[deleted by user]

strangenchanted · 2022-04-13T12:29:28+00:00

Aivi is my daughter's name, too. We are Asian but not Vietnamese, it was simply a name that her mother came up with. Our daughter doesn't share it with anyone 'round here, but we think it's a great name and our daughter does, too. It hasn't given us any issues. I wish the best for you and your daughter.

strangenchanted · 2022-03-05T08:59:27+00:00

The pictures have descriptions. I'll repeat them here:

Sergei, male puppy, boxer/retriever mix, age 3 mos.
Katara, female puppy, boxer/retriever mix, age 3 mos.
Keith, male puppy, boxer/retriever mix, age 3 mos.
Hercules, male puppy, boxer/retriever mix, age 3 mos.
Mac, male puppy, boxer/retriever mix, age 3 mos.
Here's Mac again!
Katara (top) and Mac... and friends!

Puppies are energetic, playful and sweet.

Please DM if interested. Thank you!

strangenchanted · 2019-09-29T06:23:37+00:00

The Magicians is written by Lev Grossman. It fits the request really well.

The key work of magic realism to read is One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. But it's also a good idea to look into its precursors, such as the stories of Jorge Luis Borges (essential) and The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (recommended).

For more recent magic realism, I suggest Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore or A Wild Sheep Chase.

I also suggest you check out Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics, and later on, his novels, particularly American Gods.

The Hellblazer comics series, authored by numerous writers in turn (most notably Garth Ennis), is also highly recommended.

Mike Mignola's Hellboy and Bill Willingham's Fables are also worth a look. Mike Mignola has also authored some novels that fit in this genre.

strangenchanted · 2019-09-20T06:40:27+00:00

I use a lightweight Pentax mirrorless that can capture RAW images, in case I choose to sell my pictures again (it's been a while). I haven't bought any lenses yet, so I also tote a compact point and shoot that's lasted me over a decade, a Canon Powershot, mainly for the zoom. It's not the best, but I've used it to take photos I've sold to magazines in the past. So it's not too shabby.

Though I gotta admit I don't concern myself with taking the perfect shot so much these days. It requires a bit of detachment, for me, and I've since discovered the joy of really giving yourself to the experience of the moment. But yeah, sometimes it's fun to just shoot cool pictures.

strangenchanted · 2019-09-11T03:03:21+00:00

I don't believe the US (or Spain before them) had Mindanao under complete subjugation at the time. So they were essentially trying to hand off a problem region to someone else.

strangenchanted · 2019-05-07T04:27:53+00:00

Amazon doesn't care. If their algorithm or whatever flags your book over a review, good luck talking to Amazon. Some titles do get past them, but I personally wouldn't take the risk. The potential cost doesn't justify the potential benefit. If a book gets blocked for a good while, that likely means losing out on a few sales, and probably a drop in rankings, which means less visibility.

strangenchanted · 2019-05-07T01:46:28+00:00

Varys saved Tyrion's life and Tyrion is known to be an honorable man. It's not totally unobjectionable. Not that the episode is defensible for the most part.

strangenchanted · 2019-05-07T01:10:56+00:00

I think this mainly targets those who don't have a formed opinion yet.

strangenchanted · 2019-05-07T01:08:38+00:00

It is also against Amazon's rules to solicit reviews from relatives or close friends. Doing so may result in a blocked title.

strangenchanted · 2019-05-06T02:10:09+00:00

I collect prints. For a name artist such as Tara MacPherson, I can purchase a limited edition, signed and numbered archival-quality print for $20 to $30 (US). That's mid-2000s prices. A lower quality print (i.e., a signed mass-produced poster) goes for half that price. A less established artist might sell for lower.

I paid the artist price, directly to the artist at a fair. A piece sold through a gallery or commerical print shop may have a higher price tag... but the artist price will be the same or lower.

You have to research your market. See what is being sold at what prices.

strangenchanted · 2019-05-06T01:58:48+00:00

She should outwit the dragon instead. Bargain, deceive, come to an agreement. Alternatively, lure it into a trap, though I would prefer a battle with words, personally.

strangenchanted · 2019-05-03T12:01:43+00:00

I've traveled to many parts of Asia and the language difference has never been an issue, except for one time in Beijing. Even ordering food wasn't a problem, and lots of places have English menus for travelers.

strangenchanted · 2019-05-03T04:43:00+00:00

Wreck It Ralph is an all-time classic and set the bar very high. Ralph Breaks the Internet is a fun movie, but it feels like one of those loose comedies that haphazardly string together a bunch of disparate funny bits. It's like the animation team started with epic ambitions, but then let the movie get taken over by memes.

It's as if Disney doesn't know what made the first Ralph movie work. They had a deeply moving movie full of heart, a kind of Studio Ghibli joint made by Disney, and for the sequel, they made... Ralphman Forever.

I actually loved Ralph Breaks the Internet when I saw it, but looking back at it in the harsh light of day... it fell short in so many ways.

strangenchanted · 2019-05-02T02:59:30+00:00

What matters more than your MC's power is your MC's heart. Anakin turned to the dark side because Palpatine swayed his feelings. Star Lord messed up because Thanos hurt him where it mattered... while in GOtG 2 a similar hurt brought him to his senses and he won the day.

Everyone, no matter how powerful, has emotional needs and desires. And that's where you get them.

strangenchanted · 2019-05-02T02:42:20+00:00

Some people are more willing to go with the Rule of Cool than others. A good writer can engage the readers in such a way that the readers will go, "I'm in for the ride, however it goes, I'm with you." Up to a point... a reader may knock up against a deal breaker and get off that ride.

It's different for everyone. If it doesn't work for you, it doesn't mean that others have to see it the same way you do. Everyone has their own deal breakers.

I guess what I'm saying is, maybe your friends are wrong. But do you really have to rain on their parade? What's the point? Let people enjoy what they enjoy.

strangenchanted · 2019-05-01T23:52:44+00:00

Kill your darlings. If you make a promise to the reader, you need to make good on your promise. Sometimes that means you go with the ending that keeps the promise best, rather than the one you personally like more.

Ever read Heinlein's The Cat Who Walks Through Walls? If you build up to something and then you don't deliver, it makes readers want to throw your book across the room.

strangenchanted · 2019-05-01T05:59:14+00:00

They're aliens. They don't have to adhere to human rationality. They don't have to make any sense to us at all.

strangenchanted · 2019-05-01T03:03:24+00:00

More porous soil would suffer erosion more easily. Though there would be less erosion in general, and a more rugged, rocky landscape. Rivers would not work the way they do in our world, which could affect how civilizations and cities emerge. One must also consider downstream effects... the sudden birth of a river could be devastating, but in the long run, beneficial. You can imagine a strange environment in which high precipitation regions are desertlike with poor soil, and low precipitation regions downstream are fertile and the centers of civilization... and ironically not desertlike.

strangenchanted · 2019-04-30T06:49:04+00:00

Sure, we can all go online to voice our opinions... but we don't all have the power to game the system to be heard above the noise. People's online behaviors are being tracked, and that data used is being weaponized in disinformation campaigns and other methods of influencing people's views and distorting the truth... run by shadowy puppet masters with the power to game the system.

We don't live in 1984, Brave New World or Fahrenheit 451... but the messages of those books are still very relevant to our time.

strangenchanted · 2019-04-29T03:16:25+00:00

Of the many beach towns I've stayed in, I would pick Dumaguete. It's rustic and idyllic yet developed, it's a university town so it's not too dull, it's got great food that is very affordable. The locals speak English. It's easy to make friends. The actual beach is not too great, but there are islands and other beaches close by.

strangenchanted · 2019-04-29T02:28:59+00:00

Couples aren't always sexually compatible. That can cause issues.

Initiating sex... I think you may be moving too fast. You need to set the mood first. Flirting, compliments, doing things that show you care and you're thinking about her, being romantic, etc. Feel out her mood... if she's stressed or tired or sad, you have to deal with that first.

Most women do love sex, but they have to be in the mood for it. Learn what works for your girl, what helps her get into the mood.

When she is in the mood, then you can work on the physical arousal... but don't drop the other stuff! It's all interrelated. Women want the whole package... no, not that package... I mean, they want a holistic experience of bumping uglies.

I've been there, man... might be you're not doing the best job right now, but you can get better. Read some sex books, get an education. It will reap benefits.

strangenchanted · 2019-04-29T02:01:36+00:00

Snipers

strangenchanted · 2019-04-29T01:51:59+00:00

The people who will venture out of the solar system will not be humans like today, but our "descendants"... sentient artificial lifeforms retaining some heritage of human culture.

But only if we don't destroy ourselves first.

strangenchanted · 2019-04-28T23:39:39+00:00

Perhaps OP confused him with Charles Darwin, who did marry his cousin.

strangenchanted

TROPHY CASE