#rae *was* their support system. solely

[sage-is-in-fact-very-tired]

thinking about icarus' lack of support system now, again. thinking about it.

[cyarskj52]

IssaRae candid words shed light on an unfortunate reality in the entertainment industry.

The challenges faced by Black shows and storytellers, along with the lack of accountability, are disheartening. It's important to amplify diverse voices and stories, but the burden shouldn't solely rest on individuals like Issa.

While it's disheartening to see the struggles and lack of priority given to these stories, it's also encouraging to witness Issa's determination to take steps towards independence.

It highlights the need for systemic changes and support for diverse voices within the industry. We can all play a part in holding the industry accountable for equitable representation and ensuring that diverse stories are given the attention they deserve.

Let's continue to support and uplift creators like Issa Rae as they navigate these challenges and work towards a more inclusive future.

[yurimother]

LGBTQ Light Novel Review – I'm in Love with the Villainess Vol. 2

A Defining and Relentlessly Queer Work in the Next Era of Yuri

I have backed myself into a corner and see no way out of it. For I have already awarded Inori's I'm in Love with the Villainess a perfect 10/10 score for its stellar first outing. And then, upon seeing what Inori did in the second book, I regret my choice because I have no way to raise the bar on perfection as Inori did in her light novel. Indeed, it has taken me far too long to write this review. My mind is thoroughly exhausted after pondering what I read and accepting the honest truth: that that may very well become a defining work in the next generation of Yuri. For as much time as I spend diving into the Sapphic news of the day, I devote even more to looking to the next big movement of Yuri. If I'm in Love with the Villainess Vol. 2 is a signal of what Yuri's future holds, then we are entering an extraordinary queer era.

The story takes off shortly after the first book. At least for the moment, the commoner revolt is quelled, and Rae continues schooling alongside her beloved Claire. Storylines include a new transfer student rivaling Rae for Claire's affection and the girls going on vacation to visit their families. However, the story takes a pretty dramatic and welcome turn halfway through the book. Through a combination of luck and her expect negotiation tactics, a fruit of her intimate knowledge of Revolution's world and inhabitants, Rae is tasked with investigating corrupt nobles. This change allows Inori to take the world and characters further than in the previous book. While the first volume did an excellent job establishing the world inside the school, this entry ventures beyond the academy's borders into international relationships, the church's role and goals, and the dealings of various factions and political parties. It is appropriate progression and one that lends to the story's main arc well.

While all of these events occur, Rae continues her mission of protecting Claire from the inevitable new order. By the time the finale rolls around, it is so immensely satisfying to see all of her plans and strategies pay off. It carefully balances rewarding the reader's attention and keeping them engaged with new twists and revelations. As the story develops, Claire is exposed to more of the reality of common life through Rae and comes to appreciate her privilege and understand the realities of socioeconomic inequality, evolving from the arrogant young woman we initially met. This path has two effects on the story; first, it allows Inori to explore real-world economic disparity issues while still worldbuilding. Second, it ultimately continues the story of Rae's plan, as she wants Claire to be in the commoner's good graces.

These elements make for a fantastic story in a rich, developed fantasy world. However, I adore I'm in Love with the VIllainess not for its intricate magic system but because of the phenomenal LGBTQ+ representation. I was floored by a frank, open, and wonderfully thoughtful discussion of queer representation in the first volume. Few, if any, Yuri works have done anything similar, and it was honestly an inspiration for me, so much so that I awarded it a perfect score almost solely for that passage. However, Inori once again usurps her own throne, taking this forthright and deliberate queer content and turning it up to eleven!

It is almost easier to count the number of main characters not confirmed as members of the LGBTQ community. Figures big and small have their identities explored and revealed during this novel. Some began believing themselves to be straight and exploring their sexuality further. In contrast, others are comforted by Rae's fierce, outspoken, and brazen support and pride in her identity to come forward. One particular scene that comes to mind is when she scolds a pair of nuns for using religion to justify their homophobia. This moment was particularly satisfying to return to after the Catholic Church's recent disavowing of same-sex marriage.

The series even has a character struggling with gender dysphoria who is liberated from society's expectations thanks to a rather ingenious plan of Rae's and her friends, new and old. While not exactly an example of authentic transgender representation as we consider it, as the character's struggles with gender result from a magical curse, but the parallel is clear. Speaking of reality though, the volume grants some glimpses into Ohashi Rei's life, the woman that would one day wake up as Rae.

Rae's experiences with LGBTQ+ identity, set in the real world, are powerful and pull few punches. It is perhaps here that Inori gets most honest and tragic, as Rae painfully describing the ostracization and suffering faced by queer people, culminating in a trans man's suicide (the author thankfully does not describe the actual death). However, Inori balances this pain with the thrill and joy of discovery and accepting oneself, and finding kinship. It is writing that could only come from an author who had experienced these feelings herself, and they will be immediately understood and have a visceral effect on queer readers. I love these moments so much for their vulnerability and relatability. But my favorite part has to be the ending (skip to the final paragraph if you want to avoid spoilers and somehow have not seen the cover of Volume 3).

We finally come to the big queer happy homosexual ending, which is also gay, and my great Yuri goddess, it is perfect! After wading through a revolution and enough surprise revelation to last a lifetime, Claire and Rae settle down into their new life together. Although they cannot legally get married, despite their best efforts, they are absolutely wives. Their families support them, they love each other, and they even have kids! Yes, this unexpected and blissful development, the final gift of this volume, comes in the form of adopted children May and Aleah.

As I exclaimed upon the reveal of Vol. 3's cover, which features the mothers and children, "WE DID IT!! YURI FAMILY!! In Yuri, there are virtually NO stories about queer women raising a family with children together. It is a long dream of mine, the YuriMother, to promote such stories. To have one of the most profound and explicitly queer Yuri stories end in such a happy and new way brought me to happy tears. Except, this is not the end! There are two more volumes beyond this one that continue the story of Claire, Rae, and their children! There is even a very sweet and wonderfully sappy, tear-jerking, bonus chapter of the mother's bonding with the children and helping them recover from their traumatic past. And even become TEACHERS; I could just die happy in this Yuri paradise!

'We need to show we are prepared to live happily ever after, as a family of four. So, I swear to God: I will always love May, Aleah, and Rae.' When Claire said this, she broke out into a tremendous smile and I found myself once more overflowing with love for her. I held her close without saying anything.

Inori's I'm in Love with the Villainess Vol. 2 is precisely what an excellent sequel should be and everything I have ever wanted from a Yuri story. It appropriately raised the stakes in every way, expanding the world, flushing out its many factions and conflicts, and setting a new bar for queer representation and discussion in Yuri. Everything Inori writes feels so perfectly slotted together. Each set piece adds to the character development; each queer issue and identity showcased helps build towards the satisfying and exceptionally gay finale. It is a superlative weaving and integration of the priceless artifacts into an absolute masterclass of LGBTQ+ storytelling. I suspect that this is one of the opening works in Yuri's next era, and I cannot wait to see what follows.

Ratings: Story – 10 Characters – 10 Art – 4 LGBTQ – 10 Sexual Content – 2 Final – 10

Check out I'm in Love with the Villainess Vol. 2 digitally and in paperback today: https://amzn.to/39gE664

Review copy provided by Seven Seas Entertainment

My sincere thanks to Jenn Yamazaki, Nibedita Sen, E.M. Candon, and the rest of the team at Seven Seas Entertainment for translating and adapting this light novel.

[jasbethso]

A Year of Bittersweet Capstone

This school year has been extra challenging for us. Not just because it is our last year in high school but because of our capstone subject. Every time I hear that word, it seems very daunting and bothering at some point. Knowing that I have a few knowledge about wirings and how it works, I have already prepared myself on the amount of stress capstone may bring. As I am writing this personal blog, it amazes me on how I can look back at some of the hardest part of this school year and how I can finally say 'Salamat God kay tapos na'. My biggest achievement is finally relating to Aristotle's 'The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.' This is truly hard yet rewarding task for all of us. I am very glad we are able to make our project as we have envisioned it to be.

Imagine if we were given the whole school year just to work on this project without other tasks, it would be the ultimate dream. Flying agricultural drones and robots equipped with artificial intelligence? If only we were given enough time for it, it would not be impossible. Of course, in reality, there are a lot more to do and accomplish in school. We had to juggle our time between doing school works for the whole day and going to a group activity for this project after school.

To be honest, I think our school is not ready for this subject and so are the students. The school is introducing robotics in the subject but there are only few teachers who are knowledgeable on programming. We cannot just solely rely on those Indian people on YouTube to teach us all of these things. Programming is new to us, especially we haven't had any computer-related subjects. We only had ICT subject when we were in 7th grade and nothing else. I also know some students in previous school years having the same subject who had the same struggle. However, since this is part of the new curriculum of K to 12, we cannot do anything but to bear with it. Also, as a student, we also wanted to do our best for the project but we lack support. It is ironic that the school is not even initiating a seminar or a workshop for programming but is having a subject for robotics. This is our struggle. I would not be shocked if other students would encounter this problem too in the next coming years. Unless the school would really take it seriously in coming up with ways on how to make students be ready and equipped for this subject and the so-called 'Industry 4.0', everything would be fine.

I salute all those programmers in YouTube who are very willing to share their innovative ideas to their subscribers. This allowed us to at least have an overview on how to properly connect and wire all the sensors. Following the instructions in YouTube was somewhat easy but programming was the hardest part since some were not willing to share their codes for the Arduino. Although they also film their codes but sometimes it is just 2 seconds of the whole instructional video. It's funny how we were so desperate to know the code that we had to screenshot some clips of the video and zoom in just to get an idea of it. We were totally clueless at the start of the year.

During our second semester, we were thankful that we had the subject Empowerment Technology. This subject was not a burden to us like how other subjects would feel like. It even made things easier for us by guiding us what to do in our projects. Calling it a blessing in disguise? I'd say yes. Our subject teacher, Sir Rae John Arango, was very willing to help us finish our project. He even set a target date for the project. I can clearly remember when he said 'Dapat before kayo magbakasyon tapos na 'yang mga projects niyo para pag Christmas wala nang problema'. Who would not want to enjoy the holidays, right? But of course, knowing that we are procrastinators, we did not meet that target date. Sir Arango still helped us program our projects despite being busy with his Continuous Improvement Project. Even if there were 11 groups for Capstone, he managed to help us all. I truly admire how he was very passionate in helping us one group at a time. To be honest, our capstone subject was only making us knowledgeable on the proper ways in conducting the research but not on how to do the actual project itself, on how to program and build the actual robot. I bet we are all very grateful that the Empowerment Technology subject are able to do this.  Doing the project was somehow a lot easier for us by since our teacher was guided us on what we need to download, search for and other sensors to buy. Sir Arango is an angel sent from heaven to us struggling students or what I prefer to call 'frustrated programmers'. We owe the success of our projects to you Sir. (Sir Arango, if by any chance you are reading this, beke nemen)

We were on our track, fully confident that we are going to be able to at least start programming our project, AgriCop. When we thought everything is going in our favor, Typhoon Tisoy came. There was a blackout in our whole province. When we thought things couldn't get any worse, we were all wrong. There was no signal for us to communicate with other groupmates and to even just search in YouTube for the project. The scariest part of it is that I even had to charge our laptop using the generator while knowing the risks of the fluctuating current. I just needed to start doing the codes but then there was no internet to search for reference. We ended up doing nothing for the whole month of December. A month away from Capstone and a month before cramming and stress because of it.

Working in a group of five made it a lot easier. Although other groups have more members in their team, I mostly prefer to work in small groups. We are the only group with all girls which made it quite difficult since when need to immerse ourselves in mechanical and electronics. We are quite good in making arts and crafts, designing things, doing calligraphies and other artworks. However, this is the complete opposite of what we are used of doing. We had to let go of the paint brushes, scissors and color palettes. Instead, we learned how to properly handle screwdrivers, how to use a grinder and most especially how to solder. It was an intimidating task for all of us but we were open to learning new things. I am also grateful to my brother who taught us how to do all of these things. We did not know what tools to use but he was there to let us borrow all of the things that we needed for the project which allowed us to save a lot of money instead of buying new tools. I am so proud of what we have learned and achieved.

We were already warned by our teacher at the start of the school year that this capstone project would really be worth a lot of money. We had to save money from what my parents give as our allowance in school because sometimes it is quite embarrassing to ask extra money from my parents for this. Also, we had to buy the most basic parts first since our group did not have enough money to buy all things at once. Capstone even tested our negotiating skills since we have figured out that some of the things we have ordered were not useful for the mechatronic system of AgriCop. So, we had to sell it to other groups who needed extra relay drivers and arduino board. We were also lucky since one of our groupmates have vouchers and her shipping fee for her orders is always 50 pesos only. We also had to wait for Shopee's promo such as during 11.11 and 12.12 Christmas sale for us to get discounts. We also asked for scrap materials like aluminum tubes to reduce our expenses. Overall, we spent about 6 thousand for this robot. For me, that is already a large amount of money since it is like the salary of a normal government employee for a month of work. I am very thankful that our parents were very supportive and would understand us if sometimes we go home late just for this project. Seeing how the AgriCop works and operates is worth the amount of money that we have invested for it.

Last week has been the most tiring week in my entire existence. It was the very first time that I have experienced studying the whole day in school, going straight to our classmate's house, eating at around 8:30 or 9:00 in the evening, losing track of time, staying awake until 4 o' clock in the morning and going to school at 7:30 AM. We have gone through this cycle every day last week. It was physically and mentally draining. We also had different summative tests and projects to pass aside from the AgriCop. We did not even have the time to review or even do requirements in other subjects. Staying up late was the most challenging part of it. My father would always remind us to get enough hours of sleep but at that time we just cannot. We were deprived of sleep. The schedule of final defense was moved a week earlier than the planned date. Every single day we were required to pass different outputs in capstone. At that time there was no room for 8 hours of sleep but more space for eye bags and eye strain. We already divided the tasks for each of us. I was assigned to work on the write-up. There was this one time that I can't really handle my sleepiness anymore that I took a nap for an hour not minding how many mosquitoes were already buzzing in my ears and biting my arm. Four o' clock in the morning is our usual 'dismissal' in the group activity. We are so blessed that the father of one of our groupmates would drive each us to our houses even if it is already early in the morning. My father also does the same thing when we decided to do group activity for the last few days in our house. We are very grateful and blessed.

We have invested so much in this project, our effort, money, sleep and sacrificing time for other subjects. At some point, we felt like we were the underdog out of all the groups but I am glad that each of us did not let go of that little hope that we can pull this through. We were all tired. I saw it in the eyes of my classmates and even in my own groupmates' as we go to school in the morning after probably not getting enough rest at all. I heard their voices saying 'Di ko na aram ang uunahon', 'Papano na ini', 'Di pa ngani ako nangarigo nan nagmahaw'. We were all going through the toughest part of our life as graduating students. I always believe that the only way to overcome a situation is not to run away from it but to get through it with high hope. I am very thankful that I have groupmates who would always lift each other up and still laugh at the dumbest things that we would do at 2 AM. The perfect term to describe all of us is 'sabaw'.

We were nervous and at the same time excited during the poster presentation of our project. This was the time that we did not have any practice of our script. We just had the time to read the lines once and then the first judge already stood in front of us. We were glad that they get to appreciate our projects and made suggestions for the design of AgriCop. There was this one science teacher which was part of the judges who made me teary-eyed. Not because I was scared or intimated but because she understands what we have gone through and she was really listening and paying attention to every detail that we are saying. She told us that she really appreciates the Mechatronic System of AgriCop that is not complicated compared to other groups. She also mentioned about how it could help farmers to easily replicate our study using mechatronics. She appreciates how we put into consideration the situation of the farmers and the knowledge that they have when it comes to programming. In every word that she mentioned, I could sincerely feel her genuine appreciation to our project and how we, girls, are able to come up with AgriCop. Finally, there was at least this one teacher who can relate to all of our struggles and how hard research is. She understands our situation and acknowledges all the efforts that we have put in this project. We needed that extra boost of support at those moments. I would forever cherish all the kind words that she said to us.

The day of the final defense came. At this same day, we were also preparing for the awards in school so it made it extra hassle for us. We were practicing the script at around 10 AM and also writing down all the possible questions of the panel. I remember how nervous we were entering the STEM B room to present our project. We weren't able to finish our presentation since we exceeded the time limit and the panel already told us to show the remaining slides. The teachers were very kind to us which is the complete opposite of what we were expecting. I guess they already knew the amount of effort, money and sleepless nights we have invested for this. They commended and congratulated us for the project. They also mentioned that they witnessed how our research studies have evolved from simple studies in junior high to a research product with quality. We feel blessed that the AgriCop functioned properly and cooperated well with us. Leaving that room made us all sigh in relief. Finally, our capstone project is done. After a whole school year of working on it, it is already finished. I remember how we were all jumping around outside the room saying 'Tapos na!'. We also had a mini celebration and ate sotanghon and puto which was the food left for the panels. I can still feel that relief we all felt at that moment. A truly rewarding moment.

Capstone has been a very tough subject for all of us. We weren't prepared for it, especially in programming but we are thankful that our Empowerment Technology teacher guided us all the way. Being in a group of all girls did not became our weakness, instead Capstone allowed us to work even harder and build stronger friendship.  I will leave all of the stress, rants, negative emotions, will and hopes that I have had doing this project here in my blog. As I venture more on robotics in  college or in my future job, I'll look  back at this and remember how we all started. I'd remind myself of a struggling student without any idea of robotics but manages to overcome it and finish strong.

[kyluxtrashpit]

For the writing game, I couldn't decide which, all the colors please? They're so interesting!

Omg I was so excited when I saw this! You’re so sweet to enable my rambling

Red: What type of writer’s block do you experience the most?

I guess the most common one is I get stuck in transitions. Like I know how this scene goes and I know how the next scene goes, but I don’t know exactly how to get from A to B and it’s one of those cases where I can’t just put a line and jump to it. Scene transitions are one of the hardest things for me for some reason. The second most common for me is probably when my brain is being a shit and won’t let me be productive due to some sort of emotional crisis lmao

White: Are you a supporter/lover of fanfiction?

I mean, kind of obvious lmao, but absolutely. I think it’s great that there are people who are creating things solely out of love for something, and that’s really what fanfiction is, at it’s deepest core. It’s a community of people being so enthusiastic about and loving something so hard that they work their asses of and dedicate time to just… making more of it. For no real external benefit other than some social validation, if they’re lucky. Love and passion are the true motivators and idk that’s just really beautiful to me

Black: Would you want to live in one of the fictional worlds you’vecreated?

I don’t really do a lot of worldbuilding because I find it incredibly boring and I’m terrible at it lmao, but since I always write either canon-verse or modern au, I’m going to treat this as ‘do I want to live in the Star Wars universe?’. And the answer to that would honestly be no. As much as there’s cool stuff, like advanced technology and aliens and maybe I’d be lucky enough to be able to move shit with my mind, there’s also a lot of bad things. A lot of fascism, a lot of wars, and every once in a while some asshole builds a planet-destroying superweapon and blows up a planet (or 5) and like… I could live on one of those, you know

That said, if I didn’t die because the planet I was living on exploded, I would probably survive alright. I mean, my background is in science, so tbh I might have better opportunities there than I do here. While that could mean making chemical weapons or something if the Empire was in power, that’s at least more interesting than customer service at a chemical company lmao. I still wouldn’t choose to live there, but I think I’d manage okay if I had to

[More beneath the cut - my sincerest apologies to those on mobile]

Blue: What’s more important to you: characters or plot?

I mean, they both definitely matter, but if I have to choose? Interesting characters can save a dry plot, but the best plot ever written will still be mediocre at best if the characters aren’t compelling. Personally, I love character-driven stories more than anything. Event-driven plots can still be fun, but I prefer the focus to be on how the characters are dealing with said events, as opposed to them just being passively driven along by them. The best is when it’s the characters themselves driving the events of the plot, but that’s more difficult to execute than it sounds. Regardless, it’s the characters that usually draw me into a story in the first place and that keep me interested. And from the perspective of my own writing, I go character-driven, all the way. Sure, some event might happen that drives the plot sometimes, but I’m far more interested in how the characters react to that event than anything else

Yellow: What’s a common writing tip that you mostly ignore?

In terms of writing advice, nothing makes my blood boil more than those posts that say ‘get rid of this entire class of words’ or ‘if it’s not absolutely strictly necessary to the plot, cut it’. Fuck that shit. If you want your writing to look like Hemingway, sure, go for it, but a) Hemingway is overrated, and b) that’s not the only way to write well. Especially as someone who tends to focus on characters, passages that aren’t necessary to the plot may be necessary to establish characterization. Or they may add some emotion to the story that gets the reader invested. Same with wording choices; more or less words can drastically change the tone or mood of the scene. Are there times when you need to cut words and keep things concise? Absolutely, but any writing tip that says ‘remove every instance of [word] in your document’ is fucking bullshit and you should never listen to it

Grey: What’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?

Tbh I think every writing tip you see should always be taken with a grain of salt, especially if it’s a ‘never do x’ because there is almost always a situation where doing x is the right thing to do, it’s just a matter of knowing how to do it correctly (looking at you, ‘never use the passive voice’). So really, there are very few I always follow, but I’ll give one that was foundationally helpful for me

Edit in a different format than you write. That can be changing the text size, or the font, or printing it out physically, or whatever. For me, I usually pop it into AO3′s preview function and take notes of things that need changing as I go. It forces your brain to notice things it’s been overlooking for the entire writing period. I only do my final edit this way, generally speaking, but I’ve found it to be incredibly helpful for catching typos and general weirdness in the writing

Orange: How many projects do you usually have going at once?

Because my fics are usually short, I tend to only have 1, but I think I’ve had up to 3-4 before. That’s basically me just popping between documents everytime I get stuck on one until one is finished lmao. But more than 2 gets to be a lot to handle

Currently, I’m really only working on my Big Bang fic, though I do have at least one one-shot I’m planning to write when I need a short break from it

Pink: Which of your characters would become your best friend?

This is so hard because like, I don’t get along with a lot of people generally speaking. I’m also going to treat this as the entire SW cast even though I only write Kylo and Hux, for the most part. And I’m not sure I’d be good friends with either of them. While Kylo would make an excellent self-destruction buddy, I think we’re too similar for the most part to get along. And while I also have an element of Hux in me that’s my anal retentiveness when it comes to organization (not to be confused with cleanliness; I’m talking more about my colour-coded work email and my nested folder system on my computer), I’m also very emotional, messy, and I’m not really equipped to verbally spar with him. I think I would actually do okay with Hux as a boss, not a friend, but with Kylo, I think we’d get along really well until we really didn’t. And then I would be dead lmao

Aaaand none of that was an actual answer. But like, I honestly don’t know? Most of the other characters I really like (e.g. Rey, Rae Sloane, Ventress), it’s because I would have a big huge crush on them which would manifest as my hovering in their vicinity a lot but never actually starting a conversation and then waxing poetic while crying about my unrequited love when I continue to go unnoticed lmao. Which is, well, still not friendship

Maybe Finn… I might get along really well with Finn. He’s one of my favourites as well and I think he’d be really interesting to talk to. Has a lot of interesting views on things, likely a good listener. Hm. I’m still not 100% solid on it, but after far too many words, that’s my answer lmao

Purple: Which of your characters would become your sworn enemy?

Okay, hear me out on this one because the reason isn’t what you think lmao. I’m also treating this less as ‘sworn enemy’ and more ‘person I’d least get along with’ and that’s actually Poe. And the reason is that highly extroverted, extremely friendly people who others call charismatic tend to rub me the wrong way. Like there’s nothing wrong with them, they’re perfectly nice, but they’re just too friendly and my socially-inept, introverted brain always responds to that with DANGER DANGER. And I think he would definitely fall into that category for me haha

Green: Pencil, typewriter, or computer?

Computer. I have written fic by hand before (I also sometimes do planning by hand, just because it can be a bit more visual; Fractured was planned largely by hand when I used to work evenings at a gym and had access to unlimited spare paper), but that’s usually only when I have nothing else to work with. I wrote most of a fic in the Halifax airport on a layover, once. I’ve also done it on my phone, but that’s too fucking annoying lmao. Typerwriters are super fun to use but also very impractical for me; my typing accuracy isn’t good enough

Brown: Do you have a set writing space? Or do you write everywhere?

Mostly I’m at home on my couch, but that’s really cause I have nowhere else to write. I do write at work sometimes (not smut though lmao), but only when it’s slow enough that I can get away with it. And there’s nowhere else I really go where I’m sitting with a computer for long periods of time

Silver: Are you comfortable writing in public places?

I am, yeah. I don’t know why I wouldn’t be tbh. Work is a public place and the only reason I don’t write smut there is because I don’t want to get fired lmao (slacking off is one thing, porn is another). I don’t really ever write in public, but that’s more because I don’t spend a lot of time sitting in public places by myself

Gold: Do your stories usually contain lessons or morals?

Not really… I can’t think of any at least. They always have some sort of closure, though, because I fucking hate open-ended stuff where everything isn’t worked out in the end lmao (or is at least on it’s way there). I’m too fragile for that shit haha

Clear: Do your characters control where the story goes or do youmaintain control?

I tend to write more like an rper than an actual author, based on conversations I’ve had with others, so my characters have a lot of control. That said, if you’ve got your plot and all the major points of it planned out and then you get halfway through and find it doesn’t work because of the characters, then that’s a failure in planning, not the characters taking control. Sometimes things do change and are reworked as you go, that’s the nature of writing, but that still means your plan needed some adjusting, you just didn’t know it at the time. I intentionally leave a lot of room in my plans for the characters (e.g. ‘and then they talk about [blank]. Hux says something mean and Kylo gets angry’ might be my only note for an entire scene), but if you’ve planned enough to actually start writing, your characters and plot should already work together. Characters control the minor details of the story, not the major plot

Tan: Are you open to co-writing a story?

I might be. I’ve never done it before and the Big Bang I’m doing now is the most collaborative thing I’ve ever done writing-wise. If someone approached me and was really interested in it, I might be willing to give it a shot. I’m not really sure how it works, though. I tend to envision it as basically an rp except it’s planned out beforehand and then edited afterwards, but in all honesty, I have no idea how it actually goes

[dwarva]

Stardew Valley 30 Day Challenge Day 28. Heart to Heart

Leah claimed she had only came by to drop off some clay that she'd promised Rae but the expectant look on her face when Rae opened the door made it clear there was more to discuss than some excess art supplies... After she'd handed over the clay she poked her head entirely plainly inside the living room, presumably to look for any other visitors.

Rae sighed deeply. "Would you like to come in and examine the place from the inside?"

Leah nodded and swung her coat off as she entered. The room was filled with the familiar scent of the cider Rae had just warmed on the stove and the slightly smoky smell the fireplace still gave off after nearly a year of use. She poured Leah a cup of cider without asking and the woman accepted it readily, warming her hands on the heat of the ceramic mug.

"Well?"

"Well what?" Rae asked innocently. She notched her head to the sofa and closed the curtains to the diminishing light outside. She turned back to see Leah's face pursed with anticipation as she leaned on the surface by the kitchen sink.

"You know exactly what I mean..." Her voice was low and rumbling and Rae couldn't help but smile at her complete inability to even pretend to be subtle.

"Well...." But before Rae could launch into the story of she and Harvey another loud knock at the door made the pair jolt. She offered Leah a confused look before opening the door once more to see Robin standing, her coat wrapped around her to brace from the wind.

"Hi...." Rae raised an eyebrow. Visitors to the farm were few and far between without an invitation. She loved having people over but two in the space of two minutes could never be thought of as coincidence. She looked around to Leah. "Was this you?"

The woman shook her head and claimed she had no idea Robin would be popping round either. "Just as well you made enough cider for all of us.....right?"

At least Robin had the good grace to look sheepish as Rae ushered her in from the falling snow. As Robin kicked off her boots by the door Rae turned around and offered the pair an exaggerated eye rise. "Anyone else coming....? She joked.

But her guests exchanged another look and Rae's shoulders fell. "Who else?"

"Maybe....Caroline?"

"Oh for Yoba's sake..." muttered Rae. She opened the door to peer out and, sure enough, the green haired woman was gleefully making her way up the path to the farm, shielding a large woven basket in her arms from the new snow. She waved at Rae as the farmer wondered whether Leah had indicated there was to be a bit of a gathering; there was no way she could claim it was all happenstance now...

As Caroline settled into the farmhouse and offered the basket to Rae (which, luckily for her contained Rae's very favourite blackberry pie) the farmer indicated they sit down at the kitchen table where they could all nurse their ciders together as she poured a further two mugs, finishing the pot.

Let the interrogation begin...she thought to herself.

She looked around at her three friends, all of whom she was close enough to quite happily spill the beans to. Well, most of the beans to anyway. Some beans were still private.

"How long has it been going on?"

"Was yesterday your first kiss?"

"Have you slept with him yet?"

"Are you in love with him?"

"Do you think you will get married?"

"Does it not hurt to kiss someone with a moustache that bushy?"

Rae's expression remained deadpan as the three women abandoned any pretence of drinking their cider and threw questions at her from around the table. She didn't answer any, instead gently blowing on her drink and scratching Basil's head under the table where he sat waiting for any potential food drops. She waited until they'd got it all out of their system as each woman leaned in, waiting for a response.

She leaned back in the rickety wooden chair, relaxed and looked at Leah who'd asked the first rapid fire question. "I've liked him since I arrived in Pelican Town..."

"Well yeah we know that Rae..." Robin shook her head, grinning and taking a gulp from her mug. "You're like a teenager every time you're around him!" The women giggled and Rae took a long drink herself to steel her nerves.

“Well he didn't know!" She protested. The others giggled knowingly.

"That doesn't surprise me," Robin nodded. "It took me four months to convince Demetrius I liked him. And he's nowhere near as nervous and shy as the Doc..."

"I think the first time I told him was...Spirits Eve? No wait, that's not right because that's the first time we kissed..." The women squealed as Rae rolled her eyes good-heartedly. The smile faltered as a miserable memory crept back into her mind. "Actually, no. If we're being specific the first time I admitted I liked him, to his face, was the night of that really bad summer storm? He walked me home because he saw me all nervous about the damn weather and when we got back to the farmhouse I thought he was going to kiss me so I leaned in and....he ran away." She looked down at her mug, uncomfortable at the memory even now.

They’d never really discussed what had happened beyond his apology a few days afterwards. He told her he’d been nervous and worried he was misconstruing the situation. Since it was very like Harvey to worry about any level of spontaneity she’d accepted his reasoning and tried to bury the worries of self-doubt that plagued her when she examined the memory too closely.

The women scoffed. "He ran away?" Leah asked, incredulously.

Rae nodded. "We made up, obviously. But yeah it really wasn't good for a while. But we talked about it and we made up and we kissed at Spirits Eve."

"Where?" Caroline asked.

"In the maze...." she responded coyly. The women laughed. Caroline shook her head and laughed in her belly.

"I knew the two of you were acting shifty that night!" Rae remembered the look Caroline had given her that night when she saw her go into the maze and her pinks cheeked at the memory.

"So...." Leah smirked, her mind clearly heading into the gutter. "Have you....?"

Rae rolled her eyes and opened her mouth in an exaggerated yawn. "That's private...."

The three women cackled with laughter at her non response but Rae shot Leah a warning look to remind her not to go any further. The artist grudgingly respected it but Rae figured it was probably temporary. She'd poke her nose in again sooner or later. She rose to pour them a second mug of cider, the room spinning just enough to remind her how potent the alcohol was when it was heated. As she tilted it into their cups she realised they’d already gone through an entire bottle.

"So, leaving all the murky stuff to one side," Robin started, "do you think you....do you love him?"

Rae nodded and this time the women just smiled. "I think we live in a town too small for one night stands don't you think?"

The other two shot a look at Leah who dipped her face into her hot cider nervously. Rae hid a smile but set a mental note to remind herself to ask her more about that later as she sat back down and swirled her drink around in the mug.

"I do. Love him, I mean. He's so unlike anyone I've been with before. He's really sweet and generous and kind. He listens to me moan about things that anyone else would tell me to shut up about. And he rubs my back when I've had a hard day--"

Another shared look between the women.

"--and he's absolutely adorable to look at." She giggled to herself. She stood up and got a fresh bottle of cider from the fridge which she poured in the pan on the stove. The others shifted around to look towards her as she served the pie onto a place and grabbed some dishes from the cupboard. She suddenly felt the gnawing hunger that usually came with drinking.

"Do you think you'll get married?" Caroline asked, the cider working its way to banishing any shyness she’d previously felt at asking.

Rae shrugged. "We haven't talked about it I guess. But I can't imagine wanting to be married to anyone else right now I suppose. And I think a little kid that has my ridiculously huge hair and his glasses might be quite adorable!"

She offered the women a slice of pie and they sat in silence for a few moments, munching away and drinking the dregs of their cider as the new pot bubbled on the stove, wafting the kitchen with it’s reassuring apple scent.

Rae thought about Harvey as she looked across to the table where her newly received jade sat in it's intricate music box. She had a sudden pang of concern that she was gossiping which she knew he'd hate. But these were her best friends. They were going to ask these questions sooner or later right? She looked at the group of women around her and her breath hitched with emotion. Not only had she found her soul mate in the last few months, a man that she truly did imagine herself being with until she grew old, but she finally had a group of friends she could share her excitement with. She'd always been painfully aware of the romantic shaped hole she'd had in her life in the city but hadn't really noticed the lack of a friendship group until she'd come to Pelican Town. The four women sitting around the table seemed to be other three pieces of the jigsaw she never realised was missing.

While Leah and she were extraordinarily close, she recognised that Caroline and Robin were also starting to join them to make a tight knit group of women who cared about one another in a more genuine way than she'd ever thought possible. Friendship groups she'd been part of in the city were generally made up of people with a similar interest, normally drinking, and she'd never felt for a lack of close companionship. But looking around at her support network she wondered how she ever managed without them. Leah had professed that until Rae came to town the three had only a passing and casual friendship, made up solely of polite waves and conversation. It seemed the farmer was the magnet in this particular coven.

Rae stood up (more carefully this time) to get the now bubbling cider from the heat and poured it into her friends cups with more concentration than was normally required. Leah shifted in her seat.

"So, the most important question. Does it feel weird to kiss a guy with a moustache?"

She said it so rapidly in her cider fuelled curiosity that the four women dissolved into a fit of giggles. Rae shook her head dramatically. "No! It burns a little bit sometimes but normally it's pretty nice actually. He's a very very good kisser..." She cooed.

She thought back to the last kiss she'd given him as he left for work that morning. They'd spent the last four nights in a row staying at the farmhouse together and had already fallen into a relaxed morning routine of Rae getting up early, feeding the animals and throwing a stick for Basil before crawling into bed to warm back up next to Harvey as he slowly woke for the day. Harvey did not enjoy the waking up process, she’d discovered. She'd make him a cup of strong black coffee and the two would snuggle with one another as they nursed their hot drinks and enjoyed the closeness of one another.

Any awkwardness between the couple had disappeared in the last few days. She'd obviously assumed that they'd become relaxed with one another after a time but in only a few short days they now woke up next to one another and effortlessly fell into a routine that reflected their newly relaxed relationship. She'd marvelled at Harvey walking around the farmhouse completely nude the day before without even batting an eyelid and realised it felt as though they'd been together for years. She'd always worried that when she found Someone Special that she'd instantly miss her old single life with its hedonism and freedom. It was just like Rae to want something for the longest time then get bored the instant she got it. But this was different.

"I'm really pleased for you Rae." Caroline admitted. "But I'm just so pleased for Harvey as well. He's an absolutely lovely person - the two of you are so well suited. He really deserved someone just like you."

The drawling sincerity with which she said it made Rae's eyes shine with emotion. "I'm pretty sure I'm the lucky one."

They sat in a few moments of comfortable silence, drinking the last of their cider. The women looked around Rae's recently upgraded farmhouse with its new kitchen and Leah complimented Robin on her work, hinting that she might have to consider an extension to her own house in the near future. Maybe a dedicated art room, she mused. She didn’t have much need for a big kitchen.

"Well I better get back," started Caroline, downing the last of the tepid liquid in her cup. "If I leave Pierre and Abigail together alone too long there won't be a house to get back to." She was joking but even Rae had noticed the tension between the father and daughter and offered the woman a sympathetic look. She'd watched Caroline trying to mediate the strain between the two and could see the stress it was creating for her as well.

As she rose the women all startled as there sounded a knock on the door that echoed through the otherwise silent house. Rae dropped her cup into the sink and moved to the door, opening it a chink and peering around the edge. She smiled and pushed the door the whole way to show Harvey standing in the doorway, bouquet of wildflowers in his hand and stunned expression on his face. He stood with his mouth open into his scarf for a few seconds before umming and aahhing a response.

"Oh, uh. Sorry. I didn't realise you were....sorry Rae I can...." She grabbed his arm and tugged him inside out of the falling snow and into the spotlight in front of her friends. All three stared at him with sharp smiles on their faces and slightly cocked and curious eyebrows. He took a large gulp of breath and fiddled with the snow dappled wildflowers as the three inspected him. Rae shook her head and extended her hand.

"Are those for me?" He pulled his gaze away from the others and offered them out to her. "They're beautiful. Thank you Harvey." No one in the room moved and he hovered, his huge winter coat still covering his slight frame and his hands wringing uncomfortably behind his back. "The ladies were just leaving."

They all clucked and finished their drinks, holding their mugs out to Rae who grabbed them in her free hand and used them to indicate the door gently.

All three slung their coats on slowly, looking back to the doctor but eventually moved out into the cold night air, saying their goodbyes and stumbling tipsily as they wandered off down the track. Rae turned back to Harvey who remained statue-like in the middle of the room, his mouth still hanging open and his eyebrows in a puzzled V in his forehead. As she turned the room spun and the realisation that she’d had nearly an entire bottle of cider to herself made her twinge with regret. It also made her gaze towards him with a bit more of a schoolgirl crush expression that she might otherwise have liked.

Eventually Harvey cleared his throat. "Sorry Rae, I should have called before coming over. I didn't realise you were having guests."

"Neither did I until they turned up." She filled a clay vase with water and sunk the wildflowers in, pulling them apart gently and fluffing them. She sat the vase in the middle of the recently vacated kitchen table and turned to her visitor. "Are you planning on taking off your jacket?"

He wrenched it off, droplets of water flecking the wooden floors as he handed it to Rae awkwardly. “So...what were you...I mean did you.....” He rolled his eyes at his own nervousness and looked around for a distraction as though the line of questions was to be entirely innocent.

Rae turned from the coat hooks and her heart knotted at his embarrassment. She wrapped her arms around his back, looking up into his steamed glasses and nervous eyes. “We weren’t gossiping Harvey. The girls asked me some questions but I wasn’t telling them anything sordid. Only how much I love you and think you’re perfect.”

He wriggled under her but she felt his shoulders relax as he looked down at her searching, dark eyes. He let out a bark of a laugh. “I’m definitely not perfect,” he admitted as he lowered his mouth on hers for their first kiss of the evening.

She breathed into him and pulled his body closer, if it were possible, and trailed a finger along the inside of his pants waistline at his back, feeling his muscles tense. He tasted of coffee which mingled with the spiced apple taste of her own mouth and she considered not answering him but knew she didn’t want his self-doubt to be the last words between them...

She broke away, his eyes betraying his desperation to keep continue the embrace but he settled for the fingers she was gently pushing further underneath his belt. “You’re right. You’re not perfect. You’re perfect for me.” It wasn’t the first time she’d said it but certainly the first time she’d said it since she realised every part of her absolutely needed and loved him.

His discomfort washed from his expression as he offered her a more relaxed and chaste kiss, his lips barely brushing against her own. Their foreheads touched and she stayed there for a few seconds, breathing him in. The alcohol was making her head fog more than she’d have liked but it was as though seeing him here, emotionally bare and more self-conscious than ever and wanted to wrap him up and convince him he wasn’t the person his brain was trying to convince him of.

She smiled and tugged at his hand as she pulled him gently towards the bedroom. “How much wine have you had?” He asked.

“Cider.” She corrected. “Not enough that you have to worry about taking advantage but definitely enough that I want to see your naked body in the next five minutes.”

Harvey laughed and through the fog of the alcohol she thought it was the nicest sound she’d ever heard.

[awesomesweatydefendorcollec-blog]

Characteristics Of A Successful Leader In A Health Care Setting

When you want to redecorate a house, you always want to think holistically, meaning that you have to look at every aspect of the room and not just the walls. As part of Your participation in the HubPages Earnings Program, as an option You may request to join the HubPages Ad Program. The HubPages Ad Program is only available for Earning Page Views on Hubs. HubPages provides advertisements and/or other revenue earning options directly or from third-party providers, for possible placement on Your Hubs. Hubbers that participate in the HubPages Ad Program will earn from the Earning Page Views on the Hubs you create. Your Earning Page View share will be selected based on a 60% chance of generating earnings for the author. Your earnings will be based on a formula selected by HubPages, in its sole discretion, which formula HubPages may change at any time for Your account. When I do a red carpet my clothes are usually provided by a clothing company or designer. On AGT, their wardrobe department helped with the Semi-Final broadcast but my Dad actually put together all of what we wore on all the other episodes. He picked out the material, did the design and then a seamstress in Las Vegas custom made everything that we wore. The most clash royale private server jailbreak fun part was shoe shopping! We found one of our coolest pairs in London, England. They were chrome shoes that lit up on the bottom. They are amazing. I also loved my shiny gold ones on the last episode. They actually changed colors in the light. privateservers.club We have some cool new jackets and shoes for my future TV stuff we are working on as well as our live appearances. Ethical religion is a form of worship that does not have a god or deity as a direct object of worship. Its system of beliefs is clash royale private server android anchored on some ethical tenets which guide its adherents in their conduct. Two examples are Confucianism and Scientology. Before he could get up both girls threw their knives. Phil stood up, but Rae's eyes widened and the blades stopped an inch from their faces. She flipped the knives aiming it at their attackers and sent them flying. The girls tried to dodge, but the blades quickly cut and they were both covered. However, Ixwa, can we change the past? How can we blame ourselves, or allow others to blame us, for horrors that were committed by our ancestors? I can but only live my life the best I can in my specific circumstances, knowing that the seed I sow today will be reaped by my children and their children. The Geneva Tribunal of 1874 , provided historical documentation of the fact that the British were directly involved in The American Civil War, and supporting the Confederate South who wanted clash royale private server maker to maintain slavery. The British supplied the confederates with warships, and compensation for damages and death caused by those British ships was being disputed in a court in Switzerland. Concentrate damage to a troop if you want. Takes out the Giant or Giant Skeleton or Lava Hound immediately. Disadvantage is it takes time to jump from a troop to another. The Inferno Tower concentrates damage on a single troop increasing the damage it does. If it is overwhelmed then say your goodbyes. Can be destroyed by another defensive building also. A Zap will restart it. The best counter to it is the Electro Wizard since it's always restarting the Tower. Google His name and it will take you straight to Him and His Youtube site where He has been teaching the humble of heart and those who have ears to hear and eyes to see that mankind has been born into a deception so great because they have been prevented from the knowledge of the Truth of His return through the womb of the most royal man and woman on the planet...even they had no idea who they were...let alone that they had brought forth the Lord Jesus Christ in His second coming. I use Hong Kong as the example that Red China adopted as their model. Red China will not be as successful as Hong Kong because of their inherent corruption. Sure, the Reds executed those who poisoned baby food and pet food, but that does nothing to improve their system. Quality must be built from the ground up on a foundation of rule of law, not party rule.

[obsidianarchives]

Jessie Blount

Jessie Blount (she/her) is a queer woman of color, an INTP, a Sagittarius, a sci-fi and fantasy nerd, a witch, and an incredible cook. Jessie works for a rad non-profit in Detroit, where she lives with her girlfriend, Nicole, and a beautiful Slytherin cat princess, Winnie. She spends her time learning survival skills for the impending apocalypse and collecting Harry Potter memes. 

Black Girls Create: What do you create? 

HUMOROUS YET RUTHLESS

I create primarily audio-based media themed around the critical analysis of my fandoms. I do this mainly through my podcast The Gayly Prophet, a queer analytical chapter by chapter reread of the original 7 Harry Potter books that I do with my co-host and good friend Lark. Our bi-line is ‘humorous yet ruthless’ because while I’ve been a fan of the series since before book 4 was out, there are a lot of deeply problematic things in the text. One of the biggest inspirations for the pod was Witch Please, a feminist analysis of Harry Potter by two “lady scholars,” which was great, but sadly went book by book rather than chapter by chapter.  While there are a ton of Harry Potter podcasts, there were not any that specifically looked at Harry Potter through a queer lens. 

On The Gayly Prophet's Patreon I create on-the-spot fanfic round-robin style with Lark and post various multi-fandom fanfiction that I’ve written. I also discuss my other fandoms in some of our other Patreon exclusive content, like our “Editors Cut” where we talk about things like time travel, or my biweekly link roundup, “Muggle Studies.”

BGC: Why do you create?

I don’t really consider it an option, more of a necessity. I didn’t grow up with a lot of money, and I struggled a lot with the reality of racism and feeling different than a lot of kids I grew up with. Books and television were my friends, not just as an escape but as a way of dreaming of what could be. This is what drew me to sci-fi and fantasy, but as a child of the ‘90s, I didn’t come across many Black people or women in the stories I consumed. Like a lot of hardcore readers, I dreamed of being a writer, of creating my own story that was as majestic and beautiful as my inner life that had the kind of people I knew, complexity, and strong and weird and queer and POC characters. I cut my creative teeth in fandom, writing a lot of terrible, half created fanfics to go with the poetry that I wrote in my teens. The Gayly Prophet is really an extension of this passion, of my belief in the importance of fun, deep, textual analysis with other people.

BGC: Who is your audience? What do you hope your audience gets out of your podcast?

When I envision our audience, I think of other angry BIPOC queer nerds like me who love a thing so deeply that we want to rip it apart. I think to love a work of art is to examine it from all sides, rediscovering that love but also questioning its limitations and highlighting its flaws. More personally, I hate talking about myself, a holdover of my not-great childhood and deep social anxiety. I’d much rather talk about and listen to people’s thoughts about books and TV and movies. I’ve never gotten tired talking about Harry Potter, as 50 episodes and dozens of hours of The Gayly Prophet can attest to. The gaps in canon are staggering, especially as it relates to marginalized people, and filling those in is something I’m never bored of. I want to have this dialog with our listeners, hear their thoughts and feelings and headcanons. It’s also a bit like group therapy. I talk a lot about childhood trauma and neurodiversity as it related to HP because there is so much built explicitly into the canon and discussing it helps me verbalize and process these things in my own life. At heart, I want our audience to not feel alone. I also want them to laugh because there can never be enough laughter.  

BGC: Who or what inspired you to do what you do? Who or what continues to inspire you?

I’m perpetually inspired by Black nerds, especially folks who are older Millennial/Gen X Black nerds. Being a Black nerd didn’t used to be cool and acceptable. I was a weird kid growing up, consuming sci-fi novels like water and videotaping the X-Files on my grandparents VCR. When I got to college, I was lucky enough to start digging into race and women’s studies, and I was particularly interested in how that relates and informs art and media. One of the biggest influences for me was “The Oppositional Gaze” by Black feminist theorist bell hooks, where she says:

Critical black female spectatorship emerges as a site of resistance only when individual black women actively resist the imposition of dominant ways of knowing and looking. While every black woman I talked to was aware of racism, that awareness did not automatically correspond with politicization, the development of an oppositional gaze. When it did, individual black women consciously named the process. Manthia Diawara's "resisting spectatorship" is a tenant that does not adequately describe the terrain of black female spectatorship. We do more than resist. We create alternative texts that are not solely reactions. As critical spectators, black women participate in a broad range of looking relations, contest, resist, revision, interrogate, and invent on multiple levels. 

I take this to mean that nothing I consume is merely passive escapism, nor do I accept the prevailing white supremacy of much of the media I consume. It’s a complex consumption for me, I love stories and pleasing aesthetics and music and well-written prose. But everything I consume I interrogate, I analyze, I think on the possibilities of what if someone like me was at the center of the narrative. This way of looking has parallels in fandom, in the embracing of Black Hermione, in shipping, in headcanons, in examining canon and discarding and adding at will. 

I also grew up listening to NPR and had this dream of having my own radio show where I just talked about books I loved. Podcasting is honestly a blessing in this regard because I bought a mic and invested in recording software and a website, and now I am living a dream that my sad teen nerd self could have only imagined.

BGC: How do you continue to be inspired especially in these specific times?

Joy and laughter and critical thought are, I think, the best way to survive these trying times. I spend a lot of my time thinking about injustice, racism, and our broken system, and it would be very easy to give in to the feeling of being crushed by a system that actively wants me dead. Thinking of silly Harry Potter puns or playlists for soft bi werewolves gives my endlessly running mind something fun to think on and makes the perpetual tightness in my chest ease a little, because, at the very least, my co-host Lark will laugh and then I will laugh and that’s something that I did, that I created. 

BGC: Why is it important as a Black person to create? 

Honestly, creating is what has gotten Black folks for generations through all the shit that America has wrung us through. There is a reason that anything good in American culture was either created by or made better in Black hands. Music, food, art, clothing, dance, acting, poetry, social change, sci-fi, even the best parts of Al Gore’s internet. And within this, there are countless Black women and Black queer folks who are nearly forgotten. Basically, everyone we know from the Harlem Renaissance was not straight. Disco and house music came from Black and Latino gay club scenes. Even ‘internet speak’ is from Black trans women and folks in the ball scene. It’s part of our culture to thrive in this world by creating something beautiful. 

BGC: Are there other creators that you admire?

My top faves are Black ladies in sci-fi. My number one fave is the late great Octavia Butler, I think everyone should read the Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents. Janelle Monáe is out here living a peak queer nonbinary Afro-future nerd life, and I am so happy that young queer nerds get to grow up having someone like them (Janelle has not yet said what pronouns to use). Someone needs to give her all the money to make Afro-future sci-fi films. And, to paraphrase Issa Rae, I’m rooting for everyone Black who’s creating podcasts and writing fanfic and making YouTube vids and TikTok, especially the younger folks. 

BGC: How do you balance creating with the rest of your life? 

I work a full-time job that often has me working extra hours, so I don’t do as much for the podcast as I would like. Lark has a bit more relaxed schedule and TBH the podcast would not be half as good without him. My girlfriend is also very supportive, which helps so, so much. I schedule everything I do in Google calendar to make time for recording and the extra bits of running a podcast and having downtime.

BGC: How do you balance creating when you feel drained or exhausted?

I have depression, anxiety, and ADHD, so I am nearly always drained or exhausted. This is where clear communication and a shared calendar comes in. I know that if I work late at work, I need the next evening to recover and make sure to schedule recording sessions or podcast meetings spaced out from my work schedule. We do a lot of longer recording sessions on the weekends or the times where I have time off. We also record a lot of Patron-exclusive content that doesn’t necessarily require a lot of prep work or mental bandwidth, so for weeks where I am particularly low energy, I can still create something. And, lastly, we deeply stagger the time when we record to when the episode goes up, so if I’m in bad mental space and cannot do anything, I can take that time and episodes will still go out.

BGC: Any advice for new creators?

I think it can be hard to start a project because a lot of what we see is the finished product after years of work. You gotta power through it if you want to learn. And often people love it anyway. Someone might draw some fan art and see all the flaws, I see it and am like ‘Yes, more Black Hermione fan art, I love it.’ It’s ok if you have to take things slowly. Some weeks I only have an hour a week to knit or write or read for the podcast, because of real-life things. A lot of people who create all the time have, like, hired help or the unpaid labor of a spouse, so that ‘we all have the same 24 hours as Beyoncé’ thing is shitty creative advice.   

BGC: Any future projects coming up?

We’ve got some exciting things planned for our ‘Make Harry Potter Even Gayer 2020’ campaign, in which we are amplifying queer HP fanworks and merch by queer creators. We are in the embryonic stages of planning some kind of live event for the campaign, too. Folks should follow us on social media to be kept in the loop on that stuff as it develops! We’re on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @thegaylyprophet.

[by-her-posts-blog]

Can Transparency Erase the Caricatures Surrounding Black Women?

She has three personalities: The go-getter, the self-aware angel, and the ‘bitch’. While blossoming into her womanhood she realizes that there is room for all three facets of herself to exists simultaneously. The 21-year-old is focused solely on creating a larger space in society for these personalities to flourish free of judgment.

Caricatures of Black women are everywhere.

We can easily find remnants of ourselves in films, TV shows, commercials, music video, and more recently memes. These depictions have evolved from the black-and-white films of the distressed mammy character who loves her master’s children more than her own or the hypersexual Jezebel who can’t seem to keep her pussy to herself. Nonetheless, these characters have morphed into modern day minstrels that we can now stand to laugh at because no one is dressed in blackface; or so we think?

If you look at modern Black television, you can easily pick apart the character dynamic of the black female cast. Black women play the same role even on TV shows that are supposed to be inclusive to the experiences of Black and brown people. If you look at Issa Rae’s Insecure, you’ll notice the limited narratives that each actress plays. Although there is a level of complexity to each character; at the end of the day they still play up to the stereotypes. 

For instance, take a look at Yvonne Orji’s character Molly. Molly is the independent Black woman out of the group; similar to characters like Toni from Girlfriends, Taraji P. Henson in Act Like a Woman Think Like A Man and every Gabrielle Union role. For Molly to be “independent” she must be a narcissistic, over-achieving, and financially successful woman who emasculates Black men and looks down on those who are not in her tax bracket. Underneath this image exists a woman filled with pain. She wants to be vulnerable but is afraid because she has been conditioned for so long to be independent. She must go on a Hero’s Journey to find out that she can be independent, successful, and vulnerable at the same time. This, of course, must be discovered in the span of 120 minutes because there is a solution (whether good or bad) at the end of every movie. The upside is that these are visualizations that show that it is possible for Black women to have more than one identity. The downside is that the negative caricature sticks more. 

The truth of the matter is that most Black women don’t have time to go on a Hero’s Journey. We don’t have the resources to unlearn years of conditioned behavior.  Instead, we find comfortability in the familiarity of the characters that we see in the media regardless of how detrimental they are.

Balancing three different personalities for her is a full-time job. One that she is still trying to perfect. Her petite frame is packed to capacity with her hopes, dreams, and present-day realities. The bookbag that she carries protrudes out reflecting her 19 credit course-work. She takes a slight pause as she explains the difference between herself- the high-strung future attorney who takes advantage of every opportunity that is given to her, BB- the unfiltered daughter of a Liberian immigrant family who is trying to become more patient- and Beauty, the spiritual being who wants her vulnerability to not be received as a weakness.

It’s difficult.

All three identities are markers of her womanhood. The makeup of each identity reveals the complexity of human nature which is not applied to Black women. Her main identity- independent, brave, and ambitious- is deeply rooted in her upbringing. Growing up in a semi-traditional Liberian American househould allowed her to find her own balance in being a nurturer and a feminist.

“I fought or resisted a lot of gender roles, but everything else wasn't traditional. I remember being like I refuse to wash the dishes if my brother doesn't wash the dishes; like we both gotta learn how to clean. That was like a big thing for me,” she said.

Her womanhood is a wobbly pegged chair of traditionalism and resistance. Though she started developing a voice of resistance the need to take care of everyone around counters some of her refusals. “Just being an immigrant to like really really Liberian parents made me have to like take care of them. Just from the beginning, it was like simple things like people not being able to understand what they say,” she said. 

The need to take care of everyone around her is a behavior trait that she learned from her mother. Her family fled Liberia when she was 3-years-old which made it difficult to maintain kinship with her blood relatives. Despite the disconnect from her homeland; her mother was able to find a mother figure in America which later become a strong grandmother figure for her. Watching her mother take care of her American grandmother created a “bad definition of family” for her. What she’s referring to is the unaltered relationship of taking care of everyone around you except for yourself. The nurturing and caring aspect of herself almost tempted her to adopt her niece at 19-years-old while she was still a child herself. The need to take care of everyone around her does not help the vulnerable Beauty who also needs to be nurtured. Her main personality takes the stage most of the time despite her being ‘highly emotional’ which she admits does not show at all in a lot of what she does.

She shows up in the world like most Black women do- unafraid.

Patriarchy accompanied by racism leaves little room in our everyday lives to be vulnerable in spaces that are not identified as safe. These spaces are often ones that we spend the most time in. Those spaces for her are work, school, and anything that involves people that she cannot trust. The fear of not being received forces her to draw boundaries between her three personalities- mostly because she is still working on allowing them to exists in different spaces simultaneously. “I’m not very used to sharing my feelings with other people. I wrote a lot because of that,” she said.

Learning to isolate those personalities is a defense mechanism that she has adopted in order to survive. However, in the eyes of her counterparts, she is viewed as aggressive and angry. It doesn’t matter that she’s extremely selfless and will give her last to anyone she considers a friend, or that, she’s working to create safe spaces for black and brown children to be themselves because in the eyes of others she is perceived as a caricature.

 Her desire to succeed causes her to sometimes be loud and aggressive to seize the opportunity. These are characteristics that white males are applauded for possessing and even white women are commended for showing a little force when they are going after something that they want. For Black women, this is a necessary tool to be heard. However, the limits that are placed upon us when it comes to identifying ourselves makes it difficult to turn it off. Her “aggression” caused her to lose her footing in a race for student government. She was labeled as “too confrontational” by her white male counterpart who was her running mate.

“It took everything in me not to kind of pop off, not even in a negative way, but just prove my case because I knew that if I were not on the ticket they wouldn’t have a chance of winning,” she said.

No one bothered to challenge him either. The comment left her with more than just a cracked ego- it fractured a huge part of herself that she worked so hard to build. As a result, they lost the election and she suffered from an emotional disconnect.

The side effects of stereotypes include more than just embarrassment; it causes us to view ourselves differently. Growing up Black requires a thick layer of skin. Our loved ones train us on how to avoid racial biases. They teach us that we must work ten times harder. However, what they leave out is the emotional trauma that’s coupled with having to work around racism. Being strong, loud, and assertive are tactics that she had to adopt to adapt, but they’re also key elements of who she is which is something that she realized while trying to cope.

Two things brought her back to reality. First, it was a moment of self-realization. “I had to remind myself who I was. I had to say to myself: ‘you worked so hard to be where you are,’ Taking losses should not take away from what you’ve already proven.” Second, it was her ability to be vulnerable with herself and those around her. She spent the remaining three months sitting in the emotion that we as Black women avoid: sadness. Her support system wrapped her up in words of encouragement to help her get back on track. Still, that little voice inside her head questioned if she was valuable. However, a summer internship silenced it for good. She had the opportunity to work alongside an attorney for the summer. She was the only undergraduate student at the firm working amongst Law school students.

“My work ethic reminded me of just the power that I had, and I don’t think I would have made it if I didn’t have that work,” she admitted honestly.

The position not only restored her personal faith, but it allowed her to love all the pieces to her unique puzzle.

Being able to exist as more than just one person is a difficult task for Black women. It requires confidence, transparency, and a strong community. She is currently working on creating safe spaces within her personal, work, and school life for Black women to be every inch of ourselves. It’s not an easy task, but she is more than capable of achieving it.

All of who she is radiates from her deep cocoa skin. Her confidence sits atop her beautiful bush; her femininity rides along the stride of her walk, and if you look into her brown eyes long enough you can see just how big her heart is.

[cryptnus-blog]

Is Crypto-Finance the New Banking? Coinbase and Circle to Blacklist Suspicious IP Addresses for USDC

New Post has been published on https://cryptnus.com/2018/10/is-crypto-finance-the-new-banking-coinbase-and-circle-to-blacklist-suspicious-ip-addresses-for-usdc/

Is Crypto-Finance the New Banking? Coinbase and Circle to Blacklist Suspicious IP Addresses for USDC

The rapid launch of several stablecoins offerings in 2018 seems comparable to the ICO boom in 2017, with most price-stable tokens built by premier crypto companies or invested in by venture capital funds. However, such developments look largely centralized – which defeats the significance of cryptocurrencies – and forms an area of concern.

USDC Controversy

Earlier this week, Coinbase announced the addition of USDC – a stablecoin developed by crypto-finance firm Circle – to its trading platform. The stablecoin is pegged on a one-to-one basis with the USD and is aimed at allowing institutional investors and active crypto-traders to exploit arbitrage and high-frequency trading opportunities.

The USDC is an ERC20 compliant token and can be added to all ERC20-compatible wallets. However, the coin’s details point out the presence of an actively maintained “global blacklist,” meaning transactions can be stopped, and withheld, from all addressed blacklisted by CENTER, Circle’s stablecoin division.

Related: Coinbase Announces Immediate Support for Circle’s USD Stablecoin

The note cites potential terrorist financing, known fraudulent and illegal activities, and court orders as possible instances where addresses are blacklisted. Interestingly, all USD reserves backing the withheld USDC tokens will be “wholly and permanently unrecoverable.”

The development – although done in kind regard – led crypto-evangelists to question the need for a centralized framework to govern a particular cryptocurrency. After all, the core ethos of digital tokens is for the network to determine fraudulent parties and engage in consensus to ward off suspicious transactions by flagging the blocks.

However, Circle’s move makes the USDC no better than a bank-stored equivalent of a USD, with the aspect of true decentralization completely missing. Twitter users called out Coinbase’ recent note that the USDC was an essential step towards “open” finance, meaning a world free of regulations, control, and crackdown.

Coinbase says that USDC is as an important step towards a more “open” financial system.

Does this look like open finance? pic.twitter.com/Qo3iwzV6Vi

— rae (@cryptorae) October 24, 2018

People are doing full derp with stablecoins.

“Let’s make a cryptocurrency with all the properties of Bitcoin except sound money, and we get to shut down your account whenever we want.”

Circle can blacklist your stableturds at any moment. Embarrassing. https://t.co/DveAcEpr8E

— grubles (@notgrubles) October 23, 2018

The community argued that the USDC is fully auditable and can be “controlled” by Coinbase, apart from the blacklisting feature.

Meanwhile, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin saw the development in a positive light:

The fact that such things have to be put out into lines of code visible in the open that anyone can highlight and criticize on Twitter is itself a serious improvement over traditional finance that I think we need to appreciate more.

— Vitalik Non-giver of Ether (@VitalikButerin) October 24, 2018

While the cryptocurrency community may be divided into two over this particular development, one thing is for sure, the lines between crypto – and traditional – finance are rapidly blurring. It remains to be seen if the two frameworks operate in a parallel, or one supersedes the other in due time.

Learn more about stablecoins:

Cover Photo by Evgeny Tchebotarev on Unsplash

Disclaimer: Our writers’ opinions are solely their own and do not reflect the opinion of CryptoSlate. None of the information you read on CryptoSlate should be taken as investment advice, nor does CryptoSlate endorse any project that may be mentioned or linked to in this article. Buying and trading cryptocurrencies should be considered a high-risk activity. Please do your own due diligence before taking any action related to content within this article. Finally, CryptoSlate takes no responsibility should you lose money trading cryptocurrencies.

Did you like this article? Join us.

Get blockchain news and crypto insights.

Follow @cryptoslateJoin Us on Telegram

Post-mining his first bitcoins in 2012, there was no looking back for Shaurya Malwa. After graduating in business from the University of Wolverhampton, Shaurya ventured straight into the world of cryptocurrency and blockchain. Using a hard-hitting approach to article writing and crypto-trading, he finds his true self in the world of decentralized ideologies. When not writing, Shaurya builds his culinary skills and trades the big three cryptocurrencies.

View author profile

Get the Top 10 Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Stories Delivered Daily

[greggory--lee]

An Astrological Look at Stephen King’s Natal Chart

Every day, I like to look at celebrity birthdays and post a few on Facebook and Twitter. We all love to look for aspects of ourselves in the personality of a celebrity who shares our birthday, don’t we? Today, September 21st, I happened to note a trend of excellence in thinking and communication skills. Next, I pulled one of my favorite books off the shelf, Love Cards by Robert Camp, and looked up the card for September 21st. Camp assigns a title to each card, which I’ve found to be uncannily accurate in summarizing the personality for each card. I had to chuckle when I saw that September 21st is the three of clubs – the card Camp calls “The Writer’s Card.”

A wildly popular and successful writer who happens to be born today is an excellent example of the three of clubs. In Camp’s Destiny Card system, the threes are highly creative and imaginative and clubs rule communication. Stephen King is truly a king in his chosen field. I must admit that although I am a voracious reader, I have only read a small slice of his prolific literary offerings because his writing makes me bite my nails and sit on the edge of my seat. It can take me a few days to shake off the unease that reading his novels creates in me. When I looked at his birth chart today, many things jumped out at me immediately that made me think, “Oh, of course,” and I’ll share a few with you. So much jumps out to indicate his unique talent and notable career that it is hard to know where to begin!

Writing ability and a fertile imagination that can spin a good story can often be found in a busy third house within the natal chart. The Sun, Venus, and Neptune are all in King’s third house, indicating he takes to writing and enjoys it as naturally as a duck takes to water. Neptune in the third is conjunct Mercury, the planet of communication, in his fourth house of home. The fourth house is also the seat of the soul and the psychological foundation of a person. His Mercury is in Libra, the air sign that contemplates the polarities of self versus other and examines the myriad aspects of human interaction. Venus, Neptune, Mercury are all in Libra, but his Sun is in a late degree of Virgo. The earth influence and detail-oriented nature of a Virgo Sun helps him gather the many thoughts and impressions the Libra influences generate and distill them into a cohesive story. The Libra energy can also help him lead the reader in one direction and then another. Appearances can definitely be deceiving and things aren’t what you think they are is another way of translating King’s Mercury/Neptune conjunction.

Another house to examine for signs of creative ability is the fifth. Here, King’s Moon in adventurous Sagittarius is sextile Mercury. He literally loves to write. Writing is an emotional release for him and possibly more an escape than a work task. His Moon in the fifth also opposes Uranus in the eleventh house of friends and groups. The eleventh house is his audience and Uranus is a planet with electrical and erratic influence. King shocks his audience with his genius ability to generate disturbing emotions as his stories unfold. Some, like myself, may find the emotions his work stirs up to be too uncomfortable. There are other aspects, though, that allow him to be well received and to get away with pushing limits. One of these is the Moon in the fifth trine Saturn/Pluto in dramatic Leo in the first house of self. Saturn rules mortality, longevity, pain, suffering, and sorrow. Some Saturn archetypes are Father Time and The Grim Reaper. Pluto can be power, fear, death and transformation, resurrection, Hades, Hell, all that is dark, disturbing, taboo, hidden and suppressed. Leo rules the fifth house of creativity where King’s Moon sits, so the supportive flow of lunar energy to Saturn/Pluto in the first makes him a dramatic presenter of exciting and disturbing emotions having to do with fear, pain, and death. King also has Jupiter in the fruitful water sign of Scorpio in the fifth, semi-sextile his Sun in the third, indicating his creativity and writing can be prolific and profitable. With Jupiter in square aspect to Saturn/Pluto in the first, success may not have come easily, though. Persistence, persistence, and plain old hard work got him to where he is now. Scorpio rules the metaphysical, paranormal, and supernatural. Another aspect that makes his work appeal to many is King’s Jupiter in Scorpio in the fifth trine Mars in sensitive Cancer in the twelfth house of the subconscious and the collective of society. I suspect King can feel the fear in his body as he creates it in his writing. I wonder – does his hair stand up, does he get goosebumps, must he walk away from his writing and pace a bit before he can return to crafting the perfect words that will make his reader’s skin crawl? He may get some of his ideas from actual nightmares and I wouldn’t be surprised to learn some of his best writing takes place in the wee hours when thoughts naturally turn toward what’s lurking in the closet or under the bed. Mostly, he understands the part of us that likes to be scared and reaches out to that part like a sympathetic good buddy. We must like how Stephen King scares us because we buy a LOT of his books!

To top off his chart, King has the initiative fire sign of Aries on his midheaven. He is a trailblazer in his genre and stands out and above others in his field. I have read novels based solely on the fact that I saw a Stephen King endorsement on the cover. His reputation and fame as a writer are such that he has a following of devoted readers, and deservedly so. Stephen King’s life path as indicated by his Lunar North Node in Taurus in the eleventh house of his natal chart is to bring something material and tangible to the masses. King lacks a strong enough influence in the ninth house of publishing to guarantee his books would make it into print, but his plodding, stubborn Lunar North Node in Taurus combined with his powerfully determined Saturn/Pluto in royal Leo refuses to be ignored. His attitude toward getting his first stories published may well have been, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” His Lunar North Node in Taurus in his eleventh house and his Jupiter in Scorpio in the fifth house are both feminine and fruitful, assisting King in producing a large body of work for his appreciative readers.

Source by Dunnea Rae

Source: http://bitcoinswiz.com/an-astrological-look-at-stephen-kings-natal-chart/

[meltcalories]

Can Specific Nutrition Help Heal ACL and Joint Injuries?

The main feature of the knee joint is to flex and also correct the leg and also to enable the body to alter placements. Strolling, running, leaping, sitting, and also standing are all motions that take place with the aid of the knee joint. The stabilization device of the knee joint comes in the kind of thick bands of tissue, called tendons. These ligaments maintain the knee joint in its respective activity pattern.

The ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) and also PCL (Posterior Cruciate Tendon) maintain the knee joint from sliding ahead as well as in reverse. The MCL (Medial Security Ligament) and LCL (Lateral Collateral Ligament) keep the knee from distorting side to side.

With virtually 200,000 yearly instances, ACL injuries are by much one of the most common injuries in the USA. When an ACL injury takes place, main repair work of the ACL does not usually provide an excellent outcome, in contrast to the Medial Security Tendon (MCL). These injuries take place frequently in individuals that take part in sporting activities such as soccer, football, basketball, rugby, and so on. The ACL can become sprained or torn because of a direct smash hit to the knee by an opposing player.

However, even more compared to half of all ACL injuries accompany no get in touch with whatsoever. The injury could take place at this instance because of the athlete/individual swiftly transforming directions, sudden deceleration, and also improper dive landing due to poor mechanics or muscle mass imbalances.

Why Is The Recovery Refine So Poor?

Biomechanical anxieties, blood supply issues, with nourishment can be a significant factor to why there is such a bad recovery procedure. Nutrition is frequently a neglected aspect when it involves recuperation due to the fact that the worry of obtaining weight while being non-active is typically a concern, particularly with professional athletes who are worried with their physique.

Without adequate remainder with nourishment, one's capacity to recoup swiftly decreases. The athlete may not recognize, nonetheless, that their resting metabolic process actually increases roughly 15-50% relying on the extent of the injury. A few of the usual steps that come with an injury are inflammation, expansion, with remodeling.

The purpose of this write-up is to provide even more idea on ways to effectively eat as well as supplement when it concerns injuries such as this. Nevertheless, if the athlete were to go back to activity to soon, his/her body might not be completely healed. If this happens with a comparable impact takes place throughout involvement in sporting activities or daily regular, the result might be a lot more destructive. A few of the key nutrients that will certainly assist aid in the recovery process of these kinds of injuries, along with their benefits, will be outlined below.

The Key Phases of Injury

There are a few crucial stages that occur during an injury. These stages include swelling, expansion, and also improvement. Swelling is the process where the body is newing to remove our any hurt tissue as well as debris. This could last 4-5 days for soft cells injuries as well as 2-3 weeks for bone injuries.

Proliferation is the process where the body news to create the bonds, which knit together to grow new tissue. The cells created in this process is not quite as strong, but gives some support with framework for the body.

Remodeling can last anywhere from 1-2 years post injury and repair work. This is the process to develop with form brand-new tissue that is nearly as solid as the initial. We will look now at some of the nutrients that are important for these procedures to be started and also completed effectively so that injury time can be decreased as much as possible.

Breaking Down Macros

Let's first look at protein. Healthy protein is an essential macronutrient for the body when it involves muscular tissue mass. Our muscle tissue is composed solely of protein. If muscles are weak, the general stamina of their attachments (ligaments) will certainly likewise be weak. So while rehabbing, it is essential to continue ingesting needed quantities of healthy protein in order to maintain as much muscle mass as possible.

There are numerous sources of healthy protein that a person could pick from. These consist of lean meats, eggs, whey protein as well as milk. When it pertains to our connective cells, the mass of our ligaments with ligaments are comprised of a protein called collagen.

Collagen is the most abundant healthy protein in the body as well as is required in order to maintain ligaments and tendons strong as well as in a healthy state to protect versus injury. Among the primary food resources of collagen is jelly. Jelly is a special food due to the fact that it is not a common food consumed routinely in the American diet. Gelatin is made from the ground up cartilage material and connective cells of some animals. In my viewpoint, the very best dietary technique to reconstructing skeletal muscle mass is to consume the muscle mass cells of animals as a result of the breakdown of amino acids with the finest possible practice to restoring the body's connective tissue framework is to ingest the very same. Gelatin could be flavored (juices, extracts, crystal light, Branched Chain Amino Acid supplements, and so on) in order to give it a flavor that is palatable.

Eating foods that possess anti-inflammatory characteristics need to be consumed with incorporated daily in order to help lower the amount of swelling and also discomfort in the affected area. Omega-3 Fatty Acids are the key foods that possess these anti-inflammatory benefits. Omega-3 Fat are largely found in foods such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, anchovy, and various other sorts of fishes. Non-fish foods consist of chia seeds, flax seeds, kale, eco-friendly beans, soybeans, etc. Fat are necessary especially due to their EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) and also DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid). These two natural acids have certain functions, that make them unique.

EPA is crucial because its main role is for dealing with inflammation, while DHA is essential for mind as well as anxious system function. There is an RDA of 500mg of overall EPA as well as DHA per day for optimum wellness. When it comes to overall general health, regardless if you are wounded or not, consuming Omega-3 Fatty Acids is crucial for healthy life. Various other inflammatory battling foods consist of curry powder, turmeric extract, garlic, pineapple, cacao, blueberries, as well as percentages of red wine.

Vitamin A gives the body with fat-soluble retinoids, which are crucial for eye wellness as well as feature. Vitamin An also works to fight inflammation throughout injury and likewise assists to bring back the body's body immune system article injury. It likewise works to assist with the manufacturing of collagen for the body. Researches have actually revealed that with Vitamin A supplements, collagen matrix development has been significantly enhanced which repair is sped up. The RDA for Vitamin A (mcg) remains in the form of RAE (retinol activity matchings. For males, the RAE is 900mcg and also 700mcg for ladies. Greater amounts of Vitamin A need to be taken right after the injury happens and afterwards decreased article injury, because of poisoning problems, which can include obscured vision and liver damages. Foods having Vitamin A consist of spinach, beef liver, wonderful potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, bell peppers, tropical fruits, as well as dark leafy greens.

Vitamin B Complex serves in order to help the body metabolize carbohydrates in order to drive mobile energy. This power will certainly be utilized for cell development with growth while injury healing. B vitamins are additionally needed for DNA synthesis, collagen development, resistance, as well as for the development of red cell, which help lug oxygen and also nutrients to the injury website. Vitamin B can be found in many foods, such as chickpeas, salmon, poultry, turkey, potatoes, cauliflower, bananas, trout, salmon, beef, eggs, soymilk, and also clams.

Vitamin C is an additional crucial nutrient to take into account. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant with is going to offer a far better atmosphere for combating infection and also improving lymphocyte with neutrophil activity during the initial stages of the injury. Vitamin C also works to manufacture the development of collagen, which researchers recommend is the primary protein that makes up the bodies structure. Recommended daily intake of Vitamin C is around 1-2g/ day for 2-4 weeks throughout the injury healing procedure. Foods containing high amounts of vitamin C include bell peppers, kelp, kiwi, broccoli, berries, and oranges.

After a knee injury, muscle mass loss (atrophy), is an usual issue any kind of hurt person could encounter. The body's 20 different amino acids help in reducing this degeneration of muscle. Amino Acids are the foundation of healthy proteins and also are needed in order for cells repair service with bodybuilding to happen. These amino acids will certainly aid when the body goes into the spreading phase of recovery. A terrific amino acid supplement is helpful to drink on during the day to keep the body in an anabolic state continually with will stop the body from getting in gluconeogenesis, which is the process where the body will certainly begin to manufacture muscle mass healthy protein as a gas source. Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA), which are utilized specifically by the muscle mass for restoring, can be found in the kind of supplements such as Scivation Xtend as well as Nutrabolics Anabolic State are reallying going to provide a non-proprietary blend of BCAA (Isoleucine, Leucine, and Valine) as well as electrolytes to stabilize hydration degrees within the body.

Glutamine is one of the most plentiful amino acid within the body. Glutamines key function is to stop muscular tissue catabolism (muscle malfunction) and also advertise anabolism (muscular tissue structure). When we have an injury or simply appeared of surgical treatment, our bodies will begin to fix the affected area. Enhancing with glutamine has actually been revealed to raise recuperation by swamping the injury site with this bodybuilding amino acid. Advised intake is 5-10g each day however during the injury process that can be boosted to roughly 7g twice each day to boost the healing process. This may be integrated with various other amino acids.

Zinc is the driver behind the manufacturing of more than 300 enzymes in the body as well as additionally plays functions in DNA synthesis, protein synthesis and also cellular division. These are all processes necessary for tissue development and repair work. Zinc shortage is among one of the most usual nutrient deficiencies as well as has actually been linked to inadequate injury healing. General recommendations of 15-30 mg each day for 2-4 weeks have actually been revealed to be useful in the first stages of the injury. Foods consisting of zinc consist of oysters, beef, lobster, hen, cashews, beans, and also pork. Zinc, incorporated with Magnesium and also Vitamin B6, create exactly what is called ZMA (Zinc Monomethionine Aspartate). ZMA is a preferred supplement generally taken pre bed in order to help raise the anabolic muscular tissue structure impacts and the improve injury recovery when the body remains in a neutral state. 20-30mg of Zinc, 300-450mg of Magnesium and 7-11mg of B6 is advised for optimal results.

Take-Home Message

An ACL injury is no laughing issue and the rehabilitation process must be taken extremely seriously. Time far from play or activities is a must for appropriate healing to take place with the aid of physical specialists is vital for array of motion and also total rehab. What a professional athlete or individual can do by themselves is the homework provided to them by their specialist, however additionally boost their eating behaviors. This listing of nutrients is not conclusive, as well balanced nourishment is useful no matter what the end objective is. Even if not injured, healing from training with events is crucial in order to continuously do at an above ground level. This checklist includes some of the major nutrients often overlooked throughout eating with ought to be consisted of in order to improve recuperation after the injury is totally healed. So, the take away is to do everything you could in your power to process through the injury cycle as effective as possible. This begins with the nutrition. Provide your body the required foundation in order to restore back to normal.

David M. Rynecki

BS,MS,CPT,CES,FNS,CSS,Pn1

Disclaimer: David Rynecki is not a medical physician or registered diet professional and the information included herein should not be taken as medical guidance. These are only recommendations. These recommendations need to NOT be taken as medical suggestions, nor are they planned to diagnose, treat, cure or stop any health and wellness trouble. Referrals by David Rynecki are not intended to identify, deal with, cure, or prevent any health issue. Suggestions by David Rynecki are not intended to replace the suggestions of a medical professional or wellness specialist. Constantly seek advice from with your main medical care professional prior to making any changes to medicines or lifestyle and also starting any diet plan or workout program.