#no like there's four bas's for a client every year and so each of them will be billed a different amount???? based on how long was spent????

[fazcinatingblog]

Oh yeah I have to fight and beg and plead with my boss tomorrow to not double the invoices for the BAS's just because the timesheet says

[firelordzukohere]

Interior Décor- Epilogue

Hello! I’m sorry I uploaded late! I planned to post this yesterday, but it was a busy weekend! But, it’s here! I really hope you like this and it gives you an ending you appreciate. 

I’m now opening requests. If there’s something you’d like to see, maybe related to Zuko and (Y/N) or anyone else, please feel free to send me an ask with a request or a prompt! I will gladly try and take a shot at it!!

Finally, I’d like to genuinely thank everyone for everything. Every single like, reblog, comment, and ask just seriously makes this so much better! I truly appreciate everyone in this fandom and I love each and every one of you!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zuko X Fem!Reader

Warnings: Fluff, Slight Aangst(heh), and some implications

Word Count: 4k

Summary: Iroh felt it was time for the Palace to reflect the time of Peace and Love that Zuko promised five years earlier at his coronation. He takes it upon himself to hire an interior decorator to help his nephew out and work together. What he didn’t expect was for Zuko to possibly find his own peace and love in the process.

Chapter 4: Trompe l’oeil >> Epilogue

"When the world is at odds and the mind is at sea, then cease the useless tedium, and brew a cup of tea," a familiar voice whispered behind her, breaking her from her thoughts as she stared at the mural on the wall of the shop. Turning to him, she smiled and accepted the cup of tea he held out for her. He winked at her before turning to examine everything else going on around them. Following his lead, she watched the people within the shop mingle and enjoy their tea.

The grand opening of the Jasmine Dragon Fire Nation location was in full swing. After Iroh had bought the property in the middle ring of the nation, he hired (Y/N) on to decorate the place from top to bottom. It had taken a couple weeks as there was some structural and code issues.

Now the establishment was a beautiful, grand tea shop with hand painted murals of dragons, intricately carved out pillars, quaint seating, and the smell of tea filling every corner.

"Where do you get this stuff, Iroh?" She giggled after taking a sip of her tea. Iroh smiled to himself as he stared at his customers seemingly enjoying themselves in the brand new store.

"All old people know the perfect proverb or sentiment to say," he teased, "it comes with the age." (Y/N) let out a hearty laugh and nodded her head, accepting his claim. "This place looks wonderful, dear," the general complimented. "Your hard work has definitely paid off."

(Y/N) blushed and took another drink of tea to hide the warmth on her face. "It's your hard work General Iroh, the Fire Nation has come along way thanks to you and the Fire Lord, you both deserve success." It was Iroh's turn to blush, now.

"Speaking of my nephew, I thought he would be here with you?"

It had been exactly a year since Zuko and (Y/N) had stopped being idiots and had gotten together. They spent as much free time as they could with each other. Dinners were often spent in the garden, which the turtle ducks enjoyed due to getting spare bread chunks. Days off from the throne and decorating were usually done walking through the city in street clothes enjoying the public and the lack of advisors and guards breathing down their necks. Some holidays were spent visiting his friends in their Nations, getting to know them. After their first meeting, which was simultaneously a mess and a success, (Y/N) couldn't get enough of the GAang and insisted to always be around whenever they visited or Zuko went to visit them.

The easiest of the four to get along with was Aang, obviously since he was kind to everyone, followed by Toph who appreciated her blunt comments, closely behind was Sokka who enjoyed playing pranks on the rest with her and her sarcastic comments, but the hardest to break was Katara. Katara was protective of Zuko and she didn't want anyone to try and take advantage of the Fire Lord.

It took (Y/N) four months to convince Katara that she wasn't with Zuko for the fame and status. It had been a process but she came out victorious when Katara began sending her letters often and ended up being her closest friend of the group.

They would all tell her how apparent it was that Zuko loved her. The way he would look at her, talk about her, or even how he'd be around her.

The two had grown together over the last year.

(Y/N) learned that Zuko needed care and words of affirmation to reassure him that she was still there for him. He enjoyed cuddling and affection, which was something that was apparently new to him according to the group, as he wasn't much like that with Mai other than a few kisses here and there. Learning what kind of day he was having just based off of the way his eyes were set or how his shoulders felt, sometimes how he kissed her said it all. It was the rough days that she knew he needed extra care and she'd try to make him laugh, or show him extra attention.

Zuko discovered quickly that (Y/N) was very easy going. She went with the flow on his busy schedule, never complaining about not being able to see each other and she was always there for him whenever he needed it. Her strong attitude and demeanor to get everything done thoroughly and thoughtfully, while also compassionately was exactly what he wanted in a future Fire Lady. She still cared a lot what people thought of her, definitely having a people pleaser attitude, he figured came with the job of working with interior décor, but she had been working on it a lot since the start of their relationship, especially after the rumors grew about her possibly getting the Palace job to sleep with the Fire Lord. The rumors had been shut down quickly, especially after the people began to see how desperately in love with (Y/N), Zuko was. Soon enough, the people of the Fire Nation adored her and Zuko couldn't have been happier about it.

Now, after a year, they couldn't image their lives any other way. Zuko was finishing up big projects with Aang on making the world peaceful, and (Y/N) had several clients, including General Iroh, who were eager for her to work her magic on their interiors.

(Y/N) was definitely in a wonderful place in her life, and she couldn't help but smile and think about the man who she loved so much, causing Iroh to grin in return at the look on her face.

"He's in a council meeting, apparently he had some business with them that just couldn't wait," she teased, "he said he'd be here after."

"Knowing my nephew, it must be important, he'd come up with any reason not to meet with the Sages," Iroh chuckled. "I'm going to brew some more tea, take care of yourself dear." He said before making his way to the back.

The party was packed, people from all over the nation came to see the notorious General Iroh's brand new tea shop in the Fire Nation. She'd seen several familiar faces and some new ones. It was nice to watch as people admired her decor and the hard work she had put into making the perfect place for Iroh.

At one point, a woman walked up to her, with an apparent nervous look on her face, "Excuse me? Are you the Palace decorator?" The woman asked, causing (Y/N) to internally roll her eyes. T

hat was a new title Iroh and Zuko came up with to tease her. It had caught on quickly that Zuko had begun dating the Palace decorator and that was officially her title to anyone who wasn't in on the joke. While it helped with the business, it definitely annoyed her to think that people only wanted her because she had the official title.

"I did decorate the Palace, yes," she responded the same as she did for everyone who asked her.

"You did this place too, correct?" The woman said, gesturing to the tea shop. "As well as Captain Yuzai's home?"

"Yes, I did both," (Y/N) beamed proudly.

"I was wondering, I have a home in Ba Sing Se that just does not feel comfortable to me, would we be able to discuss the possibility of you going out there and updating it for me?"

"Absolutely! I have another possible job in Ba Sing Se, so to do both at the same time would be simple enough!" The woman grinned in return before giving her, her address in the Fire Nation and setting up a meeting next week.

Watching the woman walk away, (Y/N) couldn't help but smile before she gasping as someone covered her eyes with their hands.

"You look beautiful tonight," he whispered in her ear before moving his hands away. Turning to look at the Fire Lord, (Y/N) blushed. "I'm sorry I'm late. I hope Uncle doesn't hate me too much." She shook her head with a giggle.

"You know he could never hate you!" She chastised before standing up and pressing her lips to his scar affectionately. "I'm glad you're here. How was your meeting?" Zuko's body tensed. "That bad, huh?"

He brushed a strand of (Y/H/C) from her face and shook his head, "it was good, we got everything done, properly. I don't want to talk about some boring old men though, I'd much rather you and I smile a bit, mingle and then go back to the Palace and have a proper dinner." His lips pressed to hers, immediately warming her body with his affection.

"Mmm... I'm not sure" she pulled back slightly and smiled, "I'm having so much fun here. I've been getting new job offers and I think I heard Iroh brought ice cream from the Water Tribe," she teased. "You'll have to do some real convincing to get me to go back with you."

Zuko chuckled, "if you come back with me, I can convince you much more thoroughly" his voice low and raspy. (Y/N)'s cheeks burned and she looked down at the cup in her hand, attempting to gain control of her brain and her body. "Plus, I have a present for you." Her attention whipped right to him and she frowned, her brows furrowed deeply and her lip pouted out just barely.

"No! We promise we weren't going to do presents! I thought we agreed to wait until you were on your leave and go to Ember Island and that would be our present to each other!" Zuko rested his hand on her elbow and shook his head.

"It's not that kind of present, just trust me," he whispered, attempting to reassure her. "We're still going to Ember Island in the summer. Just you and me." He pecked her nose gently. She let out a breath and nodded her head. The one thing she could do was trust him. "I love you," he whispered before pressing his lips gently to her forehead, "Now let's go mingle so I can take you back to the palace, the turtle ducks are hungry." He teased making (Y/N) let out a giggle.

"We’d be horrible parents if we left those poor dears starving," she winked before following him toward a group of people to talk with.

People fawned over Zuko, like they always did, and he accepted it with such humility. Instead of allowing people to talk about him and his accomplishments as a young Fire Lord, he would turn the discussion on others, asking them about their businesses, their family, aspirations in life, all of it. He didn't just nod his head and deafly listen, instead he would ask questions about their answers, or follow up with a story of his own to relate, letting them know he was thoroughly listening to them. He was a caring Fire Lord and (Y/N) couldn't help but fall in love with him more and more. Zuko was a natural at being the lead of the Nation and she knew it had a lot to do with his past and what shaped him into the man he was today, the wonderful, compassionate, handsome man.

"So Fire Lord Zuko," one of the elderly woman interrupted a conversation about farming in the outer parts of the Fire Nation, "it has been almost a year hasn't it?" She asked, gesturing to (Y/N) and him. "Any thoughts about the future? You know those single women are getting restless about if this is serious or not." The woman winked and (Y/N)'s body stilled. She couldn't believe this woman was implying that their relationship wasn't serious. Zuko, seemed a bit taken aback by her question as well, clearing his throat several times.

"I'm not sure what that means, Ume," Zuko responded diplomatically, "I can assure you though, I will not be getting rid of Miss (Y/N) here, anytime soon," he wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her closer, producing a blush onto her cheeks.

"Ah, young love," Ume fawned, "I'll have to tell my granddaughter that there's no chance then," she playfully pouted before turning her attention to the other ladies who were gushing over Zuko's declaration.

With the distraction, Zuko leaned toward (Y/N) pressing his lips to her ear, "let's find Uncle and then get out of here." She nodded desperately and allowed him to lead her toward the back of the shop, where Iroh was talking with one of his workers with delight.

"The earnings tonight will carry us into next month and we'll make a large profit in no time! Your hard work has been greatly appreciated, Iruna," Iroh complimented, "you can leave for the night, go enjoy your evening with your family." The woman bowed gratefully and rushed out the door before Iroh could change his mind. When the General caught Zuko's form in the corner of his eye, his smile grew, brightly. "Fire Lord Zuko!" He wrapped his nephew into a deep hug. When they released Zuko returned his arm to (Y/N)'s waist. "How did your meeting with the council go? Did you get their approval?" Zuko nodded his head and his Uncle grinned. "Wonderful! The future of the Fire Nation is looking bright!"

"Uncle, we were just coming over to give our congratulations. I'm going to go take (Y/N) to dinner at the Palace, if you don't mind." Iroh shook his head and began shooing them toward the door.

"Go enjoy your evening. One year together is a great feat for anyone, celebrate!"

With quick goodbyes and hugs, (Y/N) and Zuko made their way to the Palace. It was a nice evening out and neither complained about walking side by side back.

"I can't believe it's been a year," Zuko said after a few minutes of silence. "It feels like it's been a couple of weeks," he confessed. "I know I've been busy, but I feel like everything in the Palace is still so new since you changed it up. I'm still finding small details you've added, like the dragon carvings inside my wardrobe, or the flames painted inside of the sconces." (Y/N) smiled at her boyfriend.

"Good, that means I've done my job properly, each day should feel like a fresh one inside of your home." Zuko chuckled and pulled her closer as they walked. "I can't believe it's been a year either. So much has happened in such a little time. We went from client, decorator, to fighting the council on if I was a proper courtship for you, to dealing with the public about my true intentions, to meeting your friends, becoming friends with your friends, and now we're at a year." She reminisced. They had definitely hurdled over many obstacles in their relationship, but nothing stopped them from being together. There was never a doubt over their feelings for each other.

"I'm interested to see what our future looks like," Zuko's voice was soft. (Y/N) nodded and they returned to their comfortable silence as they walked toward the Palace.

When they arrived, Zuko had everything already prepared. Dinner in the garden was a sweet little picnic full of food. It was their favorite foods and desserts piled onto a maroon blanket placed nicely next to the pond. (Y/N) was ecstatic at the site and leaned over to her boyfriend, pecking him on the cheek affectionately before grabbing his hand and walking with him toward the spot.

After their dinner outside in their garden, (Y/N) was kneeled next to the pond, playing with the turtle ducks while Zuko walked around. She didn't say anything, but he seemed to be on edge after the food and she wondered if maybe something hadn't sat right with him. To help ease his tension, she tried humming a bit, pretending it was for the turtle ducks, when in fact, she knew he enjoyed her tunes as well. He had said it reminded him of his mother the first time he caught her doing it.

Zuko turned to look at her, while her attention was on the duck, he couldn't believe he was lucky enough to have been with such an amazing and beautiful woman. While he was annoyed at the question Ume had asked during the tea shop's opening, he was also grateful because it gave him a chance to set the boundary that (Y/N) wasn't going anywhere. He was in love with her.

"General Iroh's shop looked wonderful," he complimented her softly as he walked behind her, leaning against the tree that hung over the pond. She looked up at him and grinned before turning her focus back to the pond.

"Thank you, I'm glad you think so, I really hope people enjoy it and it helps Iroh's business out."

"People weren't able to keep their eyes off of the décor, (Y/N)," Zuko said, trying to let her know that she didn't have to be modest.

"I guess that's true…I did have a woman come up and ask me to take a job with her in Ba Sing Se, I already have a job there next month with that Nobleman's wife, I'm sure getting both done at once would be great." Her voice proud as she discussed her business, another thing Zuko couldn't help but adore about her. "However," her tone turned playful, "I could do without the 'Palace Decorator' silliness I keep hearing," she teased.

"That's what you are," he joked back, "no one else on this planet will ever be allowed to touch the Palace while I'm Fire Lord, I might as well let everyone know that now," he poked fun, "though, if you don't like that title…" he began, reaching into his pocket while she was still looking into the pond, "I'm sure a promotion is in order." He pulled out the object he had been carrying around all night, holding it just perfectly that the light glinted onto the golden surface.

Not seeing this action, (Y/N) snorted out a laugh, "A promotion? Oh come on Zuko, there's not much else I can get promoted to," she turned to look at him as she spoke, "other than the--" that's when her eyes caught the object in his hands and all words escaped her. Her mouth formed into an O, all amusement washed away.

"Fire Lady?" He asked, attempting to keep his voice level as he held up the royal headpiece typically worn by the Fire Lady.

(Y/N)'s eyes darted between Zuko and the crown, attempting to decipher if he was joking or not.

"Zuko, you can't be serious…" her voice low and filled with uncertainty as she spoke her thoughts out loud. He couldn't actually be implying this.

"Dead serious," he said, taking a step toward her, still holding the piece in his hand as he did. "I want to spend every day with you, go back to our room after a long day and relax with you, redecorate the Palace every single year with you, make fun of the Sages with you, dance every night with you,, all of it...with you." He whispered. "There's nothing I've been more sure of in my entire life. Which isn't saying much, since it's been filled with more than enough uncertainty, but you…" he finally reached her, "are the only certainty I've ever known."

"Me? Fire Lady?" She looked down at his chest, unable to focus on his molten eyes or the crown in his hand. "I…" All logic escaped her forcing her to dig through her mind and figure out a reason behind all of this. "The Sages, they'll never agree to it."

"They already did, this afternoon," his tone calm and collected. He knew this was a shock to her, it was a shock to him, but he had known that he wanted this since the first time she smiled at him and giggled.

"That's what your meeting was about?" Her eyes darted up to him, surprised at this revelation. It wasn't some meeting about the nation, it was to get their approval on her being Fire Lady. Then Iroh's words rang in her head.

Knowing my nephew, it must be important, he'd come up with any reason not to meet with the Sages.

How did your meeting with the council go? Did you get their approval?

The future of the Fire Nation is looking bright.

Iroh knew.

"(Y/N), am I just going to hold this thing all night, or are you going to say yes?" Zuko teased as he watched her try to reason through everything in her mind.

She took a deep breath and looked up at him. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that she loved this man more than anything in the world and here he was before her, asking her to spend the rest of his life with her. It was everything she had ever hoped, but still somehow felt like such a dream.

"You didn't ask me," she smiled up at him, her tone completely void of panic now.

"(Y/N), my love, my Palace decorator," he winked causing her to giggle, "marry me. Become the Fire Lady that this nation, this world, needs, the Fire Lady I need." Resting his forehead against hers, he smiled.

"Yes," she whispered and immediately his lips slanted over hers, pulling her into an intense kiss. After a few moments, they separated slightly, catching their breaths, when he placed the crown into the half topknot she had luckily decided to wear that day.

"I love you," he purred into her ear, before placing a chaste kiss on her temple.

"I love you too Fire Lord Zuko," she giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Fire Lord Zuko and Fire Lady (Y/N)," his goofy grin plastered across his face, "I like the sound of that." Before she could respond, Zuko captured her lips with his again.

(Y/N) couldn't help but think back to what Zuko had said earlier that night:

I'm interested to see what our future looks like.

She couldn't agree more.

Master List 

Tag List: @royahllty​ @mangoberry43​ @mrskeishasdead​ @taeeemin​ @blushbadger​ @shortmexicangirl​ @fire-lady-livi​ @jujugentle @nnon-it-up​

[innovationshealthwellness]

Don't Wish For It

http://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ad/2b/12/ad2b12bba16d8b9d5e729fdff21e37ec.jpg

Posted by Heather Parker – Work. #Fitness #Motivation #Inspiration

5 Pro Tips on How to Get Motivated to Workout

We’ve all experienced it at one time or another– a precipitous lack of motivation to work out. In this quick guide 15 top trainers, strength coaches and fitness superhumans stop by to share their best strategies for staying motivated to exercise.

Whatever your goals are in the gym you full well know the struggle: it’s minutes to go until you are supposed to hit the gym, and you feel any and all workout motivation plunging through the floor.

While every person’s level of ambition in what we want to achieve in the gym varies, we all experience the same difficulty in getting things going so that we get through the doors of the gym. We look at our fit friends on social media and their incessant #fitlife hash-tagging and gym selfies and wanna punch em, if only because they are at the gym and here we are, sitting on the couch wondering if crushing two bags of Doritos in one day is next level shame.

Luckily, today we got some serious back-up for you. 15 of the top trainers, strength coaches and fitness professionals stopped by to share their favorite tips and strategies for unleashing a bottomless pit of motivation to crush your workout routine.

1. DO IT YOUR WAY.

Social media can be a real son of a bee sting. Sure, it helps us stay in touch with friends and family, but it also shows us the endless trove of workout pictures from our gym addict friends, which tend to make us feel even worse about ourselves. And so we try to do what they do.

First mistake, bucko. Odds are you already know what works best for you.

“I think the most important part about motivating clients is to let them lead the conversation,” says Kelly Gibson, CPT, of Kelly Athletics.

“They know what works best for them, they just need someone to hear that they understand and support their beliefs. Once there is a mutual understanding, it is a good time to introduce clients to ideas of what foods and exercises might help them on their path.”

Remember: we all respond differently according to interests, exercise history, and everything else that goes into making us a special little snowflake. Embrace your individuality and stick with what you know that works instead of trying to emulate what someone else is doing.

2. WHAT YOU WANT VS. WHAT YOU WILL LOSE.

Much of the time we are motivated by fear. We don’t want to lose our health, our youth, our strength. And so we become very loss-averse instead of focusing on trying to achieve things.

Scott Abel, physique transformation specialist and weight-loss expert who has four decades of experience working with bodybuilders, pro athletes and figure competitors, emphasizes encouraging clients and athletes to pursue goals instead of trying to avoid the things they don’t want to have happen.

“The rationale is simple,” says Scott. “What you focus on, expands. So if you are always focusing on what you don’t want, you just manifest more of it that very thing.”

Instead of getting stressed out over negative goals, set yourself some positive targets and goals to dish out punishment on when you step into the gym and drop the hammer on your workout routine.

3. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE DOING THE STUFF YOU WANNA DO.

Like it or not, we are products of our environment. The friends we surround ourselves with end up influencing our actions and behaviors often far more than we are willing to give them credit for. This can be an awesome thing, or you know, be the other way around.

Dr. Joel Seedman, CSCS, ACSM, FMS, of Advanced Human Performance echoes this sentiment when it comes to choosing your coach or trainer.

“There’s nothing that stifles motivation more than a trainer who doesn’t care and lacks passion as this has a tendency to rub off on the client as well,” says Dr. Seedman.

“In contrast enthusiasm from the trainer and coach is very contagious and does wonders for sparking motivation from the client.”

We all have those friends who will tug at your sleeve and whisper, “It’s just one workout, what’s the big deal?” They might be fun to hang out with, but if you are looking to dial up your workouts it might be time to dial down the time you are spending with ‘em.

4. BUILD AN AWESOME SUPPORT CIRCLE PART 2.

Seriously, it’s crazy how much certain people in our lives can push in a certain direction.

Build an inner circle that is all positive, all caring, and all awesome. We are products of our environment.

“No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care,” says Mike Boyle, who for the past 30 years has worked with Olympians and pro athletes including players from the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins. “(As a trainer) if you want motivated athletes, care about them as people. Know their story, their why.”

Sounds good to me, Mike.

5. MOTIVATION COMES FROM OVERCOMING ADVERSITY.

If you are training on your own, make sure that you are constantly setting the bar just a little bit higher. Otherwise, you are inviting burnout and boredom.

Motivation, the white-hot, scorching type, comes from seeing your work pay off. From improvement. From overcoming challenges and limits.

Steve Whiteside, BA Kin, B. Ed, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, knows that the key to keeping his clients pumped up and interested over the long haul “involves an aspect of struggle.”

“It may be as simple as increasing the number of push-ups that can be accomplished in a set, going up in weight on a certain exercise or completing a tough metabolic challenge such as sprints,” says Steve.

“When the client completes the challenge, it becomes a high point in the workout and leaves them feeling hugely successful,” he adds.

“If they don’t, they’ve probably come close enough to keep them motivated to conquer it during the next workout. This ensures that each workout is a memorable and worthwhile experience, and that they are continually striving towards improvement.”

[potter-loves-malfoy]

you have a few favorites? They don't have to be brand new or anything. Just some that you love?

I have some new and some old! Also some Jeddy cuz I’ve been reading a whole lot of Jeddy lately, but I’ll put those in the end! Also, this is gonna be mostly smut because that's what I mostly read unless I’m in a very wholesome mood. This is gonna be long, like very long, I’m bad at picking favorites there are just too many (34 to be exact, apparently and this is the most I could narrow it down). (I also ran out of things to say because I remember loving those fics SO MUCH but I dont remember enough to give a “review”)

The Magic Cat by dot_the_writer

When Harry sees Draco Malfoy with painted nails and wearing an oversized jumper covered in cat fur, his obsession from school comes back in full force. Featuring supportive friends, cute cats and lots of Harry figuring out what he wants.

This one I read just this morning when my best friend asked me to rec her some hurt/comfort (hi Jess) and it’s my most recent favorite. Sooo cute!

A New Page by bixgirl1

Draco just wanted to find out what was up with Potter’s new attitude. Some light stalking, the discovery of a hidden diary, and a lot of wanking later, and he has some answers.

They’re just not the ones he expected.

(Things have changed since sixth year, folks. …Mostly.)

This one also, I read fairly recently and I mean @bixgirl1 fics, do I even need to say more?

The Tapestry of Kinship by khalulu 

Harry is at loose ends, Draco is good with needles, and Draco’s young daughter wants to see a certain tapestry repaired. The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black will never be the same.

Helix by Saras_Girl

Seven months after the end of the war, Harry is feeling lost. Fortunately, he is about to be offered an unexpected and sparkling chance to find himself again. [2014 advent fic]

Sanguis Vita Est by Shiguresan

Whilst Voldemort’s prisoner, Draco is made a vampire and forced to take Harry as his first meal. With Draco managing to resist the temptation to drain him, just barely, in a moment of blind rage at what he has been forced to become, he aids Harry in the destruction of Voldemort. But even with that threat vanquished, once back at Hogwarts, Draco finds himself disturbingly addicted to Harry’s blood. And amongst all this, a dark shadow looms ominously on the outline of the forest, watching them closely. A vampire!Draco story and also an ‘Eighth year’ story.

I read this ages ago but I remember hesitating before I started to read this because it’s 312k+ and I didn’t really read super long fics back then, but I loved this so much, also vampire!Draco is a good

Turn by Saras_Girl

One good turn always deserves another. Apparently.

My favorite execution of the “character’s life kinda sucks so character magically gets sent to an alternate universe” trope. Oh also, it’s part of a series

dirtynumbangelboy by magpie_fngrl

After Harry’s unfortunate encounter with his ex, Draco Malfoy makes him a proposition. Draco wants his parents to stop matchmaking him and Harry wants to make his ex jealous. All they need to do is simply pretend they’re in love. Problem is… Draco already is.

Again another amazing fake relationship fic!

Give Me Sweet Oblivion by tryslora 

Italy seems like a long way to go to keep a fetish secret. But the club is exclusive, and the far away location, and Muggle nature, promises anonymity from Wizarding Britain. The only problem is that sometimes, great minds think alike.

One of the actual hottest smut fics that I’ve read, recced to me by my friend @the-cellar-spiral Fun fact, we planned and failed to write a kind of sequel to this, we had @tryslora ‘s permission and everything, we just never really had time, but who knows maybe in the future.

Every Me and Every You by bixgirl1

Harry liked his life just fine, thankyouverymuch — so it was bad enough when a sly fairy cursed him to leap into alternate realities. But seeing Malfoy in all of them? Definitely way too much. And worse yet: needing the bastard’s help to figure out how to get out of of it.

It was a disaster waiting to happen, really.

Well… probably.

Another AMAZING alternate universe fic, using @magpiefngrl ‘s tumblr prompt AU’s as said alternate universes that Harry keeps going in and out of, which makes it 974957839 times better! Also Unspeakable!Draco, also the alternate realities are almost always sexual and it’s great

Dating for Dads in Denial by aibidil

In which one wizard designs and another reluctantly patronises a magical matchmaking service, amidst the chaos of children and parenting.

Since You Asked by Magnolia822

Newly retired Draco Malfoy writes an anonymous agony column for the Quibbler, for which he quickly gains a reputation for offering pithy, practical advice. His life is comfortably predictable until he receives a letter from a reader seeking a divorce from his wife of thirty years. The situation seems far too familiar … could the writer be the Savior himself?

Salty Sweet by Aelys_Althea

Draco was a Master. He’d always been one, but having a town of Muggles consider him as close to God’s gift as they would ever receive was certainly validating. Except it wasn’t enough. After years of settling, of conjuring masterpieces with his fingers and his prowess, Draco realised he needed a change.

How hard could it be to find an apprentice pâtissier that did what they were told? As it happened, doing ‘what was told’ was about the last thing on his inevitable prospect’s mind. Trust Harry Potter to be the one to turn Draco’s life upside down.

Moldova’s Magical Tea by aibidil

Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and—to everyone’s surprise—Draco Malfoy are opening a magical tea shop to revive wizarding tea culture and, hopefully, to bring the community together after the war. Harry, who is unemployed and trying to find his way in post-war society, wants to help his friends with their new business—but that means spending a lot of time around Malfoy. Featuring Muggle music from summer 2001, trips to the Muggle cinema, herbology and magical herbal infusions, and Draco trying to convince Harry that, while he’s still a snarky git, he’s no longer a bigot.

The Critiquer by dysonrules

When Harry submits his cock photo to a renowned Cock Critiquer and gets a terrible review, he decides to take a photography class to hopefully improve his skills.

Career Choices: Harry: Shiftless layabout; Draco: Cock Critiquer

But, In Dreams by kedavranox

Harry is a Seer, with a particular affinity for speaking to the dead, but this comes at a price he’s slowly killing himself to pay.

My Name Was Safest in Your Mouth by alpha_exodus

Harry didn’t ask for Malfoy to walk into his shop after so many years. But one event leads to another, and soon they’re scrambling to help Hermione find the solution to one of the most insidious viruses the wizarding world has ever seen. To make matters worse, Malfoy’s hiding something, and Harry really wants to kiss him—except Malfoy doesn’t date. Ever.

I Can’t Take It! by XxTheDarkLordxX

After the war, Draco Malfoy became an author. A best selling author whose books move the hearts of those who read them. Which wouldn’t be a problem for Ron if all of them weren’t about Harry! It was obvious to him that Malfoy was in love with his best friend but why was it that no one else seemed to think so? He was going to get to the bottom of this and get Harry to stop mooning over the blonde idiot at the same time. Perhaps, they just needed someone to come along and get them to fess up. For the safety of his own sanity, Ron was going to help Malfoy ensnare Harry. That is, if they can get along long enough not to kill each other.

The Full Monty by magpie_fngrl

Harry poses for a naked Auror calendar and Draco goes batshit crazy with lust.

Tea and No Sympathy by who_la_hoop

It’s Potter’s fault, of course, that Draco finds himself trapped in the same twenty-four-hour period, repeating itself over and over again. It’s been nearly a year since the unpleasant business at Hogwarts, and Draco’s getting on with his life quite nicely, thank you, until Harry sodding Potter steps in and ruins it all, just like always. At first, though, the time loop seems liberating. For the first time in his life, he can do anything, say anything, be anything, without consequence. But the more Draco repeats the day, the more he realises the uncomfortable truth: he’s falling head over heels for the speccy git. And suddenly, the time loop feels like a trap. For how can he ever get Harry to love him back when time is, quite literally, against him?

Moon-Eyed by loveglowsinthedark 

Draco Malfoy, Head of Veela Affairs at the Department of Magical Beings, does not do people favours.

Harry Potter, recently turned werewolf, is not “people” – not to Draco anyway.

Does Draco plan to fall in love with Harry when he decides to help him? No. Does he end up falling in love with him anyway? Pft, what do you think?

Adventures in Solitude (Are You There, Sirius? It’s Me, Draco) by oceaxe 

Draco is grateful to have had Sirius’ portrait to confide in all those years ago, about his sexuality and unwanted feelings for a classmate named Harry. But when he gets the portrait out of storage after twenty years, the secrets he has kept from Sirius all along come out. Secrets about Draco’s role in the war… and secrets about Harry Potter.

Proof of the Pudding by gracie137 

When Greg’s bakery opens on Diagon Alley, Draco doesn’t expect it to the place he ends up finding love, but then again Harry Potter had always ended up defying Draco’s expectations.

AKA: The One Where Gregory Goyle somehow ends up running both a bakery and a match making service.

The Rules of Matchbreaking by PalenDrome (nerdherderette)

For Prompt #51:When Draco gets fired, he reluctantly agrees to break up a girl’s relationship for her disapproving mother. Through word of mouth, the one-time gig turns him into a professional Matchbreaker, however he winds up falling for one of his clients and must somehow balance his secret job and love life.[excerpt]:“So who is it? The Curse-breaker and the Veela? The head of the Department of Magical Transportation?” Draco’s eyes lit up. “The Dragon-tamer?” Now that particular Weasley could be fun.

“No. It’s Harry,” Hermione said, the name exploding out of her in a rush.

Draco blinked, stunned into silence.

“Harry,” he said, after he recovered his faculties. “You want me to break up Harry and the Weaselette?!“

One Night at the Leaky by birdsofshore

Harry should have known better than to accept a drunken dare. Especially when Malfoy was sitting right there, looking like that and wearing those bloody tight trousers.

This is the very first Drarry fic I read, while trying to research dares for a seungchuchu fic I was writing at the time and it is the fic that made me ship Drarry and it will always hold a special place in my heart.

Ligabus Filium by Tessa Crowley (tessacrowley)

It should be careful, deliberate, but it isn’t. Like every other part of their relationship, it happens gradually and then all at once, before they even realize it. And when the little blue threads bind them together, there’s no going back.

The Printed Press by Soupy_George

Draco Malfoy was still slightly amazed that he was standing on the doorstep of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. He never would have thought that Harry Potter’s very public and very … sweary, emotional explosion would have led to him offering Draco, of all people, a job.

All Life is Yours to Miss by Saras_Girl

Professor Malfoy’s world is contained, controlled, and as solitary as he can make it, but when an act of petty revenge goes horribly awry, he and his trusty six-legged friend are thrown into Hogwarts life at the deep end and must learn to live, love and let go.

Foundations!verse by Saras_Girl

Reparations by Saras_Girl

Harry is about to discover that the steepest learning curve comes after Healer training, and that second chances can be found in unexpected places.

Foundations by Saras_Girl

When one door closes, another one opens – with a bit of a push. Life, love, and complications. [sequel to Reparations]

So this was included in my healer!Harry rec list but this series is just so good also it has way too many fics in the series for me to link to all of them but once you read the two main fics there’s no way you’re not gonna wanna read the one-shots that come with the series as well.

Are You Mine? by gracerene

A trilogy of fics set in an Epilogue-Compliant Harry Potter ‘Verse, with various accompanying time-stamps and one-shots. Fics are in chronological order.

Not Just When You Want to Be by gracerene

A little over a year after the end of the war, fate seems intent on pushing Harry and Draco together. Staying together is a different matter entirely.

What I’m Waiting to Find by gracerene

James has devoted the past two years to being the best damn Chaser that Puddlemere United has ever seen…and to getting over his teenage crush on Teddy. But when Teddy comes back to England after a long stint abroad, James’s resolve to move on is put to the test.

All of the Time by gracerene

Twenty-five years later, Harry and Draco find their way back to one another.

I read this one fairly recently as well and this is definitely one of my all-time favorite series, the first and third fics are Drarry and the second is Jeddy. I honestly love this so much that I lowkey want to go find @gracerene09 down and thank her for writing such an amazing series. Oh fair warning though, the first fic made me ugly cry and opened a wound that only the third fic could heal so you know, prepare yourself. There are also accompanying oneshots that are also v amazing!

This Must Be the Place by aibidil

When your dad is Harry Potter, your face shows up in Teen Witch, your social media videos go viral, and sometimes your life depends on pretending to date your metamorph godbrother, whom you’ve been over for years, thank you very much. Or, the one where James and Teddy do animal yoga and risqué karaoke and their families could do with seeing fewer videos of them snogging.

I’m a sucker of the fake relationship trope and @aibidil wrote this sooo beautifully

The Hidden Side by gracerene

Twenty years ago today, James Sirius Potter was born into this world. Four years, two months, and six days later, somebody took him.

Oh god this, THIS Auror!Teddy is one of my favorite Teddy’s. Also super intriguing plot and still quite a few unexpected twists even though the biggest revelation you guess/know pretty early on. Oh and background drarry!

[jovialyouthmusic]

Uneasy Lies the Head

Follow up to Royal Romance AU Fanfic ��Charlotte’s Choice’

Drake, Kiara and Bastein travel to Monte Carlo to find Drake’s sister Savannah

7 Monaco

Two days after Kiara had offered to help Drake look for his sister in Monaco, Bastien sent word that he had a solid lead. Drake already had a bag packed, and he sent word to Kiara that they could leave as soon as she was ready.

They met at the courtyard in front of the Palace, and Charlotte made sure to be there to say goodbye. Kiara arrived by car and transferred almost immediately into one of the Palace Guard’s SUVs. She got into the back while the driver put her bags in the boot, and Drake held Charlotte tight before kissing her on the cheek and pulling back to look at her. Her eyes were welling up with tears and she gave him a weak smile.

‘You take care Drake Walker, and come back to me’ she said ‘I’ll be counting the hours. I hope you find Savannah and bring her back safe – tell her whatever the reason she left, she’ll always have a place at the Palace – or anywhere else she wants to stay’

‘Believe me, I don’t want to spend any more time than I have to away from you’ Drake reassured her ‘I’ll be as quick as I can, and hopefully we can take Savvy to Texas with us before the wedding’ He scanned her face, committing every pore to memory to sustain him for their separation. ‘Goodbye Charlie, I’ll be thinking of you, my sweet Princess – Queen of my Heart’

‘My darling’ said Charlotte, blowing him a kiss before he got into the front passenger seat, and the car drew away.

Drake spoke for a while with the driver over details of the journey. Bastien had followed a lead and pinned down his sister’s possible location to Monte Carlo. Monaco was not a cheap place to live, so somebody must be supporting her, he thought – or was she working there? His mind had run rampant with ideas of her in a casino as a croupier, or a maid in one of the luxury hotels – or a cleaner or maid to some eccentric billionaire.

Kiara seemed restless, and when they stopped for a comfort break, as he was about to get back in the front passenger seat, she caught his arm.

‘Monsiuer – Duke Walker, it would be better if you sat in the back with me, n’est ce pas? We need to discuss our options, how to approach your sister, think of what circumstances she might be living under’ Drake swallowed, looking at her small hand gripping his forearm – she let go under his gaze. ‘But if you do not want to – your fiancée made it plain that she mistrusts me’ He gave her a faint smile.

‘Very well Kiara. I’ll sit with you, and we can lay down some ground rules’ He got in and they sat apart on the back seat. He left down the privacy screen that separated them from the driver. She smiled as they set off again.

‘It is much more comfortable in the back, is it not?’ she said

‘There’s certainly more leg room than I expected’ he said. He half turned to her ‘Kiara, I know I had quite a reputation before the social season. Let me tell you, since I was accepted onto the list of suitors, there’s been no other woman in my mind or my affections than Charlotte.’ Kiara’s expression was unreadable – as a diplomat she had most certainly learned to hide her feelings.

‘Mais Oui, I understand. You never seemed to be fixed on any particular lady in the court – or out of it. I observed that you were always close to her Majesty.’ Drake let out his breath.

‘Charlotte shouldn’t be afraid that I’ll go back to my old ways’ he said ‘She always held my heart, but when I realised she might marry someone else – well I realised she was the only one I wanted’ Kiara nodded.

‘Anyone can see how devoted you are to her, Monsieur. I hope some day to discover someone who finds me as desirable.’ She locked eyes with him, and he cleared his throat.

‘Good, then we understand each other. Now, let’s talk about what we’re going to do when we get to Monte Carlo. You’ve been there a lot, so I hope you’ll be able to guide Bastien and myself’ The rest of the journey was spent going over details and working out what they would do in different scenarios. Kiara smoothed things over passing over the border, and they were soon in Monte Carlo, cruising the seafront overlooking the marina that was overflowing with luxury yachts.

They parked in a multi story carpark attached to their four star hotel and went inside to meet Bastien in the restaurant for lunch. It afforded a spectacular view across the harbour, and soft music played, the sunlight offset by air conditioning. The decor was understated but every detail screamed luxury, and nothing was plastic that did not need to be – the tabletops were marble, the chairs ergonomically designed for maximum comfort whilst facilitating good posture. The table settings were elegant and fresh flower decorations graced every surface that was not designated for eating. A few other tables were taken and there was a low hum of conversation.

The guard stood to greet them and Drake noted that he looked in much better health. They sat and started to look over the menu. Drake wrestled with the selection, dismayed at the complexity and range of what was available, and the fact that most of it was in French. Despite all his years of living in the Palace he was still a man of simple tastes thanks to his commoner parents. Kiara looked at him sideways, and put the menu down, summoning a waiter.

‘I think we will order a selection of panini’ she said ‘no need to overcomplicate things, n’est ce pas?’ Drake nodded thankfully and Bastien smiled – he too was not accustomed to fancy food.

Despite their simple order, the food was presented impeccably and accompanied by a delicate salad. Drake wished he had put in an order for French fries and discovered that Kiara had thought of that too, as a second waitress came across with another tray. He was hungry, and they had all eaten half of what was there before they started the discussion.

‘Your Grace – Walker’ started Bastien, looking at Kiara to ascertain how informal he should be ‘We’ve tracked Savannah down to an apartment complex overlooking the harbour, only a short distance away. We’ve watched her to find out her daily routine.’ He held Drake’s gaze ‘She doesn’t venture out often, but she seems to have regular visitors, most of whom are male’ Drake swallowed, his mind racing, but remained silent. Kiara’s face was still unreadable. ‘She has the services of a maid, and her visitors are well presented – wealthy and respectable’

‘What are you trying to say, Bas?’ asked Drake ‘You’re missing out something’ Bastien’s expression changed, and he reached out to put his hand on Drake’s.

‘I’m sorry Walker, there is no easy way to say this - it appears your sister is a high class escort.’ He heard Kiara’s sharp intake of breath, and he pressed his fingers to his forehead, suddenly no longer hungry, his food lying like a stone in his stomach. His baby sister – how had she ended up like this?

‘Have you – does she know she’s being watched? Have you contacted her?’ he said in a slightly strangled voice. Bastien drew his hand back.

‘I don’t believe she knows we have found her, no. I thought it best to leave any contact until your arrival, though we are watching her round the clock in case she moves.’

‘How long – when did you find out?’ Drake asked, drawing his fingers down over his jaw, his head spinning. The idea of his sister entertaining men for money – his heart cracked, knowing it was his fault – she had left because he had not paid enough attention to her, been too preoccupied to notice any signs that she was unhappy.

‘A couple of days ago’ the guard replied ‘I thought it best to tell you in person’ Drake let out his breath.

‘How do you think we should handle this? I have to talk to her, but she obviously doesn’t want to see me or she’d have been in touch before’ Bastien shifted uncomfortably.

‘I think we should set up a meeting as if she has a new client who wants to meet up, see if they are compatible. Lady Kiara, what is your opinion on the matter?’

‘Does she have anyone watching her apart from us?’ she looked at Drake apologetically ‘for want of a better term, a pimp?’ Drake’s lunch threatened to make a reappearance and he felt the colour drain from his face. Bastien remained calm.

‘No, she appears to run her affairs independently from what we can tell.’ He said in a level tone.

‘In that case, mes amis, we should get her to come here, to this hotel, invite her for an evening meal, then it is neutral territory. We need the request to be credible, her client must be wealthy and respectable, and have no obvious link with Cordonia’ She rummaged in her handbag for her phone. ‘As it happens, I have a good friend here – a diplomat, who lives here. May I contact him?’ Drake looked at Bastien, who nodded.

‘By all means Lady Kiara, please do’ She attended to the screen, and held the phone to her ear.

‘Pascalle? Bonjour, it has been a while.’ She dropped into French, and Drake frowned at her. She nodded, and changed to English. In a few moments, she had arranged for her friend to contact Savannah and there was nothing to do but sit back and wait.

Drake checked into his room, which he was pleased to see was a good distance away from Kiara’s, and next to the twin room Bastien shared with one of his men. The guard’s room was being used as a base of operation for his team of four people – himself, Lewis, the driver and Jones, whom Drake did not know well but was obviously a trusted member of Bastien’s crew. The guards had two twin rooms while he and Kiara had singles. He found it comforting that his room, despite being more than adequate in size, only sported a single bed and had a balcony overlooking the marina and the terrace bar below. Kiara’s room was on the other side of the corridor and he speculated that she did not have a sea view.

It wasn’t long before Kiara knocked on his door to let him know that her friend had made contact, and that fortuitously Savannah had agreed to meet him that night. He had arranged to hire a suite at the same hotel and would set the room up as if dinner were to be served, and they would pay the bill. Under instruction from Bastien, he was to welcome her in and he, Drake and Kiara would wait in the adjoining bedroom to emerge once she had entered and settled. Lewis would be in the corridor outside in case she attempted to leave, though Drake hoped she would not.

Later that evening, the three of them gathered in the suite, which was far more luxurious than the rooms any of them had. The table had been set at the window overlooking the sea view. Kiara greeted her friend with a kiss to both cheeks. He was tall, tanned and handsome, with an air of gravitas.

‘Pascalle, merci beaucoup for helping us. This is mademoiselle’s brother, Duke Drake Walker, and this is Mr Lykel, head of the Cordonian Royal Guard.’ Pascalle shook hands with the two men.

‘I would appreciate it if this matter is kept strictly in confidence, Mr…’ Bastien asked

‘Le Chanterelle’ he replied ‘Of course, I am always discrete. After all, once the marriage has taken place, Mademoiselle will be sister in law to the Queen of Cordonia, n’est ce pas?’

‘Indeed’ agreed Bastien. ‘I hope that Mademoiselle Walker will return to Cordonia to be with her brother after we have confronted her, and this matter will remain undiscovered’ The three of them had discussed keeping Drake’s identity and his sister’s secret, but his face was getting better known, and Kiara assured them that Pascalle was very discreet.

‘She will be here soon – please, go into the other room, I will be ready to welcome her’ The three trooped into the bedroom, and Kiara sat on the edge of the bed. She looked calm, and Bastien was focussed – but Drake felt terrible. His heart thudded in his chest and his stomach churned. What would Savannah’s reaction be? Would she be pleased to see him – or angry – or sad? He had no idea, and he paced the room.

Bastien put his hand up, indicating that something was happening. He stood stock still, holding his breath, and listened. Bastien had heard the knock – now the door opened, and there was the murmur of voices. Drake squeezed his eyes shut as he heard his sister’s voice, the words indistinct but the tone unmistakeable, light and friendly. Bastien stood by the door listening intently, and it seemed an age before he made another signal. Drake heard footsteps approaching the door, and Pascalle opened it.

‘Monsieur’ he said quietly, and waved Drake through. In a dream he walked into the room. Savannah stood looking out of the window, dressed alluringly in a clinging silver gown, floor length but slit to the thigh. She had her back to him and her shoulders were bare. He cleared his throat.

‘Savvy’ he said simply, and she whirled, a look of surprise and panic on her face. Her legs crumpled under her and he shot forward to support her before she hit the ground.

‘D-Drake – what are you doing here?’ she gasped ‘How did you find me? Did Anton send you?’ Drake gritted his teeth at the hated name.

‘Savvy’ he said softly ‘Why did you leave? Why didn’t you come to me? I’d do anything for you, you should know that’ She pulled away from him and bolted for the door in panic, only to have Bastien beat her to it, barring her way. She stumbled back and looked wildly around for support, collapsing onto a nearby chair. She buried her face in her hands and began to weep. Kiara entered quietly and pulled up a chair next to her. She put her hands on her back, soothing her as she sobbed and shuddered.

‘Depeche toi, mon amie’ she said quietly ‘It’s alright, we came to help you. Tell us what happened’ Savannah continued to sob, and Pascalle came out of the other room to excuse himself and leave.  Drake gestured for Kiara to move away, and took her place, bending to her level to coax Savannah into calming down.

‘Savvy, whatever it is, it’s okay. I just want to help you – I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you. Please forgive me. We can work things out, I promise.’ The young woman’s sobs slowed, and Bastien handed her a handkerchief. She sat up a little, blowing her nose and wiping her eyes. Drake put his hand on her shoulder. ‘Little sis, please..’ She sniffled and sat up straight.

‘What must you think of me?’ she said, pulling her split skirt over her knees to hide her legs ‘I had to find something – some way of supporting myself, and Anton said – it wasn’t shameful, that lots of women do it…’ Drake inwardly cursed Anton, and balled his fists furiously. He took a deep breath and kept his voice calm.

‘What has Anton got to do with this Savvy – what did he – did he touch you?’ A note of aggression crept into his voice and he breathed deep again, closing his eyes. She turned to him as he opened them again, tears still brimming over.

‘Anton – he was so sweet, he found me, helped me when…’ she broke into sobs again, and Kiara brought her a glass of water, crouching in front of her.

‘Mon ami, we’re here to help you. Tell us what happened – start from the beginning. You asked me to teach you French, you must have had something planned’ Savannah looked at her and smiled weakly after taking a few sips of water.

‘Thankyou Kiara. You were always a good friend’ she looked up at Drake ‘I couldn’t tell you Drake, you’d have been so ashamed of me’ He took her hand and squeezed it.

‘Tell me Savvy – it’s killing me not knowing.’

‘You’ll be angry’ she said quietly

‘I promise to stay calm’ he said ‘Please Savvy…’ She sniffled again and blew her nose.

‘I – I was pregnant, Drake’ He closed his eyes and swallowed his feelings even as they bubbled up. Not anger, not with her – disappointment that she hadn’t told him. Yes, anger now – at whoever it was that had seduced his baby sister. She had barely been eighteen when she left. He breathed deep and when he spoke he could barely make himself heard.

‘Who, Savvy – who was it?’ She hiccupped and squeezed his hand tight before whispering

‘Duke Beaumont.’ His abused stomach was in ruins, and he could barely trust himself to speak.

‘Maxwell? Maxwell made – made you pregnant?’ She gasped as she heard his cracked voice.

‘No, no, not Maxwell – Bertrand’ His eyes flew open in astonishment ‘He – was always so kind to me – so patient, and one night – things just happened. I loved him so much, Drake. When I found out, I went to tell him, but – he wouldn’t listen, told me it was all a big mistake, that we couldn’t do it again, I should forget it ever happened.’ She looked down at her hands ‘Then I planned to run away, asked Kiara to teach me French – it wasn’t much but then – then I met Anton’

‘Anton?’ Drake half growled, overwhelmed already but needing to know the whole story. His head span and he heard her speak from a great distance.

‘Yes, I was crying in the garden at one of the balls, and Anton found me. You know, he’d only recently come to court after his father died. He asked me what was wrong, and offered to help me. He – he brought me here, and I was – was going to have the baby. He said he’d look after it like it was his own – he was so kind, Drake.’ She started crying again, and he held her tight as this time he could hear her tears were different, that there was something else she had to tell him.

‘Savvy, Savvy, you can tell me.’ He crooned. ‘I’ll make it better, I promise I’ll be a proper brother to you. I’ll never forgive myself for not being there for you’

‘You – I couldn’t tell you, you’d have been so disappointed’ she sobbed ‘But – but Drake – oh Drake’ she sobbed again, shoulders shaking and the next thing she said was a whisper ‘I lost the baby’ Drake’s heart dropped into his stomach and he thought he had never felt so much pain.

‘Savvy - I’m so, so sorry. You should have – why – why didn’t you tell me?’ He was fighting back hot tears, his voice breaking and Bastien watched them, his face sombre.

‘Anton said – he said you were busy, that you’d disown me’

‘Never Savvy, I’d never do that to you. Dad died – Mum left us – I’d never let you down, you should know that – we – that I…we’re family’ He choked, unable to go on, letting her go. Savannah straightened up and took a deep breath, her voice clear and strong.

‘Anton was so kind, he paid for the flat I was living in. But – I couldn’t go on like that, I had to find another way to live – so – so I did – this’ Drake gritted his teeth.

‘Did Anton make you do this?’ he asked grimly.

‘No Drake, no’ she said, gulping her tears back ‘He said he’d keep me, but – I couldn’t let him, I wanted to be independent. After all, it wasn’t him who made me – whose baby it was’ Tears fell again and she looked away from him, her voice falling to a whisper again ‘It was a little boy’

Drake stood, his hands balled into fists, wishing Bertrand was in front of him right now – or perhaps not, he didn’t think he could trust himself. He felt Bastien’s presence beside him, waiting for him to pull the shattered pieces of himself together.

‘Walker’ he said quietly, putting his hand onto his shoulder, and he felt grounded – like he did with Charlotte, with Sultan. He drew a shuddering breath.

‘Savvy, you don’t have to do this any more. Come back with us, Charlotte told me to tell you you’re welcome.’ Savannah looked at him, a smile starting to form on her lips.

‘What about Anton?’ she said ‘You can’t believe he did all the dreadful things they’re accusing him of’

@ao719 @agent-bossypants @andy-loves-corgis @sleepwalkingelite @boneandfur @blackcatkita @brightpinkpeppercorn @choicescommunity @darley1101 @drakewalkerrosenberg @debramcg1106 @fluffy-marshmallow-heart @goirishsunshine @gardeningourmet @livingthroughchoices @likethetailofacomet @mrs-nazario @mind-reader1 @ooo-barff-ooo @silviasutton1989 @speedyoperarascalparty @zaffrenotes @missevabean @mrsdrakewalkerblog @cora-nova @missameliep @tanelle83 @endlessly-searching-for-you @jlouise88 @drakenazario @tabithacarlisle @furiousherringoperatortoad @notoriouscs @classylady1234 @wickedgypsymoon @carabeth @choices-fangirl @indiana-jr @indiacater @noey718-blog @katedrakeohd @bobasheebaby @annekebbphotography @kennaxval @sirbeepsalot @drakeandcamilleofvaltoria @aworldoffandoms @iplaydrake @drakesensworld @drakewalkerisreal @samcpossum @melodyofgraves

[architectuul]

Form Follows Flow

Ooze architects were founded in 2003 by Eva Pfannes and Sylvain Hartenberg. They are based in Rotterdam and work internationally for different municipalities, property developers, arts and cultural institutions and private clients. 

Eva Pfannes and Sylvain Hartenberg at the Sitio Burle Marx presentation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Photo © Rodrigo

With Eva and Sylvain we discussed how they combine understanding of natural processes with technological expertise either in temporary art works or regional urban strategies. The cyclic closed-loop processes found in nature are the foundation for each intervention of Ooze’s work.

Ooze (üz) is a soft deposit on the bottom of a body of water, a marsh or bog that results from the flow of a spring. Let the water flows begin.

---

What is a role of an architect today?

Sylvain: There are many different levels of practicing architecture. The future architect is a mediator, integrator of social, built and financial processes. The role of the architect is expanding and becoming linked to financial issues, to heal specific community or social context and remediate broken urban fabrics.

Eva: In the past lots of project strings happened separately. There architect, developer, landscape architect, engineer, water engineer was separated but with the climate changes we need to integrate all experts together and make solutions that works. If we separated it, many cities prove the social or financial suffering.

In which sense visualize the processes?

Eva: To visualize the processes means to visualize the unbuilt for. As working with water, we could say that Form Follows Flow. These flows in urban environments are mostly hidden under the ground. The more modern society has become the more hidden are its processes. With all the question how can we live more sustainable and in harmony with the planet, we need to visualize and understand those processes and how we can work with them. That’s where we also see our role to visualize processes and then use them to connect them to many complex parts.  

Diagram visualization for the project The City of 1000 Tanks. | Source © Ooze

In a way you need to invent your own approach? Like your system-thinking on the practical base?

Sylvain: Both of us have a more standard (European) German and French education but also studied in Bartlett UCL London where we learn to work with the narrative and process. The hybrid between these two is what we are doing in our practice now. We try to address much bigger and important issue and to bridge and question what is really needed in specific situation.

So, it depends a lot about the education?

Eva: When we start working on an art piece with Marjetica Potrč, we start with the intact research of the context. This way of working we developed intuitively. It was not something that we learn in school but part we learn by doing. Right now, we are working on an urban strategy and implementation project The City of 1000 Tanks in India where we very much getting into the financing of projects.

Between Waters in collaboration with Marjetica Potrč. | Photo © Hans Blossey

A simple diagram was created in a real scale on the location. | Photo © Bas Princen (up) © Roman Mensing (down)

How you deal with the project funding?

Eva: We can take the example of the Rio de Janeiro, where we were very much self-driven by the idea if there is possible to realize a project because there is no sewage system, especially on vulnerable parts of the city. We were driven by the idea that it must be possible to integrate nature that this locally becomes the treatment of the polluted water. After four years of investigations research production of pilot projects and events, we finally understood that we could not operate outside the system of public works. Although those services are not provided in the zone we were operating in, when we talk about water and sewage we need to get engaged with the public realm. Tendering processes are protected, concessions are given after a long time, like ten years in advance. Innovation in this area is incredibly difficult. To find funding as well is very long term.

How can you survive?

Sylvain: Only when you are supported by the government program or heavy weight stakeholders. That’s the case of the project in India with the Dutch Ministry of the Foreign Affair as a client. In such way you have access to financial mechanism and you can deal with the big scale reality. In the project of Rio we were pioneers, supported only by the Dutch Creative Industry with no political anchorage nor local financial support except for the cultural institutions we partner for the various phase of the project.

Can a small-scale art project become a learning process?

Eva: Of course. With the given budget we realized that we become the clients and the contractors. In such way we take the risk but then you can also execute it with no one in-between. You learn how to lead it, so the learning process is not only for the users but also for the creators.

Diagram of The Pond Club in King's Cross London. | Source via © Ooze

How do you incorporate the natural environment into the urban areas?

Eva: The participatory process especially working with nature is very context related. You need to the people to make something that works for them and it is very important to listen before you come up with ideas.

Sylvain: In all our recent projects you can see how all our thinking is conceived by disturbing processes. As the eternal investment is driving the world, we kind of intrigue this crazy jungle. That makes our principle and activities dealing with the social.

When nature becomes a part of the planning process, how do you deal with unpredicted?

Eva: Look for example the Pond. The client wanted us to sign the contract where we agreed that the landscape would be beautiful. We declined this very subjective impression. Instead we took a part of the landscape and start to work as a contractor for the wild plants on the site. We started to interact with the client. In the begging was the earth, later the plants grew and created a new wildlife. It is important to communicate the narrative and people need to understand that nature cannot be always the same and predicted. In the case of the project of the Kings cross pond club, people for example would come back every two weeks to check the changing landscape.

The realization of The Pond Club in King's Cross. | Photo © John Sturrock

What is engineered nature? What is a difference between a natural and constructed wetland?

Eva: When we mentioned constructing wetlands people were thinking about a lake. Natural wetlands are everywhere where water meet the land. Many places of our cities used to be wetlands as floods are specific and can enrich the water and soil with oxygen, which then removes polluters from the water. The wetlands can clean the water and with engineering this you make a controlled environment. For example, the volume of water in the Pond could take care exactly of 163 swimmers per day. That is what nature can deal with. The same for a constructed wetland, a certain area of it can take care of the sewage waste of a certain number of people just by using and guiding the natural processes which exist in nature already.

The changing nature of The Pond in London. | Photo © John Sturrock

Sylvain: If for instance we would have put more mineral filters then we could change the volume of the water and the surfaces of filters. Nature reaches the goal so you need to understand these processes and replicate them.

What is important in a partnership with the local community? How do you create trust?

Eva: As for example on Agua Carioca we went into communities where we had connections. Somebody introduced us to the community. The next were interviews. We were listening to the people, which makes people empowered as this in favelas doesn’t happen very often. People were extremely aware of the environment because it was so close to them. The next step was invitation to the events. You come back again and again and again. That builds trust.

The excursion in the community of the Agua Carioca. | Photo © Rodrigo

Sylvain: For the project development is also important the identification of the spokesman in community.  

What about the trust in the commercial locations?

Eva: Yes, the Pond was not in the slum but in the middle of London. As everybody had access to the project, the community embraced it. They formed the group, which came up with the petition to keep the pond signed by 5000 people. From this number 1500 people left online message and 300 people talked about love.

Are your interventions systems of disobedience (it is not necessary to use chloride in water as the human body reacts to water)?

Eva: Our systems are about empowerment in a positive way. It is giving people the tools to understand the processes and deal with them. Project Between the Waters with Marjetica Potrč was a diagram of the water sewage treatment. Every part was visible, colorful and understandable. At the end we engage the people into trusting the different steps of natural base solution processes which manages to treat sewage and render it drinkable. the people could see all the steps and engage in this cycle by drinking the water at the last step of the filtration process. They could see and perceive the steps from urine to drinkable water, and that is what they would drink. This is how simple it is, it is the same how you treat the water. It is disobedience but also empowerment because you understand how simple is to get off the grid. A political act how to show people to live off the grid.  

[inifdfashiondesigning]

INIFD Fashion Designing Course in Jamnagar - Fashion Designer Course in Jamnagar

INIFD Fashion Designing Course in Jamnagar - Fashion Designer Course in Jamnagar

Are you in search of Fashion Design Course in Jamnagar? Then INIFD is the best place to pursue the fashion education.

INIFD is top Institute for the Fashion and Interior Course all over the world. Theory and practical both are taught at the International Institute of Fashion Design The World's biggest design education system.

INIFD spends significant time in Fashion Designing Course in Jamnagar and Interior Designing Course. To seek after the best schooling for Fashion Course, apply now at Fashion Designing Institute in Jamnagar and become proficient. Our showing offices, modernized focuses and top-notch assets are intended to take our understudies to a higher level.

Worldwide Institute of Fashion Design is one of the Top Fashion and Interior Design foundation on the planet for the understudies. Exceptionally Experienced Facilitators are here to offer the best instruction for Fashion Design Course. Understudies can learn other than Fashion Design, Interior Design and Jewelry Design at INIFD Institute Gujarat.

Fashion Design Course in Jamnagar offers training from fundamental to cutting edge level to work on the ability of planning. Proficient, prepared craftsmen and architects employees are exceptionally knowledgeable about their fields. After fruition of 4 years in the Fashion Design School one can become proficient Designer and 100 percent work situation is guaranteed by our establishment.

Understudies gets an amazing open door to grandstand at London Fashion Week, Lakme Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week. Understudies of SSC, HSC, BA, B.com, BSC and so on can apply to become proficient originator at INIFD College. We likewise offers training in Entrance tests arrangements for NIFT, NID and NATA. INIFD assumes a urgent part in forming our understudies to assist them with turning into the piece of the Fashion Industry.

Understudies can change over their secret ability into beneficial business by making imaginative architect outfit and frill during learning period. Fashion Designer Course in Jamnagar proposes every most recent idea and innovation is utilized to give best information to the fledglings students. A fashion planner makes clothing, including gowns, suits or dresses, shirt jeans, and top skirts, and embellishments like wristbands, rings, pieces of jewelry, tote, shoe, satchels and shoes, for clients.

Online meeting is likewise held with the renowned originator of the Fashion Industry. Figure out how to draw outline sketch, dresses, gems, portfolio, sketchbook, sewing garments, female figure, male figure, model pieces of clothing, textures cutting, representations and significantly more. Make your creative thoughts things and make it popular fashions in the design market. Individuals needs regular a new thing to wear to it won't be in consistently pattern and ever going to end.

The fashion planning course span is of four years. Profoundly qualified and very much experienced tutors are recruited to offer development level instruction. Best fashion planning school in Jamnagar for understudies to seek after top design related training. Present day instruments and programming are utilized to give most recent innovation schooling. Fashion Designer additionally make special things with the assistance of shading, texture and shapes.

After the culmination of preparing period one can incognito ability into benefit settling on choice. Along these lines, make recent fad design garments and make it pattern in the Fashion World. INIFD coaches assist each understudy with working on their secret gifts in the correct course for their brilliant future. Studios and Fashion Show are held for the possibility to feature the clothing made by the understudies.

INIFD additionally offer recognition and government course and after finishing guaranteed endorsement is given. The interest for the most popular trend is particularly in pattern so apply now for the learning Fashion Course. Fashion configuration is a craftsmanship in the event that you are tad intrigued, take affirmation for course now. Convert your ability into your profession and make the productive business.

[leyacer]

I finally finished sketching some of the others in this AU! I originaly planned to just draw the other half of the party, but I added Symonne because I wanted to draw her.

Just like last time, ideas and stuff under the cut!

Sorey, Mikleo, Lailah and Edna

General story stuff:

When it wasn’t known yet that Sorey was the Avatar, the few Air Nomads that had survived the genocide were hunted by the Fire Nation, just in case the Avatar had somehow survived as well. Thus, the Air Nomads went into hiding, barely even bending anymore just in case there were spies or bounty hunters.

Team recruitment order:

Start: Sorey + Mikleo

After leaving the North Pole, before the desert: +Edna +Dezel

After Serpent’s Pass: +Alisha

After the drill: +Rose

After the coup of Ba Sing Se: -Alisha

Before trek to the Fire Nation: +Zaveid +Lailah (in that order)

Day of Black Sun: -Dezel +/-Alisha

Alisha

A non-bender skilled at fighting with spears, she joined the military as soon as she became old enough to, and quickly gained a lot of respect amongst her comrades for her talent with the spear and her firm but kind heart.

Eventually, she gets sent to Ba Sing Se to help with the shortage of manpower. On the way there, she meets Sorey and his friends.

They part ways again after making their way to Ba Sing Se (and stopping the Fire Nation from conquering the city with a new drill), because they both have different things they need to do.

After some time working in the city, Alisha hears rumors about the mysterious Dai Li. Their public face seemed honorable enough, but the fearful way people talked about them made Alisha doubt them nonetheless. 

She starts an investigation in her spare time, and while investigating a certain lead, she runs into Sorey, Rose, Mikleo and Edna, who were also, in their own way, after the Dai Li.

They team up once again, discovering the source of the rumors and exposing the Dai Li for what they are to the Earth King after a battle with the leader of the secret service, Lunarre.

When Sorey and the others are about to split up for their own reasons, Alisha stays in Ba Sing Se, not only as a guard, but also to make sure the Dai Li case is wrapped up properly.

It isn’t, and she gets captured at the start of the coup, and doesn’t escape until Ba Sing Se has already fallen.

She doesn’t meet Sorey and the others again until the invasion on the Day of Black Sun.

Despite being 100% fine with being a non-bender herself, as she is very proud of and confident in her fighting skills, she still gets easily amazed by others bending.

After Alisha found out Sorey was the Avatar, Edna almost tricked her into paying to see Sorey bend multiple elements at once (they hadn’t been in battle together before this).

“What, we could use the money!”

Rose

She lived most of her life in a village near the western coast of the Earth Kingdom, but when that got destroyed by the Fire Nation army, she and other villagers decided to flee to Ba Sing Se.

This is four years before the main story takes place.

Although the villagers felt fine living there protected by enormous walls, Rose couldn’t stand the atmosphere and general culture and left the city after a year.

She still visits the villagers every now and then when she’s in the city again.

To make a living, she took up a job smuggling people who somehow couldn’t get inside the city the normal way.

At first she only acted as an escort from the havens to the city, but in time that escort job went beyond the walls.

She got caught the first time she smuggled people in, but, after escaping, she found better ways to do her job and didn’t get caught again.

To defend herself after fleeing her hometown and be better at her job, she took up fighting with twin daggers.

When she meets Alisha, who’d been learning to fight with a spear her entire life, she gets insecure about her own fighting abilities, as she’s only been fighting with daggers for a short time when compared to Alisha.

This comes up after some time, and after some talking, Rose starts training even harder.

She meets Sorey, Mikleo and Edna near the end of the Serpent’s Pass, and offers to help them get inside the city.

They refuse and Rose leaves to find some other clients.

On their way to the city, they encounter Rose again, with clients.

Despite their head start, Rose had caught up to them due to her knowledge of the area.

They travel the rest of the distance to the city together, splitting up again at the entrance.

Rose barely got her clients inside the city when she noticed the giant drill nearing the walls and the tiny figures of the team in the distance.

After getting paid, she rushes over, learning through Edna that Sorey and Alisha had gone in by themselves to sabotage the drill.

She wanted to help them, but didn’t want to risk getting caught, so she went around the drill first to find some way of weakening it from the outside.

She finds Mikleo at the back, who apparently had just escaped from Fire Nation soldiers via Slurry Express. Before they can think of what to do now, though,woman who’d been chasing Mikleo earlier (Eleanor (yes she’s in this too and caught in basically the same dilemma but with the war and the Fire Nation army instead of the Abbey)). They get into a battle, Rose proving to be extremely vital in defeating her.

After the battle is over, Rose discovers Sorey’s identity, and decides to go with him, because she’s not going to leave him and his friends alone in Ba Sing Se.

Even after Ba Sing Se has fallen, she keeps going with them.

“It’s clear by now that you can’t survive without me, so just get used to it.”

Dezel

One of the very few Air Nomads who survived the genocide.

He lived at the Eastern Air Temple, and was there when it was attacked by the Fire Nation.

He managed to escape, but during that, he was blinded by a firebender. 

He did somehow defeat the firebender before he was killed, but did get heavily wounded.

He escaped by flying bison.

He and the animal took care of each other for a while, but the bison was a sickly one and eventually died during winter.

After some time, Dezel found a way to use his air bending to still ‘see’. He’d gotten used to being blind by then, but this new way of using his bending still made his life easier.

Because Air Nomads were being hunted before Sorey was discovered, Dezel started using throwing knives instead,  using his airbending to make sure they don’t miss (as far as that’s possible without it getting noticed).

He still feels angry and bitter towards the Fire Nation for murdering his people and destroying his culture, and over the years he starts desiring revenge.

When he comes across Sorey, he nearly begs him to do that for him (without revealing that he’s an airbender), as the Avatar should be able to.

When Sorey declines, Dezel tries to force him, getting into a fight with Sorey that ultimately reveals his true abilities.

Rose, who’s with the team at that point, realizes that Dezel could be a teacher for Sorey, if they pursuade him properly. She offers a compromise: Dezel teaches Sorey airbending, Sorey will defeat the Fire Nation, not by killing them, but he will defeat them and help the surviving Air Nomads in any way he can.

They agree before Sorey can jump in and protest. From there on, Dezel travels with Team Avatar. 

Most airbenders get their tattoos when they've mastered airbending. Dezel was about to get his when the genocide started

Dezel can be a harsh teacher, but over time, he grows to really care about everyone in the group.

He enjoys talking about what the Air Nomads were like, but even more so about winged lemurs, sky bisons, etc.

Mikleo and Sorey both enjoy listening to him, although Mikleo sometimes seems to get nervous at the thought of flying on giant bisons.

During the Day of Black Sun, when everyone discovered the Fire Nation knew about their plans for an invasion and Symonne ambushed the ones who tried to infiltrate the shelter, he stays behind to allow the others to escape.

No one knew what happened to him after that until Sorey defeated Heldalf. It turned out Dezel had been defeated by Symonne and imprisoned as a war criminal for the rest of the war.

Zaveid

Another airbender who survived the genocide.

Unlike Dezel, he already has his tattoos.

He hides these after taking refuge in the Earth Kingdom.

He was headed from the Eastern Air Temple to the Western Air Temple, but when he arrived, all he saw were burnt corpses and scorched, abandoned buildings.

He traveled to the other Air Temples, but he just kept seeing the same things over and over.

On his way to and fro, he picked up rumors about what happened to the Air Nomads, but didn’t want to believe them until he’d seen it with his own eyes.

After that, he didn’t know what to do. He roamed the Earth Kingdom for a while, coming to hide his identity, as airbenders were still being hunted by Fire Nation spies and bounty hunters.

Eventually, he met a young woman he settled down with, but she was killed during a Fire Nation attack two years later.

He resumed roaming the lands after a few months, years later encountering Sorey and co.

Dezel is already in the team by that point, and both of them are amazed at meeting a fellow airbender. 

After Zaveid joined the team, they exchange some fighting techniques every now and then. (Sorey joins in a few times)

Despite having a similar experience, Zaveid isn’t as bitter and angry towards the Fire Nation as Dezel is. He’s mostly sad from the loss of so many people he loved, but hides it more and more over the course of the years. He somewhat gets over it in the end.

Symonne

Azula

An exceptionally skilled firebender, she worked her way up to becoming Heldalf's right hand man.

She was born an orphan, and when she discovered her talent for firebending, she joined the military.

She didn't know what to do with her life, as she didn't have any close friends or family, and the only things she had going for her were her firebending and cunning. Joining the military gave her the purpose she otherwise wouldn't have had.

She disguised herself, so people wouldn't ask questions about the little girl walking around in uniform.

She managed to trick people for a long time, but when she was invited to the royal palace along with the other generals, her identity was at last revealed.

The generals wanted to expel her from the military and punish her, but Heldalf saw potential in the little girl who'd somehow managed to become a general in his army, and appointed her to his advisor and right-hand man.

When Heldalf leaves to burn down the Earth Kingdom, he doesn't let Symonne come with him, and instead makes her into the new Fire Lord.

Symonne can't handle this. In the military she'd had her purpose, and it hadn't changed when she became Heldalf's advisor: she could still fight for her country and superiors. Something she won't be able to do as Fire Lord.

Losing the one thing she dedicated her life to breaks her, and allows Mikleo and Zaveid to take her down in the end.

Whenever Symonne sets out on some sort of expedition, she takes Eleanor with her. Their relationship is shaky at best, and mostly based on a common goal rather than some sort of trust. They work together very well in battle, but not much else is going on besides that.

[superbpersonwolf]

The global Marketing

Here's a brisk guide on the best worldwide promoting systems and how to use them.

The web has changed the manner in which organizations work.

Years and years prior, it would have been difficult to envision a particularly sweeping foundation.

Indeed, even adjacent to transportation, basically dealing with worldwide following and installments at scale would've been unthinkable.

The information economy has contracted the world down to the size of your palm.

With everything accessible on your telephone, worldwide advertising has taken on another importance.

The web has additionally permitted small, carport fabricated organizations to go head to head against worldwide combinations. Little organizations can take part in worldwide business sectors that would've been unimaginable in years earlier.

Regardless of whether an organization decides not to grow universally, it is probably going to confront homegrown rivalry from unfamiliar organizations that extended.

So the thing precisely is Global Marketing?

Definition

By definition, Global Marketing is characterized as "the way toward changing the showcasing methodologies of your organization to adjust to the states of different nations."

Informally, notwithstanding, Global Marketing has a lot more extensive umbrella.

In all actuality, worldwide showcasing includes arranging, delivering, putting, and advancing a business' items or administrations in the overall market.

Any business with an innovative technique and a comprehension of business sectors can participate in worldwide advertising.

What are the Advantages of Global Marketing?

As the impressions of the web become bigger and bigger, the world becomes more modest.

Worldwide Marketing has progressed from a system just huge companies could participate in; to a need for any organization on the web.

Organizations see a few increases from selling their items in worldwide business sectors.

Worldwide Marketing permits your organization to get to three unmistakable benefits.

Item Advantages – The more clients you have utilizing your item, the quicker you'll develop and the more you'll learn. The extra knowledge you get from a fluctuated range of clients will help you construct a superior item/administration.

Cost Advantages – By venturing into more business sectors, you can decrease costs utilizing economies of scale. Foraying into new business sectors likewise gives you access new innovation and crude materials.

Brand Advantages – Tapping into worldwide business sectors increments worldwide brand consciousness of your organization. By expanding your client base, you increment the accompanying your image orders.

What Companies utilize Global Marketing?

Organizations whose items have a worldwide interest frequently utilize marketing systems.

Along these lines, quick customer products, attire, cars, banking, and inexpensive food organizations are for the most part perfect representations of worldwide showcasing.

That being said, organizations with more modest use-cases likewise cut a specialty for themselves in the web economy. More modest programming organizations frequently see enormous worldwide foothold when their items take care of a worldwide issue.

The venture into worldwide showcasing is a four-stage measure.

In an Asian market with India being home, this is what a Global Marketing effort may resemble.

During Stage 1, an organization centers vigorously around its homegrown market. It guarantees its consideration is laid solidly inside borders.

Through Stage 2, the organization actually centers principally around public activities however trades items to different business sectors too.

By Stage 3, business from auxiliary business sectors turns out to be monetarily practical enough to think about bespoke abroad advertising procedures.

Stage 4 is an out and out global undertaking, with organizations expecting to make an incentive by stretching out its projects and items to serve overall business sectors.

On account of the quantity of factors in the Global Marketing measure, there is nobody size-fits-all course of events organizations can follow.

What are Some of the Best Global Marketing Strategies?

As organizations decide to enter markets that are not their own, they should take a gander at themselves in a figurative mirror.

Recall that systems that work at home might not have a similar achievement abroad.

While online retail is an ordinary across the world, the language that is utilized for it isn't. As indicated by research by JP Morgan, just 27% of worldwide online commercial centers utilize English to execute and buy.

Furthermore, this causes certifiable issues. For instance, the Chevrolet Nova didn't sell well in Spain, as "no v" in Spanish signifies "off limits".

This may appear to be unsettling, however non-English talking nations on the other hand have probably the most elevated web based shopping rates on the planet. In Korea, 99% of clients with Internet access shop on the web. In Germany and Japan, that number is 97%.

While worldwide advertising techniques are quite often unique in relation to one case to the following, there are sure constants that are constantly followed.

Reliable brand names

Uniform bundling and marking

Homogenous item postings

Normalized promoting messages

Adjusted valuing

Coordinated item dispatches

The Big Basics of Global Marketing

The outline for building up a showcasing effort has four essential advances. In outline, you need to comprehend the market you're entering and build up an arrangement dependent on those bits of knowledge.

This will assist you with keeping away from the serious mix-ups organizations regularly make while foraying into global business sectors.

1. Know the Market

The initial phase in endeavoring to kick off something new for advertising is to comprehend the ground that you expect to break.

Setting is everything. Every country and district has a mind boggling set of sub-practices, rules, and ceremonies they follow.

These will impact the way the clients in through business sectors manage showcasing content that you put out.

This reaches from the channel of favored correspondence to what in particular is viewed as adequate promoting material.

This will require broad exploration, on a worldwide scale. Similar as customary exploration, the assignment is finding what buyers need and arranging how to deliver those items for them.

Your exploration will zero in on four expansive difficulties.

Item – Products may must be changed to satisfy social or legitimate inclinations. The EU and the USA have diverse wellbeing guidelines, which implies that vehicles must be to a great extent overhauled for each side of the Atlantic.

Area – How will clients purchase your items in the new market? In case you're entering a country with a low web utilization rate, it likely wouldn't assist with dispatching an enormous internet undertaking. Here's the place where area based advertising will be of enormous assistance to you.

Showcasing – Different nations have various channels for promoting. In the US, states like Hawaii, Vermont, Maine and Alaska have prohibited announcement commercials. South East Asian nations are overwhelmed by applications like Line, Viber, and WeChat.

Cost – You may must be more serious in new business sectors. This will include diminishing costs contrasted with your rivals. What sort of estimating plan do clients in that nation like?

Above all, notwithstanding, is time. You may not dispatch a full help or lead age stack as you enter another market.

So clients who have issues with your item might be left abandoned as your client care bombs them because of inaccessibility.

2. Build up a Marketing Plan

You can't simply change the language wherein you market and hope to be fruitful.

You need to adhere to the unbending meanings of your image that you went through years creating. Yet, you likewise must be adaptable to change, in light of the earlier statistical surveying.

You could get begun going running in the event that you collaborated with a neighborhood firm. However, this could include sharing income as well as proprietary advantages with possible opponents.

For instance, American espresso goliath Starbucks banded together with global aggregate Tata to dispatch the espresso chain in India.

A few organizations even host occasions and advancements to make a buzz about their items. RedBull, most broadly, has Grand Prix's and Soap Box competitions to publicize itself.

At the point when you've fabricated the ideal picture, it comes time to conclude who will help you spread it. Organizations regularly cooperate with a showcasing office of their worldwide height to push the boat out.

These may incorporate effects like imaginative endeavors, media arranging, hoardings, and other mass exposure crusades.

This likewise must be deciphered, restricted and pertinent new ones made for explicit business sectors.

It is imperative to have language rationalist promoting devices close by, that work for you nonstop.

Restrict Your worldwide Marketing Approach

While it is not difficult to record and archive a worldwide substance technique, it's a lot harder to try it.

The basic test for a worldwide group is to assemble something that nearby business sectors would uproar for.

To this end, what worked for your neighborhood crowd probably won't work universally.

Taking your showcasing endeavors worldwide doesn't mean you need to abandon limiting your message. You need to act "globally".

It is essential to comprehend the social and semantic hindrances before you, yet learning more unpretentious subtleties like occasions and critical occasions helps as well.

Organizations frequently act starting from the earliest stage however respond starting from the top.

Make certain to adjust your drives to fit the crowd you are attempting to reach to make a redid experience for them.

Use assets available to you, similar to nearby groups and existing optional information. A basic errand like interpreting your site is demonstrative of this test.

How would you assess crafted by somebody who has deciphered your organization site? Is it a significant interpretation, or simply brimming with trendy expressions?

Address the requirements of that specific district to advertise your item or administration, and modify your methodology for that climate.

Distinguish pioneers in the advertising apparatuses you at present use, in the country you hope to extend in.

[margaretbeagle]

More Data, Better Results: Introducing LinkedIn Analytics and More

Success on social media can often feel like a secret science. Something that only the few can achieve. But creating a successful social media strategy is a skill that can be learned. Mastered, even.

And you don’t need a flashy brand or a big budget.

What you need is a deep understanding of what your audience cares about, and how to get your content in front of them in the right places at the right times.

That’s why analytics are so important. Analytics help you to make better decisions and get better results. And today, I’m excited to announce our latest feature:

Analytics for LinkedIn Pages!

Together with our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter integrations, this makes Buffer’s analytics an all-in-one solution for these four popular social networks for businesses.

Want to see what’s new and why 3,000 customers use our analytics to boost their social media strategy?

Let’s take a look.

Buffer’s social media analytics and reporting solution

If you have been using Buffer for your social media planning and scheduling but not measurement and reporting, I think you’ll be thrilled to try our analytics. The analytics in Buffer lets you track your performance, analyze your posts, and report your results. Ultimately, we want to give you more data and help you get better results.

Let's talk about the new feature first.

How to analyze and report your LinkedIn performance

We intentionally designed our analytics to be simple so that you can easily get what you need and create reports in a few clicks. For this feature, we managed to work with the LinkedIn team as we built it.

"I'm excited about this new feature by Buffer because we have seen many small businesses leverage their LinkedIn Page to build thought leadership and recruit new teammates. This new feature will help them understand what's working so that they can get better results on LinkedIn," said Ting Ba, the Group Product Marketing Manager of LinkedIn Pages.

Here's a quick 2-min video walkthrough of using Buffer to analyze your LinkedIn posts and showcase your results. If you prefer a more in-depth explanation, feel free to read on.

This new feature will help [small businesses] understand what's working so that they can get better results on LinkedIn. – Ting Ba, Group Product Marketing Manager, LinkedIn Pages

1. Know what’s working to optimize your LinkedIn strategy

If you know what content resonates with your followers, you can create more of those content to engage your followers and grow your following.

But how do you know what’s connecting with your followers?

Buffer allows you to easily see your top-performing posts sorted by your most important metric: impressions, likes, comments, shares, or engagement rate.

I like to sort my posts by engagement rate because it tells me how often people engaged with a post after seeing it. To me, a high engagement rate is a sign that the content resonated with my followers. But you can also sort your posts by other metrics, depending on the goals of your strategy. There is no one-size-fits-all answer here.

Once you have sorted your posts, you can immediately see which posts have performed the best (according to your chosen metric). Next, analyze the top posts to see if there’s a clear recipe for success. Think about:

What’s special about these posts?

Is there a post type (e.g. video, image, article, text) that my audience seems to prefer?

Is there a topic that my audience seems to like?

When were the posts published? Is there a trend?

To make things even easier for you, Buffer analyzes your posts for you to tell you which day, post type, and posting frequency gave you the highest engagement rate. This lets you experiment with different posting strategies without the hassle of analyzing your posts yourself.

2. Understand your LinkedIn growth and results

After you have analyzed your posts and come up with more content, you would also want to know if the new posts are bringing in better results.

Are we getting more followers?

Is the number of impressions growing month-on-month?

Or simply, did all the metrics increase?

There are several ways to do this in Buffer, depending on what you want to achieve:

First, if you want a quick overview of your LinkedIn Page performance, you can this at a glance under the Overview tab. This is a summary of your Page’s key metrics and how they have changed compared with the previous period.

Second, if you want to see how these metrics have changed over time, you can look at the metrics insights chart under the Overview tab. This is one of our customers’ favorites because they can visually see the growth of the metrics. It is also a great chart to show others in your reports.

Finally, if you want to see how your posts have performed on aggregate, you can look at the post summary table under the Posts tab. It tells you the number of impressions, likes, etc. received by your posts and how those metrics have changed compared with the previous period.

3. Showcase the value of your work

After all your hard work, you would also want to put together monthly reports to share your results with your team, your manager, or your clients. It is also a great way to show that you understand your numbers.

Every table and chart can be easily added to a social media report in a few clicks.

First, click on the plus button in the upper-right corner of the table or chart.

Then, if you want to create a new report, enter the title of the report. If you want to add the chart to an existing report, select the respective report.

And there you have it—your social media report! (And not a spreadsheet in sight.)

To make your report more comprehensive, I recommend adding a description of the report and notes for the charts in your report. This will help people who view your report make sense of the data and understand your work.

Once the report is ready, you can export it as a PDF file and share it.

Here’s a pro tip: Instead of creating new reports every month, you can simply change the date period of your report to get the updated data.

Everything that I have described above is also available for your Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter channels. You can create multi-channel reports by adding charts from various social channels into the same report. You no longer have to go to each social network to download the data and compile them in a spreadsheet!

A recap of our latest analytics features and improvements

Besides analytics for LinkedIn Pages, we have also added several other analytics features this year, which I thought you might be interested in:

Campaigns

Social media is not just about posting X times a day. Top brands plan campaigns that span multiple social networks. You can now plan your social media campaigns and get automated campaign reports in Buffer.

Boosted post insights

If you boost your Facebook and Instagram posts, you would want to know how they are performing. How does it compare with your organic results? You can do this comparison right inside Buffer.

Best time to post on Instagram

The age-old question: when is the best time to post? Our team developed an in-house statistical model to predict your reach potential on Instagram according to your previous posts and your follower activity. This is personalized to your brand specifically. To save you time, we also suggest the top three dates and times to maximize your reach on Instagram.

Hashtag analytics for first comments

While we had hashtag analytics for Instagram posts for a long time, we were not able to analyze the hashtags in the comments. Many customers put their hashtags in the first comment to keep the caption tidy. To ensure that they can also benefit from the hashtag analytics, we made it possible to track and analyze hashtags in the comments.

New date period options for faster reporting

Here’s a small improvement that saves lots of time. Previously, the date period options available were “Last 7 days”, “Last 28 days”, “Last 30 days”, and “Last 90 days”. We realized they were not that helpful because what customers really wanted was to look at their data for the week or the month. So we updated the options to “This month”, “Last month”, “This week”, and “Last week”. This has made weekly reviews and monthly reporting much simpler.

Get more data. Make better decisions.

Doing social media without analytics is like running with your eyes closed. You will get somewhere but probably not where you want to go. We want to equip you with the data you need in a simple and accessible way so that you can make better decisions. Better decisions on what content to post to grow your reach and engagement.

If you already have analytics in your Buffer subscription, the new LinkedIn integration is already available to you.

Otherwise, feel free to grab a 14-day trial of Buffer and start making better decisions.

FAQs

Where can I find the analytics in my Buffer account?

If you already have the analytics in your Buffer subscription, click on “Analyze” in the upper-left corner to see your analytics.

I have a Buffer subscription but why do I not have access to the analytics?

It might be because you do not have the analytics in your Buffer subscription. You can try the analytics for free for 14 days before you decide whether you want to keep it.

Can I connect my LinkedIn personal profiles?

It’s currently not possible to connect your LinkedIn personal profiles to Buffer’s analytics. If you need this, would you be up for sharing your feedback with us?

More Data, Better Results: Introducing LinkedIn Analytics and More published first on https://improfitninja.weebly.com/

[innovationshealthwellness]

Don't Wish For It

http://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ad/2b/12/ad2b12bba16d8b9d5e729fdff21e37ec.jpg

Posted by Heather Parker – Work. #Fitness #Motivation #Inspiration

5 Pro Tips on How to Get Motivated to Workout

We’ve all experienced it at one time or another– a precipitous lack of motivation to work out. In this quick guide 15 top trainers, strength coaches and fitness superhumans stop by to share their best strategies for staying motivated to exercise.

Whatever your goals are in the gym you full well know the struggle: it’s minutes to go until you are supposed to hit the gym, and you feel any and all workout motivation plunging through the floor.

While every person’s level of ambition in what we want to achieve in the gym varies, we all experience the same difficulty in getting things going so that we get through the doors of the gym. We look at our fit friends on social media and their incessant #fitlife hash-tagging and gym selfies and wanna punch em, if only because they are at the gym and here we are, sitting on the couch wondering if crushing two bags of Doritos in one day is next level shame.

Luckily, today we got some serious back-up for you. 15 of the top trainers, strength coaches and fitness professionals stopped by to share their favorite tips and strategies for unleashing a bottomless pit of motivation to crush your workout routine.

1. DO IT YOUR WAY.

Social media can be a real son of a bee sting. Sure, it helps us stay in touch with friends and family, but it also shows us the endless trove of workout pictures from our gym addict friends, which tend to make us feel even worse about ourselves. And so we try to do what they do.

First mistake, bucko. Odds are you already know what works best for you.

“I think the most important part about motivating clients is to let them lead the conversation,” says Kelly Gibson, CPT, of Kelly Athletics.

“They know what works best for them, they just need someone to hear that they understand and support their beliefs. Once there is a mutual understanding, it is a good time to introduce clients to ideas of what foods and exercises might help them on their path.”

Remember: we all respond differently according to interests, exercise history, and everything else that goes into making us a special little snowflake. Embrace your individuality and stick with what you know that works instead of trying to emulate what someone else is doing.

2. WHAT YOU WANT VS. WHAT YOU WILL LOSE.

Much of the time we are motivated by fear. We don’t want to lose our health, our youth, our strength. And so we become very loss-averse instead of focusing on trying to achieve things.

Scott Abel, physique transformation specialist and weight-loss expert who has four decades of experience working with bodybuilders, pro athletes and figure competitors, emphasizes encouraging clients and athletes to pursue goals instead of trying to avoid the things they don’t want to have happen.

“The rationale is simple,” says Scott. “What you focus on, expands. So if you are always focusing on what you don’t want, you just manifest more of it that very thing.”

Instead of getting stressed out over negative goals, set yourself some positive targets and goals to dish out punishment on when you step into the gym and drop the hammer on your workout routine.

3. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE DOING THE STUFF YOU WANNA DO.

Like it or not, we are products of our environment. The friends we surround ourselves with end up influencing our actions and behaviors often far more than we are willing to give them credit for. This can be an awesome thing, or you know, be the other way around.

Dr. Joel Seedman, CSCS, ACSM, FMS, of Advanced Human Performance echoes this sentiment when it comes to choosing your coach or trainer.

“There’s nothing that stifles motivation more than a trainer who doesn’t care and lacks passion as this has a tendency to rub off on the client as well,” says Dr. Seedman.

“In contrast enthusiasm from the trainer and coach is very contagious and does wonders for sparking motivation from the client.”

We all have those friends who will tug at your sleeve and whisper, “It’s just one workout, what’s the big deal?” They might be fun to hang out with, but if you are looking to dial up your workouts it might be time to dial down the time you are spending with ‘em.

4. BUILD AN AWESOME SUPPORT CIRCLE PART 2.

Seriously, it’s crazy how much certain people in our lives can push in a certain direction.

Build an inner circle that is all positive, all caring, and all awesome. We are products of our environment.

“No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care,” says Mike Boyle, who for the past 30 years has worked with Olympians and pro athletes including players from the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins. “(As a trainer) if you want motivated athletes, care about them as people. Know their story, their why.”

Sounds good to me, Mike.

5. MOTIVATION COMES FROM OVERCOMING ADVERSITY.

If you are training on your own, make sure that you are constantly setting the bar just a little bit higher. Otherwise, you are inviting burnout and boredom.

Motivation, the white-hot, scorching type, comes from seeing your work pay off. From improvement. From overcoming challenges and limits.

Steve Whiteside, BA Kin, B. Ed, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, knows that the key to keeping his clients pumped up and interested over the long haul “involves an aspect of struggle.”

“It may be as simple as increasing the number of push-ups that can be accomplished in a set, going up in weight on a certain exercise or completing a tough metabolic challenge such as sprints,” says Steve.

“When the client completes the challenge, it becomes a high point in the workout and leaves them feeling hugely successful,” he adds.

“If they don’t, they’ve probably come close enough to keep them motivated to conquer it during the next workout. This ensures that each workout is a memorable and worthwhile experience, and that they are continually striving towards improvement.”

[petri808]

HaLucynogenic

NaLu Love Fest: Day 1 Prompt- Lust @nalulovelovefest

Makarov gathers his brats around the bar.  “The masters have decided to reinstitute the Wizard Exchange Program now that things have calmed down.  I have randomly assigned some of you to participate so when I call your names please stand next to each other.  Gray, Juvia, Wendy; you are going to Lamia Scale.  Levy, Gajeel, Laxus; you are going to Sabertooth.  Natsu, Lucy, Cana; you are going to Quatro Cerberus.  Erza, Mira, Lisanna; you are going to Blue Pegasus.”  He looks around to the groups.  “You’ll be there for a few days, now get going!”

When Lucy, Natsu, and Cana arrive at the Quatro Cerberus Headquarters, Master Goldmine and Baccus Groh meet them at the door.  “Welcome Fairytail,” motioning for them to come in.  

“Cana, we meet again… Ready for another contest?”

“Any time, any place!”

But Goldmine interjects, “That’s not what we are here for.  You three are going to accompany Baccus on a mission, it’s a simple one, but you’ll get to see a simply type of job we take.”

Lucy smiles, “Master Goldmine, we look forward to it.”

Natsu, “So, what’s the mission?”

Bacchus, “One of my client’s needs help protecting a large shipment of valuables from this city to Hargeon Port.”

Natsu pouts, “That sounds so boring… and it means I’ll have to ride in a vehicle.”

Bacchus starts to snicker, “Oh I remember now how you slayers get sick, well if you wanna sit this out go right ahead.”

Lucy takes Natsu’s hand, “You’ll be okay, I’ll help you get through it.”

Bacchus walks up closer to the pair snickering, “You should listen to your girl, cause I wouldn’t leave her alone around me… I can get a little handsy when I’m drunk.”

“Lucy’s not my girlfriend!”  Natsu snaps back, “But if you touch her you’ll have to deal with me!”  The slayer doesn’t notice the frown on her face when he said what he said.

Cana grins at Bacchus, “Don’t worry Natsu, I’ll keep him occupied…”  his eyebrows raise at the brunette’s insinuations but he says nothing more.  

Lucy’s voice lowers, “Natsu if you don’t want to go it’s okay…” but he squeezes her hand, “Of course, I’ll go, we’re a team remember.” His cheeky grin making her slightly blush.  “Where you go, I go!”  

While Bacchus and Cana stay in the car holding the cargo, Lucy and Natsu sit outside of the door to guard.  Green in the face, Natsu leans on her shoulder lamenting in misery.

“Natsu I wanna try something,” she stretches out her legs, “Here,” she pats them, “come rest your head.”  She guides the wobbly man so he’s lying down face up, a slight blush of his own appearing.  “Okay, now just close your eyes…”

Complying with her request, “What are you doing Luce?”  he asks.

“Just try to relax Natsu, it might help your nausea.”  Resting her left hand over his exposed stomach while the other runs through his hair, gingerly at first...  She takes measured breaths to compose herself for the close and intimate situation is making her nervous, but her desire to comfort the man who she’s grown quite attached to outweigh those hesitations.  Her fingers move around, gradually increasing in pressure, twirling and twisting through strands of his pink locks which are amazingly soft considering how he singes the spikes into place.  A bit more at ease herself over the situation, Lucy starts to hum a melody that her mother would sing to put her to sleep as her nails lightly scrape against his scalp or the occasional brush against his ears.  Tingling sensations travel along his spine as he yields to the blissful feelings it brings him.    

Now in a more laissez-faire kind of mood Natsu, allows his head to tilt closer to her abdomen and hot air wafts against her exposed midriff with every breath he takes.  The additional warmth against her skin is heating up other parts of her body adding just another uncomfortable element for her to deal with.  But she smiles down at him, happy that what she is doing seems to soothe his discomfort, though at the same time, it’s moments like this one lately that make it difficult for her to interact with him.  They had been best friends for so many years, and when she thought back, realized that she may have developed feelings for him early on but it wasn’t until she had almost lost him, that it finally clicked; she was in love with Natsu.  Lucy didn’t want him to notice something was bothering her but now every time he touched her, hugged her, walked around shirtless, snuck into her apartment, she struggled to hide her arousal.  And there were a few times, today being no exception, that the pressure building between her legs became quite uncomfortable not to mention the developing moisture…  

How much longer she’ll be able to hide her true feelings is a real concern for the young blonde because she doesn’t want him to find out until she thinks he’ll be more receptive to her feelings.  I mean the worst thing that could happen is he turns her down, but that’s what scares her the most.  It’s not like Natsu has ever shown interest in anyone of the opposite sex and she wonders if he ever will.          

Suddenly, Lucy is snapped back into the scene when Natsu places his hand over hers on his stomach.  She freezes for a second as a light blush adorns her face, growing darker when he grips her hand and smiles.  All she can think is please don’t open your eyes, as she starts to work his hair again, embarrassed that he might see the reddish hue she’s sure now graces her cheeks.  But what the celestial mage didn’t realize is she couldn’t hide from him her unconscious reactions.  Natsu felt her body temperature rise a little, heard the increase of her heartbeat, even her change in scent and it wasn’t the first time either.  Recently, he had noticed that whenever he was around her, those same three signs would start to happen and they only made him want to be around her more.  To him it is a strange, almost euphoric sensation that stirs within him and that’s why he’s smiling.  Not quite sure exactly what it all means, but he knows, somehow, her reactions are because of him and his simplistic mind tells him it’s a good thing…

Eventually Natsu falls into a deep, pleasing slumber where his dreams begin with memories of his teammate.  Good times, laughing, and having fun, and soon times when he’d be holding her or she’d be holding him, times when he’s sneaking into her apartment to cuddle with her while she’s asleep…  Even times when he was comforting her after a hard mission or battle made him feel content that he was the one she’d turn to, to soothe her.  After Igneel, Lucy had become the most important person in his world and he would jealously guard that with his life.

These little exchanges of reverie soon morph into a more amorous fantasy, the cuddles turn into caresses…  He smiles in his sleep.  …then kisses against her soft lips, so tasty he imagines… Licking his lips…  and a little further, hands travelling the length of her body, along her silky white skin… breathing in the scent of vanilla and strawberries from her shampoo; with his keen sense of smell, it mixed with her natural scents is both calming and stimulating for him at the same time…  He twitches and even moans lightly in his sleep making Lucy look down and wonder just what was the man dreaming about; must be something good she thinks to herself.  

But soon his demeanor changes to a more serious look, faded from their little escapade, he’s now in a scene from his childhood with Igneel, sitting and talking about mates…  She almost worries that the dreams are becoming a nightmare but after a few minutes his smile returns and her concerns diminish, continuing to work her magic on him until she too falls asleep.

When the train begins to slow along the tracks, the door behind her suddenly slides opens.  Thud.  and she falls backward startled out of her own dreamland.  Her eyes pop open to see two people standing above her.

“So…”  Cana looks down and smirks, “Did we interrupt something?”  

Bacchus also grins, “Hey, I thought you two were just friends?”  

The blush is back on the young blonde’s face, “I-It’s not what it looks like!” she stammers.  Lucy manages to prop herself into a sitting position but her legs are still pinned by the pink haired young man who’s out cold, “I was helping with his motion sickness…”

“Is that what you call it?”  Cana snickers as the train comes to a full stop.  Natsu finally moves but instead of helping the situation he makes it worse by turning to his side and nuzzling to her waist.  “Ha!  Thought so!”

“I swear, it’s not…”

“Luce, stop moving…”  he mumbles, “…comfortable…” her eyes widen.  “… ba…little while longer…” he tightens his grip and all the blood runs out of her face.

Snickering, “We’ll just leave you two love birds alone.”  Bacchus laughs and pulls Cana with him to start unloading the cargo.

Shrieking, “Natsu!”  Lucy tries to peel his arms from her waist.  “Argh!  Natsu get up!”

“What…”  He sits up in a panic thinking they’re getting attacked or something.

“We’re here…”

“Oh.” He blinks.  “Wow, that’s the first time I didn’t wake up feeling sick!”  he tackles her in a hug.  “Thank you, Luce!”

Now with him practically on top of her, “You’re welcome!  But get off me!”  Her face is bright pink again from embarrassment.  “This is…” the blush darkening “…a little awkward…”

Realizing the situation, he’s placed them in, the young man blushes too and scrambles off his friend.  “S-sorry…” he cups the back of his neck.  

Lucy sits up too and starts rubbing her legs, mumbling, “They’re numb from sitting for so long.”  He kneels next to her and picks her up. “W-what are you doing?”

“It’s the least I can do after what you did for me,” he smiles.

She blushes again, “Thank you, Natsu…”

As he carries her over to a nearby bench she asks him about his dreams, “Looked like you were having a good dream…”

Hi face heats up, “You could say that.”

‘Natsu’s blushing!’  “C-care to elaborate?”

“Maybe when the time is right...”

By the time the cargo is offloaded and the client is taken care of, it’s already dinner time, so the four cruise around for a bit and soon come across a restaurant that excites the blonde.  Pointing, Lucy grips to the arm she’s weaved hers through, “That’s the place we had lunch, remember Natsu?”

“Oh yeah,” he smiles.  “The day we met...”  The memory washes into his mind of the pretty blonde standing above he and Happy…

“Let’s go eat there!” she starts pulling him towards it while the other couple just laughs and follows behind.

While Natsu stuffs his face, Bacchus watches in amazement. “Damn where do you put all that?!” but he just grins and pats his stomach and Lucy smiles but keeps eating.

Sitting back, Cana is a little grossed out, “How can you eat next to him, it’s like watching an animal devour its prey.”

Lucy shrugs her shoulders, “The first few times I couldn’t but now it’s normal I guess.”  Natsu grins again

“So,” Cana leans in with a mischievous grin, “tell me about your first date.”

Both Natsu and Lucy choke on their food.  “I-It wasn’t a date!” Lucy manages to squeak out.  “I just brought them here for lunch as a thank you for helping to break the charm spell Bora had placed on me.”

“Uh-huh...”  Cana winks at the blushing pair.  “Sure, it was…”

After dinner, the four of course end up at a bar next to their hotel, but after a couple of drinks Lucy decides to head back to their room to unwind.  It had been a perplexing day to say the least between the rousing train ride to the embarrassing dinner.  

Natsu asks her if she wants company but she tells him to stay and have fun.  He almost pouts but manages to nod and tell her he’ll try not to be up too late.   Exhale.  Watching her sashay out the door, he continues to stare at the entrance even after she’s no longer in sight.  ‘Does she always shift her hips like that when she walks?’  His mouth unconsciously hangs open when the image of her repeats in his mind in slow motion accentuating every step she takes.  ‘Have I just not noticed it till now…’  

“So Natsu, are you ever gonna make a move on her?”

“Huh?”  Brought out of his daydream.  “Make what move?”

“Are you that dense?  On Lucy, are you ever gonna tell her how you really feel?”

“I don’t…”

“I know you both like each other and you’re both perfect for each other…”

He blushes, “H-how do you know we like each other.”  Intuition is screaming, reminding him of the sensations Lucy has been causing him lately…  

“It’s pretty obvious.  Just don’t wait too long… before, I don’t know, someone else steals her, like Sting.”  His eyebrows furrow as soon as the white dragons name is mentioned.  “Yup see, pretty obvious.”  Cana smirks.  

“I…” sigh, “I just don’t know how to tell her.”

“You’ll figure it out.  Here,” she hands him a shot.  “In the meantime, drink this courage juice…”

Upstairs in their room, Lucy takes a shower and changes into her sleep wear.  Since it’s a warmer evening, she chooses a tank top and shorts over her normal Pj’s.  After settling onto the bed with no one around and figuring Natsu is going to be out till late, she takes out a book that Erza gave her.  It’s supposed to be a romance novel but as Lucy gets further into the story it’s turning into more of a smut book.  Leaning against the wall with her knees up she reads on, more and more engrossed in the erotic scenes; though in her mind she’s picturing a certain pink haired mage…  ‘He reached for the blindfold that I had placed on him, lingering just over them before reaching out for me instead.  I tried to step back not realizing the wall blocked my escape… He caught me by my wrist, wrapping his fingers and pulling me against him.’  She feels her own core dampening.  ‘His fingers drifted over my sides and to my breasts once he realized I was completely naked.  He pressed his hips forward against my own, his hardened shaft pulsing against my own moist sex.  As he lowers his face to my neck, warm air tickling against my skin; I shudder.  Soft gentle lips against my…’

The bedroom door opens startling Lucy and Natsu staggers in closing and locking it behind him.  The flustered girl slams the book shut and shoves it under the mattress.  “N-Natsu!  H-Hi, did you have fun?”  Lowering her legs, she acts like nothing was happening.  “Didn’t expect you so soon.”

“Yeah…  Figured I’d leave once those two started making out.”  He strips off his shirt and she can’t help but stare at the flexing muscles on his chest and arms.  “Besides… I maybe had a couple more shots than I should have.”  and drops his shirt on the floor.  “It’s so warm tonight…”

“Uh-huh.” She agrees, “There’s barely a breeze.”

Lucy gulps, and her eyes expand further as he starts un-belting his pants, dropping them to the floor.  ‘Why is he stripping!  He’s never stripped it all off before…’  Her cheeks flush pink from the sight of the young man standing there in just boxers, and that’s when she sees him sniff the air.  

“What’s that smell?”

“Smell?”

Natsu walks closer to the bed.  “I kinda smelled it on the train too, but now it’s much stronger.”  Hovering over her, he leans in close to her face, “It’s so…” taking a deep whiff, “enticing…”  

“Um…” She presses her back against the wall nervous.  “…I don’t…”

“It’s coming from you…” sniffing as he continues to trace its origin, moving from her head down her body until he’s lingering over her hips, “and it’s most potent in this area…”

Lucy squeezes her legs together, “…I don’t know what you are talking about.”  She watches as a strange reddish haze forms over his eyes.

“Something…” He sits next to her… “Is making me…” and puts his hand on her thigh, she tenses a little but he doesn’t react.  “Igneel told me about this…”  It’s almost like Natsu’s in a trance being compelled, driven in his actions.  

“Igneel?  About what?” she doesn’t know what to do.  His eyes are changing, ‘Are they turning red?!’  “Natsu?  What’s happening to you?!”

“He said, only my life mate will bring about an arousal in me…”

“M-m-mate!!” she stammers, ‘is that why he’s never had girlfriends?’  

He sniffs her crotch and emits a light growl.  “My dragon covets…” he looks back to her face, “you Luce.”

“M-Me!” more stammering, “I-I…”  ‘His eyes are so serious!’

Natsu gently pries her legs apart.  “Lucy, you were destined to be mine…”  he crawls over with his legs between hers and as something hard presses against her sex, her mind reflexively causes her to moan intensifying the scent.  When she sees his eyes flutter she finally puts two and two together, ‘that’s the scent he’s talking about… the pheromones I give off…’  her eyes widen.  “I think you feel the same way about me Lucy.”  The husky tenor of his voice is making her melt into the bedding and when he shifts against her center again she moans.

“Natsu… I…I do.”  She pulls his face down pressing her lips against his, purring a little from the excitement.  Allowing his weight to settle more snugly against her sex, she moans into his mouth and pushes back to soothe the dull ache that had been building in her loins.  

He grips her waist, “Lucy… Be mine...” he murmurs, a slight growl in the low timbre of his voice.

A groan escapes her lips, that growl surprisingly stimulating for her and she arches her back pressing her chest into his.  “Forever… Natsu…” whispering back and exposing her neck to him.  “My Love… I am yours…”  He trails the pads of his fingers over the skin around her collar bone eliciting a shudder from the blonde until he lands on the junction between her neck and shoulder.  Licking the area first and savoring the saltiness of the sweat already forming, he lets his teeth graze and settle where his dragon tells him to mark.    

Lucy tenses when his canines break through her skin only to be replaced by a euphoria no romance novel could ever compare to…

Her head swims with a dizzying array of mind numbing deliriums.  Sights and sounds are amplified and she can hear the racing of her own heartbeat, or is that his?  A kaleidoscope of colors dance in front of her eye lids and scent… What is that scent that is overwhelmingly spicy, maybe smoky, no it’s mixed… fruity; is that him?  No is it her?  She can’t tell anymore as they blend together in a wondrously intoxicating manner.  And the heat in the room, did it increase?  Or is it coming from them?  “What is going on…” she murmurs as the pressure on her neck holds firm.  Lucy’s body flushes with a warmth that sets her loins on fire greater than any other experiences she’s had by her own volition.  “Natsu… what’s, happening to me?”  Her voice so breathy and full of lust, “I feel so strange…”  But she gets no response from Natsu, at least no verbal cues yet as another wave of pure unadulterated bliss washes over her and propels her into new throes of ecstasy that heaven itself couldn’t possible duplicate.  An exotica of frenzied tingling sensations, wreak havoc on her body as if currents of electricity are flowing through every fiber of her being.  

The sounds are starting to quiet down, she thinks, no just changing into a humming or light buzzing.  ‘Lucy…’   ‘Am I hearing Natsu in my head?!’  like a radio frequency just got turned on.  ‘It’s almost finished…’   ‘What’s almost finished?’   ‘The link…’      

Now, new visions dance through her minds-eye, like pictures though an unfocused lens.  But she doesn’t need to see it clearly to know those erotic images are of the two of them entwined, no not just see’s it, she experiences it all, bodies enmeshed and tangled against one another.  Frame by impassioned frame, his epicurean debauchery of her borders on the immoral.  It’s like there are hands all over her touching, caressing, molesting every inch of her lithe frame…  Lucy writhes against him the further his hands travel south in their expeditions.  Heated kisses as their tongues explore the inner linings of each other’s mouths, probing and dancing their new beat.  Fingers twisting through her tresses, pulling lightly, her nails scrape against his scalp every time Natsu gets a little rough.  Covetous little nips and love bites along her breasts and neck trailing anywhere and everywhere within his reach.  

She releases a long low groan when he finally enters her balmy cave…  A moment of pressure gives way to an explosion of enflamed stimuli as swollen and heat filled appendages collide.  ‘Lucy…’ growling as muscle walls contract and release from her entrance being breached again and again through moisture laden and fiery exchanges.  Controlled thrusts with the occasional snap of his hips to remind her who is in control.  She screams out his name in hedonistic gratification every time he reaches the very depths of her womanhood, only to drive him even wilder in his depravity.      

They are lost in the cycle of carnal decadence, so enraptured by the very essence of love making that the world falls away leaving only these star-crossed lovers.  Lucy shudders from all the sensations, almost vibrating every time contact is made with her skin.  And whether any of this physical contact is happening or is all in her mind she can’t tell anymore because her brain is too overloaded to give a damn.  

Brought to the edge of sanity with this passionate exchange, Lucy reaches an apex of no return…  ‘Natsu!’  she screams when a surge of intense tremors ripple through her physical body.  It stiffens and contracts in undulating waves, forcing her hands to grip tightly to whatever it has clutched to and Natsu must forcefully pin her down to keep the connection from breaking.  Eruptions of torrid heat surge outward from them steaming away any sweat that has coated the bedsheets, maybe even leaving a few scorch marks…    

Once Lucy’s orgasm subsides, Natsu releases her neck and licks up any blood that has trickled out.  After what seemed like hours to her but was merely minutes, whatever high she was in is coming down and she opens her eyes again to see Natsu hovering over her with just the biggest grin on his face.  Still hypersensitive to his touch she moans when he kisses her softly on the lips.  “Luce, how do you feel?”

“Like you just screwed my brains out…”

He smirks at the idea of his prowess, “And I haven’t even touched you yet.  That was just the bonding process…”

She looks down at her clothed body in disbelief.  “But it felt so real…  D-did you feel anything too?”

“Everything…” he coos, “I was with you the whole time.”  

“A connection through the blood?” she whispers.  “Hey… your eyes are back to normal.”

“Yes.”  Natsu sees Lucy’s eyes flash red signaling to him that her body has completed its transformation.  With a mischievous grin, “And now you’re ready for me Luce….”  She bucks her hips against him raring to go.  “But, not here…  It might be too dangerous...” a look of confusion from her.  “Igneel cautioned that the first time could get more than just… a little heated, especially since you have no control over your new magic.”

“Oh,” her pout morphs into a yawn.  “It’s okay, this process has made me quite tired anyways.”

Natsu leans to his side.  “As soon as this mission is over, I promise we’ll finish what we started,” he caresses her cheek, “and I know the perfect place…”

Lucy yawns a second time and cuddles to him.  “I can’t… wait…” her voice trailing off as she passes out in his arms.  

“Good morning…” Natsu kisses her forehead.  

“Mmm…” Lucy smiles, “Good Morning Natsu,” and snuggles tighter against his side.   Yawning, “Care to tell me now about your dream on the train?”

He grins, “We just lived it last night.”

“Oh!”  Her cheeks turn a little pink, “No wonder you were blushing when I asked you about it.”

Smiling, “So…  We’re supposed to meet Cana and Bacchus by 10 am to head back to Quatro Cerberus and it’s already 9.”

“Alright…” she whines.  

He chuckles, “I wish we didn’t have to go either.”

“You should just stay at my apartment from now on…” she murmurs and traces the lines around his pecs.  “So, we can always wake up like this.”

“I like that idea… But um Lucy, I think I need to explain the whole mate thing to you before we leave.”

“Why, is there something special about it?”

“Well… so it does mean we are bound to each other for the rest of our lives…”

“That’s not a bad thing.”

“The other slayers will be able to tell immediately because you’re scent now has a little of mine in it.”

“Okay, no big deal.”

He chuckles, “Sting’s not gonna like it.”

“Sting?”

“You didn’t know he had a crush on you too?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Well if reacts weird the next time he sees you, now you’ll know why.  And lastly there is a couple more physical reminders…”

“Like what,” she sits up.  

He sits up too and points to her chest.  “I guess it’s like my mark, it appeared at the same time I saw your eyes flash red last night.”

She looks down and right above her heart is a simple outline of a red dragon with flames around its wings.  Giggling, “Awe, it’s kinda cute.”  

“…and, um there’s a slight change to your appearance…”

“What!”

“It’s nothing bad!” he puts up his arms.  “I love it actually but…” she bolts to the mirror.

Standing in front of it she exhales, “Whew, I can live with that.”  He walks up behind her and puts his arms around her waist.  “The red highlights, look pretty cool actually.”

“I’m glad you don’t mind them.” He squeezes her and grins.  “I know it’s kinda selfish but I like that others will know immediately you’re now off limits.”  

She chuckles and smiles at him.  “But I was already off limits to everyone else…”

[artdjgblog]

​Innerview: Jane Lerner / Print Magazine​ Regional Design Annual

July 2008 

Image: Gluekit

​Note: Q​&A on the​ Midwest's​ “State of the Union in Design​.​”

Question:​

I am mainly interested in your take on the “state of the union” of design in Missouri. In writing the regional essay, I am curious as to your thoughts on the quality of local design and designers, the challenges designers currently face in your area, the kinds of clients you are seeing more / less of, the influence of local art schools and the new crop of designers, the effects of larger social issues (the economy, the election, recent flooding, the housing crisis)—really anything you’d like to offer would be illuminating. I’m especially interested in any changes you may have felt in your business since last year, either improvements, declines, shifts in assignments, anything…I am just hoping to collect some thoughts from local designers in your area on the state of design in your area, with a special emphasis on how your work has changed, evolved, improved, or been challenged in the past year. Really anything you’d like to offer would be helpful and illuminating, but don’t feel like you need to put to​o​ much time or effort into writing anything up! ​Answer:​

Honestly, for about forty minutes each Fall, I let Print’s Regional Design Annual treat me to a view of what they think is the state of design union in Missouri and beyond these borders. But, do I use it as my design doctrine or bible? Nope, just reference per the moment and mild-mannered time passing. And besides, it’s always about a year behind (har-har). The rest of the year I barely flip a design magazine or book page based upon today’s happenings and I don’t interact much with other design unless having a ba-jillion images pass by me on the web world bulletin boards, the grocery aisles and department stores or when I watch movies and play passenger in cars. Oh, so then again, I guess I DO flip through (and flip off) a lot of design out there! And geesh, I can barely read most restaurant menus these days! I get confused and convoluted from a lot of design overload. Though, I guess I do care. I do celebrate design. I do love it and hate it on occasion. I do get too serious at times and then feel the need to step it back because I have to be a human being. Publications like Print must be doing something right being that they’ve been in print for decades now. And I might read it more if I could afford a subscription. But, I still think that all design is relative to the viewer who makes contact and then it’s up to them. Them being, both the general people and the people who really push the production, politics or peep show. But, mostly it should be left up to the uneducated design people (I mean that in the best way possible) that the end product is placed within eye-shot. They have to look at the whole spectrum majority of the junk, not knowing what is good or bad in design aesthetics, but what feeds them on a personal level or how hungry their pockets are. For the majority of my own nest-kick-chicks, that would be street level. I think I’m not too far off by putting my poster work in the same batter as that of street vending / food cart. It’s cheap, catchy, quick and not for everyone. But for those few minutes (or seconds pending on how fast you digest) it may or may not treat you right and then you pack up and move on to the next pickings. Sometimes you might want to try it again and that means a lot to me in this age of quick tastes and slick takes. On the other hand, I wouldn’t mind for each experience to be a new taste / take. In some cases, multiple tastes / takes in one bite. So, lots of different street vendor selections or even toppings? Maybe more like one big thing of flavored beans? Canned or candied? Of course the design hand-picked for a design magazine is done so by designers. They do a fine job, but is design all relative to designers too? Maybe we should start letting non-designers pick the work just for the heck of it? I think it would be a great experiment to see what truly works on a popular vote in the culture instead of designers controlling the pop culture waves of their own profession. Something I learned about this “profession” a long while back is that there is no good or bad design, only smart or stupid (I think there are “pretty” and “ugly” categories too). I find joy pulled from all sides. More times than not, I find more breathable life in things made by the hands of unskilled makers of things. Though, it depends, I guess. And for the most part, whether it is folk art or a church secretary’s thumb prints, the egos, arrogance factor and financial bullpens typically come in less shades of gloss and floss as well. Still, one can’t help but think there is a fine line once all the meat is boiled with any “design” job. I guess that is where my formative training and “I think I know it so-and-so’s” come to bite me in the rear. I try to not think, but end up thinking too much when these questions come. What does all of this nonsense say about the state of the union? Should we even care about a state of the union with design? I have no idea. Tricky question, nonetheless. Designerly reality hits when I feel that a lot of non-designers think they are designers and that a lot of designers think that they are designers too. Though, this has probably more-so been a “thing” with many since the personal computer came into play and that’s a subject that has been beaten to death. It’s good and bad and smart and stupid and pretty and ugly. Oh, and the ability to change colors and images on myspace pages and cell phones has got the “modern” world in a hoopla of cool-aid. Everybody’s got an agenda to style and decorate everything, non-designers and designers. Whatever and way-to-go…each to their own scarecrow. I try to stay out of design dogma, fads and politics for the most part. But, it can be challenging when the “profession” feels a lack of respect compared to what it may have had decades ago (I’m still a young pup so I wasn’t around, but I love to look at old makers of things working in a room without a compouter), when brains were illuminated instead of monitors. I’m not sure if this is my area of the box to bash. But, it makes for interesting passing through. And I have a pooter too. I stick to my guns as much as I can, but still it’s a game of roulette with each day cause I never know what I’m personally going to get out of it or if what I get translates to if he or she or they or it wish for tickets to the gun show. But, I try to always do my best work per that moment and keep true to whatever direction of the dotted line it fits. Unfortunately some days make for more paper dolls than snowflakes. Personally, whenever I pull from all things, the cannon of life that I’ve built and have come to know, this is when I’m tickled most within the work. But, it shouldn’t be about me and I am no specially marked pre-packaged product. A healthy dose of all angles and ingredients apply for this position. Design calculators are nice and all, and knowing what you think you know is more than just knowing as it becomes powerful like OCD to the core and every drip and wink of life becomes that. It can be fulfilling and it can also make you want to dive in a landfill. Anyway, it’s a strange brew and I’m best when I stir and just let it happen. And I’ve had to work a full-time day job (and some) since starting on my personal design odyssey seven years ago, so I don’t know enough of “much” to really qualify for this question. I’m in constant scrape for scraps of my own eye lids. But, then again, Print Magazine has kindly donated some fine-printed room on their pages the past six years for my silly D.I.Y. bump and grinds. As if I couldn’t confuse myself even more, I found out that Print picked a piece of my mind to help represent Missouri that I didn’t think was anything too special on a whole and now they want my opinion on the state of the union. Design is all relative even among designers. I don’t get out too much, but Kansas City has had a hot bed of art and design activity burning bright for several years now. And ever since I was making visits from the farm to the city as a child, I’ve thought the architecture alone in this town stands for itself old and new. Right now there is a lot of development buzzing and lots of expensive looking structures and changes filling out formerly anorexic lots and buildings. Supposedly we are making a dent in the landscape all-around with the arts, which is kind of exciting. And there is a great sense of hometown pride right now. Though, how does that add up in comparison to the higher crime rate, poverty, loaf of bread, gallon of gas or milk? Or, anywhere? I guess in designerly terms, Print will let me know for sure later this year what is exactly going on as they summarize the Missouri plot. All I know is that the loop is small here in Kansas City and I myself have somehow managed to remain fairly anonymous and out of the loop, yet have been fortunate to grasp a few goggles. But, like I said, I don’t get out much and I don’t get to do design full time. At times, and in these times, I wonder how some individual designers and larger design firms keep all of their monitors turned on. Maybe I should hang around some of these kids who are getting by on their arts and crafts alone and learn a trick or two? But, I will just keep riding my little pony now. I suppose the new crop of talent has been a constant for a long time with the Kansas City Art Institute being here and all. Though, many newbies come in from all areas of surrounding towns and other states, not just for formal schooling. And I’m sure the location between big college towns like Lawrence, KS and Columbia, MO draw in the post-graduates. It seems like a lot of people that transplant or migrate here stick around and drop anchor for a bit. The central location, four seasons and big-little city atmosphere help make for a comfortable stay. You can throw an iPhone and hit somebody who makes stuff or plays in a band or something in the area of the arts. It’s fairly easy to find kindred spirits, comfort and a bit of headlines if you’ve got something to say. And in some cases you don’t need to say much to get attention. But, I think that in most any city now you can find a lot of people who are pushing towards titles of artist, designer, writer, filmmaker and so-on. However, the “everyone’s an artist” tag line doesn’t bulge the waist line here as much as in a city like say, Portland, OR. But, I think that there is an edge here with milder mid-west manners and a cheaper and comfortable cost of living in comparison to equally-sized and more artistically-endowed cities. Still, gas and economy prices are rising all the time so added whoopee cushions are deflating a bit. But, cats are cheaper than kids so my wife and I almost have my formal art and design education paid off. Whoopee, for real. Though, most of the natty resources I’m in constant search of right now in my pockets are time, energy and clear conscience. In my own personal art department, internet advertising on social networks mixed with small town word-of-mouth and an incestuous music scene of like twenty people pretty much makes the concert poster secondary information today. At least it seems that way on some days…some days like today. And some days feedback comes in the vein of, “It’s alright I guess, but I think we’ll just make our own in OUR style.” I have no idea what that means, but it seriously cracks me up in a “you and me take ourselves way too serious” kind of way. Stuff like that makes me realize that all of this that I push and pine for means nothing when all the images are stacked up. I like the idea of the time line and of the paper trail with life and celebrating creation, but a lot of it can take life out of context. I’m guilty a lot. Fooey…I don’t think the concert poster is a dead art and I must add that I’ve had great response and clientele to work with here. To top off this tearful tier, I have no idea what else I could do. This is the only thing that I’m told that I’m somewhat “OK” at. When fitting their “style”, of course. So, Kansas City…I simply fell into the right position with you and I enjoy you sometimes and sometimes I don’t. But, that is how the hamster ball scuttles. Though, much of my smoke stacks have cut back collaboration with concert stuffs due to just wanting to take it easier on myself and to see where else I can crawl with this pile I’m sitting on. And I come back quick, up and down. I think there will always be an avenue for printed products, plus for a long while now the concert poster in general has become a pretty hot item. Though, that is not why I do it. I just do it. Out of the gutter and onto the milk crate. Regardless, I’ve taken a step back from my typical trappings anyway to just breathe a bit in life and to avoid burning my torch out. I’m also seeing what other areas to plow. Though, I think I’ve recently caught a bit of fire again and I’m burning my brain and yours in this windy waste of writing. Adding it all up, I’m well down my seventh well here. I like it, but I have itchy roots that dig into my country backbone woods. There’s a piece of me that wants to get a piece of rural property to see some stars again and have a little full tank of time making things shack out back. And just close enough to the city for a fix of my secondary roots here if need be. But who knows what the next wind will blow? -djg

[superlinguo]

Linguistics jobs - Interview with a Senior Content Project Manager at Transparent Language

I mentioned on Twitter a while back that I was looking for people who wanted to participate in the linguistics jobs series. Heather Froehlich got back to me almost immediately with the recommendation that I interview Caneel Graham. This was a great suggestion! Caneel works for Transparent Language, an organisation that makes language learning software. They’ve created 7000 Languages, a non-profit organization that donates technology to developing language learning software for all of the world’s languages. They have some free resources, which are worth checking out. Caneel gives us the low-down on working for Transparent as a project manager.

What did you study at university?

I went into college with the goal of getting my BA in linguistics. There were only a few people (maybe 12 or 16) linguistics majors at the time. I also took Russian and French classes that first year and decided in my second year to study abroad in Morocco to learn Arabic (or at least develop an accent with my French). After I came back, I took the requirements for a linguistics degree: Phonology, Syntax, Morphology I and II, History of the English Language, Teaching English as a Second Language, and my capstone class was Field Methods (focusing on Turkish). To finish out my college career, naturally, I minored in studio art.

What is your job?

Officially, I’m a project manager. I plan and spec new projects, hire and train contractors, keep my projects on time and under budget, document best practices and processes, and attend many meetings. But here’s the wicked cool part: I work at a company that makes language-learning software. Kind of like Rosetta Stone, except we’re much better. Last year, we increased our online language offerings to 103 different languages. This year, we already have plans to add four more: Hmong, Hän, Holikachuk, and Lower Tanana.

I haven’t yet found a way to concisely describe what I do, but can give examples. Here’s what I did this January:

Surveyed Farsi and Russian instructors to find out how they use technology to teach grammar in initial acquisition courses.

Worked with product managers to design two new activities specifically us ed to teach grammar.

Researched Uyghur keyboards.

Created a 10-activity demo to teach inflection of some stative verbs in Koyukon.

Wrote a project specification to create domain-specific English-language conversational material.

Saved a few hours of copy-pasting with an Excel macro that formats the text for a multiple choice activity xml.

Worked with two translators to finalize the text for an online English for Turkish speakers course.

In the upcoming year, my goal is to expand the types of activities and number  materials we have available for practicing grammar online.

How does your linguistics training help you in your job? 

I can’t say this job only requires linguistics, but it’s my special contribution to the team.

The amazing group of people that I work with come from a variety of professional backgrounds: an MA in Classical Languages, an editor for a Spanish textbook company, an English teacher/German translator, a localization specialist, and me, a BA in linguistics. We are good at what we do and, despite differences in background, what we all have in common is a love of language and a curiosity of how it works. When you get a group of highly motivated, salaried, language nerds together, some amazing work will result.

Every year, the team works with 5-10 different languages, so even the very basic notion that languages are functioning as a system according to certain rules has been valuable. We’ve all had to use some generative grammar principles when we need to break down large chunks of language into lexemes for vocabulary learning. I’ve even had to draw a syntax tree in a meeting. Phonology came to the rescue when, the eve before a project was due, we needed the audio for a plural French noun and we only had it recorded in the singular. I had no choice but to splice a fricative onto the end of the audio file. (I really wanted to tell my phonology professor about that one).  

Do you have any advice do you wish someone had given to you about linguistics/careers/university?

I wish someone had told me…

Don’t doubt your interest in something; if it keeps your brain happy and curious, you can use it as motivation. Starting a job, even in educational publishing, requires you to start with the basics of business, despite your degree. Even though I could pronounce wild consonants like voiced uvular fricatives and create classroom lesson plans about phrasal verbs in English, I still had to learn how to write bugs in JIRA, negotiate pay rates with contractors, schedule meetings with Outlook, and develop good documentation habits. It was amazing how exciting some of that stuff started to seem if it meant that I got to work with Somali or Tamil. Plus, I got to meet some of the best people I’ve ever known, all of us, language nerds.

Use some of your interest to do research early (high school and freshman year early); explore related fields, even if you don’t think you’re good at them, sign up for computer classes, and make connections between your passion and potential applications.

Search for some of the connections between linguistics and other fields on job search engines or by reading blogs like this one. Don’t be surprised that there aren’t a lot of openings specifically for your major if you choose something in the liberal arts line. Once you find your keywords, keep the search open and see what other skills might complement your degree.

Always keep up with the technology that’s being used generally in the workplace. Find out how people communicate with each other, how files are shared within a company, and learn some general tools that may be specific to your industry. I took an Intro to Computers class my senior year and it proved to be one of the most useful classes I’ve ever taken.

Any other thoughts or comments?

 The more I work with language and gain hands on experience, the more I realize that there is so much knowledge and research that I do not know. At this point, I’ve combined general linguistics with general project management, but it feels right to push that knowledge a little deeper, maybe a degree, maybe some research. 

Previously:

Interview with a freelance translator and editor

Interview with an educational development lecturer (and linguistic consultant)

Interview with a client services manager

Interview with an English foreign language teacher

Interview with a speech pathologist

Interview with a computational linguist

For more interviews check out the ‘linguistics jobs’ tag.

[sebastiankurz]

Thrilling Design Ventures to Experience During Maison et Objet 2019

Thrilling Design Ventures to Experience During Maison et Objet 2019 ⇒ While Design Build Ideas has been talking about a wide variety of topics over the last couple of weeks, together, we return to the ultimate lifestyle and design platform, Maison et Objet Paris. This time around, we will about a series of thrilling design ventures visitors should seriously consider doing whether whether inside or outside the fair. From discovering the latest novelties from luxury brands to attending insightful talk conferences as well as visiting the best design studios, museums, five-star hotels and michelin-starred restaurants, the following article is one to hold dearly into consideration as it will help you guide yourself through the city of Lights.

    This year, The world’s most beloved tradeshow will occur from 18-22 January at the Paris Nord Villepinte and it will become the perfect stage to discover new trends and expressions in a multitude of sectors. Each year, Maison et Objet promises and delivers a creative and diverse space replete with uniqueness and business opportunities.

  Novelties from Luxury Brands

  Boca do Lobo

    Located at Hall 8 – Stand C3, this avant-garde behind the scenes living experience will be the perfect scenario to unveil 10 new design pieces, strategically thought to complete four living areas with a Je ne c’est quoi flair. Two workshop cases pay homage to skilled artisans and enhance the wonders of craftsmanship and ancient traditional techniques. To complete this adventure of broken standards, a creative atelier was conceived with the purpose of professionals and designers brainstorm about new projects and ideas with the Brand.

    Entering into this world of style and textures, the Home Living concept is present in every corner, with two dining and two living open areas with upholstered columns in order to emphasize the authenticity and warmth of a home. New remarkable launches and time-honored masterpieces are held by a live showcase of skilled artisans working on site to provide an unparalleled wandering that embodies the house state of mind and fearless spirit. Also, Limited Edition works of art will be present with its uniqueness and inspiring design complementing this experience.

⇒ Location: Hall 8 – Stand C3

  Covet House

  COVET HOUSE is representing its luxurious brands with a curated selection of furniture, lighting and accessories from its luxurious brands like Boca do Lobo, Essential Home, DelightFull, Brabbu, Luxxu and Rug’Society in this edition of the event, in Hall 8, Stand C15.

    Covet House will merge the two concepts used in the previous editions into one amazing stand. As you walk through the stand you will still be amazed by the Housing Concept: with different staging rooms, Covet House will offer its visitors a chance to get a look and get inspired from its astonishing and breathtaking pieces. Handcrafted by professional artisans, respecting and following the rules of this antique art, using the most coveted raw materials, these pieces will literally stand out from every other stand in the event.

    But the spotlight of this years event will definitely be it’s Lounge Concept: Presenting the visitors, clients and press a more of a contact complement to the brand, exploring relationships, giving a more intimate experience and celebrating design as friends, all together In one amazing stand.

⇒ Location: Hall 8 — Stand C15

  DelightFull + Essential Home

  These two brand’s stand will be heavily influenced by the ’50s in Paris as well as the movie and music industries. Glamour, luxury and sophistication will be presented in a detailed space. Some of the outstanding products you can expect to see from these two powerhouses are: the Kelly bar chair, the Hoppman side table, the Diamond mirror, the Monocles sideboard, all by Essential Home and the Matheny suspension lamp, the Amy floor lamp, the Galliano wall lamp, the Janis table lamp, produced by DelightFull.

      The main twist is that you get lost in these amazing tale and to blend with all of the products and all of their history. Why they were made and who or what was the inspiration behind the design of each piece.

  ⇒ Location: Essential Home: Hall 6 — Stand O102 / P101 + DelightFull: Hall 6 — Stand O92 / P91

  Maison Valentina

  Maison Valentina combines luxury design while offering functionality to one of the most important spaces of any project, and this participation in Paris will show exactly this. You can expect to see a comprehensive range of contemporary bathroom products that showcase timeless elegance are a true representation of craftsmanship excellence and haute couture decoration.

    ATO Collection is going to be another surprise: a collection that gathers four product solutions that will allow every professional choose one or multiple components and assemble them as they wish, personalizing the bathroom space and through small details and changes. Other thrilling products include the Tortoise washbasin, the Symphony freestanding, the Petra bathtub, among many other products!

  ⇒ Location: Hall 7 — Stand E42 / F41

  Rug’Society

    This time Rug’society joined forces with her sisters Brand Boca do Lobo and Brabbu to Create and celebrate an artistic collision and re-interpretation authentic craftsmanship. When the match between two distinct brands collide so well, pieces like Soleil Green by Boca do Lobo and Bourbon by Brabbu emerge and the expression “sky is the limit” reach another dimension. These pieces are the epitome of luxury with a brand new twist of edginess. Rug’society is going to take you on a journey directly to the WOW collection for this Fall, take the seat and enjoy the Flight.

    Rug’society took all the emotion and passion that characterizes the brand and created Skyscraper a floor lamp carved in mahogany, with a turned structure in wood with base in brilliantly finished white lacquer. To twist this piece up was created a new silky fringe lamp’s shade with the trend season colors and the most exquisite textile material. This fusion made the most original and elegant d cor piece that will fill any area with glamour and finesse.

⇒ Location: Hall 6 — Stand H52 / I51

  Ex.T

    Maison & Objet is once again Ex.t’s choice to inaugurate the new season 2019. In Paris, the Florentine bathroom brand presents Nouveau collection, brainchild of its new collaboration with Bernhardt-Vella studio from Milan. Along with this new entry, Ex.t confirms its long lasting partnership with Norm Architects studio and German designer Sebastian Herkner, presenting the Rest Armchair and Ribbon Square washbasin

    Modularity, versatility and functionality are the main features that Ex.t continues to offer in bathroom furnishings, achieving this through the creative approach of its international designers coming from a home design world.

  ⇒ Location: Hall 6 — Stand P102

  Lladró

    Lladró is a Spanish luxury brand internationally recognized as a leader in high end and exclusive porcelain sculptures, lighting and home decor objects. A lifestyle symbol synonymous with a unique know-how, which is also extended to its line “Light&Scent”, which embraces collections of lamps and home fragrances especially conceived to create ambience. In their stand you can expect to enjoy original and unique creations in exquisite procelain. You’ll also get to know more about Lladró’s new lighting collection that will be launched in April.

  ⇒ Location: Hall 8 — Stand C51

  Villari

    Villari reinvents porcelain! Combining its expertise to a creative audacity, Villari will pleasantly surprise you with an amazing variety of very original decorative pieces. The iconic Italian luxury brand has been a significant player in the interior design field.

  ⇒ Location: Hall 8 — Stand B42

  Sans Tabù

    Sans Tabù will be showcasing at Maison&Objet Paris 2019 in Hall 5A, Stand M164. The brand will present new bed linens and the wallpaper collection of Renaissance Pop, a line born from the free inspiration of the bas-reliefs of the Palazzo Ducale of Urbino (Marche Region, Italy) and full of ironic and elegant allegories.

⇒ Location: Hall 5A, Stand M164

  Gervasoni

    Paola Navone is the artistic director of the company. Gervasoni produces high level furniture for indoor and outdoor use supplying the residential and contract market.

⇒ Location: Hall 6 — Stand J92

  Attend the Talk Conference Curated by Covet Foundation

  Entitled “PORTUGAL – ELDORADO ARCHI, DESIGN AND CRAFT?”, this unique conference will be taking place in January 21st (2:00-2:45pm) in Hall 7. It will be moderated by journalist Guy-Claude Agboton and it will count with the knowledge of interior architects from OitoemPonto, Artur Miranda and Jacques Bec as well as Joana Astolfi designer from Astolfi Studio and Amândio Pereira, founder of Covet Foundation.

    When several European designers moved to Portugal, the media asked them why. Two answers come back; the existence of craftsmanship skills and a certain state of mind with the human at the center. Truth or fantasy?

    Portugal has been increasingly a game changer in the Design field, injecting considerable verve into a previously conservative industry as well as bringing a new fresh inspiration worldwide. As the luxury home design world is moving at a fast pace to improve authenticity and differentiation, top-notch quality has been relying on finest craftsmanship to create unique pieces for one of a kind interiors. An emerging realm that has been in the spotlight where the meticulous and hard-earned skills from master artisans are treasured. Now, let’s get to know more about each speaker.

  Artur Miranda and Jacques Bec / Oitoemponto

    Oitoemponto* emerged in 1993 from the perfect alchemy between two strikingly different but terribly complementary personalities. It is almost the ideal success story.

    With Artur Miranda’s experience of the world of fashion and design, he set himself apart by his decidedly modern vision of decoration, a clearly marked desire to break with the established codes and dare the most unexpected combinations, while at the same time fostering and developing an innate sense of colour.

    Jacques Bec brings to the duo a refreshing enthusiasm and the French touch, as well as the precious know-how acquired during his studies at the Met de Penninghen graphic arts school in Paris.

    Together, the two designers create sublime décors for dozens of lucky people. Each production is the fruit of long hours of coordination during which the lifestyle of the client is examined in minute detail in order to create an optimum match for their needs and wishes.

    The result is a subtle mixture of the owners’ tastes and the incomparable talent of Jacques Bec and Artur Miranda. Unique places, at once refined and convenient to live in, bright and discreet, modern and timeless…

  Amândio Pereira / Covet Foundation for Design & Craftsmanship

    Founder & CEO of Covet Group, an international creative company that holds and manages 11 luxury design brands, he started the journey in the design world in 2005 when he founded the renowned Boca do Lobo.

  Deeply connected with the Portuguese legacy of fine craftsmanship, he soon started to draw attention for its statement and edgy furniture and lighting collection’ brands after he finished his degree in Product Design by Politecnico di Milano.

      Injecting considerable verve into a previously conservative industry in Portugal, Amândio revealed strong leadership and entrepreneurship managing nowadays a corporation with 40 distinct businesses with more than 500 employees.

      ue to his motto in life to inspire the world through Design and Craftsmanship, in 2018 he established the Covet Foundation. A non-profit institution which works as a tribute to Arts & Crafts, along as promoting a valuable environment across industries, where skilled artisans are encouraged and treasured worldwide.

    Joana Astolfi / Studio Astolfi

  Joana Astolfi (b. Lisbon, 1975) is an artist, architect and designer who draws visual inspiration from a broad universe of found objects. Porcelain statuettes, miniatures, vintage chairs, lamps, toys, diaries and photographs of people she never met populate and shape her creative vision. Her artworks, installations and window displays are inspired by imperfections, mistakes and the irrepressibility of humor.

    A keen sense of history also characterizes her interior design and architectural work for commercial and private clients. Distinctive surfaces, fixtures, details, textures and patinas bring depth and complexity to clean, simple lines and illuminated open spaces, always with an eye toward the history and memory of the place. Astolfi sees objects and spaces as experiences, caught in time, but also capable of transcending and bridging time – and she leads her audiences on this fantastic journey.

    Astolfi has lived and worked in London, Munich, Venice and Los Angeles, returning to Lisbon in 2007 to set up Studio Astolfi. Starting from Joana’s creative vision, Studio Astolfi is a team of artists, artisans, sculptors, designers, architects, and technicians who specialize in telling stories, evoking memories, and captivating the curiosity of our audiences. Astolfi’s work has been exhibited in various countries and acquired by several collectors. She is Portugal’s window designer for Hermès since 2014 and invited artist window designer worldwide.

  Top Designers & Design Studios to Visit

      Alberto Pinto Studio (11, Rue d’Aboukir, 75002 Paris, France)

Jean-Louis Deniot (39, Rue de Verneuil, 75007 Paris 07, France)

Chahan Minassian (12, Rue de Beaune, 75007 Paris, France)

Patrick Jouin (8, Passage de la Bonne Graine 75011 Paris, France)

Pierre-Yves Rochon (9, Avenue Matignon, 75008 Paris, France)

Jacques Grange (21, rue du Bouloi, 75001 Paris, France)

Christian Liaigre (61, Rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris, France)

Gilles & Boissier (10, Rue Portalis, 75008 Paris, France)

India Mahdavi (19, Rue las Cases, 75007 Paris, France)

Sarah Lavoine (9, Rue Saint-Roch, 75001 Paris, France)

Tino Zervudachi & Associes (44, Rue Sainte Anne, 75002 Paris, France)

Luis Laplace (32, Place Saint-Georges, 75009 Paris, France)

Florence Baudoux (54, Rue Madame, 75006 Paris, France)

Joseph Dirand (51, Rue Saint-Georges, 75009 Paris, France)

Pierre Yovanovitch (6, Rue Beauregard, 75002 Paris, France)

Romeo by Claude Dalle (208, Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, 75012 Paris, France)

Jacques Garcia (212, Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris, France)

Créateurs d’Intérieur / Akram Ben Abderrazak (27, Boulevard Henri IV, 75004 Paris, France)

Champeau & Wilde (2, Avenue de Ségur 75007 Paris, France)

Jean Philippe Nuel (21, Boulevard de Bonne Nouvelle, 75002 Paris, France)

Didier Gomez (73, Boulevard de Sébastopol, 75002 Paris, France)

François Catroux (20, Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris, France)

Franz Potisek (5, Rue Manuel, 75009 Paris, France)

Véronique Cotrel (9b, Rue Turgot, 75009 Paris, France)

Benny Benlolo (30, Rue de Saint-Pétersbourg, 75008 Paris, France)

François Joseph Graf (100, Rue de L’Université, 75007 Paris, France)

Charles Zana (13, Rue de Seine, 75006 Paris, France)

Vincent Darré (47, rue de Bellechasse, 75007 Paris, France)

  Top Museums to Visit

    La Maison Rouge

Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature Eiffel

Tower Arc de Triomphe

Montmartre Sacre Coeur

Notre Dame Cathedral

Musée D’Orsay

Centre Georges Pompidou

Louvre Museum

Musée des Arts Décoratifs

Les Ateliers de Paris

Le Lieu du Design

Musée Galliera Musée

Marmottan-Claude Monet

Musée du Quai Branly

Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris

Musée de l’Orangerie

  Best Five-Star Hotels to Experience

  When in Paris, one cannot go without experiencing the city’s most glamorous luxury hotels. Below, you can find a list featuring 20 of the best hospitality venues one must experience while attending the event.

  Hotel du Louvre in the Unbound Collection by Hyatt

Fauchon l’Hotel

Hotel Bowmann

Hôtel Balzac

Le Cinq Codet

Sofitel Paris Le Faubourg

Paris Marriott Champs Elysees Hotel

Hotel de Berri, a Luxury Collection Hotel

Hotel Lutetia

Hotel Lancaster Paris Champs-Elysées

Prince de Galles, a Luxury Collection Hotel

W Paris – Ópera

Hôtel Napoleon Paris

Radisson Blu Champs-Elysées

Hôtel Vernet

Hyatt Paris Madeleine

Hotel de Crillon

InterContinental Paris Le Grand

Park Hyatt Paris Vendome

Hôtel de Vendôme

  Experience Michelin-starred Cuisine

  Paris is also filled with some of the world’s best fine dining restaurants. In this segment, you’ll get to see a series of them, and actually, all of them have been awarded more than two Michelin stars, so certainly a sumptuous gastronomic experience awaits you.

  Guy Savoy

L’Ambroisie

Arpège

Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen

Épicure

Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée

Le Cinq

Pierre Gagnaire

Astrance

Le Pré Catelan

Kéi

Le Grand Véfour

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon

Passage 53

Le Meurice

Le Table de l’Espadon

Sur Mesure par Thierry Marx

Le Grand Restaurant

Le Gabriel

L’Abeille

  You May Also Be Interested In Reading These Articles:

50 Exclusive Design Brands You Ought to Visit at Maison et Objet 2019

Read a City and Design Guide Regarding Maison et Objet Paris 2019

Celebrate Portuguese Design with the Once Upon a Time Pixel Cabinet

  ★

SUBSCRIBE HERE TO OUR NEWSLETTER and get the latest news about the world of design! Feel free to follow us on social media for more inspiration: Instagram | Pinterest

★

  from Sebastian Kurz Blog https://www.designbuildideas.eu/thrilling-design-ventures-experience-maison-et-objet-2019/

[sivelliar]

Ba Da Da Du

Ba Da Da Du. The term reverberates through my brain like a thought I had decades ago that  keeps bouncing back into the foreground long enough for me to contemplate its meaning. To the average person “ Ba Da Da Du” is gibberish, but to me it has a much deeper significance. To really find the truth behind it I had to think back to the beginning of my thought process; to the first thing I recollect from my childhood. I woke up that morning about 10 years old and I had no idea who I wanted to be. Every day my life goal changed. I wanted to be a singer, then a basketball player, and at one point I wanted to ride horses. None of those options really fit my personality, so I kept thinking.

It took until the ripe age of about fourteen or fifteen before I finally started to grasp a concept of my future. I was in high school at the time, and I was love struck by a girl in my chemistry class. I couldn’t get her out of my head. She was my first “real” crush, and at the time all I wanted to do was wake up next to her. She didn’t notice me at first though, so for a year or two I just sat on the sidelines hoping she would glance over at me for our eyes to meet, and she would feel the same spark I felt every time she walked in the room. One day I finally had my chance when our English teacher put us in the same group for a book project. I pushed through my nervousness and started a conversation, and we immediately hit it off. We had three weeks to work on the book project, so we had to spend some time together outside of school to get it done…oh and two other people were in our group as well, but they are basically loose baggage in this story. I don’t even remember their names at this point.

ANYWAY the first time we met after school to work on the book project we decided to go to the mall’s food court. I knew when I woke up that day I would be the guy who went along with her. We were truly hitting it off. Aside from our mutual love of literature, we basically had the same general personality. We went together like a black turtleneck sweater and blue jeans. Our project was finished within a couple of hours of the first project meeting (no thanks to the two other nameless people. Congrats on the free A). Afterwards, she and I walked around the mall for a few hours talking about ourselves, and life in general. She struggled with a lack of purpose, much like me. Her ambition was to be a soccer player, but a severe knee injury ruined that dream.

After that day at the mall we spent every day together for the remainder of our grade schooling. We always ate lunch together, tried to take the same classes, joined the same extra-curricular clubs (debate club champs of 2008), and even went to all of the same social gatherings and parties outside of school. Every moment I spent with her my infatuation grew and I really wanted to tell her, but I was scared. Every party we went to, if I got drunk I just wanted to get drunk next to her. Even when I was an idiot and put my foot in my mouth when I spoke, I wanted to do that with her.

The unfortunate law of the world is that nothing is perfect, and nothing good (or bad) lasts forever. During our senior year we both got accepted to the same university. I was going to study Computers, and she wanted to be a Pharmacy Tech. We both finally had a general understanding of what we wanted to do with ourselves, and we were going to help each other achieve those goals. But like I said, nothing good can last forever. On the last day of senior year, she came to me with sorrow in her eyes and explained that she got a full ride acceptance to an amazing college accompanied by an internship for her field across the country. It was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up, which I understood, but I was still sad that my best friend would be five hundred miles away from me. We graduated that summer and said our solemn goodbyes as we parted ways to fulfill our goals.

During all four years of college, every chance I got I would go to see her five hundred miles away. I told myself I had to, even if I had to walk it, to keep our friendship alive. I couldn’t just lose her to distance. She was too important to me. Some weekends I would make my trip out there directly after a long day of classes or work, and once I arrived I basically fell over from exhaustion. I always woke up on her couch with a blanket draped over me and a glass of water on the table next to me. My feelings for her escalated more and more as time went on, and I knew it was time I told her the feelings I had kept bottled up for so many years, if they weren’t already painfully obvious.      

I graduated college way before her, mainly because Pharm Tech School is a much longer degree program. For my Computer studies I mainly just had to learn how to tell clients how to restart their PCs and instruct them not to shove things in ports that don’t belong there. She showed up at my graduation unexpectedly which brightened my already bright day even more. After the ceremony we went out to dinner, just the two of us. I told myself this was my chance to spill all of the beans and let her know I was madly in love with her. I just didn’t know how to phrase it. Dinner was silent for the most part. She had a worried look on her face, which made me more worried. I was still building up the courage to tell her I loved her when she told me she wanted to talk to me. Everything I was preparing myself to tell her came flooding out of her mouth to me. She adored me the same way I adored her, she was scared to lose me when we went to different schools, and she wanted us to be closer than we already were. All I could do was smile.

We spent an amazing night together that night, and the next day we decided to make our newfound relationship last as long as possible long distance. I told her I would go one thousand miles to see her if I had to. From that moment on, every day I worked, I worked hard for her. When I got paid from all of that hard work, I used almost every penny to see her, and to pamper her as much as I felt she deserved. In my eyes, the place I was living was not my home. Every trip I made to see her felt like the drive home from a long day. I was crazy about her. I wanted to be the man who grew old with her.

For our one year anniversary I wanted to give her an amazing, elegant gift to show how much she means to me. I scoured the internet and ever mall for miles trying to find the perfect thing, to no avail. That weekend at the end of my five hundred mile trek to see her, I stopped and got a pizza for us to scarf down while we watched a movie or something. When I showed up at her apartment, pizza in hand, I apologized for not having a “real” anniversary gift. She took the pizza out of my hand, smiled, and reminded me the key to every girl’s heart is food. Apparently she also had a difficult time finding a gift for me. We both wanted our gifts to be perfect and magnificent (like I said we have matching personalities). She handed me a jewelry box, and when I opened it there was a bead bracelet. The four beads on the bracelet said Ba Da Da Du. I asked her what it meant, but there was no complete answer. The person who sold it said it was the last four beads they had, and my lovely girlfriend was in a rush to get me a gift so she bought it. She was worried I didn’t like it because it was not relevant to our lives whatsoever, but I adored it. Because it didn’t have a meaning, we could just make our own.

So that’s what we did. When we needed any sort of motivation it was Ba Da Da Du. When work was long and we just wanted to go home and wash the day off of us, Ba Da Da Du meant “don’t sweat the small stuff”. When money was tight, Ba Da Da Du reminded us we needed to treat ourselves. When we were five hundred miles apart, Ba Da Da Du reminded me she will always be there waiting for me when I go home. Ba Da Da Du is happiness. Ba Da Da Du gives us hope for the future. Ba Da Da Du is the push I needed sometimes to go five hundred miles, or even five hundred more. I would walk one thousand miles if I had to, just to be at her door.