#' how leaders create the weather in their organizations

[mesetacadre]

Regarding your post on Stalin and Lenin, I want to ask in good faith: how can honest Communists, in good conscience, acknowledge the material harm and the death tolls of the deportations of the Crimean Tatars, Soviet Koreans, and Chechens + Ingush carried out by Stalin's administration?

I at least understand why Marxist-Leninists dispute calling the Holodomor and Kazakh famines genocides, on the grounds that they came about as a mix of failed policy, bad weather, and unintended consequences.

However, while Stalin's influence on the Famines is debatable, allowing the deportations to be carried out (which DO constitute a genocide) must certainly fall on his head. This is doubly so because Lavrentiy Beria - the principal architect of the Crimean Tatar and Chechen deportations - was a close ally of Stalin.

A big reason I ask this is because I frequently see other communists either gloss over the material harm of these deportations, or treat them as a regrettable footnote in an otherwise proud career. I find both approaches problematic, because I do not see them as an honest assessment of Stalin's wrongdoing with regards to ethnic minorities within the Soviet Union.

I thank you for your time, and I look forward to reading your assessment, should you chose to answer it. Have a good day.

[context]

I'll get to the ask itself in a moment, but first I want to point out how you're doing exactly what the post you're replying to is criticizing, how every mistake and imperfect policy of the USSR between 1924 and 1953 is scapegoated to Stalin. You're ignoring both the very important structures of democracy and accountability within the party as well as in the administration of the state. He wasn't a dictator and policy was not a direct extension of the man's thoughts. The party leadership was a collective organ made up of at least a dozen people, of which Stalin was simply the chairman, with the same vote as everyone else. And every single one of these members were beholden to democratic recall at any time.

Let's start on the common ground, we understand that the famine which struck Ukraine, southern Russia and western Kazakhstan in the early 1930s has a context of cyclical famines, grain hoarding, rushed collectivization, and bad weather. There has been a strong effort on the part of capitalist powers to both exaggerate the effects of the famine and to place it all with intent to exterminate Ukranians specifically. The policy of collectivization and antagonism towards the grain-hoarding rich peasants was one approved by and carried out by hundreds of thousands of people, if not millions. We can debate the degree of maliciousness, the severity of its effects, etc. But what is indisputable once you know just a little of how the USSR worked, to pretend that it could all be carried out by Stalin's sole will is absurd.

And what is the context of the deportations? The fascist invasion of the USSR. This is an extraordinary circumstance, every facet of the USSR was being attacked and threatened with sabotage. It wasn't even the first time they had had to deal with internal sabotage, like it was revealed in the trials following the assassination of Kirov. Throughout the 30s, Nazi Germany's strongarm diplomacy was practically enabled by their ability to create fifth columns, to instigate conflict and to infiltrate. They were in the process of setting up a coup d'etat in Lithuania when, with only a week to spare, it was voted that Lithuania would join the USSR. So, the fear that, as the front advanced, the nazis would do everything in their power to turn the tapestry of nationalities close to the front against the USSR, wasn't only unfounded, it was certain. Fascists are also quite famously brutal against the minorities in the territories they conquered. Their modus operandi whenever they captured a population was to kill any elected leaders and start to instigate anti-semitism.

This was the rationale that drove the policy of resettlement. It was a rushed wartime decision, such was the context, and people definitely died unnecessarily in transport. They decided that the negative consequences of resettlement outweighed the risk of sabotage, destroyed supply lines, and of a completely certain brutal destiny for these minorities if the front advanced past them. It was not a genocide, and it had nothing to do with whatever personal relationship you think Stalin had with Beria. (As a tangent, in this interview, Stalin's bodyguard said that Beria was "neither his [Stalin's] right hand man or left hand man"). I reiterate though, the personal relationships of one man did not dictate the policy decided on democratically by the CPSU.

I don't see the problem in understanding the context of these decisions and understanding the rationale behind them without kneejerking into discounting Stalin's competency. It's very easy to criticize a decision with 80 years of hindsight, without the pressure of the largest land invasion ever carried out advancing steadily. You can't understand the policies of a country containing hundreds of millions of people and hundreds of nationalities through the lens of a single man's personal failings, especially in wartime. Admitting these mistakes, but understanding the context in which they were made, is the only way to learn from other attempts at developing socialism. What is not productive is to insist on pinning every mistake, every unnecessary pain, every inefficiency, as the wrongdoings of a single man. It's dishonest to both the past, and to how communists organize today.

[anteroom-of-death]

Teacher's Pet part 14

Synopsis: The Reader gets a potential glimpse into her future. She also makes an enemy.

A/n: yeaaayyyy. More fun. Fuckery world building. Thanks to all my readers. I should probably do a tag list instead of zapping ur inboxes. Uhhh....yeah. to my mutuals who have to deal with me and aren't attached to this, I am sorry. I love you and I would donate my organs to you.

Grades were posted. Most were good, nothing to really write home about. You did far better than you expecting. The self-doubt really was deep-rooted, wasn’t it?

Except one. That stupid alien gave you a near-perfect. Just one point shy of an absolutely perfect one-hundred percent.

So much for no favoritism…

You’d take it anyways. And not bring it up…

Work was slow but it was steady.

He even met you between shifts at your park.

You started feeling a tad insane without him. Did love feel like this? You admitted you had little experience with love. Just what you attempted to create in the past. And trashy books and television shows and movies and songs…

You needed him like you needed a cigarette and a stiff drink after a long day.

Bella Swan would be so proud of you, you degraded yourself in your mind.

“How is work going?” The Doctor asked with genuine shine of curiosity in his tone and face.

“The amount of professors in now…I have to dodge them! I do think the statistics professor I had two terms ago recognized me!” You spoke in a shocked, scared tone. You didn’t need that getting out. Could ruin your future plans.

“Oh no!” He chuckled, as he handed you a bit of sandwich.

“You aren’t forgettable.”

You skeptically glared over at him.

“Any who. How was your gig at the student union?”

“No one appreciated the irony of Pink Floyd.”

“And?”

“Everyone loves Doctor Disco!” He flourished then played air guitar.

You burst out laughing. With a quick roll of your eyes, you shook your head.

“You’re such a nerd.”

“I invented the concept!”

“Probably true!” You let yourself think of his time on Earth. Who knew what funk he has spread? You weren’t going to delve into it much more.

Yet.

One day, when you felt brave enough.

“I have to go to London for a while in two weeks. Just maintenance of the Black Archives…I need to streamline some stuff for making it easier for my next few regenerations. And update some things about a plan for proxy since another organization is down to a woman named Gwen and her husband and she’s thinking of retiring the entire engagement. Her…leader hasn’t returned to the planet in ages. I doubt he ever will. This planet has caused him too much pain. Which, ironic, since his ancestors came from here. Talk about mother wounds! Just upload all the databases for UNIT to deal with.”

“Inviting me?” You clarified.

“Yeah…I think it’ll take a week. Especially with the layers of bureaucracy that is in place these days.” He looked over, his hair caught in the wind. “Could you spare a week? No TARDIS, no time travel. Just hop to, hop out, the slow way around.”

You licked your top row of teeth and scraped it back into place.

“Sure?”

“Perfect. I’ll have them ready a room, a better room for us.”

“One with a window?”

“If they do have those.”

You nodded.

“It’s a date!”

“Fantastic.” He smiled but seemed to flash in his eyes some hidden response from just the one word…

You chewed your shared sandwich and sipped your can of Coke Zero. The weather was getting warmer and the sun was actually shining in one of those perfect, photo-ready days.

“The vitamin D feels good, doesn’t it?” You turned your head to face the sun. The heat felt too good on your skin. You let a little moan slip through your lips.

“Perhaps. I might need a sun crème soon.” He replied.

You snorted. He was bone pale, but you didn’t know how alien skin worked yet.

“Yeah, you are pretty pale.”

Your alarm went off and you had to go.

Final good-byes said and you stalked off.

You had to plan out your little London escape. If it was hard work for him, you wanted to kill time in comfort. Do some sightseeing. Nothing major. London had tons of viral cafés and pop-ups.

The time flew by…

And suddenly you were off and away in another fancy armored Range Rover with armed escorts.

He did do you a bit of justice and got you a room with a view. Just not a particularly stunning one…

He went off, rather rapidly if you did say so yourself, because something needed him to submit his DNA and he couldn’t have any radiant interference. Petronella needed to be with him to get her DNA analyzed or something. You were not going to try to comprehend.

Fine by you, you’d nose around. There were so many floor and he gave you some sort of weird blank paper he said would get you through anything you needed.

“It’s psychic paper!” He said, smile up to his ears.

“Looks like a piece of printer paper shoved into an old wallet to me.” You replied as you regarded the object.

Fine by you, you stuffed it in your jean’s pocket.

You found yourself on the first floor, and saw a door open. There was a sign posted on an easel. ‘Companions and Surviving Family Support Group’, it proclaimed.

You put two and two together. It was probably in reference to the man doing who-knows-what.

You weren’t a companion per say. The Doctor assured you as much.

Did you invade? Did you go look at your future? Or a potential future? It mentioned family members…

Your curiosity got the best of you. Like that damn cat!

You walked in, it was set up like a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. Coffee, sweet treats, chairs all in a circle.

There were already a crowd of people.

And your entrance wasn’t exactly planned.

You slid onto the chair that was closest to the door. An east exit if this was too much.

“Oh! A new face!” A woman with a lot of life etched into her face with a kind smile and a mop of white-shock hair, her lips as red as blood.

“Does, is…am I late?” Was the best you could choke out. You could feel your eyes start to bulge. You swallowed hard. All eyes were on you. You didn’t like it. You preferred anonymity.

The mistake was already clear in your mind.

“No, dove. Right on time! We’re still waiting on Ian! I’m Jo!” She scooted her chair closer to you.

You thrust your tongue out and bit it’s side.

“I’m (y/n).”

A short woman with a leather jacket and all the authoritarian air of something that placed your hairs on the back of your neck at attention glared at you and Jo. “Why don’t we save it all for introductions…”

You got up and grabbed a bottle of water and sat back down.

An ancient man wandered in and sat down.

“Oh! Ian, love! We got a new straggler!” Jo said to him and gave him a hug that seemed too strong for her aged body.

The bossy girl cleared her throat. “Now we can start.”

You hated her already. She clearly ran this group with an iron fist.

There was Jo, Ian, the bitch’s name was Yaz, Martha, a woman who called herself Ace, a married couple named Nyssa and Tegan, a grandmother and grandson duo named Graham and Ryan, a Mel, and some young man named Luke…

Quite a big group.

It came down to you, you introduced yourself. And were supposed to give some brief synopsis of your relationship with the Doctor.

You stared off into space.

“Yeah, he’s here…doing something. I don’t know. I’m his…girlfriend. He’s also a professor at my university.” You stared at your left palm and gauged the reaction. “Nothing major. I’ve got his promise that he’s not going to get me in the way of death.” You finished with a shrug. “He introduced me to his…ex recently. Some milf named Missy. Have you lot met her?”

Yaz’s eyes could have make entrails out of you…

“What? Did I not brush my teeth correctly?” You pointed that faux-question towards her.

“She told me she didn’t do relationships.” She spoke in a tiny voice eventually.

“Well, maybe I’m special.” You shot Yaz a shit-eating grin masked as an innocent smile.

“Oh! I heard the Master went female!” Jo broke up your brewing tiff. “He was such a softie towards me! I enjoyed our little battles.”

You laughed and covered up your palm.

The conversations went on. Mainly centered around Missy now. Apparently she was the prime minister and tortured Martha and her family. Also, body-snatched Nyssa’s father. And became a cat. She’d certainly done her fair share of damage. No wonder she was chained up in a basement in Bristol of all places.

That explained her feline nature.

“Which Doctor are you with?”

“I don’t know. Tall? Thin? Scottish? Severe face? Plays guitar? Wild grey hair. Dark roots, too handsome…yeah.” You didn’t know how many or what the Doctor looked like previously.

“Oh. So the one before Yaz and Graham and me!” Ryan piped up. “She mentioned being a grey-haired Scot right before we met her.”

“Oh, so he got his wish of being a chick next.” You affirmed.

“Wonder what happened to you!” Yaz said, venom starting to leak into her voice.

“Nothing I need to know about, okay?” You pressured back. Two could play this game.

She clearly had sour grapes over you getting chosen and not her.

More conversations broke out, more story-swapping. You started to feel beyond way out just out of your depths. You had to keep your calm. Especially in front of your new foe. Any weakness and you were going to be either throwing down with her or she’d do something unspeakable.

She was apparently a police officer, after all!

“So you’ve never gone on an adventure? To space? Not even back in time? Or forward?” Ace spoke incredulously.

“No, I’m not going to put my life at risk. I made him promise to not. He’s retired. He just needs to help UNIT and rehabilitate Missy.”

“She doesn’t stay good!” Yaz spit out. She then told her tale of him and how the only way to break free from him, the Doctor had to hand Missy over to the Nazis.

“Not my problem.” You said, after finally scraping your jaw off the floor.

“And wow, what the fuck happened between now and when? Handing over someone to the literal Nazis?” You shot up an errant hand and glared. “And hanging around cops. No offense. It’s like historical Jesus versus American Jesus.” You made the decision to bite your middle finger nail in a covert attempt to flip her off.

“Maybe you had something to do with it.” She accused.

“Oh, yeah. Blame me.” You said.

Others attempted civility between the two of you.

Martha seemed between two minds here.

“Just remember how powerful your emotions are!” Ian called out. “Especially how deeply the Doctor evokes them in us!”

It dawned on you, and you decided to take the highest of roads. “Yeah, were dealing with some alien. Like…damn. We really are out here getting….cut up over an alien. He’s our weird alien. But yeah.” He was your alien. And you were going to defend your man, but you didn’t want Yaz and her feelings to make you any less powerful. “His body count has got to be in the millions.” You used the term in a way to dig in that the Doctor picked you for the mainstream meaning and not Yaz. But it worked for companions too!

“Who knows how many of us he’s taken a shine to!” Suddenly you felt yourself heart plummet. You knew you weren’t special as part of a group, but you decided to soothe yourself with your marked differences. No magical abduction story. Just a normal, morally-grey student and teacher relationship. Only it was your luck to end up with the most ran-through alien.

And, it did suit you. You too were ‘ran-through’.

You wished he was free and you could get some comfort here…

You felt yourself return to normal, and decided to pass the ultimate catch.

“Sorry for getting heated. The past month or so since he’s revealed his double life to me, has been…shattering. I’ve only recently discovered that he was…you know, not some man I hang out with. I only recently started calling him Doctor. Not Professor Smith.”

The though of him not taking anyone else as a lover after you did fill you with a sense of pride. Whatever impact you had, that was a mark in your favor. Loyal to you…even if you were dead or broken-up or whatever your fate was to mess around with anyone else.

A permanent (y/n)-shaped hole no one could even get close enough to fill.

When he was done with his task you’d have to slap him and then suck him off.

Martha finally put in her two cents.

“Just don’t get hurt. The last time he was in love when I was with him…so bad. The ending was enough to destroy me.”

“Thank you.”

The conversation went back to normal. You really enjoyed Jo’s stories. Apparently he was a white-haired debonair sort for her. You were curious to see what that had looked like. You doubted it could compare to your particular Doctor, but it was probably very close.

You found yourself laughing and getting along with most. Except for Yaz. You both kept finding yourselves shooting daggers at each other.

You tried to rise above it.

However. You were only human…

You heard a sharp rap at the door and turned at the noise.

It was your Doctor.

“Sorry. I was going to the toilets. Heard some nice familiar voices. Smelt the coffee! I love a cup of coffee after genetic sequencing…Hello!”

There were nary a word as he strode over and made a cup, dumping about a dozen sugar packets in.

“I’ll let you all talk amongst yourselves. Oh, and (y/n), I have tickets to walk through the Chelsea Physic Garden at three. Will you join me? And Martha, I am so deeply sorry for all I’ve done to you. It’s weighed on my conscience since I was a young man in a bow-tie. Truly. From the bottoms of both my hearts. And, oh, faces I don’t know yet, catch your laters.” He shot a quick peace sign.

He breezed out with the same ease that he came in with…

You flushed hard and felt yourself wanting to kick your legs hard. The smile that crept up around your face was probably very goofy. You felt suddenly very giddy and lovesick. And embarrassed.

You swore you heard Yaz mutter something about “Daddy issues”.

You wanted to snap and fight her on the floor.

Jo and Ace heckled. “Oh, he’s back to being a groovy gentleman.” Jo said. “I recognize that red jacket!”

After a while, everyone seemed to wrap it up.

You received quite a few warnings about how passionate a relationship with the Doctor is, and how it would eventually run it’s course.

You didn’t know whether to heed it, or believe him. You were airing on the side of him. After all, he could have popped down here in his TARDIS, but he was following your regulations down to the letter. Changed behaviors, and for whatever reason, when you were long gone, and he was a she, the Doctor didn’t take Yaz up on her romantic offerings.

You felt ashamed of your ‘I can fix him’/’I am the only exception’ mindset. You were a rebel to the idea of monogamy usually. You also didn’t believe in true love. Not after all that you’d seen at work and even experienced in your personal life. However, the beating of your heart and the ache in your soul and the throb of your cunt interfered…

You felt like you were his favorite.

Maybe you were.

You were delusional enough, you decided.

With final hugs and you swore you’d get down and learn more about your shared alien, you’d exited to go and text him that you were out front, smoking.

“You know, maybe you died from lung cancer.” Yaz materialized, carrying some stuff to her car. “Or emphysema.”

You blew out a puff in her general direction.

“I don’t need a lecture. He’s already on my ass enough to get me to quit.” You played back.

“So, lady Doctor. What does she look like?” You asked. Curious. You tried a friendly route. “Still Scottish?” The two incarnations of Time Lords you had met had been. It was an honest question. You even tried a cordial laugh.

“No, definitely not Scottish.”

You nodded.

“She’s blonde and has the most amazing eyes! I took her to get her ears pierced. She’s the most incredible and infuriating person I’ve ever met.”

“Apparently that’s par for the course.” You agreed.

She gave you some agreement.

“Does she still play guitar?” You offered an opportunity to bond, girl to girl. You may have hated her, but a cop on your side may come in handy. One day. And you both were tied to each other now.

So…you had to act your age or whatever.

She was a little younger than you. You could remember being her age. Empathy.

“No, she can’t even carry a tune. She sings all the time.”

You had to let a small snort escape.

“He can sing really well.” You cupped a palm to your mouth. “It’s a bit annoying at times, you know. He frequently does during his lectures.”

“So…that hadn’t changed.” You could see the gears in her brain turning.

“Wait, he’s your professor?” She exclaimed.

“Not currently.” You shrugged, as his text saying that he was coming down popped up, absolved of guilt.

“That’s so wrong!”

“Honey, the Doctor abducts barely legal girls with a degree of regularity. I think a tame affair with a student who started uni later than most is the best-case scenario. You included.” You flicked a bit of ash off your cigarettes end. “No offense.”

“Yeah…” You clearly won.

He swanned into the little front garden at the entrance of UNIT. He changed to a hoodie and simple black blazer and a relaxed pair of checked trousers.

It made your heart skip a beat.

“Hey. I was thinking Italian for dinner. Or Thai. In the fifty-second century there’s a great collision of their flight colonies.”

You smacked your teeth together and let out the final puff of smoke.

“You’re the Doctor before my Doctor.” Yaz gazed up, a look of pre-mourning in her eyes.

“As my wife, River, would say, ‘Spoilers, sweetie.’ It’s nice to meet you early. I’ll try to wipe you from my memory to make it easier for my future self.” He gave Yaz’s shoulder a squeeze.

“Yeah, good luck. See you soon?” You called out as you let yourself be swept off your feet by your particular Doctor.

“Sure?” You heard her say.

A few blocks later and going on the Underground, you pulled him close by the lapels. You gave him a firm kiss and slapped his ass. It was a ‘thank-you’ in a small, simple way. You’d never end up, all things go as planned, like any of those perfect victims. Who knew, maybe you’d dump him. It was all open-ended.

You had your entire life ahead of you. More or less.

For now, it was just you, the Doctor, and a walk in a garden with a fabulous dinner date.

“What was that for?” He looked at you quizzically.

“You’ll never know…” You grinned immensely and a little psychotically. You felt your nose crinkle a bit.

“Oh?” He replied back, skeptical in tone.

It was a start.

“Yeah…” You breathed, inhaling this moment. Inhaling the scent of him, you felt sane, safe, stable and most importantly- in love and loved back.

The train pulled up.

A perfect start to a perfect week.

He snaked out the psychic paper and tapped it like it was an oyster card. You entered the platform and smiled up at him...

Yeah, life was beyond awesome.

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

OC intro - Lexi Morgan

Hey guys! Thought this was as good of time as any to start making OC intro posts! So here's Lexi! Feel free to ask any questions about her!

Basics

Cis girl she/her

At the start of the series, Lexi is 12, almost 13

Lexi has dark brown hair that is around shoulder-length that she usually wears half-up in braids, and she has dark brown eyes. She has honey-toned skin and is about 5'1 at the start of the series, which is average height for her age.

Though she doesn't know it yet, she's acearo

Lexi is also a naturally high-level teleporter, as she can do more advanced skills with little practice

For all intents and purposes, Lexi is human, but more specifically one biologically from the dimension Alium, which is full of super powered humans. However, she was born and grew up in suburbia Texas in the greater Houston area.

Character/Personality

Lexi is very friendly, personable, and extraverted. She's the kind of person who's friends with everyone, and makes it her business to know everything about them. It makes her come across as nosy, but in reality she's just observant and holds onto minor details, such as schedules and birthdays.

Lexi's interests include working in a small garden in her backyard where she tends to basic plants as a way to get outside and connect with nature. Sometimes for physical activity she'll go on her bike around the neighborhood with ear pods in. She also enjoys watching sci-fi shows and cartoons with her sister Maddie, which is only fun if it's with Maddie. She listens to country and pop music the most.

Lexi's extracurriculars at school include orchestra and theater. Out of the two, she takes orchestra much more seriously while theater is viewed as fun. She's in a more leadership role in orchestra as the concert master in her class, and she runs for the club leader in the second book.

Lexi is very organized and schedule-oriented, as she color-codes her planner and attempts to juggle her obligations in order to make everyone around her happy. She doesn't like it when things don't go to plan.

Other Notable Things

Lexi has haphephobia, or the fear of touch. As a result, Lexi attempts to block skin to skin contact as much as possible by covering herself, usually wearing a hoodie, jeans, boots, and gloves no matter the weather. Despite this, she's still very outgoing.

However, due to the above and her schedule oriented mind, Lexi has high anxiety that flares up at the slightest worry.

Lexi has a younger sister, Maddie. She considers her best friend to be Ash, with her next closest friends being, at the start, Gwen, Noelle, Rose, and Hye-Jin and soon adding Robbie and Akash.

Tag Games on Lexi for More!

OC in three aesthetic board

OC in fifteen quotes

OC interview

Picrew

Two Truths and a Lie

OC bag (what's in her backpack)

OC facts

OC origin (how I created her)

Questionnaire One

Questionnaire Two

Questionnaire Three

Blank Bingo Card

Unusual Associations

Deep Dive

Outfit

Will update as I do more with her!

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

@nebula--nix @literarynecromancy @honeybewrites @the-golden-comet

[eoenvs3000f24]

Unit 02: Teaching Learners

My ideal role as a environmental interpreter is to be someone who can dissect hard to swallow ideas and break them down into bite size pieces that everyone will be able to understand. As a developing professional and scientist, I would like to be able to better communicate my ideas to a broader audience; not only just to other Universtiy students with similar educational background but also to a kindergartener who is just beginning their journey in academics or someone who is recently retired looking for a new hobby.

When asked to envision a nature interpreter, most people would picture the scout guide with the troop of young children all dressed up at summer camp, however I like to picture a nature interpreter as a ecological scientist who monitors trends in the environment to determine if there are factors that effect the overall health of an ecosystem. Someone who is monitoring the large-scale populations, the changing of weather patterns, the possible changes in melting patterns or in migration reports. These scientists are able to take in different streams of data and determine different methods to solve ecological issues as well as create preventative measures to help prevent future problems to arise. Nature interpreters need to be able to develop and lead engaging programs for various audiences, including school groups, families, and community members. Being able to Collaborate with local organizations, schools, and community leaders to promote environmental awareness and involvement in conservation initiatives is also needed as this brings attention to potential problems that nature is facing. Creating interpretive materials such as brochures, as well as digital content that highlights the local environment is done to increase involvement with the community and has helped to spread awareness for many different ecological problems.

I imagine this ecological scientist being present in a community, like a doctor or a fireman, being present in schools and around the community to help shape how to interact with the environment around you. The message of the interpreter being passed in the mail, through magazine articles, instagram ads, and other forms of media, so the message can be passed along. However, there is a perceived stigma with the sharing of ecological information, almost as if the information isn’t as important, the news tends to focus on the outcomes of global warming like storms and tornados and sinking land masses, however if news sources were to better share ways to reduce carbon footprint and to increase the renewable energy, Then the general population would be able to potentially change habits and slow down these negative effects. Therefore a strong nature interpreter should be able to communicate with all types of learns as well be able to convey their message over different platforms to reach a broader audience. Another quality would be patience, as learning doesn’t come easy to everyone and this can become frustrating and being patient will help to prevent the learner from quitting before they understand the concept.

In the most recently covered unit, we discussed some of the different learning styles like verbal, active, sequential or other styles of learner; as well how to better teach these other styles of learning by using a wider array of tactics. Introducing other forms of media like podcasts, posters, brochures, mail sources as well as informational videos could allow for a broader message to get across that would better suit a wider range of audiences. I tend to explain with words and story telling as I am a verbal learner, however the use of infographics, mini quizzes/ activities and other forms of media to better engage other types of learners would help me to become a better nature interpreter. Even though my passion lies in pharmaceuticals, I have always had a soft spot in my heart that has led to make conscious decisions about how I take care of the planet. I hope to further develop my communication skills by increasing the ways that I convey my messages to reach a boarder audience.

[usmsgutterson]

ANTI-HERO- Nikolai Lantsov

Okay! Three posts down and I haven’t been late for this yet! I’m, admittedly, very proud of myself for that, but otherwise, here’s day three of the midnights event!

Fic type- fluff, mostly

Warnings- the reader is an inferni so there’s mentions of fire, and slowing heart rates. Nikolai also threatens to allow Zoya, Genya, the Kir-Bataar twins and the reader to have a foothold in Jarl Brums death, and there’s a line where jarl is like “you’re gonna let your partner talk to me like that?” to which Nikolai has a response at the ready

Nikolai had long learned to accept that the ends to his relationships had mostly been his fault. He’d long accepted that he was the problem, the one issue that caused all the others. How the people around him kept rooting for him was something he couldn’t figure out; why continue rooting for someone when all it seems to be is exhausting, anyhow?

There was you, though, and you made the least sense to him. You stood by Nikolai in everything, every decision, every step he took. You were his partner in everything, so it seemed.

The relationship the two of you had was the first romantic partnership that didn’t end in hatred, resentment, any of the traditional break-up tropes. Four years, an entire civil war in which the both of you fought on the side of Alina Starkov, and still, you stood by him, never wavering in your support.

“It appears that, as you age, your wiseness remains unaffected,” said Jarl Brum as Nikolai took a flute of champagne from a passing waiter. Jarl didn’t do the same, and with the air of Jarls presence—which, one had to note, was somehow colder than even the coldest of the Fjerdan weather that Nikolai had experienced—it made sense. Druskelle were all about purity. It seemed that abstaining from the drinking of alcohol was apart of the pledge to become a Druskelle.

“Older, but never wiser. Such is the tale of the Ravkan king who will never pull his country out of debt. A lovely story one will write soon enough, I assume,” Jarl continued. Nikolai took a sip of the champagne, wondered why Jarl had made it to the guest list for the event.

The leaders of each country were to talk business in the Ravkan palaces, and it ended with a gala, of sorts. Ravkans of royal status and people of importance from the other countries were invited to it. While it was quite easy to understand why Jarl had been invited from the standpoint of business, why invite him otherwise? He was the head of an organization that killed Grisha, many of which were trained in the Little Palace, many of whom were Ravkan. Why invite someone who killed the citizens of Ravka, especially one who aided in the war against Ravkan citizens, human and Grisha both?

He had his answer as soon as he began contemplating it. Under the pressure from royal advisories to do so, he’d added Jarl to the guest list, promised Zoya  and the twins that they could cause a slower heart rate—or stop his heart entirely, which Nikolai found himself preferring.—if they grew sick of him, create a gust of wind that was enough to move him across the room. 

“Plans are in place to fix the debt problem,” you said. Nikolai tried to hide his fear as you appeared at his side suddenly. “Older but never wiser does not describe my partner. You are rather observant, though, Mr. Brum. I don’t like you, nor do I like your practices in regards to Grisha—”

“Drusje,” Jarl cut. Nikolai cut him a warning glare.

“Grisha, Jarl. We don’t call them names here and messing with an Etherealki with a winning streak against most of their peers is not a smart decision,” you said. “I’ve beaten even the likes of Genya Safin, trained with the one most of your people in Fjerda have taken to calling a saint. I will set you on fire if you mess with my partner, my people, or me.” Nikolai almost laughed as he realized it. You were talking to Jarl like you used to talk to the Darkling during your few encounters during the civil war. You were condescending to him, which was something that men like Jarl and the Darkling tended to hate.

“Older but never wiser is not a correct observation, and the king and I both would appreciate it if you took your keen observational skills somewhere wherein they’ll be appreciated rather than looked down upon and condescended to. I cannot force you to do anything, really, but if you’re so wise, then you’ll walk away.”

Jarl looked at Nikolai. “You’re going to allow your partner to talk to me like this?”

“I don’t control what they do,” Nikolai said. “They have agency and autonomy, Brum. Plus, I happen to agree with every word they’ve spoken. Walking away is indeed your best bet. If you don’t, they’ll set you on fire, and Zoya isn’t so kind as to summon a storm to put you out. The twins? Genya? They’ll slow your heart, but not stop it. Every Grisha in this room happens to think you deserve a death as slow and painful as possible, which is something I don’t blame them for. If I’d not been pressured into doing so, your footsteps wouldn’t be so much as coming near this ballroom.”

Jarl huffed, tossed glowers in both yours and Nikolais direction, and walked off. You grinned as you leaned against Nikolai, sighing contentedly as you did.

“Good riddance,” you said. “The rest of the night may prove enjoyable from here on out, I think.”

Nikolai allowed himself a smirk as a chorus of violins began in playing a waltz. “Care for a dance, my love?”

You scoffed, shook your head but spoke your verbal agreement and allowed Nikolai to lead you to the dance floor.

“How can you continue to root for me?” Nikolai found himself asking. “Why continue to be at the side of the man who knows he’s the problem? Why root for an anti-hero such as myself, why stay with me through everything?”

You grinned. “Because you’re the love of my life,” you said. “No matter what your nightmares may say, I happen to love your schemes, Nik. Leaving you over them has never been my intent. I will never grow tired of the ideas you seem to come up with out of nowhere. You’re the love of my life, the one who knows what to say at the perfect time.”

Nikolai allowed himself to press his forehead against yours, choosing to have a moment of contentment rather than a moment of anything else.

Nikolai may have been the problem, may have been the anti-hero whom it was exhaustive to continually root for, but he was learning to be okay with that. He knew he would be okay with it in time, and with you at his side, he was sure he could deal with anything.

[arbitrarygreay]

I was playing around with the idea that maybe Alder isn't actually even that powerful as a witch, but reviewing the evidence in the show does point more towards her being at least above average. First of all, we have to consider if "power" is a meaningful concept. Raelle's case seems to indicate that, yes, it's not just about producing wavelength patterns (as the Camarilla are able to reproduce technologically), there is a magical depth of capability that affects the reach of Work. Two people with the same vocal control will produce different scales of effect depending on their power. Jem Bellweather can create storms of a certain magnitude by herself, which would require collaboration by less powerful witches. (Although, there is a bit of the show playing coy about power levels due to budget constraints. Bridey mentions Razor Hail being thrown at them by enemy witches in the Andes, but by S3 Petra says that no Bellweather has been able to pull Razor Hail off. Maybe Razor Hail is normally only a collaborative Work? Ditto for the dual tornados seen in the pilot. ) Going back to Alder, we have a couple of points of comparison. First, both Alder and Petra affect the weather with their moods, causing storms to brew and thunder rumbles when angry. Second, we have Alder herself calling Khalida powerful, and the two of them share being First Song Stewards (as well as with Jem/Abigail). In 1x10, though, what we see is Alder mostly using the collaboration way of being powerful, utilizing the coordination of the Biddies to pull off highly complex Work. This is why I played with the idea that maybe Alder wasn't even that powerful by herself, but just rode off of the novelty value of revealing Work to the public at all, and then just having increasing experience advantage over time, and then the Biddies giving her further edge. But if she unleashed her piece of the First Song on the scaffold, then it probably was a truly powerful storm that she unleashed. Still, there is something to be said for the fact that power wouldn't really be the thing that carried her for 300+ years. I once compared Alder to a sports team coach already, and that would remain apt. In a basketball AU, Alder would have to be good enough to make it into the NBA and a regular, but that doesn't mean she had to be one of the headlining stars during that time before becoming a coach of a legendary roster afterwards. It would be more about her ability to direct. To see what the strategy and tactics should be, to make the troops under her understand that vision, and to cultivate those troops' potential in order to execute that vision to the best of their ability. To overcome cultural conventions around secrecy in favor of standardization and optimization of the Work with the most utility, developing the best training and educational programs to outfit the troops and officers. And more on the admin side of things, it would be about her ability to handle the politics, both within her own organization and with the external parties. Not just in fending off challengers for her position, but in ways that don't compromise the military operations. The 1700s were already beyond the time of generals leading as warriors from the front (although witch powers complicate that transition, of course), where a leader's resource management ability was the better indication of success than how they would do in a combat bracket. That's why I'm a bit sad that the show ultimately shoots down my idea of an Alder who isn't actually that powerful, but nonetheless becomes the greatest witch of all time because she was able to inspire the real heavy hitters to follow her command, to organize and maintain a large institution. (And then developing the power hacks she needed over time to stop bluffing in the field.)

[bellamyblake]

Bellarke and leadership

something i wanna talk about now that I’m rewatching s1 and perhaps awfully late realizing for the first time is the part about leadership and especially when it comes for Bellamy and Clarke to take up on those roles.

While yes, it’s true that when Clarke comes down, she tries to take charge and make the others listen to her, I don’t believe she’s in an absolute leadership position, not even when they decide to banish Murphy in 1x04. It’s interesting for her because the progression that’s happening there for her is a bit different-she loses her dad, then she’s locked up, then she comes to earth where she does try to take care of the people but in fact just kind of gets caught up in some personal problems. The first of which is the one with her mom, dad and Wells-it takes some time figuring out what happened there. The other one is a newly created problem that is Finn, falling in love with him, then Raven coming down and her having to first swallow down her feelings for him and then save his life and keep doing that for the good of him and Raven as she can see how much they mean to each other.

In other words, I don’t think she fully assumes the role as a leader until 1x07/ or maybe I dare say 1x08 where she 1st-decides to agree on torturing Lincoln for information which is a big step, a leader step where the decisions weigh on you and it’s not just maps and runnign around trying to find Mount Weather or being in the weird dynamic place beteween an old friend who’s in love with you and a new guy who’s interested in you.

She actually takes a step towards real leadership there and later absolutely fills in those shoes when she meets Anya.

But What I want to talk about here is Bellamy. I believe he assumes the real leadership position at first and carries it on a bit longer before Clarke joins him in. That is of course, a product of the circumestances-he has taken charge a long time ago when his mom put his sister in his hands and told him she was his responsibility. She makes him name Octavia and take care of her, promising to keep her quiet and safe. The whole reason why we were lucky enough to have a Blake siblings flashback was, I believe, because of that-showing where it all came for for Bellamy but not just the understandting behind his current actions (aka taking off the wristbands for his love for his sister) but also why he fits in the leadership position from the moment they hit the ground.

He had already been a parent and a leader for the past seventeen years. With a mom who made sure she did just enoug hto survive but offered no love, he had to fill in a gap between Auora and Octavia, while putting himself away from experiencing what a real family was in order to take proper care for his sister and please his mother. 

When he comes to the ground he tries to ensamble his people, then convinces them taking off the wristbands is good for them (even though he is indeed trying to save himself here FOR Octavia, a part I think people forget often), he surrounds himself with people he trusts but also helps built this camp-organizes the delinquents to build a wall (remember 1x04 “If it wasn’t for her, those idiots would still be building a wall” when he talks about Clarke saying the truth about Wells;), He quickly realizes what’s good for the people-the truth and omitting it in the case with Charlotte because it will safe them in this unstable situation; He cares for them which is shown when he goes out to look for Octavia and Roma and Mbege die. (I hate when ppl say he only started caring about the delinquents later-he did, from the beginning), he went hunting with them, made them work on rations, etc. 

He also makes some very big leadership mistakes-the first one being hanging Murphy and the second one-throwing the radio away in the river when Raven lands. Now that second one is a really big and very heavy decision, one that Clarke if you think about it doesn’t get to make until the end of the season where she agrees on Raven using the hydrozyne to kill the grounders. Yes, he does make it so he can save himself but his personal decision weighs on the whole camp because if the rest of the Ark doesn’t come down, how do they survive. The whole conversation with Jaha in 1x08 where he hallucinates him just proves all that. While for Clarke it’s her dad she sees and misses, Bellamy is the one already beating himself up for mistakes akined to someone who’s ruling and leading. (and who feels the same amount of guilt the council on the Ark does, aka the parallels between Kane and Bellamy starting here)

Then there comes Lincoln and I think that’s the moment that kind of glues Bellamy and Clarke as leaders which is concluded in 1x08 when they bring the guns back home and it’s quite clear and established who is in charge of those kids. 

That is where they take their first big decision together (yes, I scartch Murphy because while he was a hard choice, he was one of them, he made mistakes, a kid died because of him and banishing him was the only thing they could figure out at the moment but Lincoln is an outsider, a grounder, the enemy. And this is their first time trying to decide how to deal with that.) You could see how new in it all they were, how uncertain-they argue and they do not want to do any of that. They are both mentally torn-you could tell so by the looks in their eyes but they’re also fighting with the new reality-the one where the world is cruel and those people out there already killed 10 of their friends and what is there to do?

What is the RIGHT thing?

And all of that was solidified in the last conversation they have in 1x07 where Bellamy picks her hand holding the screw he put in Lincoln’s hand and he says “Who we are and who we need to be to survive are very different things.” I believe this is the first time he’s being honest with her, basically screaming ‘I am not this person, I am not a killer, I’m not a torturer but I have to be this now. For my sister. For us. Do you understand?” but she’s lost herself and doesn’t know what to respond so he adds, shyly, almost as if he didn’t want to give himself away “It’s not easy being in charge, is it?” because he already HAS been in charge but now she truly IS too. Finally, in that moment.

[sodiumlamp]

Picard

We're in the final stretch of the first season, and the gang finally makes it to the mysterious planet Soji recalled from her dreams. I haven't spent a lot of time on plot holes and other inconsistencies, but a pretty good example of my problem with the writing is how they found Soji's homeworld.

The Romulan agent finds out she's capable of dreaming, then gets her to tell him enough about the dreams to figure out that she's dreaming of home, then he gets her to do some sort of Romulan meditation technique where she can interact with the dream while awake, so she can look up at the skylight in her "father's" laboratory, and identify two red moons and constant lightning in the sky.

I mean, it's not a bad way to extract this information. The problem is that not even Soji knew what she knew, so it makes sense that the answers would lie in her subconscious. My gripe is that it's a tad convenient that her originworld would be so distinctive that this simple description would tell you everything you needed to know to find it. What if the planet had no moons, or whatever the usual number is in Star Trek? What if the planet had clear, unremarkable weather? What if the lab had no skylight? Also, why is the dream taken so literally? Soji saw her father working on a life-size wooden doll bearing her own face. That didn't actually happen so why would the two moons and lightning thing be true?

To be fair, we could argue that the dreams were purposely designed to contain information Soji could use to find her way back home, except the whole point was to suppress that kind of information for her mission. The Romulans discovered her dreams and exploited them, which makes it seem like more of a bug than a feature. But this all happened in Episode 6, and I'm here to complain about Episode 9.

So, the gang arrives at Soji's home planet, Coppelius, and while there's two moons, the weather seems quite ordinary and Earthlike. The Memory Alpha article even points out this contradiction, almost like they're making a joke, but maybe I'm imagining things.

"While Soji Asha was undergoing the Zhal Makh, she had a vision that this planet had electrical storms as part of its weather patterns, though the natural environment was quite sunny, with a hot desert-like environment."

I mean, everyone located the planet based on the details of her vision, but the vision itself was bullshit. Why wouldn't you just put some lighting storms on the planet? We know they can do that effect because they already did it when they produced the scenes of her dream. Just do it again.

When they arrive, all the other androids welcome her back and their leader is Noonien Soong's son. Not an android, like, his biological son. He's a cyberneticist too, so when the ban on synths went down 14 years ago he and Bruce Maddox ran off to Coppelius to make a bunch of androids. Then Bruce made Soji and Dahj and they went off on a mission to......

What the hell was their mission? I think Dahj and Soji were meant to infiltrate the Daystrom Institute and the Borg Reclamation Project respectively, but to what end? And Maddox was up to something on Freecloud, except his lab got destroyed and Jurati killed him before we could find out what he was up to. I think the idea here is that the Coppelius androids would have been better off if Maddox had stayed put, but I can't tell. Instead Maddox and Dahj are dead and Soji has returned to tell them that a Romulan armada is following her to destroy them all.

The crux of the episode is when everyone compares notes and the Coppelians learn about the "warning" the Romulans discovered that convinced them androids will ruin everything. They soon determine that the "warning" was misinterpreted, as it may have been intended for synthetic minds to comprehend. They perceive the message as a promise, one left behind by fellow synthetics, who claim that organic life forms will inevitably create, envy, and betray synthetic life forms. The message contains instructions to contact the ancient synthetics, who will come to rescue any synthetics who are being persecuted. Also, they might just wipe out the persecutors.

So the androids (and Soong) are like, cool, let's just call those god-machines and let them take care of business, but Picard tries to convince them to evacuate in his ship instead. He makes a bunch of pie-in-the-sky promises about Federation protection and getting the synth ban overturned, but Soong calls bullshit because no one listened to Picard before, and no one listens to him now.

So this could be a decent payoff on the whole "warning" business. The Romulans have been worried about it this whole time, but I was afraid we'd never get a clear answer on whether their fears were justified. Now Coppelius has the means to actually summon the horror that the Romulans were afraid of, so at least we'll find out if it's a real thing or not. My guess is that they'll make the call and no one will answer, or at least the answer they get will be much less awesome and terrible than anyone feared/hoped. It's the only way to defuse this, unless a Star Trek show seriously intends to call down God to settle things.

Don't get me wrong, this show still sucks. They spent most of this episode just sort of reacting to Soji's people, Soong, etc. Jurati makes a lot of funny faces and that Romulan guy kills an android by ripping her eye out, so this show still maintains its throughline of dumbassery and violence. The cliffhanger here is that Picard is placed under house arrest, so he won't be able to stop the Coppellians from summoning the machine-gods and he won't be able to evacuate them before the Romulan armada arrives. But that's stupid. The Coppelians took that Romulan guy prisoner and he immediately escaped. Yet we're meant to believe they can hold Picard against his will for more than ten minutes? It's just sloppy and dumb, and it takes way too long to get there.

For instance, there's a scene where the ship loses power on its way down to the planet, and it's dark inside, and then Rios uses his lighter to see what's happening. But he can't just do that, it takes several tries to get a flame, so we have to put up with several cuts to different characters with each flash of the lighter. And for what? This isn't a big dramatic moment. The ship's inoperative and there's nothing they can do about. But they waste a bunch of time like they're building up to something, as if Jason Voorhees is gonna appear behind them in the dark. The whole series is like that. It really sucks.

Now you might wonder why I'm still watching this crap. The show is really, really bad, and I don't think it's worth the trouble, so why bother sitting through the whole thing? What's the point? Well, take a look at this shot of Bruce Maddox's room on Coppellius.

Like Jurati's desk in Episode 1, it's got a lot of labware, but they actually took the time to get some decent looking props instead of just slapping some present-day beakers and flasks. Maddox has the same blue and red liquid in unfamiliar containers that Dr. Crusher had in TNG. There's some other stuff too, which looks vaguely familiar but not easily identifiable. Someone actually went to the trouble to make some convincing props here. They probably looked up photos of real lab equipment and designed things that would look just similar enough to look appropriate, but strange enough to be unrecognizable. I have no idea what this stuff could be used for, but it still looks like a workspace. Like I could see a person sitting at this desk and doing things with this stuff.

And that's growth right there. Don't get me wrong, this doesn't redeem the gripe I had with the Daystrom Institute set from Episode 1. This set only proves my point. They knew what to do and how to do it right, but they just chose not to do that until later in the show.

Still, it's encouraging to see a mistake corrected, even in a sloppy shop like Star Trek: Picard. I had to dig pretty deep for this moment, but it's worth it. Sometimes bad shows are worth watching just for these kinds of experiences.

[wu-kongs]

prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance

or, mickey creates actual characters out of the four stalwart generals from jttw

on flower fruit mountain, the stalwart generals are known as the "flower fruit great four," or the 花果四大/huāguǒsìdà. they are highly respected and second only to the monkey king himself.

🌾 marshal ma, of the plains

ma is a mandrill with fur like vibrant carnelian stone and eyes like pale silica. his weapons of choice are dual dao, though most of the time he single-wields. ma is the second oldest of the huaguosida, as well as their leader.

he is the strict, stern, no-nonsense type who has nearly no sense of humor, and isn't easy to get along with. the fact of the matter is that his social skills are terrible, but it doesn't matter much to him as long as the job is done. he has a surprisingly petty side and takes pleasure in little revenges.

despite not showing it, ma is fiercely protective and ready to protect he and his own. he's fond of children and cute, small things, though they're all scared of him. he only seeks high ground when necessary.

he/him

a big fan of sesame

quite acrobatic

chews on wheat to curb his smoking habit

typically refuses himself comfort

justice. south. fire. summer.

🌊 marshal liu, of the rivers

liu is a tibetan macaque with dark brown fur and eyes like sulfur. their choice of weapon is a yanyuedao, and they are skilled in a variety of other polearms as well. liu is the oldest of the huaguosida.

they are the quiet, calm sort who thinks before they act (and before the others act), and are said to have a soothing presence, though outsiders may find them unnerving to be around because of their slender, imposing stature. they are careful with their words and prefer not to waste them, organized and efficient with them as they are with everything else.

while liu is as protective as ma (and far more subversive in how they act upon it), their loyalty is second to none, and there is nothing they despise more than a traitor. liu is considered quite pretty. don't let it fool you when it comes to combat.

they/them

loves pomegranates and guava

a stunning cook

a good swimmer

fond of rainy weather

unlike ma, refuses to curb their smoking habit

prudence. north. water. winter.

🏔 general beng, of the mountains

beng is an orangutang with silver fur and dark green eyes. his choice of weapon is... his fists. he is extremely adept in hand-to-hand combat and prefers it to melee weapon-based combat. beng is the youngest of the huaguosida.

he is strong, large, and protective, and willing and able to shield others with his broad body. most others are intimidated by his resting bitch face, but beng is very friendly in reality and is the most charismatic of the huaguosida. children adore him, unlike ma.

in spite of his friendliness, beng is unafraid to get his hands dirty and will always volunteer for the jobs no one else wants to do. while protective of others, he somewhat tends to disregard himself because of his size and durability.

he/him

fast in spite of his build and looks

prefers to keep busy

not quick to anger

loves to eat, can be found snacking in his free time

temperance. west. earth. autumn.

🌿 general ba, of the branches and vines

ba is a white-cheeked gibbon with fur like the night sky (excluding their white cheeks) and silver eyes. his preferred weapon is a bow—any kind will suit him. he also keeps a dangong/slingshot/pellet bow on him at all times. their accuracy is the best in the land, and they're able to strike any target at up to 1.5 kilometers with perfect accuracy. ba is the second-youngest of the huaguosida, and also the smallest.

she is the oddball of the bunch and the most reclusive, preferring to keep to the treetops and to herself. she is mute and communicates exclusively in sign language and messages tied to arrows shot across the island, or balled up messages slung in the same manner.

ba is practically impossible to catch and will only show themselves if their presence is demanded by one of the other sida or the monkey king himself. when it comes to combat, they are ruthless and unforgiving, and prefers immediate action overall—act first, questions later. they refuse to baby anyone or be easy on them and prefers the same treatment (except from liu).

they/she/he/it

alcohol heavyweight champ

loves limes, human sweets

quite elegant

doesn't like being on the ground, or being wet

naps frequently

fortitude. east. wind. spring.

these are the four stalwart generals of flower fruit mountain, and sun wukong's strongest, most skilled soldiers.

[loganofthenorth]

AAA OKAY HI IM HERE TO RAMBLE ABOUT MY OCS TO YOU IF THAT IS OKAY

They've got about like a hundred different aus, but in canon one is a hero (she/he/they) who has the power to manipulate weather and also a complete dumbass golden boy, and a villain (he/they) who can control time after being given their powers by the gods of the world in a freak accident and the hero is sent on a mission to collect information on the villain, living with them for a year (and they fall in love obviously) before she ends up betraying them and both of them are heartbroken and the hero feels so incredibly guilty, but they're being manipulated by the head of the hero organization and become really popular and famous after the mission ends so he's really conflicted the entire time

AND ALSO THERE IS A FANCY GALA WHERE THEY DANCE TOGERHER

that's not even getting into the aus, that's just canon BUT I LOVE THEM SO MUCH AAA !!!!!

Oh no, the angst

I love them!

The first OC sounds a lot like how I play Roman in a Magical Boi AU I have with a friend, so I love them!

One of the OCs I currently am obsessed over is Themis aka Eulises, who was originally an OC I made a year ago as a filler for the Orange Side in my friends role plays. We used him as an antagonist in a Sanders Sides God AU we were role playing

In the original version of the AU, which was made around a year ago and we've role played many versions since, Eulises worked with Janus back when Janus was trying to take Thomas's position as the Leader of the Gods. Janus deemed Eulises's methods as too dangerous and took away his powers, banishing him to Earth and making everyone forget him. On Earth, Eulises regained his power by taking energy from human souls, and after Janus started working with the Gods instead of against them, Eulises came for his revenge.

After being defeated, Eulises was turned into a child since Janus wasn't able to outright kill him. Thomas decided to raise Eulises, now Themis, with the love and care he needs to be a better person.

Many small Gods, and Eulises's cult gathering, tried to bring Eulises back. There was also a lot of other things causing problems for the Gods. As a result, they never had a day of peace in the role play. The role play was constant angst, constant chaos, every day the chat was being spammed with storylines.

So then I created Aslov, the God of Order, and he is the most interesting Villain I ever created, but now over a year of making him a comfort character, I have reduced him to a soft wolf boi. Still, even in the present day version of the story he is a bad ass.

But back to the original version. Aslov came in and attempted to brain wash all the Gods in order to force them to do their jobs, stop making problems for each other, and actually take care of themselves. His intentions were good, but... The other Gods weren't too thrilled about the idea of all their emotions and whims being wiped away from them, and being reduced to just their core purpose.

Then comes in, the child, Themis. Once the God of Anger, Themis comes in and is like: Hey, you're acting kinda like a tyrant. You're getting pretty angry about all the chaos that's been going on, huh? Here, you be the God of Anger, I don't want to anymore.

So Aslov is now turned into the God of Anger and Themis, who takes some of Aslov's orderly powers, becomes the God of Justice

Thomas then takes in Aslov as his son, even though Aslov's an adult, and starts mentoring him to help him understand emotions better. Eventually Aslov starts helping the other Gods find better ways to prevent all the chaos.

Now, their story is much different, but I already infodumped so I'll infodump more if you want me to but it's okay if not! Feel free to infodump more about your characters if you like!

[webcrstravel-blog]

Skills that successful entrepreneurs possess, and how can I develop them?

There are many skills that can contribute to the success of an entrepreneur, but here are ten of the most important:

Creativity: Entrepreneurs need to be able to think outside the box and come up with new and innovative ideas. This skill can be developed by practicing brainstorming techniques, exposing yourself to different industries and experiences, and constantly challenging your assumptions.

Communication: Effective communication is crucial for entrepreneurs, whether it's pitching an idea to investors, negotiating with suppliers, or leading a team. Improving your communication skills can involve practicing active listening, honing your public speaking skills, and seeking out feedback.

Adaptability: Entrepreneurs must be able to adapt to changing circumstances and pivot their strategies when necessary. Developing this skill involves being open to feedback, staying current on industry trends, and learning from past failures.

Resilience: Starting a business can be tough, and entrepreneurs must be able to weather the ups and downs that come with it. Building resilience can involve developing a support network, practicing self-care, and focusing on the long-term vision for your business.

Leadership: Entrepreneurs must be able to inspire and motivate their team, as well as make difficult decisions when necessary. Developing leadership skills can involve studying successful leaders, seeking out mentorship, and practicing decision-making in a variety of contexts.

Time management: With so many tasks to juggle, entrepreneurs must be able to prioritize effectively and manage their time efficiently. Improving time management skills can involve setting clear goals and deadlines, delegating tasks when appropriate, and utilizing productivity tools and techniques.

Financial management: Entrepreneurs need to be able to manage their finances effectively, from creating a budget to forecasting future expenses. Developing financial management skills can involve studying basic accounting principles, seeking out advice from financial experts, and keeping track of key financial metrics.

Marketing: Entrepreneurs need to be able to effectively market their products or services to potential customers. Developing marketing skills can involve studying successful marketing campaigns, experimenting with different channels and tactics, and seeking out feedback from customers.

Sales: Entrepreneurs need to be able to close deals and generate revenue for their business. Developing sales skills can involve practicing active listening, mastering the art of persuasion, and seeking out sales training and mentorship.

Networking: Entrepreneurs must be able to build relationships with potential investors, customers, and partners. Developing networking skills can involve attending industry events, joining professional organizations, and seeking out opportunities to connect with others in your field.

To develop these skills, you can start by reading books and articles on entrepreneurship and leadership, attending seminars and workshops, seeking out mentorship and advice from experienced entrepreneurs, and practicing your skills in real-world situations. Additionally, consider joining a startup accelerator or incubator program, which can provide you with valuable resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities.

[angria]

Starting to wonder if I should make the list of positives a weekly thing to build some new neural pathways, as T would say (and as I imagine his squawk). Make it more of a habit to notice the positives.

So here we go (and here's to hoping this doesn't trigger sabotage 🙃)

Had a good session on Wednesday, I think. I brought up me smiling during Monday's session, even though I was afraid of what T would think. Whether he would see it as attention-seeking or manipulative (which I logically knew he wouldn't, but still). We had a good conversation breaking down what happened. That having any emotional response, regardless of rationale, is not bad or manipulative. That it is okay. I am okay.

Did pretty good this week when it comes to being compliant with my meds and folate since I've been having thoughts of sabotage lately.

Saw two friends this week and was mindful/aware of how I feel better after seeing them

^ also two in one...noticing that I'm starting to notice positives more often

Choosing (mostly) to listen to happier music vs. trigger music

Weather was really nice on Monday and had a good self-image day

This is going to sound weird, but attending my first Episcopal funeral on Thursday. Their service is so different from a Catholic service and much more affirming with hope and joy. Like it was a celebration of life and the positive impact of the person's gifts. Rather than this heavy mourning that only focuses on physical death and loss (not to mean the Episcopal funeral neglected to acknowledge people's expression of grief and loss, but it was more uplifting overall).

And finally...received a lot of really nice praise at work today, which felt awesome. Context…The Episcopal Church has this thing called an Annual Meeting where each congregation gathers to vote on various things and review the past year—events, updates, finances, etc. Behind the scenes, the parish administrator organizes everyone’s reports for the various ministries, outreach, and finances into one big public report for everyone. So for the past couple weeks, I’ve been organizing the spc final report as well as creating a slide show (which they requested very last minute). Today the two Wardens (leaders of the Vestry) and the Treasurer came in today to review everything and set up the presentation, making sure it's ready to go for Sunday. They all kept saying how impressed they were over how well and professional the report and slide show look, thanking me repeatedly for my help. On top of expressing how grateful they are for my positive energy and attitude (which makes me wonder how the previous admin acted?). So yay 😊

[villarsboyle]

Villar S. Boyle: An Investment Leader Who Transformed Ergo Partners

Investment is a vital element of the business world, and Villar S. Boyle is one of the best investment leaders in the industry. As the CEO of Ergo Partners, he has transformed the company into a global investment powerhouse with over $120 billion in assets under management. Villar S. Boyle, leadership, and business acumen have been instrumental in Ergo Partners' success. In this blog post, we'll take a closer look at his service and how he has contributed to Ergo Partners' growth.

Early Years and Education

Villar S. Boyle was born and raised in the United States. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Chicago, where he majored in Economics. He then went on to earn his MBA from Harvard Business School, where he specialized in Finance.

Professional Journey

Boyle's career began at a prominent investment bank, where he gained experience in investment banking, private equity, and mergers and acquisitions. He then joined Ergo Partners as an analyst in the firm's New York office. Over the years, he climbed the ranks and held several key positions before being named CEO in 2014.

Leadership at Ergo Partners

As CEO, Villar S. Boyle has led Ergo Partners through a period of significant growth and expansion. Here are some of the key initiatives he has implemented:

• Diversification: Under Boyle's leadership, Ergo Partners has diversified its investment portfolio across various sectors, including real estate, technology, and energy. This has helped the firm weather market fluctuations and generate consistent returns.

• Global Expansion: Ergo Partners has expanded its operations to Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, thanks to Boyle's vision and leadership. The firm now has a global presence, with offices in major financial centers around the world.

• Strategic Partnerships: Boyle has cultivated partnerships with significant strategic clients, industry leaders, and government officials. These partnerships have helped Ergo Partners access new markets, identify new investment opportunities, and strengthen its reputation in the industry.

• Succession Planning: As part of his leadership development initiatives, Boyle has implemented a robust succession planning program. This ensures that the company has a pipeline of talented executives who are ready to take on leadership roles as needed.

• Culture: Boyle has reinforced Ergo Partners' vision and culture, emphasizing the importance of integrity, teamwork, and a long-term perspective. This has helped create a cohesive and motivated workforce that is committed to delivering exceptional results.

• Philanthropy: Villar S. Boyle is a strong advocate for philanthropy, and he encourages Ergo Partners to give back to the community. The firm supports various charitable organizations, and Boyle is personally involved in several philanthropic initiatives.

• Innovation: Boyle is a strong proponent of innovation, and he encourages Ergo Partners to stay ahead of the curve. The firm has invested in cutting-edge technologies and is constantly exploring new investment opportunities.

• Risk Management: As CEO, Boyle places a strong emphasis on risk management. He has implemented robust risk management policies and procedures, which have helped the firm mitigate risks and avoid costly mistakes.

• Thought Leadership: Boyle is a recognized thought leader in the investment industry. He frequently speaks at conferences and events, sharing his insights and expertise with industry peers. He also contributes to leading publications and blogs on investment topics, helping to shape the discourse around investment trends and best practices.

Conclusion

Villar S. Boyle's leadership has been instrumental in Ergo Partners' success. His vision, business acumen, and ability to execute have transformed the company into a global investment powerhouse. Under his leadership, Ergo Partners has diversified its portfolio, expanded globally, cultivated strategic partnerships, implemented a robust succession planning program, and reinforced its vision and culture. It's no wonder that Boyle is widely regarded as one of the best investment leaders in the industry.

[dr-ameet-parekh-business-coach]

Building a Disciplined Business Culture

It takes more than just brilliant ideas to succeed in the fast-paced corporate world of today. It all comes down to focusing, working hard, and following through on your goal. The thing that keeps everything together is discipline. It's what makes winners different from losers. Discipline is necessary for even the best ideas to fail.

1. Staying Focused and Productive

Maintaining discipline benefits both you and your team. It helps you stay focused on the important tasks rather than letting little setbacks or small successes divert you. Being disciplined allows you to focus your time on the things that will increase productivity. This aids in your goal-achieving and keeps you in line with the mission of your business.

2. Consistency is Key

One big win isn't enough to make a firm successful. It's about providing excellent goods and services on a regular basis. Maintaining high standards and keeping everything in order are made easier with discipline. Consistency fosters trust in a variety of contexts, including customer service, financial management, and marketing strategy implementation. Customer loyalty is higher for organizations that have a track record of dependability.

3. Money Matters

An important aspect of owning a business is handling finances. You must exercise caution when making purchases and investments. Maintaining discipline enables you to make prudent financial decisions, monitor your cash flow, and adhere to a budget. You risk losing money or getting into debt without this. Financially savvy business owners are more likely to create robust, long-lasting companies that can withstand any adversity.

4. Building Resilience

Companies encounter a wide range of difficulties, from weak economies to unforeseen issues. Maintaining your strength and perseverance requires discipline. A disciplined attitude lets you view setbacks as minor detours rather than catastrophic failures when times are rough. Disciplined leaders are able to remain composed, think clearly, and make wise choices that will help their business weather difficult times.

5. Leading by Example

A leader who upholds discipline sets an example for the team. Workers turn to their leaders for direction, and a well-behaved boss demonstrates commitment and expertise. As a result, a productive workplace is created where employees are inspired to give their all. Accountability is another benefit of a disciplined workplace, as it guarantees that everyone is contributing. Better performance and business expansion result from this.

6. Time is Precious

Having solid time management skills is a sign of discipline. With so much on their plates, entrepreneurs can easily become overwhelmed. You can maximize your time, though, if you prioritize your work, establish deadlines, and follow through on your plan. Since time is a finite resource, savvy companies understand how crucial it is to manage it.

7. Focus on the Big Picture

You need discipline to stay focused on your long-term objectives. While quick successes are fantastic, gradually developing a strong business is the true secret to success. Even in difficult times, disciplined business entrepreneurs never waver from their commitment to their mission. Ultimately, these endurance and patience pay off, resulting in significant, long-term achievements.

Conclusion:

Establishing discipline is the cornerstone of prosperous enterprises. It guarantees reliability, strengthens resilience, and encourages efficient money management. Discipline is essential to all facets of business operations, from keeping focus and setting priorities to creating a happy work environment and adhering to long-term objectives. Entrepreneurs can realize their full potential and build successful businesses that can overcome any obstacle by embracing discipline.Ready to transform your business with expert guidance? Learn more from Dr. Ameet Parekh - Business Coach and take the next step toward achieving your business goals!

[fun-adventures-travels]

Ready to Organize a Group Activity? Skandagiri Trek Awaits!

Let’s Talk

If you're looking to organise a memorable group adventure that combines physical challenge with scenic beauty, the Skandagiri Trek is the perfect choice. Situated just a short drive from Bangalore, this trek offers an ideal opportunity to bond with friends or colleagues while exploring the stunning landscapes of the Skandagiri hills. Whether you're planning a Skandagiri sunrise trek or simply want to experience the majestic views, the adventure is sure to leave lasting memories.

Why is Skandagiri Trek Perfect for Group Activities?

Skandagiri Trek Bangalore, also known as Kalavara Durga, is a popular trekking destination located about 60 km from Bangalore. The trek is relatively short but steep, making it both exciting and rewarding. It’s especially ideal for group activities because of the camaraderie it fosters, with everyone supporting each other as they ascend the hill. The terrain varies from rocky paths to lush greenery, ensuring that the hike stays interesting throughout.

Skandagiri Sunrise Trek: The Ultimate Group Experience

One of the most thrilling aspects of the Skandagiri Trek is witnessing the breathtaking sunrise from the top. Groups often opt for the Skandagiri sunrise trek, where the adventure begins in the early hours of the morning. As you and your team climb under the starry sky, anticipation builds for the beautiful sunrise awaiting you at the summit. Once you reach the top, you’re rewarded with a panoramic view of the surrounding hills and valleys blanketed in mist, making it the perfect setting for group photos and shared moments of awe.

How to Organize Skandagiri Trek from Bangalore?

Planning a Skandagiri trek from Bangalore is incredibly easy. Many operators, like Universal Adventures, offer convenient Skandagiri booking options that include transport, trekking guides, and basic meals. For group activities, the Travel from Bangalore & Trek package offered by Universal Adventures is a great choice, priced at just ₹1349 per person. 

This package covers the entire experience, from your departure in Bangalore to your return after a day of trekking and exploring the Skandagiri Hills trek.

What to Expect on the Skandagiri Trek?

Trek Distance and Duration: The trek covers approximately 8 km and can be completed in around 4-5 hours, depending on your group’s pace.

Difficulty Level: The Skandagiri hills trek is classified as a moderately challenging trek, making it suitable for beginners as well as seasoned trekkers. It does involve steep sections, so group members should be prepared for a bit of a workout!

Spectacular Views: The trek offers mesmerising views, with dense forests at the base gradually giving way to rocky outcrops. The real treat, however, comes when you reach the summit, where you can relax and soak in the beauty of the surrounding landscapes.

Group Bonding: The Skandagiri trek is the perfect setting for team-building exercises or simply enjoying time with friends. The shared challenges and triumphs of the trek create a unique bond among participants, making it a memorable experience for everyone involved.

Tips for Group Planning

Skandagiri Booking: Make sure to book your trek well in advance, especially if you’re planning for a large group. The trek is popular, and slots can fill up quickly, especially during weekends.

Pack Light but Smart: Encourage group members to carry light backpacks with essentials like water, snacks, a flashlight, and comfortable trekking shoes. Since the trek is done mostly in the dark (for sunrise treks), a reliable flashlight is essential for navigating the trail.

Stay Together: Although the trek is well-marked, it’s always best to stay together as a group, especially if there are first-time trekkers. Assign a leader and ensure everyone is accounted for during breaks and at the summit.

Dress for the Weather: Since the trek happens mostly during the early morning hours, the temperature can drop significantly. Carry warm clothing and make sure your group is prepared for the cold, especially if you’re aiming for the Skandagiri sunrise trek.

How to Get from Bangalore to Skandagiri

The journey from Bangalore to Skandagiri takes about 1.5 to 2 hours by road. Many group trekkers choose to book transportation through a travel operator, making the logistics hassle-free. Alternatively, if you're driving, the route from Bangalore takes you through the scenic countryside, with well-marked roads leading to the base of the hill. Most Skandagiri trek packages include transportation, so you don’t have to worry about the details.

The Skandagiri trek is a fantastic way to organise a group activity that combines adventure, nature, and bonding. Whether you’re planning a trip with friends, colleagues, or even family, the trek provides an unforgettable experience that will be cherished for years. From the challenging ascent to the magical sunrise at the top, every aspect of the trek is designed to provide a memorable escape from city life. With packages starting at ₹1349 per person from Universal Adventures, organising a group activity for the Skandagiri hills trek has never been easier. So, gather your group, make your Skandagiri booking, and get ready for a trek that will leave you feeling accomplished and closer to nature!