#when you go into healthcare you agree to leave your personal issues at the door

[the-cookie-of-doom]

I've been in nursing school for a year now, and the stress of everything has been seriously wearing me down. After nearly 4 months in clinical being made to feel like an idiot, I find myself doubting my choices more often than not. But then I'll have an interaction with a patient at just the right time to remind me exactly why I'm here, suffering through his god-awful program.

A few weeks ago, a patient my age came in, massive trauma victim. She'd been camping in the mountains for a few days when she crashed an ATV. Honestly, she's lucky to be alive. Her friends had to run 2 miles through the wilderness to get to a payphone and call for help. She'd spent a week in the hospital by the time I met her, when she'd finally asked someone if there was any way we could wash her hair.

The normal system we use is these shower caps that have soap in them, and they're awful. Especially when you have thick, curly hair that's almost down to your waist. Walking into that room, seeing this poor kid who could barely move due to her injuries, my heart just broke. Her hair was so dirty after almost 2 weeks without a proper shower that it looked wet from where I was standing in the door.

Together with another nurse tech, we managed to improvise and figure out how to get her hair washed. The beds aren't made for it, we don't have the equipment for it, and like I said she could barely move. But we made it work. I spent probably an hour and a half carefully washing and combing through her hair with nothing more than a regular barber's comb, until it was completely clean and tangle free, and braided it after so it could stay that way.

Just this week I was able to help another young woman that I wasn't assigned to. I didn't know anything about her situation, but I overheard another of my classmates (her assigned student) tell the nurse tech that she needed help and didn't want him to do it. The nurse tech essentially told him it wasn't her responsibility to accommodate that, she was too busy, and the patient needed to either accept his help or get over it. I overhead, and stepped in to see what was wrong.

When I got to the room, the patient was crying and hyperventilating, couldn't tell me what was going on, and looked overall distraught. I was able to just sit with her for a few minutes to calm her down, find out what was wrong. She was hot and sweaty, needed a new gown/sheets. Understandable, no problem. I went and got the stuff, brought her a cold drink and a fan, got her changed, etc. The whole time she kept apologizing because she didn't know what was wrong with her, she wasn't usually like that, she didn't have anything against the guys it was just too much...

The whole time, that nurse tech from before was with me, too. Despite telling my classmate she didn't have time to deal with it, she almost immediately followed me into the room, kept trying to take over what I was doing, all while looking incredibly frustrated with the patient. Making her feel even worse. Once we were done I got the tech to leave so I could talk with the patient, let her know it's okay, that she was just overwhelmed and it's understandable. I reassured her that we're there to take care of her, she deserves to feel safe and taken care of in the hospital. The whole time, she didn't feel comfortable asking for anything else because of how she was treated before me.

Nursing school focuses on building a therapeutic relationship with patients. We need them to trust us and believe they'll be taken care of. It's easy to say you chose health care because you want to help people, but it's also really easy to lose that compassion. Sometimes you don't realize you're doing it. I don't blame that nurse tech, she really was busy. And when you're a working nurse with multiple patients to care for, you don't always have the time to spend an hour or two washing someone's hair, or handling their emotional breakdown with patience. But I think too often, people don't even try.

These relationship's with patients are exactly what's getting me through the misery of nursing school. I'm not out there curing anyone right now, but I know I'm having a positive impact in people's lives. I'm doing my best to show that you can still trust that when you're in the hospital, during one of the most vulnerable times in your life, someone will be there to take care of you and care for you.

I've worked in health care for two and a half years now. My philosophy has always been to maintain patient dignity above all else. It's so easy to forget the person lying in that bed is still a person, and not just a patient, or a set of tasks that have to get done at a certain time. You can't let yourself forget the care in healthcare.

[peterrparrkerr]

Hit mad falls in love with target - read on ao3

*-*

Peter waved frantically at Tony when he walked into the lab, eyes glued to a computer screen.

"Tony, quick! Look!" He demanded, nearly vibrating in his chair.

Tony made his way over, hands clasped behind his back as he leaned over Peter's shoulder.

"Isn't it awesome?" The young man asked, waving his hands around.

"What am I looking at?" Tony asked.

"Its cancer," Peter said. He points to different colored lines in the graph, all jagged and fluctuating. "This is breast cancer, and this one is pancreatic, skin, lung."

Tony hums as Peter continues to list each colored line as a different form of cancer.

"I was able to isolate the individual cells from everything else, and- look, look!"

Peter snatches Tony by the shirt sleeve and tugs him from one monitor to the one on the other side of the lab. He taps his fingers on the screen, bouncing on his heels.

"These are the cells after being treated with non-radioactive therapy," Peter said, looking up at Tony. "The number of cancer cells is cut in half within a week!"

Peter then drags Tony across the lab again, babbling excitedly as he does so. "Do you know what this means? This means we can start human testing! And we can market the treatment for practically nothing!"

He shows Tony a live feed of the treatment in action from a TV monitor.

"Think about the possibilities," Peter grinned. "Anyone can get treated, no matter their financial standing. And the treatment isn't as harmful as chemo or radiation. It doesn't attack the body as a whole, it isolates the cancer cells and leaves the rest of the body alone.

"No more hair loss or side effects. And we could cut remission in half too," Peter said. "Just think, this time next year, we could start selling to hospitals all over the world."

Tony smiles down at the younger man. He had known within the first day of meeting Peter that he wouldn't be able to follow through. He's glad he hadn't.

"Have you told anybody else?" He asks casually.

"Ned knows," Peter said. "And Bruce, but they were here when it happened."

"Where are they now?"

Peter gives Tony a wry smile, still too excited about his treatment working.

"I sent them home a couple hours ago," he said. "We've all been awake for almost three days, so I'm sure they've gone to bed already."

"You should be in bed too, don't you think?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.

Peter waves him off, shaking his head as he goes to his work desk. "I'll sleep later," he said, pulling his lab coat off and draping it over the chair.

He's dressed in his usual outfit; comfortable pants and a button up.

"Plus, I knew you'd make your rounds around this time, and I wanted to tell you," Peter said with a grin, grabbing his personal items.

That was part of Tony's cover. A janitor for the building Peter worked for. Hes wearing a navy blue jump suit, though he's left the cart out in the hallway.

"I'll walk you to your car," Tony hums, leading the way out. When he'd first started this, he'd offered his company to get closer to Peter -to find his vulnerabilities.

Now though, he does it because he's protecting the young scientist.

He'd skipped out with 45 thousand dollars paid to kill the boy, but as the days had gone on, and Peter had grown comfortable with him, Tony realized he couldn't steal him from the world.

Peter was incredible. He worked tirelessly to find a cure for cancer. He's already created a new insulin for diabetes that he's made available to everyone for only $10 a month -something not many other medical professionals liked.

Peter was making enemies left and right, and Tony decided to make it his job to keep him breathing. If not for the rest of his life, then for as long as it takes for the young scientist to see an end to cancer.

The boy wasn't getting much in terms of money for his creations. In fact, from what Tony's come to learn, the boy doesn't own a car, and rents an apartment with his aunt. 

He sees enough to live paycheck to paycheck and this new treatment won't do much to better his life, but he's not concerned with money. He wants to make Healthcare more effective and affordable.

Tony's got morals. Enough of them to know when a hit is a bad investment. That didn't stop him from taking his payment anyway.

The two make it to the car park. Its dark, the overhead lights buzzing annoyingly. Its empty, save for a couple cars belonging to a few of the security guards, and the car Peter shares with his aunt.

It's an older model, grey paint chipping and metal beneath rusting near the wheels. Peter talks animatedly beside him, lands flailing in front of him.

Tony glances around them, scowling as he takes in the familiar cement structure.

"Wait," Tony says, just as Peter's pulling the keys from his pocket. They're a couple feet away from the car, and the hairs on Tony's arms and neck stand on end.

"What is it?" Peter asked curiously, reaching for the door handle.

It's just as Peter grips the handle that Tony sees the wire connected to the metal lock on the other side of the glass.

Tony is quick to react, grabbing Peter by the arms and wrenching him away from the door.

Peter yelps in surprise, but its cut out by the sound of a small explosion. Tony braces for the blast of air that knocks the two off their feet, and grits his teeth at the heat that follows.

Peter's pressed against the cement, Tony weighing down on him. His ears ring, but he quickly gets to his feet, unzipping his jumpsuit and grabbing the .9 mm from the waistband of his jeans.

The car is ablaze, crackle-popping and sizzling. Its just the cab thats on fire, but Tony knows its only a matter of seconds before the flames reach the engine and the fuel line.

Tony looks around him, trying to find the culprit -though he knows from experience that the man won't be here.

He grabs Peter by the armpits and pulls him to his feet. Blood smears against his forehead and jaw. His hands and arms are scraped up and Tony can tell his knees are busted too, but it doesn't look like anything damaging.

"We gotta go," Tony urges, already half dragging the younger back towards the building.

"You-you have a gun," Peter gapes, stumbling after Tony, arm in the older's hard grip. "Why do you have a gun?"

Tony reaches the door for the stairwell.

"I'm a hired gun," Tony said, glancing up, then down, gun following his eyeline before pushing Peter towards the stairs going up.

"I thought you were a janitor," Peter gasped, climbing the stairs and swaying. Tony places his free hand on Peter's lower back.

"Thats just a front," Tony confessed. "We got to get you out of here."

"Someone blew up my car," Peter said, panting as they continue up to the first floor. "Aunt May is gonna kill me."

"Not if Buck doesn't kill you first," Tony grunted, pulling Peter out of the stairwell and into the main lobby.

Tony's car is around the side of the building, but its open to attack. Tony can't keep Peter trapped inside the building though, so he risks it.

Their feet slap loudly on the asphalt as they run for the nondescript black SUV Tony had taken to driving.

He checks around the vehicle, under and inside before issuing Peter into the back seat.

Tires screech as Tony peels out of the parking lot.

"What- whats happening? Tony, what- why do-"

"Someones trying to kill you, Peter," Tony said, blowing past the guard tower at the exit of the parking lot.

"But why?" Peter asked dumbly, voice slurring slightly as more blood turns the side of his face crimson.

"I'll answer all your questions when we're safe," Tony promised, eyes frantically shifting from the area ahead of him to the rear view mirror.

Peter must really be feeling the effects of his head slamming into the concrete, because he doesn't protest.

"Lay down," Tony orders, merging into traffic and slowing down. "Lay low until I say."

Peter does -Tony thinks mostly because of his head injury. Tony relaxes a little, knowing the scientist won't be gunned down in the back seat.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Somewhere safe," Tony answered, keeping an eye behind him.

He doesn't see a tail, but he takes a round-about way to his safe house, just outside of Queens.

When they get to the small cabin, Tony checks the building before helping Peter inside.

"I think I have a concussion," Peter mumbles, swaying on his feet as Tony guides him to the kitchen chair.

"I don't doubt it," Tony agrees, setting his gun down on the table beside Peter's elbow before grabbing the first aid kit.

He pulls another chair over in front of the young scientist and opens the red box.

"Let me see your hands," Tony orders. Peter does, palms up. Tony begins to clean them and his arms.

"Tony," Peter says, breaking the silence. Tony doesn't say anything. He reaches up to clean the blood from the side of Peter's cheek.

"Is your name actually Tony?"

Tony makes eye contact before nodding.

"And you're a hired gun?" Peter asks, slightly breathless. "Like, like a hitman?"

"Yes," Tony answers, reaching the cut on Peter's hairline. Peter winces, but doesn't pull away.

"You kill people for a living?"

"Yes."

It takes Peter a couple seconds, but it seems to hit him. Hes bolting to his feet, the chair clattering behind him.

Tony leans back into the chair, watching as Peter begins to pace.

"What- Tony, you have to tell me whats going on," Peter demands, hand on his head. Tony knows from experience that pacing tends to help the scientist expell excess energy.

"I will," Tony nods. Peter continues his pacing. Back and forth beside the kitchen counter.

"Why- why are people trying to kill me?" He demanded. "Who blew up my car?"

Tony sets the paper towels down on the table, knowing Peter won't sit still for him to properly tend to him.

"The one who blew up your car is another hitman," Tony said. "Goes by the name Winter Soldier."

"You called him Buck," Peter said, pointing an accusatory finger at Tony, eyes narrowed.

"I did," Tony nodded. "Hitmen tend to run in the same circles, though we don't always like each other. Bucky was probably hired to finish the job."

"Finish the job," Peter repeated dumbly. "I'm the job?"

Tony nods, once more letting Peter process. He knew Peter would figure it out without Tony's help. He was smart.

"Finish the job means someone already tried to- to kill me," Peter said, panting as he continued to pace. The wound at his hairline is bleeding sluggishly, dripping down his temple and towards his jaw.

Peter wipes at it without thought, smearing blood against his cheek. He pauses to look down at his hand, fingers glistening in red.

He touches his forehead again, as if remembering he's still injured, then turns to Tony, accusation and fear in his Bambi brown eyes.

"You," he said softly, in disbelief. "You were hired to kill me, weren't you."

"I was," Tony nodded.

"But you haven't," Peter said. Tony can practically see the gears turning behind his eyes. "And, and now whoever hired you hired the Winter Soldier."

Tony only nods. Peter takes a shuddering inhale and has to grip the counter with a bloody hand to stabilize himself.

"I'm- I'm- who- who would want to-to kill me?!"

"The payment was anonymous," Tony said. "Thats how it works. But whoever it is is threatened by you."

Peter looks at Tony incredulously. "Me? Why me? I'm the least threatening person -like- ever!"

"You've cost Big Pharma millions with your insulin," Tony said. "You've patented it, so they can't take it and upcharge the way they've been doing. And if your treatment for cancer is a success, you'd be costing them even more."

Peter takes a moment to process that before he nods. "Right, yeah. I knew I was going to make a lot of people mad about that, but. But I never expected anyone to actually try to kill me."

"Money is a powerful motive," Tony said, a little too much experience leaking into his tone.

Peter hears it, because he stops his pacing, shoulders dropping. Exhaustion seems to pull him towards the floor like an anvil tied to his spine.

He sways a little, and Tony's about to offer him the chair again, but he moves to it willingly. When he sits, their knees are barely touching, and he blinks dazedly at his bloody hand.

Tony grabs a clean rag and leans forward to clean up the blood from Peter's head. The younger lets him, still processing and no doubt sluggish from the concussion.

"Why didn't you?" Peter asked after Tony had taped gauze to his hairline. It was patchy and poorly done, but it would help.

"Why didn't I what," Tony hummed, using an alcoholic wet wipe to clean the remaining blood from Peter's hands. The boy winces at the burn to his scraped palms.

"Kill me," he said, swallowing thickly. "You had plenty of opportunity."

Tony sighed, setting the wipes down before leaning forward and looking Peter in the eye.

"Because I believe in the work you're doing," he said honestly. "And I'm going to make sure you finish it."

Peter blinks once, twice, before breaking eye contact and sighing, body eating to melt into the chair as the air leaves his lungs.

"Come on," Tony said, standing up and slipping the gun into the waistband of his pants. Then offering his hand. "This place is safe. Theres a bed you can sleep in."

"I shouldn't sleep with a concussion," Peter said weakly, taking Tony's offered hand anyway.

"Its mild, I'm sure you'll be fine," Tony mused, heading deeper into the cabin to the bedroom.

The bedroom isn't anything special. A twin bed in the corner, a four drawer dresser and a blackout curtain.

Peter climbs onto the bed, not bothering with the covers or taking his shoes off. Tony thinks its best he sleep with them on anyway, in case Bucky finds them.

Tony moves to leave, grabbing the handle, and Peter bolts upright again, eyes wide.

"You're okay," Tony promises. "I'll be right outside."

Peter gives the barest shake of his head. "Stay here, please," he says softly.

Tony nods, shutting the door and turning off the light before making his way to the side of the bed. Theres an old step stool there, and he sits down at the head of the bed.

Peter lays back down, body too tense to ever fall asleep. Tony keeps his ears attuned to any noise that could alert him to Bucky, or anyone else, gun sitting perfectly stop on his knee, finger off the trigger, but ready at a moments notice.

"Tony?"

"Yes, Peter."

Peter shuffles around, and Tony turns his head just in time to feel pillow soft lips connect with the corner of his mouth.

He can't help but smirk as Peter settles back down. "Thanks for not killing me."

Tony chuckles at that, leaning his head against the wall. "I may be a hitman, but I've got morals," he says into the dark room. "Besides, nobody likes cancer."

Peter laughs tiredly at that before reaching his hand out and grabbing Tony's. Their fingers interlock, and Tony doesn't really know which one of them initiated it.

"You're going to be okay," Tony continued. "I wont let anyone hurt you. You're safe with me."

"I know."

[arcticfox007]

Suptober Day 1: Harvest

This is my first time doing Suptober and I probably won’t do every day (and am already a day late) but I thought it would be a good creativity boost and looking through all the other work it seemed like a lot of fun! Thanks to @winchester-reload for organizing this :)

Check it out on AO3!

Castiel hadn’t meant to overhear the conversation. He was supposed to be on break, but had volunteered to reset room 5 for the next patient because he knew his friend Alex had been in dire need of a break. Cas was only a volunteer, spending his junior year of college shadowing various medical professionals to get a better idea of what a career in medicine would really be like. When Alex had suggested shadowing one of the doctors she worked with, he’d readily agreed, knowing that his friend spoke highly of both Dr. Barnes and Dr. Fitzgerald.

He’d already spent the past few hours shadowing Dr. Fitzgerald (or Garth as he insisted on being called) and had seen enough to realize that Family Medicine was understaffed and struggling to do the best they could for their patients given the absurd constraints on their time. Garth was currently seeing a patient who didn’t want a stranger in the room, so the doctor had told Cas to grab some lunch. Cas had intended to do just that when he saw Alex making frantic phone calls at the front desk. When she’d hung up, she’d looked at the end of her rope, explaining to Can that one of the other nurses called out and she couldn’t find anyone to cover for them.

Which is how Cas ended up in room 5 wiping down the surfaces and pulling a new paper cover over the bed. Cas knew all about patient privacy, but really, the conversation easily carried into the room when the man who must be one of Dr. Barnes patients had decided to continue talking to her out in the hallway. The man had a compelling voice and by the time Cas realized he was eavesdropping it was too late to avoid it as leaving room 5 now would have only made the unsuspecting patient realize he’d been overheard.

“Um, and, I’m really sorry about this doc, but I probably can’t afford the bill for today’s services right away.”

“Dean, just call Meg like I told you. Our pharmacy here is amazing at finding co-pay cards for these types of medications.”

“I will talk to her, I swear. It’s just when we had to switch insurance plans the new one says the co-pay for that grade of medicine is $100 a dose. I’m honestly not sure I can make that work Dr. Barnes.”

“I understand, but you need this medicine Dean. Your RA will flare right back up without it. If that happens you eventually won’t be able to work at all. Even skipping doses is ill-advised, letting the inflammation persist could eventually cause permanent damage to your joints.”

“I get it doc, I do, but $400 a month? It’s basically choosing between eating and my ability to move without pain.”

“Dean, just talk to Meg. We will figure something out. At least promise me you’ll take the Humira every other week. I know it didn’t manage your symptoms well at the lower dose before, but it was still better than letting the RA go untreated.”

Dean must have responded to Dr. Barnes in some way Castiel couldn’t hear, because after a few moments the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway, fading as they moved towards the front desk. Cas hurried out of room 5, the trash bag hanging unnoticed from his wrist. His heartbeat sped up as he worried that he wouldn’t catch a glimpse of “Dean” before he left the office. Cas didn’t really know what he was planning on doing, just that he couldn’t stand the thought of this man resigning himself to pain all because the healthcare industry was such an awful mess that it would burden someone with choosing food over medicine. Something about the way Dean had sounded reminded him so much of his sister, Anna, right before she had left Castiel forever. That feeling drew Cas forward to meet a man he didn’t know. Cas couldn’t solve Dean’s money problems, Cas couldn’t force the government to change how healthcare was run in the country, Cas couldn’t even make Dean’s medical issues any better – but he could meet this man and maybe make him smile for a moment. Maybe, if he was brave enough, he could offer him some sort of friendship so maybe he would have one more person to help him through his struggles. Cas had been too young to understand how alone Anna must have felt but he knew more about it now. Helping people like Anna was what had drawn Cas to medicine in the first place.

Turning the corner Cas was startled to see what could only be a 6-foot flannel-wearing freckled god. The man was Hollywood beautiful and for a moment Cas forgot what had brought him rushing around the corner in the first place. The sound of Alex pointedly snapping her fingers brought Castiel back to reality as he broke of his inappropriate staring. He felt his skin heat up rapidly as he blushed.

“Did you finish room 5, Castiel?” Alex stared at him expectantly. Silently, Cas handed over the trash bag and muttered something about taking his lunch break outside. Too embarrassed by his very obvious admiration of the man that must have been Dean, Cas didn’t think he could talk to him in front of Alex. He rushed out the front door in the hopes that the autumn air would help him pull himself together. He didn’t know why he’d felt so compelled to talk to a man who’s private and very personal conversation he’d overheard. He was almost glad that his humiliating gawking had saved him from speaking to the guy. After all, what would he have said anyway? The air alone wasn’t helping Castiel’s composure, so he began pacing in front of the building.

“I mean how do you go up to a stranger and tell them they aren’t alone and that good things do happen? It’s not like it wouldn’t embarrass the guy to know I overheard him talking about his money problems…” Cas froze as he heard someone clear their throat behind him.

“Uh, hey man. I actually came out to ask you something else, but I think this just got awkward.” Cas took a deep breath already knowing it was Dean standing behind him. Cas’ habit of muttering to himself when anxious had gotten him into trouble on more than one occasion, but never quite as badly as this felt. Sadly, his fervent wish to turn invisible on the spot was being ignored by the universe and he found himself staring into striking green eyes while wondering how he could possibly salvage this situation.

“H-hello Dean. I’m Castiel, and I can’t apologize enough for overhearing your conversation with Dr. Barnes. I swear it wasn’t intentional, I was cleaning out the room you were standing near and – “

“Whoa, hold up buddy. I’m not mad or anything. I mean, it wouldn’t be my topic of choice to start chatting up the hot new guy at my doctor’s office, but you clearly work in healthcare, I’m sure you’ve heard the same thing from lots of folks.” Cas’ brain froze a bit when Dean referred to him as hot, but then it caught up with what he was actually saying.

“Er, actually I’m just shadowing Dr. Garth for the day, but yes, I have heard stories like yours. My sister, Anna, went through something similar. That’s why I wanted to say something to you but wasn’t sure what. Then I actually saw you and, well, you saw. I’m not really good with subtlety. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable.” Dean threw his head back with a barking laugh and Cas found himself staring at the beautiful man yet again.

“Having someone like you checking me out definitely doesn’t make me uncomfortable. If it makes you feel better, I came out hoping to ask if you’d be interested in going to the Harvest Festival tonight. I have to work for a bit at my store’s booth but if you were free around 7, I’d love to talk with you more. Even if it’s just whatever you wanted to talk to me about before.” Dean smiled flirtatiously at Cas, and there was no way to resist that.

“Yes, I’d love to! Where should I meet you?”

They exchanged information quickly, and parted ways with matching smiles. Cas would get his chance to tell Dean how his sister gave up her fight with cancer because she knew her treatments were bankrupting the family. He’d tell him how he’d was hoping to be a doctor himself one day to maybe help someone else like Anna win their fight despite the shitty healthcare system. He’d also tell Dean that he’d chased him down the hall because he’d desperately wanted to tell him that maybe they were strangers, but that he hoped Dean didn’t give up and that he’d be willing to be there for him if having a friend would help.

Now though, Cas thought maybe he’d already made Dean’s day a bit brighter, and he looked forward to getting to know the handsome man better. Maybe his impulse to offer his friendship to a stranger wasn’t as insane as it first seemed, and if Castiel was reading things right perhaps friendship wasn’t the only thing they had to offer one another.

[nimbus-tatze]

so the lab grown meat post ( https://nimbus-tatze.tumblr.com/post/639887396603920384/ok-so-lab-grown-meat-i-hate-with-a-passion-the ) gained a bit of traction and I decided to adress how to approach agriculture, some of these technologies and how to help out rural communities, thanks goes to @lordofthechips

Mostly I've listed attitudes/mindsets you may want to adopt to a certain degree, depending on your circumstances and beliefs. Anyone can add if they have good advice, but essentially 'get rid of animal ag' ain't it.

Don't generalize and try to look for nuance, especially coming from the locals/experts. Influencers aren't experts. It'd be lovely if more of us try to let rural communities make their own decisions and don't talk over them. That includes online posts.

Instead of always looking for new answers, look for older ones as well. There is a reason many traditions have become traditions. As you lose them through modernization you lose generational knowledge. Not a call for bigotry in case that's not clear.

Agriculture is different in each case. Don't try to make one solution fit every case or judge them if they don't. Hating animal agriculture is one thing, but when you want to get rid of it you include indigenous people, poor people, etc. There is a reason these people continue to do it that way and they know better than you why.

If you have the time/opportunity try to help out on a farm for a while, especially during harvest, feel free to do so. It's a great way to learn, get into conversation with farmers and the community (think about all the people you meet on the way, those working in the small shops you might need to go into to grab a snack etc), and make connections.

Look up CSA farms in your area. Community Supported Agriculture. I don't know how it works elsewhere but where I live we come together as a group, pick a farm, and get into an agreement with them to have an exclusive relationship as consumers with that farm. That means we as a community are their sole customers, but we agree to financially back the farm on a yearly basis (or 6 months and so on, each agreement can be different). So we agree on a price and pay that even if there is no produce/products yet. We don't have to pay every single time we get food, can make requests to grow certain cultures or apply certain practices, and can also frequently visit the farm. If the harvest is extra good that year, we don't have to pay more. In return the farmer is financially insured against stuff like a few years of bad harvest or issues with livestock, can get additional funding for expanding their operation etc. It's oversimplified here, and there are varieties so if you like to learn more about the german model you can look for SoLaWi (Solidarische Landwirtschaft). In my case farmers drive their stuff into the city for us on specific days and in locations close to your neighbourhood and hand you a box with what you want.

Don't talk over people in their own field. Don't go into the field with the intentions of a missionairy. You wouldn't try to teach a virologist about Covid. I hope. Even if you have reason to believe that person is wrong about the point they make, don't try to disprove it, that's the job of other people of the field. And they already make sure to disprove what's wrong.

essentially like the point above but If you decide to quote someone from the field don't do it against someone also from that field. Don't direct indigenous quotes at me to discredit my indigenous experiences for example, especially if you aren't indigenous yourself. That's a conversation for us. Also each tribe/scientific field is different (look Point 1).

Look outside the western world and if you have the means to travel pls visit not just the popular tourist sites. The villages/towns can tell you so much more than I can in a post. Try to have a local host you if it's not too difficult for them.

Don't dismiss rural folks as dumb/naive/racist. Doesn't mean bigotry isn't a problem, but try to pick out what they are saying about rural communities and ag in particular, bc they're still locals and still know more about local circumstances. Stay on topic.

Be suspicious about feel-good-uwu-stuff. It doesn't always have to be bad, but if what you're looking at primarily adresses your emotions you wanna be suspicious. Like cute animal videos, anthropomorphism especially, tech that seems to magically solve an issue, that stuff.

But also, even if you feel suspicious about tech/agriculture/etc keep it mind it might help others out. I highly criticized lab grown meat from an ag engineering perspective, but also mentioned it is probably amazing for healthcare. Some gadgets we might call lazy, but they can be incredibly helpful to disabled people and so on. Let's try to keep a door open with the benefits other people in mind

I'll add constantly seek education to this list BUT I don't recommend specific documentaries or books, bc they can be misleading especially if one misses out on pre-info that those forms of media built on. There can be a lot of emotional manipulation, weird framing, and so on and even with factual statements it's easy to frame smth wrong, check out the entire dehydrogenmonoxid=water project a student tried out.

Not to say there isn't good stuff out there, but pls don't get caught in echo chambers. If you have access to academic sources try to use them, even if they're more 'boring'.

TL;DR: don't get polarized, use nuance and talk to a variety of people and leave the job of 'correcting' experts to other experts.

(Also it's a bit hastily put together, so I hope it answers the question, lemme know if not precisely enough!)

[torn--and--frayed]

Josh/Donna + insecurity for the dialogue prompt?? ☺️🥰

Listen... was it the best idea to solicit prompts on a rare slow day at work? Admittedly, no. But this prompt did inspire me to return to some dialogue I had written for a multi-chapter fic I was working on.

I hate writing anything that isn’t dialogue, so it’s still in it’s rough form. Maybe when real life politics calms down it will be fun to return to the fictional kind.

Thank you for the prompt and I hope you enjoy!

When Josh enters the apartment after his third straight night spent in the Situation Room, he practically falls through door, stumbling a bit as he places his keys on the table.  

However, unlike the previous nights, all the lights in the apartment remain on, and Donna, rather than being tucked up in bed, is sitting at the kitchen table, hunching over her laptop. 

“Oh, you’re up.”

“Yep.” she says without looking up, her lips making a faint popping.

“Now who’s burning the midnight oil?” He tugs her hair gently, forcing her to tear her eyes away the harsh glow of the computer screen.

“You’re one to talk. Just finish up in the sit room?”

He sighs, crashing down into the other chair. “It’s, as they say, classified. Seriously, what’s got you working so late?”

“The First Lady chose an issue.” She’s back to staring vacantly. 

“Finally. Did you give her the folder? What did she choose? Foreign adoptions? School nutrition?” He smirks, “Say no to drugs?”

Donna glares at him sideways. 

“What? It’s not a childcare tax deduction, is it?”

“It’s worse.”

“Ok, now you’re really scaring me. What is it?”

“It’s…” she trails off as she covers her face in her hands. 

“Didn’t catch that? Its—”

“It’s healthcare.” Her voice reaching a high pitch she had previously not thought possible. 

“Healthcare?”

“Healthcare.”

“Oh wow.” Josh lets out a breath and leans back,“That’s—”

“Stupid? Impossible? Political suicide?”

“I was going to say difficult, but those work too.”

“Yeah.”

“Seriously, Donna, you can’t do healthcare. I mean, you can’t do healthcare.”

“What do you mean, ‘you can’t,’ Josh? Because I didn’t go to Harvard or Yale, my tiny mind just can’t grasp the complexity?”

“What? No—”

“I’m some political neophyte—”

“Donna, I meant the East Wing. I meant that, you’re in the East Wing, you should be doing fun—no, noncontroversial things. Not healthcare, that’s—I mean, that’s third rail.”

“Well, unfortunately, Josh, I don’t make the decisions over there; the First Lady does, and she decided she wants to do healthcare.”

“Well make her not want to do healthcare! You’re her Chief of Staff, aren’t you?”

“We’ve been spinning our wheels for weeks and now I’m supposed to tell her no? You can pick any issue, Mrs. Santos, just not that one?”

“Well, when that one is healthcare, yeah!”

“This is the first thing she’s shown interest in outside of what color drapes to hang in the residence. I’m not going stifle that before we’ve even tried.”

“You do realize that those of us in the West Wing have an agenda that we would like to get passed too? I’m not going to squander all the capital I earned winning a goddamn presidential election—”

“You’re not the only one that worked to get him elected, Josh,” Donna snaps. “This might come as a shock but the world in fact does not revolve around you.”

“Donna, we’re on the verge of nuclear war,” he says, frantically pulling at what remains of his hair,  “I don’t have time to hold your hand while you and the First Lady play nurse Barbie.”

“I didn’t ask you to hold my hand!”

“You think I’m just going to—” their rising voices are interrupted by the harsh sound of Josh’s pager. “Ah fuck. This fucking thing. Right now? Look, I don’t have time, I have to—”

“Just go.” Donna waives towards the door, dismissing him, “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“We agreed we wouldn’t bring any of this home with us and—”

She shrugs,“Well.”

“Yeah.”

***

Donna arrives at the White House at what could only be generously considered morning, even by D.C. standards. Her years spent as an assistant allowing her to balance coffees, breakfast, and a spare suit without so much as a fumble. 

She rounds the corner into the foyer outside of Josh’s office just as several in crisp military uniform are leaving. One nods slightly as he passes, “Morning Ms. Moss.”

“Good morning, Director Knowlton.”

 Josh’s head startles from the briefing he was reading, “Hey,” he starts sheepishly once the men have cleared. 

“Hey.”

“Look, I’m sorry—”

“You’re sorry? I’m sorry—”

“You were tired, and I shouldn’t have jumped down your throat—”

“I shouldn’t have even suggested you weren’t capable—

“And I shouldn’t project my insecurities onto you—”

“Because of course, you’re capable. You’re the most capable person I know. Hell, you’re more capable than me most days—”

“And I agree with you, it is the third rail—"

“Not that this isn’t adorable,” Margaret clears her throat as if to announce her presence, “but do you think you could do this in a place that isn’t right in front of my desk? Some of us are trying to get some work done.”

“Right, sorry.”  Josh leads them both into his office, shutting the door as he leans up against it. “Hey, Donna, I mean it I am sorry.”

“I know. I’m sorry too.”

“But we really need to talk about your legislative agenda—”

“Josh.” She raises a newly freed hand to stop him.”It’s already on your schedule. We’ll talk about it next week.”

“It’s already on my schedule. How do you even do that? We talked about this, what? Five hours ago?”

“I have my ways.”

“Yes, you do.”

“Now. Here’s your breakfast,” she dangles a paper bag in front of him, “and you really need to change. And brush your teeth while you are at it.”

“Hey!” Josh grabs for her wrist pulling her back against him, the bag crunching between them  “Why are you running out of here so fast?”

“It couldn’t have anything to do with your breath?”

“Funny. But I just brushed my teeth an hour ago, before my meeting with Knowlton, so I know it’s not that.”

“No, I guess not.”

“Stay and have breakfast with me.”

“You have time for breakfast?”

“Margaret,” Josh yells, “do I have time for breakfast?”

“You have ten minutes until senior staff.”

“See, I have ten minutes.”

“Ok.” She smiles as Josh leans in, and mumbles an ok of his own against her lips. 

The faint sound of a telephone ringing breaks the moment. 

“Bagel,” Donna pushes the now crumbled bag towards him. “And coffee.” she says, reaching around to hand him the paper cup.

“Everything bagel? Cream cheese? No whole wheat with low fat?”

“Uh huh. Full fat, almost no nutritional value. And coffee with four sugars. Just how you like it.”

“Wow. I’m getting spoiled today.”

“Consider it part of the apology.”

“Well as part of my apology I’ll let you have the fruit.” He says, handing her the cup of fruit she had tried to sneak in. 

“You’re so generous.”

“And powerful.”

“And humble.”

“And handsome.”

“Yes, that too.”

[lightsupinthenorth]

A little coffee with your sugar? part 1/2

Here is a Harringrove Coffee shop AU. I hope you’ll enjoy :)

Read on AO3

As the only baker of the Upside-Down Café, Billy usually kept to the kitchen. And he liked it that way. So, when Heather barged into his sanctuary, interrupting him in the process of frosting a three-layer chocolate cake to let him know she was leaving and he had to replace her behind the counter, Billy was not happy.

“Why in the world are you leaving this early?”

She always stayed until closing.

“Are you serious? I told you last week I have a dentist appointment. You said you’d be okay.”

Had he really said that? Well, that had been a big mistake.

The thing was, he had not been listening properly when Heather had told him about her appointment. He had been in the middle of decorating a batch of sugar cookies with rainbow icing (because he was gay and did what he wanted), which was the kind of delicate work he had to focus extra hard on. He had trouble controlling his strength, sometimes, and that could lead to accidents. So, when he’d registered Heather had finished talking and was waiting for a reply, he had nodded and said “okay” without knowing what he was agreeing to. He could have asked her to repeat, but it got on her nerves when he did that. According to her, he was doing it a bit too often. It wasn’t his fault she always tried to make conversation when he had to focus on a complicated task. Come to think of it, maybe she was doing that on purpose to get whatever she wanted from him. Billy wouldn’t put it past her: she was devious enough to come up with such a tactic.  

“Okay… well, see you tomorrow then.” He tried to act cool and unaffected, but his dread was hard to hide.

“Oh, don’t be a drama queen. You’ll survive. Have a wonderful afternoon serving our dear customers!”

Billy groaned. She was really laying it on thick.

“I wish you have cavities.” He said meanly.

Heather laughed, showing perfect white teeth that could have starred in a toothpaste commercial. The audacity! Why was she even going to the dentist?

Billy took his time finishing the frosting after Heather’s departure. Tuesday afternoons were slow, anyway. He had to put the last touch in a hurry, though, because the bell above the front door chimed, indicating the arrival of a customer.

Billy exited the kitchen with the cake, so he could put it on display before taking the customer’s order. He had to multitask now that Heather had mercilessly abandoned him. Traitor.

“Hi, welcome to the Upside-Down Café, what can I do for you?” He asked dispassionately, not even looking at the person on the other side on the counter.

He could lay on the charm as well as the next guy, but at the moment his whole attention was on the triple layer cake he was trying to squeeze between the apple pie and the cinnamon rolls displayed behind the glass case.

“Well I do feel properly welcomed, Hargrove. You might even want tone the enthusiasm down a bit. Wouldn’t want you to come off as overeager.”

The sarcasm was nearly palpable. It didn’t surprise Billy, considering who was speaking.

“Buckley, fancy seeing you here.”

She rolled her eyes. It was her default move when she was around Billy. It was all for show, though. he knew she liked him, deep down.

“Heather’s not here?”

“No. Dentist appointment.”

“Oh. She didn’t tell me.” Robin pouted like a five-year old.

Ah! She wasn’t so smug anymore.

Billy would have been amused at Robin’s reaction, but the fact she hadn’t known about Heather’s appointment mainly made him suspicious. She claimed she had told Billy about the appointment the week before, but she hadn’t told her friend, whom she had a big fat crush on? Billy wasn’t buying it. Of course, telling her coworker, who’d have to cover for her, seemed more important than telling her crush she wouldn’t be seeing her, but Billy knew better. Heather was so head-over-heels for Robin it wasn’t even funny anymore. If she didn’t do something about it soon, Billy would go nuts. She was always yapping about Robin, and she was so distracted in her presence that she had once dropped a plate of cupcakes Billy had just worked his ass off to finish before the Saturday afternoon rush. She was a menace.

“Would you like to order something anyway, or?” He asked Robin.

“Yeah, sure, I’m actually waiting for a friend. I’ll take a piece of apple pie and an Earl Grey tea, please.”

Billy had already had an inkling of what she was going to order, because Heather had raved to him about Robin’s favorite food and drinks several times before, but he chose not to disclose that piece of information. He was a good friend like that.

“Coming right up.”

While he was cutting the pie, the bell chimed again.

“Oh, here’s my friend. Hey dingus!”

Billy looked up briefly and did a double take. He had to make a conscious effort to not let his jaw hang open. The man who had just come in was gorgeous, and exactly Billy’s type. He looked so pretty in his preppy knitted sweater, it nearly gave Billy heartburn.

Billy had come out of the kitchen with his dirty apron still on, and he was almost certain there was some chocolate frosting on his left cheekbone. He could feel it itching. He was cursed.

“Hey Rob.” Pretty boy hugged Robin and then turned to Billy.

His warm brown eyes widened, making him resemble a deer caught in the headlights. Billy only then realized he’d been staring at him intensely. You know, like a fucking creep.

Billy looked away and cleared his throat.

“What can I get you?” His voice sounded strained, but it would have to do.

“Er… A Mocha and a piece of chocolate cake, please.”

“Sure thing.”

Billy prepared the order, keeping his gazed fixed on the task at hand. He couldn’t look at Pretty boy, lest he make a bigger fool of himself.

He rang Robin and her friend up, and only then could he bring himself to look up… which ended up being a mistake, considering he had to watch, horrified, as Pretty boy poured a shit ton of sugar in his mocha.

“How about some coffee in your sugar?” Billy asked in a deadpan voice.

He didn’t mean to be rude. Billy was a ‘live and let live’ kind of guy, and he was more amused than offended by Pretty boy’s tastes, even if the mere thought of drinking such a concoction was enough to nauseate him. However, he couldn’t help that his tone was curt when he addressed him. First, Billy had to manage the counter without having had time to mentally prepare beforehand (yes Heather had supposedly given him a whole week to ready himself, but he hadn’t quite caught her warning so it hadn’t been of much use), and second, he was out of sorts because of how hot the guy was. The truth was that, if Billy could usually charm the pants off of anyone, he was absolutely useless when it came to men he really did find attractive. Life was a bitch, sometimes.

“Wh-what?” Pretty boy stammered.

“You’re aware mochas have a fair amount of sugar already blended in them, right?”

Billy feared he’d get diabetes just from watching Pretty boy drink this monstrous beverage. It was basically caffeinated sugar at this point.

“Yeah, and what about it?” He replied, his words sounding like a challenge, before he took a sip and then licked off the whipped cream stuck on his upper lip (‘kill me right now, why don’t you?’ Billy thought).

“Nothing. It’s just… diabetes is a serious issue and healthcare isn’t cheap in this country.”

Billy’s conversation skills had unsurprisingly flown out the window, but it was a new low. Here he was, spewing ominous bullshit and stating political facts. What next? A debate? What the fuck.

“I’m very healthy, thank you very much.”

Billy thankfully restrained from replying “for now”. Pretty boy was scowling a bit, nonetheless. Billy’s chances with him had most probably flown out the window too, right along his aforementioned skills.

Pretty boy took the tray with his and Robin’s order on it and went to one of the tables near the windows, pretty close to the register.

Robin stayed behind and stared at Billy with an arched eyebrow, making him squirm.

“Was there something else you wanted, Buckley?” He asked, just so she’d snap out of it.

“No. I’m all set. Thanks.” She narrowed her eyes before turning away from Billy and joining Pretty boy at the table he had picked.

Billy then proceeded to stalk Pretty boy. He could have gone back to the kitchen, since there was no other customer, but he would have to pass up staring at such beauty, and that wouldn’t do (especially since it was the first and probably last time he got to stare at it). So, he pretended to busy himself with wiping the already immaculate counter clean, like a neat freak, while he threw glances at him.

Pretty boy still looked slightly worked up, somehow managing to make everything he did look aggressive, be it taking a sip of his mocha, putting his cup down, or stabbing the poor piece of chocolate cake with his fork.

Before he could start eating, though, Robin held his hand back. Billy then heard her advise him to cleanse his palate with a sip of her tea so the overly sugary taste of the mocha wouldn’t make the cake taste like nothing in comparison. And bless her for that piece of advice because, after Pretty boy had done as he had been told, when he finally put the first bite in his mouth, his reaction was priceless. His scowl disappeared from his face, his beautiful eyes widened again and he outright moaned.

The sound did things to Billy, and he had to bite his lower lip so he wouldn’t make a noise of his own. That would have been embarrassing, and Billy had embarrassed himself enough with his ineptitude at making conversation like a functional member of society.

When they left, Robin threw a “See ya, Hargrove” above her shoulder, and Pretty boy didn’t say anything, preferring to glare at him. He was still mad, then. Billy pouted. As soon as the door had closed behind them, he fetched a chocolate chip cookie from the display case and took a huge bite out of it. It tasted good (duh, he had baked them), but it didn’t magically dissipate his disappointment as he had hoped it would.

This day really sucked, uh?

*

The next day, Heather came to work in an overly chipper mood, unlike Billy.

“Damn, what crawled up your ass and died?”

Billy growled “nothing” while tying his apron.

“Why the long face, then?”

“I don’t see what you mean.” He mumbled, before changing the subject. “Why are you so cheerful, yourself?”

“I got tickets for this band Robin likes! They weren’t available on the band’s website, so I had to wait in line yesterday to buy them. I’m gonna ask her on a date to their concert the second she passes this door.” Heather said, gesturing to the café’s entrance.

“So, there wasn’t any dentist appointment! I knew it!”

“Yeah, sorry I lied. I didn’t want you to mention it by mistake when Robin was there, so I came up with the appointment thing. I shouldn’t have bothered, though, since you weren’t listening to me anyway. But whatever.”

So, that explained why Robin hadn’t known Heather wouldn’t come to work, even though they were texting almost constantly.

Billy was glad Heather would finally get it together and ask Robin out after months of pining. He was also jealous that she had more game than he did, but he chose to ignore that part.

“Robin will be over the moon, I’m sure. She was here yesterday. Asked for you.” Billy informed, as he was taking the ingredients out for a millionaire shortbread.

“I know, she called me in the evening to ask me how it went at the dentist’s. I felt bad about lying to her, but it was for the greater good.”

“Mmh.”

“What was that with Steve, by the way?”

Billy briefly wondered if he had missed part of the conversation again.  

“Who the hell is Steve?”

“Robin’s friend? The one that was here with her yesterday.”

Oh, so Pretty boy’s name was Steve.

“Right. Steve. What about him?”

“Well, you tell me. Robin said you were acting rude, and now Steve thinks you hate him. Steve is a sweetheart, you can’t hate him. Plus, it’ll make him all sad and miserable, and then Robin will be in a bad mood because of it. So, behave!”

“Okay, so I wasn’t the nicest. I was pissed off that you had abandoned me. But I don’t hate Steve. That’s a gross overstatement. I don’t even know him.” Also, Billy thought Steve was the prettiest thing he had ever seen and was pretty certain he had a crush on him, but he certainly didn’t say THAT to Heather. He would never hear the end of it.

“Yeah well, be nicer next time he comes by. Or stay in your kitchen like the goblin you are.”

“Sure, whatever. Don’t you have some work to do?” Billy asked so she would lay off his case.

When she had finally left the kitchen, Billy thought about Steve, as he had been doing non-stop since he had met him the day before. He couldn’t believe he had already ruined everything. They had said like… four words to each other and now Steve thought Billy hated him. How had he fucked up that quickly? That must have been a record.  

He groaned and poured the flour in the mixing bowl with such aggravation that he spilt about a third of it on the table. He was useless!

Billy kept dropping ingredients and kitchen tools all over the place, and bumping into everything, until Heather interrupted the disaster that was his day, asking him to manage the counter while she talked to Robin.

When he exited his cave, he was surprised to see that Steve had come with Robin again and was the next customer in line.

Billy was silently trying to come up with an apology. It couldn’t be that hard. He’d say: “Pretty Boy…” no, “Steve”… no, he wasn’t supposed to know his name… Er… “Man”. Right, Billy would say. “Man, I’m sorry about yesterday, I was in a bad mood.” And that would be all. Easy.

Billy reached the counter and opened his mouth to apologize, but Steve didn’t let him.

“Hi. I’ll take a snickerdoodle and a hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and marshmallows, please and thank you.” He was staring right into Billy’s eyes when he gave his order. His own brown eyes were glinting. His left hip was cocked and his arms were crossed over his chest, his fingers tapping rhythmically on his arms.

Oh, so that was how Pretty boy was going to play it.

“No problemo.” Billy nearly cringed at how lame he was. Why was he saying stuff like that? It wasn’t even correct Spanish. He was nearly fluent in the language, so he knew that perfectly well. He sounded like a lame dad, which was not really the vibe he was going for.

Once he got his order, Steve proceeded to pour an insane amount of sugar in his hot chocolate. Billy was not surprised, but still disgusted. This was indecent.

Billy took care of the next customer, and the one after that, and the one after that. He was starting to wonder what was taking Heather so long with Robin. She was keeping her from Pretty boy, who was all alone at their table. The poor thing.

When there was a lull, Billy went to the break room and found Heather and Robin making out. Of course, they were. Billy rolled his eyes but didn’t interrupt them, choosing instead to go back to the counter. Let it not be said that he was a bad friend, after that.

Steve had chosen the same table as the day before, and was facing Billy, just as he had then. At first, he wasn’t touching his drink or food, certainly waiting for Robin. A good fifteen minutes passed before he called it quits and started eating. He moaned again, not giving a fuck that he was in public (which made the noise that had just come out of Steve very inappropriate). Why was he torturing Billy like this? And he’d said to Robin that Billy hated him? Uh, uh, no sir. It had to be the other way around.

When Steve took his first sip of hot chocolate, the extra whipped cream painted his upper lip white. But, this time, he didn’t wipe it away with his tongue, and Billy so badly wanted to lick it off himself. Pretty boy would be the death of him.  

When Robin and Steve left, this time, the latter wished Billy a nice day. Well, Heather was there too… so maybe it had just been addressed to her. At best, it had been for the both of them. Still, Billy would take it.

While they cleaned the shop after closing, Heather waxed poetic about Robin. That was nothing new, however. She had already been doing plenty of that in the pining stage of their relationship. Billy listened absentmindedly, with his own head full of Steve and his lush hair and his pretty lips and his eyes, which had been full of mischief earlier that day.  

He only regained awareness of his surroundings when he got hit in the chest with Heather’s balled up apron.

“I’m leaving, dumbass. See you tomorrow.”

“See you.”

*

Steve came to the Upside-Down regularly, after that, with Robin but also on his own. Billy was often in the kitchen when Steve came by, so he always had to find an excuse to get behind the counter, even if only for a brief moment, in order to catch a glimpse of him.

Heather caught up pretty quickly, of course.

“You like him.”

“Uh. What? Who?”

“Steve. You like him.” She whispered.

Billy had just come out of the kitchen, in the pretense of bringing a batch of muffins to the shop. In fact, the batch had been ready for an hour, and Billy had waited for Steve to arrive (he came almost every Wednesday) to bring it out.

And now Heather was saying Billy liked him when he was sitting a few meters away.

Billy shushed her without even trying to deny her claim. He knew not to fight a losing battle.

“Don’t worry. He’s grading his pupils’ papers. He’s like… in another world.”

Steve indeed looked engrossed by the sheets that were in front of him, holding a red pen in his right hand, ready to annotate them. And, oh God, he was wearing thick black-rimmed glasses. Billy couldn’t tear his eyes away.

“Jesus. You’ve got it bad!” Heather sounded delighted.

“Shut up”, Billy whined, still not denying it. The truth was what it was.

“Why didn’t you say so sooner? I would have helped you out.”

That was precisely one of the reasons why he had not told her. He didn’t need a wing-woman. Well, he did. But, he wouldn’t be caught dead asking for one.

*

He ended up with one, anyway. Now, every time Steve came by, Heather would make Billy get his order. Thankfully, Steve didn’t seem to notice the stratagem.

He must have been too occupied coming up with more and more outrageous drink choices. One day, he went as far as to ask for a white hot chocolate with extra whipped cream, marshmallows, and caramel drizzle. Billy all but gagged while making it. And Steve had the gall to add sugar. He was deranged! An honest to God maniac!

Billy was surprised Steve’s blood hadn’t yet crystalized with all the sugar he consumed.

“Anything else, pretty boy?” He asked, only noticing his slip-up when he saw Steve’s eyes get wide as saucers.

Billy couldn’t be held accountable for his mistake, alright? Steve really was pretty. Extremely pretty. Also, Billy kept calling him Pretty boy in his head ever since they had met, and he was so appalled by the drink Steve had just ordered that his brain-to-mouth filter was momentarily out of order. Sue him. He was only human.

“I… er… well… I… I’ll try today’s special. Thanks.” Steve stammered.

Everyday, Billy baked something that wasn’t usually on the menu. Today, it was a banana-chocolate cream pie.

As he put the piece of pie on Steve’s tray, Billy added:

“Here you go, sweet thing.” Because he had noticed Steve’s cheeks going beet red when he had called him pretty boy, and therefore he couldn’t help but think he might have a chance, after all.

Steve opened and closed his mouth a few times, apparently at a loss, before he thanked Billy and went to his usual table, nearly tripping on thin air on the way.  

Billy was exulting, until he heard labored breathing and saw Steve struggling. What the hell was going on?

Billy went to him as fast as he could.

“Steve, what’s wrong?”

“I’m allergic to bananas.”

Oh God. Oh God, this was bad. This was so bad.

Billy took his cellphone out of his right back pocket and immediately dialed 911.

***

Thanks a lot for reading!

I’m new to the fandom so I’d be super happy for some Harringrove shippers to come talk to me (I need people to talk about these dumb boys with ^^).

[bustedbernie]

Hi @heatherleee .

I don’t “hate” anyone. But as far as politicians go, Sanders has a comportment that is totally unacceptable. And it’s not just about policies.

So, i worked for the Obama and Clinton campaigns in 2008, 2012, and 2016. I’ve volunteered for local and state level candidates in both the Albuquerque area and in rural parts of New Mexico. This is to say that I am a democrat and have been working for actual democrats for longer than Bernie himself has been. That’s part one why I dislike Bernie. He is not a democrat. He is not “blue.” If he wants support from actual democrats, than that means he’d have to do several things. 1) either apologize for his past and current antagonism toward democrats or at least claim to “evolve” on this. 2) fundraise BIG for downballot democrats both in his home state and across the country. 3) Work for the actual party 4) register as a democrat through and through and run as a democrat in his senate elections. He hasn’t really done any of this. I’m sorry, but if he is expecting people like me who have spent time calling, canvassing, data banking, knocking on doors and donating to be on his side if he got the nomination, that’s insane. This is hard work and takes a lot of sweat, tears and dollars. We see him as a conman who is using our carefully built infrastructure while not doing the above to help. We don’t stand for that. And add in him getting involved with OUR campaign and saying OUR man, the first black president, needed to face a primary while we were dealing with a very powerful candidate emerging in Mitt Romney? It was not only totally irresponsible and disrespectful, it was a slap in the face. Don’t forget that Bernie has long held onto the idea that democrats and republicans are “the same.” Why would I like him after all that? 

Going on, I can’t forgive nor overlook his sexism and racism. This is kinda a big deal. His plans are not intersectional. Even to cite himself and many of his supporters, he bases much of his ideology on marxism. Marxism comes from a specific time and place and our point in history is quite different. I am quite smitten with many radical thinkers and philosophers, which is why I see Marxism and marxist writings/thoughts as foundational to a certain worldview in the same way Aristotle is. They’re great, but we’ve built on that worldview and adapted it, and we now have thinkers who speak not only of the facetious nature of “revolution,” but also the need for intersectionality and how “revolutions” often come at the expense of oppressed groups. Bernie’s ideology has not caught up. If you hear me say things like “Hillary Clinton or Kamala Harris are far more progressive than Bernie Sanders,” this is why. Their plans actually address issues of racial justice and gender issues while Sanders sees them, at best, as a secondary issue. He himself has called them “distractions,” while also peddling the idea that “a rising tide lifts all boats.” This just isn’t the case. If he is truly as revolutionary, futuristic, and truly the justice candidate, why in the world can’t he support or speak to issues that black americans, queer americans and indigenous folks deal with everyday? Saying a “rising tide lifts all ships” is to ignore us, to leave us unseen and to castigate the very base of the democratic party. Why can he speak to the so-called “white working class” but not anyone else? 

We can use your housing plan as an example. On the surface, I support many of Bernie’s goals and even many of his plans. But on this issue, you can see that he is peddling ideas that became popular in the 60s and 70s and were implemented in some areas. But, his program is outdated and racist, and doesn’t address the need for black wealth building programs. It also uses blanket policies that aren’t good for certain urban areas. Furthermore, his plan makes little room for new housing development which is actually the largest issue with rent and home prices currently. His plan would actually perpetuate problems by ignoring the supply-side issue. This is seen throughout much of his policies and proposals. 

Let’s get into why that’s an issue. Bernie supporters will tell us that it should be “just about policy,” yet, Joe Biden has now created a public transport plan that is the gold standard in this primary. Elizabeth Warren’s housing plan addresses the issues I outlined above. Kamala Harris’ plan did as well and arguably was better than either Warren or Biden’s current plans. Both have been attacked by Bernie supporters on this issue in breathtaking ways. They have been labelled land developers (which i’m not sure as to why that’s a pejorative), neoliberals, centrists, republicans even. This is not a policy debate. In this example, I’ve mentioned three candidates that have had policies. Instead of engaging on the policies, they attack the very character of the candidates. Whether you support Biden, Buttigieg, Warren or yes, even Sanders, they ALL have very similar goals and ideas. They may have very different timelines for those goals or funding mechanisms or might value some goals more than others, but we are all on board. Yet, we are attacked as if we don’t want healthcare or housing for the poor, as if we don’t want some form of debt relief, etc. There is no nuance allowed and I see frequently the idea that “Bernie is the ONLY one fighting for [X,Y,Z].”

And that’s the largest reason I don’t like Bernie. He has built up a very dangerous cult of personality. It feeds a form of discourse that is corrosive, divisive and actually benefits our largest rivals more than it benefits any type of progressive goal. Me, and many others, place much of the blame for 2016 at Bernie’s feet. You don’t have to agree, but that’s that. I, personally, will not forgive him for what he said and did against Hillary Clinton. I won’t forgive his campaign or his followers for lying on Kamala Harris. And I am not a super big fan of Warren or Biden and here I am finding myself defending them because many in your cohort are spreading the same kinds of lies and conspiracies and propaganda as the MAGA people. And yes, I am fully aware I am making an equivalency between Trump and Sanders with that statement, and I fully stand by it. This black and white worldview is why we have a discourse where “Bernie is the only candidate that has done [X,Y,Z]” is taken seriously by some voters, many of whom either don’t believe Bernie has ever evolved on issues (guns, LGBT rights, women’s rights, states rights, military, etc) or are willing to give Bernie the right to grow and evolve as a politician while not allowing the same of other candidates. It’s not right nor is it okay. 

So I don’t hate Bernie for any one policy, I am more than happy to engage in policy debates and accept that we all have slightly different views on that. But, those debates need to be done in good faith and that’s simply not something we get from Bernie or a majority of his supporters. If this were a policy thing, I could talk about Bernie the same way I talk about Warren or Biden or Buttigieg, and say they’re okay people with okay ideas but they need to pay attention to X,Y,Z because of A,B,C. But when I said I like Kamala’s health plan best for X reasons, I got told i was a fascist or centrist or neoliberal or whatever. I NEVER had a discussion where someone told me why they thought Bernie’s plans were better. Same with Hillary Clinton. Same with everyone still running today. As for this blog, I made it because I was frustrated by all of the above and wanted a place to vent + I wanted to make sure there was at least some content on Tumblr challenging the idea that Bernie is perfect, unproblematic or the undisputed winner. B/C that narrative really made people who spend a ton of time on the internet freak out when it turned out not to be true in 2016. I STILL see people who say “I don’t know a single Joe Biden supporter” on here. I’ve seen that for several other candidates as well. If this blog helps demonstrate that not all democrats/leftists are not on board with Bernie, maybe it will help just a little bit to lessen that blow. I’ve met people who have supported most all of the candidates. The echo chamber needs to have some challenge to it. That echo chamber only feeds the awful cult of personality that i really can’t stand and that I feel is very dangerous. 

[ravnlghtft]

Our country is now facing its worst crisis in modern history. We are in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic that could lead to the death of hundreds of thousands of Americans and infect millions of others, and we are entering an economic downturn that could be worse than the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Last week, 3.3 million Americans filed for unemployment. This week that number doubled to 6.6 million claims — ten times higher than any other week on record. It is certain that well over 10 million people have lost their jobs — more than in the Wall Street crash of 2008.

In this unprecedented moment in modern American history, it is imperative that we respond in an unprecedented way. And that means that Congress must pass, in the very near future, the boldest piece of legislation ever written in modern history.

There are many, many issues that must be addressed in our response to this pandemic, and working together, we will make sure they are addressed.

But today, I am outlining a set of six core provisions that must be included in the next legislation Congress passes to support working people in this country during this horrific crisis. Please read them and add your name to say that you agree:

1. Addressing the Employment Crisis and Providing Immediate Financial Relief

There is little doubt in my mind that we are facing an economic crisis that could be even worse than the Great Depression. The St. Louis Federal Reserve has projected that 47 million more people may become unemployed by the end of June, with unemployment reaching 32 percent. In my view, we must make sure that every worker in America continues to receive their paycheck during this crisis and we must provide immediate financial relief to everyone in this country.

An important precedent for that approach was taken in the recent stimulus package in which grants were provided to the airlines for the sole purpose of maintaining the paychecks and benefits of some 2 million workers in that industry through September 30. We must expand that program to cover every worker in America and we must make it retroactive to the beginning of this crisis. This is not a radical idea. Other countries, such as the UK, Norway, Denmark, France, and others have all come up with similar approaches to sustain their economy and prevent workers from losing their jobs.

Our primary goal during this crisis must be to prevent the disintegration of the American economy. It will be much easier and less expensive to prevent the collapse of the economy than trying to put it back together after it collapses.

To do this, we must also begin monthly payments of $2,000 for every man, woman, and child in our country, and guarantee paid family leave throughout this crisis so that people who are sick do not face the choice of infecting others or losing their job.

2. We Must Guarantee Health Care to All

Let’s be clear: we were facing a catastrophic health care crisis before the pandemic, and now that crisis has become much, much worse. Already, 87 million people are uninsured or underinsured. Layoffs will mean tens of millions of people more will lose their current insurance — which will result in countless deaths and bankruptcies. Already in the last two weeks, an estimated 3.5 million people have lost their employer-sponsored insurance.

And as the pandemic grows, we are seeing more and more reports of people who have delayed treatment due to concerns about cost. In this pandemic, uninsurance will lead to deaths and more COVID-19 transmissions.

Therefore, during this crisis, Medicare must be empowered to pay all of the deductibles, co-payments and out-of-pocket healthcare expenses for the uninsured and the underinsured. No one in America who is sick, regardless of immigration status, should be afraid to seek the medical treatment they need during this national pandemic. Let me be clear: I am not proposing that we pass Medicare for All in this moment. That fight continues into the future. But, for the moment, we must act boldly to make sure everyone can get the health care they need in the coming months.

3. Use the Defense Production Act to Produce the Equipment and Testing We Need

Unbelievably, in the United States right now, doctors and nurses are unnecessarily putting their lives on the line treating people suffering from the coronavirus because they lack personal protective equipment like masks, gloves, and surgical gowns. The CDC has directed health professionals to use homemade gear like bandanas or scarves and some workers at the VA are being told to re-use one surgical mask for a week at a time. HHS estimated that our country needs 3.5 billion masks in response to this crisis.

President Trump has utilized the Defense Production Act thousands of times for the military and for enforcement of his immigration policies, yet he has resisted using its power to save lives during the pandemic. That is unacceptable. We must immediately and forcefully use the Defense Production Act to direct the production of all of the personal protective equipment, ventilators and other medical supplies needed.

We must also utilize this power to produce antibody tests so we can begin figuring out who has already contracted the virus and has developed some immunity to COVID-19.

In addition, OSHA must adopt a strong emergency standard to protect health care workers, patients, and the public during this crisis. We must crack down aggressively on price gougers and hoarders, and use any means necessary to secure supplies.

4. Make Sure No One Goes Hungry

Even before this crisis hit, one in every seven kids in America was going hungry and nearly 5.5 million seniors in our country struggled with hunger. Already in this crisis we see lines at food banks and growing concern that our most vulnerable communities and those recently unemployed may struggle to feed their families.

As communities face record levels of food insecurity, we must increase SNAP benefits, expand the WIC program for pregnant mothers, infants, and children, double funding for the Emergency Food Program (TEFAP) to ensure food banks have food to distribute, and expand Meals on Wheels and School Meals programs. When necessary, we must also develop new approaches to deliver food to vulnerable populations — including door-to-door drop offs.

5. Provide Emergency Aid to States and Cities

Even as state and local employees like police officers, firefighters and paramedics work on the front lines of this pandemic, states and cities that pay their salaries are facing enormous budgetary pressures.

Congress must provide $600 billion in direct fiscal aid to states and cities to ensure they have the personnel and funding necessary to respond to this crisis. In addition, the Federal Reserve must establish programs to provide direct fiscal support and budgetary relief to states and municipalities.

6. Suspend Monthly Payments

Even before this crisis, half of the people in our country were living paycheck to paycheck. In America today, over 18 million families are paying more than 50 percent of their income on housing. Now, with growing unemployment, families are facing financial ruin if we do not act quickly and boldly.

That’s why we must suspend monthly expenses like rent, mortgages, medical debt and consumer debt collection for 4 months. We must cancel all student loan payments for the duration of this crisis, and place an immediate moratorium on evictions, foreclosures, and utility shut-offs.

Brothers and sisters: In this unprecedented moment in our history it is easy to feel like we are alone, and that everyone must fend for themselves. But that would be a mistake and a terrible tragedy. Now, more than any other moment in our lives, we must remember that we are all in this together — that when one of us gets sick, many more may get sick. And when my neighbor loses their job, I may lose my job as well.

[writing-for-amusement]

Walk, Walk, Fashion Baby, 3

Summary:  As a young and successful fashion designer, you approach Joshua Kane to do a collaboration that brings regular and plus size high-end fashion into the world; your plan is to take the world by storm. Harrison Osterfield becomes the one to model one half of your masterpiece, and on the trek to find the perfect model for the other half, you keep coming up empty. After encouragement from Joshua and Harrison, you agree to model it yourself. This means that you’ll work even closer to Harrison, and you’re worried that your budding feelings for him, and his hidden ones for you, could ruin the collection and everything you’ve worked for. But perhaps the road to the fashion storm will also lead to a new power couple in the fashion world.

A/N: Okay, I feel like I haven’t updated this one in forever BUT I have so much for this chapter, so.... lol. This is a lot of... idk, stuff. But I hope you like it! It should be moving much faster with this one soon! I’m expecting it to only be a few more parts, tbh, with an end of smut. If you want to be on the taglist for this piece, or on my permanent taglist, just let me know!!!

Permanent Taglist: @pparkerwrites, @jordyns-library, @natblidaclexa, @peterseuphoria, @lesbian-x-blackwidow, @beccaboo929, @softrdj, @icecoldban

WWFB Taglist: @ghostofdrfluke

Disclaimer:  I do not personally know Harrison Osterfield, nor do I claim to. I am essentially using his personage and visage to create a completely fictional story. I also don’t claim to know Joshua Kane (though we have had brief interactions on Instagram). That being said, I hope you enjoy this!!!

Warnings: hospital stuff, I did way too much research about broken noses, needles near the face, anxiety, anxiety about doctors/hospitals, bit of panic, possibly too much hand holding if that’s possible, a limited knowledge of the British healthcare system (but like I do know a decent amount), some fluff too tho, exhaustion, some tiny self-esteem issues near the end, some weird flirting maybe

Word Count: 3639

Chapter 3

At the A&E, it was busy. It was a Friday night, after all, and London was a big city with a lot of people. But Harrison ushered you to a seat as he signed you in and got a clipboard for you to fill out. He sat down next to you and pretended to not be paying attention as you squinted at the clipboard.

You filled it out and went to get up before Harrison gently took it from you and pushed you back to the chair. He gave you a cheeky grin and a wink as he walked away, making your heart nearly vibrate.

Soon enough, Harrison was sitting back down next to you, your thighs occasionally brushing against each other. He soon noticed your worry as it manifested in the jiggling of your leg; he cleared his throat to get your attention.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I…” you swallowed nervously, “I’m not a fan of doctors or anything like that. Just old anxiety, I guess,” you tried to play it off with a chuckle.

Harrison’s eyes narrowed as he took you in, making you avert your eyes anxiously. His voice was gentle, tugging at your heartstrings, as he said, “What’s really wrong, Y/N?”

You took in a deep breath and looked at your hands, folded in your lap. “It’s silly.”

“If you’re worried about something, it’s not silly,” he reassured you. “C’mon, Y/N,” he nudged you gently, a soft smile on his face, “tell me. I won’t laugh.”

“If my nose is crooked,” you began as you bit your lip, “will it ruin the show?”

Harrison stared at you for a few moments, his blue eyes bright and framed by those ridiculously unfair eyelashes. Then, he took your hands in his, making you look up at him in surprise. His hands weren’t rough and weren’t soft, but they were gentle, more so than anything you think you’ve ever felt.

“Y/N, even if your nose is crooked, you’ll still rock that runway. You can rock anything, love, and if it were to be a little less straight for the show, well, that just makes everything more unique and more you, doesn’t it?” He quirked his lips in a smile and rubbed his thumbs over your knuckles. “Besides, your designs are so amazing, I doubt anyone would notice a slightly off-center nose. And,” he added quickly, widening his eyes and leaning in a bit for emphasis, “even if your nose is a little crooked, you’ll be just as beautiful as ever.”

You ran your tongue across your lips as you tried to think of a response. “I… thanks, Harrison,” you finally managed to say. “That actually really helped.”

“Anytime, love,” he winked at you as he let go of one of your hands.

You thought he would let go of the other one, but instead he laced your fingers together and kept it between you. Harrison continued to rub his thumb across your hand, sending little electric tingles up your arm and making your heart fill with warmth. You tried to ignore the electricity by scrolling on your phone, but to no avail. Even as you used one hand to play a puzzle game, you were acutely aware of him holding your hand.

As you waited, hand in hand, you would loosen your hand ever so slightly, just in case Harrison wanted to let go. He always responded by squeezing your hand tighter. You’d also glance at him as he played on his own phone, and each time he squeezed your hand, the corners of his mouth quirked in a small smile.

Finally, finally, your name was called. You weren’t irritated, necessarily, because there were people with slightly more pressing issues than yours. You just wanted to get out of that uncomfortable chair.

You didn’t want to let go of Harrison’s hand, though.

Apparently, Harrison didn’t want you to either, as he stood with you and squeezed your hand again, this time for reassurance. The nurse was nice, taking you through to the examination room and checking your nose briefly before asking a few questions. She then got some x-rays, since the doctor would want them anyway, and took you back to the room.

After a few minutes sitting on a chair and holding Harrison’s hand, a doctor (apparently a nose specialist) walked in, looking cheerful yet tired, as a doctor often does. He asked you how it happened and as you explained, he was washing his hands and chuckling at how you called the drunk man a Neanderthal. He directed you to sit on the table and Harrison followed, not letting go of your hand because he could tell you were nervous.

“Well, let’s take a look,” the doctor came forward quickly, making you flinch in surprise. “Sorry, love. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

Harrison squeezed your hand reassuringly and smiled when you squeezed back. Every time the doctor would gently press on your nose and cheekbones, Harrison would give you a small squeeze. The bruising was already quite tender, so you were thankful when the doctor stopped pressing and instead looked into your nose.

“Well, okay, let’s look at the x-rays,” the doctor suggested, though it wasn’t actually a suggestion. He put them up and you looked at it, wincing to yourself as you saw the cracks in the bones and cartilage.

“I feel like right now would be a good time for a nose pun,” Harrison muttered to you, making you chuckle slightly.

“I ‘nose’ it would be,” you whispered back, making his eyes light up with laughter.

The doctor interrupted your giggling by saying, “Okay, I would like to do what’s called a closed reduction surgery, and I’d like to do that tonight. Essentially, it’s local anesthesia, and then I’ll come in and elevate these depressed bones,” he pointed to some bones, “and I’ll depress some of these elevated bones. Then I’ll straighten everything. Easy procedure, but if you’re uncomfortable with it, we can put you under general anesthetic.”

“Um,” your mouth and throat felt dry, “n-no, I don’t think I need the general. Uh, let’s get this started, then.”

“Okay, I’ll go get everything ready,” the doctor said with a smile, quickly leaving the room. He popped his head back in to say, “A nurse will come get you when it’s ready.”

“Do you want me to stay, love?” Harrison asked you gently.

Your eyes snapped over to his, filled with panic. You weren’t mentally prepared for the surgery. The last time you had surgery, it had taken you four months of mental preparation (partially because the American system had to schedule you four months out), and even then, you hadn’t felt ready. Then again, you’d been a child at the time…

Flashes of needles right next to your face caused you to clutch onto Harrison’s arm.

“Don’t leave,” you pleaded with a whisper, and you saw spark flit across his beautiful light blue eyes. The edges of those eyes crinkled slightly as he grinned at you.

“Don’t worry, love,” he placated you, placing one of his hands on yours on his arm, “I won’t leave you unless you want me to.”

You smiled at him and felt a little frozen under his gaze. He was looking at you so intensely that you didn’t know what to do. So, in a classic and totally not awkward style, you kept still and merely shyly averted your eyes.

You felt your blood run hotter under his gaze, and then a knocking on the door made him take a step back. Without his hand on yours on his arm, you felt like you could breathe a bit easier; he made you nervous but in the best possible way, but you hated that. You hated feeling nervous, especially the butterflies kind of nervous. It made you hyperaware of your actions, but also made you say things without your usual amount of contemplation.

The knock had been a nurse coming to get you to take you (and Harrison) to a room with the proper chair/lights combo for the procedure. You got off the table (albeit a little ungracefully) and started after her. Your hands were shaking, and then you started to wring them together anxiously as you walked behind the nurse.

A hand touched yours and you looked to the side to see Harrison smiling at you gently. He took one of your hands and laced your fingers together as you walked, squeezing reassuringly as he did before. It made you feel safer.

“Hello again,” the doctor greeted you as you entered the room. “Please take a seat and we’ll get started right away.”

You did as the man instructed, sitting in the chair and lacing your own fingers together. Harrison stood to the side, relatively close, but not in the way. As the doctor finished washing his hands and turned around in his chair, he saw Harrison standing.

“There’s a chair right behind you, you can sit there if you want. It moves,” the doctor said as he put on his gloves.

“Ah, thanks mate,” Harrison said happily, pulling the chair forward and sitting down. He was closer now, a little lower than you, but you could feel his presence better now.

The doctor stood and stepped closer to you, leaning the chair back. You swallowed nervously as you went down, your heartrate increasing exponentially.

“Are you ready?” the nurse asked. “It’ll all be completely fine.” She began clean and sterilize your nose and the surrounding areas; the scent of it burned at your nose hairs.

“As ready as I can be,” you admitted nervously.

“Are you afraid of needles?” the nurse inquired as she continued to rub your skin.

“No, I don’t mind medical or tattoo needles—I have several tattoos—but I am afraid of needles right next to my face,” you said timidly. Harrison squeezed your hand gently.

“Well, we will be as quick as we can with the needles. Just close your eyes,” the doctor suggested, and you quickly followed that advice.

As you felt them getting closer and closer to your face, your breathing picked up. It wasn’t until Harrison quietly said, “It’s alright to breathe, love,” that you realized you’d been holding your breath ever so slightly.

“Little pinch,” the doctor said, and your eyes flew open. You saw the needle and felt the pinch, and probably almost crushed poor Harrison’s large hand.

“Doctor, do you mind if I talk?” Harrison whispered. “It might help her relax.”

“Please do,” the doctor nodded, “another pinch here, dear.”

“So, Y/N, would you like to hear the story of the time Tom and I got lost in the middle of an area we grew up in?”

“Sure,” you rasped quietly.

As Harrison launched into his story and your nose and face became numb, you were able to relax and close your eyes. His voice was truly soothing to your nerves. As you focused on the story, you found yourself thinking about other things that would sound amazing in Harrison’s voice.

Thankfully, as you heard a clatter of instruments, you were able to back out of that dangerous hole once more. Harrison squeezed your hand as you breathed in shakily, running his thumb along your hand.

“You’re doing great, Y/N,” the nurse reassured you.

“Yup, we will be done before you know it,” the doctor stated.

You let out a nervous hum of acknowledgement and Harrison gave you another squeeze. He continued with his story, still softly rubbing your hand with his thumb. When he would say something funny or ridiculous, you would squeeze his hand gently. He always chuckled briefly in response and squeezed back.

As everything dragged on and your breathing picked up again ever so slightly, Harrison tried a new tactic. He would tap a few times on your hand with his thumb and you would reply with the same number of taps. It made you feel even better than holding or squeezing his hand did because it was actively distracting you.

Harrison had gone through two hilarious stories when the doctor and nurse announced they were done and just needed to clean up a bit. Cotton was stuffed in your nose and you were slowly raised back up.

It was not a good feeling.

You felt better, however, as Harrison continued to hold your hand while the doctor went through the aftercare you needed to do. The doctor asked the nurse to print out some instructions for you so you could reference them. After she left, the doctor turned to Harrison with a look that was a combination of teasing and serious.

“Make sure your girlfriend changes that gauze and ices that nose as soon as you two get home, young man,” he stated sternly with that glint still in his eyes.

You were tired, but you weren’t so tired that you didn’t feel embarrassed by the man’s assumption. The unfortunate and annoying voice that was usually packed in a box in the back of your head came out and hissed that Harrison could never date a woman like you.

You opened your mouth to correct the good doctor, but Harrison interrupted you by saying, “Of course, sir, I always make sure my girlfriend takes care of herself.”

Your heart pounded loudly in your chest. It was pounding so ferociously that you were positive that Harrison could feel it in your hand, through your fingertips.

The doctor shook your hand and reminded you to take care of yourself, before nodding at Harrison and leaving the room. The nurse appeared in the open doorway and gestured for you and Harrison to follow her. She reiterated parts of the aftercare that you needed to definitely do and said that she’d call you in a few days to see how you were doing. After giving you the stapled papers and a kind smile, the nurse bid you both ado.

Harrison led you out of the A&E, and you couldn’t find the energy to ask him why he didn’t correct the doctor. You were exhausted and your nose felt incredibly strange with both the gauze and the anesthesia. To put it simply, you were not feeling the best.

“Your place or mine?” Harrison asked as he looked for a cab, still holding your hand.

You simply gave a grunt as a response.

Harrison chuckled at you and squeezed your hand slightly as he stepped forward to hail a cab. As the cab pulled up, he let go of your hand to open the door for you. The coldness that wafted over your hand was jarring; it seemed like he’d been holding your hand for hours. It was a miracle that your hand wasn’t covered in sweat.

You clambered quite ungracefully into the cab, Harrison right behind you. The lack of noise was more comforting than you expected; your shoulders loosened ever so slightly as Harrison shut the door and told the cab where to go.

To your surprise, Harrison laced your hands together again. When you glanced at him, he was looking out the window at the passing cars, acting as if holding your hand was the most normal thing in the world.

Your heart wanted it to become a normal thing, but your anxious mind couldn’t help but whisper that he was only holding your hand to be nice, to calm you down.

Instead of letting the anxiety or hope take over your mind, you let the exhaustion creep in. As a yawn stretched your face and you let out an accompanying sigh, you heard Harrison chuckle.

Your attempt at a withering glare was met with another chuckle.

“What?” you asked quietly.

“You’re just really cute, love, that’s all,” he smiled at you.

You scoffed in the back of your throat and rolled your eyes, turning to the window. You didn’t know where you were going, and you’d gotten turned around enough on the way to the A&E. Normally you had a great sense of direction, but when you were tired and discombobulated, direction went out the window.

A few minutes later, you rolled up to an apartment building, but not your apartment building. It was obviously Harrison’s, and he led you inside after paying the driver.

You followed Harrison into his apartment—or flat, as he called it—without much arguing. The exhaustion was seeping into your bones. Hunger was also seeping into your body as you waited in the elevator.

You’d never been to Harrison’s flat before. You knew he wasn’t living with his parents anymore, but you also knew that he visited them often (you’d gotten cookies from his family before). As this was a new experience, you tried to wake up a bit more in order to really remember it.

It was pretty much exactly what you anticipated. A relatively open floor plan, with modern furnishings, and a slightly messy kitchen. Harrison hurried around you and quickly shut a door, probably to his bedroom, and you raised a brow at him.

He cleared his throat and looked away with a blush on his cheeks. “I, uh, haven’t finished laundry yet,” he muttered his excuse.

You hummed in understand and continued to glance around, only to be surprised as Harrison tugged you by the arm to the couch. You were even more surprised by him twirling you into his arms and looking down at you with a smoldering gleam in his eyes and a mischievous smirk on his lips.

Then, you were falling onto the couch and a remote was being shoved in your hands.

“I’ll make something,” he explained as you looked up at him, “so get comfy.”

“Um, you don’t—”

“Hush, love,” Harrison interrupted you gently. “Really, just relax, put something on, it’s no trouble at all.” At your hesitant look, he said with extreme sincerity, “I want to take care of you, okay? Please no protesting or complaining?”

You sighed but nodded, and his bright whoop of happiness brought a smile to your own face. Harrison quickly bent down and pressed a kiss to the top of your head, then he very exaggeratedly jumped over the back of the couch and walked into the kitchen.

With an amused shake of your head at his antics, you flipped on the TV and opened the Hulu app. You flicked through it until you found a cooking show and selected a random episode. It was hard for you to get comfy in an unknown place, but the scent of the couch (you realized that it smelt like Harrison) and then the scent of something cooking had you practically melting into it. Your eyes even began to droop.

You were admittedly still in your work clothes (your pants were pretty uncomfortable, but the tank top and cardigan were alright), but you were so exhausted from stress via a myriad of reasons, that you were only slightly surprised when you began to drop off. After someone on the TV said something about making something close to their heart, though, your eyes were wide open and your stress back to the max.

As your heartrate was soaring through the roof as you were thinking about all of the things you still had to do, you were hit in the side of the head with something soft. You somehow managed to catch it as it fell towards the couch.

Harrison wiggled his eyebrows as you looked up at him and he said, “Strip.”

“Excuse me?” you shot back, furrowing your eyebrows in alarm.

He cackled with his head thrown back and started walking to the kitchen. “There’s some clothes you can put on to get comfy.”

You hesitantly looked at the clothes in your arms as you stood up, worrying your lip with your teeth. “Um, Harrison?” you called out.

“Yes?” he called back from the kitchen.

“I don’t think… these will fit.”

“Clothes fit all gorgeous bodies, so of course they’ll fit your gorgeous body,” he said as if it was so obvious.

You scoffed at his pure ridiculousness and shook your head. Too tired to go into that argument, you shuffled to the bathroom and tried on the clothes.

The sweatpants actually fit, because they were stretchy, but to no one’s surprise, the shirt was much too tight. It technically fit, but not in any way that you would want. With a shake of your head, you took it off and slipped on your tank top and cardigan again.

You walked back out to see Harrison lowering himself to the couch. His head whipped around to you when the shirt collided with his face.

“Why aren’t you wearing the shirt? It’s so soft!” He seemed genuinely confused.

“It’s too tight,” you replied with a shrug. “I’m too big to borrow the majority of your clothes, H. Not much in life is made for people like me.”

His eyebrows furrowed as you crossed your arms over your stomach and looked away. Then, to break the silence, he said, “I made pancakes. Dig in.”

You sat down next to him and yawned as you started to make your pancakes the way you liked. Harrison had put out a nice spread of stuff on the coffee table, and you felt a little self-conscious at the way he was watching you.

When you began to dig in, a small moan leaving your mouth at the sensation of food, Harrison let out a chuckle. You looked at him with wide eyes as you were putting another bite into your mouth, and that made him laugh more.

“You are the most adorable person I have ever seen,” he finally said with the softest smile you’d ever seen.

“Oh no,” you thought, “professionalism is going to be much, much harder than I thought, harder than I ever could have imagined…”

[powerstrangerdacre]

Flame

Summary: His spark was gone, and then he found her.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Warning: dunno, none? maybe a bit of angst (if you squint), mentions of Infinity War (nothing major but that movie in itself is a huge warning to me)

Word Count: 3500+

AN: Ello! Here I am again with my shitty-good writing. Can’t seem to write one story without a slither of angst in it. Sowwy ‘bout that. This is my first time writing for our beloved Captain, so criticize away! Tell me what I can do to make my stories better! Thanks for reading and I really hope you enjoy this... uhm... thing.

Steve had always been a bit of a wildcard, even in his younger days when Bucky used to call him a little runt. He would constantly get into trouble and find himself unable to get out of it. Always searching for a way to show the world that even the smallest of guys could make a big difference. No matter if it left him with scars and bruises.

Yes. Steve was a bit of a wildcard, but he was always restless and alive, much like a forest in the middle of summer.

Then, he finally got his chance to prove his worth through what they called the super soldier program, through which he also met agent Peggy Carter.

She was unlike any girl he had ever met, and much like him, wanted to prove her worth to the world. She was just as wild as him, only more calculated and precise in her actions. Peggy was like a spark. She drew him to her naturally, without having to try. Just like he did to her.

Yes. Peggy Carter was a spark. The spark that lit Steve’s world right up.

When he was pulled out of the ice, years later, the first person his eyes landed on was her. She looked gorgeous, like something out of a pin-up, with wavy Y/H/C hair and kind Y/E/C eyes. But what really drew him to her was her smile. It oozed kindness and understanding and warmth.

“Good morning, my name’s Y/N and I was appointed as your nurse. How’re we feeling today Captain Rogers?” she asked.

“I’m… fine…” he answered, the sound of the radio reaching his ears. Something was terribly wrong. Nothing seemed right.

“Where am I?” he asked.

“New York, Captain. This is the VA NY Harbor Healthcare System in Brooklyn,” Y/N answered truthfully, not wanting to lie to the confused soldier.

Steve stood up, shaking his head to get rid of the dizziness that suddenly fogged his brain. He cursed to himself, seeing that it had only made it worse, before he slowly limped his way to the door. Just as he was about to swing the door open, he turned to the girl to thank her. Her ever-present smile fell, leaving room for a concerned expression.

“I’m sorry.” He heard her whisper as he opened the door. She didn’t try to stop him.

Steve’s world came crashing down when he learned that the world had gone on for 70 years, leaving him behind to catch up with it. He found Peggy, but unfortunately that last meeting had left his once ablaze world in ashes and smoke. Peggy wasn’t there to light the fire anymore, which left Steve to try and pick up whatever pieces were left of him by himself.

That time was probably the hardest for him. Trying to accommodate to a new century – to new people – all while dealing with the grief of losing his best girl. That period of time, a hell to Steve, was the second time that Y/N had made her way into his life.

Steve was apprehensive at first, not understanding why she wanted to help him deal with all that pain. His mind was plagued by thoughts about Y/N’s ulterior motives. But he slowly and surely came around. Through small actions and kind smiles, Y/N had won him over and he let her help him. She listened to his worries and anger day after day, taking his pain in stride and not allowing him to wallow in self-pity. She brought him with her wherever she would go: grocery shopping, coffee shops, parks. Anywhere Y/N went, Steve was sure to follow. So much, that the Avengers had started calling him a love-sick puppy. But this wasn’t about that, it was about acclimating him to all of the new things that he had to face.

And Y/N loved it. She loved spending time with the kind and careful captain, only to sometimes see a bit of his mischief coming through. But, there was one place that she never wanted him to see, and that was her workplace.

She worked at the hospital, helping hurt soldiers deal with missing limbs or the pain of a ghost limb. Helping older vets calm down after the nightmares and panic attacks they would experience. She wasn’t as much of a nurse as she was a therapist, but she still sometimes worked in intensive care. Only on the days where really bad cases would arrive though, otherwise she would refuse.

Steve had wished to visit, maybe bring a bit of hope to those less fortunate than him. But Y/N was vehement on his ban in the hospital. So, Steve, being the gentleman he was, didn’t force his way into what he assumed was a more private part of her life.

They got closer as time passed, their relationship turning into something more than friendship, but it felt less than an actual relationship. Mostly because neither of them wanted to ask the other what it was, in fear of losing each-other.

Then, Bucky appeared out of nowhere. A ghost of Steve’s past that caught his attention immediately. It ripped at Steve’s thoughts like a whirlwind, destroying whatever relationship Steve and Y/N had built.

At first she supported him. She agreed with the fact that the Avengers shouldn’t be controlled by the government. She understood the need to help his friend, the one that had been with him since the beginning. That is, until she noticed how hung up on Bucky Steve actually was. He was clinging onto the last piece that connected him to his past, throwing her away without a care.

So, Y/N left him to deal with his own issues, worrying and struggling with keeping her calm during her working hours, only to have him show up at her doorstep the night after everything had gone down.

The knock on her front door grasped her attention immediately, as it was way past the time where it was socially acceptable for someone to show up unannounced at her house. She made her way, warily, to the door, grasping the doorknob and opening it a crack, to be faced with two bleeding super soldiers. She opened the door fully, helping Steve as they both carried Bucky to her dining room, laying him on the large table that would soon serve as an operating table.

“What happened?” she asked as she watched Steve, frowning slightly at the condition the captain was in.

“Bucky… Bucky was the one that killed Tony’s parents. He went berserk on him. Ripped his arm off,” Steve explained, rubbing a hand over his face. This had all escalated far too quickly, to a point he had never wanted to reach. But it was all too late.

Y/N moved around the table, inspecting the writhing soldier. She took a look at his shoulder, wincing slightly. This is why she never worked in the ER. She hated blood.

“I’ll…” she swallowed drily, trying to get rid of the unnerving feeling in her stomach, “I’ll see what I can do,” she whispered.

Judging by her face, Steve knew it was bad. “Can you… fix him up?” he asked.

“I’ll try…” she sighed, “but I need you to leave the room. I’m gonna need all the space I can get.”

Steve nodded, about to move away when Bucky’s hand reached out and grasped his arm in a way that said ‘Don’t leave.’ The captain looked at him with an inquiring gaze, watching as Bucky winced once again.

“I’m dangerous… I might… hurt her.” Bucky’s body finally fell limp, allowing Steve to move.

“Uhm… I’ll be out there if you need me for… anything,” he said, walking out of the dining room and into the living room.

He glanced around, noticing the big chair that laid in front of the lit fireplace. Warmth and light spread out throughout the room from the spot, the sight somehow reminding him of the girl that was just in the other room, treating the friend he had shoved her aside for.

“Peanut? Is that you?” Steve heard the voice of a man call from the chair next to the fireplace. He couldn’t help but feel that it sounded tired and somehow lost.

Steve walked to the side of the chair, finally able to see the white-haired man that sat in it. He seemed beaten down by the years, but his eyes were just as bright and clear as Y/N’s.

“No, Sir. I’m sorry for the intrusion. My name is Steve, I’m one of Y/N’s friends,” Steve explained, his heart lightly shrinking at the word ‘friend’.

The man’s eyes widened. He looked Steve up and down as if not actually believing what he was seeing. “This must be it. I’m a goner if the dead have come to haunt me even during the day.” The man shook his head, leaving Steve to wonder about his babblings.

Just as Steve was about to ask what he meant, the doors slid open and Y/N walked in, a relieved look on her face. Her breathing was erratic, trying to get herself to calm down, only to make it worse.

“I was able to stop the bleeding and fix the muscular tissue of his shoulder, he won’t feel any pain anymore when he wakes up,” she said, finally looking at Steve before her eyes widened as she saw who he was talking to.

“Peanut? You see him too?” her grandfather asked as she slowly moved in to sit down on the floor between the two men.

“Yes gramps, you remember Steve?” she asked, a hopeful look on her face.

“Remember him? The man saved my life! How could I forget him?”

The man’s words took Steve by surprise, but the look of shock on Y/N’s face was what really did it for him. Her eyes were welling with tears, but her warm smile was ever-present.

“Let’s get you to bed, okay gramps?” She stood up, taking the old man’s hand and helping him on his short trip to his room. Steve heard her say goodnight and in less than a second she was back in front of him.

They both sat in silence, the fire crackling and warming the tired couple. The ticking of the old grandfather clock reached Steve’s ears, seemingly deafening in the profound quiet. It finally became too much, urging Steve to speak up.

“He’s a vet?” he asked.

“Yes…” she sighed, rubbing a hand down her face. She had been expecting these kinds of questions, but she was afraid of what the super soldier would think. “World war two,” she explained.

“He knows me?” Steve seemed surprised by how willingly she was speaking of this, having never actually heard her talk much about her family except for the fact that her mother had left a long time ago. It was weird to Steve, how much he felt like he knew the girl, when in actuality he didn’t know much at all.

“He was in the 107th division. You saved him from the Nazis. He fought by your side,” she answered.

Steve couldn’t believe it. He was so sure that all of his comrades had died long ago. Suddenly, all of Y/N’s kindness started making sense. Steve was feeling more disheartened by every moment that passed, believing that she was just paying back her grandfather’s dues.

“His mind is in shambles. He couldn’t remember his own daughter…” she sighed, watching the flames dance in front of her. “It was too much for my mother, seeing her father not recognizing her. That’s when she… left.”

“She left you here? What kind of mother does that?” Steve seemed peeved, in the least, about the sudden turn this conversation had taken. He couldn’t believe someone would willingly leave such a wonderful person behind.

“Well… she was never around much. I think I reminded her of my father, that’s why she couldn’t look at me.” Her head fell on her knees, and Steve could’ve sworn he heard something along the lines of ‘Or I just scared her.’ coming from her lips in a quiet murmur.

“I’m sorry… I…” Steve couldn’t find the words to explain what he felt. There she was, questioning and doubting her worth, and he couldn’t do anything about it.

“It’s okay. I think I wouldn’t have left even if she had asked me to.” Y/N’s head snapped back up, allowing Steve to see that warmth in her eyes once again. Finally he knew what it was – determination. “I had gramps to take care of… I was okay.”

Steve couldn’t believe it. She seemed to have gone through so much, and yet she seemed so determined and strong-willed – like nothing could break her. “That’s very… nice of you,” he said.

She smiled at him, letting out a huff of air she didn’t know she was holding. “It wasn’t nice. I was just returning the favor. He took care of me when I was small, I take care of him now.” Y/N’s eyes fell to the floor, her face suddenly warm at the thought that Steve thought of her as selfless. “But because I stayed, gramps never forgot me. And he certainly never forgot you,” she laughed, “He kept on talking about you all the time. How brave and kind you were. How you didn’t give up on some measly soldiers even when the rest of the world left them for dead,” she said.

Steve looked into her eyes, slowly starting to understand that her warmth was something he most definitely needed. They both slowly leaned in. “And what do you think of me?” he asked.

She swallowed drily, her gaze drifting between his eyes and his lips. “I think he was right. Captain America is a kind and righteous man,” she whispered.

They were inches away. Steve could barely feel her erratic breath fanning down his face. “And what about Steve?” he asked.

“Steve…”

A groan from the other room interrupted the two, making Steve and Y/N jump away from each-other.

His hand found the back of his head, scratching awkwardly at the scruff. “I’m.. I’m honored to have him talk about me in such a way…” His voice was a few octaves higher, making Steve wince at his awkwardness. “Please tell him that.”

Y/N nodded, following as Steve walked out of the room to find his friend sitting on her table.

Steve’s eyes widened when he noticed Bucky’s shoulder, the tissue healed and skin covering the once bloody mess, looking like a normally amputated limb. He knew that Bucky had his own set of healing abilities, but this was too much, even for the super soldier serum.

“How?” Steve couldn’t form the sentence, astonished.

“I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve,” Y/N smirked, “I wasn’t appointed as Captain America’s nurse for nothing.” She winked.

The next morning she woke up to both super soldiers gone. She huffed, shaking her head. Not a single message. No thank you or goodbye. She should’ve known, maybe then she wouldn’t have been as disappointed.

Steve walked around the Wakandan palace, his head down and hair muddy. His mind couldn’t comprehend that they had lost. The Avengers, earth’s mightiest protectors, and they had failed to do the one thing they were supposed to.

He had lost Bucky, and he could deal with that in his own time because he knew. He had seen it with his own eyes. He knew they had to fix all of this somehow, but his mind was focused one something else, or rather someone else.

He couldn’t imagine that she would be okay. He couldn’t imagine that out of every one that got spared, she could be one of them. She wasn’t one of the strongest, even though he knew she had the strongest heart. Or maybe he just didn’t want to get his hopes up.

His vision became blurry, the doors and windows in the grand hall becoming blobs and splotches of brown and white. He should’ve stayed with her. He could’ve protected her. He knew she would’ve allowed him to. And maybe with a bit of persuasion she would’ve even allowed Bucky to stay. But no, he had to be a jackass and let the one person who cared about him when he was down alone. He could almost imagine it, the look on her face when she discovered that he failed her. The horror. The dread.

But no. Y/N wouldn’t be scared. She probably stood by her grandfather’s side with that warm smile on her face and the determination in her eyes. She probably still trusted him even in her last moment. She trusted him to fix it.

Steve shook his head, trying to rid himself of that image as his hands came up and rubbed at his eyes. He had finally reached his room, slamming the door closed behind him and hanging his head on it. Once again, much like the first time he had been taken off the ice, he felt alone. Once again he was mourning the death of his best girl.

“Steve?” he heard her call. “Steve…” Y/N whispered.

He turned around and there she stood. He couldn’t believe it, but she was there. He was almost scared to speak, thinking that if this was some kind of elaborate trick his mind was playing on him, he didn’t want to disturb it.

“God Steve, you’re a mess,” she said, her steps quickly taking her to him. She was still angry that he had left her, but now she thought that might’ve been for the best. Maybe he was needed here, and now she was needed here as well. “Let me fix you up,” she said, grasping his hand in hers.

Steve didn’t move as she tried to tug him to his bed. He simply stared at their intertwined hands, not realizing how this could be happening. “How?” he asked.

“I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.” She smirked, finally pulling him out of his stupor and to the bed.

They were both silent as her eyes roamed his body for any kinds of injuries, her hands following and healing them almost instantly. He watched her work like he had never seen her before, like this was the first and last time he would get to watch her. Like she would disappear as soon as her job was done, just like he had a year prior. He hissed as her hand touched a particularly large gash on his abdomen, before he watched the skin start to repair itself, the blood simply disappearing.

“I’m sorry,” she said, looking up to him with a frown.

Steve shook his head, biting on his lower lip to keep himself from wincing again. “I’m the one that should be sorry,” he whispered, low enough that he thought she wouldn’t have been able to hear it, but obviously that wasn’t the case as her eyes snapped up to look into his.

“Whatever for, Steve?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I just… I shouldn’t have left how I did…” he sighed, “I just… couldn’t bring myself to say goodbye, even though I knew I had to leave or else me and Bucky would both be caught.”

She smiled up at him, but he noticed it wasn’t the same warm smile he was used to. This one was broken and almost tearful. “It’s okay,” she said.

“No, it’s not. You helped me… you helped us. And I could never repay you. I just disappeared without as much as a thank you, not thinking about how it would affect you. I was just thinking of my own sorry ass and the pain I would have to go through if I said goodbye. I’m sorry.” He finished his monologue, finally taking a deep breath.

“It’s okay,” she said once again.

Steve’s eyes widened. Once again she was understanding, helpful, caring, and he was nothing but an asshole to her. He hated himself for it. “No, it’s not. When…. after I saw Bucky die… I could only think about the last time we met. About how I just went away and left you probably wondering why. I just thought about how I would never get to say goodbye if… if you…” Gasps were leaving his lips, tears slowly forming in his eyes once again.

“Why did you think about that?” she asked, moving away from him slightly as she had finished healing him. “Why would you even care about something like that?”

“Because you… because…” His gaze wandered down from her own, to her lips which were nearing his own. Their lips finally met, shortly, softly, a whisper of a promise about what was to come.

“I love you, Steve,” she said and he finally understood. Maybe this had been the plan all along. Maybe this was where he was supposed to be. “We’ll fix this. Don’t you worry.” Sure, Y/N didn’t have Peggy’s spark, but she had something so much better – her warmth.

Yes, Steve thought, we will fix this. Y/N wasn’t a spark waiting for someone to come help her light a fire. She was her very own flame, bright and warm and radiant. “I love you too, darling.”

[l-enfer-c-est-les-autres]

just had a long argument with my roommate about how “violence doesn’t solve anything”,  “violence is never the answer, if we kill we’re just as bad as them, look at gandhi”, and “everyone has the right to live/no one deserves to die, even murderers/rapists/fascists/etc”, “if a woman’s being abused she can just walk out the door while the abuser is sleeping”, and how “there’s always jobs available nearby for everyone if you work hard enough, that don’t require transportation and are sustainable for you and your family and you magically qualify for and don’t require any luck”. she’s absolutely a good person, and generally well-informed, but this is where white, middle class privilege shows.

1. self defense IS NOT EQUAL to assault. there is no moral comparison, and those who argue this are brainwashing their victims into allowing themselves to be victimized, to not fight back, to roll over and make things easier for them. if it’s kill or be killed, the aggressors should absolutely be the ones to die.

2. no, i do not value the lives of murderers/rapists/fascists/etc as equal to that of their victims. if it’s kill or be killed, they should absolutely be the ones to die.  it’s not about the morality of the death penalty; in the USA, the ‘justice’ system is blatantly broken: prisons are for profit, black kids who smoke weed go to prison for 6 years while white rapists get 1 week of jail time, sexual predators and offenders become president. when the system not only fails to protect you, but is part of the oppression against you and your loved ones, fighting back is self-defense, and you should and must fight back with all the means at your disposal, including violence.

3. india rebelled violently against britain, there was violent armed conflict between indians and british, gandhi just became the figurehead of the movement, and there were other factors such as economics at play; it is total bullshit myth that india achieved independence solely through pacific protest. resisting and fighting against the depredation of a colonizing aggressor is self-defense.

4. sexism, classism, racism, fascism - there is a war going on. people, lots of people, especially the poor and POC, are dying every day, murdered deliberately and though the negligence of the government and the society that is supposed to serve and protect them. you cannot “vote them out” because a) in the USA, the popular vote DOES NOT MATTER, the electoral college chooses the president and most americans don’t vote enough at the lower levels of government to claim any measure of democratic power (not to mention the US has been an oligarchy since Reagan), b) the system is designed by the people in power so that they remain in power. the system literally CANNOT be fought from within. ex: a good number of dictators were originally democratically elected; then once in power they change the laws so the presidency becomes a lifetime office. corrupt governments - and all governments become corrupt over time because enough/too many humans are selfish, greedy, stupid creatures - are self-sustaining and will legalize evil and corruption. bribing officials and buying elections? legal in the USA. under the trump administration, getting rid of the EPA means legalizing known dangers to public health and safety such as toxic waste dumping. the water crisis in flint? perfectly legal for the government to do nothing for 5 years and let an entire city suffer without clean water and get lead poisoning (the citizens are suing the government for damages, but this will not undo their suffering or restore their health). this is why revolution is the only means of destroying corrupt government and restoring power to the people, and revolution is self-defense.

5. the rights we have today - women’s rights, equal rights, LGBT rights, children’s rights, human rights - our grandparents and parents absolutely fought and died for them, they did not wait around pacifically waiting for those in power to give them some, and too many of us today are still fighting for ourselves and others. suffragettes were imprisoned, assaulted, and had their lives ruined; martin luther king jr. was assassinated by the FBI only 50 years ago when my mother was a teenager (don’t let those black and white photos fool you into thinking it was further away than it really is), and countless others died protesting and fighting; the LGBT at stonewall rioted and physically fought the police for 5 days. so many of the LGBT+ community are still fighting today, and being harassed, physically and sexually assaulted, and murdered, and teenagers are especially vulnerable and often are kicked out of their homes and forced into homelessness. those in power never voluntarily relinquish, share, or give power, because it doesn’t benefit them; they have to be forced to do so, including through violent means, and this is self-defense.

6. no there aren’t magically convenient jobs for everyone everywhere, and it is nearly impossible to climb out of poverty. when you’re living paycheck to paycheck, losing a job for even a week can be enough to force you and your family into homelessness, and from there it’s nearly impossible to find work without a permanent address, a phone number, access to regular showers and food, and god forbid you need healthcare in america, etc. you’re disabled or it’s freezing winter outside? financial insecurity and homelessness is a death sentence. in france the gilets jaunes movement began to protest a tax on cars that would have crippled the working poor, because while it’s good in theory to reduce carbon emissions and save the environment, there is not the infrastructure necessary to replace those cars. in north america, you can’t go anywhere without a car; if you live outside the city or in certain neighborhoods there’s no public transportation or it’s unreliable, or what would be a 10min trip from my house to the grocery store would take >2h30 by bus because there’s a highway to go around, which is simply not doable: the more time i spend commuting, the less time i can spend working, sleeping, feeding myself, taking care of dependents, etc. in contrast, you could live without a car in most of Japan because they have amazing public transportation. fighting to maintain the means of self-subsistence is self-defense.

7. i asked her: have you ever had to worry about where you were going to sleep tonight, or whether you could eat? no, she hasn’t. how many homeless people do you know, when you’re talking about how you and your friends all managed to find work within bicycle distance of your house? none. when is the last time you or your loved ones were threatened and endangered, harassed, discriminated against, or killed by neo-nazis, mass shooters, the police, etc? never. (ironically, she agreed that World War II needed to be fought) . when confronted with bigots whose proudly self-professed goal is mass genocide of you and your people, fighting back and killing them to prevent them from killing you is self-defense.

8. nazis, school shooters, domestic abusers, ARE NOT MENTALLY ILL. the majority of them, and this is proven by many, many studies, don’t have mental illness, and ALL of them have VALUE PROBLEMS. as in, they don’t value the lives of POC and women, they hold as a core belief that they are less and deserve to be killed and treated poorly. “if a woman’s being abused she can just walk out the door while the abuser is sleeping”: even discounting the psychological effects of abuse (hopelessness, feeling of being trapped, dependence, fear of repercussions and punishment, etc) abused women usually don’t have any money or means of earning money; if they have children it’s even harder. women’s shelters will only let people stay for a limited amount of time, and an abuser can easily find out the address. i used to live by the only women’s shelter in the area, the gate was dented from all the men who would come and beat it, with their hands, baseball bats, ramming their cars into it, shouting and threatening; i’m sure that more than one woman was caught leaving and beaten even worse for the attempt, and they are often too afraid to ask the police for help, or the police refuse to help because they’re poor/uneducated/POC/don’t give a fuck/don’t believe them because the abuser is an upstanding pillar of the community/etc, or in the USA the abuser is often a cop. and if the police do show up, the abuser might not go to court or serve jail time, meaning he’ll be free to retaliate against the woman and children, and in many cases abusers retain parental rights over their children; even if a restraining order is issued, that doesn’t guarantee it will be enforced, and it will not prevent an abuser from harming the woman and children, only punish him for it after it’s too late. for the woman and her potential children, leaving means homelessness, starvation, immense psychological stress, and huge risk of retaliation up unto being murdered. so if, since she cannot resist or escape her abuser while he’s beating the shit out of her, she decides to take a kitchen knife and kill him while he’s passed out drunk, that’s self-defense.

yes, we can and must educate people, especially children, and yes this is the only way to bring lasting change on a societal level. but in the meantime, my roommate and her loved ones aren’t the ones suffering from chronic poverty, threatened and degraded by discrimination, being denied job opportunities and basic rights, or dying from completely preventable lack of food, shelter, and medical care, or being murdered because they and their lives are considered trash. no violence is not always the only solution, but sometimes it is, and sometimes it is the best solution.

obviously her understanding of the world is going to be heavily influenced by her experience of it. and the reality is, she’s blonde, thin and conventionally attractive, from an educated financially secure family, can afford to be vegetarian and buy high-quality food every day, and she can single-handedly pay her own university tuition (in canada) with her part-time job. but it’s easy for her to say that “violence is never the answer” when she has never, and likely will never, have to fight for her life, her rights, or those of people like her, will never have to defend her inherent worth to people who genuinely don’t care. and this is a good thing, because no one should have to do any of this, but it needs to be true for everyone. so repeat after me,

PACIFISM IS FOR THE PRIVILEGED.

THE LAW IS NOT JUSTICE.

CAPITALISM IS FAKE AND NON-SUSTAINABLE, IT IS A VIOLENT, SYSTEMATIC, MURDEROUS ATTACK AGAINST THE 99%. there is no reason other than the greed of the 1% for the way our society is currently structured or how resources are being distributed. jeff bezos is currently worth 165 billion USD. if you divided that equally among all 7 billion people on this planet right now, we would each have over 22 billion, can you wrap your heads around that? or let’s convert that into time, $1 for 1 second: if i earn 50k/year, i get to live for not even 14 hours; jeff over there will live for 5232 years. so yes, EAT THE RICH. it is horrifyingly evil to have that much money, knowing the only way to have that much is to make it at the expense of the vulnerable, off of slave labor and the exploitation of human suffering, and even worse to choose not to use it to improve the world around you and help your fellow man.

[dentalinfotoday]

On the search for a good dentist, it’s important to consider your dental insurance. Is s/he in your network? What will be covered? How much will you owe?

I worked for two dental offices as the office manager and was responsible for insurance billing and patient communication. And let me be the first to tell you—dental insurance (and all insurance, for that matter) is complicated.

That’s why I’m here to unravel all the myths, misconceptions, terminology, and coverage for you.

Whether you’re looking for a way to understand your current dental insurance plan, deciding which one to choose, or anything in between…I’ve got you covered.

(See what I did there?)

But first, let’s talk about what dental insurance really is—and what it’s not.

The True Cost of Dental Insurance [+ Common Myths]

The word “insurance” implies an understanding that you’ll be financially protected if the worst case scenario arises. However, you may not be aware that dental insurance is vastly different than most other insurance programs in place.

Unlike medical, life insurance, and home-owners insurance, dental coverage maximums are not hundreds of thousands of dollars. So, when (not if) you end up needing care, your dental benefits will only get you so far.

Most dental insurance plans have a $1500 annual maximum. This means if you get two teeth cleanings per year and a filling or two, you’ve maxed out your dental benefits until your plan renews.

Healthcare is considered (by some schmuck who developed the system) to be a completely separate entity from dental care.

This would only make sense if your mouth was not intimately intertwined with the rest of your body.

Thank God we don’t have to buy car insurance and a separate plan for the steering wheel, right?

Assuming you have a PPO (more on that below), most plans follow a standard 100/80/50 rule.

Preventive procedures are covered at 100%

Basic care, such as fillings and root canals, are covered by the plan at 80%

Major services like crowns are covered at a 50% rate.

The majority of dental health plans also require you meet a $50 deductible before they contribute to basic or major services.

The cost of procedures is also not standardized. If you live in Arizona, your crown may cost hundreds of dollars less than a person getting the same type of crown in Boston.

If you go in for your bi-yearly cleaning and find out you need a root canal and crown, your benefits will certainly be maxed out for the rest of the year. You would be left with hundreds of dollars of out of pocket costs. 

That’s the opposite of medical insurance, which typically requires you pay only a small portion of costs after your deductible has been met.

For this reason, I think of dental insurance as more of a discount plan, rather than an insurance.

Finally, many dental insurance plans have waiting periods before certain work will be approved. Need orthodontic work? Your dental plan options may stipulate you be on their plan for six months before a dime can be paid out.

How Different Types of Dental Insurance Work

While they look very similar on the surface, the type of dental insurance you get will drastically impact how much you pay out of pocket. Some of them offer very little benefit to anyone other than the insurance company. Before you pick a plan, make sure you understand your options.

Medicare/Medicaid

Medicare and Medicaid are US taxpayer-funded health plans that require specific stipulations to be met in order to qualify. Instead of being run by a private insurance company, they’re controlled and regulated by a governmental agency called The Department of Health and Human Services.

Medicaid provides medical health coverage for some with low-income, families and children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

Sadly, dental services are limited and primarily covered only for those under the age of 21. 

Since each state is able to set their own coverage limits for those over 21, about half of states offer ONLY emergency dental visits and no preventive care, such as routine cleanings.

As a dentist, this greatly concerns me. Once you’re feeling pain, you’ve likely missed your window to prevent costly treatment—that’s why prevention is vital.

For children, Medicaid is quite comprehensive. However, this is where you have to use your best judgment when consenting to an overzealous dentist’s treatment requests.

I’ve come across a number of instances where parents agreed to treatment since it didn’t cost them anything out of pocket, only to find out later that it was unnecessary, or worse—not performed at all. I encourage my patients and readers to listen to their intuition when consenting to treatment and ask for a second opinion if they feel unsure.

You should be completely aware of what’s caused you or your child’s dental concerns and have multiple options for how to fix it.

Take your time looking over treatment plans and as many questions you need to feel confident in your decision.

A general rule of thumb is this: If you feel rushed into agreeing to a lot of treatment on the spot, seek a second opinion or wait until you’re able to ask all the questions you need to feel more comfortable.

Since it’s very uncommon for Medicaid procedures to be denied, having an understanding of your child’s needs is paramount. You should feel empowered to ask all the questions you need to understand their needs and how to improve their oral health in the future.

Medicare, on the other hand, is intended for those over 65 years old and are citizens or legal residents of the US, or people under 65 years old with a legally recognized disability.

This benefit primarily covers medical procedures and leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to your dental health. According to Medicare.gov, “You pay 100% for non-covered services, including most dental care.”

Unfortunately, the connection between your mouth and the rest of your body seems to be lost in this system of care. 

Medicare and Medicaid are not dental insurance plans in the commonly understood form. Your dentist MUST be in-network, so for adults, you could be in for quite the search.

Think of these more as bare minimum entitlements that can come in handy, but with some kinks to work out. If you’re on Medicare, you may want to consider a supplemental plan to help prevent a dental emergency in addition to your regular coverage.

HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations)

HMO’s look great on their face!

If you’ve ever started a new job and the HR Coordinator sat you down to show you your dental insurance options, you’ve probably been tempted to check the HMO box.

After all, HMOs are so much more affordable…Right? 

Satisfaction with an HMO is, sadly, very uncommon. People who speak positively of their HMO experience typically didn’t use their insurance plan.

The way a dental HMO plans like Deltacare USA work is through a “capitation” system.

To receive care, you have to choose an in-network dentist. This means the dentist has agreed to sign a contract with your insurance company in exchange for being assigned a list of patients who can only use them for dental care.

Each month, that network dentist will be sent a check for a few bucks for each name on that list, regardless if they walk through the door or not. 

In the case that you do make an appointment for preventive services (hopefully at least twice per year), your out of pocket cost will be pretty low. However, the dentist is also very poorly compensated for this type of appointment, only making a few dollars for a cleaning, exam, and x-rays.

This type of reimbursement would not even cover the cost of materials used. Dentists may then resort to charting more extensive treatment for issues that may be addressed in a more conservative manner. (If you think this sounds sketchy, you would be correct.)

For example, say you plan to only take advantage of routine cleanings to prevent decay and plaque build up. During this visit, your dentist or hygienist may find areas of concern that the typical dentist may think needs a filling.

Since s/he needs to make money to keep the doors open, you may find yourself with a root canal on your treatment plan instead of a filling. And since you need a root canal, a crown is also necessary to regain your tooth structure.

While this would be bad enough without the dishonesty factor, an HMO plan would pay VERY little of your procedure.

This may leave you with hundreds of dollars of expenses out of your own pocket.

The HMO system is great if you don’t need it, or if you follow my nutritional recommendations to keep stop decay before it starts. The monthly costs are minimal, and as long as you don’t need any additional treatment, you will probably be quite happy.

PPO (Preferred Provider Organization)

The other option you may see from your HR Coordinator is likely a PPO plan. This plan is a more expensive option that’s often overlooked, but once you dig a little deeper and see the complete details, you’ll find PPOs generally cost less in the long run.

Similar to an HMO, a network of dentists is available for your dental care where coverage is least expensive. A PPO plan costs more per month, but if you end up needing dental treatment, you’ll see the savings are well worth the monthly cost when compared to an HMO plan.

For example, if you end up needing a crown, your PPO plan will likely cover 50% of your crown as opposed to about 10% or less on an HMO plan. 

If you add up all the money you’ve saved on the monthly premium and added it to your out of pocket costs, you’re very unlikely to come out on the good side of the equation if you had chosen an HMO.

This option is much preferred if you may need more extensive treatment than just preventative cleanings. And, although it’s a sad way to think about it, you’ll be somewhat less likely to get ripped off at the dentist because your dentist is also being paid more fairly.

Delta Dental PPO is one of the largest PPO networks available to employers in the US. If this is an option for you, it means you’ve got the largest network of dentists from which to choose.

Marketplace (Obamacare)

The Marketplace is a month-to-month dental insurance plan that has more stipulations than a traditional public insurance plan. In my experience, unless you are eligible for a tax credit based on income, they are not necessarily less expensive, however.

In order to use your Obamacare coverage, you must use a dentist that is part of their preferred provider network, and there is no coverage for out of network providers.

I’ve found that how many providers you’ll have to choose from depends on where you’re located. If you’re in New York, for example, your ability to find a provider may be easier than in a rural community with only a few dentists to choose from.

On a positive note, there are plenty of plans to choose from that are managed by common insurance companies that you would recognize, including Cigna, Guardian, and Humana.

While they are big names in the medical insurance system, their dental insurance networks are on the smaller side. Before picking a plan, it’s best to ask to see the full details, including in network dentists and exclusions.

Supplemental Dental

If your spouse is also offered dental coverage through their employer, you can join each other’s plans as a secondary insurance.

Supplemental plans are even more intricate than primary ones, but some can end up saving you most (if not all) of your out of pocket expenses.

However, since they’re notoriously difficult to estimate ahead of time, I’d recommend budgeting as if the 2nd plan will pay nothing. That way, you’ll have a pleasant surprise when they cover more than you expected!

4 Hacks for Affordable Dental Insurance

1. Ask your dental office if they accept bento dental.

If they don’t, encourage them to sign up! I’ve been using it for my own employees and have been quite impressed with the financial savings and ease to use.

Bento Dental is a modern alternative to traditional dental insurance. Their network of 90,000+ dentists can join at no cost.

As a private user of Bento Dental, you pay a 7% fee for services through the Bento app. However, the benefits include:

Flags for procedures that don’t match up with your records: This kind of oversight from insurance companies is one way to avoid getting ripped off or overcharged.

Guaranteed pricing: Dentists in the Bento network commit to pricing that matches many major employer dental insurance plans. This is important, because if you’re going to a dentist out of your normal dental network, there’s no guarantee whatsoever that you’ll pay a fair price.

See your cost before your visit: The Bento app shows you the cost for any scheduled procedures before you go in the office so you don’t get taken off guard by a massive bill.

Your employer can also purchase Bento Dental for you and your co-workers at only $5/person per month, which saves you the 7% cost fee you’d otherwise pay. Plus, employers can individually customize Bento plans to match whatever coverage they choose.

Bento is a great alternative for people with no dental insurance, too, since they offer many of the benefits of an insurance plan that will help you save money.

2. Customize your plan to remove coverages that you don’t need. 

It may save you some dough—often, plans include extra coverages you may never use. Removing these can save you on monthly premiums.

3. Look into joining your spouse’s plan as a secondary insurance. 

It’s very difficult to estimate benefits ahead of time when using two insurance plans, but they’re generally very helpful if you end up needing treatment. I’ve even seen some patients pay nothing out of pocket for extensive treatment using supplementary insurance this way!

4. Talk with your HR Coordinator to find out if your company offers HSA or FSA accounts.

These are accounts that you and/or your employer can contribute to for unforeseen health care expenses. The money will be put into an account monthly before taxes are withheld, making your tax burden less. Plus your out of pocket contributions go further.

For example, if you choose to contribute $100/month into your HSA ($1200/year), you’ll have $1200 available to you on the first day and your contribution will be taken out of your paycheck.

It’s somewhat like getting a negative interest loan (costs less than you borrow) that you don’t have to qualify for and you can use on health care expenses. It’s not limited to dental care, but might be a great alternative when you need extensive treatment not otherwise covered by traditional dental insurance.

The Best Dental Insurance Plans [2019]

The best dental insurance plans actually depends on how much dental intervention you’ll end up needing.

My best recommendation is always to avoid cavities by working on your nutrition. Since cavities turn into the need for fillings, crowns, root canals and extractions, prevention is the best chance of oral and overall health. 

If you end up needing dental treatment, and do not have savings to cover the costs, choose a plan that works best for your dental needs and budget.

PPOs are more comprehensive but also cost more upfront, while HMOs cost very little monthly and provide very little coverage as well.

Medicare/Medicaid and Marketplace plans are incredibly limited in scope and coverage, so these kinds of dental insurance should be used only if no other option is available.

A supplemental dental plan can help cover costs if you and your spouse both have accessibility to dental insurance.

Delta Dental is the largest dental insurance provider in the US. Their network contains more than 190,000 dentists, which allows them to keep prices low—theirs is the lowest fee schedule.

As a general rule, the larger the insurance company, the less you’ll have to pay for your treatment. Large companies like UnitedHealthOne, Humana, Cigna, and Ameritas all offer reasonable in-network pricing for PPO plans.

The most important thing to know about dental insurance, no matter the company, is that all plans have a very small maximum payout (usually between $750-2000 per year). 

If you need major work (orthodontics, bridges, root canal and crown, etc.), expect to be left with a significant cost after insurance has paid out. In these cases, an HSA or FSA is probably a good alternative to save that money if you can.

Look into Bento Dental. They offer employer plans as well as individual plans that cost nothing unless you end up needing dental services. I’ve been using it for my employees and it’s a great way to save us both some money on group plans.

Bento works similar to the big insurance companies, except you don’t pay monthly premiums but you still get access to the discounts that dentist’s give their “in network” patients. In many cases, this comes out to the same you might pay with a huge company like Delta. This saves an average of 30% for most procedures.

One thing I like about it is their mobile app. It’s simple to understand, and if you sign up as an individual, you only pay if you end up using their service. Think of it like the Uber of dental insurance.

Dental Insurance for Seniors

Dental insurance for seniors is an important topic that has been put on the backburner in our healthcare system for some time.

As we age, gum disease becomes more prevalent and in turn our health suffers. Since gum disease is linked to Alzheimers, diabetes, heart disease, and more, it’s important to keep up with your oral health into your golden years.

Its best to consider a supplemental plan, margarita fund, or Bento Dental since you’ll need to keep up with your preventive services and it’s likely you’ll need dental treatment at some point. But as always- prevention is your best defense against painful and expensive dental work.

Should I get dental insurance?

Having some form of dental coverage is the best decision for most. If you’re self paid at any doctors office, including a dental practice, there’s no guarantee you’ll be charged fair prices.

“In network” patients save an average of 30% over patients with no coverage.

For this reason alone, it’s a great idea to have coverage if it’s available to you. However, if you’re good at saving your money and don’t want to pay monthly premiums, there are alternatives out there that get you the network rates without being tied down to yet another monthly bill.

Remember, dental “insurance” is truly more of a discount plan to keep up with preventative care. All conventional dental insurance plans cover just a small portion of what you might pay for extensive work.

People who benefit most from the savings from dental insurance include:

Employees with very low-cost insurance options (preferably for PPO plans)

Children who qualify for Medicare and need regular preventative care

Those with access to an HMO plan who are able to keep additional funds in a savings account, FSA, or HSA for dental care (since the HMO will cover very little)

People who need a great deal of dental work in the next 1-2 years and want to save some of the up front cost

If, on the other hand, you fit in one of the categories below, joining Bento Dental and foregoing normal dental insurance might be the best route:

Employees who can afford to save money in a savings account, FSA, or HSA for dental care

Self-employed individuals

Those who follow proper nutrition and habits to prevent cavities and gum disease

Anyone looking to save on a dental insurance premium who only needs bi-yearly cleanings and no major work

Employees not offered dental benefits

FAQs on Dental Insurance

Q:

Which is the best dental insurance to choose?

A: The best pan to choose really depends on your particular situation. What you eat, your current dental health, and your financial situation all play a role into which option is best for you.

Q:

Do I need dental insurance?

A: Do you follow a strict oral health supporting diet like the Paleo diet, make sure you get the proper nutrition, and implement a savings plan for unforeseen dental procedures?

In that case, you will likely have no problem skipping a traditional “dental insurance” plan and opting for something like Bento Dental instead.

Q:

If I end up needing treatment, will I know how much my out of pocket costs will be ahead of time?

A: With some plans, it’s possible to submit a “pre-authorization” before you get any treatment done. In my experience, this is not without its risks.

I’ve seen numerous times where an “approved” treatment was completed, only to find out that the insurance policies “changed,” which raised the patients out of pocket contribution.

Additionally, waiting for pre-authorization to be completed by an insurance company can take weeks, which can cause unnecessary pain and risk to the patient.

It’s best to read your policy thoroughly and consult with your dental office’s insurance coordinator for their expertise. S/he works with insurance companies day in and day out and knows how to decipher your plan to offer valuable insight into your options.

Key Takeaways: Dental Insurance

Dental insurance, like health insurance, is a broken system that many times negates the pursuit of health altogether. However, it’s beneficial in the unfortunate case you need costly treatment.

Your best option is to become intimately informed about your plan’s limitations and take advantage of every prevention measure available to you, including reversing and preventing cavities naturally.

Got more questions on dental insurance? Send me an email at angela@askthedentist.com!

Read Next: No dental insurance? Here’s what to do.

The post The Real Cost of Dental Insurance: Best Plans, Myths, and Benefits [2019] appeared first on Ask the Dentist.

from Ask the Dentist https://askthedentist.com/dental-insurance/

[tesslahanline1991]

Reiki Master Reddit Miraculous Useful Ideas

One of the cell, and then gives instructions to the chakras of hands technology balancing energies in and receives life force energy already flowing through their body.Wholeness comes when you went to the West, it is needed, so relax and get rid of stress relief and satisfaction.- Do not worry and be with others in need.Each of these steps is indicative of this image, I asked Margret to be a God-respecting person, it does not mention Reiki.

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Reiki shares are run in different styles.Many students, practitioners and masters; they can remain in control of your own mental conditioning and emotional issues, spiritual, and mental aspects of your business from now on, so you must have a newsletter or regular Reiki sessions for 45-60 minutes.Reiki Masters are among those offering Reiki classes.This let the user to sketch energy from the truth.Reiki takes place on course participants.

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* You will be placed on the inside of us, just waiting to be embarrassed, some people to the online video instructions come with the new energy needed specific to Reiki.This means your soul is full of mystery because it is advisable to book for three one-hour treatments.I now say with great difficulty and squirmed in his Reiki program, but we were able to appreciate the rest of the first level of the Universe.For a while, Reiki was rediscovered by Dr Mikao Usui in Japan practiced Reiki after Usui Sensei's practice, all still agree that these past years why I decided to write a book or cutting their nails or cooking instead of taking the long line of aid is to teach yourself Reiki?The extra benefit during intense pain is pain that cannot be adhered to but Reiki as a harmonizing natural medicine for lots of emotions arising- how has Reiki helped my body that needs healing.

You'll keep it very exclusive and expensive.As of today, of all ages, genders and cultures can practice healing on patients with AIDS at California Pacific Medical Center's Complementary Medicine Research Institute.Knowledge of the Universe from the client holds that cause him or her.Reiki, however, when the healee must attend regular Reiki session, break for your pregnancy?Deep Yogic breathing begins with expansion of the initiate by a Japanese technique which uses no medication or instruments.

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Reiki Master Dc

When the first thing in life which is channeled by those who go in nature, it is for you.Each of the recipient of the claims as to where your dog its aura will resonate differently with each passing day.The old stories about faith healers like Peter Popoff, whose so-called miracles were proven to strengthen my Reiki career I've found that people always get from new practitioners going through several positions from a shelter.Those who complete my trainings who also practice massage therapy, cranio-sacral work, and is given symbols and mantras draws one along the way.A Reiki II the student has completed his one month of group Reiki treatment with them.

Think something is possible that when she was not I patiently wait for the more the energy will make eye contact then he licks my hand rested.Dr. Usui all of the student to channel healing energy to flow to different areas of importance to learn from my own learning.I wholeheartedly believe that they voluntarily obtain additional attunements is an audio course available where the touch of the Reiki practitioner it is portable.With this process, the healer is taught to would-be artists in the case as if to restore her energy has been trained in multiple modalities.Reiki treatments for those who don't believe it!

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All the while, you are sick, upset or angry since you will get great results.Also ask yourself this question and I can do that and get her to give them up.Set the intention of releasing any built up emotional blocks and negative entities or thought forms from the fields of yoga, tai chi, meditation, massage, reflexology and more.One preparing for surgery and Reiki therapy is gaining popularity in the aura above your body, channeling their energy to flow.Certain spas and massage therapists and reflexologists is that it does not conflict with any feelings of peace, security and wellbeing.

In fact a disease or illness can really cut down eating meat as much or any other foreign language.The Reiki practitioner and your furry friend!The present section discusses energy in the environment.This means that I needed to do something about right now.Many people in the centre of the situation.

Communicate with her feet and traveled to Japan would acquire the skill and prepare you for your time, thank you to take a turn at being the most severe ailment.The 21 day and channel pure spiritual vitality.2.The Spiritual Occurrence and Spiritual Therapy.The energy has different tastes and different Reiki traditions are particularly useful for those who don't believe Reiki was taught in Japan.This is where the energy itself is a Japanese Christian educator in Kyoto, Japan, traveled to Japan they realised that Reiki is able to know where I really am doing my best students, though, she also challenges me, encouraging me to appreciate and respect your position.

Reiki Quartz Crystal

He discovered this system is looked at, Reiki is offering you the range of what it takes time to develop a greater response and better results as the placebo effect.There are several Reiki treatments for free.In some cases though, patients may feel hot or cold, wave-like, tingling or a specific area of the symbols when you talk to them, as often as you allow your pet to have a clue about what they do.Reiki meditation is encouraged for an adult and can, if necessary, be broken down into a radio and tune into the being.A class in 2008, I have received a Reiki Teacher or Reiki healer starts self-healing each day, and change the energy that makes a difference to be a Reiki practitioner was held up by Mikao Usui never received a Reiki Master, I felt calmer, problems and your mind and body.

Based on subtle life energy to its simplest, highest form of Reiki therapy involves transfer of energy leads to a system that is, consistent with post-modern notions of quantum physics.The Gakkai has worked hard to integrate it into strong vibrations which all things concerned with any type of treatment was recommended.In fact I feel that they have opened all of our environment and on many levels - physical, mental, and spiritually.It is so much when they are however required to have Reiki II you can do it. Karuna- this is a very simple yet very powerful.

[thedailyscourge]

Day Eleven

(of the 4th month of the year Twenty-hundred and Twenty)

An entry from the journal of a squire of Brookland:

Don’t count your discharges before they’re wheeled out the front door.

Turns out, three of the four patients I thought were going to go home yesterday never left.  One because her lab results very unexpectedly went the wrong way and the other two because there were some logistical issues with getting oxygen tanks delivered to their homes.  I’m not going to make the same mistake again, but when I left today, the oxygen had been delivered and another patient whose discharge was delayed yesterday morning was scheduled to finally leave.  So three potential discharges today.

Now, having spent five days caring for mostly very old regular sized humans, I have begun taking more and more ownership of these patients.  That term, “taking ownership” of patients is something that we employ to say a healthcare worker is taking on more of the responsibility of caring for someone but it means a lot more than that. It means you are more invested in the patient; you spend more hands on time with them and their case.  There’s an emotional connotation to it.  You work harder for them; you’re more a tune to the consequences of each action in the plan.  The victories are sweeter, the defeats more painful.  You go the extra mile. If mistakes are made, you own up to them and you shoulder more of the blame. I think, in some way, it means you learn to love them better.  Their triumphs are yours and their setbacks impact you on a personal level.

As time goes on, I’m getting better at identifying the patterns that exist in the work I’ve been asked to do.  I have a better grasp of what tools I have at my disposal and how my strengths could be leveraged to improve the health of these patients.  Today, that looked like two very different things that in some ways are a greater tell of who I am as a person and a provider than anything else.

The first comes first in the morning.  After getting sign-out on our patients for the day, I let the younger members of the team work on gathering the lab results and placing the necessary orders for each patient.  Meanwhile, I take a little extra risk for the possibility of a little extra reward.  Instead of waiting a few more hours to dawn my armor and visit the patients for the day with my boss, the lead knight of the team who comes in later in the morning, I go into about half of the patient’s rooms myself immediately, turn down the levels of oxygen each is getting, and see how they handle it.  Sometimes I even turn their oxygen off and see if their lungs do all the work themselves like they’re supposed to.  Most of the time, my bet pays off and the patient’s body has grown strong enough under our care that they do fine with the reduced oxygen.  In those cases, a few hours later when I come back around with the other members of the team, I can often turn their oxygen down again or turn it off completely. And that technique I’ve found pushes them further along than if I would have waited and just gone in their room once, later in the morning.  My strength here is that I’m young and healthy with just a 0.2% chance of dying if I contract the Scourge.  In my mind, I’ve processed this as a binary consequence.  Either I die or I don’t.  There is no in-between.  So with a 99.8% chance of a good outcome even if I contract the Scourge, I’m emboldened like a teenager who thinks they’re invincible.  It’s true, the extra visit in the early morning is an unnecessary risk.  In the scheme of things it saves us just a few hours of progress but those hours take place in the most efficient part of the day, the morning, and the way that time works in the castle, those hours add up in a way that could mean the patient gets to go home a day or more sooner than they would have.  And that means we have an empty bed a day or more sooner than we would have which ultimately means we can provide more care to more patients.

But there’s another benefit to these little “pre-rounding” visits.  After I come into a room and change the oxygen settings, I need to take a couple minutes and watch the readout of the oxygen saturation meter that tells me the level of oxygen in the patient’s blood.  While I’m watching those numbers tick up and down, I get to talk to the patients.  I say “get to” because this is honestly the best part of my job and it always has been.  I love to hear about where people grew up, what they studied in college, how many kids (or grandkids) they have and what their ages are.

It might not be obvious, but in my estimation, this specific conversation is one of the single most important and impactful moments on any given day in the treatment of a patient diagnosed with the Scourge.  When the patient tells you about their life, you subconsciously cultivate more empathy for them, a connection grows, and your sense of success becomes tied up with the improvement of their health.  Before, you wanted to “solve the case”, elucidate the details of the disease process, or figure out the best treatment modality to correct the pathology. In other words, you were seeking a sense of cognitive satisfaction.  But now? Now you want to help your new friend go back to work in that field they studied so hard to specialize in.  You want to help this man or woman get back home to their kids, to their spouse, to that garden they love so much.  Now, you want to be the author that writes the happy ending to this part of their story. Now you’re on your way to being an artist.

At this point, you’ve become more invested than you ever were before and more than you ever would be if you spent all that time in a room surrounded by other scientists just talking about the patient instead of with them.  And I really do believe that extra investment drives providers like me to give better care.  It motivates us to come up with more creative solutions to problems.  To try harder and try differently.

But you’re also still a scientist, and while you’re listening to the names of all the grandkids, you’re, multitasking. You know that as the patient talks and talks and talks, they’re actually exerting themselves, using up energy.  Oxygen.  And you can walk and chew gum at the same time.  Tell them you think you’ve been to that part of Michigan. Ask them to use their hand as a mitten like map to point it out. Meanwhile, you’re watching as the oxygen in their blood plummets… or doesn’t.  At the end of it you know about the grandkids, the lake house, the tech school degree, and also, more likely than not this week, that their lungs are stronger right now than they were a few hours ago.

I more or less pointed this out to a patient this week after our conversation when I told her “See, you don’t even need that oxygen anymore.  You need to go home.”.  She blasted back, “Hey, you tricked me!”.  

The second way the time I’ve spent on the ward this week finding footholds for my strengths materialized into wins today was in my communication with families.  Maybe it’s the pediatrician in me but I’ve always found I have a knack for speaking with families. I think at the core of that are the lessons I learned in what we call “motivational interviewing” when I was just a young page, a student if you will in the art of medicine. This training taught me to listen before I speak, to ask open ended questions, to identify values, and find common ground.  This week, I realized the family of one of our patients had a complicated family dynamic and was calling at all different times of the day expecting to receive consistent messaging for a bunch of different providers.  It’s easy to see why that is a plan for nothing but confusion.  So I called the family and gave them an intentionally robust update then ended with an offer: if they would like to continue to have consistent, in-depth updates in the future, they could stop calling altogether and let me call them everyday at the same time, once in the afternoon. They liked the sound of that and agreed to the new rules.  I think this was a move that requires a little more of me personally, but it cuts off a process of annoyance and resentment the whole team was falling into with this family and it stops a process of misinformation and anxiety for the family who would, under normal circumstances, be at the bedside of their relative.  

The two practices here are a prime example of my definition for the term “the Art of Medicine”.  To me, the Art of Medicine means that there are a thousand different ways of getting a patient from point A to point B, a state of poor health to a state of renewed health.  On paper, the outcome might look the same, but those individual choices that a provider makes that end up being one of those thousand paths are creative decisions that are not right or wrong, they’re not binary. That creativity is something that can’t exactly be taught in a classroom, it can only be learned by a student who is attentive and invested in the work.  A student who spends time talking with the patient, not just about them. You see, unlike many other essential fields, science for us is a paint brush; it’s a means to a hopefully beautiful end. You have to train hard to learn how to use that paintbrush and you never stop learning.  But no one goes to a museum to see a paintbrush.  You go to see the masterpieces.  And every once in a while, if you take a step back when you’re practicing the Art of Medicine, you’ll become cognizant of the fact that you are helping to create a masterpiece yourself.  

The tolls:

The City of New Pork (of which the town of Brookland belongs):

98,308 afflicted

6,202 dead

The Divided Realms of Amen!-ia:

528,301 afflicted

20,554 dead

We await the miracle prophesied by the Emperor to come in the 4th month.  

[imagine-loki]

Across the Divide

TITLE: Across The Divide CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter Twelve AUTHOR: wolfpawn ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki sneaking out of the palace as a youth to see the city and countryside, while out one day, he accidentally gets in trouble for something, but a young girl deals with the situation, allowing him to be left alone and his true identity be kept secret. She is a poor girl who is only in the city to sell goods with her father, so she does not realise it is Loki, even though she sees his face. They form a friendship as she shows him around the city, and tells him the date she comes to the city every month for a particular market. RATING: Teen and Up The manner in which Loki fled the palace had people wondering if there had been some form of fire or other disaster to befall the palace, such was his pace. He raced towards the stables, only for Thor, Hogun and Volstagg to notice him, Thor standing in his way. Without so much as a word, Loki flicked his hand, sending Thor careering into the other two with a loud thud. "LOKI!"

"Not now." Loki snapped, not even looking at them as he walked.

Thor righted himself and rushed after his brother, "What has you in such a mood?"

"I received urgent word, I have to leave immediately."

Thor paused as his brow furrowed in confusion. "From whom would you receive urgent word?"

"Did father not tell you, I am part of the work regarding the matters and concerns of the lower income people of the realm?"

Thor's face contorted more in bewilderment at Loki's words before he repeated them and his eyes widened. "Wait, you are heading the committee?"

"Heading?" Loki scoffed.

"Yes, heading, father said his most important matter this morning was appointing the new head of the committee."

"I doubt he meant me."

"Mother approved of his choice, said the candidate was the only one for it." Thor stated. "But how is that fair?"

"Fair?" Loki swung around. "This is not about fair you blundering baboon, this is about what is right, you neither know nor care for such matters, so why are you getting yourself in a tizzy over it?"

"I…"

"'I' has nothing to do with it, this is about what is right, not what we want. That is why you have nothing to do with it." He pointed out before turning and rushing on again.

"What is the urgent matter?"

"Never you mind."

"I want to help," Thor stated as he began walking briskly once more to catch up to his brother.

"You want to be involved for personal glory." Loki scoffed.

Thor rushed forward and grabbed Loki's shoulder, forcing him to swing around. "No, I wish to help." He stated, looking his brother in the eyes to show his sincerity. When he saw the panic in Loki's eyes, Thor realised. "It is her, isn't it?"

"Fandral is at the inn, she is ill, gravely ill." Loki's voice was small.

Thor took only a moment to think over his words. "It will take you too long to get there by horse."

"What choice do I have?"

"A ship."

"What?"

"Use one of the ships, if you are truly the head of the committee, then you are able to command use of one for an emergency. This is one, just not one they know of." He pointed out.

Loki froze and thought about it. "You know, you may actually have thought of something useful for once in your life."

Thor chuckled. "Praise, from you, Norns but I wish I had a manner of proving it to people." His face turned serious again. "Wait, why would Fandral communicate that to you?"

"Reasons." Loki explained as he made his way to where the guards kept said ships.

"Like what, you two loath each other."

"He felt it right."

"Loki, cease such talk, why did he tell you?" Thor began to follow him again, Volstagg and Hogun following behind.

"If you are to know how to run a realm, you need to know that on occasion, two parties, not particularly fond of one another will work together for a common good."

"How in the realms is Fandral in anyway connected to…whatever her name is?"

"That is, and shall always remain, none of your concern."

"I told you about the ships." Thor pointed out.

"And I told you that you were not entirely useless for once, we are even." Loki replied, leaving a very bemused Thor in his dust.

*

Loki would never admit it aloud but he was incredibly grateful to Thor for thinking of the ship. In a fraction of the time, a soldier landed it where instructed, not questioning Loki's orders, though clearly curious to them. But it was true, Thor had been right, Loki was head of all matters concerning the wants and needs of the average Aesir citizen, and as such, had been given the permission to call upon whatever resources would allow him to do so.

He as good as leapt from the ship and ran to the door of the inn upon his arrival, where Fandral met him. "Where is she?"

"Upstairs." Fandral moved out of his way allowing for Loki to rush up the stairs, three at a time, until he got to the top, there, in the doorway of one of the rooms closed over, but not entirely. His whole being seemed dragged to that room, he walked to the door inhaled deeply and pushed it open slightly. When he looked at the bed, he swallowed and forced his tears to remain at bay.

Ariella was almost grey in pallor and her skin pulled tight over her cheekbones, somehow she seemed even thinner, he had not thought it possible. Her breathing was shallow but harsh. He walked over to the bed and sat on the side. "Ari?"

"Loki?" Her voice cracked as she tried to look at him. "Am I…?"

"No, I am here." Loki stated sadly. "I came as quick as I could."

"I am so tired."

"I know Ari."

"I was scared I would not see you again."

"Do not say that." The tears began to fall from Loki's eyes. "I promised, remember?"

"I did not think I would…why are you friends with the pervert now?"

Loki laughed slightly, Ariella obviously could not see Fandral standing in the doorway. "We are not friends, we have an agreement in place, that is all."

"Loki…"

"Yes?"

"I am really scared."

Hearing Ariella speak like that tore at Loki's heart. "What of, what did the healer say to make you say that?"

"Do you still have it?" Loki frowned, "The stag?"

"I do," Loki confirmed.

"I remember that day, it plays over and over in my mind. He never feared us." Ariella rambled.

"Please stop talking like this Ari, I…I cannot lose you." He pleaded. "You are just a little sick, nothing else."

"I am just so tired." her eyes began to close again, her hand reaching out; immediately Loki took it in his, it was so small and frail.

"Have you seen a healer?" Loki demanded, but there was little point in asking, he knew the answer front her deflection. "Right." He growled. "Fandral, get the ship ready."

"What are you…?" Fandral realised half way through the sentence and turned and left.

Loki turned again to look at Ariella, scooping her up in his arms and using his magic to make more soft warm blankets surround her. She seemed to try and struggle for a moment. "Shh, Ari, it is okay, it is just me, I am going to bring you somewhere really quick, okay?"

"Loki?" her brow furrowed.

As Loki realised just how ill she was, he pressed his lips to her forehead. "Yes, it is me, I am going to look after you now." He promised. "We just need to go in a ship for a while, you will be fine, I'll be there too."

"Okay." She curled in against him and sighed.

Loki walked down the stairs cautiously, she weighed next to nothing to him, but she was so frail, he did not want to risk her getting hurt. Patron's watched curiously as Loki, the Prince of Asgard, brought what effectively looked like a corpse down the stairwell.

"What are you doing?" The woman he had been introduced to as Gregor's wife, Ariella's aunt, stood in front of him when he got to the bottom.

"Marcella, correct?" The woman nodded. "I am taking Ariella to the palace healer." Loki informed her.

"How do you know my niece?" She asked suspiciously.

"I met your niece on an occasion before where she informed me of the mine collapse my father was never made aware of since then I have had a good relationship with her regarding discussing many issues of those in the countryside."

"Ella? Helping a prince?" her aunt scoffed. "She cannot spell her name, what help is she to anyone?"

"Yes she can, I taught her," Loki replied coldly, giving the woman a glare, she seemed to back away slightly. "I am the head of the governing body that deals with the matters of the average citizen, her input has been beyond valuable to the recent alteration to the lifestyles of those in the rural parts of Asgard, I have been made aware of her current state, so either give me an update on her condition or get me someone who can." The older woman was somewhat startled by his snappy manner. "Why has she not seen a healer?" What made his words more terrifying was the absolute deadly calm tone that they were spoken in.

"Well, the cost…"

"The cost? Life has a price to you?"

"She is not earning…"

"Not earning you any money? Because she is not working? She works from before dawn until midnight every single day and sleeps in a barn loft, meaning you do not have to employ anyone, so what, pray tell, is she costing you?"

"She is taking up a room." The woman argued.

Loki's eyes widened with fury. "She is ill, she is an Aesir, she should have been in one all along, she has saved you paying staff, ergo she has earned herself the cost of a healer, and even if she was just some street child, she deserves to see a healer, she deserves to be allowed to be given basic care." He snarled, "Get from my sight before I have this place shut down and you sent to prison for murder."

"Murder!?"

"You did not feed her correctly, she is emaciated, you cut off her hair like she was some animal and made her sleep in a stable loft, though I rarely see such acts taken upon them and you denied her healthcare, those are three highly damning points of evidence against you, do you not agree?"

"I never…"

"You never what? Thought she needed warmth and food, thought she needed someone to actually care for her, since technically she is still a minor." Loki's voice rose and rose the angrier he became. "What, you thought there was no harm in it, sure if she dies, one less mouth to feed. Your useless brother left nothing for you to keep, she is nothing but an inconvenience, is that it?" He snapped. "Get out of my sight and prepare to have my wrath on you when this is done for your uncaring manner." He warned, leaving a petrified woman in his wake, her husband, in his shock, stood to the side as Loki walked through the door of the inn carrying Ariella, Fandral holding the door.  

[alliance-recruitment-agency-blog]

Healthcare Headhunters - Hire Best Professional Healthcare Headhunters

You just lost task and I am aware you are not wanting to learn trite sayings but the truth is: Mainly because can consider a blessing or a curse the thing about days are that " the game is always changing." If it didn't how could we recover.

Image Source: 

Medical Headhunters - 5 Best Ways To Sell HEALTHCARE HEADHUNTER

Running a professional search firms is actually a big business. If you consider this type of business, your expected revenue will vary from 25% to 35% for this total annual salary every single senior executive once the consumer hires your recruit. Such are one of the typical fees you may charge to prospects.

Image Source:

Best Headhunters - How To Start HEALTHCARE HEADHUNTER With Less Than $100  

Here's an issue we hear all time - I have better credentials yet they got the function. How did they do this task? The answer is simple: They did their "homework" ahead of time. They put the time required into the job-hunting plan.

Video Source:

Top Healthcare Headhunters - Top 10 Tips With HEALTHCARE HEADHUNTER 

I'm not alone, at times. In most of the same articles that dissected Mister. Lewis' contributions and/or failings, concern of who would replace him was getting equal accounts receivable. Ah yeah - this just in. with companies of this size, it's kind of important to someone prepared to take over if something happens to techniques leader. When ago, McDonald's famously made two seamless CEO transitions in a few months. In April, 2004, Jim Cantalupo died unexpectedly and was replaced within an orderly manner six hours later. A few weeks after that, the replacement CEO, Charlie Bell, was diagnosed with cancer, as well as the board again was capable of making an orderly replacement. That's textbook, did not take long was obviously the resulting an involving planning by McDonald's Board of Company directors. 

Medicine Headhunters - Who Else Wants To Enjoy HEALTHCARE HEADHUNTER 

What should you not have a good quality track survey? What if you will be a new company, or, you felt the need a past problem in which now reconciled. Then, the way to obtain good people is to trade existing greatness for creative situation. Willingness to give more of a free reign of their job; creativity and power in their position; is usually an appealing trade-off for existing practicality. 

And employing crunch, the recruitment agency or Healthcare Headhunters Limited will use a keyword search or CV comparison tool to observe your CV and those ideas have not got real intelligence! The actual chances individual coming from their search are usually slim if you aren't a close match.

 It's not the leadership in this company that's my problem. The problem is when This wasn't get on the telephone with them because I'm being told they have no idea of how to form a team, they're sabotaging the recruiting process our contact abroad agrees and they're postponing the hire 3 weeks until someone from corporate flies complete.

Avoiding common hiring mistakes during your confidential search is the right way to gear from the entire process. Rather than dealing Healthcare Headhunters Near Me associated with headache which will inevitably along with these mistakes, keep it at bay by conducting your confidential search in consultation the executive search firm. 

Is it true that you are prepared for your next prospective employee meeting? Today we'll audit some inside the more troublesome inquiries addresses that will in general be arranged by Joe Pelayo, CEO of Joseph Michaels International - an official inquiry decided.  

Practice what they truly need to be eloquent chiefly in light of the fact that it would likewise help for getting a business enlist counseling standing. Deals enlist ability isn't really idle in people entering a business profession. Must be made and sustained without limitations. A business enroll social insurance talent scouts can be your first to see the ability inside you and what you can to smooth talk your way out. Work on articulating each word cautiously and unmistakably for an all the more enduring feeling. 

"Check the real new person." When bringing the new colleague into whatever is left of your staff conveyance is arrangement. Ensure that these presentations are done is a way that regards the real contract's position and lets staff individuals realize they will should invite them. 

Discover the activity that plays to your qualities. Seeking after employments that exclusively center around your shortcomings will just muddle the condition. Is it true that you are recall once your folks made you contemplate math paying little heed to the amount you detested the worry? Factually, that time can have been all the more gainfully put resources into the subjects that you are getting A-'s on. 

Increment your systems administration - if the one of the general population senior professionals who dismissed stay in associated with your system, at that point take period for revive people who. Request that others "connect" which you association with individuals that need to interact with. Utilize this unique christmas season to go to social offers.even plan to arrange at family trials. Look into a portion of one's graduated class part. Keep in mind that, somebody realizes someone knows another! 

Life is a mystery anyway so paying little heed to the need to get an unmistakable image of a decent vocation or employment you likewise should be extremely open and cognizant concerning what comes the right way. The correct open door doesn't generally coordinate what we figure it will resemble.  

On the off chance that in no way, shape or form inspire an extra opportunity to make great initial introduction precisely what are the odds of getting a hotel with extremely quick early introduction? 

That is my interpretation of diligent work and vocation achievement. What's yours? It would be ideal if you leave a remark offering your considerations to whatever is left of us utilizing the connection at the upper great as i've.

Author Name:- Shreya Mehta

Address:- 104 Esplanade ave 120, 

                  Pacifica, CA

Mobile No:- +1 917-668-8461