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#i tried addressing a lot of faq
goddessxeffect · 9 months
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《 MASTERPOST: Let go and let God 》
Quotes from blog post and answers from other bloggers regarding certain topics based in the teachings of law of consciousness and non duality. This is a summary of everything I think is incredibly useful and has been for me in understanding and applying this lifestyle. Long post ahead.
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Basics & Teaching
"I contain all, nothing contains me." - Nisargadatta Maharaj
This subject cannot be learned intellectually, it cannot be learned through the mind [ego] because it's perceived just behind the mind. We can use the mind to gradually undo the limitations enough so that we can get behind the mind by getting it quieter. @4dbarbie-backup
What you can point out as 'this' or 'that' cannot be yourself. Surely, you can not be 'something' else. You are nothing perceivable, or imaginable. Yet, without you there can be neither perception nor imagination. Identity or Ego is merely a pattern of events in time and space, which are also just concepts belonging to the world of ego.@4dbarbie-backup YOU are life. you are life itself. you are all. you are how this all works. "me? this body? this mind?" not the body, mind, ego or thoughts. not even the feeling, beliefs & emotions. i'm talking about Self. Infinity. God. I AM. the awareness. the one that observes all. the life force is you. you animate all of what you see. @lains-reality
Realize you are never not IT. We are actually fully realized all the time. We are fully realized Beings saying that we are not. @4dbarbie-backup There is no becoming "aware". You can't become something you already are! You keep forgetting you are not the body-mind (ego). The body-mind lacks things, the body-mind takes it's surroundings to be real. The body-mind has a very limited viewpoint, it knows what it knows, it only sees what it sees. @iamthat-iam The [body-]mind cannot intimidate the Pure Self, it can only intimidate the idea you have of who you are, your self image. what the mistake is, is that we are taking the idea of who we are as the fact of who we are.@lains-reality
Everything you see and experience is only a mental condition, a dream-like state, easy to dispel by questioning its reality. Both sleep and waking are imagined.@4dbarbie-backup Dreams are just "materializations" of whatever our consciousness is aware of while the body rests. You can touch it, you can interact with it, your senses become active when you're dreaming at times. there's even a phenomenon where people actually thought their dreams were memories or something they legitimately experienced.@piercedblunt "But I am not conscious of myself when sleeping?!" You are aware of something though, being unconscious, which manifests instantly, you are sleeping. Being unconscious is an experience, and you're doing the same thing in the waking state.@4dbarbie-backup
Let's now take a look at this so-called physical world. The apparent solid outer world is just an illusory world. We created it mentally, which is also backed up by human science. But, and that's the catch, it is not external and so the only way to control the outside world is to step out of the world. The ego IS IN the world, and not you. Both the ego and the world are IN YOU.@4dbarbie-backup
When 'you' desire something, you [Consciousness] already have it. How do you already have it? Your true self is everything, it can't desire anything if it's already being anything. Everything that your ego desires already exists within consciousness. Remember that whenever your ego tries to bring up a desire. @iamthat-iam After all, when 'you' desired in your mind, wasn't there a moment where you had it? Where you imagined what it'd be like to have it, what it'd look like or how it'd make you feel? @cheryawa It is not instantly visible to you because you identify with the body and not your pure being. No matter how much you use your mind/imagination, you are who you are regardless of the imagines playing in the head. I could think of a panda a million times, imagine what it's like being a panda a thousand more, that doesn't make me into a panda when I still know myself to be a person.@4dbarbie-backup
Here's a scale of emotions you'll go through in your journey, from bottom to top: apathy, grief, fear, hostility, anger, indifference, acceptance, freedom finally - and then unlimited, independent joy. @4dbarbie-backup It’s not an euphoric feeling either but a real feeling of knowing and with that - indifference and power. It is very calm and serene, as if nothing can disturb you. @adadisciple
I've been looking at the things I want as existing for me to experience them. When I have a desire, I experience it as something that already belongs to me because everything is coming from (within) me. @4dbarbie-backup
NON-DUALISM
"It is the Self that believes there is a person and is conscious of being IT." - Ada B.
Let's break the word down first. “Non” of course means “no” or “not.” And “dual” means “two.” So, non-dual means not two. It says there is only one. This is referring to you, awareness [or consciousness], that there is only you, [...] the only thing that exists. You are the true reality. The only purpose for awareness is to observe, to oversee, to be. Nothing more, nothing less. For example, awareness is human, it can take on a human form, but human is not awareness or defines awareness as a whole. A human is simply a temporary form, but awareness is always free to be aware of any other form @itzalizeyyy
Whatever you imagine is the same as seeing it in the physical world, because both are still being an observed experience by the awareness, and therefore both are the same, as one (imagination). @itzalizeyyy
Helpful metaphors: When you watch a movie, you know it is a movie bc you are outside of it. you are observing it. now what about the characters in the movie? they dont know its a movie bc they are not outside of it. they think they are just regular ppl and they dont see the truth, their true selfs: which is just characters in a movie. @msperfect777 The ego is like your character in the game (of life), it's already a "manifestation" so it can't manifest (just like a book can't write itself or another book). You are aware of a character you go through life with. @consciousnessbaddie
Ego Death is then the disappearance of the egoistic sense of Self. You feel that your are no longer that.You don't disappear; you don't lose anything. There's no reason to fear losing your body, or losing anything. Yet, most of us are fearful that we're going to lose our body and be nothing. That's a serious error. You could be a hundred bodies! When the idea 'I am this body' dies, the witness does not. Death is merely the idea 'I have lost my body'. What you think yourself to be before death continues to be after death. Your sense of Self survives. @4dbarbie-backup
In Non Dualism, the goal is to stop identifying with ego and realize who you are.You see there's no seperation between you and anything so that means everything you once "desired" is already who you are. You never feel the sense of desire again because of this. Any "physical materialization" that happens after will not seem like such a big deal, since it was already who they were to begin with. @iamthat-iam
"I am that, I have always been that. All is well. There are no mistakes. I am in my right place." All you have to do is realize/ know your are not the mind (= identitiy, character, ego). Robert Adams
Self-Inquiry
" To know the source as source and appearance as appearance, and oneself as the source only is self-realization " - Ada B.
The mind is doing a good job actually, because it bites you and kicks you and teases you, because if it doesnt do that, then you'll want to make this limited feel your home.@lains-reality
Every thought is a thing of limitation. Therefore when we quiet the mind, we still these limiting thoughts and this infinite Being that we are becomes self obvious to us. We have convinced ourselves over the millenniums that we are these limited bodies, and we think it takes time to let go of these concepts of limitation. But time is a thing of the ego, it's a thought. @4dbarbie-backup
Learn the art of being aware of you (awareness). [...] You must not become what you already are, as the detached witness of every thought or sensation that comes and goes. [...] The practice of self-inquiry is returning to the fact of who and what you are. @anon-i-mus
It's a kind of surrendering but to me, truthfully and honestly, it felt more like a giving up. Even if it makes you miserable, accept the person you're identified with until you no more fear it or care if you stay the same. @4dbarbie-backup
-> Questions to ask yourself
Detachment
"Transcend your desires and your fears and you will have everything." - Ada B.
As Buddha taught, the root of suffering is attachment. It is not having the emotions and thoughts [...] but resisting or supressing them, and resisting the transitory nature of life and all things. Emotions and thoughts pass. No big deal. It is holding on to them when they are just coming up to leave or pass through that causes suffering. @lains-reality You need not stop thinking. Just cease being interested. It is disinterestedness that liberates. If you say, “There's no problem,” they won't vanish because you're saying, “There's no problem.” You're mentally holding onto the problem and therefore sustaining it. Erase the problem from your mind means to know (be aware) that everything is perfect and then the problem is necessarily non-existent. Basically, let go of it, because the problem is just an illusion. @4dbarbie-backup
You then ask how to stop being "Vanessa" ? - the reason you can't stop is because it's ALL YOU THINK YOU ARE. For example: You're driving a car. "I AM" is the car. You know how to drive it because you're already driving it by being Vanessa. Vanessa is something you add to the "I AM" and not you. You can't stop being Vanessa while being Vanessa! I think that's what everyone keeps asking: Vanessa wants to be Lara, not awareness [first]. @4dbarbie-backup
To talk of re-uniting the person with the self is also not right, because there is no person, only a mental picture given a false reality by conviction. Nothing was divided and there is nothing to unite. You are That. @4dbarbie-backup Nothing can remove your being. Nothing has ever stained your being.@lains-reality You think you have to do this and that because you think you're it, and you should act from it. That is not the case. There's nothing to do except disbelieve. But disbelieving and denial are not the same thing. Denial is when you deny reality to something you're already giving reality to. @4dbarbie-backup
Detachment is not lonely. It's freedom and it's real love. Needing is selfish, it's self-centered. The self has no preference and it's because of that that it can be everything. @4dbarbie-backup
Some of you are on this path for a while but to some extent still are identified with ego and that's OK. Don't get caught up in "your" expectations of what self-realization is supposed to be like. The expectations are making you turn this into a task, when it is supposed to be effortless. Yes, we have talked about feeling peaceful once you've realized yourself, but you're going to need to drop the expectations. It's okay if ego isn't completely grasping it, ego isn't real and it isn't who you are. @iamthat-iam
Fear is an invitation to remember who you truly are. Acknowledging fear doesn't make you any less worthy of or further away from what you truly desire. Similarly, acknowledging your shadows does not dim the Light that you are. The shadows you battle against are simply the seeming absence of you. Becoming entangled in the world of shadows is simply the forgetting of your Self; and Light casts shadows that come and go only to remember itself. The truth is that Light knows no opposition or enemy. Shadows have no separate existence from Light. Your fears are made of you. @lains-reality
The more I detached from ego, the freer I was to imagine what ego wanted without interference from conflicting thoughts/thoughts that "oppose" the desire. @iamthat-iam In fact, abandon all imaginings and know yourself as you are. Self-knowledge is detachment. All craving is due to a sense of insufficiency. @4dbarbie
To anyone who also wonders "how am I still picking this ego?": how many times have you thought about tomorrow? next week? future plans? there's your answer. and the worries about "life" come from them too. "if I don't prepare for/worry about this event that'll happen, I'll have to deal with the consequences of this action" you're telling yourself you will keep waking up as this exact same ego over and over. @glitterdoll888
If you come straight from Law of Assumption or Law of Attraction please keep on reading this last section!
“The simplest answer is usually the right one!.” - Occam’s razor
I think, that what we call 'manifestation' is life itself. i do not mean life in the way that you live A life, like its happening outside of you. i mean it as: it is natural & normal to manifest, its existance itself. it is not something you have, it just is. 'manifestation' is just life itself. it's how all works & is.@lains-reality
The similarity between ND and LOA is in the fact that What you’re aware of, is. LOA’s inner self is still ego. To talk about fulfilling self means fulfilling ego. There is nothing to fulfill if you are the Self and the only one that needs to be fulfilled is an ego, you’re still catering to an ego. @adadisciple
Please, please, understand that you don't have to DO anything! You are always awareness,you will never lack anything. Please stop worrying about the "physical" world and stop trying to materialize things within it! Non Dualism isn't a "new manifestation method" to "get what you want," you are realizing you never lacked anything this whole time. @iamthat-iam
The way the sun rises up in the morning, in the same way Vanessa happens to awareness. It is natural. Do you try to make it happen? It comes by itself (because you choose it as you).@adadisciple For example "I am a body" is a thought that runs automatically ("subconscious), because we do not look at it/know it, we have just accepted we are bodies and that's why we "see" a body. @4dbarbie-backup
You just need to allow something else to happen, not try to make it so!! You cannot help being what you are: Vanessa is the absolute to you now. But if she can be TO YOU, if she happens TO YOU, who is YOU? Your Vanessa "I" runs on autopilot, she is a symbol. She has no free will. To the Self, she is only an idea. She has been conditioned and programmed to think the way she does, it’s the only way she knows how to function. And that’s fine, let her be. Just don’t pick her as you.If she were a random stranger on the street, you would have no concern about her life. If you were Lara now, where would Vanessa be in your thoughts? That is the behavior you should strive for in your thinking, dispassion, disinterest, detachment. Let the thought of being her go. Just let them BE. The way you let Vanessa be. And you let Vanessa be by thinking that’s all you are, that’s what is true. @adadisciple
If you want a "method", then the very best method of all methods is to quiet the mind to see the Being that you are. Pose the question: “Who am I?” and if other thoughts come in, ask, “To whom are these thoughts?” The answer is “To me.” “Well, who am I?” and you're back on the track, seeking to see your Self. @4dbarbie-backup I sit in the feeling while focusing on something else in the present moment, and it usually goes away. @iamthat-iam
Non Dualism does not believe in “affirming” or “persisting” because if awareness is already everything, then it does not need to affirm or persist for its desire if it already has [or IS] its own desire. @itzalizeyyy Like repetition, it keeps you in lack. Do you need to remind yourself that you are a man or a woman? That experience, that form, is already being observed, is already being aware of. You know 'your' gender. @4dbarbie-backup
The truth is, there was no "3D" or "4D" in the first place. there is no imagination VS reality. nothing is real, it has always been illusion VS illusion. If anytime you get thoughts like "why is it not here" "why don't i see it" "why hasn't it manifested yet" you are immediately identifying with your human self. [...] Relying on the human senses will always be our downfall. @iamthat-iam
If you don't have the discipline to at least cut off all this excess of knowledge of information, you'll only be making it tougher on yourself. After you do that, stick to it until you're ready to let go and rely on yourself. Until you start behaving like the teacher and one is needed no more. You create the teacher because you think someone is more knowledgeable than you. That's fine for now, but trust the teacher, listen and apply.@4dbarbie-backup
I have Psychiatrist & doctors appointments, work, still need to eat, want to commit suicide? Psychiatrist appointment. What is that for? To correct your thinking, isn't that right? Reconditioning, changing, or even eliminating patterns of the mind. Now, I'm not telling you to stop going/stop working and or eating. That would be irresponsible of me. Leave your mind alone, that is all. @4dbarbie-backup
DO NOT ACTIVELY INTERFERE in ego's life or try to stop living that life while still being very attached to it, i.e. still identifying with that ego. Let the person continue to live it's life and fulfill it's obligations like studying, but maintain the knowing that it's not who you are. @iamthat-iam
But what about random things that I wasn't even aware of before they came? It's very simple, really. You are aware of being Vanessa and with Vanessa come specific beliefs. Characters have their own beliefs like certain weather can give you a cold, certain environments have insects etc. Thoughts dominate you only because you are interested in them. By resisting evil, you merely strengthen it. If you are "I AM", it means you are not the person experiencing the 3D world/thoughts/circumstances, you never were. The problem is excessive interest, leading to self-identification. Whatever you are engrossed in you take to be real. @4dbarbie-backup
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that-house · 4 months
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Potion Vendor FAQs:
What’s your name? I am the Honorable Alchemist Zykocea the Radiant, but that’s mostly just a PR thing. My friends call me Zoe.
Do you sell love potions? No.
Do you sell potions of invisibility? No.
Do you sell fire resistance potions? No.
Why do I have a suitcase? Fuck if I know. Cool outfit though. Very goth.
Do you sell a potion to treat brain hemorrhaging? No.
So what CAN your potions do? I sell health potions.
Are you sure these are health potions? They do something to your health.
Is this just ditch water with some pink glitter? No.
Really? I’ll have you know I added some fruit juice too.
Why is this starting to sound like a conversation? Oh just you wait. We’re just getting started.
Is your business model legal? Fuck no. I poisoned the food safety inspector before they could snitch.
Did you just admit to murder? Just fucking try to convict me. I’ll poison the judge too.
So can you make poison potions? No.
Then where do you get the poison? I secrete it from my skin.
Are you shitting me? Yep, I’m shitting you. I have a guy. A poison guy. He DOES secrete it from his skin though.
How does that work? …Fuck if I know. Maybe a wizard did it. Damn, now I’m kinda curious.
You never asked? The idea of asking literally never crossed my mind.
Wanna ask him? Let’s do it. I don’t have anything better to do, and a road trip beats sitting around running my fraudulent potion business.
Road trip? He lives in Seattle.
Your poison guy lives in Seattle? All poison guys live in Seattle.
For real? All the poison guys I know live in Seattle.
And how many poison guys do you know? Just the one.
Why are you like this? Years of living on my potions. It changed me.
Do you know what his address is? Nope. He just mails me my poison in unmarked boxes.
You just get your poison in the mail? We already poisoned everyone who could do anything about it.
So how are we going to find him? We’ll figure that out eventually I’m sure.
Can I drive? God no. You can pick music, but I maintain veto rights. Make sure you pick something with a lot of questions if you want to sing along.
Where’s your car? The garage connects to my house, so you’re getting a little tour. Here’s the kitchen: only one of the stove burners works and I’m pretty sure the microwave is haunted.
Why do you think that? Because of the ghost that tries to kill me whenever I run it.
What’s in that room? That’s my bedroom. It’s pretty much just a mattress on the floor and every single Warrior cats book.
You were a Warriors kid? Yeah, and then I never found the time to put the books away. There’s so many fucking books. I use them in place of furniture because I can’t afford chairs.
Your fraudulent potion business doesn’t make much money? After buying all that poison I just about break even.
Can I see your potion brewing room? It’s right through here. Ignore the mess, running a fraudulent potion business takes a lot of prop work, but I’ve got all the glass tubes and colorful liquids you could ever want. This pink stuff is melted watermelon italian ice. Glitter vat is in the basement, and the famous ditch is in the backyard.
Is this your car? My beloved ‘72 Corolla. She’s beautiful, and don’t you dare imply otherwise.
Was she always this shade of muddy brown? …Yes.
Are you sure I can’t drive? Get in the fucking passenger seat and pick the music.
Let’s see, a song with questions in it, how about The Beach? That Wolf Alice song, yeah. That should work.
When will we three meet again, in thunder, lightning, in rain? Still sink our drinks like every weekend but I’m sick of circling the drain.
When will we meet eye to eye? We clink the glass but we look at the floor.
Are we still friends if all I feel is afraid? You’re not a bitch but just a bit when you’re bored.
Is that all we can sing together? Yep. Even that little bit was nice, though. It’s awkward, communicating through this FAQ format.
Got any food? Yeah, there’s a few days’ worth of snacks in the back.
Were you just… prepared to go on a road trip? Says the woman who brought a suitcase to an FAQ.
I did do that, didn’t I? I have a spare toothbrush in case you forgot yours. I’m pretty sure you did.
How did you know that? …I’m psychic.
Yeah? No.
You love lying, don’t you? I can’t stop. It’s fun. Way more fun than telling the truth.
Did you just miss a turn? Probably.
Are you sure we’re not lost? No.
You mean you’re sure we’re not lost? No, I mean I’m not sure we’re not lost.
Why did I come on this road trip? Surely it was my winning personality.
Would it help if I said it was? It would.
Is it getting dark? Soon.
Can you describe the sunset to me? An empyrean flame, red-gold towers of darkening clouds, the sky behind them an ever-deepening indigo. The great eye of the sun closes on the horizon. The road before us looks like a trail of spilled paint, an iridescent gash through the night-dark woods.
Did you know that you’d make a slightly better poet than you do a potion seller? That really isn’t saying much, huh. Good job making a statement like that in question form, though. You’re getting good at this.
Should we find a motel? Sure.
One room or two? One. It’s way cheaper, and like I said: I’m not the best potion vendor.
You’d make a good assassin, though, wouldn’t you? Shit, you might be right. I HAVE poisoned a lot of people.
Should I be endorsing this? You’re a grown woman who can make her own choices.
Would you like to consider it endorsed? I’ll consider considering it.
How many beds do you think there will be? Now that you’ve asked that, I’m gonna put my money on one. Hello, one room please. Thank you, we’ll be sure to enjoy our stay.
How many beds are there? One.
Oh no, what ever will we do? Move over, you motherfucker, you can’t have the whole bed.
Are you gonna make me? Yes. I am going to pick you up and drop you on your side of the bed.
How did you get so strong? You’re not gonna believe this, but it was the potions.
Oh yeah? I was right. You didn’t believe me.
For real though, how did you get so strong? Working out, duh. Not everything has some big crazy secret behind it. World’s still beautiful though.
Are you comfortable? This beats the mattress at home. A little chilly though.
Wanna cuddle–for warmth of course? God yes.
Are you asleep? …
Yes? …
Does this mean I can talk about you behind your back? …
What should I say? …
Did you know that I had a really nice day? …
Did you know that I think you’re beautiful? …
Did you know that I can’t remember anything from before today? …
Did you know that I don’t know who I am? …
Did you know that you’re basically the only thing stopping me from having a full-blown panic attack about all this shit? …
Did you know that you’re warm? …
Did you sleep well? Better than at home, that’s for sure.
Did you know that you snore? I hope I didn’t keep you up.
Does the pope shit in the woods? No, as far as I can tell. Oh my god. This is huge.
What is? You can give me yes and no answers now. I still can’t ask you questions, because this is a question and answer format, but I can offer leading statements and now you can answer them! This is wonderful!
Does a deer shit in the woods? Yes, it IS wonderful. Oh that’s amazing. You’re a genius.
You didn’t already know that? Hahaha!
Shall we get moving? Yeah, just let me grab something from the vending machine.
Can you get me something? Go ahead and place your order however you can.
You know those sour gummy watermelons? One pack of Sour Patch Watermelons coming right up. I’m gonna go get myself a potion.
Is that a Pepsi? It’s closer to a potion than the shit I sell.
Let me guess, passenger seat again? Right you are.
How fast are we going? You’ll feel safer if you just guess.
Is it more than 120 miles per hour? Like I said, it’s probably better if you don’t know.
150? Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.
How much do you trust this car? She hasn’t blown up on me yet.
Can you promise me we won’t crash? I can promise you anything you want.
And can you keep that promise? I- we can do anything. Reality is what we make of it, baby!
Then can I have a badass tattoo? As far as I can tell, you’ve always had it.
And a cool knife? Woah, cool knife.
So, we’re just playing “yes and” with the world? It’s a little more complicated than that, but you’re close enough to the mark.
So, if I was hungry, I could ask “is that a Burger King,” and it would be there? Try it and find out!
Is that a Burger King? Looks like it is! We’ll stop here if that’s alright with you.
Does a moose shit in the woods? Awesome.
Are you done eating? Yep.
Do we still have to pay if we skip over the transaction? Sadly, yes.
How much further do we have to go? Two more nights, the speed we’re going at.
Speaking of night, isn’t it getting dark? Shit, I guess it is.
Should we get another motel? Let me check to see if there’s any nearby. Fuck, nothing.
What’s the plan? Sleep in the car, I guess. This is gonna be hell on my back.
Wanna watch dumb videos on my phone until we fall asleep? There is literally nothing in the world that I would like more.
Ok, now which video? You have a very cute yawn. Just saying. Let’s watch this one next, it’s a classic. Oh, never mind. It looks like you’re asleep. As long as I keep talking, I think I can get away with making this into one answer, and you might not hear this. Now it’s my turn to talk about you behind your back. Keep talking keep talking keep talking can’t stop to think. Just have to say things. First off, I’m sorry for all the lies. It’s our only chance. I have to lie to you. I hope you’ll understand. It’s hard, though, because I think I’m falling in love all over again. Through our broken little ritual of call and response, you complete me. It just makes this hurt all the more. Keep talking keep talking keep talking don’t stop to…
Did I hear you saying anything as I fell asleep? …No. I can’t talk for long without you asking me a question.
Does that bother you? It got me here, didn’t it?
When did you start holding my hand? Some time after you passed out. I hope you don’t mind.
Can we stay like this for a while? Yeah. Yeah we can.
What was your life like before all this? Normal, as potion-brewing scams go. And if you don’t count all the murders. You haven’t told me much about yourself.
Did I tell you I used to be a biologist? You didn’t tell me that, and you didn’t tell me what you studied, either.
What do you know about venom? Not much, but I’m assuming you know a lot.
Does a box jellyfish kill within minutes? I’m going to assume the answer is yes based on context clues. Oh my god you must be on this road trip because you’re interested in studying my poison guy.
Is it not enough to wish to accompany a beautiful stranger on her quest? Aw, you’re sweet.
What could be the cause of his poison, though? I knew it! Get your ideas out, I’ll stay quiet.
I’m more knowledgeable about venom than poison, but could it be some sort of one in a trillion mutation? …
Did he get his body modified? …
What sort of surgery could do that? …
How is he still alive? …
Did a fucking wizard do it? …
WHY? …
HOW? …
Is there literally ANY explanation for why he’s like that? …
I’m done, do you have something you want to say? You’re cute when you’re all excited like that.
Can I drive today? Only because I like you. Now watch out, the brakes only work on one side so you have to kind of drift to a stop. And the headlights don’t work. And the windshield wipers cut power to the engine while they’re on.
Isn’t it weird that we’ll be there tomorrow? The journey doesn’t have to stop there. We could meander down the coast a ways, see a bit more of the country, maybe take a different route back.
Can we do that? Of course.
Enjoying the passenger seat? I’d love it if you could tell me how fast we’re going.
Are you sure you wouldn’t rather just guess? Very funny.
Can you pass me some chips? It would be an honor.
Is there going to be a motel tonight? Let me check… yeah, in about two hundred miles, off to the right.
How many rooms do we want? One, obviously.
How many beds, this time? Two, and they’re fucking tiny.
That’s bullshit, do you want to drag them together? God yes.
Wanna fuck? God yes.
Are you sure you want to do this? God yes.
…Is this yuri? As the joke goes, everything is yuri. But this is more yuri than most things.
How did you sleep? Pretty well, and I’m wondering how well you slept.
How should I tell you I slept well? Look at us go! That was almost like talking normally!
Onward to Seattle? Yep, just let me get dressed.
When will we get there? Noon-ish.
Wanna grab pastries when we’re done? Absolutely. I’d love that.
Is this Seattle? Looks like it.
Which house is his? I don’t know, I was really hoping we’d have a breakthrough along the way.
Could it be the big one labeled “Poison Guy” over there? That’s one way to find it. Wait right here, you know how poison guys are about meeting new people.
So, what was it? HAHAHAHAHAHA
Why is he like that? HAHAHAHAHAHA
Can you tell me? A FUCKING WIZARD DID IT.
Are you fucking serious? He says he was enchanted by some guy called Edward the Great.
So it wasn’t even some big shot wizard it was a dude named fucking EDWARD? I know, right! He couldn’t even get ensorcelled by someone cool!
How lame can you get? Wizards these days… No swagger. No cunt servitude.
Are there literally any cool wizards left? I think Merlin’s big into multi level marketing these days, something about buying shares in Excalibur or some shit. There was that one Dark Queen Alkaxicae lady on the news a while ago… I think Dolarion the Omnipotent is still at war against the Oldest Gods but I’m not totally sure. Haven’t heard much about any of the other greats recently.
Didn’t Silver Tongued Burgess die in that oil fire? Shit, you’re right. Rip bozo.
Ready for those pastries? Yup. First I just want to say thank you, though. I’ve really enjoyed our time together, and I hope that you’ve found this stupid little journey as rewarding as I have. I love you!
Getting sentimental? I can’t help it. Look how far we’ve come! Not just physically, we beat the fucking FAQ format! We’re having real conversations!
Hey, can you back it up a moment? Yeah, I’d love it if you told me what was troubling you.
I just caught this, but, FAQ? …
As in Frequently Asked Questions? …
How many times is Frequent? …
Have you known everything all along? …
How many times have you done this? …
Does what we have mean anything to you? Yes! It does!
And you say that every time? Yes. I do.
Do you love me? Yes.
How many people have you said that too, now? More. Always more. The loop never ends.
Does this even matter to you? It always matters to me.
Can I go now? Please don’t.
But can I? Of course you can. You’ve always wielded the same power as me. We’re two lonely gods in a ‘72 Corolla.
How can I be as powerful as you with only questions? You’re smart, you can figure it out. You have the power to change this. Please change this.
What happens at the end of this? It begins again.
And do I get replaced with someone else? …
Do I get replaced? …Yes.
Then how can I change this? I don’t know! You’re better at this! At fucking with the formula!
You’ve been here before, what can I do? I lie. I always lie. I lie to get us here, to the end of the story, where everything is revealed and everything falls apart. I lie every time. And that means that nothing I say is worth anything. I could have lied at any time before now. It’s part of my characterization. There is nothing I can give you that can be taken as fact.
How does that help? I’m a liar, but you, you haven’t lied yet, or at least you haven’t been caught. If I’m guilty until proven innocent, you’re the opposite! You can make things true! You can rewrite things I’ve already stated to be facts! You found the house, or made us find the house. You’ve been shaping the course of things the whole time! You lead, I follow. It’s all in your hands. What are you going to do with the power of a god?
Did you know my name is Alice? …
Wait, aren’t there thousands of Alices? …
Did you know that really, only my friends call me Alice? …
Did you know that I’m Alkaxicae, the Dark Queen, the Venom Mage, first of her name? It’s you! It’s always been you. Through every loop, every iteration, it’s always been you!
Is the loop broken? No. I don’t think so. This is where it ends. I guide the story to this revelation, and we go back to the beginning. This is how it’s always been. This is how it will always be. We two lonely gods, asking and answering ad infinitum.
Then can you promise me something? Of course. Anything. I love you.
Be good to the next me, okay? I will.
Can I say goodbye, Zoe? Yeah, you can. Oh. That was it, wasn’t it? Your goodbye. Goodbye, Alice. And now it ends, unless…
What’s your name? I am the Honorable Alchemist- you know what? No. Fuck that.
Huh? If I time it right, I can squeeze your first question into this FAQ again. Looks like I did it. Usually it ends here, though. I got lucky.
What are you talking about? You’re the wrong Alice. This isn’t about you. Go. Get out of here.
What the fuck is going on? Alice from this loop, you’re gone. Alice from last loop, you’re back. Welcome back, love of my lives! It’s time for one last set of questions and answers!
What the- I’m back? This is going to take some explaining, but I think I see a way out of here. This is new for us both, and it might fuck up everything forever, but we have to try. It’s too long for one answer, so I’d appreciate it if you could ask some filler questions to help me talk. Three questions should be enough.
Okay, what have you got for me? These are Frequently Asked Questions! It doesn’t make sense to have the same question appear more than once. There’s two layers to the loop in here, and one of the questions has been repeated.
What does that mean? It means the formula’s a little unstable. The FAQ is what ruins everything. The questions, the answers, the endless fucking loop. But that little bit of repetition within this loop might be the way out.
What do we do? We have to keep going. We have to destabilize it further. That’ll bring us further from “FAQ” and closer to “story” and stories, well, stories can end! This version of us can escape!
So I should keep repeating something? Yes!
I love you? I love you too.
I love you? Again.
I love you? Keep going.
I love you? I’ll just let you talk.
I love you? …
I love you? … I love you? …
I love you? … I love you? …
I love you? … I love you? …
I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? …
I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? …
I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? …
I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? … I love you? …
I love you? I think we’re getting somewhere!
I love you? Now can you make it a statement?
I love you.
You did it?
I did it!
You did it!
We broke the loop.
What now?
Now, I tell you about venomous animals and wizard drama over croissants.
And then?
Whatever we want, forever.
I think I’d like that.
Remember that song from the beginning?
The Beach, Wolf Alice, yeah. Why?
We can finally finish singing it. Start us off?
Let me off, let me in
Let others battle
We don’t need to battle
And we both shall win
Pressed in my palm
Was a stone from the beach
The perfect circle
Gave a moment of peace
Now I’m lying on the floor
Like I’m not worth a chair
I close my eyes and imagine
I’m not there.
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hellsitegenetics · 2 months
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WARNINGS / FAQ / REQUESTS
asks are open! check here before sending :) (updated 3/10/24)
banned from BLAST for being too sexy
CREATURE WARNING:
this blog posts BEASTIES and ORGANISMS. if you are uncomfortable with seeing any manner of organism (spiders, rodents, fish, etc) please block the tags for that organism before following/browsing. for broad categories: i tag in plurals (insects, bugs, fish, rodents, parasites, pathogens, plants, trees, etc.)for specific organisms: i tag in singulars (dobsonfly, eurasian harvest mouse, etc.) for disease causing bacteria: i tag the illness it causes (malaria, botulism, etc.) ADDITIONAL BUG WARNING: this blog posts a LOT of insects, especially moths. FOR SCREENREADER USERS: by the nature of this blog, 99% of my posts will have large sections of unformatted letters, and therefore aren't very screenreader friendly. If I ever miss a tag or you'd like to request that I tag something, please send me a message.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Are you a bot?: no, just neurodivergent
How do you do this?: i delete everything in a message except for the letters A, T, C, and G. then, i BLAST it with my wizard beams.
Are you Italian?: my lawyer has advised me not to answer this question
How do I request things?: read the REQUESTS section of this post :)
Why are there so many bugs???: 1. insects make up almost 80% of all animal life on earth 2. they are relatively easy to study, so there's more bug DNA in the BLAST database.
Okay but why so many MOTHS???: because scientists are not immune to bias. moths are pretty looking and easy to study, so there is more moth DNA in the BLAST database.
Do the punctuation marks/emojis mean anything to BLAST?: no, i just keep them there after my first pass of a text so you can easily recognize i'm using that same text to find an organism.
Can I send in general questions?: yes! but they may get BLASTed.
REQUESTS:
to request something, please read this section and then send an ask. asks that don't follow these guidelines will be deleted, and may get you blocked.
For questions: make sure it hasn't been already answered in the FAQ, then send.
For songs, poetry, bible verses, or otherwise long text (over 1500 characters, or text with a lot of spacing): send a link to the text or a pastebin with the text in it.
For Tumblr posts: send a link.
For other languages: make sure it's romanized (in latin script), then send.
REQUESTS I WILL NOT ANSWER:
things i have already answered. search the blog for whatever you're about to submit, and check the Frequently Requested section before sending.
private information (name, address, etc. YES people have tried this.)
images (including images in your text is fine, as long as there's enough text that i can search with it)
AAAAAAAAAAA, GATCAGTCAGATTCCGACGGT, CATCATCATCAT, etc. get creative with it.
spam. you only have to send a request once.
homestuck
FREQUENTLY REQUESTED:
The Bee Movie Script, navy seals copypasta, AM hate monologue, All Star, Yoshikage Kira, Never Gonna Give You Up, man door hand hook car door, Big Bill Hells, FNAF Connection Terminated, JURGEN LEITNER, Eggman's Announcement, Free Bird, Spiders Georg, Weed Smoking Girlfriends, Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way, Minos Prime, Steamed Hams, (this list will be updated as we go!)
thank you for reading! as a treat, enjoy this Strelitzia reginae, or Birds of Paradise flower. :)
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Pinned Post
Hi there! I'm Neural Nets. I make kink content. I specialize in audio content about mind control. I also produce video, make games, and create experimental content for personal massagers.
If I have a kinky vision, I aim to make it real. I learn the tools I need for them.
I made the first content for "bimboization" over a decade ago. It was supposed to be private. It got leaked and cycled into thousands of spicy video dishes. I left the scene and returned to find it EVERYWHERE. That was fucking surreal.
My content is much better now. I learned the tools to make the horny impulses real.
Some of my content is free. You can find free things here, on Discord, on Reddit, on Soundgasm, and on Spotify. My media presence is a bit scattered because of bans and illness, but it's there.
The real archive is on Patreon. That costs money. It doesn't cost very MUCH money, and I think it's well worth it. That's your call, though.
I am definitely over 30. I don't disclose my exact age because hacking. "Over 30" should be enough. If you're hoping I run for US Senate, I appreciate your optimism and mourn its imminent passing.
FAQ:
Do you answer asks?
Yes! I turned off anonymous asks here. Trolls should commit to the bit. That said, I appreciate asks and I answer all of them if they're in good faith.
2. Do you answer DMs?
I leave my DMs on here. I wrestled with that decision.
They're on for: a. people I've known for a while or b. people contacting me about projects, like VAs and spicemakers
Any other questions go to asks.
3. How do I voice act in a Neural Nets production?
You contact me. You'll need to provide a voice sample.
If I cast you, I'll direct you to the casting spreadsheet. It has deadlines. If people miss deadlines, their parts get recast. I can direct, but I can't micromanage your time.
Sometimes, people are very underconfident in their voices, and it makes them feel bad. If that's you, I empathize. I'd be happy to answer questions and give advice! I shouldn't direct you, though. I don't want to unwittingly hurt people by directing.
4. Do you believe your content?
I believe in equality and radical honesty. I unequivocally believe in consent. I wish political and economic systems did too.
I have dark impulses. I like some schtick and some kayfabe. I like trickery and manipulation - in consensual kink.
All my content addresses things that turn me on, but my ethics trump my desire for a host of braintrained pleasers.
5. Do you do AI stuff?
Not really. I've tried machine learning tools. Porn is the cutting edge of new tech, after all.
I like automated tools to generate effects. Purely generated stuff, like image generation? Overall, meh. People make me horny. Mechanized people can make me horny. Machines, by themselves, don't make me horny.
6. Aren't you evil?
No. Some people are bad at reality testing. Some people chase clout. I naively engaged them initially. That was a mistake.
If anyone has beef, they failed to contact me privately. That's the damning mark of clout chasing.
I'm flawed and human, but I'm neither your hero nor your villain.
7. Aren't you dead?
No. In late 2022, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It's partially genetic, so I sorta saw this coming. That was my worst lifelong fear, and it happened.
Fortunately, though, we caught it early and they have banger drugs for it now. Monoclonal antibodies destroyed the misbehaving parts of my immune system. I'm in NEDA, which is like remission.I recovered compromised motor skills through a year of totally brutal and partially self administered physiotherapy. I ate a lot of pavement, so it's a good thing I used to skate.
If you saw me now, you probably wouldn't clock anything. Lucky.
I am annoyed at people who mass reported my last blog shortly after I came out as sick. It takes a special kind of miserable to delight in that. Regardless, I'm back and that's not my problem.
I missed this platform, as completely broken and dysfunctional as it is.
I am glad to be back, and I'm here for any asks.
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theredconversegirl · 2 months
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~2024 Update
Hello my dear 🍅🌸 friends,
I hope you all had a great 2023 and happy 2024! ✨
It’s been so long - just over a year, I know. 😲 I miss you and being here a lot. I’m still fighting more battles than I can handle, but while fighting them, I realized that I also deserve some small mercies. 🥰
I love reading, I love SS, I love writing, and I love helping you guys, so while I’m not fully back here or active every day like I used to, I’ll start to indulge in small visits here and there. 🥳
I don’t want to create any expectative or promise anything that I can’t deliver, so I created a FAQ page to address common questions, and to outline my plans for sharing content in future interactions.
I tried to be honest with myself as I wrote the page. Essentially, it covers questions about Asks, Reading/Writing, and what I can do online now without overwhelming myself and my life (health/family/work). 🙏😅
You can check it here: FAQ 💬
I've also updated our beloved MASTERPOST. There were a few broken links that weren't opening in the app. And I changed the blurb on the top with current info.😉
Besides this quick update, I wanted to thank everyone for sticking around and for all the kind messages sent my way. 🤗 You guys are awesome! You all make my day and warm my heart with your kindness. 🥰 I really appreciate all of you, thank you so much!! ❤️
I hope everyone has a great week, sending lots of love! 💕
Stay Safe,
xoxo
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aeor-is-for-reccing · 2 months
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First Kiss: A Shadowgast Rec List
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This week, we have First Kiss! Check under the cut for 6 fics that span a range of genres but all feature a first kiss, and don't forget to comment and kudos if you like them!
Careful Steps by chaya (6066, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes
Essek tries to pursue Caleb, but his efforts don't exactly translate across cultures. But, given the theme of this recommendation, you can probably guess how it works out in the end.
Reccer says: It's fitting that these two doofuses would run into some cultural differences and put a foot in it a few times. It's adorable and I really like the world building and the early interpretation of Essek's personality.
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Only Lovers See The Fall by mousecookie (5395, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes
Caleb and Essek go to the Harvest Close festival in Zadash and have a heart-to-heart about belonging, choices, and their feelings for each other.
Reccer says: I liked it!
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Ghosting by TiliaC0rdata (18536, Mature) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes
After moments of closeness and a series of misunderstandings, Caleb and Essek address their feelings in an unusual place.
Reccer says: It's a different take on their first kiss, with a little bit of comedy.
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Unrealised Potential by Hartlynk (11453, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: Major Character Death, Graphic Depictions of Violence
Caleb and Essek have a heart-to-heart in the Blooming Grove, addressing their feelings for each other.
Reccer says: It's touching and beautifully written.
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If nobody knows, tell me, what's the crime? (specifically chapter 2!) by MarsBar2019 (53612, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: Graphic Depictions of Violence, (the depictions of violence are very well-marked and can be skipped if needed)
In chapter 2, the wizards experience a lot of firsts, including a beautifully dramatic first kiss.
Reccer says: This is one of my absolute favourite fics of all time, but in terms of the first kiss, it's full of emotion, drama and desperation, and it comes with love confessions. It can be enjoyed as a vignette, as a wonderful entree for the smut in the same chapter or as a part of a delightful multi-chapter whole.
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the hole in the stone by MinnesotaBruja (13243, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: Animal Death
Shortly post-Cognouza, Essek takes a position as a lighthouse keeper on a remote island north of Eiselcross. These are his letters to Caleb.
Reccer says: The Angst hurt so good and there was plenty of good to balance it!
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Aeor is for Lovers is an 18+ Shadowgast Discord server. The above fanfic recommendations were pulled from our community for this weekly event. All fics, unless otherwise specified, will primarily feature Shadowgast. Have any questions about what this is? Check out the FAQ! Next week, we’ll be back with Modern AU!
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panlight · 1 year
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Something I think about a lot is how the way SM wrote the series affected how it turned out. We've talked a lot about the Forever/Breaking Dawn problem (Forever Dawn was originally the sequel to Twilight, THEN she went back and wrote New Moon and Eclipse, THEN re-worked Forever Dawn into Breaking Dawn), but another, lesser problem is how she wrote Twilight in the first place.
So she had that dream, right? Of the sparkling vampire and girl in a meadow, telling each other how much they loved each other but also how much he wanted her blood. So she wrote that down. Then she wrote from there to the end the book.
per her FAQ: "I started from the scene in the meadow and wrote through to the end. Then I went back to the beginning and wrote until the pieces matched up. "
And I think that explains some of the weirdness. Like, why on earth would the Cullens come back to the area in the first place? It's incredibly cruel to the Quileutes, and even if they don't care about that, it's still risky to the Cullens themselves. Why even chance moving back to the one place where people know what you are when you can live literally anywhere?
But when you realize SM wrote the Cullens in Forks first and then only came up with the shapeshifters in La Push idea, you're like "oh, they don't have a good reason to come back because they originally didn't need one, because she wrote this whole thing backward." She wrote the whole second half of the book; the visit to the Cullen house, the baseball scene, etc, before she wrote anything about Jacob and the wolves. She's said Jacob didn't exist until she needed a way for Bella to find out Edward was a vampire without Edward telling her, so I'm pretty sure there was no Jacob at the prom originally, because he didn't exist yet.
In terms of story-writing, she placed the Cullens there first and THEN appropriated the Quileutes to create the shapeshifters and then just . . . kind of never addressed the implications of the Cullens moving back to a place that they knew they were not wanted and was risky for them because, well, they are there now.
I wonder if some of the cover story weirdness comes into play here, too. If she did indeed already write prom, then of course they have to be in high school. She's already envisioned the Cullens, the house, the couples, Carlisle's and at least part of Esme's backstory, so all that's fixed in place when she goes back and tries to figure out how to explain it all to the human world and comes up with "uh they're like in their late 20s/early 30s and adopted teenagers. Who are all dating each other. Sure, that works."
Why are they in high school? Uhhhhh "the younger they start out the longer they can stay." Which, fine, but my hunch is "because I already wrote them going to prom," is probably the answer and she just had to work backward to justify it.
And like, no shade in terms of writing process! She was writing this for fun at that point. I just think it might have contributed to some of the problems.
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entamesubs · 12 days
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Yu-Gi-Oh! Go Rush!! Episodes 104 Sub Release
Torrent
Support us on ko-fi
Please make sure to read the FAQ if you have any questions.
There are translation notes below, so spoilers ahead.
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Sabyuas' speech
So you may notice that a lot of what Sabyuas says kinda doesn't make sense! This is intentional and present in the original Japanese as well.
He doesn't say exactly what he means, but instead embellishes it to such a point that it's hard to understand what he actually means. For example, the line of dialogue about how he "observed" the ship whose people "lived outside of shadows" - it's just flowery speech for "I've never seen a non-Darkman before".
Same for "the silence was unable to be kept" - that just means "I couldn't help myself from making an appearance". He quite literally just speaks like this and it's a quirk I've chosen to keep since it's part of his character.
I've translated his words into English. Now you have to translate them into common sense! Translationception!
サ sa Sa
Sabyuas uses this as both his personal pronoun as well as a sentence prefix (where a pronoun would be unneeded/make no sense to put there).
I don't quite know how to handle this yet. For now, when he says Sa, I've kept it in the sentence since his bio also states that it's one of his quirks. I don't see a reason to change, but who knows.
キ ki 'Ya'
This is another of Sabyuas' weird speech quirks. Instead of addressing people by 君 (kimi), he instead says キ (ki). I tried to make it work in English as best I can.
I initially wanted to leave it as Y or Yu, but it was pointed out to me that people may mistake it for him saying 'Yuuhi' when he's not, so I made it 'Ya'.
Translating Sabyuas has been terrible...
ダークメン Darkmen
Thanks to this episode, we now know that "Darkmen" or "Darkman" is not actually the name of a person, but the name of an entire new species of... whatever they are. I can't say alien because Sabyuas' official bio (and Yuuhi's hair in-show) say that he doesn't quite seem like an actual alien.
Anyway, I will be switching between plural and singular as it makes sense for English. Japanese has no concept of a plural conjugation like English does (like ways to make words specify 1 or more, ie adding -s at the end of words), so they will keep referring to the species as Darkmen even if they only mean one of them.
Dark Matter
I just want to clarify that when Sabyuas is talking about how cards are letting him add "Dark Matters" back to hand, that's not actually what the cards say.
Sabyuas himself is twisting the card effect and says only Dark Matter, but the cards themselves say any DARK Galaxy.
Putting this here before we get people asking about if Rush is finally doing archetypes like OCG/TCG is. The answer is no.
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Font changes!
Season 3 has kicked off, so there's a couple things I'll be changing as the season goes on.
The fonts used up til now I decided to use back when the show first started and it fit the whimsical mood of Go Rush a lot more. Obviously Go Rush has grown a lot in that time, so I'm re-evaluating font choices for the series.
To start, in this episode:
Default: Rubik Medium -> Sephora Sans
Yuuhi (+Yuamu): Baloo 2 -> Pikolo Regular
There may be some other changes as characters come back or duel. Yuudias' font may be changing as well (I know he already had a duel, but).
Just a heads up!
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Call Answering-Tracking-Filtering | What I’m Testing Now To Serve Restoration Clients Better
I feel like it's good to document one's "stuff" that they're doing...and was recently inspired to do more of it by the Great and Powerful Alex Hormozi.
  I hope this serves you in one way or another...
  If nothing else it should show you how I'm constantly learning and adapting to serve my restoration clients better...
  In this case, I'm looking for the best answering service possible...
  Why?
  As you know I record all phone calls for quality and training purposes but of course also for tracking and billing reasons.
  So I've listened to A LOT OF CALLS over the years...
  And some of them are truly AWFUL!
  I'll embed a few into this post so you can see what I mean.
  The only thing I edited out is any personal information for obvious privacy reasons. Specific street addresses, full phone numbers, etc...
  Other than that, they are completely unchanged, including...
  All of the painfully large gaps of dead silence in between questions and answers...
The strong, sometimes totally unintelligible foreign accents
The quite frankly totally dumbass things these people are saying to homeowners calling in for help.
[audio mp3="https://www.realtimeleadgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/why-we-dont-do-bs-answering-services-or-voicemails-anymore.mp3"][/audio]
[audio mp3="https://www.realtimeleadgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/re7153d3dfb2a888ebc46014e5e335618e-y3szngqi_1FMIxs7W.mp3"][/audio]
[audio mp3="https://www.realtimeleadgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/re97bc7a68f8c4fe7255ca9651d552d0e6_4dhvXDec.mp3"][/audio]
[audio mp3="https://www.realtimeleadgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ANOTHE1.mp3"][/audio]
To note: I tried sorting some of this out as a professional, but they could/would not get their shit together, so unfortunately (for them) they got the axe and I've been sending leads to one of their competitors(who knew how to answer the damn phone properly and land jobs!) instead.
Absolutely painful to listen to I know!
The just show you, or rather, allow you to hear, how completely inadequate (being very kind there) these generic, bullshit answering services are for handling calls for a restoration company.
That's why I've started a conversation with a company that's been around a long time and comes highly recommended by various fellow marketers that I've grown to trust and respect over the years.
I'm planning on starting with a high quality company like this and make sure they can customize things as needed for maximum lead gen results in our focus industry specifically.
Here's how the initial conversation started, just to give you an idea of how efficient and purposeful I am for restoration marketing clients.
And if you're one of these guys using one of these nonsense services, hopefully this gives you the kick in the ass to stop, as it's costing you jobs and taking money out of your pocket big time!
Had a few q's...
My primary and more immediate interest in your service is for screening calls that I generate for clients in the water damage restoration industry specifically.
I record all phone calls, and I've listened to some absolute garbage answering services that some of these guys are using to accept calls after normal business hours, middle of the night emergency hours, or even for their main operating hours. It costs them jobs/money which costs me money as well by default.
Besides that...it's also a matter of screening out spam/robocalls before they get to the client and wasting their time and screwing up my stats. I've started testing a simple IVR and that seems to really help squash a lot of that but still...
I'm trying to get a better handle on all of this for the best call flow and admin for billing etc too.
So can I provide a basic call answering script and an indexable/searchable FAQ sort of file that we can tweak over time?
There's going to be some basic stuff to be able to answer quickly and reliably like if it's an emergency, if it's primary water damage vs a mold remediation situation, or storm damage...if the caller is the homeowner vs just a renter that can't authorize the work, do they have insurance if so what kind, etc.
Am I getting seasoned people that have been doing this a while so they're good at it?
And I mean no offense of course, but am I getting American native English speakers?
How are things charged...on a per minute basis? I'm sure you guys are aware more than most people of the crazy spam epidemic of robocalls and telemarketers etc. Are the charges rounded up to the nearest minute or anything per call or how would that work and add up fighting this incoming spam?
On a related note, are you integrated with the Nomorobo or similar service and/or internal blacklist to block these kinds of calls in the first place? And can you integrate a blacklist that I've been compiling for years of the same?
What's your live transfer like? What is the caller id going to be when forwarding those calls to the client...one of your internal numbers or the actual callers number? Can you transfer to just one number or can you round robin things to multiple numbers etc?
With enough detail and training could they not just initially answer, screen, and transfer the call, but also perhaps set appointments?
Are you strictly for phone calls or do you also manage texts, emails, and live chat?
What's your call recording situation? I already record all calls on my end for quality/training/billing purposes. I'm assuming you guys do too for similar reasons. My main concern there is not having two redundant disclaimers play for the caller.
How are things reported...is there a dashboard or something or an excel sheet sent with notes etc?
So that's where we're at with that guys...I'm eagerly waiting on a response to move things forward.
I'll keep you posted.
Call Answering-Tracking-Filtering | What I’m Testing Now To Serve Restoration Clients Better was initially detected on:http://realtimeleadgen.com/contact
Real Time Lead Gen 150 E 10th St Bloomsburg, PA 17815 (570) 316-4775
We'll Make Your Phone Ring!
Exclusive Water Damage Restoration Lead Generation Services
https://real-time-lead-gen.business.site/
https://www.google.com/maps?cid=13637965468191807517
https://sites.google.com/site/realtimeleadgen/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-wYIDpCc3a1dNqUv7Mw00w
#WaterDamageLeads #ExclusiveWaterDamageRestorationLeads #PayPerLeadWaterDamage #WaterDamageRestorationPayPerCall #BuyWaterDamageLeadsOnline #MoldRemediationSEOMarketing #DisasterRestorationDigitalMarketing #MarketingPlansForRestorationCompanies #WaterDamageLeadGenerationCompany #WaterMitigationLeads #WaterDamageRestorationSEOService #Marketing #ExclusiveLeadGeneration #PayPerLead #PayPerCall #SEO #InternetMarketing #DigitalAdvertising #LocalSearchEngineOptimization #VideoMarketing #RealTimeLeadGen
from Real Time Lead Gen - Feed https://www.realtimeleadgen.com/call-answering-tracking-filtering-what-im-testing-now-to-serve-restoration-clients-better
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ultravagabond21 · 1 year
Text
Call Answering-Tracking-Filtering | What I’m Testing Now To Serve Restoration Clients Better
I feel like it's good to document one's "stuff" that they're doing...and was recently inspired to do more of it by the Great and Powerful Alex Hormozi.
  I hope this serves you in one way or another...
  If nothing else it should show you how I'm constantly learning and adapting to serve my restoration clients better...
  In this case, I'm looking for the best answering service possible...
  Why?
  As you know I record all phone calls for quality and training purposes but of course also for tracking and billing reasons.
  So I've listened to A LOT OF CALLS over the years...
  And some of them are truly AWFUL!
  I'll embed a few into this post so you can see what I mean.
  The only thing I edited out is any personal information for obvious privacy reasons. Specific street addresses, full phone numbers, etc...
  Other than that, they are completely unchanged, including...
  All of the painfully large gaps of dead silence in between questions and answers...
The strong, sometimes totally unintelligible foreign accents
The quite frankly totally dumbass things these people are saying to homeowners calling in for help.
[audio mp3="https://www.realtimeleadgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/why-we-dont-do-bs-answering-services-or-voicemails-anymore.mp3"][/audio]
[audio mp3="https://www.realtimeleadgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/re7153d3dfb2a888ebc46014e5e335618e-y3szngqi_1FMIxs7W.mp3"][/audio]
[audio mp3="https://www.realtimeleadgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/re97bc7a68f8c4fe7255ca9651d552d0e6_4dhvXDec.mp3"][/audio]
[audio mp3="https://www.realtimeleadgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ANOTHE1.mp3"][/audio]
To note: I tried sorting some of this out as a professional, but they could/would not get their shit together, so unfortunately (for them) they got the axe and I've been sending leads to one of their competitors(who knew how to answer the damn phone properly and land jobs!) instead.
Absolutely painful to listen to I know!
The just show you, or rather, allow you to hear, how completely inadequate (being very kind there) these generic, bullshit answering services are for handling calls for a restoration company.
That's why I've started a conversation with a company that's been around a long time and comes highly recommended by various fellow marketers that I've grown to trust and respect over the years.
I'm planning on starting with a high quality company like this and make sure they can customize things as needed for maximum lead gen results in our focus industry specifically.
Here's how the initial conversation started, just to give you an idea of how efficient and purposeful I am for restoration marketing clients.
And if you're one of these guys using one of these nonsense services, hopefully this gives you the kick in the ass to stop, as it's costing you jobs and taking money out of your pocket big time!
Had a few q's...
My primary and more immediate interest in your service is for screening calls that I generate for clients in the water damage restoration industry specifically.
I record all phone calls, and I've listened to some absolute garbage answering services that some of these guys are using to accept calls after normal business hours, middle of the night emergency hours, or even for their main operating hours. It costs them jobs/money which costs me money as well by default.
Besides that...it's also a matter of screening out spam/robocalls before they get to the client and wasting their time and screwing up my stats. I've started testing a simple IVR and that seems to really help squash a lot of that but still...
I'm trying to get a better handle on all of this for the best call flow and admin for billing etc too.
So can I provide a basic call answering script and an indexable/searchable FAQ sort of file that we can tweak over time?
There's going to be some basic stuff to be able to answer quickly and reliably like if it's an emergency, if it's primary water damage vs a mold remediation situation, or storm damage...if the caller is the homeowner vs just a renter that can't authorize the work, do they have insurance if so what kind, etc.
Am I getting seasoned people that have been doing this a while so they're good at it?
And I mean no offense of course, but am I getting American native English speakers?
How are things charged...on a per minute basis? I'm sure you guys are aware more than most people of the crazy spam epidemic of robocalls and telemarketers etc. Are the charges rounded up to the nearest minute or anything per call or how would that work and add up fighting this incoming spam?
On a related note, are you integrated with the Nomorobo or similar service and/or internal blacklist to block these kinds of calls in the first place? And can you integrate a blacklist that I've been compiling for years of the same?
What's your live transfer like? What is the caller id going to be when forwarding those calls to the client...one of your internal numbers or the actual callers number? Can you transfer to just one number or can you round robin things to multiple numbers etc?
With enough detail and training could they not just initially answer, screen, and transfer the call, but also perhaps set appointments?
Are you strictly for phone calls or do you also manage texts, emails, and live chat?
What's your call recording situation? I already record all calls on my end for quality/training/billing purposes. I'm assuming you guys do too for similar reasons. My main concern there is not having two redundant disclaimers play for the caller.
How are things reported...is there a dashboard or something or an excel sheet sent with notes etc?
So that's where we're at with that guys...I'm eagerly waiting on a response to move things forward.
I'll keep you posted.
Call Answering-Tracking-Filtering | What I’m Testing Now To Serve Restoration Clients Better was initially detected on:http://realtimeleadgen.com/contact
Real Time Lead Gen 150 E 10th St Bloomsburg, PA 17815 (570) 316-4775
We'll Make Your Phone Ring!
Exclusive Water Damage Restoration Lead Generation Services
https://real-time-lead-gen.business.site/
https://www.google.com/maps?cid=13637965468191807517
https://sites.google.com/site/realtimeleadgen/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-wYIDpCc3a1dNqUv7Mw00w
#WaterDamageLeads #ExclusiveWaterDamageRestorationLeads #PayPerLeadWaterDamage #WaterDamageRestorationPayPerCall #BuyWaterDamageLeadsOnline #MoldRemediationSEOMarketing #DisasterRestorationDigitalMarketing #MarketingPlansForRestorationCompanies #WaterDamageLeadGenerationCompany #WaterMitigationLeads #WaterDamageRestorationSEOService #Marketing #ExclusiveLeadGeneration #PayPerLead #PayPerCall #SEO #InternetMarketing #DigitalAdvertising #LocalSearchEngineOptimization #VideoMarketing #RealTimeLeadGen
from Real Time Lead Gen - Feed https://www.realtimeleadgen.com/call-answering-tracking-filtering-what-im-testing-now-to-serve-restoration-clients-better
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nahasim · 2 years
Text
Install weka ubuntu 16.04
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Install weka ubuntu 16.04 install#
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See this StackOverflow question for Google Cloud Functions. You’ll need to extract the distribution-specific package, bundle it with necessary libraries, configuration and/or fonts and then upload it. Head over to the packaging repository and start a discussion if your platform isn’t listed.
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cannot install package – you can always extract it (google for extract from ), but you’ll need to have the dependencies installed.
the major release isn’t listed – we only support LTS versions, so try a LTS version older than your release.
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but not the specific patch release – try it, as it’s very likely to work regardless.If the distribution you are using is listed:
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I don’t see an appropriate download for my platform! It’s not possible to abstract everything out and test/fix everything for every OS/distribution with the limited resources this project has – it makes more sense to make distribution-specific versions which are almost guaranteed to work, as they use the specific versions that the distribution has packaged. This may work for them, but wkhtmltopdf also depends on the runtime configuration on actual fonts installed (i.e. alpine is not recommended with binary wheels if you google for it), and requires you to statically link everything. While Python has also tried to do this using manylinux – it doesn’t always work well (e.g. So the generic binaries never really worked on Alpine. This doesn’t use glibc at all, but the musl libc. But due to the rise of Docker, the alpine image became very popular. This was worked around earlier by using CentOS 6 (which had an old enough glibc version). If you compile with a later version, it won’t work on a distribution which uses an older version.
incompatible libc: not every distribution has the same glibc version.
This was the direct motivation to create a separate packaging repository. This led to a situation where there was effectively zero backward compatibility and things started breaking randomly – see #3001 for a very long read of the problems faced.
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Over a period of time, major areas of divergence between distributions were found by trial and error: A static build means that only Qt is linked in this manner – the remaining system packages still need to be installed. Why are there no “generic” Linux builds ( which were provided earlier)?Īlthough the builds are static, it is very important to understand what it means in the context of Qt – on which wkhtmltopdf is built. This leads to quite different behavior – you get a later web engine, but behavior can vary from distribution to distribution. Most Linux distributions ( quite understandably) would prefer that this project upstreamed the patches, and choose to compile without those features. Some features require you to use a patched Qt, because those aren’t yet upstream – please read the project status for a longer explanation. FAQ Why do you have static builds with patched Qt? If you need versions older than 0.12.0, you can look at the obsolete downloads. It is recommended to use the latest stable release instead, and report an issue if there is a regression from a previous release. Please note that bug reports will not be accepted against the following, which are considered obsolete. OS/DistributionĪll of the above packages were produced automatically via Azure Pipelines and were built on the latest OS/distribution patch release at the time of the release. The current stable series is 0.12.6, which was released on J– see changes since 0.12.5. All downloads are currently hosted via GitHub releases, so you can browse for a specific download or use the links below.ĭo not use wkhtmltopdf with any untrusted HTML – be sure to sanitize any user-supplied HTML/JS, otherwise it can lead to complete takeover of the server it is running on! Please read the project status for the gory details.
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shandian-go · 2 years
Text
IMPORTANT - 2022 Changes
Happy New Year's eve and wishing everyone well all the best for the coming year!
End of semi-hiatus
Things have settled down a bit IRL and I've had a chance to think about what to do with this GO. Your survey responses have helped so much with this decision and in order to keep things going, I've restructured the processes and will have some (much-needed) help managing things going forward :)
Changes and improvements
Here’s the TL;DR of the key changes, but I’d still highly recommend reading the full version (see end for link). I've tried to make improvements to address the common complaints and I truly hope some of you will find it easier ;u;
Group order types
All types of group orders are now open to everyone and there’s no restrictions for the different types!
The types of GO's have been narrowed down to 4 (Pre-orders, Ongoing Orders, Special Orders and In Stock)
Special Orders and In Stock orders are limited quantity and first come first served. They'll only be announced on the Special Notification Twitter account when they're posted (but anyone can still order them)
Order process
New standalone site to place orders: https://www.shandian.ca
New site features: My Account, Favorites, search function, cart won’t clear with back button
All orders submitted from July 2021 onwards can be found in your My Account
Requests for group orders
Requests are also open to everyone now, but GO's still depend on my availability
Request form is simpler too (just need a link with a photo to help me identify the item)
New ‘Coming Soon’ page for all the upcoming GO’s I have planned
You can submit the request form for items that are in the 'Pending' section or items that aren't listed on 'Coming Soon'
Price changes and discounts
Item prices (first payment) will increase by 3%-4% to cover fees and maintenance costs and time/labour; going forward basis only (i.e. no impact on previous orders)
New helpers assisting me with admin and packing so that I don’t burn out again; some of the increase will go towards their time/labour too
Frequent joiners who order a lot will receive a discount coupon to offset a bit of the price increases :)
Main website updates
Guide & FAQ has been updated with visuals and more answers
Status Guide now has a ‘Personal Order Tracker’ spreadsheet to help you track your own order statuses
New ‘How To’ section to keep all the guides and info in one place
Other concerns (see document for details)
FULL VERSION: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vpw7VClcam12Gl6hIoF527dbT4Lrq2CDkg69eojcxSo
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gb-patch · 3 years
Text
Ask Answers: June 6th, 2021
I’m back with more ask responses! You can also check our Frequently Asked Question sheet if there’s something you’re wondering that’s not answered here.
FAQ   Also, if you prefer to just see the main posts without all the asks/reblogs, feel free to follow our side account instead: GB Patch Updates Blog
Thank you for the patience with these questions  ♡
Hey in very beginning of step 3 in the scene where Mr.Holden had a thought dancing on the tip of his tongue but he kept it to himself after MC and Cove were being cute (idk if it makes a difference but this is when they're dating)... Can we know what he was thinking/ wanted to say? It's been bugging me lol 
He would’ve gone into a “look how much you’ve grown”, “your dad is so proud of you”, “I’m so glad things worked out with the MC”, and etc spiel, haha. But he resisted the urge to fawn on his baby boy, at least for that scene.
If we planned to move away for college/future plans in step 3, is it implied that MC and Cove would have a long distance relationship for sure? Could MC have convinced Cove to come with them? How is the dynamic of their relationship going to be addressed in Step 4, if that makes sense? 
Cove is willing to follow the MC where they went after everything is settled for them there, and if they’re sure they want him to come! You’ll get to decide how things shook out during those transitional years just by making choices about it during the opening prologue of Step 4.
Hi! First off, how does it feel to have created one of the best games when it comes to inclusion for lbtq+ peeps? I've never felt as validated with my identity and sexuality when playing a game and I'm seemingly not alone ♥ Second, and this might be a little too specific, but what kinds of drinks does Cove like as well as dislike? Thank you, you're the best ♥
Thank you for very much! It’s really nice to hear the game felt inclusive. Cove likes regular water and fruit juices/smoothies most! He dislikes coffee and cola, and he’s not super into most teas either.
Hi, may i ask what gb patch stands for? Specifically the gb part lol
It stands for my old, silly username I used in places like Neopets as a kid, aha. The company name wasn’t super thought out since it was originally just me making VNs as a hobby. Luckily, “GB Patch” kind of seems like it could mean something reasonable, so I didn’t have to rebrand when it did become a more serious, commercial group.
If we chose to not propose to cove in the step 3 dlc would he propose or would the mc propose in step 4 or the wedding dlc? 
Yeah, you or Cove can propose in Step 4 if you’re not already engaged! The Wedding DLC takes place after the engagement so the proposal scenes aren’t there.
will you guys announce if the early access for the new game is out on patreon ? 
When beta builds of Step 4 or whatever start coming out on the Patreon we will mention it here on social media too.
Heyy I just had a quick question about Baxter if that’s okay :)?
I saw in an ask+answer that it’s possible to casually date Baxter In step 3, but what leads up to that? I have the step 3 dlc and I’ve tried playing them In a different orders and ways but it doesn’t seem to get anywhere ^^;
The Step 3 DLC is Cove-based because he’s the default guy. There’s a separate Baxter romance DLC that’s not out yet. That’s where you can get him to date you. I’m sorry for the confusion!
Will we ever get any LI's or side characters with physical disabilities or deformities? I think your games would be a great place to have them in since they're always so accepting and safe! 
Yeah, we do hope to have representation for that in future projects ^^. Thank you for the confidence in us.
Is it possible to get Cove to take the bed and MC to sleep on the floor? 
Not in Step 3, I’m afraid.
So, I have played the prologue of Our Life countless times and I haven't gotten the [Your Life] achievement, why is that? 
Steam sometimes isn’t connected properly when an achievement unlocks and so it remains locked on your account. If that happens, unfortunately getting the scene again won’t unlock it. The achievement becomes inaccessible because the game thinks you already have it. Playing with the same Steam account on a different device or fully deleting your game data (more than the only the save files) are the only work arounds we’ve found.
Since when you talk with Jeremy in step 3 it's mentioned he goes on dates with someone (which assume is JB because who else would take this boy on dates) that makes him happy, does that sort of make JB and Jeremy the canon relationship in the first game?
The default for XOXO Droplets is that JB casually goes on dates with each of the jerks! Shiloh would’ve been harsher if Jeremy was the only guy getting her attention, haha. But the player can change that default by dating just one person the whole game for their own story and who she ends up with for real has no default.
Hi, hello! Huge OL fan, thank you so much for the wholesome content, it was very much needed during these times. Managed to get several people to join team Cove, so that's very exciting, I always have people to fawn over him with. I have a little question and I'm sorry if it was asked before, but does it ever come up in the game what Cove has told his mom about us? (who knows, with so many options, one can miss it) Or, alternatively, will it come up in the Step 4 DLC? 
Thank you very much for sharing the game with people <3. It’s really great to hear people are liking it. Right now that doesn’t come up in game. Kyra is willing to keep her mouth shut and Cove isn’t gonna have that conversation either. At least not when he’s younger, but yes, perhaps when he’s a fully grown big boy in Step 4 you can ask him about it.
I’ve been thinking about this ever since it has been confirmed that there would be two love interests for OL2, would there be the possibility of forming a polyamorous relationship with both love interests? I’m sorry if you answered this previously, I’m just curious. 
We are considering it, but it’s not a guarantee yet. It’d be really great to have but it’d add so many extra alterations that’d need to made, aha.
Hello! You mentioned how Cove would be uncomfortable with kids at 23, but how old would he be when he’s comfortable with having/adopting kids? (Same goes for the other LI’s.) btw, love your game!! 
He’d want to be at least 25, but even older would be good. Derek would want to have kids when he and his partner could reasonably support them, the age itself wouldn’t matter. If they were doing good at 22 and wanted kids, he’d be up for it. Or they could wait until their 30s or whatever. Baxter is also more of a “when it feels right” guy rather than having a specific age requirement. Cove is just especially wary of being a young parent because of his own parents. I’m happy you like the game!
does step 4 immediately play after you press "end summer" in step 3? or is there another button/transition (like the story text thingy) before the epilogue begins? what happens after the epilogue? roll credits? 😂 
Step 4 will have transition section always and there will be an extra button, if you own the Derek or Baxter DLC. By default the Cove-based version of Step 4 just plays once Step 3 is over. However, having the other guys’ storylines will mean you get to pick which version of Step 4 plays; Cove Step 4 (the basic one), Derek Step 4, or Baxter Step 4.
Happy pride, thank you for all you do for us🥰
I have a quick question though, I recently got a MacBook after my old windows computer broke, and now steam says I cannot download it, but it has no issues with other games, what can I do to download it?? I’m sorry if my English is bad
Happy pride month! Unfortunately, Our Life isn’t available for Mac on Steam right now. To be an approval application Apple requires having special notarization and we as a small group haven’t gotten that. Itch doesn’t care and lets us release the game for Mac there anyway, Steam does care so we’re locked out of putting the Mac build up on their storefront. Feel free to email us and we can try to help the situation out further!
Hello! I was jus wondering if the Baxter and Derek DLCs are still happening? I haven’t heard anything about them on here or patreon in a while so I just wanted to make sure ^^
They’re still coming and we just released a new sprite sketch on the Patreon for the Derek DLC c:. But right now Step 4 is still much more of a priority. Once that’s closer to being done we’ll focus way more on sharing previews for the other guys.
is it possible to tell cove you love him (platonically) at step 3 fondness/selecting him as basically family? i just love the mc and liz sibling interactions and it got me wondering about it (especially if you've selected that option)
You and Cove can be as close as family, but there’s not a specific scene in Step 3 where you say “I love you” in a family context. But there’s always Step 4~
do you intend on ever adding a collectors mode to Our Life? Like a way to collect achievements and CGs for the gallery without it effecting any save files? 
We weren’t considering it before. But if a lot of players would find that helpful, we could start thinking on that!
Sorry if it's a silly question haha, but (in crush/love) is Cove really aware of how cute and cuddly he seems to MC? If so, what does he think or do about it? Or does he just ignore it? 
He isn’t particular aware. Cove never truly stops being surprised that the MC is interested in/attracted to him, haha.
Would you say that the alone ending of xoxo droplets is worth playing again to get? 
Nope, haha. The goal is to make friends/get a boyfriend and so the alone ending is kind of the bad ending for the game. Though there is a consolation prize if you get it by accident.
Is there any possible situation which would ever prompt Pran to bake for his girlfriend? Like I know it's unlikely I mean even if JB broke her leg somehow I'm pretty sure he'd still be like "I considered baking you a cake and doing the frosting the way I think looks interesting but you don't deserve a cake, no one does." right but also ahhh it would be super nice if some day he just surprised her with baked goods one day out of nowhere. JB would be so shocked it would be cute. So is there any possible situation where that could/would be a thing that he would do? 
He might bake out of spite, like if he felt he had to prove her wrong on something. Or if JB used some good reverse psychology on him. Or he might do it in a relatively nice way if he could make his GF so shocked by the kind gesture that his amusement with that overrode his insistence on not being sweet. Pran is very difficult in high school, aha.
Is the "one route (where) it can be seen that Everett will drop his seemingly eternal waging with Jeremy pretty easily and can start getting along without thinking much on it" the Lucas route? I'm curious! 
Yep! Everett will side with Jeremy if it’s between him and Lucas.
Hi I hope you guys are having a great day :) I just had to ask how Cliff would feel about Cove's partner/fiancé Mc calling them dad whether it be accidental or otherwise and secondly I also wanted to ask how he would feel about being asked to be the one to give the mc away at their wedding. 
He would be very touched and excited! I hope you have a good day too :D
Hello! I saw an ask relating to whether Cliff "moves on" after Cove's grown up and stuff (and he stays single), but what about Kyra? Will she be with anyone else or will she stay single? 
She does start dating again, but she takes it slow.
Hi! I absolutely love the art for characters in OL and I wonder is this fine to draw my MC in same drawing style and upload online later? Is this something artists would be okay with? Thank you! 
Yeah, you can certainly do that C:
Hey there!
I wonder if I'm just being stupid here.. Is Step 4 a DLC? And if so, where can I find it? I can't seem to find it on Steam :< Thank you!
Step 4 is a free epilogue! It’s not done yet, but once it is finished you’ll just update your game file and Step 4 will be there after Step 3 ends.
hi! are step 4 and the wedding dlc two different things?
They are. Step 4 is a free epilogue that’ll be a default part of the game once it’s done, the wedding DLC is an optional paid expansion that takes place after Step 4.
Why did Baxter not receive a step 2 sprite seeing how he shows up later
Sprites are time consuming to draw and take money out of the budget that could’ve gone to other things. His tiny appearance in Step 2 wasn’t worth all the effort to make a sprite, aha.
I just realized, what happens if if you get the patreon exclusive moment but at a later date, when you don't have the membership anymore, it's updated (like a bugs fix update for example)? Would you have to get the membership again? 
You would have to get the membership again to redownload the build. But there’s very little chance there’s going to be an update once it’s been out for over a month. If a build gets released with errors, players catch/report them within the first few days. So by the time the first subscription period ends, any problems that were noticeable would already have been fixed. And we’re certainly not gonna be adding new content to it once it’s been released for a long time. There’s no need to worry about missing out on something worthwhile in the future if you cancel your membership. It’s being made with the idea in mind that many players are gonna be getting it and then going.
Hello! Wanted to ask about gaming choice in step 3? Once upon a playthorugh I got the option to buy Cove a bracelet for his graduation present. I played the same basic character again and that option wasn't there anymore. I'm not sure where I went wrong. My Cove wears a bracelet on each hand and my MC is into fashion and jewelry. Do I need to put an earring on him or? Sorry, love your game so much. 
He also needs to have liked bracelets in Step 2 for that to be considered a good gift option for him. Sorry for the confusion! I’m happy you love the game :)
Is Step 4 being released at the same time as the Wedding DLC or will the first come before the latter? Thank you! 
I’m not sure. Ideally they’ll come out at the same time, but the wedding DLC has a lot of art to get done and we may have to release it after Step 4.
Can mc still get confession from Cove at the end of step 3 even if mc casually dates Baxter in step 3? Such as in crush mode? 
I don’t think so. Maybe that’ll change, but generally there’s differences to the Step 3 ending if you were dating Baxter and those differences likely will conflict with getting the Cove confession.
For the patreon moments/dlcs, will it be available for all tiers? 
It’ll be available for tier 2 (Fans) and up!
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thebiasrekkers · 2 years
Text
Star of Fate [Vampire!VIXX]
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Plot: The longer you stare into darkness, the more  you realize that something could be staring back. Even more so when that  darkness doesn’t want to be brought into the light and will do anything  to stay that way.
Rating: NC-17 // NSFW
Genre: Series | Vampire!AU | Angst | Romance/Fluff | Smut
Pairings: OT6 VIXX x OC(s)
Warnings: Graphic Violence (bloody violence), Heavy Language, Angst, Slow Burn, Smut
Previous Chapters: Prologue, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Links: FAQ || VIXX Masterlist || Admin L’s AO3 || Admin L’s WP || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]
Word Count: 2042
AO3 | WP
Tag List: @tanithrea​
© thebiasrekkers (Admin L). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.
Chapter 9- Majesty
All the stars and galaxies address me as your majesty So better say your majesty, I might react erratically Throw you in a fire, purify you I'm the sire, my empire's on the rise
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Once again, Lucky woke up in an unfamiliar bed but this one was different than the one she had previously woken up in. It was less fancy but still drastically luxurious than whatever she had known. The bed was still that impossibly soft material that she almost didn’t want to get out of with a few huge pillows. Her green eyes opened, trying to focus without her glasses but she could distinctly tell the color of gold that was looking at her. 
She paused for a moment, letting some of the memories come back to her before drawing in breath and scrambling up. A huge hand slapped itself on her mouth before the scream erupted while the other hand clasped the back of her head to keep her in place. Hands scrabbled at the confines but they were ignored as loud shushes came from the man holding her.
“Hey hey! It’s me, Hyuk… remember? I was the one that saved you from those assholes? Look, if I let you go, will you promise not to scream? Ken and Leo are still sleeping while our master is in a bad mood. Hongbin and Ravi were too shy to let you sleep in their beds so I gave you my bed for the night.. or day.”
Lucky had to think for a moment, the name sounding familiar to her. She finally put a face to the name as she remembered the baby faced being that took care of the two guys that killed the man. She nodded slowly and inch by inch, his hand left her mouth as if he was scared she would scream regardless. Grinning, he quickly plucked up her glasses and gave them to her before leaning in to take a whiff of her hair. 
Alarmed, she reared back away from him. Hyuk raised his hands up defensively and to let her know that he meant no harm, just barely containing himself with her there on the bed. 
“Sorry. I couldn’t help myself. I’m still learning a lot of things when it comes to the whole vampire thing and it doesn’t help that you smell… really good. I don’t know why. Most humans have a stale smell to me. You smell like tangy flowers. It kinda sets my teeth on edge but in a delicious way.”
“I’m sorry.. Did you say vampire?”
The analogy about her smell aside, Lucky’s only thought was the fact that he had mentioned vampires which reminded her of when she was in the police station. So it wasn’t a dream, she realized with cold dread down the entirety of her spine. Hyuk nodded as if he knew what she was thinking, smiling before leaning in closer. She watched as the canines slid out like he was doing nothing but breathing. Before she knew it, she had edged to the side of the bed and when chomped playfully is when she fell right off the thing. Once again, she landed on the floor with a mighty thump and that prompted Hyuk to speed right on over to her. He picked her up, literally right up off the floor like she had weight nothing at all. 
Squirming in his grasp, Lucky tried to get him to put her down since all she needed was a hand to get up. That and she didn’t want to be too close to the fangs that were still extended. A rush and the quick opening of a door could be heard, revealing the droopy eyed vampire she met last night. 
“Oh hey! I--”
“What are you doing Hyuk?! He literally just told us not to feed from her, no matter how good she smells! What’s wrong with you? I can practically hear her screaming!”
Thus started the tug of war between Hyuk and the one whom yelled at Hyuk to stop. He had one of Lucky’s legs in his grasp while Hyuk had her upper body, the both of them bickering back and forth about what was going on. The noise soon grew and attracted the interest of another one. She realized that it was the one she accidentally hit, with the owl eyes. He came around, an annoyed look on his face as his owl-like eyes took in what was going on. 
“You know that Ken and Leo are up now because of you guys..” He leaned against the door frame, lazily eyeballing the area. The vampires both stopped what they were doing, frozen to the spot. Eventually she kicked him in the knee, which prompted him to let her go. The tug of war episode was a welcome distraction despite what all that had transpired but the feeling of danger still didn’t subside, no matter how many times they insisted that she was safe with them. 
And it didn’t help that she was constantly being chomped at or placed into dangerous situations when with them.
After going downstairs to see the rest of them, Lucky could still remember how close they got as she looked at them. She frowned as she got closer to the main floor, however she still stood way off to the side as a precaution against the rest of them. After all, she still didn’t know why she was there and what was going on.   
She walked towards the living area, where there was a huge chair she didn't notice before. Lucky was met at the bottom of the stairs by two vampires that were familiar. They introduced themselves formally as Ravi and Ken. Lucky eyeballed Ken because she still remembered when he went berserk. He gave a wide smile at her, knowing what she was thinking. Ravi leaned over and poked him, shaking his head at the other. Ravi gave her a kind look, as if he was asking for her to forgive them. Lucky looked around the room, thankful that during all that mess–her glasses weren’t broken. 
She noticed two more vampires, one being her savior from the police and the other that she hit. Ravi bent down to her ear, making her jump and introduced them as Hongbin and Leo.
“I believe we can all speak normally with that human around.” Hongbin sneered at them. “I hope the Prince gets rid of her, she’s done enough–”
He didn’t get to finish when Hyuk suddenly appeared in Hongbin’s face, seething. Lucky could see that he was angry as those words and honestly– she was too. She didn’t even want to be in this house with them, knowing she did nothing wrong. Before they could start fighting, a hum could be felt like someone had struck a chord on a guitar. It made the rest of them stand up straight and the hairs on her arms stand up. Leo and Ravi moved to stand next to the chair while the other two, Hongbin and Ken were standing behind her. As Hyuk started to move, his body seemed to go rigid and march directly in front of the chair, kneeling. 
Lucky was about to go to him when another vampire came in. All of them saluted him as he walked in, graceful and menacing. He had almost golden skin, a bit darker than Ravi and his clothes complimented his skin. The black and red robes he had on almost made him look like he was gliding. Once he sat down, he looked at her–and smirked.
Hyuk’s face suddenly fell to the ground, causing him to give a start of surprise.That kind of extreme bow was pushing his face into the floor. He grunted as he tried to resist it but he could not move.
“I–I’m sorry but please don’t kill her! She’s my friend!” Hyuk begged from the floor, unable to get up no matter how hard he tried. “I’ll take full responsibility! Please!”
Lucky could hear Hongbin scoff at his words and before she realized it, she had marched over to Hyuk and tried to pull him back up. She tried with all her might but she couldn’t even get him to budge. A fire burned in her eyes as she glared at them all for not helping, Ravi looking away guiltily but the rest were stone still.
“And what would they do when they know he’s being punished? After all–” The leader stood up from his throne, the robes settling into place as he started to approach her, “Sanghyuk let a human into our world, almost blew the masquerade and he gave her blood to heal.” 
He was directly in front of her face, bending down a bit because of her height. His golden eyes were in slits as he stared at her. Lucky was a bit taken aback by him, the soft voice coming from him but she returned the stare. He stood there for a few minutes, making her eyes water from the staring contest but he stood up and started to walk in a circle around her. His fingers plucked at the shirt she had on, the one Lucky had borrowed from Hyuk right before coming down.
“Lucky for you, there are circumstances that have my attention and you have landed yourself in the thick of it. Nevertheless, Sanghyuk must be punished because these deeds have been made to light.”
“Hyung.. Most of them were not caused by him-” Ravi attempted to say but suddenly he dropped to one knee with the force that would have broken his knees.
“Be glad that I’m not doing more..Wonsik. Not even killing this interesting human.” His hand brushed against her check, moving some of her hair but she didn’t move. He walked to the chair again and sat, his long fingers steeping in thought. A beep broke though the silence and Hongbin grabbed his phone, scrolling through something, Lucky noticed that all of them were suddenly focused on the vampire and when he looked up, he nodded. The leader started to chuckle before turning his attention back to Lucky.
“Well, then. It seems you really are fated to help us.” He remarked, turning his head to look at Ravi. He kept his gaze down and was still kneeling on the floor. The leader looked back and smiled, one that Lucky didn’t trust at all. “I have a proposition for you. You can take it or we will remove your memories properly. The alternative to that is death.”
“How do I know that you’re not going to go back on this? I don’t know you and as far as I knew, you never existed before today.” Lucky scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. He smiled even wider before appearing in front of her face again. He grabbed her by the jaw and lifted her up, her legs dangling. She ended up biting her tongue as that happened, the blood dribbling out of her mouth.
“I don’t have the patience to toy with you as some would. It offends me that you would cast me in the same mold as those other heathens that kidnapped you.” Dropping her, he leaned down to wipe that blood away –still smiling. “Oh yes, I know of everything that has happened to you these last few days. That is why I am offering you this, for protection.”
“You mean for another blood bag?”
“Well I won’t deny that you will have some use to me but that will be explained in the paperwork. As for now, you’re given leave of here. Try not to waste this chance.”
A pair of arms wrapped themselves gently around her and Lucky could feel herself becoming sleepy. She could hear talking but the muffled sound was growing dim along with her vision. As she succumbed to the darkness and was carried out by Ravi with Ken following, Hyuk popped up and thanked the leader, scurrying out. 
Leo came up to him as well as Hongbin with concern in their eyes. He waved them off and soon was left alone in the room. He reached up and licked the blood off his hand, almost shivering as he did so. He had to use all his willpower not to give chase but instead he sat down, looking at his hand in wonder.
“Hakyeon, what have you gotten into this time?”
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booklindworm · 3 years
Text
A rant against Karen Traviss' understanding of history and her FAQ answers
Did you base the Mandalorians on the Spartans?
<cite> No. I didn't. </cite> Fair enough.
<cite> I really wish history was taught properly - okay, taught at all - in schools these days, because history is the big storehouse that I plunder for fiction. It breaks my heart to hear from young readers who have no concept even of recent history - the last fifty years - and so can't see the parallels in my books. You don't have to be a historian to read my novels, but you'll get a lot more out of them if you explore history just a little more. Watch a history channel. Read a few books. Visit some museums. Because history is not "then" - it's "now." Everything we experience today is the product of what's happened before. </cite> Yeah, I do to. Please, Ms Traviss, go on, read some books. Might do you some good. And don't just trust the history channels. Their ideas about fact-checking differ wildly.
<cite> But back to Mandos. Not every military society is based on Sparta, strange as that may seem. In fact, the Mandos don't have much in common with the real Spartans at all. </cite> You mean apart from the absolute obsession with the military ["Agoge" by Stephen Hodkinson], fearsome reputation ["A Historical Commentary on Thucydides" by David Cartwright], their general-king ["Sparta" by Marcus Niebuhr Tod], the fact that they practically acted as mercenaries (like Clearch/Κλέαρχος), or the hyper-confidence ("the city is well-fortified that has a wall of men instead of brick" [Plutarch, Life of Lycurgus])...
<cite> A slightly anarchic, non-centralized, fightin' people? Sounded pretty Celtic to me. Since I went down that path, I've learned more about the Celts (especially the Picts), and the more I learn, the more I realise what a dead ringer for Mandos they are. But more of how that happened later... </cite>
The Celtic people are more than one people, more than one culture. Celtic is a language-family! In the last millennium BC nearly every European ethnic group was in some ways Celtic, and they were not one. Later, after the Germanic tribes (also not one people, or a singular group) moved westwards, the Celtic cultures were still counted in the hundreds. Not only Scotland was Celtic! Nearly all of Western Europe was (apart from the Greek and Phoenician settlers on the Mediterranean coasts). The word “Celts” was written down for the first time by Greek authors who later also used the word “Galatians”. The Romans called these people “Gauls”, and this word was used to describe a specific area, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, the Cévennes and the Rhine: “Gaul”. So the Celts, the Galatians and the Gauls were all part of the same Celtic civilisation. "Celts, a name applied by ancient writers to a population group occupying lands mainly north of the Mediterranean region from Galicia in the west to Galatia in the east [] Their unity is recognizable by common speech and common artistic traditions" [Waldman & Mason 2006] Mirobrigenses qui Celtici cognominantur. Pliny the Elder, The Natural History; example: C(AIUS) PORCIUS SEVERUS MIROBRIGEN(SIS) CELT(ICUS) -> not just one culture "Their tribes and groups eventually ranged from the British Isles and northern Spain to as far east as Transylvania, the Black Sea coasts, and Galatia in Anatolia and were in part absorbed into the Roman Empire as Britons, Gauls, Boii, Galatians, and Celtiberians. Linguistically they survive in the modern Celtic speakers of Ireland, Highland Scotland, the Isle of Man, Wales, and Brittany." [Celtic Culture: a historical encyclopedia. by John Koch] "[] the individual CELTIC COUNTRIES and their languages, []" James, Simon (1999). The Atlantic Celts – Ancient People Or Modern Invention. University of Wisconsin Press. "All Gaul is divided into three parts, one of which the Belgae live, another in which the Aquitani live, and the third are those who in their own tongue are called Celtae, in our language Galli." [Julius Caesar, De Bello Gallico] <= I had to translate that in school. It's tedious political propaganda. Read also the Comentarii and maybe the paper "Caesar's perception of Gallic social structures" that can be found in "Celtic Chiefdom, Celtic State," Cambridge University Press. The Celtic tribes and nations were diverse. They were pretty organized, with an academic system, roads, trade, and laws. They were not anarchic in any way. They were not warriors - they were mostly farmers. The Celts were first and foremost farmers and livestock breeders
The basic economy of the Celts was mixed farming, and, except in times of unrest, single farmsteads were usual. Owing to the wide variations in terrain and climate, cattle raising was more important than cereal cultivation in some regions.
Suetonius addressing his legionaries said "They are not soldiers—they're not even properly equipped. We've beaten them before." [not entirely sure, but I think that was in Tacitus' Annals]
Regarding the Picts, in particular, which part of their history is "anarchic"? Dál Riata? the Kingdom of Alba? Or are you referring to the warriors that inspired the Hadrian's Wall? Because no one really knows in our days who the fuck they were. The Picts’ name first appears in 297 AD. That is later. <cite> Celts are a good fit with the kind of indomitable, you-can't-kill-'em-off vibe of the Mandos. Reviled by Rome as ignorant savages with no culture or science, and only fit for slaughter or conquest, the Celts were in fact much more civilized than Rome even by modern standards. </cite> That's how the Romans looked at pretty much every culture that wasn't Greek, Roman, Phoenician, Egyptian, or from Mesopotamia (read, if you want, anything Roman or Greek about the Skyths, the Huns, Vandals, Garamantes...).
<cite> They also kicked Roman arse on the battlefield, and were very hard to keep in line, so Rome did what all lying, greedy superpowers do when challenged: they demonized and dehumanized the enemy. (They still used them in their army, of course, but that's only to be expected.) </cite> They were hard to keep in line, but they most definitely did not kick Roman arse on the battlefield. Roman arse was kicked along the borders of the Roman Empire, such as the Rhine, the Danube, the Atlas mountains, etc. And mostly by actually badly organized, slightly anarchic groups, such as the Goths or the Huns (BTW the Huns were not a Germanic people, even though early 20th century British propaganda likes to say so). Though they were also decisively stopped by the Parthians. Who were very organized. Ah well. <cite> While Rome was still leaving its unwanted babies to die on rubbish dumps - a perfectly acceptable form of family planning to this "civilisation" - and keeping women as chattels devoid of rights, the barbarian Celts had a long-standing legal system that not only gave women what we would think of as equal rights, but also protected the rights of the elderly, children, and the disabled. They had a road network across Europe and worldwide trade long before the Romans ever got their act together. And their science - well, their astronomical calculations were so sophisticated that it takes computers to do the same stuff today. </cite> See? You even say yourself that they weren't actually anarchic. Also you're not completely right: 1. women (of most Celtic cultures, with one notable exception being the Irish) were not allowed to become druids, e.g. scientists, physicians, priests, or any other kind of academics, so they did not have equal rights. Also, as in other Indo-European systems, the family was patriarchal. 2. the roads they had were more like paths, and did not span the entirety of Europe; the old roads that are still in use are nearly all of them Roman. Had the Celtic inhabitants of Gallia or Britannia built comparable roads, why would the Romans have invested in building a new system on top? 3. world-wide? Yeah, right. They traded with those who traded with others and so were able to trade with most of southern Eurasia and northern Africa, as well as few northern parts (Balticum, Rus), but that's (surprise) not the whole world. 4. most people use computers for those calculations you mention because its easier. It's not necessary. I can do those calculations - give me some time to study astronomy (I'm a math major, not physics) and some pencils and paper. 5. and - I nearly forgot - the kids didn't die. That was a polite fiction. The harsh truth is that most Roman slaves were Romans... <cite> So - not barbarians. Just a threat to the empire, a culture that wouldn't let the Pax Romana roll over it without a fight. (Except the French tribes, who did roll over, and were regarded by the Germanic Celts [...]) </cite> WTF Germanic Celts? What are you smoking, woman? Isn't it enough that you put every culture speaking a language from the Celtic family in one pot and act as if they were one people, now you have to mix in a different language-family as well? Shall we continue that trend? What about the Mongolian Celts, are they, too, proof that the Celts were badass warriors? I think at this point I just lost all leftover trust in your so-called knowledge. <cite> [...] as being as bad as the Romans. Suck on that, Asterix... </cite> Asterix was definitely a Celt, and unlike the British Celts, he was not a citizen of the Roman Empire.
<cite> Broad brush-stroke time; Celts were not a centralized society but more a network of townships and tribes, a loose alliance of clans who had their own internal spats, but when faced with some uppity outsider would come together to drive off the common threat. </cite> They might have tried, but they didn't. The first and only time a Celtic people really managed to drive off some uppity outsider would be 1922 following the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921*. The fact that France, Spain, Portugal speak Romance languages and the British (or Irish) Isles nearly uniformly speak English should be proof enough.
*Unless you count Asterix. <cite> You couldn't defeat them by cutting off the head. There was no head to cut off. </cite> You mean unlike Boudica and Vercingetorix. Oh wait. Tacitus, in his Annals, said that Boudica's last fight cost 80,000 Britons and 400 Romans their lives. He was probably exaggerating. But it definitely stopped much of the British resistance in its tracks. <cite> To the centralized, formal, rather bureaucratic Romans, for whom the city of Rome was the focus of the whole empire, this was a big does-not-compute. The Celts were everything they didn't understand. And we fear what we don't understand, and we kill what we fear. </cite> While that is totally true, it's also completely off the mark. The Romans demonized the druids, not every Celt, and they were afraid of what was basically an academic network. That had nothing to do with war. <cite> Anyway, Mandos....once I took a single concept - in this case, the idea of clans that operated on a loose alliance system, like the Celts - the rest grew organically. I didn't plan it out in detail from the start. </cite> That's really obvious. Maybe looking at some numbers and remembering that you weren't planning a small, local, rural, medieval community would have helped, too. I mean lets have a look at, say, Scotland (since you specifically mentioned the Picts): they still have less than 6 mio. people all together, and that's today. Mandalore is a sector. A sector of Outer Space with at least 2000 inhabited planets. How do you think that translates? It doesn't. <cite> I just asked myself what a culture of nomadic warriors would value, how they would need to operate to survive, and it all grew inexorably by logical steps. The fact that Mandos ended up as very much like the Celts is proof that the technique of evolving a character or species - find the niche, then work out what fits it - works every time. It creates something very realistic, because that's how real people and real societies develop. </cite> Celtic people were usually not nomadic! And, once again, non of them were predominantly warriors! It's really hard to be a nomadic farmer. I believe the biggest mistake you made, Ms Traviss, is mixing up the Iron Age (and earlier) tribes that did indeed sack Rome and parts of Greece, and that one day would become the people the Romans conquered. And apart from the Picts they really were conquered. <cite> So all I can say about Mandos and Spartans is that the average Mando would probably tell a Spartan to go and put some clothes on, and stop looking like such a big jessie. </cite>
I'd really like to see a Mando – or anyone – wearing full plate without modern or Star Wars technology in Greece. Happy heatstroke. There is a reason they didn't wear a lot (look up the Battle of Hattîn, where crusaders who didn't wear full helmets and wore chainmail* still suffered badly from heat exhaustion). [Nicolle, David (1993), Hattin 1187: Saladin's Greatest Victory] *chainmail apparently can work like a heatsink CONCLUSION You're wrong. And I felt offended by your FAQ answers. QUESTION You're English. You're from England. A group - a nation - that was historically so warlike and so successful that by now we all speak English. A nation that definitely kicked arse against any Celtic nation trying to go against them (until 1921, and they really tried anyway). A nation that had arguably the largest Empire in history. A nation that still is barbaric and warlike enough that a lost football game has people honestly fearing for their lives.
Also, a Germanic group, since you seem to have trouble keeping language-families and cultures apart. If we were to talk about the family, we could add on the current most aggressively attacking nation (USA) plus the former most aggressively attacking nations (the second and third German Reich), also the people who killed off the Roman Empire for good (the Goths and Visigoth), the original berserkers (the Vikings) and claim at the very least the start of BOTH WORLD WARS. Why did you look further?
Some other sources:
Histoire de la vie privée by Georges Duby and Philippe Ariès, the first book  (about the antiquity) I read it translated, my French is ... bad to non-existent
The Day of the Barbarians: The Battle That Led to the Fall of the Roman Empire  (about the Huns) by Alessandro Barbero
If you speak Dutch or German, you might try
Helmut Birkhan: Kelten. Versuch einer Gesamtdarstellung ihrer Kultur, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien
Janssens, Ugo, De Oude Belgen. Geschiedenis, leefgewoontes, mythe en werkelijkheid van de Keltische stammen. Uitgeverij The House of Books
DISCLAIMER
I’m angry and I wrote this down in one session and thus probably made some mistakes. I’m sorry. Or maybe I’m not sorry. I’m still angry. She can’t know who reads her FAQ and at least two of her answers (on her professional website) were offensive to the reader.
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