#Centre Relation Client

[flowerandblood]

The Taste of Shame (2)

[ dom!modern • Aemond x friend sister • female ]

[ warnings: doubts related to sex work, panic attack, remorse and depression, fluff, sexual tension ]

[ description: Aemond works as a professional dom, fulfilling the various fantasies of his female clients - however, he guards his privacy and does not enter into any relationships with them, recognizing that he does not want or need it. It turns out that what he wants and what he doesn’t no longer matter when he meets his friend’s younger sister for the first time. Slow burn, sexual tension, doubts related to sex work. ]

Series & Characters Moodboard Aemond NSFW Alphabet

* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *

Next chapters: Masterlist

_____

Walking to the lecture they talked about everything and nothing; for the most part, she was the one speaking, telling stories or asking questions, guiding her bike beside her by the handlebars, while he just added his thought or simply remained silent, listening to her.

They arrived at the Community Centre true to her word very quickly and indeed he immediately saw posters announcing that there would be free lectures by philosophers in the fields of contemporary ethics.

Robert's sister padlocked her bike in the designated area and they both went inside, following the signs. They entered a large, neo-classical hall with beautiful pillars and rich ornamentation on the ceiling, reminding him of a theatre or opera house.

They sat side by side on seats in one of the first rows − she explained to him that the presenter would be asking questions and, among others, her professor would be answering.

Indeed, the discussion was remarkably interesting and he caught himself drawn in; the men were talking among themselves about capital punishment, attitudes to the treatment of other humans and animals, warfare and human-wide conflicts.

However, he felt a cold sweat on his back and a tightness in his throat, his heart starting to pound like mad when the presenter asked the next question.

"As we know, a lot of young people start, as they say in modern times, sexworking − whether they show up on webcams or have sex for money. How do you, Professor, view this, do you think it's good for the psyche of such people? Is it morally right?"

The professor grunted and corrected his glasses with a slight hand gesture; he was a grey-haired, elderly man with a kindly, calm face.

"It depends on a number of factors. Firstly − what that young person's goal is. When we choose our job, we usually want more than just to earn money, most people's dream is to do things that fascinate them, that they are fulfilled in. Of course, people are also fulfilled in the sexual sphere with their partners, however, what happens when sexuality becomes a profession?

Well, in a way, two things are then combined that can be very destructive to the psyche − materliness and one's own body. At the same time, we make the decision ourselves, so it is not morally wrong if it involves two adults who agree to it, but there is an internal objectification, a selling of some part of our intimacy.

Of course, one can feel good about it. One may even like it. One should not tell such people that they are denying something, or say that they are selling themselves, that they are pricing their value. You see, it is not for us to judge. Everyone can do what they want with their body, it is their unquestionable right.

However, the danger arises when, underneath this materialistic approach, there is a desire for self-destruction, a desire to simultaneously dominate, to be in charge − I decide what happens to my body − and, at the same time, I desire to humiliate myself in my own eyes − I sell myself and I'm nothing, I don't want affection because I don't deserve it.

This issue is very complex and delicate, judging too quickly, especially by outsiders, will be even more hurtful to such people, a confirmation that they will never be loved and accepted, so they will be afraid to make sexuality emotional, which will lead to the opposite effect that we would all like."

The presenter nodded with understanding.

"If the professor were to state what it should look like in an ideal world, what would the professor say?"

The man laughed good-naturedly, stroking his white beard.

"I don't have an answer to that. I think that in an ideal world, the person who is made for us would be highlighted to us in green and those who hurt us in red. But we don't have that option. I think the fundamental mistake of every human being is to make judgements prematurely, instead of being willing to understand, to offer conversation, to support.

Calling someone a whore or a slut has never helped anyone, what's more, it only makes such people even more likely to have suicidal thoughts and be afraid to seek help when they feel they need it, because they are scared of revealing themselves to their parents or loved ones."

The presenter moved on to the next topic, but he heard nothing more, staring blankly at the floor, leaning forward so that his elbows were on his knees − he felt himself trembling all over, his eyes burning from the moisture that had gathered under his eyelids, his throat all clenched.

He felt her hand on his back and he shuddered, glancing over his shoulder at her with wide eyes − she was leaning over him worriedly, he could smell her pleasant scent again.

"Are you all right? Do you want to go out for some fresh air?" She asked frightened, clearly seeing how pale he was, and he nodded in embarrassment.

By the time they got outside it was completely dark; he reached with his shaking hand into the inside pocket of his leather jacket, taking out a cigarette and a lighter, firing it quickly and putting it into his mouth.

He felt her looking at him − they were standing in the square in front of the main entrance where there was no one but them, all around them was the loud hum of moving cars.

For some reason he felt desperate and miserable, weak, small; he clenched his eyes shut, shaking his head, trying to pull himself together. He sat down on the cold stone steps and she immediately sat down next to him, far too close.

He sighed when he felt her hand on his shoulder, stroking him gently, her warm breath on his cheek cool from the crisp evening air. He let out a loud puff of smoke with his lips, thinking only of how he had never let any woman touch him.

He placed his hand on hers, wanting to feel her for once, her skin soft as silk, exactly as he had imagined; he looked at her in pain, her eyebrows arched in worry, in incomprehension of what had actually happened.

"I'm selling myself." He said finally, desperate, and she blinked as if she didn't understand what she had just heard.

He took a drag again, not taking his eyes off her, and let the smoke out through his nose.

"I do all sorts of fucked up things to women for money and get satisfaction out of it, you know?" He asked in a low, trembling voice, feeling devastated how tears of shame one by one began to run down his face.

He felt himself shaking all over and thought he was an idiot, wondering how he could have said that to her. For some reason, he felt something inside him break.

He wanted her to know, to tell him she was disgusted with him, to look at him with that look full of reserve, to tell him it was nothing and just go away simply to let him finally stop thinking about her.

He saw her tighten her lips, her eyes turning red, her eyebrows arching in sorrow as if she was in pain as he was. He felt a pleasant shudder when her hand stroked gently through his hair as if he were a small child, and then she hugged her face to his cheek and simply remained silent.

She didn't say anything.

She stayed.

She wanted to comfort him.

Delighted at this revelation, he burst out into a quiet, mournful sob, leaned over and snuggled his face into her neck, wanting to hide from his own shame and remorse, from what she might think of him, from what he feared and could not forgive himself for.

Why did he have to be like this?

Why exactly did this give him fulfilment?

He sighed quietly as she put her arms around him and hugged him, her soft hand stroking his cheek with gentle, slow movements, her face nestled against his hair and placing a gentle kiss on it.

"You didn't do anything wrong." She whispered finally; he swallowed hard, rubbing the tip of his nose against her neck, brushing his lips gently against her bare skin, again, and then again.

He felt her tremble and tighten her hands on his leather jacket, his manhood in his trousers completely hard.

He had no idea what had just happened between them, but he didn't want to stop.

After a moment, as his emotions left him he realised what he had done.

That he had told a complete stranger about who he was, revealed to her his darkest secret.

This thought made him panic − he got up abruptly and mumbled through his tears that he would go home already, that he apologised to her for everything, not listening to her pleas to wait for her, running quickly down the stone stairs, walking ahead.

He looked over his shoulder as he turned into the corner of the next street and noticed with some kind of disappointment that she was not following him.

He burst out into uncontrollable sobs for the second time once he had locked himself in his car having complete chaos in his head, feeling that he was going through some kind of panic attack.

He thought that until he'd met her he hadn't felt this way, that the idea that he couldn't date her because of what he'd done made him start to regret it all.

What was he supposed to do now?

He reached for his phone hearing it vibrate and unlocked it quickly seeing as many as three new messages from her.

He clenched his eyelids, dropping his phone on the other seat, hiding his face in his hands.

He needed to calm down.

He sat like that for a few minutes in silence, not thinking about anything, just breathing, and then he drove home as if nothing had happened.

He entered his flat, took a shower, ate something and then turned on the TV, all mechanical, completely empty; he shuddered when he got a new message, reaching uncertainly for his phone and felt an unpleasant twinge in his stomach when he saw it was one of his clients.

She wanted to meet the next day.

No, he thought.

I don't want to.

He wrote her back that he was taking a break from it all for a while.

He was infuriated when she started texting him to tell him not to do it, that she needed him, that meeting him made her want to go on living.

He slammed his phone furiously into the wall.

What about what he fucking needed?

When he picked it up after several minutes he found that it worked despite the cracked screen.

He accessed the last messages he'd received from Robert's sister and began typing quickly to her on his phone's keypad.

He pressed his lips together when he saw that she immediately displayed his message, a bubble popped up in his app window indicating that she had just written back to him.

He swallowed loudly, writing her back without thinking, without controlling himself, allowing himself to shamelessly write her exactly what was in his head.

He stared at the screen with a pounding heart, wondering whether to do it or not, walking restlessly around his living room with his phone in his hands − he typed out the answer slowly, feeling that he was hot.

She didn't reply for a long time even though he could see that she had displayed his message.

He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head, laughing despairingly under his breath, not believing how desperate he was.

He'd known it from the moment he'd seen her, when she'd gotten off that fucking bike and looked at him with those big, innocent eyes of hers.

He stood looking at her message as if stupefied, reading it again and again, unable to believe it, feeling like he was about to die from the arousal and heat he felt in his chest, his fingers trembling as he tapped out his reply to her.

And so she did.

He didn't dare propose to meet her alone, knowing how that would have gone down on his part.

He didn't want to scare her off.

However, they wrote with each other for days, even during his classes; Criston and Robert laughed at him for having a girlfriend and not even wanting to introduce her to them.

He didn't care.

She was the first person he told about how it all started, what he felt when he did it, what aroused him and what repulsed him about it all.

She listened to him and answered him with sincere concern and worry, without judging him, without pretending it was a simple and obvious subject, giving him a sense of comfort and understanding.

He made it clear to her that he had refrained from any contact with strange women for the time being.

He licked his lower lip as he lay back in his bed, writing her off quickly.

He swallowed hard when she wrote him back after a moment.

He felt a squeeze in his heart at her words, some kind of pain that she thought of herself that way, that she saw herself as just another person he wanted to take out on.

He chuckled involuntarily, typing back a quick response to her question.

He blinked, looking at his screen with a pounding heart, not believing what he read.

______

Aemond Taglist:

(bold means I couldn't tag you)

@its-actually-minicika @notnormalthings-blog @nikstrange @zenka69 @bellaisasleep @k-y-r-a-1 @g-cf2020 @melsunshine @opheliaas-stuff @chainsawsangel @iiamthehybrid @tinykryptonitewerewolf @namoreno @malfoytargaryen @qyburnsghost @aemondsdelight @persephonerinyes @fan-goddess @sweethoneyblossom1 @watercolorskyy @randomdragonfires @apollonshootafar @padfooteyes

[tavyliasin]

Hello Haarlep lover ❤️ can I request how Haarlep and Raphael acts when they’re jealous?(like in the game when Raphaelis a bit angry when you have your way with the tentacle emperor🤣) ( separately please)❤️

Hello darling~ What a delightful request! And featuring my most beloved, no less <3 I am more than happy to provide you the answers as far as I see them, though every headcanon is beautiful in its own right so do tell me all of yours, too~

Raphael and Jealousy

For Raphael, jealousy is all about PRIDE. To admit a feeling of jealousy would be a stain upon Raphael's pride. That would be accepting that he sees someone as important, that they are important enough to get under his skin. On the flipside, for someone to take something that is his, someone that he has a rightful (in his mind) claim to, that's a slight against him too. So when he realises either of these feelings, he's going to have that internal conflict. Someone is taking something of his, but he is also admitting that they were worth keeping in the first place. Of course, showing any of this is even more of a dent in his pride. So he will try to keep it tightly controlled, just a few snide remarks, a couple of threats to remind his possessions to whom they belong (particularly a certain rodent). However, when this reaches a limit he will snap and glow with incandescent rage. Ah, my precious little glow stick, I love to watch you shine~ Sexually this comes out as his most Dominant moments. He will display his power, make his mark, and ensure that his possession can think of nobody else but him, that they can feel nothing but what he allows them, hears no voice other than his in their ear. At his peak, he will aim to leave them completely unable to forget their time with him and quite desperate to crawl on their knees, begging for forgiveness. More explicitly? BDSM, pain play, power play, and a whole lot of edging~ A flurry of greedy desire, possessiveness, and an absolute need to prove that he is the only one worthy of attention. In regards to certain people... Little Mouse - Raphael's favourite client is one he is most loathe to admit his affection for, but also the strongest. However, he only considers certain partners to be an actual threat. He's not jealous over the mouse's relations with any of the companions, they're mere mortals, just romance and sex. He's certain he is better than them, and that his mouse will always scurry back to his house in the end. However, when The Emperor tries to stake a claim? That's not just about mortal concerns, The Emperor wants to have power over the Little Mouse, to change them irreversibly into what he wants them to be. That won't stand. Raphael will not have anyone stealing true power over his favourite client, and he will not stop until he sees both the Emperor and the threat of his Mouse becoming a squid completely obliterated from existence. Haarlep - Raphael owns Haarlep, and uses them. He doesn't care for their nature, and has no issue with providing them contracted clients to have sex with (and thereby feed from). However, this is still on his terms, and while he might not see it as jealousy he is particularly enraged by anyone playing with his toy without his permission. He may also begin to feel an emptiness if Haarlep refuses him, playing only in the forms of others and denying him any connection. But that's another story~

Haarlep and Jealousy

Jealousy to an incubus might seem like a completely absurd concept, and you might be right, but Haarlep still has needs. They don't much care what Raphael does with anyone else, but if this is at the expense of Haarlep being fed then they will begin to feel that bite of rage. What does get under their skin though is any feeling that someone else is better than they are, that someone else is bringing more pleasure to one of their toys than they have, that someone might want anyone else's touch but theirs... They want to be the focus, the centre of lustful affections, and being second best simply will not do. They are also envious of those who have more freedom to seek a wider range of experiences, perhaps even some jealous nature towards others indulging in sexual pleasure with their favourite toys somewhere out of their reach. Most clearly, during sex, if someone were to utter any name but Haarlep, the speaker would be in a whole world of trouble. They demand satisfaction, they require all of the lust to belong to them and them alone. Their response to jealousy is similar to Raphael, only they can be far more cruel. Not just edging, full denial of pleasure, teasing on the brink of torture, using their aphrodisiac saliva on their target until their mind almost breaks entirely in desperation. They don't just want their target to beg forgiveness, they need them to submit to them completely, with all but the last vestige of their soul that keeps them from being a mindless puppet to their whims. They don't have a specific reaction for different people, but they do not tolerate anyone losing focus on them during sex. No matter who it is.

[hauntedselves]

Steele's Notes on NPD

NPD vs BPD

Generally have less capacity than BPD to mentalize, lack more insight, have more difficulty recalling early abuse/neglect, have less empathy toward others

Severely avoidant of genuine connection;

May need to keep a power differential in the relationship

Don’t respond well to being reassured that they are “human” and “normal,” unlike most borderline clients.

Classic NPD symptoms & behaviours

Arrogant, entitled, critical, controlling, lacks empathy

Inflated “self” is a defense against shame and devalued “self”

Experiences related to devalued self are completely avoided or denied

Generally are unable to acknowledge devalued self

Therapist should not explicitly confront the defense

Acknowledge that it might be lonely and challenging to feel that no one else is good enough

Explore any perceived disadvantages to the defense

Fragile NPD

Alternate between grandiosity and inadequacy

Unhappy, critical of others, anxious, envious, competitive, and have extreme reactions to perceived slights or criticism

Tend to obsessively compare themselves with others

Strong perfectionism

Have narcissistic defenses that work well until they are criticized or rejected

Can access their devalued self: therapist can focus on root causes of devalued self

Reversed NPD

Strong belief and need to be the worst, the sickest, the most traumatized patient

Underlying need to be special, but due to dysfunction, not adequacy

Strong need for validation and compassion

Therapist focuses on emotional validation and less on content of distress

Encourage client to communicate through more positive experiences and affect (compassionately shift focus from negative to positive experiences

Treatment approaches for NPD

Trauma-based in many clients

Certainly affected by quality of early relationships (neglect)

Work with conflicting idealized and devalued selves

Work with inner critic and perfectionism

Mentalization based treatment

Transference based psychotherapy

Dialectical behavior therapy

EMDR and other approaches to resolve early traumatic memories (often not explicitly accessible in the narcissistic patient)

Treatment approaches in Fragile NPD

Identify the conflicting idealized and devalued selves

Help client notice swings between the two

Help client recognize the distortions in both

“I suffer more than anyone; my abuse was the worst; I am completely damaged”

Versus

“I could have been and should be the best”

Help client deal with relentless inner critic

From Kathy Steele’s presentation 'Integrating Personality Disorders in our Work with Complex Trauma and Dissociation' (PDF), 18 August 2021, Delphi Centre.

[Transcribed from a PowerPoint presentation without notes; therefore this post is without context]

[histoiresduninstant]

𝔻𝕚𝕝𝕦𝕔 | Sway

*↷◌ Info:

||Personnage : Diluc ||Origine : Genshin Impact ||Nombre de mots : 3 560 ||Inspiration musicale : Sway de Michael Bubblé ||Synopsis : [T/P] est une chanteuse connu à Mondstadt, et performe régulièrement dans la taverne de Diluc. On dit que les deux sont de bon amis, mais n'entretiendraient-ils pas une relation plus intime lorsque les portes sont closes?

⁎↣♡↢⁎

     Ce soir, à Angel's Share, taverne emblématique de Mondstadt, un évènement sortant de l'ordinaire allait prendre place à l'intérieur. Au rez-de-chaussée, une petite scène avait été installée, où quelques instruments reposaient dessus. Puis à l'avant, au centre, un micro solitaire. Cette petite mise en scène intriguait les nouveaux clients, se questionnant sur la raison de ce décor différent de l'habitude. Mais les habitués de la petite taverne savaient ce qui allait se passer. Un vendredi soir sur deux, une chanteuse à la voix mielleuse venait faire son spectacle, remplissant à l'occasion la taverne de client friand de son chant.

     Pour Diluc, barman et propriétaire de ce repère chaleureux, la venue de cette chanteuse lui permettait de venir gonfler ses recettes si la semaine n'avait pas été assez florissante pour lui. Bien évidemment, ce n'était pas l'unique raison pour laquelle il appréciait particulièrement ces soirées. Mais étant fidèle à lui-même, Diluc n'admettrait jamais l'effet que cette présence féminine avait sur lui, tout du moins, pas en public. PDV [T/P] :

     La taverne commençait petit à petit à se remplir, créant un brouhaha joyeux au sein de cette dernière. Diluc, lui, était au comptoir, nettoyant des verres ou servait des boissons. Son air sérieux même dans cette ambiance de fête me fit sourire. Rare sont les moments où j'ai pu le voir sourire, mais je les chéries comme rien au monde. Mon regard continua son chemin de son visage vers cette chevelure d'un rouge flamboyant, lui donnant un air sauvage et élégant en même temps. Puis mes yeux descendirent le long de sa nuque pour atteindre son torse musclé et pourtant, regorgeant de finesse. Je ne pouvais détacher mes yeux de cette silhouette envoutante. « Arrête de le fixer comme ça, tu vas baver [T/P]. » dit l'un de mes musiciens en rigolant. Je me retournais en laissant échapper un léger soupir avant de lui répondre quelque peu blessée. « Ce n'est pas de ma faute s'il est bel homme! Comment ne pas vouloir admirer ce profil si charmant? » dis-je, un léger sourire sur les lèvres, jetant un dernier regard sur ce visage de marbre.

- Haha, non mais regardé moi ces yeux langoureux. Est-ce que notre cher [T/P] n'aurait pas un petit béguin pour le barman distant et mystérieux? » renchérit un autre musicien. Je fronçais les sourcils et regardais à l'opposé de Diluc en croisant les bras.

« Je ne vois pas ce qui te fait dire ça. Allez, trêve de bavardage, nous allons bientôt rentrer en scène! »

     La petite troupe s'échangea quelques regards complices avant de rigoler. Un rictus se dessina sur mes lèvres avant que je ne prenne la poignée de la porte de derrière, nous faisant rentrer directement à côté de la petite scène. À peine avions-nous passé le pas de la porte que tous les regards de la taverne se dirigèrent vers nous, devenant le centre de l'attention. Il faut dire aussi que nous étions plutôt chics. Chacun des musiciens portaient un costume trois pièces blanc crème, le tout accompagné d'un nœud papillon rose pastel. De mon côté, j'avais opté pour une robe noire en satin avec un col bateau. Cette robe enveloppait mon corps délicatement, adoucissant les courbes de mon corps. Finalement, je portais des gants en dentelle rose pastel, remontant jusqu'au coude, rappelant le nœud papillon des musiciens. Le tout était assez minimaliste, tout en ayant de l'élégance.

     Nous sourîmes à toute la salle, ravis de voir qu'il y a toujours autant de monde prêt à venir nous écouter; ça réchauffe le cœur. Pendant que les musiciens s'installaient, je pouvais entendre les murmures qui parcourraient la taverne à notre sujet. Des murmures d'excitation, de questionnement, d'appréhension. C'est alors que je me plaçais en face du micro, testais si le son fonctionnait, et la taverne devint silencieuse, impatience de savoir le déroulement de la soirée.

« Bonsoir à tous! Je vois que, ce soir encore, nous sommes nombreux et impatient que la soirée commence, n'est-ce pas? » dis-je dans le micro, le sourire aux lèvres à cause de l'excitation qui commençait à monter.

- OUAIS! » cria toute la taverne dans un élan de joie et de bonne humeur.

- Haha, bien bien. Je vois que tout le monde est en forme aussi encore ce soir. Eh bien, commençons sans plus tarder avec la première chanson qui est dédiée à la personne qui a su faire tambouriner mon cœur avec passion, qui a su faire frissonner ma peau de plaisir, et qui d'un simple toucher enflamma tout mon être du grand brasier qu'est l'amour. J'ai choisi la chanson Sway! »

     Suite à cette déclamation, une vague de sifflement parcourut le public intrigué de savoir qui était cet heureux élu. J'en profitais d'ailleurs pour lancer un regard furtif dans la direction de Diluc. Ce dernier restait impassible devant le comptoir à s'occuper des clients; il ne daignait même pas m'adresser un regard. Mais je savais que mes dires ne l'avaient pas laissé si indifférent que cela, bien qu'il montrât le contraire. Le bout de ses oreilles ainsi que ses pommettes prirent une teinte légèrement rosée, un changement très discret, mais qui n'échappait pas à mes yeux. À la vue de cette réaction chez Diluc, je reportais mon attention face à la salle, un sourire satisfait scotcher aux lèvres.

« Musiciens! »

     Ils s'échangèrent un regard, tous souriant et commencèrent aussitôt à jouer la mélodie. Je pris une grande inspiration et calmais ma respiration en fermant les yeux quelques secondes, avant de commencer à chanter de plus belle.

« . »

When marimba rhythms start play Dance with me, make me sway Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore Hold me close, sway me more

Like a flower bending in the breeze Bend with me, sway with ease When we dance, you have a way with me Stay with me, sway with me

Other dancers may be on the floor Dear, but my eyes will see only you Only you have that magic technique When we sway, I go weak

I can hear the sounds of violons Long before it begins Make me thrill as only you know how Sway me smooth, sway me now

Other dancers may be on the floor Dear, but my eyes will see only you Only you have that magic technique When we sway, I go weak

I can hear the sounds of violons Long before it begins Make me thrill as only you know how Sway me smooth, sway me now

When marimba rhythms start play Dance with me, make me sway Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore Hold me close, sway me more

Like a flower bending in the breeze Bend with me, sway with ease When we dance, you have a way with me Stay with me, sway with me

When marimba rhythms start play Dance with me, make me sway Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore Hold me close, sway me more

Like a flower bending in the breeze Bend with me, sway with ease When we dance, you have a way with me Stay with me, sway with me

« . »

     À la fin de ma performance, j'en profitais pour faire un petit clin d'œil dans la direction de Diluc, espérant cette fois une réaction plus prononcée chez le barman. Mais il n'en fut rien, malheureusement.

      Après seulement une chanson, la taverne était déjà en ébullition et en redemandait. Mes compagnons et moi-même ne pouvions nous arrêter de sourire face à l'engouement du public. Je repris mon souffle avant de ne reprendre le micro dans mes mains.

« Vous en revoulez encore ? »

     Un « Oui » unanime émergea dans toute la taverne, nous faisant comprendre que la soirée ne s'arrêterait pas en si bon chemin. C'est alors, qu'après deux trois gorgées d'eau, les musiciens se remirent à jouer, moi les accompagnant avec ma voix qui résonnait à travers tous les murs de la petite taverne.

PDV Diluc :

     La première chanson venait à peine de finir, et pourtant, la salle en redemandait déjà encore. Du coin de l'œil je l'avais vu m'adresser un clin d'œil, mais je ne réagis pas. Du moins, je ne le montrais pas, car je savais très bien qu'au fond de moi, mon cœur battait légèrement plus rapidement contre ma cage thoracique simplement à cause de ce clin d'œil.

     Je continuais ainsi de servir les clients qui se faisaient nombreux au comptoir. Evidemment, Venti était présent, mais je crains que les 10 bouteilles de vin n'aient eu raison de sa conscience. Je soupirais, découragé, de le voir ainsi avachi sur une table de ma taverne, encore une bouteille à la main et un sourire d'idiot accroché à ses lèvres. Parfois je me demande s'il est celui qu'il prétend vraiment être ; l'archon Anemo. Je secouais, désespéré, la tête de droite à gauche avant de reprendre la tâche que j'étais en train d'effectuer.

     De l'autre côté de la salle, [T/P] continuait de chanter de plus belle, sans jamais s'arrêter. Je lançais de temps à autre quelques regards furtifs dans sa direction tout en restant le plus discret possible ne voulant éveiller quelques soupçons. Et pourtant, plus je la regardais, plus il m'était difficile de détacher mon regard de sa silhouette. Ce corps sublime devenait enivrant, et ce visage, un visage d'ange, qui transpire la tendresse et l'amour. Ses traits fins et délicats, ses yeux remplis d'un feu ardent de passion, ses lèvres légèrement rosées dues au rouge à lèvres les rendaient encore plus délicieuses. Et sa voix, comment ne pas en parler. Le timbre de sa voix pouvait être à la fois fort et doux, agressif et tendre, sensuel et délicat. Sa voix n'était comparable à rien en ce monde tellement elle était unique et envoutante. Et ce vibrato grave et lent qu'elle pouvait produire en allant chercher un son du plus profond de ses entrailles ; j'en avais des frissons d'excitation. C'est incroyable l'effet que [T/P] a sur moi.

     Je souris tendrement en la regardant prendre plaisir à chanter devant cette foule en effervescence. Plongé dans mes pensées, je l'admirais paisiblement avant qu'une certaine voix un peu trop familière ne me sorte de mes songes.

« Elle est ravissante, tu ne trouves pas ? » dit-il avec un ton enjoué, les yeux rivés sur la silhouette de [T/P].

     Pas besoin de relever la tête pour savoir à qui appartenait la voix. Je décidais simplement de continuer à effectuer mes différentes tâches sans lui prêter trop d'attention.

« N'as-tu donc rien d'autre à faire que de venir boire dans ma taverne ? »

« Hahaha, même rendre visite à mon frère m'est interdit désormais ? » dit-il un verre de liqueur à la main, son air espiègle ne quittant jamais son visage.

     Je relevais la tête et le fixais du regard. Ne voulant pas envenimer la situation, je décidais simplement de le laisser faire, après tout, j'avais plus important à faire en ce moment.

« Eh bien reste, si cela te convient, mais tâche de boire raisonnablement dans mon établissement. Je n'ai pas envie de me retrouver à gérer un ivrogne de plus dans ma taverne. »

     Il laissa échapper un petit ricanement avant d'acquiescer et de s'éloigner, son verre à la main.

PDV [T/P] :

     La soirée commençait à toucher à sa fin et la taverne ne comptait plus que quelques clients en son sein. Épuisée de cette soirée de fête, je décidais d'aller me poser quelques instants au comptoir pour retrouver mon cher barman. Les musiciens, quant à eux, venaient de rentrer chez eux, tout aussi exténués de la soirée. Je m'assis sur une des chaises hautes du comptoir, et observais amoureusement le visage sérieux de Diluc, concentré sur une tâche à la fois. Il releva sa tête dans ma direction en me demandant ce que je voudrais prendre. A cet instant, mes lèvres s'étirèrent dans un sourire affectueux, n'ayant d'yeux que pour lui.

« Je vais vous prendre un verre de wiskey, mon cher. »

     A peine ma commande énoncée qu'il se mit au travail pour finalement me servir mon verre quelques minutes plus tard. Je bus quelques gorgées de ma liqueur avant de reposer le verre sur le comptoir verni de la taverne. Je relevais yeux afin d'avoir son visage dans mon champ de vision.

« Alors, que penses-tu de la performance de ce soir ? » demandais-je intriguée de connaître son impression ce soir encore.

- On peut dire encore une fois qu'elle a été réussie vu le nombre de clients qui se sont attroupés autour de toi et de la scène. » me répondit-il, un air indifférent sur le visage. Un soupir s'échappa de mes lèvres, quelque peu déçue de ce manque de réaction. Mais bon, à quoi est-ce que je m'attendais, c'est de Diluc dont on parle. Et pourtant, c'est une des raisons pour lesquelles mon petit cœur a craqué pour lui.

- Toujours neutre à ce que je vois. Et qu'en est-il de ma première chanson ? A-t-elle fait frissonner ton cœur de passion ? » le questionnais-je à nouveau, cette fois un petit rictus espiègle au coin de la bouche. C'est à ce moment que je pus voir à nouveau le bout de ces oreilles ainsi que très légèrement ces pommettes prendre une teinte rosée. Mon sourire s'élargit, connaissant déjà la réponse à ma question, mais je voulais tout de même savoir quel commentaire désintéressé Diluc allait me fournir.

- Je ne vois pas pourquoi une chanson aurait un tel effet sur ma condition cardiaque [T/P]. Toute fois, il se fait tard, tu devrais rentrer pour te reposer. » son sérieux ne quittait jamais son visage.

- Roooohhh la la, toujours aussi pragmatique à ce que je vois. Tu pourrais au moins dire que tu as apprécié mon chant au lieu de faire des remarques désobligeantes. » Je soufflais avant de ne reprendre une gorgée de mon whisky, le terminant à la même occasion.

- Mais, est-ce que l'impassible barman de la taverne Angel's Share serait en train de s'inquiéter pour moi en me demandant de rentrer tôt ?

- Pas nécessairement. Je m'inquiète plus du fait de devoir faire encore des heures supplémentaires.

- Tu sais, ce n'est pas en restant aussi froid que tu vas réussir à gagner mon cœur. » répondis-je dramatiquement, exagérant la situation.

- Veux-tu donc bien arrêter ta comédie et rentrer à la maison s'il te plaît ? Nous sommes en public ici, dans la taverne. » dit-il doucement en jetant de furtifs regards à droite et à gauche pour savoir si un client n'écoutait pas silencieusement la conversation.

- Haha, aurais-tu peur que quelqu'un se méprenne sur notre relation ? Eh bien soit, je rentre. Je réchaufferais le lit en t'attendant, mon chou ~ »

     Je lui susurrais les derniers mots à son oreille avant de me retourner pour sortir de la taverne. Du coin de l'œil, je le vis rougir me faisant sourire, satisfaite. Seulement, je ne me doutais pas qu'une certaine personne avait tout vu, et entendu qui plus ait.

« ... »

Lendemain matin

     Les quelques rayons qui traversèrent le rideau de la chambre vinrent effleurer mon visage, me réveillant doucement. Tranquillement, j'ouvris les yeux, ne voulant pas me faire aveugler par la lumière matinale. J'étendis mon bras à côté de moi et tâtai le lit, mais rien. Je ne sentis que les résidus de chaleur de son corps, ainsi que les quelques effluves encore présentes de son odeur dans les draps. Je me redressais donc sur le lit avant d'en sortir.

     Alors que je me dirigeais vers la cuisine, une douce odeur de nourriture vint remplir mes narines, me donnant l'eau à la bouche. J'accélérais le pas afin de me retrouver au plus vite dans la cuisine. Lorsque j'arrivais dans la pièce, je fus accueilli par un Diluc au fourneau, concentré sur chaque mouvement qu'il faisait. Un sourire se dessina sur mes lèvres et je m'avançais vers lui.

« Bonjour Diluc. Alors, bien dormi ? » lui dis-je en faisant un petit clin d'œil.

     Il releva la tête et posa son regard dans le mien, cette fois, je pouvais clairement voir la tendresse épouser les traits de son visage. Comme quoi, dans un endroit à l'abri des regards, même le plus désintéresser des barmans pouvait se révéler tendre et attentionné pour sa douce moitié. Il me sourit tendrement avant de déposer ce qu'il tenait dans les mains sur le comptoir pour se rapprocher de moi.

« Très bien, et toi mon amour ? »

     Il glissa ses bras le long de ma taille me rapprochant de lui. Un rire étouffé sortit de ma bouche tandis que je le laissai faire.

« Pourquoi ne m'as-tu pas réveillée lorsque tu es rentré ? Je n'ai même pas pu te faire un bisou pour te souhaiter bonne nuit.

- Tu dormais si paisiblement. Et puis, tu sais qu'il n'est pas conseiller de réveiller un ange qui dort, surtout lorsque ce dernier s'appelle [T/P]. Mais tu peux toujours me faire un bisou pour me souhaiter une bonne journée. »

     Il déposa un bref bisou sur mon front tout en resserrant l'étreinte. Cette fois, c'était à mon tour de rougir comme une tomate. Il a le don de, avec seulement quelques mots, me faire chavirer et perdre mes repères. J'enfouis mon visage dans son torse pour qu'il ne voit pas à quel point l'on pouvait me confondre avec sa chevelure d'un rouge flamboyant. Toutefois, il devait surement avoir remarqué ma timidité car, l'oreille contre son torse, j'entendis sa cage thoracique résonner dans un rire léger avant qu'il n'approche ses lèvres de mes oreilles pour venir me susurrer ces quelques mots

« Je t'aime, [T/P]. »

     Ce par quoi je répondis évidemment par l'affirmative, un sourire enfantin sur le visage. Puis, je relevais la tête et plongeai mon regard dans le sien. Nous nous observions tous les deux amoureusement, aucun ne voulant briser l'étreinte. Mes yeux descendirent légèrement pour venir se poser sur ses lèvres rosées et fines ; si délicieuses qu'on avait envie de croquer dedans. Je plaçais mes mains sur chacune de ses joues, et sur la pointe des pieds, posais mes lèvres contre les siennes. Il m'embrassa passionnément, comme s'il s'agissait encore de la première fois. Ses bras se refermèrent davantage autour de ma silhouette ne laissant ainsi quasiment plus d'espace entre nos deux corps, tandis que nos lèvres dansaient à l'unisson suivant un rythme rapide. Hâtivement, ce baiser devint passionnel et remplit d'amour pour l'autre, tout en y gardant une forme de tendresse. Je profitais de cette intimité pour venir glisser ma main le long de son dos avant d'atteindre son fessier. Ma main le caressa avant de le prendre fermement, nous collant davantage. Face à cette initiative, Diluc eut le souffle coupé, visiblement surpris de cette action. Je pus même voir un Diluc rougissant, presque timide et embarrassé. Mais je dois le reconnaitre, le fait de voir Diluc dans cet état pour la première fois le rendait si mignon et sexy à la fois, me fit encore une fois tomber sous son charme.

« Diluc, je te cherchais justement pour te dire que- »

     Soudain, on entendit une voix masculine résonner dans la pièce. Nous nous arrêtâmes net avant de tourner nos visages vers ladite voix. C'est alors qu'on vit un Kaeya, droit comme un i, trop choqué pour dire ou faire quoi que se soit. Un silence s'installa dans la cuisine, un long silence lourd de sens. Personne ne disait rien, mais tout le monde comprenait la situation.

« JE SAVAIS QUE TU AVAIS UNE AFFAIRE AVEC [T/P] ! »

     Kaeya s'écria soudainement, nous faisant sursauter Diluc et moi. Puis, un autre silence avant que je n'éclate de rire. Seulement, Diluc, lui, ne trouvait pas la situation aussi drôle que moi. En un clin d'œil il avait repris son air sérieux et sévère en regardant son frère. Pour ma part, je ne pouvais m'arrêter de rire, tellement le comique de situation était parfait. Visiblement, même son propre frère n'était pas au courant de tout.

« Tu n'as même pas prévenu ton frère ? Hahaha, tu es vraiment sans cœur mon cher Diluc. »

     Je me retournais dans la direction de Kaeya, un air perplexe au visage. J'essuyais quelques larmes de joie avant de reprendre.

« Nous sommes bien plus qu'une simple affaire, Kaeya. »

     En disant cela, je lui montrais mon annulaire gauche ainsi que celui de Diluc, mettant à présent bien en évidence nos alliances. La réaction de Kaeya fut des plus divertissante. Ce dernier s'attendait à tout sauf à cette fin, je pense. Rien qu'à voir sa tête de six pieds de long sous l'effet du choc, il s'agissait de la dernière possibilité. Diluc, lui, ne paraissait pas très ravi que son frère apprenne la nouvelle. Je souris et embrassais brièvement Diluc avant de sortir de la cuisine pour leur laisser un petit moment d'explication.

« Bon, je pense que des explications doivent se faire, en attendant, je vais aller prendre une douche. »

-T'as intérêt à m'expliquer pourquoi je n'étais pas au courant Diluc. »

     Alors que je m'éloignais tranquillement de la cuisine, je m'arrêtais avant d'intervenir une dernière fois.

« Ah, et pas de duel entre frères, hein, je compte sur toi mon chou ~ »

     Je quittais finalement la salle, un air satisfait sur le visage.

Ne pas prévenir son frère d'un tel changement, il faut le faire quand même.

⁎↣♡↢⁎

[quantomeno]

I had this idea ages ago for a Professor Layton sequel/spin-off centred around Luke called

Doctor Triton

Set about ten years after Lost Future.

Luke is back from America, studying zoology at Gressenheller and is completing his PhD.

Layton is semi-retired. He still lectures but has decided to leave most of the mystery-solving behind so he can (finally) focus on his students.

Luke now solves mysteries with Flora in his spare time.

Flora is always calling Luke Dr Triton, to impress their clients, and tease Luke, and Luke always tries to correct her that he’s not a doctor yet but he just gets flustered and embarrassed.

Katrielle exists in this universe, but she’s not related to anyone. She’s a massive Professor Layton fan and believes she is a better ‘heir’ to the Layton legacy than Luke.

As a result, Katrielle forms a one-sided rivalry with Luke.

She’s always popping up when they least expect her, like Chloe in Touch Detective.

Emiliana replaces Chelmey as the Scotland Yard representative. Hastings is her Barton, though he outranks her since she is a newer member of the force.

Emmy reappears, perhaps with a mystery for Luke to solve.

Clive is out on parole (I realise due to his crimes he probably wouldn't be but let's pretend ok), but he’s unable to find work after the whole trying to destroy London thing. So, he turns to Luke and Flora to ask if they’ll give him a job at their mystery-solving office thing or whatever. Luke accepts since a true gentleman always forgives others.

Clive will have his colour scheme be mainly green since blue (Luke), orange/red (Layton, pink/red (Flora) and yellow (Emmy) are already taken and purple won’t suit him (though maybe it could…).

Flora has learnt fencing from Layton.

Flora is feisty and tough, but still has her cuteness and sweetness.

Luke is more mature and he tries to act like Layton would, but is still a bit of an idiot. He tries to avoid going to Layton for help if only because he wants to prove himself

Clive is the one who balances the group and is usually the one who stops arguments between the two.

Alternative idea:

Layton has taught Flora his mystery solving skills and decided to retire from mystery solving.

Flora, unfortunately, ends up with a case she is stuck on.

Luckily, Luke is back to complete his doctorate in zoology at Gressenheller and Flora forces him to help. It turns out that Luke’s ability to talk to animals comes in handy and they make a breakthrough.

Luke ends up becoming an ‘animal detective’: his clients are animals who lead him to mysteries that need solving.

[momo-de-avis]

ana can you explain the liberal wars in simple terms? i visited algarve recently and the tour guide (like yours where it's mostly related to history) talked about the war between the brothers and a guy named remexido(?)

Just yesterday I told my boyfriend to please ask his coworker who graduated in history for a book on the civil war because thats the one thing I'm not good at lmao I didn't even know who Remexido was but apparently he was a guerrilla fighter from the Algarve which yay but fought on the side of Miguelistas which nay

The liberal wars was between Pedro IV of Portugal, better known as Pedro I fo Brazil, who was its first Emperor after declaring its independence, then to quote a brazilian client I had once, homeboy was a better king for the portuguese than he was an emperor for the brazilian... He basically stepped down and answered the plea from Portugal to come back here and kick his brother off the throne.

Now, his brother is Miguel I, the absolutist

Important background is that Portugal was an absolutist country thruoghout the 18th century, which means the king held absolute power. Think Louis the XIV level. Not only does the king have last say about everything government related, he works hand in hand with the church, who is below him (except the Inquisition) and he is celebrated as Godsend's. He is the centre of the universe. Its a time of extravagance, of theatricality, of excess, and the people, as you might imagine, are dirt poor.

This is essentially a kicker into the French Revolution, as you might imagine.

But with portugal, there's the Napoleon problem. Napoleon sends out General Junot to invade Portugal after successfully capturing spain, and on 1808 Junot arrives.

The Portuguese monarchy realised we did not have the arms to face off this guy, and the english, with whom we'd signed a treaty in 1387 and had always upheld it, said they were too busy fighting the french elsewhere... we needed to sort ourselves out. It was obvious by now that an invasion would be unstoppable. We did not have the navy nor the weapons to fight it off. So, the king, John VI, who by now is king because his mother, Maria I, went insane, decided to deceive Napoleon. He uprooted the government and took everyone to BRazil. He established court there and changed the name of his kingdom slightly to the kingdom of Portugal and brazil, it was something like that And then he made the capital city Rio de Janeiro. All in all he took with him about 100.000 people, nobility and court members as well as government. When Junot arrived, he was greeted by a Regency Government that basically said "step right in"

It was a way to show Junot that there was no government to overthrow and that he and his troops had been formally invited. Junot lived here until Napoleon told him to go pound sand somewhere else, and in the time he did, he fucked everyone's wife, lived in complete excess, and angered virtually everyone.

So, two more "invasions" happen, and by the third that's when Wellington and his beef come along to (this time, successfully) fend off the french.

And then, what happened was that this single event changed the country forever.

You'd be surprised to find how many in portuguese society were for Napoleon. Overall in Europe Napoleon was seen as the dude who was going to change the modern world, and it was actually accepted that he was undefeatable. When looking at the case of Portugal and Spain, most countries just went "submit bro there's no turning around". So it was a bit of a surprise that in the end backwards catholic portugal and the english won.

For example, the painter Vieira Portuense, arguably the most celebrated artists of portuguese neo-classicism and someone who met and hung out with Angelica Kauffmann, was so in favour of Napoleon not only was he arrested for it, he had to leave the country to escape persecution. There are paintings of him that originally had Napoleon's eagle hidden in it, but he had to repaint it to not offend anyone.

Basically, Napoleon offered a liberal alternative to the absolutist nightmare that was our country. Napoleon was the opposite of what Portugal was: a country ruled by a royal family who relished in absolute excess and also ruled by the church, and a country where the church held not just a monopoly on riches but controlled the country, so much so that the inquisition was still here despite the Marquis of Pombal's efforts to reduce its power. And a country that was mostly rural, ignorant, illiterate and extremely, painfully catholic. Liberals saw in Napoleon the chance to grow past this, embrace enlightenment, to evolve past catholic fervor.

These ideals, even long after Napoleon's death, will remain. Napoleon will influence the country enough that it will infect it with new liberal ideas and change the 19th century forever.

The absolutist monarchy stood against everything Napoleon defendedm because if those things were abolished, they would go to shit.

So when the french are kicked out, the english stay. General Beresford basically becomes a de facto king in the king's absence, because John VI turns out enjoyed the brazilian weather a lot more.

Now excuse me cause this is the part I'm not too familiar with. I was actually looking at a series of books by Laurentino Gomes on the topic. he's a brazilian historian who wrote about the portuguese court in brazil and slavery, so here's a tip for those like me who want to know where to start. What I'm not very familiar with is the court in brazil.

Basically, at a certain point, the king is forced to come back and get rid of General Beresford. The anti-british sentiment in the country that prevailed through the 19th century starts here, with Beresford benefitting a lot of his countrymen and repressing anyone who stands against him. THe book Felizmente Há Luar, which we had to study in school and is about the failed revolt by Gomes Freire, is about this exact fact.

There's a character here I haven't mentioned. Carlota Joaquina, wife of John VI, and arguably the vilest woman to have ever lived in this country. By "vile" I mean, spotting a hot guy on the way, finding out who he is, and having his wife killed so she can fuck him. It's downright insane. And Carlota Joaquina was the great manipulator behind her son, Miguel I.

WHile the royal family comes back to portugal, Pedro IV stays in Brazil. What led to the Ipirange scream is another thing I'm not familiar wiht but the presence of the royal family in Brazil reinforced the wish for independence. Maybe a brazillian follower can chime in and explain this a lot better (I'd actually REALLY appreciate that!!)

Pedro IV ends up declaring Brazil an Empire, this becoming Pedro I. I think it's shortly after that John VI, the man who hid chicken legs in his coat pockets out of fear of being poisoned, died by poison. Thus, his son Miguel gets to the throne

Now Liberal sentiment since Napoleon had grown considerably, and by now, Miguel is not happy, so he conducts a "purge". He leads a very repressive regime against Liberals, which lead them to contact Pedro in Brazil and ask him to come here and get rid of his brother.

I seriously don't know what leads to Pedro stepping down and his daughter Maria ascending to the throne (again, if another brazilian wants to either fact check me or teach me, I'm more than happy to hear), but Pedro comes to Portugal precisely to fight a war against his brother.

And that's the civil war.

Listen, in the middle of all of this, the root cause of the fight, is the Constitutional Charter. The Constitutional Charter had been approved in 1821, but barely upheld. I believe Miguel's mistake was to refuse the Constitutional Charter, as it was against absolutist ideals. Think of the constitutional charter as something like the 19th century Magna Carta, what limited a king's ability to jsut rule over everything and delegate the government to a parliament.

Another point of contention was the church. By now, the Inquistion is finally abolished (1820) but the church still holds IMMENSE power over the country. Liberals want something VERY CLOSE to a secular state. They want the people to have access to education outside of the church, and they want the extinction of monastic orders (which they will achieve in 1834). The absolutists can only exist with the church and its power, so Miguel is naturally against this.

Pedro IV ends up winning the war, and his brother is sentenced to exile and signs a contract stating his side of the family can never, ever take the throne. Fun fact: the "Duque of Braganza", the only remnant of the royal family we have today and who is at the head of the monarchist party, actually descends from Miguel. So you want to have an argument against him, just say "maybe your ancestor shouldn't have lost the war".

I don't know much about the liberal wars, but I know that, like the war againsat napoleon, it involved a lot of guerrilla. A notorious moment was the siege of Porto, in which Porto held strong agaisnt the absolutists (so, Miguel) so spectacularly (they even bombed Clérigos), Pedro IV left it in his will that his body should be buried in Brazil but his heart belonged to Porto. His heart is still there lmao

Again, if any brazilian reading this wants to add whatever, I'm more than happy to hear cause this is an episode of both our histories I am lacking in a lot

[chronicallylatetotheparty]

Perfect Paradise Ch.15: Now You're Standing in Front of My Door Oh-Oh-Oh! Like None of This Happened at All, All, All!

Summary: The truth... In the worst possible way.

-------------------

Dr Anouilh, what do you do for a living?" Francis Choquet asked.

"I'm a psychologist for the Centre pour Victimes Akumatisées." The man wore a sharp suit and sat straight. His face gave away no feelings of unease or undue confidence. Grey hair combed neatly, giving him a distinguished look.

"An admirable profession. Do you treat many akuma victims?"

"No, I focus on the people who were mind controlled, transformed or otherwise incapacitated by the akuma's anchor."

"In other words the people who were affected by the akuma's directed actions?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Can you verify the identities of any clients in this room?"

Doctor Anouilh gestured to Adrien and Emilie. "M Dupain-Cheng and Mme Agreste were some of my first patients. Before there was even a center."

"Let the record show that the witness referred to my client and M Lahiffe."

"Noted."

"Dr Anouilh, what was your assessment of M Lahiffe?"

"Well... Adrien was a bright but troubled young man. Often plagued by nightmares about Monarch's defeat even years later."

"Nightmares? What kind of nightmares?"

"Objection!" Nike called. "Relevance?"

"Withdrawn," Francis Choquet conceded. "For how long did M Lahiffe see you?"

"About ten years."

"Ten years. And why did he stop seeing you?"

"He needed a different touch."

"So you did nothing wrong? M Lahiffe just decided to replace you for no reason?"

Dr Anouilh took a breath to mask his annoyance. "It is perfectly within our patients rights to seek out a better fit for their needs."

"Of course, of course," Francis Choquet soothed with a smile. "By the time M Lahiffe chose a different psychologist he was already in his mid twenties correct?"

"... Yes," Dr Anouilh answered slowly.

"M Lahiffe was planning to start a family, correct?

Dr Anouilh shifted in his seat. "As I recall."

"In your professional opinion, was M Lahiffe mentally mature enough to start a family?"

"Objection!"

"Your Honor we are here to establish who should be granted guardianship of the three children. I think the competency of the defendant is highly relevant."

The judge sighed as he looked at Nike. "Overruled, Mme Pallas."

Adrien's heartbeat thundered in his ears.

"Answer the question, Dr Anouilh."

"... No. At the time I would not say Adrien was ready to start a family."

"Thank you. No more questions your honor," Francis Choquet said as he sat smugly in his chair.

Adrien could smell it. And smell the same smugness coming from Emilie.

Nike stood and straightened her suit. "Dr Anouilh, you say you worked with Mme Agreste as well?"

The doctor nodded. "She was the one who hired me."

"And when did she suspend your service?"

"When the CVA became independent from Agreste holdings."

"About two years ago, correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

"So you'd know her a lot better than you know my client?"

Dr Anouilh could tell where this line of questioning was going and he didn't seem to like it.

Adrien did feel bad for him but the anger from their last session hadn't faded... Oh. Another unaddressed memory for the list.

"-was remarkably resilient. Having woken up from a coma only to find her husband dead. That kind of grief doesn't really go away. But we mostly focused on how to help her with Adrien."

"Mme Agreste talked to you about my client? How exactly did she want you to help her?"

"Well, how to relate to her son mostly. She often said that he disobeyed her."

"Disobeyed? How?"

"He'd sneak out or talk back. Regular teenage rebellion. Adrien was a bit of a late bloomer so he went through it later than his peers."

"So when Mme Agreste would talk about my client sneaking out, that wasn't cause for concern?"

"If he was getting into trouble it might have been. But Adrien's friends were just regular kids. Going to movies or parks or what have you."

"Would you say that Mme Agreste was overly controlling of-"

"Objection!"

"Overruled, M Choquet."

"Was Mme Agreste overly controlling of Adrien's time? Who he could hang out with? That sort of thing."

Dr Anouilh swallowed. "Many parents are overprotective of their children."

"That was not the question, Dr Anouilh."

"I... don't recall."

Adrien smelled blood in the water.

"You don't recall?"

"No."

"You're saying that it was so long ago you don't remember how Mme Agreste's parented her son?"

"Well, I mean, I-"

"Yes or no, please Doctor."

"... Yes."

"If you don't remember how Mme Agreste parented her child then isn't it possible you don't remember how said parenting affected my client's emotional well-being?"

"It's... possible."

"And then, isn't it also possible that you are misremembering Adrien's mental state?"

Dr Anouilh shifted uncomfortably. "I suppose."

Nike looked Francis Choquet in the eyes. "Let's go back to the beginning, shall we?"

(Read the rest on AO3)

[just-astrology-stuff]

Greetings😁can I get a reading for Leo sun, Gemini moon and Scorpio rising? Thank you 🙏

leo sun, gemini moon, scorpio rising.

These placements work together to create a unique blend of personality traits and tendencies. You have a strong sense of self, but you're also adaptable and able to see multiple sides of any situation. You have a natural talent for leadership, but you're also able to connect with others on a deep level. You have a magnetic presence that draws people in, but you also have a mysterious quality that keeps them guessing. One potential challenge with this combination is that your natural desire for attention and admiration may conflict with your Scorpio Rising's need for privacy and secrecy. You may find that you have a tendency to hold back your true thoughts and feelings in order to maintain a sense of control. Learning to balance these two impulses can be a key to unlocking your full potential.

You have a great energy around you that attracts many different people. Extremely attractive and mysterious. Warm and loving to your loved ones. You love telling stories and boy do people love listening to you tell it! You have a big personality and can be the centre of attention, as and when you like it. Sometimes, when you're quiet, strangers may assume you're an introvert. No matter how much people hear about you from your own mouth, they always feel like there's still a mystery about you. You make people laugh and get the conversation going about anything and everything. You're smart and adaptable with strong leadership qualities. People likely vie for your attention or charms. Likely to have many admirers, many in secret. You can talk your way out of any situation as it comes naturally to you. This natural charm can help you pursue interests like theatre, journalism or even sales. You can achieve success in any career you like, especially if, it involves interaction with clients.

The down side of having such a personality may be that few people may feel that your aren't being sincere and authentic. They may feel even though you love sharing facts and stories about yourself, you never truly let anybody close enough for emotionally vulnerability. This might also be a bitter fact about yourself you have or will have to face in the future. People calling you out about this or in general taking a dig at your ego may greatly offend you. At your worst, you may take rash decisions, seek vengeance and can neither forgive nor forget! This is something you will have to balance and accept about yourself.

Your close ones may at times be disillusioned by your highly perceptive criticism. You get over or move past things, situations and people rather quickly. It may serve you personally as well as professionally to be patient and not seek instant results. This instant gratification is what you are chasing with your showmanship and "life of the party" attitude. But it is equally important to realise that true wisdom lies in listening. This way you will be able to create close and vulnerable relations with people rather than them remembering you just as someone to have a good time with. Showing people your vulnerable side will help them understand you better but also get you the emotional support and side you need to open up.

By focusing on past stories that you're so eager to tell, you may sometimes miss out on what is there right in front of you! Putting on a show isn't necessary all the time and realising that even when you're your most "boring" version, people still love you!

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed making this post for you! Feel free to tip me using the link on my profile if this resonates; feedback is appreciated always! Any queries related to payment can be addressed through dm.

Thanks, have a great day!

[thenasoneshots]

Simon Oneshot - All for One and One for All

Requested?: No

Prompt: None

Timing: Turnabout for Tomorrow (includes spoilers)

Type of oneshot: Fluff/Angst

Reader's Age: 29

Reader's Occupation: Prosecutor

Reader's Relations: Simon’s wife and Phoenix’s sister

Warnings: None?

Other notes: This came to me whilst listening to ‘Alone’ from the Turnabout Musical soundtrack, and references that song at some point.

----------------------NO ONE’S POV

“As a matter of fact, Wright, after your request, a more thorough investigation was done on the lighter, and a second set of fingerprints were found on it along with Miss Cykes’.”

“Who’s? It might help us find the true culprit.”

“Are you sure you want to know, Wright? It will come as a shock to you.”

“Just tell us, Edgeworth, this is not the time!”

“Hmph. Very well then. The prints belong to (Y/n).”

“That helps… Surname?”

“Who do you think, Wright? The prints belong to (Y/n) Wright-Blackquill.”

“WHAT?!”

---------------------YOUR POV

“(Y/n), tell me it’s not true.”

“Do you want me to lie to you? Because if I told you that I was nowhere near the Space Centre the day Dr Cykes was murdered, it would be so.”

Phoenix just sighed in response, knowing this revelation had made the case harder for him, now having to defend 3 people, to make sure neither me, Simon nor Athena went to/back to jail.

“Your Honour, may I make a statement?” I asked, ignoring Phoenix’s sweating face, “I’m the one that killed Dr Cykes. Do what you will with that information, but Simon deserves to be–”

“Silence! (Y/n), I won’t let you do this. Don’t make ridiculously false statements.”

I rolled my eyes and turned to the reverse panda that was my husband, “I’m telling the truth. Out of us, you’re the one making false statements, Simon. Your Honour, I will accept whatever sentence you give me, just as long as Simon is released.”

-----------------------------

“Go on. What do you have to say, Phoenix?” I spoke, refusing to look him or Athena in the eye, my head turned to the side.

“You first, (Y/n). What really happened that day? I know you don’t belong in here, we won’t let you face this alone!”

“Alone? Nick, I killed Dr Cykes, I deserve to be in here. I-I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused you, Athena.”

“Let me defend you.”

“Why?! There’s no point, Phoenix. I should have come clean seven years ago, but I-I was in the hospit-I don’t know why I didn’t. I should have just not been so cowardly,” I replied, nearly slipping up and mentioning me being in the hospital during the time of the trial for the incident, which would have caused more questions, as I’d told Phoenix that I was stuck on a hard case, “I guess this is where I fall apart. Look after Ashley for me, Phoenix, and if she asks, please don’t tell her that her mother’s a murderer.”

“I won’t let that happen! (Y/n), I know you’re innocent!”

“There’s more on the line here that you know, Phoenix. I just don’t want you to lose this case. If you take on my defence, you’ll lose the case.”

“Mr Wright won those trials because his clients were innocent! If you didn’t do it, then what’s the problem?” Athena asked.

“I’m guilty! That’s the thing, Athena. Crime deserves penance. Why should you bother helping me? Me being in jail serves the greater good, Phoenix. Just leave me alone, please!” I shouted, slamming my hand down in front of me, consequently sending a jolt of pain up my arm, where the bandage was still wrapped around for the past seven years (It’s not the same bandage over seven years! It’s been cleaned/different bandages). I winced in pain but tried to cover it up, hoping neither my brother nor Athena had noticed.

--------------------------------

“(Y/n), we’ve concluded that Athena stabbed the real culprit. I know you didn’t receive any injuries around that time, you were prosecuting a case the following days, so you couldn’t have been stabbed anywhere significant. I know you’re innocent!”

I grabbed my arm lightly, sighing, “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do this, but you leave me no choice, Nick.” I removed my suit jacket and unbuttoned the sleeve of the shirt I was wearing pulling it up my arm to reveal the bandage wrapped around my forearm, “The few days after the incident, I wasn’t actually prosecuting a case, Phoenix, I was actually at the hospital, getting this,” I paused and removed the bandage from my arm, revealing the long scar, “seen to by a doctor. I don’t really need the bandage anymore, but the doctor said it’s still liable to bleed, seeing as how deep it was, so, I still need to keep it bandaged. You’re going to have to try harder if you want to save all three of us.”

—------------------------

“So, explain to me again what exactly happened the day Dr Cykes was murdered, (Y/n).”

I sighed and rolled my eyes, “You were in the courtroom when it was being discussed Phoenix. I’d gone to the Space Centre to visit as I knew Simon was there, but when I got up to the Robotics Lab, I saw Athena lying passed out on the floor, and a strange person standing with Dr Cykes’ coat on, with her already dead where they found her body. Upon realising that they had the Moon Rock, I tried to fight them off, then I got stabbed in the arm. Simon arrived a few minutes later, and despite my resistance, called an ambulance. I fell unconscious due to the blood loss and woke up three days later in the hospital. Then I came back to the agency with my ‘I’ve just finished a really stressful case’ story.”

“I’m just glad you’re not dead, (Y/n).”

“And I’m glad you didn’t get executed, Simon,” I replied, turning to face the ‘Twisted Samurai’. “I love you too much,” I finished, leaning up and pecking his cheek. At that moment, I felt arms wrap around my legs and I realised it was Ashley. I bent down and picked the seven-year-old up, “Simon, this is Ashley, your daughter. I didn’t have time to tell you because I only found out myself when I woke up, the doctor saying something about ‘both me and the baby being in good health’, well apart from me bleeding. Ashley, this is your father. Hopefully, he’ll be around for the rest of your life, or a decent chunk of it, rather than not even knowing you existed, As for why you haven’t met him before, I’ll explain it in a few years.”

“Is it related to why I had to spend the past few days with Uncle Nick, Mummy?”

“Now, how did you learn about that?”

“Uncle Nick told me not to tell you! But he said that you would be back in a few days and that you were having a small ‘holiday’, although, I don’t think it was much of a holiday now. Unless being in the Detention Centre is a holiday for you, Mummy.”

“Phoenix, how much did you tell her?” I asked, standing up and looking my older brother directly in the eye, “You better not have gone into detail about the incident!”

“All I said was that-”

“Someone had been murdered and you were accused of it, so you were in the Detention Centre until the real culprit was found.”

“Phoenix Wright, you better start running before I murder you!” I shouted, glaring daggers at my brother, “She’s a child! She doesn’t need to know about murders and stuff yet.”

Before I could run off to chase the, now, running Phoenix, I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder, “(Y/n), Wright-Dono means well. Plus he’s your brother. You shouldn’t get too mad at him.”

“You’re right, Simon, I’ll let him run back to the Agency, then call him and tell him he can stop running. I love you so much,” I responded, leaning up and kissing him, “I missed that.”

—---------------------END OF ONESHOT

And another oneshot…

[gazeofseer]

𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝑫𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑻𝒐 𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒆 ?

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾

'𝑫𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆.. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒚 y𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒅, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒖𝒔𝒆 is 𝒇𝒐r 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇.. 𝑰𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒄 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒊𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 as 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒏𝒊𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒎……'

𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈

1.Tarot Cards

'The symbolic key moments of life can be very well interpreted through the tarot cards, it has the value to channel messages related to situations and possibilities'

2.Oracle Cards

'This channels one's energy from start to current and future more like a energy journal it is good when you need reflection upon your energy, aura and reasons behind the changing moods and reactions'

3. Crystal Reading

'Basically crystals can be used to download messages, and receive hence a specific ritual of your own would keep it more clear and apt."

Any other object you take to do readings act as an intermediate between you and the divine.

𝑫𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈

Intuitive, Psychic, Visions, Dreams, are ways where you directly seek upon the divine, if there is no message you need there won't be any downloads or energy you would receive, but you must be meditative and open to it anytime that is why it is important for psychics and intuitive people practice, rest, cleansing and realigning.

𝑺𝒖𝒃𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈

This is individual's journey based, as my grand mother's friend used to do it with water, grains depending upon the person or the matter of subject expressed by the clients, so it carries more dependability on a individual seeking for answers like evoking the question in them first.

𝑩𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈

It is more like jotting the dot through touching your points of centring especially middle of the palm, feet, or stomach or back of the spine, it has another kind where you interpret marks, palmistry comes in, any other scars number of bruises, all this will be taken in count to indicate what it all means on energy spectrum.

Note : No other beyond reading you need then these basics of it to live and have a beautiful life, if you are on a intense journey you would have divine guidance through ancestors and spirits or through a teacher whom actually mentor you for the same.

Do not fall prey to divination as a fraud or scam it is no fun it is about energy a little meditation is enough to strive through the day imagine if you start your journey slowly it will elevate you to somewhere.

No energy asks for anything except for energy in return simple.

'𝑺𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒚 𝒊𝒔, 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒇 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔' - 𝑺

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾

[thesims3help]

Masterlist - Gameplay enhancement mods pt. 3 [100+ Sims 3 mods!]!

Part 1 || Part 2 || Everything that didn't fit in previous parts. + Honorary mentions to Ani's Sims | Downloads , aa6x7 : Quick Links .

Work/Skills:

The Job Board | MissyHissy's Job Centre

Employment – MissyHissy's School For Gifted Sims (Teen Jobs)

The Apprenticeship Program – MissyHissy's School For Gifted Sims

Take Practice Shots Mod

Hidden Skills Unhidden

Time to work again - Cancel Time Off

Learn Cooking Recipes by Watching TV!

Social Care Career

School/Uni:

Extra-Curricular Activities – MissyHissy's School For Gifted Sims

Course List | MissyHissy's College of Further Education

Babies, Toddlers & Kids:

Makeup Kit

Toddlers can Pickup Festive Eggs

Toddlers can Catch Butterflies & Pick Flowers

[PC] Don't Put the Baby Down (Changing Table Mod) by Nona Mena (simlogical.com)

OTHER:

Annoyances Disabler

Make those elevators go faster! Or slower...

Faster/Slower Leaf Raking and No Leaves in other Seasons

Mod The Sims - **UPDATED: 26-July** Cigarette Smoking Mod - OVERHAUL

One with Nature

Spring Cleaning -- An Assortment of Vaguely Spring-Related Tweaks

Gardener Service 2

Housekeeper Service - v1.2

Housecleaning For All Sims

Better Polyamory

Just Sit (script mod)

Invisible Sim Fixer Mod by Consort (simlogical.com)

Online Center V30 (December 2nd, 2014)

Subway Charge Mod

TS3 Apartment mod - Updated for patch 1.55 - 1.63/1.67

Change At Home After Work

Opportunity phone call fix (and more)

Trait Discovery Fix

No Autonomous Go To Home at The Sims 3 Nexus

No Autonomous "Check out new object"

Autonomous "Clean Up" Plate

More Unique Adventures per Day

NPCRomance

Prank Calls

The Third Person Mod

Government Benefits & Services Mod

Hairdresser Mod - Impress Clients, Temporarily Dye Hair and More!

Truely Unique Sims

9 New Death Types

Collection Icons and Files

Zombies Can't Kill Garden Plants

[hauntedselves]

Steele’s Notes on Therapy and Personality Disorders

Level of motivation & readiness for therapy:

No motivation: referred by legal system or treatment is demanded by  family or work

Fantasy motivation: My therapist will fix me

External motivation: “I want to keep my job or my relationship”

Limited motivation: “I want to get better but am sure I will fail, so what is  the point of trying?”

Moderate motivation: “I want to get better, but I am scared.”

Good motivation: “I am here to work hard, even though I know it won’t be easy.”

Behavioural problems that affect prognosis:

Generally, these accompany personality accommodations

Chronic self harm

Chronic suicidality

Chronic eating problems

Addictions : substance, sex, gambling, etc.

Severe isolation

Extreme risk-taking behaviors

Violence and aggressiveness

Inability to work or function in daily life

Sociopathic behaviors: stealing, manipulation, violence, etc.

Phobic avoidance

How intense and pervasive are the phobias?

Which emotions are avoided? Why?

Which wishes/needs are avoided or conflicted?

Which dissociative parts are avoided / despised / feared?

How is relational closeness is avoided in each part?

How is relational rejection is avoided?

Particular traumatic memories that are avoided?

Ways in which change is avoided. Why?

Inner conflicts

What are the client’s core conflicts (e.g., “I want to be close: Being close is dangerous;” “I want to feel better: I don’t deserve to feel better;” “I love my father: I hate my father”)

Do not take one side or the other, but hold both for and with the client!

How does the client avoid the conflict?

What emotions, cognitions, predictions, etc. are at the heart of the conflict?

How do these conflict manifest among dissociative parts and in the therapeutic relationship?

Typical conflicts:

I want to know / I don’t want to know

It’s true / I made it up; it’s not real

Avoidance of parts

Loyalty to the perpetrator: I love him / I hate him

Avoidance of closeness / Fear of abandonment

I want to get better / Getting better means things will be worse

I want to get better / If I am better my perpetrator will not have to pay the cost

I am bad or evil / I need to be loved

I have needs / Needs are bad or stupid

I want to be known and seen / I want to hide

Defensive fantasies

These may be held in particular parts or may be held by the person as a whole. They prevent therapeutic engagement, grieving, and realization.

Someone (the therapist) will fix this / make this go away

Someone will love me unconditionally and perfectly

Someone will meet all my needs and I won’t ever have to suffer

I am completely enough for someone else; they won’t need anyone but me

Someone is completely enough for me; I won’t need anyone else

Other

From Kathy Steele’s presentation 'Integrating Personality Disorders in our Work with Complex Trauma and Dissociation' (PDF), 18 August 2021, Delphi Centre.

[Transcribed from a PowerPoint presentation without notes; therefore this post is without context]

[monkeyssalad-blog]

Scandinavia and Finland : Services and Fares leaflet : British Railways (Eastern Region) : 1960 by mikeyashworth Via Flickr: One of the series of leaflets issued by British Railways describing long-distance European rail travel using the then many ferry crossings to the Continent. Many of these steamer servces were at the time owned and operated by British Railways. Issued biannually, for Summer and Winter Seasons, the editions usually had different covers relating to the country or groups of countries the leaflet related to. At the time, prior to widespread air travel and the Channel Tunnel, the various ferry services, and allied train connections, were the main option for most travellers. These were commissioned from a range of artists and designers and this series, for Winter 1960/61, feature artworks by Reginald Lander (1930 - 1980) who undertook many commissions for British Railways and other clients. As well as the BR totem the covers also, unusually, feature the badge of the C.I.E.C., the European Railway Information Centre based in Rome who were the trans-national European railway organisation allied to the International Union of Railways. This leaflet gives details of a surprisingly varied number of routes including travel from London via Harwich to Germany and onwards to Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland; routes from Victoria station via Ostend, Brussels and onwards through Cologne; the Harwich to Esbjerg services using the Royal Danish Mail Services of Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab: London Tilbury and Gothenburg; Bergen Line sailings from Newcastle upon Tyne to Stavanger, Bergen and Oslo that included through trains from Kings Cross to Tyne Commission Quay; Newcastle to Oslo via Kristiansand and the Olsen Line; Associated Humber Lines services fromGoole to Copenhagen (Fridays with limited passenger accomodation), and the summer onlu Newcastle - Esbjerg/Copenhagen services of the Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab. At this date British Railways had an office in Stockholm at Norrmalmstorg 1.

[investmentassistant]

Overview of WL COMPANY DMCC financial marketplace

The company we want to talk about today is called WL COMPANY DMCC. WL Company DMCC (License Number DMCC-89711, Registration Number DMCC19716, Account Number 411911), registered in Dubai, UAE whose registered office is Unit No BA95, DMCC Business Centre, Level No 1, represented by the Director, Stephanie Sandilands.

DMCC is the largest free trade zone in the United Arab Emirates, which is located in Dubai. It was established in 2002 and now serves as a commodity exchange that operates in four sectors: precious goods; energy; steel and metals; agricultural products.

Main services and activities

WL COMPANY DMCC is a financial marketplace, the direction of which is financial services, consulting, management, analysis of services, provision of services by third parties to the end user. The list also includes:

• Investment ideas;

• Active product trading;

• Analytical support for traders;

• Selection of an investment strategy in the market using various assets.

WL COMPANY DMCC operates on the MetaTrader 5 trading platform. There is a convenient registration, detailed instructions, as well as the ability to connect a demo account for self-study.

Among the main services:

1. Trading.

2. Social Services.

3.ESG Investment.

4. Analytics.

5. Wealth management.

Company managers will help with registration, with opening an account, with access to the platform. After training (if required), you can make a minimum deposit of 500 USD and start trading.

Main advantages and disadvantages of WL COMPANY DMCC

Before going directly to the benefits of the marketplace, it is worth saying a few words about the loyalty program. Depending on the amount of investment, the user receives one of three grades. Each of them gives certain privileges. The program itself makes it possible to get the maximum effect from investments in a short time.

Now about the benefits of WL COMPANY DMCC:

1. Availability of a license in the jurisdiction of the DMCC trading zone.

2. No commission when making SFD transactions on shares.

3. More than 6700 trading instruments.

4. High professional level of support.

5. Very strong analytical support (client confidence level 87%).

6. Weekly comments and summaries from WL COMPANY experts.

7. Modern analysis software.

8. Large selection of investment solutions.

9. Own exclusive market analysis services in various areas.

10. Own analytical department with the publication of materials in the public domain.

11. Modern focus on social services.

The feedback from WL COMPANY DMCC clients highlights the positive characteristics of the work of marketplace analysts, the convenience of a personal account, the speed of processing positions, analysis tools, and low commissions.

Negative reviews relate to the freezing of the system, delays in withdrawing funds for a day, and the small age of the company. Also, for some users, the application for withdrawal of funds was not processed the first time, and someone could not instantly replenish the deposit. North American traders complain that WL COMPANY DMCC only has a presence in Dubai.

At the same time, the financial group received several significant awards:

• Best MetaTrader 5 Broker 2022

• The Most Reliable Fintech Service 2023

Outcome

According to the information received, it can be concluded that WL COMPANY DMCC can be called a good financial marketplace in the modern market. By registering with the DMCC, the company can be called reliable and trustworthy. There are also negative reviews, but they relate mainly to the technical component.

For August, 2023 WL COMPANY DMCC has about 12000 clients worldwide. The main regions are North America, Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Traders can act independently or use the advice of marketplace experts.

[martyrette]

˚୨୧⋆｡˚ Alternatives 2 AI Art ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

So, the AI Art discussion has been a huge hot topic for not only the WoW RP community, but the entire internet as we know it. Because we are such a creative community, it’s no wonder people want aesthetically pleasing visuals for their characters. However, not everyone has the finances for a commission or wants to slap down $100+ dollars for a fully rendered full body.

But in turn, AI Art steals artists’ pieces - most often without their knowledge. I’m not here to shame people who’ve used AI Art, but rather come together with others in the WoW RP community in order to bring awareness viable free & paid substitutes for people.

This post will be split into 3 sections: free, paid and DIY, each with an example! Links for each resource will be below.

˚୨୧⋆｡˚ Free Visuals ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

Below is a collect of 'doll' or 'dress up' sites that offer hundreds of different genres to dress up and create your own unique design with. Artists are constantly uploading new games all the time. Though majorly fem dominated, there are some good masc and andro ones!

Picrew

{Avatar Creator}

https://picrew.me/en

Azalea’s Dolls

{Dress-Up}

https://www.azaleasdolls.com

Doll Divine

{Dress-Up}

https://www.dolldivine.com

˚୨୧⋆｡˚ Paid Visuals ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

OKAY B4 YOU GO OFF (｡Ŏ ᗜ Ŏ ̆ ｡)

You can find some affordable artists to commission on these sites and even pay WoW gold for some. I tried to accommodate for those who are probably like me and a poor ass college student. Just hear me out, homie-

Artists & Clients

{Commissions}

A freelancing site where you can hire from a number of artists. There's checks and balances in place to make sure either or doesn't get scammed. Different artists will have different rules, commissions, expectations, etc. My experience with it has been good so far though and you can find art for most budgets!

https://artistsnclients.com

Fivver

{Commissions}

Another freelance site where artists offer up their services. Fivver is a little hit-or-miss in my opinion and there are people offering AI Art commissions on here as well.

However, you can really find some hidden gems for good prices!

It’s not limited to art either! There's other services you can purchase as well.

https://www.fiverr.com

˚୨୧⋆｡˚ DIY ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

They say if you want something done, do it yourself! Below is my inner Pinterest girl having a love child with my Roleplayer. All of the tools/sites I've added below are free, so you won't have to worry about the cost of it. So get your impractical DIY on. ~(˘▾˘~)

Photo Editing

{Photography}

Not all of your references have to be drawn. You can edit photos to make your character! Hell, all you really need is MSPaint at most.

https://www.gimp.org

https://picsart.com

Moodboards

{Photography}

✨AeStHeTiC✨- Moodboards are like little collages you put together of photos that relate to your character! You can add snips of text, locations important to your OC, outfits, features, you name it! You can find tons of photos here on Tumblr for it, as well as Pinterest and Weheartit, then mush them together in an editing software!

https://www.pinterest.ca

https://weheartit.com/about/app

Face Claims

{Photography}

If you’re apart of the Tumblr crowd, you already know about these. It’s like, picking an actor for your OC in a way! There’s HUNDREDS of Tumblr accounts dedicated to cataloging public figures for face claims - by description too! I’ll put their accounts down below so you can all get some ideas!

Draw

{Art}

It sounds a little silly saying it, but genuinely try picking up art yourself! Draw your own character with your own little gremlin RP hands. Roleplay was a very big driving force for me learning art in my youth. All you need to pencil and paper! There’s also plenty of free drawing programs you can use as well when starting out!

Also check with your local community centres, as many often provide free or cheap art classes!

https://firealpaca.com

https://www.clipstudio.net/en/

https://krita.org/en/

I hope this post has been helpful and given people even more tools to enhance their roleplay experience.

Until my next masterpost (or shitpost). P.S Sorry it took so fuckin' long to make I'm a slow poke. o7

[julianabryant]

Are Escort Businesses Legal In Benalla?

Are you planning to visit Benalla and enjoy adult entertainment services? Or are you a local of Benalla and want to enjoy Benalla Escort Services for the first time? If yes, then adult entertainment services in Benalla are guided by the law. So, it is very important to know about their rules and regulations related to escort law so that, you don’t face any problem related to it.

Try To Enjoy A Better Kissing Session With Your Sizzling Female Escort in Warrnambool

Escort services are generally categorized as sex workers who are known for involving sexual activities in exchange for money. There are different kinds of escorts, some of them work as private escorts while there are some who operate under licensed escort agencies. So, if you are looking to hire a female escort in Benalla then it is important to check out the laws of escort services in Sydney, NSW.

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Laws About Private Escorts

If you are thinking of hiring a Benalla private escort then you should know that they are not illegal in the state. However, it is important to choose escorts who are above 18+ because it is important to choose an adult escort. Private escort advertise their respective services on the escort directories and you can easily choose them from Escortsnearby. The best thing is that they operate their services on licensed platforms, so you can easily choose from them. Also, you can easily select female partners from adult online directories. The most important thing is that the laws and guidelines related to private escort services keep changing from time to time.

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Laws About Agencies & Brothels

The escort agencies as well as brothels must have a license then only they can operate escort services. Also, it is highly regulated by the government of Australia but make sure to check it well because it keeps upgrading from time to time. Also, adult entertainers should be above 18 years then only they can provide escort services.

In case, any agency or brothel breaks the laws or works without having a license or providing services by minors then in such case, they have to face consequences and punishment by the government.

Top Things That You Should Never Do When You Are Enjoying 69ing With Your Female Escort

Special Guidelines on Soliciting

The Benalla escorts are not allowed (in many areas) to solicit for business. It includes places like schools, religious centres, residences, etc. So, the places where the public can get affected are not allowed. You can simply try somewhere where you can enjoy casual fun with your gorgeous partner so that, you cannot get into any problems according to the laws. Also, it is important that the client as well as the service provider, both must be 18+ then only both of you can enjoy the sexual fun.

Conclusion

Escort services in Benalla are totally legal but the laws should be followed by you then only, you can enjoy the services!