#Speech Therapy in Apex

[aspencenter]

Empowering Children Through Speech Therapy in Apex and Beyond

Aspen Center has been a leading provider of pediatric services and programs in the triangle area for over 18 years. Our mission is to support the growth and development of children from birth to 16 years of age through a range of specialized therapies, including speech, occupational, and feeding therapy. We are proud to serve the greater Cary, NC area, including the vibrant community of Apex, as well as Morrisville, RTP (Research Triangle Park), and New Hill.

At Aspen Center, we understand the crucial role that communication plays in a child's overall development and well-being. That's why we offer comprehensive speech therapy services designed to help children in Apex and the surrounding areas overcome communication challenges and reach their full potential. Our team of highly skilled pediatric speech-language pathologists is dedicated to evaluating and treating a wide range of communication disorders that can impact a child's ability to express themselves and understand others.

Our speech therapy program is tailored to meet the unique needs of each child we serve. We work closely with families to create personalized treatment plans that target specific areas of concern, such as articulation, language development, fluency, and social communication skills. Our therapists use evidence-based techniques and strategies, such as play-based therapy, language stimulation, and articulation drills, to help children develop the skills they need to communicate effectively and confidently.

At Aspen Center, we believe that every child deserves the opportunity to be heard and understood. Our speech therapy sessions are designed to be engaging, fun, and empowering, creating a supportive environment where children can learn, grow, and build confidence. We celebrate every milestone, no matter how small, and work collaboratively with parents, caregivers, and other professionals to ensure that progress is carried over into all aspects of the child's life.

In addition to our speech therapy services, we also offer occupational therapy and a comprehensive Feeding Clinic at Aspen Center. Our specialized feeding and swallowing therapists provide individualized therapy for children from birth to adolescence who struggle with eating and drinking. We understand that proper nutrition is essential for overall health and development, and we are committed to helping children in Apex and beyond develop healthy eating habits and skills.

If you are in the greater Cary, NC area, including Apex, Morrisville, RTP, or New Hill, and are seeking exceptional speech therapy services for your child, Aspen Center https://aspencenter.net  is here to help. With our commitment to personalized care, evidence-based practices, and a nurturing environment, we are dedicated to empowering your child to find their voice and thrive.

[katebushsbabushka]

My Story

Growing up, I never realized I was different. 

Everyone else just did. 

 I couldn’t speak until well past the age of language acquisition, and I struggled in every school subject that didn’t involve memorization until high school when I suddenly developed a high proficiency in the English language. Prior to then,  my mom was scared that I wouldn’t be as smart as my older brother, who was reading college medical textbooks for fun in high school.  

I obviously don’t have to say what we’re already thinking about him. 

Growing up, I understood foreign languages better than I did sarcasm. As a little girl, I never realized other kids didn’t wring their hands when they were upset or excited. 

But other kids certainly took the time to point out that fact to me. 

Growing up, everyone around me thought I was purposefully doing my tics just to annoy them. Everyone thought I was just actively trying to be strange. 

I wasn’t. 

I remember family members yelling at me for refusing to look people in the eye and telling me to quit acting like “less of a retard.” I remember a close family member performing, what they deemed, an accurate impersonation of me. This display included hand flapping and running around, screaming the word Sonic in the most offensive vocal tones that still make me cringe whenever I think about the memory. Sonic the Hedgehog was my first ever special interest, something I had an encyclopedic knowledge of by age fifteen and something I was brutally made fun of for years. 

I was twelve years old when this happened, and, when I brought this story up years later to combat claims that I “wasn’t autistic enough,” I was berated and told to “let things go.” 

When I was eighteen, I had so little self-worth that I entered relationships that resulted in having my boundaries violated multiple times. Everyone told me to get out and wondered what was wrong with me for allowing these men to stomp all over me. 

I didn’t think I could find a better partner. 

When I was in university, I finally broke down and saw my school’s counselor at the behest of my room mate who begged me to do so. I had a meltdown the night before in our dormitory in front of her and her boyfriend after my social needs were pushed to their apex by our friends. I was ashamed. I thought I was manipulating her. I had been told my whole life that my autistic traits were simply attention seeking behaviors. 

I thought I wanted attention. 

I wanted help. 

In therapy, my counselor begins to suspect autism spectrum disorder after I mistook my stims for OCD compulsions. I begin discussing my entire life with her. For the first time ever, I understood myself. We spend weeks in therapy talking over my entire life. I told her that I felt different from everyone, like everyone had gotten a tutorial before birth, and I simply did not. She encourages me to take self-evaluations, and I learn about the RDOS test. 

I scored nearly triple what I needed to be considered autistic. 

I report back to my therapist, who tells me she’s positive I’m on the spectrum. I begin opening up to my friends, two of whom knew me their whole lives. One of them tells me that their parent works with children on the spectrum and had been unofficially evaluating my behavior since I walked into their home, and my friend had known I was on the spectrum since elementary school and never knew how to tell me. 

I found out later that was a general consensus among my friends. 

I find out later that I was reportedly being tested for something as a toddler due to my delayed speech. The condition my physicians were attempting to diagnose though has been forgotten. My parents pulled me out of the process. 

They didn’t want to ruin my life with a label. 

A label is what saved my life. 

[confusedgoldenflower]

There is No Glorious Purpose Chap. 2

Hello, you beautiful Tesseract-loving bastards!

I've been meaning for a long time to update but I've been having a really bad time with the whole motivation thing, and what I had first thought of doing with this fic got thrown in a wood-chipper and sunk with the Titanic... so, I'm trying to pick up the pieces and decide where I want to go with this. I also wanted to do it episodically: Chapter One aligned with Episode One and so on. That has not worked partly due to the issues of the above so, well, I guess we'll find out together!

So sorry for any grammar issues, I did my best to look it over but got too sick of staring at it over and over again in my drafts.

Small Thor cameo!

Chapter Two: You Oafs

“Yeah, well, you’re a mischievous scamp--or at least, the other you is. Been killing our minutemen and stealing our reset charges. Been happening for quite a long time….” Mobius whistled lowly. Loki nodded slowly.

“If you know me or us as well as you say, what need have you of my help?”

“Like I said, mischievous scamp. And I know what makes a Loki tick, sure, but even Sherlock needed Watson sometimes--you do know about them, right? Really fun stories with a super smart detective and his below average side-kick--.”

Loki ignored the rambling, “I agree.” Perhaps then… after… peace? “Just tell me, please… is it true that I directly led to my mother’s death?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah, definitely. Thor was pissed and then he dragged you along to Svart--Svartle… anyway, the planet of the Dark Elves with Jane because she absorbed the Aether. Then you faked your death, again . There’s that ‘doing a horrible thing then getting away,’ again. But Thor totally gets you back on Sakaar with those Obedience Disks. Yeah, yeah… oh, right, you don’t know--and won’t. He slaps one of ‘em on you when you betray him again, then dials it up all the way while he returns to Asguard. For a god, you get put down a lot .” Mobius chuckled.

Loki sucked in a shuddering breath, reverently laid the Tesseract down and stood, “let us catch this scoundrel then.” He faked a smile for the agent.

“Ok,” Mobius clapped and rubbed his hands together, “what a therapy session!”

Loki had a fleeting thought of, “he must be some Midguardian fool, possibly in some relation to Thor,” before he remembered that the all powerful Time Keepers had created the oaf in front of him.

“Ya know, for the record, maybe ‘undying fidelity,’ wasn’t the right thing to say to Thanos. Just saying. But this is good! We’re gonna be a great team.”

~~~@%*^*%@~~~

“Loki,” the orange clock whined on his ‘gifted’ desk. Though still somewhat transparent, Miss Minutes was a fairly good illusion.

“Yes?” He replied pleasantly, blue hand turning the page of a magazine. His slack-clad legs were propped on the desk, fine business shoes not too far from where she stood on a rather large book. The suit replacement of the prison wear wasn’t bad, he, of course, would have done better had he access to his seidr. But it was fine for the time being.

“Are you paying attention?” The angry little clock motioned to the old Midguardian computer screen which read in that same horrible orange color:

LET’S SEE WHAT YA KNOW!

Q2. Thanos has two apples. He eats both but realizes he wants more. He goes back in time 20 minutes and eats the apples again. Does this mean the apples will not have existed in the timeline he left?

No, because time is constantly happening

The question doesn’t matter because a branch cannot change another time branch

Thanos would’ve been hungry prior because the Grandfather paradox already accounted for the change in matter before it’s move.

TVA FILE EDIT VIEW MODE HELP

Of course he was paying attention, and of course he chose not to amuse them! One order after another; feeding off of each other even. He may have bowed to Thanos but he had never kneeled. Not truly. And he clung to that remaining dignity.

“Naturally,” he returned pleasantly. She sighed.

“What happens when a nexus event branches past red line?”

“Ragnarok.”

“Come on, Loki. What is it?... Loki!”

“It is when the TVA can no longer reset a nexus event. Are you satisfied?’

“Right. And that would lead to the destruction of the timeline and the collapse of reality as we know it.” He lowered the magazine lower into his lap and took his feet off the desk.

“Yes, indeed. Are you alive or a recording? Clearly, you can hear me.”

Her big cartoonish eyes moved around, “uh… sorta both?”

“So not an illusion or projection?” He swiped at her with the rolled up magazine.

“Ah!” A small smirk ghosted his face and he went after her again.

“Watch it! Where are your manners? Oh! Hey! Quit it! That is not nice, ya jerk!” She floated and then fazed back into the computer. He gave that ugly thing a few whacks as well. She pouted on the other side of the screen.

“Trainin’ going wel--is that my jet ski magazine? Put it down, Blue-Raz.” Mobius ripped the magazine from him, swivelled to his desk then swiveled again to flop a jacket in front of Loki.

“Gear up, there’s been an attack. Let’s go.” The agent commanded. Loki picked up the jacket. It unfolded from the collar, back facing him. “VARIANT” was emblazoned across it.

“Ah,” was all he commented as he moved to slip it on before his handler got any ideas while he was led down hallways. Norns knew the agent would have plenty of examples in his own life up to that point, much less his future or other variants.

“Good. Yeah. Smart.” Mobius commented with his fists in a move reminiscent of excited warriors as said human stopped to look back at his charge and the newly bestowed article of clothing. B-15 gave her usual droll stare. Her minutemen stood around her in a group.

“ C-20 and her team went dark shortly after they jumped into the 1985 branch. All signs point to another ambush. We've grabbed enough temporal aura to know it's our Loki Variant.”

The “actually dangerous” sort, Loki groused silently. Then Mobius opened his mouth.

“Here's the deal. When we get out on the branch, we're not just looking for a Time Criminal. We're looking for a Loki. A variation of this guy. A type we should all be very familiar with, because the TVA has pruned a lotta these guys, almost more than any other Variant. And no two are alike. Slight differences in appearances, or not so slight. Different powers, although, powers generally include shape-shifting, illusion-projection, and my favorite... Duplication-casting. Illusion-Projection.”

Mobius gestured to him when applicable in his little speech, also projecting other variations of Loki with his TemPad--all assumedly pruned likewise. Variation 8: L6792 looked exactly like he would now had he’d been afforded the luxury of keeping his clothes, but also with slight differences that led Loki to think that that variant must have been favored royally in some way he was rejected.

Variation 8: L1247 looked like a Midguardian sportsman happily holding a trophy of some kind. Variation 8: L6792 was an atrocity of him and the Hulk combined. Variation 8: L8914 was more strongly built with more prominent hair curls in their longer hair. They stood like dignitary with their hands behind them. Variation 8: L7803 looked like an oaf. A full, half-face helmet emblazoned with the horns in the wrong direction and even a piece of turf over the shoulder like a cape. Oh, dear….

“No.”

“...Huh?”

“Those two powers are completely different, although, I am unsurprised you cannot comprehend it.”

“Loki, what are you talking about--look, I’ve dealt with more of you than you’ve dealt with yourself.”

“The truth remains that those powers are not the same.”

“Then, please, Loki, tell me.”

Loki smiled easily and supplicatingly at the contempt and patronization, just like talking to anyone in Asguard.

“ Illusion-projection involves depicting a detailed image from outside oneself, which is perceptible in the external world, whereas duplication-casting entails recreating an exact facsimile of one's own body in its present circumstance, which acts as a true holographic mirror of its molecular structure.”

“Ok, take a breath. Noted. We’re gonna break into two teams, including myself and Professor Loki here”

B-15 still looked unamused and dubious.

“Whoever the Variant is, we haven’t been able to find them so I’m the Sherlock and he’s my Watson. Look, this’ll work.” Mobius said to her. She side-eyed Loki, Loki who had nothing but a branded jacket to protect himself with.

“And so my agency in this is to… tell you how brilliant you are.”

“Go outside, maybe touch some grass.” Mobius returned with a tilted smile under his twisted nose.

“Ah. I shall protect myself with your wit, then, should this superior being choose me as a next target.”

Mobius chuckled and mimed “talky-talky” again.

He passed through the portal B-15 had summoned, closed in on both ends by TVA agents. Immediately, he could feel his seidr swell within him again and redonned his Aesir glamor. The choker chafed as he glanced around, and he found himself much preferring the biting metal of the chains he was usually imprisoned in. The place they passed into was a celebration of old Midguardian times, further back than what the TVA modeled itself after, in direct juxtaposition of the modern technology with the humans held in their hands, and had used to both get to the location and create their sometimes elaborate costumes.

“Apex of nexus signature located, ma'am,” a minuteman said as they walked.

“Allow me to ask you this, why do we not travel to the moments prior to the Variant’s attack, to when they arrive.” Loki asked as the tent grew ever nearer.

“Nexus events destabilize the time flow. This branch is still changing and growing, so you gotta show up in real time. Did you watch any of the training videos you were supposed to?”

The minutemen twisted their batons, the ends glowing a shade that seemed to haunt the TVA as they neared.

Loki chuckled a laugh that was never and would never be heartfelt, “my dear Sherlock, you should know I am quite the scholar. But these ‘reset charges,’ they ‘prune’ a branched timeline which ‘allows time to heal all wounds.’”

Mobius made an odd gesture towards him, “he’s on it.”

Within the dark, torch-lit tent, limp minutemen laid about the displays which held real weapons and a large, stepped seating construct. Their bodies were splayed out in obvious struggle. Unactivated batons laid around as well, a few clenched in hands. A helmet bearing “C-20” laid, discarded within the scene. Loki hovered a hand over one display as he passed and they grouped around the scene.

“So he's taking hostages now?” B-15 spat.

“The Variant's never taken a hostage before,” Mobus returned.

“Maybe he's upping his game.”

“Or he pruned her,” a minuteman remarked.

“A Loki couldn't have gotten the jump on C-20.” B-15 returned.

“Fan out and search for her. And hurry up, we're at three units until red line.” B-15 ordered, her minutemen immediately moving to obey.

“Let's go. She's right.” A peon echoed.

Mobius concurred, “Come on.”

“Wait….” Loki said, brow knit as he studied the scene.

“What do you see?” Mobius asked as he stepped away from the entrance.

“I see wolf’s teeth.”

“Yeah, ok,” Mobius motioned for him to hurry and Loki got brief satisfaction that the human had no idea what he was talking about.

“‘Where there are wolf’s ears, there are wolf’s teeth,’” Loki echoed one of many sayings he heard during his childhood, especially before bed. He swallowed down the thought of a certain story about blue, darkly lined and vicious monsters.

“Ridiculous, really,” he laughed hallowly, “my people are gullible fools by nature. You remind me of them; the Time Variance Authority and the great gods of Asgard. One and the same. Drunk with power, blinded to the truth. Those you underestimate will devour you, and we’ve just walked into a wolf’s mouth.” He raked his eyes across his audience as he spoke, kneeling down in front of the helmet and stroking his hand in the grassy turf. The minutemen seemed to falter ever so slightly, B-15 rolled her eyes, and Mobius stared.

A TemPad beeped, “two units, he’s wasting our time.”

“No, step outside this tent and my other Variant will devour you,” Loki stated plainly. It was easy, nearly in a terrifying way, how he fell into the usual routine he had had with his oaf of a brother and his lackeys, who, similarly, never headed his words.

“We need to look for C-20.” B-15 repeated.

“Come on, Loki, we don’t have time for your lies.”

“Oh, I am not lying, and out of curiosity, when you find them, will you prune us both seeing as you will not have any need of me?”

Mobius sighed and gesticulated like a frustrated middle-aged Midguardian, “he’s lying.”

Loki’s head turned to the side minutely, in a ghost of a head shake. His stomach turned the way it usually did when he knew things were about to--.

“Aghr!” A minuteman had exited and had been consequently slaughtered. A brawl broke out just outside the small entrance. Innocent event-goers made exclamations outside as well. Batons revved, and B-15 and Mobius stalked to the opening. Loki walked behind them.

“The charge!” Someone yelled. The fight continued. A cloaked figure with amazing skill in combat fought them all while a crowd of civilians formed around them. There were a few smiles and jeers, no doubt thinking it was all a show.

“On behalf of t-... the Time Va-...Variance Authority, I hereby-... arrest you for-... for crimes against the… Sacred Timeline, V-… Variant!” B-15 huffed between blows.

“Ergh!” A minuteman got pruned. Loki’s cloaked variant said nothing, only continued fighting. He backed back into the tent, took aloft a jousting lance, broke it half and reemerged. For all their combined ability, the TVA was losing. The glow of pruning swung around arbitrarily. He dipped into the fight and caught his counterpart’s cutlass in the cross the two ends of the lance made.

“Pardon me, I mean no intrusion,” he said calmly to his other self, noticing a similar collar of metal that had adorned his own garments. He could feel the other’s tension as they reclaimed their sword and focused solely on him. It proved more of a poor decision than anticipated and he found himself holding his breath in pain more than he’d wanted. The wood was also useless and even though both it and he put up a valiant fight, his other self had taken hold of a baton along the line. His weapons were useless as they continued to share blows. He lowered the stubs of wood and opened his arms. The glowing end came close.

Then it wasn’t.

The grunting that followed was B-15 and Mobius disarming the variant of the baton and nearly restraining them.

“About to redline!” A remaining minuteman nearly yelled. B-15 and Mobius shared a look. A door was opened and Loki found the cloaked figure disappearing into a flurry of gold.

“What in the Rolling Stones was that, Blue-Raz?!” Mobius had him hard by the shoulder of both his jacket and dress shirt.

Loki blinked once then made eye contact with Mobius, “what ever do you mean?”

“He was about to kill you!”

“Prune,” Loki politely corrected. Mobius gawked.

“I kno--what were you thinking?!”

“Your only use of me is to capture me, I was assisting in that.”

“By letting you be killed by yourself?!”

“A mere distraction to the larger goal, Mobius.”

“And it almost worked,” B-15 piped from somewhere beside them. Her voice had dropped a tone or two.

“Yeah… almost had ‘im too.” Mobius admitted, letting Loki go. “But seriously, man, what was that?”

“Nearly fulfilling my role, as you yourself stated.” Loki replied pleasantly.

“We also barely pruned it in time and got outta there with our lives.” B-15 stated.

“Yeah…” Mobius rubbed the back of his head with his other hand on his hip as he stared at the floor. I was not lying, Loki wanted to say. To push. To scream. But he instead focused on the ache in his back. It should be fine in a matter of a few more hours given the time he had for recovery before the Tesseract opened the portal in New York and he was knocked from the Mind Stone’s, and thus Thanos’, direct influence.

~~~@%*^*%@~~~

Loki subconsciously touched his hideously blue palm as he waited outside of the judge’s office for his handler. The doors were decorated with sandglasses. How quaint .

Mobius finally emerged, stalking right past him. Loki fell in step behind him. He realized such only after he’d done it.

An angry finger wagged in front of him as they walked, “one thing, Loki, that’s all I asked.”

“The ‘talk’ from earlier.”

“No! Catching the superior version of yourself. We lost guys out there today-- good guys!” Good, yes, ‘good guys’ who also happened to have erased who knows how many people from existence.

“There would have been a lot more had I not been there and, likewise, a lot less had I been heeded.”

“And there you go again. That narcissism! Do you ever stop? Get tired of yourself?”

Loki didn’t respond as Mobius stopped and whirled on him, only gave him his schooled expression.

“I’m on thin ice ‘cause of you. I saved you, remember that? Didn’t that mean anything to your Asguardian standards or personal morals or anything?”

“If you recall, I was about to meet that fate regardless as I helped you bring in my Variant. I also have little doubt you will delete me if I survive assisting you in their arrest either way.”

“Oh, so I’m the bad guy? Ok. Well that other you is worse, remember that. He’s killed a lot of people--more than you. You’re just a little blue ice runt, crying in the cold.”

Loki chuckled and didn’t even need to bite back the urge to correct this “Loki expert.”

“Ever get tired of playing this same old part?” Mobius continued bitterly, “I’m getting sick of your constant need for sympathy, Loki!”

“Mobius?” He asked after allowing a few minutes to pass.

“What?” Mobius mumbled.

“This other Variant is after reset charges, why not supervise another ‘pruning’ in case we find the correct branch they target. How many happen in a day, usually?”

~~~@%*^*%@~~~

Loki almost choked when they entered into an Aguardian hall. The was beautiful and towering and held stones and architecture he could rewrite the books about. For one blissful second, he closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of his homeland--or the place he was raised. His glamor fell over him unconsciously.

Then he had to play follow-the-leader with the TVA peons. He rounded a large corner and immediately knew how many steps it would take to get to his room, his mother’s and Thor’s.

“Loki?” A familiar voice boomed. Loki tensed. Mobius cast him a “good luck” glance and mumbled, “I’ll be back for ya, Blue-Raz”

Loki had the urge to run him through followed by his brother who should not—it didn’t matter, the timeline would be reset. The Thor bounding up behind him would be pruned with everything else… why did that hurt? He turned to face his adopted sibling.

“Loki, it is you? Isn’t it? I mean you look horrendous in that getup, but it’s you!” Thor held his hands out in what could only be described as reverence. But the esteemed Asguardian Prince was wearing dirty Midguardian clothes and had a beer gut to match. How? Barely any time had elapsed between that moment and when they were facing down in New York.

“It is me but what happened to you, brother?”

A shadow came over Thor’s face. His hands lowered and he reached out to Loki.

“Tell me the truth,” he whispered, “did you just escape the dungeons?”

Loki held his gaze for a few long moments. The timeline will be reset. There is no harm in it.

“No, Thor, I never—this me never went to the dungeons. Never came back to Asguard.”

Thor hissed an inhalation of breath as his eyes widened.

“Thor what happened to you? Why do you have mismatched eyes? Where is your armor? Or Mjolnir?”

“Oh, Loki! Loki. Loki. Loki.” Thor’s voice trembled with false laughter and an emotion Loki didn’t know, “what--you look horrendous. What in the Nine Realms are you wearing?”

“Thor, it is good to see you, but I’m afraid I don’t have the time for a chat.” Loki returned, clipped. Redline grew ever nearer.

Thor’s face fell again, “Loki… just tell me you’re alive. That I didn’t fail you on the Statesmen--Thanos is dead now, I-I killed him! I-... I killed him… I avenged you.”

“Oh, Thor,” Loki found himself saying as Thor’s eyes shined and tears spilled onto his cheeks. He allowed himself to be squeezed in the other’s arms… and found it to be the best hug he’d ever received… or the only hug….

“Thor… Thor, are you listening?” Thor only sobbed into his shoulder, holding Loki up against his beer gut and off of the actual floor.

“Y-yes?”

“Very soon, this timeline will be reset which means you will have never seen me here. So tell me, what happened to you?”

Thor whined in the back of his throat and plopped Loki back down, it was just hard enough to make pain spike up his nearly healed spine.

“I--You--Thanos--.”

Loki laid his arms on Thor’s biceps, squeezing gently, Thor shuttered then took a breath and smiled fondly at him. Fondly. Thor never did that. What sort of--how is he not the Variation?

“So after Ragnarok, Thanos… had all the Stones and killed half of what was left of Asguard including you. I wasn’t able to--I’m sorry.”

“Just tell me, Thor, I am right here.”

“Then I was found by the space morons and went to Nidevelir to forge Storm Breaker because Hela broke Mjolnir before Sakaar--Ragnarok happened because of her. Then we battled with the Avengers in Wakanda and… I didn’t go for the head! How could I have not gone for the head?! Thanos snapped and…. It was horrible, brother. Absolutely horrible. The whole universe. And so many extinctions followed and more tragedies. I-....” He hung his head. “I tried to drown my worries like the ‘oaf’ I am….”

“I thought your annoying little group was the ‘Avengers’ not the ‘Alcoholics.’”

“... Ha!” Thor slapped him on the back. The statement seemed to have brought about the intended reaction.

“Yes! Of course! So five years later, we found him and I slayed him! But Tony and Scott found a way to move through time to get the stones to undo it all, and so we did, and we succeeded! But still, Thanos haunted us and we had a final battle--which we won!” Thor seemed to have noticed himself that he was about to go into one of his long winded stories of victory, and cut it short.

Then his smile abated and his beard fell, “Loki, Steve and Tony lost the Tesseract in 2012 to you…?”

“Yes, yes, that would be me, brother.”

A gasp of breath as Thor readied himself for the most bone crushing hug in the universe was all that was afforded to Loki.

“Thor,” he wheezed slightly, “I know I was not kindest to you but must you kill me prematurely?”

“Oh, Loki! I never threw you off the Bifrost, and I-!”

“Charge is set, we gotta boogie!” Mobius interrupted, jogging over.

Thor allowed the interruption if only to interrogate him, “and who are you? How and why do you command my brother? If you are with Tha-!”

To Loki’s astonishment, a few electrical charges emanate off of his brother.

“No, time to talk. Put Loki down We gotta get outta Dodge.”

Thor’s grip tightened, “Thor, just do it!” Loki groused. Thor did. Mobius opened the portal.

“Sorry, big guy, big fan but I need your Buddy. You ever think of trying Old Spice?”

“Ah--I just--Loki just returned to me as he always does and you expect me to just give up?!”

“Thor, do not follow us, I would rather not see you get deleted.”

Heavy feet crossed through the yellow threshold and left 2023 Thor in 2014 with a gaping mouth and tear stained cheeks.

“So no Loki!” Mobius announced as he clapped his hands together, “that means we gotta get to work!” He went on to walk at a brisk pace. Loki trailed after, blinking back the stinging in his now red eyes.

“I was of the understanding that is what we were doing,” he put a hand over his throat while he cleared it.

“I need you to go over each and every one of this Variant's case files, and then, give me your... How do I put it?... Your unique Loki perspective. And who knows? Maybe there's something that we missed.”

Seeing as how you are so hypocritical, I would be surprised if you had not missed anything. Honestly, “all you Lokis are the same” yet in the same breath, “no Loki variant is exactly alike.” I think as I do.

“You are the expert, I trust your judgement” Loki said instead.

“That's why I'm lucky I got ya for a little bit longer. Let me park ya at this desk. And don't be afraid to really lean into this work. Here's a good trick for you: pretend your life depends on it. I'm gonna get a snack.”

For all his countless hours spent in not only the Grand Library, but others around Asguard and the other Realms, he found himself having little interest in sifting through all the instances in which that other version of him overcame the great TVA and triggered more animosity against themselves--and all other Lokis.

“Any motive, Sherlock?” He asked dryly.

“That’s what you’re for!” The agent chuckled, poked at his chest and walked away.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the agent walk away then turned his attention to the paperwork. The pattern was known to begin with but became… inane the more pages he flipped through: nexus event, dispensed TVA agents, the team goes silent, they’re found dead and without the reset charge, Mobius, the expert, is called in for investigation and then the branch is reset before redline.

One Loki… only one to best their happy little teams. I was bested, but I also have extenuating circumstances of the past year. Without Thanos’ interruption, could I have?... Yes, I fought alongside Thor and his foolish troup of warriors, I would have been able to exact my own damage. For a ‘timeline protection force,’ how are they schooled in combat?

“Pardon me,” he tapped the librarian’s bell. She turned to him with a nonplussed expression.

“Could you show me to the combat regimens of our dear agents?”

“No.”

“Infographics?”

“No.”

“Battle end-games?”

“No.”

“Well, you have been very helpful, thank you.” It was still a library after all and he more than knew his way around one seidr or not; his mind was still intact--somewhat intact and that had always been his greatest weapon.

So he sat back down at the table to form a plan of action, so to speak, of how he could find the files he wanted in the fastest and most assured way. But, he still had all the paperwork of this other Loki, dripping in red. Oozing. Gushing. Like Thor’s cape as yet more enemies were put to ruin under his brother’s sheer might. He never envied that red; never thought he could own it or have it become him… yet this other version had jumped--leapt into that pool of blood and ended all who stood in their way. Incapacitation would have sufficed. Has sufficed in innumerable cases. He’d both saved lives of his comrades and stupid brother, and saw the end goal in such a way.

He gasped and leapt up, running along the railing of the library.

“Mobius--.”

“No, I said, ‘don’t bother me until you’ve read all the files,’ and I know you don’t read that fast.” Mobius set his Js\osta down with a hard thonk .

“I have, but unimportant--.” Loki slid into the seat across from the agent in the cafeteria.

“No, read every file pertaining to the Variant.”

“The answer does not lie in the files, it lies on the timeline!” Mobius gave him a dangerous look at the slight raising of his voice. Loki took a breath.

“Look,” Loki began again with his arms fanning over the table, “they’re hiding in apocalypses.”

“Which one? There’s, like, a million?”

“Take Ragnarok, I assume you are familiar?”

“Yeah, total destruction of your weird coin planet and most of its people because of your sister Hela. I’m sorry.”

Sister? Hela? Thor mentioned her--unimportant now.

“Yes, well, that recent visit with Thor got me thinking…?”

Mobius regarded him but eventually sighed and sat back, making a small gesture, “yeah, sure, ok.”

“Nexus events happen when someone does something that is not meant to happen--.”

“A bit more complicated but yeah.”

“These can culminate into entire other timelines--.”

“Chaotic alterations of a predetermined outcome.” Loki did his best to ignore the interruptions. He forced animation into his movements as if trying to explain it to Thor. That was best, pretend he was explaining something that now seemed so basic to the warrior.

“Alright! So this is Asgard,” he plundered the agent’s salad bowl. Said agent gave sad push back. Loki continued.

“I could travel back to Asgard preceding Ragnarok and do whatever I wished; switch crowns, resoil linens, topple some columns. I could destroy the Rainbow Bridge.” He grabbed the small salt shaker and started pouring some in. Mobius mourned his food. Loki was not fed.

“None of this would matter. Not if I set fire to the courtyard. Or even killed the Allfather!”

“Why--Lo--God, Loki!”

“Excuse me,” Loki greeted Casey kindly at an adjacent table, “are you finished with this?”

Casey, who had his bunched napkin thrown on his plate in clear sign of being finished looked from his crumpled juice box to Loki, “you!”

“Yes, very nice to see you again,” Loki took the drink container and poured it into the salad, secretly relishing how the agent utterly deflated.

“Due to Surtur!” Loki finished.

Mobius rubbed his hand down his face, “what am I lookin’ at?”

“Apocalypses, Holmes.”

“Loki, you just apocalypse my lunch, I wanted to eat that!”

“You want my other Variant.”

Mobius leaned onto the table, “cut to the chase.”

“That is how they have escaped you for so long; no matter what happens, an apocalypse negates anything that would otherwise summon the TVA.”

“Oh, not bad. Not Bad. Hey, so, how do you weigh over five hundred pounds?”

That was a “jackknife”--as Midgaurdians may say--that he did not expect.

Mobius raised his hands, “hey, I’m not judging, just curious.”

“Focus, Mobius, please.”

“Ok, ok. My salad. Destroyed.” Another despondent hand waved at the bowl.

“I can show you my theory is true.”

Mobius laughed, “I’m not letting you go.”

“You come with me, naturally,” Loki pushed.

“Well, I’ve had enough of your troublemaking for one day.”

“No one has to know unless I am correct--which I am.”

“TVA agents can’t just go running around anyway. Waltzing into the White House would be a Nexus event.”

You are not listening!

“Pompeii, for instance, you Midguardians like talking about that catastrophe, we could go there!”

“Pompeii?”

“Pompeii. Everyone died and that town was not even the worst hit of the eruption of Vesuvius.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Talk, talk, talk. Oh, you’re so smart!” Mobius sneered and wiped his mouth with his napkin despite not having spilled anything much less eaten enough to make a mess of his face. No food for either of them it seemed.

“If I go along with this and you stab me in the back, you’re getting erased. Capische?”

“Understood,” I am fully expecting that regardless.

[dukeofriven]

Good In The World

I meant what I said with that extended LOTR quote being what the Epilogues are about - about there being good in the world, and it being worth fighting for. Given that I’ve been up to my neck reading Hussie commentary lately I feel like I’ve gotten a pretty strong grasp on what makes him tick - and who boy does this guy love stories about friendship, teamwork, and love, loves them so much he sometimes sounds like Téa Gardner about to lay down a friendship speech on Yu-Gi-Oh. So - while noting that the extent to which the epilogues are and are not Hussie’s work are even more muddled that usual in regards Homestuck - the take-away is this: everything went wrong, in both Meat and Candy, because everyone forgot that - that friendship, teamwork, and love is the only reason any of them survived. The Sburb survivors came to Earth-C as literal gods, beings of inordinate celebrity and power, and then didn’t work as hard as they should have to still be friends and family. We point to John as some kind of recluse but it quickly becomes clear that everyone stopped working at staying together. Karkat and Dave are as much shut-ins as John, stewing together in their own incapacity. Katkat’s self-loathing, so often a hilarious joke in Homestuck is - free of the immediate pressures of Sburb - shown to be intensely debilitating. It undermines him repeatedly in Meat, and requires incipit genocide in Candy to be set aside, costing him everything that mattered on a personal level. Dave made the mistake of many in his position before him, leaning too much on the first epiphany about trauma and not taking the care to continue down the path to further healing and reconciliation with the past. It leaves him desperately reaching for intimacies he too scared of to actually experience. Coupled with an abused kid’s terror of perpetuating harm he lies to Karkat and Jade both time and time again to try and save their feelings. Jade, so utterly fucked up by years of isolation and loneliness, and so endearingly, crushingly full of love makes all the wrong decisions in trying to build a triad (that is - the triad could have worked, but she went about it all wrong) and makes two separate instantiations of Dave and Karkat miserable. Rose and Kanaya have no malice in their actions, but they do what married people always do: pull away from everyone else, and focus on themselves and their new lives. Harmless, normally - or, at least, not seriously harmful - but those lives took them underground and away from everyone else, The two most insightful and level-headed members of the party simply weren’t around when everyone needed them most. Unaware how bad things were getting they missed so many of the warning sides that would have clued them in earlier that everyone was going off the rails - and being as isolated as she was in Meat this left Rose vulnerable to the manipulation most likely to succeed: just like with Doc Scratch she was preyed upon by someone who could flatter her sense of grievance, knowledge, and uniqueness. Terezi wouldn’t have stood by and let things go to shit - but she was doomed the moment she tied her heart to ego personified, and so was absent too.  As for the Alphas, well - their problems were never resolved in the first place, their 'conflict arcs’ interrupted by the arrival of the betas. Only Roxy, element of void, utterly self-contained, a refugee from a dead reality, walked onto Earth-C able to withstand the horror that awaited them: celebrity. Skaia is benevolent, but it is not wise: Sburb seems to have a cherub’s worldview, full of bright colours and heightened stories, but not much maturity. When the victors of Sburb escaped to Earth-C the last thing they needed was celebrity, praise, and positions of note. The issues are all laid out in the prologue: John retired before he ever started working, every one of them richer than any mortal could conceive of. These kids didn’t need parades, they needed to go school. Jane didn’t need honorary degrees from every business school on the planet, Jake didn’t need a TV show centred entirely around his ass: what everyone needed was to be aggressively ordinary. Mundane and unregarded. They needed to put everyone in a group home with four on-staff counselors and take a chunk of years doing nothing but heal. Because everyone was damaged. Other than Calliope - a special case - everybody walked out of Sburb having witnessed at least one apocalypse. Put aside any of the individual traumas and deaths and abuses and sins and just focus on that alone: the death of entire worlds and the burden of saving seven sentient species. Rather than the ultimate Reward being a sit-down with kindly professionals who could help a bunch of kids cope with that, these literal children entered a new world and built new lives on a foundation of dust. The beta kids never finished seventh grade. Jane Crocker never finished high school. Jade Harley, Jake English, Roxy Lalonde, and Dirk Strider never went to school at all. Not one of those four had ever been around more than four humans in their lives until the day they won the game. They couldn’t have. Jade and Jake grew up alone on islands. Roxy and Dirk grew up in the apocalypse. Dirk grew up in a literal box. As Cascade hit Dave and John were the only living humans Jade had ever met who wasn’t her grandpa: and she spent three years alone on a ship with only the Nannasprites and consorts for company. (And Jaspers to chase.) For those four especially, think about they went through within 24-hours: BAM here’s a group of people including your alt-relatives and literal aliens BAM here’s a crazy fucking battle against technicolour chess people, killer dogs, and fish queens BAM here’s a pristine new-ish world better BAM produce thousands of species to populate a new world /TABLE SCRATCH/ Welcome to Earth-C in the year 5000 Celebrity Gods. Here’s your debit cards full of riches. Seriously - this all happens in about a day. And yet people are shocked that things didn’t work out? They were sixteen years old. Four of them had no formal education of any kind, nor had ever been around enough to people to form a softball team. And that’s not even starting on the trolls, who had multiple culture-shocks and traumas of their own the sort through. And yet people are shocked that things didn’t work out? There is, absolutely, a way all of this could have been addressed and become a happy ending. If you don’t like the Epilogues because you’re just sick and fucking tired of tragedy stories - boy do I feel you. Man, don’t get me started on shit like Westword we will be here all week. If you just wanted there to be a fucking happy ending because god-damnit people deserve to be happy - I feel that too. Had that been what we got I can’t say that I’d have been displeased. But if you’re angry because what happened in the Epilogues seems “unreasonable”  all I can do is wave my arms at all the shit everybody went through and ask you why going from that to retired celebrity godhood was good for anyone. What happened on Earth-C was nobody’s fault - not even Dirk’s. Of course he lost it. Of course he took his godhood to its logical conclusions - what possible grounding in real human beings had he ever seriously had, and what in his life was there to make him see people as people? Dude grew up alone in a box with SBAHJ and rapping robots for company - the only voice in his head his own, magnified in the echo chamber of ego and his own blindness to his inadequacies.  Why wouldn’t Jane cling to status quo of her dead world? Really, what did Sburb ever bring her but heartbreak, an excessively baroque Bad Relationship Simulator that took away her home and her position as a corporate heiress for a six month romp through a bunch of dead planets and inter-friend squabbling (We don’t talk about how fucking boring the alpha session was: nothing but undead and emptiness.) She reaches a new world, gets told how smart she is, gets a bunch of degrees - but as Dave himself notes, when you’re rich as can be and have everyone on the planet lining up to do business with you, it’s pretty easy to think you’re actually skilled at running things, especially if YOU STOPPED YOUR EDUCATION AT SIXTEEN AND GOT TOLD THAT YOUR SIXTEEN YEAR OLD SELF WAS THE APEX OF YOUR BEING. Take a moment to remember yourself at sixteen. Try to put sixteen year old you in charge of something meaningfully important - like, mmh, let’s say a regional bank. Uh - oh. Oh dear. Oh it’s on fire, is it? And the fire is spreading? Yeah, that’ll happen. [One glaring issue I’ll note in these epilogues is that nobody knows what the fuck to do about Dad Crocker, so they do... nothing, until Candy reminds you he exists in order to kill him to motivate Jane to do something she probably could have been easily prompted to do anyways by another means. I guess Dad Crocker just... happily let Jane not finish school or exert any kind of parental control at all after that point? On her or anybody else? You want to talk about OOC: what the fuck happened with Dad Crocker, of whom I expected better? And where did Tavrosprite and the Nannasprites go?] My point in all this is that Homestuck is a story about how important love, teamwork, and friendship is, and after the Earth-C victory everybody got lost. Everybody reacted to being Celebrity Gods in their own way, and it created little cracks that widened over time, and when everyone should have been coming closer together - group therapy sessions, even - they got further and farther apart. These emotionally-stunted mentally-teenaged kids with buckets of trauma, the power of gods, and the celebrity to match broke. One by one. All in their own unique ways. The Epilogues are in some sense a musing on the absurdity of adulthood - how its mantel is placed upon you regardless of whether you are ready or not, for reasons as arbitrary as ‘turning a certain age’ or ‘winning a video game.’ In some cases it takes our heroes DECADES of life before adulthood - before real maturity - begins to make something of an appearance, and even then it’s a crapshoot. Love, friendship, and teamwork are what matter in Homestuck: in the epilogues it takes years of monumentally boneheaded decisions for our heroes to remember this, and some of them never do.

Is there still a happy ending at the end of Homestuck? One that lies ahead? I think so. Hussies loves his characters dearly - and yes, he does. Of course he does. He didn’t spend ten years of his life telling the story of one dimensional Brechtian Archetypes to make some otiose point about the nature of narrative: if he had none of you would be feeling as you are now.  The difference between you and Andrew Hussie is that you see his characters like family: you leap to their defence whenever they are hurt, and when they are cut you bleed: “How?” you ask, “Could anyone be so cruel to do this thing?” But Hussie sees his characters as characters, in a story of which he is author, and in which pain and hurt and tragedy can be the vehicles through which good stories can be told: that the light is made all the brighter because of the quantity and quality of darkness that was banished. Candy and Meat are the story of a boy who can only destroy love because he thinks he understands it, and lashes-out when things don’t go as planned. Dirk is just as much the villain in Candy as in Meat, as Calliope makes very clear: the Candyverse is in some sense defined, or at least made more distinct, by his absence. He is a tragic figure on the macro scale - if only he and all the walking wounded of Sburb had been given help when they needed it - but his death in Candy is not a tragedy of ‘what ifs,’ it’s an act of petulance and cruelty by a kid who’ll take his ball and go home if he’s not allowed to play the winning game. His death destabilizes the Candyverse far more than John’s choice to stay, its just that its corrosive effects take longer to be obvious - and the gears he’d already set in motion didn’t cease to turn, though they may have slowed. Dirk destroys love, his effect on both timelines is to push people apart because division suits him, and to push his own view of what ‘love’ is on people who experience it far more expansively than he could ever imagine. He’s a sad little boy who grew up in alone in a box and entered a world that told him he was a literal god with the powers to match - by the end of Meat it’s clear that love, friendship, and teamwork mean nothing to him, only the perfect order of his own fevered imagination. What will bring him down in the end is the reclamation of that feeling at the end of Act 7 - the joy of victory, of having worked together, of the love of family both found and familial, and of the realization that they were none of them better apart. And then some therapists. Some actual therapists. For a good long time. (Also I hope that they find Doc Scratch and beat his sorry ass from here to eternity because that smug fuck has his puppety fingertips all over this thing, and if Dirk really is merging with his ultimate self that includes (as @geekycalligrapher noted) aspects that wound up in Lord English, including a not insignificant portion of one Doctor Vanilla Milkshake, Esq.) (Edit: I did, in fact, do a few edits when I noticed the opening sentences were missing things like ‘the subject.’)

[adashi-lives]

7/21 - Canon Reunion

Shiro's speech at the end of S7 begins, "Today is a solemn day…" The scenes play out as planned, with that feeling of hope and recovery finally happening after the grueling season. The camera cuts back to Shiro as he says the heartbreaking lines "It truly feels like a light has gone out…" and the captain blinks more than usual but doesn't shy away from the sadness as he gives his speech. He wasn't the only one who lost people that meant the world, even from galaxies away. Trying to hide that didn't feel right. He didn't cry at that moment, but everyone in the audience could feel the deep longing in his voice; regret of what happened, but still strengthened from their victory.

As he finishes the sentiment, the camera zooms in on Adam's plaque, with the final words seeming to reverberate off the cold metal "...and the sun itself couldn't reignite it." 

Another scene begins, the memorial fading to show a shrouded, scarred face in its place.

This face matches every line perfect, only with dark orange of the sunrise surrounding the figure as his eyes look along the plains of this Arizona desert. The gaze breaks momentarily as it signals behind him to others of similar dress. Once the group is in position atop the Mesa, every man, woman, and child accounted for, the one wearing the face on plaque fires a Garrison issued flare into the air as Shiro's tone shifts "but that light has not gone out completely".

The speech continues, the hospital recovery scenes play out, but at the end, there is Shiro in physical therapy testing out a new altean arm, a hybrid of his previous arm and the Atlas floating one, and he is assisting the first few steps of a rebel soldier fitted with a new Altean leg. Shiro’s arm can easily hold up the tall figure, but there is an extra sense of familiarity and closeness. The figure also leans carefully against Shiro’s shoulder, the scene fading out as they hold each other’s gaze.

As the speech reaches its apex, speaking of hope and resilience, the scenes play out with the Paladins helping reparations. The only difference is that the rebel soldier has returned to his Garrison officer uniform, matching Shiro’s as they work together as leaders making sure everyone is returned safe. 

The final scene of them in front of the new armaments shows the comfortable distance that was there months prior completely gone. They hold hands and look over all the work they have completed, each wearing leather jackets that they bought for each other what felt like a lifetime ago. The figure’s face is finally clearly shown as he rests his head on Shiro’s shoulder, but the audience knew it was Adam the whole time. The smile that Shiro’s face had throughout those scenes was one that showed more hope and vulnerability than he could show during the war. Finally, in the setting sun, with his and Adam’s flesh hands connected, he looks determined for what is to come, but there is a relaxation in his body that showed he was home.

[bountyofbeads]

Stone-Cold Loser https://nyti.ms/2S85c83

Roger Stone, who was arrested in a dawn raid at his home in Fort Lauderdale, has long been fond of the Somerset Maugham line that Florida is a "sunny place for shady people."

"Just as Nixon went down in history as a disgrace to the office of the president, so now will Stone go down as an accomplice to enemies of the republic," writes Eric Caine from Modesto in a comment on @MaureenDowd's column, "Stone-Cold Loser."

"Stone-Cold Loser"

By Maureen Dowd | New York Times Opinion | Published Jan. 26, 2019 |

Posted January 27, 2019 |

WASHINGTON — Roger Stone has always lived in a dog-eat-dog world.

So it was apt that he was charged with skulduggery in part for threatening to kidnap a therapy dog, a fluffy, sweet-faced Coton de Tuléar, belonging to Randy Credico, a New York radio host.

Robert Mueller believes that Credico, a pal of Julian Assange, served as an intermediary with WikiLeaks for Stone. Mueller’s indictment charges that Stone called Credico “a rat” and “a stoolie” because he believed that the radio host was not going to back up what the special counsel says is Stone’s false story about contacts with WikiLeaks, which disseminated Russia’s hacked emails from the D.N.C. and Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman.

Stone emailed Credico that he would “take that dog away from you,” the indictment says, later adding: “I am so ready. Let’s get it on. Prepare to die (expletive).”

As the owner of two Yorkies, Stone clearly knows how scary it is when a beloved dog is in harm’s way. When he emerged from court on Friday, he immediately complained that F.B.I. agents had “terrorized” his dogs when they came to arrest him at dawn at his home in Fort Lauderdale.

The last thing Stone posted on Instagram before his arrest was a video of a terrier, with a high-pitched voice-over, protesting, “Roger Stone did nothing wrong.”

Always bespoke and natty, living by the mantra that it’s better to be infamous than never famous, Stone looked strangely unadorned as he came out of court to meet the press in a navy polo shirt and bluejeans.

As the master of darkness who had been captured in darkness stepped into the bright light of Fort Lauderdale, he was his usual flamboyant, unapologetically meretricious self. He proclaimed his innocence, flashed the Nixon victory sign and reiterated the old saw from his mentor, Roy Cohn, that any attention is good attention.

But it fell flat. Being Roger Stone had finally caught up with him.

He has always said Florida suited him because “it was a sunny place for shady people,” borrowing a Somerset Maugham line. But now the cat’s cradle of lies and dirty tricks had tripped up the putative dognapper. And it went down on the very same day that Paul Manafort — his former associate in a seamy lobbying firm with rancid dictators as clients, and then later his pal in the seamy campaign of Donald Trump — was also in federal court on charges related to the Mueller probe. Manafort’s hair is now almost completely white.

One of Stone’s rules — along with soaking his martini olives in vermouth and never wearing a double-breasted suit with a button-down collar — is “Deny, deny, deny.” But his arrest for lying, obstructing and witness tampering raised the inevitable question about his on-and-off friend in the White House, the man who is the last jigsaw-puzzle piece in the investigation of Trumpworld’s alleged coordination with Russia: Is being Donald Trump finally about to catch up with Donald Trump?

Stone, who famously has Nixon’s face tattooed on his back, is the agent provocateur who is the through line from Nixon, and his impeachment, to Trump, and his possible impeachment.

As Manafort said in the 2017 documentary “Get Me Roger Stone,” Trump and Stone “see the world in a very similar way.” And that way is theatrical and cynical. Do whatever you have to do to get what you want; playing by the rules is for suckers.

In 1999, when I went on a trip to Miami to watch Trump test the presidential waters, Stone orchestrated Trump’s Castro-bashing speech to Cuban-Americans. The bodybuilding, swinging strategist, christened “the state-of-the-art sleazeball” by The New Republic in the 80s, said he was “a jockey looking for a horse.”

Stone, who was mixed up in Watergate at the tender age of 19, “made the transition from the Stone Age of dirty tricks to today,” as David Axelrod puts it.

He watched Nixon rally the silent majority with a law-and-order message and racial dog whistling. He helped Ronald Reagan create Reagan Democrats.

For decades, believing “past is prologue,” Stone urged Trump to be the successor to those pols, revving up angry, white working-class voters who felt belittled or scared of “the other.” It would be so easy to divide and stoke resentment, as Stone and Trump proved when they inflamed the birther controversy against Barack Obama.

“Hate is a stronger motivator than love,” Stone told the documentarians. “Human nature has never changed.”

The tribal tensions in America made Stone’s favorite tricks easier than ever; he didn’t have to operate in the shadows. He wore a T-shirt with Bill Clinton and the word “Rape” at 2016 campaign rallies. As Stone boasted in the documentary, his “slash-and-burn” tactics “are now in vogue.”

Trump has had periods of estrangement with Stone. In 2008, in an interview with The New Yorker, he called the strategist “a stone-cold loser,” a state Trump himself has been relegated to this past week, courtesy of Nancy Pelosi.

Stone will not go gently. When he is asked about the tattoo of Nixon, he says he got it to remind himself, “A man is not finished when he is defeated; he is only finished when he quits.”

At the moment, though, dogged by Mueller, Stone and Manafort are the dog’s breakfast. The pair has given practicing the dark arts a bad name.

"There's one piece of history about Roger Stone that never gets enough press, Ms. Dowd. That is, Roger Stone was involved in the "recount" in Florida and swinging it to George W. Bush. Specifically, he was behind a political group attacking three Democratic state Supreme Court justices threatening Bush's possible victory: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2003/07/11/fla-may-fine-gop-figure-for-2000-recount-actions/af72ec6a-082e-4292-913c-f8ed14c2fc62/?utm_term=.9e4d3fc6c5f3 These sleazy political operatives, from Lee Atwater to Karl Rove to Paul Manafort to Roger Stone on the Right have been getting away with this disgusting behavior for decades. Trump is a direct result of this cancer. Lock them all up." V of LA

"The ghost of Nixon past still haunts us. Just when you thought it was safe to trust our democracy, we get the Nixon salute and see his face on Stone’s back, just not quite low enough, in my opinion. The president was bad enough, but now it looks as though he’s merely the apex of a vast pyramid scheme so vile and full of duplicity that only Betsy DeVos could fully appreciate it. But it’s clear that the president didn’t accomplish his takeover on his own. He was socially promoted to a position higher than he could have ever reached without dirty tricks, lies and conspiracies galore. If today’s events aren’t disgusting enough, we’re even picking up echoes of Roy Cohen. There’s even a faint whiff of Joseph McCarthy that you can just make out while watching the nightly news. It recalls a time when powerful people weaponized fear and ignorance, and nearly turned us into animals at each others throats. We can only hope that people who voted for the president were among those fearful of going broke during the government shutdown. You can talk to people all day about why an unread, crotch-groping narcissistic moron is not a good candidate for president of the United States, but until they feel it in their guts, and their wallets, they’ll never fully understand. Do we have your attention now? Have you taken note of the sleazy, lying manipulators who manufactured this presidency with your help? Mueller might undo some of the damage, but it's up us not to let it happen again." gemli of Boston

"Imagine assembling a clown show of Trump, Junior, Jared, Manafort, Bannon, Stone, Flynn, KA Conway and some sideshow characters like Carter Page and Papadopoulus. Deliver some memorable campaign promises for America's future like "Lock her up" and "Build the Wall", while encouraging mobs to beat up reporters. Toss in a few surprise tapes about assaulting young women. Then openly conspire with Russian intelligence to interfere in the US election while being watched by the FBI, CIA and 6 European country intelligence services. And make plain as day efforts to relieve sanctions on Russia, support the pro-Russian cause in Ukraine, make over 100 contacts with Russian government officials during the campaign and transition and attempt to set up a secret communication channel through the Russian Embassy that US intelligence cannot monitor. Even after all of this, the chaos and the soaring deficits of the first two years of the Trump Administration, around 40% of Americans still think he is doing a great job. Based on personal experience working in all 50 states, I don't believe that part of the population is going to change much. But we need to take back the government on behalf of future generations and do it soon." Look Ahead of Washington

"Like Trump, Roger Stone is a man with no redeeming qualities and no morals at all. Cohen and Manafort as well. They admire and emulate the tough guys of organized crime without actually BEING those tough guys. But the Russians working for former KGB agent Putin are those tough guys, and that's who the phonies chose to do business with. Stone is blustering but he's counting on a Trump pardon, not realizing 3 things: 1) Trump WILL throw him under the bus. A pardon is unlikely. 2) A Trump pardon means he cannot use the 5th Amendment to keep from testifying--meaning he must tell the truth or face contempt or perjury charges. 3) He will still be liable to state charges, and the new NY AG would love get him in her cross-hairs. Stone is finished and doesn't even know it!"Dad of 2 /NJ

"Roger Stone is a truly mean-spirited figure. No wonder he, like Trump, his soul mate if you will, were proteges of Roy Cohn. One thing is certain, nobody is going to feel sorry for Stone, Manafort or any of Donald Trump's merry band of mean, vindictive misfits. Once our national nightmare is over, it will take a long time to heal, if we ever can. Because Stone and Trump poked the racist beast of a certain segment of the nation, unleashing virulent emotions, conservative-fed conspiracy theories, and disdain for truth, fact checking, and critical thinking. The president, a man who doesn't read, aligned himself with a man who did but used his reading to polish his dark arts, and tries to make ignorance seem cool. As a result, they got an entire political party to totally overhaul its thinking on foreign policy goals, belief in climate science (indeed, belief in any science) and even, I venture to say, the biggie: immigration. Trump, egged on by Stone, has done more damage to our politics, rule of law, and views of government than any foreign invader could have. Stone, more than Trump, grasped an essential truth: the worst damage a country can undergo is from within."Christine McM of Boston

"If Stone and The Donald have used "revving up angry white working-class voters" as a tactic to win elections, one wonders whether they are themselves authentic racists or whether they believe in nothing but power for its own sake. Are they "merely" impersonating bigots or are they true believers? Either way they represent a pestilence that needs to be driven out of the body politic, and yet if they're being disingenuous with respect to their own feelings about white supremacy (a disease that normally infects only the feeble-minded) one wonders how they manage to live with themselves. Can one ever attain enough wealth and power to compensate for the loss of one's soul? Perhaps it's a moot point but I somehow can't get past it."

Stu Freeman of Brooklyn

"No Stone left unturned, no creatures hiding under rocks. Spring IS coming, the flowers will bloom, the stench will dissipate, the gloom will dissolve. Thank you, Mr. Mueller." Stu Freeman of Brooklyn

Phyllis Dalmatian of Kansas

"Stone is Johnny two-face: he threatens to harm a security dog then uses his own two dogs' reaction to his early-morning arrest as proof of the FBI's perceived heavy-handed tactics. He trumpets his dedication to "the truth" while lying (all his life) and throughout the Mueller investigation--threatening former criminal associates if they cooperate with--i.e. tell the truth to--the feds. He professes patriotism while working in league with his country's greatest adversary to undermine an American presidential election. It is no wonder anyone this duplicitous should be an acolyte of Richard Nixon and a life-long driving force in the Republican Party. That's the way the GOP grows its alleged leaders--by rewarding them for wrecking American values without demonstrating any consciousness of guilt. "CMary of Chicago

"Concerning stones method of arrest, he merely found out how it is to be treated by law enforcement in many zip codes in this county, no sympathy whatsoever."No Party of FLA

"Why is it so many Americans believe whatever they are told? People like Trump and Stone commit crimes and lie in plain sight and many of our countrymen lap it up like duck soup. Was it growing up in the era of Disney and Spielberg that has made so much of the public susceptible to political special effects? "Of course President Obama is a Muslim, my TV said so." You can't fool all of the people, but you certainly will have no trouble fooling half of them. These remain dangerous times."Socrates of NJ

" Looking back....as you do in this piece....there is really only one question “Was your desperate focus on stopping Hilary from being elected worth it?”

David Martin of Paris

"Meanwhile, Trump can't stop telling us about women in vans with duct tape on their mouths. Perhaps his past is catching up with him involuntarily." Jerry Summer of NC

Another day, another Trump associate is arrested... What was that you were saying about HRC's emails again, Ms Dowd? Nick Adam of Mississippi

[massiverunawaytiger]

9 Best Websites That Mastered The Knowledge Of Physiotherapy

Physical Therapy Websites - Best Websites to Visit

Physical therapy is a career that can be very rewarding if you visit enough websites to see what they have to offer. If you have previously developed your career, these sites may also enable you to stay informed about business developments and news.

1. Futuristic Physical Therapy

This is absolutely the best place for both patients and physiotherapists. What you'll find on this website you won't find on any other. A good place in order to learn and to look for professional assistance. A place that embodies the future of physiotherapy, which also features a modern telehealth system to support online physiotherapy. He deserves to be number one in every respect.

2. The Manual Therapist

This blog is designed to document all the aspects of physical therapy that you can think of. Along with the blog entry, you can check out research reviews, podcasts, and videos. The website even has a section on physical therapy that offers training seminars for people who want to become better at what they do. The seminars deal with everything from sports medicine to launching your own practice and rehab. The techniques you will learn in these seminars are designed to help you get faster results from your rehabilitation.

3. Physical Therapy: World Confederation for Physical Therapy

This site contains a list of physical therapy providers, clinics, and professional organizations. There are currently over 106 organizations and more than 350,000 physical therapists in the world that are part of the website. The websites of these physical therapists are usually full of useful information that can be very useful. If you want to start a career in physical therapy, you are able to use this information to help you learn the ropes. For individuals who have already established a profession, the suggestions can enable you to be even more prosperous.

4. Mike Reinold Blog

Mike Reinold's award-winning website for physical therapy, fitness, along with sports performance training articles, how-to videos, and much more. Mike is a performance enhancement specialist, strength coach as well as a physical therapist.

5. SOL Physical Therapy

This site contains information and techniques for practicing physical therapy that is advanced. Their belief is that their methods provide the best and best care for their patients. This website can be a great resource for learning what you need to know if you are thinking about getting a degree in this area. If you're currently involved in the industry, the site has lots of up-to-date news and info on the industry. This site offers not merely a look at physical therapy but also sports medicine. The best thing relating to this site is that it offers great resources so that you are able to find out more about it.

6. Physical Therapy at Apex Network

The privately-owned Apex therapy system is huge, with more than 80 locations throughout the United States, and informs you with an area search button directly on the homepage's very first image. Each one of the homepage slides discusses a unique element of their professional success to demonstrate their professional chops, such as*RB_IN* getting mentioned in Entrepreneur Magazine and their status as Southern Illinois University's sole therapy option for the entire basketball team. Each service web page, similar to Speech Therapy, has its own icon inside a power grid for easy recognition, and each service has its own page on the web for more information.

7. Ivy Rehab

Ivy Rehab features an excellent site, with snappy, easy animations and also a simple-to-navigate layout that all of the loads fast. The site loads quickly and is organized so that users can easily navigate to the information they need. the site also has impressive visual effects, such as animated pictures and high-quality pictures. Their site lists current issues with undetected TBIs like over-training and current risks, as well as new patients can book an appointment from anywhere on the website, because the call to action (CTA) is an element of the constant header. They also point out that their staff members have more yearly contact hours in continuing education than every other state and that their 30-second video explains the scheduling process along with other benefits of Ivy to visitors.

8. Recovery and Athletix Rehab

The Athletix website starts out strong and gets better every day, with a video loop of all they do, from training clients to consulting to utilizing specialized recovery devices during treatment. The brand is upbeat and energetic, with "Get Back in the Game" as the primary theme for their ads and a lot of action-packed pictures of extreme sports and physique. This helps narrow down the field of potential clients to athletes recovering from injury, and they even have testimonials from former athletes to show their expertise. With appointment-booking as well as customer review buttons constantly on top of the right screen space, it is simple to acquire the essentials without sacrificing the edgier experience of this design.

9. Loudoun Sports Therapy Center :

Although Loudoun Sports Therapy's website might seem a bit blank, they provide a lot of different service types which reap the benefits of cleaner-looking areas with more descriptive text. Here, their header toolbar differentiates the more general physical therapy from sports therapy selections and physician-specific practice areas for individuals who are searching for a particular therapist. Their client testimonials remain in the middle of the homepage with pictures of individuals taking pleasure in sporty environments outside of the center. The website's concentrate on clear information without a lot of flairs helps visitors easily get to the info they require.

[apexart-journal]

Matheus Rocha Pitta days 1 and 2

Finally landed in New York Wonderland. Free falling from Berlin, 10-hour flight, stopover Iceland. Diving into a golden cloud to reach the island, getting out of the plane under strong winds. Feeding my vice in a smoking area that looks like a cage. Taking another plane. Greenland at the window. White on white on white – impossible to tell what’s cloud, what’s ice, what’s sea. Terrible but calming, like the pizza I order for lunch.

Smooth arrival in the apartment, keys waiting for me. It’s a huge, or better, a cluster of huge towers. Two elevators, corridors and the door opens, a spacious apartment full of mirrors. Wish I was into self-portraiture, I wonder.  Alice thru the selfie-stick.  After a shower, I eat and sleep.

The first morning I go down, even more dazzled by the mirrors and glasses. Got a coffee, go out for a walk. Sounds, sights from everywhere. Even the ground beneath my feet trembles with the underground train. Overexcitement, green lights, cross it.  Alea jacta est, fortune is released, no more return, I’m finally landed.

Even if it’s 7:30 AM, new yorkers are already walking and talking loud on the phone. Not only freedom of speech but loudness of speech.  I hear something terrifying. “This man is burying himself alive with every step he takes. And as I long as I am alive I will watch it with pleasure”, yells a lady on her cell.  I’m petrified. Is every step taken towards freedom pouring dirt on a grave? Is the rabbit’s hole Alice’s tomb? If so what would be the epitaph?

Alea jacta est . That’s the first appearance of a new character in this journal, Leah. It is chance in pure state, as it incarnates in the new-yorkers-yelling-in-the-mobile in the streets NY, counselling me on the search for freedom, aka, the rabbit.  I’m not sure if she’s on my side but I’m looking forward for the next meeting.

…

It’s 10 AM and Abbie knocks at my door. She came to show me the tower’s facilities. We salute each other with solar smiles. Unlike Leah, she’s real and has a warm and calm voice. We meet again for lunch at Apex Art, where a show opens that evening.  Everybody looks super human, the office is messy as it should be. I feel a little bit of jealousy for that environment. We talk about many things at lunch. The art world, class, nepotism, marginality, vulnerability. A very welcoming atmosphere of agreement, like being home.

Than I head to my first therapy session. My last psychoanalysis session was four months ago in Rio, I miss it.  Again, a very warm reception. Nancy explains me the rules of the game. She reminds me that everything I say there is strictly confidential – something I’ve forgotten or never brought to the foreground. Should be a reciprocal confidentiality, I agree. A curfew among friends.

Second day starts with a boat trip around Manhattan. It’s cold, cloudy and rainy. Before heading to the pier, I try to walk around but it’s irritating. Don’t think Leah will appear with this weather – I definitely wouldn’t.  

“It’s a super full moon, so the tide is slightly higher”, explains the guide tour. “So it’s risky to circle the island so we’ll turn back at a certain point, breaking the circle”. I’m sleepy and it is super warm in the ferry. Not so many tourists came. The guide is always joking but nobody laughs. I resist being awake, but his sad jokes slowly become a mass of indistinct lullabies.  The last thing I remember is seeing the statue of liberty. In my nap I dream with redemptive freedom. The statue of Christ the Redeemer flees from Rio, fearing iconoclasm under the new regime. In a rainy night he releases himself from the pedestal and jumps into a cloud. Brazilians are so busy in their cultural wars that nobody notices it. The cloud brings Christ to NYC and he falls in love the statue of Liberty. He approaches her in and quite old style way. “Hey lady, can I use your lighter please?”  The statue of Liberty blushes. “Yes, of course”, handling the torch to Christ. He lights a joint, offering her a drag. “you’re also free to say no”, says the Redeemer.

I woke up in a better mood and appreciate the landscape in the window.  It’s hard to ignore the guide’s voice, but I’m still fascinated. He thanks everybody to come in such an ugly day. I finally feel some sympathy for him.

Next activity is to come to the New York Public Library to write these words. I immediately love the place. After climbing the marble stairs I’m faced with an exhibition of 50 years of Stonewall. Empty Closets! Come out! I read in the posters on the black and white photos. I feel proud, wondering which is the best drag name, Alice or Leah?

[aspencenter]

Empowering Communication for Children with Down Syndrome in Apex

For over 18 years, the Aspen Center has been a trusted source of pediatric care in the triangle area, serving children from birth to 16 years of age. We offer a range of therapies, including speech, occupational, and feeding therapy, both in our clinic and through teletherapy. Our dedicated team is proud to serve the greater Cary, NC area, which includes Apex, Morrisville, RTP, and New Hill. One of our key services is Down syndrome speech therapy, tailored to support the unique needs of children in Apex, NC.

At the Aspen Center, our pediatric speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are experts in evaluating and treating communication challenges that children with Down syndrome often face. These challenges can impact both expressive and receptive language skills, making it difficult for children to communicate effectively with their world. Our goal is to help each child develop the skills necessary to express themselves clearly and understand others.

Our speech therapy program for children with Down syndrome covers several critical areas. We focus on both verbal and non-verbal communication systems, recognizing that every child has their preferred ways of expressing themselves. Language development is a key component of our therapy, aimed at helping children articulate their thoughts and comprehend what is being communicated to them.

Speech sound production and oral motor development are also essential parts of our therapy. These skills are crucial for clear and effective communication. Our SLPs use specialized techniques to strengthen the muscles involved in speech, ensuring that children can speak more clearly. Additionally, we emphasize the development of social skills and executive functioning, which are vital for successful interactions and daily life management.

Our expertise extends to a variety of conditions, including apraxia, motor planning issues, autism, and various language disorders. We also offer social skills groups, providing a supportive environment for children to practice and enhance their interaction abilities.

The Aspen Center is committed to providing exceptional Down syndrome speech therapy in Apex, NC. We are dedicated to helping each child reach their full potential in communication, enabling them to connect more effectively with their families, peers, and the world around them. Our personalized approach ensures that every child receives the support and guidance they need to thrive. Browse our website to learn more at: https://aspencenter.net.

[indus-dental-specialities]

Bleeding gums and Dental caries

bleeding gums Gingivitis

Gingivitis is the inflammation of the gum line and surrounding tissues. It is caused by bacteria and plaque build-up. Plaque is a sticky film of food particles and bacteria that forms on teeth and along the gum line. When plaque hardens, it becomes tartar. Tartar is a hardened substance composed of dead cells, bacteria, and food debris. If left untreated, it causes periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is a condition where the gums become inflamed and bleed easily.

2. Dental caries

Dental caries is the decay of tooth enamel. Enamel is the outer layer of a tooth that covers the dentin. It is the hardest substance in the body. Decay occurs when bacteria eat away at the surface of the enamel. Bacteria produce acid that dissolves the enamel. Once the enamel is gone, the underlying dentin is exposed. Dentinal tubules connect the root canal system to the outside environment. These tubes allow fluids to flow between the inside and outside of the tooth. As the enamel decays, these tubes get clogged. This prevents fluid from flowing out of the tooth and creates an ideal environment for bacterial growth.

3. Trench Mouth

Trench mouth is a painful oral infection that affects the soft tissues around the lips and tongue. It is caused by the overgrowth of bacteria in the mouth. The bacteria cause swelling and redness of the mucous membranes. It is characterized by sores and ulcers on the inside of the cheeks, lips, and tongue.

Oral cancer and Gum recession

Oral cancer

Oral cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the mouth. It may begin as a sore or lump under the skin or in the lining of the mouth. It may spread to nearby lymph nodes or even the neck. Symptoms include pain, numbness, tingling, difficulty swallowing, and changes in taste. Early detection is critical to successful treatment.

 Gum recession

Gum recession is the loss of gum tissue due to pressure from the roots of the teeth. It is often seen in people who have had orthodontics (braces) or periodontal disease. Gum recession is not considered a serious problem unless it interferes with speech or chewing.

Tooth abscesses

Tooth abscesses occur when an infected area of the jawbone develops pus. Pus collects in pockets formed by the roots of the teeth and spreads throughout the jawbone. A tooth abscess can be painful and difficult to treat. Untreated tooth abscesses can lead to tooth loss.

 Periapical abscess

A periapical abscess is an infection of the bone surrounding the apex of a tooth. It is usually caused by dental procedures such as root canal therapy or extractions. Painful swelling and fever are symptoms of a periapical abscess.

[rosietheamazon]

Attempted murder of an 18yr old girl

An 18 year old girl, Priyanka Kumari, was attacked by a 20 year old man with a machete when she got off her school bus. The man had been stalking her for a long time. This happened in my area and I'm just completely stunned. There are no words. I just want to spread this so she and her family can get the support they need. "our help is needed in the recovery efforts of this beautiful 18 year old young lady, Priyanka Kumari, as she heals from a vicious attack. Priyanka was attacked on the streets of her neighborhood by a stalker with a machete on Jan 12, 2017, as she walked home from the school bus stop after school. She is a strong young lady who will recover with your love, support, and encouragement. Please support the family with financial donations for uncoverred (expenses that are not covered by Insurance) medical expenses so they can focus their time and energy on helping their sweet, beautiful daughter heal through the physical and emotional wounds. Priyanka will go through multiple therapies such as occupational, trauma, speech, pain , reconstructive surgeries, and home care. Many of you have expressed your desire to help the families so thank you for your love and support. Our goal is to raise as much as possible. Contributions will be used for uncovered (expenses that are not covered by insurance) expenses such as multiple therapies ( speech, psychology, psychiatry, occupational, physiotherapy ) pain management, revision surgeries uncovered medicines etc ...Please share this link with those you know and let’s show how this amazing community can support this family. This is the only link to help Priyanka." For more information on Priyanka, here are links to some of the news coverage: http://abc11.com/1699454/ http://abc11.com/news/father-machete-victim-had-46-cuts-on-her-head-alone/1705601/ https://www.facebook.com/ABC11/posts/10154617238622550 http://abc11.com/news/prosecutor-man-planned-machete-attack-on-girl-for-weeks/1700874/ http://wncn.com/2017/01/13/apex-machete-attack-victim-may-lose-full-use-of-hands-dad-says/ http://www.wral.com/prosecutor-suspect-in-machete-attack-stalked-victim/16430397/ https://www.gofundme.com/priyanka Ladies be safe. @fullten could you reblog?

[snkret-photography]

Liar

I lied. That time I said I would stick to my gym routine and diet for the 50th time that month. I lied about getting dressed in a manner that allows me to present as the adult I’m still trying to manifest. I lied and I constantly tell myself the lie that one day all this bullshit just works itself out. That one day I will have a full time job I love. That I may not only be surrounded by people I like but those that I respect on whatever authority basis I’ve assigned them. That I won’t write my obituary and my eulogy before my thank you speech but also being cognizant that I trust no one I know to do it justice. I lied that time I said I got over a boy. I lied that time I said I never fell in love with the girl from the bar. I lie and say nothing has happened or is bothering me and the apex of the world has created a nebula in the central cortex of my brain. For those that have missed the reference… stress equals the blank slate in my mind.

In conversing with my best friend, we always reminisce on where we’ve been and the astounding difference in who we are and how we operate compared to the narratives we once wrote. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to terms with the fact that a part of me feels emotions and such emotions can be directed at other people who swindle in significance. And for as long as I’ve known and loved this man, all our conversations surrounding his exes has been far more of a “bro, fuck that bitch” nature because we, the species men, are trash. To balance the view, I often have this exact same conversation with my female friends where we talk about how men are trash. Think the consensus is we all got to do better by each other. But, and this is going to allow me to hit a two-for-one, him being on social media allowed him to slip for a minute and present a different light. I’ve always been an advocate that when it comes to exes, more people tend to just be upset that they got dumped or that they feel like they “lost” something rather than maintaining any actual love which would have persisted post-relationship as well. When you have loved and lost, truly, you come to terms with the fact that their happiness might be at the exclusion of you and if that’s what you really want for them, you have to let someone else fill in the space that once belonged to you. And in seeing a glimpse of someone else taking the spot he once held, he offered his sincerest hope for it to work in their favor and deepest regret that the fault in the star were their lack of alignment. Although I’ve known his love personally and although I’ve seen him love before, this was a new layer because it was atypical to the way in which I am used to hearing people speak of their past.

Think this’ll be brief so I’m just going to say it and see where I wrap up: following your ex on social media is the quickest way to never let yourself heal. Honestly, it doesn’t make sense to remove someone from your life and then keep tabs on them via how they present to social media and continue to not have an actual relationship. Not saying, a breakup is finite in terms of any relationship resemblance. However, if you still have feelings attached to that person where all commentary on them cannot be summed up into singular statements, then maybe that’s not the healthiest thing in the world. Also, especially when the parties are not able to settle into a great friendship, why do you care what they’re doing when previously 90% of it involved you and the other 10% you watched to track them and ensure they didn’t slip that they were cheating on you. Take that statement how you will, it’s still fucking weird to have tabs on somebody you don’t interact with and isn’t taking an active part in your life in a meaningful or positive manner. Curate your feed people. I don’t follow people I actually like in real life because I know they’re broke and watching them fake like they aren’t is exhausting. Also, what are two parties to discuss when the only thing you don’t post is your sleep? Backtracking to the main point though, if you can check in on them at will albeit they’re actively posting, you are sacrificing time to check in on yourself because you are leaving part of yourself somewhere you no longer are and, more than likely, can’t go back to.

To the other point: being “hard” is something that no longer can permeate our society because it serves no one. Now let it be know, I ain’t no bitch, I will brawl in the street because I know you thought about saying something about my momma. However, I do believe in having a high level of emotional intelligence just to let your feelings be your feelings and not deny yourself something now that you will have to deal with later. Go ahead and ask all of your friends in therapy now how much of the time is spent resurfacing shit you brushed off way back in the day. Eventually you have to deal so why not deal when it arises so when similar situations arise, you are genuinely un-bothered and already have a set reaction that best serves you. In the context of relationships, it is not really worth it to let something that doesn’t exist, even if you can remember how it once did, presently permeate your emotions. Everyone grieves differently and for different periods of time but eventually, the goal is to be so far removed that you look back at the lessons and understand what about yourself you a) want work on and b) want to carry forward. Past relationships are the best mirrors of where we fall short in our reactions and timing so that we may better perform in the future for ourselves and any others fortunate enough to take significant standing in our lives. The most important person at the end of a relationship is you because that one never ends. So whatever parts of you got lost in loving someone else, that is your first mourning and your saving grace is the person you find after them who stays first and foremost every time you fall in love. You’re going to start redefining how quickly that happens when you find the parts of yourself you like and are unwavering in your attachment to them. And honestly when it comes to a lot of relationships, at least as observed among my friends, it’s bad timing and unfortunate circumstances. So if you’re looking 1, 2, 3, 5 years down the line with some part of you still wanting to fill that original space you once had in their lives, an inquiry will take you a lot further than the constant drag of yourself for “losing that.” You both are new people in new spaces in a new time and it could work now or you could be far more aware of why it would have never but the question doesn’t kill you and the answer will settle you regardless. They got a new partner? You still got a question so just fucking ask it, you’d be surprised some stories I could tell where some bitch in Hollywood clearly curated it.

All in all, in this short life we are given, to love and to lose is one of the greatest tragedies we can experience. But our reactions to that love and lost is truly what defines us. Having never recognized that it is often us and not the other person who is missing at the end of the ordeal. I am a huge advocate for shooting your shot but make sure to your feet are planted and you follow through, you’ll never miss a shot when your form is good. Even more important, focus on yourself to be the person that you want to be and live in the truth of who you are and where you’re at and what you’re bringing to the table. Shutting down the parts of us that we don’t always feel comfortable presenting to the world negates us of an experience that we need to have. We can’t afford to keep blocking ourselves because how other people will react. They ain’t us. Ain’t nobody you.

[meanwhileinoz]

20+ Times Reddit Taught Me A Valuable Lesson About Anxiety

Having anxiety can seem truly scary and terrifying at times. When you’re in the waves of the panic attacks, the fear, and the mind-numbing thoughts we can’t shut off, we can sometimes feel pretty alone–especially if those around us don’t understand what we’re going through.

Luckily, there are several sites online where people support each other (sometimes better than our own family). Reddit, of course, is a place where users are always offering advice and support to people going through similar situations. After searching through forums and AskReddit questions, I learned a lot of different mechanisms for coping and dealing with anxiety–especially when it’s at its worst.

34.

Keeping busy. I notice my anxiety gets pretty bad when I don’t have a job (I’ve just left uni and am travelling now so haven’t had a steady career yet) or anything to keep me occupied. Exercise is great, as a lot of people have said, but having a solid routine is what keeps me settled.

–lanadeathray

33.

50mg Sertraline, no caffeine & no alcohol. Also, acceptance. Once I actually accepted I had a disease and saw my doctor for treatment, I felt so much better. You can make your anxiety so much worse by questioning why you have it, and even wondering if you’re making it up.

–Livishes

32.

Find ways to consciously control and slow your breathing, and cool yourself down. I associated my own anxiety attacks with uncontrollably increasing breathing and pulse along with hot flashes, so counteracting those were very helpful. I daresay it worked; the frequency of my attacks decreased over time and I’ve been about half a year now without incident. There are still times when I feel the potential for one to start, but I now have enough control where it hasn’t escalated to the point of actually being an anxiety attack.

–RocketTasker

31.

Meditation, even if it’s only for 5 minutes a day. Also, spend time visualizing what it is that you want to do. For example, if you’re nervous about going to a party, then spend time visualizing yourself being relaxed and comfortable at the party. The mind if a powerful tool, learn to make it work for you instead of against you.

–lusirius

30.

I have panic disorder. If I’m at home, watching a good TV show that isn’t too dark/tense often helps.

–Yerwun

29.

My breathing technique: 5 seconds in, hold 5 seconds, breathe out 5 seconds. I learned this trick in DBT, and while there are some variations that lower your heart rate even more (4-7-8 is good for getting to sleep), doing this 3-4 times in a row always gets more oxygen to my brain and helps me sort out my thoughts a little easier.

Prior to discovering this, I tried everything. I have about four anxiety disorders diagnosed and have experienced anxiety my entire life, so I like to think that if this works for me, it may work for most people.

–muchadance

28.

For me it depends on the situation. If I’m having a rough week I tangle up two necklaces and keep them in my pocket and when my anxiety picks up I take them out and detangle them. And repeat untill I’m just focusing on untangling the neclaces. Also if I’m sitting in class doodling helps me. It helps me focus on what the teacher is saying. And if it gets really bad like on the verge of panic attack and I don’t wanna leave I draw circles in the same spot over and over. Repetitive stuff works good.

–orangejuiceis2good

27.

when I’m alone I need to breathe fresh air outside because I feel trapped, counting your breaths helps, if someone’s with you I make them tell me a story something funny to get my mind off of it but hate being touched or talk about food. gum helps me a lot too if I’m in class I know highschool can be hard and you can’t just get up and leave keep gum and a type of cold drink so you can feel it when you drink it.

–picklesa

26.

Getting a dog. Funny thing is I didn’t even want to get one, I’m a cat guy and had a bad experience with a dog when I was younger. However my wife put up with my 2 cats for long enough so it wasn’t fair of me to refuse her when she wanted a dog, so here we are. Having something that both loves AND depends on me makes a huge difference – no offence to my wife or cats, but they’re pretty independent!

–beasty4k

25.

you need to maximize the amount of moments where you “lose yourself” and live so completely in the moment that you are no longer self-aware.

–SubzeroNYC

24.

For a period of time I try to reduce coffe and other stimulants.

–seeking-n-knowing

23.

Staying off social media seems to be overlooked but it helps me a lot. It’s not the total cure but a piece to the puzzle. You’re subconsciously comparing your life to a bunch of fake portrayals of other people’s happy lives which can make you feel down.

Also if you’re on it a lot you become way more productive when you delete it which lifts your mood.

–vemon_1

22.

Definitely exercise. If I get super anxious about something, I start to get very jittery and I feel like I just have way too much energy. Then when I go for a moderately strenuous bike ride, my mind feels so much calmer and I can think much more clearly.

–getsugablitz

21.

I’ve learned a lot of breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation. Square breathing is so simple but has helped me a lot. Seeing an excellent therapist and being on a low dose of an SSRI has also helped.

–latche

20.

Mindfulness meditation/Cognitive behavioral therapy. Realizing that you are still in control of what you consciously attend to, the thoughts and feelings that run through your mind do not have to consume your identity. Observe them without judgement, let them pass without indulging in them and they will fade away.

–UndecipherdMoonrunes

19.

For me getting a new kitten tugged me out of depression. I’m a huge cat person and this kitten just chose me like we got home and she came out of the cage straight to my lap to nap. Two years later her just being here loving me has made me a totally different person.

–Diddlydarnfuck

18.

I chose self meditation instead of self medication.

I pep talk myself in my head and control my breathing by saying over and over…

“It’s not life or death, you CAN do this.” “Take it one breath at a time, you GOT this.”

And I make no excuses for moving slow or eating slow or accomplishing tasks slow. I refuse to let anyone control me anymore or dictate to me how I should behave, including society.

There’s only one me, and I have to live with me, so only me can make or break — me.

One breath at a time.

–PookaShellTourGuide

17.

Alright, I work in politics so I pretty much have to give speeches and talk to random strangers on a weekly basis. I also anxiety problems and self-esteem issues that have plagued me since middle school. Most people are pretty shocked when I tell them that, so I guess the following ways of dealing with it are pretty (for me at least) effective.

But before we get there, here’s what you shouldn’t do if your anxious:

Drink: It’s guaranteed to bring you back to earth. Like its a depressant, it’s chemically ensured to do that. The problem is that it’s too good at bringing you down. You will become reliant on it when you feel like the problem is too insurmountable to fix, which most anxious people know is pretty much everything. It took me a long time to stop drinking guys, trust me don’t fall into this trap.

Spill Your Guts: For a while Hollywood convinced me that a sudden, expository and usually emotional reveal of information to the cause of your problem is the key to fixing your said problems. Just tell your boss that you’re super stressed out and your dog just died! Your tears will convince him to take pity! It might. Once or twice. But if you keep doing that when your anxious (which is all the time) you’re going to develop a reputation and the cool job assignments are going to magically start appearing on your co-workers desk. Anxiety makes you want to fix shit right the fuck now. Resist that, take a deep breath and do what I do:

1. Nature

Nature is not stressed out. Nature moves slow. No matter what small stuff is freaking you out (and in retrospect its all small), nature doesn’t give a shit. Unless your a rabbit being stalked by a wolf, nature will very rarely try and kill you. Even if you are a fat, monstrous blob, evolution has still deemed you the apex predator of your environment. So of all the places in the world you can hide and be safe, it’s the woods. I once had a pretty bad arguement with my boss on a Friday. I had an anxiety attack, packed a suitcase and took off to Maine for the weekend. By Monday I was ok. Why? Because I had enough alone time to realize we really didn’t have a relationship destroying argument and we could still have a positive relationship. It took time in complete stillness for me to really get that through my head. But sometimes being alone is the exact opposite of what you need, sometimes you need a-

2. Venting Friend

Find someone who understands you have anxiety and how you get when you are under that influence. Then, if you are on the verge of an attack, call said person and vent. Remember that “don’t spill your guts” rule I made up earlier? This is the one exception to that. Find someone who will listen to you and then just come back and tell you everything will be alright. Usually for me this is my girlfriend or when I’m single just a very close female friend. For you it doesn’t have to be. It could be anyone who will listen. I just find that when you get the thoughts out of your head and into reality via speech, they tend to become apparent to you that they are in fact ridiculous. Ok but say you live in New York and don’t really have access to great woodlands or you don’t have a friend who wants to listen to you bitch all the time? What if you do both and neither work?

3. Don’t be afraid to get help

I don’t see this so much on reddit, more irl. But whatever, I’ll say it anyway. There are those among you who think that seeing a therapist or a psychiatrist is akin to throwing your hands up and surrendering. Your brain will tell you that you are He-Man and whatever problems you probably don’t have can be solved with sheer force of will and a powerful mustache. To the brain that thinks that I say this: shut the fuck up. Listen, I’ve shook hands with presidents, I’ve been on TV for good reasons and I’ve seen double D’s in real life. It was the hardest thing in the world for me to admit that I had a medical issue I needed to see a doctor about. But I’m really glad I did.

I’m on meds now and honestly between that and therapy it’s really improved my quality of life. I’m not ashamed of it, and neither should you. Anxiety never really goes away, but it can definitely be controlled to make life easier.

–urgehal666

16.

This app called SAM. It has a bunch of cool features, like it tracks your anxiety levels, gives you different exercises and techniques to control your anxiety, has you think about the thing that causes your anxiety to raise your levels, then it helps you shift away the focus. My favorite part is it has a paragraph for you to slowly read while you’re having an anxiety/panic attack. It helps a bunch.

And if you’re currently in therapy, having it track your anxiety levels helps a ton so you can show your therapist exactly what happened to cause it, how bad your anxiety was, etc.

–Courier-6

15.

I drink water or tea. The time I spend doing that I focus on just doing that. Nothing else. It helps me regain my thoughts, and its a moment where I can’t speak.

–ShotekSaint

14.

I go to the library by myself. Turn off my phone, pop in my music and get a good book. Can stay there for hours.

–Pichus_Wrath

13.

Force yourself to do the thing you don’t want to do.

After you do it a few times the anxiety goes away, and it becomes routine.

There’s really no secret to this. At the end of the day, you just have to pick yourself up and do the thing. Whatever your reasoning, whatever your motivation, you still just have to do it.

–IlluminationRock

12.

Being active helped loads, along with eating right. Honestly, small and simple daily routines knock out most of my anxiety. Disorder is a huge trigger for me, so the more I keep to a schedule, the calmer and more rational I am.

–shazarava

11.

I bought an adult coloring book (“The Enchanted Forest”, I don’t remember who the author/artist is off the top of my head) and try to exercise regularly (I take spin classes at least 4x a week and I’m trying to go every morning). Honestly I think coloring and exercise are the only things keeping me sane anymore, and ever since I started doing both of these things, my anxiety has calmed down considerably.

–supermarketsweeps95

10.

I look back to the most stressful/worst time I have ever had before and say “if I can survive that,I can survive this.”

–cm4ever

9.

Working out and eating healthy. Friends dragged me into it. Changed my life.

–Preroyalty

8.

I usually just don’t… Overcome the anxiety. I end up channeling all that energy into what I need to do, ya know? I’ll get super jittery and nervous and I’ll tell myself “ya gotta do this ya gotta get it done c’mon lets go let’s go let’s go” and I’ll just fuckin.. Do it, I guess. It doesn’t always work, but it’s my go to strategy, especially because I feel a lot more releived when I’m done with the task(s).

–TexasSmashMyAss

7.

This will get buried but I have some solutions that no one has mentioned:

Avoid caffeine. Caffeine aggravates anxiety especially in people diagnosed with anxiety/panic disorders

If you are in the middle of an anxiety attack, eat something. When you eat, you signal to your body that you’re okay. This goes way back to our ancestors who ate only when they had hunted enough food and felt safe.

Your body is there to protect you. Most individuals who experience an anxiety attack have a sense of impending doom or just think they might be dying. But have you ever noticed that during an anxiety attack you always question your symptoms? Are they really that serious? No. Do you think you should go to the hospital? No. Chances are after thinking about it, you’ll realize that the symptoms you are experiencing are not that serious. This means you are not dying and you are okay.

–Obi-Wan_Cannoli

6.

Deep breathes expanding your tummy, not your chest. Expanding your chest can actually increase the feeling of tension.

–vaginadeathsquad

5.

My anxiety tends to start physically– it can be triggered by events or thoughts, but my first indication of an episode is generally felt in my gut. At this point, I tend to start filing through my mental rolodex of things I should worry about, and if I can’t find an immediate one, I’ll search through recent memory and see if I can’t figure out something I need to be freaking out about. Then I focus on that, and the vicious cycle starts.

So what I try to do, and it’s certainly helped me manage, is say to myself, “this is a physical event, and it will pass; don’t feed the troll.” While I’m still in an anxious state physically, I don’t allow that state to metastasize into a mental one. Therefore it passes much more quickly.

Sometimes I can even convince myself to redefine the state entirely; I’m not anxious, I’m excited! They feel the same physically, so why let your brain turn it into a negative? This doesn’t always work, but it’s certainly allowed me to perform better in social or professional/academic situations.

–HalfAGoonAndHalfAGod

4.

Daily yoga practice.

–RamenGirl13

3.

i have rare anxiety attacks, but when they happen. i put myself in a relaxing environment, breath deeply and calmly and tell myself, “although it feels differently, nobody ever died from an anxiety attack.”

–ukyah

2.

Watch a funny video on Youtube. Seriously.

Panic attack during lab?

Step out, go to the bathroom, watch a video on the toilet. Generally helps.

–AndrewFlash

1.

My therapist once taught me this extremely effective method that I still use to this day.

In your mind, or out loud name: 5 things you can see 5 things you can hear 5 things you can feel

It always instantly made me realize how physical my presence was and how my mind was not the only thing in the world happening. It helps you step back and see the bigger picture of the goings on around you. If you are ever overwhelmed, stressed, anxious or on the verge of a panic attack, try this method once and let me know what you thought. Really meditate on the 5 things you observe.

–sassypeanuts

  The post 20+ Times Reddit Taught Me A Valuable Lesson About Anxiety appeared first on .

https://postaddict.com/2018/04/13/20-times-reddit-taught-me-a-valuable-lesson-about-anxiety/

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