#<- umm whatever works for convenience's sake? :3

[knightley-gambit]

“better if you don’t, it wouldn’t be a good game otherwise”

“Speaking of which, you don’t have do go yet, do ya? what about a game? right here, right now!”

[ *> Horace is trying to not look as excited as he feels about the possibility of playing a game of Chess with Simeon. he’s failing miserably. ]

[ *> He’s controlling himself enough to just barely withhold himself from shaking in excitement. ]

{BEFORE KNIGHTLEY'S DEATH; AT A PRISON VISIT}

"Hey, Knightley. I, um, got you a gift I thought you'd like."

-- Simon Keyes !!! (@people-can-be-tamed)

" no way,, really?

i will, what’d you bring? "

[drowningbydegrees]

This is my @thewitchersecretsanta gift for @kat-atomic, who mentioned liking modern AU’s with witcher powers etc. and humor. I hope this delivers! Thank you so much @goodheavensgwen for betaing this! <3 Note: This is largely fluffy and ridiculous, but there’s some canon typical mention of blood and injury.

Read on AO3

There are very few things Jaskier can genuinely say he enjoys about working the night shift at the diner. There’s the 3 a.m. rush of customers when all the bars close who usually tip pretty decently. There’s the fact that Triss, the night manager, doesn’t mind if he spends his downtime writing music when his sidework is done. And there’s the occasional regular Jaskier finds himself enamored with.

Like the one on the sidewalk just outside, for instance, who Jaskier privately suspects is some sort of cryptid. With good reason! He only ever seems to turn up in the quietest part of Jaskier’s shift. He doesn’t look old by any stretch of the imagination, and he doesn’t strike Jaskier as the sort to commit to any sort of high maintenance beauty regimen, all of which is at odds with the silvery white hair that falls just a touch past his shoulders. If the hair weren’t noteworthy enough, his unnaturally gold eyes are haunting, like nothing Jaskier has ever seen. Not that he means to look, mind you, but they’re the kind of thing that sticks with Jaskier long after the man is gone. Appearances aside, there’s something about this particular customer that discourages questions and he always pays with cash, so despite coming in on a somewhat regular basis over the last year and a half - not often enough that Jaskier can work out any sort of pattern, but enough that there’s a table Jaskier has more or less decided is his - Jaskier doesn’t even know his name.

The blood is new though.

“Holy mother of- Are you okay?” Jaskier asks when he looks up and sees the man trudging through the door. Is that a limp? It’s hard to tell if he’s hurt or just exhausted. It seems like maybe hurt because that’s definitely blood matting his hair. Probably. Jaskier vaguely remembers hitting his head on the slide when he was little and it looking a bit like that, anyway. And if that’s blood, it suggests that the substance making the guy’s shirt stick unnaturally to his body is also blood, which kinda tracks with the fact that one of the sleeves is ripped to shreds.

The guy freezes, leaving Jaskier with the distinct impression that he’d hoped to come in unnoticed. As much as Jaskier enjoys listening to his gravelly voice, there’s nothing comforting about the reply. “It’s not mine.”

“Right. Okay. That’s- That’s a completely normal and not concerning thing to say. Also, I’m going to go ahead and call bullshit because your arm is… umm. Oh fuck! Your arm. Just, uhh… hang on a sec, okay?” Jaskier rushes off to the kitchen for the diner’s first aid kit, a few bar towels, and, after a hurried explanation to Triss, one of the work uniform button down shirts. First aid isn’t something that was really covered in training, but leaving someone bleeding in the foyer is almost certainly some kind of health code violation. Whatever the case, not wanting his favorite customer to bleed to death in the middle of his shift wins out over entertaining the notion that said customer might possibly be dangerous.

The foyer is empty when Jaskier returns, which admittedly makes more sense than the guy having stayed put. He’s undeniably mysterious, but he doesn’t seem unhinged enough to just wander in here like that without some kind of reason. Jaskier pokes his head into the restroom, assuming the man has gone there and… isn’t wrong. It’s just that he’s also not in a state of dress Jaskier would expect in a public space. The tattered remains of his shirt sit in the sink, and without the fabric to hide it, the gashes at the back of his shoulder, just where it meets his arm, are rather prominent. Oddly, that quells any real concern Jaskier might have had about what events led him here because they look like claw marks rather than anything human. Equally prominent are a really quite alarming number of other scars that litter the man’s back and chest from what Jaskier can see in the mirror.

The man has never struck Jaskier as particularly polite. He speaks very little. He never smiles. He always looks vaguely put upon when Jaskier tries to be nice to him. So it’s strangely endearing to see that, despite Jaskier being pretty sure he communicated he’d be right back, the man still looks sort of surprised to see him. That surprise only grows more visible when he sees the supplies Jaskier is holding. “I thought you might want to get cleaned up.”

The look the man gives him, like he’s expecting some kind of catch, makes Jaskier’s chest ache. Honestly, who does he interact with that getting help when he’s clearly injured is… not the expectation? The guy offers a quiet thanks that is very, very at odds with the whole possible (but probably not) serial killer vibe he’s got going on at the moment when Jaskier sets the supplies on the counter and starts to head back for the door.

“Do you need me to call someone for you… uh, sorry, I don’t actually know your name,” Jaskier finds himself asking, not sure why he can’t bring himself to just leave.

In the mirror the man’s brows crinkle in confusion, or maybe exasperation and he shakes his head. “No.”

“Are you sure?” Jaskier asks, watching the man awkwardly try to balance a pad against his wounded shoulder and wrap gauze around it without nearly enough hands. “It kinda looks like those might need stitches.”

“I said no.” Definitely exasperation this time, probably at Jaskier, but maybe also at his current predicament. Tape would be better than the roll of gauze, but there isn’t any.

“Right. Okay…” The reasonable thing to do would be to go back to work and just leave the guy to it. It’s not his job. They don’t know each other. The guy’s insistence on not wanting him to call for assistance should probably be suspicious. But, Jaskier has never done the reasonable thing once in his entire life and he doesn’t intend to start now. If he can’t get the guy actual, maybe qualified assistance, he also can’t bring himself to walk away. “Can I help?”

The man shifts in obvious discomfort, but eventually he concedes with a terse nod. He silently holds the pad against his shoulder while Jaskier unrolls the gauze and tries very hard to keep his eyes mostly averted. It’s that or Jaskier is going to end up ogling the guy’s quite frankly gorgeous everything and this really doesn’t seem like the time for that.

“Geralt,” the man says sort of out of the blue as Jaskier winds the gauze around the injury. It startles Jaskier into looking up. “My name.”

“Oh!” Geralt. Jaskier repeats it in his head. It’s nice to finally have a name to go with Geralt’s unfairly pretty face. He’s being rude though, Jaskier realizes, and shakes his head and ties off the bandaging. “I’m Jaskier.”

“I know,” Geralt says softly, like it’s some sort of confession.

Right. Of course. He’s probably introduced himself a dozen times. But customers usually forget his name, so it makes Jaskier smile anyway.

“So… Geralt. I don’t want to pry or anything.” The way Geralt tenses, Jaskier is sorry for opening his mouth. But, contrary to what everyone else in his life seems to think, he is not entirely without a self-preservation instinct. He’s not blind to how weird this whole situation is, even though he’s pretty sure Geralt didn’t actually kill anyone. “Did something happen? You’re not in some kind of trouble, are you?”

“No.”

“Right.” It seems whatever strange set of circumstances made Geralt inclined to talk to him has passed. “Well, that’s illuminating.”

Geralt’s expression scrunches like he’s just bitten into a lemon. “It’s not important.”

Inexplicably, that hurts. Not for his own sake. Geralt has no reason to confide in Jaskier specifically. It’s just that it seems like Geralt’s default assumption that he won’t be trusted, coupled with literally everything else Jaskier has seen tonight, paints a sort of lonely, heartbreaking picture. Or, maybe that’s just Jaskier’s inner poet talking. He’s never entirely certain. All the same, he offers what he hopes is a friendly smile. “Suit yourself, but you should know if you don’t tell me, I’m going to make something up and it will be absolutely ridiculous.”

Geralt’s expression smoothes out into a careful sort of indifference. Jaskier is sort of tempted to linger, but there’s really no excuse, and the longer he stays, the more likely Jaskier is to say something that’s just going to embarrass them both. Reluctantly, he steps away. “Well, I’ll just, you know, leave you to it.”

***

By the time Jaskier comes back out into the dining room, Triss looks like she’d been about thirty seconds away from coming in to check on them herself. As he assures her that it’s not actually as bad as he’d first thought, and no she really doesn’t need to call an ambulance or anything, Jaskier finds himself very, very glad he had been in too much of a rush to share his initial concerns with her or he suspects this conversation would be going very differently.

But Triss lets things be, and Jaskier tries to get back to normal.

It’s very convenient, Jaskier thinks, that Geralt always orders the same thing. In retrospect, that might be because he’s some kind of world champion at avoiding conversation at all costs, but Jaskier assumes he’s just a creature of habit. Probably. Either way, Jaskier puts in an order and pours a cup of coffee, glad for something to busy himself with while he waits.

Much to Jaskier’s surprise, Geralt looks more or less himself when he emerges from the restroom. His hair is wet, probably from rinsing the mess out of it, but with long sleeves covering the gash Jaskier had patched up, only the slight unevenness in his step gives away that anything is wrong at all. That and the heavy sigh he breathes out when he finally sits down in the diner booth. Jaskier has heard that one before and wonders if Geralt makes a habit of coming in here when he’s hurting or if that sigh is just one born of exhaustion.

Geralt’s expression does a funny thing when he sees the coffee mug. It might be surprise, but Jaskier can’t think for the life of him why. “Thank you.”

It’s the same quiet, sort of reluctant tone Geralt had thanked him with earlier, and dear lord is no one ever just kind to him or something? Nevermind that this is literally Jaskier’s job. He wants to ask, but he can’t imagine the question going over well, so Jaskier leans against the side of the bench opposite Geralt and smiles, gesturing at the uniform shirt. “It’s a good look. You might have a real future here.”

By some miracle, that pulls what Jaskier thinks might be a smile from Geralt. It’s a small, subtle thing like Geralt isn’t quite certain how the expression fits on his face, and gone almost immediately, but it was there, if just for a second. “I’ll keep it in mind if I ever need a new line of work.”

“I mean, if my line of work tore up my wardrobe like that, I’d probably have noped out already,” Jaskier jokes.

“Hmm,” Geralt replies, staring resolutely into his coffee mug.

“So, I gotta ask,” Jaskier ventures when a few seconds pass and Geralt doesn’t glare at him for lingering. “Not that I mind, but there are like, a dozen places I’d be more apt to patch myself up than a diner bathroom.”

“Everything else is closed,” Geralt says from behind his mug, amber eyes briefly fluttering shut.

“Of course. That explains… Wait. That doesn’t explain anything. There’s literally a hospital two miles down the road. I’d probably-” Jaskier pauses when Geralt’s eyes crack open again, fixating on him. Something about it makes Jaskier far less certain of what he’s saying, and it comes out with a questioning sort of uptick at the end. “You know, try… there?”

“They don’t tend to be keen on my kind,” Geralt replies gruffly.

Jaskier has no idea what that means. “Uhh… uninsured?”

“A witcher.” Geralt glowers at Jaskier, but he says the word like it’s physically painful, a mouth full of broken glass.

Jaskier has never met a witcher, he’s pretty sure, but he’s heard the stories, same as everyone. Witchers are supposedly nearly as dangerous as the creatures they hunt, more monsters than men and never to be trusted. They’re not quiet and unobtrusive and startled by acts of kindness, surely. So, either Geralt is not what he seems or the stories are bullshit, and given the way this particular witcher looks like he’s braced for a blow, Jaskier is willing to bet it’s the latter.

Jaskier can’t help wanting to understand what kind of life Geralt must live that this is where he ends up in the small hours of the morning, injured and seemingly alone. It makes him privately furious, but somehow he doesn’t think the spectacle will be appreciated, even though it’s on Geralt’s behalf. Maybe especially because it’s on Geralt’s behalf, judging by the efforts the witcher goes to to be unobtrusive. So, Jaskier doesn’t say the first thing that comes to mind about how rotten humanity is. Instead, he says the second thing that comes to mind, which is equally unfortunate. “Well, that explains your eyes.”

Geralt’s expression goes stormy, and Jaskier only belatedly realizes he must have taken that as an insult. But about the time Jaskier opens his mouth to explain, Geralt seems to gather that he might have misunderstood. His brows crease as he looks at Jaskier, as if trying to puzzle something out. “What about them?”

“They’re beautiful,” Jaskier blurts out, which, oh that was not what he meant to say at all. Melting through the floor would be great about now. Or maybe disappearing entirely. Really, anything but standing here with Geralt staring at him like he’s grown a second head. Scrambling for an excuse to leave that won’t look like he’s running away - even though he definitely is - Jaskier forces a smile, taking a step backwards. “I’ll just… go get you some more coffee.”

Suddenly discovering his escaped sense of self-preservation, Jaskier doesn’t come back with coffee. His curiosity is tempered by embarrassment, so he stays away until Geralt’s order is up and he has an actual legitimate reason to drift back to the guy’s table. Jaskier does his best to straddle the line between friendly and professional as he sets down the plate. He has every intention of leaving Geralt to eat in peace, so Jaskier startles a little when Geralt speaks up before he can leave. “It was a basilisk.”

“A… like the ‘turn you into stone’ kind of basilisk?” Jaskier turns back and sort of wishes he hadn’t because Geralt looks rather sorry for having said anything.

“That’s just a myth. They don’t do that,” Geralt counters. Jaskier waits for him to expound on that further, but he doesn’t.

Jaskier has never seen a basilisk either, so it seems entirely natural to ask, “Then, what do they do?”

A funny thing happens. To Jaskier’s complete and utter surprise Geralt talks. Not in the teeth pulling miserable way he’s said most everything else, but like it’s a conversation he genuinely doesn’t mind having. Jaskier keeps half an eye on the door, but it’s Monday night, so it’s no great surprise that no one else comes in.

In the absence of other customers to tend to, Jaskier eventually just slides into the seat across from Geralt to listen. It’s not subject matter that Jaskier has ever considered, but it’s interesting if only for how it relates to Geralt. Huffing out a laugh, Jaskier cuts in. “To hear you tell it, people are as stupid and superstitious as they are… unkind. I suppose next thing you’ll be telling me is that vampires don’t actually burn up in the sunlight.”

Geralt pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs for definitely not the first time tonight. Honestly, Jaskier is coming to be just a bit fond of it. “They don’t.”

“Wait, really?”

Jaskier is thrilled to discover he doesn’t even have to press for details. Before he knows it, he’s learned more about vampires than he even thought there was to know. Along with fiends, leshens, and what might possibly be the entire list of contracts Geralt has taken in the last month. There’s a consistent thread through all of it that leaves Jaskier warm and maybe a bit embarrassed that he’d ever thought Geralt could be dangerous. “You don’t talk about them like they’re things you kill.”

“I don’t if I can help it. It’s not their fault humans sprawl out into the places they live.” Geralt thumbs at the handle of his coffee mug, staring at the contents that have long since gone cold.

Desperate to drive off the strange sense of melancholy creeping in, Jaskier grasps for some other direction he can steer the conversation. Hastily, he runs through what Geralt has talked about already, and gets a bit stuck on a concerning thought, given how often the witcher is here. “So, are there a lot of monsters around here?”

Crisis averted, Jaskier thinks. Geralt’s shoulders tense across the table, but at least he doesn’t seem sad anymore. “Not really.”

That really just brings more questions than it answers. “Oh, well that’s a relief, I guess. I’d hate to be out hiking and get eaten by a noonwraith or something.”

“Noonwraiths don’t live in forests. Don’t even live, really. They’re...” Geralt makes a face that Jaskier assumes means he’s caught on that it was a joke. That said, Jaskier admires his commitment to finishing anyway. “More like trapped spirits.”

“You’re the expert,” Jaskier says agreeably, not quite managing to stifle the urge to laugh. “So what is it that keeps bringing you here, then? Do witchers have territories or something? Do you live around here? Actually, no. That’s a stupid question. If you lived around here you wouldn’t have wound up here like that…”

He expects the look of annoyance he seems to have gotten very good at drawing from Geralt so far. What he doesn’t expect is the way Geralt’s gaze darts away, looking at pretty much anything but Jaskier. “No.”

“No what?”

“All of it. This is just on the way to a lot of the places I end up,” Geralt clarifies with a heavy sigh. It’s a lie, Jaskier is pretty sure, because this podunk down isn’t really on the way to anywhere, and the rest of Geralt’s answer confirms as much. “... ish.”

“The coffee isn’t that good,” Jaskier teases. He doesn’t get it, but he does like Geralt, no matter how taciturn the witcher might be.

“It’s not.” Geralt tenses where he sits, and Jaskier thinks maybe he ought not to have pressed. As strange as today has been for him, it’s probably been awful for Geralt. Only Geralt doesn’t look upset. If anything, he ducks his head, a bit sheepish, muttering something under his breath.

Jaskier doesn’t even realize he’s leaned in closer until Geralt’s eyes widen just a fraction. “Sorry. I didn’t catch that.”

The way Geralt scowls, not at Jaskier but just in general, he thinks he’s not going to get an answer. He especially doesn’t think he’s going to get this particular answer, and yet Geralt very abruptly surrenders. “I don’t come here for the coffee.”

Oh. Jaskier bows his head to hide the smile that tugs at his lips. Somehow, it’s comforting to think that Geralt, who faces down monsters and seems generally put together is as awkward as he is. So much so that it takes him a second to even realize Geralt is maybe flirting with him. Definitely trying to judging by the vaguely terrified, deer in the headlights expression on the witcher’s face.

“I’m much better off the clock.” Jaskier immediately slaps a hand over his mouth, but it’s far too late. This is the point where Geralt realizes he’s made a terrible mistake. This is the moment where he decides maybe not to come back.

Whatever Jaskier expects, it’s not Geralt’s laughter, a surprised huff that sprawls out into something more concrete. It’s the loveliest sound Jaskier thinks he’s ever heard, and he can’t even bring himself to mind that it’s a little bit at his expense. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Before Jaskier can say anything, flirtatious or otherwise, there’s the familiar chime of someone coming through the door. Not that he needs the door to alert him. The raucous laughter does a good job on its own. That’d be the 3 a.m. crowd.

“I should… get back to work,” Jaskier reluctantly concedes and he’s pretty sure he doesn’t imagine the faintly disappointed look on Geralt’s face.

“Jaskier,” Geralt murmurs just as Jaskier is about to leave, softly enough he almost misses it. When he turns to look, the witcher’s jaw works for a moment before he says, “Thank you. For all this.”

“Any time,” Jaskier replies, not entirely surprised to find he means it. Even if nothing comes of their newfound camaraderie, maybe he’ll get a song out of it or something.

The 3 a.m. rush keeps him busy after that, and Jaskier only really makes it back to Geralt’s table to refill his coffee and bring him the check. By the time things slow down, Geralt is out the door, which is a good thing, honestly. He’s gotta sleep some time, Jaskier supposes.

Jaskier watches Geralt’s car disappear before he goes to clean up the table. As always, Geralt has left everything neatly stacked (yet another reason he’s Jaskier’s favorite customer). There are a few bills, and it’s only as he’s pocketing them that he notices writing on the receipt Geralt left behind.

A phone number is scrawled across the slip of paper, but it’s the note underneath that makes Jaskier grin as he pockets it for later.

Just in case you run into any noonwraiths in the woods.

(Fic Masterpost)

[astagfirullah-house]

The Coffee Shop-HiraMin

The first time I saw her, I was bored and people watching at my favorite cafe. It was a cold day and I had come to get coffee. I usually got it to-go but something made me sit there that day, at the corner table. I settled in the big comfy chair and scrolled through my phone. When I got bored of it I started people watching.

There were only a handful of people who braved the cold to make it to the cafe. There was a couple engrossed in a conversation at the far right. Two middle-aged women with their babies sat at the middle table, gossiping like they must have in school. And then there was her. She sat at the corner table, like me, at the opposite end of the room. Her table was strewn with huge textbooks and all sorts of stationery that I couldn't even begin to name. She held a highligher in her hand as her lips moved soundlessly, reading whatever was on the pages. She pushed her glasses up her nose and took a sip from her coffee mug. She looked so cute. I looked at her studying like that until I ran out of coffee. I felt like a little bit of a creep but chalked it down to her being my only source of entertainment.

This continued though. Every time I came to get coffee, I'd notice her sitting at the same table. I took whatever table was available and spent my time alternating between staring at her and scrolling through my phone. Spending so much time looking at her, I noticed how she made really funny faces while studying. She frowned in anger when she couldn't understand something, smiled the biggest smile I have ever seen on a person when she finally remembered a piece of information. She looked so adorable, hunched over her books in concentration.

Then suddenly, she stopped coming. I went to the cafe almost every day for a month but she was never there. My heart hurt. I could never know what happened. Did she move away? Did she simply find a new cafe to study at? Or did she leave this world? I would never know. My heart mourned her loss even though I told myself it was stupid, I didn't even know her name.

Days turned into weeks turned into months and I got busy with my own life. My company decided to send me to a different country to work on a project. I had to stay there for 3 months. The time there helped me forget about cafe girl and when I returned I didn't even remember her. For old time's sake, I decided to go to the cafe to get coffee. It was a pleasant spring day and the streets were bustling with people. The cafe was so full that not a single table was available. I decided to get my coffee to-go.

As I waited for my order, my eyes roamed over the people in the cafe, all engrossed in their own little worlds. My eyes paused at a familiar face as I felt my lips curl up into a smile. She sat at the same place, books and stationery littering her table. Before I knew what I was doing I asked the barista to make my order dine-in.

"But there's no free table." He said with an apologetic smile.

"It's fine, I know someone here." I answered back.

He made me my coffee and I carried it over to her table. I cleared my throat.

"Excuse me." She didn't look up.

"Umm... Hello?" Was she ignoring me on purpose?

I was about to turn back, embarrassed, when I noticed the earpods peeking through her long brown hair. Oh, she couldn't hear me.

I knocked the table and she looked up, her brown eyes wide in surprise and confusion. She grabbed her phone to pause whatever she was listening to then smiled up at me. I felt my heart skip a beat.

"Umm.. there's no free table and you're the only solo person here. Can I sit with you?" I felt my cheeks heating up.

"Yeah sure!" She answered so enthusiastically that I felt like we were already friends or something. She pulled her stuff towards herself to make space for me at the table. She had so much stationery, did she even use it all? One look at her colorful textbooks, filled with sticky notes of all shapes and sizes and the text colored in different shades made me realize she really did use all this.

I looked up from her books to see her looking at me, unsure. Her hand rested midway as if she wasn't sure if she should introduce herself or I wanted to be left alone. I made it easier for her.

"Hi, I'm ______." I extended my hand.

"______." She shook it, a big smile on her face that made me crack a small smile of my own. This girl gave smiles too easily.

"You're a student?" I gestured to the books.

"Yeah, I'm studying medicine." She tucked her hair behind her ear, looking down self consciously.

Then she looked up suddenly, as if remembering something. 

"What about you?"

"Me? I work at a trading company." 

"Ohh..." She nodded and looked down at her books. An awkward silence descended upon us.

"You should get back to your books," I said with a nervous laugh. "I won't disturb you."

She gave a nervous laugh of her own and picked up her pen. After a couple of minutes of awkward glances we settled into a comfortable silence. She studied like she always did and I looked at her like I always had.

Then a sly smiled curled her lips and caught me off guard.

"Why are you staring at me?" She asked without taking her eyes off her books. I felt the heat run up my neck to my ears and cover my whole face.

"I... I wasn't... It's not... " I stuttered. What could I say? I must look like such a creep.

She finally looked up, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"You know, I've seen you here before. I thought you looked at me then too but I figured I was imagining things. Are you some stalker? Should I call the police." There was an edge to her voice that told me she wasn't entirely joking.

"No! It's not like that!" I choked out. "I just like people watching."

She looked at me suspiciously but apparently decided to let it drop.

"So, why'd you disappear?" Her question confused me and she elaborated.

  "You didn't come here for months. I thought you'd died or something." She looked uncomfortable and now it was my turn to be amused.

"Are you a stalker?" I teased and she rolled her eyes.

I laughed and answered her question then asked her the same.

"I had exams. I figured it'd be more convenient to study at home."

"Damn, you study a lot."

"I have to, to save lives." She said this as a joke but there was a hint of pride in her voice that made my heart swell. She loved doing this.

I asked her more things about her college and what she studied and in turn she asked me to explain my job because she had no idea what trading companies did. Talking to her made me excited. I wanted to know everything about her. What did she do for fun? What was she listening to? What did she think about the universe? What was her favorite color? I wanted to know everything. But something told me this was just the beginning. That I'd have plenty of time to get to know the answer to all these questions and more. She smiled at me, her books lying forgotten, and I smiled back excited at this new beginning.

[enstars-translations]

[Course Events] Arashi Narukami [Checkmate]

(Better late than never!

Checkmate Course Events for Arashi, who’s still smitten with Kunugi-sensei and not very motivated on working hard.)

Need Something From Me? (1/ 3)

“Eep! Oh, my gosh Izumi-chan! Don’t just push me from behind out of nowhere! What if I crashed into the door and got hurt? Would you take responsibility for that?”

A. (1) “You looked like you wanted to be pushed.”

“Oh, my? I knew you’d get it, Izumi-chan. Look, that’s Kunugi-sensei over there, right? Seems like he got a lot of work forced on him again today…. So I was just debating whether or not I should go over and lend a hand…. ♪”

A. (2) “You looked like you wanted to be pushed.”

“That doesn’t mean you should go and scare me like that. You could’ve just said something, like a normal person. Ah, oh no! I looked away for one second and Kunugi-sensei’s already disappeared somewhere! Oh, my gosh, this is the absolute worst~! I was waiting for just the right moment to go and talk to him~!”

B. (1) “Responsibility, hm….?”

“Well, rather than take responsibility, maybe I should have you help me get closer to my crush ♪ I was just in the middle of looking for an excuse to go talk to him, so it’s perfect timing! Go and play the part of “Cupid, the God of Love” for Kunugi-sensei and I, Izumi-chan…. ♪”

B. (2) “Responsibility, hm….?”

“Oh, my? Why, are you really going to take responsibility? It’s not that I’m not happy about it. It’s just that I’ve already got my heart set on someone else. I was just taking a peek at him a moment ago, too. Izumi-chan, it’d make me so happy if you would support us being together…. ♪”

Need Something From Me? (2/ 3)

“Ehh, you want me to come in for a lesson today? Hm~.... But I already went along with you the other day, so I don’t feel like it today. Why not just ask someone else? There’s a bunch of other members, right?”

A. (1) “Go and find someone then.”

“Someone to go instead of me? Well, then how about him? Umm…. Aw, too bad, I can’t see him anywhere today. That boy from the other day, ‘Ritsu-chan,’ wasn’t it? Well, I didn’t expect him to just be conveniently lying around whenever we need him….”

A. (2) “Go and find someone then.”

“Um, I’m saying no because I hate doing things that are a pain, you know? Oh, my! Perfect timing! It’s him…. ‘Yuu-kun’ is here! Now doesn’t this work so nicely? ♪ Wait, he ran off as soon as he looked over here? Izumi-chan, does he hate you or something?”

B. (1) “A bunch of useless idiots.”

“Hmm? So in other words, does that mean I’m a ‘useful genius’? Ahaha, oh Izumi-chan. You deny it, but at least that means you see me differently from the others, right? Why, I can’t say I dislike the sound of that. I don’t mind keeping you company for a little while, then…. ♪”

B. (2) “A bunch of useless idiots.”

“Even though there’s so many other members, is there no one else besides me? That ‘Leo-kun’-san you talk about it is still in the hospitalized, after all…. So I guess that’s what’s causing you stress, Izumi-chan. I know, why don’t we forget about lessons for today and head for the hot stone spa? You’ll feel a lot better after detoxing ♪”

Need Something From Me? (3/ 3)

“Hey, Izumi-chan. Could you stop with that whole ‘four-eyes’ thing? If Kunugi-sensei hears you say that, I’m going to hold a grudge on you for the rest of your life, you know? Call me by something a little more cute ♪”

A. (1) “Naruko.”

“Oh dear, you almost just made my heart flutter…. ♪ But I don’t really like the forceful and overbearing type…. So next time, sound more like a gentleman, and call me ‘Naruko-chan,’ okay?”

A. (2) “Naruko.”

“Hm~.... If possible, I’d want you to say it with “-chan” at the end, and make it sound cute ♪ Anyway, I feel bad being the only one making requests, so how about I call you something super cute too, like ‘Izumi-senpai ♪’? Did you just say that it gives you the chills? My gosh, Izumi-chan, you’re such a tyrant!”

B. (1) “You damn sissy.”

“Yes, yes, I know already, gosh. You don’t even have to tell me. But it’s okay, because I believe that someday, you’ll come and approach me yourself, Izumi-chan. Ahaha. You’re actually nice in your own way, aren’t you��.? ♪

B. (2) “You damn sissy.”

“Hold it, Izumi-chan? There’s a limit even for that foul mouth of yours, you know? Honestly, that pretty face of yours wouldn’t have to go to waste if you would just be quiet…. Sigh…. If only someone that could reform you would just show up.” 

Hey, Izumi-chan? (1/ 3)

“♪~ ♪~ ♪ Oh, I messed up with the timing again. The choreography for this song is so hard. It’s better than Izumi-chan’s part, but couldn’t I have my part changed to something a little easier?”

A. (1) “Huuh? Don’t say something so stupid.”

“Izumi-chan, you really are amazing, aren’t you? A song this difficult, and you’ve already mastered it. Plus, you look like you really enjoy singing this song…. ♪ Haha. I bet that wouldn’t be the case if ‘Leo-kun’-san hadn’t written the song.”

A. (2) “Huuh? Don’t say something so stupid.”

“Oh, my gosh. Why do you always get mad so fast, Izumi-chan? That’s just the way I am. I thought that you would understand that, you know? That’s right. I won’t run away, so just let me be free to do what I want ♪”

B. (1) “You can do it, can’t you?”

“Well, if I really tried to, I could. But I just don’t have the motivation, you know….? Like, there’s nothing to really get me going. You’ll tell me everything you know about Kunugi-sensei….? Aha, I guess I have no choice, then. Since you say you’ll support the love between Kunugi-sensei and I, I’m going to get serious, okay?”

B. (2) “You can do it, can’t you?”

“Hmm. You know, I wonder how you see me in your eyes, Izumi-chan. Maybe I’m just making too big of a deal out of this, but…. Well, whatever. I’ll work hard this time for you ♪ After all, it’s annoying to have you think that I can’t do it.”

Hey, Izumi-chan? (2/ 3)

“Ugh, I’m all sweaty all of a sudden. I didn’t plan on working this hard. Izumi-chan, can we take a little break? I’m going to go wash my face. Gosh, my face is all red…. I definitely can’t let Kunugi-sensei see me looking like this.”

A. (1) “Aren’t you worrying too much?”

“Oh my. But Izumi-chan, aren’t you especially the type to worry too much about everything? It’s the same as when you’re a model, but even as an idol, I think you’re very stoic. But I know, okay? That in reality, you’re actually a very hard worker ♪

A. (2) “Aren’t you worrying too much?”

“Of course I’d worry. If you were in love, you’d worry too, Izumi-chan. Aha. I’d sure like to see it, an Izumi-chan in love ♪ I wonder what it’ll be like? When you find someone you like, maybe sure you tell me first, alright? And then we can have a girl’s talk ♪”

B. (1) “Your face looks pretty.”

“I know that. If I’m not pretty, then I’m just not me. But sweat and sebum are the sworn enemies of ‘beauty’! If you’re lazy with skin care, it’s all for nothing! Come on, Izumi-chan, you should come along too, okay? You can’t slack off even one day if you want to be pretty…. ♪”

B. (2) “Your face looks pretty.”

“Oh my, oh my, I never thought I’d hear you say that, Izumi-chan! It surprised me, but…. Ahaha, it makes me really happy somehow ♪ Coming from you, it makes me feel like it’s really true ♪

Hey, Izumi-chan? (3/ 3)

“Izumi-chan…. Hey, Izumi-chan! Gosh, took you long enough to respond…. So, I guess you still can’t get in touch with ‘Leo-kun’-san? I get that you’re annoyed, but you need to hold yourself together right now, okay?”

A. (1) “Sorry….”

“Oh my, you weren’t annoyed….? That’s not like you, you know? Don’t just go casually apologizing like that. I understand that you’re worried about ‘Leo-kun’-san. But right now, let’s just believe in him and keep on waiting, okay, Izumi-chan?”

A. (2) “Sorry….”

“Without ‘Leo-kun’-san here right now, it’s your job to keep us mercenaries in line, Izumi-chan. Actually…. I don’t even really know that person, to be honest, so it doesn’t matter to me where he’s here or not. In other words, both Ritsu-chan and I are here for your sake, Izumi-chan. Please understand that, okay?”

B. (1) “That guy….”

“Wow, what a scary face. Your veins are popping out! If you keep on making that scary face, won’t ‘Leo-kun’-san be too scared to come out? Come on, how about a smile? You’re the world’s treasure when you have a nice smile on your face, Izumi-chan…. ☆”

B. (2) “That guy….”

“Hmm. Izumi-chan, you look so on-edge right now, it’s like you could lose it at any moment. Hey! Gosh, don’t go taking out your anger on me! Nothing good is going to come out of being annoyed, okay? We’re ‘Knights,’ so let’s start acting like one ♪”

[apsbicepstraining]

16 Situations All 30 -Somethings Should Stop Apologizing For This Year

If you were to ask me for an educated guess on the number of hours I said a mindless Im sorry in 2015, youd better have a technical calculator and some time to kill.

I failed way somewhere around 3 am on New Years Day.( Although odds are, the majority of members of those were justified .)

Apologies are like burps for me.

Unless you stymie my nostrils and cover my opening, they will operate out with foolhardy abandon.

Im sorry, I complain as I mine around for $0.86 in my purse, trying to avoid separating a $10 greenback for Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.

My palms are sweating, my hands are shaking and pennies are running everywhere.

I eventually succumb to handing over the $10, as to not inconvenience the convenience store clerk any longer.

Im sorry, this pitchers out of whole milk. Would you knowledge refilling it? I ask the Starbucks barista timidly, like Ive been hanging out at the self-service counter and guzzling it dry all day.

Excuse me, Im sorry, I squeak, trying to remove myself from the woman who is using the side of my figure to prop up her newspaper.

I’m sorry I wasnt able to morph into a better coffee table for her morning commute.

Apologies are the umm of our generation.

They are half-thought out space-fillers in gossips we dont feel like having.

Whether theyre genuine and justified in an attempt to avoid conflict or a simple way to wrap up a social interaction, Im sure weve all apologized a lot during the past year.

Well, its is high time to put your hoof down.

We shouldnt feel pressured to rush, settle or step aside for people who cant look up from their smartphones.

There will be no more cramming ourselves into the figurative or physicalspaces other parties have created for us.

Hell, if guzzling whole milk from a pitcher goes us going in the morning, makes not apologize for that either.

In any case, heres a register of 16 circumstances 30 -somethings should definitely stop rationalizing for in 2016 TAGEND

1. RSVPing No

You shouldnt have to justify not listening things.

We all have a lot on our plates.

If you find yourself panicked about driving two hours to a newborn rain on your only day off, stay home.

Send a check, going to go to bottom and take care of your own baby.

Ive spent times flowing myself ragged over happenings that suck time out of my weekend and coin out of my wallet.

Then, it ultimately dawned on me: Nothing who matters is deterring score.

It might sound harsh, but if we all stopped regarding each other to so many obligations, perhaps wed actually have time to connect.

2. Your Wardrobe

Your adolescence, teenage years and those scantily-clad eras of college are spent garmenting to impress everyone but yourself.

As you get older, wear what becomes you comfortable.

Dress for your figure. Dress for the occasion.

If you need bikini summaries that come up past your belly button to feel good on vacation, fasten those bloomers on and never look back.

I like to wear jeans, TOMS and solid-colored shirts every day of my life.

Guess what? Im a joyous little hipster.

3. Your Face

One of my favorite positions on this topic comes from Annette Bening in the movie The Women.

A department store salesman tries to sell her a “facelift in a bottle.”

She appears him squarely in the eye and acknowledgments, This is my face. Deal with it.

It seems everyone is peddling some make that promises to cringe your holes, get rid of your wrinkles, medicine your acne, prolong your lashes or vaporize your crow’s feet.

You shouldnt apologize for buying right into it( coughing) or slamming it down.

If you want to constitute your own vanishing cream out of avocados and egg whites, I think you’re squandering a perfectly good frittata.

But let me know if it works.

If youd rather expended $99 on 1 ounce of infomercial attention cream, write me.

I can provide you with the details.

4. Your Social Media Presence

Whether you post 20 times per day or have fallen entirely off the radar, theres no right or wrong way to do this stuff.

If youre paying that much attention to what others are doing on the Internet, youre clearly sitting on the Internet too much yourself.

5. Not Being In The Same Mental Space As Your Friends

Its tough, but we thrive apart.

If theres a shrinking roster of things you have in common with even the oldest of your best friend, its nothing to overcome yourself up over.

Some has the potential to are in conformity with very different places in their lives.

Your 30 s are a transitional age for everyone involved.

People are carving out the lives they picture for themselves, and were all walking around as different sculptors.

Some of us are a little more Donatello, while some are more Michelangelo.

The good substance ever bubbles back to the surface with a true sidekick, even if youre not currently jiving the route you used to.

6. Your Living Quarters

Owning property should no longer be the criteria by which we appraise our success.

You shouldn’t have to go into indebtednes to keep up.

If youre still living with a roommate, sibling, futon or even on a sofa, then who cares?

A living arrangement doesnt “ve got to be” permanent or pristine.

If you boomeranged back to your parents after a unpleasant breakup, so be it.

Its okay to declare youre unsure of your next stair, and youre not going to bank on circumstances until you are.

7. The Fact You Like To Move Dancing

This is more of a metaphor than anything.( Although, I do enjoy shaking my posterior plumage from time to day .)

You shouldnt apologize for wanting to dance out your demons.

Whether its in your living room, at a Zumba class, on a table or in a ballroom, rotate, baby.

8. Your Relationship Status

Theres something to be said for the latitude between RSVPing “no” and your relationship status.

But perhaps, youre simply over some crazy uncle asking why your boyfriend from six years ago isnt there.

Single, separated, divorced, rebuffed, cheating, happy, hopeful, lesbian or straight-shooting, you dont owe Uncle Frank an explanation.

9. Your Diet And Fitness Regimen( Or Lack Thereof)

While I ever prefer an unruly slew of nachos to a kale salad or protein shake, you gotta do what you gotta do.

This is another thing parties seem to like to peddle.

Whether youre training for triathlons, juicing the contents of your kitchen or house Cheeto strongholds in your living room, its your body.

Nobody has to occupy it but you.

Just try not to be too righteous about it.

Im not going to apologize for ingesting a cheeseburger any more than a staunch vegetarian might apologize for posting photographs of flax seeds all day.

10. How You Deduce Your Income

Money constitutes “the worlds” go round.

Whether you have a career youre passionate about, one youre lukewarm about or three part-time responsibilities strung together, its nobodys business how you compensate your bills.

11. The Fact You’re Turning Into Your Parents

This has been an interesting one to watch unfold.

Try as you might, its going to happen.

Theres no expend rationalizing for it because you never accepted a chance.

All those concepts you rolled your eyes at from the back seat of the Dodge station wagon?

Theyre winging right out of your mouth now.

I like to yell, Im not made of money! at my “cat-o-nine-tail” when we’re on our route home from the vet.

12. Being A Slug

If the pizza delivery guy would come instantly to my bedroom window, Id let my bathrobe belt down for him like Rapunzel let down her hair.

Bed pizza is a real and splendid thing.

Dont apologize for being a gross, lazy stinker sometimes.

The only way to reflect brightly in public is by wasting away in your own slothfulness behind closed doors.

13. Your Travel Style

Some beings operate first class and is necessary to stay in five-star hotels.

Others couch surf, hostel hop-skip or carry their adaptations on their backs.

Seeing the world is admirable , no matter how you make it happen.

You know Jay and Bey arent apologizing for yachting all over the French Riviera, so why should I apologize for getting bedbugs in Belize?

14. Your Voice

One of the most common concepts I apologize for is talking too loudly.

Others say sorry for not being heard.

Some people stutter and others have lisps.

There are the raspy express and the plainly high-pitched voices.

You can limit your articulation to a certain degree, but why bother?

Speak up, whisper, bellow, sigh, laugh, sing, squeal and clear your throat.

Just dont whistle. Nothing likes a whistler.

Definitely dont shush anyone; a shush is a personal attack.

15. Your Opinion

Granted, there is a period and a plaza, but how will anyone know how you feel if you dont speak up?

It’s worseif you apologize for doing so.

If done correctly and not for the sake of idle gossip, giving your opinion can become you into an opinion leader.

Thats a pretty good bench to be in.

If you opine in a systematically constructive way, parties will start to look to you for wisdom.

Thats a great route to positively influence the lives of others.

16. Your Truth

Whatever it is and however you find it, dont apologize for it once you do.

Dont apologize for how long it takes you, either.

If youve been hiding your truth in a lie youre finally free from, welcome back.

Step right in. The waters warm.

Its taken a lot of justifications, conformities and f* ckups to get us to this third decade of our existence.

So, lets take what weve learned and bask in that splendid wisdom of the ages.

We sort of earned it.

Grab your chisel( or your pepperoni pizza) and start carving out what works for you.

Stop apologizing for the pebbles that get left behind.

The post 16 Situations All 30 -Somethings Should Stop Apologizing For This Year appeared first on apsbicepstraining.com.

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[lucius-inspo-blog]

PART I: THE MUGGLE

Name: Aman

Age: ..22? shit how old am I? Yeah, 22. We’re good.

Timezone: PST

Preferred Pronouns: She/her

Activity Level: um… active? low key always around ngl

Have you read the rules and F.A.Q.?: yuppp

Tell us a bit about yourself and roleplaying: umm… hi

What is your favourite spell?: Weird question, I know, but I’m curious! Fat rat yellow spell!

Ships | Anti-Ships: Lucius/Narcissa, Lucius/Chem

Anything else?: sorry, i wrote a lot…

PART II: THE WIZARD

Name: Full name of the character you are applying for.

Age and Birthday: August 11, 1954, which makes him 25

Preferred Pronouns: He/him

Character alignment: Neutral Evil. He might not exactly fit the mold but I’d say the following holds true: A neutral evil villain does whatever she can get away with. She is out for herself, pure and simple. She sheds no tears for those she kills, whether for profit, sport, or convenience. The explanation goes on to explain that he has no love of order or destruction for the sake of destruction. Which, honestly, is true. All of that, his reasons for everything tie back to himself.

Affiliation: Death Eater. Why’d he join? Practical reasons: everyone is, Lord Voldemort is clearly powerful, there’s a movement here he wants to be a part of, he wants to be actively involved, he knew his father’d done plenty of meddling in affairs but this is more than that and even better, he would be making things happen Emotional reasons: he struggles with depression, the bloody part of this role serves as therapy of sorts, it brings him a rush, a power and something bigger.

Occupation: Pls, he has none. Socialite. As a Malfoy, he’s been taught to have his fingers in everything but to always keep his respectability. He’s shrewd, clever and intends to go after power, however he refers being the whispers in someone’s ear rather than to take the limelight (in case it backfires in the future). He doesn’t mind throwing anyone under the bus, but he’ll always do it from behind the scenes. This persona is part of why he’s able to plead Imperius curse when put on trial after the war. He was never openly cruel towards the wrong people. When we see him later in the series, we see a lot through Harry’s very biased perspective where he is openly cruel. At that point, he has made an enemy out of Harry and makes a point to be brutal. Backspace jut a little earlier in the book and you’ll hear him telling his son to never be openly hostile towards Harry because it wouldn’t do well to hate the BWL.

PART III: THE INTERVIEW

1. What was your first sexual experience if you had one? Is it a positive or negative memory?

“I hope you know that, usually, I’ll need a good glass of wine or three before delving into such topics. However, I can make an exception today.” He paused for effect, playful smile hiding behind the rim of his wine glass. “Let’s see, I was bright eyed young thing at Hogwarts and spending time with an older girl– hush, we’re not naming names. We’d found a little alcove and had ourselves a quick, little fumble. Awkward, a little cringe worthy, definitely warrants a good chuckle as I look back at it now. Overall, I’d say it’s a good memory, which I’m thankful for. I’ve heard quite a few tales of some terrible first experiences.” 2. If you had a weakness for one of the seven deadly sins, which one would it be and why?

“Easily gluttony. If one takes into account how much as I’ve eaten today, I might need to be rolled back to the manor.” Lucius laughed and patted his smooth stomach, taking delight in the lingering gaze on his figure. “You’d do the honors, right? Help a poor, gluttonous man out.” 3. What kind of house/apartment do you live in?

“Grandiose would not even begin to describe Malfoy manor. Don’t tell me I have never invited you over– oh no, this has to be rectified immediately. Next time we meet to discuss the policy, we shall do so at the manor. I’ll give you a tour, maybe we might be able to catch my father.” Lucius watched the man stand to attention at the mention of Abraxas. Perfect, he could work with that. 4. Which do you idealise most: happiness or success?

“Happiness. Success isn’t the answer. No, listen, wait a minute, don’t go saying I want every endeavor to fail. Success isn’t the answer to everything, it’s a way of life. I have it now and it’s something that I’ll always be chasing– anyone in their right mind will always be chasing it. Once you stop working towards it, it’s gone… Happiness, however, is a state of being that I’d love to get to know better. ” 5. If you died or went missing, who would miss you?

“My wife to be, I would imagine, would be quite torn apart by my loss.” An image played in his head: Narcissa crumpled over in a chair, inconsolable as she pressed a damp handkerchief to her eyes, the air full of choked sobs and prayers for his safe return. She was strikingly beautiful when she cried but he had no desire to test that theory, especially not in this manner. He would be staying as far from death as he could manage. His own death, that was. “Were you expecting me to say my father? Tsk, you and I both know he’d be delighted to raise another Malfoy heir. He always did enjoy my younger years.” 6. What would you do if you had insomnia and had to find something to do to amuse yourself?

“As a man who thrives off company, I’d be at a loss.” Perhaps that’s where marriage comes in, another person to share your sleepless nights… The reply never passed his lips so that the man’s thoughts stayed away from a certain pale, beautiful figure wrapped up in silk sheets. Lucius wet his lips, then continued, driving the other wizard in another direction. “If no one is available for a floo call, well… I’ve always been a fan of learning something new– perhaps a musical instrument. Do you play any yourself?”

PART IV: THE DETAILS

Q1 Takeaways:

Warm and inviting, when he talks to someone, he’s basically inviting them into his space. Like they’re special and an exception and can see something that no one ever gets to see.

He can laugh at himself. Only he can though, if you say something about/to him, he’ll remember it and it’ll bite them in the ass later. But if he laughs at himself, you can go ahead and give a good chuckle with him.

He’ll withhold as deemed classy and he’ll do it in a way that doesn’t feel like he’s holding back. He’s smooth and charming and hardly hesitates

More selfish note about witholding the girl’s name: it’s also about his first time and he doesn’t want any other perspective. He doesn’t want someone being interested, seeking her out and getting her side of it. Again, back to the being able to laugh at himself but you better not laugh at him.

However, if he didn’t like her, if it was a bad memory, he might’ve let part of the name slip by ‘accident’.

Q2 takeaways:

He’s vain, he loves when people appreciate him. Half of these types of comments from him are for when the reply is along the lines of 'rolled back? Look at you, you’re flawless.“

Gluttony: selfishness. Overindulgence, he loves the big stuff and he often gets wrapped up and carried away in it. Give him something good and he’ll chase it with all he’s got. Even the thought or hope of something good is enough to demand his attention. He’s constantly seeking out fulfillment and happiness. He’ll gobble something up and then move on to the next thing, never satisfied. This is a huge aspect to him as a person where he doesn’t know where to stop. He tends to get enthralled by something and then carelessly toss it aside when it’s consumed (when he’s realizes that, no, it’s not going to make him happy). There’s always a new best thing: a new bottle of wine, the family wand, Narcissa.

Rejects

Lust: nah, not for sex, not for power. He has power

Envy: meeeeeeeeh

Greed: psh

Sloth: NOPE, he always gets irritated when people claim that rich just laze about in their manors. He’s seen his parents stress, struggle, and strive for more just like anyone else. He sees his friends and others in his society picking up jobs, organizing charities and balls, influencing the world…

Wrath: this is a contender, if only because he knows how to hold a grudge. He gets angry, upset, he goes to violence, he sees it as just. He revels in vengeance and enjoys a good cleverly hatched plan. However, it’s not blinding. He’ll never lose himself in a rage and will always weigh consequences. He values himself more than he values that anger.

Pride: another contendor, but not that high. This man’s ego is unparalleled by many. He values himself and thinks of himself as a gift to the world. It’s put in perspective, however, when you look at how he uses it. He considers himself high but he surrounds himself in other people who are at his level. He sees others’ pride as well and acknowledges that, yes, they should be proud. They’re accomplished as well. They’re powerful, skilled men and women to admire.

Q3 Takeaways:

He knows what the man wants, he just roundabout worked his way there. This wizard wants to meet Abraxas? That can be arranged. It might be. Maybe. Okay, Lucius had no intention of bringing his father in, but let’s keep that between us.

Even if Abraxas isn’t there, it’s a way to bring the other into his arms. Lucius enjoys these kinds of things, where he can show off the manor, share little 'secrets’, help the other unwind, bring him in to his side.

Q4 Takeaways

Fuck me up I have a lot of thoughts about this. So does Lucius, can you tell? His demeanor gets a bit more earnest, like he’s telling you something you need to know.

He’s familiar with success.

He isn’t familiar with happiness. It goes back to how he has the world at his fingertips. It hit him a lot as a teenager– he dealt with depression! He was prefect. He had good friends. A girlfriend. Sexual experiences. Grades. Pureblood. Teachers loved him. He was perfect. But he felt empty and, damn, he needed something. It’s multiple things: he doesn’t handle bad news as well, constantly looking up the ladder, goals are less gratifying than he’d thought them to be, he felt like he’d always had to hold back. He withdrew for a while there, in Hogwarts, pulled back from all the shit and just tried to sort his stuff out on his own, but that didn’t end up working out at all. Now he’s grounded a bit in his mission with the Death Eaters.

The torture and the killing is almost therapeutic to him, putting life and values into perspective. It keeps him grounded but it still doesn’t give him that happiness. Right now, he thinks Narcissa is going to make him happy.

Q5 Takeaways

He’s a dreamer, can you see? It works with him in general. He knows how to dream big. He knows how to get what he wants!

Narcissa… He has an image built up of her in his head. He has an idea of who she is and what she’ll be to him. He expects her to fill it, honestly. He’s controlling as a fiance and he makes sure he has a say. At the same time, he’s very romantic. He wants her to be in love with him and to miss him. There’s a juxtaposition there that’s going to definitely leave him jarred. Especially as he realizes that his image of Narcissa isn’t really her. Right now though, he idealizes her. She is the solution to all his problems, his other half, his wife to be, the woman who’ll share his bed and his struggles.

He’s spoiled by his dad. Absolutely spoiled and they have had a really good relationship ever since he was young. Something changed a little with his father when he grew up. He idealizes his childhood a little bit and that joy he had there.

Q6 Takeaways:

He’s an extrovert and everyone knows it

He has very very detailed and vivid thoughts about Narcissa being in his bed

The assumption that he can wake her up if he can’t sleep. Not for sex, but just in general. It’s such an interesting assumption and you can tell that he doesn’t understand relationships in any way

He realizes how the mention of Narcissa can bring the other guy’s thoughts to her scantily clad and in bed. So he’s protecting his wife to be’s virtue. Gtfo, guy, only he can daydream about her like that

He likes to spend time productively and doing things. He does, however, have a loose sense of the word productive. Making peacocks out of paper? Useless, sure, but it’s productive. An intricate braid in his hair? Why not?

Wand

Age: 11–now

Sentiments: it’s been a great companion to him, served him well, he enjoys a little flair Alder wood, dragon heartstring

Wood: Alder

Whilst Alder makes for an unyielding wood, its ideal owner is not stubborn or obstinate, but often helpful, considerate and most likeable. Whereas most wand woods seek similarity in the characters of those they will best serve, alder is unusual in that it seems to desire a nature that is, if not precisely opposite to its own, then certainly of a markedly different type. When an alder wand is happily placed, it becomes a magnificent, loyal helpmate. Of all wand types, alder is best suited to non-verbal spell work, whence comes its reputation for being suitable only for the most advanced witches and wizards. Alder is also excellent for protection against outside forces, and, when combined with phoenix feather, is a suitable match for a wizard who will "make their mark on this world”

Core: Dragon Heartstring

As a rule, dragon heartstrings produce wands with the most power, and which are capable of the most flamboyant spells. Dragon wands tend to learn more quickly than other types. While they can change allegiance if won from their original master, they always bond strongly with the current owner. The dragon wand tends to be easiest to turn to the Dark Arts, though it will not incline that way of its own accord. It is also the most prone of the three cores to accidents, being somewhat temperamental.

Age: for the future

Sentiments: longing Elm, dragonheartstring: Kept in a walking stick, family heirloom that’s been passed through the Malfoy family from patriarch to patriarch for generations.

He’s eagerly awaiting this wand, honestly. He’ll be getting it when he marries, as a symbol of becoming head of the Malfoy family.

Lucius has this game he plays with his father where he’ll try to sneak it away from him. They’ve been doing it since he was younger. Sometimes the wand would be laying in the open and he’d sneak it away. Other times, he’d go with a classic “OH WHAT WAS THAT” and then run with it, giggling like a mad man. It led to quite a few little accidents, unfortunately, but nothing that couldn’t be waved away.

Friends

He’s a lot looser with his friends than the general public. He can be more crude, more playful and enjoys that they can bring out the cruel streak in him.

He has no problem sharing disgusting details with his friends, he’s also the group gossip for sure.

Considering his friends, I can easily see them having a bit of a good cop bad cop dynamic sometimes.

He judges Rodolphus’ relationship with Bellatrix and definitely doesn’t want anything like that for himself.

He’s known for his parties tbh, he throws amazing ones

Family

Father: Lucius close with his dad and has always been. When he was younger, his dad would bring him along to teas and casual events, just to charm the ladies. Lucius would sit there, well behaved, flashing a couple smiles and asking a few questions here or there. Winning people over had never been difficult. He enjoyed the bonding. He loved seeing the inner working’s of his father’s circle– how things worked and why. The man did, however, have a habit of silencing young Lucius when he used the wrong words. Abraxas took a direct approach to raising Lucius and showed him how everything worked and why. His father didn’t give away all his secrets, though, which was made apparent when he rebuked any questions Lucius had about if he really did organize the unfortunate death of the first muggleborn minister.

Mother: His mother was a stranger to him growing up. She’d married Abraxas for his name, gave him an heir, and then declared her duties done. She stood by Abraxas at parties but hardly did much more. Lucius didn’t interact much with her growing up and, honestly, he didn’t want to. His father had never had kind words for her, which left a mark in Lucius’ impressionable young mind.

Relationship^ He doesn’t want a relationship like his parents. He wants love and companionship. He has a lot of views of what marriage would mean to him and they’re very naïve, idealistic and one sided.

The Supremacy

He was raised with pureblood supremacy. It was how he viewed life, of course. He knew he was better than others, that much was clear. He was isolated in a similar society. In this way, he definitely grew up seeing an ideal. This is what the rest of the world could be. He couldn’t fathom why they would not want this. His family has always held such beliefs and have been pulling strings in the background for years. Abraxas, in fact, was part of the assassination of the first muggle born minister. Lucius started his Hogwarts years with that belief never wavering. However, it was always just a belief until he joined the death eaters. Then it quickly became something more. He’s proud of his position as death eater. He sees himself as taking a belief and acting upon it, not just once or twice but over and over with each mission he takes. He sees himself and his comrades taking up arms for a something they believe in and rallying together. He finds a lot of strength in that idea. They’re coming together to do something good. It’s something that needs to be done. He recognizes the cruelty of it. How would he not see the fact that there’s death and torture at every step? He doesn’t mind, though. In fact, it’s part of the draw. Lucius struggled with depression for a lot of his teenage years, but this has helped pull him out of it. He’s found something that helps him feel steady. This is what he likes. He likes the torture. He likes the ideals. What is he there for? He’s there for himself. Honestly, he’s there because it works for him. It’s an easy, entertaining way for him to solidify his sense of self. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t believe in any of it. Actually, he’s dived fully into it and has quickly climbed the ranks of the Death Eaters. However, it just means that his loyalties lie with himself.

^– is a a coward? Idk about that. Maybe you could call him one. It’s more that he loves himself more than anything else and he’ll take care of himself. He’s loyal to the death eaters but that’s because it works for him. When it stops working for him, he’ll let it go. When Voldemort dies, he has no desire to go look for him. He’s not loyal to the man. Yes, he believes in pureblood supremacy, but he’ll find his own ways to play with it that doesn’t involve voldemort or the death eaters. And by then, he has a son as well which ends up becoming another way to ground him (a healthier way than torture and killing). He doesn’t go searching for Voldemort. He doesn’t want to end up in Azkaban. So he says forget that. He doesn’t think Voldemort is the answer to everything. He sees him and respects him and even fears him, but he believes in himself more than this dark wizard.

I’m using this in reference, as well, to when the DE masks come out at the Quidditch World Cup. At that point, he’s been bored, slightly unbalanced yet again and the torture was a pull he couldn’t resist.

OKAY

Now that you’ve read all this bullshit, go ahead and check out: https://lucius-inspo.tumblr.com/ it’s easier to read, i swear

PART V: THE STORY

Lucius Malfoy graced the wizarding world with his arrival between claps of thunder– applause. The downpour continued for a week after his birth but did nothing to deter the flocks of men and women who made their way to Malfoy manor. The manor sat under darkened skies, teeming with life as the pitter patter of rain against the tiles became another layer of music. After years and years of trying, a new heir for the Malfoy family was born. Abraxas paraded the newborn around, the bundle of blankets cradled in his arms for all to see while his wife sat with her friends, exhausted and pretending her insides weren’t torn apart.

These first few days of Lucius’ life reflected the following years perfectly. A doting father, a distant mother, thunderous applause and the Malfoy name.

The name Malfoy gave Lucius everything– wealth, prestige, luxury, heritage, purity, and a sense of pride– and his father never once let him believe otherwise. As he grew, Lucius learned how to wield this identity as both a weapon and a shield. With words as sweet as honey and a bright smile to go with it, he charmed everyone through his childhood, from his father’s coworkers to Hogwarts professors to the girls who giggled in the halls when he passed by. His actions held a warmth that, though exagerrated, could hardly be called fake.

Pull this string and you get a nod of acknowledgement, pull the other and you get an invitation into their home. Hogwarts was a breeze to the clever young Slytherin, who churned out excellent spellwork, acceptance into the Slug Club, and a prefect’s badge. His friends never left his side and the girls were another adventure entirely. Life should be perfect for Lucius Malfoy, the young boy who had everything.

Yet, the ever elusive concept of happiness stayed within arm’s reach for him. Both in and after Hogwarts, each goal he placed for himself brought a satisfied curl to his stomach before leaving him empty and in want of more. The man ate, drank and smiled his way through a barrage of parties but found himself craving more. Parties, alcohol, drugs, women. When something failed, he switched his attention to something else.

The fullfillment was found in the Death Eaters. When he joined Lord Voldemort’s ranks, it was as much for himself as it was for the cause that he believed in so dearly. The higher purpose and the torture that came with it was just enough to ground the unbalanced young man. The climb through Lord Voldemort’s ranks was accompanied by a renewed vigor in Lucius’ life.

He craved more: a wife, the manor, a new title, impact on policy, his family wand, his mother’s approval, Lord Voldemort’s favor, the list goes on and on. Narcissa was the first on the list and just as easy as everything else was to him. With a word in her mother’s direction, the young woman was already his, down to the new platinum blonde hair. The dedication delighted him like nothing else before. It could only get better from there.

At 25, Lucius had grown into himself as a man. He had gained his own reputation in the Ministry that could rival his father’s– one with no need for a job title. Lucius kept his hands clean, fingers gently wrapped around his wineglass as he smiled his way through yet another Ministry function with his beautiful fiancée by his side. With Narcissa as his own, the Ministry in his pocket, and the muggleborns quickly dwindling away, he saw good things for his future. And damn, he was craving something good.

[type2diabetestreatments-blog]

Ask D'Mine: Lantus and Bleeding, Lantus in Winter

New Post has been published on http://type2diabetestreatment.net/diabetes-mellitus/ask-dmine-lantus-and-bleeding-lantus-in-winter/

Ask D'Mine: Lantus and Bleeding, Lantus in Winter

Diabetes isn't very loving, but here at the 'Mine, we're here to support you! Welcome to another edition of our weekly advice column, Ask D'Mine, hosted by veteran type 1, diabetes author and community educator Wil Dubois.

Mysteries are all around us in the world of diabetes, and today Wil tackles a couple involving Lantus.

Need help navigating life with diabetes? Email us at AskDMine@diabetesmine.com

Francisco from New Jersey, type 2, writes: I took my shot of Lantus like I take regularly, but I took it in the leg today for the second time. After I took it I started to taste blood and then spit blood. My leg is now starting to hurt where I took it. I was just wondering if this is bad. Please respond. Sent from my iPhone.

Wil@Ask D'Mine answers: Why the hell are you texting me?! Hang up your smart phone and call your doctor NOW!

That was my reply a week ago when I got his email. Hopefully Francisco took my advice, which segues perfectly into the following reminder: this column is an advice column. This column is NOT a substitute for the Emergency Room; this column is NOT a nurse hotline; this column CANNOT be your doctor. To paraphrase Dr. McCoy of Star Trek fame, "Damn it, Jim, I'm a writer, not a doctor."

So for God's sake, if you are spitting blood, call your doctor or the ER first. Then by all means follow up with us for a "second opinion."

Now to your question... Yes, I would say that it is bad if you are spitting blood. That said, I doubt that your leg shot had anything to do with it.

A quick review for those who don't use it: Lantus is a basal insulin, which is to say it's just run-of-the-mill insulin in high-tech bubble wrap. This turns it into a time-release formula. Think extended-release insulin. We type 1s will often use it as the foundation of our therapy (adding faster-acting insulin for meals and for correcting boo-boos), but many type 2s can use basal insulin as the total solution to your blood sugar woes.

Basal is taken via subcutaneous injection. That just means it's shot under the skin, into the fat layer above the muscle. So all of you out there who don't know any insulin users need to drop your visions of us under some filthy bridge, a tourniquet clenched in our teeth, shooting into our veins.

As your body is literally covered in fat, you can shoot-up almost anywhere on your bod. The abdomen is the most common spot: convenient, plenty of fat depth, lots of surface area to choose from, it's your center of mass, and it has a minimum of nerve endings. But the arms and legs are perfectly usable, as is your butt. I've also heard of some women who use their... umm... you-know-whats.

Moving on...

The important thing with shots is not to get a favorite exact spot. If you always inject in the same place you can get a buildup of scar tissue in that area that can adversely affect the absorption of the insulin, making it sluggish and leaving you with high blood sugar. In theory, a shot in the leg or arm can take longer to get body-wide in the blood, but with a time-release insulin like Lantus, it hardly matters.

Totally off subject, but interesting: every great once in a while you'll hear about someone who takes Lantus and has an unexpected rapid drop in blood sugar right away. The common assumption is that the victim of such an event had the bad fortune to accidentally inject straight into a capillary, mainlining the insulin quickly into the blood stream where it is more potent and effective.

Now, back to your leg. If you are on the thin side and use long-needle syringes intended for more hefty folks, you can accidentally "tag" the muscle tissue with the needle tip and it can hurt like hell. It's not the end of the world; many types of immunizations are intentionally injected into muscle. Flu shots for instance. But they can sometimes swell and ache as muscles really aren't too keen on having needles stabbed into them. That might be what happened to your leg, and could explain why your injection site was starting to hurt a little while after the shot.

But the blood in your mouth? I got nothing. Of course I don't know how much blood we're talking about. If you took a shot that hurt, you might bite your cheek in surprise and taste some blood, but I don't think you'd be spitting enough blood to get alarmed. Most cases of spitting up blood come from mouth injuries, although TB can also cause folks to spit up blood. Stomach ulcers can, too, but don't generally cause "red blood," as the blood from a bleeding wound in the stomach is partly digested. Stomach ulcer blood tends to look more like coffee grounds should you be unlucky enough to have it come back up.

So I can see no way on Earth that a shot in the leg would result in your spitting blood. Your body's just not plumbed that way. Even if an alligator bit your leg off (hey, it could happen), you still wouldn't have any blood from the injury in your mouth.

Cheryl from Arkansas, type 3, writes: We find that we've had to lower the amount of Lantus our son gets after either the seasons change or a growth spurt. Is this a common phenomenon? None of the doctors or educators we've seen mentioned anything about it.

Wil@Ask D'Mine answers: Your son is doing it backwards. Kiddos generally need more insulin after growth spurts. The reason for this is simple: the more of you there is, the more insulin you need. Smaller people, generally, need less insulin; while larger people need more. If you are a growing person you need more insulin as you grow. Also, as we approach the teen years growth spurts come with hormonal tidal waves, which, again, generally require a boatload more insulin to tame.

That said, check out this message board over at ChildrenWithDiabetes.com. While most parents of little T1s report needing more insulin during growth spurts, several are reporting the same thing you're seeing. I checked in with all my pro sources about this, but they were all locked into the conventional wisdom of "kids need more insulin during growth spurts."

As the experts are sticking with dogma, while you and several other parents are seeing something else in the real world, I'm free to speculate.

If... If your child becomes more active after a growth spurt, the increased activity would have the overall effect of lowering insulin resistance and you'd need less insulin. Maybe. Or...

If... If your child is still in the first couple of years after diagnosis, the growth spurt hormones might have an effect on the honeymoon phase. In other words, a growth spurt could theoretically wake up the pancreas a bit more for a short time. Maybe. Or...

If... and I'm really stretching on this one... If your child has had a growth spurt his BMI has changed, as his height is up but his weight is the same. So with adults, a lower BMI generally correlates to lower insulin resistance, and thus lower insulin needs. So that could be what's going on. Maybe. Or...

Or maybe your child's ratio of basal to fast-acting insulin is off. We tend to think of basal insulin as the foundation on which we build our house, but that's really not true. Basal should be about half of our total daily dose. Over time, as insulin needs change, both basal and fast-acting need to be adjusted. Unfortunately, most folks adjust either one or the other when the blood sugars aren't where we need them to be, because changing two things at once is scary and more complicated. Where I'm going with this is: if your son is growing, he's got to be eating more. Maybe over the years you've gotten the two off balance. If this happens, you're using the wrong tool for the job, and unexpected things can happen. It's easy to check, just add up all his insulin and see if more or less than half of it is Lantus. If not, you've got your work cut out for you.

As to the other part of your question, the seasons do have an effect on insulin needs, with most PWDs needing more insulin in the winter. The reason for this need is hotly debated with ideas to explain the phenomena ranging from seasonal weight gain (holiday eating!), to an evolutionary response of increased fat storage to survive cold weather, to reduced exercise opportunities in cold months. Whatever the cause, most PWDs aren't on the ball enough to change their therapy with the seasons, which is why A1Cs tend to rise in the winter.

This is not a medical advice column. We are PWDs freely and openly sharing the wisdom of our collected experiences — our been-there-done-that knowledge from the trenches. But we are not MDs, RNs, NPs, PAs, CDEs, or partridges in pear trees. Bottom line: we are only a small part of your total prescription. You still need the professional advice, treatment, and care of a licensed medical professional.

Disclaimer: Content created by the Diabetes Mine team. For more details click here.

Disclaimer

This content is created for Diabetes Mine, a consumer health blog focused on the diabetes community. The content is not medically reviewed and doesn't adhere to Healthline's editorial guidelines. For more information about Healthline's partnership with Diabetes Mine, please click here.

Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Type 2 Diabetes Diet Diabetes Destroyer Reviews Original Article

[apsbicepstraining]

16 Situations All 30 -Somethings Should Stop Apologizing For This Year

If you were to ask me for an educated guess on the number of hours I said a mindless Im sorry in 2015, youd better have a technical calculator and some time to kill.

I failed way somewhere around 3 am on New Years Day.( Although odds are, the majority of members of those were justified .)

Apologies are like burps for me.

Unless you stymie my nostrils and cover my opening, they will operate out with foolhardy abandon.

Im sorry, I complain as I mine around for $0.86 in my purse, trying to avoid separating a $10 greenback for Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.

My palms are sweating, my hands are shaking and pennies are running everywhere.

I eventually succumb to handing over the $10, as to not inconvenience the convenience store clerk any longer.

Im sorry, this pitchers out of whole milk. Would you knowledge refilling it? I ask the Starbucks barista timidly, like Ive been hanging out at the self-service counter and guzzling it dry all day.

Excuse me, Im sorry, I squeak, trying to remove myself from the woman who is using the side of my figure to prop up her newspaper.

I’m sorry I wasnt able to morph into a better coffee table for her morning commute.

Apologies are the umm of our generation.

They are half-thought out space-fillers in gossips we dont feel like having.

Whether theyre genuine and justified in an attempt to avoid conflict or a simple way to wrap up a social interaction, Im sure weve all apologized a lot during the past year.

Well, its is high time to put your hoof down.

We shouldnt feel pressured to rush, settle or step aside for people who cant look up from their smartphones.

There will be no more cramming ourselves into the figurative or physicalspaces other parties have created for us.

Hell, if guzzling whole milk from a pitcher goes us going in the morning, makes not apologize for that either.

In any case, heres a register of 16 circumstances 30 -somethings should definitely stop rationalizing for in 2016 TAGEND

1. RSVPing No

You shouldnt have to justify not listening things.

We all have a lot on our plates.

If you find yourself panicked about driving two hours to a newborn rain on your only day off, stay home.

Send a check, going to go to bottom and take care of your own baby.

Ive spent times flowing myself ragged over happenings that suck time out of my weekend and coin out of my wallet.

Then, it ultimately dawned on me: Nothing who matters is deterring score.

It might sound harsh, but if we all stopped regarding each other to so many obligations, perhaps wed actually have time to connect.

2. Your Wardrobe

Your adolescence, teenage years and those scantily-clad eras of college are spent garmenting to impress everyone but yourself.

As you get older, wear what becomes you comfortable.

Dress for your figure. Dress for the occasion.

If you need bikini summaries that come up past your belly button to feel good on vacation, fasten those bloomers on and never look back.

I like to wear jeans, TOMS and solid-colored shirts every day of my life.

Guess what? Im a joyous little hipster.

3. Your Face

One of my favorite positions on this topic comes from Annette Bening in the movie The Women.

A department store salesman tries to sell her a “facelift in a bottle.”

She appears him squarely in the eye and acknowledgments, This is my face. Deal with it.

It seems everyone is peddling some make that promises to cringe your holes, get rid of your wrinkles, medicine your acne, prolong your lashes or vaporize your crow’s feet.

You shouldnt apologize for buying right into it( coughing) or slamming it down.

If you want to constitute your own vanishing cream out of avocados and egg whites, I think you’re squandering a perfectly good frittata.

But let me know if it works.

If youd rather expended $99 on 1 ounce of infomercial attention cream, write me.

I can provide you with the details.

4. Your Social Media Presence

Whether you post 20 times per day or have fallen entirely off the radar, theres no right or wrong way to do this stuff.

If youre paying that much attention to what others are doing on the Internet, youre clearly sitting on the Internet too much yourself.

5. Not Being In The Same Mental Space As Your Friends

Its tough, but we thrive apart.

If theres a shrinking roster of things you have in common with even the oldest of your best friend, its nothing to overcome yourself up over.

Some has the potential to are in conformity with very different places in their lives.

Your 30 s are a transitional age for everyone involved.

People are carving out the lives they picture for themselves, and were all walking around as different sculptors.

Some of us are a little more Donatello, while some are more Michelangelo.

The good substance ever bubbles back to the surface with a true sidekick, even if youre not currently jiving the route you used to.

6. Your Living Quarters

Owning property should no longer be the criteria by which we appraise our success.

You shouldn’t have to go into indebtednes to keep up.

If youre still living with a roommate, sibling, futon or even on a sofa, then who cares?

A living arrangement doesnt “ve got to be” permanent or pristine.

If you boomeranged back to your parents after a unpleasant breakup, so be it.

Its okay to declare youre unsure of your next stair, and youre not going to bank on circumstances until you are.

7. The Fact You Like To Move Dancing

This is more of a metaphor than anything.( Although, I do enjoy shaking my posterior plumage from time to day .)

You shouldnt apologize for wanting to dance out your demons.

Whether its in your living room, at a Zumba class, on a table or in a ballroom, rotate, baby.

8. Your Relationship Status

Theres something to be said for the latitude between RSVPing “no” and your relationship status.

But perhaps, youre simply over some crazy uncle asking why your boyfriend from six years ago isnt there.

Single, separated, divorced, rebuffed, cheating, happy, hopeful, lesbian or straight-shooting, you dont owe Uncle Frank an explanation.

9. Your Diet And Fitness Regimen( Or Lack Thereof)

While I ever prefer an unruly slew of nachos to a kale salad or protein shake, you gotta do what you gotta do.

This is another thing parties seem to like to peddle.

Whether youre training for triathlons, juicing the contents of your kitchen or house Cheeto strongholds in your living room, its your body.

Nobody has to occupy it but you.

Just try not to be too righteous about it.

Im not going to apologize for ingesting a cheeseburger any more than a staunch vegetarian might apologize for posting photographs of flax seeds all day.

10. How You Deduce Your Income

Money constitutes “the worlds” go round.

Whether you have a career youre passionate about, one youre lukewarm about or three part-time responsibilities strung together, its nobodys business how you compensate your bills.

11. The Fact You’re Turning Into Your Parents

This has been an interesting one to watch unfold.

Try as you might, its going to happen.

Theres no expend rationalizing for it because you never accepted a chance.

All those concepts you rolled your eyes at from the back seat of the Dodge station wagon?

Theyre winging right out of your mouth now.

I like to yell, Im not made of money! at my “cat-o-nine-tail” when we’re on our route home from the vet.

12. Being A Slug

If the pizza delivery guy would come instantly to my bedroom window, Id let my bathrobe belt down for him like Rapunzel let down her hair.

Bed pizza is a real and splendid thing.

Dont apologize for being a gross, lazy stinker sometimes.

The only way to reflect brightly in public is by wasting away in your own slothfulness behind closed doors.

13. Your Travel Style

Some beings operate first class and is necessary to stay in five-star hotels.

Others couch surf, hostel hop-skip or carry their adaptations on their backs.

Seeing the world is admirable , no matter how you make it happen.

You know Jay and Bey arent apologizing for yachting all over the French Riviera, so why should I apologize for getting bedbugs in Belize?

14. Your Voice

One of the most common concepts I apologize for is talking too loudly.

Others say sorry for not being heard.

Some people stutter and others have lisps.

There are the raspy express and the plainly high-pitched voices.

You can limit your articulation to a certain degree, but why bother?

Speak up, whisper, bellow, sigh, laugh, sing, squeal and clear your throat.

Just dont whistle. Nothing likes a whistler.

Definitely dont shush anyone; a shush is a personal attack.

15. Your Opinion

Granted, there is a period and a plaza, but how will anyone know how you feel if you dont speak up?

It’s worseif you apologize for doing so.

If done correctly and not for the sake of idle gossip, giving your opinion can become you into an opinion leader.

Thats a pretty good bench to be in.

If you opine in a systematically constructive way, parties will start to look to you for wisdom.

Thats a great route to positively influence the lives of others.

16. Your Truth

Whatever it is and however you find it, dont apologize for it once you do.

Dont apologize for how long it takes you, either.

If youve been hiding your truth in a lie youre finally free from, welcome back.

Step right in. The waters warm.

Its taken a lot of justifications, conformities and f* ckups to get us to this third decade of our existence.

So, lets take what weve learned and bask in that splendid wisdom of the ages.

We sort of earned it.

Grab your chisel( or your pepperoni pizza) and start carving out what works for you.

Stop apologizing for the pebbles that get left behind.

The post 16 Situations All 30 -Somethings Should Stop Apologizing For This Year appeared first on apsbicepstraining.com.

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[apsbicepstraining]

16 Situations All 30 -Somethings Should Stop Apologizing For This Year

If you were to ask me for an educated guess on the number of hours I said a mindless Im sorry in 2015, youd better have a technical calculator and some time to kill.

I failed way somewhere around 3 am on New Years Day.( Although odds are, the majority of members of those were justified .)

Apologies are like burps for me.

Unless you stymie my nostrils and cover my opening, they will operate out with foolhardy abandon.

Im sorry, I complain as I mine around for $0.86 in my purse, trying to avoid separating a $10 greenback for Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.

My palms are sweating, my hands are shaking and pennies are running everywhere.

I eventually succumb to handing over the $10, as to not inconvenience the convenience store clerk any longer.

Im sorry, this pitchers out of whole milk. Would you knowledge refilling it? I ask the Starbucks barista timidly, like Ive been hanging out at the self-service counter and guzzling it dry all day.

Excuse me, Im sorry, I squeak, trying to remove myself from the woman who is using the side of my figure to prop up her newspaper.

I’m sorry I wasnt able to morph into a better coffee table for her morning commute.

Apologies are the umm of our generation.

They are half-thought out space-fillers in gossips we dont feel like having.

Whether theyre genuine and justified in an attempt to avoid conflict or a simple way to wrap up a social interaction, Im sure weve all apologized a lot during the past year.

Well, its is high time to put your hoof down.

We shouldnt feel pressured to rush, settle or step aside for people who cant look up from their smartphones.

There will be no more cramming ourselves into the figurative or physicalspaces other parties have created for us.

Hell, if guzzling whole milk from a pitcher goes us going in the morning, makes not apologize for that either.

In any case, heres a register of 16 circumstances 30 -somethings should definitely stop rationalizing for in 2016 TAGEND

1. RSVPing No

You shouldnt have to justify not listening things.

We all have a lot on our plates.

If you find yourself panicked about driving two hours to a newborn rain on your only day off, stay home.

Send a check, going to go to bottom and take care of your own baby.

Ive spent times flowing myself ragged over happenings that suck time out of my weekend and coin out of my wallet.

Then, it ultimately dawned on me: Nothing who matters is deterring score.

It might sound harsh, but if we all stopped regarding each other to so many obligations, perhaps wed actually have time to connect.

2. Your Wardrobe

Your adolescence, teenage years and those scantily-clad eras of college are spent garmenting to impress everyone but yourself.

As you get older, wear what becomes you comfortable.

Dress for your figure. Dress for the occasion.

If you need bikini summaries that come up past your belly button to feel good on vacation, fasten those bloomers on and never look back.

I like to wear jeans, TOMS and solid-colored shirts every day of my life.

Guess what? Im a joyous little hipster.

3. Your Face

One of my favorite positions on this topic comes from Annette Bening in the movie The Women.

A department store salesman tries to sell her a “facelift in a bottle.”

She appears him squarely in the eye and acknowledgments, This is my face. Deal with it.

It seems everyone is peddling some make that promises to cringe your holes, get rid of your wrinkles, medicine your acne, prolong your lashes or vaporize your crow’s feet.

You shouldnt apologize for buying right into it( coughing) or slamming it down.

If you want to constitute your own vanishing cream out of avocados and egg whites, I think you’re squandering a perfectly good frittata.

But let me know if it works.

If youd rather expended $99 on 1 ounce of infomercial attention cream, write me.

I can provide you with the details.

4. Your Social Media Presence

Whether you post 20 times per day or have fallen entirely off the radar, theres no right or wrong way to do this stuff.

If youre paying that much attention to what others are doing on the Internet, youre clearly sitting on the Internet too much yourself.

5. Not Being In The Same Mental Space As Your Friends

Its tough, but we thrive apart.

If theres a shrinking roster of things you have in common with even the oldest of your best friend, its nothing to overcome yourself up over.

Some has the potential to are in conformity with very different places in their lives.

Your 30 s are a transitional age for everyone involved.

People are carving out the lives they picture for themselves, and were all walking around as different sculptors.

Some of us are a little more Donatello, while some are more Michelangelo.

The good substance ever bubbles back to the surface with a true sidekick, even if youre not currently jiving the route you used to.

6. Your Living Quarters

Owning property should no longer be the criteria by which we appraise our success.

You shouldn’t have to go into indebtednes to keep up.

If youre still living with a roommate, sibling, futon or even on a sofa, then who cares?

A living arrangement doesnt “ve got to be” permanent or pristine.

If you boomeranged back to your parents after a unpleasant breakup, so be it.

Its okay to declare youre unsure of your next stair, and youre not going to bank on circumstances until you are.

7. The Fact You Like To Move Dancing

This is more of a metaphor than anything.( Although, I do enjoy shaking my posterior plumage from time to day .)

You shouldnt apologize for wanting to dance out your demons.

Whether its in your living room, at a Zumba class, on a table or in a ballroom, rotate, baby.

8. Your Relationship Status

Theres something to be said for the latitude between RSVPing “no” and your relationship status.

But perhaps, youre simply over some crazy uncle asking why your boyfriend from six years ago isnt there.

Single, separated, divorced, rebuffed, cheating, happy, hopeful, lesbian or straight-shooting, you dont owe Uncle Frank an explanation.

9. Your Diet And Fitness Regimen( Or Lack Thereof)

While I ever prefer an unruly slew of nachos to a kale salad or protein shake, you gotta do what you gotta do.

This is another thing parties seem to like to peddle.

Whether youre training for triathlons, juicing the contents of your kitchen or house Cheeto strongholds in your living room, its your body.

Nobody has to occupy it but you.

Just try not to be too righteous about it.

Im not going to apologize for ingesting a cheeseburger any more than a staunch vegetarian might apologize for posting photographs of flax seeds all day.

10. How You Deduce Your Income

Money constitutes “the worlds” go round.

Whether you have a career youre passionate about, one youre lukewarm about or three part-time responsibilities strung together, its nobodys business how you compensate your bills.

11. The Fact You’re Turning Into Your Parents

This has been an interesting one to watch unfold.

Try as you might, its going to happen.

Theres no expend rationalizing for it because you never accepted a chance.

All those concepts you rolled your eyes at from the back seat of the Dodge station wagon?

Theyre winging right out of your mouth now.

I like to yell, Im not made of money! at my “cat-o-nine-tail” when we’re on our route home from the vet.

12. Being A Slug

If the pizza delivery guy would come instantly to my bedroom window, Id let my bathrobe belt down for him like Rapunzel let down her hair.

Bed pizza is a real and splendid thing.

Dont apologize for being a gross, lazy stinker sometimes.

The only way to reflect brightly in public is by wasting away in your own slothfulness behind closed doors.

13. Your Travel Style

Some beings operate first class and is necessary to stay in five-star hotels.

Others couch surf, hostel hop-skip or carry their adaptations on their backs.

Seeing the world is admirable , no matter how you make it happen.

You know Jay and Bey arent apologizing for yachting all over the French Riviera, so why should I apologize for getting bedbugs in Belize?

14. Your Voice

One of the most common concepts I apologize for is talking too loudly.

Others say sorry for not being heard.

Some people stutter and others have lisps.

There are the raspy express and the plainly high-pitched voices.

You can limit your articulation to a certain degree, but why bother?

Speak up, whisper, bellow, sigh, laugh, sing, squeal and clear your throat.

Just dont whistle. Nothing likes a whistler.

Definitely dont shush anyone; a shush is a personal attack.

15. Your Opinion

Granted, there is a period and a plaza, but how will anyone know how you feel if you dont speak up?

It’s worseif you apologize for doing so.

If done correctly and not for the sake of idle gossip, giving your opinion can become you into an opinion leader.

Thats a pretty good bench to be in.

If you opine in a systematically constructive way, parties will start to look to you for wisdom.

Thats a great route to positively influence the lives of others.

16. Your Truth

Whatever it is and however you find it, dont apologize for it once you do.

Dont apologize for how long it takes you, either.

If youve been hiding your truth in a lie youre finally free from, welcome back.

Step right in. The waters warm.

Its taken a lot of justifications, conformities and f* ckups to get us to this third decade of our existence.

So, lets take what weve learned and bask in that splendid wisdom of the ages.

We sort of earned it.

Grab your chisel( or your pepperoni pizza) and start carving out what works for you.

Stop apologizing for the pebbles that get left behind.

The post 16 Situations All 30 -Somethings Should Stop Apologizing For This Year appeared first on apsbicepstraining.com.

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[people-can-be-tamed]

"I really hope you do, Horace! But that won't mean I'll go easy on you, hehe."

"(Sucker.)"

Simon smiles at him in that signature dopey manner and shoves his hands in his pockets.

{BEFORE KNIGHTLEY'S DEATH; AT A PRISON VISIT}

"Hey, Knightley. I, um, got you a gift I thought you'd like."

-- Simon Keyes !!! (@people-can-be-tamed)

" no way,, really?

i will, what’d you bring? "