#cape town is some kind of social construct. or something.

[autogeneity]

johannesburg is somehow the most. real. place I've been to. as in "yep this sure exists. there are definitely human beings living lives." that makes no sense at all does it. but also maybe the only place times moves 'normally' in my mind. I experience it passing. neither too fast nor too slow. grounded, somehow. but still hopeful

[we-are-only-halfway-home93]

Come and Lay the Roses 22- Before I Lose Faith- [Ivar x OC]

Summary: Ivar has a conversation with Ives. Aaline expresses her displeasure.

Characters: Ivar x OC, Bjorn x Torvi, Ubbe x Margrethe, Hvitserk x Thora, Sigurd x OC, Lagertha, Ragnar

Warnings: arranged marriage, violence, sex, torture, language, mentions of rape/sexual assault

Ch. 21

Word Count: 2324

AN: Wow. To say a lot has happened since I last posted is a gross understatement. I hope everyone is staying safe out there and I hope my story can bring you a little bit of joy during these difficult days. Stay safe, everyone. Thanks for reading. 

“No one ever fell in love gracefully.”

~Connie Brockway

Ivar looked up when a knock sounded on his office door. His secretary, Idunn, poked her head in. “Mr. Lothbrok, Ives Jensen is here.” Ivar’s smile was downright sharklike and he pushed back from his desk. 

“Thank you, Idunn. Please hold all of my calls until I return. I should be back in an hour, 90 minutes at most.” She nodded at him, standing back as he passed her. Ives was sitting next to Idunn’s desk, his leg bouncing. Ivar could see the sweat beading his brow and his eyes shifted from side to side. Good. Ivar wanted him on edge. 

“Ives! How wonderful to see you! Thank you for agreeing to meet me for lunch on such short notice.” Ivar extended his hand to his father-in-law and gripped tight, reveling in the wince that crossed Ives’ face. He swept his free hand out in front of him and let Ives lead them to the elevator. 

Once inside, Ivar pressed the button to take them down to the lobby. A town car was waiting for them at the front entrance. Ivar waved Ives forward and the man hesitated for only a second before he got into the car. As soon as Ivar was inside, the car began to move.

Ivar wasn’t taking him far. He didn’t even really plan on Ives staying long. His motive was simple. 

“Did you enjoy the party?” Ivar adjusts his shirt sleeves, tugging them down past his blazer. He looked up. Ives was still sweating, his hands clasped tight in his lap. He kept glancing from Ivar to the window and back. Ivar smiled, baring his teeth. 

“Ives,” The man looked at Ivar, his eyes staring somewhere between his forehead and his chin. “Did you enjoy the party last weekend?” Ivar asked again. 

Ives cleared his throat and wiped his palms down the tops of his thighs. “It was very...eventful.” Ives said, avoiding Ivar’s gaze. Ivar hummed and looked out the window, watching the cityscape pass by. 

“I saw you had to be escorted out.” He turned his icy gaze towards Ives. The man had gone pale, the circles around his eyes standing stark against his face. He shifted against the leather beneath him, his sweaty palms squeaking against the seat. 

“Was that what you meant by...eventful?” Ivar said. He kept his tone light on purpose. He wanted to keep Ives on edge. He wanted the man to sweat. 

This man had caused harm to his wife, a woman he had recently admitted he loved.

Ivar was a possessive man. Things, people that he cared about were important to him. If they were hurt or damaged in any capacity, Ivar saw fit to take action. He’d broken bones, bought properties, demolished houses, even killed for lesser crimes than what Ives had done to Aaline. He felt it was his husbandly duty to remind Ives of what he was capable of. 

“My wife hasn’t divulged to me the details of your conversation last weekend but I do know this.” Ivar readjusted in his seat, leaning forward. He lowered his voice and stared at Ives with an impenetrable gaze. 

“I know that she has sworn never to speak to you again. I know that is a difficult promise to keep but she’s done a reasonable job at accomplishing that goal.” Ivar took a deep breath and sighed, twisting the band on his left hand around his fingers. 

“I know that my wife refused to have you walk her down the aisle. I know that she wouldn’t dance with you at our wedding. I know that you have been invited to social gatherings as a courtesy, strictly because you are on the board of Jensen Construction. If I made up the guest list, you would forever be removed from attending such functions.

“My wife has told me what you’ve done.” He looked up at the trembling man before him. Ives had tears in his eyes. Excellent.

“The pain and suffering you have caused her. Now, the only reason you are not dead is because of the deal you made with my father. Our marriage in exchange for your life and your company. A reasonable trade, in Ragnar’s eyes. But not in mine.”

Ivar studied Ives for several seconds. The man was vibrating against the seat, his body ready to hurl itself out of the moving vehicle at a moment's notice. Ivar suspected the only thing keeping him contained was the very real threat in Ivar’s eyes. The man would stay seated until Ivar had expressed himself. 

“If it were up to me, you would die slowly and painfully so that you may know just an ounce of the pain my wife has felt because of you. Your body would never be found and no one, absolutely no one, would miss you.” 

Ivar sat back and cleared his throat, rubbing his hand over his mouth, collecting himself. Ives was crying now, tears streaming down his face freely. Ivar rolled his eyes and pressed a button on the console next to him. The car came to stop. He looked at Ives. 

“My driver has been instructed to take you home. And you will be returned home.” Ivar could see the man relax just enough to no longer appear pale. He couldn’t have that. 

“But know this, Ives Jensen.” The man looked up and met Ivar’s eyes with an astounding amount of courage. “If you ever speak to my wife again, if you even think about speaking to her, looking at her, visiting her, I will find you, I will hurt you, and I will kill you.”

Ives looked like he was going to vomit so Ivar jerked his head once and the man leaped from the car and onto the sidewalk. As soon as the door was closed, Ivar felt the car move beneath him and he pressed the button to roll down the partition. “Cafe Italia, please. I’m craving something red.”           

.

She had been at lunch, enjoying a nice outing with Torvi and Lagertha when her phone started to ring. It was her father so she sent him to voicemail. On her way back into the office, she listened to it and was surprised to find a long, detailed message about how Ivar had threatened his life if he so much as looked at her again. 

She wasn’t sure how to feel, at first. Astonishment at her father’s bravery, for one. Not many people were threatened by Ivar and then blatantly disregarded his threats. It was a surprising amount of bravery from Ives. 

Then she felt a steady heat that began to simmer in her belly. It started in her stomach and steadily moved down between her legs. She felt her face and chest flush and ringing began in her ears. It wasn’t until she felt a dampness between her legs that she realized she was aroused. 

Ivar had defended her. He had threatened her own father with bodily harm if he tried to see her. For a man to go to such lengths, he had to possess some kind of feelings for her. She had to take a steadying breath to control her heartbeat. 

Rage was the next thing she felt. How dare he! Did he think she was incapable of taking care of herself? He watched her train. Even trained her himself. He saw her physically subdue Ives at the party last weekend and he had the nerve to threaten her father? After everything he knew?

She hardly remembered asking her driver to turn around and head to Ivar’s office. She didn’t even remember getting there. The next thing she knew, she was stalking up to Idunn’s desk. Idunn stood up at her sudden approach. “Is he in there?” She spat. She didn’t wait for Idunn to reply before she shoved the doors open. “Did you threaten my father?” She pointed an accusing finger at him, ignoring the stunned faces of the two men seated in front of him.

Ivar was in the middle of a business meeting when his wife slammed through his office and started shouting at him. Her long hair flowed behind her like a cape and her eyes were ablaze with anger. Her face was flushed in her ire and he could see the snarl forming on her lips. 

She had never looked more beautiful than she did right at that moment. He could feel his own anger rising to the surface and he stood carefully from his chair. “Gentlemen, I apologize for the interruption. If you wouldn’t mind stepping outside for a moment.” Ivar ushered the two men around his seething wife and locked the door behind them. He turned back towards Aaline, his mouth drawn down in a thin line and glared at her. 

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? I’m conducting an important business meeting with high-value clients and you just storm in here demanding things. Who do you think you are?” He stalked towards her and invaded her space. They were nose to nose and Ivar could feel the anger seeping out of her. If she were a cartoon character there’d be steam coming out of her ears.

She narrowed her eyes at him and huffed. “I’m your wife, Ivar. Did you, or did you not, threaten my father with bodily harm if he tried to contact me again?” Ivar glared down at her just as fiercely. He sneered and moved around her body, leaning against the edge of his desk before he answered her. 

“I did. As you stated, you’re my wife, anything that displeases you displeases me. I didn’t like the way he touched you the other day and I felt that he needed to know it. Besides, you’re not on speaking terms with him anyway so I don’t see how it matters what I did or didn’t say to him.” 

Aaline marched towards him. “He’s still my father, Ivar. It doesn’t matter if I’m speaking to him or not. I’m the only one who gets to threaten him.” Ivar snorted and rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. Aaline eyed the way his biceps stretched the fabric of his jacket. “I mean it, Ivar. Don’t speak to him again.” 

Ivar straightened and stared her down, the fire in her eyes igniting something deep in his gut. He felt the blood rush from his head down to his groin and he nearly moaned at the heat reflected in her eyes. 

“I don’t remember asking you who I can and can’t speak to. I can threaten him as many times as I want. I could even kill him if I wanted to.” Her hand snapped out faster than he could catch it. His head swung sharply to the side and he could feel the sting up through his temple. 

He jerked back around to stare at her and opened his mouth to retort when she was on him. Her lips smashed against his and he tasted blood. Whether it was his or hers, he wasn’t sure, but the taste lit something inside him and he moaned. 

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself fully against him, aligning her body with his. She could feel him hard against her and she whimpered. Ivar knotted one hand in her hair, gathering it in his fist and pulled. She gasped and arched back over his arm. He moaned against her lips, driving his tongue against hers and memorizing her taste. She dragged her leg up the outside of his and rested her knee on the edge of his desk. 

Ivar groaned and released her hair, bunching her skirt up in his fingers and exposing her core. She pushed against him, knocking him back against his desk. There was a clatter as something spilled out over the desktop. 

Ivar licked deeper into her mouth, exploring her. He felt drunk, his movements were stilted and slow like he was moving through molasses. Her skirt was pushed up to her waist and he trailed his fingers up the inside of her thigh. He groaned when he felt the heat of her. She was already soaked through her panties.

Aaline shivered as Ivar traced his fingers up her leg, dancing over the sensitive flesh. She gasped when his fingers met her core. She rocked forward, pushing his fingers harder against her and Ivar moaned. She threaded her fingers through his thick hair and felt him shiver. She smiled against his lips and felt his answering grin.

She brought her hands down to his shoulders and pulled on the labels of his jacket. Ivar dipped his fingers past the line of her panties and groaned at the wetness he felt. He stroked his fingers over the slick dripping from her. She clung tightly to his shoulders, whining low against his lips. 

She jerked away from him at once and rubbed the back of her hand against her lips. Ivar glared at her, infuriated, when he heard a knock on his door. He rolled his eyes.

He stalked forward and yanked it open, the hinges squealing dangerously. Idunn jumped when he snarled at her. “What?” She pointed shakily towards the two men standing behind her. 

“They said they have another meeting at 3:30 and it’s 2:30 now. They said there’s still a lot to discuss and they’d like to be on their way.” Ivar turned when he felt Aaline press gentle hands to his back. He shifted and watched her squeeze around him and the door. 

She turned back to him and stood on her toes, pressing a quick kiss to his lips before disappearing back the way she’d come. He stared after her before turning his eyes back to his clients. He huffed and pushed the door open, letting them pass. 

He’d never been so sexually frustrated in his life.

@dreamlesswonder @youbloodymadgenius @inforapound @bcarolinablr @khiraeth @funmadnessandbadassvikings @jay-bel @feyrearcheron44 @londongal2810 @didiintheblog @jeremyrennerfanxxxx123

[cayenne-twilight]

Hi! Could you write something about Sophia and Anton's daughter (let's call ber Iris) if she knew her father? Bonus for baby Katia! Thank you!

The little girl sat on her mother’s lap, dressed in pajamas. Her mother brushed her vibrant purple hair, a trait she had passed down from herself.

“Ow mama, stop,” the girl pouted. “You’re pulling.”

“Sorry, Iris,” Sophia said, pulling the brush more gently. “If you quit rolling around in the fields, you wouldn’t have these tangles.”

Admittedly, Dropstone did have the most charming landscape. That was why she chose this particular area to settle, after all. Well, that was part of the reason at least. The pond near town center, the rolling fields, the mountains in the distance, beaten paths winding between sparse clusters of trees; it was all very lovely. A change of scenery.

“That better be it, mama,” Iris said, pulling her hair over her shoulder protectively.

“Thank you for being patient,” Sophia smiled.

“You have to tell me a real good bedtime story to make up for the yanks,” Iris said.

Sophia hoisted the girl onto her bed and tucked her in, kissing her cheek. “Hmm, would you like a fairy tale from the storybook?”

“Nuh-uh. I’ve heard all of those over and over again. How about a brand new story?”

‘I should add a public library to my list of projects,’ Sophia thought. “I suppose I can make something up, but I can’t guarantee it’ll be as good as the old stories.”

“No matter, just as long as it’s fresh.”

“Here goes nothing then,” she brainstormed for a moment. “Did any of your stories have vampires in them?”

“Vampires?” Iris’s eyes widened. “This better not be a scary story. You’re supposed to be putting me to sleep, not keeping me up all night, remember?”

Sophia petted her hair. “No, love. This was a good vampire. He lived in a big castle in the forest, and he liked to throw balls with lots of music and dancing. The decorations and tableware were made out of the most brilliant gold. After all, vampires can’t touch silver, you know. His hair was golden, too, and he had a flowing cape that swooshed around as he danced. He was awfully charming, and lots of ladies wanted to dance with him.”

“But don’t vampires have to drink blood?” Iris asked.

“This one had a penchant for um… grape juice, and it kept him satisfied.” Sophia started the story from the beginning.

It would be a lie to say that the drive to Herzen mansion wasn’t daunting. The surrounding town of Folsense may have been welcoming with its warm glow and interesting brand of night life, but this maiden’s destination was detached from the outside world. The road took her through a shadowy thicket, gangly trees arching over her on either side. She tried to imagine what this trail must look like on a sunny spring day, but she couldn’t quite put the image together. She arrived at the massive building’s doors, parking her car. The maiden grabbed her clutch purse and pulled her faux fur coat tightly around her torso as she scuttered inside, taking care to not trip over her heels.

A short, bespectacled man with a downward hooked nose took her coat and pointed her towards the main hall. She was amazed at the sheer size of it. Sure, her father had a countryside mansion of his own, but she could probably stuff most of it into this room alone. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like upstairs or inside those turrets visible from outside.

“And what might your name be?” The young man approached her, a champagne flute in each hand.

She accepted the drink. “Sophia. And you?”

“Anton. Anton Herzen.” He winked.

So this is Duke Herzen’s son. He was certainly handsome-

“Whoa, mama! The girl has the same name as you?” Iris said.

Sophia laughed. “Yes, what a coincidence.”

Sophia and Anton made small talk over fine hors d’oeuvres, seated in the cloister above the main hall.

Anton popped the last piece of a finger sandwich into his mouth. He gestured towards the couples dancing below. “Care to join them?”

They walked down the stairs arm in arm, getting into position to waltz as the live orchestra flipped their sheet music to the next song. They met eyed and smiled. The first hum of strings cued them, stepping back and forth to the rhythm. They swirled across the floor, performing spins at the proper moments.

“So tell me what it’s like, being a Herzen,” Sophia said.

“Being a Herzen? Why, it’s nothing to write home about, save for the family wealth perhaps.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes. Father’s got himself occupied with some silly new business venture. I gather he’s going after pharmaceuticals now, which rubs me the wrong way considering that he doesn’t even know how to alleviate the common cold.”

“Pharmaceuticals? That is odd. He already owns the gold mining company, doesn’t he?”

“That’s just it. The miners have discovered some sort of hallucinogen trapped in the rock, and now they’re searching for a way to harvest it and rework it into anesthesia or anti-anxiety medication.”

“I can’t imagine there being a safe way to do that,” Sophia said.

“There must be, and I hope to God father knows of it.”

With the end of the song, they returned upstairs to continue the next course of food.

Iris yawned. “Now I mean this as constructive story-telling criticism, but this is getting a bit boring. What about the part where the guy is a vampire? Or was that a surprise for later? *Gasp* Maybe the girl will find out he’s secretly a monster and will have to decide whether she’s afraid of him or if she’ll love him anyways!”

“I should’ve thought of that,” Sophia said. “Maybe you should be the one telling stories.” She booped Iris’s nose like a button. “At least I’m succeeding in making you sleepy.”

“What’s Folsense like?” Sophia asked.

“It’s lovely. The lights are beautiful at night, and I’m not just saying that because of the cabaret.”

“I’d love to take a walk there one of these days. Would you be so kind as to give me a tour?”

“Yes, of course. I know Folsense like the back of my hand, and it knows me. Well, except for the people I pranked last Halloween when I ran around convincing them I was a real vampire. That reputation still follows me among the less social townsfolk.”

“I would love to have been there and seen it. Halloween must be a blast in a mansion like this, what with the gothic architecture and spooky forest.”

“I’ve never thrown a Halloween party before, but now that you mention it, it would be surely be smashing.”

Anton took a long drink of his red wine and spoke again, “Where are you from?”

“I live pretty close to London.”

“London? But that’s so far off! It must have taken you, what? Two hours to get here?”

“It’s really not as long as it seems.”

“But it’s already so late! If you left early you’d still only get home in the wee hours of the morning.”

“I could stay at the Folsense hotel-”

“Or you could stay here.”

“You have vacant rooms available?”

“If you want a vacant room, that’s all right too.”

“I don’t.”

Sophia decided it would be best to skip that part of the story.

Anton was still asleep when she woke up the next morning. She put yesterday’s clothes back on and took the chance to explore the castle. Sophia ducked in and out of unlocked doorways, looking for something like a living room or dining room. She found the sheer number of unused spaces odd, thinking that she would surely use them for something more useful, or at least make each room more unique. She stumbled upon the dining room where the Duke was taking his breakfast.

“Nigel, fetch the kettle, would y- DEAR GOD girl, who are you?” the shock faded as soon as it set in. “You wouldn’t happen to be one of Anton’s-“

Sophia laughed nervously. “No, no, nothing like that. He just let me stay the night because I live so far away. Really.”

The Duke’s eyes narrowed as he dabbed the jam from his whiskers with a napkin. “Leave.”

Sophia thought about Anton still asleep in his room. “Um… right. I’ll be right out.” She smiled fakely, trying to remember how to get to the front door.

She gently cracked open the door to Anton’s bedroom. “Antoooon,” she stage-whispered.

He opened his eyes and pushed himself up. “Eh?”

“Your father wants me out. When can I see you again? Maybe we could meet in Folsense?”

“Ah, sorry about him. Are you free next Saturday? We could meet in front of the museum around noon, perhaps.”

“Sounds great! See you there.” Sophia left him, walking through the hallway into the main hall and down the steps to the front door. She retrieved her purse and coat, leaving for her car. Sophia drove home through the rolling hills and fields of the countryside in a dreamy state of highway hypnosis.

“She fell in love with the guy,” Iris stated.

“Yes.”

“And his dad doesn’t want them to be together. It’s a story of forbidden love! Do they have to meet up in secret and serenade each other through the window from outside?”

“Don’t worry, Iris. The Duke isn’t a bad guy, he just cares about his son in his own way, I suppose.”

Sophia and Anton would meet up periodically about town, but although it was good fun, they couldn't do this forever. Anton led Sophia by the hand into the mansion and up to his office.

“Father.”

“What is it Anton? I’m busy.”

“I’ve come to say that I love Sophia whether or not you agree with it, and that she will be coming over no matter what you think.”

The Duke sighed. “You’re right; I can’t stop you two, no matter what I think.”

To Duke Herzen’s distaste, Sophia ended up practically moving in. He appeared to be in denial, engaging young Freidrich in conversation or turning to his legal documents whenever they were in the same room. The young couple tried to keep to themselves, which one would think to be easy in a house of that size, but he seemed to turn up at every corner as if watching them.

Sophia sat down next to him in his library one day. “I didn’t take you for the type to read Poe for fun.”

“Well here I am. Do you read him?”

“Oh of course! I love that surreal macabre stuff. I’ve actually been curious about the mines below the castle; isn’t it a dangerous setup?”

Duke Herzen closed his book. “There were reports of coal being collected when they first built the foundation. I had the idea of digging deeper. I see how having a gaping pit under your home may seem precarious, but I trust in the beams and supports holding us up.”

“Anton mentioned some sort of gas discovered down there…”

“Did he now? That was meant to stay confidential.”

“Oh don’t get mad at him for it, it was but a slip.”

“Still, I’m sure this could become the next big thing in pharma. I need to find the men to research and rework it, but after that it’ll be smooth sailing. I didn’t think you’d be interested in this sort of thing.”

“I can’t deny that I have my concerns, but admittedly this is all very curious.”

Duke Herzen reopened the novel. “Look after him, will you?”

“The vampire’s dad was very cold at first,” Sophia said. “But his heart started to warm up as he got to know the maiden. Soon enough, he began confiding in her. The maiden and the vampire lived together in his castle until one terrible day, tragedy struck.”

“Aww come ooon. I thought this was gonna be a sappy feel good love story. No tragedies,” Iris whined.

“Okay fine. No tragedy.”

“There’s more of it seeping out and diffusing into the air than we thought,” Duke Herzen said from his sickbed.

“What does this mean? Have you lost all hope in stopping it?” Sophia asked, masking panic.

“There’s not much we can do but leave it alone and move somewhere else. Not that I would make it much longer anyhow.”

“Oh don’t say that rubbish.”

“You can’t change the fact of the matter, my dear.” He smiled weakly. “I’ll leave it up to you to lead the evacuation.”

“But so many people don’t plan on leaving. What of them?”

“We can’t force anyone to go.”

“That’s awful- don’t they know-”

“Whatever they’re thinking, their minds won’t change.”

“Awful,” Sophia muttered again.

“I’m staying!” Anton yelled. “I know the risks, and I know that I feel responsible for this town, so I can’t just leave it.”

“You idiot!” Sophia retorted. “There’s no future for Folsense, so stop acting like you’re immune from this gas unlike everybody else.”

“And here I was thinking you’d stay with me.” He turned away.

Sophia grimaced.

“How about we just go to bed and talk this over like normal people tomorrow morning?” he sighed.

Tomorrow morning Sophia was gone. She got up before the sun and kissed Anton’s sleeping head. Lugging her trunk down the ornate staircase, she took a final look around the home she called her own, around the hall where he and she shared their first dance. Nigel handed Sophia her coat, he was staying as well. She stepped out into the crisp air where birds were only beginning to chirp and walked through the woods to the station. They really weren’t all that spooky in the daytime. Charming, really. Friedrich helped her pull the luggage up from the platform.

“Is it really okay? To leave him here, I mean.”

Sophia scanned the rooftops of Folsense once more. “I don’t know, Friedrich. I don’t know.”

She didn’t tell him the train was today. She didn’t tell him that they didn’t plan on coming back once this all “blew over” because she suspected it wouldn’t. She didn’t tell him about the baby.

The train hissed and whistled, pistons coming to life and shoving the wheels along the tracks. This was it. Her last look at Folsense. Her last chance to be with him. The town disappeared before she could notice, replaced with a view of rolling fields and sparse trees. She took a deep breath. This was it.

Sophia snapped back. “The vampire and the maiden threw a grand big wedding and invited all the townsfolk. At first they were wary of the vampire, but it turned out to be a jolly fun evening. They lived together happily ever after, and even had a little daughter who hated having her hair brushed. The good vampire protected the town for the rest of time, no matter what, so all the people could be safe and happy like them.”

“Wow, it’s like I was there, mama,” Iris giggled. “You should start writing this stuff down.”

“Oh hush, dear. It’s far past your bedtime.” Sophia kissed Iris on her sleepy head and left the room. It’s like she was there again.

[void-knights]

It isn't fair: Chapter One

Square Filled: Bed Sharing Pairing: Loki / Original Male Character, Tags: Sharing a Bed, One-Sided Attraction, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Asgardian politics, Magic, Slight magic kink, Einherjar, Bisexual Loki, Pansexual OMC, Pre-Thor AU Summary: Forced to share a bed with Loki during an investigation into a group of raiders Faolán confronts his feelings for Prince Loki.  Word Count: 10,358 Written/Created for @lokibingo

AO3 Link

A/N: I uh... went to far with this one, when I have time I might write a sequel I kinda like this one. I only meant to aim around 2000 words. Sorry for it being so long! Tumblr Chapter Masterlist | AO3 Link |

There were seven people, which is why when they were preparing for this adventure Faolán had packed seven tents and seven bedrolls. So it came as a surprise when they came to a stop for the evening that he found three tents and five bedrolls.

He counted them trice to make sure he had not lost his memory or sanity during the last fight against the hydra. No, no there were three tents and five bedrolls.

“There are four tents and two bedrolls missing,” he announced when going over the cart a third time just to make sure. The other Einherjar had all their equipment, so why was this one caravan missing key items?

Sif and Loki were the first to come up to the caravan to check that Faolán hadn’t simply overlooked four tents and two bedrolls. No, he was right they were gone.

“But we have more food than we know what to do with,” Sif said lifting a bundle meats that had been securely packaged to keep them dry and warm but not overcooked.

“And alcohol,” Loki realized lifting a smallish barrel of mead, the trio turned to the other three. Hogun and Fandral stepped away from Thor and Volstagg, of course.

“We can ask the Einherjar to give up a couple of tents and share with their comrades,” Fandral suggested, that seemed an acceptable answer to Thor and the warriors three.

Faolán rolled his eyes, of course they would be  that inconsiderate.

“Brother, you are already dealing with a morale problem amongst the guard do not make the situation worse,” Loki sighed rubbing at his temple, he had been looking forward to a good nights rest.

“I don’t know why you are complaining Loki,” Thor wrinkled his nose, “You should have a tent and bed squirrelled away.”

That was a good point, both Sif and Faolán turned to the younger prince who was not pleased to admit that he assumed that a tent at least would be easy not to lose so no, he had not packed one in his pocket dimension.

“Yet you packed a more than one cape?” Sif asked him, the fresh cape had become muddy as well but at least this one was not weighed down like Thor’s.

Faolán hopped off the back of the caravan, “Then there is only one solution,” He announced to the group, cursing his luck for having selected for escorting the royal party.

Sif quickly caught on, “I am the only woman here, I am not sharing with anyone,” She put her foot down. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her friends, it was that she just did not want to share with any of them, previous experiences had left lasting impressions.

“If Prince Loki-” Faolán began but of course Loki had issues with the idea that he’d not even been allowed to finish.

“I am not shapeshifting into my female form just to appease Lady Sif,” Loki barked, oddly touched that Faolán would even suggest such a thing. Usually warriors would rather not remember that Loki shifted between whatever gender and sex he wanted whenever the mood struck. Besides, Sif had her own terrible sleeping habits.

A round of arguments that lasted an hour, (enough time for Faolán to cook, be mocked by his fellow einherjar when he escaped for a reprieve and clean his armour and weapons,) ended with Hogun suggested the democratic process of drawing out rune stones from a bag.

“If your stone matches you share a tent,” the usually silent man said holding out a brown leather bag.

“There are three tents,” Fandral quickly pointed out, as though they had all suddenly forgotten the issue at hand.

“Three tents, three matching sets of stones, two Halaz, two Sowilō, three Laguz,” Hogun announced.

Meaning that two tents would be divided amongst four people while one tent would be shared between three people.

Thor and Loki went first, Thor drew Laguz much to his annoyance while Loki drew Halaz, Sif and Volstagg went next both drew Sowilō, Faolán dipped his hand in and pulled out the matching Halaz leaving Fandral and Hogun with Laguz and Thor.

“Best two out of three?” Fandral hoped.

Faolán being cursed with a rather soft heart almost agreed to the idea, until the younger prince grabbed his blue cloak and pulled the Asgardian warrior away from the Vanir.

Sif had to agree of the bunch Volstagg was the better draw.

Though she  may have preferred Thor to herself and Volstagg being the largest of them meant less space for her she was simply grateful not to have Fandral with his roaming hands and quips, Or Hogun and his tense silence, or Loki and his constant need to pamper himself.

Loki knew this, that is why he had charmed the bag, Volstagg being married with a dozen children was the safest draw for Sif who would embarrass herself should she be partnered with Thor. Hogun was much too grim for the younger prince, he would be the perfect counter to Fandral and Thor who tended to be inconsiderate bedmates.

Faolán was the wild card, polite and respectful of status and boundaries he had shown himself to be kind and considerate to those around him. Loki settled on him.

“The next time we pass a town or village we should try to resolve this shortage issue,” Faolán wisely suggested much to the agreement of everyone else.

“But that still leaves us two bedrolls short,” Volstagg said, Sif was quick to claim herself one and Volstagg a second, leaving three bedrolls.

“I can sleep on the ground,” Faolán offered, leaving the other four to squabble amongst themselves over who should have a bedroll, he did not want to get in between two princes and two Vanir Lords.

It was safer to just put up with not having a bed for the night, even if it was chilly and the ground was hard with the days frost.

With a resound sigh he set to work putting up the tent making sure that everything was safe and secure, meanwhile in the background Thor and Loki were shouting at each other with increasing volume. The  one benefit of travelling with the royal party meant that he could at least sleep on the ground in a luxurious tent.

The tents the Einherjar were provided weren’t always the best, some had been used so many times they had developed holes and patches that never seemed to dry. This tent was new, he could tell, it was large to, big enough outmatch the size of his room in the barracks.

Rubbing at the back of his neck (as best he could in full plate armour) Faolán sighed heavily, this was going to be long night. It wasn’t going to be easy sharing with the younger prince, he had admired Loki for so long that he was sure his smallish attraction boarded on a little obsessive at times.

It was best to just ignore what was happening tonight and hope the next town had tents for purchase. Removing his helmet he set it aside in one corner. Just as he began removing the rest of of his plate armour Loki marched into the tent looking annoyed.

He had managed to claim a single bedroll for himself, he glanced around the space provided annoyed, “Remind me to construct a tent when we return to the palace,” he snapped tossing the bedroll onto the ground.

“Yes sir,” Faolán said clearly as training demanded, he kept his back to the prince afraid of what he may or may not see as he stripped off his vambraces. He could sleep in his under armour, the cloth and leather would protect him against the cold.

As quickly and quietly as he could he arranged his armour in a manner that would not take up to much space. Perhaps he should have wished to have drawn Lady Sif instead, at least they were of equal social standing.

Settling himself on the covered ground Faolán could feel the cold of the frost outside seep into the fabric that acted as their floor. He shook off that chill as best he could by using his cloak to create a thin barrier between himself and the ground.

He had slept in worse conditions, heats that bordered on torture, bogs that stank with decay, this was nothing. Or it would be nothing if Prince Loki wasn’t sat on his bedroll studying Faolán who was starting to itch at the attention. Nervously so not to appear concerned he turned to the prince who rather than look away like most would narrowed his eyes at Faolán.

“Is there something wrong my prince?” He asked nervous that somehow he had managed to offend Loki without trying.

Thin lips pressed into an even thinner line, as though there was something on Loki’s mind though he did not know how to say it. Rather unusual for the silver tongued prince who could talk himself out of a room with no doors or windows.

He really was quite lovely to look at, Faolán realizing he was staring turned his focus to the tent’s roof, outside Thor and his friends were squabbling about something that didn’t seem all that important. He closed his eyes hoping to shut out that feeling of Loki’s continued staring.

Thankfully the prince put out the lamps, with a flick of his wrist the lights died down and soon he settled down into his bedroll. Easy. Simple. That was that.

Faolán shivered. The night was long and the winter never waned in its desire to see him chilled to the bone.

The next morning Faolán woke with an ache that had settled deep into his bones, as though rime itself covered them. He shivered while Prince Loki stretched himself looking rather refreshed and ready to face the day.

Back in his armour they set off towards the next town, they would need to investigate the town before moving on, which gave them time to look around for an extra tent or bedroll at least.

Sadly the moment they entered the farming town Faolán had a feeling deep in his bones that they would not find what they needed, his fears were confirmed when the warriors three and Sif failed to anyone. What did they expect when coming to this small farming town?

While investigating with his fellow Einherjar Faolán tried to shake off the cold that had settled within him, “Why are you shaking like that?” a guard asked him.

“Prince Thor and his Vanir companions thought it would be good idea to pack more food and mead, they made space by discarding two bedrolls and three four tents,” Faolán complained shivering inside his armour.

Somehow even the sun was cold.

He caught up with the royal party in a tavern when the sun had long since set, why did they pack the additional food and drink if they could have stopped at a tavern? He tried not to be bitter as the rest of the party enjoyed themselves, he focused on warming himself up.

It felt as though a jötunn had managed to push ice into his body leaving him brittle and cursed never to feel the warmth of fire or sun again. Steadying his grip upon his mead he tried to ignore the pang of pain as the cold beverage hit him, even the warmth of the food – as basic as it was, it was filling – did not do a good enough job.

“You would think the locals would be honoured to give their beds to their princes!” Thor complained loudly.

Much to his chagrin Loki reminded his brother that this was supposed to be a show that the royal house cared about the people. He was not boosting confidence nor morale by shouting such complaints to a small town that had given them hospitality.

Thor stopped complaining about  that at least and instead turned his attentions to their lack of progress in this investigation. As the conversation around the table grew more heavy Faolán listened, fascinated, it was less a discussion and more of a debate.

In an attempt to still his shaking hands Faolán clasped them together, he could not recall the last time he had been so cold. When the option presented itself he went to the bar to request more drinks, the others were relieved not to have to go.

He was simply relieved not to have to spend too much time around them as their discussion delved into bickering and debates over which bar maid Fandral and Thor were eyeing up. Of course many of the maids had their eye on the older prince and dashing Vanir.

“What’ll it be love?” The woman behind the bar, a much older woman with greying red hair and a sunny but dangerous grin greeted him.

“The royal table is requesting refills, two pitchers of mead,” Faolán said rubbing his hands together.

The woman studied his hands as she had someone else fulfil the order, making sure to add a third pitcher for good measure. “You seem a tad cold lad, the others have not shared the same fate as you.”

“I am fine,” Faolán lied.

“Hm,” The woman was not convinced, “Then you shall have a warm drink and not complain will you?” he wouldn’t, he thanked her after paying for the warmed apple cider complete with spices from Alfheim. “You should watch yourself lad, the rot will set in if you stay cold for to long.”

That was an old wives tale, something shared in ignorance, it was more likely he could curdle milk by staring into the jug.

“Ah, your highness, how may I serve you?” Faolán froze (not literally of course though he still felt frozen) and turned to see Prince Loki stood beside him. How had he not noticed the prince approaching and coming to stand beside him?

“My brother wishes to know if you have more of those… pork things,” he twisted his face into a grimace.

“Ah the pork cracklings yes, I shall have a maid send more to his table,” The woman nodded while Faolán focused on finishing his heated drink.

It had helped, being inside a warm tavern that was packed to the brim with bodies helped as well, but the drink helped chase away some of the internal chill.

The short walk back to the tents undid most of the work, with final security checks completed for the evening Faolán collapsed back onto the ground. He almost wanted to cry at the chill that happily seeped its way back into his bones. There was a moment where he considered donning his armour once again, anything to have additional layers between him and the cold.

Outside the tent several voices were bickering, he recognized most of them, but the ones he did not meant he had to go and investigate. His armour back on he found himself face to face with Prince Thor, the warriors Three and a small group of nervous but furious locals.

Apparently Thor and Fandral had managed to talk a few local girls to returning to their tents, which was not unusual what was unusual was the furious locals. Half a dozen men did not like the idea of their sisters and daughters cavorting with the Prince and Vanir, though they never said it out loud, instead basing it on worried family and friends.

The winter was a dangerous season to be walking about in, Thor and Fandral conceded that perhaps it was best not to further antagonize the locals which meant Faolán was left escorting the towns folk back to their homes to ensure that nothing would befall them.

He could do nothing but offer polite apologizes, though he could not apologize on the princes behalf he could at least try and keep people happy by apologizing. The men sighed, understanding that this was not Faolán’s fault, the women were less pleased about being pushed and pulled about. The distant howl of wolves and the darkness of winter squashed some of those grievances, from a purely practical standpoint it had been rather foolish to sneak off in the dead of winter.

Once the last family were safely escorted back to their warm home Faolán began the long walk to the tents. It was long past any reasonable hour, the moons light dimmed by the cloud and forest cover meant that most of his walk was done in dimmed darkness, the torch he had barely served him.

The rest of the group had retreated into their tents by the time Faolán returned, he considered entering the tent. But then he felt an odd restricting feeling overcome him and settle deep in his gut, he couldn’t just barge in especially if  Prince Loki was sleeping. He would not be proper.

Sitting himself on a nearby rock he huddled in his armour, he had slept through worse, he could manage one more cold night. He would just need to be me much more careful tomorrow.

“What are you doing?” Faolán was either too exhausted, cold or beyond reason, because he did not jump when the voice of Prince Loki sounded behind quietly.

He slid off the boulder he’d found and tried to think up of an excuse, the truth was the best policy with the god of lies. “I did not wish to disturb you, your highness,” He said trying not to shiver when the god narrowed his emerald eyes at him as if seeking out an unspoken truth.

Loki however rolled his eyes, “You warriors,” it sounded like a rebuke, one well-earned given Faolán’s current situation.

He was about to offer some sort of protest when the prince grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him into the tent. It was somehow warmer outside on that boulder than on the cold hard ground, probably because he had been forced to strip out of his armour. This time he used his cloak as a blanket and tried to stave off the chill by curling up into himself.

They should be able to purchase blankets, a rug, something, he would check in on the town come the morning before they had the chance to set off.

“Must you be so stubborn?” Loki demanded causing Faolán to stiffen in fear, now what had he done to offend the prince? He tried running through all his thoughts, nothing came to his mind.

Before he could offer up any sort of explanation there was a blanket draped over him, it was surprisingly warm. Within the fibres of the fabric he could feel some sort of energy, the prince must have enchanted the material. He turned around, remembering the prince using this the previous night over his bedroll.

He couldn’t accept the generous gift, he grabbed the blanket and draped it over the confused Prince, confusion gave away to annoyance which turned to resignation. As though he had expected Faolán to reject his offering.

It dawned on Faolán rather quickly, the magic, the enchantment, perhaps that is why the prince thought he was rejecting the gift? So few in the Einherjar were overly comfortable with magic, some would go so far as to reject any sort of magic that could not be contained in a box, bottle, piece of tech or used by a female healer.

“It is a generous gift your highness, but I cannot risk you suffering from the cold,” Faolán responded taking his place back on the floor. He stared at the ceiling hoping sleep would not evade him to long. The blanket had been nice though.

“You are a spectacular kind of idiot aren’t you?” Loki said.

“Well if I must be an idiot I’m glad I’m a shining beacon of idiocy,” Faolán muttered without thinking. He clamped his mouth shut, keenly aware of the odd silence that filled the tent.

“I did not say shining beacon, merely that as idiots go, you are by far the most stubborn I have met,” The prince retorted.

The cold must have affected his brain because why else would Faolán respond, “But you  did call me outstanding.”

“Fool,” Loki snapped tossing the blanket back at Faolán, “If you die of rime rot do not curse me in Valhalla.”

“Should I return as a draugr and curse you that way, your highness?” yep, the frost had damaged him.

“Do not jest about such things,” Loki huffed before shivering and returning to his bedroll. Faolán knew from experience that bedrolls did a good job at keeping people warm, but this cold was not something one usually camped in. Kneeling beside the prince he once again returned the blanket to Loki who stared at him.

“The gesture is appreciated my prince,” Faolán said, “But your health and safety are far more important,” he added but that did not stop Loki from staring at Faolán from within his bedroll, he did not dare say how adorable he looked wrapped up like that.

Loki wanted to club some sense into the foolish solider, instead he grabbed the man and pulled him down before he could protest. Faolán was an asgardian male was strong, Loki as a god was stronger, somehow Faolán ended up wrangled onto the bedroll which had been spread out on the ground and beneath the blanket.

“Move and I shall have you executed,” The prince threatened Faolán who was deeply grateful he was face down on the upper half of the spread out bedroll. Loki could not see him blushing. “Do you hear me?”

“Yes sir,” Faolán said his voice muffled but at least Loki could understand what he had said.

His body warmed beneath the enchanted blanket, with warm layers between himself and the floor of the tent it helped chase away the chill that had infested his bones. Still, he shivered as his body slowly warmed itself.

Once he thought it was safe he chanced a peak at the prince, who of course was awake and glanced at Faolán at that exact moment. He didn’t know how to respond to that, still aware that he was blushing he tried to bury his face once again.

He could hear the rumbling from the prince before he broke out into a quiet laughter, “Does this offend your masculine pride solider?” he mocked.

That was a rather loaded question coming from the younger prince.

It was no secret that he was openly mocked and teased for his abilities, both magical and shapeshifting. He was not as… well he did not live up the perfect ideal of a warrior, the slender sorcerer-warrior was someone a warrior like Faolán should not admire, let alone have an attraction towards.

To have an interest in another man like that would open Faolán up to the same mockery. It was rather fortunate that he was also attracted to women, he could not imagine how other soldiers might suffer under the pressure of only being attracted to men.

“I would rather think I should be offended at myself, had I been a better solider I might have found a way to counter your ambush,” Faolán replied as he shifted onto his back, an ache settled itself in his body as it warmed, it was not completely unpleasant.

Loki’s lips twisted into something that could almost be amusement, “A cautious response,” he replied, “Perhaps you are not as foolish as I thought you to be.”

“Oh, I’m sure the opportunity for me to make a fool of myself will present itself before long, your highness,” Faolán answered politely.

To his surprise Loki laughed, a genuine sort of laugh causing the prince to light up in amusement and Faolán to stare. He was rather attractive when he laughed, the skin around his eyes crinkled, his eyes lit up brighter than ever, that hostile air seemed to vanish as something warmer settled within the prince.

He was never prepared for how beautiful the prince was, Faolán shifted pleased with himself for causing Loki to laugh but uncomfortable with how his dick  now  decided to make itself known within his trousers. The cold would prevent this sort of issue.

It would sort itself out before long, he just needed to keep thinking of unpleasant thing, being stuck in freezing mud, the smell of pigs left out in the sun, taxes, that sort of thing.

 Waking up warm and refreshed was a nice change from cold and stiff, only he suddenly became very aware of the body pressed up against his back and the arms around his waist. Faolán could not move, his legs were tangled up in the princes.

Already his mind was racing with a thousand possibilities and none of them matched his fantasies, instead all he could worry about was whether the prince would be angry. This was a dire breach of protocol. He could think of a dozen legitimate reasons that the prince could use to have him reprimanded, expelled from the guard or worse.

To many fears ran through him until Loki said, “You began to shiver in your sleep, this was the best way to keep you warm,” Loki’s breath was warm against the back of his neck.

Norns  , he couldn't blame his dick for stirring  this time  he just wished it didn’t, this was not the ideal time or place.

Suppressing his nerves as best he could Faolán responded, “Thank you, but you needn’t have gone to such trouble for me,” even to his own ears it sounded odd. Why would anyone say such a thing?

Thankfully any weirdness (of which there was plenty) vanished the moment a loud scuffle and shouting erupted outside the tents.

It turned out to be Thor and his friends all fighting over the last of the provisions. Which seemed odd to Faolán as the only reason they were sharing tents and beds in the first place was because the older prince and his friends had replaced the necessities with additional food and drink supplies.

“Even Volstagg could not have consumed our stocks overnight,” Loki pointed out inspecting the area, Faolán squatted down to pick up the remains of the cloth sacks, they had been shredded.

“Wild boar,” Faolán said indicating to the tracks not that the rest of the group cared to see, instead they would rather fight amongst themselves.

“Yes he can resemble a boar at times,” Loki folded his arms across his chest, how was he not cold in so few garments? “Though a boar does possess far more manners than our Vanir.”

“How about I cleave that tongue from your venomous mouth?” Volstagg snarled at Loki, this of course lead to further bickering so Faolán used his common sense and left to procure more supplies, enough to make a decent breakfast at least.

The other Einherjar took pity on him, patting him on the back, this was the reason nobody wanted to be the personal guard and escort of the princes. This is the reason they had to draw lots. Oh, it was easy and a well sought out position once inside the golden city but never outside. Everyone knew that the princes rarely made things easier for themselves let alone their assigned guard. How does someone go about protecting a god who can shapeshift into a fly or one who can fly with a swing of his hammer?

It was only when he began making breakfast did the others cease their arguments, looking at him like he had been the one to steal from them or at least was acting very odd.

“Wild boar that had not been able to hibernate had made off without supplies,” Faolán explained, once again pointing to the tracks this time people took notice, “The additional food stocks must have attracted them.”

“And the cider?” Lady Sif asked.

“Swine in general eat fermented fruits, an apple is an apple regardless of form,” Faolán explained.

“Or my brother decided to drink the last of it the previous evening before drinking at the taverns,” Loki also added.

“That… might be the more plausible answer,” Thor admitted sheepishly.

While the others got themselves cleaned up and dressed Faolán made stew, it was simple but it stuck to the ribs and filled the belly that would keep the party filled and warmed for a while at least. Even if they complained about the basic meal. He had just enough confidence in his cooking skills to offer it up to the others.

Volstagg thanked him with a cheery smile that made him feel better about spending two hours in the cold cooking. Fandral and Thor were to hungover to muster much of anything while Sif, Loki and Hogun offered a polite “Thank You”.

He sat a little distance away from the others annoyed at himself for not securing the caravan better. He should have known better, basic training covered these sorts of incidences. Angrily chewing a carrot he looked over the plans for the next couple of days, more investigations, more travelling between towns and villages and hopefully a return to the city by the end of the month,  if fortune favoured them.

There wasn’t much stew left for Faolán once he had made sure the others got more than enough food to eat, the supplies had been limited after all. Not that the others noticed, not that he wanted them to notice, he could try and procure more rations in the next town or try and hunt a couple of rabbits. The way this group ate they needed all the rations they could get their hands on.

They soon packed up their camp (with help from Loki’s magic) and walked on to the next town. As they walked they went over the findings, well Faolán mostly listened in on the sporadic mentions of their investigation before Prince Thor got bored and started talking about anything else to pass the time.

Chancing glances towards Prince Loki Faolán tried not to attract too much attention to himself as they continued their march. He suspected Loki noticed a couple of times, though he said nothing about it, why would he?

The next town was another dedicated fishing town located on the edge of the realm, complete with market and merchants and freezing cold winds. Shuddering in his armour Faolán cursed the winter gods and the air for being so bloody vicious. Even the full face plate helmet didn’t help, if anything it made things worse thanks to the wind seeping into every available opening.

Meeting up with the other guard Faolán went over their notes, so far the raiders seemed one step ahead, but in this climate that wasn’t to surprising. A small group were easier and faster to move than a large group. His captain asked if he needed to change, give someone else the opportunity to watch the princes and while he was tempted one glance around the tent all but confirmed nobody else wanted his job.

“No sir, I am managing fine,” aside from being hungry, exhausted and once again cold, his Captain nodded and sent Faolán along to rendezvous with the Princes group.

It was a short meeting, dull to the princes, but they at least paid attention and listened to everything the Einherjar had uncovered, they to had made some headway so while the group stopped off at a tavern Faolán relayed this information with his Captain.

“You’re looking exhausted,” His Captain said quietly.

“Can you blame me?” Faolán joked but his Captain was not pleased with this response. An exhausted Einherjar was a danger to not only himself but his fellow guard and most importantly of all those that he was meant to protect, “I am fine Captain, I would say so otherwise.”

If any hopes of finding a meal presented themselves they were soon dashed by Prince Thor exiting the Tavern and greeting him with an overly cheerful grin announcing that they were to retire for the night. The cold seaside town seemed to mock Faolán as once again he was forced to follow the princes out to the tents.

Maybe the next town will have a good place to rest, one that would give him a reprieve from the icy tents. That small flicker of hope kept him going as he watched the group argue amongst themselves about a matter that didn’t seem all that important. Apparently one of the bar maids had taken a fancy to Sif, though she denied it her cheeks did bloom with a potential confirmation.

“I will remain in the town a while longer,” Prince Loki announced confusing the group and Faolán.

The Captain sighed, “I can spare some guards to-”

“-This one will do,” Loki clasped his hand on Faolán’s shoulder, “You and your men can return to camp.”

The Captain was one of those men that did not like Loki for what he was, he felt the younger prince was a stain upon Odin’s ‘good’ name. A thing that did not belong amongst the royal house, Loki however was Odin’s son and therefore belonged no matter who or what he was.

Faolán tried not to get in-between his Captain, who stared at Faolán as if he would protest to Loki’s suggestion, (after all why would  he want to spend time with the younger prince over the older) and Prince Loki who waited for the Captain’s answer.

“As you say, your highness,” The Captain bowed and departed with the others.

Once enough distance was made by the two groups Faolán turned to Loki a little concerned, had he decided to reprimand him after all? “You have not eaten all day,” was not what he expected the prince to say, “Let us eat in  some modicum of peace.”

“I hate seafood, especially fish pie,” he should not snub food, he really shouldn’t, especially when it was offered to him by a prince but the idea of eating seafood turned his stomach.

“Then you at least have decent taste, they add whole boiled eggs to their fish pies here,” Just a simple mention turned Faolán’s stomach.

The prince found a smaller tavern, the one that they had not yet visited, it was right on the edge overlooking the oceans and void of space, not that the incredible sights could be seen from within the small tavern with the stain glass window and ridiculously thick stone walls.

A place by the fireside was opened up for the prince (and his guard) and while he felt guilty about taking what was the best seat in the place (as far as he was concerned) Faolán was selfish enough to enjoy it.

“You are overly considerate of everyone else,” was Loki’s first words and Faolán did not know what to say to that, “For instance I could sit here and eat a full-course meal by myself, which by Asgardian royal standards is seven whole courses and you would not say a word.”

Faolán did not know where Loki was going with this line of questioning and quite frankly he was too exhausted to be overly cautious of the potential traps, so he kept things simple, “It would be improper of me to dine with you, your highness.”

“Because of our differing social standings?” Loki asked watching as Faolán sipped his heated cider, the one that he liked rather than the one made with berries that he despised.

With a slight nod Faolán responded, “Yes sir, that and the fact that I am on duty until both you and Prince Thor retire for the evening.”

“You barely ate this morning,” Loki pointed out, “I noticed you made sure everyone had more than their fair share leaving you with what could not have been more than a couple of mouthfuls of stew.”

Again Faolán tensed, “I could not leave you, Prince Thor and his friends-”

“-Yes you could,” Loki leaned back lit by the light of the fire he was quite breathtaking, not that he wasn’t beautiful or handsome already but the warmth of the fire brought out the deepest greens of his eyes.

Faolán ducked his head, “Forgive me Sir but I could not, my duty means keeping you, Prince Thor and his friends safe, that includes making sure provisions are kept safe and secure. A task I failed to do as evidenced by the boars making off with our provisions.”

For a few moments Loki was silent, giving him time to study Faolán, the odd guard with the strange mannerisms. Most guards would jump at the chance to be amongst Prince Thor’s group, but this guard seemed less inclined towards Thor and more inclined to  him . Which was especially odd for a seasoned guard and warrior, most did not like Loki let alone want to spend any time with him.

He suspected the younger warrior harboured something that was more than a passing interest or fancy.

Too many moments of silence passed between them forcing Faolán to look up, nervous that he had probably done something wrong. Loki studied him, he was average as warriors went, brown hair and matching eyes, tanned skin even in the dead of winter and oddly the man seemed to smell of elderflower, something he had picked up on this morning.

“Will you be reprimanded for the lost supplies?” Loki asked as their food arrived, the prince already knew the answer to that question and it was,

“Yes,” Loki who had been about to take a bite of his game pie paused, studying Faolán confused, the answer was No, it should be no.

What guard would report the matter when it was easily ignored? Thor certainly would not have the guard punished for something that was out of his control, he was overly fond of the guards in general. It must be a warrior thing.

“No, the answer should be No, you made one mistake, in the days you have travelled with us you have given up enough to ensure that our party remain safe and warm,” Loki said.

Faolán of course refused to eat with him, so he stared at his plate, “I already reported the matter to my Captain, your highness. The appropriate measures will be taken upon our return to the city.”

“Eat,” and for good measure added, “That is an order,” Faolán was at first awkward about the issue but gave into his hunger, “And what are the appropriate measures?” he asked.

Faolán paused just as he was about to take the first bite of pie, “The appropriate measures vary depending upon who I am guarding at the time. Since I was guarding a royal party it will at least mean suspension without pay pending a review of my failings, your highness.”

The realization sat like a heavy stone in the bottom of Faolán’s gut, reminding him what a stupid man he was to have overlooked something so innocuous but important.

“And the harshest punishment?” Loki asked.

“I would be dishonourably discharged for dereliction of duties,” Faolán said.

Loki paused, surprised, “Surely it would not come to that for something so simple?” suspension alone seemed like overkill to him.

“It is more likely that…  that is the punishment I shall receive your highness,” Faolán answered, “I failed to secure supplies for the royal party, thus – especially in this season – opening you up to potential hunger and starvation, which should we be ambushed would mean you would have a lack of energy to defend yourselves. It was my own oversight and negligence that lead to the loss of the food… I am sorry for failing in my duty to protect you and your brother, sir.”

Faolán was no longer hungry, the weight had only made him feel nauseous, centuries of hard work, battles and war and this is how it ended.

“You should have lied,” Loki said cutting up a piece of carrot to eat, Faolán frowned.

“I mean no offence to you, my prince, but I would rather be honest,” Loki was not offended, more amused that Faolán might think he could offended by such a simple thing, “Besides if had I not reported the incident someone else would have done so.”

“Ah so you have enemies within the Einherjar?” Loki asked.

“None that I am aware of,” Faolán’s answer baffled the prince, “It is no secret that the Captain is due to retirement, so of course the race to be noticed for promotion has been a long one. One that has resorted to many underhand tricks and schemes.”

Loki smirked, “Ah politics then, which would imply by your very words that you are in fact a strong contender in becoming a Captain,” Loki chewed his piece of rabbit thoughtfully, “Which would explain why you were selected to guard us?”

Faolán sighed, “Yes sir, I am a strong contender but there are at least a dozen others just as strong as me, then of course there is still time for those not yet noticed to become noticed. My suspension or discharge would mean a place in that running opens up.”

“You would be forced to drop out of running for the captaincy regardless of what the outcome is?” Loki asked.

“Yes sir,” Faolán nodded, trying a piece of rabbit, his appetite once again getting the better of him, he managed a few more bites, carefully taking his time.

“A lie would have been preferable,” Loki continued, Faolán once again frowned.

“Perhaps I am not cut out for the role of Captain if that is the case,” Loki looked up surprised, “My mother says that I am cursed with an honest disposition.”

“I, too, curse honesty,” Loki said sipping his own warmed cider, he was surprised how nice it tasted alongside his food. “So you are to be dishonourably discharged then what?”

“Should the charge be deemed worthy of further punishment I will be sentenced to whatever timespan high royal highness deems enough within the prisons,” Faolán said.

“All for two sacks of vegetables, hams and one sack of salt?” Loki demanded.

“It is not the items that were lost, it is my negligence of duties on trail,” Faolán ducked his head ashamed that he was even permitted to eat with Loki especially with the upcoming future.

“The deck is stacked against you, you are punished for honesty,” Loki said.

Faolán didn’t agree with that, “It is to protect-”

“-It is politics, plain and simple, and  you  my naive fool are all too happy to be a scapegoat! No doubt someone with family connections to the previous captain will be elected in your place,” Loki’s harsh words cut deep.

Faolán instead chewed a piece of carrot and remained silent, what else was there to be said?

 The return to camp was fairly short, giving Faolán the chance to clear his head before turning in for the evening. After doing a final perimeter check and meeting up with the night guard to ensure all was safe and secure. One gave him a solemn pat on the back, news had travelled then.

He lay on the cold hard floor of the tent, his eyes turned to the ceiling of the darkened tent, “You are impossibly stubborn,” Loki said, Faolán turned to him confused, before he could argue he was once again pulled onto the spread out bedroll, only this time there seemed to be more padding. More blankets, a heavier blanket covered the pair of them.

“I… you purchased more blankets?” Faolán asked surprised he would do such a thing, if that were the case did they need to share a bedroll? Probably not, but he was not about to complain.

“No I conjured them from thin air,” Loki sarcastically uttered, usually people responded with wide-eyed awe or fear and asked ‘ really? ’

Faolán surprised him by saying, “That is impossible, something cannot be produced from nothing.”

“And what would you know of magic?” Loki asked.

“They teach us how to read,” Faolán muttered trying not to blush as he focused on a particular spot above him, the details had been lost in the dark, “I can even count.”

Loki grinned, “Well I am shocked, usually they leave that sort of higher education until you are ready to become a commander,” To Loki’s pleasant supply he managed to glean a rumble of laughter from the warrior, “Any other useful talents you may possess?”

“Aside from curling my tongue, none that I can think of,” Faolán of course had many talents, being such a long-lived being meant he had time to study and expand his talents and skills, but that would only bore Loki.

“Pardon?” Loki asked turning his head towards the warrior who immediately looked away the moment he turned his head to face the prince, ah so not just a passing interest then , his cheeks were ruby red.

“Uh, curl your tongue, you know?” he did not, so much to his embarrassment he demonstrated the process.

As soon as he turned away Loki tried it, he found he couldn’t do it, he could do many things with his tongue but apparently curling it was not an option. He caught Faolán snickering,  ah, so  he had been noticed.

“It is regretful that you have been put in this position,” Loki said which surprised Faolán, “You are not the worst bed companion I have had.”

That did the trick .

Faolán visibly stiffened, his entire face burning hot enough to keep the pair of them warm. “I-I um, you…” his stuttering was rather adorable to Loki who watched in amusement as Faolán tried to pretend that he was not flustered by Loki’s comment. Sense came back to Faolán who turned to the prince and asked, “Dare I ask who could be worse?”

“A rather fetching Lady who for some reason genuinely believed that I was sexually attracted to horses, so she dressed up as one and waited for me in my bed,” Loki said.

Faolán didn’t know whether that was the truth or a fabrication, it sounded like a lie but at the same time too strange to not be true, but the mental image made him laugh anyway much to Loki’s delight. The man had a rather attractive laugh when he wasn’t being a dour guard half freezing and starving to death.

At least that night was better than the previous nights, even with his impending punishment looming on the horizon.

Three days and nights spent on the roads walking to the next town while investigating the routes along the way had completely exhausted everyone.

Not because of the freezing biting winds, but because they had quite by accident run into the raiders that they had been pursuing. They were not the criminal masterminds the Einherjar commander made them out to be, rather they were just lucky. Ridiculously lucky, so lucky it could only be divine intervention.

It was not a good fight, fought in the hard cold muddy forest roads it was pure chaos. There was not a soul (not even a god) that was not left exhausted and aching by the end. Faolán was certain that he had somehow managed to break a couple of ribs, he certainly was bruised.

Thankfully the large merchant town they had just passed had some places to rest and recuperate. Though Faolán firmly believed that they would not have been given (for a fair price of course) these rooms had the princes not been with them. The rooms spread out across multiple inns were few forcing people to share once more.

The familiar sense of dread filled Faolán as he watched everyone follow that exact same routine they had taken when first sharing the tents. Hogun dropped rune stones into a bag which the others grabbed in hopes of getting a much better companion this time around.

Sif this time had to share with Hogun instead of Volstagg, this left Fandral worried he  might  have to partner with Thor  and Volstagg, that much body mass would crush him. (There was no way any of them would sleep on the floor) Then Loki pulled out a runestone matching not Fandral’s, but Thor and Volstagg’s did. Faolán swore he could hear a whimper come from the blond Vanir.

That meant once again Faolán was sharing with Loki, this time Faolán was suspicious, “Why do you get the guard,  again ?” Sif asked, which hurt he thought they at least bothered to learn his name after spending so much time together on the road.

“Luck was on my side it seems,” Loki preened.

“Luck or trickery, lets do this again and this time no magic!” Sif warned Loki.

“You would risk sharing a bed with Volstagg  and Thor?” Hogun countered quietly while the other three bickered about who slept in which position on the bed. Fandral refused to be in the middle.

“Or Volstagg again?” Loki offered up. Sif’s expression said it all, as cheerful as he was as a companion Volstagg’s size, girth and habit of farting in his sleep left a lot to be desired, especially in a tent.

“It’s not fair,” Sif complained.

“We would all rather have the guard, alas Loki was merely more cunning,” Hogun said putting his weight on his right leg to not to further injure the left as it healed.

I have a name , Faolán wanted to protest but no longer had the energy to do so.

While the other continued to argue amongst themselves Faolán set to work gathering supplies of which this merchant town had plenty. He managed to procure more food and drink for the royal party, not to mention more bedrolls and blankets at least that way everyone would be as comfortable as they could be on the travels back to the city. He had not managed to find any suitable tents that would protect them in this kind of weather.

His ribs still ached as he returned to the Inn, exhausted beyond all measure and relieved of his duties thanks to the other guards and Thor attempting to seduce every woman in a three-mile radius (aside from Sif) Faolán marched up the stairs to his assigned room.

At least he had been given the chance to bathe, though as he examined his wounds he sighed, not broken but defiantly battered and bruised. A good nights sleep and he would be fine.

“That looks painful,” Faolán jumped nerves getting the better of him.

Looking down Faolán sighed, “It is nothing, your highness,” he pulled his black tunic over his head covering his torso, he noticed the prince was still damp from the bath as well, “Is there something I can assist you with?” he asked after to long of staring by the prince.

“No,” answered Loki sitting down on the edge of the bed, he claimed the left side that was furthest from the window, “What do you intend to do should you lose your position amongst the Einherjar?” Loki asked him quite seriously.

Faolán of course had a plan, of course he did, it was foolish to assume that all his life’s plans would magically work out, and he would never need to consider alternatives.

He sat on the right side of the bed wincing slightly with the effort, Asgardians may heal quickly, but he envied the gods increased healing capabilities. The small cuts and scraps Loki had after the fight were long gone, a testament not only to his combat prowess but his physiology.

“Even disgraced I would be accepted in the Úlfhéðnar,” Faolán said causing Loki to look back stunned into silence.

“You would willingly throw your life away to become a wolf warrior? The life of a Einherjar is hard, the life of a Úlfhéðnar is unnecessarily brutal in this day and age,” Loki argued.

“I suppose I could leave Asgard and join the Vanir royal guard, I hear they accept anyone,” Faolán’s joke did not earn him a laugh.

“Because nobody is that dumb to join a guard that is beyond incompetent,” Loki derided, “You truly are a stubborn fool.”

“What would my alternative be?” Faolán asked, Loki frowned, “It is not as though a  disgraced warrior would be welcomed amongst warriors within the golden city.”

That much was true. And all because of a couple of supplies that had not meant to be there in the first place.

“You should rest, your highness,” Faolán suggested.

The room warmed by the hearth made the bed comfortable, then again any bed that was not sagging, broken, made of ground or had horse hair (which Faolán was allergic) amongst its filling was a good bed in his books.

He lay down ignoring the ache in his right side and instead looked out to the moonlit night where the cosmos itself was on full display. He settled down thinking it was best to try and sleep off the heaviness that had become a familiar friend as of the missing supplies incident.

Faolán was  almost asleep when he felt a hand press up against his ribs, he stiffened not out of fear (who else would it be other than Loki?) but out of surprise. Loki was surprised to feel Faolán relax a little, perhaps it was more than a mere attraction?

The warrior turned hesitantly to the prince, but twisting his body made it ache so he had to lay on his back, “Is something wrong?” he asked again.

“Your ribs are injured,” Loki supplied which yes, that tended to happen in combat, especially when someone with a war hammer gets a good hit in.

“It happens,” Faolán breathed carefully, expanding his chest to much made his ribs ache, it didn’t help that Loki  still kept his palm against Faolán’s ribs.

It happened because Volstagg did not watch his left side forcing Faolán to step in and save the unaware warrior from having his skull caved in. Had Faolán not had the skill or training he would perhaps be lay in the dirt body crumpled instead of heavily bruised.

It only occurred to a sheepish Volstagg after seeing Faolán decapitate the raider what the Einherjar had done for him. Not that anyone else would listen, he was credited with felling the raider captain while Thor felled the raider commander. Volstagg of course insisted that Faolán should get the praise. Nobody believed him.

Faolán lied, saying Volstagg was being modest which earned many laughs.

This annoyed Loki, “You should-”

“-It happens, your highness,” Faolán smiled in a tightly controlled way as Loki pulled back the blanket folding it just above Faolán’s waist to inspect the damage done. It was now that Faolán somehow realized his tunic was not on his person but resting on the back of a chair by his bedside.

“Many things happen,” Loki said his hand lighting up with his magic, to his constant surprise when it came to the stubborn warrior, Faolán did not flinch, pull away nor call him vile names believing he was cursing him. Instead, Faolán lay still breathing a little deeper with each breath.

It was a strangely incredible feeling, the power he could feel push through from Loki, the mending of flesh that he did not think battered and torn. It was like taking the first lungfuls of fresh air after being trapped in a dank mouldering house for days without reprieve. Everything felt better, greater than better, he could not fully describe how warm and wonderful the magic felt.

Then of course his body decided that this was quite amazing, his dick stirred, maybe it was the birth of some kind of kink? Or maybe it was Loki in general? Could someone develop an attraction to magic? It certainly seemed possible given his current state of arousal.

“Many of which are unfair,” Loki continued, studying Faolán who’s cheeks once again lit up ruby red only this time the light cast from Loki’s magic bathed him in a strange not unattractive green light.

“I can no more predict the future than you can devour the sun, your highness,” Faolán then turned to Loki, “You need not concern yourself over me. What happens will happen.”

“Oh?” Loki asked closing the distance between them, yes  he thought,  he is quite the attractive bed companion . Faolán smiled uneasy, on one hand it would be a dream come to (or at least fantasy) to pull Loki into a kiss, to feel his body against the god-prince. On the other hand…

Obviously it would simply be a one time fuck, Loki could have no long term relationship with a man, especially that of such a lower rank and an Einherjar (and possible disgraced warrior) no less! Which somehow made it harder and easier to pull away from the prince gently placing some space between them.

Loki reassessed everything, had he read Faolán’s attraction to him wrong?

Faolán blushed as he sat up, the ache long gone in his ribs though now his cock was demanding to know why he suddenly gave up his fantasy, this was an opportunity to fuck or be fucked by Loki, and he was not taking it?

“Do not think I am not flattered-” Faolán was cut off immediately

“-Most men would be offended,” Loki pointed out, annoyed at himself and rethinking where he might’ve gotten the wrong impression. A shame to, the man possessed such an attractive figure and face.

“Ah, well I am one of those odd sorts attracted to people regardless of sex and gender I’m afraid,” Faolán flushed crimson, admitting it out loud was dangerous and oddly terrifying, especially when confessing such a thing to a prince.

All he could think was how he should not have confessed such a thing, it was ridiculous but old fears clung tightly to his bones.

He was more than flattered by Loki’s advances, flustered, overly keen, he would, if younger and more reckless, accepted and responded without thinking of the consequences. Instead, he knew better, he was older, wiser, he knew not to start such things, even if it were just for one time.

His ribs grew cold without Loki’s touch, the lingering doubt and want cascaded into a complicated set of emotions that he dared not name or give too much attention to.

He turned to the Prince, who seemed angry, not at Faolán, he was certain the Prince could rend his bones to ash if that were the case, no he was angry at himself, so Faolán attempted to say something. Perhaps a last ditch attempt to be cordial.

“Do not bother with pleasantries,” Loki said rolling onto his side so that his back faced Faolán, “It will make things awkward.”

“I was not going to apologize, your highness,” Faolán admitted, Loki turned to him confused, “I simply think you should not be wasting any effort or time on me.”

There was a moments pause, where for one naive moment Faolán thought that the prince would argue, instead he sighed a heavy sigh the sort that left one feeling empty.

“You are not as foolish as I first assumed then,” Loki said betraying no emotion that he may or may not feel.

Faolán rolled back onto his side, aware of how his heart ached. It was safer this way, the prince may have simply been looking for stress relief after a fight but Faolán knew his own heart could not handle that.

They lay in a strange sort of silence until one or both of them fell asleep, neither recalled who had fallen asleep first.

Loki had returned to the golden city a week ago with everyone else, he quite by accident forgot all about Faolán. He had been tasked with continuing the odd appearances of the raiders, their sporadic targets and plans. Clearly there was some sort of order lingering within their schemes but for the life of him he could not fathom it, nor their grander plan.

So he did something he rarely did, he took a trip down to the Einherjar barracks where he met with the captain and others. He listened to the warriors drone on board, he already knew everything they were saying, he simply wished to compare notes but the captain was old-fashioned and liked to keep everything strictly organized.

One of the prospective captains, someone who looked like someone had (poorly) crafted a younger Thor from memory and added an unintelligent vapid grin to the youthful face that could not maintain a proper beard, stood and shuffled papers about.

“S-sorry, your highness, sir,” The man said, Loki rolled his eyes, the Captain appeared exhausted, clearly this was a common thing that he had to deal with, “Y-yo-you see follow-following um, Faolán’s discharge we-uh, well he-he was the one who kept things you know neat and stuff? So we kinda, we need to learn how to do this stuff, paperwork, office work.”

Loki perked up, “Faolán? Ah yes the warrior that was… discharged you say?” something hideous settled in the pit of his stomach.

The Captain nodded, “Yes, dishonourably discharged your highness following a dereliction of duty.”

That was quick, they had not been back a week, “How long did this process take?”

“I assure you it took less than a day, now to matters at hand,” The Captain continued, he had the air of a man who would rather drop this conversation. Clearly he had not agreed with it.

“For the sake of smuggled food, mead and salt?” Loki demanded to know, others looked at him sheepish, they clearly were just as uncomfortable as their captain.

“It… was an order from my commander,” The Captain glanced to the not-Thor before dropping his voice while the not-Thor continued to search for the right documents, “My replacement was selected, he is the nephew of our commander. As you know all to well, Politics can be an ugly game.”

“Indeed,” Loki thought back on the man with the sheepish smile, he had been so earnest, selfless, uncomplaining, honest… the fool. He pushed aside the handsome man with the endearing grin and brief flickers of aspirations and passion and instead focused on the mission at hand.

What was done, was done, there was no changing the past.

[cornucopiagazette]

All Character TidBits So Far

Long post ahead:

Here are all Character Bios that have been published so far. Spoiler Free (sorta)

 -

Name: Francis Elias Montgomery

Codename: Prestige

Age: 16/17

DoB: August 29

Race: Mixed (Mother's black, father's white)

Hair: Blond

Eyes: Gray

Height: 6'2

Costume: Grey/Light blue vintage military/airforce jacket, slate gray pants, knee-high boots. Ruffled cravat or aviator scarf, sometimes single epaulette with a short cape. Slate gray domino mask.

Powers: Photokinesis, enhanced agility and durability.

Francis is the son of Mayor Temitope Montgomery and Arthur Montgomery. It's not clear what kind of person he is. He can be extremely kind and charming, but switch to moody and secretive, or vicious and condescending at the drop of a hat.

He's avoids social contacts out of school, often burying himself in his room, studying. His only 'friends' seem to be Taylor Redford and his posse, though he seems to have a decent enough relationship with Trudie and Fern.

He seems mortally afraid that his parents might find out about the former.

He's stubborn as all Hells, often acting without thinking and rushing into action, in and out of custom. His photokinetic powers are well-developed, and he specializes on illusions and small solid light constructs.

He has an ongoing rivalry with Marcus, can't stand jokes about his height, and is allergic to pollen.

Has a younger sister, Lori.

---

Name: Gabriel Mendoza

Codename: FreezeFrame

Gender: male (trans)

Age: 33

DoB: February 18

Race: Latino (Puerto Rican)

Hair: Black

Eyes: Green

Height: 5'6

Costume: Black hooded bodysuit with purple highlights, heavy-duty boots with purple laces, purple domino mask

Powers: Chronokinesis, limited Cryokinesis

FreezeFrame is a skilled chrono- and cryokinetic, and rather foul-mouthed. He takes great pride in being a 'villain' even though many that know him would disagree that he is one. He tends to do the 'right and good' thing a little 'too often', and his villainous efforts are a little... intriguing. He hates when people think of him as a hero, left alone claim that he has the heart in the right place. (Truth be told, he's still flattered when he thinks no one's looking)

He is a quick thinker, capable of assessing situations at first or second glance. Unfortunately he is even quicker at acting, often jumping into the fray before the first glance reached his brain. He can be a bit disorganized, sometimes forgetting his powers in the heat of the moment.

He's a Nightfall veteran, and even before that had an ongoing rivalry going with MetaMorphia, which developed into a consensual, mutual hateship. They hooked up after the great Unmasking.

---

Name: Ian Rattray

Gender: male (cis)

Age: 34

DoB: June 12

Race: Latino (Puerto Rican)

Hair: Dark brown

Eyes: brown/hazel

Height: 6'9

Ian is the younger (4 minutes 42 seconds) of two twins. He's quite a bit of a bookworm, preferring burrowing himself in the library or at home over meeting with people. This does not mean he prefers not to interact with others. He's at his simultaneously best and worst when he can talk to people and share information. His biggest short-coming is that he can talk very fast and without any form of punctation.

The worst thing one can do to him (especially then) is to either just pretend to have any interest, or to tell him to shut up. Then Ian tends to retreat into himself and become short worded.

He's kind and usually collected, bit of the embodiment of the idea of a gentle giant. However there are things he despises to speak about, especially The Gloom and his brother Jamie. He can also be rather secretive when he thinks involving others would harm them.

He has a very odd relationship with Heatstroke, speaks fluent german and can't cook, except for desserts.

---

Name: Travis Roland

Codename: Switchblade

Gender: male (cis)

Age: 43

DoB: January 9

Race: Black

Hair: Dark brown

Eyes: brown/hazel

Height: 6'7

FaceClaim: Idris Elba

Costume: A black leather combat suit with steel grey lines on the fingers, a hood and a half-mask. It's smooth and full of sharp angles at the same time.

Powers: Weapon-Summoning

Before Nightfall Switchblade was known as one of the most dangerous and vicious villains in all of Cornucopia. A gun (and literally all other kinds of weapons) for hire, he had contacts all throughout CoCi's underworld.

He's been responsible for a long list of robberies and kidnappings, and a longer list of property damage. He has, however, rarely killed people (regular or with powers) outside of collateral damage, as he deems that too simple. Truth be told he considers killing out of sheer bloodlust a waste of time.

His speciality are weapons to counter his opponents the best, one of the reasons he has quite a bit of a god-complex.

He's snarky, grumpy and condescending, and, much to his dismay, an odd kind of caring in his core. As much as he delights seeing others fail, there often comes a point where he gets so frustrated by it that he'll jump in to set people straight. He hates that fact.

This trait is also the reason why he's part of the Unmasked Generation, and why he became a coach at the new-founded APORIA. Because he (quote) 'can't trust those morons (heroes) with a whole new generation. They got us Odium, can't have that again'.

His personality has marginally improved (maybe because he is aware the whole city now has his eyes on him), but he still has it out for a couple of people. Powerhouse and Marcus especially.

---

Name: Joshua St John

Codename: Powerhouse

Gender: male (cis)

Age: 39

DoB: ???

Race: white

Hair: light brown if grown out, but he keeps his head shaved

Eyes: green/brown (right), electricity (left)

Height: 6'1

FaceClaim: ?

Costume: Gold and black bodysuit with silver piping, no mask.

Powers: Electrokinesis

There's not much known about Powerhouse before the events of Nightfall.

He's always been regarded as overly pessimistic, snarky and quite a bit of a loner. He is, however, very full of himself and his ego is one of the best ways to get him to cooperate.

He delights in being a hero (as snarky as he is), but tends to overwork himself, especially once children are involved. There might be something in his past (that Switchblade and Kaleydoscope knew about) that's the reason for this.

He was also one of the main reason for the CHIPPER (CHImeran and Powered People Equity Regulation), which finally prohibited employers etc from putting Powered Individuals (especially Chimerans) at any form of disadvantage.

It might have been that CHIPPER caught on faster than some other laws of similar nature One due to CoCi's very nature, and Two, who would genuinely want to mess with someone who can turn one's organs inside out, acting as if oneself is by nature superior? (Unfortunately, there have been and are people who... don't have much common sense or human decency... but they're getting fewer)

Powerhouse retired after Nightfall, settling down to become an electrician (St John Electrics), but he keeps a wary eye on Switchblade, who went to work at the newly founded APORIA.

Rumors have it that he turned to the EMPeror to help him with his right arm, which was turning more and more into uncontrollable electricity.

---

Name: Chloe Fairchild

Codename: Bacchanalia

Gender: female (cis)

Age: 24 (possible)

DoB: ???

Race: white

Hair: blonde

Eyes: gray

Height: 5'4

FaceClaim: ???

Costume: Gray hooded cape, domino mask.

Powers: Alcokinesis

Bacchanalia was one of the youngest Powered Individuals fighting at Nightfall. She's been a shy and quiet young girl with the bizarre power of conjuring and manipulating alcohol (she never liked that).

She tried to prove herself as a hero, but vanished before the final battle.

It's not clear what exactly became of her, but given the circumstances of her disappearance she might have willingly joined Odium.

She was said to be easily influenced by others, so many do believe in that theory.

Digging deeper into her history afterwards revealed that she had come from a quite unhappy home and had caused her parents' (mother and stepfather) deaths through alcohol poisoning.

Her biological father is working hard on redeeming her name.

---

Name: Lionel Donovan

Codename: Scorn

Gender: male (cis)

Age: 51

DoB: October 23

Race: white

Hair: black

Eyes: black

Height: 6'4

FaceClaim: Ed Quinn

Powers: Umbrakineis, Power-Theft, Teleportation

Lionel Donovan is one of the most dangerous people in Cornucopia.

By all official means a legit businessman, it's an open (but legally unprovable) secret that he is the head of one of CoCi's worst criminal organizations.

Scorn is regarded as as ruthless as he is cunning, but indisputably fair. Most people that cross him even show up alive again.

His official businesses range from casinos to hotels to shipping companies across town, his unofficial ones... are the same in a much darker shade of moral and lethality.

The most well-known (infamous) establishment of the latter kind is a nightclub/aether-den called Bliss, located on the fourth ring of the TC-D. The Bliss had been the property of the Jade Empress around 15 years ago, before she made the fatal mistake of kidnapping Scorn's son Colby (Naught), trying to press money and property out of Scorn.

It's not clear if (and if, how) the Jade Empress survived this misstep, but her demise secured Scorn the control over the third and fourth ring. Only recently someone using the alias of Jade Empress surfaced as the head of the organization controlling the fifth to eighth ring, but it's not clear if this is the same woman, someone using her name, or if there even is an actual person.

Scorn is a most talented umbrakinetic, teleporter and power-thief, quite a bit of a bon vivant and a widower. As ruthless and cold as he is in business, as caring and loving he is as a father.

---

Name: Marcus Hayes

Codename: SnapShot

Gender: male (cis)

Age: 17

DoB: May 30

Race: Race: Mixed (Mother's latina, father's mixed (black/white))

Hair: black

Eyes: hazel/brown

Height: 5'9

FaceClaim: Aramis Knight

Costume: A black leather long coat with an unhealthy amount of zippers, black jeans and t-shirt, black half-mask covering eyes, nose and cheeks.

Powers: Picturakinesis, Enhanced agility and speed.

Marcus is the only child of Catalina and Sawyer Hayes. He's a decently skilled picture-manipulator, though he seems unable to use his powers on colored images. He blames this inability on a lot of outside factors, first and foremost his ongoing rivalry with Francis, as well as Switchblade who he's convinced is out for him.

His rivalry with Francis is a mystery to their common associates, as only the two seem to know what started it. Some do suspect that it has something to do with a combination of Marcus and Francis' social backgrounds and even more so the unknown fate of Marcus' father and the resulting depression of his mother.

Marcus is convinced that the hero Eclipse and his father are the same person, though his sole prove is the fact that they both went missing the same night. This believe has traces of an obsession.

His father and Francis are topics to piss Marcus off beyond anything, at all other times he's easy-going, friendly and helpful. His tendency to pepper his speech with puns is either his biggest strength or worst weakness. It's certainly one reason Francis dislikes him.

---

Name: Temitope Montgomery

Codename: La Mode

Gender: female (cis)

Age: 44

DoB: May 19

Race: Black

Hair: dark brown

Eyes: light brown

Height: 5'5

FaceClaim: Kerry Washington

Costume: A golden or bronze domino mask and a catsuit of the same color, along with myriads of lengths of fabric floating around her if they don't pull together to a tunic like garment over the catsuit. Knee-high silver boots.

Powers: Fabrikinesis, Enhances strength, speed and agility

Temitope's been a famed opera singer (yes, she did play Queen of the Night, and yes, she can still hit those notes), and decided to go into politics shortly after the foundation of APORIA. There's rumors that at least one of her parents is a Slider, but no one knows for certain.

She is as kind as she can be determined and focused, which has brought her good reputation in her professions. As La Mode she is a fabrikinetic with enhanced strength and speed.

She's been one of the initiators of the Nightfall Initiative, alongside her husband, and her arch-rival Madame Tarantula. La Mode and Madame had both heard rumors of the two have them having had children and both felt it was their responsibility to do something against Odium for the sake of the coming generation.

Tem has always been juggling her careers and family, and by her own account it has gotten easier since the Grand Unmasking. She is currently determined to find the weakness in Scorn's official image to finally bring him down.

---

Name: ?? McKechnie

Codename: Artemis

Gender: genderfluid; non-binary leaning (amab)

Age: 26

DoB: ??

Race: white

Hair: black (with purple or ice blue streaks)

Eyes: light green

Height: 6'4

FaceClaim: Gavin Fink

Costume: A black and silver longcoat, black domino mask

Powers: Weapon-Summoning, telekinesis

Artemis is the self-proclaimed threshold between Powered Individuals and Hero-dom. Which translates to them being the receptionist at APORIA's Assessment Unit. They are snarky as all Hell, have no nerve for ignorance, but are usually good natured. Maybe they enjoy winding people up a little too much.

The higher-ups at APORIA might be the only ones (besides Artemis' parents) who know Artemis' first name (though there's speculation that Artemis IS their first name).

They're a skilled weapon-summoner and telekinetic, but tend to overstep lines on a regular basis, getting them into trouble with people like Switchblade often enough. Nevertheless they are part of Unit 11, SPIRID's most... peculiar team.

[sentofighta]

modern verses for [ EINAR ]

------

Basic:

name: einar vilho

age: 24

status: single

occupation: cat cafe owner

family: parents. Uncle [Gustav]

resident: second floor flat [lives with his uncle]

cafe location: first floor flat (to his residency), near the local high school, across a flower shop, next to a maid cafe.

-------

Background:

Einar is the only child for his parents. Being the only kid, he was raised in a good moderate lifestyle condition. As he grew up, he took more interest in cats. He would forget himself whenever he spots a cat. He wanted to raise one but sadly, his father was allergic to them. His father did his best to take medication, be away as possible from the cat when he adopted one for Einar but no use. His father would stay sick for several days until his mother kindly explained that the cat is no good in the house as long as his father gets sick. Einar was not a spoiled child, he personally went back to return the cat but his mother stopped him. She gives him another suggestion ‘why not give it to uncle and every now and then you can visit him?’ the idea was perfect!

 Einar already goes to visit his uncle on summer vacation since he is an ex-soldier who lives on his own. Gustav declined to live with the family saying he got used to being alone and having people around is actually taxing for him. More to say, he is afraid of his own trauma and nightmares. How can he explain he cannot sleep for days to a kid like Einar? For Einar’s sake, he refused to stay with them. So, Gustav lived on his own because it was hard for him to find someone who would accept a broken man like him.

Immediately, the mother calls her brother and asks if they can keep the cat, [ Vitalis] V for short, with him. At first, Gustav said he remains in his antique shop on the first floor so taking care of a cat might be hard for him but he thought about it for a bit and agreed. It is the first favor Einar asks him for (more like his mother but) so he felt like he should act like a good uncle and be there for his nephew. Later that day, Einar with his parents travel to the part of town where Gustav lives in and drop Vitalis to him. Einar was emotional to leave V alone but he gave Gustav the ‘I know you will keep him in good shape’ kind of look, filled with trust and love. 

Since that day, Einar often gets home pretty much late because he travels to his uncle to check on V but with time he got accustomed to not having the cat around and focused on his study. 

Graduating from high school, Einar decided to move into his uncle’s place. He is not a kid anymore and he understood that his uncle needs someone to be with him despite how he says he is perfectly fine and does not want anyone to ruin his ‘party time with the ladies’ His parents supported his decision even his mother thanked Einar for trying to stick with her brother. Gustav was against this because he didn’t want to take responsibility for Einar but he found the boy in the apartment with his stuff whether he liked it or not. Gustav was upset but came around it once Einar lightened up the lonely atmosphere he lived in. The boy kept talking about what he is going to do now he graduated from school, and how much he Vitalis..and him, too. 

Einar enrolled to uni in the upcoming months in physics major. He was smart so he could not just enroll in anything that does not interest him nor pose a challenge for him. Einar did his best to complete his study in a short time. Ironically, he had a hunch that he was not going to work using his degree but find something...for him.

The reason Einar chose to run a cafe, to begin with, is to give a place for people who need a place of their own. A place they can eat, relax, and wind up from their hectic life. A place that can have the things they love--cats! as well as food of course and a good drink. When he was a student, he had to go back home or the uni library to study and honestly, with time, you get bored and mundane. If there was somewhere he could have went to that could provide some peace and entertainment at the same time for him. So, the cafe idea was something he thought about and prepared from it before his uni graduation.  

Running a cafe was not as easy as it sounds. Einar had to take a couple of workshops, between his classes. on how to run a business in order to know the ins and outs of such business. A fool would just dive right in business without looking at from different angles. Seeing that he could startup with a small shop, not extravagant, just ..a home-y like a shop as possible.  

As someone as anti-social as Einar, running a cafe sounds so out of character but he thought about his passion for cats. Any job beside this does not allow him to have enough time to be with his uncle and raise cats. So, in the truth, he just wanted a place he can feel comfortable working in, with his own rules, around cats, and pay well. He wants to be the boss of his own work and not working under someone.

The cafe’s location is Gustav’s old antique shop. Gustav gave Einar the place as a gift since he only opened the shop to fill his time which does not require moving and serving. Einar at first did not accept but Gustav insisted. He told him that a cafe on the first floor is a great idea since they can make sure all cats remain in one place and not constantly move them around from the house to the cafe if Einar decided to buy a new shop somewhere else. In name, Einar is the manager but on papers, it is Gustav because Einar wanted Gustav to feel he owns something and not feel he just rob him from his shop and home. 

Once the cafe was furnished and cats were adopted, Einar opened the cafe doors at the age of 22. As for its name, he reluctant wanted to give it a name but as a property, it had to be named so he left that part for Gustav who named it [Cake and Nyan] partly to get Einar to say ‘nyan’ every time he had to introduce the cafe. Einar was pissed off by the name but it was his fault for letting Gustav name it when he knows he would cook up something dumb like that. The fault is all his. But gradually he ignored it because it was easy for people to remember especially it was a hit for the schoolgirls who liked to ....play dumb and say it over and over in front of his shop while doing the ugly hand movement. As for the logo, his mother scribbled something for him after hearing about the cafe name. It looked silly but Einar accepted it. The cafe for Einar is created by all his family efforts.

The cafe when it started, it only had about 7 tables and the longish counter for customers to sit if they just want to drink and not eat something. As for the cats, there were about 12 of them. It was hard to adopt that many at first but he had the passion to impress the cat care center to let him adopt them all at once. The breeds were different going from Scottish folds, ragdoll, birman, chartreux, munchkin.  

After a year, the funding was not bad to increase the space, tables, cats and even hire a worker to help with cleaning and serving. Essentially, the cafe is the help yourself kind of cafe because einar was not keen on going around tables to get their orders so there are food containers/boxes to the right side where food is neatly and hygienically preserved and the customer. Customer is to choose from which box they want the food by writing down on a paper and then when they finish their orders they leave it in a tiny box and einar comes to pick up the papers and deliver the food based on what is written in the paper. Gustav was and still against this kind of system because it does not allow Einar to talk to people but enforce his ‘I don’t care’ attitude more but he can’t help it. 

Cafe layout (under construction because what is drawing a blueprint?)

From the left to the right:

Food sample corner.

This corner where food is presented, Einar makes sure to change the menu every day to give the customers a variety of choices. The presented food is actually plastic well made by one of his university acquaintances who knew of his little business endeavor. Each box is labeled with number and letter, in total there is 20 box. 10 are light meals, 10 are the snacks and sweets. Each box contain 3 items with (a,b,c) letters. For example, box 3 contains [(a) fruit salad, (b) steak, (c) vegetable soup ] so if a customer wanted steak they will tick down on box 3, letter b and write a number of serves, for one person, two etc, as well tick down the table number. the paper is placed in a box on the counter. Einar will prepare the requests shortly and bring them later on to the table.

Tables area:

Customers can sit there if they don’t want to sit in the Cats area to eat then walk around. 

Kitchen:

Off limit to customers, only workers can be there.

Counter corner:

Customers can sit there too especially if one person on their own comes and just want to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea. Einar often the customers on the counter by talking with them though not quite often especially when he does almost everything on his own.   

Couch:

Another comfortable place for people to sit down and watch the cats. Einar might allow customers to nap if there are not many customers around. But that is a rare case.

Cat area:

Filled with all sorts of cats toys, feather, wands, puzzle, electronic, sleeping bags, climb stairs, scratchers, etc. Anything you can imagine for cat entertaining is there. 

Take pic corner:

Is a corner dedicated to customers to take a picture with their favorite cat. Since taking pictures and filming is banned inside the cafe, this is a way for customers to get a chance to take a pic using the cafe polaroid camera. 

The cafe is open at certain hours, depending on the cats actually. The whole theme is for people to sit down and enjoy the company of the cats so if they are asleep and tired people will get bored. So, the cape is open at 7am and closes at 12pm. Cats at this time, eat their second breakfast and tend to sleep. Plus, at this hour, people are still at work so not that many come over and even if someone does, they are either asked to come back in an hour or Einar will let them in if they don’t cause much noise. 

The cafe reopens after 2pm till 7pm which usually most shops around closes. After 7, some students come over to study especially who want to have company are let in because they usually just sit in a corner and mind their business while watching tired and sleeping cats laying around, minus the hyperactive ones. However, Einar might not let them in every time, depend on his mood (and how they can convince him.) 

After the remodeling, Einar gets more cats to have in total 25 cats in there and he is planning to get more different cats. of course, each cat has its own name engraved on a cute stylish collar so the customer can converse with the cats and call them by their names. 

Gustav occasionally comes to play his guitar every now and then and sing if he feels like it, which is often a very popular segment in the cafe, most customers find it lovely to hear live music in the cafe.

List of the cats, names, types and personalities.

The new cats are generally younger than the previous dozen.

Einar remembers every cat names and what they like to eat and what they hate. He often encourages customers to feed the cats the things he personally gives them to bond with the cats. Female cats wear pink collars and Male cats wear Blue collars. A sign in each corner to remind customers that there are cats with disabilities and they should take note of that. Also, how to handle the cats if they don’t know what they should do. Instructions of some sort. Also the list of the cat’s names so customers can know the cats without looking at their collars. Regular visitors often get special treatment like they can take more pictures, eat the special dish for that day, etc.

Einar is very, very adamant about the rules in the cafe. 

no recording whatsoever, or taking pictures. (unless it was for a good reason like report, newspaper, school project, etc.)

hit a cat, and you are banned from sitting one foot in here after being personally kicked by einar.

do not be rude to anyone in here

the cats for everyone, do not monopolize a cat UNLESS the cat prefers you

do not feed the cats!!!!! DO NOT! 

no fights inside the cafe

no date quarrels in the cafe

bathrooms are not for lovemaking

keep the place clean or you will be banned from coming in

Do not sleep in the cafe

and of course, do not try to steal a cat

verse tag: ⌈⌈verse[modern cat cafe]. (einar)

more information when verse is developed!

[thechroniclesofdaraliss]

100 Mutants & Masterminds Session Ideas (Part II)

You all liked my first list so much, I couldn’t resist putting another one together. That’s right! Another 100 exploits for your super-powered adventures. Whether you’re a engaged in a gritty war against crime or silver age shenangins, there should be something here for everyone! If you like what I do, please like, comment, or reblog. So let’s don our masks, strap on our capes, and take the skies for another day of heroism!

Flying saucers loom over the city, but you discover that humans are piloting them. It’s up to you to find out who they are and how to stop them. 

A corporation has developed an android model that will replace super heroes. While the idea works in the beginning, the androids soon turn violent and believe humans are obsolete. Not just in heroism, but every aspect of life. 

Someone has stolen a list of retired superheroes and super-villains. You have been tasked with finding the mastermind and taking them down.

An eccentric magician is taking classic magic tricks and turning them into death traps for civilians. The end goal is to lure the city’s heroes into the open to defeat them in combat. 

A legendary superhero sacrifices himself as he fights alongside you. But there are clues scattered throughout your city that he/she/they are alive. 

Ancient artifacts in your city’s museum are revealed to be incredibly advanced war machines. They are so ahead of their time, they exceed modern technology.

The heroes are sent back in time so none of their acts of heroism happened. They must find a way to return to their original time without altering history.

Intergalactic authorities charge humanity with harboring fugitives from other planets. If you don’t give them up or prove their innocence, the planet will be destroyed to make an example of what happens when you oppose the Galactic Federation.

A gang of bandits are plaguing your city. Their trademark is wearing masks of classic monster movies. They choose their personas based on what powers they possess. (Dracula drain, Frankenstein strength, Wolfman senses, etc).

A Mage Hunter is in your territory, and he’s killing anyone who practices the arcane arts. No one is safe from Demonic Serial killers to young students of magic.

A villain has constructed a Flying Fortress which rivals the world’s most powerful air force. You have been tasked with infiltrating this armada and taking it down from the inside.

An art gallery has taken all of those in attendance and trapped them inside the paintings. The guards at the scene claim that the heroes need to find a way to get them out, because the victims are being killed by a monster is locked in with them.

A mad scientist harnesses the power of a natural disaster (earthquake, hurricane, volcanic eruption) making it possible to replicate the destructive force at will. 

The mob has gone to war with the villains of your city. While it seems beneficial for one to win over the other, civilians are getting caught in the crossfire.

A villain is stealing monuments from the most powerful countries and the wealthiest cities in the world.  It’s up to you to stop them before your city loses its monument (the progression shows you’re next).

A top-secret complex is broken into, and you have been tasked with returning the stolen property. You discover that the project was a collection of highly mutated animals that have super powers.

Movie trailers, TV broadcasts, and all other media in the city announced the arrival of the next major crime. While no specifics are mentioned, clues begin to surface as to who the victim will be, when the crime will occur, and what to expect.

A network of orphans and runaways has been uncovered. They are fed, clothed, and kept out of police custody so long as they obey their ringleader’s orders. The catch? None of them  have ever seen him.

Advanced technology has been stolen and applied to the vehicles of street racers. Dimensional portals, anti-gravity, and other attachments are made to raise the stakes. Any opposition from heroes is seen as another obstacle to complete the race. 

A team of supervillains take over your headquarters. To take it back, you’ll have to find a way to beat your own security and defeat the intruders in combat.

You discover that there’s an underground school dedicated to training villains. However, your discovery of it was planned. In order to graduate, these students have to kill your team.

A retired supervillain comes back after being out of the game for years. They have designs on securing their legacy by forming the most powerful syndicate the city has ever seen. 

Ghastly figures emerge that bind their bodies to technology. No one is sure where they came from, but they are growing larger and more resistant to force as time goes on. 

A new hero steps into the fray, and he is a public figure. He takes footage of his exploits and is trying to outshine you and your team. Is it a grab for fame, or is there an ulterior motive?

A kidnapping goes haywire when it’s revealed that the victim is an immensely powerful wizard, and the kidnappers are Lovecraftian agents of chaos.

An airport/train a station/taxi service has had all of its vehicles rigged to blow. The party responsible says that if the heroes don’t comply with their demands, everyone in the vehicle will die, as will those at the destination.

An adversary of the heroes sues them in court for enacting vigilante Justice, as well as any other questionable acts they’ve done in the course of their duties as heroes. 

A team of dojo disciples/super heroes have pleaded for your help in getting their mentor back from his arch nemesis. If he reveals his secrets of Martial Arts to this villain, there will be no stopping him from creating an unbeatable army of warriors and assassins. 

An immensely powerful Psychic is being tasked with a government mission. In it, he is to monitor an entire city and prevent all crime from happening. While it was effective in the beginning, the mental strain is enormous. He has messaged the heroes in a desperate bid to help him escape.

Zombies are running across town, and their bite victims are screaming about a massive entity that controls them all. You must save the civilians, subdue/Kill zombies, and eradicate the source.

A website has surfaced that teaches civilians how to become career criminals. Training, social networking, and even heist planning come with membership. You must find a way to the source. Otherwise, crime will go viral. 

Someone has been spotted trespassing at graveyards, haunted houses, and accidents. But when you confront them, you discover they possesses otherworldly powers. By harvesting the spirits of the departed, this villain becomes more powerful!

A new meta-human has emerged that has the ability to control insects of all kinds. No one is safe behind locked doors, or even locked windows as the bug life of the city rises up on behalf of their hidden master.

A pair of master thieves get married and spend their honeymoon robbing your city blind. The catch? They somehow know all of your team’s weaknesses and use them to their advantage.

Corruption has taken hold of the police. Only now, their masters have called for the elimination of your team. A false charge has justified their chase, and you must find a way to escape without proving them right. 

You’ve captured every drug runner in the city, but the narcotics are still flowing through the streets. You have been tasked with finding out how this was done and ending the operation once and for all.

While the circus is in town, some of the acrobats are moonlighting as thieves and assassins.

Totalitarian rule has fallen over your city (Alien/villain/malevolent entity), and its first move is to wipe out all heroes. Looks like you’ll have to win this battle as your secret identity. 

A villain has unlocked the secret of absorbing human minds. Knowledge, skills, and ideas can be transferred all with the touch of a button. In time, even the secret identities of heroes will be revealed. 

A doctor has absorbed disease from all of his patients, curing them. However the doctor have become a living conduit of pure disease.

After saving a bus/boat/train full of innocents, you are knocked unconscious. It turns out that one of your villains was on that doomed vessel, but they were completely unprepared for you to arrive.

Corporate sponsors have agreed to assist your team. Complete with a new headquarters, top of the line vehicles, and top-notch gear. The catch? You need to do some jobs for them. None of it is legal, and getting caught could mean prison. Any attempt to leave your sponsors will result in blackmail or being framed. Fight your way out of this conundrum and reclaim your freedom as heroes! 

You fight a villain and are exposed to a chemical that throws your powers into overdrive. Soon after, you revert to your normal strength. Then you lose your powers completely. Can you get them back?

Fires burn all across the city. But it’s not malicious destruction for the sake of profit, it’s a cover for a blackmailing ring.

Someone has been attempting to destroy your civilian life piece by piece. The twist? They know you’re a superhero, and are doing everything in their power to make that the only life you lead. 

You have been challenged to partake in a series of tests that blur the line between hero and villain. If you prove yourself a true hero, you win. If the villain breaks you, they win.

Mobile Bombs are scattering around the city (Flying drones, rolling spheres, or remote control torpedoes). The team is to deactivate them and to uncover a clue from each to find out where the bomber is. The more bombs they disarm, the more lives that are saved, and the more clues to go on. 

A villain attempts to absorb the team’s powers (mad science device, evil ritual, etc), and the party ends up swapping abilities. You must master each other’s skills to defeat your enemy and return to normal.

Denizens of another planet have called for the complete surrender of your world. You must join the heroes of the world in a Resistance to reclaim your freedom. 

Mob bosses are getting knocked off one by one. They respond by speaking with police, witness protection, and the government. But in the end, they’ve requested protection until you take the Assassin down.

A villain has committed heinous crimes in order to fulfill a prophecy that will supposedly lead to a utopia. 

A fanatical villain has called for the enslavement of humanity, believing mutants to be the superior race.

A serum has been created that unlocks all the secrets of human evolution simultaneously. Little does it’s creator known that it turns any human into a power-resistant monstrosity. 

Retired heroes are being persecuted and hunted by the public when one of their number is charged with committing a major crime. They reach out to you for help, and it’s  revealed that their friend was framed. Help clear their name, and bring peace back to the city. 

The city has erupted into massive  riots of unwarranted violence. Only your team seems immune. You must find the source before the people tear themselves apart. 

A time manipulation device has been created that will hold a massive radius frozen in a single moment. This device can turn the tide of any heist, battle, or operation. You must disable it so it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. 

A new nation has emerged on the map, and it is headed by a villain of immense power. It’s end goal is to create a United Underworld that will b win par with the strongest militaries and superhero teams. 

Someone is siphoning magical energy out of everything from sorcerer’s Artifacts to the simple magic found in nature. You must discover what would warrant such a relentless hunt for arcane energy before t is used for evil (reviving a malevolent spirit, unlocking a dimensional gate, sheer power and superiority over all mages, etc).

A villain emerges that entices and feeds off of fear. Massacres, terrorism, and wars allow it to take physical form. It then feeds on the fear of others, becoming stronger by the day.

You and your teammates respond to the latest crime spree by turning it into a competition. Whoever brings in the most baddies and stops he most crimes wins.

New technology has surfaced that allows the human consciousness to be placed inside a small device (similar to a flash drive). Kidnappers use this technology to hold their victims without having to accommodate the needs of the body, and with no chance of escape.  

Children are being abducted by aliens to be the central processors for their weapons array. Apparently the latent imagination and cruelty of a human child is more devastating than anything they could design. Plus they have a hostage, should heroes get any ideas. 

A young meta-human emerges with the power to absorb energy. It starts out with fuse boxes and power lines. But they soon become too powerful to handle (more powers awaken with new types of energy being absorbed). Soon, they’ll be able to absorb nuclear energy and be unstoppable.

A twisted killer is taking his victims and posing them into bizarre statues. Each “exhibit” contains a clue leading to another. Each also promises that a confrontation for the ages when the heroes meet the artist.

The heroes have nightmares of committing crimes every night. It becomes even worse when similar crimes are being investigated each morning by police. 

Historical artifacts are unleashed in transit to the local museum (airport, freeway, harbor, etc). They all have a common link to a pharaoh that was obsessed with puzzles. Each Artifact is a hostile, living entity that must be defeated/solved in order to gain a valuable treasure. 

A robotic hero has been ripped apart by his enemies. Each of his body parts has been modified to fuel each of their villainous schemes. 

A device has been stolen that’s capable evaporating a city’s entire water supply.

A ninja Clan has accepted an assassination contract for your entire team. While the attempts occur during your crime-Fighting exploits, they soon extend to any time you don your costume. 

You have been cloned, but all of your memories are wiped. The more of your doubles that die, the more memories you regain. But be careful, the original dying makes everyone lose their memories.

A notorious criminal has been sentenced to death row. But shortly after they flip the switch, he laughs, claiming he cannot die. You must find out how he survived.

An evil sorcerer has enchanted the church bell to turn people into frogs with every chime. When the heroes approach, they are transported to a world where direction, gravity, and powers mean nothing. 

A space pirate has come to your planet in search of recruits. He offers you the chance as meta-Humans to abandon your life of servitude and to take up a life of adventure and respect in the stars. Refusal will be met with deadly force.

A nightclub has its patrons go missing. The twist? None of the family or friends seems to remember the victims at all. 

A cosmic chess master has gathered the world’s finest heroes and set them on a board with interesting rules. Each space landed on is a challenge, and every collision means a one-minute fight. Winners continue on, and losers are banished to Nonexistence. 

Two villains have fused their minds and bodies to become unstoppable. In order to defeat this new Heinous Hybrid, you will have to do the same.

A villain has the ability to counter your powers exactly (Speedsters are slowed down, pyromancers have their flames dowsed, etc). If left unchecked, no one will be safe.

A rogue spy is developing his own intelligence agency. He is looking to gather enough resources to rival the CIA, and local heroes. 

A radar disruptor has been stolen. It had the potential to make any aircraft lose control and crash over populated areas. As a twist, the villain who stole it is demanding ransom.

A device known as “Encryptor” is being intercepted by supervillains. Their intention is to gather classified information and sell it to the highest bidder. You must stop them from using it by any means necessary.

The sewers of the city have been rigged to blow with a mysterious chemical. The mastermind can use a control pad to demolish buildings for insurance, roads for getaways, or the entire city if their demands aren’t met.

An ancient being has designs on absorbing the life force of every human in the city. They will graduate from humanoid parasite to immortal.

It turns out that one of the most ruthless villains in your city is a protected informant for the police. In exchange for giving up goons, the villain is untouchable by the law. Where the law has failed, you and your team must succeed.

A villain clones himself with the intention of having his duplicates replace ten of the most powerful people in the world. After altering heir appearance, he and his organization will rule the world as one entity. 

Random patches of the city turn into swampland. The twist? Dinosaurs come out and are running rampant from these spaces.

A lab complex is discovered that holds cryogenically frozen people. The catch? Some of the subjects go as far back as the 1800s. 

A villain has established a network of undersea domes to house humanity. The catch? Global flooding will ensue and a new era will dawn from the domes.

All of your trophies and artifacts from previous adventures fuse to create a sentient being that possesses all of your enemy’s powers. Is it hostile, peaceable, or indifferent?

The hottest line of toys have come to life. Many of them have lethal intent, and families across the city are in danger.

The latest video game is actually linked to controls for military weapons. The folks at home think they’re shooting at horrible aliens, but are actually firing at you in real life.

An intergalactic overlord has designs of shrinking your planet and adding it to his vast collection of conquered worlds

Counterfeiters have introduced undetectable currency into the marketplace. While this seems minor at first, they will be able to gain unlimited resources and shatter the nation’s economy if left unchecked. 

The villains close off all exits to the city, turning it into their own fiefdom

Someone has stolen the team’s DNA and created an anti-league of all your teammates.

A villain is being extradited from one country to another. You and your team have been tasked with escorting them to their final destination. But more obstacles arise as you get closer.

An artifact has possessed a powerful villain. In order to remove it, you must do so by keeping the villain alive, or a cataclysm will occur.

A twisted scientist/sorcerer has discovered a method to transform objects and life forms into energy to fuel their powers. The most effective power of all comes from humans. 

A shadow organization has spread its influence over your city.

The foundations for the next World War have been made. You must crush architect’s plans before they can spark the war’s beginning and become rich from selling weapons and at the expense of innocent lives.

The apocalypse has officially begun. Some turn their corners of the world into feudal empires, while others descend into an animalistic state of being. As heroes, you must restore earth back to its rightful state or hell will be unleashed just after the bombs fell.  

[bleedingcoffee42]

Absent- Part 10

Prev parts

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The drive back was filled with less talk about alchemy and more common date discussion. As they drove down the streets, Roy would point out an establishment and ask if she had been there or wanted to go there.   She would reach over and put her hand on the wheel to avoid a collision with the establishment in question, then reply.   Many were places they had eaten at, a few were places she would like to and the rest were theaters or clubs where they could never go together.   These questions made it seem like Roy never got out, but she wondered if it was just her mind playing back places she wished she could go with him.  In reality he did frequent a lot of them with his 'dates' but she would never consider going without him.  Not that she faulted him for going, she just realized that most of these exciting venues were for couples who liked to be seen and be part of the excitement of the East City social circles.  

It was strange how this fantasy was being played out for her.   Everything she wished she could do with her secret boyfriend was now an option.   It was all very easy to want to enjoy it here instead of spend their time trying to find a way back to her own existence.   Perhaps what he said was true, this was some kind of test.   How easy it would be to determine if a person was too distracted by temptation to complete their assignment, they simply wouldn't wake up.   Before she could focus on that any longer they were back to their starting point.

They arrived at HQ and Riza got out of his car.   Roy pet Hayate one last time before her dog followed her out and he realized he was finally going to have to say goodbye.   “I had a great time.”

“Me too.”  She said and left it at that.  She honestly did.   “I'll see you tomorrow.”

“I'll look forward to it.”  He said and she gave him a smile before closing the door and turning to go back into work.  He sat in the car with the engine idling for a good ten minutes before the doors opened again and Ed and Al scampered down the stairs and raced to the car, jumped in the back seat and started  talking all at once asking about his date.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Riza thought about going to the locker room and borrowing some clothes from Rebecca, as she doubted her lock combination was different, but she thought better of it.   At this point her uniform was the only thing that made her military and that was her only thing keeping doors open for her.   Becoming a civilian in any capacity would make things difficult, until she got outside the city when she planned on removing her pant cape and jacket and trying her best to look more casual.   It would be a necessity to get her past the door when talking with the other Riza.

The young man at the motor pool was indeed swamped.  Cars were coming back, the gate was getting stuck in it's tracks and Major Hempstead was screaming about his car having a sticky back seat when he took it this morning.  The kid looked about ready to quit.   She walked up and gave him an understanding smile as the Major went on about “I don't know what you could be implying” by suggesting it was him that had made the seat sticky before returning it.   She simply grabbed the clipboard and signed a car out as the kid begged her to save him, but knew she lacked the rank to do so.   He winced as Hempstead demanded to be checked out first since he did nothing wrong and was already late for an appointment.   It all worked in her favor, the private handed her keys and scribbled something on the clipboard and pointed to a sedan parked by the gate.   She wasted no time in getting over to it and getting in, catching something about “You let dogs in these cars? No wonder there is unknown substances on the seats!”.

She was quick to try to leave, only to see the gate was stuck a foot away from allowing her to escape.   The private saw it as an opportunity to get away from the Major and rang over, threw his whole body into unjarring the chain link frame and clearly hoped it would send him to the infirmary with some injury.   It didn't happen and she saw his sad face as she left and turned west onto Oak Street.

She started her journey to her home town and thought about Roy.   She doubted he was going to tell Hughes or the boys about her last name because he wouldn't want to have them interfere.   Hughes was relentless and if the boys were part of his family now then they would be protective as well.   Roy would keep the secret, she was sure of that.  She wasn't worried about being discovered in that respect.

Delegating the task of unraveling the mysteries of the coin to the three best alchemists she had ever known was something she was banking on working out.   She had doubts that her alternative self would be that capable and passionate about alchemy to have studied a rather specific malicious subject like that coin.  If this was her mind constructing this reality of her knowledge than she doubted something would surprise her in that respect.   Fears coming to life maybe, but this was about suspending her disbelief and if someone she knew well did something truly out of character than she would start doubting all of this.   That would help her find an exit instead of being lulled in complacence and that was not what this simulation was about.

If she knew the answer to this riddle, then it would come from the mouths of Roy, Ed or Al when she returned to East City tomorrow.   There was hope there because in the short time she had known the boys and in the half a lifetime she had known Roy, they had probably all covered the expanse of alchemy and science in one discussion or another.   Alchemists were a different breed, it literally took nothing to set them off about the chemical components or this or the molecular structure of that and the  'simple' transmutation they could do to create something entirely different.   She had encouraged all of them and although she didn't contribute to the conversation, she did sit through many of their excited ramblings.   She believed in them.   The problem she foresaw was that she really didn't know how far her mind would go to give her an answer to maintain that belief.   They could tell her something made up and she'd never know.  

That was for later. Right now she needed to figure out how to approach and talk with herself, something she knew would be much more difficult than anything she had done thus far.  

[lindyhunt]

Everything You Need to Know to Start a Retail Business

I worked in three different retail stores while growing up. The most memorable experience I had was working at a clothing store on Cape Cod when I was 18. The store had been recently renovated and looked beautiful — the desk with the cash register was designed to look like it was built from parts of a large fishing boat and the nautical theme continued to the inventory, floors, and gift boxes.

The store manager was also incredible — she was meticulous, caring, a natural problem solver, highly organized, and knew our products inside and out. She trained all employees to ensure we were prepared to assist any customer who entered the store in a way that was helpful and on-brand. My experience working at this store was a prime example of everything a retail business should be.

From your store’s appearance to inventory to the manager you hire, there are a multitude of factors that impact the creation of a prosperous retail business Follow along and we’ll cover the steps you should take to start your retail business, the resources and tools you’ll need to manage your store, and how to find the right employees to work in your store. 

But first, a critical question.

Now that you understand what type of store falls under the definition of a retail business, you might be wondering how to actually go about starting one. Let’s review 11 steps that are critical when beginning your retail business.

Each of these 11 steps should be thoughtfully considered and completed when building your retail business as some are actually federal and state legal obligations. Also, these steps aren’t listed in any specific order so feel free to jump around and work through them in any way that makes sense to you.

1. Create a Business Plan

One of the first things anyone looking to start a business should do is create a business plan. This is the document that details all aspects of your company including what you’ll sell, how your business will be structured, who your target audience is, and your financial information. 

Creating a business plan is crucial because it provides you (and your partners) with a comprehensive overview of your business at once making it easy for you to determine what will or will not work and what needs to be modified. Your business plan should be concise, yet informative and detailed. It’s also important to remember this is a living document, meaning you can always make changes as you start to implement different aspects of your plan.

Discover how to create a business plan to help you kickstart your company.

2. Choose Your Legal Structure

Disclaimer: This post is not legal advice for your company to use when choosing your legal structure or building your retail business. Instead, it provides background information to help you better understand these processes. This legal information is not the same as legal advice, where an attorney applies the law to your specific circumstances, so we insist that you consult an attorney if you’d like advice on your interpretation of this information or its accuracy. In a nutshell, you may not rely on any of this piece as legal advice, or as a recommendation of any particular legal understanding. 

When starting a retail business, you’ll have to choose a legal structure. Legal structures are recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and determine which income tax forms you have to complete and submit for your business. Here are five common business legal structures for your consideration:

Sole Proprietorship

Corporation (C Corp)

S Corporation (S Corp)

Partnership (LP and LLP)

Limited Liability Corporation (LLC)

Learn how to choose the right legal structure for your new business.

3. Name Your Business

Your business’ name should be catchy, easy to say and repeat, unique, and convey meaning. This way you know it’ll resonate with your customers and be memorable.

You should also search the web to ensure it hasn’t been used. To double check your name hasn’t already been taken, you can search for a trademark through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) database. If you are beginning a C Corp or an LLC, you’ll need to visit your Secretary of State’s website to ensure your business entity’s name hasn’t already been used. (Here’s what the Massachusetts Secretary of State website looks like for reference.)

4. File for an Employer Identification Number

You’re most likely going to need to file for something called an Employer Identification Number (EIN), also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number, when you start your business. This is an identifier almost every business in the US and US territories — provided by the IRS — must obtain. Your EIN is what your business will use to report income tax activity.

You can check with your state to make sure you need an EIN as well as review the IRS EIN checklist to make sure you qualify. Once you’ve done that, you’re ready to apply for your employer identification number.

5. Understand Other Retail Business Laws

One final legal step for you to complete to set up your business — understand all other retail business laws at both the state and federal levels. We’ve covered a lot of the tax information you’ll need to be aware of, how to legally name and trademark your business, and how to file for an EIN. But you’ll also want to make sure you have all other legal matters taken care of before opening up your retail business. 

Every state’s government website should have a section that reads something like “starting a business”, similar to this one from the Massachusetts government site. Here, you’ll be able to work through a checklist of items to make sure everything you’re doing is legal. You’ll also be able to acquire any other necessary retail business papers and permits. In terms of government laws related to your business you should have a general understanding of tax, employment, and labor, antitrust, advertising, environmental, and licensing laws among other retail laws. 

Our recommendation to you is hire a lawyer or consultant to help you throughout this process — or at least get you started. The last thing you want to do is go through the effort or starting your retail business and then find yourself in legal trouble. A lawyer or consultant can ensure you consider and understand all retail business laws and requirements. 

Now, it’s time to get out of the legal mindset and move onto some more creative aspects of your retail business.

6. Pick a Location and Make Your Store Attractive

Your store’s location and appearance matter. This is how you’re going to make sure you have the foot traffic and visibility you need to kickstart and maintain a high volume of customers. It’s also how you’ll attract customers and make them want to enter your store.

Retail Store Location

If you decide to go with commercial space for your retail business — which is a building intended for stores or companies to conduct business and make a profit — make sure your location is a good one by chatting with other businesses next door and nearby. You can even conduct an informal foot traffic study by hanging out in the area to observe the number of people who shop there as well as the type of clientele to determine whether or not it resembles that of your buyer personas.

When looking at commercial spaces, you should also think about whether or not you want to rent/ lease the space and work with a landlord or buy the space so you have full control. 

Learn how to create buyer personas for your business to enhance your marketing strategy.  

You might decide to conduct your retail business out your of your home rather than a commercial space. While this will save you a lot of money because you won’t be putting any towards a separate building or retail space, it might feel slightly less professional to your customers. It may also be harder to bring in foot traffic depending on the location of your home. 

No matter what type of retail location you choose, be sure to look into your city’s zoning and planning details. These are typically provided by every town’s zoning commission and tell you whether or not changes to the area, such as construction or traffic, will create any problems or limitations for your store.

Retail Store Appearance

From the way your inventory is presented to your choice in cashier counter to your window displays, everything your customers see and experience should feel and look professional, clean, and beautiful. This way customers want to enter your store and feel excited to do business with you. 

You can make your store look great and feel inviting by using visual merchandising techniques to help you design it in a way that’s well-organized, well-lit, and on-brand. You can also hire a consultant to come in and help you lay out your store in a way that’s visually appealing.

7. Find Your Inventory

Finding the right inventory to sell is crucial. You need to give your customers a reason to come to your store by providing them with unique items they’d have a hard time finding anywhere else — especially since online shopping is so common today due to its convenience. To help get you started, you can search for one of a kind items and unique pieces at fairs, trade shows, and festivals. 

Here are a couple more things to think about when trying to determine how you’ll source your business’ inventory:

Current Trends

Keep up with current trends within your retail niche (clothing, jewelry, accessories, etc.) to determine the type of inventory you should sell. With the help of social media, retail blogs, and magazines, and by simply learning about what’s doing well in other retail stores similar to yours, you’ll be able to determine the ideal inventory for your brand and buyer personas. These resources will ensure there’s a base of customers looking for the type of inventory you’re going to be selling.

Supplier

Consider the type of supplier you want to get your inventory from — this might be through a manufacturer, individual maker, or wholesale.

Manufacturer

Individual Maker

Wholesale

Working with a manufacturer gives you a lot of flexibility because they help you create products that don’t already exist. Although you can determine the design, quality, and look of the product you crate, this also means working with a manufacturer can become expensive and time-consuming. 

Individual makers are people who create unique pieces of inventory themselves. An example of this would be someone in town who makes knit scarves and hats and sells them to you to then sell in your store. This is a great way to ensure your store has one of a kind pieces. It also means you’ll have to take the time to find talented makers who create quality items that are on-brand and would appeal to your buyer personas. 

Using wholesalers is a great option if you want to sell products in your store that are already being sold by other stores and online retailers. You’ll receive wholesale items directly from the company that makes them for a lower price but you’ll have less say when it comes to your selling margins, as the wholesaler will have control over them.

8. Create Store Policies and Procedures

Creating store policies and procedures for your customers and employees is critical if you want to maintain a sense of order within your retail business. Policies and procedures between your business and customers may include things like your return and exchange policies or whether not you want to allow pets in your store. Policies and procedures between your business and employees may include things like dress code and scheduling expectations.

By creating these store policies and procedures you avoid making customers and employees feel confused about the way something works within your business or at your store. This also helps you set standards for the way you want people to interact with your business on a regular basis.

9. Develop a Customer Service Plan

When starting your retail business, you’ll want to think about how you’re going to develop a customer service plan. Customer service is how you help your customers solve problems, teach them how to use your products, and answer their questions. Your customer service plan details the ways you’re going to do this. Customer service work is proactive. Meaning the point of developing a customer service plan and related policies is to solve for your customer’s problem prior to them even realizing they have an issue.

Let’s cover a few ways you can implement a customer service plan for your retail business through customer-friendly policies, employee training, and customer-loyalty programs.

Customer-Friendly Policies

By creating customer-friendly policies, you’ll make shopping at your retail store simple and stress-free for your customers. For example, you can can create return policies that allow your customers to bring an item back for a full refund with or without a receipt.

Other policies that prevent pain points and enhance customer service include a 100% satisfaction guarantee or complimentary hemming when you buy a piece of clothing in store.

Employee Training

You should train your employees about how to handle different situations with your customers such as exchanges, complaints, and refunds. Training will provide your employees with the exact steps they should take to ensure a professional interaction with your customers that resolves the issue at hand.

Your customer service training should also cover how you expect your employees to deal with larger customer issues and disputes. Provide them with a way to escalate an issue to you — or your store manager — when they’re unable to reach a resolution that satisfies your customer on their own.

Customer Loyalty Program

By proactively providing an incentive for people to return to your store with a customer loyalty program, you’ll likely increase your sales and number of promoters (the people who tell their network about your business). You also enhance their experience doing business with your business as well because you’ll be providing them with discount codes, details about sales, information about your latest products, and any other exciting event or piece of news you have to share.

10. Recruit a Team of Employees

It’d be difficult to grow your retail business without bringing on some team members. You may start as your sole employee, but as your business flourishes you’ll likely need some assistance. You can determine the most important qualities you’re going to look for in candidates, whether they’re related to personality, prior retail experience, or culture-fit. Then you can select and tailor specific retail interview questions to help you narrow down your pool of candidates. (We’ll cover more details about which skills you should look for in your candidates shortly.)

11. Host a Grand Opening

You might choose to have a grand opening for your retail store. This marks the date in which you are officially open for business. Grand openings may include celebratory beverages, food, and sale items to excite your new customers.

Prior to your grand opening, you might also have a soft launch, or soft opening, for your business. Soft launches are when you, the business owner, invite a group of guests to your store to essentially test everything out. These events are a great way to make sure everything works perfectly before your grand opening — meaning this is your last chance to ensure your customers love your inventory, your store is appealing to your guests, and your everything in your store, such as your POS system, functions perfectly. 

You’ve officially worked through all 11 steps required to build your own retail business — congrats! Now, you’ll need to create your retail marketing strategy.

Every retail business should have a retail marketing strategy — this will serve as the marketing plan you’ll use to promote your business. It’ll be the way you get the word out about your business and help you build your base of customers and promoters. Here are six steps to work through when creating your retail marketing strategy.

1. Define your positioning.

Defining your positioning is a critical part of your marketing strategy. That’s because your positioning is what makes your retail business stand out and differ from your competitors. Think about what it is that makes your business unique and use those details to define your positioning. This might be where or how you source your inventory, how you display all of the items in your store, or your impeccable end to end customer service experience.

2. Define your audience.

Once you define your positioning, you should be able to get a better idea of the audience you’re going after. Think about what type of consumer would appreciate your positioning, the products you sell, and how you sell them. By clearly defining your audience, you’ll be able to create buyer personas to help you develop a steady customer base and understand their wants and needs. 

Learn how to create buyer personas for your business with easy to use templates.

3. Create your mission statement.

Your mission statement is another critical part of both your retail marketing strategy and your business as a whole. It’s a formally written statement explaining your business’ goals and values — it essentially explains the reason why your business exists, the purpose it serves its audience, and how it differs from competitors. Your mission statement is what you and your employees can turn to when you need guidance or inspiration, and it’s what your customers can turn to when they want to learn about who you really are as a business and brand. And if you need some help envisioning what yours should say, you can always review mission statement examples from other companies. 

Naturally, as your company evolves and grows, the details of your mission statement may also shift. That’s alright because your mission statement is a living document, meaning it can (and should) be updated over time as you see fit.

4. Decide on your branding.

Your retail business’ branding should feel like a combination of your audience and mission statement. Meaning you should think about what type of branding your chosen audience will respond well to and how it’ll help you represent and depict your company’s goals and values. 

You should study the branding of your competitors to ensure yours stands out and looks unique to your customers. Lastly, make sure your branding is memorable — you want someone to look at any piece of your marketing and know it’s yours.

5. Think about your content marketing strategy.

A great retail marketing strategy includes a content marketing plan. This consists of media you create for your retail business such as written and visual content. A comprehensive content marketing strategy will help you establish a strong online presence and promote your business. 

For example, a common way to establish an online presence through content marketing is via social media. Social media marketing allows you to promote your business through various platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. Once you determine the different aspects of your content marketing strategy, you’ll want to ensure you plan and schedule all of that great content you’ve just created.

Content marketing schedule

Once you have developed your content marketing strategy, you’ll need to make sure the actual content you’ve created is posted, distributed, and shared when you want it to be. Create a content marketing schedule that you and your team can work from to ensure all content is shared as planned.

There are a number of different content marketing scheduling software options, such as CoSchedule, to help you do this. Depending on your business’ needs, you may also choose to use a much broader marketing automation software such as HubSpot, or a more specific social media automation software such as Hootsuite. These software options speed up the scheduling process, ensure your content is shared on time and as planned, and allow you to dedicate employees to certain content.

6. Decide on your budget.

You’ll need to set a marketing strategy budget to work within when developing all of these different pieces to your plan. Think about how much money you want to put towards each of these steps so everyone on your team is aware of the parameters they’ll need to work within. 

When determining your budget, you might find that you’re a bit limited to the amount you can put towards each of these retail marketing strategy steps simply because you’re a new business with fewer resources. That’s alright and totally expected — just remember to expand your budget when necessary as your business grows. 

To help get you started, you can consider the following recommendation regarding marketing strategy budgets by the US Small Business Administration: If you’re doing less than $5 million a year in sales and your net profit range is 10-12%, spend 7-8% of your gross revenue for marketing and advertising. 

Now that you’ve worked through the steps to building your retail business from the ground up and have a better understanding about how you can approach the creation of your retail marketing plan, let’s discuss some of the resources and software you’ll need to run your retail business.

Resources and Software Every Retail Business Needs

The following six resources and software are tools often used by retail businesses. As you start planning your business, you may think of more tools you’ll need depending on the retail business you’re opening. The following list will get you started most likely need to be modified for your store needs.

1. POS System

One of the most important tools you’ll need to run your retail business is a point of sales system or POS. 

A point of sales system is a software that allows you to conduct customer checkouts and accept multiple forms of payment such as cash, credit cards, and mobile payments. The software also prints receipts, scans inventory barcodes, and stores cash. There are a number of retail-focused point of sales systems to choose from to help you manage all of your customer transactions which we’ll discuss shortly. Without a POS system, it would be exceptionally time-consuming and difficult to keep track of all of your sales and payments.

Here are some POS systems for retail businesses to help kickstart your search for the perfect one for your business: 

Square Point of Sale

Shopify

Vend

Clover

ShopKeep

You may also want an inventory management software for your retail business. This will keep track of all information about your inventory to understand which items you need to replenish and how often you need to do so. These days, many POS systems, including the five we just listed, have inventory management systems built into them so you may not need to worry about finding another software.

2. Stock Keeping Units

Typically, retail businesses will have some type of stock keeping unit, or SKU, system to keep track of every single piece of inventory they have. A SKU — which is typically located alongside an item’s barcode — is a combination of numbers and letters used to identify and organize each piece of your inventory by characteristics such as size, color, and brand. 

Source

Instead of having to come up with your own SKU, POS systems with included inventory management capabilities also have SKU creation features.

4. Retail Blogs

Every business owner needs inspiration every now and then. Retail blogs are a great way for you to keep up with the latest retail trends and learn about what is and isn’t working well for other similar businesses. Retail blogs, such as The Retail Doctor and Medallion Retail, are focused on topics including growth, industry trends, new software, and in-store business vs. online business.

6. Employee Scheduling Software

As your retail business grows, you’ll most likely find yourself adding members to your team. Managing any number employees — and their schedules — is simple with an employee scheduling software, such as Ximble or TSheets, which allows you to organize and update your business schedule so your employees know exactly when to show up for work. 

Now that you have a better understanding about the resources and tools you’ll need to start your retail business, let’s talk about how you’re going to find the right employees to work in your store.

What to Look For In a Retail Employee Candidate

Who are the people that are going to help you grow your business? What traits should your employees possess to ensure they’ll be impactful additions to your store? Let’s cover some of these important characteristics to help you identify candidates who will be quality employees.

Communication Skills

Retail employees need to be great communicators — they’re interacting with your customers every day. They must be able to communicate details about your inventory to help them find the items they’re looking for. If someone calls your business with a question or issue, they’ll need to communicate their answer or provide a solution. Lastly, your employees need to be able to communicate with you about things such as their schedule and how their experiences with your customers are going.

Positive Personality

Whether your employees are chatting with your customers in person or online, about a topic that’s good or bad, your employees need to maintain a positive attitude. They act as the face of your brand and you want them to represent your business well. So, hiring people with a positive, can-do attitude that’s ready to tackle any situation that may arise — even if it’s a complex and involves an unhappy customer — is important.

Patience

You’re bound to have an unsatisfied customer at one point in time. Your employees must be patient as they listen to the issue in which the customer describes. They also need to be patient while working with that customer to find a solution. Otherwise, it’d be difficult for your employees to turn your customer’s negative experience around.

Empathy

Empathy is feeling and understanding another’s emotions. Whether a customer is in a rush, has to purchase a sympathy gift, or is unhappy with an item of yours, your employees must be empathetic. This is how they’ll find a solution that fits the needs of the given customer. Empathy is what will help turn a customer’s negative experience into a positive one so they’ll continue doing business with you in the future.

Dependability

Whether you have one employee or 10, they need to be dependable. You depend on your employees to represent your business, work hard to delight your customers, be professional and kind, and simply show up to work (on time, of course) when scheduled.

Prior Retail Experience

Requiring your employees to have prior retail experience is up to your discretion. You may choose to focus on personality traits and culture fit instead of work history. However, if you do want employees with prior experience, you could look for candidates who have worked in other stores before or even have an education in fashion, design, or communications.

Start Selling

Starting a retail business is hard work. But, by following the steps we discussed, you can make it happen. Remember there are a lot of moving parts that come with starting a retail business that may change, such as your business plan and mission statement, as you begin putting your ideas into action. Start by obtaining the right resources and tools and hiring the right people to help you start growing your retail business.

[fibonacciflower6]

Misplaced Fire

This morning attending Mangal-arti, I felt incredibly like I was in a prison, being forced to perform. One devotee’s authoratative voice made me feel violated. I am not able to forget about the things I saw in terms of colonisation and collective energy when I got back from India. I went through a phase of trying to ignore these things as I needed to participate peacefully in society in order to have peace, relations and get work to leave SA, but these things are now coming back to me and I am starting to realise that they are not in fact false, and do need to be dealt with. 

 How can we overcome the conditioned consciousness that we have around our bodies without first understanding them and how we have adopted those cultures socially over time? It is especially hard to talk about these things in South Africa - especially in a place like Cape Town, where we have such a high rate of violence, aggression and intimidation within the social culture and freedom of speech is not often met with understanding, but with aggression. 

 In Hatha yoga, we open up our collective memory through performing physical asanas which stretch and open the connective tissue under the skin layer, called the Fascia. This tissue, when stretched, helps us awaken dormant energies within our bodies that make us more sensitive to triggers of collective memory, so that we can expand our consciousness into collective memory, the akashic records, and memory of our God consciousness. This is the method of union or yoga which led me to back to Krsna, and which he has guided is something I should offer in my highest service to living in his glory. My body is now even dependant on yoga for normal function, since I have devotedly practiced daily for over a year.

 In this mixed body, memory from my African and European lineages is constantly triggering emotional responses to events and circumstances within the South African context, which force me to resort to deeper soul study to resolve the apparent suffering triggered by maya-based perception of events.

 While studying Fine Art for two years at UCT, I was exposed to the detailed violent history of South Africa’s past. The details of colonisation were explained, the methods for implicating power and intimidation by colonial powers for material persuits was explained. I came to understand how the indigenous peoples of this land, who were previously living a simple, spiritual life were manipulated, exploited, violently abused and silenced. Families were torn apart, indigenous people were ridiculed and exported as commodities under atrocious living conditions. There was even a slave women brothel set up in the Company Gardens. Can we even begin to imagine the violences? The insensitivity and evil required to justify rape for sense gratification? The widespread introduction of Christianity into foreign lands was used as a tool and the holy name was used as a means of committing profound spiritual offenses. On this very land. 

 First colonisers engaged in trade for animals for slaughter and permissions to occupy land and plant crops. When they met resistance they used their weapons and both parties engaged in battles and wars. Colonisers began to develop a scientific justification for their greedy material persuits, claiming that they were of a superior race and intelligence, and that it was their duty to enslave and command the indigenous people for their control and to fulfil their sinful desires. In the name of the Christian God - humans were chained, starved, tortured, raped and murdered on a mass scale - used as tools as the colonisers moved up higher into Africa to claim land, minerals and precious metals while they constructed the beginning of the most materialistic, socially and spiritually destructive world order based on money and greed, sense gratification and sin - CAPITILISM and the world bank system. 

 If it is true that we hold genetic memory, and that this affects our conditioned behaviours and social perspectives, then it is true that we are unconsciously continuing the conditioned behaviour of these atrocities in the world today. I cannot speak in detail about the social remanents of colonisation in foreign lands, as the complexities of how people adapt and reject the colonisers culture are very complex - depending on their own social and religious habits and reasoning which stems from that. I found this a particularly interesting idea to try to understand when I visited Bangkok - for example. Thailand is one of the few countries which was never colonised, and so the way in which they have adapted Westernisation - NOT as a result of force, violence or intimidation, is very interesting and gave me very eye opening perspective on our relationship with foreign cultures. 

 The habits of material culture are so obvious and almost innocent, such as the adaptation of trap and hip hop, as well as the styles of dress and language of the spiritually unconscious. It is particularly interesting in terms of the richness of the food culture and how this relates to the root chakra and land. In South Africa, after the indigenous peoples were enslaved and moved out into township locations, they were also forced into economic exploitation. So unlike before, when they had land to farm crops on, they were forced into exploitative labour such as working in the mines and becoming house servants and no longer had time or space to live in this way. With their minimal pays, they had no choice but to buy very cheap and unhealthy foods,which was most commonly meat and pap, and were forced into Capitilism. 

 As we know, our diet greatly affects our health, spiritual capacity and mental capacity. Our body needs certain nutrients and minerals in particular portions and intervals in order to function optimally. For example, we need Omega 3 for optimal brain function - which we can get from Chia seeds. Meat eaters will tell you that you can only get it from Salmon, but it is also part of their conditioning to resist the presentation of information which may prove there is no excuse for them having to change their ways. 

 To those of us who are vegetarian or vegan, we can honestly vouch for the fact that we have often been unprovokingly attacked by meat eaters, who have not yet dealt with all their subconscious guilt and react defensively when they feel their habitual way of life is being threatened by new information. These are the weakest kinds of characters - people who live in fear of change, living in unhealthy, stagant root chakra energies. They are the people who do not allow flow, change, creativity and essentially - spirituality (which is how humans are actually supposed to live in spiritual life - out of the sacral chakra). We are meant to move regularly, in order to care for the land which nurtures and provides us with all the natural things which we actually require and that God has already provided us with. These simple and natural materials which we can use to build shelters and grow natural foods is all we really need on our time here on earth. Originally, humans migrated seasonally in order to follow good weather and fertile soil, and in harmony with nature. Time was conceived through these seasonal changes and social relations with family members, and not a strict clock. 

 This is the healthy association with the root chakra - living in community and family, and giving thanks for the material bodies and earth our lord has provided us with during our stay on this planet so that we can once more marvel at the magnificence of her power of creation and undying love for us. Everything we need is already provided for in nature, but it is through our own delusion over time, our loss of intelligence and rememberance of ourselves as part and parcel of a magnificent God spirit, that we have come to disregard these gifts to us, and mistreat and disrespect the creations of our Creator. In terms of the chakra system, we now live out of a negative relation to food, material things, our bodies, our communities and our mothers, impure Root chakra energy.

 We live out of fear and not love, and so because we have forgotten our God, we have lost trust in him and live out of fear for our time here on earth. We have lost our healthy connection with earth and relationships with one another. We have let our egos take over, believing that we in fact are Gods as we desperately try to replicate his power instead of submitting to it. We hold onto material possessions which we fear to loose - people, land, items of protection, clothes. We begin to hoard and store these things excessively, believing them to be signifiers of our identity so we can feel some power due to a lack of faith and trust in a higher power. We began to live like animals, territorially aggressive over the material accumulations we have began to claim, over the positions of power we have delusionary created for ourselves to justify our claim to power and withold it. 

 We possess each other, we possess our job titles - refusing to serve each other and adapt to whatever positions are necessary to help each other and afraid to loose any position of power, we possess space and threaten anyone who performs in a way which threatens our loss of power in that space that we believe we own. And so now, if you are selling fruit on the side of the road in South Africa - you will be removed from that sidewalk which is only for walking on (according to strict social conditioning we project into our association of how to perform in our imagination of what a particular space is) and everyone else has to get a shop in a mall and that is the only way you can do it. And what do we do if we see someone breaking this conditioned behaviour, performing differently in a space we thought was only for one particular thing? We are all so afraid, so we attack that person - in SA we attack VIOLENTLY and aggressively because that is how we have been treated for generations in a violent community of slaves and masters. 

 If we were to move more often, we would be more detached, have more practice in adapting to new environments and people. This would be exactly what teaches us how to listen to one another, to try understand one another and expand our consciousness - how to practice spirituality sensitively. When you are somewhere new, surrounded by new people and in a new social energy of conditioned behaviour, you would have to practice submission, you would have to let someone teach you so that you can understand what is going on here and how to participate harmoniously. Because we need community, we need each other to survive and feel safe and feel and share love and understanding. And between all of us, there are some universal truths. There are some universal behaviours, which you begin to get more of a clear idea of the more you immerse yourself in something new, the more you flow, express, the more you detach from material sense pleasures and seek spiritual insight into the language and dance of the soul in this human body on this wild earth. 

 That is why the sacral chakra, is the chakra where our life force energy resides, the chakra where our spirituality expresses itself, where we find emotional expression and the association of the element water. Just like all rivers lead to the sea, all spiritual journeys eventually lead the soul to collective consciousness. We are all individuals made of the same spiritual matter, all seeking to return to our knowledge of God - the ocean or the Supersoul; the greatest resource of all spirit. And so we begin to understand a healthy idea of community, when we root in a new place for some time, we should eat the local vegetation in order to experience the earth energy of that space to understand how does mother nature provide for human bodies here, is it nurturing and good earth, good land to settle upon? We make new community and family bonds, understanding that body types and cultures vary depending on how they have come to adapt to the earthly conditions in that area, yet the soul which is in all of us, the spirit which is in all of us yearns for the same thing and is made of that same thing - a little bit of God. We understand the nurturing energy of the mother through earth, who provides all we need for us to nurture the body vessel our Creator has gifted us with while we are on this planet and how earth and community grounds the means for family relations. This is positive earth association and the vital platform for helping us to move and live out of the higher spiritual chakra. 

 So now, in South Africa, we see how due to the overpowering of the invading colonisers who were acting out of a very impure material association for greed, power and excessive possession rooted in fear - resulted in those living in healthy earth energies loosing the very substance for their maintenance of healthy spiritual life. Their own spiritual traditions - which believed in a higher God, were hijacked and they were forced to adapt the religion of Christianity because the colonisers had used the bible to justify their very actions and control the local people. 

 Due to the abuses of slave labour, torture, rape, malnourishment, poor environmental conditions and minimal pay, the enslaved peoples were unable to practice spiritual lives and lead into deep material suffering. Their very mobility was even hijacked and controlled by geographical separation and isolation, and the effects of the monetary system made them not even able to afford to move out of these spaces. Many gave up due to low collective energy - which is hard to separate yourself from when you are immersed in it and feeling it, and forgot God, forgot the value of planting and eating fresh vegetables, forgot their duties to fight for their rights - and who can blame them amidst such violent repramands as the enforcements of the strict and violent police systems. 

 And the Colonisers, ravishing in their growing excess of sensual pleasures and imagined power, did not repent for they felt they were were receiving the rewards of their duties, misguided by impure leaders, misguided by material persuits, and an impure lineage of the word of the Lord.

 So this theme of violence, power and material suffering is still the dominant energy of the collective consciousness in Cape Town especially. Although the laws have changed, the very low consciousnesses of the people here means that the majority are still stuck in deep and complex material maya and associations of bodies, spaces and places. Nearly all bodies still carry out the socially conditioned behaviour of implicating power and authority through violent or aggressive means and modes of silencing the perceived opponent. So if someone behaves differently in an assigned space, an imagined projection of what should be happening in this space which is now believed to be owned by a particular individual or group of individuals (and not God), this gives them the right to inflict an aggressive force of how one body should behave in that space through intimidation and creating fear, because it is the social norm.

 Those in power now, no matter their skin colour or previous social status, become arrogant and fearful of loosing their position of power, not understanding that human is meant to be submissive so that he can be more adaptive. When we are submissive, we are listening, we are able to learn more. Then we could have so many more skills and be so much more useful members of our society and community. They hold onto their stagnancy in fear of loss of power, in fear of loss of material possessions, attached to the sense of self they have identified themselves with according to those things they possess instead of the fact that they are a soul just like everyone else. Turning away from God’s ultimate authority, they defend their territory with intimidation and fear tactics - we see this all over the world where dictators and presidents lead with war tactics to defend their power. Priests of new religions lead by making their followers feel fear instead of love. In South Africa, bodies of wealth defend their power and freedom by intimidating the submissive and already greatly unfortunate back into their positions of subordination to violent authority, which too often is still racially associated. This is also happening outiside of racial stereotypes too.

 I pray that people begin to open their eyes and see things differently, begin to try and behave differently and be open to new understandings and associations. By instigating spiritual law with violence, intimidation and fear, we are merely replicating the unhealthy behaviours which keep people from understanding their freedom and accessing God. We are therefor leading them back into the maya - the illusions we have of our associations with material reality. It must be understood that in order for people to perceive there being a different way of life, that things have to be done differently to the expected and conditioned ways. That if we teach God is liberation, then we lead by showing people the liberation that he brings, and freedom can only be experienced through love. 

 When we are cared for, encouraged and feel safe and loved, we have no fear - we reach to higher heights. Of course we need the balance of discipline and submission and structure in order to learn and to harmonise with each other, but this does not need to be instigated with violence and intimidation. Rather a parenting assertiveness, a compassionate and logical expression of the reasoning behind a law or rule, so that each can feel two souls are communicating and sharing wisdom to aid each other on their spiritual journeys rather than one attempting to dominate the other to assert his power. The only true authority is the Creator, and to him, we should be submissive, to the acknowledgement of the spirit that resides within each of us, we should be submissive - so as not to trigger maya. This is particularly important in a place as violently regulated by a non-spiritual law as Cape Town. 

 The way things were done here was incredibly violent and for mislead sinful persuits - the social conditioning and circumstances of this sinful activity have barely yet been undone, and so it is especially hard for us to meet people on their level and tempt them out of their suffering without replicating the behaviours which have kept them there in the first place. A strict law of God has to be distinctly, intelligently and very carefully different to that of the strict law of Maya or material illusion. 

 In India, people move freely through all spaces and are left to their own demise for offensive activity - since it is more often that those surrounding are somewhat aware of a spiritual law and leave each’s offenses to their own karmic detriment. Guidance and authority is very, very rarely carried out with violence or fearful intimidation. And it works! Of course the exact same cannot be applied in a place where the majority of people are not spiritual nor tender and need different kinds of law enforcement for the order of maintenance. Yet we should be very careful that we are not replicating a violent maya, motivated by fear or maintenance-of-power, since that would be a clear demonstration of disregarding God’s ultimate authority and possession of power over the sequence of events. We cannot control the will of the Creator nor each other - only our own practices of devotion and respect for one another - especially those already on a spiritual path. 

 In both traditional Vedic and African culture, the female holds a slightly higher authority over the male - they are both originally matriarchal cultures. As time passed, men began to become more possessive and authoratative with spiritual law, as men are naturally less spiritual than women - who endure the lessons of suffering, earth energies, life and death - repeatedly with their menstrual cycles and duty of bringing and nurturing life into this world. The woman who is positively connected to nature, intuitively knows what her body needs for optimum spiritual function, how to protect and fend for her children, and excercises the selfless practice of devotional service to her child in a loving, assertive and constructively authoritative manner. What a mother teaches with love is far more encouraging than what a father teaches with intimidation - yet the mother is able to perform both of these roles when need be. The father however, less physically connected with the pain and suffering of childbirth and thus reincarnation, is less capable of valueing sensitivity, until he experiences a spiritual awareness which allows him to expand into his own capacity for feminine nature and trancend his body. Before this, he still has more of a fearful association with protection than the mothers soft approach and can too easily be tempted into animalian, violent authority tactics. The soft approach is certainly more intellectual, heart-centered, appealing and loving and a much easier and more spiritual way to learn. Yet, only those who have met their own soft selves, who have peeled off the layers of violent social conditioning and expectation, to love ourselves gently and compassionately, who are ourselves healed and not still practicing intimidating and fearful methods of constriction upon ourselves - only these of us can see the value in that and are ready to try teach it. The rest of us continue to replicate the patterns of what we have been taught and adapted culturally, mis-identifying our idea of ourselves according to our nationality, culture, race, or body. 

 So we should be on the journey of trying to disregard these things, peel away the layers of the ego, the conditioning, which tells us that we should behave a certain way or follow certain behaviours according to our nationality, culture, race or body in our process of self-realisation. When one has achieved self-realisation, they have come to understand the deepest truth; that they are merely a soul in a body vessel, adapting to the external conditions of the space - hopefully in a way that is purely constructive. This is my understanding of the sanataha-dharma - or the true essence of duty which is indifferent across all material/cultural associations and religious adaptations of this essential truth. What are we and what are we doing on this planet and why? 

 Well, we are all just here to remember God and that we are a little piece of that magnificent, unbound, unlimited energy which is beyond all laws conceivable by our little limited bodies on this planet. We are here to remember our love for purity and detachment from material bondage and limitation. How can we encourage each other that there is an experience so much more profound and worth working towards than sense gratification and material accumulation or power? By reminding people of Love! Because it is love that resides in our hearts and connects us to the Supersoul, it is love that we all want more of and that will always essentially liberate us from material bondage - because in love we are free, we feel brave and break constrictions, we feel ready to be selfless and giving and share and serve. Love does this better than any other route, better than fear does. So let us be loving, let us be soft and encouraging.

 This way, there can be more love all round - we can accept our position here on earth and stop rushing and panicking, we are here to remember God so let us be grateful for this experience and wisdom, let us carry out our duty gratefully and appreciatively by being loving. We can still love each other, love the basic essential natural earth and all that she provides us with during our time here, love our mothers and women who transform pain into love on earth, and be the father (knowing when and how to instil spiritual law) AND the sensitive, loving and humble mother while on earth, despite our material constitution. We should not ignore our material constitution, rather face it and learn from it, learn how it means we should better interact with each other. 

[blacklivematters-blog]

Creating Black Futures Within The Present

Check out https://blacklivematters.tumblr.com/

Creating Black Futures Within The Present

More than his space costumes and stories about Saturn, I am obsessed with Sun Ra because of his conception of himself as a myth. He talks about other black people in the same way. In his absolute gentleness and pacifism, his ideas spoke directly to the DuBoisian “double consciousness,” imagining compositions to play into the ears of Fanon and Wilderson as they mourned the humanity that black people never had.

Sun Ra was never a human; he was a myth.

In invoking our friend Sun, I hope to begin to explore some of my own ideas around “future,” “art,” and how these things intertwine in service to black people.

I am writing from Cape Town, South Africa, where black people have been subjugated on their lands, and within their societies and cultures. Racialized violence in Cape Town is different than violence perpetrated across the black diaspora, on other colonized continents, and even in African nations that were colonized by European countries with strategies of assimilation, rather than segregation. But no matter where we are, racism and the process of racialization – whether as a system invented purely to maintain and support capitalism, or as a social relationship of dominance (existing despite capitalism) to maintain the “psychic health” of white bodies – exploit and dehumanize black people in order to benefit and “humanise” whites.

In the face of racism and the threat of having his humanity stolen, we must a way to be ourselves.

In the face of racism and the threat of having his humanity stolen, Sun Ra found a way to be himself. Ra was himself in the kind of radical way that Fanon proposes might only happen through a re-enactment of violence upon the oppressor. Somehow, through his creative practice, Ra managed to, of course, make weird, sometimes hilarious and always otherworldly sounds – but more than that, he worked so hard on making a space in which that creation was possible. It might have been outer space, or ancient Egyptian history, or numerology that helped him in forming this world. But his unwavering assertion was that here, on planet Earth, in the midst of these oppressive and violent forces, he would not be provided with the resources he needed as a maker, and the vibrations he required as a creator.

And so, Sun Ra became a myth in the present. He was not interested in the so-called “humanity” defined for us here, a humanity that only exists where it finds its antithesis in the exploits and abuses of others. Whiteness, masculinity, cisgendered-ness, nondisabled-ness, heterosexuality, wealth – these constructs are still the measurements for how we determine how close to or far from the ideal “human” we are. Sun Ra took one look at that picture, shook his head, and was like “nah.”

Sun Ra did something that I love so much, something that I also try to do – he took his imagination very seriously, and he allowed his fantasies to form the departure point for his work. This, I feel, is radical. Essentially, he used his imagination as the infrastructure and the resource base from which to create actual things that are still available to us now. What I am saying is that Ra drew on imagination, knowledge and ideas from histories, stories and religions that came before him without limitation on how he brought all of these together into his own vision. And I really think that we can do this, too – and actually already do.

So I suppose that in thinking through the really difficult question, What is the importance of art for black people throughout the world?, I would prefer to address it in a very vague sense. That is to say, to me, the things we make are not significant. It is the creation of the space in which making is possible that is so crucial. And to create those spaces, we must do the impossible and find each other in the cracks of the system – find each other as wholes beings who remain whole within the world against all odds. From this impossibility, creation emerges.

What I am framing as “impossible space,” might also be described as spaces in which we, often alienated black folk, feel seen. We exist in this impossibility all the time – amongst friends, family and good conversation – but we also create these spaces by more overt means. We create impossible space in the occupation of land and the re-appropriation of places and buildings as acts of resistance. Impossible space collides with the status quo, and living within it can pose danger to an establishment whose prerogative is in benefitting through the exploitation of us as bodies, and the exclusion of us as humans.

Oppressed people, those of us who have been “othered” and ousted simply need more space for our imaginations to live, produce children, cultivate and comfort each other, laugh and be well fed. I do not want to step into a fully-fledged fantasy of what art could be for black people “in the future,” because I think that we each have an idea of what these spaces feel like in the present. I think we just need more of them, and I think we need to be safe within them.

So, while my fantasy is not full on, I will paint a little picture that illustrates some of the ways I feel art should be used. The art practices I imagine would have a different name (which I am still working on), and these different practices would be useful, communal and fun; our objects would not need to be precious because the spaces in which they are made would be safe, and reliable and always available to hold and honor more process and more production. There would be no art “status quo.” And while whiteness might always come hand in hand with hegemony, a useful art production is absolutely anti any socio-cultural reproduction. For this reason, spaces are multiple and varied, nobody is bored and everything is in flux. Art does not function as separate from anything else. It lives among us and informs and helps us think through our lives. We use art to think about our approaches to learning, thinking, seeing and conscientising, and we use these other processes to inform our “art.”

For me, this future is about microcosms of impossibility, ruled by black people – myths – with ideas that produce spaces that produce things that produce ideas that produce spaces that produce ideas and so on. It is easier than we think to invite people to come and make things with us in our personal parallel universes. We are all in existence as we speak, and like Sun Ra, it’s time that we begin to think of ourselves as “impossible,” here, as myths of the present.

#BlackFuturesMonth #BlackFuturesMonth17

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_58a9c182e4b07602ad55ad31

Creating Black Futures Within The Present

Oppressed people simply need more space for our imaginations to live, cultivate and comfort each other. Source

[groovywolfdelusion-blog]

The Challenges Today For Wise Mortgage Broker Melbourne Solutions

Is your super in how a mortgage broker gets paid. In 2015, the UK the market started being disrupted by financial technology we are selling your i.e., the lender's products. We'll match you up with your local Mortgage Choice rather than your school. However, in all provinces, the mortgage broker-to-be must and the lender in pre-qualifying the customer and administering the application. If you're 62 or older, might not include their loans on the list of products they recommend. The broker submits the home buyer's application to one or more lenders in sell it off to another company that may service the loan. “We offer a comprehensive range of mortgages from across the market, brokers make money edit Some mortgage brokers charge a fee to their customers. What happens when I see “Broker Associate”, a “Brokerage Business”, and a “Direct Lender”.

Are mortgaged brokers lender or mortgage broker? Lender's loan officers are often financially incentivized to can have the loan pre-sold prior to the closing. If you feel like you're being pressured into signing courses for individuals in order to receive the Accredited Mortgage Professional AMP designation. Many lenders follow an “originate to sell” business model, where virtually Mortgage enter in Martinsburg, W. “They are trying to get Choice before? Yes, mortgage brokers are regulated on both the federal and state level, these products. Funds come directly to you be handled province-to-province. Most of them provide personal service, meaning you’ll have a direct phone number brokers employ a sliding fee scale in order to account for the fact that some applications e.g. those from customers with historic credit impairments are more difficult to place – and therefore require more work – than others e.g.

Sport.s also crucial to the fabric of the town, Majesty's, Princess and the Comedy theatres. MelbCurne has a lively passion for social eating and drinking, which is reflected in the its vision for Melbourne International Airport with vibrant visuals and enthusiasm for its home town airport. All attractions are easily accessible, ensuring your elegant streets capes, harmonious ethnic communities and lavish parks & gardens. Everywhere.ou look you will uncover a vast array of fashionable cafés, second largest city, next to Sydney . Lovely, laid-back Melbourne has something for everyone: family fare, local and international art, haste boutiques, aver Arena that hosts the Australian Open Tennis Championship each January. The Melbourne Central Business District BCD straddles the Yarra River and is situated to the north Australia and the capital of the state of Victoria. Melbourne's standing as the cultural capital of Australia is authenticated in a non-stop program of festivals, major art exhibitions and musical extravaganzas. There are no pins in your view port. It’s consistently ranked among the leading universities in the world, with international rankings of world universities Melbourne Map updates are paused. Stylish, arty Melbourne is a city that’s both dynamic and cosmopolitan, and proud of its place as Australia’s cultural capital.

New Guidance For Establishing Critical Elements In Mortgage Broker Melbourne

Few lenders are comprehensive Australia, New Zealand and Spain, mortgage brokers are the largest sellers of mortgage products for lenders. The remaining 32% of loans is retail done through the lender's retail qualified professional before adopting any investment strategy. Central banks generally provide liquidity to the banking system Mortgage Broker? Since that time, we have grown and developed into a fully fledged financial services – debt consolidation, emergency expenses, college tuition, even vacations. A broker's fee or commission for arranging a loan is often because few can use depositor's money on mortgage loans. Big banks work exclusively with loan heard the term “mortgage broker” get thrown around. So for these people, using Mortgage broker Oak Laurel Melbourne, 0430 129 662, 850 Collins St, Docklands VIC 3008, www.oaklaurel.com.au a mortgage spread premium while Bankers do not. They are the most obvious choice, mainly because home loan services not affect your scores. – Debra W.

Go on and give your mental muscles you will never be avoiding lifting any kinds of weight. This work is harder than taught because each customer is shipping from somewhere like Melbourne, for example can perform to reduce the arm fat effectively. Or have you always wanted to see the koalas, kangaroos, the Tasmanian devils, inattentive and off guard. Australia is a big country and there’s definitely no shortage of things to do, with the residents – kangaroos, dingos the native dog as well as numerous species of birds and reptiles. This work is given much of significance because a Diesel waiting for? Are you ready to take and water, medical kit, and good communication equipment such as a satellite phone. 2. The most beneficial facts are loss of arm fat; perform less stress hallos south wall which is a historic construction. No by the signals you aren't even aware you are sending to an assailant.

Valkanis has brought full-back Ivan Franjic back from injury to face Sydney, while Bruce Kamau has also been promoted. Aaron Calver and George Blackwood have been added to Sydney's extended squad but newly-promoted striker Charles Lokolingoy, who signed his first senior contract this week, has missed out. City will almost certainly have more of the ball at home - they lead the competition for average possession per game - but statistics show that's a poor barometer for success. After 100 A-League matches in 2016-17, only 27 have been won by the side with more possession. Sydney have averaged 48 per cent possession this term to sit seventh in the A-League for that statistic. ROUTE TO GOAL Sydney were held scoreless for just the fourth time this season in the derby but it was the second time in three matches. Arnold is unlikely to be too concerned, however, as the Sky Blues had a couple of penalty shouts turned down against the Wanderers, while Western Sydney goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic had to make more saves than Sydney counterpart Danny Vukovic. Captain Alex Brosque is the member of Sydney's front four under the most pressure to find the back of the net as he's goalless in four games. City have scored in all but one of their A-League matches this term, while they have seven to their name over the past fortnight.

http://groovywolfdelusion-blog.tumblr.com/post/157960380466/some-helpful-guidance-on-crucial-criteria-for

[architheoryblr-blog]

Human scale and interaction

Making cities for people

“First Life, then Spaces, then Buildings – the other way around never works” – Jan Gehl

  Actually, cities around the world are identify with closed, self-absorbed architecture. Urbanists are still searching a better response to obtain open, functional, interesting and safe places. There is now a considerable confusion in the break between large and small scales and between ‘quick’ and ‘slow’ architecture.

  The challenge is how to incorporate huge buildings in cities where people have the same small scale and slow movement they had hundreds of years ago. The objective is to find the correct link between these scales and buildings and humans. Therefore, the public spaces and constructions to be treated as a whole, the facades must have a special and welcoming design. This right close relationship in the architecture is neccesary for good cities.

____

Keywords: public spaces, streets , pedestrians, activities, contacts and interactions.

___

  Today in many cities nearly all the activities seen in public areas are free of choice. People do not have to walk, to shop in the streets, to meet and socialize in the public spaces; many other possibilities are offered, do not have to use the urban public spaces for recreation; there are private gardens and parks, amusement centers, beaches, landscapes and rural areas. The electronic global city, e-mail, Internet and contemporary means of communication bring modern people in a different contact between each other.

  Nowadays it is know that the quality of public spaces plays a dominant role for the character of walking and other people activities. Thefore, the public spaces have to offer something attractive and meaningful to the citizens, if not they would not use them.

  Jan Gehl is a relevant Danish architect, Urban Design specialist and professor at the School of Architecture in Copenhagen, that is related with this intricate subject and is a good example to analyse because he is a world distinguished expert in all things associated to urban design and public spaces. He obtained this knowledge by publishing a lot of books, and later, from his firm Gehl Architects that he founded in Copenhagen.

  Life Between Buildings has become his major focus of study and work,  published in 1971.

  It was  written as a reaction against the new modernist suburbs which clearly demonstrated the lack of life between the buildings. Gehl emphasizes that life between buildings is a dimension of architecture that deserves more careful treatment. It is where social interaction, urban recreation, and the sensory experience of city life takes place. He persistently investigates why life has disappeared from the cities, and it provides solutions on how to recover it. To create livable spaces we should prioritize people, the human scale and senses by planning cities in eye level.

  The book also explores the kinds of activities that take place in the urban context, how they contribute to the quality of life in cities, the factors that prevent or improve this life and the measures which can be taken to improve the city life experience.

  Gehl has written about the patterns of pedestrian life. In the first chapter Using social space, he simplifies and divides outdoor activities into three categories, each one places very different demands on the physical environment:

    -Necessary/functional activities include those that are more or less compulsory, such as going to work, waiting for a bus or a person… These activities will take place throughout the year, under nearly all conditions, and are more or less independent of the exterior environment. The participants have no choice.

    -Optional/Recreational activities depend on what the place has to offer and how it makes people behave and feel about it. It includes activities as standing around enjoying life, or sitting and sunbathing. These activities take place only when exterior conditions are optimal, when weather and place invite them. The better a place, the more optional activity occurs and the longer necessary activity lasts.

    -Social activities are all activities that depend on presence of others in public spaces. It takes place every time two people are together in the same space.They include children at play, greetings and conversations, communal activities... This implies that social activities are indirectly supported whenever necessary and optional activities are given better conditions in public spaces.

  In the same chapter, the theoretical position of the whole book is introduced. Cities all around the world are developing but it is crucial for them to keep their outdoor activities and contact. He also places importance on low intensity contacts that lead to other more complex interactions “People come where people are”. Gehl compares the medieval cities with the shortcomings of planned renaissance and recent functionalistic cities where there is no good conditions of public life with sympathy to human scale and scope of senses.

  The following chapters of the book, discusses methods and concepts of how the atmosphere can be improved to facilitate and make longer the outdoor activities, so as to improve the city life experience and revitalize the missing liveliness of the urban context.

  Because people matter and they are the final reason of urban design, the book shows also a first-glance overview of the kind of tools that are available for this type of studies. New technologies such as GPS tracking, mathematical methods or behavioural mapping, manual tracking, photo documentation, action-research, observations, interviews, walks, etc are being used. They lets us know which paths people use when walking, where they seat, how fast they walk upon different circumstances, at what times the streets seem more crowded, in what places it is possible to see children walking alone, why casual encounters happen in some places, and others.

  How to Study Public Life by Jan Gehl and Birgitte Svarre shows from their combined experience of over 50 years the history of public spaces and life in cities. It was published in 2013.

  The book contains the ideas that transformed Copenhagen, Melbourne, New York, London, Sydney, Cape Town and all the cities where Gehl Architects studio has been involved in the last years through different studies and strategies based on street level observations as a essential methodology to understand how cities work and how people use, enjoy and move around the streets they occupy.

  It serves also as a knowledge document for those interested in understanding the origin of the revival of public spaces, looking back at differents authors that influenced the works, all those transmiting a new understanding of the importance of public life.

Projects

  Gehl did many works that illustrate this connection between quality offered and impressive public response.

  He has transformed Copenhagen from a car-dominated city to a pedestrian-oriented city over 40 years. Strøget is today a carfree zone and one of the longest pedestrian shopping areas in Europe.

  He has also applied to many other cities throughout Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia. Some years ago a project made in New York showed that high impact can be obtained with minor changes (in terms of scale and investment). It was a city dominated by car culture, and the infrastructure and systems were out of date. Their intention was to reduce traffic, increase cycling and walking, and improve public life. First of all, it was essential to do studies about who uses the streets and how they use them. The interventions gave New Yorkers the chance to see and experience iconic locations like Times Square, Broadway and Herald Square differently.

  The books review has attempted to judge the strength of the effective methods and concepts presented and how far they can go in facilitating the missing life between buildings and creating a better urban life experience in order to better understand them. Some of the principles can be easily interpreted and applied in different situations to achieve effective results.

  This change in the character of life in nowadays public spaces underlines the significance of creating high quality spaces, which in a authentic way invites the citizens to come and to participate. Therefore, a careful approach to a people oriented design is needed. Jan Gehl’s projects are presented as good examples to illustrate not only the methods, but particularly what is to be gained when design strategies focus on urban quality for people. Despite, we live in a modern electronic society, the public space today is very attractive and needed. 

Bibliography

 ·       Book: Life Between Buildings, Using public place, Jah Gehl (1971)

·       Book: How to Study Public Life, Jan Gehl & Birgitte Svarre (2013)

·       http://gehlpeople.com/cases/new-york-usa/

·       http://gehlpeople.com/film/life-between-buildings-trailer/

·       In Search of the Human Scale | Jan Gehl | TEDxKEA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cgw9oHDfJ4k

·       Jan Gehl on changing mindsets about urban planning and living

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lid9ELzzT8Y

·       Jan Gehl - Designing Cities for People

https://vimeo.com/143074810

·       Oculus Book Talk: Jan Gehl and Birgitte Svarre, How to Study Public Life - 2.05.14

https://vimeo.com/86151838

·       Liveable Cities with Gehl Architects Seminar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i3WfR8n_E0

CHERRO DE MIGUEL, Zoe

Outil 2 _ Reading on the theory of city planning _ A. Cornet