#case strategy consultation

[focuslitigation]

A case strategy consultation enables counsel to obtain reactions and recommendations from an experienced FLC trial consultant in a cost-effective way

[fvckw4d]

One of the funniest plot developments in psych is chief vick going "we need this guy who's been closing 75% of our cases to consult for us but we need him to tone back the shenanigans. I'm going to hire his insane father who he has a fucked up relationship with to be his handler." And his insane father with a fucked up relationship with him is like "my strategy is not hiring him."

[evaultfinancialgroup]

Story Cont’d: Navigating Financial Challenges; Overcoming Debt Amidst Economic Uncertainty Hello Readers! In this case study, we delve into the journey of an individual facing mounting debt during a turbulent economic climate. This narrative underscores the importance of engaging a financial consultant or advisor and showcases the transformative power of a comprehensive Financial Needs Analysis…

[mariasont]

can you do aaron x wife reader who also works in the bau with him & on a case a police officer openly flirts with aaron in front of the team and reader so she stakes her claim on her husband && the team ( mostly derek & pen ) are teasing the two of them for it ??

Marked Territory - A.H

A/N: AHHHHH thinking ab claiming aaron hotchner as ur man has me giggling & kicking me feet

THANK you sooooo much for requesting angel <3 hope you like it!

‧₊˚ ✩°｡⋆♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡⋆｡°✩˚₊‧

wk: 1.2k

pairings: aaron hotchner x wife!bau!fem!reader

warnings: heavy makeout, jealously

You stood a few feet away with a watchful gaze, arms locked across your chest. The consultant was laying it on thick, her eyelashes sweeping up and down in a practiced rhythm aimed at Aaron. It made you want to throw up. You couldn't help but let out a soft, almost inaudible scoff. The consultant's laughter pierced the quiet, an exaggerated display that felt out of place. Her hand rested on Aaron's arm a moment too long. Your glare could have set the room on fire, you were sure of it, and it only seemed to intensify when Aaron offered a polite, yet distant smile in return.

"Careful there, sugar," Derek joked, sliding into place beside you as he nudged your side. "You're about two seconds from turning this into a crime scene."

You offered a half-glance towards him, "I suppose I can't fault her taste," you said with a forced lightness, even as a twinge of jealously coiled tightly within you, your attention fixed on the hand that dared to claim familiarity with Aaron. "But good taste doesn't come with good sense, apparently."

Penelope swept in with a gasp that could rival a Greek chorus, her eyes wide with a feigned shock. "Wow, I could practically taste your fury from down the hall! Mrs. Hotchner, are we in strategy mode, or should I grab some popcorn?"

You rolled your eyes with a dismissive wave. "You two are ridiculous. What do you expect me to do? Drag her by her hair? Please, I trust Aaron," you stated firmly, because, well, you did. This, however, didn't stop the tiny spark of irritation that flickered within, unbidden and unwelcome, but you squashed it with a laugh. "Besides, if I started a catfight every time someone flirted with him, I'd need my own filing cabinet for all the assault charges."

A glance was all it took for Garcia and Morgan to share their amusement. "Sure, sure," Garcia drawled, her voice dripping in sarcasm.

Morgan's eyebrow arched in silent agreement as he smiled knowingly. "Of course, you're calm. But we both know if that bubble of anger pops, it's going to be one hell of a show."

You tried to ignore it; you really did. You buried your nose in your work, determined to keep your mind off that infuriating woman. You shuffled papers, dove into your case files, and tapped away at your computer with a vigor that doesn't go unnoticed by the team. Every time you caught a glimpse of Aaron, there she was--the consultant--hovering like a shadow. It's almost comical how she mirrored his every move, but you were not laughing.

You found reasons to be anywhere but where Aaron was, taking your coffee break when he's in the break room, opting for the stairs when he took the elevator. It's a dance of avoidance that has you mentally exhausted, but you're trying to channel your inner zen, and being around that woman is doing you no favors.

The office air is thick with tension, a tangible presence that envelops your desk, your focus splintering with every laugh and hushed conversation that drifts over from Aaron's direction. You're the very image of concentration until you see it--the consultant, her proximity invasive, her hand lingering on his shoulder with a familiarity that sears through your veneer of calm. It's the tripping point, the moment your restraint fractures.

You stand, a fluid motion that betrays her anger that charged the room with an energy that has the whole team's attention snapping to you. They recognize the signs--the firm line of your jaw, the fire in your eyes--a rare display that signals an unstoppable force is about to be set in motion.

"Hotch," the name is a clear, firm declaration across the room, a tone you usually reserved for the field. "Can I speak to you for a second?"

The room falls still, a collective breath held by the team as Aaron excuses himself and follows you into his office. The door closes behind them with a soft click, leaving just the two of you. His gaze meets yours, a furrow of worry creasing his brow as he takes in the tempest swirling in your stance.

"Honey, are you alright?" he asks, the professional facade giving way to a soft undertone of worry, as he takes a deliberate step towards you, his eyes searching yours for signs of distress.

With a swift assurance of privacy, your eyes lock on the drawn blinds, and you waste no time diminishing the space between you, hands clasping up to his neck with an urgency that pulls him down to you. Your lips found his in a fervent collision, coaxing a surprised murmur from him. He softly pulled back, his chuckle deep and knowing, as his hands encircled your waist. 

"Honey--I, we're in the office."

His words may have carried a hint of reprimand, but the gentle exploration of his hands across your back drawing you nearer seemed to contradict him. An innocent smile graced your lips as your fingers wove through his hair, eliciting his head tilting back in contentment. "Just missed you is all."

An eyebrow lifted in amused acknowledgement. "Mm, is that so?"

Gently tugging his head closer, your lips crashed against his with a desperate intensity, your hands gripping him as if he were a lifeline.

With deliberate strokes, you raked your fingers through his hair, creating artful disarray. Your hands glided to his tie, tugging it just enough to break the perfect line, then across his jacket, crumpling the fabric with feigned carelessness. Each touch a strategic step in enhancing his unkempt image.

A gentle exhale escaped you as he pressed you back against the desk's edge, his hands forming a cage around you, both protective and possessive.  Your lips curved into a smirk, your teeth capturing his bottom lip and tugging with a teasing pressure, probably a little harder than you should have, causing him to pull back. "Christ, sweetheart."

Instinctively, your hand rose to trace his bottom lip, smoothing over the swollenness your teeth had caused. A soft smile graced your features as you took in the delightful disarray of his appearance. With a satisfied nod, you left a featherlight kiss on his cheek and glided towards the door. "I love you, Mr. Hotchner."

His eyebrows knit together in loving exasperation as he observed your retreat, his hand absentmindedly caressing his lip. God, you kept life interesting. "I love you more, Mrs. Hotchner."

Emerging from Hotch's office, your hair perfectly disordered, a small smirk etched on your lips. You watch as the consultant's eyes stretch wide, a flush of embarrassment covering her cheeks. With a sly wink tossed her way, you glide towards Penelope and Morgan.

"Well, well, well," Morgan drawled, a sly grin spreading across his face as he watched the scene unfold, arms folded confidently over his chest. "I had a feeling those claws were just waiting for the right moment to strike."

"That's our girl! Showing the world whose boss without breaking a sweat." Penelope chirped. "Well, I mean, maybe a little sweat. I'm seriously striving not to speculate about what you two were doing in there."

A playful smirk dances on your lips as you peer over your shoulder at Hotch's door. "Just wait for it," you tease, fingers poised for the dramatic reveal as you count down. "3, 2, 1.."

Right on cue, Hotch steps out, looking every bit as ruffled as you'd intended. His tie hangs crooked, his suit crumpled, and you didn't miss the dark red tint around his bottom lip. The sound of Morgan and Penelope's laughter filled the air as you offered a nonchalant shrug. 

"It's all in the day's work, besties. A girl's got to do what a girl's got to do."

[mysterymanjoseph]

Common Interests: mysterymanjoseph and wayward-roleplays

Rumors had come in from across the border that Joseph's realm shared with the Fairylands. An army of various malicious types was gathering, and soon to march. Although there was no 'formal' relations between the Fairy realm, they did serve as a buffer zone against the sort of malcontents from having free access to the mortal realm. So, it was an uneasy, 'we stay on our side, you stay on yours' sort of arrangement when it came to the border. But, with the supposed size of the force that was being brought to Joseph's royal grandparents, this might mean the downfall of the Fairy realm, and if that were to happen, what remained of that same malicious force could march into his homeland. Thus, the command went out, the troops rallied, and Joseph placed in overall command. The march was fast, but, no so much so that men and animals would be so exhausted they could not fight when contact with the enemy was made. Still, the days seemed long, and the nights too short, before after crossing the border, the approached the last hills before they would reach the capital. Riding Dagger, his huge warhorse, Joseph went ahead, cresting a hill that gave an excellent view of the capitol city, and what Joseph had feared would be the case when they got there. The city was besieged, three sides covered by the enemy, the fourth was backed up against a mountainside, so, no attack from that direction, but, no avenue for evacuation either. Studying the land, and the deployment of the enemy, Joseph sends for his generals for a consultation on how to deploy their own troops and attack. As he waits for his generals to join him, Joseph thinks, "This is not time to rush in blindly and hope for good fortune, such a 'strategy' would court doom upon us."

@wayward-roleplays

[matchalovertrait]

There's no denying it, they have strong grounds for a lawsuit. The main goals are to disprove Caruso's claims and show how those claims negatively impacted Dulce's career. Dulce's video wasn't successful despite having evidence, but things run differently in the courtroom. Also, Antonio is one of the best lawyers in Del Sol Valley. He's a rather persuasive man—who knows why??? The two spent the rest of the consultation going over the litigation process, possible strategies, and counterarguments.

Transcript

Antonio: Please, have a seat.

Dulce: I want to say how grateful I am for your help. Dani was telling me we should send a cease-and-desist letter. I’m not sure that will do much to stop Caruso.

Antonio: It’s necessary. Regardless, I assure you we will come out victorious. I reviewed everything. The videos. The information. It’s a simple case.

Dulce: Perfect! Do you need anything from me?

Antonio: The numbers such as channel analytics and cookbook sales data. E-mails of lost sponsorships.

Dulce: I can do that! Wow, this is so exciting.

Antonio: We must also further instill your credibility as a professional chef. Do you have contact with the Diced Junior judges, Mia D’Angelo-Ramirez or Carlo Mancini?

Dulce: Aren’t you going to ask about Sofia Bjergsen? She was a judge too.

Antonio: Right. We need everyone we can get.

Dulce: I’m not in contact with any of them. It was weird. Mia said “we will keep a close eye on your career.” She’s been watching very quietly!

Antonio: ...Okay. I’ll have Daniela research that.

Antonio: Speaking of which, what is Caruso’s full name? I don’t seem to have it.

Dulce: I don’t know it.

Antonio: How do you spell that?

Dulce: Oh, that’s not his name. I said, “I don’t know it.”

...

Antonio: How long have you known him?

Dulce: Two... no, three years. Yes. It’s been three years now.

Antonio: .....

Dulce: I thought it’d be rude to nudge. And I kind of, sort of, didn’t care about him that much...

Antonio: That’s fine. We can find it. Who is his employer? You must know that.

Dulce: I do know, actually!

[nocturnus33]

Let's talk about our fanbinding mistakes

Based on the responses of 135 fanbinders, my very informal consultation indicates that the most common errors we make are

Taking the wrong measurements. 23.7%

Messing up the case in. 20%

Finding a typo after all is said and done. 20%

Staining the book with adhesive. 17.8%

Plus, a 4,4% that said Case upside down (after making the inquiry I realized that it should be part of item n° 2 and not an independent item; duh my fault. So it is plausible to think that "messing up the case in" might be a 24,4%).

Now, let's talk about these mistakes and share our strategies to prevent them.

From my amateur experience:

To get the measurements right, in addition to measuring two or three times, I use an awl, a ruler and a square: I mark what I will cut with a fine pencil or with the awl. When I have used a thick lead pencil, sometimes I fail in a mm. The square is to make sure the angles are straight before cutting. My mistake is not always that I score wrong, but that it is not necessarily straight. Another very obvious tip is to make sure you have good lighting when measuring.

For the adhesive stains, it has helped me to always have two clean wipes within reach, one wet and one dry. I also have a Residue Eraser Rubber Cement Cleaner for when I discover it late.

And you? What helps you to overcome these mistakes? (or make fewer of them)

@renegadeguild

[sparkoflena]

I think that DC should dig into the All Of The Bats Are Geniuses thing outside of cases.

- I think Inventor Who Skipped Multiple Grades Tim Drake should consult with Was A Mathlete In School Dick Grayson on his side projects while somebody is just like "did they just invent a machine to cure cancer" or something wild like that

- I think that League Of Assassins Artistic Detail Damian Wayne should start stealing Tim's photography pieces and drawing/making them art to prove himself better until the both of them have an entire exhibit of Sibling Competition Art/Photos

- I think that Strategist Who Built A Criminal Empire To Protect His Part Of His City Jason should just start bouncing facts off of Day Shift Gotham Protector And Riddler Stumper Duke Thomas in like a library or coffee shop and freaking out the background characters with all of this hyperspecific military strategy talk

- I think that The Only Bat With Emotional Competence Cassandra Cain should just start pointing out Bruce's details

- I think that Tech Genius Oracle Barbara Gordon should start telling the GCPD about different ways to fix their digital security just so that it gets more entertaining every time she hacks it. And also I desperately want to watch her hack the Pentagon.

- I think Charismatic Dick and People Understanding Cass should just start going to galas together to force secrets out of WE competitors.

- I think that Duke and Tim should team up to make the Riddler cry. As a treat. Bonus Points if they are both in civvies.

- I think that all of the Batkids should be submitted to an invention/hacking competition, just for Bruce/Alfred to pull them out last second because "you would obviously win and that's too much of a risk to our identities" despite the fact that Gotham is already pretty sure the Wayne Kids are secretly a million times smarter than they let on

[carriesthewind]

"Although hired as a consultant by Washington County in this case, Baird had a long-standing independent agenda: helping foster parents across Colorado succeed in intervening and permanently claiming the children they care for. Often working hand in hand with Tim Eirich, she has been called as an expert in, by her count, hundreds of child-welfare cases, and she sometimes evaluates visits between birth families and children without having met them. Baird would not say how many foster-parent intervenor cases she has participated in, but she can recall only a single instance in which she concluded that the intervenors should not keep the child. Thinking that particular couple would be weak adoptive parents, she told me, she simply filed no report."

"With the supply of adoptable babies dropping, foster children were becoming a “hot commodity,” he said, and he and his colleagues (among them Tim Eirich’s law partner Seth Grob) realized that attachment experts could be called into court to argue that foster children needed to remain with their foster parents in order to avoid a severed bond."

"The judge ruled in favor of Eirich’s clients, a social worker and a real-estate agent. “Court found [Baird’s] testimony credible. She has significant experience,” the judge said, adding approvingly that Baird’s analysis had “focused on primacy of attachment over cultural considerations.”"

"Was Baird’s method for evaluating these foster and birth families empirically tested? No, Baird answered: Her method is unpublished and unstandardized, and has remained “pretty much unchanged” since the 1980s. It doesn’t have those “standard validity and reliability things,” she admitted. “It’s not a scientific instrument.”

...

Had she considered or was she even aware of the cultural background of the birth family and child whom she was recommending permanently separating? (The case involved a baby girl of multiracial heritage.) Baird answered that babies have “never possessed” a cultural identity, and therefore are “not losing anything,” at their age, by being adopted. Although when such children grow up, she acknowledged, they might say to their now-adoptive parents, “Oh, I didn’t know we were related to the, you know, Pima tribe in northern California, or whatever the circumstances are.”

The Pima tribe is located in the Phoenix metropolitan area."

"We found that — leaving aside the question of whether attachment theory should even be used as an argument in these cases — Baird’s assessments of foster children’s relationships aren’t just unscientific. They barely touch the surface of a child’s life.

“I don’t know these children,” she testified in one 2017 case, adding, “I have not met anybody.” Still, she said, she “strongly” recommended that those children’s birth parents’ rights be permanently terminated and that the kids be adopted."

"She also regularly uses terms like “mirror neurons,” “neurotoxins,” “synapses,” “hormones,” and “encoded trauma in the central nervous system” to justify her conclusions about children’s family relationships. (Baird is not a neuroscientist.)"

______________________

The New Yorker article focuses on possible legislative solutions, but I think these articles point to something more pernicious and more difficult to address. Judges - in all kinds of cases - routinely give credence to professionals and "experts" who are biased, bigoted, and testify far outside their expertise (if they have any expertise at all). These professionals have credentials (like being a police officer or social worker) that are validated by institutional hierarchies. Their frequent systematized interaction with the legal system is mistaken as experience that makes their subjective beliefs more credible, when in truth they lack any objective expertise. They are considered credible and unbiased because they conform to, and validate, systems of hierarchical oppression, while the people they hurt - often poor, marginalized, and most frequently, not white - are viewed with inherent distrust.

The ProPublica article focuses primarily on Baird. I'm more concerned with the judges who believed her, who used her to justify funneling children away from their (safe and loving, but poorer and frequently browner) birth families. She was only able to do so much harm because of the the power given to her by courts, and the judges inside them.

The ProPublic article ends with the line, "This past fall, with Baird’s help, the foster parents were granted full custody of the baby girl through her 18th birthday." It names Baird as a force that led to the theft of this child. The passive voice hides the judge who made the ultimate decision.

[bfpnola]

Trans Reads is an ambitious project created by and for transgender people to openly access writing related to our communities. We believe education should be free and writing shouldn’t be behind a paywall. Transreads.org provides the opportunity to access, discuss, and distribute texts for free.

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Trans Reads was formed through the work, consulting, and creativity of an anonymous group of trans people of various genders and races around the U.S. involved in organizing, academia, and trans liberation efforts. Trans Reads was launched in 2019 following increasing violence against trans people alongside the lack of accessible resources for trans people to learn about our own community.

There is a serious barrier for most trans people accessing content from our community. Trans people on average have less disposable income, time to read and purchase literature, and knowledge of the available texts. We created Trans Reads to address this problem directly. We offer the largest collection of free trans texts on the internet.

Get Involved:

Trans Reads is almost entirely generated through user content. By uploading, you can help a trans teen in a rural area learn about other girls like her. You could help a trans student who can’t afford a textbook easily pass their class. You can even share your own writing with the world on an easy-to-use platform exclusively for trans content. You can help grow our collection on our upload page. If you are interested in helping us upload texts for our collection, you can reach out on our contact page.

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“I had to work to recover my rights to Stone Butch Blues. When the first publisher went into Chapter 11 court, I had to spend thousands of dollars of my wages on legal fees to recover the right to this novel… While very ill in Spring 2012, I recovered my rights again.”

Ze didn’t want the book to be released as a film adaptation exploiting hir story for straight fantasies. Ze also used the opportunity to make the book more accessible. First editions shot up into hundreds of dollars. The least expensive print versions are still over $30 on Amazon. This simply isn’t affordable to most queer and trans people. The fight ended with Leslie publishing hir novel on hir website as a PDF, a strategy of reclaiming transgender narratives from greedy publishes by collective ownership of the text.

Trans Reads is dedicated to the memory of Leslie and all those who feel alone. Most individuals don’t have institutional access and cannot afford to pay for texts. Transreads.org allows visitors to effortlessly read texts by, for, or related to trans people online for free as PDFs. Trans Reads is the space where anyone can easily discuss, add, or download trans content.

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Authors shouldn’t live in fear of their work being exploited or inaccessible. Trans Reads is just one small part of trans autonomy from corporate publishers. However, it is a necessary step toward engaging with our radical history, politics, and futures.

Click here to upload a text.

[dathen]

On the Oct 30 I love how Mina is going full Sherlock Holmes to deduct Dracula’s strategies and most importantly the possible routes be may be taking to escape. “I heard cows lowing in my trance so it must be near land open enough to keep cattle” and “there was the use of oars or poles therefore they’re traveling upstream” like!! That is BONAFIDE detective work that would earn at least a page or two of praise from the H&W Consulting Detective Agency.

Oh and along the way she solves a murder that the Count committed that is being blamed on a local ethnic minority, which is the gold standard of Holmes case structure. I swear to god those two would get along SO WELL it would be MIND-BLOWING

[probablyasocialecologist]

Electricity consumption at US data centers alone is poised to triple from 2022 levels, to as much as 390 terawatt hours by the end of the decade, according to Boston Consulting Group. That’s equal to about 7.5% of the nation’s projected electricity demand. “We do need way more energy in the world than we thought we needed before,” Sam Altman, chief executive officer of OpenAI, whose ChatGPT tool has become a global phenomenon, said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last week. “We still don’t appreciate the energy needs of this technology.” For decades, US electricity demand rose by less than 1% annually. But utilities and grid operators have doubled their annual forecasts for the next five years to about 1.5%, according to Grid Strategies, a consulting firm that based its analysis on regulatory filings. That’s the highest since the 1990s, before the US stepped up efforts to make homes and businesses more energy efficient. It’s not just the explosion in data centers that has power companies scrambling to revise their projections. The Biden administration’s drive to seed the country with new factories that make electric cars, batteries and semiconductors is straining the nation’s already stressed electricity grid. What’s often referred to as the biggest machine in the world is in reality a patchwork of regional networks with not enough transmission lines in places, complicating the job of bringing in new power from wind and solar farms. To cope with the surge, some power companies are reconsidering plans to mothball plants that burn fossil fuels, while a few have petitioned regulators for permission to build new gas-powered ones. That means President Joe Biden’s push to bolster environmentally friendly industries could end up contributing to an increase in emissions, at least in the near term. Unless utilities start to boost generation and make it easier for independent wind and solar farms to connect to their transmission lines, the situation could get dire, says Ari Peskoe, director of the Electricity Law Initiative at Harvard Law School. “New loads are delayed, factories can’t come online, our economic growth potential is diminished,” he says. “The worst-case scenario is utilities don’t adapt and keep old fossil-fuel capacity online and they don’t evolve past that.”

archive.today article link

[is-this-mathieu-enriched]

How to keep a fancy Mathieu enriched and healthy? Do they usually have any allergies?

- clumsysprinter

Fancy Mathieus are a recent development of the breed, stemming originally from French golden Mathieus. Bred for a demure and mindful demeanour, as well as depth and clarity of colour, fancy Mathieus now exist in a dazzling range of display patterns. Most show-quality Mathieus are fancy Mathieus, although many modern shows have competitions that every Mathieu can enjoy.

Although every Mathieu is an individual with different tastes and preferences, fancy Mathieus tend to enjoy adorning themselves more than working breeds. Most Mathieus will appreciate having a few accessories, but a fancy Mathieu will derive significant enrichment from being able to style himself differently every day. For a fancy Mathieu, having several chew-safe mirrors in his enclosure is a necessity!

As with every Mathieu, the opportunity to hunt is extremely enriching. In contrast to their working cousins, fancy Mathieus tend to favour ambush strategies and to use their venom for offensive as well as defensive purposes. It is theorised that this is a result of the changes to their demeanour - fancy Mathieus are less aggressive, and more likely to employ patience to catch their prey.

It is not always possible for every Mathieu to hunt live prey. In this case, a session of active play should always be offered before feeding, where he is encouraged to stalk, pounce, and use his venom! There are a variety of types of wet and dry food on offer to suit the dietary needs of every Mathieu, but always consult your vetinerarian before making any change to your Mathieu's diet.

Fancy Mathieus have greater skin care needs than most Mathieus. Their delicate skin will benefit from a sand area in their enclosure - the sand acts as a natural body scrub - and from regular moisturising. When basking in direct sunlight, a fancy Mathieu should always have an appropriate sunscreen applied first (you may need to help with the application).

The humidity levels in your Mathieu's enclosure also need to be higher than for a working breed. A warmed pool to soak in is enjoyed by most fancy Mathieus, and comes with the additional benefits of helping him to shed easily.

In addition to allowing fancy Mathieus to produce such a beautiful range of display patterns, the genes which encode for this unfortunately also bring the possibility of allergies. Particularly common ones are to wool, found in many nesting materials, to mould, often found in soil or earth, and to caffeine.

A wool allergy will manifest itself through sore and red patches on your Mathieu's skin, leading to regular scratching. If your Mathieu's claws are due for a trim, he can easily injure himself. Specialist stores will be able to supply alternative nesting materials - just ask for the Fancy Mathieu section.

Mould allergies can lead to weakened and brittle claws. Every Mathieu likes to roll in mud, and it can be a challenge if an allergic Mathieu's feet and claws are regularly exposed to mould. It is possible to purchase mud substitutes, but most Mathieus do not enjoy them. Regular exposure to a range of surfaces is very important for healthy feet and claws, so ask your veterinarian for claw paint - simply apply regularly to his claws after trimming them.

If your Mathieu is allergic to caffeine, this may manifest itself as hyper-excitability, erratic display patterns and stomach troubles. Many Mathieus will enjoy playing with a coffee machine, but simply swap real coffee for decaf, and most will never notice the difference.

A fancy Mathieu brings different challenges from a working breed, but every Mathieu deserves a loving forever home, no matter his subspecies. Here's to all the beautiful fancy Mathieus of the world!

[gabessquishytum]

Hob runs a Lamaze class and he sees a cute and heavily pregnant man who's with a lady who he knew as Death (he got scared when he found out her name, but it turns out she's a hospice nurse and she helps people to passed away peacefully) and she introduced him to her brother Dream (who is a sleep consultant that helps people who have dreams and have trouble sleeping). Just Hob helping the pregnant man deal with being a single parent.

Such a cute concept!!! I really love the idea of fitness instructor Hob. But he's not like one of those toxic gym bros. He's all about helping people, which is why he got trained in lamaze techniques and now runs the classes. He always encourages the prospective parents to do whatever birth strategy works for them in the moment - he just wants to give them to tools to make labour and delivery a good experience.

Dream appears very confident, on the surface. Hob is super impressed by how much Dream already knows and how prepared he seems to be. He manages to learn throughout the weeks that Dream is a trans guy, that the baby was unplanned, and that the other parent won't be in the picture. Dream insists that he'll have a drug free birth and that he'll raise his child single-handed. All offer of help are dismissed. Although he does grudgingly take Hob’s phone number, just in case.

Hob gets a call at a little before 4am. It's Dream; he's in labour and he can't reach Death, maybe her phone died? Dream is panicking a little. Hob soothes him as much as he can, hurriedly gets dressed, and rushes over to reach Dream. He's hoping there should be time to go to the hospital, but... when he arrives, Dream is waaaay further along than Hob had expected. Hob calmly explains that it's okay - Dream can have the baby here, they'll call an ambulance, everything will be ok.

Dream doesn't take the news well. He's suddenly decided that he wants an epidural, gas and air, the whole works - Hob doesn't bother explaining that that is now impossible. He gets Dream on all fours and makes him channel all his righteous anger into pushing. It honestly doesn't take much at all - Dream’s baby arrives right into Hob’s waiting arms. Soon, they're all scooped up into the ambulance, and Dream is finally reunited with Death at the hospital.

Hob is delighted to see the little family doing so well. He's totally in love with Dream and the baby, and although he tries to sneak away and give them some peace, he is imperiously summoned back to Dream’s side. "I think I might need you." Is all Dream says. But Hob couldn't be more thrilled - it's all he's ever wanted.

[deception-united]

It's me again. Are there proper ways of writing fight scenes that flow well? And are there ways to make fights feel realistic without feeling like it stops the story in its tracks? How do I find the middle ground between realism and injury healing times?

Thanks for asking!

Maintaining realism in fights while keeping the story flowing smoothly is crucial for engaging storytelling. Here are some tips to achieve that balance:

Integrate fights into the narrative: Make sure that the fights serve a purpose in advancing the plot or developing the characters. They should feel like a natural progression of the story rather than an interruption.

Character motivations and stakes: Ensure that the characters involved in the fight have clear motivations and stakes. This adds depth to the conflict and makes the fight feel more meaningful to the audience.

Use variety in fight scenes: Avoid repetitive fight scenes by incorporating different fighting styles, environments, and tactics. This keeps the audience engaged and prevents the story from feeling stagnant.

Show the consequences: Realistic fights have consequences, both physical and emotional. Show the aftermath of the fight and how it impacts the characters and the story moving forward.

Balance action with other elements: Don't let the fight scenes overshadow other important aspects of the story, such as character development, dialogue, and plot progression. Maintain a balance between action and quieter moments to keep the story flowing smoothly.

Keep it concise: Avoid prolonged fight scenes that drag on unnecessarily. Focus on the key moments of the fight that are most relevant to the story and characters, and move the narrative forward efficiently.

Incorporate tension and suspense: Build tension and suspense leading up to the fight to make it feel more impactful. Use pacing, foreshadowing, and strategic placement within the story to heighten anticipation.

Make it believable: Research fighting techniques and strategies to ensure that the fight scenes are realistic and grounded in reality. Avoid overly exaggerated or implausible actions that may break immersion for the audience.

Finding the middle ground between realism and narrative pacing in injury healing times and recovery can be challenging but rewarding for maintaining both credibility and story momentum. Here are some tips:

Research: Understand typical healing times for various injuries. Medical websites, journals, and consultations with healthcare professionals can provide valuable insights.

Consider context: The severity of the injury and the overall tone of your story will influence the healing time. A minor scrape will heal quickly, while a major wound would naturally take longer.

Character abilities: Take into account your character's physical condition, age, and any supernatural or futuristic elements that could affect healing. A trained fighter might recover faster than an ordinary person, while futuristic technology or magical abilities could speed up the process.

Plot demands: Sometimes, the pace of your story might require injuries to heal faster than they would realistically. In such cases, consider adjusting the healing time while maintaining some level of believability.

Show the process: Even if you need to speed up the healing process for narrative purposes, acknowledge the injury and its effects on the character. Show them experiencing pain, discomfort, or limitations even as they recover.

Use time skips wisely: If you need to compress healing times for the sake of pacing, consider using time skips or transitions to indicate the passage of time without dwelling too much on the healing process itself.

Balance drama and realism: Strive for a balance between dramatic tension and realism. Injuries can provide opportunities for character development and conflict resolution, so consider how the healing process can contribute to the narrative arc.

Persistent effects: Even if a character's injuries are on the mend, they may not fully heal before the story's conclusion. Implementing this in your writing involves ensuring that the injury continues to affect the character in some way, whether it's physical discomfort, limited mobility, or psychological trauma.

Plot hindrance: Use the not-fully-healed injury to hinder the character's progress or add tension to the plot. For example, if the character's arm was injured in a fight, they may struggle with tasks that require the use of that arm, such as wielding a weapon or climbing.

Pain and discomfort: Continue to reference the injury after the initial healing period. Describe how the character experiences pain or discomfort, particularly in situations that aggravate the injury. This could be triggered by specific movements, weather conditions, or emotional stress.

Character growth: Show how the character copes with their lingering injury. This could lead to moments of vulnerability, resilience, or resourcefulness, allowing for further character development and depth.

For more tips on writing fight scenes, see my previous post!

Hope this helped ❤

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[elexuscal]

Murderbot Diaries Book Summaries

The release of the 7th book in the Murderbot Diaries series, System Collapse, approaches in November!

I've seen at least one person looking for a summary of past events... So I've made just that! If it's been a while since you read previous books (or you just like hopping into series half-way through), this will get you up to speed!

That said, this absolutely has spoilers, so if that's not your jam, turn away now.

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Short Story – Compulsory: A recently-rogue Murderbot decides on a whim to rescue a miner who falls into a ventilation shaft. We see its developing love of Sanctuary Moon and what is implied to be the first time it violated its orders to protect someone.

All Systems Red (ASR):

Murderbot is the contractually-obligated security guard on a survey of "surprisingly nice" scientists. Dr. Mensah particularly impresses Murderbot for her level head and kind nature. It turns out their survey is being sabotaged by the cut-throat corporation GreyCris, who don't want them uncovering alien remnants. Murderbot and the scientists go back-and-forth protecting one another. The survey team discover that it's rogue. After some initial tension, they accept it as a team-member. They escape GreyCris, although Murderbot nearly dies in the process. When it wakes up again, the scientists have bought/freed it. In the name of self-actualization, Murderbot runs away.

Artificial Condition (AC): Murderbot sets off to investigate Ganaka Pit, the facility where it supposedly killed a large number of its own clients. On the way, it discovers the spaceship it's travelling on actually dangerously hyper-intelligent. After some initial threats/tension, the two bond over TV. The Asshole Research Transport (ART) helps disguise Murderbot as a human. With ART's help, Murderbot uncovers that the mass death was a tragic accident caused by ComfortUnit malware. Posing as a human, the pair help rescue a trio of researchers and their data from their shitty ex-boss, and set a ComfortUnit free.

Rogue Protocol (RP):

On an impromptu quest to get blackmail on GreyCris for Dr. Mensah's ongoing legal battle, Murderbot investigates an abandoned terraforming facility. It meets a cheerful robot named Miki who immediately declares themselves friends. Miki is helping a human assessment team who become imperiled when they're attacked both by CombatBots and their own double-dealing human security. Murderbot reflectively rescues them, posing as a Definitely Normal SecUnit, although the team's leader clearly sees through that claim. Murderbot manages to collect the intel on GrayCris and protect the humans, but not before Miki performs a heroic sacrifice.

Exit Strategy (ES):

After discovering Dr. Mensah has been kidnapped by GreyCris, Murderbot rushes to save her. This forces it to re-unite with the other survey members; Pin-Lee, Ratthi, and Gurathin. While unsure of each other, the team manage to rescue their friend. Murderbot attempts a self-destructive last-stand against a CombatSecUnit, only for the humans to save its ass. The team escapes on a company gunship, but not before Murderbot melts its brain fighting off killware. When it rebuilds its systems, it decides to stay with its humans in the Preservation Alliance for a while.

Short Story - Home, Range, Niche, Territory:

Shortly after Exit Strategy, Dr. Mensah reflects on her time in captivity and her new friendship with SecUnit. Apparently she's been avoiding getting treatment for her extensive emotional trauma. She has a panic attack when she's cornered by a journalist, who's scared off by Murderbot.

Fugitive Telemetry (FT): A human is found dead. Murderbot is called in as a consultant on the case, in the hopes of building good will with Preservation Security. Eventually it manages to prove itself, particularly after it succeeds in a daring rescue of kidnapped corporate refugees. One of the refugees realises it's a SecUnit and shoots it. The dead human turns out to have been a liberator of indentured labourers, and the killer was actually the Port Authority robot Balin, who was secretly a disguised CombatBot acting on outside orders. The local bot community intervenes to stop Balin from hurting anyone else.

Network Effect (NE):

Murderbot is providing security for a Preservation Alliance survey which goes south when raiders attack and try to take Dr. Mensah's brother-in-law, Thiago, hostage. It then goes doubly south when, on the way home, the team's ship gets attacked by... ART?

It appears that ART has been deleted and its crew has gone missing, replaced with mysterious grey people. While protecting a team of its humans, including Dr. Mensah's teenage daughter Amena, Murderbot manages to reboot ART. ART kills the grey humans but refuses to let everyone go until and unless they help it retrieve its crew. Everyone reluctantly agrees, but Murderbot is pissed.

Eventually Murderbot and ART make up. Then they create a sort-of-baby in the form of a killware copy of Murderbot who dubs itself Murderbot 2.0. Half of ART's missing crew is found on a local planet's surface, though Murderbot is captured while helping them escape. Murderbot 2.0 manages to rescue the other half from a spaceship with the help of the newly freed SecUnit 3. The local colonists are discovered to have gone a liiiiitttle bit kooky due to infection via an alien fungus. ART threatens to bomb their colony to get Murderbot back. Murderbot gets infected, but Murderbot 2.0 does a self-sacrificial attack to save it and destroy the fungi's primary host. Meanwhile, the humans, ART, and SecUnit 3 work together to rescue Murderbot without any more bloodshed.

Murderbot has a bit of an epiphany that all its various friends do in fact love and care for it. When an understandably pissed and confused Dr. Mensah shows up like a month later, the groups decide on forming a mutual partnership. Murderbot tells Dr. Mensah that it would like to work with ART for a little while.