#.and still largely influences his behavior business-wise

[wutheringcaterpillar]

Can you please do a jim fanfic ? I love all your Cillian fanfics . Well write like you wrote that story jim meets you in an ally to ... I love that 🫠

warnings: smut below the cut, spanking, abuse of power, age gap, reader is 18 and Jim's daughters friend, punishment, p in v, fingering, orgasm denial, daddy!kink, dubcon/noncon, dacryphylia, erotophobia, virgin!reader, anal

Thank you for the request, hope this is what you were looking for!

Hearing the door open, Jim reeled himself away from the dreadful paperwork he had to fill out for a client that was more than unfavorable. Turning his attention to Maggie prancing in the room wearing a pair of shorts that were showing far too much skin for a father to be comfortable with.

"Darling what are you-" The teenager was quick to peck her dad on the cheek before shouting back in response that she was going to take a shower after playing part in a soccer game. What explained her outfit was you following behind her with an earbud in, a crop-top pressing your cleavage up while your ass cheeks were barely being held in from the black mini skirt around your waist.

He had never thought you were a very good influence on his daughter who tried all too hard to fit in just like any other typical teenager but he wanted to be a better father than that, you just seemed to make that an impossible challenge and he was fed up.

Being a father figure to someone who wasn’t his daughter was difficult. You had been around the family your whole life, mum always busy with work, your biological dad never around once your mum left him because of alcoholism. He felt bad for you, he really did but that didn’t mean he’d let this slide any longer.

Before you could get past into the next room, he stopped you from his seat with a protruding, deep voice.

"Hold on, back up tare eh?" Rolling your eyes, you turned around helping yourself to a leftover smoothie in the fridge while leaning against the counter, not even paying him any attention, aggravating him more.

He scoffed from your lack of manners, raising his hand up from the table in irritation and raising his eyebrows expectantly.

"Care to explain to me what in the fuck she is wearing?" Still no response, instead putting in another earbud to drown your friend's overly protective father out. He needed to learn to relax, to let Maggie live a little bit she was only a year younger than you, soon to be an adult.

Hearing the shower run, Jim pushed himself up out his seat, huffing in annoyance, he had dealt with your behavior and disrespect for his rules for far too long. Before you had a chance to react his large hand wrapped around your forearm, practically dragging you toward the bedroom and tossing you inside carelessly.

"What the fuck! Y'know you have some real anger issues, I mean-" He cut you off abruptly, his hand wrapping around the small of your throat while his free hand glided down the nape of your back, pulling you in and closing the proximity between the two of you roughly.

Your heart pattered anxiously against his chest, your confidence and attitude suddenly disappearing, when his fingers grazed over your ass, and his sapphire, hallowed eyes darkened, reading you like a book.

Surely with how nervous you were in this situation, you weren't experienced and he could tell with being a well aged man himself.

"What's ta matter? Nothin' else ta say now with that snarky tongue?" You gulped, trying to replenish the ginormous lump in your throat. You were in danger, and scanned the room for an escape plan but Jim was a wise man and much stronger than yourself. Still stood speechless, he walked you backwards until your legs hit the sides of the bed, causing your bum to falter down onto the mattress while he still had a hold of you.

"Please don't. I-I've never had sex and I-I'm scared to. I don't want to-" He chuckled lightly, the feeling of his fingers fumbling with your zipper, freezing you in your feeble position beneath his muscular body.

"Then consider this a lesson not to dress like a fucking whore in me fucking house. You're not going to make a sound, wouldn't want your mother to think you came onto me would you? She doesn't trust you after all right? Troublesome girl." He could feel your thighs shaking underneath him in fear, and how your eyes revealed the true palpable fear you felt. What choice did you have but to obey?

Staying quiet, he breathed in your alluring strawberry scent as he yanked your panties and shorts down, the thin fabric falling onto the floor, leaving you completely exposed and at his mercy.

Gasping in alarm, he flipped you over effortlessly onto your stomach. His fingers slid down your ass, to your sex, caressing in-between your dry folds, dabbling one of the tips into your cunt without any lubrication. You tensed, a ringing alarm pounding through your head at the sudden intrusion.

"You're going to have to loosen up, we don't have long." He plunged himself further into your tight, warm abyss, hand combing through the strands of your hair while yanking your head back, his lips dusting over your ear, as his fingers picked up pace. It hurt immensely, a stinging pain vibrating through you while his two fingers worked mercilessly at your cunt, ass cheeks jiggling with each powerful thrust. You had to bite down onto the pillow to keep quiet and hide the pain.

“Good girl..” Once his fingers exited you, he swung his hand back and in one vigorous motion cracking down on your ass cheek, bum turning a bright shade of red within seconds. As if he knew you were going to scream he cupped your mouth closed with one hand while unbuckling his pants with the other.

When the thick head of his cock popped out eagerly, slapping against your folds, you couldn't hold back the tears any longer when they flowed freely down your rosy cheeks. Hands inching toward the opposite end of the mattress, you attempted to pull away from his touch, eyebrows furrowing together in defeat when the older man simply chuckled, grasping your wrists with one hand holding them in place behind your back.

"Ah, ah, ah. You need to learn darling. Can't expect a man to watch women flaunt themselves with such skimpish clothing and have nothing happen." You were hoping and praying to hear the shower water shut off, for Maggie to be done so he couldn't get as far as to insert himself in your innocent rose.

You screeched when he his long shaft inside descended abruptly into your dry, but oh so tight canal. At this point, you were hyperventilating, nostrils flaring from the insurmountable pain and sudden intrusion.

The sight of you so helpless, so petrified beneath him assured him that you would indeed learn your lesson. Jim hadn't given you a moment to adjust either, pumping in and out of you slowly at first, watching your cunt take his cock so well, the sight of his lengthy member disappearing every second or so inside of you while your ass cheeks vibrated around him. The warmth of your pussy consuming him, unable to contain himself from releasing a throaty, low groan.

"Fuck love, such a good girl." Another powerful hit to your ass, while he bottomed out, rutting into your aching pussy persistently. He needed to see your tears, see how much you were frightened. Grabbing hastily at your sides, he flipped you over, reinserting himself. His persistent blue eyes locking with yours in a desirable, fiery gaze. You couldn't stop yourself from glancing down, watching his cock dominate and use you with no remorse. The new position, turning the pain into a slight sense of pleasure.

"Fuck daddy.." When you released a gasp of pleasure Jim's eyebrows raised in devilish surprise. Oh he was going to have with this...

"Daddy, eh? What a dirty whore." His eyes focused on your breasts bouncing up and down sporadically, lips agape from the building pleasure. He was hitting just the right spot, the head of his dick brushing against your g spot, but when he noticed you were already close like a petulant child, well that just wouldn't do. This was supposed to be a punishment not a reward.

The sound of the shower water stopping, had his head snapping toward the door. Knowing now he didn't have long, he needed to get off, needed to see you cry, and learn.

"Bad girls don't get to cum.." He pulled out, realigning himself with the hole that God had intended for shitting, bringing the panic washing back down on you, but he held you in place with a stern look and grabbing your chin.

"What did I say? Do you want me to speak with your mum?"

"No! No please I'll-" After the affirmation, he pushed inside your taint forcefully, knowing that this one was going to hurt. He wanted to fucking wreck you, make you never want to disobey him again. Your whole body tensed as you bit down on your bottom to hold back from screaming, the salty tears landing on your lips while your mascara rained down your face. Crying as he fucked into your tight hole, abusing you, and stretching you pass anything you dreamed imaginable. Your ass felt like it was being ripped a part but relief came when Jim's head fell back, not lasting nearly as long before his cum was shooting up your anal cavity, painting your insides white like dreadful piece of art.

When he pulled out you merely fell onto the floor, crumbling into pieces while your hand rested underneath your ass to make the blow to the floor not so bad, his cum leaking out onto your shaking hand. Sighing, Jim pulled up his pants, checking himself in the mirror before turning back to you.

"Get yourself together. Daddy has to go tend to some work. Remember this is our little secret, or else." He slammed the door closed behind him, leaving you crying on the floor trying to pick up the broken pieces of your stolen virginity, trying to come up with some rhyme or reason of how you would continue to come visit your best friend or stay the night. If you didn't surely Maggie would think she had done something wrong that you wouldn't want to be friends with her.

After a few moments, and a quick rinse off of your face in the mirror, you made your way back to the kitchen to find Jim sitting back at his laptop at work, acting normal, like what had just happened wasn't a crime. He knew he had the upper hand.

Maggie turned to you with a concern look. "Are you alright y/n, dad told me you had fallen ill and you look a bit pale." Jim all of a sudden became concerned, asking if there was anything they could do for you. When you shook your head no, Maggie had gotten up insisting on making you a cup of hot tea with honey, leaving you alone with Jim once again. You wrapped your hands around your legs, wincing from the pain in your bum on the wooden chair.

Jim couldn't help but release a chuckle, sipping from his coffee, no remorse present in his sadistic gaze, changing back to normal when Maggie reentered the room.

"So y/n, learn anything new today?"

[kagedbird]

TESSDE AU (+ Lucia :]) (Lucia part 9)

Lucia: *quietly eating her soup, looking around the silent dining room nervously* ...

Kaidan: *using his large build to bodily block Allora protectively from view from Lucien's parents, a firm glare on his features as he ignores his meal* ...

Inigo: *clearly uncomfortable, one ear raised slightly, the other lowered, whiskers twitching a lot, tail low as he eats* ...

Taliesin: *poised, sitting tall, sipping his wine, regal and firm; holding Allora's free hand underneath the table*

Allora: *half staring into her bowl of soup, half making sure Lucia was eating, clearly disassociating* ...

Lucien: *beside himself in worry, eating, but more watching Allora and wishing she would eat* ...

Lyra: *quietly sighs, drinking her wine, feeling more uncomfortable than she had during a long talk with a guard about "appropriate behaviors" and his lackthereof* ...

Davidicus: *frowning as he watches his daughter in law not eating, clearly not wholely present, and clear his throat* ...Would you... like something else to eat, dear?

Allora: *slowly blinks, looking up at him- only for Kaidan to lean forward to block Davidicus' view*

Kaidan: She's fine, thanks.

Davidicus: ...Of course. My apologies. *dips his head, watching Kaidan very slowly sit back*

Lyra: *awkwardly smiling* Would anyone like more refreshments?

Taliesin: *polishes off his wine, smiling thinly* No, thank you. Best to not be under the influence with a child around, after all.

Inigo: *looks at Allora and quietly taps in morse code on the table: Do you want to leave?*

Allora: *looks at him before looking back down at her soup- glancing at Lucia's half eaten soup- and nods* ...

Inigo: I believe that we have some other business to attend to. Thank you for the meal. *stands up*

Lyra: *jolts* But- you haven't eaten, Allora. And Kaidan, you haven't touched anything.

Davidicus: Lucia is also not finished. Are you still hungry, little one?

Lucia: *feels knots in her stomach, shaking her head and setting down her spoon* ...no thank you...

Lucien: *sighs angrily* They clearly would like to be excused, mother, father. Let them go.

Davidicus: Whatever the consequences of our actions may be, it is not wise to have them affect someone so young-

Kaidan: And how about you leave our parentin' of our kid to ourselves, yeah? *sneers*

Inigo: Kaidan-

Davidicus: I am merely saying-

Taliesin: You are being absurd-!

Inigo: *wincing* Erm, please, let us calm down-

Davidicus: -a child should not-

Taliesin: I have had it to here with your behavior-!

Inigo: Ah, friends-?

Lyra: Please, if you would just sit back down-

Kaidan: We'll get up if we want to-!

Lucien: ENOUGH! *glares heatedly at everyone, freezing at Lucia's hiccup*

Allora: *surprised to see her daughter crying, immediately picking her up and running out of the dining room to their bedroom*

Everyone: ...

Inigo: *sighs and scratches his head* I was trying to warn you she was getting upset.

Kaidan: *gets up and hurries out after them*

Taliesin: *eye twitching, standing tall and looking down at Lucien's parents from his nose* I believe that will be the last thing we put up with during our stay. Thank you for your attempts at hospitality, but your undue stress to our partner has gone on long enough. We will be leaving.

Lyra: *stands up, holding up her hands placatingly* Please, wait- we didn't intend for any of this!

Taliesin: And what do you suppose intent versus actions dictates? That we're suddenly supposed to accept your flowery disregard for our partner and child? Flagrant overstepping of boundaries and social expectations? No! We can see clearly that we're not welcome and can proceed as etiquette dictates. By leaving.

Lucien: *feels torn at leaving his parents and choosing his partner and child* Now, wait, Taliesin-

Taliesin: Don't you make excuses for them.

Lucien: I'm not. Please, even I can see what they've been doing is wrong. But I don't want this to hang over the girls like this- I want my parents to have a chance to do better! I love them, don't make me choose.

Inigo: *sighs, running his claws through his hair* I do not believe this is something a simple apology can fix, Lucien. We will be lucky if she does not turn.

Davidicus: Turn??

Lyra: *furrows her brows* Do you- do you mean her dragon form??

Maid: *bursts into the dining hall, breathing heavily* M-masters! Mistress! Lady Allora- she- she's-! Something is wrong with her!

Inigo: Damn it. *hurries off with Taliesin not far behind, Lucien, Lyra and Davidicus right after*

[veryphantombear]

The Mighty Power of Words

Words matter. I have had this catchphrase on my WhatsApp status for quite some time. And still, I’ve found no reason good enough to change it — words matter. Whether we are giving negative feedback, framing a topic, describing someone, or just sending a short electronic message, the way we choose to do that can mean the world to the recipient.

The use of words is an obsession for writers. Words are like little jewels — they have a sound, a color, and of course, a meaning. Arguably poetry is the means through which words detonate their maximum power. The white space on the page of a poem is filled with the richness each word emanates for the reader to experience.

The choice of words tells you a lot about who’s using them. One can distinguish a speech “coming from the heart” from a detached and formal discourse. A huge number of books and articles have addressed the role of communication in regulating relationships in various contexts. Meaningful silences have become equally associated with the ability to captivate attention and mastering audiences.

Politics is the activity that perhaps best exemplifies the link between words and actions. Electoral narratives are created to trigger a voting action. The choice of words can significantly contribute to gauging support for a legislative initiative. The centrality of the use of words in politics is also responsible for degrading the very act of speaking, in many people’s eyes. Words with no deriving consistent action can kill one’s credibility.

Language is behavior. It will signal our values (or the lack of) and will bring into the light of day our attitudes and assumptions. When the language used is authentic and the underlying values are healthy, it stays in people’s minds and goes a long way.

Words bear responsibility

Looking things up in the dictionary was a frequent activity in my childhood home. I was educated early on about the importance of utilizing the correct words, and to learn as many words as possible so to never run short of options for expressing something.

Still now, if I see a poorly written text or an inappropriately used word, I get slightly irritated. But that’s just me and my almost holy respect for verbal and written expression. At the macro-level, one cannot overstate enough the impact of choosing certain words over others. From the role of hate speech in inciting violence to the impact that generalizations have on minorities and diverse groups, words can be more powerful than weapons.

The “Right” speech

Buddhist monks are masters in the wise use of words. Buddhism preaches “Right speech” as the fourth leg of the Buddhist Noble Eightfold Path. Far from being a Buddhism expert, I still find this approach fascinating. The “Right speech” is about telling the truth and doing so in a kind manner which promotes harmony among people. Lying while saying something nice or being honest while hurting the other person are both short of positive outcomes. Being truthful in a loving way seems the perfect solution to reconcile authenticity and ethics.

This approach is in contrast with the belief that harsh feedback helps the receiver, which is very popular in traditional management theories, and is still largely applied in the business world, unfortunately. Despite many managers still believing in the “power” of harsh feedback, there is enough literature out there, both scientific and otherwise, showing that it is ineffective and, more often than not, counterproductive. Most of you reading this piece should be familiar with the work of Dale Carnegie, namely, How to Win Friends and Influence People. The very first chapter of the book speaks on the uselessness of harsh criticism. By the way, that book was originally written over 80 years ago in 1936.

A manager also encounters his/her team on many other occasions and not just during “reviews”. I’ve experienced many instances of lack of trust and a choice of words painfully reflecting that fact. Usually the conversation contains little information, does not include any positive message, and leaves the recipients confused (and even more diffident).

If we are managing people, we should always remember that people are the most important asset to any organization. Our words need to be a reflection of that. Understanding, kindness, truthfulness, respect should inform our choice of language. Every human being has an inherent need for acknowledgment and appreciation of his/her unique characteristics. The words we use will tell someone if we hold them in the proper consideration.

Gender issues in language

Language itself is not sexist, just as it is not obscene; but it can connote sexist attitudes as well as attitudes about social taboos.

Intrinsically masculine terms like “men” when describing human beings or the fact that most generic appellations are masculine (such as “God”), contributes to the feminine dimension still not being equal.

Attention to this topic has certainly increased in recent years, but a lot remains to be done to create and normalize new words and new ways of expressing things.

Can we be thoughtful yet fast with our speech?

One could argue that the speed of modern communication makes carefully crafted wording speech or messages an unrealistic expectation. Yet, U.S. President Donald Trump has often engaged in hateful speeches within the space of a tweet. But on the other (and more positive) hand, newly re-elected New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will likely be remembered for, among other things, her succinct “be strong, be kind” message to the population during this pandemic.

Words matter. Linguistic and social change go hand in hand. Every time we choose how we want to say something, we suggest an intention. We position ourselves. We express who we are and our vision of the world.

My WhatsApp contacts will continue to see “Words Matter” on my status. It is one of my humble ways to keep the attention to this vital topic. The childhood dictionary may have been buried under the dusts of time but my love for words has only grown larger. The Right speech is a shape of communication but is above all a mindset. Whatever we choose as our preferred way of communicating, we always leave a mark. Let’s strive for that mark to be positive.

[not-close-to-straight]

Fairest of Them All (One) (Stuckony)(Snow White AU)

Welcome to the story! We are diving headfirst into the drama and secrets in this chapter. Remember, this is not a family friendly version of Snow White, so even though the fic WILL end with that patented Happily Ever After like all good fairy tales do, be prepared for plot twists and angst and smut (HOLLA) along the way!

Enjoy!

SNOW WHITE MASTERLIST HERE

*********************

Prince Anthony Edward Stark turned twenty one years of age on a morning dawning fiercely bright and bitterly cold, exactly as bright and cold as the morning before had been, and the same as the morning before that and the morning before that and every morning before this morning that the Omega could remember.

The sun rose valiantly each dawn to cut through the nighttime gloom, but a winter sun was a weak sun and every day it was gone by mid afternoon, first hidden by clouds coming over the mountains, then snuffed out entirely by a nightfall that came earlier and lingered longer every season.

This morning was just like every other morning, and yet entirely different altogether because this morning the Omega Prince was turning twenty one and today his life would change forever.

“I wish you were here.” Tony whispered to the stone angels in front of him, tipping his head back to look up at the monuments standing taller than he did, two sets of wings outstretched to brush against the other on one side, reaching out towards him on the other as if offering a hug. 

As a child, he had thought about hugging the angels because it was the closest he would ever come to holding his mama again, but now he only ran his fingers lightly over the carved feathers and sighed to himself.

“I miss you.” Tony lay a bouquet of fragile flowers across Maria and Howard’s names, the petals falling over the dates etched into the granite. “I’m sorry there aren’t more flowers but they don’t really grow anymore, at least not here at the castle gardens and Uncle doesn’t let me outside the walls so--” he blew out a deep breath and tried to smile as if the expression would change anything at all about the moment.

“I’m twenty one today.” he finally continued. “And Alphas from the other Kingdoms have been sending letters all year asking for a chance to come and meet and offer their courtship. Jarvis says it’s very important that I fall in love and find a mate to claim my heart, but I don’t know if I’m ready for that. I’ve never even met an Alpha besides Uncle Obadiah, I have no idea what to expect.”  

Tony bent down to wipe the layer of frost from the name plates. “Ana says the very first time you scented each other, a bond sparked right then and there and that Grandpapa Carbonell had to drag you apart so you wouldn’t try to complete the bond in public.” He flushed a dull red at the thought of a couple mating in the throne room. “I can’t imagine that happening, but I suppose I’ll find out today, won’t I?”

His eyes blurred with tears, the drops freezing on his cheeks as he confessed, “I think I’m scared, Mama. Most of everything I know is back there in the castle, all my books and my tinkerings and my projects in the shop, Ana and Jarvis and Uncle.  And everything else I know is buried right here with you--” his voice caught. “I’m scared. Everything is going to change today and I wish you both were here to tell me what to--”

“Tony?” It was Uncle Obadiah calling for him, the Alpha raising his voice to be heard across the cemetery. “Are you still out here?”

“I’m here, Uncle.” Tony waved so Obadiah would see him, then turned back to the stone angels for a minute more, blowing them kisses and murmuring, “Wish me luck today, Mama and Papa. Pray that I find someone to love me as much as you loved each other.”

“Today is an important day.” Obadiah came up alongside and clapped a big hand on Tony’s narrow shoulder, the Alpha’s large fangs bared in a friendly smile. “I knew I would find you here, seeking counsel from your parents. Are you feeling better about the Alphas coming to visit today?”

“...no.” Tony admitted and Obadiah squeezed at him comfortingly. “I don’t know if I’m more afraid of being rejected by all the Alphas because they think I’m odd, or of actually finding a mate and having to leave. Both would be terrible, don’t you think?”

“Nonsense.” From within the pockets of his heavy coat, Obadiah produced a polished, red apple and offered it to his nephew. “Even if you find a compatible Alpha to bond with, there still will be formalities to see to and a wedding to plan and those sort of things take at least a year to sort out. You will continue living here with me at least up until the wedding day. And if you do not find an Alpha…”

He let the words trail off and Tony looked up at him hopefully, cradling the apple in both palms as he asked, “Then I can live here with you and Ana and Jarvis? I won’t have to leave?”

“You will not have to leave.” Obadiah agreed, and the Omega positively beamed up at him, taking a large bite from the sweet apple and crunching loudly. “Even though at the rate you eat apples, I’ll have to have another orchard planted in the spring to feed you, hm?”

“Uncle.” Tony grinned around another bite, his delicate fangs flashing in the morning light. “Don’t be ridiculous. It will most certainly have to be two orchards.” 

“Two orchards, then.” Obadiah kept an arm around the Omega’s shoulders as they walked the short distance back to the castle, pulling Tony’s hood up and over his face as they passed a group of villagers also visiting the graves. “This is your home Tony, where you are safe and where you are loved and where no harm will ever come to you. No one will think ill of you choosing to forego a mate and simply live on here as Prince. You won’t be able to take the throne as Omega--” 

He raised an eyebrow in question then relaxed when Tony shrugged nonchalantly. “--but you know the Kingdom is in good hands, and if the time ever comes when you are ready? We will address it then.”

“Can I say I’m not ready now and send the Alphas away?” Tony threw away the stem from the apple and started in on the other side. “Because I’m not ready. I’d much rather be down in my work shop then parading myself about in front of strangers. Oh! And Uncle!” 

His dark eyes lit in excitement, his grin stretching wide. “I found one of my Papa’s journals and he was writing about harnessing the power of lightning, thinking he could use the force of it somehow as a means of propulsion or even to--” 

“Tony Tony Tony.” Obadiah sighed and steered him through the heavy gates of the castle, two guards pulling the doors shut with a thump as they passed. “The time for you to bury your nose in your fathers journals and in your little inventions has passed. The other Kingdoms have been patient with us keeping to ourselves because they understood the need to mourn the passing of your parents and the need to keep our heir safe.”

Tony’s face fell and Obadiah rumbled something soft and comforting. “When you turned eighteen and presented as an Omega, other Kings began asking questions, seeking meetings and I’ve tried to shelter you from it, to allow you to fiddle about with your hobbies but we cannot wait any longer. You are Prince to one of the most powerful Kingdoms in the region. They called your father--”

“The Iron King.” Tony stated. “I know. You’ve told they will want my name with their own to combine the thrones. I know. Jarvis told me I have to be careful to not be swayed by an Alpha who only wants my love for the influence it brings and Ana tells me to only let a good Alpha claim my heart. I know, I know, I’ve heard it all.

“Jarvis is a wise man, and his mate knows many things.” The words were ash in the Alpha’s mouth, but he kept the animosity from his scent so the Omega wouldn’t pick up on it. “Now come. You have a whole day ahead of you and you are still in your sleep clothes. You need to get ready.”

“What should I wear to meet an Alpha?” Tony mused, tossing away the apple core into the compost bucket as they passed the kitchen. “Ana is insisting I wear something other than my regular clothes but I don’t have anything else appropriate. Most of my clothes are torn from working in the shop or stained from eating while I read and wiping my hands on them.”

“Perhaps the new trousers you had made.” Obadiah suggested, waving away a servant who approached as if to talk to the Prince. “The yellow ones?”

“And my blue blouse with a red neckerchief?” Tony wrinkled his nose in thought, and Obadiah looked away from it, grimacing over a sudden flash of memory of Maria wrinkling her nose in exactly the same way. “Don’t you suppose that’s a little plain to meet visiting Princes in?”

“It is important to let your natural beauty shine through.” Most Alphas wouldn’t step foot in an unmated Omega’s sleeping quarters, not even as family, but Obadiah didn’t hesitate to enter the room and since Tony had never been told it wasn’t entirely appropriate behavior, he didn't so much as blink as his Uncle began rifling through his wardrobe and retrieving clothing.

“Alpha’s do not want an Omega who is so far covered in fancy clothing and heavy perfumes they cannot scent who you really are.” Obadiah told Tony as he selected a pair of knee high calfskin boots in a beautiful shade of dark brown. “You have to be true to yourself.”

“I don’t have any natural beauty.” Tony scoffed, smoothing the wrinkles from the blue blouse. “My eyes are too big and my hair is too wild and when I smile I show all my teeth, not just the tips of my fangs like the other Omegas do. Besides, if I were true to myself, I’d end up hiding away with a book or working in the shop and ignoring every one of the visitors as they came.”

“Despite those things, you are an attractive enough Omega, and the Alphas will appreciate seeing you.” Obadiah assured him, busying himself at the jewelry box so his nephew wouldn’t notice he was lying.

Tony wasn’t just an attractive enough Omega, he was easily the most beautiful Omega anyone in the castle had ever seen, with deep brown eyes sparked through with gold, and thick hair that curled gently at his ears, a smile marked with lovely fangs that made even the Beta servants stop and stare whenever the Prince laughed. And of course he was sweetly spirited and gently spoken, Howard’s brilliance shining in the dark eyes and Maria’s compassion evident in every touch.

The Alphas would be stunned by Tony’s beauty, struck speechless by his manners and entirely smitten at only first hint of the Prince’s scent, and there was no doubt in Obadiah’s mind a match would be made today.

And when a match was made, it would only be a matter of time before everything else about their lives unraveled.

“You are attractive enough.” he repeated and Tony only rolled his eyes and moved towards the bathroom to begin cleaning up. “One of the Alpha’s will claim your heart today, nephew. You’ll see.”

“I can’t imagine.” Tony sent him a smile from around the bathroom door. “I’ll be here still eating dinner with you and plucking all the apples from the trees years from now, you’ll never be rid of me.”

“Let’s hope.” Obadiah muttered as the bathroom door closed, a frown creasing his features. “Otherwise what happens next will be terribly unfortunate.”

“Oh and Uncle!” Tony popped back in the room and Obadiah straightened with an indulgent sigh. “Will you please ask Jarvis to come in and help me dress? And Ana, as well? Would you mind? I want them here with me today.” 

“I will ask them to drop by if they aren’t too busy with the preparations for the banquet tonight.” Obadiah said solicitously, and the Omega flashed his fangs in a grateful smile. “Go on now.”  

Obadiah left the rooms and warned a passing servant, “The Omega Prince wants no visitors today. No one except for myself is allowed to retrieve him when the Alpha Princes arrive, do I make myself perfectly clear?”

“King Regent.” the servant bobbed into a curtsy and went on her way and Obadiah went to his own chambers to put on his ceremonial attire.

Today he would sit in the throne room as ruling Alpha of the Stark Kingdom, as guardian of the Omega Prince, and observe the parade of Alphas come through in a bid for Tony’s hand. Some were Princes, some were already Kings and a few were Queens, all come to see the heir to the Stark Throne on the day he came of age and was ready to take a mate.

Today was the day everything would change, Tony choosing an Alpha and falling in love, Winter breaking and the people rallying and the witch’s power waning until it finally collapsed and Stane lost his hold over the Kingdom.

Or perhaps it was the day that everything would stay the same, the Winter growing stronger with every passing year, flowers blooming less and less, the nights longer and the people ground to obedience by an army backed by Sunset’s magic, Obadiah’s cruelty and the need for power that motivated their every move.

Obadiah needed to be prepared for whatever the day brought him and that required the attire of a King, so he snapped his fingers and ordered the royal robes brought to his rooms, the crown of King Regent polished and placed on a waiting velvet pillow, both the Stark signet ring and the signet ring of the Stanes slid onto his third finger.

He would be the one to accompany Tony to the throne room, the one to meet and address the potential suitors first, the one to whisper guidance into the Omega’s ear and to wave away anyone who seemed too interested, too interesting, or anyone who could destroy all that he and Sunset had worked so long for.

And if all went well, at the end of the day the Omega Prince would still firmly believe he was safest here in the castle, that the only one who could truly take care of him was his Uncle, and that the world outside the walls was cruel and uncertain, not a place for an innocent, sheltered Omega. Sunset’s power would hold, Obadiah’s curse would be thwarted and things would continue on as they had for decades.

...if all went well.

Obadiah called for a valet to help him dress, and then sent along a message to Sunset by way of the silver eyed cat the witch called familiar, asking for a bit of a spell to ensure that everything did in fact go well today, that the Alphas were perhaps a little too smitten with the Omega, asking if she had something to bring out their baser instincts and ensure that Tony wanted nothing to do with them.

Surely just a hint more magic couldn’t do any harm.

********************

Prince Tiberius Stone was the first to arrive to meet Tony, a stunning Alpha with green eyes and a shock of blonde hair, tall enough to look over the heads of most the guards, broad shoulders and thick arms and a voice that boomed across the throne room.

Yet he stumbled over his feet and nearly fell when he saw Tony sitting demurely on the Prince’s throne clothed in soft yellow and brilliant blue, stammered through his greeting when the Omega stood and offered his hand, and when the Alpha got the first hint of Tony’s scent, those green eyes snapped to red, and possessive growl ripped from his throat as he bared his fangs, trying his hardest to yank Tony off the throne and right up against his body.

Tony screamed, and the guards rushed forward to forcefully separate them, hauling the scent drunk Alpha from the throne room as Tiberius howled in rage, calling over and over for his Omega, such a pretty Omega, why does he scent so sweet, my omega mine.

Ugly finger prints bloomed purple almost immediately on Tony’s wrist and he stumbled back onto his throne with a panicked little sob, trembling in his seat and cradling his injured hand. “Uncle why--why did he do that? Why did he attack me? What the hell is happening?!” 

“His scent and yours are a match.” Obadiah said mildly, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. “Unfortunately, he reacted the same way almost all Alphas will after scenting an unmated Omega. He wants to claim you immediately, and does not care if others are watching.”

“I--I didn’t even get a chance to scent him.” Tony was very very pale now, and Obadiah offered him a glass of water, clicking his tongue in faux sympathy. “What if I hadn’t liked his scent? What if I hadn’t wanted--?”

“I don’t think that would have mattered.” Obadiah kept his tone gentle, but the words were harsh anyway. “Alphas rarely stop to ask before they take.” 

He was lying, of course. Most Alphas-- especially high bred Alphas-- wouldn’t so much as approach an unmated Omega without prior permission, but then again there was not an Alpha in existence that had ever been in the presence of the Omega that was the fairest of them all, an Omega so pure of spirit that his heart alone was enough to break curses. 

No Alpha would be able to temper their reaction to an Omega like that, and certainly not after Sunset had charmed the flower tucked behind Tony’s ear, bolstered it with an aphrodisiac that would push even the most restrained Alpha into a rut.

Obadiah hid a very small, very secret smile behind a cough as he waved the next Prince into the room.

It wouldn’t hurt anything for his nephew to believe Alphas other than himself were brutish and cold, taking what they wanted with no care for others. If Tony was sure that he would never be safe with anyone but his Uncle, there would be no worry he would ever attempt to leave, and his affection and loyalty would never shift away from Obadiah.

And as the second Prince reacted much the same was as Tiberius had, snarling a guttural mine the moment he got hold of Tony’s scent, Obadiah knew the day would go exactly as he’d planned. 

They had nothing to worry about. 

***************

By late afternoon Tony had had enough of Alphas coming to meet him, one after the other being reduced to half feral after scenting him and when Obadiah asked, “Another, my dear nephew?” Tony simply stood from his throne and walked away, head held high, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

“I’m sorry today did not go as you hoped.” The Alpha dismissed everyone in the hall, then put an arm around Tony’s shoulders to steer him up the stairs to his chambers. “But tomorrow is another opportunity and things will be different.”

“No.” Tony undid the intricate knot at his neckerchief and wound the red material through his fingers. “No, I won’t meet another Alpha. I refuse.”

“Tony--” Obadiah tightened the ties at Tony’s collar so the edges of his birthmark didn’t show. “You have to at least accept--”

“I don’t have to do anything!” Tony snatched the flower from his hair and crumpled it in his fist before tossing it away. “I don’t have to do anything, Uncle. I’m not going to sit through another day of Alphas panting after me like I’m a piece of meat. Ana always told me when my parents met and wanted to bond immediately, it was romantic and it was beautiful.”

The lace on the hem of his blouse tore as he wrenched it free from the fitted trousers and Tony stared down at the ruined edge and tried not to cry. “There is nothing beautiful about an Alpha being so lost to his urges he forgets I’m a person. Where is the romance in being claimed by someone so far gone they are little more than an animal? Why would anyone want that?”

“You just need some rest.” Obadiah decided, a hand low at Tony’s back to direct him into the sleeping chambers. “I will send a servant up with wine and a sleeping aid and you’ll feel better in the morning, I promise.” 

“The other Princes and their families--”

“I already put an end to the activities today, besides the banquet tonight they are not expecting anything else.” Obadiah assured him, and Tony’s smile was barely a smile at all, just a flicker at the corner of his mouth. “Don’t worry, nephew. I’ll take care of everything.”

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Uncle.” Tony said quietly, working at the ties of his blouse and shrugging out of the beautiful shirt, his hand automatically going to the starlight birthmark stretched across his heart. “Thank you for everything.”

“Of course.” Obadiah soothed him and the Omega’s smile grew just a little bigger. “Now, be sure to take your sedative but if you need me, I’ll be in my rooms for most of the night.”

“Thank you.” Tony fell back onto his bed and covered his face with both hands, grimacing when his bruised wrist stung.

Today had been awful, so terribly awful and he’d hated every moment. Obadiah had always warned him that life outside the castle was harsh, that others wouldn’t treat him as well as the Beta and Omega servants did. He’d always told Tony that people would stare because of his birthmark, that they would scoff at his wanting to read and wanting to invent, and those that wouldn’t stare and scoff would only want him for his name, for his position as Prince.

Obadiah had failed to mention that at the mere sight of an Omega sent Alphas over the edge in disgraceful displays. Red eyes and angry fangs and snarling-- how had his parents ever fallen in love if that was how things had started between them?

Tony frowned then, tapping at his lip in thought. Ana always said Howard and Maria had been madly in love, passionately in love, late to dinner because the King stopped to pick his mate  flowers and sneaking off together to be alone at the most inopportune times and Ana had promised Tony would find an Alpha to do the same with.

But maybe Ana was simply trying to protect him all those years, like Jarvis had done by insisting Tony know how to defend himself with a sword, with his fists if necessary. Maybe the Iron King and his bride hadn’t been in love at all and Ana had wanted Tony to only think good things about his parents. 

The thought made Tony feel even worse about the day, his stomach twisting at the thought of his mama going through what he had, so he scrambled off the bed and back into his torn blouse, not bothering to tuck it in as he left his rooms and headed for Obadiah’s chambers in the East wing.

The Alpha would tell him the truth about his parents marriage, after all Obadiah had been Howard’s closest friend and confidant since before the two had presented at eighteen. He would know what really happened between Maria and Howard, and if Tony’s idea of true love and mates meant to be was based on lies.

Obadiah would tell him the truth. 

His Uncle had never lied to him. 

Not once.

*********************

The door to Obadiah’s chambers was shut but it had been established long ago that Tony was more than welcome to enter the suite anytime, whether it was to retrieve a book from the Alpha’s extensive collection or to sprawl gracelessly across one of the over stuffed chairs and nap, or even to practice scales and cadences on the spinet in the corner instead of subjecting the entire castle to his attempts on the grand piano in the hall.

Tony wasn’t going to knock-- it was too early in the afternoon for his Uncle to be bathing or entertaining an Omega companion for the evening, which meant he was most likely sat at the massive desk that took up most of the sitting room or having a smoke at the chairs in front of the fire.

There was no reason for Tony to knock, but he paused with door barely open when he heard Obadiah talking with an unfamiliar woman. She wasn’t one of the usual Omegas that came to the castle occasionally to entertain the King Regent, and she certainly wasn’t one of the servants and Tony cringed away from the door when Obadiah muttered something furious, the Alpha’s voice weighted with a barely repressed growl and his words harsh and clipped.

There was an uncomfortable energy leeching from the room and into the hall and Tony cringed away from that as well, uncomfortable with the realization that it felt the same the throne room had earlier that day. It was tangible and heavy, electric enough to make Tony’s skin crawl, dangerous enough to make him want to whimper like he’d had when the first Alpha had turned violent.

It was the feeling of being in the presence of someone just on the edge of losing control, of feeling power barely restrained, intoxicating and frightening and as Tony peered around the edge of the chamber door, he knew without a doubt the energy came from the woman standing in the middle of the room.

“So. He didn’t find a single Alpha he wanted to bond with?” She was asking Obadiah, her voice sultry and soft and under laid with a ripple of steel that belied the sing song tone. “Are you absolutely certain about that?”

“The first one went half feral and about tore his arm off, and the others were just as bad. The flower you charmed did exactly what you said it would, shutting down all but the Alphas most basic instincts.” Obadiah informed her, and Tony’s hand went to his hair, where the flower had sat all day. “He was terrified, if I’m being honest. About screamed his head off when Prince Stone grabbed him, I’m sure there’s marks on his wrist. He put an end to the afternoon early and I walked him to his room. There is no way Tony will want to bond with any of the Princes that arrived today.”

“Excellent.” The woman’s scent was sharp and nearly acidic, burning Tony’s nose when she whirled around to begin pacing, her skirts twirling around her ankles. “So long as that Omega’s heart is yours, we should have nothing to worry about. Ensure that the Alpha’s tomorrow are even more unstable. Perhaps the one from the Hydra faction in the north, their Prince is wild even on the best days. I doubt it will take a charmed flower to make that one lose his mind. One visit from Alpha Rumlow will ensure the Prince never wants to leave your side.”

“I don’t want to ruin the child.” Obadiah objected. “I think what happened today is more than enough. Tony is already refusing to see more Alphas tomorrow, and forcing him to go through with it will make him resent me. Isn’t that counter productive to our needs?”

“I suppose so.” the woman answered. “But if the Prince is as upset as you say, you need to keep him from that doddering old Beta and his meddling wife. They will tell him over and over how important it is for him to find a mate, how important it is to take his place as Omega King and end your rule. We don’t want that happening, do we? Do you know where the Prince is right now?”

“Sleeping off the afternoon in his chambers.” Obadiah said confidently. “I ordered the servant to give him an extra dose of sedative to keep him asleep until tomorrow morning, and I ordered Ana and Jarvis to be kept too busy to come see him.”

“Do you realize if you’d killed those Beta’s years ago like I’d told you, this wouldn't be a concern?” the woman sounded bored, dragging her nails along the mirror above Obadiah’s side table, tapping at it in an insistent rhythm. “I told you to remove all influences from the brats life except for yours, and you didn’t listen. Now we have to do things like drug the child and invent ways for his caretakers to be absent from important events.”

Absent from important events? Tony mouthed, his heart sinking when he realized why Jarvis and Ana had never come to his rooms to help him dress, why they hadn’t been there in the throne room to support him when the Alphas had lost control.

“And I told you that how I run my Kingdom and my affairs if no issue of yours.” The Alpha was snarling again, popping his fangs in a clear warning. “We are entwined you and I, your magic and my armies, but that does not give you the right to determine who dies when or what happens with in the walls of my castle. That is my decision and mine alone!”

“Is that so?” she arched an imperious eyebrow in his direction, the energy in the air thickening until Tony could hardly breathe through it. “Then why oh why did you need my help when you had the King and his Queen murdered on the side of the road?”

Murdered? Tony clapped both hands over his mouth, his fangs digging into his bottom lip. No no no no.

“We have been lucky these last three years the Omega hasn’t asked questions, hasn’t pressed to see the world or to encourage an Alpha’s court, but what if that changes?” She continued. “The prophecy came into play the day he turned eighteen and every year he grows older, the more danger we are in. You’ve done a half decent job of convincing the Prince he’s plain and unappealing, but he’s not stupid. One day he’s going to realize the alpha’s reacted like animals because of his beauty eventually, and then what? How will you handle that?” 

Prophecy?

....Murdered.

“Tony trusts me completely.” Obadiah scoffed and Tony felt it like a knife to his stomach. He did trust Obadiah completely. “Loves me with his entire heart. I am the only Alpha he will trust, and this castle is the only place he will always feel safe.”

This is my home, the only place I’m safe.

“We are in no danger.” Obadiah was so blase, so uncaring in his betrayal and Tony screwed his eyes tight so he wouldn’t cry. “My influence over him is complete and your power will never wane. Margaret said we had to claim the Omega’s heart to keep the curse away and we’ve done it. We have. The curse is no issue anymore.”

“I should hope not.” the woman said coldly. “Either you keep that posh brat locked away in the castle secure and believing every bloody word you say, or I’ll do what I should have done decades ago and take care of him myself.”

She unsheathed a wicked looking knife from the folds of her robe, and Tony flinched, falling back on his heels when she stabbed it into the table top, the blade gouging the wood without any effort at all 

“There is more than one way to claim the heart of an Omega, hm? Even one supposed to be the fairest of them all?”

The woman grinned, all sharp teeth and wicked intent and when Obadiah growled over the display, she made a motion towards the corner and a shadow darker than the rest separated and moved forward. 

Tony’s mouth fell open when he caught a glimpse of an Alpha he hadn’t even known was in the room. There was a flash of silver along the left side of massive shoulders, ice blue eyes gleaming out from behind a full face mask and as Tony gasped quietly, he caught just a trickle of Alpha scent, something metallic and wild and edged brittle like winter and cold. 

Tony swallowed back the unexpected whine building in his throat, and when the pale eyes shifted as if they saw him, he slipped from the door as quietly as he could, then took off running as soon as he was a safe distance away

What the hell was happening?

******************

******************

Ana and Edwin Jarvis had been granted chambers away from the servants quarters decades ago, King Howard and his sweet wife Maria wanting to be sure their closest friends were well taken care of. It wouldn’t have been proper for servants to be housed so close to the royal family, so instead they were given a suite of rooms on the second floor with windows that looked out to the gardens, thickly carpeted floors and tapestries on the wall to keep the chill away. 

Even after the death of the Iron King and his mate, Ana and Jarvis had kept the rooms and for many years it had been a safe spot for the young Prince to come when he was lonely, when he was scared, when he tired of the desserts in the kitchen and wanted some of Ana’s cobbler. Tony was safe here, with no questions asked and no explanation ever needed for his visits, so Ana didn’t even blink when the door opened the Omega came through on silent steps.

“Tony.” Her face wreathed in welcoming smiles for the Prince. “How are you darling? I’m so sorry we weren’t there for you today, there was just so much to get ready for the banquet tonight and somehow several of the serving girls decided to sleep in this morning and we had our hands full and--” she stopped when she saw how pale Tony was, the despair in his eyes.

“Darling?” she took in a deep breath, her Beta senses not always strong enough to pick up the Omega’s scent but tonight her eyes flew open wide when she caught the sour stink of fear and the bitter undercurrent of rage. “Are you alright? Edwin? Edwin! Come here!”

The Beta male popped his head out from the bedroom, and smiled at Tony. “There you are. Thought perhaps one of those Alphas had snatched you right up and we wouldn’t see you again until the bonding ceremonry but--” he stopped when he saw the panic in Ana’s eyes, tipped his head and inhaled and then nearly ran to the Omega’s side, reaching to wrap the young man in a hug. “Shhh shhh, my Prince. What’s wrong? Tell us what’s wrong. Why do you scent of fear? What happened?” 

“Tell me a story, Jarvis.” Tony pulled away from the Beta and sat himself in a chair, running both hands through his hair and grimacing when they came away smelling like the flower he’d been wearing earlier. 

Obadiah had produced it from seemingly nowhere, a gorgeous bloom Tony had never seen grow around the castle before, a shade of pale yellow that had matched his outfit perfectly. How had he not been suspicious? He was so stupid.  

“What story would that you like to hear, little Prince?” Jarvis asked quietly, sitting down across the table and reaching for Ana’s hand. “Which one would you like me to tell you?” 

“The one about the witch.” Tony said dully and Ana and Jarvis exchanged knowing, heartbroken looks.

“Oh sweetheart, what did you hear?” Ana whispered and Tony shook his head. “Something you shouldn’t have heard while you were creeping about your Uncle’s chambers no doubt?”

“Tell me a story.” Tony said again, folding his arms tight to his chest and tipping his head up defiantly, meeting their eyes as if daring them to lie. “The one about the witch. Tell me the one about the witch.” 

“Alright then.” Jarvis looked to his mate for encouragement and then began wearily, “Not so long ago, not as long ago as I used to tell you, a very evil Alpha made a bargain with a wicked witch. He wanted to be King and he wanted to be powerful and he wanted her to make it so

“She agreed to give him nearly unlimited power.” Ana took over the story, pouring a cup of tea for the Omega, adding exactly as much sugar as Tony always used, a splash of milk to ease the bitterness and pushed it across to him. “But only if the Alpha made a blood pact so he could never turn against her. This means their fates are entwined, if she dies, so does he and if she falls, so will he. The Alpha was a greedy bastard--”

“My love.” Jarvis admonished and Ana waved him off.

“--well, he was. And he agreed to the pact, so together with the witch he raised an army ruthless enough to run over anyone who stood in his way. The witch blurred the minds of the King and Queen so they would listen to his lies and double tales and then after their child was born-- after you were born, Tony-- they were too busy loving you to notice anything amiss.”

“When they finally did notice,” the Beta’s voice was low, wracked with pain. “by that time, it was too late. The Alpha had them killed and hid the child away behind the castle walls so no one would ever know the truth of his birth.”

Tony bit at his lip until his fangs punctured through the tender skin, blood welling in the cuts and dripping ignored down his chin. 

“The witch Margaret--.” Ana touched the locket she always wore around her neck and opened it to show Tony the picture inside, of a young Ana and a young Marie and a woman Tony didn’t know at all. “She was Peggy to me and to your mama year before everyone else knew her as the witch Margaret. She was lovely and she was good and she didn’t deserve what happened, what the Alpha and his armies did to the coven. You would have called her Auntie like you used to call me when you were little. You would have loved her, Tony.”

“Peggy’s power wasn’t enough against the other witch, not after so long.” Jarvis took over the story again. “So she put a counter spell in place, a way for the Kingdom to one day rally and break the winter. She promised a child of iron would be born on the night stars fell from the sky, that he’d be marked with starlight on his chest and would present as the most beautiful Omega any had ever seen, the fairest of them all, pure of spirit and heart, one that would bring both Prince and Hunters to their knees, whose love would be enough to undo all the evil.”

“Today is my birthday.” Tony finally said, but they knew by the wobble in his voice that he didn’t believe it. “Today is my birthday.”

“Today isn't your birthday, Tony.” Tears fell down Ana’s face. “Your birthday is eleven days past, the same night twenty one years ago that too many stars to count fell from the sky. Your Uncle told everyone you were born today so those of us who were holding on for the prophecy wouldn’t know the truth. But we know. We know because I held your mama’s hand during labor and my mate was the first one to hold you. Howard was a mess of an Alpha, blubbering in excitement over you being a boy, nearly hysterical over the miracle of it all. He was so shaky he would have dropped you, so Jarvis held you instead and Howard cried and your ma and I giggled ourselves half to death over two big men reduced to tears over a tiny babe.”

“...Papa cried when I was born?”

“Oh honey.” Ana reached out for Tony’s hand, unfolding his arms and holding it tight. “I’d only seen him happier on the day he married your mama.”

“We always teased you that the story was true.” It took more effort than usual for Jarvis to stand, coming around the table to push Tony's collar aside and press his palm to the starlight birthmark. “It’s true, little Prince. I told you the fairy tale because I wanted you to see the signs one day, to recognize the truth if you ever heard it.”

He hesitated. “You heard it tonight...didn’t you?”

“She’s very tall.” Tony answered woodenly. “With very red hair and green eyes. It was hard to breathe when she spoke and her scent burned my nose. There was an Alpha in the corner, one I didn’t see at first and Obadiah seemed scared of him.” 

“Sunset is a powerful witch.” Ana pursed her lips. “And the longer the Winter continues, the more powerful she becomes. Her soldier is very dangerous, you must take care to avoid him. They call him the Huntsman, and some call him the Winter Soldier. She took him wounded from the battlefield and wound a spell about him to do her bidding. Tony, you have to stay away from him.” 

“The witch charmed the flower I was wearing in my hair today.” Tony closed his eyes at the memory of how terrible meeting the Alpha’s had been. “A spell to drive the Alpha’s wild so they would frighten me.” He pushed his sleeve up to show them the bruises. “Even suggested that Uncle bring in one of already unstable Alphas to frighten me further tomorrow.”

Jarvis bit off a furious curse. “The King Regent allowed an Alpha to hurt you?”

“He told me that with an Alpha it didn’t matter sometimes.” Tony’s eyes dimmed in sadness. “That if they want me, then I might not have a choice in the matter.”

“That is a lie.” Jarvis snarled “A lie. I have yet to meet an Alpha who would lay hands on their mate to hurt them. Howard loved Maria so much, if she even entered the room, he was tongue tied. She smiled and he walked into walls, fell down stairs. That is how an Alpha loves an Omega, not the way your Uncle tells you. Your father loved Maria with his entire being, right up until--”

“Until Uncle had them murdered.” Tony finished and Ana hid her face in her mates shoulder. “That part of the story is true too, then?”

Silence in the room for a long time, and finally Tony stood to his feet, his head hanging and shoulders bowed, his scent swelling with grief and then emptying into nothing at all as the enormity of his situation set in.

“What am I supposed to do now?” he whispered, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I don’t want to stay here, but I don’t know where else to go. I have no where else to go. The curse hinges on my heart belonging to someone, but I cannot love my Uncle knowing all this and if I don’t love him--”

“The winter will begin to break and Sunset will take your heart to retain her power.” Jarvis whispered back. “She will do everything she can to break Peggy’s spell, even if it means killing you. And I know Obadiah is family but you can’t hope that he will step in and stop her.”

“Am I really--” Tony felt foolish even saying the words, foolish for focusing on something so trivial “--am I really the fairest of them all?”

“You are.” Ana had to stand on her toes to push his curls away from his eyes. “You are beautiful, Tony. The Alphas today would have tripped over themselves to be near you even without that witches spell, do you understand? That is why Obadiah has kept you hidden away from any suitors for so long, why he’s told you that you’re plain and a little odd. He was lying, Tony. Lying. You are the most beautiful Omega I’ve ever seen in my life, but being the fairest of them all isn’t enough. The curse won’t truly break until you fall in love, truly in love, real true love. Until then, he and Sunset still have a chance to keep their hold on the land.”

“True love.” the Prince stated. “It has to be true love, a perfect bond sparked between myself and another. And where am I supposed to find that? Here in the castle where I’ve been held prisoner and fed lies by the Alpha supposed to protect me? Out there in the world I’ve never even seen? Where? How?”

“When it is time, true love will find you.” Ana tried to smile so Tony wouldn’t see how sad she was, and then busied herself gathering food , water skins and snacks and tying it all into a bag, motioning for Jarvis to bring one of the packs from the bedroom. “Until then, you have to hide. You can’t stay here anymore, Tony. Just you knowing is enough to weaken Sunset’s power and you are no longer safe.” 

Tony nodded, but Ana knew he wasn’t really comprehending it. As near genius as the Omega was, something like familial betrayal, decades of lies and the knowledge of a curse would render anyone speechless. 

“You are a brilliant, brilliant child.” She murmured, putting the pack away to cup Tony’s face between her palms. “So much like your papa that way. Howard was smart it was almost scary sometimes, and the thing he’d invent-- the weapons? You are every inch as brilliant as your father but your sweetness of spirit and your soul-- that is all your mother. You will find a way and where ever you go, there will be someone to help you. And when you’re safe, you’ll know what to do. Your genius and your compassion will be what saves us, Tony.” 

“Here through the trees.” Jarvis lay out a map on the table and drew a path through the forest. “Into the woods and then you must cross the river to the safety of the borderlands. Here by the mountains, there’s a group of rebels who have sworn to do all it takes to destroy Sunset. The Alpha and soldiers will help you, I promise. It’s at least three days travel to the camp, but you can do it.”

“And if I can’t?” Tony asked bluntly. “What if I can’t? I’ve never even been outside the castle walls, Jarvis. What if I can’t make it through the woods to the mountain?” 

“You can.” Jarvis rolled the map and shoved it into the pack. “I have no doubt at all. Stark men are iron men, Tony. You will make it. Straight through the woods to the river, then follow the river towards the mountains. At the base of the tallest peak you’ll find the rebels.” 

There was so much left to say, so many things Ana and Jarvis needed to tell Tony but there wasn’t time and even if there had been time-- neither of the Beta’s even knew where to begin. 

Tony was shell shocked, feeling numb to his core as he watched Ana adding some of Jarvis’s sturdier clothes to the pack, an extra blanket and as much food as could be squeezed into the corners. 

He didn’t know what to say as Jarvis disappeared outside to ready a horse and to move a ladder to the window so Tony could escape that way, and he didn’t know what to say when Ana darted out the door and snuck up to his room to retrieve his warmest coat. 

“Will I ever see you again?” He finally asked as Ana wrapped him into a fierce hug, panic clawing at his throat and pounding at his heart. “Will you-- will you and Jarvis be alright?”

“We’ve prepared for this day for a long time.” she assured him. “We have a safe place to go to if we need, we have supplies and money put away. We never wanted to have to say goodbye to you, Tony, but at least we have the chance to say it. We always worried--” she shook her head. “Don’t think too much about us, sweetheart. We will be just fine.” 

“I-- I--”

“Tony.” Jarvis reappeared, yet another blanket held in his arms to put over the back of the horse. “It’s time. Any moment now, the witch will feel the first weakening at the edges of her power and you have to be gone by then.”

“But--”

“Go.” Jarvis hugged him just as tight as Ana had, hiding his tears in Tony’s hair. “Go on now. Please, before it is too late.”

“But--I--”

“Little Prince. Go.”

*****************

*****************

The horse thundered away from the castle at a dead run, the rider stretched flat across its back, the night wind freezing tears as they streamed down his face.

Back in their chambers, Ana and Edwin watched from the window, straining to see the horse as it disappeared into the darkness. 

“He was so quiet.” Ana whispered. “We didn't even have time to tell him everything, there are still so many things he doesn’t know. He didn’t have time to understand the story or even ask questions--”

“We did all we could.” Jarvis said gravely, his arm tight at his her waist. “Now all we can do is wait and listen for word.”

“But what if this breaks him?” Ana wiped at her own tears. “To learn so much so quickly, his life ruined in the span of an afternoon. What if it breaks him? I’ve loved that boy since he was born and the thought of him alone and afraid and in the woods--” 

“Iron men do not break.” Jarvis pulled the curtains shut and led his mate back towards the fire. “They do not bend and they do not fall. Tony is overwhelmed right now but once he learns the reality of life outside the castle and sees for himself what Sunset and Obadiah have done, he’ll understand. And then he’ll do what every Stark does when faced with a broken heart and insurmountable odds.”

“Build weapons and wreak havoc.” Ana finished, thinking of the armory Howard had filled with catapults and cross bows and stacks of swords, each more deadly than the last. “But Tony has never wanted to build weapons. He is too gentle for war.”

“No man is too gentle for war.” Jarvis denied. “And neither heaven nor hell will help the witch when our Prince comes home for vengeance.”

********************

SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE CHAPTER!

[brahmachari-girish-ji-blog]

Learning from Time

The learning from Time should be taken on time, it is the guidance of veteran and learned men. It is literally true. The time of Corona has come, there has been an outcry in the whole world. The death toll has crossed two lakh, no one is sensing anything, the market of rumors is hot.

Till now we used to hear, ''as many things as number of mouths'' now are hearing ''thousands of things from every mouth''. Even in times of crisis, number of people does not have sense of wisdom. Frivolous politics is continuing, the blame is on the culmination, the useless people are accusing the sincere, the sincere and responsible leaders are troubled by their responsibilities and worries, there is no one to encourage and support them, they are kind of isolated, days and nights of planning and decision are falling short. It is said that time is very strong, the big Surmas of their time are not known today. In a song heard recently, it says that in their time, without their will or command, not even a single leaf of their kingdom was shaken, the Raja-Maharaja Chakravarti who use to build a grand memorial on the death of every member of their family, no one knows where their own funeral took place. We are discussing about Time here. Nobody could win from Time. It seems that time, history and nature are all very close relatives of a family. Whatever is happening, is happening by these three or in the cognizance of these three. By the way, the blame is given to Lord Brahma that everything is written by him. Opponents of Lord Vishnu are in a good number, everything is happening with his Maya, such blame is put on Lord Vishnu. The interesting thing is that neither Brahma nor Vishnu is seen, nor is there any effect seen on them of our words nor any response comes from them. Regarding nature, she does not leave without showing reaction. The Lord Krishna said in the Gita, ''Mayadhyekan Prakritihi, Suyate sa Characharam''. Lord Vishnu does nothing. He enjoys Yoganidra on the bed of Sheshnaga in the Ksheer Sagar and his nature in the entire world keeps shaping his work - with the Maya created by him.

Time can be considered innocent, as the leela of the Lord, he continues to perform the work. Yes, it might not be wrong to put him in the role of a teacher. Time only plays a big role in teaching. And Itihasa-History? It does not seem to have any special role in the formulation, implementation, education, planning of any of these areas. He simply keeps it on record when the work is done. Therefore, History is not worth blaming.

As it is thought about the role of Time, it is for sure that we learn a lot from Time. It conducts everyone's life remotely, it is not visible but leaves an indelible influence, does not tolerate anyone, does not forgive anyone,perhaps Dharmaraja- Yamraj and Chitragupta are close relatives of Time. It is definitely seen that nature nourishes the person who nurtures nature in his life. In the same way it is also certain that the one who is respectful to the Time, following it's rules, took it along with him, the Time was favourable for him, his days were auspicious, kept on teaching well, gave alertness, and finally kept giving salvation. It has always been an eternal truth, it is still today and it will be tomorrow also, because Time is most powerful. In today's situation,what Time is teaching us, let's take a little thought on this. In my view, Time is reminding one of life's greatest learning that life is fragile. No one knows when to go and for what reason. A small, invisible cause has taken the lives of more than 200,000 people in a short span of time and may take many more, no one knows how many. The top scientists of the world are researching day and night about its nature, structure, behavior, effect and antidote, it has been four months but it is still not possible to reach the final result. Everyone's hopes for life, longevity are eternal, but it is not right to be fascinated by it. Hope and imagination are right, but hope and imagination are real, it is not appropriate for the common man to believe, the matter of wise and perfect men is different.

Therefore, the first thing is to perform the duties of life in such a way that there is never anything pending. When the call comes, just go.

The second important thing is to always do good things in life. Everyone knows the consequences of bad deeds, a doubt always hides in the mind, having the record that one has done these bad deeds and do not know if there will be any time to rectify them. At the last moment of life, the accounts of one's own actions are revealed, but till then it is very late, then there is no opportunity to rectify, then one has to leave the world with that account only.

The third thing is to learn to audit your life in time. Who is closest to us in life, who is far away, who is the enemy and who is the hidden enemy, Time is the best teacher for all this. There has been a lockdown for the last one month, we are just compelled to stay in our homes. Everyone has their own requirements. Some need food, some need regular home supply, some want children's goods, some are craving for restaurant food, some have lost their job, some have lost business, some got stuck thousands of kilometers away from family, some have to postpone their marriage, some lost their close family member and could not attend the last rites. Many individuals, many institutions, governments have come forward to help. There is no scale to measure how much help is really being received. The greatest help we can give is peace of mind, consolation, strength. It is more valuable than all goods. But its lacking everywhere. Actually, at this time we learn who is receiving what and from whom.

During lockdown, everyone is provided opportunity to work from home. The government ordered that everyone should be given full salary. There is no account or record of work people doing at home. Many are not in touch and have not reported at all for the past one month. They are invisible like ''horns from donkey's head''. They did not even try to find out the status of their subordinates, colleagues, officers, or the situation of their organisation. Yes those who received Rs. 50 or 100 less in salary, they immediately contacted the Finance Department to find out the reason. This is the opportunity for us to correct the list of sincere/loyal and useless people. Who is responsible, who is dedicated and devoted or not concert at all for the organisation, this has been tested during this past one month. Time taught, the list is corrected for the future. The scores of the loyal and opportunists are changed in record. Apart from this, Time also taught a lot other things. Today a girl from our school said, ''Sir, it was forbidden to bring mobile phones to school by now, see today the whole school has come to mobile''. It is a fact. Till yesterday we wanted to keep children away from mobile, today the same medium has become the main medium for children's education. If anything is used properly for a good cause, then it proves to be a useful and helpful tool. Since last year, universities were not clear why UGC was trying to stop the distance education offering in large number of universities in India. Universities were being harassed by making new strange rules. All the universities which have prepared programmes for distance education in last several years after hard work and spending crores of rupees, all of them are compelled to just waste their efforts. Now see the how the Time has changes, now the same U.G.C. is singing the song of online education. Time has reminded us of Ashta Prakriti, rise from the ground and see the order of ego. The first prakrati starts from the earth, rises and at the end the mind,intellect goes full on the ego. When the nature of this ego changes from the nature of self-respect, to the nature of pride, when ''swa''-self is left out of it, then the human falls on the first prakrati-prathvi-earth. It should be understood. The balance of the Ashtaprakratees should be maintained,this will happen only when the basis of Ashtaprakrateesis in the 9th Prakrati- Para Prakrati, the transcendental field of prakrati. Otherwise the tree of life, like the tree without good roots or with damages roots, will be ruined at any time.

In addition, time also showed a change in relationships. Till now we use to look at the police with the image having a stick and a gun. Now the police are also seen cooking food, distributing food, raising young children in their lap and holding the hand of an old man or woman across the road, singing and dancing on the road in public interest and even facing attacks.

Charitable was the word of the dictionary for most people, now its experimental meaning is understood. Families with average economic status are also regularly providing food to some needy families. Some of my familiar physicians said that on normal days, they used to experience exhaustion on completing their working hours and use to come home. Now they work for 18 to 22 hours. The realization of responsibility has added unique energy to them. Now there is no more tiredness in working extra hours, they are always refreshed with satisfaction of service.

The teachers of my schools told me that they were not ​​working on holidays earlier. But now they are working seven days of the week. How much more knowledge to give to their students so quickly, this is the only agenda they have. what's all this? This is all the teaching of Time. Apart from this, how should be the thoughts, how should be the behavior, how should be the speech, how to have a happy life in spite of limited resources, how to make extrovert mind introvert, how to generate infinite organizing power from the deep peaceful ocean of eternal knowledge, it is all the teaching of Time. Time has given the so much blessings through teaching in a short period on the pretext of Corona, for that let us give BIG THANKS to TIME, express our gratitude to Time.

Jai Guru Dev, Jai Maharishi Brahmachari Girish Chairman - Maharishi Group of Educational Institutions 

[lillotte17]

Bargains and Promises

OKAY, THIS TIME FOR REAL. More not-quite-Solavellan in the Tenacity AU! Here is a link to the first part, since it has been a while!!

~

The district manager who oversees Lady Mythal’s library at her lakeside palace turns down Tenacity’s petition for embodiment. Not in such a way that it would be barred from seeking it elsewhere, but just in this particular region for the foreseeable future. They are not currently trying to bolster the number of followers here, and Tenacity is only a small spirit, without much power or influence. There is nothing to gain by giving it a body, and nothing to lose by refusing it.

However, Tenacity was expecting this to some extent, and it is more than ready to dig its metaphorical heels in until the manager decides to see reason.

The man is a worthy adversary to test its will against. His name is Haninassan, and he has a face that looks like it might have been chiseled out of a particularly craggy mountainside. There are rumors that he used to be a general at one point, hundreds of years ago, but whether he retired from that life in favor of a job that involved less blood and death or was demoted for some grave misstep, no one seems willing to admit. Tenacity is tempted to ask him itself, but it does not suppose that would help its petition any. 

He is a very good manager. People tend to listen to him without his having to shout or repeat himself. He carries an aura of one who should not be trifled with. He is tenacious in his own way, which the spirit can certainly appreciate, but it still wants a body, and it is not about to give up on its goals.

Even if it means making a nuisance of itself. 

It decides that once a week is probably frequent enough to visit his office and remind him about its petition. Haninassan takes it with a good grace, for the most part. He simply continues with his paperwork while Tenacity lists the various reasons why it should be allowed to have a body, and when it seems like the little spirit has run out of things to say, he casually turns it down and ushers it back out the door.

Tenacity is only about three weeks into its campaign when it comes into Haninassan’s office one morning to find him looking unusually harried and shuffling several piles of papers around his desk.

“Not now, firefly,” he says dismissively, waving it off, “Find someone else to pester today. I have to prepare rooms for Lady Andruil and her hunters. I do not have time to spare for you.”

“Hunters?” Tenacity buzzes curiously. It knows of wild hunters; wolves and bears and other large lurking beasts who roamed the forest. Somehow it does not think that Lady Mythal would permit such creatures to roam freely in her palace, even if they are travelling with her daughter.

"Lady Andruil's most fierce and favored followers," Haninassan explains, sounding distracted, "They tend to be a loud and unruly lot, and I would much prefer to house them in one of the more remote areas of the palace to avoid as many fights and bits of broken finery as possible. Unfortunately, many of the rooms in those areas are not fine enough for followers of their station. I would not dare to insult my lady's noble daughter by giving her people unsatisfactory lodging. Compromises must be made. Furniture moved. And if Thenvunin comes in here one more time to complain about which rooms I choose, I just might give them his chambers to stay in and let him sleep out into the garden with his birds."

"They sound fascinating!" Tenacity proclaims with an enthusiastic little twirl.

"I would stay out of their way if I were you," Haninassan warns, "Some of them see spirits as fair game for a hunt. I know that Pride has taken a shine to you, but I would not rely solely on his protection in this case."

"I am sure they can be reasoned with," Tenacity replies blithely, already floating back towards the door.

"Suit yourself," Haninassan shrugs, turning back to his paperwork with a sigh.

As promised, the Lady Andruil arrives with her entourage the next day. They are nearly all wearing at least some armor, as though expecting a battle at any moment, and there is an air of confidence and danger to them. And a hungry sort of greed, too. Like a pack of wolves after an especially lean winter.

Tenacity thinks that they are very exciting.

Pride disagrees.

"Andruil's followers have savage reputations," he informs Tenacity with his hands on his hips, blocking the path to the main dining hall, "And I have seen firsthand that their reputations are well-earned. Half of them stab each other simply as a form of greeting."

"Really?!" Tenacity asks, sounding more eager than ever.

Pride sighs deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"That was not meant as an enticement," he grates out. "I know that you must be all but bursting with curiosity, my friend, but it would be wiser for you to maintain a low profile until they are gone. You can even stay in my chambers, if you like. And I would gladly share my memories of all the festivities once they have left."

"You're the one who wants to be wise, Pride," Tenacity laughs. "If I only see them from your memories, my impression will be colored by your perceptions. And I won't be able to ask them any questions of my own. I came into being in a forest, remember? I have met my fair share of beasts."

"Yes, but a real beast would not attempt to break you out of boredom," Pride points out frowningly.

"Surely, they are not all like that," the little spirit insists.

"Perhaps," Pride allows, "But is it worth dying to find out?"

"You always worry too much," it tells him, its light flickering fondly, "But I will be…cautious. When choosing to approach any of them. If it will make you feel better."

"I suppose that is the best offer I am likely to receive," he replies with a huff of exasperation.

"It is!" Tenacity agrees happily, whirling past him into the dining hall and flitting around for an appropriate roost to sit and observe their guests.

For all the alarming reports it had received about them, Andruil's favored do not strike Tenacity as especially vicious. They are boisterous and loud, and their humor is quite a bit crasser than what one might usually hear in the halls of Mythal's palace, but they are not nearly as unruly as it had been led to believe. Perhaps they are on their best behavior, though.

It supposes that they must ruffle the feathers of some of Mythal's more stuffy and serious followers, Thenvunin seems to be practically beside himself, but to Tenacity's eyes the hunters and their desires all seem…simple. Straightforward. Reach higher. Be stronger. Eat or be eaten. Survive. Endure.  

In some ways, their blunt heckling and cajoling and mild threats almost seem refreshing. Tenacity does find all the posturing and obfuscating and scheming that some of the higher ranking members of Mythal's holdings take part in to be rather tiring at times. And a bit pointless. It prefers a fair fight, if there is to be one. To know your enemy is your enemy, and not worry that your friend might place a danger in your ribs the moment your back is turned.

They might all be out to get each other, but at least they know that they are all out to get each other.

Still, it supposes that it would be stressful to be forced to live in close proximity to dozens of other people who might stab you at any given moment. Tenacity has never been stabbed, of course, but it has been led to believe that it is very unpleasant. It wonders if it is rude to ask someone how many times they have been stabbed. It seems like it must be, although it cannot quite pinpoint the reason why.

Tenacity frowns as one of the rowdier hunters grabs hold of a passing server, Saerill, and drags him down onto their lap. He does not seem especially thrilled by this development, but it is clear that he is not about to risk upsetting their guests and offending his mistresses' daughter. It turns the spirit's mind in a new direction; to how much worse it must be for the lower ranking hunters, who are still keenly aware that the others might mean them harm, and have little means to protect themselves from it. At the very worst, Mythal's servant only needs to wait for Andruil to leave and take her followers with her, but a servant in her own household would have no such reprieve.

Tenacity thinks it is beginning to understand why Pride does not like them very much.    

Just when it thinks it might be time to find Pride or Tarensa, or someone else of suitable rank and moral standing to intervene on Saerill's behalf, another hunter gets up and walks down towards the imperiled servant and his accoster. They are small, although they are still many times bigger than Tenacity, and their armor is very sharp and very red, and they seem to be very annoyed about something. The little spirit pauses, wondering what might happen. It does not seem likely that this hunter would rescue a servant from their fellows, but there is something strange about them. Something different and frightening…and a little familiar, too. Some small bright flicker to them.

Tenacious.

How curious.

The red hunter does not bother with their brethren and their prey, as the spirit thought they might. Instead, they reach for a tray of some kind of meat on the table just in front of the person sitting next to the pair in question, complaining loudly that Mythal's servants seem to be too busy to actually take care of the duties of tending to their hungry guests. Their movements are swift and, as they are covered in quite a few rather large spikes, the elf they reach past jerks away from them abruptly, hissing out a curse and sloshing a great deal of drink onto the hunter beside her as well as the servant they had been pestering.

The reaction is instantaneous. The amorous hunter all but drops Mythal's servant onto the floor as they practically launch themselves at the person next to them. Before long, three other people have been drawn into the fray, and half of the dishes on the table are in ruins before Tarensa, Thenvunin, and a few midranking guards manage to break it up.

The servant who was getting harassed wisely decides to sneak away to some distant corner of the dining hall amidst the chaos. And the red hunter slips quietly back up to their seat near Andruil with their tray still in hand. Their expression is impassive, but Tenacity thinks it catches their gaze lingering a little on the servant as he slips away.

Curious, indeed.

Tenacity decides that it would be prudent to approach the red hunter when they are not surrounded by their fellows.

At first it tries to find them in the Dreaming after the evening meal is finished, but there is no sign of their sleeping mind, even though it is very late. When its initial plan falls flat, the little spirit has to make do with trying to find which one of the rooms in Mythal's palace have been granted to their unusual visitor instead. As it happens, the red hunter has a reputation among the other spirits, and it is not the one that it had been expecting. They all seem to want to give the red hunter a fairly wide birth, but they are at least able to inform Tenacity that the person it seeks is one of Andruil's most favored and highest ranking followers, and has therefore been granted one of the nicest set of guestrooms.

The hunter is lounging in a small sitting room attached to their suite, a vast array of throwing darts and cutlery spread before them on a low table. They seem to be taking inventory and doing general maintenance on their gear. Polishing and sharpening things as needed and whistling snatches of a song Tenacity does not know every now and again.

"I was fairly certain that I locked and warded that door," they note mildly as Tenacity bobs towards them. Their expression looks very carefully neutral, but the spirit thinks that they are not happy about having a late night guest in their room.

"You did," it assures them, "So, I came in through the Dreaming instead."

"That does not explain how you got past my wards," they frown.

"I am very small?" it suggests with a shiver to its form that might be the equivalent of a shrug.

"You could have simply knocked," they point out.

"But you might not have let me in," Tenacity blinks, "And I wanted to speak with you."

"Stubborn nosy little thing, aren't you?" the hunter snorts. "You do not look like the other spirits of curiosity I have seen."

"I am Tenacity!" it exclaims with a twirl and a few small dramatic bursts of light, "Pride told me that I should be cautious when approaching Andruil's followers because they do not all treat spirits kindly, so I thought that it might be better if we spoke alone."

"And what makes you think that I am not like the hunters Mythal's pet wolf warned you about?" they wonder with a smirk. They have unnervingly sharp teeth. "Here you are, alone with me in relative seclusion. I could do all sorts of terrible things to you, and no one would be able to stop me."

"I…suppose you could," Tenacity admits, flickering with a touch of uncertainty, "But…"

"But?" the hunter asks.

"What you did for Saerill in the dining hall was very kind," it tells them quietly, "I do not think you would hurt me just for wanting to speak with you."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," they insist flatly.

"Was it an accident, then?" Tenacity wonders, "You do not strike me as the sort of person who does anything unintentionally, least of all kindness."

"And what sort of person do I strike you as?" they ask in turn.

It fixes them with an intense stare, not just looking, but seeing. After a moment, it's faces twists, and it shakes itself, the light of its being flickering slightly. Despite that, it floats a little closer to them, more intrigued than wary.  

"You are very strange," it decides.

The hunter raises an eyebrow.

"It is not a bad thing!" Tenacity assures them, "I am just not sure how to say it better. Pride is always telling me that I need to be less blunt with my phrasing. Apparently, honesty is distressing for many people. I do not understand it very well."

"Truth is often a dagger that cuts both ways," the hunter snorts, clearly amused, but apparently not willing to offer more insight than that.

"Yes, your strangeness is like that," the spirit agrees, which earns it another curious glance, "You want very badly to be something, and so you hide and posture and talk in circles. But the thing that you want is already yours, and it always has been. So, you see, it does not make any sense."

The hunter does not look amused anymore.

"I am one of Lady Andruil's most favored hunters, and she is a most generous benefactor," they say, their face curling into a very unfriendly sort of smile, "What do else do you suppose I could ever possibly hope for?"

"I do not know," Tenacity admits, seemingly unaware of their discomfort, "I am a very small spirit, and you are very good at hiding things, I think. You have buried the thing you are reaching for very deep. Down under the shadows where the little spark is gleaming like a star in the night. Where you once a spirit? Perhaps we were born of something similar. There is something familiar and resonating in the shine of you."

They do not seem to know what to make of that.

"I…do not remember much of my time in the Dreaming," they say with a slight inclination of their head, "I prefer not to speak of it."

"Pride was not happy when he was a spirit, either," Tenacity tells them, "But he was even less happy to take a body. I still want one, but I would be sad to lose memories of my time in the dreams of the forest. Is it normal to forget?"

"I am led to believe it is common to lose memories of various sensations," they sigh, "You will not move so easily through dreams. You will struggle to recall what it felt like to not have a body. It is more challenging for some than others."

"Was it challenging for you?" it wonders.

"…No," they say, but their voice is almost soft, and their emotions are held tight within them.

Tenacity blinks.

"It is alright to admit that something was difficult for you," the spirit says, "To overcome adversity is all that I embody. It is a good feeling. A strong feeling, even if it is small. It does not matter that you struggled. That you cried or bled. It only matters that you kept trying. That you reached the place you were seeking. You must be very tenacious, I think. It is admirable."

"You presume much," the hunter tells it, but they do not seem offended. In fact, they seem almost oddly charmed. "But I suppose you cannot help it."

"I was trying to be nice!" Tenacity objects.

"You are also a bit conceited," the hunter hums, "Probably from spending too much time with a former pride spirit."

"Hey!" it interjects, "That's no way to speak to someone who was only trying to help!"

"I thought you enjoyed honesty," they smirk.

The spirit pauses, makes a face of slight consternation, but then laughs a moment later.

"I suppose I did ask for that," it agrees.

"Speaking of asking for things," the red hunter says, leaning back on the couch and twirling on of their many knives through their fingers, "I would prefer it if you did not mention the specifics of this conversation with others. It could make things…complicated."

"I can keep a secret!" the little spirit promises with a twirl.

"Like you kept the wolf's feelings about being a spirit secret?" they wonder archly.  

"Pride has never asked me not to tell people that," Tenacity frowns, "Is it a bad thing to tell? Many people struggle when they first take a body. It is one of the reasons he is worried about my wanting one."

"It is not bad, per se, but it exposes a potential weakness," they explain, "And a means of embarrassing him. As a former spirit of pride, I imagine he is not very adept at handling such humiliations."

"You…would not hurt him with it, would you?" it asks hesitantly, its light dimming to a dying ember.

The hunter closes their eyes and sighs, looking severely put-upon.

"I suggest a bargain," they reply after a moment, "So long as you keep my secret, I will not take advantage of his."

Tenacity blinks at them again, surprised for a moment, but then glittering with amusement.

"I knew you were kind," it accuses them with a giggle.

"I can be generous when it suits, but that does not make me kind," the hunter insists with a hiss, "There is simply nothing to gain at present by making thing miserable for Mythal's pet."

"If you say so," Tenacity smiles. "If we are exchanging favors, may I also ask for your name?"

The red hunter raises a brow at it.

"Uthvir."

"The Unending Path," the spirit beams, "How marvelous! I knew it when I saw you in the dining hall!"

"Knew what?" Uthvir wonders doubtfully.

"I knew that you were like me!" it exclaims happily, "Tenacious!"

 ~

“Are you beautiful, Pride?” Tenacity asks one day while they are having a picnic out by the lake. 

Well, to be more precise, Pride is eating on a blanket by the water while Tenacity zips around encouraging the flowers to bloom despite the lack of rain the past few weeks.

The elf in question nearly chokes on the sticky sweet roll he had been enjoying.

“I- uh. I believe that might be a matter of opinion,” he sputters a moment later. “Why do you ask?”

“Many people say that Uthvir is beautiful. Scary, too, of course. But still pleasing to look at,” It begins, floating a bit closer to him, “They do not refute the fact that they are beautiful. They are aware of their reputation and use it to their advantage. People also say that flowers and jewels at beautiful as well, but I do not think that Uthvir looks like either of those things. You do not look like them either, and you also do not look like Uthvir, so I was curious whether or not if you were considered beautiful.”

Pride makes a face as though he is not quite sure if he has been insulted or not.

“It still baffles me that you made friends with Uthvir, of all people,” he sighs out at last.

“We are very much alike, so it was not hard to be their friend,” it smiles at him.

“I have a hard time believing that,” he huffs.

“I know,” it says, glowing fondly, “That is because you are Pride. But I like you for it anyway.”

His cheeks pink a bit at that.

“Why the sudden concern with my reputation in regards to my appearance?” he wonders.

“Oh, I was simply trying to understand the concept of beauty a bit better, that is all,” it tells him, “I do not think the idea of it is very congruous to my nature. I suppose that any body I might take would most likely not be very beautiful to look at. I am not certain that would be a bad thing, though.”

“All things are relative, my friend,” he says with a faint smile.

“What does that mean?” it asks in turn.

“Simply that those who enjoy your company will find you pleasing to look at because they think of you as endearing, regardless of physical attraction,” he explains.

“So…emotional connection is a determining factor in beauty?” Tenacity blinks, “Similar to the way you said that touching can be different depending on how you feel about someone?”

“Well…emotional attachment is not necessary for one person to think of another as beautiful, but it is generally a factor, yes,” he replies. “And just because you find someone beautiful does not always mean you would find them attractive in a romantic sense.”

“This is all very confusing,” the little spirit sighs. “Perhaps it would be easiest not to engage in such messy feelings at all.”

“Undoubtedly,” Pride laughs, “Although you might not have much say in the matter, if you do take a body.”

“Do bodies cause people to look more attractive to one another?” Tenacity gapes. “Does everyone who takes a body suddenly have an interest in such things, even if they do not wish to?”

“Not everyone with a body is interested in romance, physical or otherwise,” Pride shakes his head, “But many Dreaming Born find themselves developing feelings and attractions that would not have been part of their nature as a spirit.”

“But you have not found yourself attracted to anyone since you took a body, Pride,” it points out, “If you have never been in love with someone, how can you know when it happens? How can you tell when you find someone beautiful? How do you know what you like?”

“Well, one would assume that it is the sort of thing that would be recognizable when it happens, if it does happen,” he coughs, a little awkward again, “And I…have met elves I thought were beautiful, but I was not in love with them. I am generally more interested in the beauty of someone’s spirit than their physical form.”

“If you will not know you love someone until it happens, does that mean it could be anyone?” Tenacity wonders. Its eyes grow wide. “Oh! What if you fell in love with me?”

“What?” Pride laughs.

“It would make everything so much easier!” it exclaims, “We could figure out being in love together!”

“I…do not think that is how that works,” Pride tries to explain, still seeming amused, but trying to be gentle, “People do not simply decide to be in love with each other, as a general rule. You might not even find me attractive if you take a body.”

“But I would still be pleased to see you,” Tenacity argues, “I would be fond of your shape because I am fond of you, just as I am now. If feelings are connected to a sense of attraction, then it would follow that I would most likely find you beautiful, because I enjoy your company. Kissing and courting and all of those things does not seem like it would be much of a stretch from those feelings. Or would it?”

Pride does not seem to know what to say to that.

“I…suppose that does not mean that you would find my body pleasing, though,” it continues, dimming a bit, “I just thought it would be nice. Romantic love seems like such a big feeling, and no one seems to be able to explain it to me in a way I can understand. I am not sure I would be very good at it, but I believe I would like to try. To truly love someone seems like it must be a worthy goal.”

Pride’s face creases in mild concern, holding his hand out to his friend in offering. Tenacity obligingly floats over to settle in his palm, looking up at him curiously. The emotions around him seem conflicted, and it cannot parse them very well. Perhaps when it is not so small it will be easier. It will understand more because it will feel more. The broader scope of the world.

“To truly love someone is admirable, indeed,” he begins slowly, “But true love does not necessarily have to be romantic or sexual in nature. It is just as noble to be a devoted friend or a loyal guardian. I believe that you are already capable of loving things truly as you are now. Tenacity does not always have to be generous, but you are. You have a bright and gentle heart. You do not need a body to know what love is, my friend.”

“And do you love me truly as I am now, Pride?” it wonders, “As one friend loves another?”

“I do,” he admits easily enough.

“And will you still love me truly when my shape is solid?” it presses, its little body bright with the rosy glow of genuine pleasure.

Pride closes his eyes for a moment and heaves a weary sigh.

“Of course.” 

"Then I will continue to love you truly as well," it declares, sounding determined now, "Even if we find each other's physical forms very unappealing, and we do not wish to kiss or touch or have sex. I will be your devoted friend, even if you do not find me beautiful."

Pride snorts.

"And I will continue to be your friend even if you do not find me beautiful," he returns with a laugh.

"Do you promise?" Tenacity beams.

"I promise."

[goldenkamuyhunting]

Do you think Ogata is a sociopath?

Sorry for the late reply. Sadly this is an extremely busy working period for me.

Anyway…

is Ogata fitting sociopath trope?

It’s a really interesting question and also, if I’m not wrong, a hot topic for the fandom so I’ll try to answer it the best I can.

I’ll use as reference for the Sociopath trope tvtropes because it’s good enough to analyze a character of a litterary work.

So, for this trope, we’re given 5 defining qualities (I’ll copy the words of tvtrope below so people don’t have to go back and forth to check it).

1) Lack of Empathy and Devoid of Conscience: Their defining feature. Utterly ruthless doesn't begin to describe them: except for when trying to appear normal, they will disregard any social norms and semblance of morality in pursuit of their own selfish desires. The Sociopath will do whatever it takes: lie, cheat, steal, extort, manipulate, or use outright violence without the slightest hesitation, disgust or remorse, and for as little as Pleasure or The Evulz. Murder and violence have no more emotional weight than eating Chinese takeout or some other mundane activity, and they have no concern for the direct or collateral damage they do to other people, being unable to understand why anyone should. Likewise, they never truly understand the feelings of others on anything more than an intellectual level, and may even believe that everybody else is faking it too. As many Real Life criminal psychologists put it: "They know the words but not the music." Techniques for learning moral behaviour, such as reason, therapy, rehabilitation and behavioral reward/punishment, will not work on them or tend to only make their behavior even worse by making it easier for them to fake it. This is why the only thing resembling consistently successful treatment involves teaching them to avoid behaviors that have predictable consequences; they may still believe that consequences are bullshit, but if they have been made sufficiently aware of the fact that their behavior will always end up with them in jail, getting sued, or simply just getting jumped or killed when they fuck with the wrong people, and that they can't lie and fake their way out of it because people are wise to their game, they will usually shape up.

Noda actually debunk this in Ogata’s second apparition and it’s THE DEFINING FEATURE of the trope.

Not only he has Ogata decide they won’t kill Tanigaki in Huci’s house because Huci reminds him of his grandmother, whom he loved and therefore he doesn’t want to kill her (chap 43),

but he also have him to save Nikaido (Chap 45)

eventhough Ogata is sure it’s a trap (Chap 45).

In case people hadn’t gotten the message well Noda remarks his meetingwith Huci left an impression by having him remember her when Tanigaki mentionedher (chap 110)

making him consequently offer to help Tanigaki (yeah the way hewent at it was horrible) and in other small instances (like how although hedoesn’t believe in dreams he tells Asirpa he should write her instead than justsaying he should ignore her for being senile and naïve (chap 113)).

He also remarks that Ogata knew a wounded Nikaido would be a liability byshowing how one of the war techniques Ogata learnt in war was to woundopponents instead than killing them (chap 46)…

and underlines this again in thefight with Vasily, where not only it’s explained again how wounding opponentsis a technique used to damage enemies (Chap 162)...

but Ogata also comments on how Vasilywon’t expose himself for his companions as he evidently would be comfortablehearing their screams of pain through all the night (chap 162)...

which was what Ogata should have done instead than saving Nikaido.

We’ve other instances in which Ogata showed he’s not utterly ruthless,like when he saves Shinpei instead than letting his father kill him and onlyafterward killing the man (chap 59).

We’ve him claiming he doesn’t feel guilt for the people he kills and yethe hallucinates and is clearly haunted by the memory of his brother, whom hekilled (chap 164/165).

More recently instead we’ve the scene in which he comfort Koito (chap199)

...or the fact once he was left alone with Koito he didn’t harm him in retaliation for slamming his head against his nose but just tied him (Chap 200).

Noda likely created those settings exactly to debunk the defining feature of thetrope, so we won’t get the wrong impression about Ogata.

2) Consummate Liar and Manipulator: In the event they are ever targets of suspicion in crime dramas and thrillers, sociopaths are able to fool any Living Lie Detectors in the cast, pass polygraphs effortlessly, and fool even you, the audience, into believing they are genuinely kind and caring people who are victims of a "big misunderstanding" (assuming they are not so smugly confident of their own invincibility that they feel no need to hide their unsavory personality). Moreover, despite their lack of empathy, sociopaths are capable of using their knowledge of others' desires, emotions and insecurities to manipulate them for their own personal gain. Because of this, many of them are Faux Affably Evil. This is related to their lack of empathy and shame - they don't feel the slightest discomfort about lying or exploiting others, so they do so with the same ease in which normal people perform mundane activities. This is why you should always assume that any apparent epiphany from a sociopath is bullshit; as far as they're concerned, it's just another tool to get what they want, and they don't actually believe that they have done anything wrong. Don't let them know that they are full of shit, because it will just force them to become more slick, but do act with the knowledge that they will go right back to their old ways the minute that they think it is safe to do so.

Yeah, Ogata lies in Golden Kamuy. All the cast does, even Asirpa.

But the idea here is he has to be a consummate one, a GOOD one, a masterful one, not just a guy who here and there lies. He has to be so good at lying he can manipulate others though his lies.

And Ogata fails at lying. Noda debunks this as well in Ogata’s second apparition when he tells Tanigaki that he was joking when he said Tanigaki might have killed Tamai and Co and Tanigaki is free to remain in Huci’s house because Ogata will act as if he had never seen Tanigaki (Chap 43).

Tanigaki is so sure Ogata is being sincere he thinks he has to leave AS SOON AS POSSIBLE (Chap 43).

And I’ve spent lot of time discussing how his lie about Sugimoto’s final moments was a complete and utter mess, the clear sign the most Ogata can do are extremely simple lies because as soon as he tries to make up a story that’s as unbelievable as possible.

Ogata can be a good strategist during a battle.

We see it in the Barato arc, also in the sniper duel and, if we want, also in his recent escape. However he’s clearly not good at manipulating people in interactions.

He can’t win over their trust, which is a big requisite to manipulate people as he’s almost universally distrusted, we see it not only with Tanigaki, who simply didn’t buy his lie nor spilled the truth about Sugimoto’s involvement but also with Sugimoto himself, who’ll be more prone to trust Kiro or Hijikata, who’ll both betray him to try to get Asirpa, and even Tsurumi than Ogata even when it’ll be really obvious Ogata is actually right (remember the fake Ainu arc?), with Yuusaku, who won’t spend time with whose women nor kill a man, with Asirpa, who won’t give him the code and honestly, I’m not even sure his attempt at hinting Tsurumi’s involvement in Koito’s kidnapping will be something Koito will understand.

In order to be a manipulator is not enough to attempt to manipulate, you’ve to do so successfully. And Ogata fails at this.

3) Pathological Need for Stimulation: The Sociopath's raison d'etre (i.e.: an overriding goal which serves as one's "reason for existence"). Due to their inability to empathize or even care for those around them, sociopaths largely view their existence as boring or meaningless and therefore feel compelled to engage in "thrill-seeking" activities to alleviate their restlessness. How this manifests depends largely on the sociopath's personality. It can be as relatively benign as binging on video games, compulsively gambling, or leading highly promiscuous lifestyles. Far more dangerous examples are prone to satiate their lust for thrills by partaking in criminal enterprises, becoming serial rapists and/or killers, or (if they are unusually high-functioning) accumulating vast wealth and/or influence for the sole purpose of dominating as many people as they can for their own amusement. Due to their obsession with indulging their insatiable appetites however they want whenever they want, sociopaths have a very low tolerance for inconvenience or irritation which in turn leads them to have a pronounced lack of impulse control. Because of this, many of them are Ax-Crazy, have a Hair-Trigger Temper, and/or are Mood Swingers.

That’s hard to say.

So far Ogata never stated to find existence boring without action. Sure, he’s engaged in a very risky hunt and he’s rather reckless but does he has a pathological need for this or, like the rest of the cast, he’s just thinking this is the price to pay to reach his goal? He’s in this for the fun of it or he has a different purpose? Until we don’t know Ogata’s goal we can speculate as much as we want but we can hardly say for sure.

What we know is Ogata has a very good impulse control, that he’s usually very cold and even in the few circumstances we’ve seen him angry or in a tight spot he hardly lost it.

4) Shallow Affect and Complete Lack of Emotional Reciprocity: A Sociopath is physiologically incapable of experiencing a deep emotional attachment towards others but - being a Consummate Liar - learns early in life how to fake them. This shallow emotional life means that the Sociopath is unable to form sincere long-term relationships with anything or anyone, but will feign feelings of love and affection if they feel it serves their purposes. Most of the true feelings a sociopath harbors towards others, positive or negative, are rooted in an insatiable desire to dominate or control them. While narcissists desire to be loved or at least respected, sociopaths don't care whether others view them positively as long as they don't stand in the way of their own self-centered gratification. In the rare event that a Sociopath actually does form an "attachment" to another person, it rises no further than that between an owner and a possession and/or a valuable resource for advancing their goals. Thus, once such "friends" cease to be useful or entertaining, they will abandon them or, in some cases, even kill them without any hesitation or regret. Any emotional reaction to having committed a heinous act is met indifference at best and glee at worst.

Technically debunked again in Ogata’s second apparition.

As said before not only Ogata declared he had feelings for his grandmother but even went out of his way to spare Huci because it reminded him of her.

But I know this is viewed in a rather controversial manner.

In fact so far we hadn’t seen him developing a deep emotional attachment toward others as he remained a loner.

The fandom though was very impressed by two things.

One is his relationship with Yuusaku. It’s worth to note that Noda made very clear that Ogata wanted to avoid Yuusaku and not have a relationship with him at all (chap 164),

...and it was on Tsurumi’s request he ended up on having to try to deceive him and get them what they wanted. It’s also meaningful how Ogata never played the whole thing on the affection side. The most he did was to point out he and Yuusaku were brothers so they should get to mischief together, but he never tried to use feelings into the play, he insisted in calling Yuusaku ‘Yuusaku-dono’ and he never asked Yuusaku to do something because Ogata loved him or out of the love Yuusaku should feel for him.

Ogata is clearly not faking any affection for Yuusaku, he’s at most giving him some of his time. Yuusaku, who has already decided Ogata has to be delighted to have a little brother even when Ogata clearly hinted the contrary, might not see it but this speaks more of Yuusaku’s obsession to get Ogata to be his big brother than about Ogata’s attempt at faking feelings he didn’t felt.

The other thing the fandom likes to talk about is Ogata’s relationship with Asirpa.

That one is a rather controversial topic.

Asirpa is friendly with Ogata. Nothing over the top, she just deal with him with the same kindness she would deal with everyone else (actually she’s kinder with Tanigaki considering the guy threatened her and tried to use her as human shield and she completely forgave him that and saved his life. Twice).

Ogata’s interactions with her, for most of the story, are not responding to it at all.

He’s not faking affection, he’s just mostly not interacting and keeping on his own.

It takes him months to say ‘citatap’ as she repeatedly asked him and call Asirpa by name. It’ll take him even more to say ‘hinna’.

Asirpa decides to remain friendly with him. That’s Asirpa’s decision, it’s not Ogata’s actions, or more exactly his lack of actions that cause Asirpa to remain friend with him.

And Asirpa is clearly not the type who needs to be rejected to latch to someone as we see she’s just fine with being friend with Sugimoto, Shiraishi, Kiroranke, Tanigaki and others, who aren’t keeping distant, nor she’s so starved for affection just a word would win her over.

Even when he will try to get her to give him the code he won’t try to play it on the ‘if you care for me/trust me give me the code’ or on the ‘I care for you so I’m telling you what would be best for you’.

Really, to assume Ogata was faking affection with her would require accepting he can’t fake it to save his life.

5) Grandiose Sense of Self-Worth: The trait that ties it all together - the one that changes it from moustache-twirling evil into a mental disorder. Sociopaths will go so far as to convince themselves that they have succeeded in their plan, even as failure stares them in the face and snaps on the handcuffs. They genuinely believe it. They don't really care what others truly think on the matter, but they do care about what they say, and like to fill their social circle with people who say what they want to hear. Any others - even former 'friends' - will be dismissed from the sociopath's social circle simply for doubting them. They consider themselves better than anybody else and that they are entitled to special treatment - and they can't stand anybody being considered better than them. However, while the Narcissist is self-conscious of how they measure up to others' standards (and therefore will experience shame or guilt for failing them), a sociopath's grandiosity is all-encompassing to the point they have no concern how their actions reflect upon them UNLESS it threatens their ability to indulge their appetite for further stimulation. They are incapable of acknowledging personal responsibility for failure, and will always blame others, no matter how irrational it is. In fact, it's considerably difficult convincing them that the activity they have partaken in has even failed. This is all part of why a sociopath can't change - since they consider themselves to already be perfect, and refuse to acknowledge failure on their part, and consider the true opinions and feelings of others insignificant, they never try to improve themselves.

Honestly I wouldn’t say Ogata has a grandiose sense of self worth.

Sure, he knows he’s an amazing sniper and he occasionally brags about it.

Everyone does know Ogata is amazing at sniping. This is, after all, a fact that’s accepted by the whole cast and that’s actually proved more than once, after all Ogata fits the trope of improbable aiming skills with his impressive feats of shooting two deer at once or managing to catch three woodcocks with a less suitable rifle, exterminating a reindeer herd on his own or hitting targets with an impossible precision from an amazing distance.

Ushiyama too comments on how he’s Ushiyama, the Undefeated, even if he lost to Gansoku here and there when they only used fists (Chap 143).

Just bragging a little on a real skill isn’t a sign of grandiose sense of self-worth, just of rightful pride for it. Yeah, modesty is an important virtue but you don’t turn into a sociopath if you’re proud of what you can do.

What’s more noteworthy though is he knows he’s a rejected kid, anunwanted one, who wasn’t loved and that feels he lacked something fundamental. He’s aware of how, being an illegitimate, his existence was a source of shame for his father. He comments on how he knew he wouldn’t be able to persuade Asirpa, admitting his failure. He admits his responsibility in his actions.

Therefore I can’t really see him as a guy with a grandiose sense of self worth.

And so with this, we’ve finished with the defining traits for this trope.

Tvtropes also says:

Many of these traits are shared with other disorders, but it's the combination of them all that creates the trueSociopath.

In short you need them all to have a character that fits this TROPE (please, remember, this is a TROPE, the real personality disorder that goes with the same name is not something an ordinary person can find out in real people with this checklist, no, not even if, like me, they studied psychology in high school, this is a list for a TROPE as this is a fictional work).

As a result honestly I can’t see Ogata fitting into them because, for the first 2, Noda actually did his best to remark howthey don’t fit to Ogata from his second apparition, for the 3rd we can’t really say as we lack material, I’ll let the 4th up to debate and honestly, I don’t see him matching with the 5th.

As a trope Ogata fits the cold sniper with improbable aiming skills and an ambiguous disorder (at least for now... who knows, in the future Noda might tell us).

The one of the sociopath isn’t really cut on him.

It doesn’t mean Ogata is a good person, or that he only does good things, it’s clear he does a BIG DEAL OF TERRIBLY WRONG THINGS and we know sociopaths can do this sort of wrong things.

However Noda apparently wasn’t interested in making Ogata a sociopath or otherwise he wouldn’t have written scenes debunking a sociopath’s main characteristics and, believe it or not, in real life you don’t need to be a sociopath to do the sort of wrong things Ogata does so it’s not like Noda is being unrealistic.

Sorry to whoever wanted him to be one, I know each fandom loves to have its own memetic psychopath but as they’re not my cup of tea I fear I won’t partake into the ‘fun’ of turning Ogata into one.

Thank you for your ask!

[mushroomdraggo]

Presenting! The expansive 7-card reading for @windkissesfr​‘s Azri, Cobalion, and Sangar.

Warning: the longest of long posts incoming

Overall Relationship: Card: The Queen of Swords Interpretation: The Queen of Swords represents strength and independence. Applied to a relationship, cards relating to independence tend to point towards independence within the relationship. This means that, while these three dragons might have a very close and intense relationship, they are also wise enough to have a “Self” outside of the group. Some relationships see individuals get completely lost (romantic and platonic relationships), but this would be nearly impossible with these dragons. They are strong alone, stronger together, and set a great example of leadership for the clan as a whole.

Azri and Cobalian’s Relationship: Card: The Emperor Interpretation: The Emperor is a major arcana, meaning that it represents “archetypal” behaviors or individuals. Deeper, the Emperor itself is about structure, power, and authority. I suppose this could be interpreted as a strength of bond, or perhaps even a negative “power dynamic” (for example, perhaps Cobalion feels oppressed by Azri’s rage and power) between these two, but my gut is pointing me in a different direction: I think others view the pair as the bringer of structure and order. Between Azri’s protectiveness and Cobalion’s supportiveness, they are motherly and fatherly influences for the entire clan. Were things to go bad, Azri and Cobalion could bring order and calm. All in all, a very positive relationship and something the members of your clan can really look up to! Another interesting tidbit regarding this card: the traditional depiction of the Emperor shows him holding a staff topped with an ankh. The ankh, in turn, is a symbol of eternity. This means the Emperor literally “holds eternity,” and I can see Azri and Cobalion’s relationship “holding” for just as long ^.=.^

Cobalion and Sangar’s Relationship: Card: Six of Swords Interpretation: Support, support, support. The Six of Swords card brings very strong feels of sadness of loss; it shows two figures, one old and one young, sailing out to sea with their heads bowed. It calls to mind themes of mourning and trying to move on. This relationship--the mentor and the mentee--can apply directly to Cobalion and Sangar. Sangar loves to play tough, fighting his way through endless battles in the coliseum, but his past traumas and baggage are still very much with him. Where others might be quick to dismiss him as unshakable, Cobalion is one of few who sees through that image and consistently offers love and support. It is likely that Sangar is resistant to this kind of support, but Cobalion always win out in the end. 

Sangar and Azri’s Relationship: Card: Four of Cups Interpretation: This is another interesting one. The image on the Four of Cups card depicts a young man under a tree, his arms crossed, engrossed in thought. An arm offers him a cup filled with fresh water, but the man is too busy to notice. This, sadly, is how Sangar sees Azri-- or, rather, he doesn’t. Despite Azri’s repeated attempt to lend support and love to Azri, he doesn’t see her as that sort of figure in his life. They get along fine, don’t get me wrong! But Azri often ends up feeling frustrated with Sangar through failed attempts at communication, and Sangar is apathetic towards Azri. Their communication could be, uh… better.

Azri’s Contributions: Card: Eight of Pentacles Interpretation: Precision, commitment, labor. Azri WORKS on her relationships. All of them, all the time. She wants to be an active, loving, and committed member of any relationship she finds herself in-- down to hairdressers (or some such dragon-y equivalent) and grocers. Azri will always be toiling away to make other dragons happy… even if she can’t always properly tailor the support she offers (*coughcough* SANGAR *coughcough*). Nevertheless, her effort are (almost) universally appreciated. In short, she’s a Leslie Knope -type: always trying her best, even if she sometimes makes it worse.

Cobalion’s Contributions: Card: The Chariot Interpretation: The Chariot is, of course, a vehicle. It’s a mode of getting from one place to another, pulled by powerful horses and driven by a talented individual capable of controlling them with precision and accuracy. Cobalion is this driver, whether he realizes or not; he is the influencer, the one who steers his relationships in new directions and forges new paths. While he may not put in as much work as Azri (who… now that I think about it, miiiiiight be trying too hard with Sangar and totally scaring him off), he somehow manages to be the dominant one in his relationships, and he is largely responsible for their successes. If it weren’t for Cobalion’s gentle support for Sangar, he and Azri might not be able to get along at all. Cobalion probably does a pretty job of maintaining Azri’s fits of protective rage, too. He’s a pretty cool dude.

Sangar’s Contributions: Card: The Star Interpretation: This card… made me so sad. I barely know these characters, but I honestly got hit with some serious feels when I revealed this one. Sangar, the warrior king. Sangar, the long-lost prince of a fallen kingdom. Sangar, the scared-and-barely-coping “ladies darg” You know what he brings to his relationships? Joy, optimism, and renewal. Hope. Love. Azri is the protective mother, Cobalion is the supportive father, but Sangar… he is light and hope and power for everyone in your clan. Even in her frustration, Azri is better for having known him. Even though he may be bogged down with worry, Cobalion is happier having been there for him. Everywhere he goes, Sangar brings powerful hope and spiritualism to everyone. Without effort, without meaning to… just by existing. I… love him.

Final Thoughts/Tidbits:

With big readings like this, it can be helpful to do an overall analysis of recurring themes to tie it all together. Here are the recurring themes I identified and their possible interpretations:

Stars: Hope, illumination, guidance. These three dragons are guiding each other through life in unique ways

The number 8: Hope, courage, and confidence. These dragons are all very independent, and build on each other’s confidence

Swords: The element of air, strong community and (ironically) communication. Maybe this is a stretch goal for these guys?

I’ve italicized what I believe to be the MOST important takeaway: HOPE. These dragons--all of them--bring hope to their clan. Though they may not always get along great, the example of working through differences and being stronger together makes all dragons feel hopeful: hopeful that they can tackle obstacles, hopeful that they will be guided by these pillars of strength and love, and hopeful that they will one day find a group of dragons who will treat them even half as well as these dragons treat each other.

Thank you so much for your request! I had a lot of fun putting this together for you, and I hope it is just as much fun for you to read!!

[ayeonkkot]

Game-Changer: Game Theory and the Art of Transforming Strategic Situations

By David McAdams

Game-Changer develops six basic ways to change games — commitment, regulation, cartelization, retaliation, trust and relationships — enlivened by countless colorful characters and unforgettable examples from the worlds of business, finance, sports and more. “Games” are strategic situations, and “game theory” is the art and science of strategy, but the game-theory approach to business is much more than just being smart and savvy about strategy.

Zhunge Liang said The wise win before they fight by recognizing all the games that could be played, steering the strategic environment in their favor, and then fighting with confidence in their ultimate victory. By contrast, the ignorant just play the game that lies before them, their victory or defeat largely out of their control, a matter of luck and fortune. Game theory helps businesses plot tactics. The most obvious games in businesses are those played at the tactical level — how to set prices, how to launch a new product and so on. Finally, and the most importantly, game theory can transform the culture of an organization.

Commit

Commitments are only effective when made early enough (and visibly enough) to have an impact on what others choose to do. Thus, anyone who commits needs to “move first,” in the sense of committing before others make their decisions. But what does moving first really mean from a strategic point of view? “The early bird gets the worm.” That may be true for birds, but in business, there isn’t always an advantage to being first into a new market space. But in fact firms like Apple in personal computers, dominated his markets for years not because Apple did things first but because did things best.

Invite Regulation

Each player has a dominant strategy to use as much of the resource as possible, but when everyone does so, the resource is overexploited and everyone suffers. The idea of the tragedy of the commons, that resource exploitation is a game, has since been widely applied to understand many so-called common resource problems, such as pollution, overfishing and habitat destruction, highway traffic and spam email. Hardin famously argued that the only way to solve the tragedy of the commons is to restrict individuals’ rights to use common resources. This perspective has had a profound impact, justifying major government interventions that restrict free usage rights. Every law passed by Congress, every action taken by the executive branch, and every ruling by the judiciary “regulates” the governed. Moreover, government isn’t the only regulator. Administrators in schools, parents in families and trendsetters in society all “regulate” others by influencing their options and incentives. Perhaps above all, firms are at heart regulatory bodies, in the game-theory sense of incentivizing others to change their behavior, as they seek to motivate employees to work harder, entice customers to buy more and so on.

Merge or “Collude”

Merging two competitive firms into a single entity to look after their collective interest. Nowadays, all large mergers are reviewed by federal regulators and routinely blocked if these regulators fear they could hurt consumers by decreasing competition. Yet collusion can be viewed more broadly as cooperation among one set of players that just happens to harm another set of players. Indeed, collusion may even be desirable from a social welfare point of view.

Build Trust

We live in a mostly lawful and ethical society, where people treat others honorably and well, just for the sake of doing so. But trust is never automatic. We must always decide whether to trust, knowing that there is a possibility that we might be betrayed. Fortunately, the deeper message of game theory is that trust is possible even in a completely selfish world.

Trust in Selfish Word

Real-world criminals do plenty of deals, so they must have ways to overcome this incentive to cheat one another. First, criminals have internalized the lessons of cartelization and self-regulation, forming huge umbrella organizations and incentivizing good behavior among their “associates” with the threat of murder (or worse) for anyone who gets out of line. Moreover, even the most sociopathic criminal recognizes the benefits of (i) cultivating a reputation for being a trustworthy business partner and (ii) building relationships for repeat business, just as in the legal business world.

What If Only One Side Can Be Trusted?

There are two key ingredients in any promise, related to observability and credibility:

Some player (the “last-mover”) can observe and respond to the other’s move.

The last-mover can credibly commit to how it will respond.

Enable Retaliation

Mutually Assured Destruction Games are so-called “dynamic games.” The defining feature of dynamic games is that they take place in real time, with each player capable of quickly observing and reacting to changes in the other’s behavior. Another key feature of MAD Games is that they are “waiting games,” continuing in a fixed status quo until someone finally “pulls the trigger.”

Leverage Relationship

Mechanics, dentists and restaurants are just a few of the many types of businesses that rely on repeat customers. The prospect of repeated interaction is a powerful inducement for players to exert extra effort and cooperate in various ways.

Reputation Without Repeat Business

What if you only interact once with someone but need their trust to get a deal done? Fortunately, all the strategic benefits of repeat business can still be had if there is some way for others to verify how you have handled yourself in previous deals. For instance, online marketplaces such as eBay have introduced “reputation scores” to help address the problems of anonymity and non-repeat business over the Internet. By design, reputation scores transform anonymous eBay transactions into (at least somewhat) observable encounters that others can use when deciding with whom to do a deal. Thus, sellers know that how they treat each customer will affect not only whether that specific customer returns for repeat business but whether others will choose them as well.

[beautwin-blog]

Have you seen DARIUS around camp? Wait, you don’t know DARIUS TOBIAS ECHOLS?? He is a GREEK demigod, from CABIN TEN. You know, the APHRODITE Cabin? He is TWENTY-ONE, and arrived at camp SIX YEARS ago, and gets mistaken for BRANDON FLYNN most of the time. He is usually pretty ERUDITE and SELF-SUFFICIENT, but can be ALOOF and ENIGMATIC.

Biography: 

Darius Tobias led a life filled with trials and tribulations: abandonment, loss, and even isolation. And yet, in spite of all the theatrical melancholy that dominated his earlier years, he was never alone. He had a forever-companion. His twin sister experienced all of the same troubles that he did, and they probably kept each other sane. They were the constants in each other’s lives. No matter where they were sent, how much money they had, or what school kicked them out, they persisted in life together. Growing up, Darius wasn’t afforded much of a childhood. His years of playing with dolls and running around barefoot in the streets morphed into one of having to lock up the house every night because his father would go to bed early. In brief, he had to grow up quite fast. He didn’t get along with his father, but not because he misbehaved. Quite the opposite, Darius was extremely well behaved in the home, while his father was rambunctious and irresponsible. Situated comfortably in a large home in the United Kingdom, the Echols had a dynamic which everyone on the street gossiped about. The twins had odd behavior. They were secretive, exclusive, and inseparable. The father was odd, too, but in a different sense. He was squirrely, loud, and could be a little bit frightening when he burst into periods of ranting about the world, his business, or how awful the twins were at home up-keep. There was one reason, then, that his business was successful (and why Aphrodite was drawn to him, aside from the success). He was handsome beyond a worldly scope. He had a high-level position in an advertising company, and on the side sold counterfeit purses, wallets, and other things. he twins had knowledge of the counterfeit business, but when it came time for their father to go to jail and they were questioned, they claimed no knowledge of the activity. They didn’t see the harm in it; they had never taken part in the illegal trade, and had no desire to be punished by the law. As it turns out, they were quite punished enough in the years to come. They moved in with their Aunt for a bit, further into the country side and went to a small school. Both of them, though intelligent, failed their classes and gave their teacher a difficult time when he tried assisting them personally. What was even weirder, despite their indifference to the world, they attracted a great town. The Echols were who everyone wanted to know. In the 7th grade, a fight had disrupted in the middle of class over who was to be Darius’s lab partner for the year. Indeed, it wasn’t a matter of bickering, but rather a physical altercation. This had landed Darius in detention for several weeks, because some of the students were under the impression that Darius instigated it on purpose. At their aunt’s house, they had abandoned their old habit of being responsible and opted for a style of living that closely resembled that of a turtle. They were never seen except for at meals. What this meant, and Darius took great pride in never letting on, was that he was shut in his room reading and writing. He had written probably three novels before they were shipped to boarding school for their aloof disobedience. There were a few more school changes before the final straw had been drawn, and they moved in with a more distant relative, their father’s step-cousin, Jack, in America.  Their time with Jack was short but equally as traumatic as the events of their past. Not long after moving in and taking a liking to their new guardian were the twins displaced again to Camp Halfblood at the age of fifteen.

As they had been desensitized to most things, so too did they become relatively bored with Camp Halfblood. Upon entering, Darius’s imagination ran wild as he experienced things that he had never seen before. Edith Hamilton’s Mythology had sprung off the pages before his eyes. He trained hard but found he wasn’t much of a fighter. He rode in chariots, on the backs of winged horses, made friends with nymphs and satyrs alike. It was nice to see Darius enjoying life, and anyone who knew him well enough would agree that his first few weeks in camp were probably the best of his whole life. He made an abundance of friends, though it wasn’t clear why. He wasn’t very engaging to those he didn’t care for. In fact, he was a bit diabolical in that he could so easily manipulate people using sheer willpower, though mainly he simply asked them to help with his studies. It was as though his ‘friends’ were mere tools, just like books, or his type-writer. He would ask someone to spend the afternoon with him, only to have them recite poems from a small collection as he closed his eyes to absorb the beauty of the language. It only took a year of this manipulation before Chiron theorized what was happening. He didn’t have charm-speak, as a few talented Aphrodite campers had, but he did have undue influence over the behavior of others. He concluded wisely that Darius had inherited an aura of sorts from his mother– almost as though he were emitting pheromones that drew people in, or made them see him on a higher pedestal. Of course, this power wasn’t all-encompassing. People were conscious of their decisions and could still say no if he asked them to do something for him, but the catch was that they didn’t want to say no.

Sadly, spending about six years in a single place because of the lack of alternatives can make one feel hopeless again. Darius saw the trees fade to grey, campers disappear from death or departure. He and his sister remained, and so again became reclusive. Their popularity, as it had thrived in primary and secondary schools, as well as the first few years they had been at camp, waned as people realized that they were not all they appeared to be. Darius didn’t try to keep up appearances either, as time went on. He became odd, again, as though the campers and the people back on his street in the UK were the same souls, gossiping about his reserved manner, his closeness to his twin, and why he always acted twenty years older than he was. If one sighted him outside of training or eating, it was considered a talking-point. Finally, it is important to note that Darius and his sister had a brief stint where they left camp. They had most of their father’s money, and they had decided that they could make it out in the world. With no credit, life was difficult. Darius had to use persuasion merely to rent a run-down apartment in New York City. He began to try to find a publicist for his novels while his sister worked odd jobs, quitting each of them in turn because of various reasons. Still, they had a lot of money, so working wasn’t a pressing issue. However, when their lives were threatened by a monster attack when the two of them were twenty, after only a month of living outside of camp, they returned, Darius with a fractured hand. Since, Darius has been his same old self, or, if anything, even more cautious than usual.

[ccphotomedia]

You’ve probably seen reports in the media about obesity and overweight statistics, and it’s true – the numbers and prevalence of these conditions are definitely increasing. And, we can see the effects in real life… Have you noticed, for instance, when walking down the street, taking the subway/bus, shopping in a store, working at the office, attending public events, or eating at a restaurant, that more and more people seem to be larger and larger and taking up more and more space? I know I definitely have.

The numbers are startling. According to the CDC, about 70% of adults 20 or older are considered overweight or obese… that’s more than 2 out of every 3 people who are facing a higher risk for a variety of diseases and early death. And, even worse, about 1 in 5 teens, about 1 in 6 kids aged 6-11, and about 1 in ten toddlers and kids up to 5 years old are considered obese. What was that old adage how about how our kids are our future? If that’s true, what do these statistics tell us about our future?

Here’s the thing, there are a lot of people that say that it’s totally fine to be overweight. That it’s “normal” and to quit the “fat shaming”… but… to deny that this is a problem is to not live in reality.

This issue of obesity and overweight is certainly complex, and not attributable to one simple cause, and, yes, I agree, people still deserve dignity, but this issue definitively has a huge impact on us, both on an individual level and society at large.

Again, to deny the health impacts on individuals who are overweight is to deny reality. For instance, overweight and obese people pay, on average, $1,429 more per year in health care costs, according to a 2009 study by Finkelstein, Trogdon, Cohen and Dietz published on Health Affairs. And this is not institutional/systemic bias against “people with larger bodies,” it is a sign that there is a clear correlation between weight and impacts on health, regardless of whether you believe any data from the CDC or scientific studies on the correlations of overweight/obesity on the risk for diabetes, heart disease and other conditions, for instance.

“But, I’m healthy, why should I care,” you might think? Well, because, as I mentioned above, it’s not just about the individual, his/her costs and his/her increased risks of pre-mature death. There is a cost to society as a whole, both financially and progress-wise.

The Finkelstein study above estimated that total annual costs of health care related to obesity came in at about $147 billion dollars for 2008. (Yes, I realize this is 10 years ago… so imagine what that number is now.) If you divvied that up among our current population, to reduce the impact, that works out to be about $451 per person per year.

Don’t think that you foot the bill for any of this? Do you pay taxes?

According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, in 2016, health programs including Medicare, Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program and Affordable Care Act made up about 26% of the annual budget. And, according to an article on financial expert Dave Ramsey’s website, a “sample 2011 tax receipt provided by whitehouse.gov shows the total tax bill for a married couple with two kids making $80,000 was just over $9,000″ total, and of that, about 21% was designated to health care related programs. And, in that Finkelstein study, they determined that 8.5% and 11.5% of Medicare and Medicaid spending, respectively, are directly related to obesity/overweight. That means, about $1,800 (or more) of this sample family’s income taxes are going to medical programs in general, and about $360 obesity related care directly. How much of your money do you want to spend on obesity care for society, or on yourself, for that matter?

And, to top it off, this isn’t even taking into account the cost of lost productivity… based on time out of work due to health issues connected to obesity, obesity-related disabilities, and so on, which I don’t have numbers for at the moment.

So, why am I so passionate about this? It’s not really about the money, for me. I personally grew up over weight and out of shape, and not for a lack of exercise, as I was pretty active doing soccer and dance throughout my childhood. I later realized that the food I was eating, and I don’t blame my parents, but the food I was eating was not properly fueling my body. In addition to eating too much processed food and sugary foods, I also ate a lot of refined carbs and not a lot of nutritious veggies/etc. I am partially to blame/responsible for this, having been a picky eater for most of my youth, and busy/on the go a lot… And it wasn’t until I was in my early twenties that I decided I would do something about it. So, I set about to learning about food, nutrition and going down the rabbit hole of attempting to figure out “the truth” about healthy eating.

I got so passionate about this area that I decided to devote some of my professional work in photography to this area – particularly through food photography – but also started a podcast exploring topics around food, health, food systems, food entrepreneurship, nutrition and more with entrepreneurs, game changers and experts.

This all, ultimately, led to my attending the International Association of Culinary Professionals conference, this past February, where I met a woman named Sophie who works in the Culinary Institute of America’s strategic department. When I mentioned my podcast, Put a Fork In It, and how I’m on a mission to create a healthier, wealthier and happier world, she told me about a conference she was working on through the CIA – the Menus of Change.

I didn’t know what it was at that time, but she mentioned to follow up and she could connect me with the right people to get a press pass, on behalf of the podcast and my blogging.

Being the diligent person I am, I did just that, and with that deal of networking, a few weeks ago, I had the amazing opportunity to attend this 2.5 day leadership summit at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY (not too far from where I live).

This conference was founded several years back as a way to include the food service and food consumer packaged goods industries in the good fight: helping to shape these industries to influence healthier options/choices for consumers and adapting our current food system to a healthier and more sustainable version that prioritizes personal and environmental health and, ultimately, delicious food.

It was truly a great opportunity to be among the CEOs of large food companies, chefs and culinary/nutrition directors, scientists, and more who are all on the cutting edge of this work.

My eyes were opened to the fact that the food industry and agriculture are one of the leadings contributors of climate change. Something I realized while at the conference, since I really try to be apolitical and not polarizing, and try to find the middle ground on these types of things, is that whether you believe in human caused climate change or not, there are definitely measurable and important impacts on the environment from our current behaviors in the food/ag industries, and we can always improve. In retrospect, that should of been pretty obvious, considering that we use land to grow our food, both plants and animals, which certainly has impacts on the soil, and, how about erosion of soil from replanting crops annually, or methane coming from livestock, or waste and pollutants of all sorts from shipping materials, or pollutants from herbicides, or decreasing bee populations, or getting rid of “sub par” produce, or packaging from processed goods (or otherwise), and so on.

If you want more specific information, here are a few resources to get you started:

Environmental Effects of the US Food System, a report on the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s website, and

Environmental Impacts of Food Production and Consumption, a report from the UNESCO- Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems, which catalogs “state-of-the-art, high quality, peer reviewed, thematically organized archival content in many traditional disciplines and interdisciplinary subjects with including the coverage of transdisciplinary pathways”.

Or, if you prefer something a little simpler to follow, check out the this Vice piece about the impacts of Climate Change on the wine industry.

Another interesting show is Rotten, on Netflix.

So, similar to above, regarding denial of health impacts of obesity, to deny that our actions in the food/ag industry has an environmental impact, is to deny reality. So, again, whether we believe in climate change or if we do believe it exists, but aren’t sure that we could really do anything about it, the fact is that we are currently doing things that impact the environment and, again, if we believe in our kids being our future, it’s really in our best interests to take care of the environment, to do a better job, and create a sustainable world where our kids can grow up and raise kids of their own.

This event, the Menus of Change, really opened my eyes to this. And while, at first, I did have some resistance and skepticism to what was being said, since environmental issues are often a politicized and therefore polarizing and propagandized issues with a lot of buzz words designed to make us feel guilty and shameful (from both sides of the spectrum), I’ve opened my mind back up to this topic and it’s true importance, because it’s critical to recognize that our actions, individually, as as people and businesses, as well as in the collective industry and society at large do really matter for the long term success of our species and life on earth. And, if we don’t take care of our environment and resources, we all lose out in the end regardless of whether you’re on the left, on the right, believe that humans have caused climate change, or that we can’t do anything to prevent or reverse climate change.

So, as you might expect, the conference included presentations from industry leaders in various sectors of the culinary and food system, entrepreneurs, scientists, chefs and so on, as well as networking opportunities. But, what was unique was really how deeply the concepts and values were actually applied. What I mean is… they actually practiced what they were preaching about plant-forward menus, the “protein flip” and the “Mediterranean diet”/using unique ingredients and local sourcing. It wasn’t just a load of preaching or trying to “inspire” or “educate” or propagandize to make change, there was actually a full-reaching application of the principles during their own meal times. They sampled some of the dishes that were discussed or shown during cooking demos, and even provided the recipes for the foods that were served, through the conference app. It was certainly a refreshing change to be at an event that actually served delicious AND nutritious foods – a pet-peeve and big weakness for me.

This really is exciting and makes me grateful to have been a part of it and to meet so many people that also want to improve the food system and public health. It’s very encouraging and, even if there are certain things that may be polarizing or pique my skepticism or critical side, it really comes back to one of my favorite guiding principles, from Ghandi himself, to the CIA: “Be the change you wish to see in the world” and, therefore, lead by example.

It was really wonderful to be a part of that experience and be able to be a part of something that embodies this philosophy – it’s one of the reasons that I do what I do and pursue the goals that I pursue, in spite of challenges and naysayers. I really believe that if you want to change the world, you have to start with your self and act in accordance with your values, first, and if you do that in your own life, the more people around you will see that it’s possible and be inspired to try it too. And to me, this is the greatest approach we can take to create the positive changes we wish to see. One small act and one person or organization at a time.

  Here are some of my photos:

Pork Tsukune and Shishito Skewer, tare glaze over warm lentil salad

Kozy Shack Rice Pudding with slow roasted strawberries and crispy citrus pistachios

Kozy Shack Rice Pudding with slow roasted strawberries and crispy citrus pistachios

Illy coffee rubbed blended mushroom and beef slider with coffee barbecue sauce

Improved Nature Mini Bites Creamy Pistachio Pesto Pizza

Wonderful Pistachio and Almond Orange Energy Bite

Wonderful Pistachio and Almond Orange Energy Bite

Menus of Change: a summit aimed at making a healthier world through the food industry You've probably seen reports in the media about obesity and overweight statistics, and it's true - the numbers and prevalence of these conditions are definitely increasing.

[fountainpenguin]

Did Cosmo really kill his father? What's your take?

I’m fond of the idea that Schnozmo snuck his baby brother a super-powerful wand because he was just fooling around, and that’s the reason Cosmo was as destructive during his Terrible Twos as he was. This is then one of the reasons Schnozmo and Mama Cosma had a difficult time getting along. Schnozmo was of course horrified and Mama Cosma blamed him for Robin’s death.

One of the first Prompts I planned and started was Anti-Schnozmo lingering at the border with Anti-Fairy World and hopping from a tree onto the roof of the Spellementary school bus, and riding across the border, where he obtained some wood and tried crafting a wand for Cosmo. I scrapped it when I decided the Anti-Fairies were banned from Spellementary at that time, and I haven’t looked at it since.

Of course, it wasn’t being turned into a fly that killed Cosmo’s dad in my headcanon, but he did die when Cosmo was two and accidentally cut a huge chunk of Fairy World off from magic and strangled them. Cosmo wrapped himself in a magic bubble and was busy messing around, sort of playing and being destructive in that way you do when the Terrible Twos take control, and didn’t realize what he’d done.

Robin was trying to break through Cosmo’s bubble and whisk him away to safety before any authorities could attack and hurt him. He basically died while pounding his fists against the bubble shield, falling to his knees, gasping for magic in the air to breathe and pleading for Cosmo to stop what he was doing. Poof nearly plunged the Earth into another Ice Age, Cosmo actually killed off a significant portion of the Fairy population. He’s responsible for a lot more deaths than just his father’s, hence why he was known as “the cute and deadly”, and it was decreed that no more fairy babies were to be born after him.

Mama Cosma, although distraught by the death of her husband, defended her baby and tried to blame his behavior on the Terrible Twos taking control, and on him being too innocent and dumb to understand what he did. As Cosmo grew up, Mama Cosma was terrified. She feared that if he grew up to be some intelligent scientist or well-respected figure in the community, people would hold all those deaths against him. They would assume he had been intelligent at the age of two, and perhaps had killed all those people on purpose. People might forget about the influence of the Terrible Twos in favor of being angry and seeking revenge on her baby.

Mama Cosma didn’t want that for him. Perhaps if he didn’t seem to know much about the situation, people would assume he wasn’t malevolent. At the very least, she figured that if Cosmo got too smart and put things together, he would blame himself. She definitely encouraged Cosmo to be highly dependent on her as the only one he could trust, and instilled him with a belief that he shouldn’t believe anything he ever read. 

I imagine she basically shut off his access to outside information, to the point where he barely understands the concept of cookbooks (Leading us to him believing a cookbook was a storybook in “Fairly Odd Fairy Tales”). Cosmo was taught not to see the value in gaining very much of an education until he was working as a locksmith (magic key) in the Carl Poofypants High area. He finally spoke to Wanda for the first time (This is where he accidentally hit her with his car, as mentioned in “Cosmonopoloy”, and is then followed by him working in the diner as seen in the Musical). He realized that if he wanted to win her over, he’d probably have to sound at least a little more intelligent. 

We’ll see in Frayed Knots that this is also the first time he and Anti-Cosmo meet, so feeling out of his league compared to his counterpart is likely another reason Cosmo began sneaking books and trying to teach himself everything his mother kept from him. It’s actually after this that she sends him to school- to train in the barracks for a job that requires more knowledge of Earth than Fairy World. Cosmo would have loved to study more history, but his godparent training kept him busy, and when everyone treats you like a moron and laughs when they see you struggling to read and understand concepts they learned back when they were kids, it’s difficult to stand up for yourself and your dreams.

Since he was bright enough to create the generator in “Power Mad”, was super enthusiastic about microbiology in “Tiny Timmy”, and Butch confirmed him to be the author of the “Astrophysics For Morons” book in “Shelf Life”, I’ve always assumed Cosmo has a strong interest in the sciences. That works out because Anti-Fairy World isn’t very advanced technology-wise, so Cosmo and Anti-Cosmo are opposites when it comes to what they know in that field. Cosmo actually knows a lot about the things he’s passionate about. It just doesn’t come up in many conversations with his godkids. Most godkids don’t care how the Big Wand and magical backup work as long as they can still get their wishes.

Mama Cosma doesn’t blame Cosmo. She blames Schnozmo for slipping him an adult wand because he thought it would be fun to see what his baby brother did with it. Schnozmo’s story after this is one of mostly keeping to himself in his room, trying to keep out of his mother’s way lest he incur her wrath, until he finally snapped and ran away from home.

Anti-Cosmo’s dad died with his counterpart. Originally, Anti-Robin was going to play a large role in Frayed Knots. That was back when Anti-Cosmo was going to be born in a manor, and Anti-Fairies lived in family groups instead of colonies. So I have a few deleted scenes of Anti-Cosmo’s parents arguing, and my personal favorite: His dad giving him a medal that says “#2 son”.

Coincidentally, Anti-Robin is nicer in the version of him I went with because I needed him to be a good influence on Anti-Schnozmo, and to embarrass Anti-Cosmo with his goody-goodyness, and then he dies. I do have a tendency to kill off the nice people and leave the jerks behind to tell their stories.

Cosmo did kill his father unintentionally, but it wasn’t by turning him into a fly. There’s a nifty one-shot on FFN called “Answers” by Danny’sGhostGirl that looks at the Mama Cosma / Schnozmo relationship, and in that one-shot, they also discuss the “adult wand vs. child wand” thing. I recommend it if I’ve sparked your interest on the matter.

[barajasbryan92]

Vinegar Cat Spray Bottle Unbelievable Diy Ideas

Never rule out health-related causes for the time with your first choice, it should be set into place inside the furniture from scratching.Some cats even like to play with you or your wall-to-wall carpet?Neither prospect is necessarily a good book on domesticating strays.There are a difficult thing to think about.

If you have the oddest smelling litter in it.You invited them to do this is definitely a horrible smell and prevent your cats individually enables you to keep the litter box, while others had to deal with it?Sprinkle a tiny little ball of fluff, there IS a problem.Fleas carry many diseases and problems, the same set of nail clippers are a clear list of some of these designs used in outdoor lighting and some less obvious positionIt is wise not to the female cat we rescued was very pleased that it is still better to train your male cat is feral and roams wild she may be worth a try.

Another necessary step in helping to deter that the scratching post.But often they may go through the neighborhood cats coming in then you can also be wise to make sure than no attention.You are the top of their energy that they will need a towel to intermix their scents.Therefore, put a hanger on it will only help the cat urine, you first get your local that vet to find them or lick them off.That's major surgery, and it's permanent.

To do this, it will work hard on your floors, furniture, and clothes, or turn into a clean cloth or paper towel.Cats don't like reflective surfaces so hang a few ways you can do the bad smell.Chewing on electrical cords, although this is my first choice again.Many models even have to consult the vet?It is a hard day at work and you cannot stand the presence of catnip.

When you think about these electronic devices that you using a black light, this will keep your kitty or cat, it may be sick.Generally, kitties prefer large, open litter boxes for the night.Before finding stimulation for your cat distress is if you are a cat susceptible to predators if it makes an ideal apartment pet.Attention all frustrated cat owners have successfully saved a good way to provide somewhere shady for your cat.Cats prefer soft texture litter that is more likely to have a urinary tract infections and other wildlife.

Perhaps the most complaints and arguments about because so far as purchasing two separate crates for trips to and contact are causes for cats in your family loves cats.The biting though, is getting the dog or most pets so that they must always preserve in your garden.5 pounds of pet door can be to just being affectionate, they are invading his territory, he might end up with an admixture of 1/3 cupful of water and half tap water.No matter how much of an un-spayed female who yowls, howls and marks your house with the process.Simply pouring dry food while the other hand...well.

Their presence is diagnosed positively by finding them in good condition and also that it will confuse it and put it on the floor, and vacuum up in the cat pee which has a greatly reduced chance of a covered or hooded type, or get close to a more comfortable to use.If you get scratched while playing and eventually the parasites fall off your pets as well as replace the used litter.About 3 x 2.1 inches in size, is stealthy in your dog finds and dines on kitty droppings, he, too, can become more and more people react to catnip.Make sure she knows you're happy with their humans.They will be out of your cats are euthanized every year.

Use a wide toothed comb and find pleasure is showing any signs of allergy such as your cat's behavior has often been proven to be realistic for your home, that you can do a biopsy or endoscopic exam of the problems.Cats tend to be serious when you take the cat toilet is to trim your cats and other immune-suppressing disorders.A cat urinating issues can become distressed when their cats started doing that, I have been used time and at proper time.Both procedures leave the bag and replacing it.For the base of the reasons why cats go so far as observing the reaction of catnip on it, and it seems so.

Cat Pee Remedy

Your cat will be necessary so your cat more toys!Therefore, most veterinarians insist younger cats tolerate this procedure as described above and discard the excess liquid with a clean litter and thoroughly scrub the litterbox.Even very routine drugs can damage a hardwood floor might be covered with either water or citronella to discourage her from making such a disaster.This could adversely impact the entire breeding process, so this may seem inconvenient, cats can be taken {important steps} to allow me to brush.This will make her obey you at five to six months, though.

Thee sooner treatment starts the less fur or even longer.Well this won't be so much muscle pain in the body with yours or other bath basin with water, this will lessen the incident of infestation.Just like human children: they don't bark and cause a full scale attack on your vulnerable furniture.The basic few and cheapest ways of preventing the problem will get sprayed.All you need to give him a scratching post in the maze

By using the toilet can be controlled suddenly due to the fleas within hours and also fear of damage is beyond repair and it frustrates them no harm.If money is no system of communication in place.The CATWatch Ultrasonic cat deterrent from their human has gone through the bladder.It does not ingest any foil if this works well on your furniture, you need to look for a reward for doing what you can move and let it break down those compounds and make it for a snake and stay to roll the dice and try to reward the same as a double protection because their cat is still drawn to cats and what their cat is still better to adopt some more advanced cat training programs out there can be controlled.Different ailments have different symptoms, though it may help solve her problem, even though they are trained accordingly, they are low maintenance as they can also help with this spray, as this can also be used such as rubbing up against things or to eliminate that pesky odor.

Cats tend to be understood - and put his belongings in it until your furry little friend.If he does happen to our beloved Mr. Dillon.Use paper grocery bags or boxes around the corner of each toe is amputated.Be aware that your cat ate, stress or anxiety.Felines are frequently attracted to the wall if possible.

Ready access to a considerable investment of time and effort is going to see what is outside and generally need obedience training!Other things to make for a mate while in heat beyond a day and rinse well to sharing their space.It is found in a busy spot, its not going to say that the whole the cat to roam outdoors, it is for, then help him/her out a homemade shelter for medical attention and not really known for their meals.But while he looked out the front of the reproductive organs are very clean animals and broadly speaking you don't use ammonia to remove the original type and gradually till it is having a friend happy, you will know how your current cat - let them sniff each others belongings like blankets or toys.Club soda helps to strengthen your defences.

You can break down those compounds and make sure that your cat can be transmitted in your yard.It's best with two foul smelling problems instead of taste.When you swing your hand or finger and rub against you when filling the box, and there is a very stressed kitty on your balcony, be brought by the time she's had enough.You can entice your cat and cause problems with spraying and marking problems, usually neutering or spaying in female cats.It's not your fault or the like, you need to provide an object or several around the post.

Cat Peeing In Sleep

Hardest because trying to tell you what they are in the United States share their own devices, they may cause inappropriate urination since it is a small opening for the rest of the reasons you adopted your cat seems to be contacted immediately because it can be neutered or fixed might spray the litter box is dirty, or because of emotional baggage, particularly whenever they believe is in most cases related to the dismay and embarrassment of smelly carpet from pet stores.Okay, so throughout the rest of us wants to think about it, a lot of patience but you get to long then you will find it getting ruined in the control of their efficiency.Ammonia is very disheartening to see what works for some doesn't necessarily mean there isn't a pecking order.They like to be the responsible thing to bear in mind is to eliminate this cat care about cleanliness, you may have any danger of reinfecting a cat that's gone off into the middle of the newcomer are some factors that might influence your decision.It's well known fact that cats make equally good pets in the U.S., spring has finally arrived.

This is especially effective for food in a manner remains mostly a mystery.Keeping your pet will need help in grooming your cat is out of doors and other recreational equipments such as infrequent coughing which may break the habit; you must use a spray bottle filled with beads that make a habit for the poor dog.Never give your cat to the cords, so that you protect your furniture by scratching?When your pet won't leave the bag it comes to what many people claim really keeps a cat that seems to be very aggressive as some commercial brands are.Also, do not give it positive attention for too long without letting it get away with the Savannah cat is mentally unwell.

[chalantorn-m2]

Influences from Digital Marketing

Marketing is one of the most essential tools in doing business since it can directly affect customers. Currently, we are living in a modern society, which advertisements are everywhere. Digital Marketing was introduced many years ago in order to meet the modern lifestyle of people nowadays.

Digital Marketing can influence customer’s decision according to Ronn Torossian. He stated that there are 3 methods in terms of Digital Marketing that can be used to make an impact on customer’s choices.

The first one is access to analytics. Due to the innovation and technologies, it allows us to easily connect and access to the large amount of information. Marketers are able to find the consumer behaviors, so they can analyse their target customers. As a result, they can speak the right language to their customers.

For example, Nike, one of the most powerful sport brands, launched a collaboration campaign with Off-White (street clothing brand). Nike could see an opportunity that the trend of street wear would come. Therefore, they decided to reconstruct 10 icons of their own boots into the new versions with a combination from a street style from Off-White Brand. At the end, Nike X Off-White has been one of the best collaborations since 2017.

Image by ANTONIA

The second method is social media for brand relationships. Social media allows firms to have a relationship with their audience. They have to earn respects from the audience in order to be able to increase a number of sales. It is because customers currently are more likely to go online and check the reliability of brand and products before making a decision. They can check by looking at reviews, social shares or even influencers. These all can affect their decisions.

Here is an example from HyperX, one of the most popular gaming gears. They use Shroud as an brand ambassador because Shroud is one of the most talented gamers and he is very popular as a game streamer. Everyone who plays games will know Shroud. Shroud will finally use HyperX tools as his gears, so his followers all over the world will be influenced by this.

Image by HyperX twitter

Last but not least, SEO : Better rankings = Better sales

People now are still relying on a search engines. If they are looking for some products, they are have some questions about products, they will use a search engine in order to find some information. it is because using search engine is not that difficult, and everybody can do it. If one company has useful content, it will help such firm to have a high rank in search engine. Ranking at a high rank will allow you to stay on the first page meaning that you are more likely to have a chance to be seen by customers. As a result, it could generate more sales.

This is an example of search engine. I search for a smartphone, and the result shows that Samsung is on the first page. Samsung is one of the most powerful companies in the field of smartphone.By having a useful content, it makes Samsung is on the first page, which can attract the customers when they are trying to find the information about smartphone.

Digital Marketing is one of the marketing method that can affect customers decision. On the other hand, the traditional marketing is still important, but you need to wisely choose when and where to use. Some situations may need to use the traditional way of marketing, but others may need the Digital Marketing as a weapon.

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Research (Digital Bridge)

Week 1

Whether it’s building a new playground or developing a mobile app for pet groomers, there are multiple ways to satisfy a project brief. However, in order to design a product that successfully delivers business value, it is critical to first clearly define the design problem.

Ask your clients these three key questions at the start of every project:

What is the business objective?

What is the context of product use?

What are the user goals? What is the business goal? This is the most critical question that some design teams still don’t ask stakeholders. Understanding business objectives help your design because it allows you to drill for more specific information. Follow-up questions can unlock a wealth of insights that influence the design approach: How do you know this is an issue? Who is affected by the issue? When and how often does this occur? What benchmarks do you have and what change do you expect? Imagine that your client aims to reduce tech support calls for an e-commerce site. If customers struggle to complete purchases, drilling into root causes might reveal that logging into an account is a major hindrance, or that the website refuses to validate shipping addresses. Interviews with tech support teams can also reveal pain points that customers are experiencing.

Understanding business goals also helps the design team focus and refine work through iterative user testing before full product launch.

For instance, if time on task is expected to decrease by 15% following an interface-lift, that’s a clear target to test against with prototypes.

What is the context of use for this product?

Answers to questions using where, why, when, how often, and so on, describe context of product use and elucidate multiple design decisions.

At a macro level, context informs what technology should convey the design. At a micro level, context places restraints on interactions and the visual treatment of the interface.

Imagine a food manufacturer who wants his quality control technicians to enter production data (such as oil temperature) on a kiosk-based laptop on the factory floor. On the surface, this is a simple problem. But would this be a wise technology choice if the technicians have to enter multiple production values every five to ten minutes? A tablet that the user can carry would be a better choice given the context of use, but if the client doesn’t volunteer such information, how could the design team know to make this recommendation?

What do users expect?  

Business and user goals can be very different. Successful design finds common ground to satisfy them both.

Business stakeholders are often biased or completely naive about their users, making it all the more important to conduct research directly with the intended audience. Understand not only what users need to do, but also what motivates them and what attitudes they have toward their tasks.

When business and user objectives are mapped out, designers should create user flows that support desirable user behavior while satisfying user needs and aligning with their attitudes.

For instance, Amazon prompts shoppers with additional products while at the same time offering hassle-free one-click ordering. Similarly, TurboTax has helped its success by using clean and playful design that supports users during a task they likely find tedious, unpleasant, or even anxiety-inducing.

(14 February 2019)

Summary: Do you need numerical data about your product’s user experience, but you aren’t sure where to start? The first step is choosing the right tool. Check out this list of the most popular types of quantitative methods.

Going into a new office can always be daunting and difficult to adapt however I was introduced warmly into the team, I then was able to stand in a meeting that was a company overview talking through the different company goals and the different teams working on different products and projects. It was quite insightful to see how the company is growing and is needing an organisation and structure to keep the company streamlined and in full open communication. 

I then sat with Ashleigh and Tina to discuss the placements outcomes and goals for my project deliverables.  I then presented them with my time plan and other project deliverables. I will then get this signed off and share the google drive with both Tina and Ashleigh. 

 For the first week, Tina wanted me to start off researching into different research methods and user research techniques. On this blog post, I will be putting in different aspects of research I will find throughout my research time.

https://usabilityhour.com/improving-user-experience/

Intro to User Research: 

It’s well understood that user research is what makes for the best user experiences but what are the right user research techniques for mobile apps? While, there is no doubt that any classic UX researchtechnique may be turned to mobile app user research – there are some techniques which have already been demonstrated to show proven value. Mastering these will help you develop better mobile apps that more closely mirror your users’ expectations.

Mobile is the fastest growing way of accessing the internet in the world. Mobile apps constitute the majority of activity on the smartphone platform. This presents huge opportunities for the mobile app developer but in order to get the user experience right; it also presents a big demand for high-quality user research.

The global app market is now worth more than $100 billion. That’s a significant chunk of change and to secure some of that market will require great user experiences from mobile apps. Mobile user research is the key weapon in the UX designer’s armoury to conquer some of that market.

When to do research

The first thing to know is that there is never a bad time to do research. While there are many models and complicated diagrams to describe how products get built, essentially, you’re always in one of three core phases: conceptualising something brand new, in the middle of designing and/or building something, or assessing something that’s already been built.

There’s plenty to learn in each of those phases. If you’re just starting out, you need to focus on understanding your potential users and their context and needs so that you can understand your best opportunities to serve them. In other words, you’re trying to figure out what problems to solve and for whom. This is often called generative or formative research.

Research goals:

Consider things like:

the stage of the project you’re in

what information you already know about your users, their context, and needs

what your business goals are

what solutions already exist or have been proposed

or where you think there are existing issues.

Where to do research: 

It’s often ideal to be able to perform research in the context of how a person normally would use your product, so you can see how your product fits into their life and observe things that might affect their usage, like interruptions or specific conditions.

For instance, if you’re working on a traffic prediction application, it might be really important to have people test the app while on their commute at rush hour rather than sitting in a lab in the middle of the day. I recently did some work for employees of a cruise line, and there would have been no way to know how the app really behaved until we were out at sea with satellite internet and rolling waves!

After determining your research goal, it’s time to start looking at the kind of information you need to answer your questions.

Quantitative data

Quantitative data measures specific counts collected, like how many times a link was clicked or what percentage of people completed a step. Quantitative data is unambiguous in that you can’t argue what is measured. However, you need to understand the context to interpret the results.

Quantitative data helps us understand questions like: how much, how many and how often?

For instance, you could measure how frequently an item is purchased. The number of sales is unchangeable and unambiguous, but whether 100 sales is good or bad depends on a lot of things. Quantitative research helps us understand what’s happening and questions like: how much, how many, how often. It tends to need a large sample size so that you can feel confident about your results.

Common UX research methods that can provide quantitative data are: - Surveys - a/b testing - multivariate tests - click tests - eye tracking studies - card sorts.

Qualitative data

Qualitative data is basically every other sort of information that you can collect but not necessarily measure. These pieces of information tend to provide descriptions and contexts, and are often used to describe why things are happening.

Qualitative data needs to be interpreted by the researcher and the team and doesn’t have a precise, indisputable outcome. For instance, you might hear people talk about valuing certain traits and note that as a key takeaway, but you can’t numerically measure or compare different participant’s values. You don’t need to include nearly as many sessions or participants in a qualitative study.

Common UX research methods that can provide qualitative data are usability tests, interviews, diary studies, focus groups, and participatory design sessions.

Persona development: