a matter of weeks. Fall touched the Palouse for a brief moment and then hurried along, not to return again. It has already started to snow. Many a time I've awoken to a field of white and wondered how it wasn't Christmas morning already. It's hard to remain in the moment and not leap ahead to caroling and setting out a manger for the infant Christ when you long to celebrate so badly.

Other dreams take longer to realize. Since growing up, I've nurtured great wishes, wishes that ring so clearly I can picture them with perfect clarity. In the recesses of my heart there stands a little house in the country, full of warmth and laughter and home-cooked goodness. There is a peach tree and vegetable garden, a brood of chickens and a milk goat bleating softly in the daybreak. I picture a husband I could call my own, who would let me care for him in any way I could and be my company sitting at the feet of Jesus, and a noisy crowd of littles to tug on my skirts and clamor for a bedtime story, their hands and feet muddy from the day's romps.

I long for adventure. Not the costly sort that comes with a sacrifice of what truly matters, but the sort that you can pack into a trailer and tow along a lonely highway through America's national parks, where the mountains and the canyons sing the glory of their Maker and time seems have stopped moving hundreds of years ago. I want to share my heart with a family, and know that despite my many flaws and shortcomings, I can be deeply known and deeply loved.

Every day I dream! And every day I am left unsatisfied. Time and again I return to my bed with empty hands, and the shoebox I call my home seems smaller than it was the morning I left it. Is there any hope? Are we poor souls doomed to wander the land in torment of unfulfillment until the day we depart to meet our Creator?

Not so! For hundreds of years before God knit me together, the Carmelites had put into practice an ingenious solution to quell the fires of longing - detachment.

When implemented, detachment is meant to strip away any loyalties we may have that keep us from total intimate union with God. It is a slow, but steady process of surrendering our innermost dreams with the recognition that they are not our own - we are God's, and all that we have belongs to God, even the ambitions of our heart. It is a meek admission of our own humanity, and a lifting up the most tender pieces of our soul to God with the acknowledgment that His ways are infinitely higher than ours, and that the dreams and desires we nurture so could never come to pass.

Detachment is painful. In the moment, it can seem cruel and unfair. Why dream at all if you cannot lay claim to it? What use is it to build plans if they turn out to be contrary to the will of God? Though it may seem revolutionary in a world where people stake their identity in their earthly loves or accomplishments, it's only a humble response to the call of ages - "deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me".

In the offering of our very selves to the Lord, we focus our minds on the things above, those eternal treasures that will never be taken from us. The more one meditates upon the Lord and all His works, the more one cannot help but be drawn to His immense sacrifice for the sake of poor sinners - us, who were all once wandering lost, with our hope set upon that which is temporary and perishable. And once you had put to death all attachments to creatures, once you had released every inordinate desire into God's capable hands - then and only then would you find true contentment and rest in the Heart of the Lord. God is enough, He is ever-sufficient, as St Catherine of Siena tells us:

"O Deity eternal, O high, eternal Deity, O sovereign, eternal Father, O ever-burning fire! What do Your bounty and Your grandeur show? The gift You have given to man. And what gift have You given? Your whole self, O eternal Trinity."

Though it can be so, so hard to see in the moment...it is Christ who is our gift above all other gifts. In the shedding of His blood, He has reconciled us to the Father and brought us out of the lonely desert to enjoy the fruits of His sacrifice. Every day, He is present at the altar, under the modest appearance of bread and wine. When we encounter Him in communion, we are given a chance to hide ourselves in the wounds of His Most Sacred Heart and know that no matter what may come to pass in this life, we can always count on the One who died for us to carry us through.

Truth be told, I'm terrible at remembering this. Too often I forgo my greatest Treasure in favor of longing for some future blessing. But I want to get better. I want my life to be a continual drawing towards the Lord, to embrace the state in life I've been given without impatience or complaint.

Surrender is hard. But it's the easiest path we have this side of Heaven.

[themelodicenigma]

I've talked about Fang and Vanille a few times on here, and lately on twitter with someone, and...

It's just, straight forward, from a contextual standpoint.

Fang and Vanille are best friends, family—they are sisters beyond blood.

This starts even as early as the FFXIII World Preview where their relationship chart has them connected by "same surname/family name"—even before the game's release, the writers already implemented a connotation of familial connection between them.

We learn that this is written to reflect their ties to Oerba, where they were orphaned and grew up together in a tight knit community where the motto is "On Gran Pulse, we're all family". Which now we can understand the obvious construction here by the writers—utilizing this attribute of the Village surname to emphasize Fang and Vanille's familial ties and representation not through blood, but that of emotional connectivity. They're family.

So much, you even have this line of dialogue once you reach Oerba:

Hope: Which is your house? Vanille: What do you mean, which is ours? All of them. They're all ours. Fang: Yep. Everyone in the village. Snow: One big, happy family? Sazh: One heck of a lot of places to hang your hat.

Fang and Vanille are the ones to even extend this meaning onto the whole group. At the time of which the group has hit their stride of closeness and resolve, Fang is comfortable with them enough to refer to the group as her and Vanille's "new family". Fang even tries to sacrifice herself and risk Ragnarok for this new family:

Fang: I made another promise too, To protect my family. Sometimes… You've got choose!

There are MANY other paratexts that cover this as well because it's such a main component to their characters.

They're family.

Despite not being blood-related, they represent the concept very well, and extend this to the group. If you deny the connotation of "family" from Fang and Vanille, you don't know these characters. At all.

So, in what way are they family?

You can feel like you're family with many different relationships, obviously including romantic. People (somehow...) mistakenly believe that "family = platonic", despite, you know, the idea of a family starting very often comes from the institution of marriage. In regards "types of relationships" that are tangibly known around the world, family is considered the highest for obvious reasons, hence the movement to consider your close friends family, whether they additionally feel like a sibling or not, and to have your romantic partner feel like family, whether you get married or not.

It's a type of relationship just as much as it is a descriptor of a bond.

Anyway, despite not being related by blood, they're sisters to one another.

If you didn't interpret it yourself from the game, this is solidified within the FFXIII Ultimania Omega where the character relationship chart outright says they have a "sisterly relationship"—this is also featured in the updated Ultimania Archive, that includes even more characters. Fang's Profile in the Ultimania Archive even says they "grew up like sisters".

In accordance to this, which makes it less of an opinion and more of a fact, you have Fang's VA saying that to Fang, Vanille is a little sister within the Ultimania Omega interviews. You even have Benny Matsuyama, whose material is used for the LR novel and is credited in the game, writing about their sisterly relationship in Fang's Scenario story in the Ultimania.

Jun Eishima, hired directly by SE to make their novelizations, makes literal parallels twice between Lightning and Serah and Fang and Vanille, equating their sisterly bond through Fang and Lightning's treatment of their younger counterparts.

Take this information, and you have a leaning context to the meaning of other things that, true, for the sake of argument, don't mean sister outright.

Such as the two being marked as the "daughters of Etro" in FFXIII-2. For one time only, they are technically referred to as "the sisters" in ENG version by Noel when recounting the Legend of Cocoon to Serah at the beginning of the game. Or Serah herself furthering the parallels by saying Fang reminds her of Lightning when she first meets Fang in XIII-2.

There's the observable parallels (not direct) of both Lightning/Fang and Serah/Vanille having met individually in the 1st game, and another observable parallel in what Hope relays to Serah of what Sazh says about Lightning's "disappearance" in XIII-2 to Lightning speaking of Fang leaving Vanille alone. I mean damn, to top it off, Watanabe and Toriyama say THEMSELVES that Fang was turned into a female not only to have another female lead, but to avoid a "romantic mood" between her and Vanille (the logic of "female and female = inherent non-romance" is stupid, I know, but that was their mindset). This reinforces the fact they didn't write romanticism between the two characters—which, would explain all of the above existing.

etc. etc. etc.

It's established. It's consistent. And it's included with the usage of family because of the fact the relationship type is established. You don't need it to say sister every single time—that's just logic. Two blood-related sisters can talk about being family, and you're not going to have someone be like "BUT IN WHAT WAY?!"

Once it's established, it's there until something says otherwise.

This isn't some stupid localization decision—it's literally their character construction and implemented consistently throughout the entire franchise and all related material. And, there is NO deviation from this relationship type. No moment that Fang and Vanille stop being family, being sisters.

As far, wide, high, low that I've looked, there's not a single moment that shows these characters have deviated from this meaning. You have the typical emphasis of their bond (not type), which in typical fashion includes things like being irreplaceable to each other, being stronger than friendship (Fairy Tail, anyone?), and it being beyond even family. And this isn't even reserved for them—this happens frequently with Lightning and Serah, who they're paralleled with.

They are obviously a very good (and common) example of close friends and siblings—look beyond the typical, bland sibling relationships in media that 90% consist of just bickering with one another, and look for the pretty common, well established relationships that have a deep, contextual depth.

But also, we don't need to romanticize everything.

From all the real life examples, media examples, and just logical comprehension to understand the nature of actions or words (i.e. whether they are exclusively platonic, romantic, or contextually dependent)—there's plenty of material accessible to build the knowledge of how to comprehend these things, even if what YOU feel is different than what IS.

There isn't a single thing that Fang and Vanille have done or said that can't be understood within the bounds of everything I just mentioned above.

The next thing I'd want to do is go on a debunking spree of all the regurgitated, misinformed things I've seen for years, but this post is already long enough, and that honestly deserves it's own post.

Fang and Vanille, for so many years in fandom, have become just a byproduct of a widespread of misinformation, incomplete information, band-wagoning on both of those things without consulting the source, personal projection, and honestly, the over indulgence of romantic lenses people put on any two or more characters who care about each other.

Shipping doesn't even cause this, and absolutely extends to self-proclaimed non-shippers—this is people using romanticism as a means to just not attempt to see things more for what they are than just what you want it to be.

I promise you, you can absolutely say "well I see them as romantic, but I know they're not", and you won't break your brain. It's okay for you to ship something even if the evidence isn't romantic—I do this with Terra and Aqua from KH myself. I don't ship often, and they are one of my top picks, and yet I'll be the FIRST person to tell you there's no actual, provable romanticism implemented between them (yet...). I've had to discuss things with other shippers to NOT misconstrue things even if we're on the same "side".

It's just really annoying when people actively, unabashedly are false. And admittedly, about something that I actually do like. Despite being a hopeless romantic, I'm a sucker for good, platonic relationships, especially ones that have hogosha-like tonality, which I'd argue Fang and Vanille do—which again, would be ANOTHER parallel to Lightning and Serah.

[c4rdsharp]

meechi. alright, this isn't effectively a meta about it, but i've been thinking so much about the Baccano! immortals and their flavor of immortality. I think what gets me about them in particular is the very sense of community the rules of immortality uphold. by nature, immortals can't lie to other immortals about their identity ; they are forced to say their true name whenever they are in an earshot of another immortal. this was a rule implemented specifically so the immortals can find each other -- it could be seen as a caveat, but if truth be told, it is very much a mercy and a necessity for these immortals so none of them end up lost and alone in the world.

while it is true that immortality comes at a cost of loved ones dying before yourself, the Baccano! immortals are often turned in group settings! the liquor of immortality is, by nature, something meant to be shared with others, and this sharing is often in conjunction with some form of celebration ( the alchemists on the Advena Avis were celebrating their discovery & knowledge of it, the immortals turned in 1930s did so during Firo's induction ceremony, etc. ) It cultivates both a sense of camaraderie and an ecstasy towards life itself. Not all the immortals stay in groups, of course, but the happiest and most fulfilled ones are those who prioritize the living as a whole ( and that includes themselves ). The immortals in Baccano! are meant to be a tight - knit & intimate community by nature of the fact they are so rare and so long - living. No one else could share the experience of immortality save for those who are immortal by nature, which is a very small group to begin with ( but way more than you are actually aware of ).

As such, immortals will converse the most with other immortals ( by proxy of living for the same length of time ). They share experiences, they gain knowledge, and in turn communicate their findings to those who may need the enlightenment. Sometimes there isn't, sometimes there really is no answer, but they can all say so definitively and each would have their own unique way of obtaining that truth.

Then, we get into the mechanics of immortals devouring other immortals. Even if the act itself has been weaponized against them, it is still an incredibly intimate way of gifting 'death.' The immortal who devours inherits the devourees memories & feelings, their knowledge already -- it becomes a part of the devourer's own. As such, it could be viewed that person becomes a part of them and is, therefore, a real & true last resort. You'll find that most of the immortals in Baccano! don't really like to devour other immortals and often find other ways to cause them torture if they really dislike them. It's far too personal a killing method, and not very easy to shake - off. You have to live with that for eternity, so you have to make it count ( and it also promotes a sense of community as well, because you then truly know an immortal, the life of another person, and it's very personal nature is often reason enough to not do it for a lot of them ).

It's just, i dunno. There's something so bittersweet to this aspect of Baccano! immortals. They never have to suffer the ennui of being alone in the world as one of their kind, and as a result, still value life & feel the sorrow of an unexpected loss. Their numbers & sense of community keep them human & anchored to reality, never to be cast adrift again. And, if one of them does end up walking alone, there will always be an immortal who can call them back . . .

[befuddledbrynntrovert]

speaking of things being done step-by-step and ever-so-gradually, cotton knit cardigan update:

I've mostly just been following this Ravelry pattern by Sandnes Garn (warning: instructions are exclusively in Norwegian. That, or I'm dumb and have been teaching myself Norwegian knitting terminology for no reason), however, I decided to wing it and add internal pockets like what you would find in pants rather than just sewing on a square of material or something. This was kinda impulsive of me as I didn't really look up any tutorial on how to do this, I just kinda feel like I have an idea. I also want to make the pouches of the pockets themselves out of a woven material so that there isn't any issue with holes or gaps caused by stretching (plus, they'll be a little more resilient to potential damage of whatever may be put in them when woven). Also, I get to implement a new skill, so that's neat.

I've been using K+C Essentials cotton yarn, and I really like the stitch definition it has. It's a bit pricier than even the Lion Brand cotton DK weight (in terms of yardage per dollar), but my friend ended up buying the bulk of the material and choosing it for himself so that was not so much a concern for me. It has made for a pretty soft and cool cardi so far, which is very good!.

Originally, I had wanted to go with something more complex and cable knit, but I realized that some of the cables didn't appear to look right (I assume this is because I used cotton instead of the fluffier merino wool that was suggested) and it was absolutely eating through the yarn faster, which would also have probably made it quite a bit heavier -- something that cotton already kinda has as a drawback. Instead I let my friend choose the design he wanted me to use, which, while a bit plain by contrast, is safer in terms of his aesthetic preferences, which is more important in the end (what's the point if it won't be worn but once?).

Lastly, I also made a tote bag out of crochet for him, which I will be giving alongside the completed cardi. This only took a single day to make, even though it's comparably sized (albeit smaller). By contrast, I've been working on the cardigan for 2 months. The absolute difference in time it takes knitting something in weight 3 yarn versus crocheting something with weight 6 is... very pronounced. Still, a weight 6 crocheted cotton cardigan would probably be the biggest waste of money anyone could ever make lmao.

edit: The tote bag is from a pattern made by Alexandra of "Two of Wands"; forgot to credit her and link to the pattern in case anyone else is interested.

[katculturevlogs]

Task 18 in english

The implementation of a team co-evaluation table for a cultural project on sexism is a valuable strategy that can enhance the performance and quality of collaborative work. This tool can be really helpfull, which involves mutual evaluation between team members, has several advantages that contribute to the success of the project.

First, the co-evaluation table encourages transparency and open communication within our group. By providing members with a structure to evaluate the performance of their colleagues, a space is created to discuss strengths and areas of improvement constructively. This not only strengthens the bonds between team members, but also contributes to the development of essential interpersonal skills.

Another notable advantage is equity in evaluation. By allowing each team member to actively participate in the evaluation of their colleagues, bias is avoided and a more fair and objective evaluation is promoted. This is particularly relevant in cultural projects on sexism, where sensitivity and social awareness are essential.

However, it is crucial to recognize the potential disadvantages of team co-assessment. One of the challenges lies in the possibility of interpersonal conflicts. Mutual evaluation can generate tensions if not handled with sensitivity and empathy. It is essential to establish clear guidelines and foster an environment of respect and mutual understanding to address this risk, which honestly did not happen to us because we are a close-knit group.

In conclusion, a team co-assessment grid for a cultural project on sexism can be a valuable tool, as long as it is implemented with caution and its potential drawbacks are addressed. With effective communication that my team already has and an approach focused on joint development, this strategy can contribute significantly to the achievement of the project objectives, promoting gender equality and promoting a collaborative and enriching work environment in addition to organization of the team.

Evaluation criteria should be clearly defined and communicated to minimize ambiguous interpretations. Prior training on how to use the co-evaluation table can help mitigate this problem and ensure more accurate evaluations on projects like these.