Mae

EDIT: Ugh, give me a minute... bumpy road made my mouse move to where it could click 'post' before I was ready.... EDIT TO THE EDIT: Okay, all done now. EDIT TO THE EDIT TO THE EDIT: ... forgot a few words. I shouldn't be posting when I have a migrane... My "ew no" factor is actually more like this: Pretend the chihuahua is a Lala female, and the great dane is a Roegadyn (switching the Lala to a corgi is only -slightly- better). Or that a english setter is a Miqo'te. The size difference is where the problem is. Actual act of mating aside, cross-breed/cross-species sort of heavily infers that the resulting offspring are going to have features of both parents, and size is a feature. GRANTED... there probably are chihuahua/great dane crosses out there, but they're cases where the male was the chihuahua and and either either got the great dane when she was sitting/laying down, or used a step ladder. Either way, the experience was probably akin to throwing a hotdog down a hallway. And to go the other way (female chihuahua/male great dane) would be irresponsible for a breeder to attempt and for a vet to not suggest to terminate the pregnancy -- the health risks are too high for the dam. My bad, I added in the eternal children thing because another post went in while I was slowly typing and I was referring to that as well. And, yes... structural complications..! I spit my drink halfway across the truck when I looked at that picture!

If we had another small race, I wouldn't have a problem with the concept; Lala's aren't some weird race that stays children forever. But as they are right now, I picture a Lala carrying a pureblood Lala baby the same way a kiwi carries an egg before laying it: Doyouseehowinsanelygiantthateggiscomparedtotherestofthebird?! Yes, they've evolved to handle birthing something that proportionally big, but I can't see how they'd handle something bigger due to breeding with a larger race without complications. And, dear gods, think about Lala's having twins (or more!) with that sort of proportion..!

I have little-to-no tolerance for alcohol -- a quarter-glass of wine is enough to get me drunk -- so I typically avoid drinking so I don't make a fool out of myself. What I have tried and liked: -- Raspberry wine -- Blueberry wine -- Lavender wine -- Honey and rose wine -- Apple wine -- Strawberry daiquiris

Cross-clan should be viable -- it's pretty much the same thing as, say, a Russian and a Jamaican (pulling nationalities out of a hat here) getting together and having a child. Same species, just from different regions and lifestyles. Cross-race, again, it's said to be possible but rare. Something to consider with the concept is the strain a mother might go through with a cross-race baby. If the sire is bigger or has a vastly different body configuration, there's going to be a risk of problems. This problem DOES exist in the real world between humans at times (a woman from a family/bloodline that's typically petite getting pregnant by a man who's family/bloodline tends towards producing 6'6" football players), but it's better illustrated with designer dogs/dogs that got loose. To highlight an extreme case, a Lala would have a VERY hard time carrying a baby that was fathered by a Roegy. Totally disregarding how the Lala didn't get split in half while getting pregnant, the resulting baby would be too big for the Lala to carry without severe complications. Actual birthing would likely require a cecearan to be performed. In all likelihood, Lala with anything else would be a Bad Idea in general. Even Roegy to Hyur and Elezen to Miqo'te would probably run risks.

Kara's inn room is an exercise in organized chaos. It's messy to anyone who doesn't understand her method. However... she keeps very little of her stuff (and she has a LOT of stuff) in her room. She has caches/stashes spread out all over Thanalan (and even two in the Shroud), and she has forgotten where some of the smaller ones are and what they contained. She's a squirrel that not only has more nuts than she knows what to do with, she's forgotten where some of them are.

FFXI actually does have seasons -- it's what dictates the likelihood of certain weather conditions to spawn in certain areas (snow in Batallia, for example, only occurs during winter, heatwaves in Valkrum are more common in summer, double rain in the Jungles is the go-to weather in spring, etc). There's just no coding for actual terrain changes. Anyways. As Blue pointed out, the map in the first post is from XI. The graphic that includes the stars is fixed and never changes -- Odin is always due north, Titan is always due south, and as long as the sky is clear you'll see all the stars. XIV specifically, I -thought- I once observed the star graphics wandering slowly over the course of the night (was trying to get a specific screenshot out in Costa), but I could be mistaken. Even if I'm not, it's probably likely that it's the same wandering path every night.

If your front door is in a bit of a hallway (inside the house/apartment), try putting up a baby gate at the end. Yes, kitty is going to jump over it, but it's an extra obstacle that'll slow kitty down a bit and give you a couple extra seconds to react/anticipate. <-- This one worked for Grr until she got bored with the 'game' and stopped trying to run out If you're willing to deal with part of the apartment smelling like an old lady's closet, a moth ball wrapped in a bit of cloth (or a sock) and hung from the doorknob can also help. -Most- cats are repelled by the smell, and it'll also help override any "come hither"s left by a wandering female coming in from that direction. <-- This one worked for Cela Come summertime (or anytime of the year where it's nice enough that you can leave your windows open for extended periods of time), you can make a sort of window-box that kitty can go hang out in -- it's basically a crate that had one side removed and a small frame added to keep it in the window. Put in some of those cat-safe plants Arrelaine mentioned, and it's a 'safe' outdoors for kitty to play in. If you're on the first floor and have permission from the landlord, you can make something bigger fairly easily.

Joyous Yuletide!

IRL I'm fairly scarred from an active childhood, and having had mostly male friends growing up I have the mindset that scars can be something worth bragging or laughing about. This is probably why most of my characters have scars -- I associate scars with being active before I do with something horrible having happened. Kara's hands, arms, shoulders, legs, and feet have quite a few small scars covering them, though most are faded to the point where only she can see them. The results of training, fighting, hard work, pranks that backfired, and moments of clumsiness/inattention. The only scar she has that she makes an effort to hide is the one going across her neck. She wears a collar/choker to hide it and becomes very anxious when she's forced to take it off. That scar is the result of her overstepping her bounds and getting caught poaching on another thief's (not THF-Thief, just thief) territory. The wound got infected, causing it to become a fairly noticeable scar. If the Gardener ever got a tan, she'd prove to be fairly scarred too. But what do you expect when nature makes giant thorns like this, or is in a VERY bad mood and makes giant thorns that grow more thorns? Other injuries (bruises, cuts that heal well, broken bones, dislocated joints, concussions), I regularly dish out to my characters. Because I don't think it's reasonable that they come out smelling like roses from -every- encounter.

A premade pot set from Wal-mart will get you pretty far to start. You -can- go for the higher end sets if you feel the need, but I had a $30 set that did pretty well. A good cast-iron skillet is nice to have (read up on how to care/season/clean one) and works on the stovetop, in the oven, and on the grill/campfire. Lastly, I would suggest to eventually pick up an uncoated stainless-steel skillet, for cooking/searing anything at a high temp. For cooking utensils, you want wood ones. They don't transfer heat (unless, y'know, you have a gas stove and leave them IN the flame but that's a slightly different problem), don't scratch the pots, and as long as you keep them clean they won't transfer/impart flavors. Bamboo is best, but the cheap ones at Wal-mart work too. Don't get the ones that are painted/varnished. Measuring cups/spoons, get them for both wet and dry. As for spices, the basics tend to be pepper, garlic (fresh and powder, not salt), basil, parsley, and oregano. The rest, you'll probably end up picking up eventually as well. Salt. While you may be tempted to buy the big, cheap canisters of, say, Morton's salt that will last you years, do yourself a favor and skip it... at least for cooking. As silly as it might sound, invest in the more expensive ones -- Fleur del sel, Celtic moist grey (my favorite), Himalayan pink, Hawaiian red, and flake. If you can't find these (though Himalayan pink is -really- popular right now and showing up even at Wal-marts), Kosher or regular sea salt will do. These more expensive salts, you can use up to half as less as you would with Morton's (or other iodized salts) to get the same flavor, and the varying trace minerals that give them their colours do impart a subtle flavor of their own. They're also healthier for you than the Morton's/iodized salts. Also, a hammer that you can dedicate solely to kitchen use. Useful for cracking nuts/seeds/ice/sugar that's crystallized. And tenderizing meat. Other things to have around: Olive oil -- for both cooking and caring for cast iron skillets and other utensils that need to be oiled Morton's/iodized salts -- for cleaning and deodorizing wooden utensils/cutting boards Baking soda -- for cooking, cleaning, and deodorizing. Also works wonders as a scouring agent on pans that have no-stick surfaces that you don't want to scratch. Lemon juice -- for cooking and cleaning. To sanitize microwave, mix 1 part lemon juice with 3 parts water, put in microwave safe dish, pop in microwave and heat on high until it fills microwave with steam. Shut off microwave, wait five minutes... wipe clean Distilled white vinegar -- cooking and cleaning. Run it through a coffee maker every month to clean the system. Cleans stainless steel and glass without leaving streaks. Also good for treating minor burns, bug bites, and sunburns. That's possible, however I'm fairly sure I've used different brands (and types) of red wine. Definitely let me know what you used, though! I have finicky eaters in my family (my brother-in-law actually threw a fit because I put cracker crumbles on top of baked macaroni and cheese, and was appalled that it wasn't icky orange cheese), so I'm always looking for ideas on how not to shock them.

Drunken pasta! I make mine with grape tomatoes, chopped and wilted baby spinach, and feta cheese. ... How do you get yours to be red, though? Mine always turns out bright purple, and a few of the people I've served it to were put off by it.

...Ohgoodgodsafoodpornthread... I love to cook. Looooove it sooooo very much... unfortunately, it's not something I can do much of, living on a big-rig truck -- I'm limited to whatever I can manage to make in a rice-cooker. Whenever I go to visit family, I pretty much demand total control of the kitchen for at least a day >_> One thing I always make when visiting family is grilled (or roasted) broccoli... because there is a serious lack of (good) veggies available at truck stops/service plazas/fast food stops. Cut fresh (and unfrozen) broccoli with a good amount of stem still on it into sections where the stem is around a half-inch thick at the most. Toss into a ziploc bag, drizzle in enough olive oil to coat. Grind in lemon pepper seasoning (six to ten grinds per pound, depending on tastes), seal bag and shake until seasoning is fairly evenly distributed. Minced garlic and grated lemon peel is also good to add in. And red pepper flakes, if you want it a bit spicy. Let sit for at least half an hour, up to twelve hours (refrigerate for anything over 1 hour). The longer you let it sit, the stronger the flavors. When done marinating, place strainer/colander in a bowl and drain broccoli for five to ten minutes. Discard oil or save, refrigerated, for use in the next 24 hours (good on plain pasta). To cook on the grill, place on upper rack. Be prepared for flare ups if the broccoli hasn't drained enough. Cook for ten minutes, turn over. Some charring is to be expected. If it isn't as tender as you want it to be, move off of main heat and test every three to five minutes. To roast in oven, place on baking sheet with a lip and place in hot oven set to 400F, or under broiler. Watch carefully, depending on the oven it can take anywhere from ten to twenty minutes per side to cook. You want some caramelization on them. If they're not quite tender but already getting a little too dark, turn off the oven and just let it sit for a bit. Sprinkle with a small amount of good salt while still warm. Let's see.... what else, and what has actual recipes on the internet... I actually found this recipe while working at a hardware store. I suggest extra mushrooms, using low-sodium broth from any brand that's not Swanson's (their low-sodium has the same amount as the next-brand's regular amount...), and low-sodium soy sauce. And add a splash of good fish sauce. This is the only sweetened iced tea I'll drink. It's also sooooooo good when you replace some of the ice with Breyer's Vanilla Bean ice cream. Ilovemarshmallows... It's a lot of paprika, so it's a biiiiit of a different flavor.

The application of thieves oil/vinegar is part of Kara's daily routine, so she rarely gets sick. When she -does- get sick, she'll think she's dying and will probably be annoyingly over-dramatic about the whole thing. The Gardener just self-medicates and powers through it.

This is actually the first year in over ten years that I've been able to enjoy Christmas music. Working retail just sucks the holiday spirit out of you, and the appearance of Christmas music the day after Halloween is a horrible thing. Especially when such horrors as "Santa Baby" being sung by an obviously male vocalist comes over the PA system once an hour. Anyways! Would be too much to link, but everything from The Nutcracker has been my favorite Christmas music since I was probably about three. My mum used to joke that until I was seven or eight, she could get all the presents wrapped out in the open without me noticing/caring as long as she had a recording of the ballet playing elsewhere in the house. I know it's been posted in other forms already, but the traditional Ukrainian Bell Carol is also a favorite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-_9fbLqXBg And... this one: It's the only thing I ever heard my grandfather sing, and he only did it a few times. I think it's actually the memory I like and not the song.

...They'renotmissingandthat'snotsausagethat'ssittingonalmostalltheplates..!!!

While I don't have an autoimmune disease, what I do have is a particularly nasty strain of what is normally a very common virus (90% of the world's population contracts the normal virus strain before age 30, and most become immune to it after that first bout) that I contracted when I was eight, and I'll carry this virus for the rest of my life. I typically have one resurgence of it a year, but I've gone as long as two years before 'getting sick' again. The rest of the time, it lays dormant in my system. When you get it for the first time, or when it's resurging, all you feel is slightly unwell. Tired, maybe a little achy. The 1# treatment for the virus (it's resistant to medicines) is rest and lots of sleep for up to two weeks, which is pretty much what the virus is going to make you want to do anyways before it recedes on it's own. But if you push yourself -- not enough rest, being too physical -- you start risking getting complications. And that's the thing with the virus; you don't look sick, and if you don't know you have the virus you often don't even realize you're actually sick, until the complications come along. Liver and kidneys shut down. Lungs fill with fluid. Lymph nodes in the neck swell to the point of suffocation. Spleen enlarges to where it can burst. I know the virus doesn't exactly compare with lupus and it's effects, but I know what it's like to have people not understand that you're sick. My father, who knew I had the virus, got custody of me when I was fourteen and until I moved out on my own I ended up in the emergency room at least once a year with complications from the virus because I "never looked sick enough" to him. Getting older, employers often thought I was being a hypochondriac when I started asking for time off when I was just feeling under the weather. Many of the doctors I saw didn't want to order the tests to check to see if it was the virus so getting the notes to avoid getting written up for attendance issues was rare. And it's hard, dealing with that sort of criticism and disbelief. I'm lucky to be in a place now where the only person I have to explain myself to is my husband, and he understands the virus. The worst I've been treated in the two resurges I've had in the last three years is him forcing me to wake up and stay up long enough to take meals and shower. Prior to that, he was always the one telling me it was okay if I called out of work and sometimes being the one to make that phonecall because he refused to wake me up. And that's really all you can hope for -- is for a few people to understand you and what you're going through, and be willing to help and support you through your bad times. In the meantime, though, enjoy the little things that you can still do while having a flare-up. I collect little projects (lots of crafty stuff) to do when I'm sick -- stuff I can do in under an hour or can pick up and put down without a problem when I'm too tired to stay awake anymore. Some of these little projects even make me money (I once got $30 for what was essentially a handful of coffee filters and a few pieces of wire), so I get that as an added benefit to the sick times. I know lupus often means rather extreme joint pain... maybe a nice long warm soak in the bathtub can help? Bath fizzies and salts (even if you are a guy) are also super easy and cheap to make yourself -- worst you have to do is measure and stir, and a bit of research can come up with things to add in that could help ease pain or relax you (check with doctors first!). Also, eat well. Not always the 'eat super healthy' angle that might get pushed on you, but the stuff that will actually make you feel better both emotionally and physically. Have a day where you're not feeling great but can still manage going into public for a couple hours? Find a salon/barber/whatever to get a haircut. I guess in short, when you're feeling cruddy, don't be afraid to do your best to pamper yourself -- emotional health is what's gonna keep you going even when your physical health isn't looking too good. Best of luck, now and in future hard times. You're not alone.

Public Service Announcement: When using the new /embrace emote, be mindful of your partner's height and position. Otherwise, you end up strangling them. Which is NOT a good way to start a marriage.

In regards to aging, it's been suggested that Hyur have -slightly- longer life expectancy than real-world humans (a bit over a hundred years for a Hyur, while just under a hundred years for a human). Beyond that, the ONLY race we know that has a life expectancy that differs from a Hyur is Elezen -- lore panel says they live longer, but there was no age given. Quacky (I never remember his name...) the Lalafell in the BLM questline is well over a hundred years old, but has been stated to be the exception for a Lala's life expectancy. Until otherwise stated by a Dev, it's probably safest to assume that Roegadyns age similarly to Hyur. EDIT: Oh, and since XIV uses the same rotation of weekdays that XI does, the order goes: Firesday (Monday's equivalent) Earthsday Watersday Windsday (Wednesday's equivalent) Iceday Lightningsday (Friday's equivalent) Lightsday (Saturday's equivalent) Darksday (Sunday's equivalent)

How Provoke Works

I age alongside RL years. Using FFXI as a precedent, SE is... kinda bad about how they handle time. Twelve years and six (or seven, if you count Abyssea) expansions later, SE's official stance on why they haven't updated dialogue/text when it comes to dates is that a Vana'diel year has not passed yet... despite holiday event dialogue that contains things like "every year" and "last year" and "remember in years past--" I also think it's an easier way to keep the people who do keep an actual tally of their years on the same page. If new content/expansions say X-amount of time has suddenly passed when you do Y-event, there's no real way to reconcile or enforce it for people who haven't done that content yet (or don't acknowledge content).

My two arguments about the "must have aetheric component" thought: 1) The ability itself does not require MP, nor does the description mention aether and 2) To say/insist/decide that the ability must be aetheric, would screw some players out of the chance to RP the class/job (or using one of the bigger RP perks of the job). Give me any class and job, and I can go down the list of class/job abilities and come up with arguments for why most of them (if not almost all) are aetheric in nature, regardless of MP requirements and ability descriptions. Of course, if I did this and insisted it was how things Must Be, I'd be screwing a portion (even if just a small one) of the community out of playing all classes/jobs with passing ability -- the pureblood-Garleans and anyone who was inept with using aether. Yes, a Garlean character could say that they made a magitek device that lets them do whatever ability, but to me that just seems... I don't know, impractical, maybe? I honestly think it's just better to go with a mindset that if an ability doesn't require MP or specifically mention aether, then it shouldn't always require it. Could some people be using aether to hide themselves? Sure, why not. I can think of some situations where that would actually be a better option. Does everyone HAVE to use aether to hide? No, I don't think so.

Star Wars -- Give us a better trailer, Disney, because right now I am less excited about the new movie than I was for the prequels (in my perfect world, episodes 1-3 wouldn't exist). And that is a Bad Thing. Jurassic World -- When Blue told me that they were doing a new JP movie, I was horrified. JP3 had eaten up the last few crumbs left over from the original books. But then I saw the trailer... and I can't wait to see it. Also, my husband thought it was hilarous when I started screaming at the screen "Did they learn nothing from the first park?!" Terminator -- Interested. Very, very interested.

Clarification that I'll go back and edit: alchemy = lab-made pharmaceuticals, as the term 'pharmaceutical' means any compound (natural or lab-created) that has medical uses. My bad on that one. Edited: I had a lot of stuff written, but as soon as I hit the post button I felt that I had gone on a psudo-political rant that could horribly derail the thread further. So, yeah... it's just a matter of how my mental process works. If it takes ingredients/compounds/implements that can't be used/made/found in a kitchen/cooking space, I feel like it's starting to tread into chemistry. No-one has to agree with my view on this, heh. It's just how my mind and mental process works.

My personal knee-jerk reaction away from magic/aetheric solutions is due to an individual I encountered while bored and server-hopping in WoW, where her MyRP profile included what basically translated out to "magic Druid tramp-stamp that allows her to control all aspects of her pregnancies (from not getting pregnant to giving birth to toddlers after only a month to mating with and giving birth to animals) and giving her temporary control over the fertility of anyone she sleeps with". I know it's not a fair reaction to anyone who seriously wants to use magic for birth control, but that was my introduction to the concept and it's always what flashes first through my mind whenever the idea is brought up. As for typical in-game alchemic solutions... I'll admit it, for me it's OOC bleed. I'm one of those people who had more (and some permanent) damage done by lab-made pharmaceuticals than good, and I had to learn the herbal stuff to replace all the medicines I can't (or refuse to) take. My mental process sort of equates alchemy-crafted medicines as the in-game equivalent of lab-made pharmaceuticals. I won't begrudge someone if they want to make an infertility potion... interestingly, the basic Potion-potion would work in that regard (distilled Mistletoe essence, anyone?). [Edited to clarify a term]

I (still) RP a Thief in XI, and I play her Hide/Jig/Camouflage/Tonko (depending on her subjob) as being like the concept of optical camouflage -- she's not really invisible, she's using the associated elemental properties to 'bend' light around her to obscure her. The observant CAN see her when she's within a certain distance in full light because her presence creates a distortion and she still casts a shadow and leaves footprints. Like this: [Edit: Or like Predators. And does disappear when in combat. Video clip was to illustrate the distortion effect] Only when she's in shadows does the illusion begin to approach 'perfect' enough to avoid being visually detected by anyone who's not actively and specifically searching for her. If I ever decide to RP rogue/ninja here, I'll probably adopt a similar stance. More importantly for me, though, is how do people justify hearing/smelling someone who's hiding/being stealthy? For example, at what point does "superior Miqo'te/Elezen/Lalafell hearing" override "trained to move in near silence", or "keen sense of smell" allow someone to become alert to a stranger they've never met that's lurking on the far side of a room full of even more strangers?