I'm having a BABY!

I'm expecting my firstborn this fall. This is the AWESOMEST. Join me in hype, friends.

Temperatures in parts of Brazil have gone up to more than 41C this week as South America was hit by unusually hot weather in the middle of the winter.

Four state capitals in the country recorded the year’s highest temperature on Wednesday, while in Cuiabá, in central-western Brazil, the highs reached 41.8C (107.2F).

The rare winter heatwave engulfed 19 of Brazil’s 26 states on Thursday, as well as the capital of Brasilia, according to the National Meteorological Institute.

Residents in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil’s two most populous cities, were also hit by the heatwave. In Rio, temperatures reached 38.7C (101.7F) on Thursday – the city’s second hottest day of 2023.

Authorities said the northeastern states of Bahia and Piauí saw the air humidity drop below 20 per cent, with the government recommending people avoid physical activities and stay indoors during the hottest times of the day.

Last month, Brazil experienced its hottest July since official measurements began in 1961, reflecting a global record, with the average temperature measuring 23C (73.4F), in weeks when the southern hemisphere is supposed to be experiencing its coldest temperatures.

The extreme heat records are being broken or matched by other Latin American countries as well, with Bolivia matching the record of the highest temperature ever recorded in winter in South America, as the mercury reached 45C (113F) in Villamontes on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Nueva Asunción, Paraguay, recorded its highest August temperature at 41.9C on Wednesday. And Peru’s Inapari recorded 38.8C on the same day.

The heat in the middle of the winter is shocking scientists and climate experts.

Climatologist Maximiliano Herrera said South America’s scorching heat represents one of the most “extreme events the world has ever seen” and one that is “rewriting all [climatic] books”.

Climatologist Jose Marengo from the National Disaster Monitoring Centre explained that warmer days during winter are typically caused by a high-pressure anomaly that forms a dome over a stretch of states, including the southeast and southern Amazon.

“With clear skies and abundant sunshine, the ground heats up, initiating a process that leads to the formation of a warm air bubble that prevents the entry of humidity,” he told The Associated Press.

The climate crisis and the El Niño phenomenon likely also amplified higher temperatures and drier weather conditions, according to Renata Libonati, a researcher with Rio de Janeiro Federal University.

All over the world, temperature records have been shattered this year, with large parts of the northern hemisphere experiencing deadly heatwaves this summer, which would have been “virtually impossible” without the human-induced climate crisis.

A deep analysis of Konstrakta's "Novo, Bolje"

I know that there are maybe many articles about this song already, considering it came out a week ago or so, but I am so in love with both the song and Konstrakta herself that I needed to put my two cents on this song and why I think it's such an awesome entry. I'm also going to make a comparison to In Corpore Sano and relate both of the songs. I hope you'll enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Btw, I've gotten the necessary translations from here and here.

Let's start out with the title: Novo, Bolje means New, Better. It's already an indicator that sets the pace for what is coming.

Musically, the song is quite simple - It has only three chords that keep repeating in an uniform pattern, with a distinctive synthesizer that repeats itelf throughout the song as well. It's fast paced and eclectic, very modern, to fit the theme of the lyrics. It's worth noting that the backup singers are taking a very important function here. I'll explain it later on.

Now, let's get to the lyrics. Through the entirety of the song, Konstrakta is speaking to an imaginary doctor, to which she's telling of her latest affliction: She craves novelty. She only wants new things, new improvements, nothing seems to be enough for her, and she considers this as something wrong, something to be cured. This is about addiction to novelty and consummerism - modernity has made us addicted to updates, the newest phone, the newest device, the newest social media, every new thing is exciting and we eventually run for it.

The chorus is proof of it: New, better, faster, bigger, higher, prettier, stronger. The things she has aren't somehow enough, and she claims that all of this is coming. She wants something better than good. Good isn't cutting it anymore. It needs to be better.

Konstrakta proceeds to elaborate on her point saying that if she was smarter, she could turn a kilo of bread into two, and that ever since she was born, she has been knowing about better than good, which is another jab at modernity: New generations are addicted to new things since they are little. Let's think back, how many of us in our childhoods wished for better, bigger toys or electronic devices? It's an actual reality. And with the rise of phones, tablets and similar devices in infancies, this is more present than ever.

This also speaks about self-pressure about being better than good, the line "the performance could've been better" is a reference to our modern perfectionism, and the wish to reach even higher heights everytime, with innovations that sometimes aren't necessary. Why would the Pacific ocean need to be more pacific, anyway? The grandiosity and the exaggeration are marketing elements to draw you in, to try and show you that you can, indeed, be better than good. It's exploitation disguised as motivation and self help.

Then she says that she feels set up everywhere, because she is seeing anomalies, which is another point. Consummerism is a social issue, but if you point it out in a consummerist society, you're most likely to get laughed at or gaslighted in the sense that you're not being brainwashed by the consummerism. Which leads us to the next line, Konstrakta asks the doctor what's wrong with her, why is she seeing anomalies everywhere? Why is she addicted to novelty and perfection? She's trying to break the cycle of self-awareness, and at the same time, she wants her head to shut up about the pressure of novelty and perfectionism. She might believe nobody else is going through this, which is, ironically, an anomaly on itself.

When she sings the word "better" over and over again, it eventually gets distorted by the end of the phrase, which shows us that she's losing herself. In trying so hard to reach better, to improve, she's losing and destroying pieces of herself to try and build something new. The backup singers are repeating the other adjectives: better, faster, bigger, higher, prettier, stronger. Another proof that her head presses her further than she can actually reach.

In a more calm section of the song, she says that everything is fluid, and if she stops, she'll fall through, stating that she needs to constantly go full speed, up, towards higher heights. This is very telling. At the beginning of the section, the music gets calmer, almost quiet, but as Konstrakta starts repeating the words "going up, constantly going up", the synthetizers and the fast pace are back again, supporting her claim and her "illness" - the need for speed, novelty, perfection. Nothing is enough. Nothing will ever be enough. Konstrakta is trapped on a cycle of perfectionism and addiction to novelty. In trying to break the cycle, she's perpetuating it at the same time. It's a vicious cycle from where she can't escape.

When Konstrakta asks again what's wrong with her, this time she doesn't even get to explain what affects her. Here is where the backup singers reveal their real role: They are the voice of society. While Konstrakta tries to figure herself out, the singers appear to reinforce her need for novelty, the need for something new coming, the thought that nothing is never and will never be enough. And in this final section of the song, they shut Konstrakta up: "For God's sake, there's nothing wrong with you". They're gaslighting Konstrakta into thinking it's all in her head, and that she needs to keep striving for more.

During the final section of the song, the singers chant, almost like madness, that it's coming. Novelty and progress are coming, and nobody, not even Konstrakta herself, can stop it. While all of this is happening, she screams, calls out for the doctor to help her, but she receives no help - she's being consumed by the spiral. She's being dragged by the tsunami of society, the fast paace of consummerism devouring her as she screams in agony. And then, she says the most beautiful phrase I've seen in a song in a while:

"The wish doesn't know about what is unreachable."

We can strive and wish for perfection all we want, but wanting something and being realistic about it are two completely different things. We can try to reach the moon, but we are too far to actually do it. And in our search for perfection, not only can we lose ourselves, but we can go to dangerous heights: Security breaches, the end of individual liberties, violence, stepping over people's heads to get whatever we want, however we want. The wish doesn't know what's unreacheable. Therefore, there are no limits to modernity. This is a hurricane, and it's going to destroy us all.

There is no escaping this. Which is why she closes by saying "it's coming" - Modernity is coming. We can't do anything to stop it.

Now, let me compare this masterpiece to her former Eurovision entry, In Corpore Sano.

It's curious to notice that both songs have the same length. In Corpore Sano, in case you need a reminder, speaks about how an artist must keep themselves healthy, appreciating our health and the moments in which we have it, to be thankful for being healthy and our body properly functioning. It's a jab at the Serbian medical system for it's negiglence with artists and the lack of medical insurance for them, also stating how health is a privilege, citing Meghan Markle's hair as an example to kick off the song and start speaking about hydration and health problems and how to identify them.

A healthy mind in a healthy body, a sick mind, a scared mind... Where do we go from this?

This song is more ominous, and the beautiful staging was also very ominous, setting the atmosphere for Konstrakta to become an advocate for Serbian artists and their health system. Art and social criticism, hand in hand.

Both In Corpore Sano and Novo, Bolje speak about health, one being physical, the other being mental. In the case of In Corpore Sano, the background singers don't take as big of a role as they do in Novo, Bolje, and when they do, they reinforce Konstrakta's message, instead of being dismissive about it or trying to shut it down. Both the songs are written in minor keys and are limited to a couple chords, keeping it simple.

In Corpore Sano is slower paced, as if trying to get people to understand the point. We also get a hint of grief - Konstrakta lost her bandmate and friend Miroslav Ničić to leukemia in 2019, which inspired this song to come to fruition. Novo, Bolje, is faster paced, showing us the chaos and the need to rush that the song tried to criticize, and it's repetitive, highly repetitive, to catch people in. The catchy tune is meant to make you forget the point of the song, showcasing how tone deaf society can be sometimes.

At the same time, In Corpore Sano has a hint of divinity. God grants us health, but I don't have medical insurance. Latin has always been a language related to holiness, to purity. Novo, Bolje, has no divinity to it, it's quite banal, vulgar if we try to compare it to Latin - in the Middle Ages, any language that wasn't Latin was called vulgar, meaning "of the people". This song is nowhere near God. Our society has killed God, and has gone beyond divinity. Holy Modernity, mother of our Society, has taken over.

In Corpore Sano is meant to be a ritual song in all of its aspects - we see Konstrakta moving and clapping her hands, cleaning them ritually with her backup singers as assistants, overseeing the process as if to take care of her. They are dressed in black, Konstrakta in white, showing herself as a pure, healthy being, trying to teach others about health and how to keep it. We haven't seen anything about Novo, Bolje's staging, but the concept Konstrakta has shown with her in blue skin and an eccentric white attire, with the caption "The Kilimanjaro could be higher" (a brilliant reference), is meant to scandalize, to be weird, to make you think about the absurdity of things. Again, there is no holiness, no ritualism, nothing. It's banal. It's empty. And that banality, along with the message, is what makes this whole concept beautiful on itself. It's what makes it so brilliant and so well crafted.

I hope you've made it so far and that you have liked this analysis. In short, Konstrakta is a genius, a musical and lyrical genius, and I can't wait to see her again setting foot on Eurovision's stage. I hope this helps you look at her song with new eyes.

She's definetely gotten newer and better.

---

I'm adding a new section of this analysis, to further it, now that Novo, Bolje's staging has been revealed.

First off, I want to thank every single one of you who gave support to the original version of the analysis, from the fans, to people from Serbia, to Konstrakta herself! I'm super honored to have been shared and promoted by her. It feels amazing.

Now, onto what's important: The staging.

Many people have put criticism on the fact that "this is just the same as last time", but they fail to perceive this is the exact message Konstrakta wants to get across. Modernity promises new, better, bigger, stronger, faster, prettier... But in the end most of the things that it produces are the same that they were before. Many new phones end up being the exact same as old models, but with a very small improvement, sometimes hard to see. This is the reason why Novo, Bolje is so similar to it's eldest sister, In Corpore Sano. A sequel that doesn't feel as much as a sequel, and in there resides its charm.

I've also been pointed out to the fact that this is supposed to be a satire against returning artists and their efforts to make something "new, better", and I really like that approach. It's a very interesting artistic satire.

Konstrakta is once again dressed in white, and her singers in black - A contrast between divinity and evil. But this also reinforces the fact that she is the "odd one out", she's questioning modernity, she's the one going against the norm. She's different from everyone around her. The fact that we can't ever see the "doctor" she's referring to, also helps reinforce this message. This will come back later, so keep it in mind.

This time around, she is not washing her hands, but instead making bread. Bread has many symbolisms, but in religion, bread symbolizes the gift to God to humankind - a stark contrast to a godless modernity, as stated prior in this analysis. Bread is the most basic of meals, and one of the easiest to put together, it's universal, every culture has its own version of bread. Just like modernity, universal, basic, stripped out of all value when you truly look into it. Bread is one of humanity's turning points. Modernity is, too, one of humanity's turning points. The creation of the Internet, the introduction of cellphones and computers, the invention of social media, didn't they all change humanity as we know it, just like bread did? Also, just like bread, these novelties are "food" - a basic need, something we can't live without now that we have discovered it.

Interestingly enough, the words "Not new, not better" flash around the first minutes of the song. This "episode" is so similar to the past one, it seems to contradict its title, but then again, therein lies its charm.

In the background, we always see eyes on the sides of the stage. "Big brother is watching you" - rings a bell? Modernity has its eyes everywhere. You are constantly being watched, you have to keep on track, not question anything and just lift your head and pretend everything is normal.

Konstrakta is constantly kneading the dough, never do we see her putting it into the oven - this can also make a reference to the "it's coming" line of her song. The bread is coming, it's supposed to come out soon, just as novelty is coming. Evo sa'ce, how the song would say. Inbetween, Konstrakta lets the dough rest, covered. Anyone who's made bread or seen a bread recipe, know that this is so the dough rises up. Just like a further section of the song, rising up, constantly up. If we tie this to the political meaning I've seen people add to the song, this could also double up as the gestation of an uprising against politicians, or even the fake promises they make.

During the first part, her backup singers are huddled in a corner, and from there they scream at her "it's not enough". This is a perfect parallel to what I put in the first half of the analysis, about self-pressure, perfectionism and how they play a big part on modernity's declining mental health crisis.

In one part, Konstrakta uncovers the dough and just stares at it, along with her backup singers. They all stay there, perfectly still, like Mary watching Jesus in many religious imagery. They stay so still one wonders if something's really happening. As this section ends, a gate opens behind her as she adresses the "doctor", showing a white glow. This is the only time we get that the "doctor" is not really there, it's more like a self-reflection device. And this, once again, symbolizes the divinity amongst the profanity. Holy Modernity, mother of society. Once this happens, Konstrakta goes back to kneeading the bread. It's in the part where she talks about the need to go constantly up, putting up self-pressure and the anxiety of not being perceived as a perfect, functioning piece of society. It's a brilliant parallel.

As that section goes on, we can see one of her backup singers wave their white cloth around. The others stay perfectly still. This is also a symbolism of being the odd one out, how the one that's anxious and constantly on the grind is also frowned upon in some sense.

After the section where the singers tell Konstrakta to calm down, they start circling her while she keeps up her work. It becomes erratic and chaotic, just exactly as I had pictured in my head. Ultimately, Konstrakta is left alone on stage. Covering the dough once more, she claims "it's coming". The bread is coming. Modernity is coming. "Food" is coming.

I'm once again fascinated, throughly fascinated and thrilled by this woman's thought process. As I write this, I got the news she made it into the final! I'm so happy for her. March 3rd, I turn 26 years old. And it'd be the greatest early gift to see her win.

This was, indeed, new, better, and brilliant.

Honestly, I loooved both Spider Verse movies equally but I totally get where you're coming from! But my brother and I were discussing the movie and we are both 100% sure that the third movie will be focused on Miguel and how his perspective changes. First was focused on Miles' journey, second was Gwen and now it'll be about Miguel's theory of the "canon events" not being what it seems. Miles will prove him wrong despite all the challenges he may face trying to save his dad. That's just my two cents! In any case, glad to hear that you enjoyed the movie nonetheless! Have a good weekend!

Ayyy that's great, thanks! Oh I know they have a plan, but every time the studios decide to make a two-parter by simply splitting a story that was meant to be one whole into 2 movies, my heart cries. This movie didn't have any proper conclusion, it just stopped at the beginning of act 3. I'm about to say some big things for someone who saw the movie once, but IMO this could have been fixed by SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

leaning a bit harder into the fact that Miles lets his surroundings dictate how he feels about himself (I disagree that the second movie was about Gwen more than Miles, he got most of the runtime?). Maybe they could have made him join Miguel's team during the first act of the movie and actually do a good job mission! Maybe the mission would have been to redirect an anomaly from killing someone's loved one. He could have seen the canon as something good and worth saving at first, and everyone is telling him what a good job he's doing, and he's super hyped about belonging to a community for the first time in a year! Maybe there's a hint where someone lets it slip that Miguel doesn't want him there, but Miles is READY to prove him just how wrong he is. And THEN he messes up and saves someone who shouldn't be saved and suddenly the community that seemed so welcoming and encouraging is turning against him. So what will he do? Will he try to regain their approval, or will he reject their ideals and once again be alone? Maybe here we can sow that seed of "what could make Miles into an inconsiderate, selfish person?" that we will reap at the end of the movie and during the next one hopefully. And then the leap of faith moment could be him deciding that being himself is worth fighting for, and he runs away from the rest of the spider people and, filled with this newfound confidence, goes home to tell his parents what happened, and then the ending of the movie can play out the same (because it's once again thematically tied to Miles's surroundings dictating him). I feel like that IS what the movie was going for, but because it wasn't written very well, it came across as Miles being fickle and I didn't feel much emotion behind it (except when Gwen caught him Like That and he cut away the web, I YELLED at the IMPLICATIONS).

Honestly, I wasn't a big fan of the writing behind Gwen's issues, either. First off, her backstory being explained in a montage that has not-very-good level of repetition writing made me go "NOOOOOOO". Second off, Gwen's story was basically her being herself and waiting until her dad accepts her as such, which is a waste of a really cool character. She is the polar opposite to Miles in that she doesn't let anyone tell her how to feel about herself, but that doesn't mean she must be static in it - she could have an intrinsic journey! However, the writing still insists on outside issues being the main initiator, and I am pretty annoyed that it all boiled down to "Her dad saw her standing over Peter's body and assumed she killed him, regardless of the fact that Spider-Woman is a well established beloved hero who saves people, and he doesn't care about his daughter enough to stop and think why she might have done that". (The story as it is is fine too, but it's more about her dad learning to understand he loves his daughter, instead of any kind of thematically appropriate character development for Gwen herself. It's thematic in a sense that her advice to Miles is wrong and that parents DO accept their kids, which is okay but sort of a weak point when her dad LITERALLY POINTED A GUN AT HER AFTER SHE TOOK HER MASK OFF ALREADY.) Maybe it would have been better if we didn't see how Peter died because she too isn't really sure if she was in the right or not, so the emotional beat behind her story could have been a parallel to Miles' and Miguel's: Did she do what had to be done, or was there another way? Can she really tell her dad that she wouldn't have done it if she'd known it was Peter trying to kill all those children? And then in the end during her confrontation with her father she finally recalls the entire scene, and she concludes that the choice couldn't have been up to her because she really didn't know what she was doing when she killed him. Maybe following Miguel was not only out of fear of having nowhere to go, but also a coping mechanism, because someone else was calling the shots and she didn't have any responsibility over deciding what happens. But this time, she DOES have all the information, and she is capable of making her own decisions, and that's why she helps Miles. JUST IMAGINE the three of them being three sides of the same moral issue: one who believes in sacrificing what you love for the greater good, one who believes both are the same thing and have to be protected the same way, and one who is afraid of making any choice at all.

Anyway this is really really long and I apologize I just have a LOT to say about how this story could have been dealt with in a way that would have felt natural. How often do animated movies get TWO WHOLE HOURS of runtime???? I wish the writers spent a bit more time refining the story because it absolutely could have been as well done as the first one vjsanvjkadnk

Mike the Headless Chicken (April 20, 1945 – March 17, 1947) was a male Wyandotte chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off. After the loss of his head, Mike achieved national fame until his death in March 1947. In Fruita, Colorado, an annual "Mike the Headless Chicken Day" is held every May.

On September 10, 1945, farmer Lloyd Olsen of Fruita, Colorado, was planning to eat supper with his mother-in-law and was sent out to the yard by his wife to bring back a chicken. Olsen chose a five-and-a-half-month-old Wyandotte chicken named Mike. The axe removed the bulk of the head, but missed the jugular vein, leaving one ear and most of the brain stem intact.

Due to Olsen's failed attempt to behead Mike, the chicken was still able to balance on a perch and walk clumsily. He attempted to preen, peck for food, and crow, though with limited success; his "crowing" consisted of a gurgling sound made in his throat. When Mike did not die, Olsen instead decided to care for the bird. He fed it a mixture of milk and water via an eyedropper, and gave it small grains of corn and worms.

Once his fame had been established, Mike began a career of touring sideshows in the company of such other anomalies as a two-headed baby. He was also photographed for dozens of magazines and papers, and was featured in Time and Life magazines. Mike was put on display to the public for an admission cost of 25 cents. At the height of his popularity, the chicken's owner earned $4,500 per month; Mike was valued at $10,000.

In March 1947, at a motel in Phoenix, Arizona on a stopover while traveling back from tour, Mike started choking in the middle of the night. He had managed to get a kernel of corn in his throat. The Olsens had inadvertently left their feeding and cleaning syringes at the sideshow the day before, and so were unable to save Mike. Olsen claimed that he had sold the bird off, resulting in stories of Mike still touring the country as late as 1949. Other sources say that the chicken's severed trachea could not properly take in enough air to be able to breathe, and he therefore choked to death in the motel.

It was determined that the axe had missed the jugular vein and a clot had prevented Mike from bleeding to death. Although most of his head was severed, most of his brain stem and one ear were left on his body. Since basic functions (breathing, heart rate, etc.) as well as most of a chicken's reflex actions are controlled by the brain stem, Mike was able to remain quite healthy. This is a good example of central motor generators enabling basic homeostatic functions to be carried out in the absence of higher brain centres. In addition, birds possess a secondary balance organ in the pelvic region, the lumbosacral organ, which controls walking locomotion virtually independently from the vestibular organ involved in flight. This has been used to explain how a headless chicken can walk and balance, despite the destruction of much of the cranial vestibular system.

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Hi Mongoose and Frog-anon! (Maybe I should just take up an identity now lol. Maybe Spectre-anon? I don't remember if anyone got that one. 8s) It's so funny that you started talking about who would have seen Batter's other side. I was thinking about this last night too! The situation with Jeb feels so spot-on, Mongoose! The Phobos one feels so true- just- oh man- if HE could see Batter's other side. I support it so much, haha.

If I could add my two cents on it, I definitely want to vouch for the Employers not seeing it. If they knew, they'd probably wouldn't have let Batter stick nearly as close to the Player. Their arrogance and dismissal of Batter prevents them from seeing it for a long time after, if at all. I kinda think of it as a Dedan situation. Hank is in the same boat, but even if he does see it, he doesn't comment on it. Batter could look like anything, and Hank doesn't care. Hank will only prove: he is better in every way-- especially in the threatening department.

San and Dei are grouped with Phobos, seeing the flickers. They can't explain it neither, just that SOMETIMES it's there. Asking the Player doesn't help much, since the response to seeing the weirdness is "oh yeah, it's fine," or "he's always been like that." They slightly relax at this, but will subtly pull the Player away from Batter when the flickering gets more active. It just puts them on edge.

2B isn't around Batter often to see it, what with frequently staying behind at the base and not wanting to interact more than necessary. He tries to scrutinize Batter for the anomalies in-person and via footage, after being warned by San and Dei. There is something off(//shot) … but 2B begrudgingly hasn't acquired concrete proof. It's a bit of a blow to the individual whose specialties relate to intel and observation.

Jebus sees it, and he's in the same situation as the Player in being able to actually control how he perceives Batter. Jebus doesn't really have a preference how Batter appears, as long as Batter continues to prioritize "protecting the player" above all. (Well, maybe the normal side... Jebus doesn't like imagining that THING hovering around the Player when he's not around.)

Tricky definitely sees it and screams "DUCK!1!1!! :D." Enough said. Lmao.

That's it for now. I just wanted to get this out there. I have the urges to draw so much of this. >8O

"ayo, it's frog anon! speaking about bad batter, how'd the main 4 react to him? cause i think if they knew the guy can look like a giant monstrous lizard, they'd hold it over his head constantly about how the player would react so negatively and hate him once they found out that their "favorite" puppet was a monster capable of hurting them. that is until the player either goes "ah, lizard monster, very cool :]" or "yeah i knew, still think he's neat though" giving the batter more to gloat with" - Frog Anon 🐸

Both of these asks are pretty similar, so I decided to group them together, hope you guys don't mind! 😅 Also, I checked and it seems Spectre Anon isn't taken so you're good on that haha. :)

So for how the other grunts would react to The Batter's more monstrous form, I think that Spectre Anon is right in who would be more concerned about this situation. Beginning with Hank, he wouldn't really care about what form the Batter takes or why. His main focus is on how to make it known that he's better than your puppet in every way possible, not what his competition's appearance is. It doesn't matter if they're humanoid or monstrous, if they want your attention he's going to treat them as a threat either way. Plus, Hank has great faith in your intelligence; if you'd been controlling the Batter for so long, why the hell wouldn't you know about this other form of his? He just assumes you're aware of it and continues with his efforts for your favor.

(Under a cut again because wow there's a lot of characters here)

Sanford, Deimos, and Doc see it differently though. For the former, it worries them at first. Nevada's not exactly new to weird elements like this, but for one of your companions from another world, it's concerning. There was no explanation for the monster that they saw in the place of the Batter in those rare moments, and the fact that the flickers happened so rarely made them think he was intentionally trying to hide this side from you. It made them more protective, and they tried to separate you from him more often. When they managed to do that, Deimos would definitely be the one to make little jabs at the Batter for his appearance. Trying to sew the seeds of doubt in his mind about how rational it would be for someone like you to want to be with him, perhaps even threatening to "reveal" this supposed secret of his. Sanford does the same in a way, but he hints at how disdainful your puppets "dishonesty" is, as if he were able to turn into a weird crocodilian thing it'd be one of the first things he told you. (Surprisingly enough, Hank also joins in on some of this but he doesn't leverage anything about your approval in it, it's literally just insults lol.)

Although it frustrates them greatly when the Batter has no reaction to their taunts or suspicion. Honestly, he doesn't care about their opinions; he has you already so what's the point in listening? It's not like those impure beings know him anyway, and the only person whose input actually matters to him is you. Deimos and Sanford wonder why it has no effect, but the answer would come after they finally managed to pry him from your side just long enough to tell you about his strange form. But instead of being surprised (or scared, for that matter) you're just like "oh, you see him that way sometimes? That's interesting. Kinda cool, isn't it?"

(And despite your nonchalant reaction, it actually is kind of intriguing that they see the Batter's "Bad Batter" form. Because that only happens if you see the Batter as something of an enemy. The Batter always looks like himself either way, but the only time you saw this other viewpoint of him was with the Judge's ending so you know something's going on. It seems the boys disliked him more than you thought.)

2B's suspicion of your puppet only increases with the form. He's not around you and the Batter enough to tell for certain what's going on, and his own attempts and investigation fell flat. While he'd loathe asking the others for help on matters concerning you (since they usually get defensive or suspicious of what he's planning on doing), he'll have to do so here, which irks him. But once he finds out that he wasn't just imagining things and that there really is something off (ahaha) with the Batter, it just makes him more wary.

To Doc, it doesn't matter if you're aware of its existence, just the fact that he has the capability of becoming that thing is unnerving. Surely something of that stature would have its own instincts and impulses? What if the Batter lacked his usual self-restraint with you around? What if he hurt you? It'd be easy to do with teeth like that, and even easier to overpower you if you resisted. Your safety is Doc's first priority, so he'll try to work with San and Dei to separate you as much as possible when these "flickers" start happening more often. Though he can't stop his lip from curling in disgust when he sees it. How weren't you even the slightest bit unsettled?

Moving on to Jeb and the Employers, Jeb's in a similar boat to Hank in not really caring about what form the Batter takes. However, he has a bit more control over how he sees him. Unlike the main four, Jeb feels less animosity towards your puppet, something that's reciprocated (a little, but still). This means that the flickers happen very rarely, so much so that he didn't even really notice the Batter could look different until you actually mentioned it. But any reservations he has against your puppet are removed by your reassurance, so he doesn't have much of an opinion. (At least not openly.)

The Employers also don't care, but they aren't given the chance to because of their own dismissal of the Batter as a legitimate threat to them. He's annoying; a mere pest to be rid of, but he isn't worth consideration beyond that. As such, he was never a monster to them. Besides, the Auditor is the embodiment of a "portal to hell", and all of them could be considered monsters in their own right, so it'd be hypocritical for them to think that anyway. Then again, it's not like they cared about that in matters concerning you anyway haha.

Finally, Tricky would probably just agree with whatever your interpretation is, and his opinion on threats to your love is generally the same across the board. Essentially, he'd think the Batter's form is cool because hey, big strong things with sharp teeth are fun to fight! And he is going to try to fight the Batter because that's what he does with all of his rivals. He's not really worried about the Batter's other form because he plans on getting rid of him either way, Ducky or no. (And yes, he would totally yell something like that the moment he sees him lol).

continuing with the whole pet name/nickname argument, i think i'm kind of an anomaly in that i think the usage of petnames when it comes to crimeboys isn't as far off from real-life as people make it out to be. i'm the youngest (with a large age gap like wilbur & tommy) and i have an older brother & two older sisters, all of which frequently call me nicknames like baby or baby girl, which might sound kinda weird to an outsider but that's just how the dynamic is and there isn't anything inherently wrong with it. i don't think the issue is with the nicknames, i think it's because 1. they're real people and obviously not actually related, so it'd be like friends* calling each other darling & that's obviously gonna raise some eyebrows. people don't realize that though because the family dynamic was sowed into their friendship from the very beginning. *two people who met online with an 8-year age difference 2. the way they're written (again talking about crimeboys bc that's what i'm most familiar with) has a LOT of romantically(?) charged subtext. wilbur's often portrayed as weirdly possessive over tommy, almost like you would be in a relationship, and as you said they take any chance for intimacy & pass it off as platonic, especially when it comes to the whole animal shifter type fics. that's where the main issue comes from, not really from the nicknames themselves. just my two cents though

I agree that nicknames aren’t the source of the issue as much as a symptom of it. I know I’ve seen “sunshine” around, and that’s pretty much a fandom nickname for Tommy, so as a fanon thing it’s kind of at a crossroads. The thing I keep an eye on is if the nickname is used to create some of the power dynamics I talked about in the kink post, if it’s an act of possessiveness or it’s intended to make him seem unnecessarily small compared to other people. It’s better to think of them as tools and look at what atmosphere they’re used to create, if it either seems romantic or very charged in a steep uncanny power dynamic way.

The thing is that the fic author also has control over how old he is in a fic, so they can just say ‘of course they’re babying him he’s a seven year old’ as though that was not also a choice made by the author. Fic that is now keeping him small/young or freezing him in place to keep the ‘family’ dynamic going is in the danger zone for me recently. In a world where trends come and go and people naturally get bored or move on to different dynamics, it’s kind of telling when someone chooses to ignore what him being a young adult brings about and focuses on aging him back down or even younger to create the most extreme possessive/caregiver dynamics possible. Everyone in SBI kind of takes turns being a self-insert depending on what the author wants and there is still some innocence in young people thinking that they want to read about an ideal family, but they’re mixed in with people who have different desires as well.

It can be really hard to point to a scene and objectively say ‘this is romantic’ so I’m just working from the clues I can point to. I know I’ve always been sensitive to when stories paint two characters as each others one-and-only, like it’s very clear that their life at it’s core will revolve around and prioritise this partnership, and even that’s not completely unrealistic for a platonic partnership. The thing is, I think that’s the loophole. People can dress things up as uplifting familial/platonic relationships and come down on others for calling things into question because it seems progressive to ‘normalise’ non romantic connection and intimacy (even physical initmacy,) they’ve seized the moral high ground. Now that they have a strategy they can do what they want with the strategy, and it becomes telling what they choose to do with it.

RE: 682's environment

To give my two cents, I think a species of 682 would likely live in a broken down site that, outside of that, is placed in a swamp-like environment, maybe along the lines of a mangrove swamp specifically? I am thinking of some dirty lakes or something like that, too, with algea that look similar to the mop of hair 682 is commonly portrait with. The broken down site could be at various levels of 'reclaimed by nature' across the place, with the upper/ground levels having plants grow into it and maybe some other animals that have gotten in over time, while the lower levels are a bit more intact still. The latter could also work for you wanting to keep the acid; maybe it's on one of the middle floors and now is eating its way all the way to the bottom, clearing the way for nature to get into the site further in the process?

This was generally what I was thinking for the first few integration.

Was going to use Florida mangroves as a base if it was a swamp and for the site biome that was what I was thinking with maybe some acid around the place from broken pipes that lead to the main containment chamber like an acid waterfall thing or maybe some other refences to other anomaly still around (mainly ones from the 682 termination attempts) and add lots of acid resistant plants/extremophiles.

I was thinking of 682 hair maybe being like kelp, so the moss could really work, similar to how algae grows on snapping turtles.

I kinda want to do a few of these as there are many 682 origin stories and they all varied enough to have their own ecosystems to go with them. Like different species, subspecies, or genus.

Current ideas are alien!682 gets the swamp like land the rains acid, scarlet!682 gets more "water" or the containment chamber breakout, beast!682 maybe get some kind of forest which could be the mangrove while alien!682 has a swamp with less vegetation maybe, and Gears!682... I have no idea currently for him as all four version's biomes can currently be interchanged at will.

“ According to the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability one women or girl is killed every other day in Canada”

Last week, a young woman died as a result of severe burns after a man poured a flammable liquid on her and then set fire to her while she was on a bus in Toronto in June. 

Police are investigating the homicide as a “hate-motivated” act; it is not yet known what police think was the motivation. 

Given the victim was a woman, it has prompted many to ask: Why is violence against women not treated as a hate crime?

This question is long overdue and has now been taken on by British Columbia’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner inquiry into hate in the pandemic. This is the first such inquiry in Canada, and one of few globally, to include a focus on gender-based violence as a form of hate. 

In Canada, the definition of a hate crime  has evolved out of related Criminal Code sections, identifying “sex” as an identifiable group. The Canadian Human Rights Act also includes “sex” among a list of identifiable groups protected from discrimination. For decades, then, it has been possible to respond to violence against women and girls as a form of hate on the basis of “sex.”

So how often does this actually occur? 

Data gap in sex-motivated hate crimes

Police-reported statistics from 2006-20 show that sex never comprises more than three per cent of reported hate crimes. One study focusing on 2014 compared police figures to self-reported data to show that sex-motivated hate crimes were significantly under-reported: under three per cent compared to 22 per cent. 

It is likely many cases were motivated by the intersections of sex and characteristics like race and religion, but data are limited in the ability to capture these combinations — a significant gap which is increasingly acknowledged.

Power and control does not negate hate

One common argument for the invisibility of sex-motivated hate is that violence against women and girls is more often seen as motivated by a man’s desire for power and control, since women and girls are most often (58 per cent) victimized by male partners and family members.

But the presence of power and control as a motivation for male violence does not preclude the accompanying motivation of hate. In fact, hate may be the primary motivation for efforts to exercise power and control over a woman. 

A large proportion of women and girls are also victimized by men with whom they shared more distant or no relationship, or simply said they did not want to have a relationship. 

The Toronto woman who was burned alive did not know her killer. 

A mother and daughter who were killed last month, and a second daughter who was injured in Ottawa, did not share a relationship with the accused male perpetrator. He allegedly had “romantic interests” in the surviving daughter. Days before the attack, he had been released after being charged with stalking and sexual assault of unrelated women. 

Sex-motivated hate crimes are common

One might argue these examples are anomalies, perpetrated by men with mental health issues. This is a common perpetrator-excusing rationale. 

This perception must change. 

Although the past month was full of tragedies for these women and their loved ones, three separate processes were also underway to help us move towards a better understanding and develop better responses to hate-motivated killings of women. 

The Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario held a three-week inquest into one of the worst instances of intimate partner femicide in Canadian history. The case involved the killings of three women by one man in 2015. The inquest made 86 recommendations on femicide and gender-based violence. When sentencing the man to life in prison, the judge said: “… he is a violent vindictive, calculating abuser of women, who … took his hatred to its ultimate climax …” 

The convicted male offender in the “Toronto Van Attack” was also sentenced for killing eight women and two men and injuring 16 others in 2018. He has said he drew his inspiration from the so-called incel online subculture of men united by sexual frustration and a hatred of women. 

Read more: Incels are surprisingly diverse but united by hate

And the Nova Scotia Mass Casualty Commission is currently examining the events leading up to, and surrounding, the killings of 13 women and nine men in April 2020. Finally killed by police, the man’s killing spree began with violence against his female partner, which was reportedly not the first instance of violence against her. Connections are being examined between gender-based violence and mass killings, including the role of misogyny, roughly defined as the hatred of women.

Mass killings are not the only types of incidents involving the hatred of women and girls, however. 

Everyday experiences of hate

According to the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability one women or girl is killed every other day in Canada, a significant portion of which are likely motivated by hatred. We lack reliable data to understand its actual occurrence.

The inquiry on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls demonstrates how a significant proportion of femicides are motivated by a combination of sex and racially motivated hatred. These killings underscore how intersecting identities motivate hate, often facilitated by institutional and systemic misogyny, including police, which also impacts Black women and other racialized and marginalized groups. 

And then there are the many other forms of everyday sexismthat occur, often including violence and hate, particularly against women in public life.

So why is violence against women and girls motivated by hate rarely treated as such, despite our legislation providing the mechanisms to do so?

The report pending from British Columbia and the recently announced national Task Force on Hate Crime can help begin to answer this question. 

Until then, violence against women and girls remains marginalized in Canada’s hate crime framework, just as their experiences of male violence are marginalized, normalized and minimized in society. Until then, violence against women and girls remains marginalized in Canada’s hate crime framework, just as their experiences of male violence are marginalized, normalized and minimized in society.

Book Review: Algernon's Anomaly by Valentyne DeBudge

🌕🌑🌑🌑🌑 (1 star)

TW (for the book and for my review): discussions around suicide.

Also spoiler warning but it's okay because 1) they're only minor spoilers, and 2) this book sucks anyway don't read it.

For the record, I am not writing all of this to be mean. But also I think the ratings on this book are seriously skewed, because literally everything I see on Goodreads and Amazon is like "omg five stars amazing" so I'd just like to give my two cents.

This book was Not Good. Both objectively and subjectively. I don’t even really know how to summarize everything I didn’t like with it; the writing was choppy and rambling. The characters were also way too insta-love, which I hated: at least we hear Thaddeus kind of crushing on him from the get-go, but Algernon is supposed to be so closed off and tortured but then that is completely ignored and gotten over in literally three days. Also, really felt like the story portrayed suicide as a positive option/way out of a bad situation, and kind of romanticized it as this dark, edgy thing to do. Obviously I read the TWs, I knew suicide was a part of the story, but I don't think it was handled well at all.

On top of all of the things I just mentioned, there was also just an absolutely absurd number of typos, bad grammar, incorrect punctuation, the works. At one point, Algernon’s name is autocorrected to “Afternoon” and not fixed (at least, I’m assuming that’s what happened). It’s as if the author wrote this in thirty seconds and did not do a single pass of editing before publishing. 

The only reason this book even gets one star is because I loved Honore and there were some funny little quips with the fact that she was a ghost, very Klaus from TUA energy. But that’s literally the only thing I enjoy from all FOUR HUNDRED PAGES of this book.

Anyway, I hate having to write reviews like this, but I was very unimpressed by this book. Maybe I'm missing something, based on the number of five star reviews, but I did not like this at all.

Valid to not like the "not like other girls" trope but I think at its best it points to the fact that women usually get more gender-policing from other women than from men.

Brainflooding

What if everything that is currently labeled or given a name is completely wrong?

What if addictions aren't addictions and only things we do out of boredom when we don't have schedules to follow or paths to take.

Sneaker addictions, car addictions, sex addictions, handbag addictions, coffee addictions, alcohol addictions, cigarette addictions, gambling addictions, eating addictions, shoplifting addictions.

I am not saying that there are not substances out there that won't hook your addictive personality, but you know what you should and shouldn't stay away from. I am no parent of yours to chime in with my unrequested two-cents. There is only one human being on this planet that I am responsible for and he's eight.

Watch addictions, porn addiction, chocolate addiction, addictions can become obsessions too. Unless "obsessions" were labeled incorrectly, as well.

We don't allow less smarter beings to dictate terminology. We create it for them, educate them on it and then enforce it into society.

Sure, If that process can be sped up to happen within 3-5 years, Then that's an anomaly. Consider yourself lucky or blessed or both.

And what if obsession were only brand-support. Would it make sense that in order to penetrate any mind you have to flood it with the same data/information every single day—maybe even several times throughout the day.

Penetrating minds takes nearly a solid decade. Those initial fans must become superfans and superfans require groundbreaking moments of dopamine hit after dopamine hit.

We see the effects of strong brand penetration from brands in the 80's that are still here today, which had the luxury in the 80's to advertise their logos every 3-5 minutes across America.

Brainflooding is an updated take on that process utilizing more of our sensory elements including sound. Not only "popular music" tagging along with these logos, but sonic-fingerprinting or what they have labeled a sonic logo, which is mislabeled because the logo already exists. You are simply adding a unique a short sonic composition to it that should be inline with the ethos of the brand.

Mislabeled like a Driveway, Which is something meant to be parked on. There's no driving on a driveway. Yet, a Parkway is something we do drive on. You brushed that off and never think of it, too, so it won't matter what we relabel.

Therapy. Psychologists. Physicians. Don't get me started on them. But do your own research and don't get sidetracked.

Keep going and remember that everything is a Contronym.

CP'24

*between 1953-1964 the CIA's: "Project MKUltra/MK-Ultra" used enforcement of routine as one of several techniques to brainwash subjects successfully.

There is no shortage of grim stats that elucidate the bleak repercussions of misogyny and gender inequality. As the only women’s correspondent at a UK news outlet, I am all too familiar with these facts and figures. Take the statistic that between two and three women are killed by a current male partner or ex-partner every single week in England and Wales, or that a woman is killed by a current or ex-partner with a gun every 16 hours in America. Or that less than 20 per cent of landholders in the world are women. Or that 80 per cent of those displaced by climate change are estimated to be women.

Or that in some countries around the world, the legal restrictions on abortions are so stark that women risk long prison sentences – even women who become pregnant after being raped or if her pregnancy has a fatal fetal anomaly or if her health conditions mean she could die from carrying to term or giving birth. Or the fact that roughly 40 per cent of women who are of reproductive age are living somewhere in the world where pregnancy terminations are either illegal or restricted. . . .On top of all this, women are statistically more likely than men to work in low-paid, insecure, precarious forms of employment with zero-hours contracts. They are also far more likely to suffer domestic abuse or sexual violence. The World Health Organisation states that one in three women across the world will be forced to endure physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives and it will most likely be perpetrated by a partner. This is unsurprising when 38 per cent of all murders of women around the world are carried out by partners.

Crowdfunding for Preterm Babies

Becoming parents is an unworldly feeling that most couples wish to experience. The excitement that the entire household experiences when the news breaks that a couple is expecting a baby or babies is unmatched. Then starts the journey of taking utmost care of the mother, her nutrition, her fitness, mental health and of course, her cravings! No matter whatever is the financial situation in a household is, everyone tries their best to keep the expecting mother and the baby safe and healthy. Amidst all this excitement and care, it is most significant to have regular check-ups and ultrasound scans. 

What you get to know through these ultrasound scans is to evaluate the infant's growth, determine whether multiple pregnancies are present, and detect any anomalies. Although the ultrasound scan is not 100% accurate, it has the advantages of being non-invasive, painless, and safe for both the mother and the unborn child. It helps to take important decisions within the time that can save a mother’s life as well. 

But unfortunately, there are times, when despite everything going smoothly with an expecting mother’s pregnancy, certain complications take place and in order to keep both the mother and the baby safe, a premature delivery occurs. Preterm babies, often have complex health problems, especially those who are delivered very early. Prematurity-related problems often differ.

The newborn may have very minor signs of prematurity or more pronounced difficulties.

Prematurity can show itself in the following ways:

Short size, with an oversized head that is not proportional to it Sharper-looking, less rounded features than those of a full-term baby because of a lack of fat reserves

Lanugo, fine hair covering most of the body

Low body temperature is brought on by a lack of body fat reserves, especially right after birth in the delivery room.

Breathing that is laboured or respiratory discomfort

Feeding issues result from a lack of swallowing and sucking reflexes.

A premature baby will require a longer hospital stay in a dedicated nursery unit at the hospital if you birth a premature baby. The newborn may be admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or an intermediate care nursery, depending on the level of care needed.

A prolonged NICU stay increases the preterm baby's survival chances. Two-thirds of babies born at 24 weeks gestation who are admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) survive and go home. Ninety-eight per cent of babies born at 30 weeks gestation, survive. 

Though NICU treatment is accessible and practical, it is proved to be expensive for some people. At such times, what most Indian couples do is, mortgage or sell their ancestral property or belongings and are found to be in debt later. Now that the world is expanding, you can find ways to fund even prolonged expensive medical treatments. 

Crowdfunding for Preterm Babies

Crowdfunding is the practice of raising money through a large number of individuals or organisations for a particular goal or a charitable cause. The idea behind it is that obtaining comparatively little from a large number of people is simpler than getting very large investments from a small number of people. 

Now that we have discovered a way to fundraise for preterm babies, let us look at the fundamentals of crowdfunding that can assure the success of the fundraiser.

1. Set a goal amount

Every successful fundraising effort has a fundamental strategy behind it, and we're here to assist you in selecting your goals for your campaign. Starting with a goal amount is the first step. As with any medical operation, it's crucial to consider the procedure's price as well as all the smaller costs that can pile up, such as any unpaid time off from work, pricey drugs, transportation, copays, etc.

2. Be honest with the pitch

Even if you may believe that your friends and relatives already know your story, doing so effectively can have a significant impact on your fundraising efforts. Share your own experiences, use images and videos, and tell your tale honestly and plainly on your fundraising page. You are inviting your fans to participate in this story. For further advice on fundraising storytelling, see this page.

3. Share it on social media

Your fundraising story may be shared with family, friends, friends of friends, and even compassionate strangers worldwide thanks to the power of social networks. Ask friends and relatives to share the link to your social media fundraising fundraiser when you post it. Create a hashtag for your fundraising that will make it easier for people to follow your trip in order to give it your own unique spin. You might even think about starting a blog to document your journey. 

4. Update your supporters

Regular updates must be posted. It assists in updating supporters and demonstrates to new donors the possible impact of their gift. Display your appreciation. Share uplifting words. Maintaining their interest will increase their likelihood of making additional donations or sharing your story with their social networks. 

5. Thank your donors

There are several best practices and standards for thanking people who donate to a cause in the fundraising sector, and it's not just about being polite. Since the cause is yours in this instance, familiarise yourself with our helpful primer on expressing gratitude to supporters.

Tips for the Guys

I recently met a woman online. She was younger than I am and relatively new to the lifestyle, and I quickly found myself sharing thoughts on how to seduce a man. [Editor's note- the short version: deep, sustained, meaningful eye contact; physical touch - try placing your open-palmed hand on his chest when talking/flirting with him; and when all else fails in the middle of a crowded bar remove your panties and put them in his shirt pocket. Let's see how that works for her.]

As we chatted, she shared an all-too-familiar refrain. She is married and she and her husband each want to date and find sex partners, and while she's finding it easy to find guys who want to fuck her, for him it's been a slower, more frustrating experience.

Which I can relate to, having been in those same shoes for many long years.

Once she got a sense of my experience level and the network of friends I've built over the years, she asked me for tips for her husband, and she even suggested I do a blog entry for it (yes, I shared my blog with her. I almost always share it with the women I flirt with). She thought it might be a helpful for her husband and other men in his position.

So here you have it, my ever-so-humble top 10 pieces of advice for men attempting to break into this lifestyle.

Be humble and roll with the punches. This is probably the best advice I can give. Men have it pretty good in general and in the rest of our lives we often have the upper hand. Women make 70 cents for every one of our dollars, usually have to work twice as hard to get half the respect, and are too often considered sex objects in the professional environment. When I started as a single man in the lifestyle, one of the first things I noticed was that the women have the power. They have the upper hand, can choose who they have sex with, and it's we who must curry their favor in the hope of getting noticed. I personally think it's healthy to experience life on the bottom of the totem pole and I'm comfortable having to work extra hard to earn my way. I think men who can check their ego, gain some humility, and keep it all in perspective have won half the battle right there.

Listen. I'm going to grossly over stereotype, but many of the men I know love to go into broadcast mode, spew their stories, and do a very poor job of listening to their date. This is corroborated by many of my friends with benefits, who regale me with stories of guys who blather on and on about themselves and don't ask the women a single question or display any interest in her point of view. I may be an anomaly, but I am genuinely interested in my partner; I like to ask questions, and I think I do a pretty good job of listening. Shutting my trap and actually listening, which is different than sitting quietly while you wait your turn to speak. Actively listening to the women you date will set you apart and help forge meaningful connections. Which is the entire point, if you ask me.

Be respectful. This is related to but goes beyond the act of listening. The women you're dating are fully-formed, 360 degree human beings, not fuck dolls made of flesh. They have hopes, dreams, traumas, baggage, good days, bad days. They may have children, stressful jobs, or clingy exes. They may contribute time to causes, be obsessed with hobbies, or have funny quirks. But no matter what, they are human beings every bit as deserving of grace and dignity as you or I, and treating them as such is not only what they deserve, but will also ingratiate you and help form that meaningful connection I was talking about above.

(This is really #3a) Do I even need to say it? No cock shots. Come on guys, just keep it in your pants. This should be an obvious part of "Be respectful" and go without saying but based on an anecdotal poll of my FWBs, it seems at least 9 out of 10 guys send unsolicited cock shots. But 8 out of 10 women don't want them. If she's one of the two who REALLY do, don't worry, she'll let you know. Set yourself apart, show some class, and when in doubt keep it from the neck up, at least during your initial interactions. It's fine to be flirty and fun (go for it!) but if a cock shot is your fourth message, what you're actually sending is a signal that you may not be the guy she's looking for.

Be interesting. You have interesting things to say. You've had wonderful life experiences. I know you have. Feel free to show it, and share it. Be flirty! Be fun! Tell an interesting anecdote. Flash that humor. You got game and it's great to flex it. But it's even better if you can do so while keeping the above rules in mind: be humble, be respectful, and listen to her. Don't make it a one-way monolog or a broadcast piece of performance art. Make it a sexy, fun dance with both parties playing their part.

Play the numbers game. It may seem a little uncouth for me to say it but it's just a fact. As a man you're going to have to do a lot more work to get a fraction of the attention that your average woman does. So, so many of my FWBs have likes from dozens or even hundreds of guys and they can't even scan through the list, let alone message them all. I, on the other hand, get relatively few matches and even when I do get a match, it's only the occasional woman who engages in dialog. If I had to estimate, I'd say 5%-10% of my swipes turn into a match, fewer than 20% of matches become a conversation, maybe half of conversations turn into a real-live date, and not every date turns out to be a good match. I literally went years swiping on Tinder with nothing much to show for it and then Bam! there's Rosemarie. Hundreds of swipes on Bumble with nothing of interest then Bam! Christine. Months more swiping then Bam! Samantha. I have found you have to be patient, roll with the punches, and play the long game.

Treasure the connections you have and don't play leapfrog. When you do start to get dates and have some success, it can be intoxicating. But the irony is we as humans are programmed to always chase the shiny new object, and the temptation may be to move on from your latest conquest and look around for the next. I'm not saying you shouldn't keep working to expand your network and add to your rotation; I see nothing wrong with that (I still do it to this day). But what I would strongly advise is to cherish the women who do want to have sex with you. Treat them well and continue to show them the respect they deserve. They are giving you a lovely gift of their time and attention (and pussy!) and you are lucky to be the recipient. Don't be a heel and toss them aside while you look for your next thing. Bring them along on the journey and cherish the time you spend together.

Build on your network and your real-world connections. As you start to meet more people you'll have more options. As a couple you will have an easier time finding singles or other couples to join you. You will now be able to visit sex clubs or parties. In these situations it's going to be much easier to meet other like-minded people (they ARE at a sex party after all!). This is an excellent opportunity to find people you click with, and if the feeling is mutual, you can add them to your network. Two important caveats: a) see above about respect and treasuring current connections; if you do make connections at real-live events, don't sneak around on your date or do it behind her back. Be transparent and open, discuss your wants and desires freely, and don't marginalize her. And b) see above about respect and being humble. Don't indiscriminately hit on every woman at the sex party. Consent applies even at - especially at - these places and you should only ask for her contact info if there's a clear, mutual connection. No one likes creepers. Don't make her uncomfortable. Don't be that guy.

Put "I throw sex parties" in your profile. Just kidding. Well, sort of. If you actually throw sex parties, then go for it! Once I started throwing them I did put it in my profile, and my matches increased significantly. And I found I was matching more often with like-minded women and couples. But still. Maybe actually start throwing parties before putting this one into practice.

Don't give up. I saved this one for last because it may be the hardest, but also the most important piece of advice. If you jump into this game expecting immediate success, you may be disappointed. I have no idea how you will do (I probably don't know you after all!), but for me at least it took years of patience, perseverance, and good humor to get to where I am today. The first year or so I had maybe a handful of sex partners and spent most of my time on the websites and the apps, reaching out to people, and having relatively little to show for it. But I was patient and optimistic and played the long game and slowly, over time, I achieved greater levels of success. And then success bred success. You just have to stick it out and eventually you will probably get to that critical point where you have a nice little stable of FWBs. Keep at it. I am confident that with patience and perseverance you'll get there.

And one for the partners:

Give him an assist. For the ladies of the men who are lucky enough to have a partner in all of this, you can do your man a huge favor if you're so inclined. It's going to be much easier for you to find another couple, or a single woman, to have sex with if you are operating as a couple than he will as a single man. You can go to parties and clubs together. You can help unlock the magic door for him to access new pussy. And even if you would rather date separately, are looking to make your own way, and all that, it might be to your benefit to do part of your journey as a couple, at least until he gets his sea legs under him. Because the sooner he starts getting some success, and the more connections he starts to get, the better he's going to feel about this decision and the more likely he's going to feel comfortable giving you the green light to proceed with your solo journey. I have come across my share of couples in which she's gung ho and can get any guy she wants, while he's struggling to find his way, and eventually he becomes bitter and disenchanted, wants to pull back, and it becomes a source of friction. Not to tell you how to live your life of course, but if you love him and want him to have a good experience in all of this, you can do wonders by being his wingman.

Whew! I'm sure there's a mountain of other stuff I could have included. In fact, I'm sure I could write a book. No, seriously, I bet I could. But I'm feeling pretty good about that as a top 10 list of things to keep in mind and try. I'd be willing to wager that if you're patient and perseverant and apply these rules, you'll start to see some success.

And given that I did most of my learning through intuition and the school of hard knocks, maybe it won't take you as long as it took me. At least I hope so.

Good luck, guys, and feel free to drop me a line and let me know how it goes!

Crowdfunding for Preterm Babies

Becoming parents is an unworldly feeling that most couples wish to experience. The excitement that the entire household experiences when the news breaks that a couple is expecting a baby or babies is unmatched. Then starts the journey of taking utmost care of the mother, her nutrition, her fitness, mental health and of course, her cravings! No matter whatever is the financial situation in a household is, everyone tries their best to keep the expecting mother and the baby safe and healthy. Amidst all this excitement and care, it is most significant to have regular check-ups and ultrasound scans.

What you get to know through these ultrasound scans is to evaluate the infant’s growth, determine whether multiple pregnancies are present, and detect any anomalies. Although the ultrasound scan is not 100% accurate, it has the advantages of being non-invasive, painless, and safe for both the mother and the unborn child. It helps to take important decisions within the time that can save a mother’s life as well.

But unfortunately, there are times, when despite everything going smoothly with an expecting mother’s pregnancy, certain complications take place and in order to keep both the mother and the baby safe, a premature delivery occurs. Preterm babies, often have complex health problems, especially those who are delivered very early. Prematurity-related problems often differ.

The newborn may have very minor signs of prematurity or more pronounced difficulties.

Prematurity can show itself in the following ways:

Short size, with an oversized head that is not proportional to it Sharper-looking, less rounded features than those of a full-term baby because of a lack of fat reserves

Lanugo, fine hair covering most of the body

Low body temperature is brought on by a lack of body fat reserves, especially right after birth in the delivery room.

Breathing that is laboured or respiratory discomfort

Feeding issues result from a lack of swallowing and sucking reflexes.

A premature baby will require a longer hospital stay in a dedicated nursery unit at the hospital if you birth a premature baby. The newborn may be admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or an intermediate care nursery, depending on the level of care needed.

A prolonged NICU stay increases the preterm baby’s survival chances. Two-thirds of babies born at 24 weeks gestation who are admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) survive and go home. Ninety-eight per cent of babies born at 30 weeks gestation, survive.

Though NICU treatment is accessible and practical, it is proved to be expensive for some people. At such times, what most Indian couples do is, mortgage or sell their ancestral property or belongings and are found to be in debt later. Now that the world is expanding, you can find ways to fund even prolonged expensive medical treatments.

Crowdfunding for Preterm Babies

Crowdfunding is the practice of raising money through a large number of individuals or organisations for a particular goal or a charitable cause. The idea behind it is that obtaining comparatively little from a large number of people is simpler than getting very large investments from a small number of people.

Now that we have discovered a way to fundraise for preterm babies, let us look at the fundamentals of crowdfunding that can assure the success of the fundraiser.

1. Set a goal amount

Every successful fundraising effort has a fundamental strategy behind it, and we’re here to assist you in selecting your goals for your campaign. Starting with a goal amount is the first step. As with any medical operation, it’s crucial to consider the procedure’s price as well as all the smaller costs that can pile up, such as any unpaid time off from work, pricey drugs, transportation, copays, etc.

2. Be honest with the pitch

Even if you may believe that your friends and relatives already know your story, doing so effectively can have a significant impact on your fundraising efforts. Share your own experiences, use images and videos, and tell your tale honestly and plainly on your fundraising page. You are inviting your fans to participate in this story. For further advice on fundraising storytelling, see this page.

3. Share it on social media

Your fundraising story may be shared with family, friends, friends of friends, and even compassionate strangers worldwide thanks to the power of social networks. Ask friends and relatives to share the link to your social media fundraising fundraiser when you post it. Create a hashtag for your fundraising that will make it easier for people to follow your trip in order to give it your own unique spin. You might even think about starting a blog to document your journey.

4. Update your supporters

Regular updates must be posted. It assists in updating supporters and demonstrates to new donors the possible impact of their gift. Display your appreciation. Share uplifting words. Maintaining their interest will increase their likelihood of making additional donations or sharing your story with their social networks.

5. Thank your donors

There are several best practices and standards for thanking people who donate to a cause in the fundraising sector, and it’s not just about being polite. Since the cause is yours in this instance, familiarise yourself with our helpful primer on expressing gratitude to supporters.

With crowdfunding, all of your goals can be achieved, and with the power of social media, it is bound to happen. Filaantro is a reliable crowdfunding platform that raises funds for every genuine cause that one believes in. With the user-friendly interface, easy withdrawals, social media promotions and tax benefits, Filaantro makes the fundraising experience an easy and transparent journey.

Visit us at filaantro.org to know more