#reflection excercise

[seaofreverie]

Does anyone still remember parking garage russell

[bodyofbrilliance]

The Power of Priming and Conditioning: Transforming Your Mindset to Achieve Your Day

[pranabhazarika]

You are doing far better than many.

Do you go to the gym?

Do you want to burn calories by going to the gym?

It means you have both MONEY and TIME,

To BURN YOUR CALORIES.

So you are far better than many.

Because Numerous individuals worldwide face constant struggles to meet their daily calorie intake by consuming food.

You are Blessed; You want to BURN CALORIE.

[academicfever]

100 Days of Productivity: What I Learned and My Tips for You

Here’s the thing about being productive: it’s not just about checking boxes and crossing off to-do lists. It’s about navigating life and learning how to work with yourself, not against yourself.

Don’t stay in your room 3 days in a row. Just don’t. Get some air, see the sun, touch grass—anything!

If stress shuts you down, don’t drink coffee. Seriously, it makes things worse. Trust me on this one.

Talk to a friend and work together. Sure, maybe you’ll chat all day and not stay 100% focused, but those conversations keep you motivated and positive in the long run.

Talk to your supervisor about your struggles. They’re there to help, even if it’s hard to ask.

Reach out to people who don’t include you in their group. Maybe they’re not being mean—maybe they’re just scared or unsure because you’re different from them. Don’t let assumptions keep you from trying.

Don’t over-schedule your day. Small, consistent steps every day are way better than big, scattered bursts of productivity.

Celebrate wins. Treat yourself. Go to that bookshop you’ve been eyeing. You’ve earned it.

Forgive people. It’s tough in the immediate aftermath, and honestly, I never thought I’d be the forgiving type. But when you step away from the situation, you’ll realize forgiveness isn’t for them—it’s for you and your mental health.

Take a few minutes every day to reflect on your mental health and journal. It’s not a waste of time, I promise.

Don’t break good habits on a whim. It takes forever to rebuild them. Whether it’s going to bed early or reading for 30 minutes a day, stick with it.

Follow the system that works for you. Don’t overrule it just because you’re tempted to. Getting back on track after derailing yourself is painful.

Oh, and stop comparing yourself to your more successful peers. (Still working on this one myself, but hey, baby steps!)

also take ur meds and excercise at least 3 times a week... otherwise u will crumble and u wont even see it coming...

Don't berate urself ... come on.. it doesn't work... work on eliminating that negative voice in ur head... ( I am still working on it)

My eating disorder is alright now... I dont force myself to eat anymore and just let my body decide when it needs food... I have been getting hungry so thats a good sign...

This challenge wasn’t easy, but it taught me so much about patience, resilience, and the importance of showing up for myself. I hope these tips help you in your journey, whether you’re just starting or somewhere in the middle.

Also I just want to say, I love u all... I really do... u guys r so sweet and encouraging... I am so glad I found this community😘😘

[theweeklydiscourse]

I don't understand WHY Bardugo wrote Alina's ending the way she did. Did she think it would make for a bittersweet, satisfactory ending? (It did not.) Did she think it would be sharp and realistic? (It unfortunately was a bit.) Did she think she'd be subverting expectations?? Did she love Mal so much she went insane?? I just don't get it. I just don't get it. If by the end of the series she forgot to add in more love interest for Alina (because she obviously didn't want to consider the other two despite being fascinated with Aleksander) she could just have. Let poor Alina be alone. Why condemn her to such a fate? I think everyone I've talked about this has unanimously agreed they'd cease to exist if they were in her place. It's so. So strange

It’s all a consequence of the underlying conservatism and misogyny of the series. This is best illustrated through the fact that even in Alina’s “happily ever after” she is still regarded as a weird outsider while Mal is beloved by their new community. It isolates Alina in a way that the Darkling never could, it’s representative of Alina’s permanent dependence on Mal as a consequence of their marriage. Mal is allowed to have a life outside of his marriage, while Alina has to depend on him for emotional connection. She can only find fulfillment in her husband while Mal is afforded the freedom (and means) to seek fulfillment from other places.

What I imagine Bardugo thought, was that it would be heartwarming and pleasant for the “boy and the girl” to return to simplicity and live happily ever after. Hence the line: “They had an ordinary life, full of ordinary things—if love can ever be called that.” In isolation, it’s certainly a sweet sentiment that one might smile at in a different story. However, in this story, it’s a clear attempt to romanticize the dire (and downright depressing) circumstances of Alina’s so-called “happily ever after”. It looks like a happily ever after, but readers with a critical eye can see it for what it truly is. They are able to see the way Alina is disempowered at nearly every level, that she had been relegated to this role because she dared to want more out of life.

This gestures towards the fundamental reason why Malina is far more disturbing than the likes of Darklina. It’s disturbing because it reflects the ways women are pushed to settle down and sacrifice themselves for their man and glorifies that sacrifice as the healthy alternative to “greed”. Sure, the Darkling is villainous, but his actions are so beyond the normal scope of everyday relationships that they fail to land the same impact as Mal’s mundane assholery. Alina is considered greedy for wanting to excercise her power and influence for a noble cause, but somehow Mal isn’t greedy for wanting Alina’s full undivided attention despite her many other responsibilities? The narrative validates his unreasonable requests by presenting the ending as something wholesome and heartwarming. Mal’s selfishness and greed is validated by the text because it is societally acceptable and encouraged men to have those traits. He has to be the more powerful one in the relationship for this traditional happy ending to work.

Bardugo condemned Alina to a depressing fate because she was so fixated on the image of a fairy tale happily ever after that she ignored how Alina would be impacted by it. I think this reveals Bardugo’s strange affection for Mal, but it also shows how she failed to see how the realistic mundanity of Malina would not work in her favour. Because…yeah it’s realistic all right, realistically misogynistic that is.

[corruptedcaps]

The Mean Manual

“64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69…. Done!” Charlotte groaned as she finished her 10th straight day of her bust exercises. She stretched out her remarkably flexible body and looked lovingly at her big tits. She almost couldn’t believe that two weeks ago she had the body of a flabby no chested geek but that was before she found, the book.

Back then she was know as Charlie, a girl so anonymous you could ask her classmates what she was like and they would reply with, “Who?”

Charlie wasn’t noticeable enough to be bullied, didn’t stand out enough to be noticed, a quiet solitude she had grown to accept. She would spend her free time in the school library, reading her fantasy and sci-fi books away from the crowds.

However that changed when she found, hidden behind several books in the reference section, the ‘Mean Manual’. Its cover was a bright pink that almost glowed amongst the drab covers it surrounded that made it hard for Charlie to ignore.

Pulling it out she blew away the dust that had accumulated over years maybe even decades of neglect. Charlie opened the tome and curiously flipped through its pages. It seemed to be some sort of guide to becoming the ‘Queen of Mean’.

Charlie chuckled to herself as she skimmed its pages, realizing it had to be some sort of parody book. How could it not be with chapters like ‘Spreading lies to get your way’ and ‘The 10 ways to steal a man’. It was laughable to her that anyone would take the instructions as gospel.

Amused by it, she decided to take it home and read some more. It was there that she came across the chapter on ‘beauty exercises’. There was sections on toning your stomach, getting the perfect tan, how to make your body more supple, but what weirdly interested Charlie was the section on breast growth.

As the other girls in school had all hit puberty and grew reasonable and sometimes outrageously sized tits, Charlie had lagged behind, growing no more than an ‘A’ cup. It wasn’t something Charlie ever cared about, most people didn’t notice her anyway, and yet she found herself reading the instructions on how to increase her boob size intently.

“I’ll give it a try, just as a joke of course.” She said to herself with a half hearted laugh as she readied her body. The excercise involved getting on her knees and pushing out her chest 69 times, which seemed intuitive enough if a little juvenile but what was odd was she had to moan each time she did it. She felt a little silly as she began.

However with thrust of her chest her moans got a little louder, a little more genuine. It felt good sticking out her chest again and again, it felt as though her whole body was getting a workout. She couldn’t help imagine how good it would be to have the perfect tight body with perfect round tits, she found herself getting wet with each shove of her chest. She went into a near trance as she went on and before she knew it she hit 69 thrusts.

She panted in pleasurable exhaustion as she shakily got back to her feet, feeling warm and wet between her legs. She stumbled over to the mirror and gasped loudly at the sight. Her meagre breasts were gone, replaced with impressively big tits.

“No freaking way!” She said as she turned each way to make sure it wasn’t some mirror illusion but there was no denying it, her boobs were bigger.

She eyed the book out of the corner of her eye, maybe it wasn’t a joke after all, she thought. She looked at her reflection and couldn’t help wonder what she would look like with the long nails, the silky hair, the smooth skin and everything else it purported to be able to give her. She had to know.

An hour and several exercises later, Charlie was looking at a practically different woman in the mirror. Her body wouldn’t have looked out of place on a runaway, there wasn’t an ounce of imperfection anywhere now. She could bend and flex in ways that would make the Hailey the head cheerleader jealous.

A smile started to cross her lips as the idea of making a bitch like Hailey green with envy suddenly made her horny. He mind went to wicked places as she thought about doing more than making her jealous.

She imagined strutting in to school the next day, in a tight shirt outfit, all eyes on her but she would be focused on only one set of eyes. Chad, Hailey’s boyfriend, was a big block headed idiot but did anything Hailey asked. If she could seduce him, she’d have the school in the palm of her hand.

“When I seduce him.” She corrected herself with a smirk, after all no one would be able to resist her looking the way she did now. She’d take Hailey’s friends, her cheerleading position, her power. It would be so easy and fun.

She started to move her fingers down her body towards her increasingly wet pussy when she stopped herself. Something didn’t feel right, why was she thinking such cruel and nasty things?

As if to answer her, a sudden gust of wind started to flicker the pages of the book back to the opening, where ‘Queen of Mean’ was emblazoned in large letters. Charlie drank in the word ‘Queen’ again and again. It seemed to almost put her in a trance as she put her hand into her panties.

As soon as her hand made contact with her soaking wet pussy a sinister grin came across her face.

“Ohhhh fuck yes!!! More, more! I want to be a fucking bitch called Charlotte not some loser nobody called Charlie. Make me a toxic slut, make me a wicked whore, make me the Queen of Mean!” She moaned loudly as she pumped her pussy again and again, her nerdy persona getting weaker each time she did.

The book began to glow bright pink as she continued and Charlotte had an innate knowledge of what it was doing.

“Yesss take my pathetic soul, make me evil and bitchy, I’ll be hot, corrupt and unstoppable!” She moaned thrusting her chest out as if it was being pulled up. She watched in malicious joy as her soul was ripped from her body and sucked into the book. She felt free of morals and doubts as she began to cum harder and longer than ever before.

As the book slammed shut, a surge of dark energy enveloped her newfound form. Her eyes glowed for a moment a deep crimson before settling back into a cold icy blue. A wicked smile curled on her lips as the transformation completed. She reveled in the intoxicating power coursing through her veins, ready to unleash chaos upon the unsuspecting world.

“Bye bye Charlie you fucking dork nobody. No one will miss you and even remember you when I walk into school tomorrow. It’s going to feel so hawt and nasty taking everything Hailey has, in fact why wait until tomorrow.” She said to herself as she picked up her phone and snapped a sexy selfie of herself.

With an evil grin she started to text Chad: “Hey! I got your number from the school secretary. I’m, like, the new girl in school and she said you would be able to show me around and stuff? It would be totes amazing if we could do something tonight? I’m so alone xxx.” She wrote sending it along with her picture.

She smirked to herself as he quickly replied and made plans to meet up asap. Within the hour she was sucking his dick in the back of his sports car and cementing her hold on him. As soon as she had swallowed his load she dropped her cutesy bimbo act and became more demanding of him. He of course would do anything she asked now.

Now ten days later and Charlotte was the most feared and popular girl in school. Everyone knew her name now and there was no way she would ever fade into the background with her commanding presence and bitchy hot body.

She didn’t know if she needed to continue doing her stretches and exercises to maintain her evil sexiness but she did them all the same, enjoying the wave of pleasure each would give her. The book seemed to glow happily each time she did as well but she could sense it was growing hungry for more. It had opened one day on a page marked “Beta Bitches”, giving Charlotte the guidance and knowledge with what to do next.

“Hello girls, welcome to tryouts to be my new friends.” She announced to a group of nerdy girls who had all been lured to Charlotte’s house under the pre-tense that Charlotte would stop bullying them if they did. And for some of them that would soon be true. “You are all pathetic losers right now, adrift, invisible. But after today some of you will be getting a new wonderful purpose; worshipping me. Now do as I do and try and keep up.” Charlotte said to a sea of bewildered faces as she began doing her stretches and one by one they each followed suit.

Charlotte’s book began to glow…

[ox24g]

This was mostly a bit of an excercise in colouring, so I'm not likey to ever be totally happy with it, but it is a nice illustration of what a mess my scanner is. The version on the left was taken on my scanner. The one on the right with my phone camera. Next time you see me complaining about my scanner, please remember the image on the left. I can only imagine that a scanner that accurately reproduces images does not exist.

The trouble with the phone camera is that it will pick up reflections and seems to have some sort of automatic colour balancing, and I don't want my colours automatically "balanced" after just spending hours trying to make it look right using my eyes.

Other than all that carry on, I just cannot draw spiders. By all accounts I should be able to draw spiders. But no. Without a reference, I find it impossible. The only things I'm worse at would be trees and birds. Even with a reference I'm absolute dogshit at drawing birds.

[the-banks-of-lethe]

Circadian Rhythm: The Basics

As voted on on Wednesday, I'll be covering the basics of the circadian rhythm! When I say basics, I mean the basics, this isn't a deep dive by any means and really just scratches the surface of it. Feel free to add anything on or go and research more yourself if you find it interesting. I might do a deep dive once I get more knowledgable on the subject, but for now, this is it!

[My writing will be in blue for ease of recognising what is my writing and what is quoted. Quoted things will have their links attached.]

Dictionary definition: Circadian rhythm (sir-KAY-dee-un RIH-thum). The natural cycle of physical, mental, and behavior changes that the body goes through in a 24-hour cycle.

"Circadian rhythms are the physical, mental, and behavioral changes an organism experiences over a 24-hour cycle. Light and dark have the biggest influence on circadian rhythms, but food intake, stress, physical activity, social environment, and temperature also affect them. Most living things have circadian rhythms, including animals, plants, and microorganisms. In humans, nearly every tissue and organ has its own circadian rhythm, and collectively they are tuned to the daily cycle of day and night.

Circadian rhythms influence important functions in the human body, such as:

Sleep patterns

Hormone release

Appetite and digestion

Temperature" National Institue of General Medical Sciences

Basically, your circadian rhythm is your biological time clock*. Telling your body when to do stuff based on your environmental factors and habits; also called a Zeitgeber (German, literally translating to 'time giver', also translated to 'synchronizer'). A Zeitgeber is anything that resets the bio-time-clock. Most commonly its the sun, but it can really be anything that is consistently reoccuring enough in your scheduele for your body to recognize it as a signal of 24hrs passing. This could be food, excercise, social interactions, etc. Humans are creatures of habit, and our brain reflects that.

*Technically, it's not. I know, sorry. But it is at the same time. The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is your bio-time-clock; but the SCN is what triggers your circadian rhythm, not just for sleep but for all the other things affected by it; like body temperature, which rises during the day to keep you awake, and drops at night.

My personal favourite experiment / study on the circadian rhythm is the Richardson & Kleitman Mammoth Cave Experiment, 1938.

^^ short video from 1938, subtitles are available.

"Normal sleep--wakefulness cycles operate on a seven day, 24 hour cycle; Kleitman wanted to adjust himself and graduate student Richardson to a six day, 28 hour week."

"Kleitman and Richardson spent 32 days in the cave with a strict schedule of sleeping for 9 hours, working for 10, and 9 hours of leisure time. The absence of light and noise and a constant temperature made for a great experimental environment."

"The goal of their experiment was to determine if humans had an ingrained 24 hour cycle or if we can adjust our circadian rhythm. Measuring changes in body temperature shows a range of 1–2°F change with the highest value in the afternoon and the lowest in the early morning. This curve is not seen in infants, but develops as children adapt to rest-wakefulness cycle of 24 hours."

"It is known that the body temperature curve can be shifted any number of hours, as when a person moves from the United States to China, or it can be completely inverted as when a person regularly stays up at night and sleeps in the day-time [sic]. In either case, however, the duration of the cycle remains unchanged, namely, 24 hours. It is our purpose to find how easy or how difficult it is for a grown up individual to change his body temperature curve from a 24-hour to a 21-hour or 28-hour cycle."

^^ above four (4) paragraphs and video from here

After the experiment concluded, Kleitman wrote and published a study based on their findings called 'Sleep and Wakefulness'.

^^ you can borrow the book for free online, you kind find lots of books / videos / texts / media on here, you just need to sign up <33 (The Internet Archive)

"Nathaniel Kleitman, who died on August 13, 1999 at the age of 104, can be properly described as “the father of modern sleep research”. His claim on this title stems from both his scholarly integration of the work in the field and his own research. His 1939 compendium of prior work on sleep and wakefulness, revised in 1963 (18), includes thoughts on sleep ranging from Aristotle and other ancient thinkers to 20th century pioneers such as Pieron, Hess, Nauta and Kleitman’s contemporaries. The explosive recent growth of the field guarantees that this will be the last such comprehensive, research oriented integration of the literature in sleep research. In the introduction to the 1939 edition, Kleitman apologizes that his reading abilities are “limited to French, German, Italian and Russian” (and English). However, despite this “handicap” he critically integrates 4337 references covering sleep, circadian rhythms, sleep disorders, hibernation and theories of sleep function." - A Tribute to Nathaniel Kleitman

Okay, so not as short as I originally expected, but I could've written more, so yall are lucky I decided to cut it off there. If you have any questions or noticed that I got something wrong, or would ilike to add anything - please feel free!!

I have gotten a lot of what I know of sleep from an amazing amazing book called 'Why We Sleep' - by Matthew Walker. I'm only part way through it but I love it so much, and can definitely see myself buying a copy in the future. Here's a link to his website: https://www.sleepdiplomat.com/ [I only just found his website and omg I didn't know he had a podcast, I know what I'm going to be listening toooo]

Anyway, I hope this has been informative and is a good starter to get you into the science of sleep! I love Hypnos and his realm.. and I hope I can spread further information on him and his domains to others!

Χαίρε Hypnos, and sweet dreams!

[gabrielsbubblegumbitch]

Do you have any opinions on Husk?

He is such a weird character to me, cuz at the same time i find the little we know about him pretty intriguing and that would be fun to explore i also feel he is such a nothing character, he is more of a accessory either to suport Angel Dust or show more of Alastor. Nifty is at least comedic relief, but i feel you could easily re-write Husk's parts to be Vaggie or someonelse and the only thing you would really loose is shipping fodder

+ love Keith David but really dont feel him in the character, the emotion in his voice and what the animation/script are going for just don't mix for me, he was def cast just for the singing

Okay, so for me, Husk embodies the perfect supporting character, and that's what's so great about him. Watching him, I don't get the vibe that he's underdeveloped. He's genuinely a good soul but so shattered that he consciously chooses to stay in the background. We barely know anything about him because he actively dodges any chance to showcase himself as his own person (eg. he hasn't participate in a single "group excercise" even though he obvoiusly cares about what others have to say. ); instead, he opts to be a mirror for other characters to reflect on. We know his backstory not becasue he wanted to share it but becasue Angel needed to hear it and that was the most important. I don't think he sees himself as worth getting to know, let alone being saved; I'm not sure what makes him like that, whether it's shame for his past as an Overlors or inability to fully experience his subjectivity while he's still stuck in the objectifying relationship or something else. He genuinely feels dead inside but still tries to be of use to those who are still alive, like a ghost almost. Imo this is incredibly real and human.

Also, I kinda agree Husk's character design doesn't quite align with his personality and Keith's voice. Maybe it's because, in cartoons, designs are usually so deliberate and mirror the character's essence. I feel Husk might have been more fitting if he were a bit bulkier? Either more robust or muscular, doesn't really matter. Just his lean, twink-ish figure doesn't seem to match his stoic nature to me. But hey, maybe that was the whole point after all.

[adviceformefromme]

Hi girl. I kind of have a problem. I get jealous easily. And I get jealous of people that are amazing to me and that I love. They just have something that makes me jealous, I can always identify what aspect I'm jealous of but I'm jealous of such stupid things that I don't even recognize myself. Because of that jealousy towards the people that I love, I litetally feel horrible. When I feel like that towards a great friend (or loved person) in my life I feel so guilty. I'm not sure where it's coming from and why I feel like that but I can't control it and I NEED ADVICE so bad ngl. I just want to stop constantly and constantly comparing myself and getting FOMO and being absolutely thirsty for any type of... validation? I personally don't think I crave validation but I don't really know do I? I know you're gonna help me girl. Thank you💓🤍😭

Hey sweetie, perfect timing for this as I woke up to a message from one of my girlfriends who's just got engaged. Some years ago, this most likely would have triggered some jealousy because marriage and family has always been my dream. And even though I am yet to meet my husband, seeing the pictures and reading the message this morning I felt so happy and overjoyed for my friend, for her future, for her happiness.

So how do you quit being a Jealous Jemima?

When you have no direction and purpose you will look to others. You are not focused on yourself so it's easy to observe how far others are moving along, how much better others are doing. And that's because you are not focusing on yourself. When you're walking in purpose. When you are obedient to what is in your heart. As simple as your inner voice guiding you to the gym but you ignore it and scroll for the morning. This is how you stay stuck watching others living their best life. So stepping into purpose is going to get the focus on you, and away from others.

Personally, for me keeping my faith with God. Trusting in God's timing has allowed me to TRUST. To know I am on my own path, and not watching anyone else because I already seen the beauty God has created in my life, and I believe in my heart my dreams of marriage and family are awaiting for me. So by trusting I need not worry about anyone else. I can be happy for others who have the things I desire, in fact seeing them makes me inspired, because I know God is just showing me what's available. So by deepening your trust in God, in the unseen you can relax knowing the people around you are just a reflection of what is available, not to make you jealous but to see what is possible for them, is possible for me too! Learn from them, see what they are doing to get to where they are, the things they have. Remove the lens of jealousy and turn it into trust and faith and curiosity and you will have already shifted your energy.

My final suggestion would be delete social media. Wild I know. But I am almost 12 months no instagram, and I cannot rave about this enough. It is not normal to be consuming so much content, to know everyone's business, who got married from school, who is wearing what, who got spoiled by their man. Literally get out of the circus, social media will re-affirm any feelings of jealousy and amplify them. It's harmful and toxic to your energy. Remove yourself and watch how peaceful life becomes. And you might be wondering what to do next.

You start focusing on you. On becoming your best self. You use your energy to expand with love. You deepen your connection with God, you pray for healing. You transform your life. You let your trust in God and walking in purpose be your foundations for freeing yourself from the low vibration of jealousy. You learn to meditate. You read books (I recently published my healing book here), you do excercise consistently, you improve your diet, your skincare, you give back and support your community, you ensure you are looking and feeling your best, you get therapy if needed, you travel and explore the world, you meet new people and have new conversations. You grow. What you do not do is stay stuck, stay still. Stay complaining, stay jealous, stay carrying bad energy.

[fipindustries]

i generally dont have much of a chance to shape and decorate my life according to my aesthetic. there a re people who have the time, the money or the will to really make sure that the things that surround them and the clothes they wear and the habitat they live in reflect who they are, are harmonious and in accordance to their tastes. i dont have that luxury. all the clothes i own are second hand so i have to make sure i convey who i am with the fashion choices of others. the furniture i own is also second hand. i was never able to pain my house any particular color of my choosing or to tend to my garden with the flowers that i wanted or to pick the designs in my mugs or my lamps or anything like that.

but there is one big exception to this and this is my current bicycle.

now, i want to make it clear, im not a hippie or a degrowther or a RETVRN kind of person, quite the opposite. but there is a part of me that does romanticize a bit the concept of old timey simple sensible solutions that are more practical than modern developments with their overreliance on interconected systems and their higher need for resources and their complicated systems. and my bicycle is like the perfect example of that.

it is an actual antiquity that i found, restored, on an ancient bicycle store from the mid 20th century that was around the corner of my old apartment. i mainly bought it because it was cheaper than the newer models they had in display, so that is one point in its favor from the get go.

the second point it scores is that its functional. its a bicycle. you sit on it, you pedal and it takes you where you want to go faster than walking. it doesnt have gears or a super ergonomic seat design or a carbon fiber frame or any other bells and whistles, is just a simple machine that you propel with your legs and it goes. i dont need anything but that. it goes fast enough that i can be anywhere in my small city in 30 minutes or less.

the third big point is that despite being old it is perfectly compatible with modern parts. if the wheels break i can replace them with modern wheels, same with the seat, same with the breaks, same with the chain. there are no backwards compatibility issues, its just good simple engineering.

and fourthly, it looks beautiful, it has like a little metal plaque where it has its brand engraved, it has a little old timey lantern on the front, the handles looks elegant and chrome. it has all the aesthetic sensibilities that made mechanisms made in the mid 20th century so pretty to look at, as opposed to modern tech where everything looks like a black box with led lights or a white blob.

it also has all the other advantages that all bicycles have like not contaminating and helping me do excercise.

so yeah, my bicycle is the one object in my life that truly reflects all my values and my identity, in terms of ethics, aesthetics and function. and its something i bought my self with my own money, not something that i inherited or was passed down to me. there is something really special in that

[reclist]

i know a mirror that blurs when you look at it. i would shove it in your face but i don't have the guts

it reflects me well. you're not looking at it. i wave it in your face and nothing comes out of your mouth. i promise i won't push you. instead i'll take it in because i devour everything you say in a place inside me reserved for no one but those who don't know you

every word is so far away from who i am 

i'm not hurt because i knew from the very beginning this is what i signed up for. i don't wish to be her. the one you can destress with is more than enough to me. squish me and tear me apart and i will say thank you like you're handing me the drink we never got to share

my head is filled and you're occupying every last inch. i'm not asking you to stay away, you can drip on me for a little longer until i'm so full of water i'm drowning and my interrupted breath has never felt more like oxygen

talk about her before you talk about us. i get why you didn't give me the truth that time. i get why you needed peace and quiet and time but i gave up peace and quiet and time and rather than statements i gave myself insecurities and fears and overthinking

do you think i deserved better? the second i walked past the door i bet you were thinking of ways to let me down gently, softly, masking cowardice with politeness and i had nothing but memories i locked in inside me and words i put down so i wouldn't forget what you regretted badly enough. you needed to clarify. tell me this was as far as it was gonna go because i'd get hurt otherwise

hurt hit me before you formed the words because i knew this was what the dead end looked like. i clashed against it once, twice, then ten times when you typed that what happened shouldn't've

the list of topics was big enough and you chose something that wasn't even on the setlist

i wish it'd been about me but i guess i don't know how i would've reacted. so i'm only okay with it because i was better off like this. i don't know how i would've faced you or myself or the world had i heard the words out of your mouth as i stared you down. good thing scars were already bleeding and i was numb enough to hear you out without my voice shaking. i'm proud of how i answered so detached and done when i was anything but detached and done

i'm not done now either. i don't know if i should be thankful or ashamed at the way words spill out of me when i think about you. and all i do is think about you

i'm sorry it doesn't mean the same to you as it does for me. i wish you felt anything but regret when all i regret is showing you me. i was just buzzed enough to bare myself and i thought you could want this enough to want me again

i chase a high i can barely reciprocate. and i'll chase for hours for a reaction that never comes. my reflex is to shout behind closed doors and you stand on the other side as if my voice wasn't loud enough

i've said this so many times in the hopes i'll make it true but i'm empty and hollow and you can color me in however you want. thank you, i'm sorry, don't stop. i'm a fill-in-the-blanks excercise and all your choices are correct

[silvershadow1711]

I have to force myself to practice digital art, and the best way to do that is by drawing OCs. So this is one I made while reading far too many All Might/reader fics. She's more a thought excercise about mutated physiology than anything. More info under the cut.

Meet Nagisa Williams, aka Ultrasound. Her quirk is "Frequency", which allows her to emit both infra and ultrasonic frequencies from the "vents" on her cheeks (actually modified vocal chords) that can be used to speed up healing/ reduce pain, or inflict dissorientation, nausea/vomiting/diarrhea, concussions or even death (though the physical strain of using her quirk with that level of intensity can result in injury or death for her as well). She stays away from the that side of her quirk and is instead a licsensed medical hero.

Her respitory system is highly mutated, most likely due to the high concentration of avian-type heteromorphs on her father's side of the family. On top of the additional tracheas, vocal chords and vocal pouch that are visible as external organs, she possesses several air sacs in addition to her lungs, allowing for flow-through breathing (she lacks a diaphragm as a result) and both humeri bones are pnuematic, connected to her lungs.

This design was her about 20 years before MHA would start proper, when she was 30 and just moved to Japan after getting her licsense in the name of getting field experience without needing to join the military (you can't tell me the advent of quirks didn't make the US more militaristic).

The eyebleeding orange isn't something she chose for herself. The rescue agency she worked for mandated that its heroes need to be visible when out in the field, and given that most people didn't want to wear garish colors, it was agency policy that all support items/gear would be the company orange (the logo are also reflective). That's also why she wears her hair up- it's such a light/bright shade that it acts as a visibilty flare for both her team mates and any civilians.

I'd love to think of more members of her old agency (I imagine they're one of the biggest rescue agencies in Japan in the modern day, but 20 years ago there were only 6 or 7 members including Nagisa). But it's hard to think of interesting quirks that would not only be well suited for search and rescue work, but would be interesting to draw. You can't introduce me to a world where mutants with distinct physical appearances are commomplace and then expect me to care about boring, normal ass-looking humans. This is the perfect excuse to draw things that would be body horror in any other setting but are damn-near mundane in this one.

(This is my first time handwriting with a tablet. That's not why it looks bad- I just have horrible handwriting)

[best-romanov-monarch]

Description & Rules

Have you ever wondered why Russia is the way it is? You can thank these beautiful, beautiful people for at least the significant chunk of it! For better or for worse. And we are here to determine which one of them is... Most significant? Interesting? Best (least bad) person? Well, what does "best" mean here is an excercise best left to the audience. In any case, we are here to celebrate their lives and achievements, because Romanovs were historically a lot of things, but never, ever, EVER boring. Which is why they are the best royal house. No I am not sorry @best-habsburg-monarch and @best-hohenzollern-ruler

Okay, I am a little sorry, because they were the ones who gave me the idea. Love you, guys!

Rules:

One poll every Thursday, with regular bonus polls every Friday.

Since historically there have been 18 rulers from the house of Romanov and all of them are unique little snowflakes, none of whom I'd forgive myself for throwing out, I decided for a bit less traditional approach to this poll. Namely, there is going to be a big initial Elimination Round, during which 9 pairs of contestants will compete against each other. Of the 9 winners, the one who has won with by the most narrow margin is also eliminated. Regular Round will thus have 8 contestants and will be followed by Semifinals and Finals.

The contestants are more or less who you'd expect, with some caveats. Namely, I took the liberty to replace Ivan V. with Anna Leopoldovna and Peter II. with Sofia Alexeievna. Because unlike a certain dynasty, we do not involve children in our drama.

I am using English language transliterations of the Russian names. With patronymics.

Propaganda and antipropaganda are encouraged, within reason. You can refer to current events, but please don't make it into a political soapbox! This is ultimately meant to be a tongue-in-cheek historical game, same as the Habsburg and Hohenzollern polls. Also don't be dicks in general, like no racism, sexism, attrocity denial or any other nastiness. That hopefully goes without saying. Also: propaganda does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the admin! I will post any and all propaganda and antipropaganda that fits the basic standards of this poll. If you have any objections to the opinions expressed, argue with the original poster - unless, again, poster is just factually wrong or has said something horrible that I didn't notice.

UPDATE: The roleplay nonsense was transferred onto @best-romanov-monarch-official If you liked that aspect of this blog (which I doubt, or else I wouldn't have scrubbed this blog clean of it), check that account.

TAGS: #main bracket - polls and recaps of the main bracket #main bracket recap - recaps of the rounds of the main bracket #bonus polls - well, bonus polls #memes - well, memes #about us - what others say about this bracket (with our response or otherwise) #housekeeping - other posts, mainly about how this poll works, updates etc.

(PICTURE SOURCES

Thumbnail: https://www.rbth.com/history/326376-russian-blood-romanov-dynasty

Profile pic: https://heraldicjewelry.com/pages/romanov-family-crest)

[ahsokazworld]

Since episode 5 apparently people DO now understand why Ashoka is the way she is. Even though it was undeniably clear to anyone with a mind that it's INSANE (and problematic) grown ass people expect a 40 something woman to still be like she was as a teenager. All that has nothing today with 'bad writing' or 'bad acting' that was an expectation an awful lot of people had even before watching Ahsoka and IT IS problematic.

Now apparently there is issue with Hera being force sensitive even though there was no problem accepting the explanation that Han Solos amazing piloting skills probably meant he was unconsciously tapping into the force. Hera IS canonically an amazing pilot. Is it easy for her to consciously tapp into the force? Probably not. Would she want to make the enormous effort it would take for her to do that? Hell no! Hera is not interested in becoming a jedi or using the force.

These same people didn't have a problem accepting Baylans obvious stiffness, stoicness and calm. Actually they admired and applauded him for it but punished and judged the hell out of Ahsoka, I'm sensing a pattern here 🤔🤔.

That is also why it really bothers me when people say Ahsokas eyes weren't Sith they were a reflection. Following with an explanation that she was reflecting HIS emotions and that she had to move passed that or whatever. Or maybe not even an explanation but that is not my point, this wasn't about reflecting anything.

This lesson was NOT ABOUT ANAKIN. This was about Ahsoka and her emotions within her. Her OWN PULL to the dark side, her attachements (which includes her attachement to her padawan because she clearly cares about Sabine a lot), her traumas that is partly Anakin but isnt just about Anakin. Ahsokas was pulled to the dark side because that is within HER that was the whole point of the excercise and lesson. To accept who she is fully and that she is not responsible for Anakins fall to the dark.

Anakin knew that. This lesson was for Ahsoka and Ahsoka alone.

Part of the reason I think this wasn't in Ahsokas mind because that IS about Anakin and his development. He is there for Ahsoka, this isn't about him or his ego.

[cassandraxiv]

Tika just evolved, and she isn't happy.

These are two characters from my PMD fanfiction: Tika the Meditite (now Medicham) and Circe the Misdreavus (now Mismagius) from Team Wayward. I don't have all the details worked out, but this would be after a climactic battle with an Alakazam who acts as an overarching villain for their story and Tika's nemesis specifically. He is also responsible for the Haxorus and Titan Glacier incidents mentioned on these pages.

I used to think Medicham was ugly, but I've since warmed up to it. This comic is sort of a reflection of that. Tika also is not the kind of character to worry about her appearance that much, so calling herself ugly and hideous as she does here is very much part of her self-loathing over other things.

When I actually end up writing this story, this is going to be the culmination of a friends-to-lovers slow burn between these two.

This was a fun excercise. I had a great time figuring out how to draw the splashing water especially. Also how to make a creature with fish lips and a creature with a jack-o-lantern mouth emote.