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kenobihater · 3 years

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Hi! I really liked the meta post about cat witchers and psychosis - it raises very good points regarding not only the fanon's seeming obsession with the psychotic label but also canon's own inaccuracy and ableism with the label of "psychopath". I never realized that "unhinged", "feral" and such are used against people witch psychosis and characters labelled/coded as psychotic. I hope it's okay to ask, but would you say that labelling any character as "unhinged" or "feral" - such as the fandom's frequent labelling of Jaskier as feral, and sometimes even Lambert - would always count as ableist or as psychosis-coding? Is that the inherent quality of those monikers even if the person doing so does not intend it/is unaware of the connotations?

And when it comes to non-psychotics writing psychotic characters - are there any "red flags" within the writing that one could look out for, either when reading a fic/story or one's own writing? (besides psychosis being tied with moral bankruptcy and violence?) I think many writers do research exclusively based on clinical texts, which while definitley useful, doesn't always help with an accurate portrayal true to people with the illness/experiencing the symptoms.

I know the post took a lot out of you so feel free to answer this later, and you don't have to answer at all if you don't feel like it! If I said something rude/ableist, I apologize. I don't have much experience when talking about psychosis so I'm not sure how to navigate that. Please correct me?

Hi, you're not being ableist at all! Even if you were you're respectful and kind, so I wouldn't mind correcting you. It's when people are rude that I get heated lol.

I'd say that in my opinion (I can't speak for all psychotic people) "feral" or "unhinged" are fine to use - it's when they're used in tandem with things like "episodes" of emotion, disjointed thinking or speech, erratic behavior, or mood swings that I think they can be problematic. Instances of those behaviors are clearly shorthand of psychosis to me, even if unintentional, and those terms should be avoided when in conjunction with blatant psychotic behavior.

When it comes to red flags, the biggest are the moral bankruptcy and violence, but another one is playing it for laughs, or making it seem "kooky" or "soo random xD". Now, it is possible to find humor in psychosis. We can do some pretty weird things. For example, one time in high-school I stayed up for three days straight absolutely obsessing over the concept of becoming a shepard. I researched sheep breeds, looked at plots of land, and watched countless sheep shearing videos. Looking back I find this hilarious because I do NOT think I could get up at like... 3 am in the spring to birth sheep, and also I'm just not cut out for that life but I was fully convinced that's what I was gonna do. I'm fine with joking about this, but if a non-psychotic person made fun of me for it, I'd feel pretty shit. So, leave finding the humor in the occasional absurdity inherent to psychosis up to people who actually experience it.

Another red flag is when people write characters, usually love interests, snapping someone out of a delusion or hallucination in a dramatic argument. Hate to break it to anyone who thinks this, but the power of love does NOT overcome the power of psychosis. Encouraging delusions isn't good either, but you shouldn't start an argument with someone in the middle of a delusion or hallucination, just support them and GENTLY, CALMY, and LOGICALLY try and steer them in the direction of reality. Support and safety is tantamount, not snapping us back to the real world with a dramatic "gotcha!" moment.

Oh. I just remembered a big red flag that makes me furious. Literal eugenics, which are morally abhorrent (hottake of the century, I know /s). I can't believe I have to type these words, but the concept of "putting someone down" because of an unspecified "madness" that is CLEARLY a shittily written version of psychosis is actual fucking eugenecist rhetoric! Fuck this. Fuck this SO hard. People never deserve death because they're psychotic and supposedly """"dangerous""""! You might say that "the fic is just depicting how shitty the treatment of the mentally ill is in universe!" but it sure as fuck didn't read that way. It read like eugenics, plain and simple. Yes, i'm referencing an actual fic I've read. Don't go looking for it to dunk on OP or whatever, but it exists and it's BAD. I was trying to be forgiving of their missteps in depicting "mad" cat witchers, but that was too far, even for my ever-patient ass.

Also, don't fall into another eugenecist trope (one I've thankfully never seen in this fandom) where a mentally ill character declares they'll never have kids. That's a deeply personal decision we have to make, but when a non-psychotic person has a psychotic person declare they're never going to pass on their illness, it reads as eugenics. I'm never having kids (not only cause I'm trans lol) because I'm bipolar, but not bc I don't want to pass on my disorder. I don't ever wanna go off my meds, something I might have to do if I had a kid to term. So yes, this is a deeply personal decision we all must consider, and it's one I don't trust a non-psychotic person to handle tactfully.

Finally, allow your character to show their full range of psychosis, not just the thematically relevant parts. I can't tell you how annoying it is to engage with media where the character just happens to stop showing symptoms of psychosis right after the climax of their always dramatic breakdown. It's old. It's tired. I don't trust non-psychotics to write recovery stories, because they usually either veer into inspiration porn, the trope of "curing" mental illness, or just use our illness as a plot device. Back to showing their full range of psychosis, decide what that means for the character. What are their symptoms? Are they delusional? Do they hallucinate? Do they have racing thoughts and/or motormouth? Are they manic? Hypomanic? Do they dissociate? Do they get overestimulated? Not every psychotic person has the same symptoms - I for example dissociate, have racing thoughts, motormouth, disjointed thoughts, hypomania, overstimulation, and ocassionally even problems with motor function, and had delusional thinking once after a medicine-induced manic episode I needed to be hospitalized for. Nothing else, though. I've never hallucinated. So, keep in mind that psychosis is a broad term for several different symptoms, some of which certain psychotic people will never experience. One size does not fit all.

I think that's everything? Thank you for asking and being respectful, I truly appreciate when non-psychotic people take the time to educate themselves and act as good allies.

(For anyone who missed it, here is the post this is a response to!)

#len answers #len's meta #cat school #cat school meta #the cat school #cat witchers #long post #getting use out of that banner tonight lol #also i'm REALLY oversharing tonight but i'm doing it in the name of education ig

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beck-a-leck · 3 years

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💻 + 🖊 !

💻 Do you do research for your fics? What’s the deepest dive you’ve done?

Yeah, sometimes. Depending on what I'm writing about I'll do some research, but oftentimes when I do that I get lost in the googles and forget to go back to writing. Anytime I go to Wookiepedia to look up star wars stuff I always get caught up clicking to random links to skim the surface of the very deep and often contradictory pool of sw lore. Other times to make my life easier I'll just shrug and go "it's fanfic. Nobody will be thinking this hard about this tiny detail I'm worrying over"

Other times though, when it's something I'm already interested in or have knowledge about and I just need to go a little deeper, I'll do it. Most recently I can think of doing a pretty deep dive into spinning yarn from sheeps wool, which lead to preparing wool for spinning, which lead to shearing sheep and other wooly animals, which lead to watching a video of someone growing flax and turning it into linen thread using all old fashioned methods because, you know, yarn bending. All of which is going to probably be condensed into one or two sentences, maybe a paragraph in Earth and Rebirth.

🖊 Post a snippet of a WIP

Okay, so, I'm on my phone and my computer is about 300 miles away and I don't actually have any WIPs in my notepad currently. If you ask again tomorrow, I can actually post one once I get home. But uh... I guess i can share a not quite snippet, but more of an Idea I Wrote Down Before I Forgot It.

So here's one that will hopefully, eventually go into the future of My Old Friend (it's the longest bit I've got lmao):

"You have my apprentice and I want him back."

"Oh, for the love of- this again!" Had Anakin been holding anything she didn't mind losing, she would have thrown it at the zabrak. Instead she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "Get a dog, you idiot!"

Maul paused, looking at her with great confusion as that was not the response he expected. His saber blade dipped an inch. "What?"

"You don't want an apprentice!" Anakin continued, gesturing at Ahsoka and Grogu, "Apprentices are the worst!"

"Hey!" Ahsoka protested.

But Anakin was on a roll, ticking off points on her fingers. "I mean it! They never listen to anything you say. They talk back. They'll pretend to follow orders and then just do whatever the fuck they feel like instead. That one-" Anakin pointed at Ahsoka "-froze herself in carbonite to stow away on a mission to an Impenetrable Anti-Jedi Prison when I explicitly told her not to! And don't even get me started on the other one!" Anakin pointed to Grogu. "He's not even speaking yet and he's disobedient. And let's not even get into what I did as an apprentice!" Anakin gestured to herself. "I look back now and realize the fact that Obi-Wan didn't trade me in for a much better behaved rabbit was a damn miracle." She gestured back to Maul. "And all that is without the added benefit of being Sith apprentices, who will see it as their sole purpose in life to eventually Kill You when they get annoyed enough. Why would you invite that upon yourself?" Anakin punctuated every word of her next statement with a clap of her hands, "You. Don't. Want. An. Apprentice."

"I want-" Maul began, but Anakin cut him off once more.

"No, you want a dog. Really you do. You want something that will be unfailingly loyal, listen to all your commands, and love you unconditionally, and also won't even once dream of killing you in your sleep. And when I say get a dog, I actually mean a dog. Don't just adopt any pet, because if you get a cat you'll be dead within the week. Your asshole energies won't vibe. Get yourself a puppy and train it to obey your every command and you will never want for an apprentice again. I promise."

#replies #ask box games #babylulururu #thanks for playing!

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virtualcarrot · 4 years

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just saw your new followers post and tho ive been following you forever, i saw the pro animal rights/anti mocking animal rights activistst/veg bit and was curious where you fell on the honey/wool debate on that. (if this is too spicy a topic for you, feel free to ignore, i know it can be contentious for some and i dont want to invite you any trouble)

No worries. The fact is, I haven’t researched this, specifically, at length. I’ve read nonsensical tumblr reblogs on the subject, read better sourced and informed ones, discussed it and shared a couple of articles on the subject with a more educated friend, and that’s it. Thus, I won’t pretend that my thoughts are Word of Law and Truth. I’ll instead preface the following with: this is, absolutely 100% my opinion. I invite anyone reading, whether hey agree or disagree, to look into this further if they’re curious and not use this as sole basis for their own opinion. And not to believe the first blog who’ll comment on these subjects without sourcing their statements.

(or to just. not have an opinion. People are absolutely 100% allowed to say “meh, I’m not informed enough to have an opinion on this” and I absolutely encourage anyone to do so, on any subject, if they’re actually uniformed. It’s not a weakness and it should be the norm)

Here are my current thoughts on the honey/wool debate (note that I’ll use a generic “you”):

if people don’t want to eat honey or buy wool? Good on them, leave them be. Don’t act all high and mighty and try to guilt them (which I have actually seen, repeatedly, in uppity posts) for it. They’re not gonna force themselves to buy a product they have no interest in. .

I often see #NotAllFarmers type arguments as an excuse to wave away the issues being raised. When you tell vegans to live and let live because they’re harming smallscale producers with their questions, you’re being disingenuous. First of all, about half of our worldwide food is produced by industrialized farms. Secondly, a farm being a “small” family industry doesn’t make it magically free of reproach. And thirdly, that is an absurdly classist argument seeing as most people do live in cities in what we call the “western” world (here’s a source for the US) where they don’t have access to “farmers markets” (which are often more expensive anyway by virtue of, you know, being more niche). .

Honey: listen, I’ll be honest and remind that my knowledge is in passing. I do know that many honey farms feed bees a substitute to honey made out of sugar instead of leaving them free to feed only on the honey they produce and nectar they harvest. This is something vegans oppose, since they consider honey to be the fruit of the bees’ labor that we have no business taking and replacing. I also know that bees will get crushed, no matter how involuntarily, in the process of getting the honey. And that, as with all current productivist domestication trends, breeding selection has made them more sensitive to diseases and pests. .

I, myself, still eat honey. Rarely, more because it’s not in my habit than anything else, but I do. This isn’t one of my personal fights. This is one of those situations where I claim neutrality. Still, that doesn’t mean I don’t scream on the inside when I see people mocking those oh-so-evil vegans with “BuT WhAt AbOuT ThE HonEy” rhetoric because it’s crap argumentation and the vegan movement has very real reasons for concern. .

Wool: Oh pal, this is one I actually know less about. I’ve seen pretty appalling videos of shearing, and just as appalling video of industrial sheep raising (though I don’t know for sure that they were being raised for their wool). I also know that, again, domestication has made these animals dependent on human intervention because they can’t shed the wool they produce in absolute excess. The wool industry also shares the same carbon print issues as the meat industry. Especially since these wool-producing sheep end up being slaughtered anyway. You gotta feed and water these animals, and the cheapest feed is often imported from the other side of the world (that soy being grown in appalling conditions on land taken from the Amazonian forest? it’s not there to feed vegans and vegetarians it’s animal feed).

And now let us all share a thought for the people telling veg*ans off for eating soja while happily cutting into their own common steak.

#Anonymous #ask #asks #vegetarian #veganism #vegan #food industry #capitalism #vegetarianism #activism #honey #wool #(also since I got carried away by the subject:#thanks to you Anon for the ask #and for the follow #and have a nice day)

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laerrynseelie · 4 years

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so, now that the AMA is out, I thought I’d make something inspired by things said in the AMA as well as the general dear hearts and discord chaos. from the AMA, “we make our own mythology”, and I’ve surrounded this quote with lyrics and jokes and references throughout. explanation of every reference below the cut!! this took me 6 hours I’m dying @joeybateyofficial

(if you want you can grab prints of a slightly updated version of this here! if the art is too difficult to see here’s a gdrive link for it. I also put it on twitter if y’all care to give it some love there too https://twitter.com/misscocochen/status/1254104159902711809)

“we make our own mythology” - something madeleine and joey said in the discord AMA regarding the mythology or folklore that may inspire them. actual quote is creating our own mythology but oh well

your interpretation - response in discord AMA about what the songs are about and if they’re up for interpretation

robot vampire + I DUNNO - wild blue yonder lyrics

13/04/2020 - the discord AMA day

the horror and the wild - title track and title of second album

dead sheep - in the AMA, Joey said that madeleine slaughters a lamb before every gig to warm up

where’s the vodka - lyric from Not Yet/Love Run

glug - reference to Jackie downing vodka during the AMA

pruning shears - pruning shears title/lyrics

blue flower - it’s a forget me not, reference to lyrics in Elsa’s Song

dungeon master / tiefling bard - reference to J&M’s roles in DND, as answered in the AMA

blue furious boy / scarlet scarlet - reference to the characters J&M took on for the album Love Run, more info on the official TAD instagram

that’s what she said - lyrics from fair

THE SPANISH INQUISITION - it’s a long story but it happened in the discord

bottle of wine + glass - reference J&M showing up to the discord drinking wine

HALT! - lyrics of wild blue yonder

so much fucking hair - lyrics of fair

beef and brambles + pie adjacent - reference to discord AMA where joey is answering what dessert TAD would be

chords? no - reference to AMA where joey says they won’t release chords

1953 - reference to AMA where madeleine says they met in 1953

be good to me / no no not I - that unwanted animal lyrics

stag skull - reference to album photoshoot for the horror and the wild, also subtle nod to everyone’s need for TAD tattoos

fairy lights - joey described THATW album as fairy lights and fire in an instagram post

DRINK WATER / NEVER! - as J&M were drunk during the AMA, mods prompted them to drink water after, with “NEVER!” as the response

fae realm - let’s face it, J&M are probably fae, and also something a lot of dear hearts say to new TAD fans (ex. “welcome to the fae realm!”)

croissant - the discord made jokes about joey pronouncing croissant the french way

ice cream + fork - no that’s not a pitchfork I just can’t draw forks reference to an instagram post where joey says that isolation is making him so mad he’s having ice cream with a fork

devils / tumblings / witchlings - multiple things joey called the gang on instagram before settling on dear hearts, thus why they’re crossed out

bitrate - bees taught joey about bitrate before the AMA

shoulder blades - those tender fucking lyrics in fair

SQUINTS - jackie. suspicion.

under the covers - lyrics of wild blue yonder

shower head + letters of lyrics coming out as the “water” - shower day

and if you’re alone, just know you’re not - something joey wrote in an instagram post

SHAKESPEARE - J&M have both worked in shakespeare productions and madeleine said is a likely influence for her songwriting in the AMA

with my yoghurt - lyrics of fair, with hurt underlined because fair, well, hurts

OOH SCARY tumblr - reference to joey saying tumblr scares the shit out of him in the AMA, also reference to s1ep4 of the witcher where jaskier goes “ooh, scary face”

onion - TAD’s songs have layers. like onions.

HIVE MIND - reference to J&M saying we have a hive mind thing going with similar logo designs

mom said it’s my turn with the brain cell - hive mind. plus we’re chaos. also small nod to Dani, the server mom

broom - emoji used by mods in the discord to move us to another channel. also, jackie is the fastest sweeper.

tender - need I say more?

unreasonable - lyric from fair, the blue line represents the gorgeous, gorgeous voice crack

tent with stick figures - “two men in a tent” pruning shears lyrics

BARMY / mental - words joey used to describe the fandom during the AMA when responding to if it’s overwhelming

O of OWN with red lines through it - reference to our deep analysis of the album Love Run, referencing the red strings meme

red boots - reference to Welly Boots, lyrics “scarlet welly boots”

from Oxfam - reference to Pruning Shears, “got my shoes from Oxfam”

GIN - reference to joey and madeleine saying they were going to have gin after the AMA

lion king meme - the meme Dani made about discord being the shadowy place over there

can you feel the luuv? - reference to AMA where joey and madeleine said this multiple times in a row. also subtle lion king reference hence the location

wolf hall - a production J&M did together (the one they met on (?) not sure about that)

unemployed - reference to lyrics in Not Yet/Love Run

feral - because we’re all absolutely feral for TAD

the hexagonal box - I tried to draw the box from the King music video, not sure it worked

fret not - lyrics from the horror and the wild

sacred heart + nyts + and the candle we lit - oh boy this has LAYERS. like an onion. sacred hearts are a traditional tattoo, again a nod to everyone wanting TAD tattoos, including J&M as they mentioned in the AMA. sacred hearts, while referencing a specific religion and event, also have the meaning of divine love and its transforming power, which I think we’ve all experienced from TAD. the heart of the sacred heart is typically more rounded to look like an apple, Big Apple = New York, while “torch song” is its own thing torch, fire, you get it. “and the candle we lit” is lyrics from wild blue yonder, again here because of the fire of the sacred heart

ship with thought bubble lyrics - from Not Yet/Love Run, in a thought bubble because “sing me awake with a song about pirates” so dreams? idk what the logic was either. the lyrics making up the thought bubble are “sing me awake with a song about pirates / and I will try to harmonize / and sip the sunlight from your eyes”

it’s so good - we once spoke about Not Yet/Love Run in the general channel on discord, ended with multiple people only replying with “it’s so good”, and no one used the channel for hours to preserve this chain

slipknot - reference to the AMA where joey says he enjoys slipknot, also a reference to the only sound tardi makes in the recording which is to gasp “slipknot!” at this time

#the amazing devil #fanart #joey batey #madeleine hyland #the horror and the wild #love run #dear hearts #from meee #dear god I spent so much time on this

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ilovedeadlypremonition · 7 years

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Deadly Premonition director, Hidetaka “Swery” Suehiro, officially announced his upcoming “Debt Repayment Life Simulation RPG (with Cats)” The Good Life at his PAX West Panel this afternoon!

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We already got a short teaser trailer a week or so ago after the”cat was let out of the bag” but now with Swery’s official announcement we have a brand new trailer, tons of concept art, the game’s crowdfund details, and thanks to the official press release a more detailed plot outline.

THE STORY

Based in an RPG-style town filled with fun activities and fascinating people, THE GOOD LIFE offers a thrilling, twisting murder mystery. At first glance, Rainy Woods looks like a normal country town in Northern England comprised of stone houses built in the Middle Ages, nestled in abundant nature and surrounded by forest. Looking deeper, however, Rainy Woods is home to a bizarre and deadly mystery. Throughout the day, the townsfolk work hard, look out for one another, love their families, and enjoy nightly drinks at the local pubs. Each character has a unique personality and lifestyle. Events change depending on the time of day, weather, and season. Even though some may argue that they live in a video game world, the townsfolk of Rainy Woods still worry, suffer, love, hate, and have fun as any real person would. Rainy Woods and its small English aesthetic exudes a unique sense of charm, fully realized when, in the dark of night, its villagers transform into cats.

Players star as Naomi, a photographer straddled with debt who moves from New York City to Rainy Woods. As an étrangère, players feel both alienated yet strangely comfortable as they must make friends, solve mysteries, and become emotionally invested in Naomi’s quest to make a life for herself in the happiest and most bizarre town in the world. To pay off her debt, she sends reports and photographs on villagers and their town as she uncovers its deadly secret.

THE GOOD LIFE is a mystery tale in the vain of Raymond Chandler or Conan Doyle. Players make a tragic discovery in the town’s river—the brutally murdered body of a young girl, her heart pierced by an ancient, medieval sword. Having first arrived in Rainy Woods to uncover the secrets of the happiest town in the world and payoff her debt, Naomi is thrusted into a bizarre mystery, setting her journalist heart ablaze as she sets her sights on revealing the truth behind the young girl’s murder.

THE GAME

Genre: Debt Repayment Life Simulation RPG Platforms: PC + TBD Console(s) Release Date: Q3 2019 Target Developer: White Owls

So we got a murder mystery/life sim, with cute cats, a cast of bizarre characters with their own 24 hours schedules, AND events that will change depending on the time of day, weather and season?

[More details, pictures and my thoughts under the cut!]

The Campaign

If you are as hyped as I am you can help make Swery’s new game a reality by contributing to The Good Life’s Fig campaign. The development team is hoping to raise at least $1.5M USD to bring a digital version game to both PC and consoles. Fans can lend support via traditional reward based backing or by investing in Fig game shares of the game. There’s a number or different tiers and rewards available for The Good Life ranging from simply receiving a digital copy of the game when it is released for $29 to actually becoming a character within the game as a reward for donating a whopping $35K! Though if any rich fans out there are considering the $35k tier please note that there’s a chance you might end up being brutally murdered in the game. (Yikes!)

Looking at all the tiers though I must say I’m a bit disappointed by the lack of any sort of physical rewards being offered. I mean a real signed message card from Swery is a lot more tempting than a digital one… But there seems to be some hope that this may change looking at the responses to some of the early “backstage” backers. It seems Swery and the campaign team are looking into the possibility of including some physical rewards in the future and are even asking for suggestions!

Personally I would love to see a physical copy of the game or an art/guide book myself! Heck a stuffed kitty Naomi or even a sheep would be pretty awesome additions too!

[Update!] A physical award tier has been added and for $269+shipping you can get a package with some cool game swag! Now if you picked another tier don’t worry you can update your pledge and pick choose to add a number of DLC and physical items!

The Idea

Even though Swery’s announcement of a new game so soon after returning from retirement and opening his studio, White Owls, was kind of a surprise (or maybe it was just me?) it turns out Swery’s been developing the idea for The Good Life for quite awhile now.

According to the “SWERY’S Voice” video on The Good Life’s fig campaign page that describes the game’s inspiration, vision, and story the idea behind the game was sparked after Deadly Premonition’s producer (I assume Tomio Kanazawa) was suddenly transferred to London, England while Swery continued work on Deadly Premonition in Osaka, Japan. Swery was sad to be left behind but the long distance communication between the two ended up inspiring the idea of being sent to a rural English town and being unable to leave.

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Swery’s initial idea continued to refine and expand in the back of his mind over the years even while developing, the now sadly incomplete, D4 – Dark Dreams Don’t Die.

Back in 2015 Swery took a brief retirement from game development to focus on recovering from reactive hypoglycemia and during this hiatus he finished the first draft of a murder mystery novel set in a British countryside town from the perspective of a cat.

I've been eager to hear more about his mystery book for while but now with the The Good Life's announcement I'm beginning to think Swery's novel may have inspired the whole investigating a murder mystery while as a cat angle of The Good Life game.

Now this connection between the game and novel it is pure speculation on my part at this point but given that both are revolve around a strange premise of cat investigating a murder in a rural England just seems way too coincidental. Plus the novel's working title of " I Am Not a Cat " really makes me believe that the main character may have been a human at some point which is very similar to Naomi's situation in The Good Life as she only temporarily turns into a cat during the night while living Rainy Woods!

By the way the characters listed on the campaign page are kind of amazing…and here I thought the residents of Greenvale were a bit strange. I like how Swery seems to be continuing the tradition of a single black male among a caucasian population (who is also named the “totally normal cat” btw lol) and an insomniac who works with the dead. I wonder if the “person name Kaysen” that has occurred in Swery’s last three games (Spy Fiction, Deadly Premonition, and D4) will also continue in The Good Life? It is also kind of amusing that the “Handsome Nurse” is known just as “Gay Cat” I’m guessing this means Naomi won’t be able to make any love connections with that bloke?

Game Mechanics

In The Good Life the story mission focuses on three core points: paying off a huge debt, uncovering the town’s secret, and solving a murder of Elizabeth, the lone daughter of the village pastor.

Photography

Since Naomi is a professional photographer from New York it is no surprise that taking photos is a major gameplay mechanic featured in the game. The monetary rewards for Naomi’s daily reports will heavily factor around the quality and rarity of the photos players take during the day.

Capturing the perfect photo may prove to be a little difficult at first. You won’t actually know how any of your photos will turn out until they are developed them back at Naomi’s house and ranked as either a “success” or “failure” and only successful photos will be sent over to the client for rewards. As players progress through the game there will be opportunities to upgrade and even purchase special cameras that will help the players take better pictures.

Part- time Jobs

But taking photos and sending daily reports isn’t the only way Naomi can cut down her debt. The game also allows players to take a number of part time jobs around town including bartending at the local pub, delivering milk, shearing sheep and other rural tasks.

Some of these part time jobs will give the players opportunities to make a fortune but they can also be exhausting and some can even be dangerous so you have to choose your side jobs wisely!

Any money earned in these ventures can be put towards paying off the ever looming unpaid debt or spent on fun things for Naomi.

Customization

The Good Life is a RPG after all so it’s no surprise that as players progress through the game Naomi stats will improve and fun customizations for Naomi in both her human and cat forms can also be acquired. Naomi’s range of daily activity will expand based on her stamina and movement speed so the more points you earn or temporarily acquire via clothing will allow for more photo taking and fun activities during the day.

Life Maintenance and Stamina

…and speaking of stamina just like in Deadly Premonition and D4 it is important to keep Naomi well fed and rested during her stay in Rainy Woods. I’m pretty excited to see all the English dishes that will be available for consumption… There were a few dishes listed over on the campaign page including one of my favorites, Fish and Chips, which I have a feeling Naomi will end up eat a lot of during my own play through unless there happens to be a lot of smoked salmon…

But eating and sleeping isn’t the only thing players need to keep an eye on during Naomi’s stay they also must balance Naomi’s income so while she’s paying back her debt she will still have enough money left over to not only take care of her daily needs, but also have enough for the upkeep of her camera, the development of photos, and her daily shipments of reports back to New York.

The most surprising examples of one of her special expenses that’s listed over on the campaign page is the need to buy sanitary goods for Naomi once a month. It’s a normal expense in my own life but it’s something I’ve never seen mentioned let alone forced on a player to even consider while in control of a female protagonist before. It’s pretty amazing that sort of detail was even included!

I also thought that way alcohol consumption in the game is handled is really interesting as well. Giving Naomi alcohol will provide some high rewards in the short term as it will alleviate both her hunger and her thirst in one shot but if she continues to overindulge in drink throughout her stay she will develop a dependency for it. It’s pretty neat to see the real life consequence of addiction in a video game... I hope Rainy Woods also has a good 12-step program!

Special Events

The Good Life also features several seasonal events that offer special rewards. The game’s campaign didn’t go into a lot of details but in Spring there will be cherry blossom dance festival, there’s a Tea Harvest in Summer, while during the Fall Naomi can harvest nuts and catch fat river fish, and in Winter find minerals and maybe earn a present from Santa Claus(?)

Being a Cat

During the night while Naomi is in cat form players have the opportunity to investigate places you may not have access to while in human form and a chance to get closer to different villagers while they are in their cat forms by bringing them various trash…er I mean “kitty themed” presents…Some items you find while as a cat may even fetch a high price during the day and unlock some more special story events.

A few of the possible treasures a player can find are seen above...Hmm, I wonder if those “suspicious seeds” are anything like the ones you can find in Greenvale…

Graphics

As for graphics The Good Life’s campaign page describe them as being both “Nostalgic and Modern” using low polygon models with simple textures but also making use of CG-esque atmospheric lighting, fog, shadows, and glare elements well.

The game does look rather simple but it still has a very distinct and unique look. I’ve always prefered a great story over great graphics so I don’t mind the game’s simple design in the slightest :) I do think the sheep are really adorable in this art style though!

Atmosphere

If all of the features above hasn’t already peaked your interest maybe the Fig campaign description of The Good Life’s atmosphere will do the trick:

“THE GOOD LIFE has intriguing elements inspired by Twin Peaks. It will also feature the old-timey British traditions seen in classic shows such as Downtown Abbey and Poirot. This is a Swery Game, so expect a healthy dosage of horror, mystery, humor and taboo topics that helped make Deadly Premonition such a cult hit. Our humor will reflect some of the elements from Hot Fuzz and other classic British comedies.”

Man it was already a give-in that I would be excited for The Good Life since I’m such a big fan of Deadly Premonition (and Twin Peaks) but I can also expect some Hot Fuzz style humor too?!

Guys, Hot Fuzz is one of my all-time favorite films ever so this comparison has me even more excited to play the game!

Hmm… Rainy Woods is described as the “Happiest Town in the World” with the “happiest people on the planet” which is pretty similar to the situation of Sandford always winning “Village of the Year” in Hot Fuzz…I wonder does Rainy Woods have an equivalent of the Neighborhood Watch Alliance?

Hey Naomi, if the townsfolk start chanting about things being “all for the greater good” I would make run for it!

The Developers

The Good Life will be the joint effort between three developers: Swery’s studio, White Owls, along with G-rounding and Camouflaj. Swery and his team will provide the creative and artistic direction for the game while G-rounding will manage the production and game creation and Camouflaj will provide both production support and supervision.

I really hope The Good Life’s Fig campaign is successful as it looks like a whole lot of fun. I’m eager to see how the game will come together and “enjoy my best life” in 2019

#deadly premonition #the good life #swery65 the good life #swery65

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agro-carnist · 7 years

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Hi, I have recently seen the youtube video "The Wool Industry EXPOSED (What They Don't Want You To Know)" and I'm not sure what to think. I'm not really familiar with things in the wool industry but something about the video seems staged. I have also seen other videos of sheep being sheared were the sheep was completely cooperative with the handelr, which wouldn't be possible if it was always like in the video. Can you provide something useful for me?

Here’s my two-cents on the matter. Put under the cut because this will be pretty long.

One of the main points you’ll hear from the anti-wool crowd is that shearing actively harms the sheep. They will do one of two things: show you a very much fake image of a sheared sheep that dramatizes injury, such as in the infamous PeTA ad:

Or, take a real image of a sheared sheep and pretend the minor nicks on it are actually super horrible wounds, like in that popular “freshly peeled sheep” tumblr post.

Here’s an image of a newly sheered sheep:

You can see some small cuts on the side of the one in front, but they are very minor. That’s pretty normal. You’re working with a creature that doesn’t know what you’re doing or why you’re doing it. If you’ve ever cut a dog’s nails, that makes a lot of sense. You try your hardest not to cut the dog’s quick, but sometimes they jerk their paw back just as you squeeze the trimmers and you find blood leaking out of their nail. But nobody would say that cutting a dog’s nails is abuse. Sheering a sheep is also just as necessary as trimming nails. Wool will keep growing and growing and can cause a good deal of harm if left unattended. Just ask Shrek, the famous sheep who was found with a huge load of wool still on him:

Even though Shrek is an extreme, sheep are more vulnerable to heat exhaustion when their wool is left unsheered. The tightly packed wool is also an excellent environment for sheep keds and other parasites, as well as build up of fecal material. So it’s definitely a wise decision to sheer your sheepies.

Onto that video itself. I absolutely hate this Youtuber, and I avoid ARA Youtubers like the plague most of the time, so I might not even be able to make it through the whole near 15 minutes. I’ll try to keep it brief.

She first discusses tail docking and that it is done to prevent fecal matter buildup around the rump. She suggests just simple hygiene practices instead of docking, but the industry doesn’t do this because they maintain flocks of large numbers. This is true, but also mind you that cleaning a sheep isn’t all that easy. Wool is tightly curled so just washing the wool may not entirely clean the sheep. And as mentioned before, parasites adore this sort of environment because it’s just so dang difficult to get them out.

She also mentions that they dock without painkillers. But she doesn’t tell you that most countries ban or limit the practice of tail docking without anesthetics, or use fat or short-tailed breeds that don’t need the tail docking procedure, instead of long-tailed breeds. She also doesn’t tell you that the practice is done on young sheep because they have fewer nerves/blood vessels than adults. She also will definitely never ever tell you that tail docking and castration methods are a controversy in the industry, and that many people are pushing for mandatory anesthetics or are looking for alternatives to docking, because ARAs think we’re all a hivemind bent on milking out the most money possible.

Next she brings up selective breeding. It honestly baffles me why ARAs bring up artificial selection in the first place when these animals were domesticated thousands of years ago. Sheep are the oldest domesticated animal. Whining about how we made them grow excess wool isn’t going to bring back their wild genetics. She talks about sheep overheating in summer - odd, because the time to shear sheep is in the spring, specifically so that they don’t overheat. Shearing at this time also encourages pregnant ewes to lamb indoors, where the lambs aren’t so vulnerable.

She also brings up that “thousands” of sheep die from heat exhaustion. I tried looking up what the rate is for sheep mortality from overheating. So, naturally, I went looking for actual statistics, and not vague statements (surprised that she provides no sources for her claims?). According to this document on sheep and lamb death in the US in 2011, the majority of sheep deaths occurred due to old age (22%). Only 8.5% of sheep deaths were from weather-related conditions (this number is higher for lambs because newborns are naturally more susceptible to weather conditions). Four other factors caused higher rates of death than weather. The number of sheep that die on farms is around 3.8%. This isn’t exactly impressive.

Now I’m only three minutes in and tired of listening to this trash of a Youtube channel, and this is also getting quite long, so I’m all bullshitted out. I looked at her description and while she does provide sources for the videos she uses, she has no sources at all for where she got her information. Pretty typical of an ARA.

I’m not dumb enough to pretend that there aren’t abusive people in the industry. But I’m also not thick-headed enough to assert that cruel instances from huge corporations is a norm for the industry. If you abuse your animals, you make shit products. Huge companies can get away with this because they already have a name, and anybody will buy their products even if they’re shit. Using individual cases as evidence that an entire industry is fucked is wrong; you need to use statistics of all the farms if you want to prove that this is a normal thing that occurs and is praised by every other producer. Of course you can find videos and articles of a certain farm abusing their animals. You can find hospitals abusing their patients. You can find grocery stores abusing their workers. You can find animal shelters abusing and killing their animals. That’s how industries work. You find fucked up ones. It’s the responsibility of ethical producers and consumers to call them out and improve the standards.

I hope this was educational and that I didn’t bore you to death. The best way to learn about wool is to talk with wool producers, go to wool farms, and find information from unbiased sources. If I left something out or gave wrong information, let me know. I ran through this rather quickly so I didn’t have to death with the video anymore.

Cheers,

Agro

#sheep #wool #animal welfare #everytime i see this girls face i vomit a little

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atomicsurvivor-isleofskye · 7 years

Text

Ep. 1 - “Karma is a Nasty Old Woman” - JG

This season began the night of December 8th with a cast reveal, but the game was already afoot before that. Players had the opportunity to earn an extra trip to hunt for the idol by reading the rules. Heather, August, Aundra, JG, Rebecka, Tara, and Vi all took advantage of this opportunity!

The pre-merge buffs were also revealed, with the tribes called Iolaire and Saorsa.

And then the game began.

The first immunity challenge was posted, which you can check out here:

https://atomicsurvivor-isleofskye.tumblr.com/post/168340626526/tribal-immunity-1-isle-relay

Introductions have been made, and everyone seems nice so far!

Consider me the f*%# overwhelmed. I’m trying to make personal connections but clearly that isn’t going too well. The challenge seems scary. I’m dying. Someone help!

I am SCARED. I have to establish all new relationships and I’m pretty shook about it.

Everyone seems so nice. I can deal with the challenges but I'm a bit scared. I don't want to mess up so early in the game.

Man, I forgot how the start of orgs are so busy. Everyone seems pretty nice so far but I swear I won't learn their names until at least merge. If we have merge that is. After that I'll have to relearn. Hopefully we all make it to merge so I don't have to relearn anything. This challenge is pretty bad though. Slow internet will make this a pain

Ok so I love my Tribe so far! The first immunity challenge came so fast but I'm glad that our team came together to figure out who's doing what. Also JG is coming in clutch with that advantage.

So I’m not sure how to feel about being on a tribe with Rebecka, she might be bitter, or she might be happy to have someone she knows. As for me if I can’t find anyone else ill try that connection, for now I just need to keep communicating.

This game is so different from azores (shout to everyone from that game) the vibes are completely different. probably because im completely different but yah im really enjoying this tribe rn we have team work down and dont seem like a bad group of people. only thing is i signed up to do the logic puzzle thing and im not that smart

omg this seems like a nice little tribe, its interesting be surrounded by new players to this like myself :') im not outta place, also it seems like being the oldest i hope everyone will be able to rely on me and my knowledge :D on the flip side with everyone being new it's sure to lead to some confusion in challenges hopefully i'll be able to give them some guidance and lead us to some wins :) also i fully expect to have bad luck doing the moors crap but yolo and may as well try right?

So the LoIaire tribe decided to do a call but it turned into me, Stephen and JD talking about videogames fjksskskd. I hope people don't think we're an alliance already! Fingers crossed.

my tribe is full of nerds

but i'm a fan of it

So the em peeps - me, Tara and august - made an alliance right off the back. I'm already lying to them like I did my previous org. Who said I was gonna do random voting this time again? O well, time to play a wolf in sheep's clothing and hope not to get picked to shear. That would be terrible. It's really cold and this wool is really warm. We're basically ignoring the other chat since they're in a group call and geeking out about stuff. I don't know. I zoned out bc I didn't understand what they were saying. Hopefully I'll be able to start my plan of seducing them with pictures of my pets soon.

I'm not sure if it will be an advantage or disadvantage but while searching the Moors, I found a twist that will be revealed at merge! Now I just have to do is survive until then... tune in nextime kids

Cool tribe. Trying to prove my crappy helpfulness in this collecting challenge since i'm godawful at puzzles. Also, tara went ahead an made a stupid fast f3 with me and infinity, and i told them my searches which sealed the deal. Also like JG and Ain, seem like pretty cool dudes, hoping to work with em'. This moor twist is really neat, but i also feel like everything already found already, but whatever.

Tara is pretty cool. She's nice and I think we can work together

An alliance of Heather, Lukas, Madison, and Olivia called “Future Final 4″ was created on Saorsa.

We love early alliances YES WE DO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cch6Q-ItmQE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8Vto9iHwVY&t=2s hope this works haha

kay so the tea is that I’m aligning with Madison and Olivia. Olivia is super sweet and super trustworthy, so I am aiming to keep her close for awhile. Madison vibes with me but she seems very intelligent and very much so willing to stab me in the back. I’ll keep an eye on her. I am hoping these two allies will be able to at least get me through the first few votes. Who knows? {note: I’ll be submitting video confessionals soon after more happens}

haven't talked to rebecka at all yet but love her video calling me late at night to show n complain about her broken tooth! an icon! can't wait to see more of her this season. hope her medical bills aren't too expensive

So Luke and I have been skyping for 3 1/2 hours and I am so glad we have chosen each other! We have plans of who we each are going to talk to and who we want in our alliance. He is going to try and get close to Madison and AnnMarie and I am going to try and get close to Skip, and Dr. Mike Jake. Sarah at this point is a big question mark and Heather is in between and we'll keep her close enough but we both think that she will either be a good meat shield or a threat that we should take out pre merge. The other Jake we are both going to try to get close to as well. Hopefully we can have the majority no matter how it goes. Maddy told us that she is close with Rebecca on the other tribe which was probably a big mistake so we have to keep an eye out for that. She also told Luke about a secret map that she found at the moors! She lied when I asked if she found anything about it. Luke said there was a phrase that you could send to the hosts about this secret map so we both sent it in. Sarah, Heather, Luke, and I formed an alliance that they think will go all the way but I think Luke and I may have other plans. I trust Luke implicitly and I know he trusts me! Hopefully our plan works out.

3 and a half hours later, Olivia and I are going strong on Skype planning and scheming for the whole game. I exposed Madison after learning she is also close with Jake (* ^w^*). We are definitely targeting Heather at some point, for she is the least trustworthy of them all. I’m planning on trying to win over AnnaMarie and Madison’s votes and Olivia is going to win over Jake (* ^w^*) and Trip. Hopefully by controlling two people each, we will have the majority in any potential vote. Needless to say- I will trust and advocate for Olivia until the end. I believe in our ability to take out the rest of our tribe and come merge time lay low. She’s writing a confessional right now as well, I hope it’s not about how she’s going to eliminate me lmao.

Also- Heather said in her intro video that she isn't afraid to backstab people and she kept going on about how much she loves acting! She also wouldn't really say anything when we talking about future plans so HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO TRUST HER! I know I've already made two so this is the last one lol.

Things seem to be going well, I have talked to everyone, excluding Rebecka, and get along well, so far there are few people talking strategy, but that suits me fine for now.

I am so happy that the game finally started. The Saorsa tribe gives off really great vibes to me and I hope that is a good thing. I feel like I've made connections with almost everyone, but it is really nerve wracking because you never know who felt a connection with you. I feel I got pretty close to Madison, Lukas, Olivia and a few others. I just hope we can win Immunity so I dont have to send anybody home

I am very nervous for the competition. None of us really know Sarah and if she doesn't show up, it's going to suck for the tribe. I don't want to be known as the weakest link for the tribe because my partner for the challenge didn't work.

So I reveled I have a 10% advantage, hopefully that doesn't kill me off but oh well. So far so good. Tara and I have been bonding over BTS and I think I'm gonna try getting us to f2 since I like her the best out of everyone so far. Maybe she'll back stab me but that's okay too as long as she gets into f3 ^-^. I hope not though, that would be completely and utterly sad. (I do think she knows what I'm playing at since she watched my first org and I'm basically redoing that. She's trying to help me right now at least)

So I went to the moors for the first time and I’m really excited to be playing. This game going to be good and I know it going to have plenty of twist in it. Also I’m really liking Tara form like day one we vibes and we started talking and she’s pretty cool. Another also I feel like one of those older wise people because a lot of the peopel on my tribe are newbies and that makes me feel somewhat more safe in this game.

So I misread my hidden advantage/disadvantage. What it actually says is that it will be revealed at a tribe swap and not merge. Also, Ive been mapping out all the locations and places explored in The Moors and concluded that Ain has the idol that was in the pit she fell in. For now I'm going to try and befriend her more so that we can be allies or have her reveal and flush an idol. My crossword chellenge is upcoming and I've been studying Survivor terminology so I don't flop!

I really like Jake and Maddie. I really want to start having a good strong alliance with them later on in the game. I love everyone's dogs as well.

Trip is sure he blew the logic puzzle. I feel bad for the kid and I definitely don't want to target him or anything over it and I want to make sure other people don't do that as well. I've been reading up battleship strategies online and about how to read people and poker tells and whatnot and that either makes me the biggest dumbass in the world to think that any of the advice might help or it makes me more prepared than my opponent. Can't tell at this point. He says he can't do the challenge today so we have to wait all the way until tomorrow. That'll either give me more time to be prepared or it'll give me just enough time to overthink and freak myself out. Either is likely at this point. I tried talking to AnnMarie some like Luke and I planned and she seemed pretty receptive until I suggested videochatting and she didn't respond but I'm not sure if she is doing her puzzle right now or if I just scared her off.

oh also Trip and I talked this morning which was great. Hopefully people don't talk to one another and say "oh hey has Olivia been talking to you" because if they do then they may think I'm playing too hard which at this point I'm probably over-doing it but I am just so excited

So Tim has told me that he has an advantage from the moors that will be reveal at the tribe swap. I believe him because even if hes lying it means he wants me to trust him so we work together. Looking ahead I think Tim, Tara, and I would make a good team, of course we’d need more numbers but it all depends on the connections we make, people’s performance in the challenge, and how people act if we go to tribal.

Found a special path in the moors, but even though I’m not getting anything from it, I’m getting a bunch of friends by telling other people. I told the alliance of me/infinity/ and Tara about it and I’m pretty sure that was the mortar that’s holding the house together. Also gave the info to Tim, hoping to work close with him, seems to be a pretty straightforward guy. He asked who else I gave the info to which I replied a solid “sorry can’t say” but I think it’ll go fine as long as that stuff doesn’t come up any longer.

Madison found a special path in the Moors, where she could receive a vote revealing advantage if she created an alliance with the two players she trusted the least, who she ranked as Jake S. and Sarah.

To do this, she opted to tell the tribe that she had to make an alliance with “random” players for a potential trial advantage. She succeeded, and was given a necklace which would reveal all votes cast at a tribal council, to be played until the final 7.

Hopefully honesty is the best policy.

Ok so its Day 2 and i completed my immunity challenge pretty fast in my opinion... but this is whats happening... August told me about the third path in Moors but he said that i wasn't the only one that knew about it. Later Tara got caught searching in The Neist and August said that he told Tara about it but Tara said that's not true... Im on to you August.. lets just wait for the immunity results...👀

So Tim has told me even more information about the Moors, and a secret location called the Neist that August found. This makes me trust him more and feel more comfortable working with him, but it also means I have to work on my connection with August if the three of us are going to work together TimHoly shit things are going downnn. So August and Tara are actually allies and Im the third. And originally, we were the only 3 that knew about the Neist. But I rushed and thought I was getting played so I told Stephen... EVERYTHING about the Neist including the locations already searched... I messed up big time! ( Or maybe not? 👀)

omg so i hate august!!! first thing he messages me in the game is that we shouldn't tell ppl that we know eachother and we should try to seem distant because we know eachother from epicmafia n then he goes blabbing his mouth n telling ppl that he told me all this info! like where and when is that a smart thing to do august?? before i even knew he did that tim confronts me n is like hey do u know august, did august tell u this, and me trying to b a good friend to august is like yaa no sorry! but like ugh! august needs better communication bcos if the first thing he messages me is "HAHAHA SHHH SHHH WE DON'T KNOW EACHOTHER" i'm gonna expect that hes gonna try keep distant! then he goes blabbing some more n tells tim about drama that happened in our last org like hmm interesting... um but ya august is gonna b first boot! bye girl!

So today in the Moor I came across a skeleton that “had a ring of bones unmarked from where a necklace once was”. This to me is a mess. Who on earth has already gone down this exact path and #snatched the necklace from me? Anyway, I messaged my main sis Olivia and devised a plan, then ran it by Madison as well. In the tribe chat, I openly said I have a “gem that could boost the power of a necklace that once rested there” which is complete BS. I am hoping someone takes the bait and messages me about having a necklace of such, and then I can expose them.

Also- Madison entrusted me with the knowledge that she has a power that can reveal everyone’s votes at a certain tribal. I may just keep this to myself, because up until now all info I’ve received in the game I’ve shared.

THE MOORS ARE CRAZY AND I KIKE THE RIDDLES AND THE HINTS AND IVE ONLY BEEN ONCE BUT I CANT WAIT TO GO TOMORROW. THE PUZZLE IS VERY HARD AND I STRUGGOED AT FIRST AND I HOPE the tribe isn't going to tribal council.

Tara came to me freaking out. I had told both her and Tim about the special path and Tim was like “ I bet they’re aligned” so Tara made up a lie saying I didn’t tell her. I tried to solve the problem by just being outright honest, but I’m still annoyed. Tim is far too paranoid to work with.

ok so it seems as though as suspected some areas of our challenges were a bit rushed in decision and now i think it could be a big fat L but sometimes you win sometimes u lose, that said i hope the effort i put into my part shows im here to win, outside of that i've made more social connections with olivia and some others :) that open alliance announcement was a shock to me kinda made me laugh, looks like the 3 may be working together to get the moors solved so i'll have to keep on it

I'm a comp flop and i hope that doesnt make me a target. I havent talked to a few people and I'm going to get on that.

Ok so everyone sucked today at the challenges (I still love them) and it is kinda looking like I am our last hope. wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Also it turns out the whole tribe is gonna watch?! what???!!! Feeling better every second out the firm alliance between Luke and I though. At the Moors I took a harness and hid it in a place where another harness already was so I am gonna try and be first when it comes to going to the Moors tomorrow. Luke found a skeleton without a necklace there meaning someone has the necklace. He told the tribe and AnnMarie just told him privately she had to tell him something about the moors AND NEVER RESPONDED. The second (not Canadian) Jake seemed like he might pull through and be an active participant but its not looking too likely. Sarah is still inactive so unless the other tribe sucked more than us she will probably go home Monday. Also I am supposed to talk to the Canadian Jake but idk how to talk to that guy! and trip too! Like I never know what to say but I am going to keep trying because Luke is making good progress with Maddi and with AnnMarie. We both gotta be careful and include Heather because if not that could be dangerous.

JUST GOT SOME MAJOR TEA FROM CANADIAN JAKE WOOOHOOO!!! I was asking him about Canada and he told me that if I take the harness back to camp it leads to more paths. I told him this made me trust him a lot. Not exactly true but not false either. He could be playing me but hopefully this is securing a bond.

Hi I’m Aundra and I’m stupid af. I picked to do the logic challenge knowing I’m stupid af. then announced to the tribe that I’m thinking about quiting being stipid af. now I’m stuck looking stupid af

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KvsH2lWN3Y

4 hours and 20 min later I finally finish my part of the challenge I’d like to thank Ali for helping me through when I was about to quit and Kermit I’d also like to say if we lose it won’t be my fault fully because people have gotten 10% disadvantages on the team so our odds are low but the grave I’ve dug for my self is bigger than the possible 20% I think we have agonist us

LukasJust a lil update for the girls. Madison told me about her magnifying glass, but apparently she hasn’t told anyone else. I’m going to keep this to myself from Olivia otherwise I will have nothing to keep secret for myself, and that just seems wrong. I staged a text conversation with my boyfriend and sent it to Heather about her dog and how it’s totally the next big meme. Heather ate it up as expected, and now I feel like I have an in with her. Aside from my core 4 alliance, I really don’t know where anyone else’s head is at and they all are lackluster communicators.

Ok so Maddi, Heather, and myself had about an hour long chat (mostly) about the game tonight. We agreed that the four of us (us 3 + Luke) should definitely stick together and although it’s definitely possible, it’s probably unlikely that the other four players have their own alliance. My fears about heather were mostly assuaged because when Maddi left she voiced her concerns about Maddi and her connections to the other side and she revealed to me that she trusts me the most (which is obviously great). Now I have two people that trust me the most out of anyone. (Only one I feel the same about) As long as I’m in this game I won’t forget heather’s intro video and her statement about how she is more than willing to backstab. The relationship between trip and I seems to be going well (albeit a little slow) while my relationship with AnnMarie is kind of nonexistent but it’s only been two days. I don’t trust Jake S. At all. He said he hadn’t been to the moors yet?? Fishy to me. The battleship showdown is tomorrow. Survivor gods be kind, let it go well.

The idol is already out there on day THREE. Im assuming either Vi or August has it but I'm leaning towards August.. If we lose immunity then I may have to spark up the game and vote out the idol holder either that or have thr idol work in my favor. I'm on to you August and Vi and your friend Ain too! You may have had us do your dirty work of finding the idol but I'll get the last laugh. Know That. StephenSo Tim thinks someone has found the idol based on what he found in the moors and I’m inclined to agree, but it worries me how fast things are moving, im hoping we win immunity so theres time for things to settle down and for people to relax. At the same time chaos is a good way to find out who you can trust.

https://youtu.be/RSSBtWKMfiU

I'd be very very surprised if we win immunity, especially since our tribe has members with a 5% and 10% disadvantage, and some members of our tribe who have yet to complete their challenge or never will? InfiniVi has a 10% advantage so maybe that will help balance it all out. Regardless, I think I'm in a safe spot on my tribe and I am confident in my challenge time and Im hope Stephen and JG does well so cheers to that??

I didn't notice a small wording difference which changes my time in logic puzzle from very low to over 3 hours and 40 minutes. I am worried if we lose this challenge I could be sent home, but hopefully if so Sarah is thrown under the bus. I mean they haven't even been here! Everybody else is so nice and cool, I love my tribe!

Well I had a very nice conversation with Vi and Tara (seperately) and August your game is donezo. We know about your idol/advantage and you lost your potential allies' trust in the process. If only you'd kept Neist point a secret. Fear not, we can still use you as a number and you can be one of the many strings I pull as I become Sole Survivor. Ciao!

Hour and a half before battleship. The tribe seems excited to cheer me on. They all seem to think it rests solely on me. But if they all lost then we’re already fated to go to tribal, no? Irregardless, it would be a good moral victory. I’m trying to decide how to come across when I go head to head with the other tribe. Strategic? If so he may figure out that my ship placement strategy wasn’t just random. Wholesome and nonthreatening? It may help out now but they may think I’m not quite smart should I make it to the merge. Maybe that’s a good thing idk. I’m only certain of one thing however and that is that I’m definitely overthinking this. I watched my opponent’s intro video. He is into Star Wars and humanitarianism. Maybe I can pander to that so he doesn’t feel threatened. Battleship is mostly a game of luck but anything I can do that might be an advantage is worth it.

So so so, so much has happened I don't know where to start. The alliance between Tara, August and I basically is down to Tara and I and August as the third wheeler. He has betrayed our trust and so we're going to pretend to be nice to him. Also there is a 85% chance of him having the idol. Tim accused me of having it but jokes on him, I would have screamed it in the main chat since it's rare for me to get lucky with anything. Anyways I think I'm gonna go place some tension between a couple people and see how that blows up in my face. I know it will bc that's my luck also

I got more updates on the drama. Tim is a bas-cough- sneaky little no legged lizard. Can't believe he told Tara to go to the cauldron even tho Ain told him that it held a disadvantage right before that. Hehehe the boys - August, Tim and Stephen - are gonna regret it the moment the girls line up too.

Olivia is a QUEEN AND WON A SECTION FOR US IN THE RELAY. SLAY ME

Im not sur if im allowed to curse but where in the world are these ships!!! Hello????

My fav player won their challenge I am so proud of her. She will win first for sure calling it now.

JG seems like a fun guy, but we havent talked much. In his challenge he kept changing his pattern, which I’m not sure was a good idea, but that might just be hindsight.

https://youtu.be/nk5jBYqnYwI

We are going to lose because I suck at puzzles

HOLY SHITBALLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just won the battleship challenge and I feel OH so relieved. So much has happened today I hope I don't forget to write it here. Ok so I was included into the one viewing lounge which was cool as shit but I didn't know anyone but hopefully I can be included in this community going forward because everyone seems so cool. Trip and Canada jake both told me their moor experience which hopefully shows trust. And after I won the challenge Trip said I should be captain. It was sweet, but hopefully no one takes that to mean I am the leader because I sure as shit do not want that. Even though I feel like I am in a bit of a power position with Luke right now, I do not want anyone else to know and I certainly don't want people to think I am the captain because those people always get targeted (see: ben this current tv season). Apparently I mentioned that Luke was the only one that knew the coordinates for battleship and when Luke told me I did that I about shit myself because we don't want people finding out how close we are. Hopefully none of the players caught on. Luke told me that Heather told him that she got a 10% advantage in the first individual immunity challenge, and she didn't tell me that until she told the fab four collectively which concerns me because yesterday she told me she trusts me the most. I started individually messaging her so hopefully I can keep that trust. We get the tribal results tonight and hopefully we won so we can keep the Sarah buffer going forward. People were calling me an icon today and I don't really agree but it made me like so happy I could do something for the tribe and everyone was so nice after I won like I was so emotional reading the messages. I know this is a game but I like everyone so much and I'm so grateful I got this tribe. oh also Jake S. hasn't been responding (like usual) and I am just overall concerned about him and whether or not he has an idol. Besides that, I am just so happy with how today played out. Sorry for the long ass confessional lol.

Oh and also I love Heather but with the individual messaging I wasn't sure how to start it so I mentioned the walking dead, her favorite show, which I have literally never seen except for when people reblog stuff about it on my tumblr. I literally only had my tumblr knowledge to go on to carry that convo but it seemed to work and she seemed to buy it. I feel bad lying but like I need to talk to her more and I needed an ice breaker lol.

I’m currently trying to secure my alliance with Madison. Whilst I don’t 100% trust her and would like to see her gone before the merge, I want her to think she is my #1. To do this, I’m asking her if I should branch out to Annamarie. She agreed, so I made a group chat with them. This is not so much to control Annamarie but more to let Madison think I’m hopeless without having her in my convos. Hopefully I’m not coming on too strong.

holy shit that was the worst puzzle i've ever had the misfortune of trying to piece together im so happy its over

Iolaire won the first immunity challenge, sending Saorsa to tribal council

https://atomicsurvivor-isleofskye.tumblr.com/post/168413432616/tribal-immunity-1-results

Im literally shakingggg. We won the first immunity so no first boots from our tribe! I think we were lucky that someone from the other tribe got a strike, otherwise, im uncertain how things would have ended up. There was a plan to blindside August and the idol but we'll have to put it on hold!

So glad we won, there has been a little drama and while I was confident I wouldn't be going home I'm glad we get time to settle down and talk more. I want to make sure I can get Tara, JG, and Rebecka on side, if we can flush or blindside August's idol I'll feel mch better.

omg, close ass challenge it seems like this was alot closer than i anticapated, i expected a loss in the logic but holy we almost wonf if not for sarah thats crazy, but i mean its hard to win with an afk, at least its an easy vote, another loss may not result in so, so we gotta get that motivation and grab the bull by the horns and win !!!

I'm so proud of Trip and Olivia for winning but I am also soooo pissed. If Sarah would have tried I truly think we would have had a chance.

Honestly I'm kinda pissed that Sarah never submitted cause we had it in the bag. I failed pretty hard with the puzzle, but I'm hoping to do better next time. I found a freaking path in the moors, no advantage, no hint. I'm trying to get around, trying to talk to everyone, especially madison, lucas, and olivia. I'm very comfortable with them and I feel that we'd be a good alliance once the game gets SERIOUS. I got drafted twice and I'm gonna cry I'm so happy

DAMNNN we have to go to tribal. Whilst I am sad about this, it won't be too sad seeing Sarah go (hopefully). After seeing the draft results as well, I think I am going to make Madison my #1 considering how liked she is by the VL. She must be a good person. Also, since she has history of the game- it would make sense to align with her over Olivia.

So Rebecka has finally communicated, was worried she had a grudge from Athena, but I know she's going through some things, hopefully she is better now. I do want to work with her, but I would be worried that she is more inclined to work against me than with me, hopefully I can work with her, she's a loyal person and I can use that.

Aye it’s my first confessional!! I’ve kinda been laying low from the start cuz I’ve been very busy in real life but I think everyone on my tribe is cool! I think this rounds tribal should be easy considering we have a 100% inactive but in survivor who knows what’ll happen.. I’m also not aligned with anyone at this point. I’m just chillin. But it’s a bummer we lost so hopefully someone reaches out to me soon!

Jake just told me we are meant to be allies. I asked for his advise and he said he is there to help me, which is good for any future plans. I'm not sure if Heather trusts me the most anymore, but I know she thinks I'm right. I still have Luke 100% and hopefully tomorrow I can secure Trip more. Tomorrow is an easy vote day and Luke and I are going to use this opportunity to lay low and just trust build. Hopefully all goes to plan. Should we lose another immunity, we have a tentative plan in place. But hopefully, we won't get there.

I cant believe I somehow won my challenge even though I made a horribly dumb mistake! If my original assumption was right since we both won me and Olivia should have nothing to worry about. We all know who is going this tribal though. It would surprise me if it was not unanimous.

I’m glad I’m not going to be the first boot! A personal achievement. MadisonI’m super concerned about the advantage possibilities NOT GONNA LIE. And Jake S is sketchy. And Trip is playing hard wtf? Also I’m concerned that i was DRAFTED SO MUCH WTF. Like I’m happy but also I’m v concerned that people think I’m way more of a threat than I am.

Honestly from yesterday to rn I read every single message over 3 times and I still don't understand anything that people messaged me. I had to write this over 3 times since I'm so dizzy and brain dead from not sleeping and finals. I feel absolutely nothing atm and so I can't tell if people are trying to screw me over or not. O well. I'm not that sad that we won, I don't know the other tribe so whatever.

Wow. So tribal's tonight and I'm mega excited. I can't wait to see how it goes and what question the judges ask and see who people voted for. I feel that this is an easy vote, but it's impossible to know what everyone is thinking. I'm excited for the next round and see what challenges the judges come up with. Overall, this first round has been incredible, especially since this is my first time playing, and I'm ecstatic to see what's next.

Well tribal is not too far away. I voted for Sarah, I'm hoping and guessing everyone else did too. Canada Jake's nickname for me is Moose, how freaking adorable is that. I love that guy. Today was supposed to be just a simple trust building day and then Trip blew that up lmao. I wonder if I tell Canada Jake that Trip excluded him if he would maybe get on board with what we need him to. I'm finding myself thinking way too far in advance when I just need to focus on what is happening now. With every move I imagine 1,000,000 different repercussions and how it could lead to me getting voted out. I want to go far so badly but I worry I won't make it past episode two. Just gotta take it one step at a time I guess.

This is probably my 100th confessional of the season (It's day 4), but Im totally enjoying my day off! We don't have to worry about going to tribal and losing a member of our team! What worries me though is that once the other tribe eliminates their inactive player, we'll be doomed at the next immunity.

Dang k9trip is salty at the moment. Rushing tribal to the extreme.

An alliance of Heather, Lukas, Madison, and Olivia called “Future Final 4″ was created on Saorsa.

An alliance of Vi, Tara, and August was created on Iolaire.

An alliance called “Secret Tribe F5″ between Heather, Trip, Lukas, and Olivia was created on Saorsa.

An all-girls alliance between Heather, AnnMarie, and Olivia was created on Saorsa.

At tribal council, Sarah was eliminated in a unanimous vote:

https://atomicsurvivor-isleofskye.tumblr.com/post/168443384851/tribal-council-1-saorsa

#alostpuppydog #episodes

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incancosmology · 4 years

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Day 3: Agricultural and Economical Wonders 🧺🌿🧂

The reason I, along with all my group mates, needed to be well-rested for this next day is that it was day full of hiking. We had a plan to go to three (3) locations in a place called the Urubamba Valley. This is a place known for its beauty, and holds many of the places that are now iconic to Peru. We visited the following sites, and in the order they are described.

The first thing we did was check out of our hotel and load up a van to travel to the first location, which is known as Chinchero. Chinchero is considered by most Peruvians to be the birthplace of the rainbow, which is arguably the most important god in Inca culture. Therefore, it should make a lot of sense as to why this place is sacred.

Urambamba is known for a massive church, built in the seventeenth (17th) century during the time of the Spanish invasion and conquest. No pictures were allowed to be taken in one area of the church, for the sake of preserving the alter. Said alter is made entirely of silver, and any flash photography would damage the precious metal. Other rooms were fair game for photos, though, and the church was absolutely stunning. Peru, because of the Spanish conquest, is primarily Catholic in faith, and their churches are extremely elaborate. As a non-Catholic, these churches are always stunning to look at.

After our tour of the city, which was mainly the church and a walk around the main plaza, we made our way to a small little place where we watched a weaving demonstration. This little community was made up of about seven (7) to ten (10) members that we saw, and they had their own alpacas and llamas that they sheared. The lady who gave the demonstration taught us about the different types of fabric and how to tell them apart, including sheep, and she explained why baby alpaca is the most expensive fabric across the board. The reason, you might ask? It’s because what is considered baby alpaca is not based on the age of the animal; it’s based on the first time it was sheared. It is a lot harder to get baby alpaca fur because once you shear it the first time, the next shearing and on is no longer considered baby alpaca fur. It also tends to be much softer than alpaca, sheep, or llama.

Also, below you will find pictures of the demonstration. I attempted to upload a video I took, however I cannot seem to do that, so I would like to say two things. First is that we got permission to take videos and pictures from everyone, and the lady giving the demonstration was extremely entertaining and hysterically funny. It is not her job to give demonstrations, yet she did a fantastic job of it, which demonstrates the character of most Peruvian people.

After the demonstrations, we were given time to look around at everything they made and purchase whatever we wanted. Personally, I chose to buy a yellow scarf made of baby alpaca, mainly because I knew these women would not lie to us about what it was genuinely made of. You knew after talking to them you could trust them completely. People took plenty of time to find the things they wanted to buy, and once everyone was satisfied, we loaded back into our van to drive to the next location.

Next, we visited Moray, which again, is another part of this website detailed in full. Click here to be taken to any information on this site regarding that. As before, instead of detailing everything here, I will provided a bulleted list that describes it simply, and if your curiosity is peaked, you can visit other pages of the site.

Moray is a beautiful site made up of concaving rings that were supposedly used for agricultural testing and experiments.

Incans walked through these to plant and harvest, but we got to walk around the outskirts of the area and it is a lot bigger than the pictures detailed across the site make it seem.

I distinctly remember there being a beautiful breeze at the time we were there, but I cannot say whether or not this is normal.

Once we did our tour of Moray, we visited one last agricultural site for the day, and they were the salt pans of Maras. These pans are constructed in such a way that the Incan people, and the families that still harvest them, have essentially an unlimited supply of pink salt. Along the top area, there was a set of shops where tourists and us (explorers, as our tour guide liked to call us) could buy the salt that is harvested there, among other goodies.

The salt pans are extremely photogenic, and something very interesting to know about them is that they are similar to snowflakes; not a single one is exactly the same. These pans are shaped and built in a way where a small stream flows through and fills the pans, which eventually evaporate, leaving a small layer of salt across the bottom that is scraped up and sold.

I had a strange affinity toward this place, as I had done a project detailing this place before we arrived there, so it was magnificent to see it in person. Similar to Moray, it is hard to believe that at one point, human beings made these with no tools like what we have today. To someone who has no interest in history or culture, these may just look like white squares on the side of the mountain. When you take into consideration what had to be done to bring these pans into existence, though, your brain can do a “one-eighty” and really feel something emotional about it.

After the tour of the mines, we all hiked down the side of the mountain to make it back to our van, and from there we actually visited a small bar called Bar de los Incas. In there, should we have chosen to do so, could try the alcohol made from corn. I believe I was the only one who did not elect to try it, by my own personal choice, but everyone in my group said that it was delicious and something they would drink at home should they have the option to do so.

After the small stop at the bar, we traveled to our new hotel in Urubamba, called the Hotel San Agustin, were we would spend the next two (2) nights. We got back to the hotel around 4:30 in the afternoon, and from there we had a free evening. The location of our hotel this time around was not as safe as Cusco, so we were told that if we wanted to leave for any reason, we had to be sure to go in larger groups than we had to in Cusco. Most of us chose to stay at the hotel for dinner, and some even partook in the happy hour offered by the hotel. It was a nice experience, because besides the rooms, everything is completely outdoors. After dinner, though, I made the choice to go to bed earlier than I ever had since the time I was in elementary school.

If I thought that this day was going to be hard, I had another VERY important hike to look forward to.

At four in the morning.

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Let’s Chat Home || Day 2 || Day 4

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suadcampbell · 5 years

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ANIMAL TOURISM

ISM:

To round out the different kinds of tourism I’ve been blogging about this summer, here’s the final option: Animal tourism.

Think big game, or safaris, or birdwatching, or visiting conservation sites, or riding elephants in Thailand, maybe stroking and feeding tigers in Vietnam. These are all legitimate options, though steeped in controversy due to the alleged abuse of the animals in the host countries, the wear and tear on the environment, etc…

But what I really want to touch upon is another kind of animal tourism. It’s animal sex tourism. I almost barked in shock when I read this. I stumbled across this kind of vacation as I was looking up different animal tourism vacations.

Apparently, the animals of choice are dogs, number one; horses, donkeys, sheep, camels, and chickens, yes, you read me right. I can’t even fathom how the latter is accomplished. Think of the risks to both human and animal! Where does one go to find this animal-sex happiness? For starters, one can go to Germany. They have bestiality brothels. I’m not clear, at this point, what animal choices one has in these places. Presumably a panoply. If that doesn’t suit you, try Colombia. It has donkey delights. Apparently, Catholic pubescent boys in that country are allowed, if not encouraged, to have sex with donkeys because they’ll hone their sex-making skills and grow larger in organ size, and experience, and be just the perfect match when they marry their true love. Presumably their bride knows about her new husband’s prowess and where he got it from. Consequently, Colombia welcomes sex tourism and all the jack asses that want to participate. South Africa offers dogs. (Let’s hope they’re demure.) Sweden’s position has been, up until 2014, that as long as the animal was not psychologically or physically harmed, it didn’t matter. Denmark is a haven for animal-sex seekers. They, along with Germany, have animal brothels, and the price varies depending on what animal is chosen for this close encounter. It can range from $100 to the sky’s the limit. The price probably goes up for giraffes and elephants, don’t you think? Brazil, land of the most beautiful women in the world, is rife with animal-sex antics. They’re lamenting the fact that penile cancer is on the rise, but apparently are too hooked on animals to stop the behavior. Hungary is one of the most prolific producers of animal-sex films in the world, followed by Japan and Brazil. Perhaps you can get a video of yourself getting it on with your favorite animal! Finland encourages animal sex for people who are lonely or mentally ill, and only frown upon it if it can be proved that the animal has experienced unnecessary pain or suffering. How, exactly, that is to be determined remains murky, since, last I heard, animals can’t speak Human. Mexico has a place called “Boys Town.” Voyeurs of bestiality can go there to watch a woman and a donkey do their thang. Unfortunately, the woman and the donkey are often enslaved, which adds an extra awful element to this spectacle. And, finally, while it’s illegal in the U.S. now, up until 2014 it wasn’t. And, it may still be legal in certain states. An aerospace engineer in Washington was killed by a horse who mounted him, and it was caught on film. Too spacey to figure out the math?

Some of these countries have made it illegal (since 2013) but turn a blind eye to the problem--possibly the result of a kick in the face. Other countries condone it. And there’s always the underground kennel--I mean market.

Diseases, pesky, and possibly deadly are picked up and spread through animal-sex, so it is advised to wear a condom or use some other barrier for protection. And perhaps it might be smart to wear protective padding. Possibly a helmet, too. I mean, if the horse or dog or chicken gets angry, they could cause some serious harm. Just think what a camel could do! If it’s your first time doing this, might I suggest sheep? They’re more docile while doing the wooly-bully, presumably, and may be in shear heaven. You might be in hog heaven--wait, no, well, maybe. And would that be a baaad thing? It’s confusing!

And, come to think of it, who does chickens? Short people?

I say, bite me! What say you?

#animaltourism tourism vacations

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seenashwrite · 7 years

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A Brief P.S.A.: “Carding”

TL; DR: If “carding” is an acceptable substitute for “finger-combing”, a la “running [my/your/X’s] fingers through ___’s hair”, whilst fill-in-the-blank is servicing your nethers or y’all are banging?

I sure as shit can’t source it.

I read quite a bit. I don’t review often. Stuff like this is why.

It is my legit hope this will be helpful. If for no one else, then me. It makes my eye twitch and my lips curl. Seen this from *multiple* authors/fics, even in simple smooching scenes, not just when smut sneaks up.

Vowed to myself at around the #10 mark that when I saw it even one more time, this would get thrown out of where it’s been living in “Draft” since [looks at calendar] January, and over into “Queue”. So if you’re seeing this, well, there ya go.

“Nash you’re a bitch like, you’re so perfect.”

Accurate assessment, watch that comma next time. To the dictionary we go!

The word “carding” is used for a several things, most popularly - (1) a term related to some sort of financial fraud, (2) slang for a cashier or doorman asking a person for their identification to make certain they are of legal age to purchase/do something, (3) a handful of things related to playing cards/other types of physical cards, and then (4):

Here are a handful of Dictionary.com/Thesaurus.com’s example sentences for the verb “carding”:

The carding takes so long, and my mother is not so strong as she used to be.

From here it went [to] a carding machine of three rollers of different diameters covered with bent metal teeth.

Paul was probably the first, in 1748, to invent the Carding Machine.

Slater introduced the Arkwright system of carding and spinning cotton into America in 1790.

Some are carding cylinders and some are stripping cylinders.

The machine which helps to produce these ropes is called the carding machine.

There are ZERO sentence examples of the word as relating to human hair.

It is a verb that is tangentially related to combing or straightening, but NOT OF HUMAN HAIR.

I submit to you: Unless the person in your story has suddenly acquired a cotton-or-wool-producing-scalp, you ain’t carding nothing. Just say you’re running/tangling your goddamned fingers through/in their fucking hair.

[clears throat, adjusts posture, prepares to get my Elsa on & let this gooooo...]

Please do correct me if I am mistaken/off-base with regards to its prevalent usage in modern-day English as a substitute for running fingers through your/another person’s hair.

I will refrain from discussion of “shutter” and “stutter” and “shudder” at this time. Do not tempt me. Do not.

12 May 17: ETA a couple things, because there seems to be confusion. Apologies for not conveying this clearly.

The topic is not the acquisition of the - let’s say for this purpose - wool from the sheep itself. This is not any “combing” or “brushing” or “grooming” or “touching” of the sheep [which, I had no idea happened on ranches/farms/etc. - my understanding was sheep were sheared, but it apparently sheep are groomed? Mea culpa].

Not what we’re talking about. We are talking about the gentle physical touching of one person by another. We are talking about a word being substituted for that type of touching - in this instance, the use of “carding” that is supposed to imply to the reader a running of fingers through the hair and it simply is not.

The purpose of carding is to end up with a continuous strand of fibers so that they may be transformed into something else [yarn] which has been accomplished by having the raw wool run between either hand carders or a mechanized carder.

I fail to see what the act of running fingers through another person’s hair in an intimate fashion has in common with the act of organizing fiber into a continuous strand.

I concede there are times when fingers are in hair for organizational purposes, specifically when utilizing the finger-styling method. This is different from the intimate act implied when running fingers through hair - unless hair-styling is happening during sexual encounters, in which case I have been doing it wrong for going on a couple decades now and wish I’d gotten that memo.

Here is a roughly 1 minute video of hand carding, which does not take my mind to the ol’ cabinet in my brain to pull out the files on human touch - any form of human touch. It actually reminds me of dog grooming specifically focused on the removal of undercoats, as the carders resemble dog brushes I’ve seen/owned and the raw wool looks similar to the removed fur.

youtube

The commentary I’ve been so graciously given in response is also worth a read if you are interested in witnessing just about every logical fallacy in action, most notably: Strawman, Special Pleading, Appeal To Authority, Anecdotal, Bandwagon, perhaps some Middle Ground, a touch of Tu Quoque, and my personal fave, Ad Hominem.

#Nash Advises #Writing Tips #verbiage in writing #how to vocab #lists of alternatives are great #probs wanna double-check each one just in case #next time we'll talk shutter and stutter and shudder

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news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog · 6 years

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Alpaca accounts are underrated social media treasures

In the vast world of animals with social media accounts, common household pets like cats and dogs typically reign supreme. But if you’re not following your fair share of alpacas on the internet, you’re sorely missing out.

Though social media accounts dedicated to alpacas are rare, they're remarkable — like delicious pieces of hay in the ridiculous needle stack that is the internet. You have to do a bit more searching than you would to find a cat or dog account, sure. But when you do happen upon a dedicated farm or fan posting camelid content, it doesn't disappoint.

Since following several alpaca accounts like Alpacas of Instagram, Barnacre Alpacas, and The Woolly Army, I've found the animals' presence in my daily digital life, though small, to be a real mood booster. After noticing that lighthearted alpaca content makes Twitter and Instagram significantly more bearable, I decided to reach out to some leaders of the alpaca social media movement to learn more about the underrated animals, and what it's like making a space for them online.

SEE ALSO: This cat named Michael Scott is the World's Best Cat

Alpacas are the ideal internet animal in my opinion. They're cute — but not too cute — and bursting with personality, which comes across perfectly in photographs and videos. They're experts at sporting goofy grins and shooting skeptical stares, and often give off major IDGAF vibes that speak to me on a deeply personal level after scrolling through pages and pages of monotonous selfies and brunch shots.

Some alpacas — like Chewy, a 4-year-old male camelid in Australia, and Cody, an especially small but resilient female alpaca in Colorado, who defied her odds of survival after being born prematurely — have thousands of followers on Instagram. But if you're craving a variety of diverse and delightful alpaca content, Alpacas of Instagram is the account for you.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alpacas of Instagram (@alpacasofinstagram) on Jan 23, 2019 at 5:54am PST

The human behind the Alpacas of Instagram account, who asked not to be identified in this article, explained in an email that the account was born while she and a friend interned at an alpaca farm in high school. The farm had 15 alpacas, two crias, a St. Bernard, and a sheep named Gracie at the time. In between learning how to properly care for them and shear wool, the two pals would post photos of the animals to Instagram.

The social media platform was just starting to gain traction, the Alpacas of Instagram creator explained, so when she left for college she decided to keep up the account by reposting photographs from other people who used the hashtag #AlpacasofInstagram.

Using clever captions and quotes, the account tries to post at least one adorable alpaca photo or video a day. And Alpacas of Instagram also works to foster the online alpaca community by sharing content from smaller accounts to its nearly 180,000 followers followers.

"The engagement from followers has been amazing," the creator said, noting the hashtag currently has around 140,000 public posts. And while the attention and positive feedback is nice, she's ultimately just happy to help put the beloved animals in the spotlight.

Image: screengrab/alpacasofinstagram

"I am intentionally private about myself on the account," the account creator explained. "I started it because I wanted to share my love for these animals with the world, not so much myself ... I really enjoy giving a platform to these animals and their owners."

Alpacas' personalities, she explained, are what she loves most about the animals. "Yes they’re cute, and adorable, and fluffy, but they’re also really curious and sweet animals" that can be initially skeptical of people. "They can be really silly and awkward too, which is why I think they’re starting to have such a presence on social media ... They're these stupidly cute animals who do really awkward looking and hilarious things sometimes."

I first learned about the the Alpacas of Instagram account through alpaca lover Hilary Duff, whose boyfriend recently bought her an alpaca named Ivan for Valentine's Day. For now, though, Ivan has to live at the farm with his friends, since alpacas are happiest in herds and will quite literally die of loneliness without an alpaca friend nearby. Is that not the most precious thing you've ever heard?

View this post on Instagram

Omg my baby Ivan. Welcome to the family! Ivan will stay on the alpaca farm with his friends until we are ready to be farm people! We get to visit when ever we like! I’m the luckiest girl. Ok. @matthewkoma serious swoon ♥️

A post shared by Hilary Duff (@hilaryduff) on Feb 10, 2019 at 2:57pm PST

Alpacas take on the Twitter-verse

Though alpacas clearly have a growing presence on Instagram, accounts for farms like Barnacre Alpacas, and individual herds like The Wooly Army have been stealing hearts on Twitter, too.

Paul and Debbie Rippon, the husband and wife team who run Barnacre Alpacas at Turpin's Hill Farm in Northumberland, UK, said they've gained nearly 16,000 followers since they started tweeting in January 2011.

"It's as much part of our farming day as feeding the alpacas," Paul said when describing the farm's approach to social media. "We try to tweet every hour and include lots of pictures and videos."

Hello boys, you need a little haircut Pascal so you can see. pic.twitter.com/mYCEv7iOGw

— Barnacre Alpacas (@BarnacreAlpacas) February 11, 2019

Thanks to one of Michael Palin's travel programs, alpacas made their way onto Debbie's radar in the early 2000s. She and Paul then spent years researching the animals before buying their first three female alpacas in Feb. 2007. After more than a decade of learning, breeding, and expanding the family, they now have an impressive herd of 300 alpacas — one of the largest in the UK.

Barnacre Alpacas breed and sell alpacas, make their own knitwear, and host visits, events, and more. But the farm is also well known for providing a daily dose of hilarious and informative alpaca updates.

I was just saying hello Grigio I don’t have anything. pic.twitter.com/fjv4bI5E5O

— Barnacre Alpacas (@BarnacreAlpacas) February 7, 2019

"They're such characters that it's very easy to invest a lot of time watching and learning all about them," Paul said. "We know all 300 of ours by name — and they know their names too."

The same goes for Alpacaly Ever After, a farm in the UK that offers unique first-hand experiences with the animals, such as private, guided walks around the stunning grounds of Lingholm Estate.

Emma Smalley and Terry Barlow, who run Alpacaly Ever After together, care for a herd of over eighty alpacas. They lovingly refer to the herd as "The Woolly Army," and created a Twitter account for the army back in 2015, which now has nearly 10,500 followers.

Checkout little Stevie :) this was the first time he met the herd! look how many kisses he's getting. . You can now take him for a walk :)https://t.co/HKJg2WSWSE .#alpaca pic.twitter.com/Twmiz3XxTU

— The Woolly Army (@TheWoollyArmy) March 25, 2018

"We call them the 'Goonies of the alpaca world,'" Smalley said of The Woolly Army. "It doesn’t matter to us what they look like or if they have award winning fleece... they will always find a welcome home in our gang."

Smalley and Barlow said their main goal with social media is to let people around the world know how fascinating alpacas are.

"They all have incredibly individual personalities that are fascinating puzzles to work out if you spend the time and effort," Smalley said of the animals. "It’s lovely to have people invested in what we do and to feel a part of something bigger."

Why alpacas are worth a follow

For those of you who have yet to be convinced that alpacas can change your Twitter and Instagram feeds, I asked about the benefits of looking at alpacas through the social media lens.

"The obvious answer is that they are either stunningly gorgeous or spectacularly goofy, it really is hard to take a bad photo of an alpaca," Smalley of Alpacaly Ever After said. "But they are also an animal that is still mysterious and exotic to us."

Image: screengrab via alpacalyeverafter / instagram

Another main perk of following a professional alpaca account, is that you'll get to see a far more intimate side to the animals. The photos and videos of them are being captured by people they trust, in environments that bring them comfort, whereas if you were to visit the animals in real life they might take some time to warm up to you before revealing their looser, more playful sides.

"Some of our alpacas have lots of fans, like Curio who is an orphan and currently being bottle fed," Paul Rippon of Barnacre Alpacas explained. "If we have a poorly alpaca we get lots of love and support from our followers."

Rippon said the farm receives an overwhelming number of positive messages on social media, and people take the time to thank them for helping improve their mental wellbeing or brighten up their days.

So next time you're searching for a safe haven on social media, go ahead and give the alpacas a chance.

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