#but circumstances May help delusion work in my favor…

[priestfrommidnightmass]

new potential love interest reveal for anyone invested in my personal life for some reason. bc some are

okay SO. there’s this other guy i work withhhh of course and i’ve had a bigggg crush on him from the literal first moment i met him because god he’s sooooo fucking cute UGH. (the first time i saw him at the training me and my bestie gave each other a Look and were texting each other under the table like Oh my god did you just fall in love with him too. we have been jokingly fighting over him for MONTHS 😭) however it was like. never that serious it was just a fun thing for my friends and i to joke abt all the time and i haven’t felt the need to talk abt him for a variety of reasons bc 1. i was clearly BUSY with my other situationship hell and 2. me and him literally Never talked. like we talked comically little it was almost a bit that we’d never had a full conversation he would give me his stuff and then leave the second i got there so it wasn’t like we were super close by any means lmfao. and of course 3. he just HAD to have a girlfriend because why wouldn’t he. why WOULDN’T HE. they always do. but me and my friend were like okay soon we have to gauge how serious it is like what’s the deal is it serious is it like a canada girlfriend or what. so i finally brought it up with him this past friday and he talked abt her a bit and showed me pics of them and she was verrryyyy pretty and they’d been together for like two years which whatever that’s fine cool now i know right. NO! that’s not the end.

first of all him and i have already been talking a bit more than usual (maybe a few full conversations at this point!) but even better we were actually teaching together this week which means we’ll get to spend a bunchhhh of time together (also me and situationship are separated which helps too bc. out of sight out of mind) and he was like i’m so excited to finally be able to work closely with you and talk to you and whatever which is fun i was super looking forward to it. but anyway context there had been a wedding at our week on friday and so on monday my other coworker was like God I feel sooo bad for him we keep talking abt the wedding and stuff it’s probably making him feel worse and i was like. hey wdym. wdym. and they were like oh he just went through a really rough breakup and he’s kind of unwell abt it. and listen this person is Not the most reliable source whatsoever so i was hesitant to believe it because he had literally been raving abt her less than three days prior bro like WHAT DO YOU MEAN!!! so i casually bring her up (he’d mentioned that they might’ve been going to an event at our work together in a few weeks and i asked if he was still planning on that) and he was like oh yeah me and girlfriend unfortunately broke up it’s kind of a mess right now. and i was like oh my god i’m so sorry i had no idea i feel bad for bringing it up and he was like no it’s okay it’s fine i should’ve seen it coming. it’s kinda funny i totally switched up the gender roles and *i* was the one begging her for an explanation and to try and stay and fix the relationship and she was the one who ghosted me LOL! (.) BUT THERE’S ONE MORE KEY DETAIL. he’s leaving in LESS THAN A WEEK ACROSS THE COUNTRY because he’s getting his fucking PHD from a nice ass school (i fucking know dude) i always knew this but he’s leaving like much much sooner than expected. but anyway he is like. insanely attractive and charming and smart and it’s like 😭 why are you doing this to me. he’s so tall and he has the nicest hands if anyone i’ve ever seen and he’s sooo sweet to me and he’s always nerding out abt the smart ass shit he’s studying and it’s soooo charming dude you have no idea he’s so fun to talk to and be around. he is insanely out of my league like i think we all have got to be a little in love with him but for some reason the last few days i’ve been deluding myself into thinking there’s any chance something could happen and yknow what? i will absolutely try my luck he’s literally gonna be gone in a week i will totally make a rebound offer bc he keeps asking to hang out soon and shit. the pieces are falling into place let me finally have this universe. LET ME INNN

[tailahjanbash]

Maker Of My Dreams

My name is Tailah. I was practically born in a church pew, and God has played a significant role in my life as far back as my memory will take me. You’d think after 21 years of being in the church I’d either be some kind of minister or insanely bored of hearing the same stories over and over, but neither of those happened.

After serving Jesus for nearly a decade now, I’ve found that doing life with him is nothing short of an adventure.

I think Christians get a bad rep. They supposedly aren’t allowed to have fun, go out, or live life fully—the world paints a picture of people in turtlenecks and pilgrim skirts, trapped in a stuffy chapel while the rest of the human population experiences freedom. Christians are slaves to their impossible standards of righteousness and trapped by their pious morals. The rest of the world is free to act upon their every desire and chase happiness to their heart’s content.

In my opinion, this is one of the biggest lies and delusions Satan hides behind.

People who act upon every compulsive desire or sin actually enslave themselves under the delusion that they are free. They are slaves to their desires, appetites, and emotions. Jesus offers us freedom from guilt, shame, sin, and death. He provides hope when we see no way out, refreshment when we cannot go on, and peace when everything around us is falling apart.

These were some of the things I grew up hearing in church, but it wasn’t until my faith met my actions that I truly experienced this.

Today, I want to talk to you about the latest adventure Jesus and I went on, in hopes to inspire you and remind you that God is the maker of your dreams.

This past summer, I was feeling trapped and unhappy with where I worked. Simultaneously, I was feeling a strong pull in my heart to pursue a job working in the music industry, which has been my dream since I was twelve years old.  After a lot of hard decisions, The Lord basically set up circumstances so I had to leave my job. I was scared of the unknown, but I knew in my heart it was time for me to stop meeting everyone else’s expectations for my life and chase my dreams.

I reached out to my friend Alyssa who had worked for a local record label. She forwarded my resume to a few contacts. I prayed for a month. Nothing happened.

I continued to pray and refused to give up—I babysat, sold paintings, and took some odd jobs in the meantime. The whole summer went on like this, until a few weeks before the start of fall semester.

I spent one Sunday night deep in prayer. I had been worshipping, praying, breaking things over my life. Then I spoke God’s favor, blessings, and open doors over myself and into existence.

Suddenly my phone lit up. Alyssa texted me in that moment and asked if I had found an internship yet. I quickly responded and told her that I hadn’t had any luck. She informed me that she had two more contacts and she would follow through with them both.

Long story short, I sent both companies my resume and immediately got booked for job interviews. I realized the power and importance of prayer. All the while, the Lord was reminding me that He opens and shuts every key and open door in my life.

There was one company that was super glamorous—they worked with high profile celebrities in Pop and Rap music and offered me a position with them on the spot. Everyone told me to take it.

The other company was a Christian artist management company. God made it super clear to me years ago, that my calling and vocation was in Christian ministry and entertainment, not secular.

As if that choice weren’t hard enough, there was one more problem: there were other people interviewing for the Christian company, and they were not able to give me an answer for at least a few more weeks. In other words, I had to choose on the spot, not knowing if I would get the internship I desired in my heart.

I wrestled with faith and doubt. With what I could see with the calling and dreams that God had placed in my heart.

After spending (a LOT of) time in prayer, I decided that I had to step out in faith. I called the company that offered me the job in secular music and politely declined their offer.

I was terrified that I had ruined my career before it even began, but in my spirit, I felt a sense of relief.

I had just sacrificed my Isaac, and I was low-key expecting a call from the Christian company effective immediately. I mean, I had just sacrificed SO much for God. He can’t keep me waiting forever, right?!

But then crickets.

And some more crickets.

I prayed daily and before I knew it, a month had passed.

I accepted the fact that maybe this wasn’t for me, released it, and thanked God anyways because He is always good, even when we don’t get what we want how we want it.

I kid you not the very. next. day. I got the phone call! They offered me the position and when I say God worked out every single detail, I’m not kidding. I had some issues registering for classes and could only sign up for Monday/Wednesday/Friday classes, which were the days I wanted to work. But the company ended up needing me for Tuesdays and Thursdays! Every last detail—down to my daily schedule to the hour—fell together perfectly, because when God does something, He goes all out. He fine tunes every detail and orchestrates every aspect so that He may receive the glory!

That fall I got to work for an amazing company called Redjett. My co-workers were the kindest ever and I learned so much about the industry I love. I got to work for Lauren Daigle, Hollyn, Sadie Robertson, Cody Carnes, and Chris McKlarney! I got to see behind the scenes of touring, worship events, music releases, huge ministries, and so much more. I will never forget the feeling of walking into those offices every morning, looking at the platinum records on the wall, and feeling that bliss excitement and song in my heart screaming, “You are exactly where you need to be.”

And to think… I almost settled because of doubt. I almost missed out on an amazing opportunity that affirmed my calling.

What are you holding back from due to fear of failure? Don’t let that stop you in 2019.

When people see the favor, open doors, and fullness of our lives as Christ followers, they can’t help but ask—what is it about you that makes you so different?

How are you so peaceful in the face of life’s storms?

How are you so full of joy in such painful circumstance?

The truth is we have a hope and a freedom that surpasses anything that this world can offer. The sooner we latch on to that, the easier it is to leave fear behind, trust God, and step into the fullness of your calling.

God not only cares about your dreams, He’s actually the author of them. He planted those dream-seeds in your heart. It is our decision what we do with them. When we do not wait for His perfect timing—His proper seasons, pruning, growth, and rain, we prematurely uproot and abort our dreams. If He allows the dream to grow, because we insisted on growing them ourselves, we fail to use the plant to its proper ability and design, and the harvest is lacking or unfulfilling. But when we allow The Father to give us the proper instructions, we grow beautiful, healthy crops that reap a harvest that exceeds our highest expectation!

Remember how I told you the people who live for their own desires are actually slaves to them? They are unfulfilled because they are trying to fill a God-sized hole in their heart with themselves. Their own dreams or desires. When you worship yourself and your own dreams, they actually never satisfy you.

This is because God created your dreams, calling, and heart. Therefore, He is the only one who understand how to satisfy and fulfill it. So today, trust in the promise that He is the maker and the keeper of your dreams and when you fix our eyes upon Him and not what He can give, He will exceed your wildest imaginations.

I want you to picture yourself standing before God, with your dreams in your hands. Now imagine yourself reaching up, and handing those dreams over to Him. God looks at you, with the warmest smile, then takes the dreams in His hands. He turns around, puts them inside of a beautiful treasure chest, and picks up something else inside that he has been waiting your whole life to give you. What He pulls out, is radiating light, ten times bigger, and tailor made just for you. They are His dreams and plans for you that He hand-crafted all the way back when you were being formed by Him in your mother’s womb!

These are the dreams and plans that will fulfill your purpose and calling on this earth. They incorporate every aspect of who you are and the special, uniquely designed you! And they are better than any dream you could ever imagine. But in order to receive them, you first have to hand over your will and the dreams you have. He won’t throw them away. He will be gentle, and place them in His beautiful treasure chest, and give you something even better!

Why do we have to surrender our dreams to the Lord? Well, sacrifice is God’s love language. God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, to show that the gift was not more treasured in his heart than the Gift Giver. Jesus even sacrificed his own life for you on the cross so you wouldn’t have to experience separation from God the Father.

Even the king and creator of the universe is not exempt from the sacrificial nature of love and relationship. The remarkable thing, is that in every case, God rewards the hearts of those who gave up themselves and their dreams up for His sake, and gave them back more than they could ever fathom possible!

Rest in the goodness of God. Rest in the fact that He is LOVE and will never hurt you, keep your dreams from you, or control you. Don’t let any fear bully you or keep you from the wild, crazy, God-dreams of your heart.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.” Ephesians 3:20

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

You can access more posts, devotionals, prayers & more on my website:

http://thechosengirl.info/

[baneismydragon]

The not so secret diary of Gabriel Agreste

Because I needed some crack in my life. This is a gift for @geek-fashionista who requested my joke idea become a fic. 

And because writing ridiculous Gabe content cheers me up and I needed a good pick me up. (Hopefully this will get me back in the mood to finish the next chapter of Cut from the Same cloth. If nothing else it felt good to really sit down and write again.) 

Anyways- enjoy. 

The not so secret diary of Gabriel Agreste

(Edited and catalogued by Nathalie Sancoeur)

March 18th

So apparently driving 4 employees to a nervous breakdown in the span of 2 weeks is a problem to my board of directors. They claim it’s ‘not good for the company’. Also, apparently, backhanding one of them during the meeting for suggesting I ‘take a leave of absence to deal with the loss of your wife’ counts as assault.

To avoid charges, and more importantly a forced sabbatical, I have agreed to see a therapist. Hence this ridiculous writing exercise.  Oh well. At least it is only one wasted hour a week as opposed to several months of sitting in my house, watching them drive my company into the ground with their ineptitude.

March 25th-

My therapist says that I have a problem.

Of course I have a problem! My wife is missing. Honestly, I have to pay this man?

He says that I need to be ‘focused on healing and rebuilding a new sense of normalcy instead of lashing out at the people around me.’

Well perhaps if the people around me weren’t so incompetent I wouldn’t need to lash out so much.

Nathalie- does it count as attending my therapy sessions if I send a proxy in my place? Please investigate.

March 30th-

My therapist has informed me that I am developing an obsession, and that he is concerned that the loss of my wife and my need to get her back is driving me to an unhealthy dissociative state.

Well maybe that’s why it is so important that I get her back. Did you ever think of that? Then I won’t need to waste my time adjusting to my new circumstances, because everything can just go back to the way it was. It’s really not that complicated. For someone whose job it is to ‘help me cope with my grief’ he is quite the pessimist. He keeps insisting we discuss the possibility of if she never comes back. Thank God these sessions are only an hour long, I don’t need to get charged with assault again.

April 1st-

I told my therapist that his advice was working and that I have completely seen the error of my ways.

And Nathalie says I have a terrible sense of humor.

The crushed look on his face when I pointed out the date was priceless.

Nathalie- make sure we are having fish for dinner, Adrien will appreciate the humor even if you don’t.

April 9th-

I had the portrait artist come in today so that we could replace the family portrait at the top of the staircase. I pre-selected our mourning ensembles and Adrien was miserable the whole time. The artist asked me if he should take some artistic licence with our expressions. I asked him if he valued his commission. The finished work was a perfect testament to the state of misery in this house. Hopefully this will serve as an adequate reminder to anyone who thinks it’s acceptable to attempt to inform me that ‘things are never as bad as they seem.’

My therapist says this is yet another sign of my increased megalomania. I think that it isn’t my fault that more people don’t have the resources to afford appropriate decor for their homes based on the emotional environment. Given what I am having to pay out for these worthless sessions I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a half dozen portraits of his own scattered around some poorly decorated eyesore he calls a home.

Nathalie- please arrange for some new backlighting for the updated portrait. Either some cool blue tones or perhaps some purple.

April 14th-

Today my therapy session consisted of discussing my childhood. On the bright side I sketched out two new designs while I tuned out his prattle.

Nathalie- you owe me 20 Euro. I told you it would take less than a month for him to try the Freudian approach.

April 21st-

Yesterday was the runway launch of the new Spring line. Not some of my best work to be honest but still a far sight better than anything else released this season. Maybe the Italians will give me some competition this year at least.

One of the reporters asked if the line was being dedicated to my ‘late wife’. I ask him if he was going to dedicate this interview to his soon to be late career?

Of course Adrien heard the whole thing and has been in a mood ever since, although he didn’t let it affect his performance. Even as a child, he is more professional than a fair percentage of my staff. I am prodigiously proud of him. Now if only he would stop being so emotional. It isn’t good for him. He spent the entire morning and afternoon holed up in his room listening to angst ridden J-pop and ordering mint fudge ice cream from the kitchen staff.

My therapist says that I need to be making an effort to empathize with his grief instead of fixating on my own, and compensate more in my new role as a single parent.

Clearly the stress of this show has addled my brain because I stupidly attempted to follow his advice.

After a pre-scheduled family dinner I patted Adrien on the shoulder and told him that I promises that things will get better.

He stared at me for a few seconds like I had grown a second head, before hugging onto me like a barnacle and bursting into tears.

Wonderful.

I managed to send my own child into hysterics.

This is the sort of disaster that comes from listening to the advice of idiots.

April 22nd-

Adrien seems to have recovered from last night’s meltdown rather admirably. Thank God children bounce back from these sorts of setbacks. I am glad to see that my poor judgement in following my therapist's advice doesn’t seem to have caused any permanent damage. Now I can go back to the important business of figuring out how to bring his mother back instead of wasting everyone’s time with pointless platitudes. Really that is the much smarter approach.

It’s like I tell my employees- if you just fix the mistake you won’t have to spend your energy explaining why it was there in the first place. No one will care how many failures you went through to get there- all that matters is the end result.

Speaking of failures, what was I thinking when I chose the dining room furniture? It’s hideous.

Nathalie- remind me to set aside time to purchase a new dining set.

April 30th-

She has been gone for exactly 100 days.

May 9th-

Today is my 20th Wedding anniversary.

It was storming today. My therapist asked me how that made me feel.

I told him- wet.

I don’t think he appreciated my answer.

May 12th-

I have fired my therapist.

No the answer to my problems is not to ‘move on and accept my loss and just be grateful for each new day.’ What sort of idiotic attitude is that? If I approached my life according to the advice of this degenerate I would be designing pink sequins party dresses for some mass produced tween fashion label. Even worse, the toad-faced troll had the audacity to suggest that I should consider arranging for Adrien to have his own therapy sessions. As if my child needs any sort of support from a second rate psychoanalyst with delusions of grandeur.

Good riddance. Besides, 2 months of this charade should be more than enough to satisfy the board.

Nathalie- make arrangement for a private investigator to look into his business. Perhaps we can do the world a favor and get his licence revoked.

May 14th-

I have decided to keep this diary. I find writing about the stupidity of others quite therapeutic.

Nathalie please find a more appropriately color coordinated journal in which to properly transcribe my entries.   

May 17th-

I have hired a bodyguard for Adrien. He keeps trying to sneak out, and I can’t keep losing Nathalie for hours at a time while she chases him down. I don’t understand why he is so desperate to go out and meet other people. Hasn’t he figured out by now that very few people are actually worth meeting? Clearly the stress of losing his mother is clouding his judgement. I’ll arrange for Nathalie to get a few more of those arcade machines he enjoys so much to be shipped in. Hopefully that will help keep him distracted.

Meanwhile, perhaps I should up his modeling engagements. After all, throwing oneself into one's work does provide some temporary solace. It’s certainly the best plan I have come up with so far.

May 22nd-

Adrien’s new Bodyguard has caught him attempting to sneak out twice. Both times he sent me a text informing me that the incident had been taken care of and requesting an appropriate stipend for the installation of new security cameras.

This is clearly the best hiring decision I have made in years.

Adrien may be the closest thing to perfection in this world but alas, children will be children, so I am glad I have some competent staff to manage him until he grows out of it. I believe this teenaged need to rebel in light of our recent family tragedy is what the media refers to as ‘Emo’. I will make some calls to the main office to have more of our black pieces added to his wardrobe. And my ex therapist said I ‘wasn’t paying attention to my sons needs.’ Ha.

June 3rd-

Still no progress in my plan. This morning I woke up from a dream and I couldn’t remember if that is what my wifes laugh actually sounded like.

I can’t live like this. I won’t live like this.

June 5th-

Nathalie I will take dinner in my office. Also I am not to be disturbed for the rest of the weekend.

June 10th-

Feeling infinitely better today.

It has been uncovered that my recently disgraced ex-therapist was having an affair, and with a former patient no less! Clearly he was taking out his own frustrations with his own failed marriage out on me.

Unlike that hypocritical cow, I will preserve my family no matter what impediments I may face. I knew I was right all along. Still, it’s nice to have outside validation.

Nathalie- be sure to send a sizable bonus to the private investigator, as well as a nice fruit basket.

June 17th-

Adrien had a piano recital today. It was exceptional of course. I do wish he had chosen something other than Chopin. Really, is this emo phase going to carry over into everything he does?

I will have to send a message to his bodyguard to start monitoring his packages for hair dye.

Apparently he didn’t approve of me leaving as soon as his piece was over. I don’t see why. It’s not like I have any interest in the other performers and I already paid my admission so it’s no loss to the institution. Children can be so demanding.

Nathalie- make a note, the next time I am required to attend one of these functions make sure I have a tablet with me.

June 23rd-

Why have I still not replaced that dining room table?

July 2nd-

On the plane to London because apparently the instructions “just recreate the exact same show we did a month ago” are too complicated for my employees.

I am doubly glad that I hired a bodyguard for Adrien since he is ill and will not be joining us on this trip.

Hopefully I shouldn’t be gone more than a day or so.

July 6th-

Still in London. Apparently I underestimated just how moronic people can be. I miss my wife. She always knew how to get people to do what I needed them to do with causing them to burst into tears.

She also would have appreciated my puns.

Once I get her home I swear I am going to reward myself with an entire month of not having to speak to anyone whose surname isn’t Agreste.

Except for Nathalie, of course.

July 10th-

Finally home. Adrien has made a full recovery.

He spent all of dinner expounding on the merits of something called ‘MOBA’s. I’ve found it best to just nod and pretend like I understand what he is talking about when he goes on these tangents.

Nathalie- please get me the definition for the term Noob.

July 15th-

I am truly at my wits end. Between my lack of progress on my search for my wife and my constant set backs at the company I am for all intents and purposes trying to go up a creek without a paddle.

Nathalie is less than thrilled with me at the moment as I have taken to locking myself in the office with my cellphone and computer turned off. She doesn’t seem to appreciate having to slide notes under the door.

July 22nd-

Nathalie Sancoeur is the only person to whom I am not related by blood or marriage whom I would make an effort to save during a zombie apocalypse. (Adrien’s current favorite pastime is discussing how he would react to various ridiculous survival scenarios with his bodyguard, or more accurately at his bodyguard.)

She suggested that given my frustrations with some of my staff perhaps some personnel changes were in order.

There is nothing quite so satisfying as telling  a worthless employee that they should pack up their desk and go.

I am quite confident that none of the individuals fired today would survive a zombie apocalypse.

Nathalie- please give yourself a 2% raise. It might come in handy for purchasing supplies when we are under siege by an army of the undead.

July 28th-

Adrien had his friend Mllm Bourgeois over again today. He has asked if he can be allowed to attend public school with her this term.

I told him that if Miss Bourgeois is an example of the merits of a public school education I would sooner be tarred and feathered than let him within 50 feet of said institution.  

He seems to believe that going to school would allow him the opportunity to make new friends- so I suppose I can at least see the appeal. Though, after observing his interactions today I am amazed he doesn’t simply swear off friendship altogether.

Nathalie- look into putting together some sort of dossier of suitable young people with whom Adrien could potentially associate. Perhaps we can arrange to have some on call for social engagements in the future.

July 29th-

Adrien is not speaking to me today. He has locked himself in his room. Why is everyone in this family so sensitive?

Apparently ‘you can’t just buy friends.’

Clearly he has never been involved in politics.

August 2nd-

Adrien is still angry at me. Fine, if he wants to get into a petty game of who can ignore the other longer I will play his game. He’ll learn that no one beats me when it comes to the silent treatment, just like his mother did. The most she ever made it was 3 days. We will see if Adrien fairs any better.

August 3rd-

Upon further reflection, at the end of those three days I ended up with a broken nose when my wife punched me in the face. Perhaps I should rethink my strategy.

Nathalie- schedule a family meeting to discuss Adrien’s grievances. Tell him it will save time if he prepares a list of his complaints and proposed solutions for me to consult before the start of the negotiations.

August 6th-

Adrien is visiting with his friend Mllm Bourgeois so I am taking the opportunity to go through and organize my wife’s belongings. (The staff has been forbidden from disturbing anything but it is starting to get a bit dusty.) It is best to do this while Adrien is gone as I don’t know if I can tolerate another weekend of melancholy foreign ballads blasting from his room. Or worse that new Jagged Stone album I was foolish enough to order for him as a reward for winning his last fencing competition. I swear that man sounds like a beached whale screaming its way through a slow and agonizing death. I don’t know what Adrien sees to admire in it.

At least his attempted breakouts seem to have come to a temporary halt. Either the efforts of his bodyguard have finally tempered his resolve or he is secretly plotting some sort of elaborate scheme and is trying to lure us into a false sense of security.

I guess we will see how much he takes after me.

Nathalie- make sure all of Adrien’s electronic devices are equipped with GPS tracking.

August 8th-

Still slowly working my way through the cleaning process. The latest edition of some video fighting game arrived for Adrien so he has been conveniently occupied by that. It’s getting harder to face him knowing that I am still no closer to having an answer as to how to get his mother back, not that he asks. He has always been far too kind for his own good.  

Still, it is a parent’s job to do what is ultimately best for their children and for the first time in my life I find myself spectacularly failing.

No matter how many hours I spend locked in my office I am still no closer to a concrete plan.

At least Adrien has stopped trying to accompany when I am in there. It’s too hard enough coping with my own failure without my son having to bare witness.

I will figure out a way. I did not get where I am today without being willing to fight for what I want. And once I am successful all of this will just seem like a bad dream. Both for me and for my son.

August 9th-

I never realized just how much of a hoarder my wife was until I took on this project. How many souvenirs does one woman need?

There is an entire suitcase from our last trip to Tibet that she didn’t even bother to unpack.

I’ll take care of it tomorrow.

Nathalie- reschedule my lunch with the mayor. Until after the election if at all possible. 4 months isn’t an unreasonable delay for a man with my obligations.

August 10th-

It seems that there is some truth to the concept that one should actually OPEN the boxes one acquires. I now have in my possession a strange magical creature named Nooroo who seems optimistic in his belief that he can help me in my quest to restore my family. It seems I will have the chance to turn into some sort of super powered empath with the ability to grant powers to others to help combat the forces of evil in this world. Seems like a rather dubious power. Most people are insufferably dim and couldn’t be trusted with a butter knife much less magical enhancements. Still, it is the first positive news in months. I tried opening the other box with the peacock pin but after 10 seconds of the creature crying upon being awakened I have decided to simply return it to dormant and lock it in the safe. Perhaps it will be useful later but for now one miraculous should be more than sufficient.  

Nathalie- In light of my new associate we will need a few changes to the house. Additional security, new curtains,  as well as some additions to the kitchen inventory. I will upload a list to your PDA.

August 12th-

And Everyone told me I would never have a use for a secret lair. Well I showed them. I have asked Nathalie to arrange for a large shipment of butterflies to be installed for ambiance. I have also brought in a private contractor to hide the control panel. The last thing I want in for Adrien to stumble upon any of this and get the idea to become some sort of hero vigilante. Honestly I don’t know where that boy gets his ridiculous flair for the dramatic. It must be from his mother. Meanwhile I have decided to keep Nooroo dormant for a little while. He keeps wanting me to talk to him about my feelings. If I wanted to do that I wouldn’t have fired my therapist.

August 20th-

Lair is finally ready to go. I realize though that perhaps I should read the instruction manual that came with the miraculous before I attempt to utilize unpredictable magical powers.

Nathalie- please arrange for a large pot of coffee and my favorite armchair to be placed in the lair this afternoon.  

August 30th-

Apparently translating ancient codes with no resources or starting point whatsoever is, in fact rather difficult. I supposed I should ask Nooroo for assistance.

[sheriffcobbvanth-blog]

It’s Great That You Realize There’s a Problem, Now Go and Do Something About It: On Bardan Jusik, wasted potential, and generally why he sucks.

So I’m just going to start with this by saying that, as he was written in RepCom and LoTF, I really hate Bardan Jusik. He’s smug, preachy, holier-than-thou, and always framed by the author as being a paragon of virtue despite the fact that he’s actually a useless, hypocritical lump who sucks. He’s also, like many of Traviss’s characters, a neglected gold mine of potential.

The thing that really grates me about Bardan Jusik is that he is treated as being morally superior to every other Jedi in the Order for seeing what’s wrong with the Jedi Order and the use of the clone army, despite the fact that he does nothing to even try to stop it. That’s ridiculous -- sympathy without action is meaningless.

And Jusik’s sympathy is entirely without action: he didn’t  do anything to help the clones outside of his little clique, or try and change the Senate or the Order’s mind and convince them that they were wrong. He just left and that was it. The only clones who benefited from his departure was Skirata’s little Cartel. Nothing changed for any of the others.

I could understand if he had left after doing everything in his power to try to assist the clones -- which should have been more than lecturing Padawans, most of whom are literally children and all of whom more powerless than he is about the situation -- and just couldn’t stomach the repeated rejections and failures as he tried to sway the Council and the Senate to his side. I still wouldn’t agree with it, but I’d understand. But that isn’t what happened -- if Bardan made any efforts to change attitudes towards clones on a large scale, we were never shown them. He just up and left, leaving the situation as he found it. His departure accomplished possibly worse than nothing.

I honestly think that he was wrong to leave the Jedi Order: a Jedi Knight who turns his back on the Order has no sway over anything. They’re basically just ordinary civilians in terms of social influence, but possibly worse than that because hey, if a Jedi leaves the Order then there must be something wrong with them, right? However, if he had remained with the Order, he might have had something of a platform to speak from and possibly affect change.

And more than that, having Bardan stay with the Order would have been more interesting, narratively speaking. Just take a second to picture this characterization of Bardan instead of the one he got: as he’s working with clone troopers, Bardan realizes that the Order is doing something terrible and that he needs to stop it. So he resolves to never lead troops into battle again. At first Zey is like “no, absolutely not; the Order is stretched thin and you’re needed at the front. You have duties and responsibilities that you can’t back out of and you need to fulfill your obligations as a Jedi Knight,” and so Jusik is just like “Fine, I’ll go study to be a healer because they have the option of staying at the temple and serving as non-combatants,” and then he goes out and finds a slightly eccentric Jedi willing to tutor him in the healing arts (because honestly that shit  takes time and guidance – why else would Anakin have turned to the Sith to learn how to heal if it was something a Jedi could easily and randomly pick up -- seriously, did we ever even get and explanation for how he learned healing? I don’t remember one). So he trains at the temple and in the meantime uses both his position as a Jedi Knight and the fact that he’s basically stationed in Coruscant to petition both the senate and the Council on why using an army of slaves is wrong and basically serving as an advocate for clone rights.

And he has different reactions from different people. Some senators hate his guts and will literally slam doors in his face or threaten to have their guards shoot him if he shows up at their office. Others hear him out but disagree with him on a fundamental level, engaging him in an even-keeled manner and the audience gets to see the issue from a new perspective with no bias from the author – like, I’d love to see him engage in a conversation with a Pantoran or Twi’Lek or other non-human senator who is in support of using the clone army because they believe that a civilian draft unfairly tilted in favor of humans would be instated in its absence, and their people would suffer as a result. They may not be right, but they’re justified in their own mind.

Others, however, might agree with him whole-heartedly – I know that this is kind of left-field, but I’d love to see him interact with Padmé: I could see her privately confiding in him that she agrees with him 100% but can’t say anything on the matter publicly because she’s already considered something of a maverick and making such a bold assertion might end her ability to serve as an effective politician. However, she agrees to examine his ten-year retirement plan and bring it to the floor while also attempting to de-escalate the conflict and trying to open negotiations with the Seperatists. 

And because, obviously, his efforts aren’t going to be successful, his involvement with the political world could be used by the Empire in the days of the purges as evidence that the Jedi weren’t neutral and subservient, the way they claimed to be – like, look at the way this Master Jusik guy was actively undermining the Republic war effort! Those schemers on the Council probably put him up to it.

And the Jedi would probably have different reactions to his cause as well – some might agree with him, but don’t want to sow discord or believe that they have an obligation to obey the orders of the Senate because the word of the Senate is an extension of the will of the people. Others might disagree with him, claiming that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about because he’s a healer who’s never been on the front. Maybe some people agree with him, but then take things too far -- hello, Dark Siders!

And how would the different clone troopers react? I’d imagine that some might be glad that someone’s looking out for them but think that he’s just a little too extreme. Some might be offended – like what, are we not good enough for him? Some might agree with him whole-heartedly, and Bardan might just be making Palpatine’s plans for Order 66 a lot easier.

So Bardan faces a lot of resistance, but he decides that no matter what others think of him and his message, he’s not going to stop spreading it. He can’t. As a Jedi, he’s obligated to serve the Light and ensure justice, even if it means going against the Order. He has to keep going because it’s the will of the Force.

And when Kal encourages him to leave the Order and offers to adopt him, Bardan just looks him dead in the eyes and says “I’m not leaving unless if every clone in the galaxy is free to come with me.”

But then there’s also a bunch of fun ways this could end for Bardan, and a lot of potential plots that this could drive. Maybe there’s a bounty placed on his head by a political rival, or maybe the Chancellor wants him taken out – while he might not be a political juggernaut, he’s out there placing the seeds of doubt in people’s minds and it’s always best to be on the safe side. Someone could find out and then head to Coruscant to rescue him – or he could just die under mysterious circumstances, leading the commandos to investigate and reach a dead end (because Palpatine is not sloppy). 

Or maybe that never happens, and Bardan is at a med center when Order 66 goes down. Maybe he’s shot down with the rest of the Jedi, leaving his friends to wonder how it could have happened. 

Or maybe he escapes. Maybe he lives. But he’s a wreck. He couldn’t help the clone troopers, who are still being mass-produced by the Empire, which treats them worse than the Republic ever did, and he couldn’t stop the Order from falling. And now he’s the last of his kind and for all he knows Order 66 and the things that followed were his fault – maybe if he’d just come to his senses a little earlier, or tried a little harder, he could have prevented everything. So when the Empire falls and the Jedi rise again, he throws in, offering to train people in healing and what he remembers of the Jedi way.Or maybe he doesn’t. Maybe he doesn’t think he’s worthy of helping to rebuild the new Order of Jedi after he allowed the last one to fall. So he stays on Mandalore, not out of delusions of moral superiority, but out of shame and despair. And maybe, when Jaina comes to Mandalore to learn about tracking individuals or to improve Jedi-Mandalorian relations or something (the canon reason she went to Mandalore was stupid, why would you train with a Mandaolrian to beat a Sith that doesn’t make any fucking sense), she meets him and inspires him to come back to the Jedi.

But I think that the best ending for this au is that he was on Corruscant during Order 66, and he’s the one who dies during the evacuation instead of Etain, because there was an indiscriminate kill Order on Jedi and that included Jusik, even though he did nothing to deserve it.

Even in the book itself, I think Jusik should have died during Order 66 instead of Etain, even without the alternate characterization I came up with for him -- it avoids the women-in-refrigerators trope, matches with the  tone of the PT, he’s dead, and it could cause some really interesting moral conflict. It would have highlighted what a tragedy Order 66 was -- because it was genocide, and that’s not any sort of victory or resolution. The destruction of a culture or religion is never something to be celebrated.

But he doesn’t die by jumping in front of a lightsaber because that’s stupid. He should get killed by clone troopers. And when one of the nulls or commandos points out that hey, that was my friend Bardan Jusik, he stood up for us when no one else would, he cared about us when no one else did, he was one of the good Jedi, his little brother says “The only good Jedi is a dead Jedi,” and then the other clones try to kill the nulls, commandos, and Kal for aiding a traitor.

Like, really. I need someone to explain Bardan’s existing characterization. All of these options, and Karen decides to make him a preachy hypocrite who never lifts a finger to help anyone outside of Kal’s immediate circle. She goes with the lamest characterization that causes the least anguish and conflict. Why? Because the idea of a guy in Mandalorian armor wielding a lightsaber was just too cool to resist? Because her characters are cool enough to be smarter than everyone else and definitely too cool to try to help other people outside of their little clique? Because she’s a shit writer who’s too cowardly to even think about adding legitimate conflict and the inclusion of multiple equally-viable perspectives on moral conflicts into her plots? WHY?

[naturecoaster]

Coping with Dementia: Simple therapies to remember during Coronavirus quarantine

If caring for a loved one living at home with dementia were not difficult enough under normal circumstances, now it is further complicated by social distancing guidelines during the Coronavirus crisis.  For this trying time, you can no longer attend a support group, nor can you get respite by taking your person to daycare.  Now, you are stuck at home, which in and of itself may increase your loved one’s anxiety.  What is a care partner to do? Now is a good time to remember to try those simple therapies that will not only consume time productively but can bring comfort to your loved one.  Here a few examples: Nostalgia Therapy for Dementia It is not uncommon for individuals living with dementia to lose their recent memories, but be able to retain recollection of an earlier time in their life.  Sometimes, they “go there” and seem to live in that earlier time.  This should not be dismissed as “delusion;” rather it should be recognized as a valuable tool for effective care.  Use nostalgic artifacts or a family photo album to reminiscence about their past life to validate the reality that seems to give them comfort. Remember that their reality or recollection of the past may not quite be the same as yours.  For example, if you are sharing a photo album, don’t say, “Do you remember who this is?”  This question is a challenge to confirm what you know to be real.  Rather, just point at the photo and say, “What can you tell me about this?”  Your person with dementia may misidentify the person or the situation in the photo, but this does not matter.  Let them talk about how they see things, then praise, affirm, and validate what they have told you.

Nostalgia therapy and hug therapy are two great tools for the Dementia caregiver.Image by Dan/Kelli Oakley from Pixabay Hug Therapy Hugs are proven to work, especially for people living with brain disorders, but many of our care partners don’t practice it enough.  I saw it work with my husband Albert, so effectively that he was removed entirely from mood-altering medication.  If your loved one is not comfortable with hugs, just try a loving touch and remind them that you are there for them.  This will help them understand they are not alone. Music Therapy Music Therapy is another proven non-medical therapy that can work wonders.  Similar to Nostalgia Therapy, it seems to work best when we choose music that our loved one enjoyed between the ages of eight and 20.  To see just how effective music therapy can be, go to YouTube and watch “Alive Inside.” 

Music is an effective therapy for Dementia and Alzheimers. Image by Mircea Iancu from Pixabay Here are five tips for how to use music as an effective therapy for Dementia & Alzheimers: For each individual, identify the songs that evoke memories of happy times.  One hint in identifying this playlist is the fact that the music we most strongly embed in our memories are the songs we recall from ages 8 to 20.To calm a person during mealtime or the morning hygiene routine, play or sing soothing music.  You need not rely only on I-pod technology.  If you know what they like, sing to them.Avoid over-stimulation by eliminating competing noises. Shut the door. Turn off the television. If using a radio, select a station where the music is not interrupted by commercials.  NOTE: There is very little on television that is calming or suitable for an individual living with dementia, especially not televised news.  When they view a story about a fire or bombing, they don’t know whether it is in London or across the street.  Care facilities that use television as a baby sitter for individuals living with dementia are definitely not practicing enlightened, effective, or compassionate care!Encourage movement and involvement.  Encourage the individual to clap or tap their feet to the beat, to sing along, or even to dance if the environment and circumstances enable them to do so safely.Pay attention to the person’s responses.  If they like a particular song, play or sing it often.  You may get tired of it, but they will not.  If they react negatively to a particular song or style of music, make a note and eliminate it from the playlist. Doll Therapy Many times, a soft doll will become the constant companion of a person living with dementia, especially women. It seems to give them comfort and a sense of purpose.  Some people think an older person holding a doll is “demeaning.” I don’t agree.  If it gives your loved one comfort, it is not demeaning.  There’s a lesson here.  We, as care partners, must sometimes put our own opinions and feelings aside in favor of how something makes our loved one feel.

Dogs and cats provide comfort to those suffering from alzheimers and dementia. Image by Besno Pile from Pixabay Animal Therapy No need to say much about this!  Who doesn’t love a puppy or a kitty?  Many memory care communities maintain “house pets” because they know how much their residents enjoy and love them.  But if you do not own a pet, there is an alternative similar to doll therapy.  On the internet, you can purchase dog or cat “dolls” that seem to be breathing while they sleep.  Their side rises and falls while they sleep in their little bed.  You can even get cats that quietly purr while they sleep and breathe.  I once gave one of these breathing stuffed animals to a woman with dementia who was in a state of anxiety.  Her daughter said, with dismay, “But it’s dead!”  I said, “Maybe to you, but maybe not to her.”  The woman with dementia put the stuffed animal in her lap, smiled, and became calm.  This happened during a support group meeting, and for more than an hour, she sat and quietly stroked her new stuffed animal friend.  Plant Therapy Even people in later stages of dementia can love the beauty of plants.  However, if they are able, you may want to ask your person to help you tend your plants.  Sure, they may make a little mess, but working in the soil can give them long periods of joy and comfort. 

longleanna / Pixabay

Simple therapies to remember during Coronavirus quarantine for Coping with Dementia and Alzheimers

These and other simple and time-tested therapies are very effective for individuals living with dementia.  This is because, long after a person with dementia has lost the ability to think and reason, they still retain the ability to “feel.”  This is because the organs in our brain that govern our emotions – the amygdalae – survive and continue to function long after dementia has ravaged the “thinking” parts of the brain.  Consequently, the “feeling” part of our brain can be the last and only tool a care partner has to work with.  We can do this with simple therapies that have been known and used for decades; in some cases even for centuries. They are proven to work, and they can provide comfort also to you, the care partner, during these trying and unusual times when you are confined to your home. Debbie Selsavage is a Certified Trainer and Consultant in the Positive Approach to Care, and a Certified Dementia Practitioner.  Her company, Coping with Dementia LLC, is dedicated to making life better for individuals living with dementia.  Contact Debbie at deb@coping.today. Read the full article

[hencethebravery]

Because I haven’t written anything in days, and I am quite stuck, and I just wanted to write something, so it’s CC which means it’ll get lots of secret hits (I see y’all), but at the very least I’ll have written something. Fair warning, this fic involves someone with a slight hearing disability and I am not deaf, so if I’ve gotten something wrong, please tell me! Trigger warning for vague descriptions of violence, minor character death, and PTSD. Happy CC Friday! Tagging the crew. @mahstatins @phiralovesloki @thejollypirate @pritkins-little-witch @the-reason-to-sail-home

+ The last thing he hears with any degree of acceptable functionality is that of a high-pitched ringing, accompanied very briefly by the nauseating crunch of his own bones. That eerie, high-pitched echo had vibrated within the walls of his head as if he were a tuning fork. In an odd, dissociative moment he saw himself drawn in the image of a Saturday morning cartoon. His own body boldly outlined in black, the normally drab color of his uniform practically alive with bright, living color. The sound itself was not dissimilar to the many times he had foolishly stood far too close to the shit speakers at a punk show in someone’s grimy basement. And Robin, ever the reliable man, had always gleefully reminded him that he would never experience the joy of hearing at that frequency ever again.

“Who knows,” he’d say on a laugh, “maybe you’ll actually be able to sing on key now.”

Answering with a vulgar yell (because he couldn’t quite discern the volume of his own voice), “Get fucked, mate. Truly.”

Through the hazy double-vision he’d seen Robin’s smile for the last time. Had followed the thin river of blood as it sluggishly ran from the corner of his temples all the way down to the upturned corners of his lips. Pooling in the dry cracks of his flesh, disrupting the fine layer of dust that had settled on his features ever since they’d arrived. And who would be able to drunkenly lecture him about neglecting his own well-being now?

Not that it mattered. It’s not like he’d be able to hear it.

He’s stateside for about a year before he meets David Nolan, and it’s one of the harder years of his life—and of those there have been many. At 26, he’s lived through a far greater number of tragic circumstances than most men his age. Mother dead; father fled; brother with honorable intentions both resentful and overbearing. Liam’s still in England, working and living under the delusion that he’s not just as fucked up as Killian is. It’s for the best, they never did get along in close quarters.

Downside being, what with Robin gone and his own tendency toward the morose, he’d gotten a bit lonely. Which was where Sally came in. A lovely spotted lass with comically large, pointed ears, and dramatic, amber-colored eyes, she ended up being the perfect companion while lost in the throes of the dreaded “readjustment period.”

She also tugs rather rudely on her leash if he’s about to step in front of a bus. Good girl.

He doesn’t have total hearing loss, but he may as well have. He can’t quite tell if the almostness of the thing doesn’t actually make it far worse than just being completely without the ability to hear anything. Instead it’s more of this muffled, trapped in a washing machine kind of sound. And he’s not crazy about the hearing aid, so he often stubbornly goes without it.

He doesn’t know it yet, but it’s going to be one of those things Dave is incessantly bugging him about. It’s not as if he doesn’t know the man is right—he is, after all, annoyingly intelligent, but honestly the thing is just un-bloody-comfortable.

“Ya know what’s fun though?” he will inevitably always ask, “being able to hear the undeniably charming tenor of my voice.”

It is difficult at first, for Killian. Admitting that somehow, with the solid, warm weight of him against his back; that it’s the feeling of his voice, the thrumming of it traveling underneath his skin, that’s somehow better than the real thing.

They meet because of Sally, princess that she is. They meet because Killian, responsible for the death of his friend (no matter what Hopper says) and almost his dog, fails to see the bike barreling down the sidewalk and Sally, per her job description, leaps in front of it. A terrible beast, really.

He’s about halfway through a panic attack when he finally makes eye contact with the shockingly handsome man who’s come to his aid. Kneeling next to Sally, his lips moving but all Killian can hear is a hushed “wah, wah, wah,” kind of noise beneath the painful rushing of his own heart. But Sally’s not moving, just gazing at him with a kind of blank look on her face, and all he can do is feel some lost, long ago granules of sand trapped in the corners of his eyes—smell the iron in the air.

David has to yell, a deep “Hey!” that Killian only manages to catch the “—ey!” of. And that’s when he remembers that he’s not wearing his hearing aid and how’s this man supposed to know how fucking useless he is, and for God’s sake, will someone please save his dog?

“Sorry,” Killian manages to sputter between short, tight breaths. “I can’t,” he points to his ear, tries to swallow the thick mucus gathering at the back of his throat, “I can’t hear so well.”

The man’s hand is resting on his shoulder, so he can feel his voice, sort of. When his lips move he tries to re-focus his attention, and he’s trying to explain that he’s an animal doctor of some kind, that she’ll be fine, they just have to get her to his offices down the street. His lips are pink and distracting, and when Killian runs a relieved hand down his heated, sweaty face, he tries to ignore the heady scent of the man’s aftershave.

It’s all a bit of whirlwind after that, and he has to have a long, meandering discussion with Dr. Hopper about not moving too fast after a trauma. But honestly, his whole bloody life could be defined as a trauma, and it’s not moving too fast when you haven’t been happy in 26 years. Still, he has to be sure that he’s not about to be a burden on Dave’s otherwise uncomplicated existence.

“How could you say that?” he’d half spoken, half signed. His honorable, kind heart paired with that large, insatiable brain had resulted in his signage ability being almost better than Killian’s in a few short months, and Killian couldn’t help but feel as if he were waiting for the other shoe to drop. “To be expected,” Dr. Hopper had confirmed, “that would be the anxiety.” The shoe full of resentment and exhaustion, and not bloody worth it. What with the irreparably damaged cochlea and inconvenient panic attacks and not being able to ride around in a car without taking anti-anxiety medication—who in their right mind would stay?

“You’re not a burden,” David insisted, his eyes locked onto Killian’s, “You’d never be a burden.”

“How can you know that?” he answered, softer this time, adjusting to the silent quality of his own voice, his fingers clumsily forming the question.

“I just do,” he said slowly before pulling him into his arms. Killian couldn’t see his lips, or read the graceful movements of his hands, but he could feel it, the familiar vibrations of his voice. And he couldn’t know for certain, but it was brief, and rushed, and later that night he’d wonder if it was an, “I love you.”

It’s not easy. It’s never easy. Another year goes by and he still struggles with sleeping through the night, but at least there’s less nights like those. And when he does wake up, his heart racing, the silence somehow deafening, David is always there. The tangibility of him, the movement and presence and weight acting in perfect tandem against the absence of his voice.

When he occasionally succumbs to the nagging and uses the aid he can hear it with a bit more clarity, and while it is too soft to know for certain, it does have a fantastical prince-like quality, like someone asking for hankies as favors and riding up on a steed, which, “I guess you kind of did. That first time.”

But it’s nice to know he doesn’t especially need to hear it, to feel at ease with him. To feel as if he’s missing something when they’re together. And there are certain, unexpected blessings to the thing—to the lacking.

He’s attuned to the feel of him, without the noise to distract him, it’s the most tactile love he’s ever known. To feel his moan instead of hearing it, that’s an exceptional thing to know. To be cocooned in the warmth of him; the sweet, spicy smell without the distractions of the TV or traffic or whatever else pulls one’s attention in any given moment. And he’s lucky, isn’t he? He’s here when others, Robin, aren’t able to be, and maybe it’s infuriating at times, and maybe the world is a bit darker than it was before, but he might’ve not met him otherwise.

His fingers cast a flirtatious, “My knight in shining armor,” a flush rising in his cheeks, Sally’s nose bumping playfully against his knee. David’s head of golden hair falls back in silent laughter, and the world manages to brighten in the familiar quiet.

[suburbantimewaster]

This is a drawing done by Bear1037 of Candy and Chris in Return of the Greek Gods Book 1.  This is when Chris, wanting to hire a private detective, reunites with an old friend.

Chris opened the door to find himself greeted to the smell of bourbon and tobacco ash.  An orange tabby cuddled up on the cushion of a torn up couch.  A small TV stood in front of that very couch and an end table stood to the left of it with an ashtray on top and a half-finished cigarette.  Dirty dishes that looked like it's been weeks since they've seen any use filled the sink and the trashcan looked like it hadn't been taken out in days with more trash piled on the side of the counter it leaned on while a rat nibbled on a piece of garbage.  A desk lay near the back wall, covered with an outdated computer and stacks of papers, and a dresser lay to the right of it covered with worn out books and toys.  In the middle of the room stood a woman wearing nothing but a towel that outlined her small, yet firm, breasts and lack of curves, stopping at her thighs, putting her bed back into the wall.

"Chris," the woman said with an arrogant smirk.  "Long time no see."

"Candy?" Chris said, hardly believing his eyes.

"In the flesh," she said, taking a quick look at the mud on Chris's Armani suit.  "I see you had a run in with my previous client."

"Your previous client?" Chris asked shocked.

"Typical rich shallow fat guy wanting to know if his equally shallow trophy wife was cheating on him," Candy said with a scoff.

"So, you're the..." Chris began hesitantly.

"'Ugly bitch?'" Candy said, getting some clothes out of her dresser.  "Yeah, that would be me."

Candy didn't really look ugly to Chris.  Sure, Candy's chestnut brown hair looked as if it needed a good comb, dark circles rested under her almond shaped emerald eyes, her round porcelain face looked slightly sunken and her fingernails looked like they'd been carelessly clipped, but she didn't look ugly.  If anything, Candy looked more unkempt, as if she were trying to bring back the 90s heroin chic fad.  Chris was about to tell her so until another question popped into his mind.

"How did you know I ran into that guy?"

"Simple, there's mud on your suit, yet not a single speck of dirt on your shoes," Candy explained in a tone as if she was explaining to a kindergartener that one and one is two.  "So, you tried to avoid the mud only for my previous big wig client to speed through it in the parking lot, ruining your expensive suit."

"You figured all that out just by looking at the mud stain?" Chris said in awe.

"Just like I figured out that you're a psychiatrist in your residency, you love steak, despite consuming it being against your religion, you were on the football team in high school, you come from money and you don't have a single ounce of common sense," Candy said as she let her towel drop to the ground, putting her bare and skinny body on display.  "And you sexually prefer men to women."

"Really?" Chris scoffed, folding his arms over his chest.  "Tell me, who was that guy who just walked out?"

"Some guy I walked into when I was getting the mail," Candy said nonchalantly as she searched through piles of clothes in her dresser drawer.

"So, you don't know anything about this guy?" Chris asked, walking to the cat.  "And you let him in your apartment?  Sounds like you're the one who lacks common sense."

"I know that he's in his early 20s, just started Medical School, works part time as a pharmacy tech and has a dog," Candy said, as if these facts were obvious while continuing to search through her drawers.

"How do you even know—?" Chris began, reaching his hand out to pet the cat only for it to hiss and scratch his hand.

Chris pulled back and cried out in pain.

"Yeah, be careful with Shere Khan," Candy said, getting clothes out from her dresser.  "He doesn't like strangers."

"Now you tell me," Chris said, looking at the fresh scar on his hand.

As Candy was getting dressed, Chris noticed that, despite her fit tone, she looked a little bit skinnier than she should be.  He found himself torn between his concern for her well-being and his curiosity about her intelligence.

"Most of what you said about me is right," Chris told her.  "But you already knew about some of it from high school."

"You want to know how I figured out the rest?" Candy said, putting on underwear and a bra.  "It's simple, you wear expensive suits that, judging from how well they fit you, must be tailor made, and loafers, which may look good but are a hassle to walk in, especially here.  You're wearing them in this neighborhood, meaning you care more about your appearance than you do your life.  Your hands look like they've never seen a surgeon's table, you're too young to already have your doctorate and you're the first client I've had that doesn't call me a bitch or tell me to shut up, meaning you find me psychologically intriguing."  Candy said, putting on a pair of black skinny jeans.  "As for your sexual preference, most guys stare at my boobs or my butt and get a hard-on.  You're looking at my stomach and you're worried about my weight."

"I can't help it, you look like you belong in an anorexic health group," Chris defended and then another worry entered his mind.  "Wait a minute, you mean you've done this before... with other clients?"

"Depends on the circumstances," Candy said nonchalantly as she put on a blood red tank top.

"Look, I get that you're some Sherlock Holmes deduction master," Chris said, folding his arms over his chest.  "But even you can't know everything about someone just by looking at them."  Then he finally let his concern show.  "I mean, what if you invited a serial killer, a rapist, or a common thief back to your apartment?"

"My deductions must be off, because I thought you were here to hire me for a case not lecture me on the way I live my life," Candy said, taking the half-finished cigarette off the ashtray and placing it in her mouth.

"Well, I'd think that, as you pointed out to me, considering the neighborhood you live in, you'd be a little more careful," Chris argued.

Candy took a knife from the sink and threw it at the rat nibbling on garbage.  Chris took a good look at the weapon.  His eyes widened and his jaw dropped as Chris saw that it hit the parasitic rodent right in the middle, as if she knew exactly where to aim.

"You were saying?" Candy said with a satisfied smirk as she smoked her cigarette.

"Point taken," Chris said, defeated.

"Candy Marino, Private Investigator, at your service," Candy said, as if she was rehearsing lines for a play.  "You name it, I'll solve it, and it better be worth my time."

"Considering this apartment, I doubt you can afford to be picky," Chris remarked, putting his hands in his pocket and looking around.

Candy jammed her finished cigarette on the ashtray, favoring Chris with a smirk.  "You're right, I can't," she said.  "But there are other ways to make a client feel cheated.  Just ask the fat guy who ruined your suit."

"Yeah, what was that about?" Chris asked, and then looked at the pile of money on Candy's desk.  "Never mind, I think I have a good idea."

"Really, what do you think happened?" Candy asked with her hand on her hip, as if she was talking to a high-school kid that wanted to give their opinion on The Great Gatsby.

"He paid you to find out if his wife was having an affair," Chris began, pointing to the money pile on Candy's desk.  "You took his money and said that she was cheating on him with the pool boy."

"Why the pool boy?" Candy asked.

"Classic cliché," Chris said, shrugging his shoulders.  "A woman marries a man for money, finds herself to be unsatisfied and has an affair with the help, particularly the pool boy."

"Yeah, you would know," Candy said without the slightest bit of tact.  "Except I said it was his gardener."

Chris fists clenched at Candy's statement but he kept his anger at bay.

"Still, quite impressive," Candy said gesturing as if it was no big deal.  Though, for her, it probably wasn't.  "For an amateur."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Chris said sardonically.  "So, was I right?"

"The usual, ugly guy gets rich and marries a beautiful trophy wife with as much personality as he's got, which is absolutely none," Candy said, grabbing a pack of cigarettes off the coffee table.  "He thinks, eventually, she'll fall in love with his 'inner beauty' while he's off drinking, gambling and banging hookers.  Then, his wife has an affair with the hot gardener and he gets mad at his 'shallow' wife."  Candy put the cigarette in her mouth.  "Then he comes in here, demanding the truth and expects me to sympathize with him and his hypocritical double standard."  Candy grabbed a lighter and lit the cancer stick.  "So, yeah, I'd say you were right on the money."

"Thanks, I think," Chris said, looking distastefully at the cigarette Candy recently lit.  "Though, maybe you could've been a bit more tactful."  He suggested and, hoping that he didn't offend her, quickly added.  "If you don't mind me saying."

"I'm paid to find the truth, not to listen to people whine," Candy said, taking a puff.  "Enough about a rich guy with delusions.  Why are you here?"

"Well—"

"No, don't tell me," Candy said, her eyes filling up with wonder.  "You've been having dreams about living in a simpler time of shepherds and tribesmen.  Back when people believed in the pagan gods and sacrificed goats and sheep to them.  You see shadows of your life, only it's not your life!"  Candy made gestures as if she was telling a story around the campfire.  "During the day, you go about your life, feeling this ominous presence looming over you.  Is it a ghost?  You wonder, or is a past life finally catching up to you?"

All Chris could do was stare at Candy as she recited the tale like a child coming up with a new playtime story.  However, after she treated him like an ignorant child, it was amusing to see Candy acting like an imaginative one.

"Hate to destroy your fantasy, but that's not why I came," Chris said proudly.

"No, but you didn't deny it was happening," Candy defended, looking outside the window with the cigarette in her hand.  "So, what did you come to me about?"

"Actually, it wasn't a problem I was facing," Chris explained slowly.  "It's a problem with my dad's hospital."

"Don't care about that," Candy said, folding her arms under her chest.  "Just want to know what the case is and it better be something good, like a murder."

Chris nervously laughed.

"I was serious," Candy stated coldly.

"Well, it's more of a hacker case," Chris began hesitantly as Candy put on her socks.  "At least, I think it is."

"Why?"

"For the past three weeks, patients have been prescribed medications they're allergic to," Chris explained.  "My dad thinks it might be incompetent doctors but, each time he asks them about it, they always claim that they didn't file for that medication."

"So, you're thinking cybercrime," Candy concluded while putting on her boots.  "And you want me to find the hacker."

"I think it's a possibility," Chris admitted.  "It wouldn't be the first time a hospital got hacked."

"You got that right," Candy said as she grabbed her black leather jacket hanging on a nearby chair.  "Look up the hospital on your phone."

Chris only blinked.  "Does this mean you're taking the case?" he asked.

"No, I'm due for a gynecology check up and I thought I'd change hospitals," Candy said sarcastically.

Even with Candy's more... abrasive behavior, Chris couldn't help but smile.  "Thanks, I really appreciate that you're willing to help me out even with our... troubled past."

"Wow, self-centered much?" Candy said as she grabbed her keys.

Okay, so she wasn't doing this out of the goodness of her heart.  In fact, he was starting to wonder if Candy's heart shrunk to the size of a pea since he last saw her.  However, he did promise his dad a detective and, when she said she was the best of the best, she wasn't exaggerating her talents.

"So, we're taking your car?" Chris asked as he searched for the hospital on his GPS.

"Unless you'd rather ruin yours," Candy said, putting her jacket on.

"Good point," Chris said, looking at his filthy suit and wondering if Candy would let him stop at the Tailor's.

Candy opened the door and beckoned Chris to get a move on, but all he could do was stand there bewildered.  "Come on!" she said to him impatiently.  "What are you waiting for, a formal invitation?"

"We haven't seen each other since high school," Chris pointed out.

Candy gave an irritated sigh.  "Yeah, your point?"

"So, don't you want to catch up?" Chris asked her, feeling angry and hurt at the same time.  "Find out what we've been up to since we last saw each other?"

"You want to play catch up, we'll do it in the car," Candy told him harshly.  "And, if you don't get moving, I'm leaving without you."

"All right, I'm coming," Chris conceded, following Candy out the door.

I hope I don't live to regret this.

[randywalkerwriting]

Enter Nephmys

The group heads back to Oakhaven via the path through which they had originally come, through the caves, eventually leading to the sewers under the town. Re-emerging from the secret entrance under the tavern, the party is greeted by the same barkeep from before, who appeared to be expecting their return any moment now. "Ah, yes, the conquering heroes! Lady Roycedale asked to see you at once!" She pauses, looking expectantly at the group, then the door, then back at the group, and finally adds hurriedly, "Go on! Yep, seems real important! Better make haste! Wouldn't want to make her upset, or make me look bad! Seriously, don't make me look bad. Please leave now." Prosper breaks the silence. "Did she say where to meet her? Same shadowy tavern booth as last time?" to which both the barkeep and Kosmeiros utter a quick "Huh?" The barkeep's face lightens a little. "Ah, Kos, I didn't see you there!" Then, turning to Prosper, "Yeah, I'm not really sure what you mean. As long as I've been running the taps here, she's always done her business at home. You know Schaffenheim, that mansion in the center of town with the big old stonkin' clock tower, where all the Crafter's Guild business happens? The one that's lousy with Roycedale tieflings? Yeah, I would go there? Quickly, please?" Kosmeiros chuckles a little, then says, "Easy there, Caelin. These folks aren't from around here, and it's not like there are tieflings perched along the rooftop, or clinging to the walls outside the place or anything. Don't worry, I'll show them the way." Then, turning to the group, he gestures towards the front door. "Shall we?" The group leaves the establishment, turns a few corners, and eventually stands in front of a large, somewhat ostentatious structure, though by no means out-of-place in this town of gilded, mechanical splendor. Clearly a manor of some sort, there seem to be many more rooms than you might expect, indicating that this place is far more than a mere residence. "There it is, friends: Schaffenheim, home of the 'Dales, center of commerce and craft, and effective town hall of Oakhaven. Nephmys and I kind of, uh, have something of a history, so it might be best if you all do the leading." He stands back, waits for the party to head toward the front door, then follows close behind. Looking up one last time at the front façade, he sighs and says quietly, to no one in particular, "Ah Neph, you old gryphon, what story'd you sell these kids?" The guards at the door open it without hesitation, and with a gesture of polite respect, adds, "Lady Roycedale is expecting you all in the conference gallery. First hall to your left, second door on your right. Ah, young Kos! Welcome back. You'll be sure to lead the way if our guests get turned around?" Following the guard's directions, you make your way to a large oaken door, decorated lavishly with an intricate filigree of gold and silver, not depicting any one pattern or image, but seemingly many. You recognize the shape of a tree here, a dragon there, a hammer striking an anvil, and a ferret perched upon a rock, among many other shapes. The way they intersect and weave within one another makes a holistic view of the work hard to establish, but before anyone has too long to admire it, the doors are pulled open from the inside. Sitting at the end a long table, just as fit for a banquet as it would be for business meetings, is Nephmys Roycedale, flanked on either side once again by her brother Barlech and her bodyguard and companion Inmeia. Nephmys smiles and stands immediately. "Do come in, have a seat! Though before you do so, if you require anything to eat or drink, simply inform one of the guards who just let you in, and it will be provided as swiftly as possible." Looking toward the back of the group, her face suddenly softens a bit, and then she clears her throat. "And I see you ran into one of my other business partners, as well! What fortune! Kos, the details regarding the results of your assignment will be discussed privately later on, but for now, let's discuss the matter that is truly at hand: How went your escapades in the lair? Is that relic-obsessed beholder finally out of my hair? I tell you, that rotted flying meatball has been a burr on my horn for nigh-on months, now. Tell me, is it dead?"

//"Yes," G’ary says calmly and looks to a guard giving no indication he'll have more to say in the matter. "Wine spritzer, if you please?"

//Helena rubs a hand on the banquet table, both admiring and lamenting the woodwork. She pulls a chair and sits lazily, draping her arms on either rest. "Are your facilities at our disposal? I require a private moment, if permitted," Helena breathes out as she fidgets in the chair.

The guard's shoulders relax slightly in response to G'ary's request and, with an exasperated sigh, adds, "Finally, someone with a modicum of taste! You adventuring types only ever ask for the basest of refreshments. I relish the opportunity to serve something at least ONE step above barreled bilge. It'll take a little longer, my man, but I will see to it personally."

A fleeting spark of amusement plays across Nephmys' face. "Yes, that will do, Kharlial. See to it," she says with a slight nod, then turns to Helena with a raised eyebrow. "As for my *facilities,* they may be available, yes, but that would depend on both the nature of the facilities needed, and of the work you intend to do in them. Regarding the matter of privacy: that, too, would require more specifics. Privacy, as you should all know by now, comes to us in degrees, and "complete" is one such degree of privacy that is rarely afforded us and, within the walls of the Crafthome, is not offered at all. Nothing happens here without my permission, nor without my knowledge."

She clears her throat, and her stiff tone loosens some, taking on a hint of remorse. "And then there is that other matter. I feel that I owe you all an overdue apology. As you can see," she says, gesturing outwards at the surrounding walls, "the Roycedale's place atop the industry of Oakhaven is well-established, and was never jeopardized at all."

As she speaks, the tone of her voice gradually shifts from its apologetic waver to a more confident slant. "While the beholder and its lot were indeed a nuisance, and had foolishly held unearned delusions about their ability to remove us from power and oust us from Schaffenheim, they were nothing more than a glorified gang of toughs. An example was to be made of them; one does not "oust" a Roycedale, as much as one does not "oust" the blue from the sky. If we are to survive the co—"

She stops herself short, pinching the bridge of her nose. Then, with a measured exhale, she composes herself and smoothes out her coat. "However, it appears that time is not on our side as of late. As you crossed paths with Kos, here, you most likely know that we had other reasons for sending agents to that lair." At the mention of his name, Kosmeiros uneasily shifts his weight from one foot to the other. "Come now, Kos, we all know your mouth holds secrets as well as a net holds air. I hire you because you can make anything, or anyone, disappear, not because you are discreet. Anyway, like I said, we had other business there, time-sensitive business, and recent events had forced our timetable to shift quite a few inches against our favor." She leans forward in her high-backed chair, elbows resting upon the polished wood of the table, red fingers steepled vaguely in the direction of the group.

"This is where you come in. As mentioned when we first met, we have been following your work for quite some time, now. I've seen you succeed, I've seen you fail. Some of you I've been watching long before you joined up with this band of misfits. From all of that, I found one thing to be clear: you work quickly, when moved to do so.

"Such motivation always seems to spring forth within your group when leaders, rendered powerless by circumstance, appeal to you for your help: Riverfield, with its undead-infested Temple to the Raven Queen, Shademoor, with its secret truce run afoul by fey interloping, and Springbush, with its dead gardens from which blossomed civil unrest and economic decay. This is the pattern of your work. I had a job that needed doing, and quickly. So I presented myself, that first night in the tavern, as just one more deposed leader unrightfully pulled from my seat of power, and you answered the call. Your job was to clear a path, and you did. It remains to be seen if the other work that was to be done last night was successfully completed, but that is for me and my employee to discuss." She says, eyeing Kosmeiros with a look that is equally part-curiosity and part-scrutinization.

"I feel I should emphasize, in the event that it is not abundantly clear, that I am very grateful for what you've done, for me, for the Roycedales, and most importantly, for all of Westheath. This is just one step on the path to saving this cursed land, but I would be misrepresenting myself a second time if I didn't express how much I sincerely hope that you'll continue to pave these stones with me, with us." She loosens her posture and falls backwards in her chair, a squeak of an exhale forcing itself out of her lungs as she abruptly slumps against its tall back. She grasps the goblet from the table in front of her, takes a long, languid drink from it, and slaps the cup back down on the table with a fatigued grunt. Rubbing both eyes wearily, she finally says, "So that's me done. I'm sure you have questions?"

//Helena leans forward after Nephmys's praise and somewhat captivating speech. She rests her head in her hand and asks as Prosper finishes, "Your lavatory facilities for a start. Usually I'd just go out to the woods to do that but there seems to be a stigma around that route in this area. Second, I wonder if you have a library, that I may have access to, for research."

As Prosper mentions the pile of bodies, the three tieflings at the end of the table snap to attention and cast a brief, confused glance at her, then to each other.

Nephmys flattens her expression as best she can. "Bodies, huh? A pile, you say? What a treat that must have been!" She turns to Helena, smiling. "And yes, of course. You'll find all such amenities on the way to our—I'm proud to say—vast library. Barlech, my studious brother, here, maintains it and shall accompany you in your research." She gestures briefly at the tiefling to her left, who grasps the pince-nez he is wearing and tips them in a form of salutation.

She returns her focus to Prosper and continues, "As for plans, if that beholder had any, I wasn't ever able to fully suss them out. All I know is that his goons would occasionally hit my workshops, and he was rumored to have quite a collection of artifacts and oddities." She stands up from the chair and walks over to one of the tall windows lining the north side of the room, overlooking the city.

"There has been no specific spat of missing persons, or anything, but I'm not going to sit here and tell you that people don't disappear from our gleaming streets from time to time. Oakhaven runs like a well-oiled machine." With a faint sigh, she turns back to the group. "I help keep it that way. If a cog loses teeth, or a piston takes on rust, you repair it, and if you can't, you replace it."

She walks over to where Prosper is sitting, pulls out the adjacent chair, turning it away from the table to face the halfling, and sits wearily, one arm resting on the table. "I loathe replacing the parts of my machine, and the notion that someone might be stealing them from me makes me very, very angry. I would hear more of this pile. But first," she turns to Barlech, "please see to our guest? I'm afraid we've kept her too long already."

Barlech quickly rises from his chair, his thin frame somewhat taller than his seated posture might have suggested. "Indeed. Please, do be thorough with your lines of questioning, Neph? I, too, am very, very curious what our small friend has to say about these cadavers." He turns his head toward Helena. "If you would meet me right outside the door, my Lady, we can get to work straight away."

He then begins to walk around the back of the table to make his way to the door, but as he passes behind Inmeia's chair, she loosely reaches her arm back over her broad shoulder, as if to halt him.

"Prosper," she says to him.

He stops mid-stride, a look of confusion on his face. "Uh, thank you? I shall endeavor to do so? You...too?"

"Our 'small friend'," she responds, turning her head slightly towards him, while not looking directly at him. "That's her name. Prosper."

He stammers for a moment, his golden eyes shimmering as a sign of genuine embarrassment. "Yes, you are correct." He turns towards where Prosper and Nephmys are sitting. "That was rude of me. I apologize." He bows deeply into a low curtsy, resumes heading for the door, and leaves through it. Inmeia silently extends towards Prosper a thumbs-up from her amber-colored fist and winks one of her entirely-black eyes.

Nephmys, staring blankly at Inmeia, blinks a few times and turns back to Prosper. "So yes, about these bodies."

//G’ary smiles and looks about. "Just curious, where is my beverage?" He looks about, "And who can I speak to about the tournament happening in Winterwell?"

Retrieving a folded pair of glasses from an inner vest pocket and flicking them open with a flick of the wrist before donning them, Nephmys takes the notebook and scrutinizes it closely. Her eyes, golden like her brother's, narrow as she examines the sketches, then suddenly widen.

"These sketches, they are accurate, yes? The sigils, they are..." her eyes dart quickly to Inmeia, then back to the notebook, "unknown to me, but this script is certainly Abyssal. Or, at least, it's trying to be. The syntax is all wrong, and some of the characters aren't rendered properly." Her eyes look up over her frames at Prosper and shimmer briefly. "I mean, uh, I don't mean YOU rendered them improperly, I mean whoever did this is probably some dilettante-ass ignorant jacknuts." She stops herself for a moment, as if in thought, then, answering G'ary's first query, "Kharlial takes his work very seriously, I'm sure he'll be along shortly."

But to his second request, Inmeia responds. With an enthusiastic slap of the table's surface, she bellows, "Ha! So you're fixing to get that belt too, huh? There will be at least ONE worthy competitor in my way then." She cracks her knuckles, her black eyes wide and glassy. You assume this is her enthusiastic face.

Nephmys opens her mouth to respond, hesitates, then turns back to Prosper and says instead, "So yeah, these look like binding circles. Bad ones. It looks like someone MIGHT have been trying to summon a devil or demon, then bind them? Whoever it was, they're lucky they didn't get possessed themselves." She hands the notebook back to Prosper with a nod of thanks, removes her lenses, folds them back up, and places them back into their home within the folds of her coat.

[ourseverebasementcollection-blog]

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[minniewillcock-blog]

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Leisure methods like reflection and exercising like playing your favored sport may provide your mind a rest off the continual noise and also requirements from life. Clarified step by step: each memory card features a collection from steps to succeed in order to help you acquire inspired, plan your concepts and improve your creativity skills. Believing and cultivating new product or services demand that the workers be furnished along with creative thinking skill-sets. When your imaginative juices seemingly have actually frozen up on you, read more to see what you could perform to help boost your imagination. Assuming procedure - this area includes a number of measurements: understanding of style, guidelines from design, understanding, concern resolving, selection production, study, structure as well as spoken discussion. But also for those who maintain exercising their thoughts, purposely or automatically, they can keep back erosion of brainpower as well as, in numerous methods, can in fact develop first-rate thinking skills throughout the lion's share from their lives. The 6 attitudes this body determines as well as segregates are Factual thinking, Emotional thinking, Critical thinking, Hopefulness, Creative thinking, and also Processing. At the office, use innovative thinking to urge analysis and also concept generation instead of falling back on habit. Having said that, the basic key to innovative work need to include the capability to make use of functional reasoning. If you've been thinking about obtaining brand-new instruction to begin pursuing a new career then perhaps yard architect instruction is actually for you. Wm. J. J. Gordon's principle of Synectics is a key instance of this particular sort of thinking. With certainty instruct in any type of college classroom utilizing the strategies, techniques, as well as strategies from the K-12 and company advertising and marketing planet. His digital desk in the background is actually where his rational job takes place, while the foreground is actually the home of his chaotic, analog desk for imagination tasks. The general demand in association of ideas is actually the should suspend judgment as well as critical remarks therefore tips and concepts are actually provided a totally free flow. Art is actually an expression from one's innovative impulse, one's ideas, ideas, and also emotions. Area Dependent Expertise - a person who is imaginative in one area usuallies be actually imaginative in yet another. Often times however the innovation as well as innovation that is located within our company could be smothered due to the ecological issues that engulf our company. In the event you beloved this short article and you want to be given details relating to yellow pages advertising (laprioridady-elobjetivo.info) generously visit the site. The 5 reason stated over work as examples in order to just how the very magic of our own creativity may be suppressed. In most cases there are actually methods to create an atmosphere or even support disorders that stimulates your thinking process leading to your upcoming 'excellent' tip. Some project summaries are going to merely state that creativity is needed for the ranking. Susan was a keynote sound speaker at the NASA Innovation Exposition as well as is a senior professor at the Creative Complication Addressing Institute. Among my preferred methods for creativity is bothersome reasoning (bothersome thinking is actually merely a type of creativity flavour, or to place it another means, a kind of creative thinking mindset). It is certainly not too hard to grasp the fundamentals and you could possibly start deliberately little activities. Introducing brand new settings that are actually less structured can easily also work loose the reins on a thinking procedure that has ended up being a lot more disciplined. That is up to each people to add to the total swimming pool from know-how by believing outside the box.

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Which WordPress Theme is Best for Your Business?

E are often requested that with the aid of apprentices how to pick among unfastened as opposed to premium WordPress subject matters. What are the factors of interest and burdens? At Theme the off threat that you too had those inquiries, then you’re in the proper vicinity. In this article, we are able to speak approximately free WordPress issues as opposed to premium Business WordPress topics (benefits and disadvantages).

Commercial

Positives of loose WordPress issues

Within the first vicinity, we’d need to specify that once we say loose issues, we suggest free WordPress themes which are recorded Inside the authority WordPress.Org topics registry.

It is free

The finest benefit of a loose WordPress subject is the price, loose. It brings down the boundary of phase to begin a blog. However listening to the phrase unfastened makes many individuals careful.

Why might any person give you a WordPress subject matters free download whilst others are imparting top class topics? What is the trap? Frequently individuals suppose loose issues are low fine. It is a superb contrary.

Strict Review Process

unfastened WordPress themes are clearly held to a better high-quality well known. All themes Inside the authority WordPress theme index experience a strict subject matter audit cope with. There are a few extraordinarily successful human beings Inside the theme survey institution who observe and check those subject matters before they may be included in the registry.

You can see this agenda of the theme survey prepare.

loose simple WordPress weblog issues are tried for well known regular code, bolster for general WordPress highlights, satisfactory HTML and CSS, protection, protection, and so on. As You can envision, it takes proficient engineers to collect a first-rate WordPress subject matters that get recommended Inside the official index.

Cons of loose WordPress themes

free WordPress subject matters, for the most part, have much fewer selections

Impediments of free or top rate WordPress topics can be an extraordinarily top notch. What one individual might don’t forget a dis-carrier won’t be a purpose for sympathy towards several others.

those are some regular disservices of utilizing a free WordPress subject matter:

Restrained bolster options – free WordPress subject matter designers offer help via WordPress discussions, However, they are no longer obliged to answer to strengthen questions.

Confined Functions and Capability – Even However free subject matters bolster maximum trendy WordPress highlights, an extensive lot of them don’t offer additional elements like making catches, using quick codes, make points of arrival, and so forth.

now not all that Precise – free themes are used by a tremendous measure of sites and online journals, so your web page might not have a novel define. Moreover, there are typically Constrained alternatives to adjust the visual appearance of unfastened themes.

No Responsibility – loose topics are conveyed without any ensures, so if something turns out badly, you’re practically all alone. Geniuses of top-class WordPress subject matters

Under no circumstances like unfastened themes, are top class WordPress issues handy for purchase from numerous outside WordPress theme stores and business centers. Greater elements and customization alternatives The best favorable position of an outstanding subject matter is which you get Greater elements and customization alternatives. Due to the opposition Within the splendid subject enterprise, subject shops are usually attempting to provide More elements at lower fees.

As a customer, you get subject matters that include options like intuitive manufacturers, quick codes, diverse formats and layouts, and boundless shading decisions.

premium WordPress subject matters accompany trendy updates and aid. More Unique Due to the fact, there’s a price associated with top class subject matters, they’re much less habitually utilized whilst contrasted with free subject matters. Also, the customization alternatives provide you with the potential to customize your subject matter.

Cons of top rate WordPress themes

no longer each single top rate topics are extraordinary. Here are a few primary issues that may be a weakness.

Negative Code – some circumstances you may land up buying a notable subject that appears pretty yet has Terrible coding models that may make it incongruent with some modules. Chiefly since these issues don’t want to revel in a strict audit manage.

An excessive wide variety of additives – with a selected give up aim to provide More themes, topic engineers can include an immoderate variety of needless factors into their themes. You will maximum in all likelihood never utilize each one of these elements, but they are nevertheless there making your website online mild.

Traverse into Plugins area – Once in a while, WordPress themes can traverse into modules space, imparting usefulness that they should not offer. As an instance, making custom submit sorts, shortcodes, and different things that might vanish when you switch topic Understand that while you are acquiring a premium WordPress topic, you are not contracting that topic save or fashion designer to set it up for you. You likewise do not have a select permit and subject matter engineer does not offer any guarantee.

most brilliant subject matter stores will give you get entry to their documentation and bolster discussions in which You can get Extra help if essential. This unique guide is in reality what you are buying.

Book Reviews: Business Article Category

Business

  I have to say at the outset that 360 Feedback is a book that has surprised me; I was expecting a somewhat dour and tedious tome, but instead I have found a wonderfully informative book with many outstanding features. To name a few of them: the book is thorough, erudite, fluent, insightful, practical, compassionate as well as being passionate – Elva is a true advocate of the 360 Feedback process; not only has she read deeply in and around the topic, but she has also, as her text makes clear, done some serious work with serious organisations in enabling them to gain considerable benefits from the process. On top of all that, Elva has a real talent for one-liners or one sentence that perfectly encapsulates the core of what she wants to say. For example, “Acceptance of things the way they are is the route to happiness and satisfaction”, or “if you are highly commercial, for instance, you are highly unlikely to be very empathic”. This is a very direct and effective style of writing. So what does the book cover? There are 11 chapters and we start with understanding change and what the conditions are for true, transformational change.This timely booklet of 62 pages may be just what you need to pep up your own marketing and brand, and/or simply do the thing it promises: namely, get your book out there and enable it to become a “strategic business development asset”. I have to say at the outset that I was intrigued to read this book, since writing (I have had over 30 books published) and publishing (and my books have been with many of the major publishers such as Pearson and Routledge as well as self-published via Lulu) have been central preoccupations of mine for well over 30 years. The thing is: if you are published by a major you tend to assume that they are responsible for marketing your book, and so do nothing yourself; and if you self-publish, by the time you finish writing the book, you often have very little energy left to promote it. And to be honest too: many authors suffer from the idea that their writing is intrinsically interesting so that they simply have to write and publish and – voila! – their merits will be discovered. Alas, such a fantasy is delusion at best, and dangerous at worst

Theme Your Way Into A Creative Mood

  Creatives of every form and medium, from all walks of life and for as long as we can remember will all have one thing in common – the dreaded blank. Call it writers block, drawing a blank on a new canvas or a lack or idea in photography. No matter the medium, the creative will inevitably have to go through this.

The answer is to just get started. It might not be a masterpiece initially but the simple fact of getting yourself moving, drawing, writing and clicking will get the juices flowing again. Photographic creatives have a slight advantage up our sleeves, we can see tangible results immediately which will further stimulate our senses creatively.

One deceptively simple method that we have in our arsenal is the power of the theme. Working within a theme allows us to then concentrate on creative methods of expressing the theme rather than drawing a blank from the world at large.

To get you started or at least get you thinking about it, below are a few samples of themes that can be used as a guide or starting point.

Urban

There are heaps of hidden gems still around town, regardless of where you live. Doing some urban exploration safely is a great theme and there are plenty of social media sites that will help you get started.

Color

Pick one particular color and then click away. It can be that color in fruit, on the street, in the sky, water – your only limit is your imagination. Don’t forget, color could actually mean lack of color. Think tones in black and white.

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Coping with Dementia: Simple therapies to remember during Coronavirus quarantine

If caring for a loved one living at home with dementia were not difficult enough under normal circumstances, now it is further complicated by social distancing guidelines during the Coronavirus crisis.  For this trying time, you can no longer attend a support group, nor can you get respite by taking your person to daycare.  Now, you are stuck at home, which in and of itself may increase your loved one’s anxiety.  What is a care partner to do? Now is a good time to remember to try those simple therapies that will not only consume time productively but can bring comfort to your loved one.  Here a few examples: Nostalgia Therapy for Dementia It is not uncommon for individuals living with dementia to lose their recent memories, but be able to retain recollection of an earlier time in their life.  Sometimes, they “go there” and seem to live in that earlier time.  This should not be dismissed as “delusion;” rather it should be recognized as a valuable tool for effective care.  Use nostalgic artifacts or a family photo album to reminiscence about their past life to validate the reality that seems to give them comfort. Remember that their reality or recollection of the past may not quite be the same as yours.  For example, if you are sharing a photo album, don’t say, “Do you remember who this is?”  This question is a challenge to confirm what you know to be real.  Rather, just point at the photo and say, “What can you tell me about this?”  Your person with dementia may misidentify the person or the situation in the photo, but this does not matter.  Let them talk about how they see things, then praise, affirm, and validate what they have told you.

Nostalgia therapy and hug therapy are two great tools for the Dementia caregiver.Image by Dan/Kelli Oakley from Pixabay Hug Therapy Hugs are proven to work, especially for people living with brain disorders, but many of our care partners don’t practice it enough.  I saw it work with my husband Albert, so effectively that he was removed entirely from mood-altering medication.  If your loved one is not comfortable with hugs, just try a loving touch and remind them that you are there for them.  This will help them understand they are not alone. Music Therapy Music Therapy is another proven non-medical therapy that can work wonders.  Similar to Nostalgia Therapy, it seems to work best when we choose music that our loved one enjoyed between the ages of eight and 20.  To see just how effective music therapy can be, go to YouTube and watch “Alive Inside.” 

Music is an effective therapy for Dementia and Alzheimers. Image by Mircea Iancu from Pixabay Here are five tips for how to use music as an effective therapy for Dementia & Alzheimers: For each individual, identify the songs that evoke memories of happy times.  One hint in identifying this playlist is the fact that the music we most strongly embed in our memories are the songs we recall from ages 8 to 20.To calm a person during mealtime or the morning hygiene routine, play or sing soothing music.  You need not rely only on I-pod technology.  If you know what they like, sing to them.Avoid over-stimulation by eliminating competing noises. Shut the door. Turn off the television. If using a radio, select a station where the music is not interrupted by commercials.  NOTE: There is very little on television that is calming or suitable for an individual living with dementia, especially not televised news.  When they view a story about a fire or bombing, they don’t know whether it is in London or across the street.  Care facilities that use television as a baby sitter for individuals living with dementia are definitely not practicing enlightened, effective, or compassionate care!Encourage movement and involvement.  Encourage the individual to clap or tap their feet to the beat, to sing along, or even to dance if the environment and circumstances enable them to do so safely.Pay attention to the person’s responses.  If they like a particular song, play or sing it often.  You may get tired of it, but they will not.  If they react negatively to a particular song or style of music, make a note and eliminate it from the playlist. Doll Therapy Many times, a soft doll will become the constant companion of a person living with dementia, especially women. It seems to give them comfort and a sense of purpose.  Some people think an older person holding a doll is “demeaning.” I don’t agree.  If it gives your loved one comfort, it is not demeaning.  There’s a lesson here.  We, as care partners, must sometimes put our own opinions and feelings aside in favor of how something makes our loved one feel.

Dogs and cats provide comfort to those suffering from alzheimers and dementia. Image by Besno Pile from Pixabay Animal Therapy No need to say much about this!  Who doesn’t love a puppy or a kitty?  Many memory care communities maintain “house pets” because they know how much their residents enjoy and love them.  But if you do not own a pet, there is an alternative similar to doll therapy.  On the internet, you can purchase dog or cat “dolls” that seem to be breathing while they sleep.  Their side rises and falls while they sleep in their little bed.  You can even get cats that quietly purr while they sleep and breathe.  I once gave one of these breathing stuffed animals to a woman with dementia who was in a state of anxiety.  Her daughter said, with dismay, “But it’s dead!”  I said, “Maybe to you, but maybe not to her.”  The woman with dementia put the stuffed animal in her lap, smiled, and became calm.  This happened during a support group meeting, and for more than an hour, she sat and quietly stroked her new stuffed animal friend.  Plant Therapy Even people in later stages of dementia can love the beauty of plants.  However, if they are able, you may want to ask your person to help you tend your plants.  Sure, they may make a little mess, but working in the soil can give them long periods of joy and comfort. 

longleanna / Pixabay

Simple therapies to remember during Coronavirus quarantine for Coping with Dementia and Alzheimers

These and other simple and time-tested therapies are very effective for individuals living with dementia.  This is because, long after a person with dementia has lost the ability to think and reason, they still retain the ability to “feel.”  This is because the organs in our brain that govern our emotions – the amygdalae – survive and continue to function long after dementia has ravaged the “thinking” parts of the brain.  Consequently, the “feeling” part of our brain can be the last and only tool a care partner has to work with.  We can do this with simple therapies that have been known and used for decades; in some cases even for centuries. They are proven to work, and they can provide comfort also to you, the care partner, during these trying and unusual times when you are confined to your home. Debbie Selsavage is a Certified Trainer and Consultant in the Positive Approach to Care, and a Certified Dementia Practitioner.  Her company, Coping with Dementia LLC, is dedicated to making life better for individuals living with dementia.  Contact Debbie at deb@coping.today. Read the full article