This is the list of X/Y Pokemon that can only be obtained through Trading, Breeding, or other special methods. This list is mostly for me so that I can complete the Pokedex, but I know other players have been looking for a list like this, too. I'm going to start with Pokemon that must be obtained through evolution by trade, but I will update the list in the future to include the others. Here we go!'


Pokemon that must be traded to evolve.
All underlined Pokemon can only be obtained through trading. All italicized can only be obtained through breeding.

Roggenrola --> Level 25 --> Boldore --> Trade --> Gigalith
(Roggenrola can be caught in the wild only in the Reflection Cave. Boldore cannot be caught in the wild.)

Geodude --> Level 25 --> Graveler --> Trade --> Golem
(Graveler and Geodude can be caught in the wild in multiple locations.)

Machop --> Level 28 --> Machoke --> Trade --> Machamp
(Machoke can be caught in the Friend Safari, but it is easier to catch Machop.)

Gastly --> Level 25 --> Haunter --> Trade --> Gengar
(Gastly can only be obtained through Breeding. but Haunter can be caught in the wild in multiple locations.)

Abra --> Level 16 --> Kadabra --> Trade --> Alakazam
(Abra can only be caught on Route 5 or in the Friend Safari. Kadabra cannot be caught in the wild.)

Timburr --> Level 25 --> Gurdurr --> Trade --> Conkeldurr
(Timburr can only be obtained through breeding. Gurdurr can be caught in the wild in 2 locations.)

Phantump --> Trade --> Trevenant
(Both of these Pokemon can be caught in the wild: Phantump on Route 16, and Trevenant on Route 20.)

Pumpkaboo --> Trade --> Gourgeist
(Only Pumpkaboo can be caught wild. It is in Route 16 only, and can be caught in 4 different sizes.)

Special Trade Requirements Below!

Clamperl --> Trade holding DeepSeaTooth --> Huntail
Clamperl --> Trade holding DeepSeaScale --> Gorebyss
(Clamperl can only be found while fishing on Route 12.)
(Gorebyss, in Y version, can be found fishing with the Super Rod on Route 12, thought it is extremely rare.)
(Huntail, in X version, can be found fishing with the Super Rod on Route 12, thought it is extremely rare.)

Karrablast --> Must Trade for a Shelmet --> Escavalier
Shelmet --> Must Trade for a Karrablast --> Accelgor
(These Pokemon must be traded for each other to evolve; otherwise nothing happens.)

Scyther --> Trade holding Metal Coat --> Scizor
(Scyther can only be caught in the wild on Route 21.)

Horsea --> Level 32 --> Seadra --> Trade while holding Dragon Scale --> Kingdra
(Horsea can only be obtained through fishing with the Good Rod in Ambrette Town or Cyllage City.)
(Seadra can also be obtained by fishing with the Super Rod in the same towns.)

Spritzee --> Trade while holding Sachet --> Aromatisse
Swirlix --> Trade while holding Whipped Dream --> Slurpuff
(Spritzee can only be found in Y version. Swirlix can only be found in X version. Both are in Route 7 only.)

Slowpoke --> Level 37 --> SlowBro
Slowpoke --> Trade while holding King's Rock --> Slowking
(Only Slowpoke can be caught wild. It's located in Azure Bay and Route 12.)

Rhyhorn --> Level 42 --> Rhydon --> Trade while holding Protector --> Rhyperior
(Rhyhorn can only be caught wild in the Glittering Cave. Rhydon can only be caught in the Friend Safari.)

Poliwag --> Level 25 --> Poliwhirl
Poliwhirl --> Give Water Stone --> Poliwrath
Poliwhirl --> Trade while holding King's Rock --> Politoed
(Poliwag can be obtained while fishing with the Old Rod in multiple locations.)
(Poliwhirl can be ontained while fishing with the Old and Super Rods in multiple locations.)

Onix --> Trade while holding Metal Coat --> Steelix
(This one is unnecessary because you can trade for one with the super common Bunnelby in (which town?) Town early in the game with an NPC.)

Pokemon that can only be obtained through Breeding.
There are some Pokemon I have not listed that have special requirements and hold items to obtain them through breeding. I have left them out because they can be obtained by catching them in the wild, and therefor, there is no need to breed for them for the much more lengthy process of completing the Pokedex.

Surskit (Breed a Masquerain; Masquerain can only be found by surfing on the pond in Route 3.)
Pichu (Breed a Pikachu or Raichu.)
Diglett (Breed a Dugtrio.)
Magnemite (Breed a Magneton or Magnezone; it will only breed with a Ditto.)
Gastly (Breed a Haunter or Gengar.)
Timburr (Breed a Gurdurr or Conkeldurr.)

Special Breeding Requirements!
These all require the parents to hold a specific Incense while in the Day Care, otherwise the eggs they will produce will just be a repeat of themselves, and not a prior evolution. These incenses can all be obtained at an outdoor vendor's stall in Coumarine City.

Wynaut (Breed a Wobbuffet; the parents must be holding Lax Incense.)
Mime Jr. (Breed a Mr. Mime; the parents must be holding Odd Incense.)
Bonsly (Breed a Sudowoodo; the parents must be holding Rock Incense.)
Munchlax (Breed a Snorlax; the parents must be holding Full Incense.)


Pokemon that are version exclusive coming soon!
Pokemon that can only be obtained through evolving certain stones coming soon!

__________________________________________________________

And that's the complete list of Pokemon you can only evolve and obtain through trading, and ones only obtainable through breeding! Remember, this list is ONLY for the completion of the Kalos Pokedex, and not the National Pokedex. Ironically, there are only about 5 other pokemon in the National Pokedex that must be traded to evolve.

http://furrypoll.com/2013/

Please fill out this survey! Since I have studied Sociology and have a minor in it, I very much understand the social and scientific necessity of surveys like these in quantitative research. The more people who fill out this survey the more reliable the end results of the study will be. This is original research, and since such little official research has been done on the Furry Community, these grass-roots projects are extremely necessary and important. Everyone, please fill this out, and post it to your journals and send it to your friends!

Arguing is something humanity enjoys doing. Ever since we learned complex communication, and therefor, the ability to exchange complex ideas with each other, far beyond the mere, "I'm hungry, where is the nearest food source?"

However, it seems that the art of this exchange in modern times needs a severe upgrade. Thankfully, there exist ways in which we can improve our debates. We can focus on improving our arguments in one of two primary known methods. One is by strengthening the argument with verifiable, repeatable, and documented evidence. The other is to remove from it fallacies of logic, and to point out these fallacies in other people's arguments.

http://draggy-s.tumblr.com/post/514.....s-so-necessary

That blog posted several excellent examples of Logical Fallacies. When you listen to some political advertisements, debates, and even certain news sources (cough cough, Fox "News"), its amazing how common these fallacies can be.

The most common ones in use today in my opinion are "Begging the Question" (making circular arguments), "the Strawman" (grossly misrepresenting or misconstruing your opponents' argument), and the ever-present "Ad Hominem" (personal attacks against the opponent) which is used online to an extreme, as pretty much ay kind of an argument based on either insulting the person making an argument, whether it's based on actual truths about the individual or not, rarely will have anything to do with the individual's argument, and therefor, most likely falls under this fallacy of logic. The reason these fallacies are so scary is because the common person is not educated about them, and often these arguments are meant to evoke emotional responses from both onlookers and the opponent in the argument. We're all guilty of these fallacies at least some of the time.

There exists a myriad of listed fallacies, misconceptions, and biases, and it'd be difficult to try and account for each one during a debate or argument, but it's easy to avoid the common ones and in particular the "Red Herring" fallacies which are primarily meant to distract the audience from the actual argument, undermine the opponents' argument through false pretenses, or to improve one's own argument through false pretenses.

An example of a major, present-day red herring argument could be the government attempting to placate its citizens by saying things like, "The Drone Strikes/War on Terror is important because we are protecting Americans! (from terrorists, would be the assumed threat)." The reason this argument is made is probably more likely to keep the public from questioning the enormous military spending allocated by the national budget, and even more likely to keep the public from calling out the questionable ethics of the recent Drone Strikes. While I cannot prove either of those arguments personally, I think that it is fairly logical to assume that the government does not want to reveal all of its intentions to the citizens (or the world populous), so by saying something as generic (and loaded) as "We are protecting you!" is hoped to be enough to quiet the discontented citizens and foreigners alike, because if you were to argue against the government "protecting" you, it would make you look bad... and this type of argument is also known as a logical fallacy, the "Loaded Question" fallacy, which no matter how the opponent answers, the argument is intended to make the opponent look bad or guilty.

Perhaps that's not the best example of a basic Red Herring Fallacy, but hopefully people can understand when a common logical fallacy occurs, particularly the cruel ones such as Ad Hominem, and engage in better debates because of it.

I was just thinking about Brandon Keener's voice and how I first met him in Mass Effect, and then found him in other forms of media and entertainment.

What is it about that man, and more importantly, his voice, that makes people swoon over him, even some heterosexual males who have actually said things like, "I would go gay for Garrus Vakarian..."

It's interesting to note that it seems that Brandon Keener as a personality and actor resonates with a lot of different groups, especially in videogames. Gay men adore him, Straight women adore him, Straight men like him as a "bro" though some admit to having a boy-crush on him, but I'm not sure what Lesbian women think of him.

Even so, if anyone reads this, I'd be interested in reading their thoughts on this.

My friend code: 4270 - 1183 - 4398

I'm not too far in the game yet, but that's because I'm taking my time attempting to catch everything I can.

I just wish Burmy would stop killing itself because it only knows the move, "Protect."

The orbital period of Mercury is 87.9 Earthling days, and there are 3 Mercury days in 2 Mercury years, and right now, that puts me at roughly 155.8 Mercurian years old.

Oh, and as far as Earth standards are concerned, I will be 25 Earthling years old in about 40 minutes. Only a quarter of an Earthling Century old.

This is my first time EVER purchasing a Gamefreak Pokémon game at its debut, and of course, the big decision is... which version to buy? I can't afford to drop $80-some on both, and of course buying both means that I'd have to play through both of them, as opposed to just playing the hell out of one game.

With that said, can people tell me which version they are planning to buy?

So far, it seems that Pokémon X, featuring the first Legendary Fairy type pokémon, Xerneas, is winning out, but only by a small margin. However, every co-worker I've asked who plays Pokémon games has told me that they are buying X as well.

Why P. X might be most purchased:
- X is a "cooler" letter than Y
- X comes before Y, and is also the first version mentioned in all advertising and mentions
- X features the first legendary fairy type pokémon

Why P. Y might be most purchased:
- Males tend to play Pokémon more than females, and Y is the male letter (X is the female)
- Young boys will be much more interested in a claw-clad dragon wyvern Pokémon than a Rainbow-Brite Deer
- Red is considered a more "awesome" color by young boys

Why it matters which version one buys: It's important to buy the game you'd prefer the most, however, you're essentially getting the same game regardless of which you buy, just a few color changes. What is more important than preference is the trading aspect of the game. If you want to complete the Pokédex, you WILL have to trade with other players, and this can only be accomplished if you have different versions... unless they plan to change that aspect, too. However, considering the fact that the Pokémon series has been around for many years and from the very first games released it was required to trade with other players with different versions to complete the Pokédex, I doubt that this series feature will disappear in these versions.

...and yes, I'm 99% sure that they will also be releasing a Pokémon Z.

I just submitted my first job-application since I graduated and got my Bachelor's Degree. It sort of is an interesting feeling.

...

I guess I thought that becoming an "adult" would be more exciting. Huh. Turns out it's just like being a child, except that you are expecting to earn money regularly, vote, and engage in some sort of potentially harmful vice, such as smoking, chewing tobacco, or drinking alcohol. At least I can vote, and even hold public office if I choose to run for it. Oh yeah, and we can legally view pornography now... not that it stopped us before. It's weird really. We allow 16-year-olds to have actual physical sexual contact... but not to look at pictures of it.

Updates about me:

- I will soon be receiving my B.A. in the mail, it was "awarded" as of June this year, but due to certain circumstances, I'm just now receiving it. Those of you who know me personally probably know those circumstances already, as I'm bad at keeping personal secrets. XD

- I officially have Sept. 14th off from work, so I will be going to the Bi-Annual MN Furs Picnic in addition to Con-Zero. :D

- Mankato Pride (also known as South Central Minnesota Pride) is this upcoming weekend, and I will be attending the day events of it with my lover-man.

- I will be completely moved out of Mankato, MN by mid-December. I plan to start moving my belongings well ahead of my move-out date so that I do not have to rush things. This move will, obviously, be accompanied by looking for a different job.

- At this point, I do not know if I will have the financial resources to attend Midwest FurFest in Illinois. I'd love to go, but it really depends on my money that will determine whether or not I do go.

- My older sister has been trying to get pregnant for a long time now, and if she cannot get pregnant, she will probably just adopt a child. I predict sometime next year I will be a tío. I'll have to remember to be more involved with my sister and her child so that I can have some influence on the next generation on the off-chance that I do not raise any children myself. Also, my parents won't be around forever, so I really need to make sure I stay connected and involved with both of my sisters' lives.

- After talking with some fellow Animal Crossing players in addition to doing some online research and trials myself, I finally discovered that Island Beetle Hunting is a much faster way to earn money than Island Shark Hunting. In previous Animal Crossing installments, it was more difficult to earn money, in addition, the debt you racked up for expanding your house was exponential. Now in New Leaf, FINALLY, the expansion costs have been significantly reduced and also they have been standardized. Now, the cost for adding rooms is the same each time, and the cost for increasing the size of rooms is also always the same, and no expansion costs more than 500,000 Bells. In previous versions, you'd have to pay millions (and I think even over a billion at one point) just to get the last few expansions, even though you did not get any major increases in house size or space. This makes it a lot easier to finish expanding your house, paying off all your Tom Nook Approved debt, and start saving bells in the bank in addition to ordering furniture for your house and perhaps even renovating the town's Public Works Projects.


Updates about other things:

- Minnesota State University looks like a pile of sh!t right now. They still have not cleaned up any of the rubble left by the destruction of the Gage Residence Towers, and they are still not done working on the Central Plaza in Campus between the C.S.U., Library, and Armstrong Hall. The Library cannot be entered from the front doors, and is only accessible from the rear... I feel bad for students who have classes in the Library, as it was already a bit weird to navigate, and now it's even worse. I highly doubt any of these projects will be finished by Winter.

- In order to dodge government mandates that all corporations/companies above a certain size or profit margin have to provide insurance plans to their employees, many have started only hiring temporary employees. At Wal-Mart, they cutely refer to this as "All new associates are hired on a test-run or trial-period!" While this does make some sense due to a high turnover rate within the McJob sector, it also will demotivate the employee body and people looking for serious work may turn to other places.

- Chloe Agnew is finally leaving Celtic Woman, as I predicted would happen earlier this year. She was with the group for nearly a decade, and first started with the group and went on tours when she was only 15-16 years old and still in school. According to the Celtic Woman website, it sounds like it's temporary, but by the tone of Chloe's statement, it actually sounds quite permanent. They've already selected a new singer to replace Chloe as well, ironically, another Mairead. I think David Downes hires people with the same names so he doesn't get confused. (He also hired another Lisa.) I think though, since the group has now lost all of its original singers, the only thing keeping people interested now are the songs themselves and Mairead, the fiddle-player. I also predict that the group will probably go fairly inactive once their Fiddle Player takes her leave, as it will be difficult to find another equally as athletic and pretty virtuoso fiddle player. Now, if David is willing to take the group in a new direction and doesn't tire of working under the Celtic Woman banner, the group may continue beyond Chloe Agnew and Mairead Nesbitt, similar to a Morning Musume phenomenon, but we shall see.

A hair-dye artist called it "Splashlights."

I call it, "That super-shiny hair effect that you see on nearly every cute anime character with long hair."

http://shine.yahoo.com/beauty/splas.....201300851.html

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9tU7FQvhb.....ai%201600x1000

I just found out that "Meat Supv" (I assume it means supervisor) is a title in the store I work at. Also, there's an open shift for it coming up on the schedule... oh, if only my imagination were reality, I'd love to get paid to supervise meat.

I got to have a nice party yesterday and 8 people actually came over for it. ^_^  malvina was one of the guests present, and she sort of played bartender, though not a lot of drinking happened as we got really focused on Cards Against Humanity.

Also, my boyfriend,  lola102938 will be visiting this weekend to look at apartments in the Twin Cities area, as he recently obtained a new job there, and this will actually be our first home together.

After he visits, my little sister, Mom, and Dad will be visiting for a few days, and they will be bringing a care package with them to help me fill out my kitchen and utility closet with some supplies since some of mine disappeared awhile back during certain events. I don't exactly NEED it, as my boyfriend has plenty of kitchen and household supplies, but it will come in handy while I'm still living in my current place.

The internet is still currently non-functional at my place, and Pavlov Media (the company that provides it to my residential area) actually has to call in a licensed electrician as their original technician that came to investigate the problems actually found that the wires that are supposed to feed the internet connection into my unit is completely dead. Also, he fully confirmed what I had only been hearing as rumors... Jacob Heights (in Mankato) has their internet set up in a very stupid, old configuration. The units are "Daisy-Chained" together, anywhere from 4 to 8 units are connected between each other to one main unit with the primary source. I believe the technician said that there were about 4 chains all together in the area. Now, this isn't the worst set-up possible, but what makes it bad is that the, we will just call it the "control panel" for each chain is literally located inside of a town-home unit, which means that the company must set up an appointment with the current residents in order to even enter the premises. Also, needless to say, if the power goes out for that particular unit, it also cuts the internet service for all units in the chain. Thankfully, the primary unit in the chain my town home is part of is vacated and currently and has power, so it won't be necessary for the technicians to make an appointment nor to call the energy company, but since the problem is literally with bad wiring, it will take even more time to get it fixed.

Thankfully, there are plenty of places around where I live with free internet, so I won't have issue getting online, but I won't be able to access the internet from my home for awhile.

There's a reason why sometimes it's best to just ignore something that bothers you. Depending on the individual or situation, especially if it involves criticizing someone's work or art, it could be seen as an aggressive confrontation. The worst thing you can do when you get some that riled up accidentally is to address it.

Though in my case, the individual I was criticizing, also through one of his militant fans, only further proved my negative opinion of his personality. His art is a decent quality most of the time, and some of it is sexy, though quite repetitive, but he himself is quite the prude and a bit stuck-up; I've seen him act this way towards other people a bit, too. It's weird, considering he draws burly male pornography.

It could just be that we don't click, and I'm sorry I even let it get to the point of comment wars, but I don't think I'm going to bother with him anymore or his shippers. I was curious about his latest project that some people brought up in their journals, made some criticisms, and of course, was jumped on as a result.

I just started the game myself, I've added a few people, but of course I'd love to have more friends in-game!

My friend code is: 4270 - 1183 - 4398

Post your code in this journal and I will add you, too! My town name is Hexaplex, and my handle for the 3DS is Indigo.

So many people have the notion that,

"It's just a private business, as long as it's following the laws, it can do whatever it wants."

...and following that, they might say,

"If you don't like it, don't work for them and don't buy their products or services!"

These statements are both true, and sensible, but at the same time, they don't exactly fit together. A business cannot be successful if it doesn't please the people who want to patronize it and does not treat employees the way that they want to be treated. Businesses "tend" to operate a popularity model. Whatever is most popular and accepted is what the business will do, usually trying to stay within the bounds of the law, while simultaneously trying to exploit its employees, providers/producers, affiliates, and even its customers to the point of maximizing profits as much as it possibly can. This is what I would consider the "natural" tendency of most businesses, particularly large scale ones.

If a business's purpose is to make as much money as possible (the money can be used for whatever), it's naturally going to cut corners where it can, and exploit whatever it can to maximize that goal. This often means that businesses will be willing to do questionable and wrong things, provided there is no law, rule, or voice speaking out against it. If there is no penalty for an action, the action is likely to remain the same.

Such things in the past have including extremely unsafe working conditions for factory workers, little to no sanitary requirements placed on meat-packing plants, employing children, some just barely old enough to be in school, forcing women to look and dress a certain way, having restricting weight requirements, forcing women to leave after getting married or reaching a certain age, discrimination against a worker's race, religion, age, sexual orientation, locking workers in the building to "make sure they got all their work done before leaving, low wages and salaries, and many others things.

Current business practices that are still legal, but under fire from people who protest them include outsourcing of jobs to foreign countries for cheaper labor, having extensive lines of cheap products made out of the country, limited insurance coverage and options for employees, owners using their businesses for political purposes and pressuring their employees to help them, negating or giving very little time for maternity/paternity leave, and refusing to hire people because of prison or criminal records.

The point I'm making here (mostly inspired from a YouTube comment thread I've been having with someone) is that Businesses are not constants, nor are they untouchable. Just because what a business is doing is legal doesn't automatically make the practice correct or good. I don't remember which logical fallacy this is an example of, but even so, it's obvious why saying that just because something is legal it therefor must be OK.

You don't have to patronize business that you don't like or disagree with the practices of. However, don't be afraid to question or challenge a business's practices, especially if it involves human rights issues.

So, I have a big news! Well, it’s big news for me. Let me break it down for you in a time-line fashion…

And by the way, thank you so much  malvina for all your help in this situation!

Wednesday, June 19th, 2013 – Late Morning to Noon Time

I was driving to Minneapolis in the morning for a Summer Class at the U of M (the last one I need to graduate) when my Green Chevy Blazer (from now on, will be referred to as “Greeny”) starting emitting some smoke from under the hood. I had heard an odd sound about a minute before it started. I was in St. Peter at the time, so I immediately took a left into the nearest side-street parking place I could find; it ended up being next to a brick building by the Food Coop. of St. Peter. As I was pulling into the parking space, the smoke got so thick I could no longer see out of my windshield. I immediately turned off the vehicle and got out. Some frightened office workers in the building I parked next to came out, grabbed a fire extinguisher and sprayed it on the hood of my car. The smoke had already began to subside before this, but I figured it was probably a good idea. I moved to open the hood of the car and they wouldn’t let me do it. They called the police to investigate, who did have me open the hood of my car and used their fire extinguisher to spray the engine directly, even though smoke had subsided considerably prior to this. During this, the frightened office workers decided to then call the fire station (just one block away) and they rushed over with three fire-fighters and a fire engine with their sirens on to investigate. At this point, I couldn’t even be embarrassed anymore at all the tomfoolery that surrounded my poor Greeny. He hadn’t even caught fire! I just smiled through the rest of the ordeal… 2 frightened office workers, 2 squad-cars and 2 police officers, 1 fire truck, and 3 fire fighters, all surrounding my car, which was no longer was emitting any smoke. Thankfully, there was a mechanic nearby who had his own tow-truck, Autotronics was the name of the place, and he towed my car a few blocks to his shop.

Wednesday, Jun 19th, 2013 – Noon Time to Afternoon

At this point, I knew I wasn’t going to get to my class on time in Minneapolis at the U of M, so I just figured I was going to sit around the mechanic’s. He then let me use his loaner car, a Red Pontiac GrandAm Coup, so I could still go to class. I was a bit late, but I still managed to make it to most of the class. I explained to the professor what happened, and he didn’t give me any trouble, and I still got full attendance for the day. As I was driving home later in the day, the mechanic called me just before his shop closed, saying that there was a leak in the coolant system, my car was completely out of coolant as a result (odd, because just a week ago I got my oil changed at Valvoline, and they’re supposed to check everything like that) and that coolant had mixed with my oil, which is what caused the smoke in addition to the car engine temperature sky-rocketing. To repair everything and refill my oil and coolant, the cost was going to be at least $850… and he said that thought there might be extensive engine damage since the engine got way too hot. I asked him to look into it, but he was quoting insane prices for how much it would cost… including testing spark-plugs. Later as I was discussing this with my mother, we decided that while Greeny was a tough beast, he just wasn’t worth a $1,000+ repair job, and the money would be better spent on a new car, so we elected to scrap it.

Thursday, June 20th, 2013

I called the owner and mechanic of Autotronics in St. Peter back to let him know that we were not going to have the car repaired and just sell it to a junkyard for parts. I also asked him how long I could keep using his loaner car. He wanted it back as soon as possible, and Monday was the latest he’d allow me to have it. Without the car, I would have to ride my bike to work (which would take about 45 minutes each way), and I’d have no way to get to my class at the U of M. Since my mother was planning to purchase a car for me in Mitchell, SD (we would split the cost), I was out of luck on my end, so I had to bite the bullet and use a rental car, since public transportation in Minnesota is a joke.

Friday, June 21st, 2013 – Early Afternoon

Luckily, I have friends in Mankato.  malvina offered to drive the loaner car back to St. Peter for me after I got my rental car, which was a Tan Dodge Stratus made in 2006. It cost me $186 total to rent for one week, but I was allowed to put up to 500 miles on the vehicle before the company would charge me extra for the mileage. After I got the rental car, Malvina got into the loaner car, the Pontiac GrandAm Coup, and we both drove over to St. Peter to turn over the loaner car. We then took all my paperwork, tools, supplies, and odds and ends out of Greeny so that the car would be empty for whenever I was able to have him sold. We then put my car parking permit sticker onto the rental car so that I could park it in my town-home area semi-legally. I drove us both back to Mankato, we had Arby’s, then I drove Malvina home and took myself to work. Over the weekend, I also mentioned to my mother to sign the title for Greeny over to me so that I could legally have him sold to a junkyard. She just mailed me the title as is with a few notes inside the envelope, as she did not know how to sign over a car’s title, and she refused to let my father get involved for some reason. (They are still married and live in the same house.)

Monday, June 24th, 2013

It goes without saying that eventually the mechanic at Autotronics called to tell me to get Greeny off of his property fast (it was just in a parking space) otherwise he’d have to start charging me storage for it. We agreed that I’d have it removed by Thursday. Thankfully, my mother had found a car that she thought was suitable and reliable, it was more expensive than I would have liked, but since we’re splitting the cost, I can afford it. She had planned to help me get a new car once I graduated anyways, so we just sort of agreed that this was now an early graduation present. She purchased it, and we made plans to meet up in Windom, MN the next day so that I could pick it up, since I had the day off from class and work. Malvina agreed to help me once again.

Tuesday, June 25th, 2013 – Noon Time

 malvina, her fiancé, and myself piled into the rental car to Windom to meet up with my mother and sister; my mother was driving my new car, my little sister was driving my mom’s car. We ate at the local Hardee’s and stopped at the Shopko, then parted ways. I drove back to Mankato in my new, Seafoam/Light Green colored Ford Freestyle made in 2006, and Malvina and her fiancé drove back in the rental car. I also went into my townhome’s leasing office to get a temporary permit for the rental car, and moving the parking permit sticker to the Freestyle.

Wednesday, June 26th, 2013 – Late Morning to Afternoon

Since I was running out of mileage on the rental car, I decided to take the Freestyle to class on this day. It worked great for me, and as the car gets 27 miles per gallon on the highway, it didn’t take much gas to get there and back. Greeny only gets about 20 miles per gallon on the highway. I still haven’t decided on a name for my new car yet… I was thinking Leafy, since it’s light green in color. Later on that day, I also switched over my townhome car parking permit to the Freestyle so that it would be parked there legally. I was also getting worried as tomorrow was Thursday, and I was supposed to have Greeny sold by then to get it off of the mechanic’s property. Thankfully, the title for him was in the mail that day.

Thursday, June 27th, 2013 – Late Morning to Early Afternoon

I called Rusty’s to figure out what all needed to be filled out on the title to get the car sold and removed. After I was finished with the representative on the phone, I called Autotronics to let them know that I had the title and Greeny should be moved today, and a slight chance it would be tomorrow. He was understanding, luckily, and said that Friday would also be fine. It turned out that Rusty’s was too busy to tow my car that day, and we scheduled for it to be removed on Friday.

Friday, June 28th, 2013 – Late Morning to Present

Since I had to turn in my rental car today, I found an old friend from work to help me today. His name is William. He drove over to my house, and then I got into the rental car, and we both drove over to the car rental facility, Lager’s. I turned in the car after filling it up with gas at Happy Dan’s, then he drove me home. I then waited for the “courtesy call” that happens 1 hour before Greeny was to be picked up. I got it at about 3pm. Eventually, I drove over to St. Peter, turned over the title to the car to the person hauling it away, and he handed me a $200 check made out to my mother. I drove back to Mankato and tried to put it into my account (my mother instructed me to write her name and then mine on the endorsement lines on the back of the check), but as I figured would happen, the clerk would not accept the check. After I finish typing this journal, I’ll be putting it in the mail for her to deal with, then going to work. Thankfully, this whole car trouble ordeal is finally over. The good news is that all the cars I used after Greeny and the new one I have now have CD-players, so I got to sing along to Celtic Woman over the past week. :)

Gay People Marriage is now no longer forbidden by the Federal Government of the USA. Thoughts?

http://news.yahoo.com/transgender-s.....153230913.html

I was about to just pass off that article about a transgendered student and her family going to court over what bathrooms she was and wasn't allowed to use do to gender/sex restrictions in her highschool, but I noticed it was going to the highest State Court in Maine, and remembered all the controversy over whether or not gender-specific bathrooms are even necessary in my University.

I read the story, and the author was respectable and unbiased, but it wasn't until I got to the comments that I realized just how bigoted people in the United States still are about Transgender issues. Most people were all like...

"Oh mah gerd, if yoo haz duh peenis, yoo go 2 dah BOYZ bafroom, naht duh GIRLZ bafroom, dat's so GROHSSE! Da poor CHILDREN wil bee trahmutaised!"

Others people managed to be more bigoted, calling Nicole (the transgender student) a freak of nature, drag queen, saying she should be castrated or just "cut it off," and most incorrectly referred to her as a "he" because they do not see a difference between sex and gender, to them, it's all the same. Many parents were claiming that "my daughter doesn't need to see that."

Well, I don't know WHAT those parents are teaching their children, but when has it EVER been considered good taste or acceptable to put your genitals on display in the bathroom? From what I know, almost all "Women's Restrooms have stalls, so any genital display would have to be deliberate, whereas in the Men's Restrooms, urinals just let everything hang out for all to admire.

In past civilizations, communal bathrooms were not sex/gender specific, and I think communal bathrooms were less common as well. Separating men/women into different bathrooms is purely a cultural phenomenon, and guess what, your precious little princess, unless she's asexual or a lesbian, will see a penis someday. Get over it... and guess what? She's probably not going to see it in the bathroom, but in the backseat of a car.

Due to a few issues going on in my life, despite how much of a positive attitude I'm trying to have and just accept that these problems happen and could happen to most anyone, these feelings keep creeping up on me. Part of it is probably because unless I go to a friend's house or talk to someone on the phone or at work, I must deal with these issues all alone. I may eventually reveal what's been going on in this journal, but it may not happen for a long time, either.

I hate feeling all alone when I have these issues and feelings... it's not fun. However, there's nothing I can do about that at this time, nor is there anything I can do readily to remedy my situations, so I think I'll just lose myself in some video-games.

I keep finding myself envying other people's alleged "perfection." I know that there are no perfect people, and even those that seem to be really responsible, respectable, and well-off, have skeletons, and are merely creating a facade.

Generally speaking, I've done a little bit of internet research, and I think I can deduce why people, most notably men, are so anti-feminist, and why people, by definition, who are feminists won't associate themselves with the label.

There are a few reasons to look into, but most notably are these two.

1.) The "Straw" Feminist.

This is a fictional (well, mostly fictional) woman who hates men, or at least has contempt for them, and will conduct "male-bashing" and seems to hold the sentiment that women are superior to men, though she would never fully admit this. The idea of the Straw feminist is that she "sees" sexism in places where there actually isn't any at all, and she may even promote sexism against men. The creation of this character, or this trope, is based on the idea that Men and Women are completely equal, and therefor, Feminism is no longer needed. While there are some women out there who may embody this trope to varying degrees, it is a very small minority of Feminists who actually conduct themselves in this manner. However, the media loves controversy, and they will always hyper-focus on the most crazy and extreme people they can find in any movement, and Feminism is no exception.

2.) When power is threatened, the individuals that wield it will inevitably fight back to hold onto their power.

Patriarchy is a very real, very cultural thing... there is no denying this one, folks. Not only are men most often associated with positions of power, but things that men as a gender are expected to do and have are also much more valued in our society than the things women are expected to do. Even when gender-lines are blurred and men and women cross over, it is more socially acceptable for women to do manly things than it is for men to do womanly things. This aside, in terms of management and CEO's of companies and politics, while admittedly, these areas of work are more egalitarian than they have ever been in the past, they are still primarily male-dominated.

Establishing that there is a real Patriarchy (speaking just about the USA in this case), it also would make sense that men, particularly those in positions of power in society, are not too thrilled to have to give up their positions or make room for women. It's sort of the "Boy's Club" philosophy. Now, not all men feel this way and could care less about whether their boss was a man or woman, or if they had to work alongside a woman. However, remember what I said in point one? Well, the most extreme of these men who don't want to have to deal with women in power also receive lots of attention and focus, bashing feminism for hating men, or flat out claiming that women need to be put into their place (whether subtle or not).

Unfortunately, the media attention on these extreme position will cloud people's overall judgement of actual Feminism and what the proper response to it should be, though perhaps the biggest issue is the name itself doesn't sound like it suggests equality between men and women. However, I personally feel that the term is not inappropriate myself. In order to develop society in a way that men and women are equals, we must elevate women's role in society to be just as important as men... thus, we need to empower women, hence the term "Feminism."

PS: (** means there is more on that point below) Yes, I'm aware that there are sexist practices done against males, such as infant genital mutilation, expecting that men must always be a primary earner in a household, believing that men are not as good of parents as women, preferential custody of children to women instead of the most apt parent to care for the children or joint custody, ignoring or chastising men who come forward to report a rape against them**, social isolation and mistreatment of males who are "too" feminine, forcing males to sign up for the Selective Services just because they are male, valuing the survival of women over the survival of men**, expecting that men act tough and be more prone to violence, and the fact that in liberal circles, men are expected to comply with women's wishes in terms of an unplanned pregnancy**.


**Ignoring Men's Rape Reports

While this is definitely a problem, rape against women is, by far, much more prevalent. However, that doesn't dismiss rape cases against men... and I especially find it important to acknowledge rape against men when it involves an unplanned pregnancy... more on that point below.


**Valuing Survival of Women over Men

I believe that this is a problem, but I also understand why the practice is in place. A species cannot survive if the population of females is too small, especially in species where the female only produces one child at a time, particularly humans where the pregnancy lasts for nine months, and she is fairly debilitated by the last third of the pregnancy, and when child-birth for humans is actually quite dangerous. Before modern medicine, females often died during child-birth. Just a few males are required to continue a species's existence, as one fertile male can impregnate an unlimited amount of females, but a fertile human female may only be pregnant by one male at a time.

However, to dismiss that point... in modern society, especially since there are almost 8 billion humans on this planet, modern science has made human pregnancy and child-birth virtually risk-free and much easier, and population expansion is the last of human concerns; there really is no reason to continue this tired practice of valuing women's survival over men's survival. Every life should be equally valued.


**Men's Lack of Say in Unplanned Pregnancy

This is a complex issue, as there are problems coming from about 4 different sides to the arguments surrounding the issues, specifically about abortion. The current general sentiment of the USA, regardless of what policy-makers will have you believe from Conservative camps... most people believe that Abortion, while not a good thing, is a necessary practice, and that it should be a woman's right to choose what happens to her body.

However, this has the potential to place an unfair burden on men. If a woman decides to carry her pregnancy full-term, while the man who is the biological father of the child preferred an abortion, maybe because he's not ready to be a parent, or because he cannot afford the child, the man is out of luck, and will be forced to pay child support if the woman chooses to pursue him legally for it. Now, this issue is quite complex, and while it does occasionally happen, most women who carry their unplanned-pregnancies full term aren't doing it to get a "free ride" or "screw over" the man that she produced the child with. However, some argue that the man needs to be responsible in this case regardless of the woman's decision to encourage men to take an active role in contraception, which I do agree needs to happen, as there is a current societal sentiment that Birth Control is "a woman's responsibility" since the introduction of Birth Control pills.

Oddly enough, women I know who aren't using birth control pills who used to say that they actually feel happier/better during their periods because they are no longer consuming hormone-loaded pills, so if men take a more active role in birth control by wearing condoms or helping women use other means of birth control that work better. The BEST counter-argument to people who say that men should have a say in pregnancy is that men have the option to wear a condom or use male-centered birth-control during vaginal intercourse with a female. If he chooses not to do this, then he's already given up his choice in whether or a not a female gets pregnant.

An addendum to that point... a big argument for why women should have complete control over what happens during pregnancy is that it is a woman's body that must carry out the pregnancy with no input from a male other than the initial sperm, and that a woman should have complete control over her body. I generally agree with this statement, but I fear that if men's role in pregnancy is completely cut out, it will actually discourage men from not only wanting to procreate, but also discourage them from having sex with women in general. While this is a bit of an extreme view... I can already attest to a variety of men on this website who want nothing to do with a vagina, and part of the reason is pregnancy fear. However, once again, the best counter argument is that men can demand to use male birth-control during vaginal intercourse, and if the female rejects it, he doesn't HAVE to have sex with her. The moment he decides to not use protection himself during vaginal intercourse, he's already given up his right to choose whether or not the female will be pregnant. However, it doesn't mean that men won't have vagina/pregnancy fear.

So... essentially, we've got 2 more people living here than our lease allows. (It's very clearly stated in our leases and we were told directly.) Even though this wasn't really my idea or doing at all, I'm still a bit afraid of management, fines, and eviction. All that they have to do is walk into our home early morning or late evening to find out that there are too many people here.

Thank goodness I only have about 2 months left to live here. Also, I did research earlier this year on how management handles squatters/people living in their apartments off-lease. Management can be close to as severe as they wish if they discover someone living in a unit off-lease, however, upon the first discovery, or "1st Offense," management will tell the offender or offenders to leave. If they do not leave willingly, police will be involved. If there are 2 or more offenses in the same unit, management will then assess a fee to whomever claims the offender as a guest. I don't know what management does in the event that nobody claims the offender as their guest... they may assess everyone who lives in the unit on-lease with a fine, or they may obtain a restraining order against the offender. (The lease is very concisely written to give the power to management to have anyone removed from the property at management's discretion, for the most part.)

My roommates are aware that I don't want the latest stray person they picked up around here, for a variety of reasons (beyond the lease agreement as well), I just hope that they know what they are doing.

Just 2 more months for me and then I'm out of here. I don't know if my roommates renewed their leases or not (I have my hunches on who did and who didn't), but that will have to be their business, as I have bigger things to worry about for my future.

For those of you who know me or read my journals, you probably know that  lola102938 and I have been a couple for over two years now. We've decided that we need to move forward with our relationship if we intend to stay together. After my lease is up, he and I will be moving in together. I may stay in Minnesota, or I may end up moving to...

Chicago! (well, very near it)

While I'll miss same-sex marriage in Minnesota, I can make Illinois work if I have to. I was initially afraid of going somewhere new... but... who knows? There are a lot of awesome things in Chicago, Oprah included. If anyone's been keeping up with my journals, you'll know I've actually performed live in down-town Chicago once. There's a lot of life in that city, and if I live near it, it would be totally awesome to scope it out, learn the culture, meet all kinds of new people, and also have Midwest Fur Fest right in my backyard. ^_^

We will just have to wait and see how things play out. We have until August before plans MUST be finalized, so I'm OK for awhile. In the mean-time, it's consolidating my belongings, giving away/donating things I no longer need or want but are still usable, throwing out broken things, cleaning up my room, and wrapping up my affairs in the Micropolis known as Mankato, MN. I've lived here for many years now, but it's nearing time for me to pack up and head out on my next adventure. Tyslata and me may eventually move back to Minnesota at some point should I have to go to Chicago, but our future is uncertain. I've had a lot of wonder lately about where I'll end up. It's so hard to plan for what you cannot know for certain, but it's actually kind of fun! Will I be living in Minneapolis or in Chicago? Only time will tell that. One thing is for certain, I will embrace whichever locale I end up moving to. I may have to say goodbye to a lot of family and old friends here, such as  malvina, but I won't forget them. So much of my adult life has been shaped by this place, and I even got my degree in this city.

I will be sure to post in this journal when everything goes down and what plans are as things are finalized. I just felt, however, that it would be good to give an update to anyone who pays attention to this journal, especially if you live in Mankato or somewhere in Minnesota.

Lots of Love to you all!

I was reading up a bit on what happens in Mass Effect 3 when various team members from Mass Effect 2 (and Mass Effect 1) have died.

The story barely changes, and what happens to keep the story going is you have "Stand-Ins" replace the individual squad members on Priority missions in which they would have been present automatically if they survived the events of Mass Effect 2. These Stand-Ins do essentially the exact same things as the originally intended character, though they may have notable personality differences, or a different motivation all together. Certain characters even have multiple stand-ins, as the character would normally have been involved in multiple events. Interestingly enough, certain characters, despite major popularity, did not have any stand-ins in Mass Effect 3. One of those to note is Miranda Lawson... she is nearly impossible to get killed in Mass Effect 2 (compared to other members of the team)... but extremely easy to get killed in Mass Effect 3. Even if she does die in ME2, she does not recieve any stand-in at all in ME3... and the only way to keep her alive in ME3 is to have her survive ME2, obtain and keep her loyalty in ME2, warn her about Kai Leng on your 2nd Citadel chat with her in ME3 (via computer terminal in the Spectre room), AND pass a persuasion check during the final confrontation with her father. Now, on to the stand-in roster!

The primary characters that "need" to survive Mass Effect 1 are:

- Urdnot Wrex
- Captain Kirrahe
- Shiala
- The Original Citadel Council - Tevos, Valern, Sparatus


The primary characters that "need" to survive Mass Effect 2 are:

- Mordin Solus
- Tali'Zorah
- Legion
**Thane Krios (he survives to become a stand-in)
- Doctor Karin Chakwas
**Garrus Vakarian (sort of has a stand-in)


The Stand-Ins are as follows:

- Doctor Chloe Michel stands in for Chakwas. Though she can be chosen to be the Normandy's doctor even if Chakwas survived ME2... I believe nearly every player took Chakwas up on her offer considering that she's been with Shepard ever since ME1.
- Urdnot Wreav stands in for Urdnot Wrex.
- Lieutenant Tolan and Thane Krios stand in for Captain Kirrahe.
- (In ME2 Only) Random Female Colonist stands in for Shiala. (Negotiating the Feros Contract on Ilium.)
- Councilor Irissa stands in for Tevos. (Irissa is pretty much evil.)
- Dalatrass Esheel stands in for Valern. Lore-wise... this stand-in makes sense, as the female Dalatrasses of the Salarian race are the powerful political figures in their culture without exception... males almost never become major political figures, and never more powerful than a female.
- Councilor Quentius stands in for Sparatus. (He's more supportive of Shepard than Sparatus.)
- Padok Wiks stands in for Mordin Solus.
- Admiral Daro'Xen and Admiral Shala'Raan stand in for Tali'Zorah.
- "Geth VI" stands in for Legion. It looks and behaves exactly like Legion, but has no recollection of a history with Shepard or the Normandy.
- Liara T'soni stands in for Garrus Vakarian... sort of. While this isn't exactly a stand-in, if Garrus died in ME2, Liara will remain with you for the entire Priority: Palaven mission in ME3, and even gets to say some of Garrus's lines. Normally, had Garrus survived, she would have left to go back to the Normandy to "check out" what was going on with its systems. (The robotic VI for Dr. Eva Kore and EDI were fighting in the ship's AI Core.)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

I'm sure there are others that I'm missing, but these are the characters that play the most primary of roles in the game. Now... what does all this mean? Quite simply... it means that Mass Effect 3's "vastly diverging" plot possibilities were fairly non-existent, even after factoring in the "over 1000" carry-over variables from the preceding games. Even if nearly every character you were capable of keeping alive died between ME1 and ME2, you can still have a perfect play-through of ME3 with very little variation in the overall plot and story. Minus the exception of Urdnot Wreav being a psychopathic, vengeful, vindictive, megalomaniac... there's really no way to "mess up" the intended plot of ME3 based on actions from ME1 and ME2. No matter what you do on Tuchanka during Mordin's mission in ME2... you will still be able to cure the genophage in Priority: Tuchanka on ME3. All you can "alter" is whether or not Urdnot Bakara (Eve) will survive Mordin's creation of the cure... which does not particularly alter the plot. As far as I can tell, the only major plot-point that is extremely dependent on past actions is Priority: Rannoch when trying to broker a peaceful cease-fire between the Geth and Quarian Fleets.

When you challenge someone's mistake, you won't always have the mistake remedied, and the person or people involved may never acknowledge fully that they were in the wrong...

...but perhaps next time they will be a little bit wiser, and not make the same mistake again with others.

Let's just say, even though the method in which it was revealed to me was wrong, I messed up pretty bad. While everyone's happy for the Summer... well, I'm not so happy for it. There are just so many reminders of mistakes and past screw-ups coming back to me.

When I get m B.A. Degree, I'm barely going to see it as an achievement. It will be nice to have and a relief, but it's honestly not something I will be particularly proud of. There are many personal and societal reasons, all different, why I will feel this way. I won't be hyper-depressed or majorly anxious, nor will I be sad forever. I will eventually cheer up in the future, but for right now, I cannot.

I will try to find something else to take my mind off of things, and first of those things will be food, since I haven't eaten all day.

I do also want to thank  malvina for bringing me along yesterday with her husband first to stuff our faces at the Asiana Buffet, and then showing me a taste of extreme coupon-ing. She actually saved about 50% on everything she purchased last night, which was impressive. :) I also want to thank her, again, for the commission present she got for me when I didn't even ask. In this time when my emotions are down, it's nice to know there are actually friends out there who are thinking of me.

I've been rather silent about classes lately, and partly because I've been afraid and a little ashamed to admit it, but I think it will be liberating to open up about it to clear my head a bit so I can better prepare myself.

However, it's a little scary to realize that graduating on time depends almost solely on one final exam. If I can pull an 87.8% or better on the final in a particular course (Latin American Civilization, mostly a history class), I will graduate on time. If I don't then I must go ahead and take the summer course I'm registered for to make up for it. History has never been a subject I do particularly well in, and frankly, have limited interest for. Most history courses focus primarily on governments, military, war, politics, scandals within leadership, and economy... things that I have limited interest in. With the exception of some politics, most of that stuff I really don't pay attention to.

Add to that course learning about it in a language that is not your native language and have the course proctored by a difficult professor who writes very tough quizzes and tests, and guess what, I ended up in the situation I'm in now. XD Thankfully, I was able to pull up my grade quite a bit towards the end of the course so that I'm not failing the course, but I still need to augment the grade by about 3% more to receive credit for my major, and thus, graduate on time. That's where the 87.8% on the final comes in.

Wish me luck so that I don't have to drive 6 hours a week for a month and a half to take a summer class out of town.