loraleigh

TDN is going through some changes so you may see some funky things for the next few days. Thank you for bringing it to our attention and I've passed it on :)

I just moved up to rank 9 and working towards rank 10.  Normally I play on Lost Desert's team.  This was not a good year to change.

I just moved up to rank 9 and working towards rank 10.  Normally I play on Lost Desert's team.  This was not a good year to change.

First I would like to say that there is something sexual to the child's behavior and it is also normal. All juvenile animals engage in some sexual role behavior as a part of development. Those behaviors and gender roles don't just materialize once the hormones kick in. However, those play behaviors are not sexual in the same way as adult sexual behavior is.
 
Horse play and chasing games are an opportunity for adults to step in and teach kids about boundaries. How to both respects and defend their boundaries and others as well. Unfortunately some people freak out and confuse normal sexual developmental behavior with the actual sex act in adults and may shame or punish without explaining or asking the child the "why and whats" about the behavior displayed. This is a good link about what is normal and what to teach:
 
http://nctsn.org/nctsn_assets/pdfs/caring/sexualdevelopmentandbehavior.pdf
 
It is important to teach kids how to set and defend boundaries because, like the mother in the example, some parents don't teach their kids to respect sexual boundaries. It is also nice if you can teach these lessons without making the kid feel shamed or that it is taboo. Healthy gender expectations are a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Girls can be taught to be assertive rather than passive victims or aggressively defensive.
 
I don't have children, but I have normal behavior events that were handled poorly by my mom.
I was born to older parents in the mid sixties. My early childhood playmates were three boys my age that lived on the block. I had play dates with girls, but I spent most days with the boys until I was seven. I played their games and competed for my place the same way the other boys did. I was aware that they did not want to play with my dolls, but I had no problem jumping bikes and building forts with them. When I was told a girl could not do something I was able to prove otherwise and run with the pack. In general I played rougher and took more chances than other girls my age. However, there were a few gender expectations that caused incidents.
 
1. My mother was horrified when she saw me riding topless on my bike with the other boys at about 5 or 6 years old. She pulled me off the bike and hauled me inside. I go a stern lecture about how girls should be lady like. I immediately equated "ladylike behavior" with not being able to have fun or freedom. From then on I made the boys keep their shirts on because it wasn't fair if I had to leave mine on.
 
2. In kindergarten, I was the one chasing the boys and threatening to kiss them. It was fun because they ran away and giggled. You could give a boy cooties by kissing them. I told the boys that marriage would protect them from cooties. I married at least three boys in my class acting both as the bride and the clergy. I was one of Virginia's youngest bigamists :) I married many other girls in the class to multiple boys as well. It was no longer fun to try and kiss boys that didn't run away. I'm not sure if my parents and teachers were most concerned with me being the aggressor in the kissing/chase game, teaching other girls to chase boys, my impersonation of clergy, or the fact that I was promoting multiple husbands for one girl rather than the more traditional polygamy.
 
I got lots of mixed messages from both parents and teachers from 5 to 7. I was never told why I could not go shirtless, only that it was off limits and I was bad for thinking I could. I was not taught that kissing is not an offensive weapon and I should respect the boys' wishes. The adults equated marriage with sex, not as a protection from cooties. The adults never asked why I was marrying all these boys at once. Although far above my understanding having multiple husbands was either promoting divorce or polygamy. I was also play acting at jobs/positions traditionally held by men. This was shocking behavior in the early 70's so I was told they were bad things for me to pretend, but not why.

First I would like to say that there is something sexual to the child's behavior and it is also normal. All juvenile animals engage in some sexual role behavior as a part of development. Those behaviors and gender roles don't just materialize once the hormones kick in. However, those play behaviors are not sexual in the same way as adult sexual behavior is.
 
Horse play and chasing games are an opportunity for adults to step in and teach kids about boundaries. How to both respects and defend their boundaries and others as well. Unfortunately some people freak out and confuse normal sexual developmental behavior with the actual sex act in adults and may shame or punish without explaining or asking the child the "why and whats" about the behavior displayed. This is a good link about what is normal and what to teach:
 
http://nctsn.org/nctsn_assets/pdfs/caring/sexualdevelopmentandbehavior.pdf
 
It is important to teach kids how to set and defend boundaries because, like the mother in the example, some parents don't teach their kids to respect sexual boundaries. It is also nice if you can teach these lessons without making the kid feel shamed or that it is taboo. Healthy gender expectations are a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Girls can be taught to be assertive rather than passive victims or aggressively defensive.
 
I don't have children, but I have normal behavior events that were handled poorly by my mom.
I was born to older parents in the mid sixties. My early childhood playmates were three boys my age that lived on the block. I had play dates with girls, but I spent most days with the boys until I was seven. I played their games and competed for my place the same way the other boys did. I was aware that they did not want to play with my dolls, but I had no problem jumping bikes and building forts with them. When I was told a girl could not do something I was able to prove otherwise and run with the pack. In general I played rougher and took more chances than other girls my age. However, there were a few gender expectations that caused incidents.
 
1. My mother was horrified when she saw me riding topless on my bike with the other boys at about 5 or 6 years old. She pulled me off the bike and hauled me inside. I go a stern lecture about how girls should be lady like. I immediately equated "ladylike behavior" with not being able to have fun or freedom. From then on I made the boys keep their shirts on because it wasn't fair if I had to leave mine on.
 
2. In kindergarten, I was the one chasing the boys and threatening to kiss them. It was fun because they ran away and giggled. You could give a boy cooties by kissing them. I told the boys that marriage would protect them from cooties. I married at least three boys in my class acting both as the bride and the clergy. I was one of Virginia's youngest bigamists :) I married many other girls in the class to multiple boys as well. It was no longer fun to try and kiss boys that didn't run away. I'm not sure if my parents and teachers were most concerned with me being the aggressor in the kissing/chase game, teaching other girls to chase boys, my impersonation of clergy, or the fact that I was promoting multiple husbands for one girl rather than the more traditional polygamy.
 
I got lots of mixed messages from both parents and teachers from 5 to 7. I was never told why I could not go shirtless, only that it was off limits and I was bad for thinking I could. I was not taught that kissing is not an offensive weapon and I should respect the boys' wishes. The adults equated marriage with sex, not as a protection from cooties. The adults never asked why I was marrying all these boys at once. Although far above my understanding having multiple husbands was either promoting divorce or polygamy. I was also play acting at jobs/positions traditionally held by men. This was shocking behavior in the early 70's so I was told they were bad things for me to pretend, but not why.

Loraleigh worded things so much better than I was able to, that thing about how adults sexualise kids behaviour falsely, because the adult knows about sex, and the kid doesn't. This is primarily about boundaries and respect, isn't it, the fact that he was trying to kiss her muddied the waters for me. If he was bugging her to play with his toy, rather than trying to kiss her, I wonder if the mum's reaction would have been different. I kind of suspect it might have been?
 
I feel the fact that he was wanting to kiss her is what made it seem cute and sweet in the eyes of those other adults, I bet if they'd been there they'd all have looked on, misty-eyed and smiling and saying things like, "Aw!!"...If he'd been hassling her in any other way, the mum might actually have told him to leave her alone, which is kind of horrifying -.-
 
I wonder what the little girl's done about this since.

First I would like to say that there is something sexual to the child's behavior and it is also normal. All juvenile animals engage in some sexual role behavior as a part of development. Those behaviors and gender roles don't just materialize once the hormones kick in. However, those play behaviors are not sexual in the same way as adult sexual behavior is.
 
Horse play and chasing games are an opportunity for adults to step in and teach kids about boundaries. How to both respects and defend their boundaries and others as well. Unfortunately some people freak out and confuse normal sexual developmental behavior with the actual sex act in adults and may shame or punish without explaining or asking the child the "why and whats" about the behavior displayed. This is a good link about what is normal and what to teach:
 
http://nctsn.org/nctsn_assets/pdfs/caring/sexualdevelopmentandbehavior.pdf
 
It is important to teach kids how to set and defend boundaries because, like the mother in the example, some parents don't teach their kids to respect sexual boundaries. It is also nice if you can teach these lessons without making the kid feel shamed or that it is taboo. Healthy gender expectations are a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Girls can be taught to be assertive rather than passive victims or aggressively defensive.
 
I don't have children, but I have normal behavior events that were handled poorly by my mom.
I was born to older parents in the mid sixties. My early childhood playmates were three boys my age that lived on the block. I had play dates with girls, but I spent most days with the boys until I was seven. I played their games and competed for my place the same way the other boys did. I was aware that they did not want to play with my dolls, but I had no problem jumping bikes and building forts with them. When I was told a girl could not do something I was able to prove otherwise and run with the pack. In general I played rougher and took more chances than other girls my age. However, there were a few gender expectations that caused incidents.
 
1. My mother was horrified when she saw me riding topless on my bike with the other boys at about 5 or 6 years old. She pulled me off the bike and hauled me inside. I go a stern lecture about how girls should be lady like. I immediately equated "ladylike behavior" with not being able to have fun or freedom. From then on I made the boys keep their shirts on because it wasn't fair if I had to leave mine on.
 
2. In kindergarten, I was the one chasing the boys and threatening to kiss them. It was fun because they ran away and giggled. You could give a boy cooties by kissing them. I told the boys that marriage would protect them from cooties. I married at least three boys in my class acting both as the bride and the clergy. I was one of Virginia's youngest bigamists :) I married many other girls in the class to multiple boys as well. It was no longer fun to try and kiss boys that didn't run away. I'm not sure if my parents and teachers were most concerned with me being the aggressor in the kissing/chase game, teaching other girls to chase boys, my impersonation of clergy, or the fact that I was promoting multiple husbands for one girl rather than the more traditional polygamy.
 
I got lots of mixed messages from both parents and teachers from 5 to 7. I was never told why I could not go shirtless, only that it was off limits and I was bad for thinking I could. I was not taught that kissing is not an offensive weapon and I should respect the boys' wishes. The adults equated marriage with sex, not as a protection from cooties. The adults never asked why I was marrying all these boys at once. Although far above my understanding having multiple husbands was either promoting divorce or polygamy. I was also play acting at jobs/positions traditionally held by men. This was shocking behavior in the early 70's so I was told they were bad things for me to pretend, but not why.

The festival is a little disappointing this year as compared to the prior years. Do you think this has anything to do with the staffing restructure?

First I would like to say that there is something sexual to the child's behavior and it is also normal. All juvenile animals engage in some sexual role behavior as a part of development. Those behaviors and gender roles don't just materialize once the hormones kick in. However, those play behaviors are not sexual in the same way as adult sexual behavior is.
 
Horse play and chasing games are an opportunity for adults to step in and teach kids about boundaries. How to both respects and defend their boundaries and others as well. Unfortunately some people freak out and confuse normal sexual developmental behavior with the actual sex act in adults and may shame or punish without explaining or asking the child the "why and whats" about the behavior displayed. This is a good link about what is normal and what to teach:
 
http://nctsn.org/nctsn_assets/pdfs/caring/sexualdevelopmentandbehavior.pdf
 
It is important to teach kids how to set and defend boundaries because, like the mother in the example, some parents don't teach their kids to respect sexual boundaries. It is also nice if you can teach these lessons without making the kid feel shamed or that it is taboo. Healthy gender expectations are a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Girls can be taught to be assertive rather than passive victims or aggressively defensive.
 
I don't have children, but I have normal behavior events that were handled poorly by my mom.
I was born to older parents in the mid sixties. My early childhood playmates were three boys my age that lived on the block. I had play dates with girls, but I spent most days with the boys until I was seven. I played their games and competed for my place the same way the other boys did. I was aware that they did not want to play with my dolls, but I had no problem jumping bikes and building forts with them. When I was told a girl could not do something I was able to prove otherwise and run with the pack. In general I played rougher and took more chances than other girls my age. However, there were a few gender expectations that caused incidents.
 
1. My mother was horrified when she saw me riding topless on my bike with the other boys at about 5 or 6 years old. She pulled me off the bike and hauled me inside. I go a stern lecture about how girls should be lady like. I immediately equated "ladylike behavior" with not being able to have fun or freedom. From then on I made the boys keep their shirts on because it wasn't fair if I had to leave mine on.
 
2. In kindergarten, I was the one chasing the boys and threatening to kiss them. It was fun because they ran away and giggled. You could give a boy cooties by kissing them. I told the boys that marriage would protect them from cooties. I married at least three boys in my class acting both as the bride and the clergy. I was one of Virginia's youngest bigamists :) I married many other girls in the class to multiple boys as well. It was no longer fun to try and kiss boys that didn't run away. I'm not sure if my parents and teachers were most concerned with me being the aggressor in the kissing/chase game, teaching other girls to chase boys, my impersonation of clergy, or the fact that I was promoting multiple husbands for one girl rather than the more traditional polygamy.
 
I got lots of mixed messages from both parents and teachers from 5 to 7. I was never told why I could not go shirtless, only that it was off limits and I was bad for thinking I could. I was not taught that kissing is not an offensive weapon and I should respect the boys' wishes. The adults equated marriage with sex, not as a protection from cooties. The adults never asked why I was marrying all these boys at once. Although far above my understanding having multiple husbands was either promoting divorce or polygamy. I was also play acting at jobs/positions traditionally held by men. This was shocking behavior in the early 70's so I was told they were bad things for me to pretend, but not why.

First I would like to say that there is something sexual to the child's behavior and it is also normal. All juvenile animals engage in some sexual role behavior as a part of development. Those behaviors and gender roles don't just materialize once the hormones kick in. However, those play behaviors are not sexual in the same way as adult sexual behavior is.
 
Horse play and chasing games are an opportunity for adults to step in and teach kids about boundaries. How to both respects and defend their boundaries and others as well. Unfortunately some people freak out and confuse normal sexual developmental behavior with the actual sex act in adults and may shame or punish without explaining or asking the child the "why and whats" about the behavior displayed. This is a good link about what is normal and what to teach:
 
http://nctsn.org/nctsn_assets/pdfs/caring/sexualdevelopmentandbehavior.pdf
 
It is important to teach kids how to set and defend boundaries because, like the mother in the example, some parents don't teach their kids to respect sexual boundaries. It is also nice if you can teach these lessons without making the kid feel shamed or that it is taboo. Healthy gender expectations are a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Girls can be taught to be assertive rather than passive victims or aggressively defensive.
 
I don't have children, but I have normal behavior events that were handled poorly by my mom.
I was born to older parents in the mid sixties. My early childhood playmates were three boys my age that lived on the block. I had play dates with girls, but I spent most days with the boys until I was seven. I played their games and competed for my place the same way the other boys did. I was aware that they did not want to play with my dolls, but I had no problem jumping bikes and building forts with them. When I was told a girl could not do something I was able to prove otherwise and run with the pack. In general I played rougher and took more chances than other girls my age. However, there were a few gender expectations that caused incidents.
 
1. My mother was horrified when she saw me riding topless on my bike with the other boys at about 5 or 6 years old. She pulled me off the bike and hauled me inside. I go a stern lecture about how girls should be lady like. I immediately equated "ladylike behavior" with not being able to have fun or freedom. From then on I made the boys keep their shirts on because it wasn't fair if I had to leave mine on.
 
2. In kindergarten, I was the one chasing the boys and threatening to kiss them. It was fun because they ran away and giggled. You could give a boy cooties by kissing them. I told the boys that marriage would protect them from cooties. I married at least three boys in my class acting both as the bride and the clergy. I was one of Virginia's youngest bigamists :) I married many other girls in the class to multiple boys as well. It was no longer fun to try and kiss boys that didn't run away. I'm not sure if my parents and teachers were most concerned with me being the aggressor in the kissing/chase game, teaching other girls to chase boys, my impersonation of clergy, or the fact that I was promoting multiple husbands for one girl rather than the more traditional polygamy.
 
I got lots of mixed messages from both parents and teachers from 5 to 7. I was never told why I could not go shirtless, only that it was off limits and I was bad for thinking I could. I was not taught that kissing is not an offensive weapon and I should respect the boys' wishes. The adults equated marriage with sex, not as a protection from cooties. The adults never asked why I was marrying all these boys at once. Although far above my understanding having multiple husbands was either promoting divorce or polygamy. I was also play acting at jobs/positions traditionally held by men. This was shocking behavior in the early 70's so I was told they were bad things for me to pretend, but not why.

The festival is a little disappointing this year as compared to the prior years. Do you think this has anything to do with the staffing restructure?

The festival is a little disappointing this year as compared to the prior years. Do you think this has anything to do with the staffing restructure?

I chose the book negg for both and i got two different books. The third Negg must be coming out latter today. I'll let you know if i get a third book or a duplicate.
Good Luck,
Laura

I have played on Facebook and have loaded the game to my android phone. I have not played many games on the phone because it is so small. Second map is hard to complete three stars in each house. I have all stars on the first map. The game is set up to require buying boosts to finish 3 stars. I'm not going to buy any boosts. They should offer another way to earn boosts with more achievements.

I'm pretty sure that's what happened in this case, as many people have probably seen already. They didn't have any notice at all and found out in the worst way possible. :(
 
Once the wound heals a little bit, I have no doubt that the people affected by this will find far greener pastures.

I use the Scarab Ring to good effect with my lab rat turned BD pet. But it really depends on current equipment. I need to upgrade my pet's armor tbh. I have been relying on their (since they keep swapping gender I tend to look at them as a genderfluid pet lol) intense HP and high strength more than anything.

I don't have the lab, but over the years I've found reflectors a mostly reasonable method of squeaking out a victory. ;) Here is a quick list of the fragile 50% reflectors and what they reflect.
 
Turbo Flame Reflector 50% Fire
Super U-Bend 50% Water
Shovel Plus 50% Earth
Ultra Dark Reflectorb 50% Dark
Double Dryer 50% Air
 
Instead of Dual Battle Mirror for reflecting light, GET an Expert Lens! CHEAP and it reflects 50% Light without the risk of breaking forever.
 
There aer also Full-blockers, Like the Parasol of Unfortunate Demise which Blocks ALL light, and then some, and the Hanso Charisma Charm Which blocks all dark while using an ok-level attack. And if you want something to stop heavy Physical damage type. I believe I saw this one mentioned above, the Altadorian Swordbreaker blocks all physical, while dealing out a rather pathetic attack of Earth icons. Physical can't be reflected, only blocked.
 
There are higher levels of reflectors out there, but without knowing your budget, I'm going with the cheaper ones. ;)
 
I hope this is useful. :)

Here are a few suggestions on how to make yourself stand out (in a good way) at the job fair:
Look the part. Go with a full suit (I personally prefer a pantsuit so you don't have to worry about skirt length). If you're going into a conservative industry, go for a more traditional look: traditionally cut blouse of a more traditional color, sensible (polished) shoes, minimal accessories, professional hair, more buttons closed, neutral makeup, well-trimmed/manicured nails. If you're going into a more creative industry, you can get away with a more fashionably cut suit (just nothing skin tight and no cleavage), or a brighter color (maybe even a patterned) shirt, maybe 1-2 bold accessories to make a statement -- but remember less is more, and you should only do 1-2 of these things, max. It's better to err on the side of caution for your clothing choices; they'll remember you for your personality, but they often only remember the clothing if it sends the wrong message. Research the companies in advance. Instead of talking to every single company, pick the few that you really want to meet. See what openings/programs they have. Where do you think you'd fit? Why do you want to work there? How can you help them? What do you want to know about them? Find the easy answers for yourself, and hopefully your research will lead you to the "hard" questions that will show you really understand the challenges the company faces. This is what can really make you stand out. Get your resumé ready. If you're looking at several different types of jobs, try to tailor a resumé for each one. Focus on results, not just your duties. For example, maybe while working in a restaurant's kitchen, you developed a way of tracking the ingredients that resulted in 20% less waste of expired ingredients. Use percentages or straight $ amounts, whichever sounds more impressive. If you're not sure, make your best estimate -- but don't overstate anything, in case they contact your old employer and verify. Look for transferable skills. Waitressing requires you to work well with others, handle multiple tasks at the same time, and have great customer interaction skills. Line up a reference from your old job. (I presume your old boss may not be the best, but is there someone else on his/her level that you're 99.99% sure would give you a good recommendation? Or at least a coworker?) And do you have any other prior bosses to use as a reference? Prepare your elevator speech, along with answers to the most likely questions. Your elevator speech is your brief (20-30 second) self-introduction to the recruiter. It should make them think "Aha, this person sounds like a good match for position X," and then they'll ask you some questions, hopefully. There are lots of practice questions (you can find lists easily), but some really common ones are: describe a strength, describe a weakness (you want to describe something you honestly struggle with, but also how you cope with it and have worked to improve it -- e.g., I realized I wasn't very good about recognizing when I need assistance, but I've learned to set a reasonable time limit to try it on my own, and then ask for help if I've made no progress), describe a difficulty you've had with a coworker and how you overcame it (be very careful with this one... never speak negatively of an old job experience; always try to put a positive spin on it). What to bring: a padfolio containing paper, 10-20 copies of your resumé (be stingy with these; you don't want to run out, so only give them to companies you're genuinely interested in), business cards (for the companies not worth a resumé), 2-3 pens (make sure they work and don't smudge). Do not bring a bookbag. Keep your phone off and away. Before going, print out the map of the fair (if available). Circle the locations of your target companies, and plan the order of your visit. I recommend warming up on 2-3 other companies first (ones you might be interested in, but aren't at the top of your list). Then go to your targets. After you've talked to all your targets, then you can wander and see what else is available, but you want to make sure you hit your targets while you're fresh. Ask for business cards of everyone you talk to and want to follow up with (definitely everyone you give a resumé to!). As soon as you've stepped away from their booth (and I mean far enough away they can't see you), write on the back of the card a few facts you remember about them. Include personal as well as professional facts (dog - Millie - chews shoes). When you get home, start writing thank-you cards (or e-mails, if you don't have a street address), being as personal as you can (that's where those notes come in -- e.g., "I just saw that they have product X that is supposed to keep dogs from chewing shoes. I hope you're able to get Millie to leave your shoes alone!"). (Okay, the dog-chewing thing is a horrible example, actually, but you get the general idea...) Thank them for taking the time to talk with you, ask any follow up questions you've come up with, let them know you're applying for a position they mentioned, etc. A little known recruiting fact: timing is everything. If possible, get there when the fair first opens (but don't bug anyone who's still setting things up; come back later). If it's an all-day fair, avoid going right before lunch, or too close to the end of the day (when they just want to get home). Most importantly, relax and try to just be yourself. Let your personality shine through. People want to hire people they think they'd get along with, so the more relaxed, confident, and nice you are, the more they'll want to hire you. Good luck at the career fair!

I noticed your pets have really high strength and relatively low defense. Is this a side effect from the lab map or was this intentional? I've seen several pets with this stat stack, so I'm just curious if this is a "thing." Best offense is a good offense mentality?

Siniri didn't say it directly, so I will: for lab rats, shields are NOT useful. Your defense boost is too low to make them worthwhile. My strategy with my lab pet mirrors a lot of what siniri said: Hit hard and try to end the battle quickly to minimize your damage. Keep your HP high so you can take some big hits. And get a percentage healer. I'm a big fan on Velms Healing Potion.
 

That's a side effect from the Lab Ray. Over time, the Lab Ray tends to result in big gains in HP (since it will never decrease HP), moderate gains in strength, small gains in level, and a decrease or very small increase in defense.

Well, without knowing what weapons you currently have, it's kind of difficult to recommend ones to supplement that.
 
Good defensive weapons for a lab rat include:
freezers (block your opponent's entire attack, so the ultimate defense): randomly firing freeze ray (50% - at a more modest cost), magical marbles of mystery (100%), and the 2 faerie abilities defensive/healing faerie abilities (for later turns, to minimize damage/heal) things that block a certain percentage of your opponent's attack: Downsize! (50% once per battle), downsize power plus/thick smoke bomb (100%, one-use -- useful in plots/wars for those tough opponents you just can't beat -- I like to have a nice stock of these during non-war-time, and if you don't need them, you can make a profit during the war), Thyoras Tear (100% once per battle) things that 100% block one icon (especially useful in 1P, when you know someone is heavy in a particular icon), such as the parasol of unfortunate demise, Hanso charisma charm, altadorian swordbreaker, certain shields (I'll leave it to others to list) reflectors (these aren't based on your defense, so against certain opponents, these can actually be great, and served me really well when my defense was low and I had to endure long battles during a plot -- I used the breakable ones that were given out during said plot, so they were fairly cheap -- I found the 25% ones fairly useless unless they were multi-icon, but the 50% ones saved me many times) As you switch opponents, you'll probably need to switch up your set a bit to match your opponent's icons. You'll probably want to just go all-in offensively and end the battle as quickly as possible, but these defensive weapons can help you last another turn, or minimize the damage on your last turn (if you know you can kill them with a single weapon). Note that most healers work before the damage of the last turn, so using some kind of defense on the last turn combined with healing will help you start the next battle closer to full HP (or have you spending less on healing potions).
 
On the offensive side of things, you'll want to hit heavy and hard (that's why those two freezing faerie abilities are so awesome, so you can spend your turns just whomping on your opponent without worrying about getting hurt) and get the battle over with, so get as much power as you can (g-bomb, best weapon you can afford, etc.). Obviously, you'll want to spend more money here and less on defense.
 
I made my major upgrades gradually, starting with bag of healing dust, then Kelpbeard's trident (I already had double YB from plot points), then a g-bomb, and most recently MMoM (I already had RFFR); I went for top-tier weapons rather than bothering with intermediate ones. If I were to do it over again, I'd probably swap the order between KT and g-bomb. I have Downsize!, HCC, and altador swordbreaker equipped (but don't really need to use them), and I have some of the 50% fragile reflectors in my SDB (and a parasol) if I ever want them.
 
Not knowing what weapons you have, my first recommendation would be to train level as aggressively as you can. If you can access Deadly Dice and have good timing, do that every day (it's 3am for me, so not an option). Train as often as you can, even if you have to spend a little NP (but battle for free codestones) -- the faerie abilities are worth it, and in the long run, it'll be much, much cheaper than an equivalent weapon upgrade.

Hi loraleigh! Welcome to the forums, I'm sure you'll find them helpful
 
You have so many account trophies!! jealous :P

Hello and welcome!
I'm also new here, but I am enjoying my time here already, I hope you will too! :)

Welcome, also from me. I am also a newbie and I love this forum! You will too soon, I am sure. It is very addictive and you can find lots of information and the people are super friendly.
 
I wish you a lot of fun here!!

Hey Loraleigh, welcome to TDN! I'm sure you will find the forums very useful and I hope you enjoy your time here! ^_^