#rubber duck method is for everyone

[xiabablog]

I think they meant it by a secret to themselves, that the rubber duck method helped them. Some people don’t like to attempt some study methods helped them 😅

I don’t think the ‘Rubber Duck’ method is only for Computer Science people trying to learn new concepts. I even first heard of the method during my Dutch speaking lessons 🙌🏾

Programmers who know the rubber duck method...

[unpretty]

hi sorry can i make a pitch. you made a post like two weeks ago about Jarro and i cant find it to reblog so i have to ask this like a lameo. so Jarro comes in when Bruce is a weird old man. maybe Bruce has been being put on lab duty more and more "because he's the best at it" (he knows they're all worried about him). and one day he gets stuck on something and look, listen, the rubber duck method is scientifically tested and proven. and the Starro sample is the most rubber duck-esque thing around. and the name is RIGHT there. so Bruce starts talking to it. and then one day someone walks in, and they're freaked out, and Bruce was never going to do anything BUT commit to the motherfucking bit. everyone is concerned. is bruce doing a bit. is he going senile. does he know something they dont about the sapience of this starro sample. the answer is number A. no one is more surprised than Bruce when Jarro starts talking. and he can't even commiserate with anyone about how fucking weird this is because he has to pretend he knew all along to preserve his mystique. he's buried in a grave he dug himself (the bruce wayne story). he can never tell his sweet son Jarro that he named him as a joke. he will take this to his grave with all his other secrets. thank you for your time i love your writing

you sent this like a month ago and i meant to respond but didn't get around to it because to be honest i have nothing to add here

[walkingstackofbooks]

My sister has created a tradition that everyone who visits her house has to decorate a rubber duck, in whatever way they wish. Her collection includes a pirate duck, a spotty duck, a "James Pond" - and now my addition, Jadzia Ducks!

(I forgot to take a picture of her from the back but I was way too proud of her glue-gun hair XD A method I did nick from my sister!)

[solidaritygaming-fanblog]

(using u as my own personal soundboard rubber duck method yada yada ya if anyone wants this u can have it)

SO villain/vigilante jimmy au

like no one suspects him. why would they? it's jimmy. sweet jimmy, harmless jimmy, can barely keep himself alive jimmy. jimmy the normal guy, the civilian in this au (which I have now decided is a modern day superhero au ig)

Jimmy? a (kind of) villain? dude cries over babies and kittens and despite being afraid if spiders always asks that they get taken outside rather than killed. the man is so oblivious. he isn't even. aware that basically all of his friends are involved in the superhero life (hero, antihero, vigilante, villain or otherwise) obviously he must be protected. everyone on all sides agrees that Jim's little shop (birdie bakes? codfathers chippy? big man flowers idk dude I'm bad at names u choose) is a neutral zone. everyone has to play nice. can't break poor timmys heart after all

but canary? the harbinger if chaos? oh he's bad. the domino that sets everything in motion leaving destruction in his wake. it's not so bad, most of the time. sure there's a lot of injuries and trauma but rarely any death. except when there is. except when ur reminded that canary isn't just a prankster who likes causing property damage but someone who has a body count. someone who is truly terrifying when he wants to be. someone who's casual, friendly disarming demeanor should not EVER be mistaken for harmless.

his identity is anyone's guess really, no other villain has seen what he looks like or gotten even a hint if a name. most are too afraid to ask and the ones that aren't (or so they insist) haven't asked either. not because they're afraid of having the canary on their bad side of course they just not interested. totally that and nothing else

(they're terrified. after all, he's an unknown that everyone knows isn't all that stable. a ticking time bomb. a canary in the coalmine, that has everyone afraid they'll miss his silence until death catches up with them. no one knows anything, and it is only human nature to be afraid of the unknown)

somehow, canary is able to thwart almost any plan aimed at him. this makes him all the more terrifying. after all, the man seems to know their every move. is he a traitor? does he have access to their plans their bases, their identies? even the villains are unnerved. after all, they haven't exactly escaped unscathed either. sometimes, canary is gunning for them explicitly and many a villain has lost a base or two to the man

(the small listening devices planted in bags, within gifted potted plants, wherever, are too small to be discovered unless one is looking very, very carefully. but why would they? it's just a gift from jimmy. lovely, sweet, harmless jimmy).

and the heroes about to plan a big bust of canary's base? well they've come down with a little bit of food poisoning or smth. nothing too harsh, just enough for them to be taken out of the field. just enough time for canary to catch wind and pack up and move before anyone can prevent it. big villainous plan going up in literal flames that not only steals Ur thunder but leaves u on bed rest bc of the burns? at least jimmy gives out free stuff and a hug when ur down

(and Jimmy loves his friends, cares for them a lot. but he is a survivor and will do anything to make sure he never has to feel powerless, to feel like he is less than anyone or anything. he loves his friends but he knows they see him as less, as an outsider, as weak. as a thing that needs to be protected, rather than protected against. so the addicting rush of adrenaline from pulling of a heist, destroying a whole street, from leaving a trail of blood in his wake whenever he's feeling particularly villainous is made so much sweeter when it's done right under their noses

it's a wonderful feeling, testing the limits of your power when no one, not even you, knows where they lie - especially when they're terrified to find out how far you're willing to go)

rubber duck method! I can't wait to see this

Yes. 100 hundred percent yes.

Its just Jimmy! He would never hurt them :)

[jubileemon]

Lucifer's Pride

Fittingly for someone who is the Deadly Sin of Pride, Lucifer's main issues in his relationship with Charlie stem from being too proud to admit how much he loves her directly until the events of the episode "Dad Beat Dad".

Another trait of pride he has also involves his relationship with Charlie, refusing to accept Charlie needs anyone's help but his. But Lucifer's help basically amounts to "I will give you anything you want because I'm the strongest being in hell" which misses the point Charlie is making while Alastor offers more indirect methods to accomplishing Charlie's goals that are more likely to succeed than just forcing everyone to do what you want. Funny enough, Alastor playing up being a fatherly substitute to Charlie hurts Lucifer's pride of being her father.

From the start, it's clear that Lucifer never went out of his way to physically visit Charlie. One reason is, as he stated, depression. But it's also characteristically very prideful of him to not show up until Charlie is the one to take action and explicitly invite him to the hotel.

The resolution of their strained relationship makes sense as well; by opening up to Charlie about his failures and insecurities, Lucifer displays humility, the opposite of Pride, and the only true antidote to shame. What is more, this opening up allows him to see Charlie for who she truly is, and fall into the more virtuous side of his Sin by taking due Pride in his daughter and how she is following in his footsteps.

Even his introduction also shows his pride in action. He makes a rubber duck that can backflip and breathe fire... which he then throws aside like trash in a few seconds. Anyone else will be impressed by such a feat of engineering and creativity, but Lucifer's pride set such a high standard that not even this can remotely impress him.

Lucifer is also shown to be rather depressed and the reasons are fairly numerous: he was kicked out of Heaven for defying the rules, in hell he's only able to see humanity at it's worst because of his own mistakes, he lost his wife and got stranded from her own daughter; he probably believes he hit rock bottom at that time. The audience can see how miserable he really is, yet as the phone call goes, Lucifer goes all on it's way to pretend he's totally fine, that he's been doing important thing that kept him busy and puts a jovial mask all the way through. Lucifer's pride is so high it forbids him to even openly admit to his daughter he has been rather miserable and needs a lot more help and confort that he lets on, acting high and mighty during his song with Alastor and putting smiles and exhuberance to cover up the fact he's trying so hard to not fall into despair.

It's only at the end when he decides to be humble when Charlie can finally see that beneath the apparent aloofness, her father was actually in emotional pain and yet he still loved her despite everything when Lucifer finally gets a chance to get the appreciation he desperately needed. Sometimes depressed people are often prone to believe they're supposed to be fine and use arrogance to not be perceived as whiny, often avoiding seeking help because they just can't accept their own feelings of sadness or anger.

[lifenconcepts]

AN ABSOLUTE TON OF BARNACLES HEADCANONS !!!

Some more barnacles headcanons (I scraped the absolute hell out of my brain scraps to figure out some new ones tbh) HOPE YOU ENJOY !! @idiedtwicebitch

His shoes have special gripping features at the bottom so he can walk or even run on ice without worrying about falling (also doesn’t slip if he’s out with his bare paws out cuz his claws and fur help keep a steady grip).

Has broken a vase before and became incredibly guilty afterwards and so tends to be very careful around fragile objects, in his mind, he’s like a bull in a china shop.

Probably wears his boots to sleep as it brings him comfort and allows him to be up in the blink of an eye should a sudden alert sound.

Is quite a light sleeper and can be awoken by simply being in the same room as him.

Whenever he must make notes on some mission, he tends to mindlessly doodle his crew in the margins. Sometimes sketches the creatures he saw too.

Probably sees his bed as a sacred spot and doesn’t allow others to go on it but if someone like Peso come over in a worried state he lets them sit on his bed.

Is great at comforting others from nightmares or night terrors (as he has experience) and gives the best cuddles and advice for whoever wants to entrust him with such a vulnerable topic.

As a kid used to chew on graphite. It seems funny and like something he miiight do.

Is very intolerant to sour things and often makes a scene if his food or drink have even the tiniest amount of lemon or lime.

Is alright with spices but likely doesn’t really enjoy them.

Hides matches from Kwazii, just in case.

Sometimes likes to go up to trees after a mission/if free and just scratch his back against them, having been caught in the act a few times xD.

Can juggle and sometimes juggles rocks just to make sure he doesn’t forget the talent.

Taught the vegimals how to make paper from scratch and sometimes supplies the crew’s stash for drawing/crafts purposes.

Knows quick math but uses the grid method for any number equations over 1000.

His fur can get matted quite easily and so he spends time out of each day to carefully brush it out, avoiding any naturally occurring sticky substances such as tree sap or honey.

Keeps some medical supplies in a cookie tin under his bed so if he ever gets seriously hurt he can deal with his injuries himself. Doesn’t like to ask others for help or bother our already stressed Peso.

When he can’t sleep he sometimes looks out the window at the nocturnal sea creatures or at rare occasions goes out for a quick swim.

Likes the sound his claws make when scratching glass but doesn’t get the opportunity to do it all that much. Does always volunteer to dispose of unneeded glass for Tweak so he can have a little fun before it gets recycled.

Bianca gave him a rubber duck when he was a child and he doesn’t have the heart to throw it away or put somewhere to rot so he sometimes just takes a bath with a rubber ducky (I have no idea if they have a bathroom in their octohome but oh well. New head cannon: they have a bathroom with a toilet, bathtub, shower, sink, and a bunch of shelves for everyone’s stuff. Kwazii just has a 4 in 1 soap bottle, Dashi has a ton of different brands and variety of products, Tweak just has their personal shampoo and body wash, Shellington is insistent on having conditioner to keep his fur nice and soft, Peso just preens but at times uses just water to freshen up, and Barnacles tends to forget to restock his soap and shampoo so he tends to just borrow other people’s stuff secretly - but does make sure to always keep their preferred brands and items in fu stock.)

Has a magnifying glass he sometimes uses when on a solo mission, being inspired by a few of his favourite movie heros.

Forgets they have a fridge and often needs the vegimals to remind him to eat, yet as he’s in charge of most the supplies going in and out of the octopod, he keeps a list of everything they need and does a monthly check up to make sure everyone has their preferred meals and snacks- often forgetting his own favourites.

Has an irrational’ fear of long cables and nets after getting tangled in them when he was a young cub/on one of his solo adventures.

Has a small pocket on his jacket which he keeps a little notebook with a pen in at all times.

Sometimes insists others wear gloves when handling things but himself struggles to put them on for his paws are incredibly furry, and he refuses to cut the fur because he believes he looks more approachable and kind with big mittens for hands rather than others seeing his exposed claws and individual ‘fingers’.

Has a few signs he sometimes puts on his door to announce to others passing by if he wishes to not be disturbed or if he’s fine with being bothered.

Has a steady hand and despite being a bit uncomfortable, he isn’t afraid of needles and has had a few moments where he had to use one on himself to give himself some medication before.

He tends to squint from habit as when he was a cub the snow often reflected a lot of light and so to avoid going blind had to close his eyes almost completely.

Really enjoys the Antarctic nights which last for months.

After eating he always sneaks himself a few toothpicks to keep his teeth nice and clean.

Is probably one of the only ones who know how to use the octopod’s washing machine apart from tweak and inkling.

Doesn’t believe in much superstitions but loves to find good omens (same as Shellington (also head canon))

Makes himself a flowery perfume and wears it on inactive days so if he spends a lot of time in close proximity with the crew they won’t get scared from him, or atleast be comforted by the scent.

If/when he draws himself, he usually adds very cute and sweet eyes to his face and draws a heart or star around his head.

Is surprisingly good at making soup and has practice with cooking it for all the others, but usually lets the vegimals do most of it (when a day has been busy he sometimes finds himself wanting to make some food for others and even as the vegimals insist he should rest he sometimes makes personal meals for each of his crew friends).

Keeps fake flowers in his room so it feels like there’s some life and as he forgets to water real ones usually.

Is very serious when it comes to the almost monthly check on any medical machinery in the octopod and insists on changing anything out a few weeks before their expiration date.

Keeps a few jars of jam hidden away in his room that he and Biance make almost every year, as it helps them bond and is a tradition they had since they are little cubs. His favourite jam is probably blackcurrant, with cherry and raspberry being tied in second place.

Occasionally watches recordings of the crew on the monitor in his room, especially after a nightmare or if he’s feeling a bit down.

Had a bracelet from practically every single one of the crew and despite rarely wearing them (to not damage them) he holds them dear to him and keeps them on his bedside table. Dashi made him one out of string, Peso and Kwasii made him one out of beads, Shellington’s is from shells, and tweak gave him a rusty bolt from their first octopod. He loves each of their gifts.

Is quite sensitive to insults and often carries the weight of them long after they’ve passed.

At times helps Peso preen his feathers.

Carries around a hand fan almost everywhere he goes in case his head or paws get too warm.

His belt has an option of straightening into a stiff material and acts as a sword, part of the underside also sharpened just in case he needs to use it.

Can’t help himself around big red buttons (but who can? XD)

Offers a cup of tea or hot cocoa to anyone in his presence for longer than 2 minutes.

Has a safety pin on his jacket (iykyk)

Has a dream catcher above his bed.

Keeps a picture of each of the Octonauts in his bedside table.

worries about squishing others whenever he hugs them

Has a small statue of a white dove in his room.

Has made a plushie of himself with some of his fur inside it for Peso to help comfort him from any nightmares he may experience.

[leximicham]

Friendship as a Force Multiplier

I wrote a preface (read: rant) about this but I want the methods below to stand on their own. Feel free to read it. Or not. I'm not a cop.

The below terms are meant to be ways that you can help others or ask for help from others with increasing productivity. These are execution skills as in they allow you to execute on tasks and get shit done. Skills; not crutches, not cheats or hacks, and not anything else which you might feel ashamed of. People want to help you and you probably want to help people get more done so let's build these skills together.

Task Activation

Sitting down with someone for 5-10 minutes to help one of you focus on a task long enough to build momentum or "flow state". Go to a designated workspace together, clear and otherwise prepare said workspace, pull out/open the tool of choice for this task, talk about the goals of the current big thing, start working for 5 minutes. Task Activation complete! The helper can go back to whatever they were doing. The tasker can either continue working if the activation has put them in flow state or they can go back to the drawing board because there may be unforeseen roadblocks or this may just have been the wrong day to do work or the wrong task to work on. Cost of this Task Activation? 5-10 minutes from 2 people and hanging out with a cool person. Cost of trying again if the first activation failed? The exact same.

Rubber Ducking

An intimate (/s) roleplay experience where one person plays the role of an expert trying to suss out a path through a complicated problem and the other person roleplays an inanimate object. Maybe the first player drops the mask and steps away to search for something on the internet because they need more expertise than they're ready to act out. Maybe the second player breaks character by asking helpful questions to set the first player back on track through their musings. Or maybe the forget that rubber ducks can't play Pokemon on their Switch while someone is talking at them. This is a safe space, there are no judgements if everyone's having a good time.

Body Doubling

Very similar to Rubber Ducking but with structure and tomato shaped egg timers. And less talking. Read up on the Pomodoro Technique if you're not familiar. One person (at least) gathers one other person (at least) to sit in a room with a timer and strict expectations about how long productivity periods and break periods last. I like 25 minutes of working and 10 minutes of break. Don't let productivity spill into breaks. Don't forget to keep planning your tasks and future working cycles. Don't shame anyone for playing Pokemon on their Switch during productivity cycles - rest can be productive, too. Avoid disturbing other people during productivity periods except with time checks, cries of victory, or reminders to not beat heads against walls or keyboards. Task Activation can lead into Body Doubling. Body Doubling can be paused for Rubber Ducking. All bodies involved should be breathing.

Paired Productivity

This is just Pair Programming but with a conjugation and more generalized activity term change. Two people enter (a prepared and organized workspace), they have a task or two which they've both agreed to work on, one has the tools to perform the task, the other has a device which can search the internet, they do work, two people leave. Tomato shaped egg timers are encouraged. Rubber Ducking may occur. One person attempts to do the task while discussing the steps, actions, and open questions with the other. The other person checks work, researches particularly difficult questions, and does not touch the tool for this task. Trading roles at predetermined times is fine. I recommend that the more experienced person give the less experienced person more time working with the tool. Take breaks if either the task or other person wears you out.

Task Dump

Giving someone a pen and paper and making them write out every worry, chore, deliverable, past due library book, and passion project idea they have until they start remembering missed homework assignments from the last school they graduated from. Alternatively: be the person who has a pen and paper thrust upon them. Getting Things Done (this is a book and paid coaching program but the link gives a good synopsis) teaches that the worst place to store information and to-dos is your brain. We forget things and we worry about forgetting things. We feel pressure when tasks are a cloud of associations and worries about missed deadline repercussions or would've, could've, should'ves for how our life might have been if we'd done this important task yesterday instead of playing Pokemon on our Switch. We must always forgive our past selves, accept our present selves, and be kind to our future selves. Once a task is on that list it's a future item and past us is off the hook. Having everything listed in front of us helps us figure out and accept the current state of the world. Determining next steps gives our future self the best chance of being proud of themself for accomplishing cool and important stuff. It's hard to say what to do with the big list of tasks from your brain once you have it. This isn't a planning or project management guide and I haven't written one (yet). It's up to you what you do with the list but I guarantee that you'll be in a healthier place when you can see everything on paper instead of listening to the tasks and worries buzz angrily around your head. Here's some suggestions to get you started:

Separate the hastily scrawled list into several lists based on themes:

work

hobbies

errands

passion projects

gifts for the wonderful friend helping you with this

Stack rank things based on a combination of urgency and importance:

Capture the bug which just landed on the corner of your desk?

High urgency (it's gonna fly away!)

Low importance (unless you eat bugs?)

Figuring out where to send humanity in the cosmos when our sun inevitably expands?

Very high importance (we need to live somewhere not inside the sun)

Very low urgency (we hope...)

Figuring out what you're going to eat for your next meal?

Medium-high importance (don't forget to eat!)

Medium-high urgency (you've forgotten to eat while reading this post, haven't you?)

Do this one!

My main suggestion is just to learn to do this Task Dump regularly. This is a tool which you can use in response to "oh no, my head is full of things to do and I don't like it!" You can cross things off the old list or add them to another system but at the end of the day writing things down helps. Keep your old lists around and rewrite them but skip things which are done or that you've decided you don't need to worry about anymore. Add new things. Observing and measuring your task load like this will eventually get you taking on more manageable loads and prioritizing things (with your Task Dump buddy) and feeling really accomplished.

Kind Interrupt

This is not a planned event. If you see someone you care about is hyper fixating on something but making no progress because they're just spinning their wheels and banging their head against a wall then there's actions you can take to help. Breaks are important so you want them to step away at least for a little bit. It's important to be careful not to force someone away from something that they're stuck on, though. You also want to avoid guilting them; they probably already know if they're running late or not making a lot of progress. Try replacements and simple choices: "Would you like to go for a walk or would you rather get a snack and something to drink with me?" Don't shy away from sharing your needs, though. If you need this person to do something else for you then don't shy away from that. Focus on the help, "Can you help me get ready to go?" or "Can I get your help with this task?" Helping people is stimulating and you shouldn't underestimate how much people in your life want to help you.

This list was originally 5 skills until my "15 minute blogpost" became 3 hours and my wives had to rescue me to work on other things.

That's it for now. Read this with someone who you want to unblock or who you know is willing to help unblock you. Become force multipliers together. Keep this in your back pocket for a bad executive function day. Steal it for your own blogpost or website but please give credit to the trans and ungovernable catgirl, Lexi Micham. Have a nice day!

[thomas-farrelly-2004]

Once upon a time in a quaint seaside town, there lived a man named Thomas Farrelly, who was better known among the locals as “Shipahoy Farrelly.” He earned this nickname because he was a sailor of a steamboat but also due to his unwavering belief that he was destined to be the greatest treasure hunter the world had ever known Unfortunately, his experience with boats amounted to little more than a few slightly disastrous shipwrecks and one unforgettable episode involving a rubber duck race — which he still insists was rigged.

One sunny afternoon, Tom decided to go on an adventure so he gathered supplies, including a questionable amount of snacks, his sailor hat, a rather oversized map that was obviously drawn by a toddler But what was the adventure, you may ask? Why, it was a quest for three legendary treasures rumoured to be scattered across three mysterious islands!

With his heart beating like a drum and his iconic grin plastered on his face, he set sail in his trusty boat, the “S.S. Quacker.” All was well until about fifteen minutes in when a rather large seagull decided that his sailor hat looked like the perfect target for a mid-air snack. In a dramatic and somewhat comedic struggle, Thomas and his hat went overboard, a moment that could only be described as a sailors tragedy. But alas, he rallied, determined to claim his treasure and got back on board.

The trouble began when a massive storm approached, sending his ship lurching through the waves faster than a cat chased by a vacuum. Lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled as Shipahoy clung to the mast, shouting incoherent praises to the seagull for help, hoping they would spare him. Eventually, the storm tossed him onto a sandy beach — but it was not just any beach; he had shipwrecked on Treasure Island Number One!

When he regained his composure, Thomas realized that he had to find the first piece of treasure. Legend said it was hidden in a cave guarded by three ferocious coconuts named Carl, Fred, and Mango. As he approached the cave, he heard what could only be described as the most ridiculous argument between the coconuts about who was the best fruit.

“Bananas are overrated!” Carl insisted. “Everyone knows coconuts are the ultimate beach snack!”

“No, no,” Fred interjected. “Pineapples are way better. Summer’s basically their season.”

Mango, the quietest but sassiest one, chimed in: “You’re all wrong! I mean, have you tried mango salsa? Total game changer!”

Taking advantage of their distraction, Shipahoy tiptoed inside, swiping the star of kilamonjaroh diamond that was the first treasure. As he fled, he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself; who knew coconuts had such rich debates?

Next up was Treasure Island Number Two, known for its elusive glow-in-the-dark frisbee said to grant the wielder infinite fun during beach parties. Sailing over, he discovered the island was actually populated by a group of eccentric yet misguided, beach-loving tiki's who were adamant that their method of frisbee throwing was the only correct way.

“Only the chosen one can throw it with the correct wrist flick!” one tiki named Zeke exclaimed, demonstrating by throwing the frisbee into the nearest tree — which led to a ridiculous chase involving a lot of flailing flippers and the occasional alien leg malfunction.

Thomas was ultimately able to impress them with his ridiculous interpretation of a "wrist flick" that ended in a spectacular, albeit accidental, backflip. The islanders, convinced he was the “chosen one” (he was still unsure exactly what he was chosen for), presented him with the glow-in-the-dark frisbee as an apology for calling him a “human sacrifice.”

Finally, with the first two treasures in hand (and a newfound friendship), he sailed off to Treasure Island Number Three, which was reputed to be home to a treasure chest guarded by a lazy crocodile named coulie, who was more interested in taking naps than protecting anything. As Thomas approached, coulie stretched and yawned, revealing a treasure that sparkled ominously next to him.

“Hey buddy, can you keep it down? I’m working on my beauty sleep,” coulie grumbled.

“Uh, sure. Can I just take that shiny thing over there?” Thomas asked sheepishly.

“Tell you what,” coulie said with a snicker. “You bring me a snack, and I’ll let you have it!”

Realizing coulie had impeccable taste, Shipahoy rummaged through his limited supplies. He offered the crocodile his last squished pack of gummy worms in exchange for the final piece of treasure. Coulie’s eyes sparkled brighter than the treasure itself as he devoured the gummy worms with delight.

With all three treasures in hand, Shipahoy Farrelly, found his ship and returned home with the glimmering star of kilamonjaroh diamond, the glow-in-the-dark frisbee, the treasure chest and the collected laughter of all the silly characters he had met along the way. Though his adventure was ridiculous and filled with more mishaps than he could count, it taught him that sometimes the best treasures are the friendships we make and the laughter we share along the way.

And so, Shipahoy Farrelly became a local legend, not for his conquest of treasure, but for the fanciful tales of his encounters with coconuts, islanders, and a lazy crocodile who just wanted a snack. His story remains a cherished comedic adventure on the shores of the quaint seaside town, where the seas were never too serious, and every wave held a story waiting to be told.

The end

[the-pale-chancellor]

i literally cant remember if i asked you about saer'llith yet so im just gonna ask/again cuz why not!! wooohoo!! obligatory answer as many/little as you want hehe 🧡🧡

🧼 Soap - Does OC have good hygiene? What is their routine or methods?

💸 Money With Wings - Would OC commit tax evasion?

🎮 Video Game - What would OC's gamertag/username be?

✍🏽 Writing Hand - Your OC is given five seconds to edit/alter/adjust something about themselves (or their story). What do they try to change?

📈 Chart Increasing - What company/nobility/etc. would sponsor OC?

🎨 Artist Palette - If OC was a color (or palette), what color would they be? Would others assign them the same color?

👔 Necktie - Does OC dress Modestly? Skimpy? Classy? etc. Do they have a dynamic, loud, quiet, etc. style?

👑 Crown - What textures are part of OC's clothes? Fluffy? Spiky? Leathery? Puffy? Feathery? What about shiny, silky, lacy, etc.?

🐬 Dolphin - Would OC be a JJBA character?

🎭 Performing Arts - If others wanted to join a cult devoted to OC, what choices would OC (or you) have in the style, theme, design?

📖 Open Book - Share a moodboard you associate/made for OC!

🛒 Shopping Cart - OC suddenly has a lot of money. What is most likely the cause of this? What do they spend it on?

🎼 Musical Score - Share an OC playlist you associate/made for OC!

🎸 Guitar - Someone hands OC a guitar and tells them to play Wonderwall. What do they do?

👂🏽 Ear - What sounds does OC enjoy? If OC likes ASMR, which types of ASMR?

💋 Kiss Mark - Is OC promiscuous? Do they have a lot of lovers, partners, and/or friends with benefits?

😏 Smirking Face - How freaky is OC? What does OC do that they believe is freaky?

🎓 Graduation Cap - OC is giving a motivational speech. What do they say? Who are they saying it to?

🥰 Smiling Face With Hearts - What do you love about OC? What events, art, work do you love to put OC in?

👩🏽‍⚖️ Woman Judge - Why don't some people like OC? What did they do?

💀 Skull - Is OC cursed? Haunted? Possessed? Fated to tragedy?

🔮 Crystal Ball - OC has witnessed a dark omen. What is the omen, superstition, or message that is witnessed?

🪓 Axe - What tragic/dark events, art, work, do you love (or love to hate) to put OC in?

Nope, I haven't answered it yet mhwhahwhah. Here we go then :>

1. Does OC have good hygiene? What is their routine or methods? -We're in Barovia, what's a hygiene lmao /j -Everyone says that Saer'llith reminds them of a cat so he probably behaves like one in terms of cleaning himself. -Loves a good bath, sinks into the water like his life depends on it. -Would put a rubber duck there. Or Escher. -Never had enough shower products in the Underdark so when in Baldur's Gate, he'd just buy the whole stock. -Would also buy shimmering bath salt, not caring about the fact that he already shimmers in the dark because of his white freckles. A drama queen at his best.

2. Would OC commit tax evasion? -We've already committed it by entering Vallaki tbh. -Would do that again. -Only to irritate Strahd (and Vasili). -"Money? No, I don't have any :D"

3. What would OC's gamertag/username be? -Would either go for something simple or the most dramatic one you can find in the whole Internet. -Others would still call him nothing but Saira (rus for Saury fish). -Would always have the "Don't bother" sign in Discord and other social media. -No one would care and would write them 24/7. -Is somehow good at playing RPGs, would easily beat Dark Souls series or Elden ring but never a simple UNO game. -His own autocorrect hates his name so you get something like Safety'line Deer. (Our master's autocorrect called him Malolitrazhka which is like..a small car that doesn't need much fuel or smth)(We stan the autocorrect)(Has someone already called a drow a small car? I doubt)

4. Your OC is given five seconds to edit/alter/adjust something about themselves (or their story). What do they try to change? -Oof, I bet someone from our campaign is going to read this and thus I won't answer straight away. It's something Strahd will propose to him hehe. -But would also probably change his decision to enter Barovia. he hates it there lmao.

5. If OC was a color (or palette), what color would they be? Would others assign them the same color? -Dusty violet, pale red, white and black are totally his colours. -/insert Lex's joke about everyone being colourful bastards and him being just plain grey/ -Others in Barovia would just think that he's a dusk elf and not a drow and would call him "Oi, black elf!"...Despire him being slightly violet and having like 6 ears.

6. Does OC dress Modestly? Skimpy? Classy? etc. Do they have a dynamic, loud, quiet, etc. style? What textures are part of OC's clothes? Fluffy? Spiky? Leathery? Puffy? Feathery? What about shiny, silky, lacy, etc.? -Eh, it's more of a quiet classy style. He prefers to wear a white puffy-sleeved shirt tucked into black leather corset. Sometimes a coat over the shoulders. -But oh boy if he sees something shiny- Probably has little chains over his boots, chained earring, silver rings on his middle fingers and other trinkets that he collects for exactly zero reason and purpose. -Has a white crescent tattoo on his chest under the clothes. No one knows probably hehe. -Dinner!Saer'llith would have an awfully dramatic shirt with red beads stitched onto it to look like blood. Escher would probably be the one to offer him this.

7. Would OC be a JJBA character? -I had to google what this is. Ah yes, Jojo. -nO? I am bad at anime lmao, I have no idea about the plot whatsoever. -But his stand would totally be Lychdrow Dyrr.

8. If others wanted to join a cult devoted to OC, what choices would OC (or you) have in the style, theme, design? -First - he would hate it. >:D -Second - little crescent piercing over the right brow would totally be a symbol. Or anything moon-related overall, even the earrings. -No, he isn't a Selune enjoyer. In this house we stan Ilmater. -NO SPIDERS.

9. Share a moodboard you associate/made for OC!

10. Share an OC playlist you associate/made for OC! [ https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqbNSCxPt0jzsz_Il_7apeWauF8AeJm8e&si=y3ep2ZyZRyKpUl3P ] [ https://vk.com/music/playlist/439090691_18 ] -The latter one may not be working if you don have a VK account so you just get the same one in youtube :(

11. Someone hands OC a guitar and tells them to play Wonderwall. What do they do? -"What's a guitar? What's a Wonder-..what?? Do you make up new words as we go or something?.." -Totally cannot play any musical instrument or sing..or dance. I doubt the Underdark had any of these, especially where he was imprisoned for like a hundred years. -Escher would make him learn the organ or a lyre. He wouldn't be able to say no. -We stan bard!Escher in this house.

12. What sounds does OC enjoy? If OC likes ASMR, which types of ASMR? -They enjoy running water, wind in the forest, crackling of a fire. Genuinely every sound that he's never heard before while in the Underdark. Everything fascinates him but he doesn't like to show much of these emotions on his face. -But not any voice ASMR, absolutely nope. Not even when someone whispers in his ears.

13. Is OC promiscuous? Do they have a lot of lovers, partners, and/or friends with benefits? -He's demiromantic asexual that leans more into aromantic spectrum. -He absolutely doesn't have any lovers or partners and it is difficult for him to form a relationship with anyone in general. -Though ever since he escaped Menzoberranzan one of his true wishes was to find his "Home". And that word alone does not mean a single place. He was looking for a person, someone he can finally be safe with. -And oh boy how painful it was for him to understand that his heart beats twice not only for some god forsaken human, but for a vampire who threatened them and the whole Vallaki at some point. -He still has hard time understanding himself honestly. -Bonus points!: [baldur's gate AU] where Escher actually died during the last battle with Strahd and the Emperor chose Escher's appearance to come into Saer'llith's dreams. The latter one hated it with all his heart but wished for nothing but to have another dream where he can see his Home.

14. What do you love about OC? What events, art, work do you love to put OC in? -I honestly created him randomly at some point of time. I just desperately wanted to play as a drow (and let me say that I've never played dnd before the CoS campaign we're having now). So 30 minutes in Wikipedia, House Agrach Dyrr and you have a Lychheir Wild Magic Sorcerer. -Love skribbling him on a piece of paper. Especially his 6 ears. No one can draw them properly lmao. Just imagine an axolotl and here you go. Why does he have 6? No one knows..apart from the Abbot apparently, do not ask. -He technically has a predcessor OC from another fandom that I never got to roleplay as so they were left as a rough idea. Their name was Xie Hentian (a scorpio who hates the skies, this is a translation of his current name atp), a MDZS character, Jin Guangshan's blind concubine (not by their choice), later a merciful demon who seeks for a Home. You get the idea. -But apart from this information you won't see Saer'llith in any other fandom other than DnD.

15. Why don't some people like OC? What did they do? -The fact that they're a drow is enough for like half of the Faerun population honestly. -That's why he hates this half of the population back. -In the Underdark the other drow were afraid of him (and hated him altogether) solely because of his lych powers as a sorcerer. -Yeah, you heard that right. His existence was enough for them to hate him. -mrdr

16 Is OC cursed? Haunted? Possessed? Fated to tragedy? -Again to the Lychdrow we go. If you google who that is, you'll probably know how powerful this guy was and that he's like...dead. The very day he died, a part of his soul merged with Saer'llith's, giving him his powers. -After that he literally has to supress this dark part of his soul, otherwise it can escape and make him its puppet. -If entering Barovia counts as a curse cuz we're playing Curse of Strahd then yes, he's cursed twice lmao

17. What tragic/dark events, art, work, do you love (or love to hate) to put OC in? -Again, that one Baldur's gate AU is the thing that makes me a mess. Especially when we consider the fact that I also befriended Astarion and killed Cazador. Like. If Saer'llith had a nickel every time he got stuck with a vampire and kill their master, he would have two nickels. That isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice. -He would also refuse to tell his companions about any of his time in Barovia. -At some point he would make a fake grave near Daggerfort and write Escher's name on it. Once a year he would come there, sit silently for all night and go back to the camp in the morning. Astarion wanted to ask a few times but never had enough strength to do it. -Also ever since his return from Barovia, he would never take his blindfold off. No, he doesn't need it at all, he's used to the sunlight already, but he wears it as a sign that he'll never open up to anyone anymore. Escher was his only Home.

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

Do the skeletons swim? If so, who likes/loves swimming and who doesn't? (If possible, all skeletons or just the main 12 is fine)

Undertale Sans - If by swimming you mean floating in a duck rubber ring and snoring for hours, then, yes, he's swimming. Sans is actually not authorized to go swimming in the sea because of his narcolepsy (and also because he fell asleep once and woke up in the middle of the ocean lol, making Papyrus almost have a soul attack), so he's fine with doing nothing in a swimming pool for hours.

Undertale Papyrus - He's a great swimmer! It's not his favorite activity, as skeletons are not very dense and need floaties to not sink in the water, but he loves to go with Undyne occasionally.

Underswap Sans - Blue loves swimming, especially in summer. He had a harsh time adapting to hot weather on the surface and discovered the joy of just staying in a pool all day long to stay cool. It's hard to convince him to leave once he goes in a swimming pool now lol.

Underswap Papyrus - Nope. He's fine with just wetting his ankles. Honey has thalassophobia. If he doesn't see his feet, he completely freaks out, which can be very dangerous with his fainting disorder. Blue had to rescue him several times after he passed out in the water, and he's a bit traumatized about that.

Underfell Sans - He's not a big fan of swimming, but he can make an effort from time to time. He doesn't feel comfortable because it's hard to see from where a danger is coming from, and since he's always alert, it's stressing him out a bit. Just another Underground habit...

Underfell Papyrus - He's not a big fan of swimming either but that's purely out of spite because Undyne beat him in a race the first time they swam on the Surface and now he thinks it's not fun.

Horrortale Sans - Without surprise, he hates water. The giant hole in his head for sure doesn't help to appreciate it. It's always a nightmare to make the water out and to dry his skull so it doesn't get moldy and he HATES it. Even Willow can't do it anymore. When Oak sees him get close with a towel, he goes feral gremlin mode and good luck catching him.

Horrortale Papyrus - Swimming is one of the rare sportive activities he can still do so of course he loves it. Water is the only place his back stops hurting, and it's a big part of his health routine too. He's still very uncomfortable with everyone looking at him, but the benefits for his back are better than what people think of him.

Horrorswap Sans - It's kind of hard with only one leg, but Nugget still likes to swim. He does it occasionally, as he's not a big fan of crowded places, but it's always fun times. He would love to have a big swimming pool at the farm so he doesn't have to deal with the humans.

Horrorswap Papyrus - One of Alphys' favorite methods of torture was to throw his head underwater and watch him drown for several minutes. Pumpkin hates water. It's triggering and being forced to swim immediately sends him into a panic attack.

Horrorfell Sans - He swam a lot in the first months on the Surface to help his magic to develop again as it was a bit dim after all the privations. Sportive activities help a lot with this. However, it didn't take long to give up as you need to do sports in a sportive activity. He prefers to nap, thank you very much. He still goes occasionally when someone proposes to him.

Horrorfell Papryus - Willow sort of drag him by force to his swimming pool to try it and he was pretty skeptical. Except in the water, his legs started moving. He was so shocked the first time he had a mental breakdown and cried for three hours. Chief is working really hard now with water therapy, still hoping to be able to walk again someday. Willow is supporting him along the way, as they're always going together, and it's going well.

Horrorswapfell Sans - Like Oak, there's a huge hole in his face, and it's even bigger than his friend lol. Bear is very fine out of the water and very far away from it. He fell once in a swimming pool and he doesn't want to experience it again.

Horrorswapfell Papyrus - He can swim, but he doesn't like to go swimming. He spends hours in the Waterfall waters forced to endure the cold and chase random objects underwater, and now every time he's in the water, he has a bit of apprehension. He prefers to avoid it if he can.

Swapfell Sans - He's fine with swimming. He was trained for that, so he can do it. It's not what he likes best, but if it pleases his S/O, he's fine with playing along for a little while.

Swapfell Papyrus - He never learned how to swim, and he's a little scared of learning. He's ok as long as his feet touch the floor, but he freaks out pretty quickly when he can't find anything to hold on. Also, he can see you're trying to force him to take a bath, and he hates taking baths! You can't fool him! He'll never be clean!

Fellswap Gold Sans - He's fine swimming in private places with just him, his brother, and his S/O. The simple thought of touching other humans or monsters while swimming is disgusting him. He hates feeling other people's skin.

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - Wine's swimming lessons were... not great. Since Coffee was too anxious to go in the water, Wine threw him in lol. Coffee is extremely reticent to go swimming, but he can be convinced by his S/O. The need to be with his S/O is stronger than the fear of water.

Outertale Sans - He never learned how to swim as there's no water in space, and he doesn't feel any need to go swimming. I mean, he can literally fly. Why the hell would he immerse himself in a place he can't fly in and that can kill him if he stays there too long? He's fine where he is.

Outertale Papyrus - He's extremely wary of water. It's new, it's scary and he doesn't like new and scary things, thanks to autism. He can be convinced though. With a PowerPoint and 10 pages of arguments. Maybe. He still doesn't like it.

Dancetale Sans - He likes swimming, and he actually would love to try synchronized swimming at some point. He likes how he feels even lighter in the water and can do pretty much anything of his body.

Dancetale Papyrus - Salsa is not comfortable with water, but he doesn't like either leaving his S/O all alone so he's willing to sacrifice himself for you. He's pretty much clinging for dear life to you the entire time though. If you let him go even for three seconds, he's freaking out.

Dancefell Sans - Hell no. He hates swimming since his brother thought it was fun to play shark in the pool and drown him by pulling him by his legs under water. He barely survived Tango's teenage years, he's never doing that again.

Dancefell Papyrus - He loves swimming! He loves even more pranking and terrorizing people swimming though. No one is safe. Not his S/O, not random little children having fun. He comes, grabs and pulls under water everyone until he gets into trouble or is banned from the swimming pool. He's a menace.

Farmtale Sans - The closest he went to swimming was that time his field got flooded and he panicked, trying to bail the water out of his crops with zero effect. He's not a big fan of swimming, he's a man from the land.

Farmtale Papyrus - He never learned how to swim but he's willing to try with someone he really trusts 100%. His brother never wanted him close to the swimming pool growing up and he feels like he missed something.

Mafiatale Sans - He knows how to do it in the swamps while spying on enemies, but that's pretty much it. It's not a really good experience and he doesn't like it that much.

Mafiatale Papyrus - Because he was raised by the canine unit, Creeper learned really early that if you see a pond, you jump in it and roll in the mud. He's not sure why it's a thing but that's what he learned and it just feels normal? What do you mean you don't jump and roll into paddles after rain???

Mafiafell Sans - Some of his dogs are trained to protect him when he's swimming, so he's fine with the activity. He doesn't know you can do it for fun though. To him, it's only a different way to work efficiently.

Mafiafell Papyrus - Ew, hell no. His body is way too precious to be contaminated with dirty water. What if he catches a human bacteria or something? When he needs to swim, he sends his brother to do it for him, he's not a barbarian.

Ink - I mean, he had to learn how to swim that day he teleported into an underwater universe and almost drowned to death. He's not a big fan of that since. But he also has the memory of a goldfish so the chances are he will teleport again in that universe and probably drown for good at some point.

Error - He hates the idea of people seeing him half-naked and the water feels like someone touching him and he immediately crashes. Swimming is a big no.

Disbelief Papyrus - He likes to swim all alone to empty his head from time to time. He likes how the water can make you deaf and feel like you're in your own bubble. He does it a lot on the Surface.

Killer Sans - Oh, he can swim. But he's going to complain the entire time because he hates getting wet. The thing is that Killer also refuses to take out his clothes. So, yeah, he's going to be wet, duh. But he doesn't do it if he has to be naked. That man has no pudor whatsoever, except when he goes swimming for some reason. It's confusing him too, man.

Dustale Sans - You splash water at him. He hisses, claws your face, and runs away on all fours, screaming at the top of his lungs. You're glad he didn't overreact or anything.

[lilymakesgames]

Assignment 3 Development Progress

My team elected to develop my game, Rubber Duckie Hero (RDH) for assessment 3. The One Sheet and One Page below should hopefully convey the essence of the game + intentions of design.

The One Sheet and One Page documents respectively; my submissions for Assignment 2.

Moreover, much of the pre-production had already been complete from assessment 2 so we were able to proceed with development very quickly. Even so, there were still three key "stages" in this intermittent preparation period.

1. Team Logistics and Management: Roles and Responsibilities.

We chose to use Discord as our primary communication method and Trello as our primary task management tool. A shared google drive folder will be used to share assets and important documents between the team.

The team Discord, Trello, and Google Drive folder.

As for roles and responsibilities, everyone was happy to work in any role across any area. For efficiency and structure, each team member was given a role and the core responsibility of managing that respective area. However, development will still be highly collaborative and team members will have involvement in other/all areas outside of their roles.

Lily (me): Artist Ann: Programmer Cody: Designer Alex: Designer

2. Design Iterations, Scope, and MVP goal

Prior to developing the actual prototype, the team reflected on the current design presented in the One Page document. We identified key features that were vital for the MVP and iterated upon the design of existing mechanics. In respect to the scope of the project, we also identified several additions to the design that would improve the gameplay experience if time permits their implementation. These were colour coded by order of priority. Moreover, all of the above assisted with identifying our goal for the MVP and enabled us to further the existing vision: an energetic and frenzied player experience.

Iterated One Page document, ensuing team reflection on design.

Examples of the iterations, brainstorming, and prioritisation of certain features.

3. First Playable Prototype and Playtest Preparations

The very first build, playable here: Rubber Ducky Hero | Play on gd.games

For the first playable build we aimed to have the following actions/systems/mechanics implemented:

Sailing (movement)

Shoot bubbles

Collect ducks for RP

Health system - losing health

Sharks

Octopi

Nets

In Hot Water mode

The above constitutes the MVP at its complete base state with a few added mechanics (such as the octopi) to increase the challenge.

Gameplay of the very first build. Apologies, was unable to hide my mouse cursor in the gif.

Our next goal is to iterate upon these existing mechanics and introduce a sea snake enemy that is not reliant on the bubbles in order to make the regular game mode more challenging. In week 11 we conducted very informal and light playtesting which revealed that the regular mode, while interesting, was not very challenging. There were potential solutions which involved freeing the sharks from their bubbles without the player's permission; however, these weren't ideal as they compromised the challenge proposed by In Hot Water mode when all the bubbles pop and the sharks are released anyway. More of this will be discussed in the following blog post.

Regarding playtest preparation, the team focused on developing a more functional build and began preparing the playtesting resources (script, questionnaire, survey, etc.). Actual results and subsequent iterations will also be discussed in the following post.

Thanks for reading!

End of post.

[pommedepersephone]

"Creatures of Hell, you have heard the evidence against the demon known as Crowley. What is your verdict?"

"Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!"

Well, that was a bit of a forgone conclusion in this kangaroo court, Aziraphale thought.

"Do you have anything to say before we take our vengeance on you?"

How generous.

Aziraphale wasn't sure what he had expected, exactly. Crowley very specifically did not discuss what went on in Hell. He still hadn't even a clue what the poor boy had been through after that stunt in Edinburgh. But after their successful swap, that had deduced the likely punishment -

"Demon Crowley, I sentence you to extinction by holy water. Have you anything to say?"

And they'd deduced quite correctly. Act suave, Aziraphale thought. Act nonchalant, cool as a cucumber...

"Well, yes. This is a new jacket, and I'd hate to ruin it. Do you mind if I take it off?" Beezelbub just rolled their eyes as Hastur muttered under his breath "Flash bastard to the end."

Aziraphale shrugged off the jacket with the most things-I-do-for-you-people way he could muster. Hastur growled with impatience and Aziraphale smirked (at least he prayed it was a smirk because he felt vaguely on the edge of hysteria now). Then it struck him. If this didn't work, this was the last time he'd see Crowley.

Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. He might as well take a quick gander before he was utterly destroyed. As a bit of a cold comfort, it was going to drive Hastur to the brink.

Aziraphale slowly removed the silver tie. I wish I'd grabbed this tie and dragged you into my arms and kissed you until your lips were bruised. He unbuttoned the waistcoat, and pulled the shirt off over his head lazily. I dreamed of undressing you slowly, sifting through your layers and rooting into the heart of you. He methodically removed the boots and slithered out of the impossibly tight pants (with a small miracle). I have longed to run my hands down your thighs, to leave my fingerprints on you. One last thing. He slowly removed the sunglasses, making a show of turning them around to fold them up before laying them on top of the neatly folded clothes. But he paused for a moment to look at the reflection of those beautiful yellow eyes one last time in the smokey lenses. I wish I had been brave enough to get lost in your eyes the way I always wanted to.

Hastur was practically foaming at the mouth now, which would have amused Aziraphale if he hadn't been so utterly distracted with all the things he wished he'd done to this corporation.

No sense dilly dallying now. Aziraphale edged closer to the tub and thought well, might as well make it quick. With a snap, he miracled himself into the tub, prepared to feel himself melt away like a snowball in Hell.

Instead, he was just... wet. The room was silent. Aziraphale tentatively dipped his fingers into the water, and FLICKED. Everyone flinched.

"I don't suppose that anywhere in the nine circles of Hell there's such a thing as a rubber duck?"

Thinking of Aziraphale taking off Crowley's clothes to get in the tub during the body swap in season one.

If someone wanted to write a drabble about it, that'd be just... Tickety-boo.

[creation-help]

How to get in the writing mood and keep at it

(Not all of these may work for everyone, find what motivates you)

- Read something, especially something you enjoy or find very interesting

- Already have an idea? Write an elevator pitch about it. Or a summary as if your writing was a fanfic. Or a synopsis, or an "Out of context" description. Or an advertisement

- Start narrating things you do. Either outloud or mentally, but I find that in general this gets you out of the daydreaming mode, into writing mode, if you just start going "and then they swiftly sat down to look for that one thing they knew had to be somewhere around here"

- Get some music and start really imagining some scene. You can try to find something fitting for what you wanna write or try different moods and vibes and see which one inspires you

- do something that casually occupies your hands or body but lets your mind run free. For me this is car rides or bike rides (with music), but any sort of little tinkering or Stim toys for example can help crafting up ideas

- Scribble, write random words, gather sentences, they don't need to be related to anything you're writing, but get some word production going and you're already closer to getting started. Just write whatever your mind brings you and let your hand run free, loosen it up ykno

- Write about something very easy. This is like the narrating your actions part, but instead of mental or verbal it's just writing. Write "Then I wrote a sentence. Then I wrote another sentence, and another sentence after that" and so on. Just start with something mundane, obvious or easy and work your way from there

- Write character or environment descriptions. It's also an easy start. Or text a friend and tell them what you're thinking of writing. Or talk to them about your ideas or lack thereof. You can also use the rubber duck method (explain what your problem is to an object, like a rubber duck, as if it was your listener. Having to teach or explain something to a third person can often help solve what you're struggling with)

- Move your ass. I don't mean that you have to exercise, I mean that when you sit in the same spot for too long your brain can start stagnating. Move from one place to another and get some blood flowing, maybe do some stretching too, that's good for you

- Self care. Tired? Out of focus? Hungry? Aching? Been working too much already? I know these can be hard to figure out but personally for me, I find that if I feel really impatient about wanting to complete something but finding the process of doing so really stressful, wanting to take shortcuts and so on, I just need a break. Look for any signs of fatigue or irritation or any potential emotional stress that you might wanna take care of first, trust me it helps, I know it feels lame bc you just wanna get productive but rest is productive I promise.

Tangent: if you just really really wanna write some specific thing, but feel like you can't just start there, Just Start There. Don't torture yourself by forcing yourself to make or do more than what you're actually interested in, when you feel like doing more, you can do more, but if there's this ONE SCENE or something you REALLY WANNA get down, do that. The rest can come later, or never. That's completely fine. Make sure you're actually enjoying this

[kysgina]

Traditionally, search engines do not offer you this information, they do not allow you to Decipher a search on these criteria.

TheHarvester

-d: We write the target site next to this parameter. -l: This parameter specifies how many results in the search engine will Decode us mail, domain and subdomain information. -b: With this parameter, we specify which search engine to use Example: Code: python./theharvester.py -d hedef-site.net -l 500 -b google

Métagoophil

Example: Code: Mégoofil.py -d apple.com -doc,pdf -l 200 -n 50 -o apple files -f results.html Métagoofil.py -h yes -o apple files -f results.html (local dir analysis)

SpiderFoot

Domaintools.com Reverse IP, NS, MX Decode search Detailed Whois information Whois History

Maltego

One of your favorite OsInt tools. Collecting information about people, groups, websites, domains and servers It works on all platforms. (Linux, Mac OS X, Windows) Quick and easy installation. Simple practical with graphical user interface.

Social Media Intelligence

The people he meets most often The hashtags he uses Shared websites Links he likes, content

Mentionmapp

Facebook instagram, twitter Linkedin, etc., as you also know. the platforms are quite useful. "People have more weaknesses than computers."

Social Engineering Errors in human equipment, exploiting the brain.

Who Uses

Hackers * States Penetration Testers * Employers Agents * Marketers Identity Thieves * Everyone =)

Methods

Computer-Based Phishing Attack Online Fraud Human-Based Impersonation Shoulder Surfing Plunge into the dump

Some social engineering methods:

Information gathering, information disclosure, mind games, ways of thinking, micro expressions, Neurolinguistic programming (NLP), interviewing and questioning, establishing fast intimacy, buffer overflow in the human mind, power of persuasion, tactics of influence, framing, manipulation:goal control, etc.

SET(social engineering toolkit)

Open source Multi-phishing and browser exploits.

Phishing Example:

Flash Disk (rubber duck)

Targeted attack

Twitter > @matt

honan.net mhonan@gmail.com I forgot my password > m****n@me.com I forgot my Apple password > 1.Billing Addresses

The last four digits of credit cards Search for an address on Google Dec K.K the last 4 digits? 1.Amazon customer service > new k.adding k 2.Name + e-mail address registered in the system + Billing address

Fake K.k is added Amazon Again Defining a new email address 1.Name + Billing address + k.k number I forgot my Amazon password > newly added email address The other k.k last 4 digits

Mat was one of the victims… =)

Ways of Protection

1.Different passwords for each service/website. 2.use the 2-step verification service. 3."Security questions?"sacmalayin. 4.Using a virtual credit card 5.Review your personal information and accounts frequently 6.Remove your information from open information databases. and there are many more methods…

When you steal money or goods, someone realizes that it has disappeared. When you steal information, most of the time no one notices it, because they still have the information. / Kevin Mitnick

[all-might-can-smash-me]

Hogwarts AU Headcanons

Aizawa Shouta/Eraserhead, Toshinori Yagi/All Might, Taishiro Toyomitsu/Fatgum, Mirai Sasaki/Sir Nighteye, Keigo Takami/Hawks

Masterlist

Slytherin 🐍

He was the odd ball though when it came to his own house since he hung out with a Hufflepuff and a Gryffindor

Would every now and then find himself in some trouble alongside his friends with the professors

Especially for being late to class, his two friends goofing off around the grounds, and trying to sneak around late at night.

Was in possession of the Maurader’s map with his friends....but Filch took it...

Also was friends with you as well, ever since the first train ride to Hogwarts, but the two of you start to date in your 6th year.

He excelled with all his subjects and O.W.L.S. and graduated almost at the top of his class

The two of you married not too long upon graduating Hogwarts.

Became an Auror and was pretty great at his job, but with the offer of a position at Hogwarts recommended to him, he decided to give it a go

The two of you move to Hogsmeade to be closer to his work.

I picture him teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts

He’s a strict teacher, but only because he needs the students to know the ways to defend themselves and be knowledgeable of the dangers in the wizarding world.

He is also runs Wizarding Duel Club, which is actually quite popular despite him being so strict with his teaching methods

Enjoys roaming around Hogsmeade with you on the weekends he and over the holidays

Frequents the Three Broomsticks and Honeydukes with you (especially honeydukes when you fall pregnant during his 2nd year of teaching)

Students were SHOOK to see their professor at Madame Puddyfoot’s Tea Shop with a heavily pregnant you on Valentine’s Day

Students since then have introduced themselves to you and enjoy talking to you....despite Shouta wanting a student free weekend in Hogsmeade.

But he can’t help but like it when students request to feel your baby bump and you happily let them....the happy look on your face makes his heart flutter

Will invite you to eat at Hogwarts with the students and professors that stay for Christmas because he feels bad for the students who don’t go back to their families

Gryffindor 🦁

Was extremely popular in his Hogwarts years

Won the triwizard tournament his 7th year

His academics though? They weren’t out of this world, but they were pretty normal, he was better when it came to his extracurricular activities such as Wizarding Duel and Quidditch

He would secretly go to geek out about the muggle world with the Muggle Studies professor every now and then

Upon graduation he was a pretty popular quidditch player for the United Kingdom, but suffered a life changing injury

Decided live in the muggle world and study their way of life for a bit after the injury, he ended up composing a text book with all the basics he scrounged up together

It’s even used for the curriculum at Hogwarts

Though Hogwarts offered him a position as well as the Muggle Studies professor

Hell to the yes he went! He become head of Gryffindor house and helped give pointers to the quidditch team

Started a weekend club where students would meet in the great hall to observe Muggle Artifacts, it wasn’t really that popular, but it didn’t matter, the few students that joined was enough for him.

Met you shortly after beginning to teach at Hogwarts

You taught herbology and would sometimes listen in during his Muggle club in the great hall and would sometimes ask questions about the object he was talking about.

After that he would invite you out to Hogsmeade to get a butter beer and talk about muggle things since you showed an interest in wanting to know

The conversations soon turned into what would go on between two friends and it flowed so nicely, so after that he would ask you to meet up a few more times before going on a date.

The fact that two of you dated was no secret as your dates were of course held at Hogsmeade and the students could very well see the two of you chatting away.

So it wasn’t a surprise when the two of you got married and you fell pregnant during one year of teaching.

He totally invited the members of his muggles club to the wedding and totally didn’t get emotional when they gifted him a rubber duck (his absolute favorite muggle artifact)

Hufflepuff 🦡

Known as the gentle giant while in school

Supper nice and was friendly with absolutely everyone, so he was highly respected and adored by his peers

His academic life was pretty normal, excelling in the subjects he needed to become an Auror, he was also the announcer for the school’s quidditch matches.

Also liked to spend his time in the library to study....also snuck snacks in as well and would share with the other students that were studying

Met you on the train ride to Hogwarts his 7th year, he was trying to enter your train car since the others were full but he only managed to bang his head upon entering

You two were joined at the hip ever since then and started dating

The two of you married after graduation

You came into the ownership of honeydukes at Hogsmeade while Taishiro spent most of his time away for his job as an Auror

Quite his job though once the two of you had your 5th child to move to Hogsmeade to be with you and to help you run the candy shop.

The students love interacting with you and Taishiro, talking about their classes and their stuggles and asking for advice as they would purchase their chocolate frogs and other confectionary

Your older children, who all happen to be girls, love to go visit you and Tiashiro ok the weekends and sometimes hang out with their friends there.

Your younger girls would give advice to the students who are purchasing candy on which one is the best and will also look longingly to them because they wanted to be at Hogwarts already.

They would also brag that they had like five of the cards that a student would get from their chocolate frogs, but Taishiro would soon put them on blast and say they didn’t

Became instant BFFs with the Weasley family thanks to being able to relate on having big families, so holidays together are chaotic but fun

Is a huge advocate for house elves rights along with his daughters and you

Ravenclaw

Was a little quiet during school, a little mysterious

People either liked him or just really didn’t know him, mostly people from his own house liked him.

Excelled in academics and was at the top of his class and was viewed as the brightest wizard in his year, but sucked when it came to quidditch.

Really, really, really, really loved quidditch though and really wished he was good at it, but you can’t help some things.

Upon graduation he took up a position at the Ministry of Magic as the head of the Department of Mysteries

Worked extremely close with the Hall of Prophecy thanks to his gift of Divination (divination was his favorite course in Hogwarts)

Met you through work after becoming head of the Department of Mysteries

Your were the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement

You two had a meeting for damage control because a worker on the Hall of Prophecy managed to drop on of them and the even needed to be documented

You had a framed signature from a famous quidditch player on the wall that caught his attention after the meeting, which he pointed out and the two of you had a conversation about your shared love of quidditch

After that, he was hooked and asked you out on a date, which went well and the two of you were married a year or two later.

He would read your tea leaves or your palms about your future to impress you

It always impressed you and it will always impress you no matter how many times he would do it.

The two of you live in an apartment in London and will often go to the Leaky Couldron and Diagon Alley

The two of you would deck yourself out in your favorite teams for the quidditch World Cup, which includes painting your face

Gryffindor 🦁

EXTREMELY popular in his Hogwarts years

Literally all the girls loved and pined after him, all the boys wanted to be him, and all the teachers were always impressed with his work.

Was the best seeker for the Gryffindor quidditch team

All around perfect student and he always seemed to do everything with so much ease and stress free

Always managed to dodge the love potions girls would try to slip him.

He met you one day while messing around with his friends at the lake skipping rocks, you were under the shade of a tree studying.

His friends went to start messing with you, which he soon told them too all ‘fuck off’ when he could tell that you were visibly annoyed with them.

Always hung out with you since then, becoming almost like your gaurdian angel

Upon graduation he struck a job being an Auror, you the potions master at hogwarts.

He was pretty dang awesome in his job and honestly everyone knew the amazing work he did as Auror, so he was pretty popular amongst the Aurors as well

He quit his job though to begin teaching the flying lessons to the first years at Hogwarts because he really did enjoy quidditch and flying

Also was in charge of quidditch as a whole

And he also just really missed you

He finally asked you out on a date towards the end of his first year of teaching at Hogwarts and you said yes, then towards the beginning of the next year, the two of you got married

The students love Keigo, he treats them as equals, mostly because he’s honestly not that much older than them and was in their position not to long ago.

Girls swoon over him and are low key jealous that you are married to him.

He likes to pop his head in to bother you during, or before and after your classes

Plays quick games of quidditch on the quidditch field with the house team that are practicing for fun

Will tug you into the potion’s closet for a quick kiss, despite how unprofessional you think it is

[prankprincess123]

Writing Help?

Pick An 'Ending':

Character in question is just waking up from a coma after traumatic childbirth, and trying to get out of arranged marriage without the scandal of divorce tarnishing the reputations of everyone involved, so her husband and twin sister can get married and she can marry the stableboy without anyone having to run away, elope, and abandon the babies

Use sickly state post coma to easily commit pseudocide, with entire family's support. Return a month or so later as the long lost illegitimate daughter of already disgraced uncle, who renounced his title years ago and already has two children whose mother is unknown to all but himself. 'Widowed' husband and twin have a 'marriage of convenience' to care for children. 'Fall in love' with stableboy, and take advantage of now significantly lower status in family to marry with minimal scandal. Hope that 2 and 5yo cousins who are still figuring out/have just learned the family tree in the first place, don't accidentally blow cover by forgetting that you're supposed to be their sister now not their cousin.

Fake/exagerate selective 'amnesia' after waking from coma. Conveniently having large memory gaps involving high society life and expectations, including the entire betrothal, arranged marriage, and necessary heirs aspects. Use this 'amnesia' to get marriage annulled, and distance self from society. Openly embrace loud and rebellious side that was only ever seen by family. Eventually renounce title and marry stableboy. Ex-husband and twin have 'marriage of convenience' to re-legitimize children. Larger scandals and more of them, but far less chances of being caught.

Fake/exagerate retrograde 'amnesia' after waking from coma. Remembering being friends as children, but conveniently not being betrothed, let alone married and having children. Use this 'amnesia' to get marriage annulled, and get sympathy in society on both parts. Use sympathy as a distraction while creating false identity for stableboy as a nobleman or wealthy merchant. Both couples free to eventually openly marry for love and without much scandal. Will take time though to make identity convincing, as the only help the double love triangle has in this endeavor who can know even a fraction of the details are the world's two most chaotic 11yos, who found out those details on accident and had to be bribed into silence.

(Thank you @ohwriteiforgot for giving me the first idea, and letting me 'rubber duck method' at you to fully flesh out the other two. Also @sabersunrise cause I haven't 100% figured it out, but I've narrowed it down significantly)