#I mean the study was based on her model for the space suit

[naryu-n]

Nomai study.

Tried figuring out how to flesh their skeletons and how to fit the space suit over their body. I was still able to keep it all coherent without tweaking too much their base model morphology or the space suit.

[alexbkrieger13]

*click link to watch video*

The Women’s World Cup is just over three weeks away and there’s been plenty of media coverage about the bespoke items that players will be wearing in Australia and New Zealand – including the Phantom Luna, Nike’s first boot designed for female players.

Unfortunately, there has also been much written about the players who will be missing this tournament because of ACL injuries, such as England’s Leah Williamson and Beth Mead.

The worry for many players I know is that a connection exists between the boots they’ve been wearing – which are designed for a male foot – and the greater risk of serious knee injuries faced by women footballers.

For this reason, I sat down in a cafe in Kingston with Dr Katrine Okholm Kryger, an associate professor in sports rehabilitation at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, who I first met when she came to Chelsea for a study into women footballers’ feet.

She sits on the Uefa Women’s Health Panel and the findings of her study, commissioned by the European Club Association (ECA), involved nearly 350 players.

Here she tells me about the scale and findings of a study never before done on footballers, male or female – and explains why boot manufacturers now have no excuse when it comes to producing better boots for women players at all levels.

Magda Eriksson [ME]: Kat, can you tell me about the research you were doing and your findings?

Katrine Kryger [KK]: We scanned players from top clubs from Europe, travelling around with a scanner and speaking to some of the best players in the world.

We know men and women have different foot shapes so we scanned these to quantify exactly what a woman’s foot shape is like, so we can pass that on to the manufacturers so they have a model to base a women’s boot design on.

I’ve done groupings of different ethnicities, different playing positions, different foot types and all of that is going to be in a database that manufacturers will be offered access to.

ME: What are the potential problems for women from wearing boots designed for a man’s foot?

KK: There are three main areas of concern. The first is the fit. Football boots are really tightly fitted – or should be because you need to be able to move and change direction without sliding inside the shoe – but that means you’re wearing something that’s fitted around a man’s foot, and a white man’s foot to be more specific. And with a female foot being differently shaped, that’s going to cause squeezing and aching and blisters.

When I asked if they had pain or discomfort with football boots, just 18 per cent left it blank. So 82 per cent had an issue somewhere with boots and one in three women highlighted the heel. They’re so stiff and if the shape isn’t perfect, they’re going to rub on the heel.

ME: I had a team-mate who had to cut a hole in her boot just so her heel can stick out. I’ve also had that problem when the bone starts to grow because of constant rubbing and had to have my Nike Tiempo boots custom-made. My heel cap is really soft and they’ve had to stretch it bigger as well just to get more space.

KK: The second big concern is that a football boot will only bend in between the stud lines. It cannot just bend anywhere and if it bends over bone, bones don’t like to be bent and you are going to end up irritating both the bones and the tissues. We’ve been measuring exactly where that is for women and we’ll offer that to the manufacturers.

ME: On studs, before games I always hear players asking: ‘Should we wear the studs or the moulds?’ I know certain girls who’ve done ACL injuries when wearing studs and are afraid to wear them again. On a slippery pitch they’ll sacrifice playing well and risk slipping because they’re afraid of getting injured. They might slip but at least they’ll stay injury-free.

KK: This is tied in with the third thing we want to highlight – that the outsoles to the studs should be designed for women.

We see women have three times the risk of ACL injuries and the common feature for getting injured is planting the foot, getting stuck, and not being able to rotate the foot but instead rotating the knee.

Currently for men and women the length of studs and number of studs is the same yet when you go into the physics of it, the traction – the grip on the surface and how much you get stuck – is much higher in a women’s football boot.

Women need less than men because they weigh less and don’t have the same muscle mass so don’t generate the same power. When pushing off, they need less and so there’s an increased risk of ACL injury.

The survey we did showed that while women often change studs depending on the surface and the weather conditions, a large group actually don’t, which is quite interesting.

ME: As well as men and women, you mentioned ethnicities before. What variations have you found there?

KK: We tried to select clubs with a high level of diversity, especially in France, and we saw there’s a tendency for African or African-descended players to have a wider foot.

To give you an example from men’s football, one Premier League player signed a sponsorship agreement with a boot company and when they asked him what size he was, he said a size 14. Yet they measured his foot and he was a size 8.

So basically, there was a big gap between the end of the toe and the end of the boot. I went to one club where three black players told me the same. It’s players wearing one or two sizes too big.

Women tend to have two types of feet: a wide foot with quite flat arches and a wide Achilles tendon, and also a narrower foot with a high arch and slimmer Achilles tendon.

The big conclusion is we should be able to cover people from different ethnicities, whatever playing position, within these two types of footwear. That’s going to be our suggestion to the manufacturers – that you don’t just have one football boot but you have two that align with those two options.

ME: This is my biggest take – that you are actually doing research on women that’s not yet been done in men’s football because it’s so conservative. It’s what I love about women’s football, that maybe we can start different conversations. What good do you hope will come from this?

KK: Having an optimal football boot designed for women from a holistic perspective is the dream.

We’re going to pass on the information that we have to the manufacturers and then it’s their job to design football boots for women.

[plusanimablog]

Chapter 8.3: Shines In The Darkness

The last of the Parallel World chapters a.k.a Ultimate +Anima.

Senri, along with some other guys, rob a dude in the desert! And Cooro has to save the dude!

Cooro "saves" him and puts on the whole starving orphan act when the guy is grateful. The guy gives him money and, flying back, Cooro shares it with Senri and the other "bandits", otherwise known as Husky and Nana. Operation Wild Things having succeeded, the guys head into town for food.

Specifically, the mining town of Antsmine. Exploring the town, Cooro runs off for food only to bump into the sheriff who had previously kicked the kids out three days earlier for having no money (because poverty is a crime...?)

His name's Mr. Hop and he hints that he knows what they're up to. Still no proof because that would involve actually working instead of bullying the poor so he walks off. All's well that ends well, right?

Uh, that guy they "rescued"? He's in town selling artwork. And he spots Cooro. Luckily, he doesn't spot the others as he calls Cooro over for a talk. He talks to him about his life as a +Anima, asking if it's hard. Turns out he's a +Anima fanboy and thinks they're cool (What do they call that in-universe? Aniboo? Feather Fever? Aigger?). Cooro's friends come over uncovered and thus, the man doesn't recognize them. However, he insists on talking to Cooro more. Later. Alone. In an area of the city where they won't be bothered.

Cooro agrees like the PSA bait he is and goes off with the others.

He meets with the guy later and he apparently wants to introduce Cooro to another +Anima. He takes him deep into the mines, not disclosing what type of +Anima he's supposed to be meeting.

(Run Cooro. Run like the girl should have run away when Thom Yorke saw her!)

The guy creepily goes on about how great +Anima are and how their limbs have incredible abilities...and how much he wants it. Then he puts on the most disturbing Batman villain costume this side of Professor Pyg.

See that? That's an Artificial Anima suit. He calls it "Art Anima". Cooro thinks its modeled after a wildcat but I think it's based on someone the guy found at Innsmouth. Either way, he says to make good "art", he has to study "Natural Anima". Officially done with this B-movie Creep, Cooro tries to fly off...only to bump his head on the ceiling. The guy chose the mines for a reason, you see: enclosed spaces mean Cooro's wings are useless. And it's too dark for Cooro to see, even though the guy can see Cooro just fine thanks to his goggles.

The guy pounces on him to tear apart his wings, trying to make him drink a liquid to drug him into sleep...until Cooro is saved by Senri who swipes the guy into a wall.

(Big Damn Bear.)

Realizing that Senri is a bear +Anima, he does Mortal Kombat with him. He uses the darkness to his advantage to get some hits in on him while Nana gives Cooro a rope to hold onto as she flies him and an also grabbed Senri out of the mines. The three make it out...only to bump into the sheriff, who has now added "fighting" to the list of things he takes care outside of actual crimes.

Husky points out that the guy chasing them might be a slave merchant but the guy denies it, taking off his helmet to reveal himself as human and saying that Senri and the others attacked him first (Typical aigger to throw the people he admires under the bus at the first chance like that.).

The group are expecting Mr. Hops to disbelieve them on account of them being +Anima and he doesn't dispel their notions, leading the guy back in the mines to "chat"...

That's when this happens.

He comes back out and says now it's "their turn"...

(I'd really like to leave the story off there but...here's what happened to the guy.)

He boots the group out of town with money and jerky. Turns out that not only is he a +Anima himself, he had a good reason for being so hard on their asses: their bandit stunt makes +Animas look bad. He tells them to be proud of what they have or they can't live as people.

Our suddenly not woke group leaves off, saying he talks a lot for an old person (Ageism!) and Nana reveals she knew the guy was a freak but let Cooro go off to get drugged and sold anyway to teach him a lesson.

And that's where the story ends.

ANIMA RATING

Artificial Anima: Fucking weirdo aside, the suit seems to be very efficient and, based on the wildcat, has various combat and exploration advantages. 9/10

[14muffinz]

Bubble Wrap - Preview

Okay okay so I was writing about the events that lead to the team getting back together but I couldn’t bring myself to finish it so here’s what I wrote so far and hopefully y’all like it. I’m working on the first long fic for the spider-gang and so I’m giving them all universe codes that aren’t from the comics even though they show familiar numbers in the movie. Peni is Earth-8324

If you’re new to my fics, I have an Into the Spider-Verse world and I never gave context to how they got back together. It’s all in here.

FYI, I’m still editing these sections and there’s no guarantee they’ll even make the final draft. 

The rumours were spreading faster than Peni could deny them. 

It didn’t help that the same day Daredevil picked them up from school (why, just WHY) was the day she’d crossed ‘verses for the first time, making Peni and Sp//dr’s disappearance be on the same date.

It wasn’t helpful.

See, when people spread rumours like that, teachers take notice. Some of them asked Peni what had started the rumour and others just assumed it was the truth. And see, it was fair enough because if those rumours had somehow spread about a 6th grader then there’s got to be some truth to them, right?

And then there was Addy Brock.

She kept coming up to Peni and asking her if she was the pilot. Not in a ‘imagine if you were the pilot’ way but in a ‘can I see the suit someday’ way. They’d learned how to read the difference from Daredevil, who knew a lot of non-visual cues for it, which was very handy.

Addy was a good two years older than Peni and she didn’t trust her for a second. Peni trusted a lot of adults and highschoolers, but she learned that 7th and 8th graders are mean. Miles was the only exception because he was another Spider.

She missed Miles. 

And so she ignored all of the other kids. She came into class with a completely water-proof (after someone ever-so rudely spilled Orange juice all over her original notes) notebook and wrote down all of her ideas on how to make a goober (preferably in the form of a wristband) that could travel the multiverse. The only concrete idea was that she’d make it out of nanotech so that it would be hard to break it.

She’d recently made a breakthrough and discovered the universe code for Gwen. She’d made multiple attempts to breach the gap between her home and Earth-654, but it was to no avail.

The universes were like bubble wrap. They were all lined up with a tiny space in between, but if you folded it and pushed you could make a hole and bridge the gap. The problem was finding where she needed to push to get to a specific universe, and not just the one beside her. While Gwen was in the 600’s, Peni was in the 8000s and yet they’d collided once and it could happen again. Hopefully when it did, it wouldn’t hurt as much.

The other thing about the multiverse was, amazingly for her, the bubbles were not stuck on one sheet. Meaning that she could move the bubbles closer together until they were like a bundle of balloons. So all she had to do was move her bubbles closer together without dying. 

Okay, so it was still a little challenging.

Just a tad.

An itsy bitsy amount.

To compensate, they studied the last century. Based on her research, (by looking up old Starkphone models) they estimated that everyone but the trench coat guy lived around 2020. The black and white Peter was definitely from a time where the world was black and white. Well, when television was black and white and his world was just weird.

There were a lot of variables, she realised after five months of extensive studies.

They’d created a panel of nicknames. They were never calling someone ‘Peter,’ like, ever. 

Spider had the idea of calling the pig ‘Ham’ and it was the funniest thing Peni had heard all week.

<>

The portal opened and Peni saw the web. The same web that had brought her through the first time, and then something slammed through and the portal destabilized. 

Peni shut the portal and turned to see an unfamiliar spider-suit. It was black, pink, and white, with a hood like Gwen’s, but a giant honest-to-god mouth on the chest. Teeth and all.

No-

Peni failed.

She’d opened the wrong universe. 

She wasn’t good for anything.

She-

She-

“Fuck.”

“GWEN,” Spider screeched.

Her. suit. It was beautiful. A threatening mob. The scariest engineering she’d seen in her lifetime.

That sounded a lot like Gwen. She’d totally make something like that.

Self doubt? What? Who she?

“Are you okay?” Peni asked.

Gwen shot up like a light. She pinned them against a wall.

Rude.

“Sorry, sorry. Fuck- wait- Peni?”

Her suit unfolded- like literally unfolded -to reveal Gwen.

Peni was definitely asking what it was made of and was definitely stealing some of it for research purposes.

“First try,” she said softly.

“Holy. Fucking. Shit.”

Gwen’s hugs were very warm. They were a lot better than Aunt May’s, probably not Uncle Ben’s.

They cried in each other’s arms for hours, even though they’d only known each other for a day.

[timelordthirteen]

Desperate Souls 4/?

Mr. Gold/BelleFrench, Explicit

Summary: A broke and heartbroken Belle French comes to an agreement with Mr. Gold to do a little modeling, just for him, in exchange for the money she desperately needs, but it isn’t long before they both realize they’ve made a deal they didn’t understand. Based on this prompt.

Chapter Summary: The second meeting goes unexpectedly, once again, as Gold reveals more than he intends.

Notes: Thank you so much for all the comments on this fic. I honestly thought it wouldn't be that well received as this Gold is sort of hard to like in places. I'm really enjoying writing this darker version of him, even if it's hard at times to get into his headspace. Enjoy the first of many Skin Deep references, and a slight tick up towards the ultimate rating of this fic. ;) This is the nightie Belle is wearing. Also omg this is unbeta'd and a hot mess, sorry.

[AO3]

If Belle thought that seeing Mr. Gold in the week leading up to her first evening at his house was awkward, then the week after it was excruciating.

All she could think every time she so much as saw him walking by on the street was he’s seen me in my underwear! It made for several days of fierce blushes and unfinished lunches. Her mind kept replaying the moment when she’d turned around to face him again, and he’d let the softest, quietest lovely slip out. She still hadn’t figured out if he’d even meant to say it out loud. It was hard to believe that seeing her in a glorified nightgown had rendered Gold that speechless, especially given how well known he was for having a sharp tongue. She’d witnessed him giving Keith Nottingham a dressing down last summer, right outside the mechanics shop where Keith worked. Even though Keith was well over six feet tall and clearly worked out, Gold made him seem tiny, almost insignificant.

She grinned at the memory.

Keith was a jerk in every sense of the word, and Gold verbally tearing him a new asshole was the least that he deserved. But that was the kind of presence Gold had in the town; the mayor, the sheriff, the district attorney, they all acquiesced to him. Rumors said he had dirt on everyone, that nothing happened within thirty miles of the town line that he didn’t know about. She wondered sometimes whether that was part of why he’d made this deal with her, so that he would know something about her as well, so that he could have that control.

The thought was not comforting, but it was confusing. In theory, she had as much on Gold as he did on her in this situation. In fact, her position would seem far more sympathetic, if embarrassing, and if anyone did find out - god fucking forbid - she highly doubted they would take Gold’s side. It wasn’t the same as whatever he knew about Albert Spencer or Regina Mills, that made them go white as a ghost whenever Gold hinted at it under his breath.

So what the hell was his motivation?

Belle sighed, and regarded herself in the mirror. She’d left the library right on time, and decided that tonight she wouldn’t shower before going to Gold’s. It was a waste of time if every Thursday evening she was going to come home feeling the need to do it again. Instead she sat down to touch up her makeup and hair out of some odd desire to look as nice as possible. It was another one of the things that confused her. She should have said the hell with it, and not cared if her hair needed a good brushing, or if her lipstick had worn off. Yet she did. She cared how she looked, and for as much as Gold was paying her, she figured he might care too.

Last night she’d even put polish on her toenails, a light, shimmery pink, and gave herself a mini pedicure. If she was going to be barefoot again, then that was part of the package too. She’d look as pretty as she could, head to toe - literally, and that way if Gold let anything else slip out, then perhaps he might have reason to mean it.

Belle arrived at Mr. Gold’s house perfectly on time.

Her knock sounded at exactly one minute till seven, she’d checked her phone as she came up the front sidewalk to make sure, and the door opened right as the grandfather clock in the living room chimed the top of the hour.

“Miss French.” Gold’s mouth curved as he gave her a brief, appraising look before stepping back to allow her inside. “Right on time tonight.”

The first thing that she noticed was the bold, pink dress shirt beneath his pinstripe suit. She had noticed a while ago that he preferred a splash of color in his wardrobe, which was usually done through a striking tie or pocket square, but everyone once in a while there was something unexpected; last week it had been his checkered shirt, this week it was a brilliant pink. There was an eccentricity to his style that she appreciated. He appeared very reserved in his manner and dress, yet these little touches reflected something else entirely, something that kept people guessing.

Once again she caught a hint of something from the kitchen, tomatoes and garlic and something spicy. Spaghetti sauce, she assumed, and she made a happy noise, inhaling the mouthwatering scent as Gold once again took her coat and hung it up.

“Well, now I’m even hungrier,” she said. “Does it always smell delicious in here?”

He frowned. “You haven’t eaten?”

Bell shrugged. “Didn’t want to eat and then try on clothes, you know?”

He let out a gumbling hum and motioned for her to go ahead of him. “I assume you know where things are?”

She nodded and stopped by the door to the powder room. “Yup.”

“I need to finish cleaning up,” he said, moving past her and into the short hallway to the kitchen. “Will be just a moment.”

As soon as he turned his back, she opened the bathroom door and stepped inside. Her stomach was a mess, unable to decide between hunger pangs and the same vaguely nauseous feeling as last week. She set her purse in the same place on the set of shelves set beside the sink, and slipped off her shoes. She was more than halfway undressed, trousers off and blouse completely unbuttoned, before she thought to look at what Gold had put out for her, and stopped.

The nightie hung on the same padded hanger on the back of the door, looking delicate and pretty and oddly foreboding. It was a light, rosy pink and made of a stretchy cotton blend that was more practical than it was sexy, as was the little robe that went with it, but what her eyes were fixed on was the plunging neckline covered in lace. She swallowed and turned away, letting her blouse fall over her shoulders to catch at her wrists. The chemise from last week was the most unrevealing and basic thing she had, she’d known that, but knowing what else there was to be worn and seeing it hanging in front of her were two different things.

Reaching back, she unhooked her bra and then drew it down before hanging it over one of the posts framing the shelves along with her blouse. Turning back to the door, she took the nightie off the hanger and blanched when she saw the panties beneath it, dangling from one of those metal clips made to hold skirts or pants in place. Her eyes closed and she took a slow breath.

A beat later, she slipped the nightie over her head.

The skirt of it fell just to the tops of her thighs, barely covering her in the front and back, much shorter than what she’d worn last week which was as long as some of her dresses. This was undeniably sexual, meant to tease, and suddenly she was glad there was matching underwear to put on beneath it. She shoved her navy blue pair down and then took them off to lay folded on her trousers. The sensation was strange, so she quickly pulled on the matching panties, and then faced herself in the mirror.

The nightie clipped in the back like a bra, just under where the straps criss-crossed, and it took her a moment to adjust everything to where it needed to be. The cups were soft and lined, giving her breasts a little more coverage than the black silk did, for which she was grateful, although the deep dip in the front showed off just how much cleavage she didn’t have. The panties were the same soft cotton blend as the rest of it, with matching lace at the waist that stretched without digging into anything.

On the whole, now that she had it all on, it didn’t feel so bad. She had a sundress with the same sort of straps and clasp in the back, and aside from the length of the skirt it wasn’t that different. All in all it was actually comfortable enough to sleep in during the summer, she thought, which was sort of why she’d bought it in the first place. It made her wonder if Gold was going in some kind of order, working his way up to what he thought was the most risque and scandalous.

The robe was still on the hanger and she eyed it for a few seconds, trying to decide if she should put it on or not. It was part of what she’d purchased, and Gold had put it out with the nightie, but donning another layer meant she’d probably have to take it off. It was going to be a bit difficult to model the nightie if it was covered up with something else, but given how chilled she’d been last time, she thought she could get away with wearing it at least for a few minutes.

Sighing, she tied the sash of the robe at her waist and then eased open the door to peek into the hallway. Gold was still in the kitchen, if the clang of a pot being set in the sink was anything to go by, so she stepped out and hurried into the study. The doors were closed again, the fire roaring even bigger than last time, and she started to smile. It seemed he might have noticed that she was cold and made accommodations. It was strangely thoughtful, much as his invite to have dinner was, and she struggled to know what to make of all of it.

There was another noise from the kitchen, so she closed the doors quietly, and gave the room a more thorough going over. She’d been so nervous last time that all she’d noticed was the general layout of the room. Assuming she had a few minutes until Gold joined her, she took a leisurely stroll around the space, her eyes scanning all the shelves and walls filled with pieces from Gold’s various collections.

The china cabinet opposite Gold’s chair was lit up this time with two small lights mounted above the top shelf. Belle came to stand in front of it, attracted by the light glinting unusually off of something inside. Her eyes went wide when she saw each shelf was full. Two vases sat on the bottom with an ornate oil lamp between them, dishes painted with landscape scenes, a silver tray beside an array of delicate crystal figurines, and on the top shelf, just at her eye level was the strangest tea set she’d ever seen.

Thin white porcelain had been adorned with flowers, painted in such great detail and outlined in such a way that they looked three dimensional, as though they had been plucked out of a garden. They looked so delicate that the petals might fall free if they were touched, but each cup and saucer as well as the pot and the tray it sat on looked as if they had been broken into a hundred pieces and glued back together with liquid gold.

“Kintsugi.”

Gold’s voice startled Belle, and she backed away from the cabinet as if she’d been caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to.

“What?”

His lips curved as he took a leisurely step towards her. “Kintsugi,” he repeated. “That’s what they call it.”

She looked from him to the tea set and back again, until he was standing next to her. “Kint - kintsu-gi?”

He nodded. “It means golden repair in Japanese, the art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer and gold dust.”

Her eyes widened. “Gold dust? Like actual gold?” He gave another nod, and she shook her head, shifting her gaze back to the cabinet, following one of the lines of gold as it trailed from the rim of a cup down through a red rose and over to meet another line that encircled the handle. “Sounds expensive.”

“But beautiful,” added Gold.

Their eyes met in the mirrored back of the cabinet, and Belle held her breath until he looked away and went on to explain how he came to find the set. It had been packed in newspaper in a cardboard box, set inside a bigger box marked FREE at an estate sale in Vermont. Most of the pieces were already broken or chipped in some way, but there were a few books he was interested in at the very bottom so he bought the entire lot. Months later, he came across the box again in one of the upstairs bedrooms, and had the idea to try his hand at repairing it in this way.

“So, you made this?” she asked, unable to suppress the surprise and wonder in her voice.

“Aye,” he said. His voice was low and very close to her ear, and she gripped the knot of the robe tightly. “I fixed all the bits that were already broken, filled in missing pieces with things I had laying around, and smoothed all the jagged edges with extra lacquer.”

Belle shook her head slowly. She couldn’t imagine the patience and care it must have taken to create something so unique and beautiful, particularly when it was incomplete. It was - pleasing, wonderful even, and once again she was struck by the strange dichotomy that was Storybrooke’s Mr. Gold.

“Is it - I mean can you actually, um, use it? Once it’s like this?”

He nodded, smiling crookedly. “The lacquer is made from the sap of a very specific tree, and the gold is dusted over it while it’s still wet and sealed inside, and once it’s all done and hardened, it’s perfectly safe to drink from. I’ve personally used that cup there.”

He pointed to the very cup Belle had been admiring, the one with the fine line splitting the red rose in two, and she smiled. “You made so much beauty out of something so broken.”

“Even chipped cups have some use, don’t they?”

His question surprised her, and she looked over to find him watching her, his expression as unreadable as ever. “I think,” she said, “that in this case the best teacup is chipped.”

His throat bobbed as he swallowed, and abruptly, he turned and crossed the room to the same chair he’d taken before. Belle blew out a slow breath, her mind spinning and struggling to wrap itself around the sudden shift from their conversation to the purpose of her being here. It was as if her reply had struck a nerve, but she wasn’t sure how.

She heard the creak of the leather as he sat, and after a long moment, she turned away from the china cabinet and its precious contents, and walked to the end of the ottoman. She licked her lips as her hands went to the knot of her robe, and lifted her eyes to his. The end of the sash pulled free easily, the pressure on her waist releasing as the two sides of the robe slid open. She swore she heard his breath hitch, the slight little hiccup and inhale of air, but he otherwise remained completely still as she shrugged her shoulders, sending the robe shimmying down her arms.

It landed on the ottoman behind her with a muted wisp, and she took another step forward. The edge of the nightie brushed her thighs, reminding her of how short it was, and she felt a heat that wasn’t from the fire creep up her neck. She bit her lip as her hands came up to her stomach and then dropped to her sides, unsure of what to do with them.

Gold meanwhile was just staring dazedly at her. His head lolled slightly to one side and then straightened, as one might when observing the way the light illuminated a work of fine art. The thought was absurd, and she took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling against the lace.

“Mr. Gold?” she asked softly. “Would you - would you like a drink?”

The question brought him out of the odd trance he’d been in, and he shifted in his seat before meeting her eyes. “Yes, a scotch please, Miss French.”

She turned and made her way around the end of the ottoman, crossing between it and the fireplace, feeling his eyes on her all the way to the bar. She was so grateful to be out of the heat for a minute that even the cold floor felt nice on her feet. For some reason the room was much warmer tonight than it had been last night, and she thought maybe she should say something about finding a happy medium.

Drink in hand, she walked back to stand closer to his chair, and held it out for him. He lifted his hand from where it was resting to take the glass by the bottom, keeping a sliver of a distance between where her fingers were around the rim and his. In doing so, he caught the hem of the nightie, and when he pulled the glass away and raised it to his lips, the hem went with it. It lifted slightly, just enough to feel a light flutter of air against her legs when it settled back into place. She stepped back immediately, conscious of the fact that it may have been enough for him to glimpse the matching panties underneath.

A shiver washed over her despite the flushing of her face, and she crossed her arms over her middle, her upper arms pushing her breasts together. Gold’s eyes dipped down, his tongue flicking out over his bottom lip, just before he touched the glass to his mouth. She caught herself pressing her thighs together unconsciously as he sipped and swallowed, and took another step back until a blast of warmth from the fire made her stop.

“Thank you,” Gold said simply.

His expression was blank, as if nothing had occurred between them at all, and she knew that she was once again dismissed. Once again the abrupt change in his demeanor unsettled her, but she couldn’t give voice to any of the questions in her head. Instead, she gave him a short nod, and moved to leave, pausing to snatch up the robe before she all but ran from the study.

The bathroom was like an odd little oasis when Belle returned to it. She sighed at the cool air wrapping around her, calming her heated skin, and leaned back against the closed door, breathing slowly. The kintsugi, the conversation, the way he looked at her, she could make no sense of it. Whatever this was about for him, she couldn’t keep letting it affect her. She had to think of this weird arrangement as a job, nothing more. It was something she was doing for money - a lot of money, mind - but a paycheck all the same.

She blew out a breath and changed back into her clothes, deciding to leave the lingerie on the hanger again. If he wanted her to keep the items, then he could say so. She was tired of guessing his reasons and desires for any of this.

Gold was waiting for her when she opened the powder room door. He was standing with his cane, leaning a bit to the side as if he had to put most of his weight on it to keep himself upright, and holding a glass storage container with a plastic lid. She frowned at it as she lifted her purse strap onto her shoulder, and then looked up at him.

“For you,” he said, holding the container out for her to take.

Her eyes darted down to the offering as she reached for it hesitantly. “Okay...?”

“It’s lasagna. That’s - that’s what I made for dinner. I thought since you hadn’t eaten...” He shrugged.

“Oh.” Belle took the container from his hand and stared down at the lid. She could see a large square of something inside, with hints of red and creamy white. The scent of food still lingered in the air, and her stomach rumbled loudly.

Gold let out a soft, short laugh, and shook his head. “It’s still warm, sort of, but I recommend putting the container in the oven and letting it come up to 350. That should heat it through.” He folded his hands over the handle of his cane, and then added, “With the lid off, of course.”

“Of course,” she repeated. Confused as to why he was giving her food, but pleased she wouldn’t have to make anything when she got home, she lifted her eyes to him. “Um, thanks.”

“No matter.”

He followed her to the door, holding her coat for her once more, and then bid her good night.

The walk home was comfortably cool, but smelling of fresh lasagna the entire way.

By the time Belle reached the door of her apartment, she was starving and had determined that this time the vague feeling of nauseous indigestion was from lack of food rather than anything that had transpired with Gold. He had been a gentleman about nearly everything, except for whatever those accidental brushes had been, and he cooked like he should have his own restaurant. The small touches were clearly accidental, and the odd sensation that came over this evening was easily ignored. If he did it again, she might consider saying something or changing her tactic of fetching his drink, but for now it was certainly more tolerable than half of the dates she’d had.

Garrett would have had his hand up her skirt in minutes, which was a thought that made her entire body cringe now that their relationship has ended so spectacularly.

As strange as it might seem, she was more intrigued by Gold than disturbed or repulsed. The story of the tea set was charming, and the fact that the person who could remake some useless, broken bits into something so pretty was the same as the person who offered her a deal to parade around his study in lingerie, left her head spinning. She wanted to know how that was possible, and thought that perhaps over the next few weeks she might find out.

He seemed perfectly willing to talk to her, revealing small clues here and there, but once he realized he had, he tried to close up again. She supposed some of that was part of how he maintained his enigmatic personality within the town, yet there was also the possibility that no one had ever bothered to take an interest in him before. Maybe he had no idea how to deal with that, maybe he had some of the same anxieties about social situations as she did, though in her case it had somehow turned into a peculiar ability to make friends easily. In his case it kept people at arm's length, much the same as his prim, fitted suits and colorful shirts portrayed a baffling combination.

She put the container of lasagna, sans lid, in the oven as instructed, and left it to warm up while she took a shower. This evening she didn’t feel dirty or uncomfortable, it was just the end of a long day and she was more than ready for a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. The lasagna was, as expected, fantastic. The cheese wasn’t too thick or stringy, and the mozzarella had been mixed with something else that gave it a sharper, more aged flavor. In place of plain ground beef he’d used some kind of sausage that was just spicy enough to leave a lingering heat behind, but not too much that it burned, and the notes of fennel blended well the spice. He had been heavy on the fresh garlic and basil as well, which were probably her favorite parts. She was prone to using a bit too much of them herself, and she smiled as she shoved the last forkful in her mouth.

She contemplated asking him to add dinner to the deal, but that would make the whole arrangement feel like something it wasn’t. They weren’t dating, they weren’t friends; it was just a weird business transaction, needs and wants.

She needed money, and he was providing. Though what Gold wanted from any of it would likely remain a mystery.

Gold leaned back in his chair as he savored the last bit of his second glass of scotch.

Belle had been less nervous this time, perhaps because he’d spoken to her about the tea set. He hadn’t intended to do so, but the way she was looking at it was - indescribable, like the way she might look at a painting or sculpture by one of the old masters, with a kind of curious awe. What she’d said about the chipped cup was incidental, he knew it was not some kind of metaphor or anything, even if restoring the set had been far more personal for him than he’d let on. She seemed quite pleased with his story, and he wondered idly what she might say if he put it up for sale in his shop. Would she want to buy it? Would she use the money he’d paid her to have it?

If he closed his eyes, he knew he would be able to recall the moment perfectly, the soft flutter of the rosy fabric as it fell from her arms, exposing more beneath it. The brief brush of those fingers against her, the hint of the lacy panties hiding under the skirt, the same precious pink as the rest of it, made him shiver. He didn’t think she’d noticed, or if she had maybe she had assumed it was an accident. It was, partially, but instead of pulling away when he’d realized what he’d done, he’d continued, waiting to see if she would move first. She hadn’t; he didn’t know what that meant.

The nightie had a teasing, innocent look to it, but it bared more than it covered. He’d gotten an eyeful of her skin, so creamy and soft looking, supple if it were pressed, and flushed the prettiest pink in the warmth of the room. He wondered how else he might make her blush like that, and shifted in his seat, uncrossing his legs as his own skin prickled with heat. He raised his hand, touching the fingertips that had touched her so briefly to his lips as his other hand moved to his waist, adjusting the pressure of his trousers and belt.

She had looked so beautiful tonight. Truthfully, she always did, but there was something about having her here, in his sanctuary, that made so much keener. A tingling throb twitched between his legs, and he gave in and pressed his palm to the front of his trousers, running the heel of it up and down his rapidly hardening cock. He couldn’t touch her again like that, couldn’t cross that line, no matter how much the image of her bare thighs tormented him.

Sighing, he forced his hand back to the arm of the chair and breathed slowly until his body calmed. As much as he wanted to take himself in hand and call to mind one of any number of fantasies, that was another line he couldn’t let himself cross. He was the monster they all said he was, in every way but that.

After a few minutes, Gold pushed to his feet, ignoring the lingering flush that crept up his neck and the ache low in his belly as he headed upstairs for another chilling shower.

( This is kintsugi. It's one of my favorite things and someday I too will have a tea set like in this fic. )

[primroseprime2019]

Masters and Students

"Such a shame." Starscream said as he watched the Space bridge explosion, "But I applaud you, Megatron. You certainly made a grand exit."

Echo clenched her fists tightly as she left the control bridge and Soundwave walked over to Starscream.

"Ah, Soundwave, cue the audio/visual. I wish to address the troops." Soundwave only nodded.

All over the screens and throughout the halls, the troops had heard Starscream give out his message.

"The loss of Megatron, leader of the great Decepticon uprising, is certainly a blow to our cause. Yet we mustn't despair of his tragic demise. But instead embrace his ultimate sacrifice and build upon the foundation he laid with an even mightier hand."

A Vehicon had spoken up, "With all due respect Commander-I mean Lord Starscream."

"Yes, yes, what is it?" Starscream said.

"If we failed to conquer Earth under Lord Megatron's command, what hope do we have now while the Autobots still defend it?" The Vehicon asked.

Starscream sighed and replied, "Allow me to be crystal clear... I studied for millennia under our former Master. Thus I am equipped to lead you. I, Megatron's true heir, Lord Starscream, Emperor of Destruction!" The crowd of Vehicons looked to each other and talked to one another. Starscream let out a scoff and had Soundwave cut the feed and audio.

"What use are troops who can't rise to the task of inflicting unspeakable destruction in my name?" The Seeker huffed.

"Maybe it's because they actually have loyalty towards someone who's led them for years," Echo spoke up as she stalked towards Starscream, her optics blazing with fury, "you're too cowardly and hardheaded to be a leader!"

"I suggest you watch your tone, Echo," Starscream growled. "Make me, you sorry excuse for a Decepticon!" Echo snapped, her digits turning into claws.

Soundwave stood between his sister and Starscream and Echo stared up at him, her wings shaking with bitterness towards Starscream. Soundwave shook his helm at his sister, silently telling her not to start a fight that she did not want to finish.

Echo clenched her fists tightly before she turned and walked out of the room. Starscream huffed and turned away from Soundwave, "now with that out of the way... Legend tells of one capable warrior, one who exists here upon this very planet, one who can be student to my master."

◊◊◊◊

Optimus sighed as he stood, overlooking the rock formations that surrounded him. It's been a week since they disabled the Decepticon Space Bridge, which resulted in Megatron's demise.

"Optimus, why so glum? This planet – all planets – are finally free from Megatron's tyranny!" Ratchet cheered.

"I do not disagree, Ratchet," Optimus admitted, a very large part of him content in knowing that his family would be safer than they were when Megatron lived, "It's just...a small part of me hoped to change Megatron's mind. Not extinguish his spark."

"Optimus, his vileness was not slain by your hand! But by his own twisted arrogance!" Ratchet protested, earning a hum of displeasure from the Prime, "I'm sorry. I know the two of you have quite a history."

"But the Megatron whom I once fought aside perished eons ago; the day he chose to become a Decepticon," Optimus rumbled before quickly changing the topic, "The Decepticons may be in disarray. But they aren't without leadership. And while Starscream is no Megatron, he is far from predictable." Suddenly an explosion shook the base.

"Decepticons! We're under attack!" Ratchet exclaimed and he and Optimus ran to the source of the explosion. Only it wasn't an attack. It was Rafael's volcano science project.

"It's not an attack Ratchet. It's my volcano," Raf said as he waved his hand against the smoke that started to fade away and his volcano deflated, "or was."

"Hold still, Bulkhead," Miko said as Bulkhead held a small model of the Solar System, "Jupiter needs its red spot. Whoopsie!"

"What... in the Allspark is going on around here?" Ratchet demanded. "Our projects are due tomorrow," Jack said.

Arcee picked up a part of the motorcycle she and Jack were working on. "Maybe it needs one of these doohickeys," she said.

"You're a motorcycle Arcee," Jack said with a smirk, "shouldn't you know how to build a motorcycle engine?" "You're a human, Jack," Arcee shot back, "can you build me a small intestine?"

"Burn!" Miko and Paige said and Firestorm snickered. Jack huffed.

"Well you can't make these projects in here," Ratchet said, "you're making a mess!" "But the science fair's a big part of our grade," Raf said.

"Yeah," Miko agreed, "if Bulkhead doesn't help me finish this model of our Solar System-" "Oh?" Ratchet interrupted, "and what does Bulkhead know of your solar system? Or Bumblebee of your volcanoes? Or...?"

"Arcee of our motorcycles?" Jack asked, earning a look from his guardian.

"Precisely," Ratchet said, "we're not Earthlings and they're not scientists." "But the Autobots are their guardians, Ratchet," Optimus said, "would it hurt to learn more of Earth by helping our young friends with their schoolwork?"

"Well maybe our young friends should learn more of Cybertron," Ratchet huffed. Raf looked over at Paige, "what are you and Primrose working on, Paigey?"

"I'm just holding the flashlight," Primrose said. "I'm painting the galaxies and the constellations," Paige said as she sat on the far side of the main hangar, painting a rather large canvas. Primrose held a Cybertronian-sized flashlight and shined it down on the painting.

"Plus I’m making another project, but you can’t see it yet. Also, Ratchet," Paige said, making the Autobot medic look at her, "if you want- and if it's not too much trouble, can you teach me about Cybertron?"

"Really? You actually want to learn?" Ratchet asked, surprised. Paige smiled and nodded, "what's wrong with teaching a Galatrian about Cybertronian history and culture? Nothing, I'm sure. Plus, I've been meaning to learn about your planet."

Ratchet stared at Paige, completely shocked. "Someone's actually made Ratchet speechless," Firestorm chuckled, "I'm impressed. Ow!" He held his helm when a wrench suddenly decked him in the helm and he glared at Ratchet.

"Alright. I'll teach you," Ratchet said with a soft smile. "Yay!" Paige said happily. Primrose squeaked in surprise when some paint was flung her way and it landed on her faceplate.

"Whoops! Sorry Prim," Paige said with an apologetic smile.

"It's alright. The messier, the better," Primrose chuckled.

◊◊◊◊

Starscream, Soundwave and Echo were currently in the canyon looking for the warrior that Starscream had spoke of earlier in the warship. Though it had struck Echo as odd that they would look in a place such as Earth. And as much as she would've loved to beat Starscream into a bloody mess, she was also glad that Soundwave was here to stop her- most likely electrocute her in a way.

"Starscream." Echo said calmly, getting his attention, "This warrior that you talked about earlier, why in the name of the Allspark would they be here on Earth?"

Starscream said, "During the Great War, so much energon was hidden on this forsaken rock, that our departed master sent some of Cybertron's greatest to guard it-True warriors now lying in stasis, waiting to be reawakened."

"When you put it like that, it actually makes the most sense," Echo said.

"Yes," Starscream replied, "Though it was such a folly that late in life Megatron searched for distant space for warriors, rather than here beneath his feet." Soundwave was still trying to figure out where the warrior was; despite him not saying anything Starscream had said, "What do you mean you can't pinpoint his signal? I know we're close! Boost the power to your sensors!"

Soundwave did this and they found what they were looking for.

"Is that it?" Echo asked. "Yes," he said, "there." With that, he, Soundwave and Echo transformed into their aerial forms and flew up into the air.

◊◊◊◊

Raf was rebuilding his volcano. But he wasn't really paying attention. He was paying more attention to Bumblebee's stories from the war, particularly when Bumblebee mentioned that he hasn't made warrior class.

"Really, Bumblebee? Then how do you make warrior class?" Raf wanted to know, causing Bumblebee to bleep some stuff about experience getting in the way, "But I've seen you in action! You're awesome!"

That was when Optimus decided to intervene, placing his servo on his adoptive son's shoulder whilst saying to Raf, "I second your opinion, Raf. But Autobot lifecycles are much longer than those of humans. And though it may be hard to believe, our young scout still has much to experience."

"Well experience is the best thing to have," Paige said as she walked over to Optimus, Bumblebee and Raf. She was wearing a white shirt, along with some overalls and she was wearing her sketchers shoes.

"You done with your painting already?" Bumblebee asked.

"Yeah. I took it outside on the roof to dry," Paige said, rubbing her hands on the pants of her overalls, 'I think Cliff would've loved it.' She jumped when the monitors started going off.

"Exposed Energon! And it's on the move!" Ratchet proclaimed.

"And since we're not moving it, guess who must be!" Bulkhad challenged.

"Decepticons," Arcee answered as she stood next to Optimus.

"Without Megatron?" Miko asked in disbelief.

"Unfortunately, Megatron's legacy will live on as others rise to take his place," Optimus sighed gravely. "Why am I suddenly being reminded of wolves?" Paige asked aloud, making Optimus look at her curiously.

Optimus turned to his team, "Autobots, you have projects to complete. Ratchet, I may acquire first aid."

Ratchet was a bit hesitant at this, and turned to the three kids currently working on their projects.

"Science fair is a big part of their grade." Ratchet said to his leader, "Perhaps I'm best suited to remain and advise."

Optimus agreed to this, "Very well." He said, before turning to his scouts, "Bumblebee, Primrose, let us see about this energon in transit."

"Can I come?" Paige asked. "No," Optimus, Bumblebee and Primrose said in unison, making the fourteen year old girl squeak.

"You know it is too dangerous," Optimus said firmly. Paige frowned, "well I'm Dauntless enough to face danger!"

"This isn't Divergent," Jack called out. "Watch it, Jackson!" Paige said, glaring at the sixteen year old boy who put his hands up in surrender.

"What would your mother say?" Primrose asked in a playful tone. Paige opened her mouth but closed it and she crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.

Bumblebee buzzed with laughter as the ground bridge opened. Paige let out a meow of protest and she kicked invisible dirt with her foot. Optimus gently rubbed her head before he, Bumblebee and Primrose went through the ground bridge.

◊◊◊◊

Echo watched as Starscream and Soundwave pulled out what was a stasis chamber as she stood back. After they pulled the the stasis chamber out from where it was, they took a step back. "Soundwave, the cube." Starscream said.

Soundwave took out a container containing a single energon cube. He handed it over to Starscream; he placed it in the slot that was provided. The capsule had started to activate.

"The energon infusion!" Starscream said, "It's working!" They were soon blinded by a blue light.

In the distance, Optimus, Bumblebee and Primrose walked out of the ground bridge. They heard sounds just nearby. "Do you guys hear that?" Primrose asked.

"This doesn't feel right," Bumblebee said. "No Bumblebee, it does not," Optimus said, "hold your position and await my command."

Primrose and Bumblebee both nodded.

The stasis chamber opened and reveal the warrior inside; Starscream had stepped forward.

"Awaken warrior!" He said, "Rise and serve your new master!" Echo could tell that he was as large and giant as Megatron was; his color scheme was of green, white and red, and his optics glowed red. And a part of her was glad that he was another Seeker.

He spoke with a booming voice, "Skyquake only serves one master." "Excellent." Starscream said, "Your loyalty and devotion will set a fine example for the troops," he sent Echo a glare, "among other things. No need to be timid, Skyquake. You may bow."

Echo felt her right optic twitch and she ground her denta together to hold herself back. Soundwave placed his servo on his sister's shoulder and gave a light squeeze.

"You fail to grasp my meaning." Skyquake said, "I am here on a mission assigned to me by my one true master- Megatron." "Yes. Him." Starscream said, "Sadly Megatron is no longer with us."

"Impossible." Skyquake said.

"Why is this so difficult for everyone to accept? Skyquake, I located you. I awakened you. Thus I, Lord Starscream, am your one true master!" Starscream snapped.

Skyquake growled, stepping towards Starscream who quickly stepped back. "It has been quite awhile Skyquake." Optimus spoke up, getting his attention.

Skyquake turned to him. "Optimus Prime." He said, "I haven't seen you since the Battle of Technar. Megatron ordered me to annihilate you."

"That was a long time ago." Optimus said.

"That may be, Prime, but my orders still stand," Skyquake said.

"Is this ancient war still worth fighting when so many comrades have been lost and worlds destroyed? If you want to be a true leader, Starscream, then stray from Megatron's path and lead the Decepticons towards peace," Optimus said firmly.

"I would be willing to consider a truce..." Starscream said, "If you are willing to bow before me... Optimus Prime."

"Again?" Skyquake said angrily, "Bow to this!"

Skyquake swung his arm and with one hit, Starscream was sent flying right into the wall. Echo widened her optics in surprise before she transformed into her aerial form and flew up into the air with Soundwave and Starscream following.

"Skyquake, this is a new era. On another world. Side with the Autobots and help me end this conflict forever," Optimus once again pleaded the newly-awakened Decepticon.

"I will NEVER side with a Prime!" Skyquake proclaimed as he ran towards Optimus.

Optimus never saw the next hit coming. So when Skyquake threw a punch at him, he didn't block it. Instead, he let it knock him into a nearby archway. Skyquake picked Optimus up by his shoulders and threw the other around.

Above the ensuing battle, Starscream, Soundwave and Echo watched everything unfold. "What need have we for peace when we have Skyquake?" Starscream asked rhetorically to Echo and Soundwave.

"With some disapline, he will learn to respect his new master," the Seeker continued, "And once it becomes known that Skyquake destroyed the great Optimus Prime under our command, all Decepticons will greatfully bow to us."

Bumblebee and Primrose watched the fight between Optimus and Skyquake become intense. A little too intense for Primrose's liking. Optimus unlocked his blaster and shot at Skyquake twice.

The large Decepticon Seeker pulled out his own blaster and fired at Optimus. Each rapid shot hit the Prime, knocking him back but he still stood on his pedes. Having seen enough, Primrose and Bumblebee ran forward.

"Bumblebee, Primrose, no!" Optimus shouted. Bumblebee fired at Skyquake's back, catching the large Seeker by surprise. He whirled around, his blaster reloaded and ready. With each fire he made, Bumblebee avoided being hit. He jumped from wall to wall within the canyon, avoiding fire. Eventually, one hit Bumblebee, sending him crashing to the ground.

Primrose jumped forward and she grabbed Skyquake's blaster. Skyquake grabbed Primrose and threw her aside.

"Do not miss a single moment, Soundwave!" Starscream instructed, "We shall need visual documentation of Optimus Prime's demise for the historical record!"

Optimus and Skyquake punched at each other, both bots often missing and hitting again and again. When Skyquake knocked Optimus back, Bumblebee and Primrose got up beside their leader.

"He can't transform yet?" Bumblebee asked, confused. "Skyquake has not yet acquired a vehicle mode," Optimus said.

Skyquake charged at the three bots. "Fall back!" Optimus exclaimed. Before Skyquake could swing at the three Autobots, they quickly transformed into their vehicle forms and drove away.

“So time has made you a coward, Prime?" Skyquake called after him as he fired a few more shots from his blaster.

◊◊◊◊

"Let's see. Where is it?" Ratchet muttered as he used his blowtorch to assemble Raf's volcano.

"Um...what is it?" Raf wanted to know.

"You'll find out," Ratchet answered.

"But Ratchet, shouldn't I be doing the work?" Raf protested.

"Zep-yip-yip-yip! Don't touch! Just watch and learn!" Ratchet said sternly as he shooed the twelve year old boy away.

"So we're just gonna help Jack and Miko finish theirs..." Bulkhead trailed off as he referred to himself and Arcee.

"Without my supervision?! You want them to be right, don't you?" Ratchet asked, causing Arcee and Bulkhead to look at each other and give small shrugs. "Then watch a master at work!" Ratchet said eagerly.

"Control freak," Miko murmured. "That's the understatement of the century," Jack huffed as he walked over to Paige who was messing with some wires. She had some scissors in her hand.

"Paige?" Jack called out. Paige jumped and she hit her head, making her yelp and she shouted in pain when the scissors cut her arm.

"Fudge nuggets it all! Jack, don't sneak up on me like that- especially when I'm lost in thought!" Paige snapped. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Jack exclaimed.

Ratchet, Bulkhead, Arcee, Raf and Miko hurried over to them. "What happened?" Ratchet asked.

"I accidentally scared Paige and she cut her arm," Jack said.

"Not to mention, I hit my head," Paige said. "What were you trying to do?" Bulkhead asked.

"Well I was trying to untangle some wires in the main wall because I figured that might give you some trouble," Paige said, "I had a toolbox stashed away."

"Let me see," Ratchet said as he activated his human form and he gently held Paige's arm, "it's a small cut, nothing major. I suggest you let me handle those wires from now on." He started to wrap her arm in some bandages.

"Sorry," Paige said, "thought I could help." "I appreciate that," Ratchet said with a soft smile and he looked at Paige.

She stared at him, her light brown eyes connecting with his light blue eyes. He stared at her, his face meters away from hers. He felt his human heart pounding against his chest and he felt his cheeks warm up.

Miko looked between the two and a sly smile appeared on her face. Paige's phone started buzzing and she picked it up out of her pocket.

She gave it to Ratchet who looked at the text message and his eyes slightly widened. The text was from Marcus and it said: 'make a move on my daughter and your spark is mine.' A shiver ran up the medic's spine and he sighed softly.

"Protective Dad?" Jack asked. "Yep," Paige giggled, "my parents have protective daddy and mommy senses- and they tingle."

"Remind me again as to why and how your parents know about us yet Ratchet and Optimus know them?" Bulkhead asked curiously. "They thought it'd be a good idea to tell me about my home planet," Paige said, "although it sounds weird, coming from me. Plus, Mom said that Ratchet and Dad met when Cybertron still had it's Golden Age. I don't know how to explain it myself."

◊◊◊◊

"We've lost sight of them! Soundwave, why aren't you tracking them?" Starscream screeched, "What? What is it?"

Soundwave was showing Starscream something else. A different map. It wasn't of the area they are currently watching Skyquake's battle with Optimus and Bumblebee. But a map of Earth and the space that surrounds it.

"A second Decepticon life signal? But Skyquake is the only sleeper buried in this area!" Starscream scoffed in disbelief as he studied Soundwave's map closer.

But Echo noticed something perculiar about the life signal. She knew that area well. After all, they were there just days ago.

"The sight of our destroyed Space Bridge! You're not telling us that life signal belongs to Megatron?" Starscream gasped as the realization dawned on them both, "but he was microns from the detination point! Nothing could have survived that blast! Your sensors must be faulty! Ignore the contact! Delete the coordinates!" Echo gave Starscream an icy glare which was quickly unnoticed.

"What am I saying? Of course it must be investigated! If Lord Megatron is up there, I shall bring him home. Soundwave, Echo, remain here and monitor the outcome. When Skyquake snuffs Prime's spark, I must bare witness," Starscream instructed.

With those words said, Starscream jumped into the canyon below. Once he was close to the ground, he transformed into his alternative jet mode and flew away from the canyon. Soundwave and Echo just stood by and watched him leave.

"Must bare witness," Soundwave repeated before he deployed Laserbeak and she flew up into the air.

◊◊◊◊

"Tango 6 Alpha to Station Command. We're picking up transmissions from unidentified technology. Possibly hostile. We are moving to investigate."

"Negative, Tango Six Alpha," Agent Fowler interrupted the communications between the two respective personnel, "This is Special Agent William Fowler intercepting. Strike your report from the record and abide origin coordinates. I'll take it from here."

◊◊◊◊

Down in the canyon below, the chase appeared to be working out in the favor of the Autobots. Primrose continued to drive around the canyon with Skyquake hot on her trail. However, Primrose eventually reached a dead end. Once she did, she transformed into her bipedal form.

"It will be a shame to crush you, young Prime. But it is my duty," Skyquake remarked.

Suddenly, he heard the familiar sound of a truck horn behind him. He turned around and saw Optimus approaching him in his truck mode. Immediately, he started firing shots from his blaster. Whilst taking hits, Optimus transformed into his bipedal form and punched Skyquake in the face.

"Excellent strategy, Primrose," Optimus complimented his scout as Bumblebee drove up beside them.

Skyquake began to get up. "Skyquake, stay down," Optimus instructed as he retaliated with his own punch.

Bits of shrapnel broke off from Skyquake's face due to Optimus' punch. Skyquake fell to the ground weakened. Optimus, Primrose and Bumblebee stood above him. He appeared to be defeated.

"Fowler?" Optimus gasped as he looked up and saw a familiar fighter jet.

While Optimus, Primrose and Bumblebee were distracted, Skyquake looked up at the jet with a sinister grin. His eyes glowed green as he took in the appearance of the jet.

"Agent Fowler, fall back!" Optimus pleaded Fowler through their radio connection.

In his eyes were the designs of the fighter jet he had just scanned. Skyquake jumped above Optimus. Before either Optimus, Primrose, Bumblebee or Fowler could do anything about it, Skyquake was no longer in his bipedal form. But instead, he was in his recently-acquired alternative mode. His alternative mode was the jet Fowler was flying and Skyquake had scanned. He flew towards the skies at high speeds, intent on finishing his enemies once and for all.

"Well, I'll be a bald eagle!" Fowler remarked as he noticed Skyquake flying next to him.

"Air superiority achieved," Skyquake proclaimed as he fired shots at Optimus, Primrose and Bumblebee below him.

Immediately, Optimus, Primrose and Bumblebee started running for cover from Skyquake's shots. Needing more speed to do so, they transformed into their vehicle forms and sped away.

"Stealing plans for classified military aircraft will NOT be tolerated on my watch!" Fowler proclaimed as he fired shots at the phoney classified military aircraft.

To Skyquake, Fowler was now his new target of destruction. He fired a group of missles at the government agent. And they are no ordinary missles.

"HEAT SEAKERS!" Fowler gasped.

Fowler was now thankful of his intense compulsory pilot training. With his special maneovers, he managed to avoid the missles. When he reached a dead end, he pulled up immediately. Below him, the missles flew into the rocky cliff face and exploded upon impact.

"I still got it," Fowler boasted rather proudly.

◊◊◊◊

Bits of shrapnel from the Space Bridge explosion remained in space, floating around Earth's orbit.

"No one could have survived this." Starscream said as he looked through the rubble. "As I suspected faulty sensors, the last thing I need now is rumors that Megatron is still..." A painful moan interrupted him and Starscream hesitantly found the source. Megatron's burnt body was present and still in one piece. Every bit of him was charred and black and he had scratches everywhere from his body. There was a large whole in the center of his chest, right where his spark should be. "Megatron.." Starscream said amazed. At the slightest touch Megatron reacted.

"AAARRGGHH!" He roared as he grabbed at Starscream, who's optics went wide with fright. He wasn't sure if Megatron recognized him or not, but just as quickly as the attack started it ended with Megatron going limp again.

"But how?" The seeker said puzzled, until he saw a familiar purple glow. "Dark energon." Starscream leaned into Megatron's unconscious form. "Everyone believes you are deceased, who am I to disappoint them...master." He slowly pulled out the shard and Megatron groaned in pain before collapsing again. "And this time stay dead." Starscream snapped before pushing off his body. Suddenly he heard the chittering sound of Laserbeak nearby as the minicon flew over to Starscream and Megatron.

"Soundwave!" Starscream gasped as he hid the Dark Energon shard, "If you are listening, I have found Lord Megatron. And he is...unwell. We must transport him to sick bay...immediately!"

◊◊◊◊

Down in the canyon, the chase continued involving Optimus, Primrose and Bumblebee on the ground and Skyquake and Fowler in the air. Optimus, Primrose and Bumblebee narrowly avoided every shot Skyquake fired. One missle came too close for Optimus' liking. It sent him flying through the air. Optimus transformed into his bipedal mode to prevent potential self-harm.

But Skyquake ignored the Prime. He continued going after Bumblebee and Primrose. They continued to drive through the canyon with Skyquake flying close behind them firing shots from his blasters. Eventually, Primrose drove around a corner and Bumblebee drove up a hill at high speeds, causing him to fly over the top of the hill. Midair, Bumblebee transformed into his bipedal mode and ran across the hot, sandy ground underneath his feet. Skyquake flew above the gap of the canyon.

Bumblebee jumped from the edge of the canyon and landed on top of Skyquake. Immediately, the jet began flying out of control, randomly knocking Bumblebee into cliff faces in the process. From the ground, Optimus witnessed the events between the two. And he immediately knew that Bumblebee would need further support.

"Agent Fowler, we acquire immediate assistance!" The Prime said.

Bumblebee was punching Skyquake and ripping out bits of wiring vital to his bodily functions. Bumblebee's actions sent Skyquake into a crash dive, rapidly approaching the ground below. Immediately, Fowler was hot on their tail.

Bumblebee looked to Fowler and buzzed and beeped his thanks.

"Anytime, fella. Ground floor's coming up fast!" Fowler remarked.

Bumblebee jumped from Skyquake and landed on top of Fowler's jet. Immediately, Fowler pulled up to avoid crash-landing alongside Skyquake. The smoking Decepticon jet continued his crash dive towards the ground.

From the ground, Optimus watched as Skyquake landed nearby with an exploding bang. The burning jet skidded along the desert ground before coming to a stop a few feet away.

"Happy landings, 'Con," Fowler wished cockily.

Fowler flew his jet near the edge of the canyon so Bumblebee could jump off. Once Bumblebee was off of the jet, Fowler flew away. Bumblebee stood by the edge and observed the still-smoking remains of Skyquake. Eventually, he climbed down to meet up with Optimus and Primrose. Together, the three watched as the red optics of Skyquake went dark and his spark gave out.

"Had Skyquake chosen to stray from his master's path, we might not be burying him today," Optimus remarked.

Primrose stared at Skyquake's body and she clenched her fists tightly. Bumblebee glanced at her.

Soundwave and Echo watched the three Autobots from their spot on the canyons. Echo looked to Soundwave, a familiar look in her optics.

Soundwave only transformed into his aerial form and flew up into the air. Echo watched her brother for a moment and she looked back at the Autobots and Skyquake. She shut her optics tightly, holding back tears that threatened to form before she transformed into her aerial form and flew after Soundwave.

◊◊◊◊

"Bumblebee, putting yourself at risk was perhaps not the wisest of strategies. But you performed admirably," Optimus complimented Bumblebee after Ratchet finished checking him over for injuries.

Bumblebee bleeped to Optimus his thanks for the compliment as he stepped out of the chamber. Ratchet laughed gleefully as he heard the sounds of car horns from the hallway. Bulkhead and Arcee had returned with the kids. Jack and Paige hopped off of Arcee while Miko and Raf climbed out of Bulkhead and the two transformed into their bipedal forms.

"There you are! Well, how were my – I mean, our �� projects received?" Ratchet asked eagerly.

"Well...," Raf trailed off.

◊◊◊◊

"Miss Nakadai, what planet would that be?" Mr Capizzi asked, referring to the model Miko displayed.

"Um...Cybertron?" Miko answered nervously.

Just as she answered the question, the metallic planet fell off the wire holding it up and rolled around the classroom, causing many kids to jump up in fear.

◊◊◊◊

"It's large, Mr Darby. But is it operational?" Mr Capizzi questioned nervously.

Jack hit the button and the machine went wild. It even left the classroom to terrorize the kids who were unfortunate enough to have free period at this time.

◊◊◊◊

"I hesitate to ask, Mr Esquivel. But is it active?" Mr Capizzi whimpered.

To answer his question, Raf pressed the button that activated the electrical volcano. It almost destroyed the entire school.

◊◊◊◊

"Well, on our planet, you would have been awarded the highest honor!" Ratchet snapped before walking away grumbling, "Absolutely no credit whatsoever."

"Speaking of highest honors," Arcee smirked as she glanced at Paige.

"Why are you guys looking at me?" Paige asked nervously.

"I don't believe it. My best friend has forgotten that she was awarded the highest grade in the entire school!" Jack exclaimed.

"WHAT?!" Ratchet screeched before promptly fainting.

"I only introduced and showed my painting and constellations and galaxies to the teachers," Paige said, blushing and smiling shyly, "especially my favorite constellation: Orion and Cassiopeia."

"So what are you guys going to do next year?" Primrose asked them with a smirk.

"They should've strayed from Ratchet's path," Bumblebee bleeped.

"Indeed, Bumblebee. Our human friends would have been wise to stray from Ratchet's path like Paige did," Optimus agreed.

"Hey. You made Ratchet faint! I LIKE THIS GIRL!" Bulkhead proclaimed, causing everyone except Optimus and Ratchet to laugh.

"What happened to your arm, Paige?" Optimus suddenly asked, noticing the white material covering Paige's arm.

"She was surprised by something and cut her arm with a pair of scissors," Jack said, "Aunt Tasha had to put some alcohol on it and wrap it up even more."

"What?!" Optimus exclaimed. "I'm okay," Paige quickly reassured him, placing her hand on his digit, "you're starting to act like my Mom."

Optimus only vented, blowing gentle and warm air against the girl, making her laugh and she hugged his digit.

After the events, Optimus gave Paige a lecture about safety and she half listened and half smiled at the Prime. She was thinking of the last night memory of her parents talking to her about her second planet and how it had become desolated when Cybertron became dark.

"So you met Orion Pax and Megatronus when you were at least my age?" Paige asked her dad curiously. Marcus chuckled and gave a small nod.

"I was at least twenty-one when the War started," Marcus said, "Orion Pax became Optimus Prime. And Megatronus became Megatron."

"So... what are we?" Paige asked, looking to her mom. Tasha smiled softly, "we're Galatrians. And we're very special Magic users. We got along with Cybertronians very well. At least... up until the War began. Galatrians, along with many other Magic users, were either captured or killed by Decepticons and many went into hiding or just disappeared."

"There were many Magic Users we had met just like your parents," Ratchet said, "there was one named Kaitlin Elisabeth Prime."

Paige blinked in surprise and she looked to Optimus who gave a solemn smile. "What was... what was she like? Did you meet her?" Paige asked.

Tasha and Marcus nodded. "We did. She was an amazing and brave Irilian. Even Megatron loved her and she loved him," Tasha said, hugging her daughter close, "and I bet she would've loved to meet you."

Paige smiled softly and she looked at her markings. "What magic can I do?" She asked curiously. "You can do what many Galatrians can do," Marcus chuckled, "your eyes may be light brown but when you use your powers, they change to ruby red. Those are your Galatrian eyes."

"Show us some magic Paigey!" Miko said excitedly. Paige smiled nervously before she closed her eyes in concentration. The markings glowed sapphire blue and apparitions of Sky Children appeared around the base.

Tasha chuckled and shook her head with amusement. Paige smiled softly as a Sky Child walked up to her and gave a happy musical sound.

Paige giggled happily and clapped her hands together with delight. Optimus smiled softly.

After Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead took their charges home, Paige had fallen asleep on the couch and Tasha drove into the base, silently parking her truck on the side.

"Optimus?" Tasha called out, making the Prime and Ratchet look at her.

"Paige insisted on sleeping over tonight," Ratchet said. Tasha chuckled softly, "I see. I actually wanted to talk to you both."

"Of course," Optimus said as he knelt down in front of her.

"If Megatron was found by his... followers, is it possible that he knows about my family?" Tasha asked. "That will not happen," Ratchet said firmly.

Tasha looked over at the still sleeping Paige, "my daughter is no Kaitlin. She's no bright blue dragoness. She's no Valentine."

"Megatron may or may not know that," Optimus said, "he knows the history between you and him. He knows the history between him and your mother." Tasha gripped her arm tightly at the mention of her mother.

"I am not losing anyone else," Tasha said darkly, "I don't care what it takes. I will fight Megatron till my last breath."

"Let us not focus on that now," Optimus said firmly, "focus on your daughter. The only child you have ever brought into this Earth- she needs you."

"And she needs you," Tasha said firmly, placing her hand on Optimus' digit, "just as you will grow to need her." Marcus picked Paige up into his arms and walked over to the truck.

Tasha turned and walked after Marcus but she paused. "Optimus," she said, "no matter what happens... do not let Paige's darkness take a hold of her."

Optimus stared at her for a moment before he gave a small nod. With that, Tasha got into the truck and she drove out of the base.

◊◊◊◊

"The troops will be pleased to hear of our success in rushing Lord Megatron into stasis. Let us hope that our master pulls through," Starscream said. Echo stood in the medlab, staring at Megatron coldly.

Her leader was hooked up to life support cords. No matter what, she was going to guard her leader. Especially from Starscream.

◊◊◊◊

Starscream and Soundwave walked into the control bridge. Starscream paused when he saw a cloaked figure.

"Reveal yourself!" Starscream snapped, "Decepticons, attack!" The Vehicons didn't move an inch.

A dark chuckle came from the cloaked figure. "I'm surprised you think that they would follow your orders, Starscream," the voice said, "you truly have forgotten who I am."

The figure removed her cloak and Starscream widened his optics. A bright orange and white femme with yellow highlights turned to them, her fiery orange optics glowing.

"I have heard of Lord Megatron's... steady recovery," she said calmly, "and while he is in recovery, I shall lead the Decepticons... unless anyone has a problem with that."

Soundwave didn't say anything but the femme somehow knew his answer. The Vehicons in the control bridge stayed silent. Starscream's wings twitched and he lowered his helm.

The femme smirked and turned back to the large screens, clasping her servos behind her back.

[jinmukangwrites]

Nightwing BTHB: Serum Injection

Stars: Done. Moon: Requested. Eye: Next

Summary: Thirteen year old Dick wakes up in the clutches of owls; a group of people insisting he belongs to them. 

He thinks different.

[anon requested teen Dick Grayson being found out by the Court of Owls and kidnapped by them]

WARNINGS: GRAPHIC descriptions of blood and injury, non-consensual drugging, BRIEF THOUGHTS OF SELF HARM (but for only like a small paragraph), implied sort-of major character death, guys I really mess with Dick in this one. I’m pretty sure most of you reading this already love whump and violence but I still need you all to keep safe. Love you all! Let me know if I missed any triggers, I’m pretty sure I pinned down all the major ones though.

AO3 link

-o-o-o-o-

Dick shivers and curls up tighter against the corner of his small cell, clutching his left wrist and trying not to bend his spine too much because of the whiplash crawling around in his chest cavity. He hopes Bruce is okay… Dick doesn't remember much of the circumstances of his kidnapping, but he does remember driving home with Bruce from school when all of a sudden his guardian went taunt like a bow string before swerving off the road into a ditch just a few miles from the manor.

Next thing Dick knew, he woke up in this small room that can't even really be called a small room. It's more like a closet. A long rectangle that if he lays one way he can lay flat on his back, but won't be able to spread his arms out as much. The door to the room is on one of the short walls, looking all ominous with small gaps between it and the doorframe, the lack of door knob, and it's marble sheen. The floor and walls are marble too, and the ceiling looks rocky like granite. A single bright light shines above him, easily illuminating the small space, leaving the only things shadowed be the top corners where four different cameras hide.

Dick can't tell if those cameras can record audio or not. They can definitely visualize, the lenses are clear enough to see, but otherwise Dick isn't as studied in camera technology like Bruce is; he can't just look at them and immediately know what they are, when they were made, the company that made them and it's CEO, and who invented that particular model. He'd have to get up close and personal with it and hold it in his hands and perhaps have a monitor to his side to use the internet to help him out.

But right now, the thought of moving sends pangs of pain down his spine and in his neck. He's had whiplash before. You don't go on high speed chases in the Batmobile and not end up with whiplash at some point or another. Robin has been a part of his fair share of spectacular crashes… through crashes in the Batmobile are usually cushioned by millions of dollars of technology Bruce invented to make the effects of whiplash little to none. Crashing the Batmobile is tame when compared to a Mustang. Lot less support, a lot more broken metal, and a whole lot more seatbelts crushing your lungs as you catapult in every direction before you finally smack your head on the dashboard and pass out.

So Dick stays sitting, scowling at the door and rubbing his wrist. He doesn't think it's broken, just bruised, but it hurts just enough that he definitely doesn't plan on moving it any time soon. If he wasn't close to shivering in this room, he'd have ripped off a section of his shirt by now to wrap it, but alas… he's cold. And it's not broken so it can last without a brace or anything for a little while longer.

He just hopes his abductors reveal themselves soon and they tell him what they did with Bruce. Maybe he's just stuffed in a room somewhere different until a ransom is paid and then Gordon and the cops will storm in here and save them. Dick's been kidnapped plenty of times, and in all kinds of ways too. He knows how this goes. He'll be fine as long as he acts like a scared, thirteen year old Dick Grayson and not Robin the superhero. As long as he whimpers and cries and weakly and sloppily tries to struggle, he'll be okay.

He'll be okay.

He just hopes Bruce is too. Dick can't imagine what could happen to make the man just swerve off the road like that.

There's a scraping noise, a heavy door opening against solid ground, and Dick's snapped out of his thoughts. Instinctively, he curls up tighter, wincing as the back of his neck protests with a stiff yet stabbing pain and a wave of light-headedness washes over him. He keeps forgetting about the egg on his temple. The concussion from his most recent face-meet-dashboard episode. He's poked and prodded at it perhaps a half hour earlier, but he isn't completely out of it and it just hurts more than anything, but right now it makes it really difficult to completely focus on the forms of people who are standing right outside the door… just standing there, staring at him.

They… don't look like a typical "Dick Grayson" kidnapper. Or well, there's a couple different kinds of Dick Grayson kidnappers. The kinds of people Dick finds himself often in the clutches of are either high end, prestigious assholes who have a grudge against Bruce for some reason or other, or down on their luck thugs who want a quick buck. These people standing before him? They look like Robin kidnappers.

Meaning they're dressed in costumes and giving off a very… very dangerous vibe.

Dick immediately takes stock of them. Three are dressed similar to each other, in dresses or suits or gowns, their faces all covered by an eerie mask that looks like it could be based off an owl. The fourth guy though… he's the one who's giving Dick major red flags. He's muscular and taller than the others and his costume is black and leather and terrifying to look at. There's a hood pulled over his face, shaped like an owl who got steampunk goggles somewhere and that also gave off the shivering effect of light reflecting off of nocturnal eyes.

These look like genuine bad guys.

One of the masked ones steps forward, a woman in a low collared pink gown with lace lining the sleeves down to the middle of her forearms. Her blonde hair is all done up behind her, beads lining the braids until it all sits in a nice and perfect rose-shaped bun at the top of her head. She crosses her arms around her chest, and even with the mask Dick feels like she's studying him like he's a mouse in a glass cage.

"This is the Gray Son of Gotham?" She asks, clearly referring to Dick which throws him off for a number of reasons.

Normally, when he's kidnapped as Dick, people don't normally ever call him by name. First or last. It's always "brat" or "freak" or "that Wayne [insert "brat" or "freak" here]. It's something they do to lie to themselves that they hadn't just kidnapped, tied up, and locked up a kid. Calling him Wayne also makes it clear that they couldn't care less about him personally, they just want Bruce. They don't care that he's just a ward and that Bruce Wayne isn't his dad. They don't care about these things because he may not be adopted by Bruce Wayne, but he's definitely an easy-access key to his bank account.

But these guys called him Grayson. And not even Grayson, but they said it weirdly with an oddly purposeful space and a title added at the end. He wonders if it's a reference about how Bruce is normally jokingly known among the high class citizens as the White Knight of Gotham—a play on words to Batman's take of the Dark Knight of Gotham despite how they don't even know the half of it—but he doesn't get a chance to wonder long before the scary owl guy steps forward, looking directly at Dick with his shining eyes.

"It is, my Court," he says and Dick has to suppress a shiver, "he has finally returned to where he belongs, just like I promised."

"Hmm," the woman says, still staring at Dick as she brings a silk gloved hand to her chin in thought. "And you will take personal responsibility over his education?"

"Education?" Dick asks before he could think better of it. The cold air in the room becomes icy as every person's attention seems to zero in on him. Then, without any prompting, the fully costumed man suddenly strides forward and Dick almost doesn't have to fake a surprised yelp as his upper arm is easily grabbed, fingers wrapping around his limb hard enough to definitely leave bruises as he's forced to his feet; the grasp on him unrelenting as his arm is held higher than his head, forcing him to his tip toes.

Dick goes to wrap his hand around the grasp in an attempt for freedom, but he's painfully reminded of his injured wrist and all he can do is hold it to his chest as he tries to yank his arm out of the grasp on its own power. It doesn't do a thing, in fact the man's grip just tightens heartlessly.

"Of course, my Court," the owl man says, voice silky and dangerous, "I will see to all his education, starting now."

Dick cries out as his bad wrist is grabbed and held just as tightly.

The man bends to get in his face, those horrid eyes glowing dangerously and setting something nervous and scared aflame in his gut. "Lesson one: you will not speak unless addressed and given permission to speak. You will treat the Court with respect. Understand?”

Dick can only nod even though he has no clue what's going on or who these people are, but the nod seems to be enough because he's released. He gasps and scrambles backwards until his back meets the far wall, holding his pulsing wrist to his chest and blinking viscously to staunch the tears caused by the pain.

The owl man straightens with a suffocating aura of intimidation.

"I will turn him into the best Talon this Court has ever seen," the man says, voice prideful and boding ill-will. "We will not let you down."

"We will allow you to train him," the woman says, sounding pleased, "but know if he doesn't show his worth within the week, you both will be severely punished."

Dick feels a shiver go down his spine. If he could see the look on the owl man's face, Dick's sure a smirk would be sitting poisonous on his lips. "Trust me, my Court. He will surpass me. I will make sure of it."

-o-o-o-o-

Want more? This is but a small 1-2k of a 16k one-shot. Read the rest on AO3!

[lanxelot]

LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION TO ICT

ICT– Information and Communication-

It deals with the use of different communication technologies such as mobile phones, telephone, Internet to locate, save, send and edit information

Is a study of computers as data processing tools. It introduces students to the fundamental of using computer systems in an internet environment.

ICT in the Philippines

          Philippines is dub as the ‘’ICT Hub of Asia” because of huge growth of ICT-related jobs, one of which is BPO, Business Process Outsourcing, or call centers.

        ICT Department in the Philippines is responsible for the planning, development and promotion of the country’s information and communications technology (ICT) agenda in support of national development.

Computer– an electronic device for storing and processing data, typically in binary form, according to instructions given to it in a variable program. Internet– is the global system of interconnected computer networks that use the internet protocol  suite (TCIP/IP) to link billions of devices worldwide.

        Means of connecting a computer to any other computer anywhere in the world via dedicated routers and servers.

    Sometimes called simply ‘’the Net’’, is a worldwide system of computer networks- a network of networks in which the users at any   one computer can get information from any other computer.

World Wide Web

        An information system on the internet that allows documents to be connected to other documents by hypertext links, enabling the user to search for information by moving from one document to another.

        Is an information space where documents and other web resources are identified by URLs, interlinked by hypertext links, and can be accessed via the Internet.

        Invented by Tim-Berners Lee

Web Pages

Web page is a hypertext document connected to the World Wide Web.   It is a document that is   suitable for the World Wide Web.

The different online platforms of World Wide Web:

Web 1.0 – refers to the first stage in the World Wide Web, which was entirely made up of the Web pages connected by hyperlinks.

Web 2.0 – is the evolution of Web 1.0 by adding dynamic pages. The user is able to see a website differently than others.

 – Allows users to interact with the page; instead of just reading the page, the user may be able to comment or create user account.

Web 3.0 –  this platform is all about semantic web.

  –  Aims to have machines (or servers) understand the user’s preferences to be able        to deliver web content.

Static Web Page- is known as a flat page or stationary age in the sense that the page is ‘’as is’’ and cannot be manipulated by the user. The content is also the same for all users that is referred to as Web 1.0

Dynamic Web Pages– web 2.0 is the evolution of web 1.0 by adding dynamic web pages. The user is able to see website differently than others e.g. social networking sites, wikis, video sharing sites.

FEATURES OF WEB 2.0

Folksonomy- allows user to categorize and classify information using freely chosen keywords e.g. tagging by FB, Twitter, use tags that start with the sign #, referred to as hashtag.

Rich User Experience – content is dynamic and is responsive to user’s input

User Participation- The owner of the website is not the only one who is able to put content. Others are able to place a content of their own by means of comments, reviews and evaluation e.g. Lazada, Amazon.

Long Tail– services that are offered on demand rather than on a one-time purchase. This is synonymous to subscribing to a data plan that charges you for the amount of time you spent in the internet.

Software as a services- users will be subscribe to a software only when needed rather than purchasing them e.g. Google docs used to create and edit word processing and spread sheet.

Mass Participation– diverse information sharing through universal web access. Web 2.0’s content is based on people from various cultures.

TRENDS IN ICT

Convergence– is the synergy of technological advancements to work on a similar goal or task. For example, besides using your personal computer to create word documents, you can now use your smartphone. 2. Social Media– is a website, application, or online channel that enables web users web users to create , co-create, discuss modify, and exchange user generated content.

Six types of Social Media:

a)Social Networks – These are sites that allows you to connect with other people with the same interests or background. Once the user creates his/her account, he/she can set up a profile, add people, share content, etc

Example: Facebook and Google+

b)Bookmarking Sites – Sites that allow you to store and manage links to various website and resources. Most of the sites allow you to create a tag to others.

Stumble Upon, Pinterest

c)       Social News – Sites that allow users to post their own news items or links to other news sources. The users can also comment on the post and comments may also be rank.

Ex. Reddit and Digg

d)      Media Sharing – sites that allow you to upload and share media content like images, music and  video.

Ex. Flickr, YouTube and Instagram e) Microblogging – focus on short updates from the user. Those that subscribed to the user will be able to receive these updates. Ex. Twitter and Plurk

f) Blogs and Forums – allow user to post their content. Other               users are able to comment on the said topic. Ex. Blogger, WordPress and Tumblr

                         Mobile Technologies– The popularity of smartphones and tablets has taken a major rise over the years. This is largely because of the devices capability to do the tasks that were originally found in PCs. Several of these devices are capable of using a high-speed internet. Today the latest model devices use 4G Networking (LTE), which is currently the fastest.

MOBILE OS

iOS – use in apple devices such as iPhone and iPad

Android – an open source OS developed by Google. Being open source means mobile phone companies use this OS for free.

Blackberry OS – use in blackberry devices

Windows phone OS – A closed source and proprietary operating system developed by Microsoft.

Symbian – the original smartphone OS. Used by Nokia devices

WebOS- originally used in smartphone; now in smart TVs.

Windows Mobile – developed by Microsoft for smartphones and pocket PCs

Assistive Media–   is a non- profit service designed to help people who have visual and reading impairments. A database of audio recordings is used to read to the user.

e.g. Yahoo!, Gmail, HotmailCloud computing-distributed computing on internet or delivery of computing service over the internet.

 -Instead of running an e-mail program on your computer, you log in to a Web

e-mail account remotely. The software and storage for your account doesn’t exist

on your computer – it’s on the service’s computer cloud.

It has three components

Client computers   –   clients are the device that the end user interact with cloud.

Distributed Servers – Often servers are in geographically different places, but server acts as if they are working next to each other.

Datacenters – It is collection of servers where application is placed and is accessed via Internet.

TYPES OF CLOUDS

PUBLIC CLOUD allows systems and services to be easily accessible to the general public. Public cloud may be less secured because of its openness, e.g. e-mail

PRIVATE CLOUD allows systems and services to be accessible within an organization. It offers increased security because of its private nature.

COMMUNITY CLOUD allows systems and services to be accessible by group of organizations.

HYBRID CLOUD is a mixture of public and private cloud. However, the critical activities are performed using private cloud while the non-critical activities are performed using public cloud.

LESSON 2: ONLINE SAFETY, SECURITY AND RULES OF NETIQUETTE

INTERNET SAFETY- it refers to the online security or safety of people and their information when using internet. NETIQUETTE- is network etiquette, the do’s and don’ts of online communication.

TEN RULES OF NETIQUETTE

Rule No. 1: Remember the human

        You need to remember that you are talking to a real person when you are online.

        The internet brings people together who would otherwise never meet.

        Remember this saying when sending an email: Would I say this to the person’s face.

Rule No. 2: Adhere to the same standards online that you follow in real life.

     You need to behave the same way online that you do in real life.

     You need to remember that you can get caught doing things you should not be doing       online just like you can in real life.

       You are still talking to a real person with feelings even though you can’t see them.

Rule no. 3: Know where you are in cyberspace.

        Always take a look around when you enter a new domain when surfing the web.

        Get a sense of what the discussion group is about before you join it.

Rule no. 4: Respect other people’s time and bandwidth.

        Remember people have other things to do besides read your email. You are not the center of their world.

        Keep your post and emails to minimum by saying what you want to say.

        Remember everyone won’t answer your questions.

Rule no. 5: Make yourself look good online.

        Be polite and pleasant to everyone.

        Always check your spelling and grammar before posting.

·        Know what you are talking about and make sense saying it.

Rule no. 6: Share expert knowledge

       Ask questions online

       Share what you know online.

       Post the answers to your questions online because someone may have the same question         you do.

Rule no. 7: Help keep flame wars under control

       Netiquette does not forgive flaming.

       Netiquette does however forbid people who are flaming to hurt discussion groups by putting the group down.

Rule no. 8: Respect other people’s privacy.

        Do not read other people’s mail without their permission.

        Going through other people’s things could cost you, your job or you could even go to jail.

        Not respecting other people’s privacy is a bad netiquette.

Rule no. 9: Don’t abuse your power.

        Do not take advantage of other people just because you have more knowledge or power than them.

        Treat others as you would want them to treat you if the roles were reversed.

Rule no. 10: Be forgiving of other people’s mistake.

        Do not point out mistakes to people online.

        Remember that you were once the new kid on the block.

        You still need to have a good manners even though you are online and cannot see the          person face to face.

 Internet security

 Security Requirement Triad                  

ConfidentIality                                  Data confidentiality Privacy

              Integrity         Data integerity                                                        System integrity

              Availability

Threat ConsequenceThreat Action ( Attack)

Unauthorized Disclosure

A circumstance or event whereby an entity gains access to data for which the entity is not authorized.

Exposure: Sensitive data are directly released to an unauthorized entity.

Interception: An unauthorized entity directly accesses sensitive data traveling between authorized sources and destinations.

Inference: A threat action whereby an unauthorized entity indirectly accesses sensitive data by reasoning from characteristics or byproducts of communications.

Intrusion: an unauthorized entity gains access to sensitive data by circumventing a system’s security protections.

Disruption

A circumstances or even that interrupts or prevents the correct operation of system services and functions.

Deception

A circumstance or event that may result in an authorized entity receiving false data and believing it to be true.

Incapacitation: prevents or interrupts system operation by disabling a system component.

Corruption: Undesirably alters system operation by adversely modifying system functions or data.

Obstruction: A threat action that interrupts delivery of system services by hindering system operation.

Masquerade: An unauthorized entity gains access to a system or performs a malicious act by posing as an authorized entity.

Falsification: False data deceive an authorized entity.

Repudiation: An entity deceives another by falsely denying responsibility for an act.

Usurpation

A circumstances or event that results in control of system services or functions by an unauthorized entity.

Misappropriation: An entity assumes

unauthorized logical or physical control of a

system resource.

Misuse: Causes a system component to perform a function or service that is detrimental to system security.

Types of System Intruders

        Masquerader

        Hackers

        Clandestine user

Parts of Virus

Infection mechanism

Trigger

 PayloaD

Virus stages

  Dormant phase                                                                                                                                   Virus is idle.

     Propagation  phase                                                                                                                           Virus places an identical copy of itself into other programs or into certain system areas on t        the disk.

  Triggering phase                                                                                                                                 Virus is activated to perform the function for which it was intended.                                             Caused by a variety of system events

      Execution phase                                                                                                                                 Function is performed

Key Terms

Cyber crime- a crime committed or assisted through the use of the Internet.

Privacy Policy/Terms of Services (ToS) – tells the user how the website will handle its data.

Malware- stands for malicious software.

Virus- a malicious program designed to transfer from one computer to another in any means possible.

Worms– a malicious program designed to replicate itself and transfer from one file folder to another and also transfer to other computers.

Trojan-a malicious program designed that is disguised as a useful program but once downloaded or installed, leaves your PC unprotected and allows hacker to get your information.

Spyware– a program that runs in the background without you knowing it. It has the ability to monitor what you are currently doing and typing through key logging.

Adware- a program designed to send you advertisement, mostly pop-ups.

Spam– unwanted email mostly from bots or advertisers.

Phishing- acquires sensitive personal information like passwords and credits card details.

Pharming- a more complicated way of phishing where it exploits the DNS system.

Copyright- a part of law, wherein you have the rights to work, anyone who uses it w/o your consent is punishable by law.

Fair Use- means that an intellectual property may be used w/o consent as long as it is used in commentaries, criticism, parodies, research and etc.

Keyloggers- used to record the keystrokes done by user. This is done to steal passwords or any other sensitive information.

Rogue security softwares– is a form of malicious software and internet fraud that misleads users into believing there is a virus on their computer, and manipulates them into paying money for a fake malware removal tool.

Four search strategies

   Keyword searching

Enter terms to search

Use quotation marks to search as a phrase and keep the words linked together

Common words are ignored (That, to, which, a, the …)

+ and – can be used to include or exclude a word

   Boolean

AND – enter words connect with AND- it will include sites where both words and found

  Uses: joining different topics (i.e. global warming AND California)

OR   –  requires at least one of the terms is found.

  Uses: join similar or synonymous topics (i.e. global warming OR greenhouse effect)

NOT – searches for the first term and excludes sites that have the second term.

(i.e. Washington NOT school)

Question                                                                                                                                  

a question may be entered in the search field of search engine    

       Advanced                                               ��                                                                         Features are offered on many engines by going to an “Advanced search” page and  making selections. Effective in narrowing search returns to a specific topic or phrase.

LESSON 3: Advanced Word Processing Skills

Lesson Discussion

In the professional world, sending out information to convey important information is vital. Because of ICT, things are now sent much faster than the traditional newsletters or postal mail. You can now send much faster than the traditional newsletters or postal mail. You can now use the Internet to send out information you need to share. What if we could still do things much faster – an automated way of creating and sending uniform letters with different recipients? Would that not be more convenient?

I. Mail Merge and Label Generation

A. Mail Merge

         One of the important reasons in using computers per se is its ability to do recurring tasks automatically. But this ability has to be honed by learning the characteristics and features of the software you use with your computer. After all, no matter how good or advance your computer and software may be, it can only be as good as the person using it.

         In this particular part of our lesson, we will learn one of the most powerful and commonly used features of Microsoft Word called Mail Merge. As the name suggests, this feature allows you to create documents and combine or merge them with another document or data file. It is commonly used when sending out advertising materials to various recipients.

          The simplest solution for the scenario above is to create a document and just copy and paste it several times then just replace the details depending on whom you send it to. But what if you have hundreds or thousands of recipients? Would not that take too many hours? What if you have a small database of information where you can automatically generate those letters?

Two Components of Mail Merge

1. Form Document

         The first component of our mail merged document is the form document. It is generally the document that contains the main body of the message we want to convey or send. The main body of the message is the part of the form document that remains the same no matter whom you send it to from among your list.

          Also included in the form document is what we call place holders, also referred to as data fields or merge fields. This marks the position on your form document where individual data or information will be inserted. From our sample document, the place holders are denoted or marked by the text with double-headed arrows (<< >>) on each side and with a gray background. On a printed standard form, this will be the underlined spaces that you will see and use as a guide to where you need to write the information that you need to fill out. In its simplest form, a form document is literally a “form” that you fill out with individual information. A common example of a form document is your regular tax form or application form.

2. List or Data File

          The second component of our mail merged document is the list or data file. This is where the individual information or data that needs to be plugged in (merged) to the form document is placed and maintained. One of the best things about the mail merge feature is that it allows data file to be created fro within the Microsoft Word application itself, or it gets data from a file created in Microsoft Excel or other data formats. In this way, fields that needed to be filled up on the form document can easily be maintained without accidentally altering the form or main document. You can also easily add, remove, modify, or extract your data more efficiently by using other data management applications like Excel or Access and import them in Word during the mail merge process.

B. Label Generation

           Included in the mail merge feature on Microsoft Word is the Label Generator. It just makes sense that after you print out your form letters, you will need to send it to individual recipients in an envelope with the matching address printed directly on the envelope or on a mailing label to stick on. By using virtually the same process as a standard mail merge, Microsoft Word will print individual addresses to a standard form that it has already pre-formatted. Simply put, it creates a blank form document that simulates either a blank label or envelope of pre-defined size and will use the data file that you selected to print the information, typically individual addresses. So even in generating labels, the two essential components of creating a merged document are present: the form document and the data file. Only in this case, you did not have to type or create the form document yourself because it was already created and pre-formatted in Microsoft Word. All you need to do is select the correct or appropriate size for the label or envelope and select the data file that contains the addresses (data) to be printed. You can also preview your merged labels before printing if you want to.

II.  Integrating Images and External Materials

          Integrating or inserting pictures in your document is fun and it improves the impression of your document. A common use of inserting a picture on a document is when you are creating your resume. Though seemingly simple to do, your knowledge on the different kinds of materials that you can insert or integrate in a Word document and its characteristics can help you create a more efficient, richer document not only in content but also in physical form. A better understanding of the physical form of your document as well as the different materials you would integrate in it would allow you to be more efficient and versatile in using Microsoft Word.

A. Kinds of Materials

          There are various kinds of materials Microsoft Word is capable of integrating to make the documents richer, more impressive, and more informative.

1. Pictures

         Generally, these are electronic or digital pictures or photographs you have saved in any local storage device. There are three commonly used types of picture files. You can identify them by the extension on their file names.

a. .JPG/JPEG

         This is pronounced as “jay-peg“ and is the short form of .jpeg or Joint Photographic Experts Group. Like all the rest of the image file extensions, it identifies the kind of data compression process that it uses to make it more compatible and portable through the Internet. This type of image file can support 16.7 million colors that is why it is suitable for use when working with full color photographic images. Unfortunately, it does not support transparency and therefore, images of this file type can be difficult to integrate in terms of blending with other materials or elements in your document. But if you are looking for the best quality image to integrate with your document then this is the image file type for you. .JPG does not work well on lettering, line drawings, or simple graphics. .JPG images are relatively small in file size.

b. .GIF

         This stands for Graphics Interchange Format. This type of image file is capable of displaying transparencies. Therefore, it is good for blending with other materials or elements in your document. It is also capable of displaying simple animation. Apparently, this may not be too useful on a printed document but if you are sending documents electronically or through email, or even post documents into a website, then this could be quite impressive. The downside is that it can only support up to 256 colors so it is good mostly on logos and art decors with very limited, and generally solid colors. .GIF is much better for logos, drawings, small text, black and white images, or low-resolution files.

Example of a .gif format picture.

c. .PNG

          This is pronounced as “ping“. It stands for Portable Network Graphics. It was built around the capabilities of .GIF. Its development was basically for the purpose of transporting images on the Internet at faster rates. It is also good with transparencies but unlike .GIFs, it does not support animation but it can display up to 16 million colors, so image quality for this image file type is also remarkably improved. .PNG allows the control of the transparency level or opacity of images.

Example of .png format picture.

2.  Clip Art

         This is generally a .GIF type; line art drawings or images used as generic representation for ideas and objects that you might want to integrate in your document. Microsoft Word has a library of clip arts that is built in or can be downloaded and used freely. There are still other clip arts that you can either purchase or freely download and use that come from third-party providers.

Clip Art Icon in Microsoft Office 2010.

3.  Shapes

         These are printable objects or materials that you can integrate in your document to enhance its appearance or allow you to have some tools to use for composing and representing ideas or messages. If you are designing the layout for a poster or other graphic material for advertising, you might find this useful.

Shapes Icon under the Insert ribbon tab.

4. Smart Art

         Generally, these are predefined sets of different shapes grouped together to form ideas that are organizational or structural in nature. If you want to graphically represent an organization, process, relationships, or flow for infographic documents, then you will find this easy and handy to use.

Smart Art

5.  Chart

Another type of material that you can integrate in your Word document that allows you to represent data characteristics and trends. This is quite useful when you are preparing reports that correlate and present data in a graphical manner. You can create charts that can be integrate in your document either directly in Microsoft Word or imported from external files like Microsoft Excel.

Chart – Used to illustrate and compare data.

6. Screenshot

Sometimes, creating reports or manuals for training or procedures will require the integration of a more realistic image of what you are discussing on your report or manual. Nothing can get you a more realistic image than a screenshot. Microsoft Word even provides a snipping tool for your screen shots so you can select and display only the part that you exactly like to capture on your screen.

III. Image Placement

Layout of  text wrapping options.

A. In Line with Text

This is the default setting for images that are inserted or integrated in your document. It treats your image like a text font with the bottom side totally aligned with the text line. This setting is usually used when you need to place your image at the beginning of a paragraph. When placed between texts in a paragraph or a sentence, it distorts the overall appearance and arrangement of the texts in the paragraph because it will take up the space it needs vertically, pushing whole lines of texts upward.

B. Square

This setting allows the image you inserted to be placed anywhere with the paragraph with the text going around the image in a square pattern like frame.

C. Tight

This is almost the same as the Square setting, but here the text “hug” or conforms to the general shape of the image. This allows you to get a more creative effect on your document. This setting can mostly be achieved if you are using an image that supports transparency like a .GIF or .PNG file.

D. Through

This setting allows the text on your document to flow even tighter taking the contours and shape of the image. Again, this can be best used with .GIF or .PNG type of image.

E. Top and Bottom

This setting pushes the texts away vertically to the top and/or the bottom of the image so that the image occupies a whole text line on its own.

F. Behind Text

This allows your image to be dragged and placed anywhere on your document but with all the texts floating in front of it. It effectively makes your image look like a background.

G. In Front of Text

As it suggests, this setting allows your image to be placed right on top of the text as if your image was dropped right on it. That means whatever part of the text you placed the image on, it will be covered by the image.

IV. Key Terms

Mail Merge – a feature that allows you to create documents and combine or merge them with another document or data file.

Form Document – the document that contains the main body of the message we want to convey or send.

Data File – includes the individual information or data or the recipient’s information.

Merge Field/Place Holder – marks the position on your form document where individual data or information will be inserted.

.JPG – file extension for the Joint Photographic Experts Group picture file.

.PNG – file extension for Portable Network Graphics image file.

.GIF – file extension for the Graphics Interchange Format image file.

Clipart – line art drawings or images used as a generic representation for ideas and objects.

Smart Art – predefined sets of different shapes grouped together to form ideas that are organizational or structural in nature.

Text Wrap – adjusts how the image behaves around other objects or text.

LESSON 4: Advanced Spreadsheet Skills

What is a Spreadsheet Software? • allows users to organize data in rows an columns and perform calculations on the data • These rows and columns collectively are called worksheet.

3. Examples of Spreadsheet Software: • LibreOffice Calc • OpenOffice.org Calc • Google Sheets • Apple iWork Numbers • Kingsoft Office Spreadsheets • StarOffice Calc • Microsoft Excel

4. MICROSOFT EXCEL

5. To open Microsoft Excel, Press “Windows Logo” + R then type “excel” then enter.

6. Key Terms in MS Excel: • Row – horizontal line of entries in a table • Column – vertical line of entries in a table • Cell – the place where info. is held in a spreadsheet

7. Key Terms in MS Excel: • Active Cell – the selected cell • Column Heading – the box at the top of each column containing a letter • Row Heading – the row number

8. Key Terms in MS Excel: • Cell Reference – the cell address of the cell usually combine letter and number (ex. A1, B4, C2) • Merge – combining or joining two or more cells • Formula – is an expression which calculates the value of a cell.

9. Key Terms in MS Excel: • Functions – are predefined formulas and are already available in Excel • Formula Bar – the bar that displays the contents of a cell

10. FUNCTIONS

11. BASIC MATH OPERATIONS: • =SUM(x,y) or =SUM(range) – returns the sum of x and y or (all the numbers within the range) • =PRODUCT(x,y) – returns the product of x and y • =QUOTIENT(x,y) – returns the quotient of x divided by y • =x-y – returns the difference of x subtracted by y

12. BASIC MATH OPERATIONS: • =x+y – returns the sum of x and y • =x*y – returns the product of x and y • =x/y – returns the quotient of x divided by y • =x-y – returns the difference of x subtracted by y

13. OTHER FUNCTIONS: • =ABS(x) – returns the absolute value of x • =AVERAGE(x,y) – returns the average of x and y • =CONCATENATE(x,y) – joins x and y

14. OTHER FUNCTIONS: • =IF(Condition, x, y) – returns x if the condition is true, else it returns y • =ISEVEN(x) – returns true if x is an even number • =ISODD(x) – returns true if x is an odd number

15. OTHER FUNCTIONS: • =COUNT(range) – counts the number of cell containing a number within a range • =COUNTIF(range, criteria) – count the number of cell that fits with the criteria within the range

16. OTHER FUNCTIONS: • =ISNUMBER(x) – returns true if x is a number • =ISTEXT(x) – returns true if x is a text • =LEN(x) – returns the length of characters in x • =PROPER(x) – returns the proper casing of x

17. OTHER FUNCTIONS: • =LEFT(x,y) – returns the characters of x specified by y (from the left) • =RIGHT(x,y) – returns the characters of x specified by y (from the right) • =PI() – returns the value of pi

18. OTHER FUNCTIONS: • =MIN(x,y) – returns the smallest number between x and y • =MAX(x,y) – returns the largest number between x and y • =MIN(range) – returns the smallest number within the range • =MAX(range) – returns the largest number within the range

19. OTHER FUNCTIONS: • =POWER(x,y) – returns the value of x raised to the power of y • =ROUND(x,y) – rounds x to a specified number of digits (y) =COLUMN(x) – returns the column number of x • =ROW(x) – returns the row number of x

20. OTHER FUNCTIONS: • =SQRT(x) – returns the square root of x • =TRIM(x) – removes extra spaces in x • =UPPER(x) – returns x in all capital form • =LOWER(x) – returns x in non- capital form

21. OTHER FUNCTIONS: • =TODAY() – returns the current date • =NOW() – returns the current date and time

22. EXERCISES

23. Consider this data: NAME MATH GRADE SCIENCE GRADE FILIPINO GRADE ENGLISH GRADE A.P GRADE MARK 75 70 78 81 78 PETE 84 87 86 88 85 ANA 91 92 95 90 90 REA 73 75 74 75 70

24. Give the formulas to get : • Mark’s , Pete’s, Ana’s and Rea’s averages • The highest grade that Ana got • The lowest grade that Mark got? • Sum of all Math Grade? Science? A.P.? • Sum of all Rea’s Grades • The Lowest Number among all grades • The remarks (Passed or Failed)

25. Now, consider this data: FIRST NAME MIDDLE NAME LAST NAME MARK CURTIS WILLIAMS PETE MCCLOEY HARRISON ANA MONROE FRITZ REA TAN COLLINS

26. Give the formulas to get : • Mark’s Full Name • Ana’s Full Name in Proper Case • Count the number of letters that Pete’s Last Name has • “COLL” from Rea’s Last Name • “LOEY” from Pete’s Middle Name • Combining “WILL” and “LINS” from Mark and Rea’s Last Names respectively

LESSON 5: Advanced Presentation Skills

Powerpoint is a highly innovative and versatile program that can ensure a successful communication whether you’re presenting in front of potential investors, a lecture theatre or simply in front of your colleagues. The following are the five features you should be using-if youy aren’t already. Learn everything about these tips: they will improve your presentation skills and allow you to communicate your message successfully. The five features of powerpoint was

1)adding smart art

2)Inserting Shapes

3)Inserting and Image

4)Slide Transitions

5)Adding Animations

Creating an Effective Presentation

1.

Minimize

: Keep slides counts to a minimum to maintain a clear message and to keep the audience attentive. Remember that the presentation is just a visual aid. Most information should still come from the reporter.2.

Clarity

: Avoid being to fancy by using font style that is easy to read. Make sure that it is also big enough to be read by the audience. Once you start making your presentation, consider how big the screen is during your report.3.

Simplicity

: Use bullets or short sentences. Summarize the information on the screen to have your audience focus on what the speaker is saying than on reading the slide. Limit the content to six lines and seven words per line. This is known as the 6 x 7 rule.4.

Visual

: Use graphics to help in your presentation but not too many to distract the audience. In addition, instead of using table of data, use charts and graphs.5.

Consistency

: Make your design uniform. Avoid having different font styles and backgrounds.6.

Contrast

: Use a light font on dark background or vice versa. This is done so that it is easier to read. In most instances, it is easier to read on screen if the background is dark. This is due to the brightness of the screen. LESSON 6: Imaging and Design for Online Environment

PHOTO EDITING

Photo editing encompasses the processes of altering images, whether they are digital photographs, traditional photo chemical photographs, or illustrations. Traditional analog image editing is known as photo retouching, using tools such as an airbrush to modify photographs, or editing illustrations with any traditional art medium.

Graphic software programs

Which can be broadly grouped into vector graphics editors, raster graphics editors, and 3D modelers are the primary tools with which a user may manipulate, enhance, and transform images. Many image editing programs are also used to render or create computer art from scratch.

BASIC OF IMAGE EDITING

RASTER IMAGESare stored in a computer in the form of a grid of picture elements or pixels.

VECTOR IMAGESsuch as Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape and etc. are used to create and modify vector images, which are stored as descriptions of lines, Bezier curves and text instead of pixels.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RASTER AND VECTOR IMAGES

RASTER IMAGESuse many colored pixels or individual building blocks to form a complete image JPEGs, GIFs and PNGs are common raster image types. Almost all of the photos found on the web and in print catalogs are raster images.

VECTOR IMAGES alternatively, allow for more flexibility. Constructed using mathematical formulas rather than individual colored blocks, vector file types such as EPS, AI and PDF are excellent for creating graphics that frequently require resizing. 3. 3D MODELING (OR MODELLING) is the process of developing a mathematical representation of any three dimensional surface of an object via specialized software. The product is called a 3D model. It can be displayed as a two-dimensional image through a process called 3D rendering or used in a computer simulation or physical phenomena. The model can also be physically created using 3D printing devices.

IMAGE FORMATS

Ø  JPEG is a commonly used method of lossy compression for digital images, particularly for those images produced by a digital photography.

Ø  PNG (PORTABLE NETWORK GRAPHICS) is a raster graphics file format that supports lossless data compression.

Ø  GIF a lossless format for image files that supports both animated and static images.

Ø  BMP is a raster graphics image used to store bitmap digital images

Ø  EPS used in vector-based images in Adobe Illustrator.

Ø  SVG is an XML-based vector image format for two-dimensional graphics w/ support for interactivity and animation

Ø  .3ds is one of the file formats used by the Autodesk 3Ds Max 3D Modelling, animation and rendering software.

Ø  .fbx is an exchange format, in particular for interoperability between Autodesk products and other digital content creation software

FEATURES OF IMAGE EDITORS

SELECTION One of the prerequisites for many of the app mentioned below is a method of selecting part(s) of an image, thus applying a change selectively without affecting the entire picture

Ø  MARQUEE TOOL for selecting rectangular or other regular polygon-shaped regions

Ø  LASSO TOOL for freehand selection of a region

Ø  MAGIC WAND TOOL selects objects or regions in the image defined by proximity of color or luminance

LAYERS which are analogous to sheets of transparent acetate, stacked on top of each other, each capable of being individually positioned, altered and blended with the layers below, w/o affecting any of the elements on the other layers. IMAGE SIZE resize images in a process often called image scaling, making them larger, or smaller. High image resolution cameras can produce large images which are often reduced in size for Internet use.

CROPPING creates a new image by selecting a desired rectangular portion from the image being cropped. The unwanted part of the image is discarded. Image cropping does not reduce the resolution of the area cropped.

CLONING uses the current brush to copy from an image or pattern. It has many uses: one of the most important is to repair problem areas in digital photos.

IMAGE ORIENTATION – Image editors are capable of altering an image to be rotated in any direction and to any degree. Mirror images can be created and images can be horizontally flipped or vertically flopped. Rotated image usually require cropping afterwards, in order to remove the resulting gaps at the image edges.

PERSPECTIVE – is the art of drawing solid objects on a two- dimensional surface so as to give the right impression of their height, width, depth and position in relation to each other when viewed from a particular point.

SHARPENING AND SOFTENING– Sharpening makes images clearer. Too much sharpening causes grains on the surface of the image. Softening makes images softer that removes some of the highly visible flaws. Too much causes the image to blur.

SATURATION- is an expression for the relative bandwidth of the visible output from a light source. As saturation increase, colors appear more “pure.’’ As saturation decreases, colors appear more ‘’ washed-out.’’

CONTRAST AND BRIGHTENING

Contrast of images and brighten or darken the image. Underexposed images can be often be improved by using this feature.

Brightening lightens the image so the photo brightens up. Brightness is a relative expression of the intensity of the energy output of a visible light source.

Adjusting contrast means adjusting brightness because they work together to make a better image.

PHOTO MANIPULATION

Photo manipulation involves transforming or altering a photograph using various methods and techniques to achieve desired results. Some photo manipulations are considered skillful artwork while others are frowned upon as unethical practices, especially when used to deceive the public, such as hat used for political propaganda , or to make a product or person look better.

 DIFFERENCES PHOTO EDITING – signifies the regular process used to enhance photos and to create them ‘’Actual editing simple process’’. Also includes some of the regular programs used for editing and expose how to use them. PHOTO MANIPULATION – includes all simple editing techniques and have some manipulation techniques like erasing, adding objects , adding some graphical effects, background correction, creating incredible effect, change elements in an image,  adding styles , eliminating blemishes from a  person’s face and changing the features of a person’s body.

b.) Infographics

also known as data visualization, information design, and communication design

It is any graphic that display and explains information, whether that be data or words. When we use the term ‘’infographics’’, we’re using it as a general term used to describe data presented in a visual way.

Infographics are important because they change the way people find and experience stories. Infographics are being used to augment editorial content on the web, it create a new way of seeing the world of data, and they help communicate complex ideas in a clear and beautiful way.

TYPES OF INFOGRAPHICS

Statistical

Process Flow

Geographic

PROCESS OF MAKING INFOGRAPHICS

Research

a)Know what is needed

b)Take a reference

c)Know the audience

d)Decide the type of infographics

Brainstorm

a)Gather ideas

b)Build thought process

Design

a)    Choose your tool and start designing

Review

a)     Cross check the data to deliver flawless output

Launch

a)    Make it viral

b)    Share on social network

BEST PRACTICES WHEN CREATING INFOGRAPHICS

a)Maintain a structure

b)Don’t use more than 3 color palletes

c)Typography matters a lot

d)Include source and references

LESSON 7: Online Platforms for ICT Content Development

1.Facebook

Posted on

February 13, 2017

Marketplace – allows members to post, read and respond to classified ads.

Groups – allows members who have common interests to find each other and interact.

Events  – allows members to publicize an event, invite guests and track who plans to attend.

Pages – allows members to create and promote a public page built around a specific topic.

Presence technology – allows members to see which contacts are online and chat.

Within each member’s personal profile, there are several key networking components. The most popular is arguably the Wall, which is essentially a virtual bulletin board. Messages left on a member’s Wall can be text, video or photos. Another popular component is the virtual Photo Album. Photos can be uploaded from the desktop or directly from a smartphone camera. There is no limitation on quantity, but Facebook staff will remove inappropriate or copyrighted images.  An interactive album feature allows the member’s contacts (who are called generically called “friends”) to comment on each other’s photos and identify (tag) people in the photos. Another popular profile component is status updates, a microbloggingfeature that allows members to broadcast short Twitter-like announcements to their friends. All interactions are published in a news feed, which is distributed in real-time to the member’s friends.

Facebook offers a range of privacy options to its members.  A member can make all his communications visible to everyone, he can block specific connections or he can keep all his communications private. Members can choose whether or not to be searchable, decide which parts of their profile are public, decide what not to put in their news feed and determine exactly who can see their posts. For those members who wish to use Facebook to communicate privately, there is a message feature, which closely resembles email.

2. Instagram

Instagram is an online mobile photo-sharing site that allows its users to share pictures and videos either publicly or privately on the app, as well as through a variety of other social networking platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Flickr. Originally, a distinctive feature was that it confined photos to a square shape, similar to Kodak Instamatic and Polaroid SX-70 images, in contrast to the 4:3 aspect ratio typically used by mobile device cameras. In August 2015, version 7.5 was released, allowing users to upload media captured in any aspect ratio. Users can also apply digital filters to their images. Videos on Instagram debuted in June 2013, allowing prerecorded square standard definition resolution clips of up to 15 seconds to be shared; later improvements added support for widescreenresolutions of up to 1080p and longer recording times for either prerecorded (up to one minute) or disappearing live (up to one hour) videos.

Instagram was created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, and launched in October 2010 as a free mobile app. The service rapidly gained popularity, with over 100 million active users as of April 2012[10][11] and over 300 million as of December 2014.[12] Instagram is distributed through the Apple App Store and Google Play.[13]Support for the app is available for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Windows 10 devices and Android handsets, while third-party Instagram apps are available for BlackBerry 10 and Nokia-Symbian Devices.

3. Twitter

Twitter  is an online news and social networking service where users post and interact with messages, “tweets,” restricted to 140 characters. Registered users can post tweets, but those who are unregistered can only read them. Users access Twitter through its website interface, SMS or a mobile device app.[10] Twitter Inc. is based in San Francisco, California, United States, and has more than 25 offices around the world.

Twitter is about learning and adding value

It is also about adding value to others by giving or sharing something valuable to them so that they are able to learn something. That is why I usually tweet about stuff that I read, learned or have good value. I have learned so much from the others that is why I love twitter. It is also about helping others, I disagree with many‘experts’ that say you should only follow ‘influential’ users because I don’t judge someone that way, and because I believe the people at Twitter don’t believe in them either. I also disagree that you should only share your own stuff otherwise you will dilute your brand. Sure it makes sense but 24/7 sharing your own blog post and following influential people?

BLOGGING SITES

Weebly

Weebly is one of the easiest website builders in the market.  They allow you to drag and drop content into a website, so it’s very intuitive to use (click here to see our opinion on Weebly).

By using Weebly’s website building elements, you can literally drag them into your website and have a website built relatively quickly, and painlessly.  The beauty of this system is that you can pretty much drag the elements to wherever you want – so it’s not very restrictive on where and how you place your website content.

Weebly’s elements include pictures, paragraphs, videos, buttons, maps, contact forms – basically all the basics for website building.

2. Tumblr

Tumblr is a popular microblogging platform designed for creative self-expression. It is considered a mindful alternative to Facebook and other social media websites where users blog on a myriad of topics.

You can link your Tumblr account to other social networks you use and you can feed your traditional blog or other RSS feed to your Tumblelog. You can also create static pages such as your own Questions page that people are automatically taken to when they ask you a question. If you want to make your Tumblelog look more lie a traditional website, you can do it by adding pages. You can make your Tumblelog private or just make specific posts private as needed, and you can schedule posts to publish in the future.

Tumblr is perfect for people who don’t need a full blog to publish lengthy posts. It’s also great for people who prefer to publish quick multimedia posts, particularly from their mobile devices. Tumblr is also a great choice for people who want to join a larger community. If a blog is too much or too big for you, but Twitter is too small or too little for you and Instagram isn’t versatile enough for you, then Tumblr might be just right for you.

It’s also easy to invite other people to contribute to your Tumblelog.

If you want to track your stats, you can add any analytics tracking code to your Tumblelog. Some users will even burn a feed with Feedburner, create custom themes, and use their own domain names

3. Pinterest

Pinterest is a free website that requires registration to use.Users can upload, save, sort, and manage images—known as pins—and other media content (e.g., videos) through collections known as pinboards. Pinterest acts as a personalized media platform. Users can browse the content of others in their feed. Users can then save individual pins to one of their own boards using the “Pin It” button, with pinboards typically organized by a central topic or theme. Users can personalize their experience by pinning items, creating boards, and interacting with other members. The end result is that the “pin feed” of each user displays unique, personalized results.

Content can also be found outside of Pinterest and similarly uploaded to a board via the “Pin It” button, which can be downloaded to the bookmark bar on a web browser, or be implemented by a webmaster directly on the website. They also have the option of sending a pin to other Pinterest users and email accounts through the “Send” button. Some websites include red and white “pin it” buttons on items, which allow Pinterest users to pin them directly.

Initially, there were several ways to register a new Pinterest account. Potential users could either receive an invitation from an already registered friend, or they could request an invitation directly from the Pinterest website that could take some time to receive. An account can also be created and accessed by linking Pinterest to a Facebook or Twitter profile. When a user re-posts or re-pins an image to their own board, they have the option of notifying their Facebook and Twitter followers. This feature can be managed on the settings page.

On the main Pinterest page, a “pin feed” appears, displaying the chronological activity from the Pinterest boards that a user follows.

A “board” is where the user’s pins are located. Users can have several boards for various items such as quotes, travel or, most popularly, weddings. A “pin” is an image that has either been uploaded or linked from a website. Once users create boards and add pins, other users can now repin, meaning they can pin one user’s image to their board as well. Once the user has set up their account and boards, they can browse, comment, and like other pins. Users might be discouraged by repeated images and difficult-to-follow direct linking features. Pinterest has also added the option of making boards “secret” so that the user can pin to and view boards that only the user can see when logged into their own account.

Pinterest does not generate its own content; rather, it draws from many resources around the web and compiles them in one convenient location for users.

[ancientwisdomsustainer]

Ancient Wisdoms’ Grounding Forces: Jñāna mārga

Using the Yogic Paths During Times of Unsettlement

Each of you, I’m sure is witnessing how fear is a daily reality right now as this in-the-face unknown looms across the globe. I suspect this unknown is also being magnified, at least in the US, by a cultural norm of focusing on the physical body. If you are uncertain what I mean by this just scroll your Instagram feed for twenty to thirty seconds; there are likely to be multiple examples of this somatic-based mentality. The modern Yoga scene tends to amplify this hyper awareness, with a greater focus on haṭha and the physical practices associated with the term Yoga. So much so that many folks, in this modern culture, associate the term Yoga only with āsana (the physical postures). I am sure, none of this is new news to many of you reading this post. We honor birth and youth as we run in fear from illness and death. We as a culture are truly challenged by the continually spinning wheel of saṁsāra, birth and death.

In this series of writings, I offer you three historical Yogic approaches to facing uncertainty and life as an embodied being. Each path (mārga) – Jñāna, Rāja and Bhakti (hyperlinks offered for further investigation) offer a different perspective in the practice of self-study, svādyāya and the aim of Yoga’s true purpose to yoke (yuj) or unite with the divineness within and without.

We begin with Jñāna, the path of wisdom and knowledge. This Yogic lens encourages truth seeking. Who am I? What am I experiencing as I live in this body? Swami Sivananda, world renown Yoga philosopher and teacher, encourages us to identify the Truth (as he named it) by understanding it as changing phenomena. “Everything, all matter in the universe, is constantly changing, that is the only Truth there is. The baby is born and we say he or she is already one day old – not one day young.” Here his words connect to how our words come from a basis of future-based fear.  “Fear comes from avidyā (ignorance),” he underlines.

In Jñāna Yoga we investigate and reflect on what is the Truth, what is really lasting. “Is it the body?,” Swami Sivananda asks. “No. It is just a beautiful instrument,” he reminds us. He points us to notice where avidyāattempts to rule our understandings of what life in this body is and means. Personally, I faced this stark realization at a very young age when doctors gave me a fifty percent chance of survival from a life-threatening illness. My “beautiful instrument” brought me to an immediate and obvious first thought, without it (the body) there is no life, a deep quick reality check for a twenty-year-old. During the endless months of chemotherapy and radiation I unsuspectingly embarked into the inner world of self. It was scary and quite disorienting. Though I had grown up with a faith in Divineness I battled often to understand it more, to have true faith in the Truth. As my flesh suit’s, one my teacher’s description of the physical body, insides burned with chemicals and the skin turned a charred black I was convinced all my chances for a “fulfilling” life in a continued career as a model was completely nixed. My ego fought hard as I accumulated scars from procedure after procedure left me marked forever; and as strand by clump of hair fell in the shower, into the sink when I would brush it, and caught in my clothing as I put them on (the prior years I had been a hair model) the only dream I had ever envisioned for myself was diminishing rapidly.

Gratefully, one day as I rummaged through the dusty bookshelves of a used bookstore a series of texts about sages living in a mountainous setting was discovered. Reading this series of books, Life and Teachings of the Masters of the Far East, became my daily sādhanā (practice). A profound inner evolution was set into motion which I continue to pursue still, over thirty years later. I came to discover, through reading the texts, how the turning of every moment comes with temptations and desire, kāma, keeping a constant motion toward a perceived fulfillment. Working, making money and buying things coo us into feeling a temporary fulfillment of these desires. When these desires are interrupted or unfulfilled the ego rears up causing a range of expressions and actions, fighting on behalf of the kāma. Some folks are crushed by these pursuits. Their thoughts turn to words like failure, others ignore the under-stirrings completely by numbing the senses - taking tablets, drinking alcohol, doing drugs, eating disagreeable foods or sleeping too much. Another may blame parents or the world in general so feelings within can be discounted.

The teachings of the ancient sages offers another choice, to surrender to wisdom, as the experience of fear attempts to overwhelm. In Yoga, as a complete life practice, one does not only invest in the body; there is also an investment in the mind. Avidyā is a real disrupter and distractor. The ego can hide behind fear, behind arrogance, behind being “the best.” It wants the power to control everything and it manifests in different ways. Fear often expresses as a very deep-rooted saṃskāra, an impression that often becomes habitual in both positive and challenging ways. I have learned from the ancient saints, sages and many teachers it is habits of the ego facing us when fear surfaces. It took me that year of deep physical pain to realize how I associated losing this body, the beautiful instrument with losing my whole identity.

When we face the egoic aspects of self an opportunity to transcend is presented. Svādyāya, self-study, coupled with openness to the teachings of others is the Yogic mārga, Jñāna. If one has many fears, this may be a signal of a strong identification with ego and body/mind. If one chooses to investigate a saṁskāra, habitual habit, space is generated for an expansion into self-understanding. The mind makes mental modifications, cracking and making space for new conditions to exist within the mind. It is then a matter of what one fills those cracks with, such as inspiring texts, meditative contemplation or devotional practices.

The mind is where I began my Yogic path decades ago. I quickly learned, while fighting the egoic attachments fueled by a deep mind-set and societal influences, I am not just this “beautiful instrument” of flesh and bone. It has been a tough lesson for someone who banked twenty-ish years of life on her looks. Over time Yogic philosophy and daily sādhanā has also firmly taught me I am also not just a mind. The mind is also a changing phenomena, hovering around the soul, Ātman or Self – that center point which never changes. It is this aspect of the Yogic journey we will consider in the next post on the mārga of Rāja.

If you are curious about generating a Jñāna inspired practice here are a few suggestions for readings:

The Inner Tradition of Yoga by Michael Stone

Letters from the Yoga Masters by Marion Mugs McConnell

Polishing The Mirror: How to Live From Your Spiritual Heart by Ram Dass

Falling into Grace: Insights on the End of Suffering by Adyashanti

ૐLauraLynn

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Waver 1 - 13 (FINAL) | Prisma Illya 1 - 10 (FINAL) | Prisma Illya 2wei! 1 - 3

Another (and to be honest, the last) batch of impressions from the Fate/ project.

Waver 1

Well, this’ll be interesting. I’ve been hyping this show up for a while for myself, so let’s see how it goes.

Geez, this intro is like a dang movie! I’d love to see a proper Troyca movie! (<-Says the fan of Troyca.)

Wait, if it’s Kayneth Archibald, then is Archibald relatd to Archisorte? Or am I just making thing up here…? Also note Reines refers to Kayneth as “Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald”, possibly meaning Archibald is the middle name, since El-Melloi is a shared surname (or is that a title…?). That probably means Archibald =/= Archisorte and both are similar-sounding middle names. The fact Reines is Kayneth’s niece also explains things quite a bit.

Why is Waver upside down…? Won’t the blood rush to his head soon? (Sure, it allows me to ogle his hair more, but…logic rules more than my stupid whims, y’know?)

Interesting. You can see that although Waver grew out his hair, there’s two layers to it – the longer one in the front and the shorter one in the back. (I’m just curious because I like the hime cut – which is pretty similar - and long hair on dudes in general, in part because both are fairly rare.)

Okay, that explained my gripe with upside-down Waver. Thanks, Reines. (<-genuine)

Aw, Waver buddy, even at this stage, you’re plenty cute. Don’t ever change! (<- As you can see, I am an easily pleased person in most cases.)

Melvin who now???

Troyca’s comic animation rules! It’s too bad Idolish7 Second Beat is using chibis instead of this…

Professor Kayneth. I forgot he had a formal title. I wonder, does Waver - I mean, El-Melloi II – have that title as well?

I guess I should’ve known Saber had the capability to look scary, but…I never knew Saber could look so scary…

*cut to eyecatch* - *points at eyecatch* Okay, someone tried to save budget here, didn’t they???

Aw, friendship between fiction boys is cute…until it involves the puking up on blood on one end.

Waver is the OG underdog here…don’tcha think?

“…with several demands.” – Uh-oh…this is gonna be bad, isn’t it?

You need a Tuner for Magic Crests? (…Like a tuning fork, but a person?) *brow raised in suspicion*

…is it appropriate for me to say “Oh, good lord!” now? (Okay, I did that rather deliberately, but normally in these notes I’d self-censor it to be “oh, goodness” or something like that.)

Seriously, the black-haired dude in the Ionian Hetairoi is my favourite, even if only because he looks like Waver (and he’s really easy to spot, to boot).

Why is this in first person??? I’ve dropped entire shows based on their usage of 1st person cam! Room Mate and Makura no Danshi basically scarred me for life on that front…and both of those are TV shorts!

Hey, wait a second. This “use a quote on the titlecard” thing is clearly an Ei Aoki sort of thing to do. I mean, it’s in ID: Invaded as well…

Waver 2

*new blonde girl appears* - So this is the rumoured Animusphere girl (Mary), huh?

Bounded field, huh? I’m glad I chose to watch F/Z before this, then. Now I actually understand the (rough) mechanics of how that works.

There’s assassins and then there’s Assassins…*thinks about the Holy Grail War*

As it turns out, astromancy is basically astrology.

The one thing that bugs me about “Modern Magecraft” (there’s a similar concept of New Magic in Mairimashita! Iruma-kun) is…how is the magic “modern”…? Especially in a work like this, where the magic is based in arcane rituals and bloodlines…you really need to establish how the “modern” bit works.

Gray is facing away from the Animusphere girl (Mary), I noticed.

“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” – Sherlock Holmes – Basically, the fact I’ve memorised this quote is one of the lingering impacts of my time in the Detective Conan fandom, as it can be used on things like quizzes, not just mysteries.

Can we please use proper English, Waver??? (Says me to a character whose name I still find nonsensical enough to not be proper English.) As I said previously, “whydunit” is modus operandi or motive…the new bit is “howdunit”, which would be the method.

I do believe the geocentric model was overthrown by people like Kepler.

Gray kind of looks like Saber with that hairstyle, come to think of it.

With the way Gray hides herself under that hood, it’s no mystery as to why guys love her…at least, I know ThatRandomEditor does. Of course, I’m heavily neutral on the whole affair because I don’t swing that way, but…you know…

LEMPC seems to stand for “Lord El-Melloi Production Committee”, if I’m guessing right.

I seem to remember there was a quote somewhere that said the only constant in this world was change…hmm.

Waver 3

They seem to keep calling Japan “the Far East” (or at least, Japan is part of the Far East). That’s a pretty antiquated term for a supposedly “modern” magic anime. I get vaguely peeved by the term “the Far East” because it causes people to take an oriental viewpoint on things and thus it’s kind of like people from the Anglosphere looking down on Asians. (I also get vaguely peeved by the term “Westerners” for much the same reason and “Caucasians” because it implies all people of the Anglosphere come from the Caucasus, which is false…then again, these niggles are specific to international studies, so I have a vested interest in explaining them.)

…Wow, that star-eyepatch girl is…really something, to be thirsty specifically for Waver’s Iron Claw. (Then again, with my weird tastes in things, who am I to critique her?)

Flitz von Erich. I was surprised to learn this guy actually exists…on Wikipedia, at the very least.

“Any lady should know about wrestling.” – I disagree, Luvia.

Blue furry electrical creature…I dunno how the zoology in this show works, but the fantasy series I’m reading as of the time I was typing this comment has a blue creature called a Raiju (literally “thunder beast” in Japanese, so it would suit the “Thunder” in the episode title). If it’s anything like that, I’d laugh myself silly.

This girl on the poster seems to be called Flan Noir (or something similar).

“…yellow, round, fluffy-smelling…” – What? Svin, you have no right to call a girl those words!

When is this series set if people don’t have phones as a standard? *Googles* Okay, if F/SN is set in 2004, then F/Z is 1994. That would make sense, actually. The internet as we know it was first used in 1995 and didn’t become widespread for home use until a few years later, as I remember having computers in 2004 (albeit the blocky ones with the dial-up).

I was looking at images for the source material and I think I know why I like Waver (aside from the fact he has long hair). Normally I like the boys whose appearances are hard to get right, such as En…Waver in the novels and manga for this series sometimes looks grumpy, sometimes he looks constipated and worst of all, sometimes he looks like Snape with a hook nose.

Okay, so I googled Caules to figure out who his sister was…and I got Apocrypha spoilers. See, his sister is Fiore, who is apparently in that series.

The videos got encoded funny again…

There seems to be a mystery around why Svin and Gray can’t be together…well, one deeper than just “Svin is gaga for Gray [for reasons we don’t know at this point in time]”.

Ha, the El-Melloi Class is basically just the Misfit Class from Mairimashita! Iruma-kun.

“Only the flesh was bitten off.”  

This Jupiter gibberish, I assume, is drawing upon the mythology of Jupiter – that is, Zeus – as the god of thunder and king of the gods (thus presiding over living beings).

The English is good on the bill, bar a space between “Mystics of magecraft”.

Norwich is apparently a “faculty” which the Modern Magecraft Theories guys – i.e. Waver – rule over.

Can you imagine Waver swearing? Since I had the volume off, I basically made him say “…if Sir Gueldoa had resorted to brute force, we would’ve been f***ed” in my head…and that was hilarious.

Aw, thanks 7Mononoke. “A cowardly thief sneaks away in the night. If you stride away, bursting with song, you are a conquering king.” That’s a quote from Rider himself.

So the Association has set positions for Masters in the War? Geesh…that must be hard on Waver to find out they’re closed, considering how much Waver pines for Rider.

Waver 4

I finally got the chance to listen to the ED last ep and now it’s the OP I can hear properly. This OP isn’t particularly impressive, considering it’s an instrumental (instrumentals always seem to have less impact for me unless I’m looking for something to chill to), but it does capture the London-esque spirit of the setting very well.

What’s up with this metal (?) maid off to the side, anyway?

“Good thinking to leave the door open…” – For some reason, even though it’s a completely different and much more benign context, this made me think of KyoAni and my heart sunk.  

Atrum Galliasta…I hate that man. He may look hot, but he was nothing but a b*stard to Medea.

Bolo ties…nrgh…Basically, ever since Arima wore a bolo tie, I’ve become fairly bugged by them. That’s why Bram’s bugs me.

Aw, Waver, buddy, plase don’t sacrifice yourself again. I read on the wiki you become a Servant’s vessel (specifically for Zhu Ge Liang), so keep your hopes up.

I’m seriously feeling ID: Invaded vibes from this episode, what with the lightning.

I suspect a locked room murder is going to happen soon, knowing the genre. Either that or some other crime.

Considering Fate/ was an eroge-based thing initially, these sex jokes…there’s probably plenty of them out there.

Well, it seems this series only makes sense in that non-Detective Conan way, i.e. you want to know how it all comes together and can’t necessarily figure it out for yourself until you know how the magic works. I’m randomly going to guess this is more Jupiter-based stuff and call it a day on that front.

Seriously, I never got what was up with nightgowns (or just pyjamas in general) having hats. You don’t need protection for your head at night…that’s what pillows are for, yeah? (The only reason I see a hat-like thing working with nightwear is a onesie and that’s meant to be part of the inherent appeal of the thing.)

Waver 5

I feel like Adashino is meant to be an Irene Adler-type figure…

“Peaceful Fairys” (sic)

Where did Kairi’s scar come from…?

The Black Dog was in Mahoutsukai no Yome as well, but this one looks a lot less inviting, huh?

It seems, like the name Rail Zeppelin implies (as “Demon Eyes Collection Train”), most of the people involved in this case have Magic Eyes (or whatever they’re actually called). I wouldn’t be surprised if Kairi had them as well, considering he’s wearing dark glasses in the middle of a thunderstorm.

“King Arthur is a dude, right?” - *laughs madly* They finally managed to parody their own bulls***! (Well, I’m not counting Carnival Phantasm or whatever else because this is the first time they threw a meta joke in there in the whole of this project, as far as I can remember.)  

Trimmau seems to be the maid’s name…huh. They never mentioned that earlier, I don’t think.

So what’s the difference between Fairy Eyes and Mystic Eyes?

Wait, does that even work…? The entire house is the murder weapon? That’s basically breaking the “secret passageway” thing on a larger scale.

So what’s Trevor’s motive…?

The dogs running towards the Workshop reminded me of the Hunger Games for some reason…must be the climax.

That fairy isn’t emoting much…

Oh cra-Wills is going to sacrifice himself, like Adashino was going to do! That’s the second time I’ve seen that in 2 days (the first was in the Hypnosis Mic manga about the Dirty Dawg).

Uh…Waver’s not particularly fit or fast, is he…?

Can you be paid for your case if your client is essentially dead…?

Adra? I read around and Adra seems to be a way to spell the location (or whatever it is) in the first case…which got adapted into a stage play, but not an anime. That’s probably what he’s (Waver) referring to.

Notably, the title is translated to “lance” but yari means spear…

Waver 6

I seriously wanna slap that pink-haired girl…Update: Her name is Yvette.

This is basically Gray fanservice…

If Gray = Saber and Saber =King Arthur…hmm…does it count as a girl’s party?

Homeland? Since Britain is Saber’s (aka Gray’s) home country, I think they meant “hometown”…I’d hav to listen to the Japanese to make sure, though.

I still think Waver is a stupid, or at the very least false, name for a boy, especially if he did come from Britain. That’s basically my one limitation on him as a husbando.

The red bit of the eyecatch was shapd like an eye…it did catch eyes in a sense, after all.

So Trimmau is sustained by magic.

Locked-room…or rather, bounded field…mystery time!

Luvia did mention wrestling in another episode…

I had to google that, but the Separation Castle is from the Adra case mentioned in episode 5. No wonder I don’t remember it…

“Are you suggesting there were faults…” (from Luvia) - Ooh, I was thinking the perpetrator was caught inside their own bounded field or maybe it was an outsider, but that works too, Reines.

Add calld Luvia out for her extravagance, LOL.

Catch-as-catch-can appears to be “no-holds-barred fighting”, particularly wrestling.

That case was both informative and possibly solveable by the audience. Both good qualities for a mystery.

If you summon the spirit again, is it the same Rider with the same memories? Or can you summon a different version of the same Rider with amnesia, much like Rin did with Archer? Update: Oh yeah, I did read this on the wiki at one point but then forgot about it. The next episode (7) confirms that Rider wouldn’t remember Waver if he were summoned again.

Waver 7

…C’mon, admit it, show. The glasses are not only there for plot reasons but to up Waver’s status as megane boy for the rest of this case. Not that I mind – I actually really like megane boys, but I’m nowhere near the love of Meganebu – but in the case of plausibility, I wanna poke holes into it.

Auction for which Mystic Eyes now…?

There’s a guy…with an elephant head…I know I shouldn’t be bugged by it, but I need the MST3K mantra right now.

This is gonna be a Murder on the Orient Express thing, isn’t it? All cases set on trains seem to take cues or make homage to it. (I may not be that proficient on Christie in comparison to Holmes, since Holmes was Conan’s inspiration, but Murder on the Orient Express I have read and I did secure an anthology of 4 Christie novels at one point specifically so that I could improve in this area.)

The main series never explained the bad blood between the Church and the Tower, did they…?

*sweatdrop* Let me guess…when Yvette mentions “multiplay”, she means a threesome, right?

How do anime people see out of those blindfold thing, anyway??? (Or is it that Leandra has Mystic Eyes that were sold off or otherwise tampered with?)

I believe the word is “palate”, Kairi (or subbers).

Anime characters being bagworms with their blankets is always appealing, no matter the gender. It’s funny and/or relatable, after all.

Does Gray get motion sickness…? Update: Seems I spoke about a minute too soon. She does.

Waver 8

How does Waver know that Adashino got the documents about the train? Is it because she was in all those places at all those times and he connected the dots?

This lady has heterochromia. Specifically, one is brown and the other is blue or green.

Hmm? I thought the character design was familiar for this. As it turns out, Jun Nakai (who did the character design for this) also did Gate’s, which explains it.

Dionysus is the Greek god of wine, IIRC. Hephaestion is, as (s)he explained, the confidante of Alexander the Great (had to google this one).

It’s hard to see before the brightly-lit scene where Olga reappears, but as shown, Waver seems to have cut off part of his forelocks on the left side.

What’s an Odo???...ooh, fanservice…*ogles*

The summoning of Hephaestion and Trisha’s murder may or may not be related…we just don’t know how, yet.

I think a Detective Conan Murder on the Orient Express-style mystery would be a good video ga-*googles* There’s at least one of them out there already (albeit only in Japan)...namely, this one. Spoke too soon.

Oh yeah…this is Olga’s new room, isn’t it? I almost forgot about that.

Update: I think this look at the Adra Separation Castle case is interesting. It’s similar to posts I would write, but done by a professional – namely Richard Eisenbeis of Kotaku and Anime News Network.

Waver 9

So if there’s a Servant…you have to find the Master.

Olga reminds me of Reines…kind of.

LOL, whoever thought of a zombie cooking show…?

This series really goes all-in on the zombies and the fake-outs thereof, huh? Dangit, Melvin, don’t scare us.

Melvin has a really odd relationship with Waver, huh? If you’re really insisting you’re “the only person to ever be able to hurt Waver”, I don’t quite see how you guys can be friends in the normal sense of the word.

Why would someone have a violin at a time like this…?

Interestingly, they don’t bother to do any fanservice of Caules. That scene with Gray and Yvette was fanservice for those who like them, but the only guy who’s getting to do any fanservice in this series is Waver himself…(what with him being naked and knocked out right now.)

“Sibyl” seems to be a synonym for “virgin”…(*whispers “Awkward…”*)

Update: After reading some of Marth’s posts on this series, I’m inclined to call this “Murders on a Train (with an Exploding Helicopter for Good Measure)”.

Waver 10

For some reason, there’s episode 0 – 9, then 11 – 13 on the service I’m using. Where’s 10?

I think Waver’s relationship with Rider is interesting because of the way I think of relationships myself. Waver has made it clear that he wants to see Rider again so he can basically prostrate at his feet all over again (and maybe win a wish and/or see Oceanus while they’re at it), but – hey, hear this! - I used to believe, when I was still an impressionable kid, all relationships, whether they be between friends, family or even lovers, lasted roughly in the same state basically forever (as in, friends stay friends forever, they’ll never be so far apart that they can’t kep their relationship alive etc. etc.)…Obviously, I was wrong and arguably, this change in thinking, plus the related changes in technology, are where my ability to fleetingly but passionate love both 2D boys and the series they come from comes from.

Wait, so the Child of Einasshe (sp?) is the forest, yeah? I don’t think I got that 100% straight.

I never thought the shield form of a Mystic Code could be used for snowboarding down a mountain/hill…whatever Gray just went down. I didn’t even know Add had a shield form, for that matter.

“[U]sual individual” – LOL. What a way to refer to Waver.

“Wait a minute!” – I’m just imagining Phoenix Wright all of a sudden. A Waver legal mystery series would be boring as all get out – I’m far less interested in the courtroom versions of mysteries and more interested in how the pieces fit together. (Update: Then again, I am a person who likes the action genre and courtroom mysteries don’t have much of that, which might also explain my choice.)

“…lacking the element of motive to begin with.” – Well, Waver’s not wrong…

I’m observing this apple and noticing someone skimped on the detail around the stem. Does anyone still remember Art Academy for the DS? After looking at some promo material for it, I basically learnt how to draw a proper apple (and nothing else, really). If an apple is just drawn as a circle, it doesn’t quite look like an apple up close. (Two of the main things I screw up on when drawing are perception and the colour of highlights, both of which are covered in something like an apple stem and the related indent.)

Oh goodness…I was hoping Karabo would keep his vision (or actual eyeballs)…but that’s gruesome.

I’m guessing, based on the wheelchair, that Waver’s still paralysed or otherwise not able to move around like normal. Update: Spoke too soon.

Someone encoded the video funny again…

Waver 11

What was that crossword thing…? A warding spell of some sort?

Is that an owl in the back?!

Stealth fighter…Rider wanted on, didn’t he?

Every time he appears on screen now, I basically curse Melvin. He’s entertaining to watch, sure, but he’s annoyingly prodigal (= wasteful). He’s basically Dice from HypMic at this stage (aka he’s the sort of person who’d bet away his own clothes, given the chance and incentive).

Look at the way Waver’s hair drags behind him as he walks…it’s gorgeous…

“Residual Image” (as translated in the title) is literally “the left-over image” (zanzou). Not surprising, but I find the exact combo of characters used interesting since it could be short for “nokoru eizou” (where the nokoru’s character is read as zan in the combo, as you can guess).    

Waver 12

Wow…this series really pulled something out of its butt this time, huh? “The guy without a heart”…no viewer would’ve known that actually referred to a character called Dr Heartless unless they knew of his existence somehow (the closest they would’ve been was having an inkling that this pointed to a name of the culprit).

There is an owl in the back of the auction room!

Ay? So what the heck is Pandemonium in this case?

“dotard” – Turns out this means “an old person, especially one who has become physically weak or whose mental faculties have declined.” You can’t say I don’t enrich my vocbulary through watching anime, huh?

I’m still wondering…why adapt case 7 of this series (Rail Zeppelin)? Why not case 1 (Adra)? Update: I don’t know where I pulled the number 7 from, since this is volume 4 – 5 of the series. Apparently some of the cases were anime-original though.

Waver 13 (FINAL)

Oh, Flat, you stupid…

Waver’s exasperated faces are great. No wonder Reines likes to toy with him…

I can assume Rail Zeppelin is a Ghost Liner, yes?

Can I guess that Adashino ~likes~ Waver…? Update: Turns out that’s not quite the case.

Ooh, Waver without his shirt is se-okay, I’m getting distracted. Seriously though, Waver never showed his Crest in F/Z. I never even knew what it looked like until now! The fact it’s such a simple design in comparison to his Command Seals is…kinda underwhelming, really.

I think there’s a bit of a pattern between Jakurai (from HypMic) and Waver…namely, they suck when it comes to drinking. (Also, of course, the long hair. Don’t forget it, never forget it.)

Shut up, Add!

For some reason, I felt like a lot of that last part, while getting closure for Waver, it almost had connotations of “I’ll meet you on the other side, Rider”…so it felt kind of sad, to be honest. That talk between Reines and Olga I don’t think I’d understand without Apocrypha and Grand Order, but I guess that’s to be expected in such a huge franchise. Anyways, moving right along!

Illya 1

I’ve been a bit worried about what I’ll have to subject myself to for the sake of Magical Girls…

Was that…Taiga?

Who’s Liz…?

Okusama, huh? (Okusama = someone’s wife, although it seems to be used in the plural here since I don’t think Kiritsugu and/or Iri are dead in this timeline.)

The subs I’ve got say Shiro is adopted here too (when it’s not in the Japanese), although I wonder exactly how much of UBW is going to be true in this anime…

Hmm…a bit of digging reveals Luvia’s not a Master. So throwing out Lancer is really just a joke on how Lancer gets roasted early on in Grail Wars, right?

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh…squick, much…(Thank goodness the source I was using edited out the loli fanservice, so I can tolerate this series a lot more…but still, suggesting you have a romance with your step-brother, even if it’s known you’re not related from the beginning, is…you already know my feelings on that, based on my reaction. Shiro is, what, 15? About twice Illya’s age!) Update: Okay, so he has no confirmed age in Prisma Illya, but he’s 17 in F/SN so I’d assum the same or similar, seeing as he attends the same school. It’s fine if it’s platonic, but this is clearly an Onii-chan, daisuki! thing the likes of which Oreimo throws down! Thank you for calling it out though, Ruby.

Oh my gosh, this looks like the Rhongomynaid (Detective Waver) and Excalibur (or whatever Saber’s Noble Phantasm is called) summoning beam! LOL!

Ruby, you lech! Don’t go praising the angles! *shakes fist* (Seriously, what if magical girl mascots were paedophiles…? *blank face* Welp, considering what’s out there on the internet, I wouldn’t be surprised if a hentai or something had such a concept.)

Hmm? Turns out the word for Servant means something like “celestial hero”. Makes sense.

Nice callback to Saber and Shiro!

Illya 2

I thought Illya would say that her parents are dead…turns out the show’s not that grimdark (to the point where it wouldn’t set the show after Kiritsugu and Iri’s deaths), huh?

Do the sticks have a gender? The subs said “she” for Ruby…

LOL, it’s Rider. I thought Lancer was gonna get his butt kicked all over again (thinking more along the lines of CCS).

It’s Gay Bul-I mean, Gae Bolg! (I’ve been reading TV Tropes again…can you tell?)

This episode was pretty pedestrian. I like it more than the first one.

What’s up with the CGI…?

Oh! Bunbun, who does Yuki Yuna! Update: They only did the illustrations for some of the series. They also did SAO illustrations, although that’s of less significance to me.

Illya 3

The sticks do have genders!!! That’s like claiming Jesus for kakera with Mudae! (Yes, that’s possible. I got him in one server.)

The power of fujoshi…is amazing! How did it get to a girl who’s so young?!

These angles are a bit disturbing…

“Casao”, LOL.

Magical girl nakama, huh?

Illya 4

MST3K mantra!

Whose quote is that again…? “Don’t think, imagine”? Update: It turns out to not be anyone’s quote at all, if Google results are to be believed.

Uh-oh! Saber Alter!

Illya 5

Padding the episode already…?

The mist is a quality of a Berserker, right?

Geez the angles piss me off…

These sticks have brains???

Can you call it teamwork if they’re always complaining about each other?

Illya 6

More padding…

Illya’s UBW!

Geesh, that last-minute shot of Rin and Luvia popping out of the ground scared me for a bit…

Illya 7

*sigh* It’s the sick episode…

I recognise the vacuum cleaner. I have the same one at home.

*sigh* Random fanservice of elementary school girls. This is what gives anime a bad name.

*Sapphire pulls out a USB port* - Ohhkay, is that stick fanservice, in a sense…? Because that’s awkward too.

Maids went out of fashion years ago…

“Lyrical Radical Genocide” - I think this Lyrical Radical things is parodying Nanoha.

Based on the cloak, it’s an Assassin.

“Listen, if you aren’t careful, you’ll die!” – Yep, because people die when they are killed. I almost missed that meme for a bit.

Illya 8

Illya’s still reeling from Miyu’s talk, huh?

I noticed it said tomoda(chi) in the background at one point.

Does Miyu exist in any of the alternate universes?

Ah, there’s yuujou (friendship) in the background as calligraphy.

I think the video got encoded funny again…

Geez, complaining about boobs? The series got worse…oh, I forgot Shiro was around in this series.

…who’s left? There’s been Saber, Archer, Lancer, Assassin, Rider, Caster and…who? Berserker, that’s who.

Illya 9

Ohhhhhhhh brother, not more bath scenes…

Iri looks almost exactly like she does in the Eiznbern Consultation Rooms! (I found those around and watched them today.)

Thank goodness the fanservice is censored…

I never realised Berseker had heterochromia until now…

One thing that I assume makes Saber’s outfit look nice to thos that like girls is the window in the top…but it goes to waste on Miyu, LOL.

I find it interesting Illya has all these concerns – the ones (or similar ones) Iri harbourd in F/Z.

Hey, the bridge! This is the bridge where Rider dies inn F/Z, yeah?

The ED looks different this time…  

Illya 10 (FINAL)

E-Eep…loli fanservice…

Now Miyu is basically what Waver is to Rider, no doubt about it.

Bulls***! Speak of the devil! I was wondering what Waver looked like in the Illya style, because I read on the wiki he makes a cameo in season 2, and…here he is. Didn’t expect him in season 1, though.

Another new ED animation. I find it interesting they’ve never once had to recast any VAs throughout the entire existence of Fate/ anime…not that I know of, anyway.

Hiroyama Hiroshi is the original Illya creator.

Okay, that’s the end of one season. I feel kind of fatigued since I finished the Eiznbern Consultation Rooms today as well, so I’m going to take a break from watching more Illya until it’s necessary to watch again in a few posts’ time.

Now that they’ve collected the cards, I’m wondering what the series intends to do next…

Illya s2 Pt 1 Ep 1

They clearly skimped on the budget when Shiro was leaving the house…

I keep forgetting Illya is meant to be German…

That bad English…is actually there in the ep. title…

Oh great…schoolgirls talking about erotic swimsuits…

This s*** is what you call “Class-S”! I have no interest in it, because I don’t swing that way! (Sorry, yuri fans…)

The problem with series that aren’t 100% made with you in mind is that your favourite characters might look ugly…that’s especially the case with En, Jakurai and Waver.

Ryudou Temple, eh? Let’s hope Assassin still looks good.

I don’t think I’ve seen that before…namely, being able to hear what’s going on outside the transformation while it’s happening.

Now this 2 Illyas thing…this is new, alright.

Illya s2 Pt 1 Ep 2

LOL, what a horoscope.

Truck-kun! I don’t think Illya would make a good isekai protag, come to think of it.

Who is this nurse? I feel like she’s from some other part of the Nasuverse… Update: My guess was right. That’s Caren Hortensia, protagonist of Fate/hollow ataraxia and Kirei’s…uh, daughter. I know he had a wife. We never met said wife, but seeing the daughter really drove that fact home.  

Uhhhhhhhh…okay, now the lesbian loli scene just made things go off a cliff for me. I’m not against lesbians or yuri – to each their own – but that scene was clearly meant to be pleasing to a certain audience.

How does anyone kill anything gently…?

Ohhhhhhkay, strike 2 for loli fanservice.

I seem to remember…that’s right, Alice from the [something] no Kuni no Alice series was evaluated on her coffee-making skills (by Julius, I think it was). That’s why I’m thinking of Alice when I see Luvia praising Miyu on something similar.

Wa-hey! It’s Rin’s Azoth dagger!

Well, the mechanics of the transformation are also something you have to think about. I’ll give the show kudos for that.  

Illya s2 Pt 1 Ep 3

Can we not with the whole “Onii-chan, daisuki!” thing?! That’s it! That’s the last straw! I’m finishing this episode and aborting early so that I can preserve my dignity…and get some proper sleep for once.

The fact Miyu thinks Shiro resembles her brother must not be a coincidence…(I’ve become far too Fate/ savvy, haven’t I?) Update: It seems I was right. Apparently, Miyu was taken in by Kiritsugu in a certain universe, but apparently this is a bunch of spoilers.

Genki na aisatsu was in the back.

This is just getting worse and worse…

So now Kuro’s name is Kuroe (Chloe), huh? Anyways, good riddance, loli fanservice! So long! I won’t miss you one bit!

[ichoseperdition]

Ideas I’d love to see implemented in the next Mass Effect Andromeda game/s.

Some of these are sooo unrealistic, but I can dream right?? :)

CHILDREN: Lots of them, of every race. I’d love to see a Salarian tugging on their mum’s arm because they want to hold their baby sibling who’s swimming around in a fish bowl. Krogan kids running around New Tuchanka and the nexus, getting piggy back rides from their dads. Little Asari and Turians running around playing tag with each other, while one uses her biotics to cheat. Hanar kids teaching humans to swim. Quarian bubbles rolling around all over the place. Drell riding on the backs of their Elcor friends. Baby Batarians being pushed around in futuristic buggies. I need cute little moments like that. Children would add sooo much immersion to the world.

PROTHEANS: They were such an advanced race I’m sure that at least some of them would have come up with the whole leaving the galaxy idea. Maybe they journeyed to a different cluster within Andromeda but passed through Heleus? One of their ships was forced off course after a rouge faction ulterred its course back in Prothean space and crashed on a planet that still remains undiscovered by the kett, angara and the Initiative. The intact stasis pods revived the Protheans within them, but only after they ran out of power? The inhabitants weren’t scientists thus didn’t know how to replicate space faring technology and also fared that the reapers may have followed them, so they abolished star flight all together and made their own nomadic civilization. I’m just hanging out to see more of that race to be honest especially the females.

OUTPOSTS AND AREAS FROM THE FIRST GAME: We spent so long setting up these outposts I’d love to see how they have ended up as well as the other areas we helped mold.

- New Tuchunka. Due to the fact they have the Drive core I’m thinking the outpost would develop quite quickly. I’m imagining three cylindrical districts with deep caves and buildings built into the inside walls of the sinkholes, avoiding the sun. The first as a water storage and farming district with football sized caves carved into the rock with farms inside. The second as a housing and leisure district with apartments and family homes, as well as communal gardens and parks. The third as an entertainment and financial district with bars and shops selling lots of Krogan goods. I’m thinking lots of balconies and overhanging plants etc in all three districts. The original outpost on top is set up as a Krogan historical and science centre making information about the old Krogan and the original Tuchanka accessible to everyone as well as an effort to cure the Genophage. Initiative outpost spreads out further North west up on to the hill.

- The Flophouse. Re purposed as a water treatment center and general eco science facility aimed at supporting and maintaining all the eco systems of the currently occupied worlds and provide water to the whole district.

-  Prodromos. Original site three has been turned into a memorial garden and pond as a testament to those who lost their lives at site 1 and 2. A big art installation where the beacon was originally placed has been erected. Prodromos itself has been moved up to The Sheartop with buildings and balconies overhanging the edge of the settlement overlooking site 3 memorial gardens. Sites 1 and 2 have been re-opened. Site one has been turned into a Krogan refuge as an attempt to bring them back into the initiative and Site two as a remnant research facility spearheaded by Peebee.

-  Taerve Uni. Due the fact there would be so much melting ice I’d love to see a half-submerged outpost. Lots of glass and exposed steel. The Kett base stripped and re purposed as the new Resistance headquarters? Frozen city unearthed and turned into a research facility?

-  Ditaeon. Lots of smaller townships littering the area around the original outpost site, with buildings no taller than 4 stories high. All buildings have gardens of local flora and rock formations atop their roofs. I’d love to see a Hospital run by Dr. Ryota Nakamoto close to the original site. The hospital would aid all Angara and Milky Way soldiers injured in the fight against the Kett plus the development of his penicillin.

- Pelaav research station. Many initiative scientists are sent there to learn more about Havarl itself and a massive collective effort has been put in place to learn more about the Angara and the remnant. No milky way structures are present on the planet as a way to show respect for Havarls heritage. Floating science facility? Science labs in orbit?

- Port Meridian. Opened up for Angaran settlement. Those wanting to live on Aya can now bring their families to live on meridian. Large human settlement around the crash site of the Hyperion. Libraries, science facilities, lounges and other forms of human entertainment. Peebee lives there and spends 24 hours a day studying remnant?

- Ryder-1. Alec Ryder memorial. Large cave settlements?

- Nexus. Fully realized. Heleus plants now grow on it. Moshae Sjefa now lives on it. All races including the Krogan now have a place in its arms. Morda has a home there as she is the interim ambassador to the Nexus in my save game. Nexus is moved periodically to keep it away from the Kett.

- Arks. All except the Hyperion are repaired and docked on the nexus. They travel between the nexus and the golden worlds when needed. OR the Natanus is over run by what’s left of the Outcasts after the nexus rescues all other surviving Turians. Becomes the new Omega station?

TWIN GAME PLAY: I loved the scene where you get to play as your sibling I think that’s a really cool dynamic. Working as part of a family team. It would be cool if your main Ryder did the pathfinder thing while the other sibling did minor missions throughout your story. Let’s say your pathfinder is set off on a mission to go and help a newly found Angaran settlement. On your way to the system instead of it being a loading screen you now play as your sibling on a visit to one of the old outposts from the first game, or you’re asked to help out a Salarian on the nexus. Or you can request your sibling to help you with things via vidcom. Ring them up and request they visit a certain area then bam!! you’re there doing the work, playing as them helping the initiative.

MORE SQUAD MATES:

I’m thinking ME2 amount of squad mates.

MORE ALIEN ROMANCE OPTIONS: Give me a serious Krogan romance option. If Rorik is anything to go by not all Krogan are alien hating brutes. Let me bang a Batarian, snuggle with a Hanar and make out with Drell. I play Mass Effect games for the Aliens, not the humans. If you can’t give me more alien love, then let me see it through NPC’s. A kick ass lesbian Krogan couple would be PERFECT!!

MORE KETT INFO: Origins of the other exalted races. Were they from Andromeda or from further away? Where is Sarhesen?

WHAT DO THE JARDAAN LOOK LIKE, REMNANT MASS RELAYS: Did they have a galaxy wide network? Are they just AI?

CULTURAL DEFERENCES IN MILKY WAY RACES: I think Andromeda presents Bioware with a real opportunity to expand on the narrative of the different races. I don’t believe for second that all Batartians are the same when there are billions of them! I feel like these outliers would be the ones who would want to travel to Andromeda so please show me some. They don’t have to abide by their race rules anymore. Even if all Batarians are the same, some must realise they don’t need to be anymore? That goes for all races too.

MORE RACE VI’s IN THE CULTURAL EXCHANGE: Show me a Quarian VI, one that’s so unsure of itself because Quarian’s aren’t meant to like virtual intelligence and it knows that. An Elcor VI that recites Shakespeare. A Vorcha VI that just insults you or a broken Volus VI that just breathes in.

NORMAL CLOTHES, SKIN: Krogan in Singlets. Krogan in shorts. Krogan in flip flops. The Bioware team did a good job with the facial textures for the Alien races I’d love to see the rest of them. Some of them must have time out of their armour and full body suites. An example would be A turian working on a space ship in the hot sun with no shirt on, a merchant in New Tuchanka with more exposed clothing to combat the heat or a Batarian going for a swim.

A SECRET TERMINUS SYSTEMS ARK: I just like the idea that the government of one of the Terminus and or annexed races found out about the Initiative and sent their own custom ark made from stolen specs. Raoli, Virtual Aliens, Yahg, Vorcha and Rachni. I just loved those races and selfishly want them back.

SMALLER THINGS: - More then one face model for Asari and Angara. Like I mean seriously? - Better writing… - Depth to settlements, growth not just WHAM and there is a settlement. - Characters from Annihilation

[iamveergill-blog]

The Algorithm

Most of his chores for the morning are done; clearing the snow, putting away dishes, checking emails. But Ray is late getting out of home, as he usually is. Professionally, he is at a position where he can flexibly manage his time, but he is conscious of the fact that he usually reaches work at around quarter past 9 when he aims to start at 8:30.

Today is a similar day, with a similar feeling. He finds himself deliberately slowing down his morning tasks. Although this feeling is familiar, the exact reason for it is not clear. He doesn’t try to bother too much as it is uncomfortable thinking about it. By now, he’s grown accustomed to it, so it’s easy to sweep it aside.

As he’s waiting at the bus stop, Rex notices someone approaching with a cup of coffee in each hand. As the person sits beside him, Rex looks at him amusedly.

Stranger: I know, I know; these are just to keep my hands warm. Don’t think I’ll ever get used to this cold!

Rex: Hahaha… I take it you’re not from here.

Stranger: Hell no! And hopefully, I won’t be here for long. I couldn’t survive here for too long.

Rex: Don’t worry, I’ve lived here my entire life and I’m still not used to this weather.

What brings you to this part of the world?

Stranger: Ah (looking down, smiling & shaking his head)… Chaos!

Rex: Pardon me?

Stranger: (Chuckles) Chaos theory! Every action or movement in the world being a result of an infinite number of events that have happened in the past and directly or indirectly led to it.

Something like your brother’s best friend recommending a sports academy to you, where you meet a girl that you develop a crush on, only to later get together with her friend, who then becomes your wife and the mother of your children. Her trajectory infuses with yours along with an infinite number of others and this can ultimately lead to you move to another country, win the lottery, die in a crash or even kill someone.

Rex: Oh jeez (laughing), the old free will debate?

What you’re saying is not incorrect, but I feel that it’s incomplete when it comes to explaining reality. You’re not considering that at any point in time I can choose to do something different, counter-intuitive. It’s highly unlikely, most people would never do that because we’re all a certain type of person reacting to circumstances in our own, but predictable ways. But even though I don’t exercise it, I have that free will. I can walk into work today and hand in my resignation. I won’t do it because it simply suits me to remain employed.

Basically, you go about life instinctively, but at any time you can prove you have free will by not doing what you would normally do in a situation … and do anything else!

Stranger: I can do you one better. I have a theory that helps prove that humans don’t have an ounce of free will. And it has nothing to do with religion or God!

Rex: (thinking for a few seconds) Hmm… Interesting…

Stranger: (putting down his coffee to shake Rex’s hand). I’m Joel by the way.

Rex: Rex (smiling, shaking his hand)

Joel: Okay, let me go back and start from what you were just saying about always having a choice in any situation.

You’re saying is that it’s obvious that our life and decisions are steered by our environment… by our culture, ethnicity, upbringing, family & friends, social status, incidents in our past, even our genetics… but we still have free will. We still have this power that can override all these other factors, and steer our life, if and when we choose.

Rex: Yes…

Joel: What about cases where the impact of your environment is extreme? You can actually turn to science to look into this. Phenomenon such as PTSD help us understand that events which we might not have any control over, can very strongly dictate our entire perspective on life, and sometimes even our decision whether it’s worth living or not.

Do you think when people who are suffering from severe mental health issues commit suicide, they still have that choice?

Rex: Well… I don’t know about that. But I’m sure you’d agree that in most cases, if not all, we can alter our decision based on our inner voice.

I…uh… I mean for example, even when all conditions point you to keep working at a job as it provides you anything material that you think you need, you can still possibly convince yourself to take that radical decision which goes against all your experience and predispositions.

Joel: My theory builds upon this understanding and takes it a step further!

What if your brain’s workings, your inner voice, all your thoughts, and actions are the result of a fundamental law of the universe? It works kind of like an algorithm… or an equation. A highly complex code that’s processed in your brain and drives your mental function.

Rex: …? (confused)

Joel: Hear me out now…

Just like a piece of software, “I” am the result of a string of commands that link together in an action-to-reaction chain. This string is presumably infinitely complex. And by “I”, I mean all my actions, inactions, feelings, emotions – any sort-of impact that I have on existence.

Every thought is a result of other stimuli in my life, rather than a consciously decided thing. This continuously evolves my outlook towards life and in turn, affects my next thought or action. When you really think about it, you realize the possibility that every thought you’ve had, every outburst, every instance where you backed down instead of standing your ground, everything left unsaid between important people, every decision made and not made, has reasons. And I say reasons because it’s a long chain and not one simple, easy to explain incident. The point is that nothing about your behavior or your existence is just random.

This theory is based on the notion that people are affected by their environment, but make no mistake it goes far ahead. According to this, both of your thoughts of quitting and not quitting your job, as well as the ultimate decision you take, are not under your control, but a result of this “code”.

In short, you’re not making independent decisions in the chaos of the universe. You are part of this system going from cause to effect, with just having an illusion of control.

Rex: But a computer program is predictable. We all react differently in different situations!

Joel: What if the algorithm takes into account all of your past experiences & predispositions and generates the thought that you have, and even dictates the decision that you take, without you knowing. My point is, we all react differently because we have had different histories.

Your brain has billions of neurons, which form links and pathways depending upon how it’s used. The links for things you do more often become stronger. It’s not too different in structure from a computer processor. Even machine learning follows a similar model, with A.I. using a kind of neural network of processors to develop more effective and efficient ways to reach a goal.

What if all the thoughts you’ve ever had, from the weirdest taboos to the seemingly life-defining epiphanies were the result this code. I think it’s not inconceivable; it doesn’t even point toward a God. In fact, it lends credence to the theory that there is no God, because it simply establishes a cause and effect relationship between everything and doesn’t leave the human experience to something divine.

Rex: Hmmm… interesting, but…

Joel: Just consider this as a thought experiment…

There is another universe, which has the same initial conditions as ours, the same matter and physical laws. Is it conceivable to you that there would be a planet earth and you would be born over there too? Who do you think you would be in that universe – a professional living the same life you’re living now or a billionaire living in New York, or maybe a homeless person living on the streets somewhere?

You’d have the exact same life! You and I would be sitting here talking about this in that reality too, because all your external conditions and your reactions towards them would’ve been the same.

The algorithm takes randomness out of the equation and replaces it with chaos. In that respect, every outcome in the world is theoretically predictable; just practically impossible to do so.

Scientists say that the universe by default moves towards disorder, toward complexity, something they call entropy. I’m just saying that maybe our lives are also dictated by the same physical laws. Our lives also become more complex with time as we continue to react based on the algorithm. Our brains, being a massive network of neurons with trillions of connections, sounds like the perfect processor for such a code. I mean maybe that’s what our brain works on with the other “90% of its capacity” (chuckles).

Rex: Well… our lives could also become more complex with time just because there’s that much more in them, in terms of relationships, memories, dreams, …baggage.

But what you’re saying does make sense to me on some level. Sometimes I feel more of a machine than a man myself (smiling). In my honest opinion, people can be captivated by an interesting and logical idea but that’s temporary. For it to truly sink in and be accepted, people will inevitably look for scientific proof. I mean if true, this idea can fundamentally change the way we see the world around us, and our place in it.

Joel: (Sigh)… you’re absolutely right. I don’t know how this concept can be proven in a lab; I mean it deals with your consciousness which is grossly misunderstood in and of itself. It’s all intangible.

There have been some studies performed at Cornell. They don’t prove this hypothesis but sort of point in the direction that we are not merely observers or independent entities just existing in the universe, but our mind or brain is directly connected to its fundamental properties like space and time. You should definitely look into them; I think they’re called “feeling the future”.

Rex: …

Joel: I think the so-called enlightened people of the world, the Buddhists, etc., realize all this and that’s why they just observe the passage of existence, without trying to control anything. That’s it, because that’s all they can do. They don’t escape the algorithm. Even this realization of theirs is a result of it. They just have a concrete reason now to stop giving a shit about every little thing that we do.

Rex: …

Joel: I think it makes it easier for us to put ourselves in others’ shoes and understand that everyone has a long chain of reasons for their behavior.

…

So… what do you think?

..About my theory? Sorry if it came off as a bit of a rant by the way (smiling).

Rex: Yeah, it’s interesting, sure. But I don’t know… if a person accepts it, I’m not sure how it would impact them. Would it liberate them, or increase the already crippling feeling of not being in control of their life?

Joel: But that’s not what the implica…

Rex: My bus is here. I gotta get going… can’t be late for work!

…

…

Take care (walking off).

Joel: … (confused) Sigh.

[my-busyfitness-blog]

The Way to Make It As a Fitness Model!

So You Wanna Be a Fitness Model?

People That follow my things know I normally write about nutritionsupplements, training, and other subjects which are more science based than abstract subjects, like what's covered in this report. I chose to shuck my science geek character, and write on a subject I know will be very helpful to tens of thousands of could be and wish to be fitness models.

As Nicely a famous"hard core" science established no BS author, why I am writing what some will perceive as a"fluff" post? Through time I have gotten hundreds, possibly thousands, of gals that ask me through email, letters, or even person"how do I become a fitness model Will? You have been in the business a long time, surly you of all people should know." I get this by beginners and I get this by girls which have been in it some time but have been unable to"break in" efficiently.

The Truth Is, I've been in the fitness, wellness, and bodybuilding biz years, although I am called a science and nourishment based"guru" kind, I have trained many a fitness athlete, also judged fitness and figure/bikini reveals for your NPC, Fitness America, Fitness USA, along with other federations in addition to given promotion and business information to all kinds of athletes, such as fitness models. Thus, it is not as far fetched as it may seem that I will use this area to pay for a non scientific issue, which is, how one goes about being a fitness model.

This Article will be useful to both novice and experienced types seeking to"break in" to the biz. If you're already a skilled and effective fitness product, I am certain that you might still glean some useful information in this report.

The bad news, there Is Not Any 1 way to Become an effective fitness product. There's not any single path or magical trick. There are nevertheless some crucial things someone can do to greatly improve their odds of"making it" in the fitness biz for a version, and possibly using that achievement as a launch pad to greater things, like films, TV, etc..

Many of the top fitness models (Trish Stratus And Vicki Pratt come to mind but there are lots of other people ) have gone to careers in entertainment of all types. The point is, although there's not any magic trick to becoming successful as a fitness model, this guide will be about as near a blueprint for success as you may find.

"Do I need to compete?"

This Is a question I have asked all of the time and it is not a simple one to answer. In reality, the solution is (drum roll) no. The individual must deicide why they're competing at the first place to answer that query. By way of instance, do you want to compete if your purpose is to be an effective fitness product?

The solution is no. Lots of today's Well-known exercise versions have not collaborated, or they competed at a few tiny displays and it was definitely not a part of the achievement as fitness versions. But, competing has its own possible uses.

One of Them is vulnerability. In the top level reveals, there'll continually be editors, photographers, publishers, nutritional supplement business owners, along with other small business people. So, competing may enhance your vulnerability. Additionally, competing may make sense if you're attempting to construct a company that's linked to a rival or will gain from you winning a series.

For Example, say you get a personal training gym you're working to build. Sure, obtaining the name of say Ms Fitness America, or even winning the NPC Nationals and being an IFBB expert, can help your standing along with the notoriety of your company. There are lots of situations were it might help to have won a display for a company or other jobs.

On another Hand, it has to be understood that winning a series doesn't in any way guarantee success in the company end (and it truly is a company ) of being a fitness model. The phone wont ring off the hook with large offers such as contracts. Additionally, it's extremely important to understand that it is common that the 4th or 6th or 8th place finisher at a fitness center or figure series will probably get more press than the winner. Why? Although the winner may have what it took to acquire that show, it is often other gals the editor, publishers, nutritional supplement firms etc, texture is much more marketable.

I Have seen it several occasions in which the winner was shocked to discover she did not get nearly the attention that she anticipated and other women who put reduced have gotten attention in the kind of photographs shoots, magazine protection, etc.. One thing to remember while you ask yourself the important question"do I need to compete and if so, why am I competing?" Answer that question, and you'll understand the solution to the heading of the section. Winning a name of some kind could be a stepping stone, but it isn't in itself any guarantee of success in the fitness market. It is just like a college diploma; it is exactly what you do with this.

Now. Should you Compete for the pleasure of it, then by all means go to this, however, the above will be focusing on competing since it is related to the business part of being a fitness model.

Right body, incorrect federation?

Ok, so following Studying the above you've decided you will compete, or may compete . If you do not intend to compete, then you can skip this part. The greatest mistake I see this is a lot of gals have the ideal body for the incorrect federation. Each federation has its own judging standards and a rival is going to do badly just because they did not bother to study which show will be best suited to them.

I will Provide you a Perfect real world illustration of the. Recently I realised that a series whose standards to get the figure across was that the girls should be on the curvy milder side with a few tone, vs. becoming more athletic and muscular with less bodyfat which other federations may let. At this series among the most gorgeous girls I have ever seen came out. She had been very proportional, good muscle tone, slender, and athletically formed with narrow shoulders and buttocks and wider shoulders. How did she perform in this series? She did not even put in the top ten!

Why? Since she wasn't What we had been instructed to search for and did not match the standards. Following the show I advised her that she looked great, however that might not the federation because of her. I informed her she had more of the NPC sort body, in which a bit more muscular, athletic build, and less bodyfat is honored.

The next week I had been estimating an NPC fitness, figure, And bodybuilding show and there she was. How did she perform? She won the whole series with judges votes her number one reluctantly.

Conversely, In case your physique will be more curved and toned, but using a bit more bodyfat, wider (although not obese!) Hips, you might be better off competing in state the Fitness America Pageants. If You're Going to vie:

(1) find out Just What the judging criteria is to get this particular federation and

(2) Go see these shows as a spectator for many distinct federations and determine which one your body, fashion, etc will fit into best.

(3) You need to choose in the event that you genuinely have the athletic skills to compete in a gym (that demands a regular ) or a figure/bikini contest.

I often see girls who'd do well at a figure series But don't have the athletic skills perform the routines necessary to be aggressive with other athletes at the series. Some displays will let you do both contests and some wont.

Media 101: dos and performn'ts...

In So many respects, this is the region that can make or break one into almost any company, and yet, men and women in the gym do an amazingly bad job at it. If you do not network and market yourself correctly, you can pretty much forget about getting any real success as a fitness product, or a triumph in just about any small business. For the interest of space, we'll adhere to fitness.

When I started out, I had been a self Advertising machine. I could be discovered at each show I thought could be a chance, walking the isles of trade shows, bodybuilding, reveals, fitness series, along with many others. I gave out a zillion cards and I took a thousand house with me, and followed up on each and every one. I went on as many business related meetings, parties, excursions, etc., as I could enter. I finally have the standing and expertise in the industry I do not need to go to this series unless I feel like it, or have encounters, but they had been very valuable at first.

I'm always amazed In the amount of fitness units who get me who've never been to the Arnold Classic Fitness Weekend, or even the Mr. Olympia, or the transaction shows such as the NNFA Expo West and many others. If you would like to make it at the fitness industry you sure as hell had better treat it like a company.

I Have noticed many a pretty girl who wishes to become a fitness model who believes should they stay there looking fairly long , somebody will provide to put their face on the cover of a magazine. News flash, you will find countless beautiful women on the market and also to be observed, you need to hussle to find that company like everybody else by media off your butt, or using a fantastic representative (if you're able to afford anything ) who's performing it to you.

Decide on a few Significant business shows to attend (a few Of that were cited above) and visit them annually. Take a plan of attack of precisely how you intend to advertise yourself and community. Many fitness models, bodybuilders, etc visit a series as one huge celebration. If that is you, then have fun in the party, but do not think you're actually marketing yourself as a serous small business athlete or person.

Another Thing that constantly amazes me is that the variety of fitness units who have no business cards, or possess some cards that they published up in their bubble jet printer in your home! They ask me to assist them or what ever and I say"give me your card" and they look at me like"I am so pretty I should not need a card you fool." This mindset turns off photographers, editors, authors, and business people quicker then when they found out you're actually a transvestite. Do not do it. For every pretty woman out there who believes the world owes them a favor, there are 100 that are prepared to behave like professionals.

Ever wonder why a few fitness Version you understand is doing better than you're even though you realize you're more economical than her? Which might be why. . .never go into a show to community without great cards, bios, and professionally performed body and head shots you'll be able to contribute to stated editors, publishers, photographers, business forms, etc.. Do not stand around looking pretty supposing they'll discover you, find them and introduce yourself. And of course it should go without saying that you ought to be in good shape and also have something of a tan to look your finest.

You would like to visit the shows and celebration? Fine, but do it privately after the job is completed and do not make a fool out of yourself in some business sponsored get together. Hell, I had been almost poured into a taxi at last years Arnold Classic after visiting a sushi spot with a few well know business kinds and companies (you know who you are!) But no one found me! We had our own little personal get together after the show to let loose.

Allow me to Give you one closing real world example of how NOT to advertise yourself. This past year I had been on retainer as a consultant to some mid sized nutritional supplement firm. The owner of the firm asked me if I knew a few fitness product types that could operate his booth to get a trade show. Actually, he asked"unknowns, some new faces people had not seen yet but had real potential to grow with the company." I went and found him two these gals I thought fit the bill.

He offered to cover their flights, space, And food and a thousand bucks per day for the days work. The 2 women were advised to be in the booth 9am sharp. The evening before in the resort, I saw that the two women getting in a taxi at 11pm so dressed to kill, obviously on their way out to party. The following day they showed up in the booth an hour and a half late and hung over! What was the consequence of the? (1) it embarrassed me to no end as I had recommended them to the business owner (two ) they'd never receive work from that business again (3) they'd not get any work out of me and (4) that they wouldn't find a mention from either people to different jobs.

I see that this Kind of Thing constantly at the fitness biz, and it is not restricted to fitness versions. Surprisingly, a couple of weeks after the series they emailed me and the business owner trying to know when their next project is! Amazing...

Who loves you baby?

If There's one universal fact, it is the camera loves you or it doesn't. Any skilled photographers will say this. For some unknown reason, some folks are extremely photogenic and a few aren't. Truth be known, there are a few well-known fitness versions (who will stay nameless as they'd probably smack me the next time that they watched me) that are not really that appealing in person. It is just that the camera loves them and they're extremely photogenic, but not terribly pretty in person.

Conversely, I've observed the inverse many occasions; a woman who's better looking in person than in photos. This is the destiny of the individual who would like to become a model of any sort, such as a fitness product. If you discover you aren't too photogenic, continue working with various photographers before you find one that actually catches you nicely and cover that photographer handsomely!

But to be bluntly honest, there are also a few desire to Be fitness models that are not"unphotogenic", they are simply"fugly"! There are a number of individuals around who don't have any business seeking to become fitness models. It doesn't make them bad people, it just means that they will need to snap out of the delusions and locate a livelihood they're better suited to, such as radio character....

"How do I get in the magazines?"

This Section kind of incorporates everything I have covered previously, and adds in some added approaches. As an instance, as I mentioned previously, competing in fitness shows and figure/bikini shows can boost your vulnerability, thus obtaining the interest of a magazine writer or photographer. Networking properly at the a variety of trade shows may have exactly the identical impact, and obviously using a fantastic portfolio accomplished by a photographer that actually captures your appearance, a fantastic website, etc., will increase your possibility of getting to the magazines, or even obtaining advertising work, etc.

But, All These approaches are still Somewhat passive versus active in my own opinion. It is still the fitness product waiting to be"discovered." So far as I am concerned, waiting is for bus stops and pregnancy tests. Success waits for no man. . .or lady as the case me be. Therefore, after all of the above advice is considered as with an extra impact to obtaining you magazine protection, what else could be done?

For starters, you need to read And be acquainted with all of the magazines you would like to be in this that you know who's who and what the manner of the various celebrities are. I can tell you at this time, if state the Editor-in-Chief of some good sized bodybuilding or fitness books and says"hi, I am the Bob Smith what's your name?" Along with the fitness model doesn't have any idea who Bob Smith is, Bob won't take kindly to this. Why should he? You need to know who the significant players are from the books you need to be viewed in. He's doing you the favor, not the other way round. You need to know who the significant players are and actively seek them out, do not wait for them to"discover" you.

If you look at the masthead in any magazine, It will inform you that the writer is, that the Editor-in-Chief is and so on. The mailing address for this magazine, and frequently the web site and email, may also be discovered. What's to prevent you from looking up those titles and sending them your images and restart straight? Nothing, that is what. If you find a photograph spread you believe is actually well done, what's to prevent you from figuring out that the photographer is and calling them directly and sending them your pics? Nothing, that is what.

My point being, you need for a Rest in the Company, make The rest, do not sit there thinking it is searching for you, as it is not. Be proactive, not reactive! Luck is the residue of design. Achieve success by design. As my older brother used to convey to me as a child when I told him I had been too afraid to ask a pretty woman"what's the worst that can happen Will? All she can say is no." That is the worst that can happen to you personally.

Beware of web idiots, schlubs, morons, perverts, scum bags, and sleazoids!

This Part is kind of self explanatory but worth mentioning. Like all businesses that deal in amusement based networking (e.g., tv, theater, modeling, etc.), the fitness sector brings its far share of web idiots, schlubs, morons, perverts, scum bags, and sleazoids, to mention only a couple.

There's also the type of individual Called the Schmoe, but we'll leave that for a different time and place. Point is that you wish to fulfill the proper people while not becoming involved with that set of useless kinds that will just drag you down, delay you, or just flat out screw you up and above.

By Way of Example, a man comes up and states He wishes to"shoot you" to your publications, but what would you know of the man? He's got a camera and a few business cards, so making him a photographer right? Wrong! If a person want to take you and they're not a popular name (and you need to know who the well-known photographers are since you researched that currently!) , find out that they are. Do they have references you can call? Girls you may contact he's taken before and were pleased with the work? What celebrities has he printed in? Can he do it professionally or as a pastime? That kind of thing.

Another thing I see is that the significant web scam. I am amazed how Many women get scammed by those internet idiots. Recorded here is that you get what you pay for, so when a individual wishes to build you a web site at no cost, you're getting what you pay for. Yes, there's great money to be made on the'net, and the net can be great for marketing yourself and making contacts, but most of it's a scam.

You are better off paying a good web designer and web master who has experience with other fitness model types and has references you can talk to. I can't tell you the number of girls who have been screwed over by some internet thing that went to hell, like the"enthusiast" who volunteers to construct a totally free website and runs off without any money made from the website or places their selections on pornography websites and some of different items that made them repent like hell agreeing to the website in the first location.

Certainly, I Can not go down the list of all of the probable pitfalls of the internet idiots, Schlubs, morons, perverts, scum bags, and sleazoids on the market to be Located at the entertainment industry, but you get the idea. Be mindful!

[ddtriohub]

ღღღღღღღღღღღღღღღ {i just held down the button, idk how many it pasted. just talk about all of your musesssss~~~~}

FOR EVERY “ღ” I GET, I WILL MENTION SOMEONE’S MUSE I SHIP/WOULD LIKE TO SHIP MY MUSE WITH! ||Accepting||

Just like the last one, this is going under a readmore because ye---

-

Vasco (Heromanvasco)

Given our Space!au, I actually find the idea of Vasco and @wild-untamed-heart to be cute. They both are diligent workers who respect each other. They both look out for the other and help each other out when it’s needed. They share little stories with each other and they enjoy talking. Kajika is also a very active person who loves to get out there and try out new things. 

She also was never afraid of Vasco and that’s something that he greatly appreciates. The two of them can go on lil adventures like they are now in thread form. It’s just that thought there they get along really well and if they so wanted to, it could probably turn into something a bit more than that. I just really like the way that he feels comfortable around her. 

How he’s not afraid to be himself and that heals my heart. Like yes Vasco, son, there is a woman out there who won’t scream after seeing your face. QuQ You can be liked too. Given how they’re both active too, it would just be a cute way for the two of them to go climbing around and have adventures. 

-

Shugarl

May come off as a surprise, but----------- @agentlemagician . Ehe. WHAT CAN I SAY? I LOVE THE FUWA-FUWA BOYO WHO WEARS GLASSES BECAUSE I LOVE MEGANE BOYS, OKAY? SUE ME. 

I’m also weak for the kinds of characters who are more withdrawn or shy. Like they don’t know how to really reach out for people. It’s kinda like--- it strokes the pity inside of me and it makes me love them like, ‘no one loves you? Well make it at least ONE PERSON LOVES YOU, BECAUSE I LOVE YOU.’ 

I actually don’t know too much about him since I don’t hear much about him even though he’s aesthetically my favorite (sorry Izumi and Arashi, but I cannot lie. He’s even got a slight wave to his hair and i’m FREAKING WEAK TO THAT OKAY?) So it may be my bias talking, tbh. I actually don’t know what his studies are like, but from what I’ve been told, he seems like the kind of character who is very loyal. Like once he gets attached, he won’t want to let go? That’s the feel I get from him. 

He seems like he’s a very hard worker (I mean he did so much for Eichi and we saw how that ended up-- I’LL NEVER FORGIVE. TO THE MEGANE BOY) Shugarl does respect people who are hardworking and he will have a better opinion of someone if their intelligent, which i’m guessing Tsumugi might be...? I dunno, I was never told about his intelligence. Anyways, I think as they both have issues with abandonment, they would be able to relate to each other and I think that they would both be a good source of support for the other if it were to be a ship of some kind. I’m weak to support kind of ships, can you tell? 

-

Ponsol (magicgeekponsol)

So there is like a couple of AU threads with @knights-queen that I like. These two are pretty compatible, actually. Especially given the fact that the two of them are not shy about the limelight. Ponsol would not mind posing for the camera or just being shown on film in general. He knows a lot about what goes on in society on a social level. 

He does like to look at things that are very aesthetically pleasing. He does like things that are pretty and Arashi would fit that bill. He wouldn’t be bothered much by Arashi’s personality as it stands now so they’d get along okay... if Arashi could handle Ponsol. 

I think they have a compatible dynamic with each other. Ponsol, much like Shugarl does like to spoil people that he cares for and he wouldn’t be shy to let Arashi know what looks good on him. Just shower him with praise if Arashi asks for it. I feel it would make the narcissistic part of Arashi happy. The irony of where Arashi instead is pining for Shugarl ahahaha---- I like both ships so sue me. 

-

Mizumachi (friendlyoceangiant)

Hmm hmmm let’s go with an AU this time around and i’ll talk about @sleepy-and-pretty. We have two different AU’s going on where one is where neither of them have left Japan and they met in college. Mizumachi is still playing American football and Ritsu is a cheerleader. Another one, which is a lot of fun, is a Yakuza!au where Ritsu is the next in line for the Yakuza should anything happen to Rei. 

Having been abandoned at the doorstep as a child, he was taken in to be Ritsu’s personal attendant of sorts. Mizumachi is a very loyal sea urchin, so he’d do anything he can for his master. It was set that Mizumachi acts his usual self when in school so people don’t realize that the two have a connection with each other. It makes it easier for him to lay low and protect his master. 

In general Mizumachi doesn’t find it hard to get along with people. He likes to be helpful and he’s full of energy. He has the energy to spare for Ritsu. From what I’ve been told, though Ritsu can have a bit of a lazy streak, he’s a good kid who is very caring. If someone is being unfair to another person (//coughs Ritsu sticking up for Izumi against Makoto) he will stand up for them and it’s like yes yes that’s a good. Good boy. They’re both odd characters and they’d be able to accept that of the other and that’s why I think they work well as a dynamic. That being said I of course know about the one-sided thing for Komui and the FWB thing with Tsumugi so no worries~ I’m not going to try to extend this past AU things. 

-

Dongmin (Theshadowjjang)

Ehhhh let’s see this time let’s go with... @darkness-hound . I mean, give me a chance to show that Dongmin is a strong fighter and he has a bit of a darker side that he doesn’t often show from underneath his usual laid back behavior? YES PLEASE. I’m all for that. Give it to me. Shion has that kind of personality where Dongmin would just enjoy teasing him just to possibly bait Shion into fighting with him. 

The guy is strong and Dongmin likes a good challenge. That would be the only real reason. He doesn’t go out looking for fights on purpose. Most of the time the fights come to find him and he finds them to be nothing but annoying. Still, if there is someone who could possibly stand their ground against him, he’ll be pretty excited about that and he’d love to try his hand against them. It seems like Shion is the same way so I feel like these two would have a pretty interesting dynamic. 

Jupiter (Mutedangeljupiter)

-

Haru (Queenharumiura)

Hm... //quickly tries to think of everyone in the group. I really do need to like-- interact more with people, huh? Though, ya know? Her interactions with @mismatcheddoll are pretty cute? I don’t really think so much of a ship because I know about the whole thing with Shu, but they have a good friendship going on. If it were to ever somehow turn into a ship kinda thing in like an AU or whatever, I think it would be cute. 

The two of them could sew together, bake cookies and just chat over some good tea. They can both have all sorts of fun and Haru would be very supportive. ‘Make sure you eat!’ ‘You got hurt? Just wait, I have a bandaid’ ‘Someone said what to you? Tell Haru who they were. How dare they say that to you! Haru will show them a thing or two!’ 

There have been ideas where they both make clothes and they model things for each other to help each other out and it’s like the idea that they make clothes for each other makes me wanna cry a lil bit. I think they’re more suited for friendship than a ship but hey. I’m just pretty picky with Haru I guess... i’m like a protecive dragon with her. 

-

Tarras (Narcissisticearthflower)

... Only because I would find it super funny, I jokingly think to myself: I think @featan and Tarras would be hilarious. It would be a dynamic where they’re in a relationship based on respect and understanding but we’ll have Tarras who is basically an idiot nugget and he refuses to acknowledge that people are above him (even superiors) and just-- wow what a horrible dynamic but I feel like it would just be funny. 

Tarras though, he’s a serious personality despite how he acts. He is very serious about his job and he prides himself in being able to do it well. He is somewhat sympathetic(?) to citizens----- //casually kicks under the rug the ‘earth flower incident. 

I dunno just something about it amuses me. I don’t really think that Tarras is well suited for things like being fated but hey I like a challenge. 

[your-dietician]

A child mental-health fix takes early action, more help

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/health/a-child-mental-health-fix-takes-early-action-more-help/

A child mental-health fix takes early action, more help

In most ways, Symone is like any other 17-year-old looking forward to her senior year in high school and what life may bring after — college and a career in music therapy or entertainment law, she hopes.

Her teenage years have included some notable highs. She shared the national spotlight as part of the Detroit Youth Choir, which was given a key to the city for “being the Heart, Soul and Spirit of Detroit.” 

DAY ONE:Mental health crisis: Children at breaking point during COVID-19 pandemic

DAY TWO:Michigan emergency rooms confront ‘tidal wave of sadness’ among young patients

And yet, Symone said, she can suddenly feel despondent. It comes “randomly,” she said: “It’s like a mind battle.”

“I can have the best day ever, then suddenly I’m sad,” she said. “Like I want to be dead. I want to be dark. I can’t feel light, and I can’t feel happy.”

Which is why she offers this simple plea: “Don’t give up on people with mental health” issues.

In this series, Bridge Michigan and Indianapolis-based Side Effects Public Media have highlighted critical gaps in mental health resources for children and teens across the Midwest — that includes a shortage of psychiatrists, therapists and inpatient beds, and the warehousing of children in hospital emergency rooms as they wait for specialized treatment. It’s a system further strained by COVID-19. 

Fortunately, nascent efforts are underway at the state and federal level to improve access to treatment. They range from placing more psychologists and social workers in schools, to encouraging more medical residents to pursue careers in child psychiatry, to deeper investment in public health, including funding for more psychiatric beds to help thousands of families with a child in despair. 

Some say the timing is right for an overhaul. Federal COVID stimulus funds can fuel the effort in ways not previously possible, including more money devoted to behavioral health as students across the country prepare to return to classrooms in the fall.   

Here are seven ideas or legislative plans that may ease the burden and allow more young people like Symone to thrive:

More psychiatrists, sure. But how?

Pick just about any state and there are not enough psychiatrists who specialize in child or adolescent treatment, especially in rural areas. 

The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatrists recommends 47 child psychiatrists for every 100,000 children. In Michigan, there are 11 per 100,000 children; in Indiana, it’s even worse at 6 per 100,000.

While the number of child psychiatrists has risen nationally in the past decade or so, there are still precious few and they tend to practice in more affluent, better educated and metropolitan areas. A 2019 study in the journal Pediatrics found that 70% of U.S. counties had no child psychiatrists. For example, and as Bridge has reported, Michigan’s rural Upper Peninsula, more than 300 miles long, has zero child psychiatrists.   

Another impediment: Child psychiatrists tend to begin careers near the East Coast and West Coast cities where they trained, said Dr. Sanya Virani, a trustee with the American Psychiatric Association.

So how might policy makers get more medical residents to choose this field? A greater focus on financial incentives such as student loan forgiveness or higher reimbursement rates might help, particularly if they are targeted to practicing in hard-to-reach regions. 

Becoming a child psychiatrist typically requires five years of training beyond medical school. That means many newly-minted child psychiatrists enter the workforce with mountains of debt.

The Michigan State Loan Repayment Program offers up to $200,000 over eight years to medical professionals practicing in underserved areas. And this year, the program is prioritizing loan forgiveness for inpatient pediatric psychiatrists. MIDOCS, a collaboration among medical schools to boost training slots in Michigan, also offers loan forgiveness.

Of course, psychiatrists are only a single point on a larger spectrum of care. Loan forgiveness programs also are used to lure other critical staff, such as social workers or therapists who have racked up student debt.

More inpatient beds 

As COVID-19 began to catch the world’s attention in December 2019, Beaumont Health broke ground on a $40 million, 100,000-square-foot, 144-bed behavioral health hospital in Dearborn, near Detroit.

Officials say the facility, expected to open this year, will include 24 beds for children with depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, autism, anxiety, bipolar disorder, substance abuse orders, or other mental health problems.

That will help ease a logjam of young people in emergency rooms awaiting beds, particularly in populous southeast Michigan. The hospital also will train psychiatrists — adding the first six psychiatry residents this year and ultimately training 24 at a time, though it’s unclear how many will specialize in children and adolescents. 

“It’s terrible to watch these kids in crisis. We just don’t have enough resources right now for them,” said Dr. Whitney Minnock, medical director for the pediatric emergency room at Beaumont Royal Oak.

Still, 24 beds is limited help.

Even if every one of Michigan’s 334 pediatric inpatient psychiatric beds were used — and they’re not, often because of lack of support staff — Michigan’s bed capacity still falls far short of what’s needed, experts said. The regions where beds are most scarce — such as  northern lower Michigan and the Upper Peninsula — are five to 10 hours from the new Dearborn hospital.

Use one-time federal stimulus funds

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and some lawmakers have proposed using Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Funds to boost behavioral health services in Michigan.

A House budget proposal passed in May would set aside $220 million for sweeping infrastructure improvements, including $100 million to expand long-term pediatric psychiatric inpatient services. 

That would add as many as 120 inpatient beds for youths, said Laura Appel, vice president and chief innovation officer for the Michigan Health & Hospital Association, an industry group.

The MHA and Republican state Rep. Mary Whiteford, a registered nurse who has pushed for years for better mental health services in Michigan, helped drive the plan.

Another $85 million in the plan would build a new psychiatric center for children, replacing the aging Hawthorn Center, the state-operated inpatient facility in Northville, for children and adolescents, Whiteford said.

The budget proposal also called for $15 million in renovations to hospital emergency rooms, which would, among other things, make them safer and more secure for suicidal patients as they await treatment.  

So, for instance, ERs could be outfitted with rooms without door knobs or clothes hooks that patients in acute distress could use to hang or harm themselves. 

Appel said people with mental illness also need an area set apart from the typical chaos of a busy ER, with soft or natural lighting to help calm agitated patients, similar to environmental features found in psychiatric facilities. 

At Grand Rapids-based Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services, the living and treatment areas have specialized furniture that is too heavy to throw. Staff consulted a botanist to ensure the indoor plants — designed to offer a soothing, outdoor feel to large spaces — are not toxic to a child who might try to eat them, a spokesman said.

The Michigan Legislature left for summer break this week without finishing the state budget. But lawmakers did finish work Wednesday on a school spending bill, setting aside $240 million to place more psychologists, school social workers, school counselors and nurses in schools.

These positions are “essential” and schools are “uniquely suited to assist youths with mental health concerns,” noted the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan, a public affairs research group. The CRC released its own findings this week on child mental health care services, noting the lack of school staff available to assist students in crisis. Other researchers have expanded that idea to include integrating behavioral health into primary-care pediatric settings as well. 

In May, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced $3 billion in American Rescue Plan funding to support mental health and substance use grant programs across the U.S. That included nearly $42 million of new funding for community mental health centers in Michigan and more than $25 million in Indiana.

That followed $2.5 billion in SAMHSA payouts to states in March.   

Intervene early 

Mental health advocates say it’s critical to intervene early with those most in need.

Boosting school- and home-based programs helps identify and treat mental illness sooner, before a young patient falls into crisis, Dr. Michelle Morgan, a retired psychiatrist in the U.P., recently told residents at a community meeting in Eagle River.

Early action also helps law enforcement, especially in rural areas that operate with just a handful of officers each day.

Sheriff Joe Brogan of Baraga County in the U.P. told residents at the same meeting that when officers respond to a person in mental distress other emergencies get missed. “We don’t have anybody answering calls for service,” he said. 

Michigan is one of several states working to provide police with training to better identify mental illness in people they encounter and get them into treatment centers for evaluation and help rather than sending them to jail. 

Indiana has turned to a program called “high-fidelity wraparound” as a way to address complex behavioral issues in young people so they don’t get to the point of needing inpatient care. 

Under the wraparound model, a case manager is assigned to coordinate a child’s care, which might involve therapists or other medical professionals as well as social workers, teachers and parents. Indiana’s Medicaid program offers this service to qualified families. 

Wraparound services are useful when traditional methods of supporting a child’s mental health needs are unsuccessful. The goal is to deescalate a problem before it reaches crisis stage, said Ebony Reynolds, clinical officer of Detroit Wayne Integrated Mental Health, which manages providers for families in Wayne County.

Families “deserve a system that’s responsive to their needs, rather than just getting thrown whatever it is this system has to offer,” said Kimberly Estep of the National Wraparound Implementation Center. 

Another key to early intervention is round-the-clock access to mental health support, said Whiteford, the state representative. She sponsored legislation that led to a 24-hour Michigan Crisis and Access Line that opened in April in Oakland County and the Upper Peninsula.

The crisis line, which also takes calls from those who who dial the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, will be accessible across the state by fall 2022.

“It folds all these hotlines into a one-stop shop for anybody who needs help — from a police officer to a nurse in an emergency room to a mom worried about her child,” Whiteford said.

The line will also have access to Michigan’s Inpatient Psychiatric Bed Registry, allowing callers — from ER staff to parents — to learn sooner if there is an available psychiatric bed or service in their area.

U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat, and Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican, helped lead an effort this spring to earmark $489 million in federal funds to expand Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers, part of a federal network that can immediately screen people in crisis, regardless of their ability to pay, and get them help. Of the amount, nearly $20 million is headed for Michigan to support efforts at five Detroit centers.

Early intervention part two: school screenings 

In 2018, the Lansing-based advocacy nonprofit Disability Rights Michigan filed a class-action suit, K.B. v. Lyon, accusing the state of Michigan of “staggering failures to provide needed mental health services to thousands of children and their families.”

Kyle Williams, director of legal advocacy for the advocacy group, said one crucial step in addressing systemic failures is a universal screening tool that would identify children in need, trigger a full assessment, and connect them to services before they spiral into crisis. It could be used by school counselors for a child acting out in class or staff at a juvenile justice facility after a child has been picked up by police, he said.

A child in crisis “doesn’t have the time to wait three years for an intensive service array,” Williams said.

“If you don’t pair home- and community-based services (with inpatient care), you’re looking at a cycle in which kids end up in an ER bed, return to the community, and keep destabilizing, then return to the ER again,” Williams said.

Details are still being hammered out in a settlement agreement in the lawsuit after several extensions — the latest extension is to Sept. 1.

Ease bureaucracy

Parents have enough worry when a child is in crisis. But many are forced to change jobs or quit to become full-time advocates for their children as they work through layers of bureaucracy, said Jane Shank, executive director of the Lansing-based Association for Children’s Mental Health.

“Parents get beaten down a little,” she said.

As it stands now, Medicaid funds flow through Michigan’s mental health managed care system which is made up of 10 Prepaid Inpatient Health Plans, or PIHPs, throughout the state.

They pay for treatment and services at local Community Mental Health Agencies, which, in turn, may contract with other providers. With each layer, accountability disappears, according to critics.

Rep. Whiteford said she would replace the state’s 10 managed care organizations with a single oversight body — moving the state closer to a fee-for-service health system and making the state accountable rather than diffusing accountability through layers of managed care bureaucracy.

It also would lead to “significant reduction in administrative costs,” according to the nonpartisan Michigan House Fiscal Agency. Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, whose overhaul plan includes privatizing much of mental health care, and who also wants to downsize or eliminate the PIHP managed care system.

Critics argue, however, that such plans replace one layer of a bureaucracy with another and that projected cost savings are exaggerated.

“It’s a different terrain across the state — the availability of services, the availability of staff,” said Kevin Fischer, of the Michigan chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

He said the Whiteford and Shirkey plans include good ideas, but he worries about moving to a single managed care system or oversight agency.

Locally run managed care matches local needs to the best local resources, he said, saving money and providing better care.

“The people in Houghton or Marquette (in the Upper Peninsula) know what they need better than the people in Detroit do,” he said.

More telemed to reach distant children 

The field of telemedicine dramatically expanded during the pandemic, in part due to relaxation of regulations by the federal government and private insurers amid COVID-19. 

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study noted a 154% increase in telemedicine usage in March 2020, as the pandemic first hit, compared with the previous year. Telemedicine can be useful for people without reliable transportation or from rural areas without a nearby provider. It can also help parents avoid taking time from work to transport children to therapist appointments. 

With so many regions in Michigan and Indiana lacking in mental health providers, strengthening telehealth can help improve access to care. 

But barriers remain. Indiana-based research shows Black and rural populations are less likely to have reliable internet or a home computer. And despite a year of remote learning, children may have more trouble engaging with mental health professionals on the computer. 

It remains unclear whether private insurers will continue to pay for telehealth visits once the pandemic fades. Policies can differ by insurer, state or particular plan. Many states, including Michigan, have enacted parity laws that require insurers to equitably cover in-person and telemedicine visits. 

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There’s so much hype around air fryers that it’s natural to be skeptical. When Wendy Jo Peterson, a San Diego–based culinary dietitian and cookbook author, was asked to contribute to an Air Fryer Cookbook for Dummies, her first thought was: Do I really need one of those in my kitchen? In the end, Peterson agreed to coauthor the book alongside fellow dietitian Elizabeth Shaw. Now, after testing countless recipes in the most popular air fryers, she thinks home cooks would benefit from having one. 

If you’ve been on the fence about air fryers, it’s probably because you think one of two things: they’re only good for crisping frozen French fries and chicken nuggets, or they’re nothing more than trendy convection ovens. The former is straight-up wrong. The latter concern is true in a sense, as air fryers do rely on convection to “fry” food, but they cook things more quickly than a traditional convection oven because they’re small and take less time to heat up. 

Do you absolutely need an air fryer? Of course not. But if you have $100 and some extra counter space, there’s plenty to be gained from having one. Here’s a little more about how air fryers work, why they’re great, and which ones the experts recommend—plus a few recipes to get you started.

It’s Not Frying, It’s Convection

“Frying is a cooking method that transfers heat to food using a source of fat,” explains Kris Sollid, a dietitian and the director of nutrition communications at the International Food Information Council. Pan-fried food is often cooked in a thin layer of oil, and deep-fried food is fully submerged in it. Air-fried food? It isn’t actually fried at all.

“Air fryers are essentially small convection ovens,” Sollid says. Unlike frying, which uses oil or butter for heat transfer, convection uses a fan to quickly circulate hot air. Air fryers don’t get any hotter than regular ovens (most max out at 400 degrees Fahrenheit), but the rapidly moving air helps wick away moisture, allowing browning and crisping to happen faster and at a lower temperature than it would in a normal oven. Convection ovens do the same thing, but not as efficiently. Air fryers take less time because they’re smaller and their fans spin faster. Essentially, air-fryer technology builds off that of the convection oven but was considered novel enough when air fryers were released in Europe in 2010 to warrant a patent. You can also buy a small convection oven, like this countertop convection toaster oven, which offers the same economy of size and will give you similar results. 

Probably the greatest thing about small-scale convection baking is the ability to cook food that’s still frozen. “I’ll make breakfast burritos, freeze them, and then in the morning my husband puts the frozen burrito right into the air fryer,” Peterson says. The air fryer wicks moisture from the food as it defrosts and cooks, so you end up with a crispy chimichanga-like burrito, not a soggy wrap. It works for frozen meat or vegetables, too.

You Don’t Need Much Oil

Dietary fat is a good thing—it supports cell growth, protects your organs, keeps you warm, aids in nutrient absorption, gives you energy, and is essential for hormone production. But as with most nutrients, experts advise against regularly eating too much of it at once.

When you deep-fry food, a lot of that oil gets absorbed. Exactly how much ends up in your food is hard to quantify; it depends on what you’re cooking, at what temperature, and for how long. Foods with a higher moisture content, like doughnut batter, absorb more oil when fried than foods with less moisture, like potatoes. Higher deep-frying temperatures—say, 400 degrees instead of 325—usually equate to less oil absorption, because there’s more steam pushing to get out and blocking the oil from absorbing into the food. 

This isn’t to say that you should totally avoid deep-fried foods all the time. French fries and doughnuts are delicious, and part of what makes them that way is the oil coating your mouth and enhancing the flavor. But if you’re after the crispy texture of fried food, air-frying can do the trick. 

The bottom line, though, is that air-fried food absorbs less oil. A 2017 study published in the European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology found that air-fried potatoes had, on average, 70 percent less oil than deep-fried potatoes. Of course, air-fried food still contains some fat. That crispy texture comes from heat combined with the fat already present in or on the food, so you do need to add oil to foods that aren’t already fatty, like veggies. You can spritz or brush oil right onto your food, or you can pour it into the air fryer (so that it sits on the bottom, below the shelf with the food) and it’ll circulate. “In most cases, one or two teaspoons is enough,” Peterson says.

Who Needs an Oven?

Perhaps the most obvious benefit of the air fryer, which can also be a drawback, is its size. It’s considerably smaller than an oven, making it a more energy-efficient way to cook small batches of food. The more space you’re heating, the more energy (gas or electricity, depending on how your kitchen is hooked up) you’re consuming. With an air fryer, there’s no need to heat the whole oven—or the whole kitchen as a result—for a few servings of roasted vegetables or a sheet of chicken wings. 

If you’re living in a tiny space where an oven isn’t an option, the air fryer could really come in handy. “We have a camper van, and we’re on solar,” Peterson says. “If we’re in a spot where there are hookups, we use the air fryer a lot.” But there are some downsides. You’ll probably have to cook your food in batches if you’re feeding more than two or three people. Big cuts of meat are off the table. And while it’s possible to bake in the air fryer, you’ll end up with a deep-brown crust that isn’t ideal for many muffins, cakes, or breads.

A Few Great Options

There’s no best air fryer. Peterson and Shaw have different favorites. “You have to find the one that’s best suited for you,” Peterson says.

Cosori 5.8-Quart Electric Hot Oven ($120)

Peterson’s air fryer of choice is this model from Cosori, which I also tested and loved. “I like the shape, the aesthetic, and the fact that the presets were very consistent,” Peterson says. There are presets for various meat, fish, baked goods, and vegetables, and all of them do a good job of properly cooking the foods they’re supposed to. That said, a good recipe should give you specific cooking times and temperatures so you won’t have to rely on the presets.

This air fryer also efficiently crisps food on all sides, since there’s plenty of room underneath and above the basket for air to circulate.

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Aria 5-Quart Ceramic ($100)

Shaw prefers this Aria air fryer. It has a sleek design and creates good airflow to crisp food all over, much like the Cosori model. It also comes in three sizes (three, five, and seven quarts), so you can choose whichever is best for your household.

The Aria has a ceramic interior, which means it doesn’t use Teflon or other nonstick coatings. Although these coatings are largely considered safe, there is concern that as they break down over time and at high temperatures, they can leach trace amounts of toxic polymers into food. If you’re concerned about this, ceramic-coated appliances like the Aria make great alternatives.

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Instant 6-Quart Vortex ($100)

In researching this article, I looked into which air fryers were best reviewed by other experts, and this model by the makers of the Instant Pot got consistently high marks. I’ve used it to cook sweet potato fries, falafel, and chicken wings from scratch, and to heat and crisp frozen chicken nuggets. I love how easy it is to program, how quickly it works, and the fact that it reminds me to turn my food midway through cooking.

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Two Recipes to Get You Started

Both are reprinted with permission from Shaw and Peterson’s Air Fryer Cookbook For Dummies.

Breakfast Chimichangas

Prep time: 10 minutes 

Cook time: 8 minutes

Ingredients

Four 8-inch flour tortillas

1/2 cup canned refried beans

1 cup scrambled eggs (about 2 eggs)

1/2 cup grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup salsa

Directions

Lay the flour tortillas out flat on a cutting board. In the center of each tortilla, spread two tablespoons refried beans. Next, add one-fourth cup eggs and two tablespoons cheese to each tortilla.

To fold the tortillas, begin on the left side and fold to the center. Then fold the right side into the center. Next, fold the bottom and top down and roll over to completely seal the chimichanga. Using a pastry brush or an oil mister, brush the tops of the tortilla packages with oil.

Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the chimichangas into the air-fryer basket seam side down, and air-fry for four minutes. Using tongs, turn over the chimichangas and cook for an additional two to three minutes or until light golden brown.

Serve with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream for a hearty breakfast. You can also vary it by swapping out beans with breakfast potatoes or rice. Serves four.

Pork Schnitzel

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 14 minutes 

Ingredients

4 boneless pork chops, pounded to 1/4-inch thickness

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1 teaspoon black pepper, divided

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs

1 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 teaspoon paprika

Cooking spray

1 lemon, cut into wedges

Directions

Season both sides of the pork chops with a half teaspoon of the salt and a half teaspoon of the pepper.

Place the flour on a plate, whisk the eggs in a large bowl, and place the breadcrumbs in another large bowl. Season the flour with the paprika and the breadcrumbs with the remaining salt and pepper.

To bread the pork, place a pork chop in the flour, then into the whisked eggs, and then into the breadcrumbs. Place the breaded pork onto a plate, and finish breading the remaining pork chops.

Preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the pork chops into the air fryer, keeping them from overlapping and working in batches as needed. Spray the pork chops with cooking spray and cook for eight minutes; flip the pork and cook for another four to six minutes or until cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees.

Serve with lemon wedges. For a complete German meal, add spaetzle and a tossed salad. Serves four.

via Outside Magazine: Nutrition