#extremely precise platforming. for some reason.

[antirepurp]

it appears i've forgotten the kind of psychological torture that the optional stages of sonic unleashed happen to be

[verycleverboy]

A.R. Moxon on yesterday's attempted flex:

The world's biggest spoiled child threw himself a special-boy birthday party in the nation's capital yesterday: A tank parade showing off all the toys of death he now controls, and a demonstration that he now controls them. So the tanks rolled down the streets, possibly damaging them on the way, past an assemblage so diminished you could hear the squeak of the wheels. Soldiers marched in what appeared to be rather desultory fashion down Constitution Avenue, lined by crowds that stood one (or in some places none) deep. The birthday boy watched from his special viewing stand and made his strong-boy scowl. All his favorite TV people were with him, mostly because he had appointed them to his cabinet. Secretary Gin-For-Breakfast, the war criminal and blow-dried TV propaganda ghoul who now controls the armed forces he someday hopes to use to murder U.S. citizens, sat right next to the birthday boy, which was nice of him. The Secretary's appointment stood against the public good and all common sense, but it did what it was supposed to do, which is prove that the birthday boy gets his way in all things. Proving this same thing appears to also have been the main reason for the tank parade. He got to say a few words, the birthday boy, and it must be admitted that he does still know a few. He's been wanting this parade for year, the birthday boy. Perhaps he thought it would fill the hole in himself where a human soul normally is. Maybe for a few minutes it did. Who knows? It was apropos to drive tanks over something named for the Constitution. It's a perfect metaphor for what the birthday boy and his gang of thugs do every day. They're kidnapping a lot of our friends and family and shipping them off to slave gulags and places unknown, and doing many other things that are even more against the public good and all common sense than his cabinet appointees, and against laws both codified and moral, and against the Constitution itself. And the birthday boy is able to do it, because he controls not only the tanks but to a large degree our highest court, and most of the billionaires have kowtowed and offered the services of the platforms of influence that they own, and his party enjoys majorities in both branches of the legislature, two allegedly august bodies that now serve at his pleasure like two tamed apes who huddle by his feet and wait to dance for pennies when he whistles. This is why the people were elsewhere yesterday. They gathered, millions of them, in the nation's many cities, to convey the very clear message "fuck the birthday boy, and fuck all his evil works." There they were, the people, by the tens of thousands, in Philly and San Francisco, in Chicago, in San Diego, and Boston and New York, and Los Angeles, and hundreds of other cities, towns, and municipalities. The police were there too, very uniform and precise, conveying the message "we will control you, and we will be extremely deadly to you if you won't be controlled." The other day a sheriff offered to kill the people "graveyard dead" if he was given the slightest pretext for doing so, which is against the law and the constitution, but appears to be something he feels perfectly justified in saying and doing.

The people meanwhile are great. They aren't uniform and precise. They aren't trying to control people, or be deadly to people who won't be controlled. They're just being themselves, and that is an extraordinarily diverse and powerful thing. It's all sorts of things. Millions and millions of different things. It's everything. The people are the country, by the way. I mention this in case you didn't know. Some don't know.

(source)

[narcjsistx]

hii! I'm new to this platform and I haven't fully understood how it works yet... also, english is not my first language. but here are some headcanons <3

𝐌���� 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

— Kokonoi Hajime in a relationship HCS ᡣ𐭩

When he realized he liked you it was an extremely strange moment for him. He spent years and years loving Akane and one day, after seeing your smile that he had already seen before, he thought about how you would be by his side in a romantic sense. He spent days locked in the house trying to understand why suddenly Akane was no longer in his thoughts when he thought about love, but you were there in her place

It often happens that we go out with Inui, all three of us together. Well, in that case forget about existing, he'll be with his best friend all the time. But if he sees you feeling really down about it, he'll make it up to you by holding your hand as he continues talking

Once we got together, he got it into his head that he had to give you something as gift at least once every 2 weeks. He has the money, so why not make yourself happy with what you like?

Precisely for the previous reason, it often happens that during your outings he pays attention to what you are looking at. Do you like a particular type of shoe or bag? Or maybe a more expensive brand of lip gloss? Don't worry, you will have it in a short time

He likes to see you with his clothes on, and he actually has a fairly androgynous way of dressing: he has both purely masculine and feminine clothes, he definitely has some women's elegant shirts in his wardrobe but he uses them anyway because he likes them. In my opinion he has something in particular for women who wear a tie... I don't know why (me like him honestly)

Romantic outings with matching clothes? ABSOLUTELY YES. He loves to match colors that he considers "elegant" such as white, burgundy red or even gold

He knows perfectly well that he is not the perfect boyfriend, he is often afraid that you will become paranoid that he is only with you because you somehow remind him of Inui's sister. He wants to open up the topic and reassure you that he loves you because you are you, but he's afraid that out of panic he might say something wrong that he doesn't really mean

It happened that he had his makeup done by you, but he wouldn't leave the house with your makeup. He, on his own, only wears that sort of eyeliner with that mini red line, and that's already a lot for him. The first time he had his make-up done by you and left the house he suffered comments from Inui (who strangely laughed when he saw him) for at least a week

In my opinion it is something that is very attached to his family (even if nothing is known in the manga). He would be keen to introduce you to his parents once you have spent some time together, but he would be afraid of being introduced to yours. He knows he's good-looking and relatively polite and therefore wouldn't make a bad impression, but it's precisely the fact of meeting your parents that scares him

He LOVES when you fix his quiff. He knows his haircut is a little difficult to manage with that side of hair settle back and the other all curly, but when you offered to help him with his hair he felt really happy. He likes it when you play with his hair when he's bored, and even more so when you help him

[olderthannetfic]

First as a disclaimer: I'm pretty sure I'm not an anti (I'm anti death threats and am fine with incest, age-gap, abusive ships etc)

However I'm probably still a social/political enemy for various reasons but you sometime post asks from people you disagree with I think and I think you might know this answer.

Anyway onto my question I'm the kind of shipper who likes canon compliant ships and looking for hints and stuff but these days it feels like everyone boasts about how much their ships deviate and poop on canon etc. Do other shippers with my mentality still exist and I just don't notice them (Outside of anti spaces) or are we actually a dying breed?

--

Eh. I think "political enemy" has a pretty fluid definition if one is really into playing politics. If you aren't out campaigning on a white supremacy platform, we probably have some goals in common.

I usually block people for being extremely annoying on a day I'm feeling hormonal or for attacking people particularly viciously in my comments, not for nominally being in some other camp.

--

I think the more canon-adjacent fandom flavors are actually really common.

They're a little lost in the tumult of "My headcanon is actually canon!!!" stuff on tumblr that we like to laugh at on my own blog.

They're also less common in oldschool m/m-shipping spaces because those are often inherently non-canon ships. In the past, it was because homophobic censorship wouldn't let anything be made. These days, it's because the flavor of m/m a lot of people like is more easily found by adding romance to a buddy canon than by trying to add buddy-ness to a romance canon in many cases, and this can be true even if canon is original m/m aimed at fandom types.

Here's the thing: oldschool m/m shippers tend to be particularly prone to building community spaces and recording our history precisely because it's so easily erased and so often attacked. This type of shipper also tends to have more of a cohesive identity. That makes it far easier to name ourselves and set up little fiefdoms on modern social media.

I'm one of these people. Shittons of the people doing amateur fandom history work are. Much of the OTW old guard are. And lots of us know each other at least a bit, so if you're running into one of us, you're probably running into more of us.

--

However, that doesn't actually mean this type of shipping is the most common or that there have never been spaces devoted to something else.

That old Beauty and the Beast tv series with Linda Hamilton had epic canon shippers. So did Moonlight (the vampire tv series). So did and does Twilight.

A lot of these shippers had this as their first and possibly their only fandom and carried on being obsessed long after canon was over.

Lizzie/Darcy shippers put anything I have ever been a fan of to shame. No matter what the AO3 numbers show, this ship far, far exceeds the popularity of Destiel or any of the other m/m heavyweights.

--

I think the problem you're running into is that in the modern era of binging things on Netflix and regular joes being huge media geeks, analyzing canon in a nerdy way and obsessing over your canon ships is just how a big chunk of the population engages with media.

Fan theories that are closely tied to what was actually on the screen/page are the bread and butter of water cooler conversations and have been since The Sopranos and its ilk.

Yes, I know some fuck will immediately show up and go "Ahem, ahem, I am a GEEK and SPECIAL and the people around me never have intellectual conversations about media literally ever!!!!" just like every single time we have this conversation. But times have moved on, and being overinvested in canon theorizing just is a normie activity now, and that's great! Except when you want a special term and space to find your people.

The only time canon shippers really stand out from that is if they're extremely fic-focused, and then they often start straying farther from canon, especially if they stick around the same fandom for a long time. Either they start becoming more fans of some fic writer or they start wanting to diversify what they themselves are writing.

The really good close-to-canon fandom activities are at their best when lots of fans find the same currently-running canon at the same time and before canon itself passes its prime.

Even I started out on alt.tv.x-files, analyzing the shit out of season 2 and not caring much about non-canon things. (Though, admittedly, I was more NoRomo than MSR.)

--

That said, antis are not actually that canon-focused in most cases. They will do the "My headcanon is reality" thing as much as anyone. They just tend to spend a lot of time hating on explicit m/m and a lot of explicit m/m is of non-canon ships.

Honestly... anon... you might want to figure out what the latest CSI-ish franchise is and find the obviously-future-canon het ship from that. Those tend to get the 10 seasons of build up and fan theories that don't stray too far from canon.

This stuff is not only not a dying breed, but it's so common that one of the editors of NCIS delivered a deeply cringeworthy lecture at my film school about what "shippers" are and how the Tiva shippers affected the production.

People into those ships don't need tumblr: Major entertainment magazines are publishing their fan theories for them.

[emblemxeno]

Finished the rest of the Classic Castlevania Titles

I have finished Super Castlevania 4, Bloodlines, Dracula X, and Haunted Castle Revisted!

---SC4: It was phenomenal, probably my favorite of the classic style games. Great level design, great control and ease of movement, great art style and aesthetic, just all around amazing. I will say, I love the soundtrack, though I do prefer the type of music in Castlevania 1, and while Vampire Killer, Bloody Tears and Beginning are in this game, I still like the heart pumping tracks more than SC4's more... understated(?) approach. Simon's Theme is fucking baller though, love it to death. Lastly, I think it's a somewhat common opinion that the whip is overpowered in the game, to the point where it invalidates the sub-weapons, but I don't agree tbh. Multi directions and projectile blocking is great, however, the sheer utility of the sub-weapons are still just as good. The cross' boomerang provides great coverage, the axe gets pesky enemies from above (especially on stairs), the holy water gets multi hits on the ground, and the stopwatch is forever an awesome safety net. Maybe it's because I'm not that great at platformers, but I found the whip and weapons to be of equal value, just as the other games.

---Bloodlines: I played as Eric because any non-standard gameplay style is exciting to me. The spear gameplay was great! Great range, the high jump felt good, the power ups and spin attack worked wonders on covering me. The game is probably the most beautiful out of the classics I've played (other than Haunted Castle Revisited but that's a new age title), with great sprite work, animations, and aesthetic, with even a palitable gore factor. Absolutely stellar music as well, for both returning tracks and the new ones. Shout out specifically to Reincarnated Soul, The Sinking Old Sanctuary, Iron Blue Intention and Calling From Heaven. Love that good ol Genesis sound system.

---Dracula X: Probably my low point of these 4 games, didn't really enjoy my time with it as much. Part of that is a form of bias, because I'm aware how it's a downsized version of Rondo of Blood, which is considered by many to be the best of the Classic style Castlevania games. But even judging the game by its own merits, it kind of falls flat. The control scheme is worse, which is awful for stairs, precise jumps, and especially going back to subweapons requiring pressing up and attack rather than having its own button is extremely aggravating; the physics are jank, in that Richter carries so much forward momentum and you can't really change that in mid-air; the actual looks of the levels can make certain platforms and interactable objects hard to discern; they somehow cut down an already barebones story, even making Maria the sister of Annette for some reason.

And overall, the game is in the very hard-to-describe area when it comes to difficulty. It's not hard in the way that 1 and 3 are hard. It's more like it's frustratingly regressive. It doesn't feel satisfying to finally triumph like in 1 and 3, because despite all the (relatively archaic) bullshit those games had, they still tested reflexes, patience and knowledge. Dracula X isn't as fulfilling, and I would guess that it's because it was made as an intentionally cut down version of what I assume is a really well made game. But I digress; SC4 and Bloodlines were really good, Dracula X just pales in comparison. Still good soundtrack tho.

---Haunted Castle Revisted: I tried the OG Haunted Castle for like 10 minutes and quickly decided "nope." But the Revisited version? Pretty great! Amazing sprite work and 2D graphics, the game is gorgeous. Wonderfully composed soundtrack. The game feels extremely good to play, with easy to understand mechanics and interactions. Good challenge level, like if SC4 or Bloodlines were more compact and shorter. Very much felt like an arcade game but designed to be a great play first, rather than a quarter muncher like the OG one felt like.

So, if I had to rank the Classic Castlevania games (aside from Kid Dracula and Haunted Catle because the former is a spin off and the latter isn't canon), it'd be:

SC4

Bloodlines

3: Dracula's Curse

OG

Dracula X

Belmont's Revenge

2: Simon's Quest

The Adventure

Personal thoughts ahead, you don't have to read it, I just need to get it out there.

Now, while playing these games, this thought creeped into my head: Should I have just gotten the Dominus Collection instead of all three collections? Part of my interest for Castlevania was lore, music, and gameplay-but only the gameplay of the MetroidVania variety that started with Symphony of the night.

I like 2D platformers, but I'm very bad at them for reasons that I can't really explain other than "I have twitchy hands that make left-to-right planes difficult for me to stay steady on or react well to." But this only applies to strict beginning-to-goal platformers (I'm very shit at 2D Mario and Sonic as well for example lol). Add in RPG elements, and it suddenly isn't as much a problem.

I actually already owned Aria of Sorrow when I bought it many years back on the Wii U virtual console, and I loved every minute playing it, for the same reasons why I loved the few Metroid games I've played. Platforming but not in a strict "if you fall you die and have to restart" way, with exploration and upgrade elements, makes things click for me.

With me already owning Aria of Sorrow, Circle of the Moon being non-canon and Harmony of Dissonance being divisive, there was a devil on my shoulder saying "you should've only gotten the Dominus Collection since you're not good at strict platformers and you already own the best part of the Advance Collection."

But, some semblance of purchase regret is always gonna be a factor because money and capitalism is a fucking bitch. And even then... I feel as if I kind of grew as a person playing the Classic games, for was weird as that sounds. Like, I got better at reacting to things, timing jumps, appreciating level design philosophy, stuff like that.

Do I necessarily want to go back and replay most of them? Eh no, only SC4, Bloodlines and maybe Dracula's Curse and Haunted Castle. However, I feel as if I'm a true Castlevania fan having played and beaten all these games, getting to experience the foundation on which my preferred genre is built upon. So no, I don't regret my purchase for a second, evil voice in my head. For all the frustration, I have had equal parts elation and satisfaction.

Now I'm even more excited for Metroidvanias!

[dr-futbol-blog]

The Siege I, Pt. 7

Sheppard joins a meeting already in progress in the meeting room. He seems to have just changed into his fatigues and is definitely late coming into the meeting, everyone else is already there. Even Teyla, who was not a part of the earlier meeting in Weir's office where Beckett informed them about the wraith situation is already there and all geared up, ready to go. We are also shown a panoramic outside view of the city leading into the scene which usually indicates the passing of time. Darkness has fallen between the two scenes:

So, for some reason, Sheppard is running late, still fixing to attach his P-90 as he walks in. Given that they have just discovered a wraith loose in the city (urgent!) and that on the satellite platform McKay is about to attempt an extremely perilous stunt, space walking without a tether (dangerous!), if ever there had been a time for them to want to exchange a few words between them, just before this meeting and before McKay's space walk would have been it. And just to drive the point home: we have been told that the satellite on the other side of their solar system is within comm distance of Atlantis.

Sheppard seems somewhat distracted, having to orient himself to the meeting. He places himself so that he is ready to quickly get out of the door and isn't really turned toward anyone, his body facing somewhere between Ford and Beckett. When McKay isn't there, his body doesn't have a true north. Although he is late and seems to walk in the middle of the meeting, he swiftly takes control of it:

Sheppard: Someone tell me how this is possible. How can the Wraith get inside the city? Ford: They didn't gate in. Zelenka: The dart. Sheppard: What?

They theorize that the wraith had come via the dart that self-destructed during The Brotherhood (S01E17) while Sheppard and his team were off-world. Since they know how long the wraith has been among them (c. two weeks), they are wondering what the wraith had been doing that they don't know about. They go through several possible scenarios, all of which seem severe:

Weir: What's he been doing here all this time? Zelenka: Well, Sergeant Bates was attacked near the naqahdah generator that powers this tower. Sheppard: The wraith must have been doing recon. Maybe his job is to knock out the power before the hive ship gets here, leave us dead in the water. Ford: Or to make sure any self destruct plan we had in place wouldn't work. Weir: Maybe a combination of both.

The fact that they don't know and can't be sure what the wraith has been doing while it has been in the city for over two weeks is relevant for the end of the episode. It could have been doing anything, and they have no way of knowing what it is. Not knowing what the wraith has been doing is clearly making Sheppard uneasy. He is especially keen to know whether the wraith might have found out about the mission McKay is on and warned the others in advance of it.

It's also interesting that Teyla's nightmares seem to have started precisely when the wraith beamed into the city meaning that she is not only able to sense them physically but that their presence was felt in her dreams. Not only were Teyla and McKay paralleled in The Gift (S01E18) when it came to having trouble sleeping, Teyla and Sheppard were also paralleled as both having alien DNA in them. One is again invited to wonder what physical effects being near the Ancients or other people with the ATA gene might have on him, and whether their presence might be felt in his dreams.

Fortunately Zelenka comes up with a plan to track down the wraith, and it is not meaningless that his plan is based on the work McKay and Grodin had done together previously.

Meanwhile on the weapons platform, McKay and Miller are inside the puddle jumper that has disengaged from the satellite to bring McKay closer to what ever he needs to fix to get the satellite online. McKay's unintentionally suggestive line about opening the rear hatch goes unnoticed because Sheppard is not there to appreciate it.

Fixing the satellite involves a 'leap of faith,' him traversing space without a tether which is extremely dangerous. While he is confident when instructing Miller (and it might even be that he is repeating verbatim instructions he had just received from someone else he had been in contact with, say, on Atlantis), he does have to take a moment to gather all his courage to be able to actually go through with it:

Grodin: Rodney? Rodney, did you make it? McKay: Haven't quite left the rear of the jumper yet. Grodin: Do I need to remind you of the time? McKay: Yes, please do--remind me. Are we on a tight schedule? Grodin: Just pointing out the obvious. McKay: OK, thank you. One small step, huh?

Brave little toaster that he is, McKay makes the leap. Grodin seems still salty about McKay's comment from earlier, and they keep making small digs at each other even though they're not really at cross-purposes, they are all working together and rooting for each other to succeed. With regards to their possible past relationship, they do call each other by their first names and Grodin does seem to be worried here, when he doesn't hear from McKay right away.

Their interaction seems intimate even though it is made clear that they don't like each other very much. You have to know someone very well to be able to dislike them on a deeper level. The question is, if they do have a past (and hooking up with another scientist when marooned in Antarctica would have been the safest option all around), does Sheppard know about it? Back at the end of Letters from Pegasus (S01E17) he gives McKay a long look as he mentions Grodin by name which might indicate that he does indeed--which would make his upset over not being able to join them on this mission even more interesting.

The characters make a reference to the passing of time, again calling attention to the pocket of time between their drawing of the pencils and the space walk here when McKay took off to do something we didn't get to see, and the meeting in Weir's office and the next meeting in the conference room on Atlantis. Because we continually switch between Atlantis and the platform with the assumption that the events are taking place simultaneously, it makes it perhaps purposefully difficult to keep a track of the timeline.

Back on Atlantis, hey have gathered in the gate room to hear Zelenka's exposition on how to catch the wraith loose in the city. The fact that the scenes on the satellite and the scenes on Atlantis are in conversation is highlighted by the fact that we transition from McKay saying "Let's take a look at this first panel" to Zelenka moving the first of the Ancient glass panels around. He tells them about the Biometric sensor they've had online for a month that detects changes in biometric rhythm in real time. For some reason, we need to know that this has been online for a month--ever since the events of Sanctuary (S01E14).

Zelenka: This is a biometric sensor we've had online for past month or so. It detects irregularities in biometric rhythm and reports them. Sheppard: Wouldn't it have picked up on the wraith? Zelenka: Well, it requires significant amount of power, so we've narrowed its field of focus to scan solely in the gate room, figuring that was the only place that the wraith... or any other alien, for that matter, would likely enter the city from. Sheppard: OK, so that was wrong!

Sheppard is standing very close to the device, everyone else standing behind him. The only thing he is oriented to is the screen in front of him. He seems to want to really understand what Zelenka is explaining. While for most people Zelenka is probably easier to follow and understand than McKay is, for Sheppard it seems to be the opposite.

With Zelenka, he does not seem to feel as free to ask the kind of 'dumb' questions that actually push McKay's thinking forward. We've been able to compare how Grodin and McKay interact with each other that is different from how McKay and Sheppard interact, and here we are also able to compare how Sheppard and McKay's interaction is different from how Sheppard is with Zelenka here. For one, Sheppard calls him Doc whereas he has only ever called McKay by any of his names (unless introducing him to others). Also, Sheppard's eyes are mostly on the machine or the screens even when he is talking to Zelenka. This is is because he is only interested in what Zelenka has to say and to show him whereas with McKay, he is constantly reading the man's face and body-language because all of McKay matters to him: what he says, what he does, what he thinks, how he is, what he's doing; the where and the why and the what and the when and the how of him, all the time. He likes Zelenka just fine and respects him as a scientist but this man is not his whole world.

It is unclear what kind of biometric rhythms the sensor picks up but it does seem to function kind of like the life-signs detector, showing where people are (in fact, Beckett says as much: "It works very much like the life-signs detector, but it's able to distinguish different lifeforms"). It is extremely likely that McKay knows all about it and may have been among the people that decided its focus should be narrowed only to the gate room. Likely this sensor is the same that had been discovered during the time Chaya was visiting in Sanctuary. Since they could pretty safely assume that any alien would be coming to the city via the gate, limiting the sensor to the public space of the gate room was a sensible decision, especially in order to give people privacy. Where people spend their free time, whom with, and what ever changes may occur in their biometric rhythms while this is taking place is nobody's business, after all.

What's interesting is that the expedition members are shown in yellowish and blueish dots where the wraith is a clear red, distinct fro all others. It is unlikely that the differences are gendered so it follows that the biometric sensor probably shows the people with the ATA gene differently from the rest, as the blue dots are in clear minority. We also see two yellowish dots being right up in each others' personal space on the right side of the screen:

It's also possible that Sheppard is giving off a stronger blue than the others (or otherwise there is just a concentration of the blue dots gathered at the same place; Sheppard and Beckett are standing in proximity after all):

Now, if Sheppard (or just the people with the gene therapy in general) gives off a distinct signature, it would mean that his privacy is limited when the device is scanning the whole city and certainly when ever he is in the control tower. But given that figuring out how the sensor works was Grodin and McKay's joint pet project, it's probably real good that McKay knows just how it works and who all have access to this information. Since the wraith is a full-blown alien, he seems to be extremely easy for the device to pick up and they find the wraith stationary, not moving from its position.

Sheppard divides them into two teams to go after the wraith, letting Teyla and Ford spearhead the other team while he takes a few marines with him. Because McKay is not with them, he feels better when the two of them are backing each other up. As much as he might miss McKay, he sure is glad that he's not around for this--at least he's out of this danger. Hopefully doing okay where he is, but at least he doesn't have to worry about his safety on top of everything else they have to do now.

Meanwhile, McKay seems to have lost confidence in his abilities and could certainly use Sheppard in his ear. Grodin tries to give him a pep talk but still manages to needle him at the same time:

McKay: This is bad! Very bad! I'm not sure I can fix this. Grodin: You can fix anything. McKay: Who told you that? Grodin: You did, on several occasions. McKay: Well, you're right. It's probably a good thing I drew the short straw. Grodin: That's more like it!

This recalls the exchange McKay and Sheppard had in 38 Minutes (S01E04) and, for the second time in this episode, we are asked to compare McKay's relationship with Grodin to his relationship with Sheppard:

Sheppard: There's plenty of time to solve this thing, but you've got to stop using your mouth and start using your brain. McKay: I'm sorry. It's just, I react to certain doom a certain way. It's a bad habit and… and… Maybe there's a way to manually retract the mechanism. Sheppard: Yeah, maybe there is.

As brilliant as McKay is, as intelligent as he may be, he is insecure about being able to fill the expectations put on him by other people. He told Carter in Redemption that he sees science as an art and himself as lacking artistry, "a fine technical player".

People frequently view him as arrogant and egoistic--in fact, both are labels that Sheppard himself has used of him because projection is his own favourite psychological defense mechanism--but these are merely meant to mask his insecurities. McKay thinks that he can earn people's respect, good will, tolerance for his presence and yes, even love, if only he can perform what is expected of him to a sufficient degree. That if he's a good boy, his parents will stop hating each other and taking it out on him (because obviously it's his fault that they hate each other, it's because he is bad). The prospect of failure makes him anxious because it isn't just failing at the task that is hanging in the balance, it's losing everything he has fought hard to achieve. Failure is not an option for him and this makes him feel both overwhelmed and paralyzed when faced with a task that seems insurmountable, or alternatively to lash out in an abrasive manner so as to preemptively give people a reason to reject him that is something other than just him failing to live up to their expectations.

Grodin and Sheppard use different strategies in getting him back on task. What Grodin is doing here is basically blowing smoke up his rear end. He is massaging McKay's ego. And sure, it seems to work here, it does get him to focus on the problem, but it does not make him feel better. Sheppard, on the other hand, talks him down. Sheppard points out to him that he doesn't have to solve every problem in existence this minute but has to focus on what's in front of him right now. He makes the task seem smaller, more manageable, and even though it does not make what he has to attempt any less significant, it does make him feel less anxious about it. In the scene, Sheppard was probably in the worst pain of his life and he still found a way to make McKay feel better, to calm him down.

John Sheppard does not view McKay as an instrument that he has to fix to get it to perform a task, but as a person he cares about and whom he wants to do better. Grodin winds him up where Sheppard grounds him to the present moment. Whether it is pure intuition or the result of Sheppard just having spent so much time observing McKay, he knows precisely how to reach him. And it's not even necessarily a case of Sheppard knowing McKay better than Grodin as Grodin's line "You did, on several occasions" again hints at their history. It's that Sheppard cares about McKay's well-being, cares to do what is good for him and not just what will get the best result. But even without him in his ear, McKay manages to patch up the Ancient weapon. And then, as they are coming back for Grodin, they run into a snag.

On Atlantis, the two teams are hunting for the wraith planning to ambush it from several sides at once. The difference between the blueish and yellowish dots is no longer visible in the close up of the two teams approaching the wraith but they were so clearly marked earlier that it's possible Zelenka has merely calibrated the sensor to pick out the wraith in particular. Otherwise, we know that there are both men and women as well as people possessing the ATA gene and people not possessing it among the people approaching the wraith here:

It seem as though the wraith is able to get the drop on them because he has one of their radios, possibly that of Bates, and hence was able to listen in on their communication. Sheppard was careful approaching him, there seems to be no reason for it to be able to get the drop on him and his team of marines as easily as it does.

There is very little attention drawn to the radio and it is never mentioned in text, and yet it seems to be a very important component in how the wraith was able to take them out when they knew where it was in real time. They show him taking the radio from his belt with no explicit explanation for it which just seems to call attention to the communication device McKay was holding inside the satellite with the two other people that he could possibly have needed to communicate right with there with him.

The fact that the wraith's use of the radio never explained where it clearly signifies something, and the meaning of him having the device and what he had been using it for can be divined by connecting a few dots is interesting. It's like an Easter egg that most people probably completely glossed over. Just as they would have glossed over McKay's use of the communication device. McKay's use of his device is lampshaded here by the wraith and his use of the device.

Sheppard is stunned and incapacitated by the wraith, unable to move as it comes for him, saying: "Nothing will keep us from our new feeding ground," meaning Earth. It is Earth that hangs in the balance here, it is Earth that is at stake. They need to protect Earth at all cost, like Weir had told Halling. But is it protecting Earth that Sheppard is thinking about when he thinks that his time may finally have come? Is Earth his final thought before he fades to black?

Continued in Pt. 8

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

Mexico Memories 2021, not 2020 🇲🇽

SH -IGS Posted 7th February 2024

SH becomes more nostalgic as he ages or he’s drinking too much tequila. It doesn’t have many activities.So there is plenty of time for ruminating.

He visited Mexico in 2021 and 2022 in a row and this photo of drinking Batanga was in July 2021 in La Capilla (Jalisco) It was not in 2020

Does MN want to revisit Mexico too? 🇲🇽

@kaatje62 I have written about this trip in previous posts. Sam has visited Mexico 3 years in a row, the first was in February 2020, returning to Mexico 🇲🇽 in July 2021 with MN and AN and in August 2022. SH’s photo is from July 2021 in La Capilla Tequila-Jalisco. The UK government in 2021 told people not to travel to "green list" countries (Mexico) except for essential reasons. His travel was not essential. For him, and his friends all travel is essential. A tourist who believed that travel restrictions did not apply to him in Mexico.

M.N. doesn't remember when he was one of the Three Stooges in Mexico during the pandemic 😷 SH, MN and AN were the figures of irresponsible men with a lack of discipline, reckless and risky behaviour, the perfect COVIDIOTS.

The Mexican government emphasised persuasion for people to follow coronavirus restrictions, with mandatory mask-wearing in public and closed spaces and social distancing.

Tulum 2021

La Fortaleza Distillery

It may have been three years since the pandemic but selfish attitudes are not forgotten. His stupidity was spreading as fast as the coronavirus pandemic, but there will never be a vaccine for his woke stupidity.

Guadalajara 2021

M.Neal

The Three Stooges - SH-MN-AN

@imahalfemptykindofgirl Yeah! SH had his best moment in Mexico before using the country as a back door to enter the United States.

@frenchyses Woke stupidity, in this case it is about stupidity and excesses - it the faculty of thinking in delicate aspects, stupidly, they do not adhere to the rules and refuse to consider them, thinking in their own perspective, and their actions just show that they are just a pretty stupid.

@frenchyses Perhaps you have your definition of "woke", but, this has nothing to do with activist rights or umbrella term for political platforms. Woke stupidity and excesses is a term that extends, more precisely, to define people far more prone to idiocy than is desirable - irrational is always stupid, in the course of action over time, is about human behaviour, nothing else.

@frenchyses The etymology is different. But you still haven't clarified your doubts. —-First was the word woke and then idiocy. All answers were about a whole action. The term idiocy, used is an extremely stupid behavior. It was an explanation but it is also a definition of human stupidity that reveals its own insufficiencies, that’s what it’s about not idiocy. The actions are not beyond the imagination.

@frenchyses As I mentioned earlier and would like to emphasise again, the issue I am discussing has nothing to do with political activism. It is simply about the difference in etymology between the words "stupid" and "idiot".

The word "stupid" originates from the Latin word "stupere" which means "to be amazed or stunned, to be astounded", while the word "idiot" comes from the Greek word "idios" which means "own, private, layman, ignorant person".

This is primarily a discussion about reasoning, human behaviour and different ways of thinking, rather than a matter of social justice, as that is not the focus of my notes.

So, a stupid person is a person, whose thought flow is blocked by some internal or external event, for example by the “wow effect”. This state is usually recoverable.

On the other hand, an idiot is someone whose thought flow is blocked by his Ego / Superiority, flow is not only blocked but cannot change. Due to his behaviour, he cannot change himself due to ignorance. It is very difficult to recover from this state for a given individual. That’s what Dunning–Kruger effect.

@frenchyses None of this is superfluous, in this case, In a literal manner, it is associated with a person in a situation: the pandemic, which exacerbated and accelerated trends, increasing very unintelligent behaviour, and unwillingness to learn. The probability that a certain person is stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.

[cafefakevz]

A quick introduction to Tumblr terminology.

SOME SOCIAL BASICS. Tumblr is a blogging platform first and foremost, some functions are different from classic social network sites. For example you can simply follow blogs to fill your dashboard with their content. No "friend request" needed - and this is by design. Therefore Tumblr folks have established their own etiquette surrounding this.

Following. Blogs you follow that don't follow you back. A good chunk of people on here don't mind having followers, especially if they're creating original content of any kind. Followers are welcomed supporters in most cases. Roleplay blogs can be more picky about followers. Some require interactions if you follow, others won't be bothered and will simply assume you enjoy their presence, their content/writing/aesthetics and follow for that reason.

Followers. Blogs who follow you without you following them back. You're never obligated to follow someone back but don't be rude to your followers on the dashboard. It happens from time to time that people come across very unfriendly towards their followers while being extremely nice to their mutuals. This is unnecessary behaviour at best and shows a bad character at worst. (Have you ever read about this? - If you want to get to know a person pay attention to how they treat someone who they think are "beneath" them, like a waiter in a restaurant for example.)

Mutuals. Blogs you follow and who follow you back. On a social network you'd be considered "friends" or both have accepted the "friend request". Some blogs will only interact with mutuals and usually have that stated in their pinned post or their rules as "mutuals only". But this rule still can vary. Some have their Askbox and DMs open to make contact but prefer writing rp with mutuals. Others don't want to be contacted at all if they don't follow back. If you are the one to enforce such a rule, be clear and precise about it to prevent misunderstandings. "Mutals only" without any further explanation can lead to confusion. People won't know if they are allowed to say hi or if they are restricted from any kind of reaching out to you.

Unfollowing. Very simple, someone no longer follows you or you don't longer follow a person. If you were mutuals before the one who did nothing still follows the other one.

Softblocking. It's not a real Tumblr feature, it's making use of two different functions in a row: Block and unblock. It breaks a mutual following on both ends. Person A who wants to break mutuals, blocks Person B and immediately unblocks them afterwards which makes both unfollowing the other. But you can still visit each other's blogs and contact or follow each other again later in the future. Softblocking is a grey area and controversial. Some people prefer it, others hate softblocking and think it's borderline abusive. This is because Tumblr can sometimes glitch-unfollow two people. And if a softblock is done without communication beforehand it can lead to unpleasant and awkward situations. Pay attention to people's rules. Some would rather be hardblocked or they like to be unfollowed but allowed to stay as follower, especially if they haven't done anything offensive. Also keep in mind that getting rid of someone who enjoyed and loved your blog in silence for months or even years can hurt them quite a lot. To curate your dash (not having someone's posts on your timeline), unfollowing does a good enough job. But let's say you did have a fallout with someone, then you can resort to-

Hardblocking. Blocking someone without unblocking them afterwards. Someone blocked cannot visit your blog anymore (it appears as a ghost blog like a deleted one). They can't nametag you and your activity (comments, likes under posts) is hidden from them. Hardblocking, even though it seems as an "extreme measure" is liberally used on Tumblr for drastic and less drastic reasons. Some prefer to be hardblocked instead of softblocked from someone who wants to break mutuals and clear them from their followers, too. It's super unlikely that Tumblr does this by accident, so it's giving the clear message that it was done intentionally and no future contact is desired. They can block back and move on instead of feeling anxious about it. (How to block someone who has you blocked, since you can't use the meatball menu on a "ghost blog". To do this, you have to go to your Blog Settings and scroll all the way down to "Blocked Tumblrs". Click the pencil symbol and a field appears where you can type in the username of the other blog. Hit enter and they're blocked. This method is also used to block someone from a sideblog.)

[escha-ashengrotto]

Character: Escha Evenstar

"Things happen for a reason. We just need to find its meaning."

Hailing from a magicless world, she is suddenly brought to Twisted Wonderland and develops an affinity for magic. She is a kind and sweet girl who wears her heart on her sleeve.

Grade: Sophomore / Birth: 10.05

Height: 155cm / Age: 16-19

Profile

Profile template by @/yuushrimpy on Twitter. Link here!

Template by @/sleepywizardry. Link here!

Personality

🩷 Escha is known for being a sweet girl. She is very kind, gentle, and thoughtful of others. She is sensitive to the emotions of people around her and is a great source of support. She is a good listener and often gives good advice.

🩷 She is openly affectionate and likes hugs. She constantly gives hugs to people she is close to and comfortable with. She is someone who naturally compliments people but gets shy and a bit flustered when she receives one.

🩷 Escha also has an achiever mindset. She is diligent in her work and strives to always learn and improve herself. She always exerts a great amount of effort and doesn't stop until she completes her task, or at least until she reaches a "stopping point". This hardworking and meticulous nature of hers sometimes leads her to overworking herself and not taking care of herself properly (e.g. not eating on time, staying up later than usual).

Background

Escha is an adopted child. She's not averse to letting others know she was an orphan but only speaks of it when asked.

Apparently, she was abandoned as a newborn baby and was found inside a dumpster by someone from the orphanage. Her soon-to-be adoptive parents happened to be visiting at that time and took pity on her. Since they couldn't have a child of their own, they thought this was a sign from above and decided to adopt her. They gave her the name Esmerulia Chantelle, nicknamed Escha.

Escha found out about this truth at a young age, and it has been the source of her insecurity and why she doesn't open up about her problems. She thinks that her biological parents left her inside a dumpster because she was born as trash. That she was just a dead weight and that she was worthless.

This caused her to think very little of herself and why she strives to be better. Escha thinks that if she works hard enough, she can prove to others that she is valuable and worth something out of fear of abandonment. She also doesn't open up about the deep problems because she thinks she might bother others which makes her a "dead weight". When she feels extremely troubled, she cries and speaks about it with her stuffed toys.

She started to open up when she met Yuu at a later time. Since then, Escha and Yuu have remained close friends.

Escha doesn't like to talk about the "dark side" of her past (referring to her being found inside a dumpster and her feelings of insecurity) to others, but she was able to at least open up about her feelings to her parents. They were very supportive and gave her reassurances and comfort, telling her that they'll always love her and that she'll always be their daughter.

There's still some insecurity left in her but she is trying to overcome that. She is trying to focus on the positive things in life and is spreading love and kindness to others so that they don't feel what she feels.

She believes that everyone is worth something and worthy of being loved.

Unique Magic

🌟 Stardust 🌟

🌟 Escha can generate stardust which allows her to levitate and manipulate any object or living being it comes in contact with.

🌟 The stardust looks like magic sparkles in mixed hues of white, pink, purple, and blue.

🌟 The more stardust she coats/applies to the target, the easier it is for her to control it. But the more she generates, the more it tires her out.

🌟 She can cover herself with stardust which enables her to fly and maneuver in the air.

🌟 With great effort and precision, she can crystallize the stardust to create solid objects (e.g., a chair, platform, box). She particularly likes to make one in the form of a heart or star.

Trivia

Escha is a picky eater. She doesn't eat vegetables unless there's meat, and there's only a handful of vegetables she chooses to eat.

She likes cute and pretty things.

She has a collection of stationary materials, such as: unlined notebooks with designs on the pages, washi tapes, stickers, colored pens, etc.

She has a mini collection of seashells she finds at the beach.

She likes to go out on walks especially near the beach and around sunset. She does stargazing afterwards.

One of her weaknesses is her indecisiveness. She sometimes feels troubled with choosing what to do because of it.

She likes to sing. She's not a world class singer, but others have noted she has a dulcet voice and her singing is quite pleasant to the ears.

She is easily startled.

Her favorite colors are pink and purple.

She dreams of finding her one true love.

She was initially in Year 1 Class A before being transferred to Year 2 Class A after only a few months upon recommendation of a professor.

Gallery/Cards

Relationships

(to follow)

Vignettes

[veebs-hates-video-games]

Ok time to go through some more small things quickly because I'm getting behind.

Will You Snail?

More fun and interesting than I expected. I wasn't really sure what I was getting into beyond it being cheap and having tons of positive reviews, but it turned out to be a precision platformer where you play as a snail (and can wear another smaller snail as a hat), and it's about the fear of AI literally taking over the world and whether reality is really real. Also the AI is an asshole and spontaneously spawns bullshit spikes and lasers and stuff exactly where it thinks you're about to go so you have to contend with that in addition to just making it through each room.

I had a good enough time to finish the story and get somewhere north of 50% completion, but I don't really see myself doing the optional stuff like beating everything on the highest difficulty. The auto-difficulty kept me somewhere in the 2-3 range out of 4 95% of the time with very rare spikes to 4, and with me getting worse at stuff like this over time as my reactions get slightly slower, my vision gets worse, and my brain just gets generally weird, I don't really see a point in pushing myself harder just to frustrate myself.

Lara Croft GO

It only took me forever to get around to this one, which I probably would've forgotten about if someone didn't gift me a copy a few days ago. Basically you, uh, raid tombs. Big surprise, I know, but this time it's a turn-based puzzle game. I liked the puzzles enough and different mechanics they introduced enough to finish it because some of them were reasonably clever/satisfying, but I'm not sure if I'll bother with the extra ones after the credits roll. Toward the end after I got the hang of it I tended to finish levels without having to retry more than a couple times, but just knowing I'd have to start over entirely for every mistake or misclick makes it less enjoyable.

I'm pretty sure it's my second favorite Tomb Raider game now, and one of only two I've ever finished. The other was the 2013 reboot, which I thought was great. I tried the sequel to that and didn't really like all the changes they made to the formula because they all made it less fun for me, and I always thought the pre-reboot ones were just bad. To be fair I heard the later ones did get better and I never tried any of those, but the PS1 era games were anti-fun for me.

I'LL KILL HER

More of a digital comic book than anything, like a visual novel with an extreme emphasis on the visual part and no decision making. The art style was enough to get my interest to try it, and that's probably the main thing it has going for it. The story is...fine? Not super deep or original and feels like it maybe has some translation or non-native English issues sometimes, but it all fits together well enough in the end I guess. All of the content warnings for this one for stuff like abuse and domestic violence and suicide.

Cris Tales

Somehow this is the only one of these that I gave up on before finishing it. A lot of stuff in it is absolutely gorgeous (go watch the animated intro, seriously), and I was getting into the setting and some of the themes it was hinting at, and the time shifting mechanics are pretty neat both for exploration and combat, but I just don't really enjoy playing the game very much.

Society has advanced beyond the need for random encounters, but Cris Tales has not. Good thing it has irritatingly long load times for each one, at least on the Switch, and it has to do it again going back from the battle screen to the main overworld. And I really am not into how the combat encounters are balanced. Even basic trash enemies a few hours into the game can do absurd amounts of damage, like 40+ when your characters barely have over 100 hp. You can reduce that with timed button presses like Paper Mario/Mario RPG games, but the animations while pretty are really bad at conveying the actual correct timing for stuff.

Basically I like most things about the game except for actually playing it. Well, it's fine in towns I guess, but there's too much other stuff I'm not into for that to make up for it. Oh, and the voice acting isn't terrible or anything, but it's definitely worse than most things I've played this year with voice acting and didn't really do it for me. Also it has the most basic and obvious bug that I'm mildly surprised I've never seen in anything else: it counts the entire time the game is suspended while the Switch is asleep toward your play time. I apparently spent 60 hours on the game, when really it was about 3.

[aiyexayen]

adding on since "getting tested" is great but for many people (especially neurodivergents) it can often be extremely difficult, expensive, a long process, or just straight up inaccessible temporarily or permanently, depending on Reasons, so:

1) see a therapist if possible. regardless of testing or meds or where you go next, just talking to someone who can potentially help you establish structures or just process through the possibility that you have adhd/[insert neurodivergence here] and don't know what to do next can be so valuable.

2) looking for tips and communities on your social media platform of choice is valid, regardless of whether you have a diagnosis or ever will have a diagnosis! finding people who have similar problems you're dealing with to commiserate is a good way to feel less alone and less like your problems are insurmountable. plus, they often have tips or coping tactics so it can't hurt, right? (diagnosis gatekeeping is a problem in some spaces but afaik it's a dwindling one)

2a) the above also true regardless of whether you even can narrow down what you think is giving you trouble! lots of adhd tips and tricks can help anxiety. lots of autistic coping strategies and stim toys can help adhd and anxiety. ocd is comorbid with so many things. there's a lot of overlap, and really the point isn't just to determine perfectly precisely what the source of your struggles is right out of the gate.

the primary goal is always going to be to find things that help YOU, and ways to help you take care of your brain so your brain can take better care of you, and the life you want to live, and the person you want to be. often, identifying the source of your problems is a central part of this goal. but targeting the symptoms or even just trying things at random can be a really valid first step while you're working on getting a foot in the door with doctors/therapists/etc. i say this from experience.

3) if you're struggling with feeling stagnant or stuck, or it all feels really overwhelming, just try something at random. anything. anything you've heard of. anything you've wished you could do or move around your house but can't because it's not 'for you' or not 'normal.' buy a stim toy or three. get a planner, or a megapack of sticky notes to put all over your house. set alarms on your phone for literally everything. put a rolling stool in your kitchen. keep a little basket of cleaning supplies in every single room. take extra showers. take fewer showers. try doing tasks at different times of day than usual. give yourself a ridiculous wealth of little rewards for every task to boost that dopamine, babey. ask a friend for help. just get yourself to make one attempt, and even if it isnt quite right you can learn something about yourself and then leverage that momentum to try more.

i've fully lost my own plot because i started thinking about leverage the tv show so i'm just going to post this now rip 😔

"i had straight As in high school i don't understand why college is so hard" get tested for adhd. if you were tested as a kid and they didn't diagnose you it was cause your grades were good then but you've since lost the routine and structure in hs that kept you on top of everything so go get retested. go get tested for adhd. go

[alliance00]

How Executive Search Agencies Help You Hire Top C-Suite Talent Faster

In the present competitive business environment, hiring top-level executives is not just about filling a position but finding the right strategic leader to chart the company toward growth, innovation, and long-term success. The process of identifying and attracting top C-suite talent can be fairly complex and time-consuming. A trusted executive search agency, therefore, becomes your invaluable partner.

Let us shed some light on how specialized agencies make the search hiring process easier and shorten the time in getting high-quality leadership talent to an organization.

1. Deep Industry Knowledge and Market Insight

An executive search agency has profound industry, sector, and market knowledge. Such expertise guides the firm in discerning the precise needs of various C-suite roles-for example, CEO, CFO, COO, or CTO-and to find candidates who are a perfect match for those needs and, ultimately, for your own strategic goals.

These search firms keep abreast of the leadership trends, market shifts, and compensation benchmarks—knowledge that is indispensable in the actual hiring of top executives. Armed with such intelligence, these firms move both fast and accurately in identifying the right candidates.

2. Access to Global Talent Pool

Top-notch C-suite executives very rarely go out looking for jobs. Hence, many are already students of work, unreachable by conventional recruitment channels. An executive search agency has access to a global network of passive candidates and high-achieving leaders.

Over time, these firms have nurtured professional relationships with leading practitioners in the industry, including those who do not advertise on job boards or actively participate in professional networking platforms. Hence, this reaches oil fast and targets getting the right candidates.

3. Faster and More Efficient Shortlisting

Executive search firms don't just forward resumes without any quality checks. Instead, they apply rigorous vetting and assessment of candidates of different sorts—advanced assessment tools, structured interviews, and leadership competency modeling—all converge to handpick a shortlist of top-caliber leaders fitting your specific needs.

Therefore, by the time the candidates are presented to your company, they would have already gone through a rigorous screening process, seriously reducing time-wasting interviews with unworthy candidates.

4. Confidentiality and Discretion

Hiring at the executive level goes hand in hand with the exchange of sensitive information—succession planning, internal restructuring, or competitive intelligence to name a few. Handling this internally creates the risk of confidential information leaking out.

An established executive search agency safeguards confidentiality discreetly throughout the search process. It protects client and candidate identities in concert until the search nears completion, allowing companies to evaluate talent options with no public exposure.

This strategic alignment ensures that the hired executive can drive transformation, scale operations, or lead innovation initiatives based on your company's vision and challenges.

6. Minimizing the Cost of a Bad Hire

Hiring the wrong executive can be extremely costly, not only financially but also in terms of morale, productivity, and company reputation. Executive search firms minimize this risk by applying well-tested methods and talent-assessment frameworks to ensure the fit of that person into the culture, technically competent, and compatible with their leadership style.

Moreover, all executive search agencies provide post-placement support and onboarding assistance to further guarantee long-term success, reducing the risk of costly top-level turnovers.

7. Accelerated Timelines and Reduced Hiring Bottlenecks

Delays in C-suite hiring can occur for many reasons- internal decision-making delay stemming from unclear role definition and poor candidate management, to slow evaluator response. Executive search firms cement timeframes, clear deliverable expectations, and create channels of communication that maintain momentum.

They also act as intermediaries during negotiations to set candidate expectations and produce an agreeable hiring experience. Their project management skills ensure the speedy onboarding of senior executives while maintaining quality standards.

8. Customized Search Process

Every organization must have a particular requirement when it comes to leadership. Top executive search agencies will never take a generic approach. Instead, they will customize the search depending on your company's objectives, culture, and market position.

Such a bespoke service that you are not just hiring anyone to do the job; you are hiring someone who will actually fit into your business environment and do this faster than a generic hiring process would ever allow.

9. Employer Branding and Candidate Experience

How you have been presenting your company to top leaders matters. An executive search company markets not just the position but also your brand, vision, and values to the executives on their own. This will enhance the stature of your company in the eyes of potential elite-level candidates.

Furthermore, these firms ensure the candidates have a sophisticated and smooth experience and further increase their eagerness to join or recommend the brand to others, even if they are not selected.

10. Long-Term Leadership Success

An executive search agency does not discharge its duties with hiring alone; many agencies also provide follow-up services such as leadership integration, executive coaching, and even performance tracking to ensure sustained long-term success.

With continued support and performance insight, these agencies help to modify and adjust organizations and executives to grow mutually-and in the long run, it is well worth the investment for such assistance.

Conclusion

The rapid selection and placement of a suitable candidate into the C-suite, without compromising the quality of the hire, is a challenge that requires utmost expertise, precision, and strategic vision. Particular emphasis on the partner of an executive search firm, such as Alliance Recruitment Agency, is what gives an organization the cutting edge in obtaining leadership that brings about transition, innovation, and profitability. Contact us now.

If you desire to expedite the hiring of leadership, the executive search firm is more than just a service provider; it is a partner in strategic growth. View source: https://alliancerecruitmentagency.hashnode.dev/how-executive-search-agencies-help-you-hire-top-c-suite-talent-faster

[19thperson]

19th's Steam Next Fest Impressions Jun 2025 Edition - Day 3

Day 1/Day 2

Aeromachina

A 3d Metroidvana Action Platformer

In a post human-extinction sci-fi setting, you play as one of those airplane furries, exploring a military facility and fighting other robots… there's not much plot in the demo. It's just "we're putting you in a training simulation."

Thankfully it doesn't need it. The base systems are enough of a hook.

Combat is extremely lite DMC style. You won't be using a really big moveset, but you'll use both melee and guns to air juggle enemies and strafe around attacks. It all comes pretty intuitively.

The base kit felt like a well tuned 3d platformer. The first upgrade you get is a glider, and it really opens up your movement options. You get that really satisfying momentum building of chaining a dash into a jump into a glide to cover a huge amount of space. The game has got the schmovement.

The game has plenty of hidden stuff and backtracking, paying more than lipservice to the metroidvania tag. The only issue is that enemies respawn when you leave the room, versus either the dark souls style of respwaning at saves, or waiting until the player is several rooms away. It can make backtracking annoying. But otherwise a really promising title.

Escape Velocity

A Portal-like about Demoman grenade jumping.

You're an ant guy in a bomb factory that, after an attack by an enemy planet, and is falling apart. Escape using your trusty grenade launcher.

The core restriction the player faces is that they cannot jump. If you want air, your only choice is launching yourself with a bomb or a pre-existing launcher in the environment. I do like that there's a built in indicator that shows what the arc of your jump is going to be. For something normally fiddly like a rocket jump, this is a really good quality of life feature.

The main obstacles are spheres of "antigold," bombs that detonate in contact with either living things or gold, for some reason. Thankfully your boss handed out shitty gold plated trophies instead of healthcare, so there's plenty to toss around to clear the way.

There's also ultrasteel, which has to be melted by a special acid. In practice, it's the same "bring x object to y obstacle," but you can't carry this one, so you have to rely on pipes and launchers.

Right now the game is at a kind of crossroads. It can aim to be a dense puzzler, creating much trickier rooms to figure out, or it could lean into being a platformer, asking for more precise use of the grenade jump. Right now, it's not asking enough in either aspect. It's too easy.

Still has a lot of good potential though.

NODE: The Last Favor of the Antarii

A programming puzzle platformer.

The year is 2035, and a long abandoned soviet nucelar site suddenly goes active, flooding the surrounding environment with radiation. It's severe enough to be fatal for any human personell, the EMP waves it sends off disable most drones trying to approach the building.

To get around this, they send in a semi-autonomous robot meant for a mars mission, already designed to handle the cosmic radiation interference in space. But they still need to use a minimal delayed input system to actually transmit orders.

In practice, that involves a system of programming moves ahead of time. move forward 5.8 seconds. jump. brake. hit the "use" option top activate the elevator. turn, etc. This involves an inherent amount of trial and error, especially since you can't see too far ahead, but it's ameliorated by each platforming segment being relatively short.

There's some mystery and bigger ideas going on with the narrative. Few seem to have known about this plant even existed, and no one knows why it's melting down now. Alongside that is some themes of free will and AI personhood, with the titular NODE being an autonomous robot capable of communicating and acting on their own, but still reliant on orders. It seems there might be plot branches based on their dialogue choices.

I really hope this game sticks the landing.

Mina the Hollower

Zelda by way of Castlevania from the devs of Shovel Knight.

The plot is simple so far. You play as the titular Mina the Hollower, one who "studies the secrets of the earth." Years ago she built 6 generator towers on the island of Ossex, and now she's been called back as they've stopped working. Also there are monsters and a revolt happening. It seems there will be a non-linear "tackle the towers in any order" thing going on.

Game plays like you'd expect a combination of castlevania and zelda. You have a choice of main arms for primary melee, so there's a bit of variance going on: a chargeable hammer, a rapid fire set of daggers, and a morning star whip. (Considering the coverage you get I do not understand why you wouldn't choose the latter.) Aside from that you have ammo limited sidearms that are projectiles. The first one you get is an axe you throw in an arc.

The main movement gimmick is the ability to burrow into the ground and launch yourself up in the air. This is used both for platforming challenges and a good amount of secret placement, sliding into otherwise missable slots in the wall. No complaints here.

The main complaint is that the game relies on verticality… but it's still sticking to it's faux-NES guns. So there are times where the verticality is ambiguous. Hitting airborne enemies can sometimes be finicky, and some ledges it's hard to tell at a glance whether they're above or below. These are problems that solve themselves quickly, but it's still mildly annoying.

Still, it seems that Yacht Club games has kept their usual level of polish. Probably will be a lot to check out here.

Echomnesia

Is it incomprehensible because it's a mysterious story?

Is it incomprehensible because it's poorly written?

Is it incomprehensible because it was poorly translated from Russian?

Perhaps all three?

I finished it, so I'm putting it up here.

No more notes.

Baby Steps

The sequel to QWOP and Getting Over It.

You play as a bumbling Large Adult Son who zapped into Some Other Place and have to guide him home, controlling his legs one at a time.

I was not expecting this game to be open world. Or at least to allow me to go so far off the beaten path. I'm not sure if that combines well with this sorta frustration game. I can see someone who wants to see everything chafing hard against the inherent movement restrictions.

I really liked Breath of The Wild's climbing because you needed to get really intimate with the level geometry to find stable rest points. I'm getting a bit of that feeling here too, looking for ideal foot placement to get through uneven ground.

The game is funny up until the moment characters start talking, then all the humor saps away.

Kleopatra

An...abstracted rail shooter RPG?

You play as the imperial agent Hatori, hunting down the rebel Espada in the lawless moon city of Kleopatra. It's Cyberpunk. So far not much "deeper" going on in the demo, save for some vaguely implied history near the start, but it might expand later.

Combat shows three cards on the field, split into head and body. Click them to attack them. Body shots do less damage, but each body shot increases the chance of a headshot actually landing. Each character has a progress bar for their attacks, and you need to press the dodge button in time as they fill. Use the katana button to stagger the opponents, slowing down their bar. Kill everyone within a time limit.

Juggling all that kinda made my hand start to cramp.

There's something interesting and arcadey here, but I still need practice to fully wrap my head around it.

Of course, as I'm writing this, I noticed the steam page say that the characters and backgrounds were AI generated and human edited. Which is... great.

Interesting concept though.

[govind-singh]

Transform Your Career with a Practical Digital Marketing Course and the Best Digital Marketing Certification

In today’s fast-paced digital world, where online presence dictates business success, having solid knowledge and hands-on experience in digital marketing is no longer optional—it’s essential. Whether you are a student, a job seeker, a working professional, or a business owner, investing in a practical digital marketing course and acquiring the best digital marketing certification can be the game-changer you’ve been looking for.

What is Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing refers to promoting products or services using digital channels such as search engines, websites, social media platforms, email, and mobile apps. Unlike traditional marketing, it offers precise targeting, measurable results, and cost-effective strategies to reach a global audience.

Digital marketing includes various components:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC)

Social Media Marketing (SMM)

Content Marketing

Email Marketing

Affiliate Marketing

Web Analytics

Mobile Marketing

Understanding and mastering these areas require more than theory—it demands practical learning and real-time application.

Why You Need a Practical Digital Marketing Course

A practical digital marketing course goes beyond theory and textbooks. It provides live projects, hands-on tools, real-time campaign management, and simulations that make learning effective and career-oriented. Here are some reasons why this type of course is highly beneficial:

1. Hands-on Experience with Tools

You'll get to work with industry-standard tools like:

Google Analytics

Google Ads

SEMrush

Ahrefs

Canva

Mailchimp

Meta Business Suite

This real-world exposure helps you understand how digital marketing campaigns are planned, executed, and measured.

2. Work on Real Projects

Unlike theoretical programs, practical courses allow you to create and manage live campaigns, analyze results, and make data-driven decisions. This experience is extremely valuable in job interviews and freelance projects.

3. Portfolio Development

You'll build a strong portfolio filled with real work samples that showcase your skills to employers or clients. Having tangible proof of your capabilities is a big plus.

4. Industry-Relevant Curriculum

Practical courses are often updated frequently to match current industry trends, algorithm updates, and platform policies. This ensures you're always learning what’s relevant.

5. Mentorship from Experts

Many programs offer guidance from industry professionals who provide insights, feedback, and tips that you won’t find in traditional classrooms.

Key Modules Covered in a Practical Digital Marketing Course

Here’s what you can expect to learn:

Introduction to Digital Marketing

Website Development Basics (WordPress/Shopify)

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Google Ads & Paid Advertising

Social Media Marketing (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube)

Content Writing & Blogging

Email Marketing Automation

Affiliate Marketing

E-commerce Marketing

Web Analytics and Conversion Tracking

Freelancing & Resume Building

Mock Interviews and Career Prep

How to Choose the Best Digital Marketing Certification?

A certification adds credibility to your knowledge. However, with countless certifications available, how do you choose the best digital marketing certification?

Here are the key criteria:

1. Accreditation and Recognition

Choose a program that is recognized by industry bodies, top companies, or global platforms like Google, HubSpot, or Meta.

2. Curriculum Depth

Ensure that the certification covers all essential areas like SEO, PPC, SMM, content marketing, analytics, and more.

3. Practical Approach

The certification should be based on your hands-on work—live projects, capstone tasks, or exams that test your practical knowledge.

4. Career Support

Look for programs that offer career assistance like internships, job referrals, mock interviews, and resume building.

5. Alumni Success Stories

Research what past students are doing now. Are they placed at good companies? Are they successful freelancers? Their success is a reflection of course quality.

Top Digital Marketing Certifications in 2025

Here are some well-regarded certifications that are industry-approved and widely accepted:

Certification Name

Provider

Key Features

Google Digital Marketing Certificate

Google

Free, Beginner-friendly, Globally Recognized

Meta Certified Digital Marketing Associate

Meta (Facebook)

Platform-specific, Practical Focus

HubSpot Content Marketing Certification

HubSpot Academy

Free, In-depth on Content and SEO

Digital Marketing Nanodegree

Udacity

Paid, Real-world Projects, Career Services

Advanced Digital Marketing Certification

Digital Vidya / Simplilearn

Comprehensive, Internship, Placement Support

Benefits of Completing a Practical Digital Marketing Course with Certification

Let’s look at what you gain by investing in this learning journey:

✅ Career Growth and Job Opportunities

Digital marketing professionals are in high demand across industries. Roles include:

Digital Marketing Executive

SEO Analyst

PPC Expert

Content Strategist

Social Media Manager

Email Marketing Specialist

Salaries can range from ₹3 LPA for freshers to ₹15+ LPA for experienced marketers in India.

✅ Start Freelancing or Consulting

With practical skills and certification, you can work independently as a digital marketing consultant, start your own agency, or freelance on platforms like Fiverr and Upwork.

✅ Promote Your Own Business

If you're an entrepreneur, you’ll learn how to generate leads, increase brand visibility, and convert customers through strategic online marketing.

✅ Work from Anywhere

Digital marketing jobs and freelance projects offer the flexibility to work remotely. It’s a perfect skill set for digital nomads and remote job seekers.

✅ Constant Learning & Growth

Since digital marketing constantly evolves, you'll never be stuck. New tools, platforms, and strategies mean there’s always something new to learn and apply.

Final Thoughts

A practical digital marketing course paired with the best digital marketing certification equips you with real-world skills, boosts your employability, and opens the doors to a thriving career or business.

In a world that’s increasingly digital-first, this skill set is no longer a bonus—it’s a necessity.

Whether you're a beginner or looking to upskill, now is the perfect time to invest in your future. Choose a course that emphasizes practice, offers mentor support, and provides recognized certification. Your career in digital marketing awaits!

[nadieselparts]

Why Choosing the Right Cylinder Head Matters for Detroit Motor Parts Performance

When it comes to maintaining or upgrading heavy-duty engines, especially for those relying on Detroit Motor Parts, one component often overlooked—but critical—is the cylinder head. The cylinder head plays a pivotal role in the engine’s performance, affecting everything from fuel efficiency to horsepower output and overall engine lifespan. For diesel engines operating under intense workloads, the importance of a high-quality cylinder head cannot be overstated.

If you're sourcing parts for your engine rebuild or repair, especially Detroit diesel engines, using a reliable supplier like shop.nadieselparts.com ensures you're getting top-quality components built to withstand the pressures of heavy-duty applications. Whether you're dealing with a classic Series 60 or a modern DD15, the cylinder head is a key area where quality should never be compromised.

A cylinder head is more than just a metal block with valves—it’s the upper sealing component of the combustion chamber. In diesel engines, which operate at high compression ratios, the cylinder head must endure extreme stress and temperature variations. A poorly manufactured or worn-out cylinder head can lead to major issues such as compression loss, coolant leaks, or even catastrophic engine failure. That’s why technicians and fleet managers prioritize quality when choosing replacements.

Detroit Motor Parts are engineered to meet the exacting standards required by OEM specifications. That means precise casting, machining, and testing processes that ensure each cylinder head meets the rigorous demands of modern diesel engines. However, not all aftermarket parts providers are created equal. While some offer low-cost alternatives, they may not match OEM standards in metallurgy or design, potentially leading to premature wear or mechanical failure.

This is where shop.nadieselparts.com shines. With a wide inventory of diesel engine components, including cylinder heads for Detroit applications, they cater to customers who understand that cutting corners on critical parts can cost more in the long run. By partnering with trusted manufacturers and maintaining strict quality control, they help ensure that every part sold performs reliably in real-world conditions.

One of the advantages of purchasing from a specialized online diesel parts store is the access to expertise. Unlike generic auto parts platforms, shop.nadieselparts.com is staffed by diesel professionals who understand the nuances of Detroit engines and their components. Whether you're working on a two-stroke 8V92 or a four-stroke DD13, having expert guidance makes a difference. You not only get the correct part but also recommendations on installation best practices, compatible upgrades, and maintenance schedules.

For fleet operators, downtime is a major cost factor. That’s why selecting a trusted source for Detroit Motor Parts and critical components like the cylinder head is crucial. A well-built, properly installed cylinder head helps keep vehicles on the road longer, reducing unexpected breakdowns and improving operational efficiency. It also contributes to lower emissions, better fuel economy, and higher compression stability, all of which are essential for compliance and performance in today’s trucking and logistics environments.

It's also worth noting that today’s diesel engines are becoming increasingly complex. Cylinder heads now often incorporate integrated exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) ports, variable valve timing components, and improved coolant flow channels. Selecting a part that’s fully compatible with your engine model and year is essential. That’s another reason to rely on a dedicated diesel parts supplier with in-depth product knowledge.

In conclusion, the cylinder head may not be the most visible part of your engine, but its role is absolutely vital. Whether you’re maintaining a single truck or an entire fleet of Detroit-powered equipment, investing in high-quality components and sourcing them from reputable suppliers like shop.nadieselparts.com is a smart move. With performance, durability, and reliability on the line, there's simply no room for compromise.

For more info:-

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[kafkaia]

Here are my details as a beta reader:

I am able to beta: Completed or ongoing works of fanfiction. My fandoms are currently: Naruto, Proseka, Zenless Zone Zero. I’d also prefer fanfictions posted on AO3, as that is my main website.

I’d like the work to be set in the canon universe, but if the AU is interesting I can work with that as well. I like m/m and m/f more than f/f or poly, but f/f is fine. For cultural reasons, I choose not to beta read poly. It’s also completely fine if the romance is a side thing to the plot!

My languages are English and Simplified Chinese.

I can provide feedback on: I’m a little new to beta reading, as I’ve only done 3 so far, but I aim to provide GSCE level annotations to your manuscript(s), specifically focusing on pacing, character development, SPaG errors, characterisation and prose. I can also provide feedback on the cultural aspects of China, specifically in the Sichuan region but I can do stuff for the rest of China as well.

Other info: Manuscripts on Google Docs or Word are fine.

Before you scroll down or request anything, some boundaries have to be set:

— I don’t read smut!

— If an adult is shipped with a child, please don't send me it (e.g: Hatake Kakashi/Sakura Haruno)

— Rarepairs are a fifty-fifty for me. If I don’t feel comfortable with reading a certain rarepair, I will refuse to beta read

— I won’t do x readers or self inserts

— If the main character is an OC, I won’t read it since I don’t have a pre-existing bond with that character

Now for how to request!:

Title: (The title)

Fandom: (What fandom your work is for! Must align with my fandoms listed above)

Ships: (If your work doesn’t have any, leave this blank)

Centric: (If you didn’t fill in the above section or romance is a subplot, tell me who or what the fic will be based around)

Description: (So I can get myself invested before I start reading)

Rating: (Any rating for me is fine actually, this is just for heads up)

Plot Overview: (What your fic will be about! And I mean the ENTIRE plot, from start to finish. If you haven’t planned that far ahead, tell me everything you’ve planned so far)

Completion Status: (If your work is finished or ongoing)

Words: (Not strictly a word count, but tell me what type of fic it is. Here’s a list with breakdown available:

Dribble (or half-drabble): it's an extremely short story that has about 50 to 55 words.

Drabble (Pure Drabble or Perfect Drabble): is composed of exactly 100 words, not one less, not one more.

Ficlet: A Ficlet is similar to a Drabble in terms of length but is not as strict, it could have 90 to 110 words but this wording is usually used for stories under 1000 words.

Vignette: is a really short story from 500 to 1000 words that focuses on a specific scene or moment, on a character and his thoughts and emotions or so.

Double Drabble (drouble or droubble): this story has exactly 200 words.

Triple Drabble (trabble, tribble or trouble): a story that has precisely 300 words.

Flashfic: a story between 100 and 1000 words.

Oneshot: 1000+ words, but only one chapter in the fic

Novellettes: A novelette is also a narrative fictional prose. Back in the day, the term "novelette" referred to a story that was romantic or sentimental in character. A novelette is longer than a short story, but shorter than a novella. The word count is usually between 7,500 words to 17,500 words.

Longfic: 40+ words, comprising of many chapters with a detailed story arc.

Writing Platform: Word or Google Docs. Email me at yutakanbetareads@gmail.com

That’s it! I think…?