#i cannot wait to start publishing this……..it may be sooner than we think

[firstfluke]

This fic is so older brother’s best friend you guys don’t understand……I’m holding back my finished first chapter with weak fingers while I finish the second. Just know that the dynamic is this:

Sirius: Hey everyone, this is my little brother! We’re all adopting him now!

James: So cool!! I always wanted a little brother. I’m gonna win him over + help him however I can. This is our Shared Little Brother.

Regulus: I need James bad

[raindancer2004]

Unloved and Unwanted - Demetri Edition

Word Count: 3,316 Demetri x OC Part Two Warnings: Fluff, Angst

Note: This version of Unloved and Unwanted was written first but I decided to write and publish Felix’s version as I had just finished a Demetri series at the time. @vamp-army​ found out about Demetri’s version and has requested I let it out of the Dungeon. 🤣 🤣

“Heidi please take Lucy to your room and stay with her, we have to speak with Lucy’s mate and inform him of this situation” Aro says looking at Heidi “Of course master” Heidi replies bowing her head. “Excuse me can I ask a question?” Lucy asks looking at Aro who nods at her to continue “If I am to be rejected by my mate can this be done sooner rather later please? I do not wish to be an inconvenience to him or yourselves any longer than needed” “No decisions will be made until we have spoken to your mate as there is much to discuss” Aro replies and Lucy nods.  

Heidi and Lucy leave the throne room and make their way to Heidi’s room; once inside Heidi sits Lucy on the bed and goes into her bathroom “I’m running you a bath sweetie, I think it will help after the day you’ve had” “Thank you Heidi” Lucy smiles at her.

Meanwhile, back in the throne room Aro sends Alec to get Demetri “Please bring Demetri here but do not tell him anything” “Of course master” Alec replies. Alec found Demetri in the library with Felix “Demetri, Aro wishes to speak with you” He nods; putting down the book he is reading and walks with Alec to the throne room. “Good evening masters” Demetri greets the three leaders bowing his head “Evening Demetri” They reply and Alec walks over and stands beside Jane again.

“Demetri we have a situation that we need to discuss with you” Marcus says “Ok, I’m listening” “It has to do with our visitor and the reason behind Heidi’s meeting with us” Aro starts “Our visitor is called Lucy and she is your mate according to Alice Cullen’s vision” He continues; Demetri looks surprised “They just sent her here?” He asks “Yes my dear boy” Marcus says “I cannot confirm your mate bond until I see you together. But…there is a complication; she has been told that she would be unwanted and rejected by you and she does not plan on objecting to that rejection” Marcus continues. “B-but…who…why…what?” Demetri is so shocked to hear this he struggles to get a full sentence out.

“The Cullens are involved. They sent Lucy here with this letter for Aro” Caius says still angry with them and hands Demetri the letter to read “As you can see they have explained to her about vampires, mates and their bonds and lastly they told her about us. Lucy told us that Edward, his siblings and Bella told her that her mate is an elite guard and has a reputation for being a Casanova but nothing else personal about you. When asked why she came here if she knew she was to be rejected; her answer was…surprising” Caius adds “What was her answer?” Demetri asked unsure if he really wanted to know “Edward told her if we found out that they knew about Lucy being mates with one of our guards and they didn’t tell us; we would kill them and bring her here by force and they wouldn’t risk their lives for her” Aro answered. “Where is she now?” Demetri asks sounding concerned “I sent her to Heidi’s room with Heidi whilst we discuss things” Aro replied. “May I see her? Set things straight?” Demetri asked; hurt clearly showing in his ruby eyes. “I think it best if she stays with Heidi for tonight and rests, maybe speak to her tomorrow” Marcus adds gently. “Ok, if you think that is best. If that is all I think I’m going to go for a walk outside” Demetri says bowing his head “Of course Demetri, we understand” Aro replies and Demetri leaves the throne room.

“Alec go with him please, he shouldn’t be alone and you were here during the first conversation so you can talk to him about this” Caius adds. “Yes master” Alec bows and follows Demetri.

“Hey wait up Demetri” Alec says running to catch up with his friend. “How are you doing?” “I’m shocked, angry, worried; I’ve waited a long time to meet my mate and this is not how I thought things would go. I mean I’m not even able to see her…to find out if she is definitely mine. I don’t understand why the Cullens are involved either” Demetri replied “The Cullens are involved because Lucy is Bella’s younger half-sister” Alec answered “W-what?” “Lucy lost her mum six months ago and was sent to live her dad. She had never met him before and Bella only decided to meet Lucy about 10 days ago, totally out of the blue. She isn’t wanted by them either” Alec added. This just upset Demetri more. “I haven’t said I don’t want her Alec” “I know that. You should know she came here out of fear” Alec said cautiously. “Explain now!” Demetri growled out “They also told her that if she was to run and hide we’d send the world’s best tracker after her, and he’d bring her here kicking and screaming if needed and she would incur the wrath of her mate, who can be rather cruel. She just figured it was just easier to come here willingly, even if she was to be unwanted” Alec answered and watched as Demetri’s fists clenched at his sides.

“She doesn’t know that her mate and the tracker are the same person; that her mate is you” Alec added. “Kicking and screaming? Unwanted? Cruel?” Demetri asked and Alec just nodded. “She’s never going to talk to me or give me a chance to show her what I am really like” Demetri sounded hurt and Alec felt sorry for him as they were friends. “When we get back go and speak to Heidi, Lucy will probably be asleep anyway as she is human” “Lucy is human?” He asks with a small smile “Yes and she is really pretty, for a human” Alec replies grinning.

Jane left the throne room when the other guards came on duty and went to the kitchen to get some food for Lucy. “Gianna what do you think Lucy would like to eat?” Jane asked “I’ve made chilli and rice for myself and made enough for Lucy too” “Thank you Gianna” Jane took a bowl and made her way to Heidi’s room. “Heidi I’ve bought Lucy some dinner, Gianna made enough for them both” “Thank you Jane, come in” Heidi replies. “Lucy this is Jane, she has bought you dinner” “Nice to meet you Jane and thank you for dinner” “You’re welcome sweetie” Jane replies smiling.

“How is she doing Heidi?” “Surprising well considering what she has been told about us and her mate” Heidi replied, their conversation too quiet for Lucy to hear. “I actually feel sorry Demetri” Jane said “Me too Jane. How did he take the news when the masters told him?” Heidi enquired “He was shocked but was also concerned for Lucy, he left the castle to go for a walk and Caius sent Alec to go with him” Jane responded and glanced once more at Lucy.

Demetri made his way to Heidi’s room once he returned to the castle; he wanted to know that Lucy was ok and if Heidi thought he had a chance to be with his mate. He wasn’t feeling very hopeful about having a chance with Lucy after hearing what the Kings and Alec had told him.

He knocked on the door lightly not wanting to wake Lucy. “Hi Dem, I wondered when you’d come by” Heidi said quietly and glanced over her shoulder before adding “Lucy is asleep.” “I thought she would be. It was you I came to see” Demetri said quietly looking over at Heidi’s bed and seeing a head of blonde hair lying on her pillow. “She’s really pretty Dem, she has green eyes” He looked at her and smiled stepping back into the corridor “Talk to me Heidi please” She nodded and stepped into the corridor and closed the door quietly behind her.

“What do you want to know?” She asked “How is she doing?” “She’s ok, but I wish she never met Bella or the Cullens. They’ve broken her even if she tries not to show it” She replied, a sad look on her face. “When you say she is broken do you mean because of the way she has been treated since her mum died?” He asked “Yes Dem. She has felt unwanted and unloved for the last six months; I think that’s why they sent here; they don’t want her. What I don’t get though is why they told her that crap about you. It’s as if they want her to be unhappy” “Tell me more of what they said” He said “Wait till the morning and speak to her. She doesn’t know you’re her mate. They didn’t bother to tell her your name. You do want her Dem don’t you?” Heidi asked “I haven’t met her and I know Marcus hasn’t confirmed it; but since being told that Lucy is my mate she’s the only thing I’ve thought about, especially considering all the stuff she’s been told by the Cullens” Heidi could see the venom in his eyes; the tears that would go unshed. 

The next morning Demetri knocks on Heidi’s door “Morning, I’ve bought Lucy breakfast” “Come in Dem” Heidi opens the door and lets him in. “Lucy this is Demetri, he has bought you breakfast” Lucy turned around and looked at him “Thank you, that’s really nice of you” She said smiling “You’re very welcome darling” He replied smiling; unable to take his eyes of her “Beautiful” He said too low for Lucy to hear, but Heidi heard him and smiled. “Demetri can you stay with Lucy please, I have some work to do?” Heidi asked “Yes of course” He replied, knowing what Heidi was doing.

“Did you sleep well?” He asked Lucy looking into her green eyes “Yes I did, thank you for asking” Demetri smiled at her; he knew the moment he had looked into her eyes that he would protect her forever, that her happiness was all that mattered to him. He felt drawn to her; she was his mate and he didn’t need Marcus to confirm that. “Are you ok?” She asked him “I’m ok, sorry I got lost in my thoughts for a moment” He replied and she nodded “How are you doing with everything?” He asked her. “You know?” She asked “Some things not everything” He answered truthfully. “Long story short I find out from my half-sister and her in-laws that I have a soulmate who’s a vampire; but that he’ll just reject me and lock me away forever” Lucy said to Demetri with no emotion, not knowing he was her mate and she didn’t see the hurt and anger that flashed in his eyes as she had looked down at her hands in her lap.

Heidi had stayed outside in the corridor listening to their conversation; her undead heart breaking for them both. ‘Say something Dem’ she thought to herself.

“It’s ok I’ve accepted that the one person who’s supposed to love me forever won’t. I just hope that this gets dealt with soon as I do not wish to be an inconvenience to him any longer than needed” Lucy added. Demetri looked at her and said the first thing he thought of “Go, leave here, go anywhere you want.” “W-what? I-I can’t they’ll send their tracker after me” Lucy said shocked “I’m the tracker Lucy and I’m telling you to go. Come on I’ll walk you out” “Really? What about my mate? What about…?” He cut her off, not believing what he was about to say “Don’t worry about him. You deserve to be happy”

‘Oh Demetri’ Heidi thought feeling her eyes fill with tears she can’t shed and walked away out of sight.

Demetri took Lucy’s warm hand in his cold one and led her out of Heidi’s room and took her to his room. “I thought you were walking me out of the castle?” She asked quietly “I am but I’m guessing you need money and as I’m setting you free the least I can do is give you the means to go wherever you want” He replied “Thank you for your help. Once I’m settled I’ll pay you back I promise” She said putting her hand on his arm “No you won’t. Just enjoy your life; that is the only thing I want in return” He replies handing her €10,000 “That’s too…” “Don’t argue Lucy just take the money. Come on” He takes her hand back in his and walks through the castle to the entrance; ignoring the few guards giving him puzzled looks. Once at the castle doors he pulls her in for a gentle hug “Take care Lucy. If you need anything call me. I’ve put my number with the cash” He tightened his grip a little and breathed in her scent and then released her “Thank you Demetri. Your mate is lucky to have you” She said smiling “Thank you, that’s sweet but I don’t have a mate” She nodded and he gave her a small smile as he watched her walk out of the castle and out of his life, his heart breaking and his eyes filling with tears that will never fall.

Demetri went back to his room; kicked off his shoes and climbed into his bed turning on his side to look out of the balcony doors. He knew letting her go would hurt but it felt like the right thing to do. ‘She was never going to love me or believe that I loved her’ he thought to himself ‘It’s for the best’

There was a knock at his door “Hi Dem” Heidi said entering the room, she too removed her shoes and climbed behind him on the bed; wrapping her arms around him to hold him to her “You let her go?” He nodded “It was the right thing to do. I gave her money so she could go anywhere she wanted and have a happy life. I told her to call me if she ever needs anything” He replied “That was nice of you” She said softly “The funny thing is when she thanked me; she said my mate was lucky to have me” A small laugh escaped him “Ironic right?” “Oh Dem” Heidi tightened her hold on her friend “I told her she was sweet and that I didn’t have a mate” “But you…” “No, I don’t have a mate Heidi. I’ve set her free. She would never have loved me nor believed that I loved her. It’s for the best and you know it” Heidi didn’t respond, instead just lay behind him holding him while he sobbed though no tears would fall.

Later that night Marcus came to see him “Talk to me my boy. Help me understand” “I spoke with Alec and Heidi last night and they told me some more information about the situation with Lucy. I met her this morning, she’s beautiful master” Marcus nodded and Demetri continued “I knew as soon as I looked into her green eyes she was mine but hearing her talk about me that way, the fact that she had accepted the rejection, despite it not being given by me; I knew she would never accept me as her mate, never believe me when I tell her I want her, that I love her and she would never love me. I did the only thing that felt right, I let her go. I told her I was the tracker, that way she wouldn’t have to worry about someone going after her. I also gave her cash for a new life and my number to call should she ever need anything…” Demetri trailed off as he became choked with emotion.

“That was very selfless of you my boy. I’m proud of you” Marcus said putting his hand on Demetri’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze. Demetri looked confused “You’re not upset or angry with my decision?” “No I’m not. You don’t need me to tell you she belongs with you and you with her; you felt it when you saw her and when she is far enough away from you she will feel a little heartbroken too but won’t know why. She will no doubt call you at some point and you will go to her because although you let her go, you still want her and hope she’ll return to you” Marcus replied “Thank you for understanding although I don’t think masters Caius or Aro will” He said looking at Marcus “Leave my brothers to me. You are my personal guard and you have my blessing. We both know she will keep our secret and that is because of how you treated her when you let her go” “I didn’t tell her this but I can track her no matter where she is. I’ll keep her safe” Demetri said quietly and Marcus nodded “I know you will.”

Marcus left Demetri’s room and made his way back to the throne room and held his hand out to Aro to show him the conversation between himself and Demetri. Aro nods “I understand and there will be no punishment as I too believe she will keep our secret” “I gather he set her free” Caius said low looking sad “Yes and he can track her but he won’t go after her unless she asks him too” Marcus says looking at his brothers who both nod at him “You’re not mad Caius?” He asked “Not with our dear Demetri no. I understand his decision. I am however extremely displeased with the Cullens. They will pay for this; that is a promise” With that Caius left the throne room.

Meanwhile, Lucy was at the airport trying to decide where to go ‘Santorini, Greece. That sounds good, sun, sea and sand and far away from the Swans and the Cullens she thought to herself. Once she landed she checked into the hotel next to the airport and then began to search for apartments to rent on her laptop. She found a nice one-bedroom apartment with a balcony over-looking the sea and made arrangements to view it the following day.

She rented out the apartment and decided to explore a little feeling happy she found somewhere so quickly ‘having the cash Demetri gave me helped’ she thought. Once back at her new apartment she stood on the balcony enjoying the view when she suddenly had an idea; she took out her phone and snapped a picture and sent it to Demetri.

Hello Demetri, I just wanted to say thank you again. I hope you didn’t get into trouble for letting me go. I am in Santorini, Greece and have found a little apartment to rent. This is the view from the balcony. Lucy

She attached the photo and pressed send.  Demetri heard his phone’s text tone and reached over to grab his phone; he saw he had a text and although he didn’t recognise the number he knew it was from her. He read the message and smiled ‘she’s safe’ he thought to himself.

Hello Lucy, you are welcome. Glad you picked somewhere nice and that you got there safe. No trouble at all, the masters understood my actions. That’s a beautiful view. Demetri

“What are smiling about?” Felix asked “Lucy sent me a text to tell me where she is and to thank me again for my help” Demetri replied smiling. “I can only imagine how hard this is for you, but I’m proud of you for the way you’ve handled the situation. I mean I probably would have gone and torn the Cullens apart” Felix says “Thanks Fe. Trust me I thought about it but it wouldn’t change anything, but…never say never”

[nightswithkookmin]

I am a hard Taekook shipper but recently Jikook have been melting my heart by being so cute and cudly and loving. I understand and i am sorry for so mhch hate from Taekookers but trust me Taekookers are a bit shaken right now. I cannot disclose my name here but i would like to say if Jikook is real or they decide to come out which i higly doubt then i am 100% in support and also ur page helped me open my eyes and see a diff sude of shipping which is needed alot more. I am Loving Love ryt now.

C'est la vie!

So sorry for the late response love. You've always been on my mind.

I get not every Taekooker is wild and rabid just as not every Joker is sane and fake woke. Lol.

I mean I'm still holding on to my grudge against your people for storming my business pages and leaving shit reviews on my books- and laughing about it? What was that? Damn. Had to change my author name and everything and I've since been publishing under an alias- let me tell you, it's no fun at all.

In retrospect, I shouldn't have called y'all's ship dead- but honestly it dead, it dried up like a drop of sweat on a dessert. What can I say? People just don't want the truth, lol- had these angry thirteen year olds and fake woke Jokers coming for my ass and my business ass on the flamingo app. Chilee. Your people don't want to be civil. Sigh.

Some people just have no sense of personal responsibility and when they get called out for it they slap you with the whole, 'no one asked you to put yourself and your business out there' - this creepy behavior and mental adroitness is not far from rapists blaming girls for wearing short shorts and mini skirts or thieves blaming people for not putting up a fence and shit to protect their property. It's fucked up.

And don't get me started on what they do to Jimin or JK... or even Tae- not to make you feel bad or anything. It's just my people suck, your people suck, we all suck square- don't apologize for it unless you plan on doing something to change it?

As for Taekook, yea I don't think there is anything wrong with shipping them. They have a beautiful bond, they are both visuals and both funny as hell. If you won't ship them I will. Lol.

Just know the reason you are shipping them? If you are shipping them because you genuinely believe they are a couple too then you need to stop shipping them and start supporting them?

And once you start supporting them then I think you'd sooner realize there isn't anything there to support in the first place. Lol.

I support Jikook because I believe with my full chest they are real and are closeted- emphasis on closeted. And for the record, they are the only queer couples in BTS.

Tae lost his queer card when he accidentally outed Jimin on that radio show. 'I think he likes men' yea, straight up het behavior. Lack of homo sensitivity.

Did you see JK's reaction when JM was asked to spill tea on their pervy behaviors behind cams? My butt quivered. Chilee, I thought he was gone out JK too. Damn.

I think the word real and closeted have come loose and cheap on these streets these days. I don't think most of these shippers when they throw it around fully understand the term or realise what it means and what it takes. If they did, they wouldn't randomly be labeling every ship as 'real' within the fandom.

If you believe Taekook is real and that they are equally hiding their sexuality as well as their relationship within the group, then you should understand how severe and traumatizing this fact is and would be for them as gay men?

The thing is, they are not just hiding parts of themselves and their identity for the sake of their careers or military or whatever if they are real, they are lying to millions, millions of people at a time about who they really are by keeping their identity a secret. Secrets are lies honey, however way we want to see it.

If they are real then they are concealing their true identity away from not just their families and friends- if they haven't come out to them, but acquaintances from work, businesses who wouldn't work with them otherwise, brands, sponsors, Heads of states, their fans....

It's one thing for a heterosexual to keep their heterosexual relationship a secret, it's another for a queer person to keep their queerness and or queer relationship a secret.

A lie as heavy as this is bound to take a toll on them, no matter how good they are at hiding it. A secret gets heavy before it gets easy. Not to sell you on anything but do you see any such secret taking a toll on Taekook? Because I see it taking a toll on Jikook.

Do you believe Taekook are closeted? Because I believe Jikook are.

Being closeted means they have to carry the guilt of knowing that each time they pander to heteronormative roles in variety shows or interviews, or imply by omissions that they are straight, or make generalizing statements about their sexuality to avoid addressing their sexuality directly or give it away, that they are lying to people and spewing half truths- seven years in a roll.

Being closeted is not a joke. It's heavy. I think you need to grasp this before you claim it for anyone.

People like to throw the 'closeted' phrase around willy nilly but fail to comprehend its weight and complexity and consequences especially for people that they believe are actually queer.

It's not easy lying to people about who you are. Unless you are a pathological liar and a psychopath, it's like drowning each day you wake up. You die a little each time. Your sexuality is a huge part of your identity and when you deny it for so long by lying and suppressing it, it's like shutting out a peice of yourself and silencing your own voice. The more you push it aside the louder it screams and the harder it fights to come out.

It's a state of constant internal struggle. You wake up everyday contemplating whether to risk the perfect life you've spent years building just so you can turn off the guilt that comes with keeping a secret of this nature.

And each time you get better at omitting or generalizing and evading questions that hint at your truth, the more you hate yourself and the more guilt you feel. This guilt can become a driving force that pushes you to make risky moves and take impulsive actions such as 'borderline outing your relationship'- does that sound like Taekook to you?

If you are not driven by the love you feel for your partner, you are driven by the guilt and neither is a great place to be if you are queer.

You lie everyday, you get caught up in the lies and soon you start believing in the web of lies you've woven around yourself such that you don't even recognize who you are or why you are, anymore. As such, you are constantly searching for yourself, to reconcile the bits you've hidden away and perhaps forgotten, and you keep exploring your identity because you are unsettled- honey, that sounds more like Jikook than Taekook to me but c'est la vie.

Being closeted is not about moments that get cut by editors, or less interactions, or being seperated or seated further apart from eachother. These are just ship street parlance. Being closeted is an attitudinal, internal attribute rather than external manipulations or influences- it's a science. Lol

Coming out may be risky for any of these boys if they are real, but I promise you hiding is much harder for them.

And so When I look at Taekook, and I see how beautiful they are yet I don't in God's honest truth see them 'dealing' with any or all of these struggles Jikook deal with or have dealt with at one point, in my opinion- forget the homophobia, the wanting to come out, the low key microaggressions they deal with even within the group- 'the Jk never stops crying,' 'the real men don't do this and that talk' talk, the toxic masculinity and internalized homophobia traits JK and Jimin used to exhibit in their early days talking about 'real men don't twerk,' 'real men don't wear rings on their pinky'- all the times Jimin have had to defend his masculinity or even femininity, or stand up for Kook's within the group. 'Men, men, men. What is men?'

Jikook are the only two within the group that in my opinion have struggled most with their identity, with embracing aspects of themselves; you hear them complain about 'living a lie' 'tired of hiding, lying' and all these are themes consistent with closet behavior that they've both explored in one way or the other and even as of 2020 they are still dealing with or 'exploring' their identities perhaps as a means to reconcile their true selves? I'm really struggling with this post because I don't wanna get salesy on your ass. Lol.

Don't get me wrong, Tae struggles and deals with issues too- mostly with loneliness, lowkey depression in my opinion, lowkey bullying- sometimes, lol and he often expresses a desire to find someone and be happy and yet 'his supporters' don't recognize that...

You can wait till Jikook come out officially as queer, if they ever chose to, to support them- Or you can choose to support them and love them now because that's what they need in order to officially come out as and when they choose to? Ok I'm being salesy. Lmho. I'll stop. Don't mind me. But think about it.

Ship whatever ship you want but support Jikook. It's all I'm asking. And by support, I mean don't exhibit any anti homosexual attitude towards them- deadass. You and I gone fight, square up toe to toe, if you do. Lol.

People don't need to be afraid of Jikook. They just need to treat them as human beings and not reduce them to a mere ship. They are a ship too yes, but they are more than that if you ask me.

You sound nice. I love you. I'm glad you enjoy my posts. Merry Christmas and cheers to our ships.

Keep supporting Jikook. Jikook is real.

Signed,

GOLDY

[dandelionflower]

Felix Month

Day 9: Tragic

It was tragic, really.

Lila Rossi lost the baking competition against Marinette. She revealed her lies, as per their agreement, and the class fell apart.

Truly tragic.

Alya was in denial, typing furiously on her phone, trying desperately to find some truth. She was fact checking everything. Too late.

Nino was in shock. He sat, rigid stiff, staring at Lila and the rest of the class. He stared at Alya, who had trusted Lila the most, who pushed him to believe her as well, and he moved ever so slightly away from his girlfriend. Their relationship would need to be rebuilt from scratch after this massive betrayal.

Rose was on the phone, crying to Prince Ali, apologizing over and over for not believing him. Rose was always far too trusting. Just not to the people who mattered.

Juleka patted her shoulder, silent as always. There was something in her eyes, though. Something that wanted to scream.

Mylene was weeping, immediately after the news had stuck, she had ran to Marinette, apologizing. She hugged her and apologized again. She was the first one.

Ivan was struggling with an enraged Alix, but he seemed to be fighting himself too. His eyes never left Mylene.

Alix was clawing and fighting her captor with every bone in her body. Odd, Felix didn’t remember her being lied to specifically.

Chloe was cackling. She was painting her nails. She would relish in watching the class regret siding with Lila. They should have stuck with her. Better an evil queen than a witch.

Sabrina sat close to Chloe, camera at the ready. She would be prepared to film the action when it occurred. For once, she benefited from following Chloe.

Nathaniel shrugged. He was never involved with Lila anyway. He was unaffected. He was one of the few.

Max was broken. He stared at a printed sheet of lies, scanning again and again. He was wrong. Anger flashed in his eyes as he glanced at the one who fooled him. Calculated became feral.

Kim was shaking Max, trying to do anything to wake him up. He even pulled out Markov, who claimed Lila had muted him once he started fact checking. They were unaffected, the only others.

Finally, Max leapt over the desk, hands bent like claws. Kim jumped after him, tackling the genius. “What are you doing!”

Alix took the opportunity to slip out of Ivan’s arms and skate up to Lila. “How dare you! You broke Max, Alya, Nino, even Juleka! You hurt Marinette!” She turned to her. “I’m sorry we didn’t believe you, we should have trusted you.”

Marinette looked up from where she was comforting Mylene. “I accept your apology, but it’s going to take some time for me to forgive you.”

Alix nodded, sitting next to her as Rose and Juleka came up and offered their apologies. Ivan was next, and then came Kim and Max, who had recovered from his momentary fury.

Soon, the only ones who hadn’t come up to apologize to Marinette were Alya, who was still trying to prove her wrong, Nino, who wouldn’t leave his girlfriend and best bro, Chloe, who doesn’t like apologizing and would probably just send a gift later, Sabrina, who apologized that morning, Lila, and Adrien, who sat by with a pitiful look in his eyes.

Felix came forward from his spot at the doorway. “Nette, why don’t you go out to Andre’s for some ice cream, to celebrate and recover.”

She grinned. “Sure! Come on guys!”

As she lead them off, one by one they each made eye contact with Felix. We won’t hurt her again.

Marinette’s head popped back in. “Chloe? Sabrina? You guys want to come?”

Chloe shook her head. “We would rather see whatever comes next.”

“Felix?”

He gave her a smile. “I’ll be there in a second. I have a few words to say.”

Confusion passed over her face, before she nodded and left, surely happy to be with her friends again.

Felix shut the door, turning to glare at the four. “You are all horrid, despicable people for not apologizing to Marinette after what you did.”

Lila burst into tears. “I’m so sorry! I can’t believe I did that! I-“

“Cut it out.” Felix fixed Lila with a look that could kill. “No one here is pitying you.”

Alya stared at Felix. “How dare you! Lila is clearly remorseful, let her apologize!”

“No one wants her apologies. Especially or Marinette. It’s you three that did wrong.”

“Marinette did wrong! She publicly humiliated Lila!”

“Would you rather she let Lila continue lying to you?”

“She wasn’t hurting anyone.”

“She was hurting Marinette! She threatened her in the bathroom and effectively turned the class against her and none of you were the wiser.”

“I knew.” Adrien stood up. “But this won’t help. It’s only hurting Lila. This is why I told Marinette not to expose Lila. She’s going to get akumatized now.”

Felix turned, not acknowledging Adriens foolish comment. “Did you get that?”

Sabrina nodded. “I can have it edited and ready for publishing by tomorrow.”

“Excellent.” He began to leave before stopping and staring at Nino. “I hope you think about what you’ve seen and ask for forgiveness soon. The other two don’t think they did anything wrong, I should hope you possess at least a tiny bit of remorse.”

Nino nodded, eyes hollow and contemplative.

“As for the rest of you, stay away from Marinette, she’s happy now and if you change that, I will end you.” With that threat, Felix left to join Marinette at the ice cream stand, a still cackling Chloe and giggling Sabrina following.

—————————

When Felix left the school, Marinette and her group of newly returned friends were standing outside waiting for him. Rose was standing in front, animatedly telling a story, Juleka standing close by, muttering minor corrections.

Marinette turned, “Felix! Felix’s here, guys. Let’s go to Andre’s.”

As they walked, Felix gravitated towards Marinette, not unlike the rest of the class. However, unlike with the class, she grabbed his arm and matched her step with his, immediately beginning to talk about her latest design. He smiled, Marinette always knew how to calm him down.

As they arrived at Andre’s they separated. Ivan and Mylene went first, greeting Andre and receiving a couples ice cream. As that was the only official couple, they all went alone after that.

Alix received a vanilla and coffee bean cone, “perfect for the solo athlete.”

Max received an orange, peach, and blackberry cone, “there’s someone out there for you yet, robotic intellect.”

Kim stepped up and got a strawberry, watermelon and blueberry cone. “It may be a time to change flavors.”

For Rose, vanilla. “I don’t need to know my soulmate! It’ll happen when it happens.”

Juleka, chocolate. “Same.”

Nathaniel received a myriad of flavors. “I don’t even know what this means…”

Then Felix stepped up. He hadn’t tried Andre’s ice cream before; however, he had his suspicions of what it would turn out to be.

“Blueberry for her eyes, blackberry for her raven hair, and rasberry for her favorite color!” Andre leaned forward as he gave Felix his cone, “I’m very sorry, but the object of your affections has her eyes on a mint eyed boy.”

“I’m well aware, thank you.” As he accepted the cone, he heard Marinette’s scoop combination.

“Ah! A new cone? Good, between you and me, the other’s combination was a bit toxic. Icy blueberry for his eyes, vanilla for his hair, and some caramel.”

“What’s the caramel for?”

“That’s a secret only they and I know.”

As Felix sat on the bench, he saw Marinette begin to walk over to him. A brief surge of panic course through him. What would he do about the ice cream? He quickly schooled himself back to his usual demeanor. Leave it to Marinette, she’s been through a lot, let it be her choice.

Marinette squeaked. Felix looked up to see her staring at his ice cream cone, then at hers, then to his again.

“How about we table this for another day?” He suggested. “You’ve had enough drama.”

She looked up at him and nodded, sliding next to him and resting on his shoulder. They ate their ice cream while Felix stared at the sunset and Marinette watched her peers talk and enjoy their ice cream.

The silence was soon interrupted, though, by the vibration of Marinette’s phone. She lifted it and grinned, angling it so Felix could see. “Look.”

Nino 🎧: sorry about the lila thing and not apologizing sooner

Nino 🎧: it was uncool of me

Felix grinned at her. “Looks like there’s still hope.”

His own phone rumbled. He lifted it and couldn’t help but smirk when he read the messages.

Happy: I can’t believe Alya and Adrien would do something like that!!!! 🥺😢😭

Purple: Nice job putting them in their place👍

Giant: Lila, Alya, and Adrien? How can anyone use the Ladyblog now?

Robot: I cannot say it was suprising to see Alya and Adrien’s reactions. Congratulations on lecturing them.

Jock: Alix and I are planning murder

Skater: I CANT BELIEVE IT!! ALYA I GET BUT ADRIEN!! IM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT HAPPENS TO HIM!!

Illustrator: did you see the video?

Henchgirl: Video edited and delivered

Horrid Blonde: I hope you don’t mind, but I had Sabrina add some aftermath to the vid

He allowed himself another glance at Marinette, who had started a conversation with Mylene, before replying. Turns out a little tragedy wasn’t so bad.

[ontowanderlust]

How to say I love you?  (2)

A/N: Another one? Really? Gosh. Bear with me, I’ve got like six more to go. I haven’t started writing the third one so if you guys are waiting for the next one- I’m gonna be frank with you, it will take me a long time before I publish it out. I would like to give this fic to the anon who had requested a different Five Hargreeves fanfic- (I tried writing your prompt, dearie, but I just couldn’t find the inspiration to recreate the magic of the song. That, and I am not really familiar with the song itself and tried googling it but I really cannot replicate the magic.) so instead, this part is dedicated to you whoever you are, anon.

Special thanks to: @grimpower-s you are awesome and amazing and I might pop out sooner or later depending on my motivation so yup.. I love you, my beta.

One of the reasons why I haven’t posted this was because of the sucky title. Let me know if you guys have better ideas. The other reason was just I’m too lazy to post this. My betas knew that I had a name written here but I had to revert to second person since… this is tumblr. (Though, the last name is predetermined already, don’t fight me on this.) Let me know if this sucks or if you guys like it.

Also some reminders:

Five is eighteen in this fic

The apocalypse had already happened

(Spoiler) They are sent back in time

And there are some of the 43 involved in this fic- there are 16 actually. Find them all and hit me in my asks if you knew the reference of the names.

Alternatively: 7 times he confessed and the 1 time she accepted his confession / 8 ways to say I Love You

Fandom: The Umbrella Academy

Pairing: Five Hargreeves x Fem!reader

Prompt: This prompt is brought to you by R. McKinley (you write beautifully, may I just say) and @chickenshit​‘s photo edit. I did say that I’m gonna write something about this, right?

=Masterlist=

For as long as Y/N can remember Tuesdays had always been allocated as a day where she and her brother, Crutchie gets to be “special” (or so as people in their household says.)

Coming from a rich household, their mother had given them Tuesday as a time for reprieve from the whirlwind of studies from their different tutors, (seriously, why do they need to learn the 14 different uses of forks?) she and her brother would have a mock battle with each other- her, usually making her brother pause at mid-action while he retaliates by setting off a series of events at her misfortune. 

As much as she loved spending time with her brother, back then, it always felt as if Tuesdays are nothing more than the only day where she felt extraordinary and that if Tuesdays were removed, she would be… nothing more than some girl who got lucky and was born to wealth.

She hated how Tuesdays dictate her worth. She hated it so much that she had to resort to all kinds of excuses.

That is until her mother brought home the foster kid who would eventually become her big brother, Jack. 

Despite their initial distrust with each other, she learned that there is a purpose why her mother is adamant with their Tuesday routine. There is a purpose why she let her children discover what their abilities can do and make up for the loss of what the others can’t.

And right now, she couldn’t be more thankful to her mom than ever.

Throughout the years, Tuesdays with her brothers had somehow evolved with having more company- the kids she and her brothers had encountered on their run from their relatives- and their neighbors who were all born the same day as them. 

Crutchie liked to call it predetermined. Fate, if he will. She and Jack simply would scoff at their brother’s belief. Although, deep down, they all knew that having these kids make up for the space their mother had left them. In a way, they are all what they have, they are family.

When the Umbrella Academy showed up on their doorstep a few months back, she knew her twin had been right all along. (She never doubted him in his predictions. She just hated how optimistic his way of thinking is.) 

And so here they were Tuesday morning, in the middle of a massive courtyard-turned-grassy field courtesy of Katherine’s ability, about to face these superheroes. And since the Academy is massively outnumbered, Jack chose seven people from their team to battle the opposing team. 

“Heads up, mi hermano!” She heard Klaus holler at Five as she saw JoJo swooping down from above, grabbing the fifth Hargreeves child as if he weighed nothing before dropping him 30 ft from the sky.

She watched with interest as Klaus tried to levitate to save his brother, failing when Katherine touched the grass, willing some blades to transform into vines as it wrapped around the unsuspecting seance’s ankle, pulling him to the ground.

“We’re being floored,” she heard Diego deadpanned at Five as he spatial jumped back beside him. “We need a new plan.”

Five rolled his eyes as she watched him search the field for what she presumed would be the victim of this boy’s ire.

Having spent her time with them, she knew the Academy had somehow built this holier-than-thou attitude- a result of their glorified superhero days.

It’s no surprise that their hubris is their downfall and her family have no qualms in kicking their sorry asses.

Good. She scoffed inwardly. Someone has to teach them some humility. She thought as she absentmindedly reached up to steal Henry’s popcorn, ignoring his protests as her attention went back to the battle in front of her. 

Her family had adopted the strategy of keeping the Academy from each other while they keep themselves open to assist their own should the need arise.

Davey is managing on his own after he had borrowed Vanya’s ability, facing her by himself as he isolated her from her siblings, Katherine and JoJo teaming up to confuse Klaus and Diego, messing with them, Mush steeling himself well against Luther’s strength while Elmer and Romeo are fighting off Allison and Ben side by side. Crutchie, on the other hand, is providing all the assistance from every corner, setting off one series of unfortunate events to another, simply cast on the side as an open target.

Apparently, Five is thinking the same thing as her as she saw his gaze fell upon her twin, his fists started to glow blue.

She stood up abruptly, startling Race who was using her shoulder to sleep on, jumping off the bleachers (graciously provided by Katherine, “for your entertainment, losers”) prompting the rest to ask where she’s going. 

“He’s going after Crutchie!” she called over her shoulder, eyes locked onto Five’s running figure, trying to concentrate on him in order to slow him down. 

“Y/N, get back here!” She heard Jack yell but she had already entered the field, running as fast as she can, barely dodging JoJo as she shook her head, irritated at her lack of control over her ability.

Just as she ran past Elmer, she vaguely heard his panicked tone, voicing his worries to Romeo. 

“Time out!” Romeo yelled, stretching his arm as he wrapped it around Allison and Ben, easily trapping them. “Time out, Jack! Elmer’s lost control of his portal!”

What.

Too late now. She thought as strings of profanities left her lips. True to Romeo’s statement, Elmer’s portals had been emerging from different places and so she used her momentum, dodging the stray portals, her eyes searching for the spatial jumping boy, not noticing the portal that appeared beneath her feet. 

Having grown up alongside Elmer, there wasn’t a Tuesday where she hadn’t accidentally gotten sucked into his portal so why would this Tuesday any be of different?

Perhaps, the fact that she entered the void, momentarily disorienting her as she fell from above, her arms outstretched in order to brace herself, instead she found her hands colliding with a body part- a shoulder? She’s certain it was a shoulder since arms immediately wrapped around her waist as the person braced for the impact.

She couldn’t be any more grateful at Katherine for making today’s landscape a grassy field as the grass soften the impact of collision of the back of the person who had grabbed her to the ground while her knees were the ones that caught her weight, accidentally straddling the person.

Y/N couldn’t care any less for the pain that is engulfing her.

She shouldn’t care except… because of the force from the gravity, her head had collided with the person’s face, her lips effectively planting exactly on the person’s lips.

What the fuck.

Instinctively, she pulled away faster than she could utter a profanity, glancing down as apology is ready to leave her lips.

Only, the apology died as her eyes widened at the sight of the boy she is seeking out, sprawled beneath her, groaning in pain.

What the fuck.

She opened her mouth, about to sputter out apologies- anything to save face- when Five’s eyes creaked open, his face morphing into quick panic as his arms around her waist tightened before flipping them both easily, shielding her as stray objects that entered the portals (stray branches, small pebbles, handful of dirt) rained upon them. 

The vague smell of coffee overwhelmed her senses as she opened her eyes only for her breath to hitch as her eyes met the bluest pair of eyes she had ever seen. 

Time slowed down as flicker of blue lights enveloped the two of them momentarily. Is it even possible for someone to possess such fascinating eyes? She wondered silently as conflicted expression graced Five’s face before leaning down, softly brushing his lips against hers before fully capturing her lips.

Have I mentioned what the fuck already?

She is vaguely aware of her surroundings, the blue lights flaring for a bit as time alternated on freezing or slowing down everything around them and yet, that didn’t stop the warmth spreading on her ears, her hands tapping slightly on the grass as she could feel his lips moving against hers as if he was muttering something.

If she weren’t the type to pay attention to the littlest detail, she might’ve missed it but surely, the stoic Five Hargreeves hadn’t muttered those three words on her mouth now, would he?

[hazardville]

Fuck You Facebook

So, in case anyone’s seeing this without coming here from my Facebook: Facebook removed this post because it was flagged as spam.  I’m preserving it here because this information should be shared and Facebook’s attempts to obscure the sharing of health information should be condemned, widely and publicly.  Enjoy. This is a long post addressing two underlying issues with the current response to the pandemic that leave me concerned.   It’s the longest post I’ve ever written.  The Medium version of this post (link below) has been viewed 1.2M in less than the last 24 hours as of 3/17/20. For those of you not taking action, or believing the pandemic to be “over hyped”, you can make fun of me as much as you want now or when this is over.  You can make me the subject of memes and post it everywhere.  I will pose for the picture.  I am not trying to convince you, but I do feel compelled to share information that I deem critical to all of us, which is why I am posting this at all. WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE 5 MINUTES TO READ AND CONSIDER THE INFORMATION I AM SHARING: As of 3/15/20 at 9 am PST this post has been shared over 50k times since it was posted 2 days ago.  So a lot of people find value in the post and although it's a long read, I believe you will find this information valuable too. For those of you who don’t know me well, I am analytical and metered.  I don’t freak out nor do I respond emotionally.  I also don’t post a bunch of bullshit or political or controversial stuff on Facebook.  I founded and am CEO of a successful software company that provides SaaS based data, analytics, and dashboards to recruiting departments at companies we all know.  As you would expect, I am data driven and fact based.  Before founding my company I held executive roles leading very large recruiting teams at some of the world's fastest growing companies such as Starbucks and Google.  At Google I was fortunate enough to report to Sheryl Sandberg before she took the Facebook COO role.  I was a Chemical Engineering major in college and have a business degree from a top undergraduate business school.  I am not one for hyperbole or histrionics.  My bullshit factor is close to zero. I share all this personal information only to help solidify that this post may be worth reading and sharing with others. I would encourage you to forward or share this post at your discretion.  Many people do not understand what is happening with the pandemic to the degree required which is why I took the time to write this and share this on Facebook. Now that I've gotten the introduction out of the way, here are two issues I want to bring to everyone’s attention.   ISSUE ONE:  SOCIAL NORMS ARE POWERFUL MOTIVATORS AND GETTING IN THE WAY OF PEOPLE TAKING THE RIGHT STEPS IN RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC:   One of the current problems with addressing the pandemic is the social pressures of taking action today. It's awkward, and feels like an over-reaction. The reason it feels like an overreaction is that most people OVERWEIGHT the currently reported cases and inherently UNDERWEIGHT the mathematics of how the virus is spreading and what will happen in about 30 days time. This is because our brains tend to think linearly as opposed to logarithmically.  It’s the same reason many people don’t save for retirement or understand compound interest.   To create a new social norm, human beings like to see behavior modeled. This serves as a signal that says, “oh, someone else is doing it so I should do it also.”   SO HERE IS A SOCIAL BENCHMARK FOR REFERENCE - THIS IS WHAT I’VE DONE FOR MY FAMILY TO DATE: I have already isolated my family. We have canceled EVERYTHING. We have canceled previously scheduled doctor visits.  Social get togethers.  No play dates.  Normal routine meetings.  Everything has been canceled.   It's difficult and socially awkward. Some of you think I’m crazy, but I’m doing it not because I am afraid, but because I am good at math (more on that in part 2).  I had to have my 16 year old daughter quit her job coaching junior gymnasts at the local gym, with one day’s notice and also tell my kids they can't attend youth group at church. Both of those were tough discussions.  I told a very close friend he shouldn’t stay at my house this weekend even though he was planning to and had booked his flight from the Bay Area.  I canceled another dear friend’s visit for later this month to go snowboarding on Mt Bachelor. We are not eating out.  Our kids are already doing online school so we don’t have to make changes there.  I would not send my kids to school even if they were in public or private school.  We have eliminated all non-essential contact with other people.  We will only venture out to grocery shop when required.  We will still go outside to parks, go mountain biking, hiking, and recreate to keep ourselves sane and do other things as a family, just not with other people.  We have stocked up on food and have a supply for ~2 months.  We have stocked up on other goods that if depleted would create hardship, like medicines and feminine hygiene products.  We have planned for shortages of essential items. THE REASON I HAVE CHOSEN THIS ROUTE FOR MY FAMILY IS MULTI FACETED: 1.    Although my family is considered low risk (I’m 49 in good health, Angi is 46 and in good health, and our kids are 14 and 16), we must assume that the healthcare system cannot help us, because the hospitals will become overwhelmed very quickly.  Most American hospitals will become overwhelmed in approximately 30 days unless something changes.   More on this in part 2 below.  So although we are in great health and unlikely to become gravely ill, the risk is greater if you do not have access to the medical care that you need.  This is something for everyone to consider.  As a society we are accustomed to having access to the best medical care available.  Our medical system will be overwhelmed unless we practice social distancing at scale.  That said, the medical teams in Italy are seeing an alarming number of cases from people in their 40s and 50s.  Triage tents are already going up in the parking lots at many hospitals close to the epicenters in the United States. 2.    It’s not a matter of if social distancing will take place, it’s a matter of when.  This is because social distancing is the only way to stop the virus today.   As I will explain in part 2 below, starting now is FAR more effective than starting even 2 days from now or tomorrow. This has been proven by Italy and China (and soon to be France and other European countries who have been slow to respond.) [updated as of 3/14 France is now on lockdown mandated by the government].  Wuhan went on lockdown after roughly 400 cases were identified (and they had access to testing that America has systematically failed to do well to date).  The US already has more than 4 times this number of known infected cases as Wuhan did when it was shut down, and our citizens are far more mobile and therefore spreading the virus more broadly when compared to Wuhan.  Yet our response is tepid at best.   If hand washing and “being smart” were sufficient Italy would not be in crisis.  So I pray the draconian measures are coming from our government, because they are required to stop the spread of the virus.   It’s better to start sooner than later as the cost is actually far greater if we wait.  I pray they close all schools and non-essential services the way that Italy and China have done. 3.    Spreading the virus puts those in the high-risk category at much greater risk.  This is the moral argument.  It’s a strong argument because there are only two ways, as of today, that the virus can be stopped:   let it run its course and infect 100s of millions of people, or social distancing.  There is no other way today.  If you don’t practice social distancing, people downstream from you that you transmit the virus to will die, and many will suffer. 4.    The risk of infection is increasing exponentially, because the quantity of infected people, most who will not show symptoms, is doubling every three days.  So the longer you wait to self-isolate, the greater the chance of you or someone you love becoming infected and then you infecting others because more of the population is becoming infected.  There are twice as many infected people today as there was on Tuesday. 5.    The virus is already in your town.  It’s everywhere.  Cases are typically only discovered when someone gets sick enough to seek medical attention.  This is important as it typically takes ~5 days to START showing ANY symptoms.  Here’s the math:  For every known case there are approximately 50 unknown cases.  This is because if I become sick, I infect several people today, and they infect a few people each tomorrow (as do I), and the total count of infected people doubles every 3 days until I get so sick I get hospitalized or get tested and become a “known case”.  But in the time it takes me to figure out I am sick 50 others downline from me now have the virus.  So every third day the infection rate doubles until I get so sick that I realize I have the virus an am hospitalized or otherwise tested.  Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital estimate that there are 50x more infections than known infections as reported (citation below).  The implication of this is that the virus is already “everywhere” and spreading regardless if your city has zero, few or many reported cases.  So instead of the 1573 reported known cases today there are likely 78,650 cases, at least, in the United States.  Which will double to 157,300 by this Sunday.  And this will double to 314,600 cases by this coming Wednesday.  So in less than 1 week the number of total infected in the United States will quadruple.  This is the nature of exponential math.  It’s actually unfortunate that we are publishing the figures for known cases as it diverts attention away from more important numbers (like the range of estimated actual cases).  [Update as of 3/15/20 - I've been sent more research that may add clarity to the ACTUAL cases vs CONFIRMED cases and will update this post with any conclusions] 6.  Some people cannot, or will not, practice social distancing for a variety of reasons and will continue to spread the virus to many people.  So everyone else must start today.   The reasons above are why I have begun to practice social distancing.   It’s not easy.  But you should do it too. The hospitals will be at capacity and there are not enough ventilators. You will hear a lot about this issue in the coming few weeks... the shortage of ventilators. ISSUE TWO:  MANY PEOPLE ARE FOCUSED ON THE WRONG NUMBERS: Yes, the virus only kills a small percentage of those afflicted.  Yes, the flu kills 10s of thousands of people annually.  Yes, 80% of people will experience lightweight symptoms with COVID19.  Yes the mortality rate of COVID19 is relatively low (1-2%).  All of this true, but is immaterial.  They are the wrong numbers to focus on...   The nature of exponential math is that the infection rates start slowly, and then goes off like a bomb and overwhelms the hospitals. You will understand this math clearly in the next section if you do the short math exercise.  Evergreen hospital in Seattle is already in triage. I have heard credible reports from people on the ground that they are already becoming overwhelmed.  And the bomb won't really go off for a few more days.  Probably by Wednesday, March 18th (next week).  In just a few days from now we will hear grave reports from Seattle hospitals.   [update as of 3/15/20 - see the comments section below for an update from a staff member at Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland, WA] You should assume the virus is everywhere at this point, even if you have no confirmed cases in your area. YOU SHOULD DO THIS SIMPLE 2 MINUTE MATH EXERCISE (NO REALLY TAKE TWO MINUTES AND DO IT): To further understand exponential growth, take the number of confirmed cases in your area and multiply by 10 (or 50 if you believe Harvard and Massachusetts General estimations) to account for the cases that are not yet confirmed. If you have no confirmed cases choose a small number.   I’d suggest 10 cases in your city, if no cases are yet reported.  But you can use whatever number you like.  This number of infected people doubles every ~3 days as the infection spreads. So literally take your number, and multiply by 2. Then do it again. Then do it again. Then do it again. Do this multiplication exercise 10 times in total. 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x (the number of estimated infections in your city today (not just the reported cases)).   This result is the estimate for the actual cases in your area 30 days from now.  The math will take 30 seconds to complete with a calculator and it’s worth doing the math to see how it grows.  This end number is the number of cases in your city 30 days from today if a large percentage of the population do not practice social distancing.   2 to the 10th power is 1024.  When something doubles 10 times, it's the same as multiplying by 1024.  The infection rate of the virus doubles every 3 days.  In thirty days there will be 1,024 times the number of infected people in your area as there is today if your community does not immediately put social distancing into practice.  One thousand and twenty four times as many infected people as there is today, in just 30 days.   Next, divide the final number (the scary big one) you just calculated by the current population of your city and you will be able to get the percentage of people THAT YOU KNOW PERSONALLY who will be infected 30 days from now.   Next take 15% (multiply by 0.15) of that final 30 day number of total infected people (the number you calculated by multiplying by 2 ten times). This will provide an estimate of the serious cases which will require hospitalization, and compare it to the number of beds and ventilators available at your local hospital.  Google the "number of beds" and the name of your local hospital now.  It takes 2 seconds and the number of beds is easy to find.  65% of beds are already occupied by patients unrelated to the coronavirus.  St Charles in Bend, Oregon where I live, has 226 beds and the town is roughly 100,000 people.  Most hospitals have on average, 40 or fewer ventilators.  5% of patients require ICU treatment.  There are very few ICU beds compared to regular beds in hospitals.  There are very few negative pressure areas in any hospital to deal with the containment of airborne diseases.   These numbers you just calculated are the Big Problem:  Too many patients, not enough beds, and a serious shortage of ventilators (the biggest problem) if we don't immediately begin social distancing.  More on this biggest problem related to the insufficient quantity of ventilators is below. COUNTRIES THAT GET OVERWHELMED WILL HAVE A MUCH GREATER MORTALITY RATE BECAUSE THEY WON’T BE ABLE TO ADEQUATELY CARE FOR THE SICK.   And by sick I mean not just coronavirus patients.  Your son or daughter that needs acute care surgery this May for his badly broken leg will be attended to by an orthopedic doctor that has been working at maximum capacity and working 18 hour shifts for 7 days every week for 6 weeks because it was required to care for all the coronavirus patients at her hospital.  Or the orthopedic surgeon will be sick with the virus and your son or daughter will be operated on in a tent in the hospital parking lot by a non-expert or a member of the National Guard.  Your elderly Mom that has diabetes and goes into acute distress next month may not receive ANY medical care because the doctors are consumed and have to prioritize patients based on triage guidelines based on success rate probabilities.  Your sibling’s family that are all injured in a terrible car crash in June will have diminished care.  If one of them needs a ventilator there will be none available because all of them will be in use by critical coronavirus patients.  Your young friend with cancer and a compromised immune system from treatment will succumb even though the cancer was curable and the treatment was working, because their body was too fragile to combat the coronavirus due to the chemotherapy and they couldn't receive the customized, acute care required due to the hospital being overwhelmed.  All of the above is currently happening in Italy, who had the same number of infections we have today just 2 weeks ago.  You must start social distancing today. The count of actual virus infections doubles every ~3 days. The news and government agencies are lagging in their response. So we hear that the US only has 1573 cases today (3/12/20) [update as of 3/15/20:  3115 confirmed cases), ( see https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/) and it doesn't seem like a lot.  It would be better to report the estimated actual cases, since reported cases don’t tell us much.  However, we know from China that the actual number of cases are at least an order of magnitude greater than the reported cases, because people get infected and do not display symptoms.  In math, an "order of magnitude" means ten times difference, or put another way, a factor of 10.  100 is 10 times greater than 10, so it's an order of magnitude greater.   Harvard Medical School / Massachusetts General Hospital just released their estimate (recording is here:   https://externalmediasite.partners.org/Mediasite/Play/53a4003de5ab4b4da5902f078744435a1d) that the actual cases are 50x greater than the reported cases.  So we likely have 75,000 cases in the United States already.  The number of reported cases is not that important. But let’s assume the current number of cases is only 10,000 ACTUAL cases in the United States just to be conservative and model out what will happen: If we don’t stop the virus from spreading, in 30 days we will have 2 to the 10th power more cases of infected people because the infection count doubles every 3 days (the virus doubles every 3 days and there are 10, 3 day periods in 30 days).   The math: 2 to the 10th power means 1,024 times as many cases as we have today (2 times 2 repeated 10 times).   This number is a catastrophically big problem for all of us:  We will have 10 million+ actual cases (10,000 actual cases today x 1,024) in the United States in just 30 days’ time if we continue without extreme social distancing.  10 million people with the virus.  And it will keep doubling every 3 days unless we practice social distancing. 15% of cases require significant medical attention, which means that 1.5 million people will require significant medical attention if 10 million people get infected (15% of 10 Million total infections = 1.5 million people requiring hospitalization).   1.5 million hospitalizations is way more than we have beds for at hospitals in the United States.  And 65% of all beds are already occupied in our hospitals.  But many patients (5%) with the virus need ICU beds, not just any old hospital bed.  Only about 10% of hospital beds are considered intensive care beds.  So we will have a huge bed shortage, but that is not the biggest problem, as we can erect temporary ICU shelters and bring in more temporary beds, as Italy has already done, and California and Washington hospitals have already done.   Evergreen Hospital in Seattle has already erected temporary triage tents in the parking lot as of 3/13/20.  All regular beds are full at Evergreen Hospital as of yesterday. Once the government of China, Norway, and Italy came to understand this math, they reacted accordingly and shut EVERYTHING down.  [update as of 3/15/20 now France has done the same lockdown]. Extreme social distancing is the only response available to stop the virus today.  The United States is not responding well nor are other countries like  the UK.  Countries that do not respond well will pay a much larger, catastrophic price. But hospital beds are not the big problem.  The lack of ventilators is the big problem.  Most estimates peg the ventilators in the United States at roughly 100,000 to 150,000 units.  See the study from last month: http://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/resources/COVID-19/200214-VentilatorAvailability-factsheet.pdf The primary and most serious comorbid (comorbid is a medical term that means co-existing or happening at the same time) condition brought on by the Coronavirus is something called bilateral interstitial pneumonia which requires ventilators for treatment of seriously ill patients.  So if 1.5M people of the 10 million infected 30 days from now require hospital care (15% of the 10M estimated total infections), 1.3M may not get the care that they need because we don’t have enough ventilators, beds, and ICU beds in the United States.  And remember, this is only if ALL OF US EFFECTIVELY start social distancing by April 11th (30 days from today).  This increases the mortality rate significantly. BUT IF WE START EXTREME SOCIAL DISTANCING BY MARCH 23 (12 days from original writing), WE AVOID OVER 1.4 MILLION PEOPLE GETTING CRITICALLY ILL AND OVERWHELMING THE HOSPITALS: If everyone takes extreme measures to social distance, and the United States can dramatically reduce the spread of the virus 12 days from now, the math is very different, as the exponential growth will only be 2 to the 4th power (12 days divided by the doubling rate of every 3 days equals the exponent of 4): 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 16 So instead of 10 Million cases in the United States if we wait 30 days, if we act 18 days sooner, we will have only 160,000 cases (16 times the estimated 10,000 actual cases as of today), of which 15% are likely to require hospitalization.  This is 24,000 critical patients (a huge difference compared to 1.5 million acute patients).   The difference between taking extreme measures now, versus waiting even a few days, is very large due to how exponents work in math. THE OUTCOME IS EVEN BETTER IF WE TAKE ACTION IN THE NEXT 6 DAYS:  If the vast majority of the population self isolates and implements social distancing in only 6 days from now the exponential math is 2 to the 2nd power (6 days divided by the 3 days it takes the virus to double means the exponent is only 2).  In math this is "two squared". 2 x 2 = 4   Multiplied by the estimated 10,000 ACTUAL cases as of today (3/12/20) that means only 40,000 total cases will develop, 15% of which may be critical which is 6,000 critical patients. This is why you should share this post broadly.  If people begin social distancing in the next 6 days it will greatly reduce the impact on all of us.  It's why they say a "post goes viral". SOCIAL DISTANCING WILL REDUCE THE FINANCIAL IMPACT TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY: Finally, the longer everyone waits to practice significant social distancing the greater the economic hardship will be on all of us.  Lost jobs.  Mortgage defaults.  Closed businesses.  Bankruptcies.   All will be minimized if you start social distancing today. Some of the reasons the economic impacts will be reduced are worth mentioning:  If we stop the virus now the overall duration of the outbreak will be far shorter.  The stock market will normalize more quickly and recover more quickly.  Businesses and people will be able to survive a shorter duration outbreak vs a longer duration outbreak.   More companies will avoid bankruptcy if we begin to practice social distancing now. This is a big financial reason to begin social distancing if you are employed by any company:  if companies see that the virus is being slowed, they will be less likely to conduct layoffs.  You will be more likely to be laid off or experience a job-related event if we don’t practice social distancing immediately.  As an HR executive, I’ve been involved in many, many layoffs.  It’s the last thing companies want to do.  But if they see that the pandemic will be shorter lived vs long and drawn out, they are less likely to make the permanent decision of laying off staff. The overall economic impact that hits your bank account will be greater if you wait or you don’t practice social distancing.   This is why Norway acted now, because it’s less economic impact to take drastic measures early than to do them later, and it saves a lot of lives and suffering by doing so.  And Norway has only one confirmed death as of this writing.   Many people have suggested they want to support local restaurants and other businesses, who have seen sales drop by 50-90%.  Stopping by and visiting them won't save them.  What will save them is social distancing and what you do after the pandemic is over.  If you are concerned, call them and buy a gift certificate over the phone. START TODAY.  I CAN’T STRESS THIS ENOUGH.  YOU MUST START TODAY.   Finally, the article that I posted yesterday written by Tomas Pueyo has been read 30M times in the last few days and has been updated with new information.  It’s worth reading again. Here’s that link.   https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca Other up to date data I frequently consult regarding the pandemic is here: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ I hope this is helpful and useful.  My brain focuses on the math and I try and be fact based in my analysis and interpretation of how I should respond. THERE IS MORE INFORMATION IN THE COMMENTS BELOW WORTH READING AND I WILL BE UPDATING THIS POST, AND THE COMMENTS, WITH MORE INFORMATION, (AS OPPOSED TO CREATING NEW POSTS). MY FINAL PARTING THOUGHT:  Please share or forward this post at your discretion.   If everyone shares this post and two of your friends share this post and so on, we use the power of exponential math to work in our favor, which seems appropriate given the virus is using that same exponential math against us.   HOW YOU CAN REALLY HELP:  If you know people who have large numbers of followers, or people in the media, please leverage your personal relationship with them and ask them to amplify this post by sharing it or the Medium Post (link below)   For people not on Facebook you can email or text the link.   It would be useful to get the post on Twitter and LinkedIn by sharing the Medium post.  If you know people in government this fact-based post may help inform them to make the best decisions.   It's time for us humans to go on the offensive against the virus.  We must fight back.   There is only one way to do so:  Social Distancing.   Do it today. NOTE:  Anyone, including the media, is free to use this post, any related content, in all or in part, for any purpose, in any format, with no attribution required. Please direct message me if you have other ideas for how to raise awareness. Finally, I can no longer keep up with friend requests given how much this post has been shared.  To receive updates or follow me, please use the "Follow" button on Facebook.   3/16/20:  I am preparing a second post, now that 4 days have gone by since the first post. To receive it please follow me on FB.  I can not keep up with the friend requests. https://medium.com/@Jason_Scott_Warner/the-sober-math-everyone-must-understand-about-the-pandemic-2b0145881993 https://www.facebook.com/jason.scott.warner/posts/10163742243430144

[ourworldofenergy]

North America Energy Alliance, Round 2

Guest blog by S. A. Shelley: At OWOE we try to be objective in our analysis and evaluations of energy matters. But we can’t always be emotionless, or in my case, I can’t always refrain from smacking my forehead when politicians do questionable things: I’ve been near comatose for the last few weeks on account of the politicians.

In 2017, we looked at and forecast possible outcomes for US energy independence, including oil and gas production (see OWOE: Can the US Become Energy Self-sufficient?). We looked at four possible outcomes, as in the following figure, based upon high / low consumption versus high / low production.

Fig. 1 – US Oil Production Outcome Matrix (2017)

At the time I voodoo guessed that it was more likely that the U.S. would be moving into a high consumption and low production case, resulting in big oil deficits. I think we’re in danger of moving into that condition sooner than later.

According to a US EIA estimate at the beginning of this year, US oil production will fall this year before rebounding next year to  a maximum of 12 million barrels per day. Subsequent reports suggest that the EIA prediction was pretty good. Furthermore, there are now industry wide concerns of all big oil companies underinvesting in new production (see Market Insights, Natural Gas Intel). Thus, it is very likely that the US won’t achieve the 17 million bbls / day production required in the high production case indicated in Figure 1, and could in fact start seeing production fall to the low case of just 7 million bbls / day in a few years. In contrast, the US is already approaching demand of over 20 million bbls day, which is the 2017 high consumption limit. These two factors put the US in the in the high consumption and low production quadrant, which is not good.

Under production (supply), coupled with somewhat steady demand, results in rising oil prices. It takes years for US E&P firms to find and bring on stream new production. So instead of waiting for or encouraging US businesses to find new oil resources, the US President asks OPEC to increase supply. That one really hurt my head. It was an especially egregious policy initiative in light of the fact that the current US administration has stopped most new oil projects in Alaska, Texas, Louisiana (see ABC News and CNBC) and of course, pipelines.*

Up north, in Canada, there are billions and billions of barrels of oil that can supply the American market. It would just take a bit of pipeline expansion. But no, instead of supporting a near trading partner with historically similar democratic values, the US president would rather send more US dollars to hostile states: Make no mistake, most OPEC states are not US allies or friends.

But there may be hope for America. Both big Canadian railroad companies are in a takeover war for Kansas City Southern. This is not a railroad battle, this is a battle to transport oil in the near future. As oil pipelines are being stopped, rail is becoming a major means of transporting oil.

The problem for America is that it will need a lot oil during the green transition, and America is no longer in a position to supply all its needs domestically. Oil by rail is a temporary solution at best. It really is time to think about a North American Energy Alliance (see OWOE: Time for a New Energy Policy) and forget those way-off hostile lands. Make the deal with the neo-communists up north, because then we can keep a close eye on them for much lower cost and less blood. Building an energy alliance of some form with friendly states will be necessary to keep America from running out of oil, because green technology cannot replace oil fast enough to keep the woke progressives happy. It still is, unfortunately, a trade-off between keeping energy and the economy going, or collapsing society and the economy until green technology catches up to the energy demands of a modern society. As written previously, green is better, but overnight green is impossible (see OWOE: Wishful Thinking vs Reality). 

Vive l’Alberta Libre!

*  Really, shut down Line 5. People are focused on the “perceived dangers” of a not yet built pipeline, Keystone XL, while ignoring the real danger of an existing pipeline, Line 5 in Michigan.

North America Energy Alliance, Round 2 was originally published on OurWorldofEnergy

[promotiondating491]

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OKZoomer Is a New Dating Service for Quarantined College Kids. The website, which connects college students from more than 200 schools across the country for virtual Zoom dates. Zoom Meetings for desktop and mobile provides the tools to make every meeting a great one. Focus on your meeting – click record to leave the note taking to Zoom’s auto-generated, searchable transcripts; Share and play videos with full audio and video transmit without uploading the content. Group Game Night On Zoom. Since your date nights don't have to be limited to just you and your partner, you can try putting together a Zoom game night. You can invite a bunch of your friends.

With Zoom dating, there are more clear boundaries and consent, whereas IRL, things can be a little bit more coercive. I use Zoom more for the first date, where I actually try to get ready with my. Dating companies like Here/Now are embracing Zoom, as are apps like Hinge. On Twitter recently, the dating app shared a set of digital backgrounds that mimic stereotypical first meetups: a picnic.

Originally Published:

While you're self-quarantining, the bread in your pantry might go stale — but your relationship doesn't have to. If you can't be with your partner right now because you're practicing 'social distancing,' per the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a virtual date night with your partner may be just what the love doctor ordered. If you're wondering how to have a date on Zoom. FaceTime and Google Hangouts that's equal parts intimate and productive, dating coach Cherlyn Chong tells Bustle that your question should not be how, but how often. 'If you don't (frequently) make the time to see each other, even online, then sooner or later, you will drift apart,' she says.

Order Food Over FaceTime

Hana, 23, knows all about FaceTime dating — her long-distance relationship keeps her video chatting with her partner often, whether she's amid a global pandemic or just another Tuesday. She tells Bustle that if you really want to blow your SO away on a FaceTime date, you should consider sending them a little takeout as a gift. 'We like to send each other Uber Eats or Instacart as a surprise,' she says. 'The other night, I was alone at home, and a driver just showed up with dinner ready for me. It’s the little things that show we’re thinking of each other.'

Netflix & FaceTime

FaceTime dates can feel like dinner and a movie when you watch Netflix together from two different locations, Taylor, 27, tells Bustle. When he started dating his long-distance, long-term partner, he discovered an app called Netflix Party, which allows them both to watch Netflix together, at the same time, while even using the same remote controls. 'We use this with FaceTime, and it just connects us because it feels like we're just watching TV together in the same room,' Taylor says. 'If I pause the show, it pauses for him as well, and trust me, I pause a lot.'

FaceTime On The Go

Michal Ann, 30, tells Bustle, her partner used to FaceTime her whenever he went out for long walks, which made it feel like they were going on romantic outings together. 'I could see where he was and that helped me feel like I knew more about his life and was much more positive and engaging than getting into a rut calling each other from the kitchen table every time.'

Get All Dressed Up To Stay In & FaceTime

Susan Trombetti, matchmaker and dating coach, tells Bustle that you should take measures to make yourself feel good before a FaceTime date, the way you would an in-person date. Even though your partner isn't going to smell your favorite perfume, for example, you could put it on anyway. It'll give you that extra boost of confidence that will keep the date feeling fun and flirtatious.

Karaoke Double Date On Google Hangouts

Even if you love your virtual one-on-one time with your significant other, it's OK to want to shake things up every now and then. If you've been missing those Friday nights out with your other coupled-up friends, you can still hang out with them while practicing social distancing by going on Google Hangouts. It allows up to 10 people on a video call if you're using Gmail. You can catch up for a bit, watch a movie together, or have a fun karaoke night by singing along to karaoke versions of your favorite songs on YouTube.

Group Game Night On Zoom

Since your date nights don't have to be limited to just you and your partner, you can try putting together a Zoom game night. You can invite a bunch of your friends and family for a round of charades or trivia. It's a good option to explore if you've been missing all the other people in your life that you don't get to see during this time. Getting a chance to laugh and hang out with the important people in your life even virtually, can help you get through this time much easier.

If you think you’re showing symptoms of coronavirus, which include fever, shortness of breath, and coughing, call NHS 111 in the UK or visit the CDC website in the U.S. for up-to-date information and resources. You can find all Bustle’s coverage of coronavirus here, and UK-specific updates on coronavirus here.

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[orbemnews]

The Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Is Said to Be Powerfully Protective in Adolescents The Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine is extremely effective in adolescents 12 to 15 years old, perhaps even more so than in adults, the companies reported on Wednesday. No infections were found among children who received the vaccine in a recent clinical trial, the drug makers said; the children produced strong antibody responses and experienced no serious side effects. The findings, if they hold up, may speed a return to normalcy for millions of American families. Depending on regulatory approval, vaccinations could begin before the start of the next academic year for middle school and high school students, and for elementary school children not long after. The companies announced the results in a news release that did not include detailed data from the trial, which has not yet been peer-reviewed nor published in a scientific journal. Still, the news drew praise and excitement from experts. “Oh my god, I’m so happy to see this — this is amazing,” said Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University. If the vaccines’s performance in adults was A-plus, the results in children were “A-plus-plus.” The good news arrives even as the country records another rise in infections and health officials renew calls for Americans to heed precautions and get vaccinated. On Monday, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that rising cases had left her with sense of “impending doom,” while President Biden called on state and local officials to reinstate mask mandates. Vaccination efforts are accelerating throughout the nation. As of Tuesday, 29 percent of adults had received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and 16 percent had been fully inoculated, according to the C.D.C. But the country cannot hope to reach herd immunity — the point at which immunity becomes so widespread that the coronavirus slows its crawl through the population — without also inoculating the youngest Americans, some experts say. Children under 18 account for about 23 percent of the population in the United States. “The sooner that we can get vaccines into as many people as possible, regardless of their age, the sooner we will be able to really feel like we’re ending this pandemic for good,” said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist affiliated with Georgetown University in Washington. Data from Israel suggest that vaccinating adults alone can significantly decrease the number of cases, but “long term, to hit the herd immunity threshold, we will have to vaccinate children,” she said. The trial included 2,260 adolescents ages 12 to 15. The children received two doses of the vaccine three weeks apart — the same amounts and schedule used for adults — or a placebo of saltwater. The researchers recorded 18 cases of coronavirus infection in the placebo group, and none among the children who received the vaccine. Still, the low number of infections makes it difficult to be too specific about the vaccine’s efficacy in the population at large, Dr. Rasmussen said. “But obviously, it looks good for the vaccine if there were zero Covid cases among the vaccinated people,” she added. The adolescents who got the vaccine produced much higher levels of antibodies on average, compared with participants 16 to 25 years of age in an earlier trial. The children experienced the same minor side effects as older participants, although the companies declined to be more specific. Updated  March 31, 2021, 6:46 a.m. ET Dr. Iwasaki said she had expected antibody levels in adolescents to be comparable to those in young adults. “But they’re getting even better levels from the vaccines,” she said. “That’s really incredible.” She and other experts cautioned that the vaccine might be less effective in children, and adults, against some of the variants that have begun circulating in the United States. Pfizer and BioNTech have begun a clinical trial of the vaccine in children under 12 and started inoculations of children ages 5 to 11 just last week. Company scientists plan to start testing the vaccine next week in even younger children, ages 2 to 5, followed by trials in children ages 6 months to 2 years. Results from that three-phase trial are expected in the second half of the year, and the companies hope to make the vaccine available for children under 12 early next year. “We share the urgency to expand the use of our vaccine to additional populations and are encouraged by the clinical trial data from adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15,” Albert Bourla, Pfizer’s chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement. Moderna has also been testing its vaccine in children. Results from a trial in adolescents ages 12 to 17 are expected in the next few weeks and in children 6 months to 12 years old in the second half of this year. AstraZeneca started testing its vaccine in children 6 months and older last month, and Johnson & Johnson has said it will wait for results from trials in older children before testing its vaccine in children under 12. Some parents have said they are reluctant to immunize their children because the risk posed by the virus is low. Children make up fewer than 1 percent of deaths from Covid-19, but about 2 percent of children who get the illness require hospital care. The new results may not sway all of those parents, but they may reassure parents who have been wary of the vaccines, said Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “While I don’t think we have to wait until children are vaccinated to fully reopen schools, being able to vaccinate children may help some families feel safer about returning to school,” she said. Pfizer and BioNTech plan to request from the Food and Drug Administration an amendment to the emergency use authorization for their vaccine, in hopes of beginning immunizations of older children before the start of the next school year. The companies also are planning to submit their data for peer review and publication in a scientific journal. They will monitor the participants for two years after the second dose to assess the vaccine’s long-term safety and efficacy. Side effects of vaccines are usually apparent within the first six weeks, said Dr. Kristin Oliver, a pediatrician and vaccine expert at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. “Still, it’s good to know that safety monitoring is going to continue,” she said. The C.D.C. recommends that people avoid getting other vaccines for two weeks before and after receiving the two doses of the coronavirus vaccine. But children receive more vaccines in the few weeks before the school year than at any other time, Dr. Oliver noted, so pediatricians and parents should aim to get those other immunizations done earlier than usual. The coronavirus vaccines should ideally be given by pediatricians who have deep experience in immunizing children, Dr. Oliver added. “Now is the time to start planning how that rollout is going to take place in this age group,” she said. Source link Orbem News #Adolescents #PfizerBioNTech #powerfully #Protective #Vaccine

[sunshineweb]

Beware the Boredom of Bull Market

The Sketchbook of Wisdom – Pre-Order Ends on 15th January: My new book – The Sketchbook of Wisdom: A Hand-Crafted Manual on the Pursuit of Wealth and Good Life – is almost here (shipping starts in mid-February). Pre-order by 15th January to reserve your copy. Click here to pre-order now.

* * * I received an email recently where one reader asked – “What you say about long-term investing in the stock market is all good. But doesn’t it get boring after a time? I mean, first the process of reading annual reports to find good businesses, and then if you find some, holding on to them for the long run doing nothing. How does one maintain interest in this thing? How does one make this process and journey exciting?”

I thought these were good questions. In fact, questions like these used to bother me when I started out on my journey of reading annual reports, analyzing financial statements, and practicing long term investing more than a decade back.

In fact, I was talking to an investor friend recently, who confessed of boredom because he was not able to find stocks worth buying in this rising market. “Even if you are a long-term investor, what do you do but feel bored when you don’t find anything worth buying because everything seems to be so inflated?” he questioned.

“I agree,” I said.

Oh Boredom! “Boredom” first became a word in 1852, when Charles Dickens published Bleak House, where he wrote…

I am bored to death with it. Bored to death with this place, bored to death with my life, bored to death with myself.

As an emotional state, however, boredom dates back a lot further. Roman philosopher Seneca described boredom as a kind of nausea. Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard wrote this in his book Either/Or: A Fragment of Life…

Adam was bored because he was alone; therefore Eve was created. Since that moment, boredom entered the world and grew in quantity in exact proportion to the growth of population. Adam was bored alone; then Adam and Eve were bored together; then Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel were bored en famille. After that, the population of the world increased and the nations were bored en masse.

Wikipedia defines the word ‘boredom’ as…

…an emotional or psychological state experienced when an individual is left without anything in particular to do, is not interested in his or her surroundings, or feels that a day or period is dull or tedious.

For most people, boredom is a passing, nearly trivial feeling that lifts as the moment passes, a task is completed, or a lecture (like my workshop) ends.

But as per science, boredom has a darker side. Easily bored people are at higher risk for depression, anxiety, drug addiction, alcoholism, compulsive gambling, eating disorders, hostility, anger, poor social skills, bad grades and low work performance.

When it comes to stock market investing, boredom can be devastating, especially for people who get easily bored.

Bertrand Russell wrote in his book, The Conquest of Happiness…

We are less bored than our ancestors were, but we are more afraid of boredom. We have come to know, or rather to believe, that boredom is not part of the natural lot of man, but can be avoided by a sufficiently vigorous pursuit of excitement.

Talking of removing boredom through pursuit of excitement, look no further than the widespread consumerism that has engulfed the modern society. One reason why so many people buy so many things they don’t need is because such buying helps them kill boredom (or so they think).

Shopping, as I understand from my wife, is not just an act of spending money to buy things she needs, but also a therapy against boredom.

As I also understand from a few of my friends working in the stock broking industry, trading in and out of the stock market is not just a show of overconfidence from the trader. Just the excitement of constant activity helps in killing boredom that the stock market can create from time to time.

A Bored Investor is A Dangerous Thing Jason Zweig, in an article he wrote in late 2016, mentioned how a bored investor is a dangerous thing (often to himself). He wrote…

A bored investor is probably more likely to succumb to the whims of other bored investors moving in a herd.

All of this is true for professional as well as individual investors. In his classic book Where Are the Customers’ Yachts?, published in 1940, Fred Schwed wrote: “Your average Wall Streeter, faced with nothing profitable to do, does nothing for only a brief time. Then, suddenly and hysterically, he does something which turns out to be extremely unprofitable. He is not a lazy man.”

So, whether you invest for yourself or work with a financial adviser, it’s important to resist the pull of action for action’s sake.

Jason also quoted Charles Ellis, whom he calls Wall Street’s wisest man, as saying…

Investing is a continuous process too. It isn’t supposed to be interesting…If you go to the stock market because you want excitement, then sooner or later you will lose.

A smart value investor I know of, Ravi Varghese, wrote this in a post –

It’s exciting when assets go up or down by a lot. Generally, they don’t. It’s boring to watch things that don’t do much in a hurry. And it’s boring to wait for the market to validate your assessment of fundamental value.

It’s boring to sift through financial statements or filings and then discover a company is fairly valued. It’s boring to wait for a better opportunity to purchase an asset. It’s boring to own a company that has excellent prospects but that no-one has ever heard of (or is likely to ever hear of). It’s boring to remain invested in a company that is quietly compounding its value (and whose business you understand well), when new opportunities appear more alluring. It’s boring to invest the same way you always have, when the world around is full of “sophisticated” investors raising a lot of money for complex strategies.

Managers, M&As, and Pursuit of Excitement When I was working on my job as an analyst, and we were in the heydays of 2006-2007, I recollect a meeting with the CFO of a mid-size IT company.

“You have done well to grow your revenue and profits at 20%+ rate over the past five years,” I told him. “But do you think you can sustain this kind of growth for another five to ten years?”

“Oh, why not?” he replied with complete confidence. “In fact, 20% is not what excites us, and that’s why we are pursuing a few acquisitions.”

I did not give much heed to his “pursuit of excitement” then. After all, we were in a bull market, and this company was growing rapidly through acquisitions.

But as I reconsider that situation in hindsight, not just this company, I saw most acquisitions that most companies make are not because of the “synergies” that CEOs and their cohorts talk about, but out of the need of action and to avoid the boredom that managing a business may bring about.

Bertrand Russell wrote in his book…

A generation that cannot endure boredom will be a generation of little men…of men in whom every vital impulse slowly withers, as though they were cut flowers in a vase.

This thought is so important for investors to understand and always remember.

Most sensible investing is long term investing. And most long term investing is boring, especially when stocks are not doing much for a long period of time (like it happened with my investment in Swaraj Engines; I sold it because I got bored of it!).

But acting out of boredom is never a good strategy as far as investing your hard-earned money is concerned. To get over your boredom, you may pursue excitement somewhere else – like going for a holiday with family, or watching movies you’ve missed out on, or taking up a sport. But pursuing excitement in the stock market is often dangerous.

Many have pursued wars to kill boredom. Many have done it with quarrels with neighbours. And many have invented stuff because they had “nothing else to do.”

If you don’t want to indulge into any of these things to kill your own boredom when you have nothing to do in the stock market, here is a better suggestion – send a text message to a random number on your phone saying, “I hid the body. Now what?” And then, let the excitement begin.

But please, please, don’t try to let your boredom get to your head, and lead you to act in haste just because you want to bring back excitement into your life.

Warren Buffett wrote this in his 1990 letter to shareholders…

Lethargy bordering on sloth remains the cornerstone of our investment style.

If you practice this – lethargy, slothfulness – and then don’t let boredom get to you in your investing, there is a high probability that you would do well over the long run.

* * * That’s about it from me for today.

If you liked this post, please share with others on WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn, or just email them the link to this post.

If you are seeing this newsletter for the first time, you may subscribe here.

Stay safe.

Regards, Vishal

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[dorishull]

How to Use LinkedIn for Lead Generation

LinkedIn is the world’s most effective social media platform for generating B2B leads.

And for any person or business offering a B2B product or service, LinkedIn is the premier lead generation tool to reach decision-makers and business professionals.

This isn’t my opinion. This is a fact.

Studies have shown that 80% of all B2B leads on social media come from LinkedIn, and 94% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn to distribute content. Clearly, it is the place to focus your efforts if you want to connect with the right people who can open doors for your business.

Best of all, you don’t need to spend a single dollar on advertising to consistently get good clients through LinkedIn.

If you haven’t been using LinkedIn for lead generation, now is the time to start.

You’ve likely heard the term social selling before and maybe even engaged in it.

But do you know for certain you’re doing it right?

Because there’s a lot of confusion about what social selling is.

If you think social selling is about blasting your templated sales message via one-to-one messaging or automation tools, you’d be wrong.

That approach only turns off your prospects and ruins your reputation.

When done right, however, social selling doesn’t involve any selling in the traditional sense. It’s meant to start conversations online and ultimately move them offline, where you can get to know your prospect better. And if they have a need for what you offer, you have a sales conversation with them.

That’s what social selling is at its core – relationship-building and offering help when your solution matches your prospect’s problem. It’s done via warm calls, not cold calls. In other words, it’s effective lead generation.

But before you jump into a misguided attempt at social selling and risk damaging your reputation, let me share with you three critical steps you need to follow to generate high-quality leads efficiently and consistently.

3-Steps to Effectively Using LinkedIn for Lead Generation

Step 1: Build a professional brand presence

If you want to be successful using LinkedIn for lead generation, you need a strong and compelling personal and professional brand that resonates with your ideal clients.

Yet, if you were to look at most people’s professional online presence, most importantly their LinkedIn profiles, it wouldn’t impress you. Sometimes, it may even turn you off.

If your profile doesn’t impress your ideal clients in three seconds or less, they will quickly move on.

Your personal profile on LinkedIn is one of the most powerful tools you have because people connect with people, not companies, brands, or logos. It’s through your LinkedIn profile that you can connect to people, strike up conversations with them and build relationships.

What do your ideal clients find when they land on your profile? What’s their first impression of you? And does it make them want to consider doing business with you?

To succeed at using LinkedIn for lead generation, you must get your ideal clients to know, like and trust you. Ensuring several key sections of your LinkedIn profile are complete, professional-looking and client-centric is a necessary step in this process.

These key sections include your:

Headline

Profile and cover image

About section

Featured section

Experience section

Recommendations

Headline

I cannot stress enough the importance of your headline. It’s one of the very first things people see.

You have 120 characters, NOT words, to capture the attention of viewers to compel them to click Accept to your connection request or to view your entire profile.

Profile photo and cover image

Your profile photo and cover image are vital components to creating trust and establishing credibility.

Simply put, you need to display a professional profile picture. Profiles with profile photos get 40% more views.

In your profile photo, ensure you are smiling and looking straight at the camera, preferably against a neutral background.

Your cover photo, on the other hand, needs to convey a story. It needs to tell people something about who you are and what you do.

About section

Your About section needs to be compelling and client-centric.

Don’t drone on about how great you are. Talk about who your ideal clients are and the problems they face. Establish a clear link between their pain and desire and how you, with your skills and experience, can meet their needs.

Write your About section in the first-person voice. LinkedIn is a social network, so be social. Don’t write it as a professional bio, resume or CV unless you are looking for a job.

In your About section, you have 2600 characters to highlight your expertise and experience. It’s also essential to identify and speak directly to your target market.

Here are some questions you should strive to answer in your About section:

Who are you?

What do you do?

Whom do you do it for?

How do you do it?

Why do you do what you do?

Why should they listen to you?

What makes you credible?

Why should somebody hire you?

Featured section

To visually enhance your profile, include media in the Featured section. Including a video here will improve your chances of making a human connection, increasing the know, like and trust factor.

The Featured section could be used to highlight:

articles you’ve authored and published on LinkedIn

links to external websites, such as your company website, blog, portfolio, landing pages and lead magnets

media files, such as images, documents, presentations and videos.

If you don’t add content to the Featured section, this section will be hidden from people viewing your profile.

Experience section

Your current work Experience is also a key section and must be written in the firs- person voice. Use the 2000 characters you are given to speak to how you can best help your ideal clients with your products or services.

Recommendations section

Including social proof in your LinkedIn profile might make all the difference in your lead generation efforts.

I just finished speaking with a lead who bought my book LinkedIn Unlocked because of the good Amazon reviews and then decided to contact me.

We are conditioned to look for social proof when deciding whom to do business with. LinkedIn recommendations are a fantastic way to elevate your social proof.

LinkedIn recommendations are more powerful than written testimonials on your website because readers can authenticate the author of a recommendation by clicking on their profile. The more LinkedIn recommendations you have and the more detailed each one is, the quicker you’ll be able to establish trust with profile viewers.

Recommendations that speak to your expertise enhance your profile, increase your social proof and often lead to business.

Learn how to ask for LinkedIn recommendations here.

Step 2: Create a lead generation process on LinkedIn

The next vital step with LinkedIn social selling is to actively use LinkedIn for lead generation.

To generate leads efficiently and effectively, use my proprietary 5-step process – The LINK Method

– to find, connect and start conversations with your ideal clients on LinkedIn.

When done right, this method will result in new clients. It allows you to build relationships with your connections, have offline conversations with them (which they’ll be excited about), and convert them into clients.

Keep in mind that while you may use template-like messages to get you going, the key to your LinkedIn social selling success is to personalize these messages for each prospect you send them to.

The more time you spend personalizing each communication you send on LinkedIn, the more effective and successful you’ll be.

Understand that it’s absolutely impossible to succeed at lead generation on LinkedIn without getting this part right.

Where exactly do you find ideas to personalize your messages?

You can start by researching the profile of the prospects you want to connect with.

In the activity section of their profiles, you can see the posts they’ve shared or engaged with as well as any articles they’ve shared.

You can also look at their company page, website and other social media channels to get additional insights.

To make your LinkedIn lead generation effective, you need to send a sequence of five types of messages.

Message 1: The LinkedIn connection request

Your connection request has a single goal: to get the recipient of your message to click Accept.

The best way to ensure your request is accepted is to tailor your request to the person you’re sending it to. Absolutely DO NOT use a template for this crucial step.

Personalize your connection request by finding something in common with your lead. Reference something in the profile, show interest in something they shared or compliment them or their company.

For example, maybe you went to the same university, or you both worked at the same company at one point.

Message 2: Establish dialogue

Send this message after they’ve accepted your connection request.

The purpose of this message is to begin a dialogue. You can do this by asking a simple question.

It is important that you ask them a non-invasive question about something in their profile, something they posted on LinkedIn or something about their company.

Message 3: Add value

Wait approximately a week to send this message. You don’t want to inundate your connections with messages from you.

How can you add value to your connection? Often, it can be through a highly-targeted and relevant content specific to their industry and top of mind problem. But don’t just send them a link to an article. Position the content to show why they would derive value from it and ask if they are interested in receiving it.

Once they say yes, send the content you’d mentioned.

Message 4: Move the conversation offline

Send this message no sooner than one week after Message 3 (could be later).

The goal of this message is to book a call. Nothing other than that.

And the only way you can do this effectively is by positioning that phone call or meeting as a benefit to them, not to you.

To do this, first make sure the prospect sees you understand them and their industry. You communicate that by identifying and speaking directly to them and stating their problem or the desired result. You will be most successful if you share a process, method, or insight they would find value in.

At this stage, you are trying to get your foot in the door, get on a phone call, build some rapport, get to know them and find out what you need to know to be able to pre-qualify them.

From there, you can move forward and schedule a longer call.

The secret to your success with this entire process is this:

You need to slow down the sale to speed it up!

The reason social selling doesn’t work for most people is they rush to send out their sales pitches. Many think automation will help them blast their product/service out to as many people as possible. Neither works!

LinkedIn lead generation services are popping up everywhere, making bold promises of vast amounts of new business. Sadly, the customers who use these services are disappointed with the results. Worse yet, their reputation and credibility are permanently shattered because if it.

Message 5: Nurture those prospects who didn't move forward with you

Not everyone is going to be ready for the solution you offer right now. It’s important to nurture these prospects by checking in with them and adding value to them from time to time.

By doing this, you can often catch them at a time when the solution you offer has now become a priority for them.

Additional Reading: LinkedIn Membership Levels: Free vs. Business Premium vs. Sales Navigator

Step 3: Establish authority and credibility, and stay top of mind

As I just mentioned, prospects will not always be ready to buy when you connect with them on LinkedIn.

As part of the lead nurturing process, you will want to stay in touch with your prospects where and when it makes sense through one-to-one messaging.

But it’s also important to show up in their LinkedIn newsfeeds from time to time. You do this by sharing interesting and valuable status updates. Educate your network with helpful content that also builds your authority and establishes your credibility while keeping you top of mind.

It’s also important that your posts on LinkedIn encourage engagement.

When people engage with your posts, LinkedIn is more likely to show your network more of your posts in the future. 

One of the best ways to encourage engagement is to ask a question. But don’t overuse this strategy, and don’t ask pointless or silly questions to get engagement. It will only hurt your credibility.

Read this: Is Your LinkedIn Content Strategy Making You Look Desperate?

Remember that LinkedIn is a professional space.

Although I believe sharing content is important to stay top of mind, too many people rely too heavily on it. In fact, most “social selling experts “say the secret to social selling is sharing content… I disagree.

The secret to social selling, or lead generation or whatever term you are most comfortable with, is Step 2 in this article. Step 1 is a necessary step to get to Step 2. And this step of sharing content is helpful to stay top of mind and build authority within your network.

But don’t become reliant upon it. You cannot let your lead generation depend on things out of your control, such as LinkedIn’s algorithm, hoping your connections will scroll through their newsfeeds and see your content.

This hope-and-pray lead marketing is not a good strategy.

Level up your lead generation on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the premier social media platform to connect with decision-makers and professionals. It’s where people expect to have business conversations and often look for solutions to their business problems. 

By becoming skilled at using LinkedIn for lead generation, you can find your ideal clients, build relationships with them, position yourself as an authority and generate new leads and sales for your business without spending a single dollar on advertising.

It seems like a worthwhile skill to develop, wouldn’t you agree? If so, please share this article so we can help people and businesses across the globe to fuel the economy!

To learn more about each of the three steps covered in this article, register for my free LinkedIn Leads video series. In it, I cover how to create a profile that stands out, convert connections into clients and build your authority through content. Get access to the video series here!

The post How to Use LinkedIn for Lead Generation appeared first on Top Dog Social Media.

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[allenmendezsr]

Stuttering Dissolution Multimedia Program

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Stuttering Dissolution Multimedia Program

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Would You Like To Learn How You Can Remove The Obstacle Of Stuttering Out Of Your Way So You Can Enjoy A FULLY EXPRESSIVE, CONFIDENT, SUCCESSFUL and FULFILLED Life?

Discover

How Hundreds Of Successful Stutterers Have Turned Themselves Into Powerful Speakers and Effective Communicators By Overcoming Stuttering The Right Way!  

  Frustration, Fear, Shame, Anger, Humiliation, Isolation, Unhappiness, Inadequacy, Stress, Uncertainty, Unworthiness, Guilt, Lack of confidence…If you are a person who can relate some or all of those emotions as a result of your stuttering challenge and you seriously want to do something about it today to overcome it, then I have something very important  to share with you…   What I am going to share with you in the below letter is very valuable to me, but what really matter is “how valuable will it be for you!”. If you just choose to skip it since you have been TIRED of all those resultless, misleading, false promises about stuttering (which I cannot blame you at all by the way) then it probably will not add any value to your speech or to your life. Tomorrow will probably just be like yesterday. HOWEVER; If you allow 10 minutes of your time to read this and follow what I’ll be sharing with you, not only your speech but also your WHOLE LIFE may change beyond your wildest expectations.  If you choose the first case and skip this, then I wish you all the best in the future. Otherwise, LET’S ROLL because I can’t wait to share those high value, life changing material with you! 

From: Chazzler DiCyprian Saturday, 7:32 PM  

Dear Friend,

I exactly know all the negative emotions, destructive thoughts and limiting beliefs you are going through. I know a bit too well what it is like to live with a stutter. How? Because we have something in common!..

And I know what it is like to suffer from stuttering when there is a great life out there waiting for you to go enjoy and live it to the fullest!  

  With all my honesty, before we even start talking about this, I have a good news and a bad news for you…

Let’s start with the bad one…You may not like what you’ll be hearing, but unfortunately there is no instant cure for stuttering. Anybody, any program or any organization promises you that you can be cured instantly by using their ‘magic’ tool, technique or whatever, are MISLEADING you… in the most innocent terms!

Instant permanent fluency is something which has been used AGAINST us, because that is what we want…or what we think we want!

There is no instant cure for stuttering…at least not yet…and believe me once there is one, I’ll be the first person letting you know about it immediately!

Now let’s come to the good news which will annihilate the bad news… It is DEFINITELY POSSIBLE to overcome stuttering. It doesn’t matter what others say or believe, stuttering CAN BE dissolved. You can overcome it to enjoy a fully expressive, confident and a fulfilled life.  

With the right tools, strategies and mindset, you can reach a point where stuttering would NO LONGER be an issue in your life. In fact, your speaking skills might turn into your most valuable ASSET. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of living proofs of this.

How about a deal?

You bring yourself and I’ll bring the right mentality, knowledge, skills, tools, models, support, EVERYTHING and ANYTHING you’ll ever need to the table to make this happen for YOU.

You probably want ‘fluency’, but with your assertive involvement I can lead you to get a lot more than that. This may not happen overnight but it WILL HAPPEN a lot sooner than you think! You just need to play along.

Would you like to try a so called ‘cure technique’ and find out it doesn’t work for you in the real life situations OR would you rather like to know what exactly you are aiming for and reach there in a smart, effective and permanent way? It is YOUR call!

I had times in my life where I was overwhelmed with all kinds of knowledge, researches, speech therapies and extraordinary promises about stuttering. I just didn’t know where to begin, where to go, who to work with and which pathway to follow. I was as confused as hell! I didn’t even know whether there was a real hope or not.  

You might be experiencing this at the moment as well… and that is exactly why I strongly suggest you to read on, because I have been there before and I exactly know what you need at this stage.

If that is the case and you are overwhelmed with zillions of thoughts, I can assure you that there is no need to be confused on your side. I have gone through those steps and experienced it the hard way FOR YOU! It took me years but it doesn’t have to be the same for you. You have everything, ready and waiting for you…the best, top quality, tested and proven!

Internet marketers would say that this is the worst move ever but as a stutterer myself who had been a victim of false promises countless times, I want to make myself clear here before we move on.

If you are a person who are looking for a ‘magic pill’ to cure your stuttering overnight then I wish you all the best in life and suggest you not to read on, because “Stuttering Dissolution” is not what you’re looking for and I really don’t want you to end up as an unsatisfied stutterer whose expectations have not been met. I cannot guarantee an overnight cure because there is NO SUCH THING. Period!

HOWEVER;  

If You Are A Person Who Are Willing To Understand What The Mysterious Puzzle Of Stuttering Is All About And Follow Proven Strategies In Conjunction With Step-By-Step Effective, Result Oriented Models To Overcome Your Stuttering Challenge In An Effective And Permanent Way In The Shortest Time Possible, Then I Can Assure You That You Are At The Right Place Getting One Step Closer To Make Your Goals And Dreams Happen. Today Might Be “The Day” For You, The Turning Point.

Once you quickly reach that point by following the step-by-step models I’ll be sharing with you, just pure fluency will not satisfy you, you’ll want more than that. You’ll grow as a person, you’ll be a complete person with quality skills, you’ll be an effective communicator with a radical mentality shift and a new life vision. You’ll be unstoppable with the freedom of speech and a brand new you who would serve you to become your best self and live the life you deserve.  

Anything you think you’ll get just by reaching fluency; you will get by “Stuttering Dissolution”. Fluency is not the objective, it is a CONSEQUENCE. After going through ‘Stuttering Dissolution” and follow the steps to reach your desired outcome…

OK, let’s get back to where we left of…

Do You Experience Some Or All Of The Below? Honestly!

    You avoid certain words, sounds and situations.     You avoid phone and public speaking at all cost.     You are self conscious about your speech ALL THE TIME.     You want to share your thoughts or tell a story or a joke in a group but you avoid being the center of attention and choose not to speak instead.     You want to choose a specific job or career(e.g. management, public relations or marketing) but instead you pick a career which does not require extensive talking(e.g. engineering).     Presentations at work or in school gives you more adrenaline rush than a rollercoaster. You can’t stop thinking about it and how you can manage “not to stutter” during your presentation. That’s all you care; fluency and not to make a fool of yourself in front of others!     Having a lot to share, but not being able to EXPRESS YOURSELF exactly the way you want to frustrates the hell out of you… in fact, from time to time you feel like a prisoner who cannot use his/her TRUE POTENTIAL.     The emotional pain stuttering causes you is a huge burden on your shoulders… This is not a simple speech disfluency problem for you, it NEGATIVELY affects ALL areas of your LIFE.     You believe you cannot live a fulfilled and satisfied life because you feel like stuttering not only BLOCKS your speech but also your potential as a person who wants to SUCCEED in life.     You don’t make PHONE CALLS in the presence of others unless you really have to.     Speaking, expressing yourself and simple DAILY TASKS have become a huge PAIN for you… and is a massive psychological burden on your shoulders.     You want to ask or answer questions in class or in a meeting at work but you choose not to because you think you’ll be JUDGED by your disfluent speech in a negative way.     You feel like you are not taken seriously and are seen as “not enough” in environments such as school, work, social gatherings, etc.     When you are expected to go through a job interview, you continuously think you would not be able to express yourself the way you want to because of your stutter. So, you lose before you even start…just(!) because of your speech.     You want to order a specific food or a drink on the menu but you end up asking for something totally different which you believe you could manage to say easier.     You want to make a phone call but instead you choose to send an email or a text message.     You want to register for a class you are very much interested in with all your friends, however you end up not registering it because ORAL PARTICIPATION is required for the class in question.     You want to ask a girl out but you don’t because you think you’ll get REJECTED because of your SPEECH..or similarly, if you are a woman, you are asked out for a date but you choose to turn the offer down just because you don’t want a person who is interested in you to find out about your speech and NOT LIKE(!) you anymore     You think you aren’t enough for your spouse, for your kids and for your family. You don’t believe you can provide them the best life they deserve.   �� You want to COMPLAIN about an inferior service(e.g unrecognized credit card transaction) but you avoid to call and choose not to DEFEND your rights…or you give all your information to a loved one to make the call for you.     You want to SOCIALIZE or take role in communities but you choose not to just because of the negative emotions you think your speech will create you in such a social environment.     Meeting new people is such a stressful experience for you.     You let your loved ones to take care of your responsibilities which require talking… and this makes you feel “not enough”.     Your SELF-TALK is NEGATIVE most of the time.     The need to introduce yourself in class, at a work meeting or social gathering is BAD news for you… you start counting how many people are left before it is your turn.      You use ummm, uhhh, welll, I think, like, etc. before a word or a sentence so you can get your breathing going and get the first sound out without blocking.     You use synonyms(word substitution) to avoid feared words which you believe is going to cause you trouble.     You go through negative emotions, destructive thoughts and you hold limiting beliefs as a result of your stutter.    

Is your answer “Yes” to some or all of the above points? If so, I can assure you that you are at the RIGHT place. Keep reading and stay with me here because I have a lot of high value, breakthrough material I want to share with you. As I said, this may change not only your SPEECH but also your WHOLE LIFE!

Stuttering is not just a speech block. It is a BLOCK in our feelings, in our choices, in our decisions, in our personality, in our potential, in our goals, in our dreams…

Stuttering is the act of holding back. It happens as a result of your divided intentions. One side of you want to speak and express yourself while the other side of you holds back and doesn’t want to speak and be seen as a stutterer… just because you do not want to go through the emotional pain it’ll possibly cause you in case you stutter.

Let me tell you this. We cannot solve a problem on the problem level. Therefore, we cannot solve stuttering just by “fixing” it by learning a physical “technique” or a fluency tool or whatever. That is why traditional speech therapy which focuses solely on the physical speech production fails in almost all cases.

Therefore, If Understood And Addressed Correctly, Stuttering Can Be Dissolved And You Can Break Free From Stuttering Mindset Permanently…

Just like you probably have… I desperately look for solutions to get rid of those “blocks” which gave me huge emotional pain.  

I read all the books on the subject. I got involved almost all kinds of speech therapy programs one way or another, which some required me to spend 3 FULL WEEKS in a therapy room. I learned tips, techniques, tools, anything and EVERYTHING available on the market… physical, mental, psychological, technological…you name it…

I also tried various devices and even medication (what the hell was I thinking!). I searched, studied, learned and tried EVERYTHING I could get my hands on.

Unfortunately, I got the same result every single time… me looking at the mirror seeing a person with no hope and full of frustration and anger. Lots of hope, time, energy, money in the beginning, and least REAL LIFE RESULTS at the end. The outcome of those treatments to “fix” my stutter had always been the same…  

And my journey started…

That is exactly why I am here today writing this letter to you. I am not going to use sales tricks and tell you how this letter will make you fluent instantly! We all have had enough of that, don’t you think so?

My journey took me more than 5 YEARS. I had to figure out everything by myself, the HARD WAY. I’ve spent a lot of money, effort, time and energy to take care of the WORST UNHAPPINESS SOURCE of my life; stuttering!

I’ve met with some of the most knowledgeable and experienced people in this area, earned their respect and convinced them to share their wisdom with me.

In addition to that, I got involved in the self development area and have attended seminars, workshops, bootcamps. I invested in ebooks, cd’s, dvd’s, home study courses, anything and everything you could imagine regarding to stuttering, communication and self development… and eventually;

…to be able to give back to the community and help others who goes through the same physical and emotional struggle I had been going through 5 years ago. “Stuttering Dissolution” Is The Most Complete And Comprehensive Program Out There Which Will Give You The Step-By-Step Process To Dissolve Your Stuttering In The Shortest Time Possible…Knowingly, Honestly, Confidently, Effectively, Permanently!   Stuttering needs to be UNDERSTOOD very well before you aim to dissolve and overcome it. You need to go deep and analyze the core of the problem. Only then you can start getting effective and permanent results. That is one of the reasons why “one fits all” speech therapy approaches have not been able to meet our expectations. No two stutterers are the same, therefore the solution cannot be the same. For every single stutterer, a detailed customized approach is mandatory. That is also why even with some effective speech management programs people improve their speech but never seem to get pass a level and reach “the desired outcome”! In “Stuttering Dissolution“ I’ll Walk You Through To Come Up With A Customized Model JUST FOR YOU.

As I mentioned before, I have already gone through everything and anything possible for the treatment of stuttering. Therefore, you don’t have to go through the same struggles and lose money, time, energy and worst of all HOPE to find out that “it did not work for you”…everything you need is right here, ready to walk you through and lead you to reach your speaking goals beyond your wildest dreams.

Stuttering Dissolution is an audio program, or in better terms a multimedia program which I shared all the essentials, tools, techniques, strategies and the mentality you need to break free from stuttering. You’ll have more than 5 hours of audio of me sharing the BEST material with you. This is the first time I am sharing those fully proven strategies with anyone in such an organized and detailed manner. In “Stuttering Dissolution” you’ll get access to:  

    STUTTERING DISSOLUTION AUDIO PROGRAM

5 Hours of audio me discussing how to unlock the hidden mystery of stuttering and step-by-step proven strategies to overcome it. You’ll learn everything from basics to the most advanced stuff in conjunction with related self development subjects on how to succeed in dissolving your stuttering.  

STUTTERING DISSOLUTION E-BOOK

A 112 page eBook which you can follow with the audio program to be able to see various visuals, graphics and step-by-step models for better understanding. Also, if you are a “reader” type of learner, then you can always choose to read and learn the same material in a more productive and effective way.

STUTTERING DISSOLUTION STARTUP GUIDE VIDEO

A Startup Guide video which I’ll explain the content of the program and how you can get the most out of it.

I wish I had a package like this when I started my journey. It would have saved me a lot of time, energy and money. But, I had to learn and figure out everything the HARD WAY. I had to go through and find out what works and what doesn’t by myself. I have met thousands of stutterers, I coached hundreds of stutterers. I had the privilege to meet, work and have countless conversations with most of them who were able to make it happen and COMPLETELY OVERCOME stuttering.

As a result of everything I went through, observed, experienced, tried, tested and learned in the past 5-6 years, I am in a position now to give you the best material EVER compiled in one package.

It doesn’t have to take you years to make this happen. I had to go through it but it doesn’t have to be that PAINFUL for you. That is exactly why I am here today! To make it a lot easier, cheaper, less painful and more effective for you. Everything I’ll share with you is tested and proven by hundreds of stutterers.

“Stuttering Dissolution” is a compilation of best and most effective material put together as a result of hundreds of successful recovery journeys. I came up with all those stuff not only as a result of my own journey but also as a result of being a part and observing hundreds of others’ journeys as well. This is the program which will give you…

This is the step-by-step guide to speak, communicate and live like the person you have always wanted to be. This is the program which if you follow, will lead you to achieve your speaking and life goals beyond your wildest imagination.

That is why, after analyzing in detail and putting a lot of thought into it for weeks, I chose the following heading for the program which I believe explains it all;

“Unlock The Hidden Mystery Of Stuttering And Discover PROVEN Strategies To Put An End To The EMOTIONAL PAIN Of Stuttering The RIGHT Way – Knowingly, Honestly, Confidently, Effectively, Permanently…Achieving Your SPEAKING And LIFE Goals Beyond Your Wildest Imagination Is Now A CHOICE – YOUR Choice !”

A sample of some of the great things you’ll learn:

    What exactly the mysterious puzzle of stuttering is all about. Once you understand this and you be able to see the big picture, the solution will come a lot easier and sooner – chp. 3     #1 biggest mistake stutterers make that sets them up for disappointment… and cause them lose their chance to overcome stuttering right in the beginning – pg. 33     I’ve tried every ‘stuttering solution’ out there, and I found out something that I didn’t expect in a million years. In Chapter 5 I’ll explain to you why almost all those ‘stuttering solutions’ cause you to lose before you begin, and what to do instead to be able to succeed in overcoming stuttering effectively, permanently and in a FUN way!     The simple thing you can do during a conversation that leaves your listener smell your total confidence… and… gets him/her think that your speech is not your weakness but one of your strongest features! This is very easy to do, yet what you obtain as a result is HUGE – pg. 75     The thing almost all out of control stutterers do to try to look “cool” and gain respect of others that actually repels “others”… and often makes them think twice as negative about you – pg. 49     An unconscious strategy 99% of stutterers use in almost all speaking situations thinking it’s helping them, where in reality it is causing you to go through twice as bad emotional pain. One simple change… and all those negative emotions will replace with extremely positive ones – pg. 51     Numerous proven exercises to develop a stone-cold, unshakable inner confidence that allows you to speak anybody in any situation without getting nervous and without the fear of being judged – chp. 8     Various psychological tactics stutterers can use to make anybody choose them over a “fluent” person (you can use these during job interviews, social interactions, sales, convincing, debating and in a lot more other areas) – chp. 7     12 things you can do to dramatically improve your skill in setting goals and achieving them (The best part is they are very simple to apply… yet people avoid taking those simple steps…as a result they ruin all their chances to succeed anything in life including overcoming stuttering) – pgs. 78 – 82     How to finally get rid of negative programming, self limiting beliefs and false perceptions that have been sabotaging your success in overcoming stuttering your entire life – chp. 7     I read all the books, tried fluency techniques, went to various speech therapies, and tried almost everything possible you can think of. It wasn’t until I did THIS ONE THING that it all started to happen for me. On pages 33&34 I’ll share the single most powerful thing you can do to become successful in dissolving your stuttering.     One critical step of your dissolution process which if you miss to follow you’ll lose all the positive things you’ve gained – pg. 47     A step-by-step routine you can follow that instantly sets you up for success – pgs. 95 – 96     The 16 personality traits that draw your speaking goals and dreams to you like a magnet – pgs. 97-98     Create two simple boards the way I explain it to you in Stuttering Dissolution… and those two simple boards will both ATTRACT success to you and will MULTIPLY your MOTIVATION. Those two boards will be your secret weapons to motivate yourself to the fullest to turn your goals and dreams into reality! – pg. 79     Think about any challenging situation. Now, think about how would it feel like to overcome your speaking challenges knowingly, effectively and permanently. How would you feel if I tell you that I’ll show you a model which will lead you to manage those challenges effectively and dissolve your stuttering in a strategic way?! Get your hands on this model and you can repeatedly use it to challenge any limiting belief around your stuttering. Without this step-by-step model, overcoming stuttering would probably be as confusing as hell. – chp. 6      The truth behind the fact that traditional speech therapy has been unsuccessful in meeting our expectations. Know this and you’ll overcome stuttering a lot sooner than you think. Don’t know this and it’ll cost you years. I am guilty of that so I don’t want you to do the same mistake I did. – chp. 5     The step-by-step strategy for you to follow and break free from stuttering mindset. – chp. 6     The revealing secret about why fluency is the WORST goal you can ever set for yourself and how you can reach fluency by not even aiming for it. This would definitely accelerate your stuttering dissolution process. – pg. 67     One simple mental technique that will create an environment for you which would be IMPOSSIBLE TO FAIL! – pg. 66     How to be your best friend and not your worst enemy. It sounds easy but 99% of stutterers fail in achieving this. We’ll make sure you will be in the 1% category. – pg. 58     How to turn your so called “weaknesses” into your high value skills INSTANTLY. – pg. 52     Strategies of turning all negative feelings stuttering causes to you into powerful positive feelings INSTANTLY by taking action on pre-planned action steps. – pgs. 51-52     The one single easiest thing you can do which will take all the burden on your shoulders and make you feel relieved! – pg. 49     You’ll discover the role of physical technique in recovery and whether it is a mandatory component of recovery or not. Use it with the right mentality and it is one of the most effective tools in your recovery, otherwise it’ll make the journey impossible for you. – chp. 5     The exact physical technique I used throughout my stuttering dissolution journey that produced me great results and gave me the confidence to face my fears, expand my comfort zones, challenge my limiting beliefs… and also enabled me to say what I want to say when I want to say it the way I want to say it in every situation. You’ll watch the video presentation of me going through the technique at the comfort of your own house. – Physical Technique Video     The number one lesson I’ve learned the hard way which took me YEARS to figure out… but once I figured this out it took me a matter of just hours to turn the EMOTIONAL PAIN into a PLEASURE and TOTAL SATISFACTION. – chps. 5-7     A step-by-step process which will get you define where you are now and guide you to reach your speaking and life goals effectively. – chp. 10     A 3-phase model I came up with which will enable you to dissolve your stuttering, achieve your speaking goals and live a fully expressive life. – chp. 6     A 7-step cycle you can follow to break free from the building blocks of your stuttering and produce concrete, real life results.(Hint: I call this “7-Step Dissolution Cycle” ) – chp. 6     21 MANDATORY COMPONENTS OF RECOVERY which you cannot afford to miss. If you don’t address these areas, even the “perfect technique” will not get you anywhere and you’ll get stuck in the “didn’t work/last again routine”. Miss addressing any one of these and your results will be temporary, if any! – chp. 7     13 surefire ways of building self confidence FAST! We all know the importance and impact of self-confidence on our speech. I don’t think any stutterer would miss taking this chance to learn how to become totally self confident… so why should you?! – chp. 8     Self-confidence building techniques and exercises which will lead you build self-confidence to speak the way you choose to speak in every situation! – chp. 8     The effective way of setting goals which will lead you to get concrete results in REAL LIFE SITUATIONS! – chp. 9     12 critical factors which if known and applied effectively will make goal setting and achieving process a repetitive success story in anything you put your mind into! – chp. 9     3 exercises on knowing and understanding yourself so you can plan accordingly. You will be able to give a definite and clear answer of who you really are! A lot of people have no idea about this. However, any change starts with this step and missing it would simply mean ‘unsuccessfull change”  – pgs. 86-87-88     Two aspects of the change process that if you don’t know will make any change impossible. On the other hand, learn those 2 aspects and you’ll make any change possible…surely and permanently! – pg. 90     7-step process which will enable you to solve ANY problem effectively and permanently in a SHORT TIME. – pg. 93-94     The right questions to ask yourself and solve ANY problem instantly! – pg. 93     Discover the step-by-step roadmap to ANY SUCCESS. Know and apply this strategy to any challenge in life and success will be your closest friend. Yes, to your stuttering challenge as well! – pgs. 95-96     The revealing secrets of becoming a winner. Model this mentality and become a winner in all aspects of your life. You’ll not only be able to turn yourself into a winner but also you’ll spot any loser or winner as soon as you meet them…Signs you’ll grap instantly! – pgs. 97-98     Hundreds of recommendations on your stuttering dissolution process. Figuring out all those took me years but now they are compiled, summarized, organized and served you at the comfort of your house. These are pure GOLD! These are PRICELESS. These are the outcome of years of real life experiences, learnings, observations and coaching. They are a condensed summary of all the things I and other hundreds of stutterers I know have experienced and learned regarding to the stuttering dissolution journey. Know and apply those and the rest will just follow and flow with no resistance.These are your secret weapons, your shortcut to reach your speaking goals! – chp. 15     One very effective game which will minimize procrastination and will lead you to take action with almost no resistance at all. – pg. 81     One single fact you need to know about stuttering which is unknown by 99% of the community. This will make ALL the difference and will change everything in what you can achieve! – pg. 67     How to disarm any feared word or situation… and reach a point where you can say anything you want anytime you want the way you want it – pg. 51-52     One personality characteristic you need to develop to be able to avoid manipulated by others. Creating this balance is very critical. If you don’t get this characteristic of yourself handled, you’ll have to live in the shadow of others’ needs. – pg. 54     Learn how to manage and enjoy the uncomfortable feeling of change. If you don’t master this, turning any change into success will almost be impossible. – pg. 55     How I challenged the fear of answering phone calls in a hilarious way. I still laugh at this till this day.  This sneaky plan of mine took the fear of answering calls and annihilate it!..best of all it took me only a day to plan and put this in action! You can take this example, modify it and use it for your feared situation… saying bye to your fears can’t be this fun! You’ll seek for feared situations to repeat the fun – pg. 57     Do you continiously worry about what other people may think about you? Get ready to reconsider your worry once you learned this one simple fact!  – pg. 58     One mandatory “thing” you’ll be needing besides yourself to be able to overcome stuttering. This other “thing” is as important as you as a part of your stuttering dissolution process – pg. 61     A simple six sided shape which will totally explain you all the “why” questions you have about stuttering – pgs. 62-63     There are these simple but very critical questions to ask yourself before you do anything about your speech. If you miss to start by verifying this step, you may end up wondering why you couldn’t make it happen even though you did everything the right(!) way – pg. 65     You’ll discover the REAL MEANING of failure and recovery. If you understand and master in approaching these two areas of your stuttering dissolution process then you’ll always be one step ahead of your stuttering – pgs. 67-68     And much, much, much more…    

Click Below To Access  ALL And A Lot More NOW!

Here is why you need to get your hands on “Stuttering Dissolution”. I think we both agree that the emotional pain stuttering causes us is a big burden on our shoulders. It affects all aspects of our life in a painful way. My promise to you is that “Stuttering Dissolution” will add a huge value to you in reaching your speaking goals. “Stuttering Dissolution” is not about trying to be fluent by using a simple lame trick, it is about BECOMING the person who will reach fluency by not setting fluency as the objective but will get it as a consequence, as a by-product!

“Stuttering Dissolution” may not make you 100% fluent overnight, however it is a surefire way of reaching all your speaking goals beyond your wildest imagination in the shortest time possible. You’ll feel that you are changing and growing as a person and once you reach fluency as a by-product you’ll realize that fluency is your least feature! You’ll be more than your fluency. “Stuttering Dissolution” will lead you to unlock the hidden mystery of stuttering and discover proven strategies to permanently overcome it. You’ll find answers about why’s, what’s, how’s and what if’s. You’ll get step-by-step models to apply and recover from stuttering once and for all. You’ll learn the most effective exercises about self confidence, setting and achieving goals, exploring who you really are and much much more. If you are looking for a complete change besides your speech then “Stuttering Dissolution” is the answer.

Stuttering is a mysterious puzzle which has not been solved or fully explained yet. SLPs(Speech Language Pathologists) may not like what I am going to say here but I am afraid they are focusing all their effort(with good intentions) on the wrong aspect of the problem. They are working on the problem level but the resource of the problem is hidden below the surface level…and if they keep trying to fix the outcome(physical speech struggle) I am afraid the results they’ll be getting will not be a lot different than the results they have gotten so far. “Stuttering Dissolution” will consider all the studies which have been done on stuttering so far and will give you a roadmap in the light of all those past studies plus the new revolution mental applications on stuttering. Anything and everything you’ll ever need to make it happen for you!

 In “Stuttering Dissolution” you will get step-by-step processes, cycles, an analytical model which if you put in good use it’ll lead you to dissolve your stuttering. Various number of mental and physical exercises will be all included in “Stuttering Dissolution” as well. Best of all, you don’t need to travel for hours, pay for accommodation, spend time, energy and money to go and learn all this valuable material. I made it downloadable so that you can download and put all those high value material in use instantly just by getting access to it with one simple click!

“Stuttering Dissolution” is all about taking action. I’ll show you what to do, when to do and how to do it exactly with step-by-step models so you can make it happen and get concrete positive results in REAL LIFE SITUATIONS… which is what really MATTERS to us!

  One of its kind and totally different than the rest There is no such program out there like “Stuttering Dissolution”. All we have is very time consuming and pricey speech therapy programs, books, short videos showing us a so called “cure technique” promising instant cure which turns out to another desperation story that makes us feel twice as bad.

Stuttering Dissolution is a complete, holistic and outcome oriented multimedia program which will bring you more than fluency!…at the comfort of your own house! You can choose to read or listen besides watching some short but high value videos. No travel needed, no flight tickets or hotel accommodations, no taking off from work or school, no need for a high budget, no hassle, no headache, no worries… simply, nothing to lose…all you need to do is to access it, learn it, put it in use by following everything I’ll be sharing with you there and get concrete real life results…start changing your speech and your life…instantly!

Honesty I am not going to show you a trick which will cure your stuttering in 6 minutes 48 seconds. That is a lame promise which as stutterers we all have had more than enough! But, I’ll take you by the hand and show you everything needed including a step-by-step model I came up with to be able to dissolve your stuttering permanently. Recovery is not about what to do, it is about WHO YOU HAVE TO BECOME to succeed and break free from stuttering! By the time you are done with the audios and all the high value material in addition to the audio program, you will have all the strategies, tools and needed mentality to overcome stuttering. We’ll do this in an honest and effective way. This is THE SOLUTION. Stick with it and you’ll reach all your speaking goals beyond your wildest imagination…in a shorter time period than you think!

I am here to help I had a time in my life that I needed help to get this part of my life handled. I was fortunate enough to find those people and learn every information/experience I could to be able to make my journey a success story. Today, I am here to give you a hand, walk you through and help you to reach your speaking and life goals beyond your wildest dreams. You’ll learn not only about speech but also about life and lots of self development topics which if you follow and apply will bring you a fulfilled, successful life. I spent thousands of dollars to go through those workshops, seminars, bootcamps and to buy programs, cds, dvds, etc. All for one single reason; to get this part of my life handled… And I am sharing all those best quality, selected material with you in one package, ready to guide you for ONLY a fraction of what I’ve paid for! Through “Stuttering Dissolution”, I’ll help you to get this EXTREMELY important part of your life handled!

I am a stutterer myself and I’ve figured it out NOT by reading about it but by LIVING it I am a stutterer too and I know from experience that unfortunately most of the speech therapies out there have no idea what stuttering is all about. This upsets me that even the professionals in this area are trying to solve the problem in the wrong way! You cannot solve a problem on the problem level. All the effort, time, money and energy we put into various therapies and techniques are all turn into useless frustrating tricks by the time we experience the real world. Fluency in the therapy room is not what we seek; we want fluency in the REAL WORLD, in everyday situations. “Stuttering Dissolution” will explain you in detail what stuttering is all about and how to dissolve it with the guidance of proven strategies I’ll be sharing with you. Real life concrete results are what matters at the end of the day!

I am aware of every single solution alternative out there There are bunch of programs out there which promises immediate fluency or some sort of control. I can guarantee you that I used and tested almost all of those one way or another in real life situations…not just once, long enough!

They don’t lose when it comes to their technique, they actually lose before they even start because of the mentality they have in approaching the core of the problem. Any high value, quality material from other resources are all included in “Stuttering Dissolution”.

“Stuttering Dissolution” is the most complete and holistic program you can ever imagine for a stutterer This program is not just a “learn this magic technique and be totally fluent in minutes” program. This program is the most complete and holistic program you can ever imagine for a stutterer who wants to do something about his/her stuttering challenge… and overcome it permanently the right way!

I designed this program to be the last and the most complete resource you’ll ever need.

No more surfing the web for answers, no more isolation, no more avoiding, no more living in the shadow of your stuttering, no more negative feelings before or after doing your daily tasks or facing an important situation which requires effective communication and speaking.  

This is not based on my experiences only, this is about a compilation of hundreds of recovery journeys I think I can consider myself as one of the most experienced stutterers when it comes to trying all the possible ways and techniques out there. Don’t do all the mistakes I have done. Life is too short to learn from your mistakes, learn from mine and from others’ mistakes as well. This will shorten the time you need to permanently overcome stuttering.

I care about you Yes I DO. Because I know exactly how it feels to be a stutterer. I know the everyday burden we have to carry on our shoulders because of it. I’ve been mislead and misinformed, may be even lied to at times as well, who knows. They took advantage of my strong emotions about my disfluent speech. They gave me hope till I made the payment. Some might have done it with good intentions but they were unsuccessful bringing me the real life results because they lead me to set wrong expectations. I lost hope several times over and over again and felt like nobody! I don’t want you to go through and feel the same way I did. Most of the stutterers I met through my journey were all nice people inside and they were all willing to help others as much as they could. I know you are no different. Soon you’ll be in my shoes helping other stutterers to turn their speech related goals and dreams into reality. I know that if others can do this so can you!

I’d love to help as many stutterers as I can as long as they are ready to help themselves! Studies show that 1% of the world population stutters. Think about that for a minute. That is HUGE. Unfortunately, I can only reach some of them by using the power of internet…and if you are reading this right now you are one of those people. It might be your luck or your desire or your researching skills, or your determination or whatever it is…you get the opportunity!  But some others will never get the chance to at least come across and learn about this stuff and totally change their life for better. So, even if you choose not to take this opportunity please forward this to others so they may take advantage of this possible opportunity. My primary goal is to reach and help as many stutterers as I can.

I am confident that you will be another success story. I have coached and helped hundreds of others so far. I shared my knowledge and wisdom in every single opportunity. I was always asked to write a book or coach people by following a step-by-step process, by following a fully organized, detailed material. Frankly, I never thought about it before that way. To me I was just helping them. They ask me all types of questions and I’d answer them and tell them what they need to do and set them the right goals. Writing a book seemed like a lot of work to me…and God knows IT WAS.

I could talk about stuttering weeks and months non-stop, how could I possibly make it fit in a book? There was no way. But I did it, and even I was amazed how much valuable stuff I was able to fit into this. All the best quality material about overcoming stuttering is there, everything you need. Every single sentence I use in this program is a product of massive real life experiences and learnings. I have done my part, now it is your turn to make this happen and become the next success story.

You are only minutes away from the revealing secrets of recovered stutterers I made this entire program downloadable, so you get to access this entire program immediately. No shipping costs, no waiting for mail delivery, no hassle what so ever. I have met with hundreds of recovered stutterers and I know how they did it. After all I was a part of their stuttering dissolution process. Therefore, in “Stuttering Dissolution” you’ll not find what I “think” or what “could” be right, you’ll find all the FACTS, the undisputable truths…And all those are only a click away from you, even if it is 2AM in the morning.

  It’s the full package, everything you’ll need to overcome your stuttering. 5 hours of audio, 2 videos and an eBook… that you can download and listen/watch/read immediately. Literally seconds from now if you decide this is right for you.

  Yes I want to access this high value multimedia program NOW!

  So think carefully and make your decision FAST! Life is too short to waste time on overly thinking. What gives us results and desired feelings are not what we think… it is what we DO. You have two choices, you’ll either do it or you won’t. That simple.

Do you want to do something about your speech and your life today? It’s your life so it is your call! 

Click Here To Invest In Yourself And Your Future And Get Access To

Stuttering Dissolution Now!

    PHYSICAL TECHNIQUE VIDEO

A video presentation of me sharing the exact physical technique I’ve used with great success throughout my stuttering dissolution process to break free from stuttering mindset. I’ll explain you the most effective and realistic technique which I chose to use after researching and trying almost anything available on the market.

I put together the best, most helpful and effective physical components of speech therapy programs I have learned and tried. This is the exact step-by-step physical speaking technique I customized for myself which gave me the confidence to go out face my fears and challenge my limiting beliefs.

AUDIO INTERVIEWS

Interviews with 2 stutterers who have OVERCOME stuttering and living a quality life with no stuttering issues anymore. These people have not only overcome stuttering but they helped hundreds of other stutterers to dissolve their stuttering. In addition, both of these people are now very eloquent and powerful speakers.

We’re truly going to get inside their heads, pick their brains, learn how they did it and what would they suggest to people like yourself in overcoming stuttering…see how they approach the subject, what mentality they are in… discover how they get to where they are today.  

Alan Badmington, has written various articles on the topic of stuttering and also is invited to give speeches all around the world now.

On the other hand, John Harrison, is the person who proved me that this can be done and overcoming stuttering is possible. He has a 485 pages e-book about stuttering and public speaking. Last but not least, he currently holds public speaking workshops for general public in California.

These 2 interviews is about 3 hours long in total. Frankly, these are PRICELESS. I am bringing those people to you with all the right questions you would have asked…just press play and listen those people sharing GOLD material with you, me leading them with the right questions. All you need to do is press play, listen, learn and enyoj it without even leaving your room.

“REDIFINING STUTTERING” EBOOK

A 485 pages eBook called “Redefining Stuttering: What the struggle about speech is all about” by John Harrison.

This sells for around $38 on Amazon. A must read book explaining all the why’s and how’s of stuttering. There is also a public speaking section of the book. In addition to all those, any resources about stuttering, you can find it in this book(organizations, books, websites, forums, types of therapies, and much much more…)

  If you act now and get your hands on ” Stuttering Dissolution” , you will get access to:

Stuttering Dissolution Audio Program 5 Hours of audio me discussing how to unlock the hidden mystery of stuttering and step-by-step proven strategies to overcome it. You’ll learn everything from basics to the most advanced stuff in conjunction with related self development subjects on how to succeed in dissolving your stuttering and live a fulfilled life. 

Estimated Value: $197

Stuttering Dissolution E-Book A 112 page eBook which you can follow with the audio to be able to see various visuals, graphics and step-by-step models for better understanding. Also, if you are a “reader” type of learner then you can always choose to read and learn the same material in a more productive and effective way.

Estimated Value: $97

Startup Guide Video A Quick Startup Guide video which I’ll explain the content of the program and how to get the most out of it.

Estimated Value: $12

Bonus #1

   Physical Technique Video A video presentation of me sharing the exact physical technique I’ve used with great success throughout my stuttering dissolution process to break free from stuttering mindset. I’ll explain you the most effective and realistic technique which I chose to use after researching and trying almost anything available on the market. I put together the best, most helpful and effective physical components of speech therapy programs I have learned and tried. This is the exact step-by-step physical speaking technique I customized for myself which gave me the confidence to go out, face my fears and challenge my limiting beliefs.

Estimated Value: $97

Bonus #2

   Interviews Interviews with 2 recovered stutterers… which we are going to get inside their heads, learn everything about the dissolution process including how they did it and what they would suggest to people like yourself.

Estimated Value: $97

Bonus #3

   Redefining Stuttering E-book Redefining Stuttering by John C. Harrison, a 485 pages eBook which will help you in understanding what the struggle of stuttering is all about. You will be able to find the answers of all your why, what, how questions on stuttering.

Estimated Value: $37

ESTIMATED TOTAL PACKAGE VALUE: $537

This is a total of easily over $500 worth of value. But you’ll get all six when you order right now for only $197.

BUT WAIT!

So, I made it ridiculously less than the real worth of the package. For only a limited time, you can get access to all those high value material FOR ONLY $197 $97 $67.  

Let me explain. Because;

1- I know what it means to want something but not being able to afford it

2- I strongly believe the importance of taking immediate action. My life experiences have taught me that taking immediate action is extremely important. It is the difference between success and failure, achieving and wishing. I strongly believe that people who take immediate action should be REWARDED no matter what!

Considering that you’ll get ebooks, 7-8 hours of audio and various videos all full of high value material, this may sound like a joke.  I am fully aware that this is a ridiculously low price for the package I am offering you here. But as I mentioned above, I am doing this on purpose.

I want the people who take immediate action to have something better than the rest who only think(!) about doing something. Some things should differentiate the people who takes responsibility and do something and people who only think about doing something. People have to develop this characteristic, because it makes all the difference in the world when it comes to reaching your goals and living a fulfilled life.

That is exactly why I want to reward those people who will not procrastinate, invest in themselves and take immediate action to turn things into “better”…  

And with all the bonuses and %100 money back guarantee, there is nothing you should think about.

YES I want to take action NOW!

  I wanted to make this an easy call for you. You’ll try this on MY RISK! If you at least try to invest in yourself, what could you lose? NOTHING! But think about what life can bring to you if this package really does WORTH A LOT more than the expected value.

This is your call. Because it is your life. But please keep in mind that this extremely low price may not be here the next time you visit. For now it is underpriced for a reason; to reward people who take immediate action and to make it affordable for people who need this material and willing to make a change in their speech and life.

Just to give you a hint, the price of this full package will be at least $100 and that is going to take place sometime really soon.. in fact it might be as soon as tomorrow. I cannot guarantee that you’ll find this price the next time you visit this website. 

I’ve gotten several questions from people who are asking whether or not “THIS program is RIGHT for you.” Here’s my answer:

You’re the only one who can decide whether this program is right for you or not. You know yourself, and you’re the only one who knows whether or not you’re serious about learning how to put an end to the emotional pain of stuttering and reach your speaking and life goals beyond your wildest imagination.

That said, I CAN tell you that this is THE single best, most informative, most powerful multimedia program of its kind on stuttering. I’ve invested a lot of time and energy creating what I consider to be the ultimate education for learning what stuttering is all about and how to dissolve it effectively and permanently. And if you want to know what the mystery of stuttering is all about and discover proven strategies on how to dissolve it in the shortest time possible… then I can’t recommend this program highly enough.

This is possibly the most important investment you’ll ever make in your speech.

I assure you that you’ll be able to put together the mysterious puzzle of stuttering and you’ll discover step-by-step proven strategies to put an end to the emotional pain of stuttering the right way!

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When I think about all the experiences I have gone through and the effort, time and energy I put into this material, I think they are not wrong. But don’t take their or my word for it. You try it and decide yourself. Try it on MY risk. As I mentioned it above, if for any reason you don’t like it, just ask and get a refund, no questions asked.  

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I understand that I’m getting instant download access to…

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Stuttering Dissolution E-Book A 112 page eBook which you can follow with the audio to be able to see various visuals, graphics and step-by-step models for better understanding. Also, if you are a “reader” type of learner then you can always choose to read and learn the same material in a more productive and effective way.

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That roughly comes to a dinner of two. Think about this way; take a recovered stutterer out to lunch or dinner to share all his/her experiences with you, it would probably cost you a lot more than the price of the whole package. Just with the interviews, you’ll get almost 3 hours of that. That is crazy!

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So You Have to Act NOW

If you have any questions please feel free to email me at info@StutteringDissolution.com

I look forward to hearing from you…let me know what you think, let me know what you liked and what could be better…last but not least send me your success stories so I feel good seeing that all my hard work, energy and time have been paid off and I was able to help you to take your speech and life to the next level.

To reaching your speaking goals and living a fulfilled life

All the best,

 P.S. Every tip, strategy, and technique that I share with you in this            book is a PROVEN winner. I use every one of them personally in            real-life situations, and I know that they can work for you, too.            Remember, you have a 100% satisfaction guarantee – if you’re not            happy, you get A FULL REFUND. This is truly a 100% risk- free offer.

NOTE: Stuttering Dissolution is a downloadable multimedia(ebooks, audios, videos) program. No physical products will be shipped. After you order, you will get INSTANT ACCESS to download Stuttering Dissolution Multimedia Program and all the bonus files onto your computer.

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[decembercamiecherries]

hi DC! I just wanted to let you know that I am SO EXCITED TO READ GRAFFITI, you have no idea ^-^ I've been following your writing pretty much since you started out and I love all of it, it makes me so so happy. buut, and I hope this isn't weird, the first Graffiti drabble you posted was in response to a prompt I sent you and that makes me EXTRA EXCITED!!! I CAN'T WAIT! or rather, I'll gladly wait forever and hope we get to see the full story eventually. following WTWF every week was so much (1)

fun so I’m sure it’ll be great :D thank you for all that you’ve done too, not just your writing but for anyone who’s ever reached out to you here!!!! it’s not the norm to be as patient and grateful and friendly and sensitive as you are to everyone, you know. I think everyone notices that and appreciates it a lot. <3 sorry this is getting so long, I’m usually too shy to send asks, but I have one more question! may I ask if you’re still continuing MxH like before? I know you recently posted a (2)

That ask got longer than expected ^^;;; I still hope you received all three parts, tumblr likes to delete the asks I send for some reason! sorry for the trouble and for making you read so much alsksjaaa

OH MY GOD!!! HI!!! :DDDD I’M SO HAPPY TO HEAR FROM YOU I WAS WONDERING IF THE PERSON WHO ASKED FOR THE ORIGINAL GRAFFITI PROMPT KNEW I WAS MAKING A WHOLE FIC INSPIRED BY THEIR PROMPT AND HERE YOU ARE WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! I seriously cannot believe you’re still following me, oh my god. I wrote that prompt for you a year ago and I still remember you messaged me on my birthday last December saying how glad you were to know I wrote another little drabble for the same au! I’m so so so so so thrilled to hear from you, you have no idea jfklsd;ajklfdajk;fsdjkl;fsadjklfsda;ljkfsdajk;lfsd;kljsjkjsad;klfjfd;klsaj;klfdj;klafsdj;kldfs

I am just as excited to post Graffiti as you are to read it, trust me XD I’m working on two more fics before I can start to publish it though, but I might finish those sooner rather than later. I can’t believe you were around for WTWF too, that’s so wonderful!!! Thank you for sticking around to read all my fics ^-^

I think your last message didn't send, bc your next ask didn’t have a ‘(3)’ at the end? But I assume you were asking about MxH and if it was still a thing that was happening. The answer is yes, as long as emthim is willing to work with me on it again I can continue making actual ao3 worthy fics for the au ^^ I’m not sure when the next fic will be out but yes MiraculousxHunter is continuing! I love that au so freaking much and there’s still so much of the story to write…..

Wow my response got long haha ^^; ANYWAY THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH FOR REACHING OUT TO ME IT WAS SO LOVELY TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!!!!!!!! Please feel free to send me any messages or asks or anything you’re super kind and I can’t thank you enough for asking me for the prompt that inspired Graffiti <3 <3 <3

[silnaniewinna]

Interview with Tomasz Bagiński

http://www.newsweek.pl/kultura/filmy-i-seriale/netlix-zrobi-serial-o-wiedzminie-tomasz-baginski-o-nowym-wiedzminie,artykuly,411315,1.html

I decide to translate it all.

It was supposed to be a movie, it would be a serial. Why?

T.B.: History has grown. In the meantime - and on the Witcher project I'm working four years now - cultural switch has been set. Genre films - apart from the pre-Oscars, when more ambitious production occurs - are increasingly turning into circus shows. It is difficult to think of the "Witcher" as a colorful, thoughtless brawl. So we felt that such deep literature as Andrzej Sapkowski's prose gather  wind in sails  first and foremost on television, multi-episode narrative. Where will not be limited even by the length of the season, because after all, and the number of seasons can be arbitrary, is subject to what dictates the story.

How faithful will you stay to the  books?

T.B.: We will try to rely mainly on the literature of Andrzej Sapkowski, because it is a multi-layered prose. On top of that we actually have a fantasy story full of monsters and action. But when we read deeper, we reach the next layers, up to the level of archetypes, philosophy almost. The unique feature of this series - the world, heroes, Andrzej's entire writing - is that it can be received on so many levels.

This is an event in Polish literature?

T.B.:  It is no big surprise that Sapkowski and his Witcher have become so popular and iconic, not only in Poland but also abroad. It is also no coincidence that this book has become a great basis for a brilliant game that has been a business success. In Polish culture this is a rarity. Polish fantasy literature is a high test, but the character's creation is often limp and the screen is fed primarily by characters. Those whose fate we want to follow with whom we want to stay, which also differ from each other, because after all in Sapkowski every one on this characters  speaks differently, has its own tics, behavior.

What is it in Geralt itself that it is worth making him a serial hero?

T.B: Geralt of Rivia is a moral compass of the world, in which there is no clear division between good and evil, and that is the reality around us. Even in the Cold War, the division was as clear as in "Star Wars" - the empire of evil and noble rebellion. It was known to which groups you should belong.. Today, even the last part of "Star Wars" introduces nuances: rebels are nasty types and they need redemption, and the empire seems to has it’s own rights.  The Witcher is an example of a hero who, in this world of mad, competing ideas, none of which is clearly good or bad - is trying to find the right path. He says: such things you cannot do, such things need to be done, and such choices are necessary. A bit like a guy who will defend the weaker who is beating up in trolley. Archetypal defender. And it is thanks to it there is  something fantastic in him - such characters we want and need.

You say that thanks to it in  Sapkowski there  is something basic Polish. Why?

T.B: Becouse Sapkowski from the beginning described the world from the perspective of Poland, which was always in interface, developed in the clash of East and West. In Poland - contrary to what we are used to say - we are not tribes, you can not qualify us to one particular camp. Even if we start to hold up to something, it soon starts to pinch us - we already have a libertine nature, we are non-controllable. Geralt is similar.

Does the world of the series need clear divisions? Good knights, evil dragons, heroes whom we would like  without hesitation and those we hate from the first meeting?

T.B: If you are watching modern series, you see that this division is long gone - their structure is much more complex, and there is more intelligent psychology out there. The best characters today are those who have good intentions. Another thing is what comes out of this intentions.

  Wait a second what about a "Game of  Thrones"? Is it not it that we know from the beginning which of the Westeros kingdoms are "good" and which are causing us aversion?

T.B: You might be surprised. If I had to interview the audience thoroughly, I am sure that there would be people who understand Cersei, her difficult choices and why she is so cruel. And those who would argue that this entire Ned Stark bunch is an overly sensitive sociopaths who is overly afraid that some sort of winter is coming. People are different - and in modern entertainment the most interesting thing is that it is try to tell the difference.

After the speculation about the actors, you joked that Tomasz Karolak could play the role of kikimore. What about the main actor idea? Which stories will you use,  which you will give up?

T.B: I apologize to our viewers and readers for being such a sphinx guarding the mystery - I know the fans would like to know right now more about our casting ideas, what stories  we want to adapt - but many of these things could influence the later process,  many of them are also tade secret . For all of this time will come.

And how - as far as it can be betrayed - look  the process of working on such a complicated plot that must be "The Witcher"?

T.B: I can not say anything but what is general know. Working on the show, more than the film is a teamwork, also at the stage of creation. Stories are written by many scriptwriters, episodes are directed by a number of directors, everything is consulted with the producers and department heads. Big human machine

You cannot reveal who among the full-blooded heroes of Sapkowski will appear on the show. What about  characters beside Geralt are for you, Tomek Bagiński are the key, the most interesting?

T.B: From all stories or novels I prefer specific moments. And what kind of characters I like, will not be particularly controversial. There are such heroes, without  it is difficult to imagine this story: Ciri, Yennefer or supporting characters: Bonhart, Vilgefortza or Regis. How exactly it will be in the series and what characters appear - here please be patient.

Dragon,  Baba Jaga, Twardowsky - in your work there is recently a whole lot of Slavic legends and clues. Where does it come from?

T.B: I will not tell stories from the plains of Arizona or country music biography, because I do not know anything about them. I was born here, here I live and this is my cultural background. It is not a burden, but a tool that can be used - it is extremely interesting and exotic for the rest of the world. Just as Peter Jackson sits in New Zealand and makes films there, using everything he sees around him, so we can use this great European plain like Poland. I really really strongly believe that at this point in the East and West we have built a strong cultural identity, although our archetypes we do not used for years, we considered them as dump. This Pole is untouchable - it is our greatest strength.

How much do you think the CD Projekt and its "Witcher" contributed to the promulgate of Slavs?

T.B: The CDP guys did a great job with this adaptation, so no one will take that from them.. It was a great game and it was a success. The more such companies and people who are so professionally and reliably approaching their work, the sooner Poland will develop. Games also did not undermine the characters and literacy of Andrzej Sapkowski, although it is true that the policy of some publishers harmed the reputation of the writer himself.

He sometimes talked about the game without much flattering.

T.B: It is worth reading these statements with understanding and in a specific context. These statements are much less controversial than what the media around them has unleashed. There is no easy correlation between games and books between books and series or movies. For example, few people suspect that a book was written after a movie. In the case of games the relationship is less obvious, and books written for games are often very literary second league. The publisher's policy  to add to the books covers from the "The Witcher" games automatic add them to that category and right now it’s necessary to correct that.   That does not change the fact that games were extremely popular and in some markets increased the recognition of the Witcher brand.

Is your experience and cooperation with Netflix a guarantee that everything will go well with the series?

T.B: In life, only taxes and death are guaranteed. But even the latter may soon change 

And the biggest risk you can imagine in relation to this production?

T.B: Media! Because they are taking up the time we could devote to work. ( laugh ). You will be able to write that "Baginski chased journalists, told them nothing. He is a boor and a beet, worse than the infamous writer Andrzej S. " And there will be another Witcher controversy. People will read. that.

[robertcanvas]

četiri

i was about to finish the article, i’ve been writing for my french friend, who likes to call himself ‘terrorist’. he has this blog about ‘how can we make the end of the days come sooner’. from time to time i write some articles for his blog with a fake colombian name. 

when i heard knocks on my door. strong but calm knocks. it didn’t ring any bell in my head about who could it be. i looked around through my window and saw a girl with a huge raincoat and a fedora. it was suzanna. 

she came with bunch of keys and directly walked to the locked door. i stopped her and started giving a speech about respecting each others’ privacy and others’. she didn’t care at all. she was so sure that we had to see the room. i, on the other hand, didn’t have any wonder about the room. i was so sure that it’s just some old clothes and furnitures. i was seeing the attraction in the unlocking a locked door though. it’s like a red button says ‘do not press’, it’s a lost luggage at the train station, it’s an empty pool in november, it’s the diary of your former lover… 

she tricked me to the bedroom and we started making out. then she tied me up to my bed and let me enjoy her dance. i was so sure that she was going to try the keys in a second. she didn’t. at least not until we were done with touching each others’ undiscovered, arousing places. then she left me tied and satisfied in the bed and turned on the radio. either she didn’t want me to get bored, since i was alone in the bed or she didn’t want neighbors to hear the noises, she was about to make. or both. 

so, i was listening to some reggae songs and hearing her attempts of trying to find the right old key. i don’t even know where could she find all those keys. nobody produces them anymore i think. it exactly went the way i hoped for and she failed and came back to bed. she had the face of a kid who wants to grow up as soon as possible so she will be able to do what she wants. -classic myth about being an adult.- i was smiling like an older brother who knows the way but will never show it. she punched me in the face and turned the volume up. that was the sign of our next lust session. 

“you seem perfectly calm for a writer. i always assumed your kind as insane, impatient and excited people. given the fact, you are the only writer i know, i may be mistaken” she was searching through possible ways to bring the conversation about the room. “I’m all those things you said. i just don’t care at all about what could be in that room. that’s all!” she rushed out of the bed saying “how come?!” then she went to the living room to bring the tobacco and papers. we were out of cigarettes. she rolled and lit the cigarette and was about to start another conversation when i cut, “i am so glad you are smoking too!” she smiled. she knew what i meant. all the smokers would know what i meant. all the non-smokers could never understand it. 

“tell me about your first time?” she asked. “i don’t remember much but i am sure pretty much same as everyone. i born, i cried and they rolled me in some sheets and gave me to my mom” she wasn’t smiling this time. “here we go with the stupid jokes!” she wasn’t happy, the way i distracted her conversation. “come on! we are in bed, we are naked. this is the one and only perfect time for stupid jokes!” she kept her silence, so had to give her the real answer but i didn’t want to. “it’s gonna kill all the attraction we have” i said. “it can’t be that bad” she replied. “it’s not bad at all. it’s a great story or at least i developed it into a great story in time but it’s not about that. getting to know each other better is the time-ticking bombs of relationships. let’s keep the misery on, so the heat will stay on” she laughed this time. “we are not in a relationship, we are just fucking once in a while.” i don’t know why but i felt the need to be mean “why are you still here then?” she left the apartment even before getting properly dressed. now i could go back to my writing.

“in one of those villages where life gets slower than it can, i’ve met an old wise guy. a real one. everybody was calling him ‘lunatic’ and as always it’s a good sign. he was drawing some weird shapes to the walls of a cave on the hills. i greeted him and started singing to hear the echo of my own terrible voice. he smiled and kept doing what he was doing. he had a white scarf around his neck at that hot summer time and a wool sweater. the second i thought he cannot get more interesting than this, he did. he poured down some liquids on the drawings and then covered them with some muddy soil. once he was done with his thing, he started speaking with a trembling, strong voice. his voice was reminding tom waits to me. “those young archeologist-wannabe idiot students and their poisonous teachers are coming to this village every summer to research and study some old artifacts, drawings etc. i am misleading them and wasting their time. so the information will stay safe” that was an explanation that i could never get, by asking. i already loved the guy. then he asked me the language, i was singing. “pontic greek” i said. “what the fuck is that?” he asked and without waiting for an answer “let’s go and have some tea, there you can tell me all the lies, they have been teaching you” 

we went to his house and he put some more wood in the fireplace. then he passed me a book. it was khalil ghibran’s madman. i’ve just said “those who understand us, enslave something in us” i was feeling lucky and proud to be able to quote from the book before opening it. he was quite unpredictable for my urban, smart-ass braggings. he said “open the book” there was a little bit of weed between the pages. i started rolling our first joint and decided not to speak unless i have to. i didn’t want to get embarrassed anymore. 

he brought the teas and a chess board. i didn’t know how to play chess but i didn’t say it, in case the chess board was for something else as well. he asked me why i was there in that town. i told him that i was a writer without a subject to write and i was hoping to find something on the road. he didn’t judge me at all. he advised me to “steal” then he added “steal and paint with your own color! that’s what everyone does. there is no original story, nor ever has been.” he paused to stand up and to walk to the window and said “how many times you have seen this in a film or read in a book. this. this scene. someone stops talking and goes to the window to finish his sentence. does it seem real to you? why would anyone do that? and more terribly, why would anyone think it’s worthwhile to write about? Look at all these books, there isn’t anyone that i didn’t touch! it may sound like, i’ve read them all, that’s what a writer does. i didn’t read most of them. i couldn’t. they were talking about things that no-one needs to know. so… if you want to steal people’s money and waste everything else, write! since all you can do in this life is to steal in a way that your conscience would not mind; steal and live! writing is only for the ones who could not live!” 

then i finished this unusual article with some ideas on recoding every possible information instead of hacking resources to publish it for free.

[tehfloridaman-blog]

All Wars

Alright! So, below is my first fully-published story included in an anthology novel that was the ultimate product of about two weeks of work over last summer, though it’s hardly my best writing I’ve done so far, it’s not my worst, either! If anything I’d call it a fitting dive into my career as a writer. Taking a typical science fiction trope and adding my own unique touch alongside some thematic elements--but enough of that, don’t wanna spoil anything. Without further ado, I present...All Wars!

“All wars are civil; for it is always the man against the man who pours out his own blood, that tears his own entrails.” –François Fénelon.

             It had only been a few minutes after the alarms blared that Soicon, Oros, and Kaine entered the lower levels of the Defense Ministry. Surrounding them were reinforced walls, painted yellow by the various flashing lights. Despite being at least a mile underground, Kaine could hear the deafening noise through the elevator shaft.

           “Dammed alarms,” Soicon grumbled, clutching the datapad close as he stepped out of the elevator. “They’ll make us all deaf before they blind us.”

           “It’s standard procedure for this kind of scenario.” Oros sighed, rubbing his head with his hand. “We’re just unlucky to have not noticed the ships sooner.”

           “Perhaps mobilizing the army isn’t needed? After all, we’ve no idea what they intend for us.” Kaine said, his hands behind his back as he hurriedly followed after them.

           “Ever open a holo-book, Kaine? Or see a movie? It’s probably an invasion fleet, we’re right to prepare to defend ourselves and our planet.”

           “No, Soicon, it’s protocol. If the Defense Ministry was dictated by paranoid cynics such as you, this planet wouldn’t have unified by now.” Oros rolling of his eyes.

           “I disagree, Soicon. We can’t base real events off of fiction. For the longest time, we didn’t think life existed on other worlds.”

           Soicon narrowed his eyes at Kaine as they reached the war room door, leaning against it as he spoke. “Oh, I apologize, Kaine. I had no idea you understood the mindsets of aliens!”

           “Soicon, enough of this or I’ll have you detained. It’s bad enough that the entire ministry’s in a panic, we should at least represent a bastion of duty in this chaos.” Oros shook his head in disgust.

           “Understood, Commandant.” Soicon sneered as he raised the datapad, tapping on it while Kaine walked over to the door.

           “Has anyone considered the possibility that they’re just travelers seeking peace or companionship? Consider this-it’s what we would want.”

           “If they are like us, who’s to say they won’t desire war? They may not be coming here of free will, more so out of desperation. If they truly have achieved a higher technology level, imagine the state of their planet! It must be a ball of rock, unable to support any life whatsoever.” Soicon handed the datapad over to Oros, who then traced his finger down it as he mumbled to himself.

           “What would be the purpose in annihilating other sentients? We are equals, therefore we would benefit from cooperation.”

           “War is in the very nature of species!”

           “And what if we incite war by preparing for it?” Kaine snapped, narrowing his eyes.

           Oros got between the two men-each having neared closer to the other as they spoke.. Kaine and Soicon both stepped back. “Enough, both of you. We will do as our orders dictate. In the end we cannot predict the future, merely prepare for it.”

           “Aye, sir.” They said in unison, Soicon walking back over to the door as Oros approached Kaine with the datapad.

           “I’m afraid we can’t let you go in just yet, Kaine. Senator Gurrin isn’t present in the War Room.”

           “Ah, yes, he has… fancied visiting my sister’s housing unit as of late. Shall I head there posthaste? Perhaps she knows of his location...”

           “With Godspeed, Kaine. We’ll have to lock down the ministry if those ships arrive while you’re gone, in that event, perhaps it’s best to stay with your sister.”

           “Hah! Never in a thousand full rotations, sir.”

Within a cubic rotation he was outside the city, nearing an outer housing unit where his sister lived. As opposed to the larger inner housing complexes within the city that held many smaller units, outer housing complexes contained large, usually two floor, housing units owned by one or two people.

As he approached the complex, Kaine spotted a military troop-transport in the middle of the road; crossing the two lines that displayed the paths allowed to be taken by vehicles. He stopped his hover car and stepped out, waving over to the soldiers standing in front of the blockade. The highest ranking one- a Sergeant- walked over, blinking as he noticed the yellow uniform of Kaine.

“An attendant? I thought you all were over at the HQ…what’re you doing all the way out here?”

“Apologies for the surprise, sergeant. May I ask why you’re barricading the road?”

“Ah, well, that…that is because…” He paused, clapping his hands in thought before continuing. “…because we were told to? Didn’t the radio say something about staying indoors?”

“I’m afraid I wouldn’t know, I’ve had it off.”

“Well that just isn’t safe! You know, the radio knows what’s good for us! Like warning us about the bastards coming to seize our planet!

“…yes, uh. Can you move your transport now? Urgent business.”

“‘Course! You stay safe now, attendant, and enjoy the show when it happens!” He gestured for the transport to move ever so slightly, freeing the path. Kaine nodded in thanks as he climbed back into the hover car and sped off.

The various home units were different in mostly minor ways, be it the number of windows or their color or one floor versus two. The designs were always the same: a cylindrical shape alongside a domed top, with a platform in the center of the driveway to lower cars to prevent theft, although only one could be underground at a time.            

Kaine pulled up to the driveway of his soul-sister’s peach colored house, parking in front of the platform before stepping out of the car and heading over to the front door. The door itself was a flat slab of gray metal with some cyan along it in a circular pattern. Placing his hand on the door’s center, he spoke slowly and clearly towards the slab.

“Lana? It’s me, Kaine, can you-” He was cut off as the door slid up and he was pulled into a tight hug by his soul-sister, her green jacket hood falling off as she held him like a defensive beast would for a recently claimed catch.

“Soul-brother! Oh, how I’ve waited for you! What’s going on at the ministry? Will we be safe? Is Gurrin needed?” She bombarded him with fast, energetic questions as she bounced away from the hug, still holding Kaine’s arms as he blinked in surprise.            “…may I please see Gurrin, soul-sister? There’s little time to waste,” He replied in a slow, quiet voice as he reached up to put his hands on her shoulders. “You’ll be fine, though, I saw soldiers securing this area not long ago.”

“Soldiers? Here? Or where? Did they say why? Are those ships close? And how close?”

Kaine sighed, avoiding eye contact as he sought an answer; managing to find his words a few seconds later as he attempted to calm her further. “To keep you safe just in case panic ensues, there’s no indication those ships mean any harm to us.”

“What if they do?”            “We’ll be able to fend them off or attempt diplomacy. Now, please, direct me to Gurrin.” Finding no further questions, she led him inside. Lana was his soul-sister, a sibling that came not from his mother but instead one that came from his father finding a new companion. In society this act of finding new companions was considered wise if the new relationship worked out better than the old one.  

Once inside, Kaine was met with the similarly peach colored interior along with a black, red, and green carpet covering the floor. Laying flat on his back atop a circular, dark green sofa in the center of the room was the uniformed senator. His arms and legs limply laid over the side of the sofa with his cape, once Kaine got closer he could see that Gurrin was wearing a rust colored mask over his nose and mouth; one of Kaine’s old injector units. A device that dispensed a recreational drug meant to remove stress and relax the user.

“Senator Gurrin, a pleasure to see-”

“Get on with it, Kaine,” Gurrin wheezed out, leaning his head up as his eyes narrowed at Kaine. “If you’re here to summon me for protection,” He spat the word out if it were a curse. “Then you’ll be sorely disappointed.”

“All high-ranking members of the Defense Ministry are needed in the War Room post haste, Senator. You’ll be far safer there than you will here-”

“Noooo. No. Kaine,” The senator sat up, his body movement indicating it was a colossal effort. He wheezed slightly, grasping at the mask to remove it from his mouth. After a few seconds, he finally managed to remove the mask-showing that the area around his mouth had become heavily wrinkled and parched from the substance he’d been inhaling. “I want no part in this farce of a meeting. I’d rather live a survivor of the conflict than someone executed for his part in starting it.”            Kaine nodded in defeat before making his way for the exit. If he could not convince the senator see reason, what was the point of wasting his time here? After bidding his sister goodbye, he returned to the highway. At that point, Kaine was so lost inside his thoughts that be barely avoided hitting a stopped hover car on the road; swerving out of the way just in time before he could collide with the car’s rear. Stepping out, he prepared to give the driver a piece of his mind before noticing just what the driver had been looking at.

There were four ships in the sky.

Large ones, their main bodies were white with the rear parts around the thrusters and what Kaine assumed was the main bridge-judging by the line of windows-being a light gray. The ship was large at the front, having a mostly cubical shape before turning into more of a rectangle at the thrusters. The most striking feature was the crest on the side of the ships: Two symbols above a blue planet with various green landmasses on it. The first symbol curved downward, stayed down, and then curved up. Like some kind of cup or glass. The other shape was a vertical, three pronged line that could be passed off as a tool of some kind. After the first and second symbol was a dot separating the first symbol from the second and the second from the empty space following it.  

Taking a closer look, Kaine noticed various metal barrels and boxes with holes in them starting to come out of the sides of the ship.

All four ships then fired on the capital.

It was an utter cacophony of noise, nothing like the quiet plasma weapons the army used. The city was consumed by explosions, the amount of light produced was blinding while the noise could deafen anyone. Kaine put his hands on the side of his head, closing all of his eyes as he waited for the muffled sounds of the barrage to cease. Eventually they did, with Kaine being greeted by the sight of the once gleaming capital brought to ruin; almost all of the buildings were missing large chunks while others were simply vaporized by the bombardment.

Kaine simply sat there on his knees in utter shock, both at what had just occurred and how utterly wrong he had been. After what seemed to be ages, the military transport stopped in front of Kaine; snapping him out of his daze as the door opened and the Sergeant from before leaned out.

“You wanna come aboard, sir? We’re offta kill some outsiders!” He said, holding up his plasma rifle with a smile. “Radio says that the ministry building’s still up an’ running!”

Kaine’s eyes widened at the revelation that most of his coworkers may have survived the inferno inflicted upon the city, quickly nodding in acceptance at the offer as he jumped into the back of the transport. Contrary to Kaine’s quiet stoicism, many of the soldiers inside -numbering at around eight- were laughing and expressing joy that they finally would be able to see some action. It disgusted Kaine how glad they were that the first sentient species they’d ever encountered sought to kill them. Who could desire such a thing?

And what purpose would it serve to spread war to other species across the cosmos? Or enslave them? Was Kaine’s race not equal to this unknown species on the galactic plane of existence? Even if these creatures sought resources, what could not be gained via diplomacy or communication? Kaine gripped his head, spinning within his thoughts up until the transport grinded to a halt.

“Why’ve we stopped?” He stood as the door began to lower, the other soldiers getting into position with rifles at the ready as the Sergeant answered.

“Spotted outsiders on the ground here, gonna make them regret bombing us!” Kaine apprehensively followed the soldiers outside, not wanting to be left behind. The city was in absolute ruin, the roads were torn to shreds with fallen chunks of building wedged within them. Luckily, the ruins provided Kaine and the soldiers plenty of cover as they cautiously crept forward.

Suddenly, a loud crack rang out as the troops ducked for cover and began wildly firing their weapons. The cracks increased with frequency, projectiles starting to hit the positions that the soldiers hid behind. Kaine ran, diving into a nearby ruined storefront as the automatic weapons fire continued. Briefly looking outside, Kaine spotted the soldiers in various states of disarray; attempting to organize against their unknown enemy, despite the fight clearly not going to end in their favor.

Though it took a few nano rotations, the fight eventually ended with the aliens as the winners. Kaine crept out slowly around the corpses of his deceased fellows, hearing one of the creatures speak in an odd tongue, one he didn’t understand:

“Zeta Actual here, hostile squad eliminated; they had no idea what hit ‘em. How copy, Zeta Command?” The creature spoke into a boxy object with a small pole sticking out of it, a mechanical voice coming out of it. Some kind of neural transmitter? Were these beings robots? Cyborgs? Clones? “Affirmative, command, unit suffered one casualty. Mhm. Yes, sir, we’ll be there right away. Glory to the Unified Earth.” With that, the leader gestured for the rest to follow him into a machine that looked somewhat similar to the troop transport; except theirs was far more angular and utilized some kind of tread system in lieu of hoverpads.

It was then that Kaine noticed the body they’d left behind.

It had on an all white uniform, with gray colored parts under its arms, gloves, on its shoulders, in between its legs, and on its sides. The patch it had on either shoulder matched that which Kaine had seen on the ships. The creature’s helmet was dome-like in shape, much like most buildings, and appeared to be tied to his neck. Kaine realized this after trying to tug it off, then reaching up to feel the thing’s...was that a nose? Kaine felt it all the way from the back to its front, pushing around the fleshy bit at the tip even while the harder rear resisted his attempts to move it. Kaine felt his own nose, two small slits along his face just below his eyes.

Kaine then poked the flesh on its face, the surface was soft, not hard like Kaine’s chitin, and easily malleable. Then onto what looked to be its mouth: as opposed to the smooth, featureless areas above and below Kaine’s mouth, this creature had some kind of pink, fleshy...covering? And its teeth! Not sharp and tilted back, flat and straight like blocks of marble.

Kaine felt dizzy, putting a hand on his head before looking down to the creature’s digits. Five fingers? How could such a being operate! He lifted up what was clearly a thumb, then the main finger, then the next one-which was somehow larger than the first finger, as opposed to Kaine’s symmetrical digits-and then the next that was yet again smaller than the second...and then the fifth finger. A deformed twig of a finger. Kaine shuddered before setting the hand down. So much was wrong with it. Two eyes instead of four, those eyes being round instead of line-like on Kaine’s head...and the color! Brown! Not a glowing blue at all.

Kaine sat by the corpse, eventually laying down next to it with his hand on his chest. Though the body next to him wasn’t remotely similar to Kaine, he still felt saddened by its death. They were both sentient beings with a history, and a homeplanet. A family with loved ones. Somewhere to go to buy new clothing, to see the next movie, to get food and drinks.

Kaine just couldn’t understand why these beings wanted war.