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abbysfrenchbraid · 4 years ago

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Kissed by a Wolf - Chapter 10

Masterlist

The Yuletide begins and the reader is in awe at the traditions and celebrations. They finally speak to Eda again. A terrible incident occurs.

Thank you all for your support, I wish you all the best for 2021!

CW for alcohol and food consumption, blood, death/loss, open wounds, animal sacrifice.

Inspo pic by @classicnovaproductions

You woke up sore and cold the next morning, each muscle screaming at you as soon as you moved under the covers to feel around for Eivor. She was not next to you anymore. You sat up.

The room was empty, but there was a small note at the foot of the bed next to the curled up white cat. Birna rolled herself to the side when you reached out, expecting belly rubs, and you humbly obliged before finally grabbing the small piece of parchment. Next to it lay the small branch with dark red buds you had brought back from your walk yesterday.

My beautiful heather, my delicate dove, my strong, skilled warrior.

I received urgent message from a nearby village early this morning - they have been overrun by bandits and need our help. I took my men and hope to be back in time for the feast.

May the sun shine brightly on your face today and illuminate your spirit as the solstice blesses us all. Find Valka and join her in preparing the celebrations, she will take care of you. I leave my heart in your hands, keep it safe for me until I return.

Yours forever,

Eivor

You pressed the note and the branch to your chest. This was a love letter. A love letter from your rescuer, your suitor, your drengr , the woman who had devoted herself to you. No one had ever carried you the way Eivor did, literally and figuratively. You were sure now; she was the one for you. Tonight you would tell her. Tonight you would let her have you.

Energized and enthusiastic, you jumped out of bed and got dressed. You chose the beautiful dresses Eivor had bought you for your welcoming ceremony, the fabric a soft caress for your skin after days in prickly tunics and dirty pants on the training grounds. You combed out your hair, an easy task after Eivor had helped you detangle it in the bath.

Your thoughts wandered back to that evening in Valka’s warm tub, Eivor kneeling behind you and her soft fingers on your scalp. Her shaky breath on your forehead as you let your head fall backward, her quiet apologies for pulling on your hair, the water she poured over your head before stroking it with her big, warm hand.

Birna called you back to the present, giving you a judging look as you quickly put the comb down. You really were a lost case if a cat could make you all flustered and embarrassed about your feelings. Head over heels.

When you stepped outside, the sun really was shining down on you. The air was crisp and clear, the snow was glittering like tiny diamonds and everyone was already up and working. There was a gigantic pile of wood in front of the longhouse, people were hanging up decorations and candles everywhere, every house smelled like a different delicacy and you could hear singing in the longhouse.

You turned your back to the bustling village and made your way up to Valka’s cottage. She was crushing herbs in her mortar when you entered and let out a delighted sigh at your appearance.

“Y/N! You’re already dressed up, how wonderful! Will you help me today?”

“Good morning Valka. I am all yours.”

She shooed you around for the next few hours, binding together branches of pine and heather, making little bundles of incense and flowers, preparing things for the offering, and trying to teach you the songs that would be sung tonight.

“The winter solstice is my favorite day of the year,” she said, excitement in her eyes. “Everything that was dark will lighten up, everything that seemed dreadful and sad will show its good side, the days will get longer, the sun will shine brighter, we will feast and sing and laugh and forgive.”

“Forgive?”

“Yes, it is common in our clan to make your peace with the people you have quarreled with over the year, to give each other a new chance and let the returning sun melt away any resentment or hate.” She paused for a moment, then she gave you a side glance. “I think this could be an opportunity for you to speak to Randvi. Or to your friend, the lord’s daughter.”

You finished tying a knot around a bundle of herbs and wiped your hands on a rag.

“Do you think I need to? Randvi and I haven’t spoken in days, but there is no resentment left between us. And Eda seems to want to be without company.”

“No one truly wants to be alone. Besides, I do not think she was alone those last few days.”

You turned to her in surprise.

“What do you know?”

“Not much.” She smiled. “Randvi seemed less grey lately, less lonely and stone-faced. She is the one who gave Eda her freedom. I feel like they might have spent some time together.”

You had not thought of that, but she was right. Of course she was. Randvi had vanished for hours on end, leaving people asking for her all over the village since Eda was free, and she really did seem more cheerful. After all, they had a lot in common. Both instruments to their fathers’ politics, disregarded and to be married off for alliances. Both suddenly distanced from those they loved.

“I think you would do well to speak to Randvi and clear the air if you want to openly be with Eivor from now on.” The seeress gave you a knowing look and nodded. “Tonight is a perfect time to commit to this relationship.”

She took your hands into hers.

“I truly believe that you and Eivor are the perfect match. It would make me very happy to see you together.” She ran a hand through your hair. “Now, let me tame this mane for you, will you?”

You sat down obediently and Valka began to braid your hair, beginning with two small braids starting at your temple and running down and back along your hairline. A second braid on either side above the first one ran back the side of your head so only the top part of your hair was still free. Valka took some rosehip oil and massaged it into your scalp, then she took a wooden hairclip with a beautiful wolf carving and fastened it at the top of your head so your hair fell freely down your back without getting in your face.

Then she took some of the red powder she had used on you once already and dabbed it on your cheeks and lips.

“You look beautiful. Eivor will not be able to control herself.” Valka chuckled. You had to laugh, too. She had been so wise and mysterious, strange and stern when you had met her. Now you were joking and telling each other your secrets like actual close friends. It was so refreshing to not think about your every word and its consequences.

“Do you think so? Did you know she kissed me once already?” You looked down at your hands.

“I guessed it, but I knew you were still hurting after seeing her and Randvi together. You were right to make her wait. This way she knows you are serious about this and she can’t make any more mistakes.” She sighed and stared into the flames in the fireplace. “But I can assure you that Eivor would never hurt you or anyone purposely. She has a pure heart and by the way she looks at you, I can tell she will love and protect you until she takes her last breath.”

You folded your hands in your lap, your eyes still fixed on your fingers. How could anyone love someone this much? How did you deserve this, to be adored and cherished so purely and strongly?

“I will tell her tonight." Your voice was strong and unwavering now. "I am giving myself to her completely, no more hesitation and distance and uncertainty. I want to be hers.”

It felt like your heart was tearing itself apart in longing for Eivor. Now that she was gone, you could not wait to see her again, to feel her touch and hear her voice. Why had you waited so long? If only she was here right now, the things you would say and do…

“This night, the solstice, it has a special meaning. Special powers,” Valka interrupted your thoughts, “that can steer the course of the future.”

You shot her a questioning look. What was she hinting at? She gave you a smug smile.

“All I am saying is that a bond sealed during the solstice is charged with strength, luck, and resilience. Not only will the forging of the bond be… ecstatic, but it will have a lasting impact.”

Oh. She was talking about more than just telling Eivor you were hers. Your cheeks were burning now. Valka patted your hand and started looking for something on her large, cluttered table. Then she found a small tin and opened it to reveal the red paste that had stained your skin the night of your welcoming ceremony.

“Free your back for me, will you?”

You slipped out of your dress and crossed your arms to cover yourself. Valka dipped her digit into the mixture and gently began drawing on your warm skin. She seemed to write sigils, beginning at the back of your neck and then wandering down your spine, leaving a straight line of runes all the way from your head to your hips. Then she stepped in front of you and you lowered your arms so she could draw another rune between your breasts. She let the paint dry on your skin while she made some tea and handed you a jug, then she took a wet cloth and rubbed off the remainders, leaving behind perfect shapes on your skin.

“There. Now you are more than prepared for tonight. This will set everything in place.” Valka looked very satisfied. You got dressed and finished your tea.

“You were right. I should speak to Randvi.”

Valka nodded, then she handed you the gigantic linen sack filled with branches and decorations.

“Carry these to the longhouse for me, dear. They will know what to do with them. It is a good thing, burying your grievances and forgiving. A wise move.” She squeezed your hand, then you heaved the sack over your shoulder and set out for the longhouse.

The way down was slippery and you almost danced with death a few times, but you always managed to catch yourself and finally arrived at the longhouse unharmed. A woman at the entrance took the sack from you and ordered a few children to start hanging up the branches. You walked over to the map room, but it was deserted.

When you turned around, Norvid was standing before you. You instinctively threw your hands up in fright.

“Oh God, you scared me!” You pressed a hand to your chest and let out a shaky laugh.

“No need, my lady. I will not harass you like I did the other night. I just wanted to express my sincere apologies for bothering you like that. Eivor certainly taught me a lesson.” He looked seriously ashamed. You nodded.

“Thank you, Norvid. I appreciate you telling me. I have to admit, I was worried about the next time we might cross paths.”

He slapped his forehead dramatically and fell to one knee. You had to fight down a laugh.

“Please forgive me for my terrible demeanor. I will never lay so much as a finger on you again.” He looked up, batting his eyelashes at you. “Unless you want me to.”

You snorted.

“No need, thank you. Now get up, you sly dog.”

He stood up and wiped the dust from his trousers, then he grinned at you and gave you another small bow before excusing himself. You shook your head at so much boldness.

When you asked the woman at the front where Randvi was, she just gestured vaguely into the distance. You followed the direction of her finger and tried not to get run over by all the eager people preparing for tonight. It was already afternoon and soon the feast would begin. There was still no sign of Eivor.

Suddenly you heard bright laughter coming from between two huts to your right. It sounded very familiar. As you rounded the corner, you saw two women with their backs to you, cutting branches with dark thorny leaves and red berries from a tall bush. One had auburn hair and one dark brown. A branch cracked beneath your foot and Eda and Randvi turned around, the laughter leaving their faces.

You pressed your hands to your stomach, trying to keep your composure. Forgiveness. New beginnings. Solstice.

“Eda. Randvi. I was looking for you both. I wanted to speak to you.”

Eda furrowed her brows.

“Are you alright, Y/N?”

“Oh yes, I’m fine, wonderful actually. But we… our relationship, it is still strained from what happened in the last few weeks. Yuletide begins today and I… I thought maybe we could… find an understanding? Not just me and you, but also me and Randvi.”

You looked at the woman in blue and were relieved to find no anger or hatred in her eyes. There was actually a hint of a smile on her lips.

“As you may have guessed already, Eda and I have had some time to get to know each other,” she said and stepped forward. “Whatever you say to me, she can hear, too.”

Eda nodded. “The same goes for me.”

You took a deep breath and tried to still your shaky fingers.

“Well, Randvi, I just want to say that I am deeply sorry for all the pain my arrival here has caused you. Please know that I never intended to make things difficult for you. I had no idea what I was getting into. But now…”

Randvi came closer and placed a hand on your shoulder. She gave you a slightly pained smile.

“I know, Y/N. It is not your fault, neither is it Eivor’s or mine. I will heal, as we all do.” She quickly glanced over to Eda before sighing and putting her other hand on your shoulder as well. “I have seen the way she looks at you. I dream that one day someone will love me so fiercely, so unconditionally. Do you love her, too?”

“Yes, I do.” You just noticed now that tears had welled up in your eyes and quickly tried to wipe them away. “I really do.”

“Then it is only right that you two found your way into each other’s arms. I would be foolish to stand between you.”

Randvi lowered her gaze and stepped back. You turned to Eda, but before you could say anything, she took your hands in hers and spoke.

“Y/N, if there is an apology waiting on your tongue, spare it for the unlikely case you ever really wrong someone. I know I have put the weight of all my blame and resentment on you, but I was wrong. It was not your fault we were attacked and you had every right to try and start a better life here. I see that now.”

She squeezed your hands, smiling at you through tears.

“Randvi has shown me her world and even though she has walked a similar path to mine, she has the freedom to live as she pleases, she has power here and friends. I wish to have the same one day. The solstice shall be a new beginning for us all, and a chance for me to grow and open myself for new people, opportunities, and a new happiness.”

She wiped her cheek with her upper arm.

“It is what my mother would have wanted. It is what I want for Delia and Henry. It is only fair that I give you and myself the same chance.”

You pulled her in for a hug, the weight of a thousand stones falling off your shoulders. The pain of being hated by your closest friend had been unbearable. Thank God she had turned around and decided to give this life a try. You probably also had to thank Randvi, the countless hours she had spent with Eda and her endless patience and belief in the good.

“Thank you, Eda, thank you both for allowing me to reconcile with you. I do not want to quarrel with anyone here, no bad blood. This is my clan now, too.”

Randvi nodded and smiled, wrapping an arm around Eda’s shoulders as the dark-haired woman stepped back to her side.

“It is. You are both part of the family now.”

“You too?” you asked Eda, surprised. There had been no welcoming ritual for her yet. She gave you a shy smile.

“We had the ceremony last night. It was private.” She held out her arm with a golden bangle for you to see. Randvi pressed her lips together to stifle a grin.

Well, that was a surprise. A few weeks ago, Eda had cursed you for your interest in Eivor and now she was flirting with Randvi, a married woman? She really had turned around. Eda seemed to guess what you were thinking.

“Y/N, I apologize for my horrid comments when you first visited me. I understand now that things are different here, different than I was taught growing up. I’d be happy to talk about it with you later at the feast. I wronged you, and I am sincerely sorry. I wish you and Eivor all the best of luck.”

You could see pain flicker over Randvi’s face, but Eda tightened her grip around the auburn-haired woman’s waist and held your gaze. You nodded.

“Thank you.” You looked over to Randvi. “Is there any indication when they might be back?”

She sighed. “I hope they return before the celebrations begin. Yule can’t wait, but the ceremony will not be right without our drengrs . We’re just collecting some more decorations, but we will be back at the longhouse shortly. If you are idle, you could see if Sfáva needs help.”

As you walked back through the village, you noticed it was already getting darker. When would your drengr return to you? God forbid she was actually hurt or - no. You said a quick prayer, then you clapped your hands to shoo away your dark thoughts and focused on the path before you.

Just as you were about to cross the open space in front of the longhouse, making your way through the children admiring the gigantic woodpile for the bonfire, a horn sounded loudly from the docks. A wave of excitement went through the people in front of you and the children dropped everything to run to the docks and see the ship that had returned.

Looking behind you, you saw Valka rush down the hill with a big basket, looking worried. Did she sense a calamity? God, no. Please let Eivor be unharmed. Please, please return to me safely, my drengr.

You lifted your skirts and made your way down to the shore, surrounded by other women rushing to greet their husbands. The first warriors were already on solid ground.

They carried a wooden stretcher. Someone was lying on it, completely still. Your heart dropped.

You fought your way through the small crowd, craning your neck to try and find Eivor's blonde mane among the other men on the ship, but you could not see any specks of gold on the ship. The person on the stretcher however had light hair, long braids drenched in blood covering their face.

Someone let out a blood-curdling scream, loud enough to get through the rush of blood in your ears. A woman with flaming red hair stumbled forward. It was the Viking wife you had seen with Valka a while ago, the woman she had been infatuated with for a long time.

Even though you knew this was terrible, a tiny glimpse of hope sparked inside of you. Was it not Eivor after all on the stretcher? You finally made your way to the front when Valka pushed you aside and dropped her basket on the ground next to you before rushing to the woman’s side. The redhead had pushed the hair from the injured person’s face and revealed empty, staring eyes, a handsome, bearded face, and a terrible slash from his forehead down to his jaw.

Valka reached her just as she started wailing, wrapping her arms around the grieving woman and trying to soothe her. The men carrying the stretcher stood still, their eyes blank. The woman fell to her knees, cradling the dead man’s face and calling his name over and over again.

“He fought bravely and died a glorious death.” A loud, rough voice pierced the cacophony of chatter and crying and everyone immediately went quiet. You looked up to see Eivor standing at the foot of the stretcher. Her hair and most of her face were blackened with soot. Her eyes were full of sorrow.

“We sent him off to Valhalla and he shall wait there for all of us. Let us dedicate this solstice, this Yuletide to Alfarr and the glory he brought this clan. He will be dearly missed, never forgotten, and joyfully embraced when we join him in Valhalla.”

She nodded to the bearers of the stretcher and they set off toward the longhouse. Valka grabbed one arm of the woman that was still slumped on the ground and Eivor took the other, then they gently lifted her up and helped her walk behind the procession. It was quiet now, only a few sobs sounded through the clear night as the moon lit your path.

Eivor was alive. She had returned to you. You took a deep breath. Sigurd and Randvi were coming your way from the longhouse, followed by Eda. Randvi’s eyes widened at the sight before her and she dug her fingers into Sigurd’s arm, but the jarl kept his composure and just exchanged a silent nod with Eivor.

When you had reached the longhouse, a few younger men had already erected a table in one of the alcoves and put down linen sheets on it. Alfarr was lifted off the stretcher and placed on the table, his axe still fixed in his grip and laid down on his chest. Someone put down a tree stump on the ground next to his head and Valka and Eivor set his wife down on it. She was silent now, staring at her dead husband in disbelief.

It was curious. You knew she had been mistreated horribly by him, beaten and insulted until she had fled into Valka’s arms. Why was she so grief-stricken at his passing if she was in love with someone else and he had wronged her so terribly?

Valka looked up at you and gave you a knowing look. She would have answers for you later. Eivor’s gaze was fixed to the axe on Alfarr’s chest. She had not so much as glanced at you since her arrival. Did she even know you were here? You did not dare to go up to her and so you quietly retreated into the big hall where you sat down on one of the benches and put your hands into your head.

The childlike enthusiasm and excitement you had felt this morning had vanished. How was this evening going to play out now?

The wood of the bench creaked as someone sat down next to you. You looked up distractedly and found Norvid looking at you with a worried smile.

“How are you, my lady? Did you know Alfarr well?”

You rubbed your thighs and stared at the floor in front of you.

“No, I had never even seen him before. It’s just… I am not used to seeing this kind of violence. I witnessed it once, the night Williamsburg was raided. This is the first time since then.”

“I understand. It takes you back, does it not?” His hand hovered in the air between you, then he placed it on his knee. You nodded.

“You are a tough fighter,” he argued. “I have rarely seen someone learn so quickly and take to arms so well. If you wish to use those skills in the future, you must be prepared to see much more blood and death in the course of your life.”

You wanted to object, but then you realized that he was speaking the truth. If you were to become a warrior and fight at Eivor’s side, you would not only see violence, you would inflict it. That was the path you had chosen for yourself. You looked up at him and smiled.

“You’re right. Thank you for checking on me, I will be alright.” You touched his arm in a gesture of gratefulness and were just about to get up and look for Sfáva when you noticed a large figure in the corner of your eye.

Eivor was leaning against the wall next to the alcove, her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed amidst the black paint. Her mouth was a straight line. When she caught your gaze, she pushed herself off the wall and strode to the entrance of the longhouse, vanishing before you could say anything. You jumped up and rushed after her, but she was nowhere to be seen.

You remembered the basket Valka had dropped down at the dock and made your way down to the water in hopes of retrieving it. As you came closer, you saw a dark-haired woman crouched over the spot, gathering items scattered on the snow and putting them back in the basket.

It was Eda, smiling when she noticed you coming toward her. You helped her pick up the last few strips of linen and leather sachets with herbs, then you offered to carry the basket, breaking the silence.

“What a terrible thing. Today, of all days.”

“Oh yes, a dreadful night for his poor wife,” Eda said. “I felt like all the blood in my veins froze when I saw him lying there, his wife sobbing for her dear beloved.”

Dear beloved? You were not so sure of that, but you dropped the thought.

“I felt the same. For a moment, I thought it was Eivor. My heart… it felt like the tiniest touch would make it shatter into a thousand pieces.”

“Now you know.” You could hear the pain in Eda’s voice. There was no bitterness or blame, only grief. “That’s what I felt that night.”

You took her hand and wove your fingers into hers.

“I still say a prayer for your mother every day. I am sure she is in a better place now, someone far away from all those who attempted to hold her prisoner. You will meet again one day and finally have peace together.”

“Thank you, Y/N.” Eda squeezed your hand.

You separated at the longhouse and you went up to your hut. Maybe Eivor would be there. Your heart was beating hard against your ribcage and you had to force yourself to breathe steadily, not sure what to expect from her.

You knocked on the door and waited for a response, but there was none. When you entered, the hut was dark apart from a few smoldering coals in the fireplace. Birna was laying on a bundle of clothes on the floor, clothes you recognized as the ones Eivor had been wearing. You gave the cat a few light scratches under her chin, then you wrapped yourself in your fur coat and went back outside.

People were now coming to the longhouse from all directions and the windows were lit brightly. A few men could be heard singing a bittersweet song and someone was putting final touches on the woodpile outside. When you entered, most people were standing in small groups, talking, and drinking ale or mead. There was a big fire in the middle of the room, ready for the ox that was to be slaughtered. You saw Randvi, Eivor, and Valka huddled together next to the alcove entrance where Alfarr was lying. They were speaking in hushed voices, mixed emotions on their faces.

Eivor was clean again, her face bare except for a red rune on her forehead, definitely Valka’s work. You desperately wanted to go over to them and join the conversation, but you could not bring yourself to do it. The fear of rejection or being excluded was too great.

Suddenly Sigurd stood up on a table.

“My dear ravens, my drengrs , my family! Tonight, in the shortest night of the year, we experience the darkness, we are encased by it and it threatens to leak into our hearts. Today we have lost a great man to the darkness, but what keeps us hopeful is the certainty that he is in Valhalla now. Alfarr fought bravely and gloriously, he was welcomed by Odin with open arms!”

The other warriors cheered and raised their drinking horns.

“Let us now follow the lead of our wonderful seeress, our guide through the darkness, Valka! We shall make a sacrifice to the gods that will propitiate them and grant us light, warmth, and good fortune for the coming year. And then we shall feast, in tribute to all the drengrs that fought for this clan and in memory of Alfarr!”

Everyone started to make their way outside and you let the crowd carry you to the bonfire. A few men had led the village’s strongest, most prized ox to the open space. They had fastened the rope on its holster to a large metal nail which they had then hammered into the frozen ground right at the edge of the woodpile.

Valka stepped into the circle that the people had formed around the stacked wood. She looked glorious in the light of the torches, her golden headdress and her jewelry gleaming in the flames. She carried a large copper bowl and a beautiful, embezzled dagger. Sigurd stepped to her side and they stood at the head of the ox.

First, Valka sang a hauntingly beautiful song in Norwegian and Sigurd joined in for the last verse. He held another small speech in his mother tongue before taking the dagger from Valka. She held her hands over the ox’s head and blessed the animal. You made out the names of Odin and Freya, of Sigurd and Eivor, and some of the other drengrs .

Finally, Sigurd drew the dagger over the throat of the animal and you could see its eyes widening, but it could not cry out. Sigurd had made the perfect cut. Blood started spilling from its throat and Valka held her bowl under the thick read stream until she had filled the vessel. Then she stepped back and watched the blood run over the frozen ground, into the woodpile, and toward the longhouse.

She started singing another song and this time almost all of the Vikings joined in, lifting their hands over their heads and building a beautiful choir while the ox started to stagger. His front legs gave in first and he slowly fell to his knees, then he lay down completely, his ragged breaths making a gurgling sound as his body bled out.

The singing slowly got quieter and finally died along with the animal’s last breath. Valka called out Sigurd, Randvi and Eivor and they stood next to each other, holding out their open palms as the seeress dipped her finger in the steaming blood and drew a different rune onto every one of them. Then she called out another name.

“Yngvor! Step forward and cleanse yourself of sorrow and grief. Begin this Yuletide with hope for the future, drenched in the glory of your husband and the blood of this sacrifice.”

The red-haired woman, her face still puffy and pale from crying, stood in front of Valka. The seeress gave her a sincere smile, then she wet her finger with blood again and drew a vertical line on each of Yngvor’s cheeks, resembling the streams of tears she had cried earlier. Then Valka drew a circle on her forehead and put a dot in the middle.

She stepped back and nodded. Randvi stretched out a hand and put it on the woman’s shoulder in support. Everyone sang another short song, then the ceremony seemed to be over. Everyone spread out, most people heading for the longhouse as Lewin and a few other men knelt next to the ox and started skinning and disemboweling it.

Inside everyone sat down along the long tables a first course of food was passed around, mead and ale were poured out and the first songs of praise sounded through the hall. You sat with Aelfric, Hal, and Eda. They were all excitedly debating the meaning of the ritual and its different components, the runes, and what might still come in this long night. In the meantime, the ox was carried in on a long spit by eight men and hung over the fire to roast.

You were distracted by your strange reunion with Eivor - you had not even spoken a word after being so close during the last weeks. Of course, she had lost one of her men and if you knew her at all, she probably blamed herself for his death. But then the interaction with Norvid and her reaction to it - what was that? Was she jealous? There was no reason for that. You were hers and hers only. She should know that.

You risked a look to her table and your heart cramped up in your chest. Eivor was not eating, her fists were balled up next to her plate and her eyes fixed on the table. Her face was a stony mask, no emotion breaking the surface. Sigurd and Randvi were deep in conversation and you could hear two of her men at her side speaking about Alfarr and how well he had fought today. All you wanted was to go up to Eivor, take her hand and hold her tight. But you feared that she would reject you after everything you had seen of her today.

Hal pulled out his dice game and immediately declared that he would never play against you again. Instead, you taught the game to Eda who had great fun but went down without a single win. She was a hopeless case.

“Mind if I join you?”

You looked up to see Norvid standing next to you, a plate of dried fruit in his hand.

“They are going to make the first cut on the beast soon, but I figured that if all the drengrs get their meat first, we still have some time to spare. At least three rounds.” He grinned and the others eagerly invited him to sit. Soon they were laughing and bickering about their wagers.

When the meat was cut, everyone was patiently waiting in line for their share. Norvid stood behind you.

“How are you liking your first Yule so far?” he asked, a friendly twinkle in his eye.

“Oh, it’s very impressive. I have never seen an animal being sacrificed in that manner. It seemed very peaceful. I can hardly wait for the bonfire later.” You smiled at the thought of the gigantic pile of wood that would be ablaze soon - the biggest fire you had ever seen.

The meat was delicious and there were sides of roasted vegetables, fresh bread, and pickled cabbage. When it was finally time for the fire, everyone flocked outside again. The ox’s blood had seeped into the ground, leaving frozen red streaks around and leading into the woodpile.

You stood next to Eda as Sigurd and Valka joined together for another speech, then a young, blonde Viking woman with beautiful, intricate braids carried a great torch from the longhouse and handed it to Sigurd. Their eyes met and their gazes stayed locked for just a moment too long. You looked over to Randvi; she had seen it, too. She looked just the slightest bit surprised, but not affronted or disappointed at all. Interesting. Eivor stood next to her, her face still completely devoid of emotion. She stared at the woodpile, or rather through it into the distance.

Sigurd said another few words in Norwegian, then he went around the pile and set fire to the wood in different places. Finally, he pushed the torch into the bottom of the pile and everyone watched in awe as the stack ignited, the wood cracking and shifting as sparks flew in all directions.

You turned to Eda to joke about her bad luck in the dice game earlier when you noticed her dreamy gaze into the distance, her expression languorous and enchanted as the light of the flames danced over her face. You followed her eyes and landed on Randvi, who showed the exact same countenance.

“Eda?” you asked and she snapped out of her reverie immediately, trying to look innocent.

“Yes, dear?”

“What is happening between you and Randvi?”

She grabbed your arm and shushed you even though you had barely mumbled the question. Then she pulled you back a few steps, out of the circle, and got closer to you.

“I do not know what nature the bond between us will turn out to be. But she is the reason I smile again, the reason I eat and speak, the reason I yet stand before you. Something about her is so… gentle, so kind and caring. I have never met someone as selfless as her.”

You fought down a bitter laugh. Randvi was many things, but endlessly selfless was not one of them. You left it up for Eda to learn that herself. Reminding yourself of Valka's words and your reconciliation with Randvi earlier, you hoped that maybe Randvi had really changed. You did not want Eda to go through any more pain. Sighing, you put an arm around your friend’s shoulders.

“I hope you find peace and happiness here. I know I am still searching for it.”

Eda raised her eyebrows at you.

“I thought you had Eivor?”

“Well, yes. I had her. But I was not yet ready to commit to her and now that I am…” Your eyes wandered over to the beautiful blonde standing next to Sigurd like a statue. “I am not sure she wants me anymore.”

“I refuse to believe that. Everyone who ever laid eyes on you two knows you are madly in love.” You looked at Eda in surprise and she laughed. “Oh Y/N, you are destined to be together. You will make all our lives hell if you don’t finally find your way into each other’s arms.”

She giggled, a sound you had last heard when you were but young girls sharing secrets hidden in the stables of Williamsburg.

“Maybe the reason Eivor acts strangely is because she cannot control herself around you any longer. Maybe it is your touch that will give her peace.”

“Eda!” you whispered and slapped her hand, trying to contain your own laughter. You could feel yourself blushing at her proposition.

People were spreading out now, some staying at the fire, some going back to the longhouse or vanishing into the dark to do God knew what. Eda hooked her arm under yours and you were joining the others that were going back in when Norvid came up from behind.

“Good evening, my ladies!” He was fairly drunk again, but before you could say anything, Eda had let go of you and pulled him between you. She linked arms with him and he followed her example on your side, tucking your arm under his. The three of you stumbled along the path together and maybe it was the ale you had had, or the wonderfully clear night, or how unbelievable all this seemed to you, but you threw your head back and laughed, deeply and heartily. You had found your place here.

Just as you were about to enter the longhouse, you saw Eivor standing on the side, beckoning you over. You felt a jump in your stomach and took a deep breath.

“Go ahead, I won’t be long,” you told the others, secretly hoping the opposite. Eda and Norvid went without asking why, and for a moment you stood still, watching them enter the brightly lit room. They both tripped over a fir branch on the floor and struggled to untangle their arms, but while Norvid hit the floor with a loud thump and more laughter, Eda fell right into Randvi’s arms. You smiled to yourself. She was in good hands.

You turned to Eivor and she rounded the corner of the longhouse, motioning for you to follow her. It was the same spot where you had once found Valka and Yngvor, the red-haired woman, in loving embrace. Your heartbeat quickened and you were just about to ask Eivor what she planned to do with you when she whirled around and pushed you against the wall, her pupils blown and hot wrath burning behind them.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing,” she snarled, “little dove?”

Author’s note: this just keeps getting longer and longer - I hope you aren't bored of me yet. I promise you a lot of smut for the next chapter. Please do let me know what you think if you're still reading!

#eivor wolfsmal #eivor wolfkissed #eivor #eivor x reader #eivor wolfsmal x reader #eivor wolfkissed x reader #lady eivor #lady eivor x reader #ac valhalla #assassins creed valhalla #assassinscreedvalhalla

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celestialvoid-fanfiction · 5 years ago

Text

They Were Roommates

Stiles was so excited to get into college, then he got stuck with his quiet, broody roommate Derek Hale and things took an unexpected turn.

For @yetanothersterekblog – Happy Birthday!

(Read it on AO3 here)

The room was pretty small, but Stiles expected that much when it came to living on campus. There was a small bed pushed up against one wall and the other on the other side of the room, a small bedside table sitting beside each of them. Two desks were fitted into small alcoves at the end of each bed and a door that led to a small bathroom.

Stiles’ side of the room was decorated with posters and strings with photos of him and his friends or of him and his dad pegged to it. His desk was covered in piles of scattered papers, folders full of printed worksheets, half-written essays, notebooks, and textbooks, scattered pens and neon coloured highlighters buried between sedimentary layers of paper.

But the part of dorm life Stiles wasn’t prepared for was his roommate—Derek Hale.

Derek was so quiet and reserved, and his face was set in a constant scowl. He hardly ever spoke and spent most of his time studying or sitting on his bed reading. He didn’t seem to have any friends; he seemed like just another stuck up rich kid who got into college through his family’s money and didn’t care about being there, unlike Stiles who had spent his final few years of high school scrappy together every penny he could to afford to go to college.

The most conversation he got from the guy was when he asked when Stiles would be back from class or if Stiles was meeting up with friends.

Stiles’ phone buzzed. He picked it up and read the message from Scott.

‘We’re on our way to the bar. We’ll be there in about 10 minutes.’

Stiles typed out a quick reply – ‘On my way there now, see you there’ – and grabbed his jacket. He pocketed his phone and grabbed his keys, heading for the door.

“I’m heading out,” he told Derek, out of courtesy more than anything.

“What time will you be back?” Derek asked, not looking up from where he sat at his desk, reading a textbook.

“I don’t know,” Stiles replied. “Eleven-thirty—twelve, maybe.”

Sorry if that inconveniences you, Stiles thought bitterly, shrugging on his jacket.

Derek didn’t say anything else; he just nodded.

“Don’t wait up,” Stiles said jokingly, as he left the room.

He shut the door behind himself and made his way down the hallway and out into the cool evening air. He buried his hands in his pockets and trudged down the footpath that led through campus and to the street where the bar was.

Stiles pushed open the glass door, stepping into the warmth. He looked around, spying Isaac and Scott sitting in the booth in the corner of the room.

He slid into the worn leather seat, smiling as Scott slid a drink over to him.

It was the first of many—too many.

Stiles drunkenly staggered down the path that led across campus. The world spun nauseatingly around him, undulating like the waves of the ocean. He swayed about as he struggled to stay upright, his eyes heavy and his vision blurred.

The lights that lined the street behind him cast an eerie glow across the dew-glistened grass and the path. Small lamps lined the edges of the path, the glare of their light making Stiles squint.

He kept his eyes down, trying o focus on following the pale gravel footpath. The only sound that reached his ears was the crunch of the gravel beneath his shoes and the sound of his own uneven breath.

He felt a nauseous wave of bile rise into his throat, swallowing hard as he struggled to stay upright on his feet. He stopped for a second, doubling over as he tried to steady his breathing.

“Hey,” someone called out to him.

He looked up, barely making out the silhouette of a man coming towards him. He was tall and built. He had light brown hair and wore a red and white sports jacket.

“Are you okay?” the man asked, craning his neck slightly to look at Stiles’ face.

“I’m fine,” Stiles said, his words slurred as he tried to wave off the man’s concerns. He blinked heavily, trying to clear his vision and get a look at the man’s face. “Just had one—or six—too many.”

He heard the man chuckle lowly, the sound filling Stiles with strange sense of unease and dread. He looked up at the man, his gut sinking as he saw the twisted smile on the stranger’s face.

“Let me help you,” the man said, holding out his hand to Stiles.

“I’m fine,” Stiles insisted, trying to sound convincing. “Really.”

Stiles straightened, swaying as the world spun around him. The bile rose into his throat again, his head pounding as he struggled to stay upright.

Stiles felt panic settle into his chest, his heart pounding as his mind screamed at him to get away—get back to his dorm.

”Please,” the man said, a hint of finality and forcefulness in his voice as he took a step forward.

He grabbed Stiles’ arm in a vice grip, a jolt of pain sobering Stiles slightly.

“I insist.”

Derek looked up from his textbook, glancing over at the alarm clock that sat on his bedside table. The bright green digits read 12:30.

He turned and looked over his shoulder at the door.

Stiles should have been back by now.

Maybe he’s just staying out later than he thought, he told himself.

Or maybe something happened to him.

The thought sent ice soaring through his veins, his chest tightening as he glanced at the door again.

He shoved back his chair, grabbing his leather jacket from where it lay over the foot of his bed. He shrugged it on and grabbed his keys and his phone, heading out of the building and following the path that Stiles would have taken—across campus and to the bar.

He felt a lump form in his throat the further he walked, swallowing hard as he tried to ignore the nauseating feeling of his stomach twisting with anxiety.

He rounded the corner of a building, his heart stopping short as he caught sight of Stiles, pinned up against a wall by a man who had his hands all over him.

Stiles was weakly swatting away his hands and trying to push away from him.

Derek felt a wave of boiling rage consume him.

“Hey!” he shouted as he ran over to the man’s side. “Get off of him.”

“Mind your own business,” the man snapped back.

“I said get off.”

Derek grabbed the man’s shoulder, pulling him away and slamming his fist into the man’s jaw. His knuckles collided with bone with a sickening crack.

The man fell to the ground, groaning in pain as he held his face.

It took every ounce of strength Derek had not to pin the man to the ground and throw fists until he was nothing more than a mess of blood, snot and tears.

He turned away from him, stepping over to where Stiles was slumped back against the wall of a building, struggling to stay upright. His face was a mixed expression of shock and relief, his dark eyes unfocused as he looked from the man on the ground to Derek.

“Derek?” Stiles uttered weakly, his voice barely audible.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Derek whispered. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Stiles said, his voice drifting off.

Derek held out a hand to Stiles.

Stiles weakly lifted his arm, taking the hand Derek offered.

“Come on,” he said softly, lifting the young man’s arm over his shoulder and hoisting him upright—steadying him on his feet as he helped Stiles back down the path that led to the dorms.

They made their way down the dimly lit hallway and back into their room.

Derek carefully lowered Stiles down onto his bed, smothering a laugh as Stiles weakly flopped against the mattress and buried his face in his pillow.

Derek lifted Stiles’ legs and pulled off his shoes, setting them down beside his bed before reaching to unbuckle Stiles’ jeans.

“No,” Stiles cried weakly, his voice breaking. He kicked weakly and tried to roll away slightly.

Derek froze, his heart dropping into his gut as he realised what Stiles thought was happening.

“Stiles, I’m not—” Derek said, struggling to find his words. “Stiles, I’m not going to do anything, I promise. I just want to help you get comfortable. If you want to keep your jeans on then that’s fine.”

There was a moment of quiet where Derek thought Stiles had fallen asleep, but after a while Stiles muttered something.

“What?” Derek asked, leaning in closer.

“Off,” Stiles uttered.

“Okay,” Derek said.

He slowly reached for the button of Stiles’ jeans and helped him weakly kick his legs free. He laid the jeans over the end of his bed, pulling back the blankets and helping Stiles shuffle under them. He pulled the blanket up over Stiles’ shoulders, watching as the young man’s dark brown eyes fluttered shut; his breathing slowing to an even pace as he drifted off to sleep.

“Goodnight, Stiles,” Derek whispered before turning off the lamp on Stiles’ bedside table and getting ready for bed himself.

Stiles slowly blinked his eyes open. He groaned, squinting against the glaring light which streamed through the gap in the curtains. He turned his face into the pillow, letting the soft cotton muffle his moan.

Everything hurt; his head, his body.

He heard the quiet thump of a book shutting followed by the rustle of a blanket as someone climbed out of bed. He heard quiet footsteps across the wooden floorboards and slowly opened his eyes to see Derek standing by his bed, holding out a bottle of water and a box of aspirin.

Stiles rolled onto his side, struggling to push himself up onto his elbows.

He grimaced as pain flooded his head, whimpering quietly. He waited for the throbbing headache to settle before reaching out for the aspirin and water that Derek offered him.

“Thanks,” Stiles said weakly.

He sat upright and swallowed the aspiring, gulping down the water and relishing the refreshing taste of the water.

“Take it easy,” Derek said quietly. “I’ll go get you something to eat.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Stiles said, dragging his hands down his face.

He leant back against the wall, looking at Derek in confusion.

“How did you know to come looking for me?” Stiles asked. “How did you know I needed help?”

“You said you’d be back around midnight,” Derek replied matter-of-factly. “And when you weren’t, I went looking for you.”

“Is that why you asked me what time I was coming home?”

“Yeah,” Derek answered, a hint of confusion in his voice.

“I thought you were asking because you were mad at me for staying out so late,” Stiles admitted. “I thought you hated me because I was inconveniencing you with my coming and going all the time.”

Derek dropped his gaze. “I guess I do come off a bit abrasive. Sorry.”

“No,” Stiles said softly. “I’m sorry. I never tried to get to know you; I thought I knew the kind of person you were and I judged you—pretty harshly.”

“And I never tried to get to know you either,” Derek admitted, his voice soft. “I thought it’d be easier if I kept my distance… I’ve never been any good at making friends.”

“Neither have I.”

Stiles drew in a deep breath, sitting upright.

“Can we start again?�� he asked.

A small smile turned up the corner of Derek’s lips. “I’d like that.”

Stiles felt his heart flutter. He’d never seen Derek like this; his harsh edges were softening and his glacial cold exterior had shattered.

“I’ll go get you something to eat. Try and drink a bit more water and get some rest,” Derek said quietly, turning towards the door.

“Derek,” Stiles called after him.

Derek turned back to him. “Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“I can’t think straight,” Stiles huffed, slumping pack against the side of his bed.

The two of them had opted to sit on the floor in the space between their beds, sitting opposite each other and leaning back against their mattresses as they studied; their textbooks, notebooks, a few packets of chips and cans of soda scattered around them.

He loved the moments like this; when it was just the two of them.

It had started out as a friendship, spending time together between classes, but soon they grew closer, and before they knew it, they had become something more.

A small smirk turned up the corner of Derek’s lips, but he didn’t look up from where his laptop rested in his lap, his fingers tapping at the keys as he typed out his essay.

Stiles let out a heavy sigh. He shifted slightly, nudging Derek with his foot.

Derek shook his head, still not looking up from his assignment.

A mischievous smile lit up Stiles’ face as he ran his foot along the inside of Derek’s leg—that go his attention.

“Stiles,” Derek said warningly, still smiling.

“Derek,” Stiles whined playfully in return.

Stiles’ smile grew as he carefully set his laptop aside, stretching out further as he brushed his foot against Derek’s calf.

Derek moved faster than Stiles expected, tossing his computer onto his bed and grabbing Stiles’ ankle. He pulled Stiles forward—smirking devilishly as a surprised yelp escaped Stiles’ lips. He leant over Stiles, pinning him to the floor and bringing their mouths together.

He felt Stiles smile against his lips.

Stiles’ breath escaped him as he melted into the kiss, his eyes fluttering shut as he cupped Derek’s face with one hand; his other hand running up Derek’s side and up to his shoulder, holding him close.

Derek dropped his hands to Stiles’ waist and pulled him close, enveloping him in his warmth. He tilted his chin, deepening the kiss.

He drew back slowly, grinning at the euphoric expression on Stiles’ face as the young man tilted his chin and chased Derek’s lips.

Derek chuckled against his mouth as he brought their lips back together again. He kissed him lightly, drawing away quickly as he craned his neck and placed a trail of kisses across the boy’s cheek, jaw, chin, and neck, kissing every inch of skin.

He pulled back, sitting up and straddling Stiles’ waist.

“There’s no way I’m thinking straight now,” Derek said quietly.

A smug smile lit up Stiles’ face as he pushed himself up onto his elbows, bringing his lips to Derek’s again.

#sorry--i couldn't think of a better title #sterek #sterek fanfiction #sterek fanfic #sterek au #sterek college au #drunk!stiles #drunk stiles #please read the ao3 tags #happy birthday yetanothersterekblog #for yetanothersterekblog #yetanothersterekblog

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marshmallow-phd · 6 years ago

Text

Sins of the Father

Genre: Mafia Au

Pairing: Junmyeon x Reader

Summary: Soon after your second birthday, your parents were killed and you were adopted by your father’s best friend, taken away to their home country where you lived your life in peaceful ignorance. As far a as you knew, your parents simply left you large fortune to be released to you once you reached your twenty-third birthday. At least, that’s all you thought you were inheriting. When a famously ruthless mafia boss discovers your existence, you are left at his mercy. While under his roof, you learn more about your father than you ever wished you had, including the part of your inheritance that made you the most valuable person in the underworld. Hidden in a bank in New York City were files that held the darkest secrets of the mafia families and everyone in their pocket. With another terrifying leader’s eyes trained on you, you’ll learn to watch your back… and guard your heart, before your father’s past becomes your doom.

Part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5 I 6 I 7 I 8 I 9 I 10 I 11 I 12 I 13 I 14 I 15 I 16 I Final

It was unbearably warm when you woke up. Your eyelids fluttered open just a few centimeters from Junmyeon’s face. His features were fuzzy as your eyes tried to adjust to being active again. At some point in your sleep, you had cuddled up to his side and he’d wrapped an arm around your shoulders. With your head resting on top of a bruise on his shoulder, you were surprised you hadn’t woken him up.

Slowly sitting up, you looked down at his peaceful appearance.

A lock of hair from his bangs had fallen on his forehead sometime in the morning hours. You pushed it back, surprised at the softness against your fingers. The bruises on his face and torso had settled into a deep purple, which was better than the almost black shade they were a few hours ago. According to the digital clock on the nightstand, it was about twenty past two in the afternoon. It hadn’t been quite eight hours of good rest, but you were too alert to try and go back to sleep.

Junmyeon moaned, his mouth turning down to a frown as his sleepy eyes slowly broke open.

“Well, hello there,” you laughed. The way his face scrunched up, wrinkling the skin around his eyes and nose, was so child-like that it contrasted so much with the Junmyeon you knew. Or, at least, thought you knew.

Why couldn’t he look like the mobsters from the documentaries? The kind that were balding, overweight, and wore hideous, flashy clothing. That would be easy to hate and dismiss. Hell, you might have been able to just ignore his injuries and let him suffer. But this face came across as the boy next door; the kind that helped old ladies cross the street and laughed at their friend’s terrible jokes. When he wasn’t frowning or scowling, it was almost angelic.

“Have you been awake long?” he yawned, careful not to move too fast as he sat up.

You shook my head. “No, not at all. How are you feeling?”

“Stiff,” he answered honestly.

Massaging his shoulder with your hand, you could feel how tensed up his muscles had become from laying down so long. You threw the covers off of your legs and started to get out of bed when he caught your wrist.

“Where are you going?” He was practically pouting. What would his men say to a face like that coming from their fearless leader?

“I thought I’d be nice and start a warm bath for you.”

He raised an eyebrow cheekily. “For two?”

You ripped out of his grasp, throwing him a look. “No, for one. It’s to loosen up your muscles.”

“I can think of another way to loosen me up.” It was impossible to miss his implication.

Jumping up, you stared down at him in disbelief. “Did you drink while I was asleep? Is that why you’re acting like this?”

Junmyeon threw his hands up, playing innocent. You were used to Chen and occasionally Baekhyun’s flirty comments, but they never went quite that far.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I crossed a line.”

You folded your arms, completely confused by this one-eighty turn his personality had taken.

Sure, you’d been concerned about his wellbeing when he came home looking like he’d done a couple rounds of MMA. And, okay, you might have taken a small pleasure in seeing what was hidden underneath his shirts, but you’d kept those thoughts to yourself. One night sleeping next to each other just so you could make sure he didn’t stop breathing and suddenly he’d turned from cold mafia leader to the playful boyfriend.

You leaned down to get a better look at his eyes. They weren’t oddly dilated nor were the corneas turning colors. “Did you hit your head really hard last night? Did Junko rearrange some wires when he was beating on you?”

That wiped the smile off his face and gained you a flick on the forehead.

“Ow!” You rubbed the spot where his nail had stung the skin stung to try and sooth it. How childish.

“I didn’t appreciate that particular reminder,” Junmeyon grumbled. The playful look was gone now. His face was almost back to the part-annoyed, part-neutral expression you were used to. “And I was serious last night – or this morning, whatever – I think we should actually try to be more than just a piece of paper. Who knows, maybe this was fate?”

You rolled your eyes, straightening back up. Fate was not something you believed in. Chance, coincidence, luck; that’s how things happened. “That was a bit fluffy for a crime boss, don’t you think? Besides, you’re skipping a few steps. I’m not sleeping with you. In my opinion, we should start with the ‘friends’ part, huh? Besides, I thought I wasn’t your type?”

He flinched at that. “You’re right, sorry. And I only said that to make you stay at arm’s distance.”

You scoffed. Like would have tried to be any closer than that in the first place. No need to tell him that you had easily looked past him to a certain dimpled doctor. That wasn’t exactly a fight you wanted to have at this point. Nor did you want something bad to happen to Yixing. You didn’t think that Junmyeon would do something to harm him - he often called the boys his family - but you thought better than to take the chance. Besides, there was a more pressing matter to point out.

“And yet, you were the first one to fold.”

“Excuse me?” He stood up and stalked over to you. Damn it, how could he be so imposing? He didn’t have the height like Chanyeol and Sehun, but the way he held himself made him seem eight feet tall. “What do you mean I was folded first? You ran to me when you saw my face like Florence Nightingale.”

“Which I would have done if that was any of you guys, including Xiumin,” you pointed out. Although, you hardly knew his second-in-command. The underboss had hardly said two full sentences to you, but you still would have been concerned if he was hurt. Granted, you never would have asked to stay the night with him. Or any of the others. You think.

Shaking your head, you realized how juvenile the two of you were being. Why did it matter? This wasn’t a card game. And it’s not like you had actual feelings for him at the moment. Some attraction, sure, but so would anyone in their right mind after just one look at him. Well, when his face didn’t look like a Dalmatian. Add in the tiny bits of affection he’d thrown you way since yesterday morning and you were almost doomed.

On top of that, you did care about his wellbeing, not wishing him harm like some might think you should. You didn’t see him as a monster, not anymore. He may have kept you in the penthouse, but he didn’t confide you to a single room or make your life truly miserable. And you would prefer the penthouse to any more “social gatherings” like last night.

Thoughtfully, you spun the ring on your finger. You hadn’t taken it off when getting ready for bed, but now you wondered if maybe that was giving Junmyeon some of his newfound bravery towards you. He’d kept you in mind when picking out the piece of jewelry, meaning he’d somewhat been paying attention. If it was one of those fifteen carat diamonds with a thick band housing smaller jewels like the celebrities often sported, you never would have put it on in a thousand years. If you ever fell in a pool of water with it on, drowning was a huge possibility.

You couldn’t understand it, but you were coming to terms with your situation, possibly even finding a faint silver lining.

“I’ll start your bath that you’ll take by yourself,” you told him. “And I’ll make us something to eat. Are any of the guys coming over today?” Junmyeon shook his head a little too happily. “Okay, then.”

Turning around, you headed into the bathroom. It was hard to not focus on your jealousy when you got a good look at the tub. You hadn’t paid attention to the bathroom when looking for the first aid kit last night, but now you got an eye full.

The walk-in shower had dark, stone-like tile with a waterfall type shower head. The tub was more like a Jacuzzi, with jets and enough room for at least three occupants. You were a little tempted to say screw him and take a bath yourself.

Pushing that idea off for another time for maybe when Junmyeon wasn’t home, you let the water get steaming hot and fill up most of the way before calling that good enough. When you turned around, Junmyeon was out of bed and leaning against the doorframe.

“It’s all ready for you.” Eyes up on his face. Eyes up on his face.

As you passed him to exit the bathroom, he said, “Thank you.”

You nodded in reply and headed for the kitchen.

Food options were getting low, but at least the fridge wasn’t completely empty. There was some beef that was still good and a marinade that Kyungsoo had made that was incredibly delicious so that’s what you went with.

While rice was being prepared in the cooker, you chopped up the beef and stir fried it. The other little side dishes were easy enough to prepare, not taking too much time at all. In just a few minutes, the island was pretty much set and you were just waiting for the meat to finish up when Junmyeon entered the kitchen.

“That smells amazing,” he complimented sincerely.

“Thanks,” you said shyly. “Most of it is actually Kyungsoo’s work, like the sauce, but I guess you could say I did a good job at heating things up. There wasn’t much to work with. Someone will have to go to the store soon.” You wanted to say that you could go to the store, but the chances of that were slim and so you decided to keep the statement vague.

Junmyeon just nodded as he sat down, not mentioning who could be sent for the job. You made him a glass of water and let him get started on eating as you turned off the stove and started to rinse off some of the pans that had cooled.

“Just leave it,” he ordered. “We can clean it up later.”

It was hard to suppress a smile as you sat down across from him. He’d even said “we” like he planned on helping you. Was the job of washing dishes not too lowly for the mafia leader?

As you ate, you peeked up at Junmyeon in short, quick glances. His hair was still wet, giving it a dark sheen that complimented his skin. You were relieved to see him be able to move a little more freely without grimacing in pain every five seconds. It was still hard to make the images of Junmyeon fit together in your head. They were so opposite one another that anyone else might think you were talking about two different people. Or had some sort of Jekyll and Hyde situation on your hands.

The two of you finished lunch and Junmyeon graciously dried the dishes after you’d washed them and then put them away in their proper places. It was hard to keep your mouth shut, your brain oh-so wanting to make a snarky comment about him doing any sort of cleaning, but you kept your mouth shut. Getting along was not going to be easy after developing a sarcastic defense against him.

Once that chore was done, you relocated to the living room, settling on the couch. The two of you were facing each other, chatting on like it was normal.

“So, before all this, how much did you know about your father?” Junmyeon asked cautiously, turning the subject away from Xiumin’s apparent obsession with cleanliness.

You let out a long breath. It was the first time anyone had actually asked about your parents. The boys never brought it up and while you were growing up strangers just assumed it was a sensitive topic.

“To me, he was just your typical corporate lawyer. I only had pictures to go by, the ones that Taegun and Hyunmin had brought back when they went to go get me. He seemed normal, nothing too secretive about him. Just an average, every day father providing for his family.”

“Those are always the ones to look out for,” Junmyeon remarked.

Telling him you would be right back, you ran to your room and took out the photo you’d shoved into the drawer. You didn’t think that you would touch it for a long time – if ever again – but something made you want to show it to Junmyeon. On a whim, you also grabbed the album from the nightstand.

You handed Junmyeon the picture frame as you sat back down, leaning against your elbow on the back cushion.

“Okay,” Junmyeon whistled, examining the subjects in the photo. “I see what you mean. You’re right, very normal.” He chuckled. “You look like your mom. In fact, it’s a little scary.” Holding up the frame to your face, he looked back and forth between you and the photo.

You shoved it down, pursing your lips. “That’s what everyone says when they see pictures of her. Like her little clone.”

“What did she do?”

You shrugged. “She stayed home, as far as I know. She was a political science major but didn’t really do anything with it. My parents married pretty soon after graduating college and then had me. Most of the pictures I have are of just the two of us. She seemed happy, smiling at the camera, but that’s hardly evidence if she really was.” You frowned, thinking of the kind of person she might have been; if you would have gotten along with her had she been the one to raise you. Would you have had more in common than just your faces? “I hope she was.”

Sensing your change in mood, Junmyeon placed his hand on your knee. Even through the blanket thrown across your lap, you could feel its warmth.

“I’m sure she was.” He put the frame down on the coffee table. Smiling a little, his gaze was down on the floor as if he was thinking back to something. “My mother was happy. She loved my father, no matter what trouble he got into.”

“How did all this start?” you asked, curious about the events that led you all here, to this moment. “Did your father build all this?”

Junmyeon shook his head. “No, my grandfather is responsible for all this. Things were hard during the war. People needed protection and something to turn to for hope. My grandfather took advantage of that need, building his empire. Back then it was more about followers and he had several families underneath him. Things shifted when my father took over. That’s when it became more about territory and having control of certain goods and transportation.”

You took in everything he was saying. This life, it wasn’t just about breaking the law and living glamorously. Yes, the money was a big part, but it seemed to center more on control and benefits for the whole, like a company. That’s what all this was, in the end, wasn’t it? Each member had their own role to play, working in sync with the others to make sure the whole machine stayed together. While the ends might not justify the means, you found yourself admiring the system a bit.

“In the end, it wasn’t the constant fight with the other families that took him,” Junmyeon admitted.

You straightened up, surprised at the turn of conversation. “How did he die?”

Junmyeon took your hand in his and started playing with your fingers, perhaps to distract himself. “Heart disease. He didn’t take of himself very well and it all caught up with him. It hit my mother the hardest. She loved my father so much, she’d left her family behind for him.”

Intrigued by this love story, you scooted closer to listen. “How did they meet?”

“My mother’s father was a rising politician,” he kept his eyes down, focused on his distracting task. “They happened to be at a fundraising event that my father was throwing. My maternal grandfather hated being there, but he had to make an appearance since it was a legitimate fundraiser for the orphanages and he needed a good image. Their family came from money and so he needed to connect with the common people in order to get their votes and the people loved my father for the work he put back into the neighborhood. It was an open secret, what my father’s family did, but my mother didn’t care. She took one look at my father and knew she would never love anyone else.”

It was easy enough to picture, the couple meeting and the air turning warm and suddenly everyone else faded away until it was just the two of them standing there with eyes connecting, never to let go again. It was a scenario you’d read a hundred times, but the feelings behind them was something you had never experienced.

“She sounds lucky to have found love so easily.”

Junmyeon scoffed, dropping your hand. “Finding it was easy, keeping it took its toll and had its consequences.”

You bobbed your head in understanding. Love could only take so much and Junmyeon’s mother probably had to fight every day to hold on to her law-breaking husband. “Where is your mother?”

“She has dementia.” He took in a ragged breath, running a hand through his hair. The ends had dried by now, but a few strands stood up from the gesture, making it messy. “It’s still in the early stages, but she has to constantly be watched to make sure nothing happens to her. One time she almost burnt her house down because she forgot the stove was on. Another time, I found her pulled over on the side of the highway because she didn’t know where she was. I placed her in a care facility down in Busan, so she’d be away from the danger here in Seoul.”

Your heart was breaking for him. He loved her so much. It was evident all over his face and the way his shoulders slumped, thinking about how he had to send her away. You could almost imagine little Junmyeon clinging to his mother on his first day of school or playfully swatting her hand away when she tried to fix his hair. That kind of sight was something you wanted to witness. The beautiful bond between this man in front of you and his mother, who sounded like a saint or an angel.

“Do you think–” you stopped. Perhaps it would have been too bold of you to ask. “Never mind.” Playing with the hem of the blanket, you kept your eyes down. You feared that he might get mad at your request or think you were overstepping. Granted, he overstepped first this morning, but there was difference between his obnoxious flirting and this.

He groaned. “I hate it when you do that. Can’t you just tell me what’s on your mind without me having to prod it out of you?” He even tapped on your forehead for emphasis.

You still couldn’t bring yourself to ask it.

Huffing, Junmyeon pulled your hand away from the blanket that you were fidgeting with and tilted your chin up. “(Y/n).”

“Fine,” you pouted. “I was going to ask if I could go with you, next time you visit her. I’d like to meet her.” Whatever reaction you were expecting, you weren’t ready for what you received.

It made Junmyeon shine. His smile grew so big it turned into an eye smile you’d never seen from him before. He’d moved with speed you wouldn’t think he was capable of in his current condition as he practically leapt you and pulled you into his chest, resting his chin on your shoulder. Just as you were about to lift your arms and return the hug, he pulled away.

“I would want nothing more,” he said quietly, his brown eyes boring into yours. “And I know she would love to meet you too.” Leaving you stunned, he sat back, a relaxed expression on his face as he continued to stare at you.

You shifted, suddenly uncomfortable with his unwavering attention. “What?”

“Where did you come from?” he sounded fascinated, like you were an alien that was floating down from the sky.

You scrunched your eyebrows. “Um, I think we’ve already had this conversation.”

He shook his head, letting out a small laugh. Settling his eyes on the album you’d put on the coffee table, he picked it up and started leafing through it.

“You have a lot of places you want to go,” he acknowledged.

Sucking in your lips, you cleared your throat. “Yeah. I’ve always wanted to travel. I think being an outsider my whole life, I’ve just wanted to find somewhere that I could maybe call home.” You stopped the page flipping when he came to the pictures of France’s countryside. Pointing to the word scribbled at the top, you explained, “I fell in love with that word as soon as I heard it. I think it was in a movie or something. It’s French. Dépaysement. It basically means homesickness, but it’s deeper than that. Like, disorientation. A longing for your home country. Except, I’m not sure where that is. I feel like it should be the same as my parents, but I’m not confident that it is. So, I want to find it.”

Junmyeon caressed the pictures that held the green hills and fast forests of a country far away. In complete seriousness, he looked up at you and stated, “I’ll take you someday.”

Your jaw dropped. When Chanyeol had told you that Junmyeon liked to travel and he might take you along, you hadn’t really believed him that Junmyeon would take a risk like that. That would have taken some effort on Junmyeon’s part to put some interest in you as a human being. But now, with the way he said it and the look of genuine care in his eyes, you could actually hope. And not even the thought of sharing a hotel room put you off.

“We’ll start with America.”

Then you deflated.

Of course.

“Right,” You collapsed back into the couch. “So, I can get the files.”

Junmyeon scrambled up so he was leaning in and grasped your hands, realizing what you’d concluded. “No, that’s not what I meant. We can put that off. Once I can get things settled here in the next few months and your birthday comes around, we can take a nice honeymoon to California or Washington. We won’t touch New York until you want to.”

You didn’t believe him. You didn’t believe that three short weeks, or even less than twenty-four hours had changed his mind about the importance of those files. Not to mention, he still planned the wedding for around your birthday, the biggest piece of the puzzle. He’d worked too hard, planned too much to just let them fall to an afterthought. The only reason he even brought you here in the first place was for the secrets those papers held. You weren’t that special to make him forget it all.

Because you would avoid New York for the rest of your life. You would put it off every time he asked, every time it was brought up in a conversation. If it was truly up to you, you would leave that safe deposit box to rot.

But you let him think that you took him at his word, giving him a small smile. He patted your head, returning the smile. One step forward and two steps back.

#exo #exo fanfiction #exo fanfic #exo mafia au #exo mafia!au #junmyeon x reader #kim junmyeon #suho #exo gang au #exo gang!au #exo series #Sins of the Father

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digimedial · 7 years ago

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Who's driving now? - DigiMediaL wrap up & consultation tips / 13th of December 2018

As the DigiMediaL_musik project is coming to an end by new years eve after nearly more than 10 years, this last Berliner Musiker*innen Treff offered a ceremonial project completion as well as a place for further consultation tips regarding the Berlin music scene.

We invited alumni, lecturers and cooperative partners from the past three years and also all interested people who would like to find their way around the consulting jungle in Berlin to come together.

Sandra Flachmann was guiding through a well organized variety of consulting opportunities in Berlin, (digital) networks and platforms, funding opportunities in music, information on workshops and lectures on music-related issues. So this time there was almost a two-hours program to be enjoyed.

First the OMA’s café was presented as it is still one of the last uncommercial spaces so close to Mitte and hosted us very friendly for the last couple of months. Also they are open to alternative uses of the space itself. The presentation and wrap up of the DigiMediaL-musik project and a brief introduction of cooperation partners and guests followed.

The talk opened up when alumni of the OnStage certificate course were joining the round, Lisa-Miriam Übel (OnStage IV) and Chrissy Möllers (OnStage II) sat down next to Sandra. For Chrissy it was most important, that OnStage opened the door to a variety of networks like Ramschakl or Tal der Verwirrung. As a result of these connections she created her own regular event series and doing bookings at the venue Klunkerkranich. She really liked the group work itself and the group dynamics and even though it was exhausting sometimes, it showed her how much potential a group can develope. Most problems she remembered of the processcame from dealing with their main event location as at that time the owners of the location were in the process of just forming their own group also. Reflecting the self inside a group was the biggest learning for her. Lisa told that she found it very interesting how the development was from the first meeting until the main event, as many creative heads ‘have strong personalities’ and they all didn’t know each other before. To manage this and combining very different tastes while fulfilling the tasks that needed to be done to get the event going was a challenge and at the same time showed her how much is possible in such a short time. Also for her own it was a push to really finally prepare a live set. Developing new friendships and collaborations, she said she took a lot of values from the OnStage course with her.

The first pitch was made by Maureen Noé of Musicboard Berlin. This is one of the biggest or maybe the central funding organization for pop music in Berlin. It covers nearly any genre, just no straightforward jazz or classical music. The Music Board tries to be very approachable and do consultings in English and German. They distribute financial support towards artists directly and to projects, organizers and festivals (in Berlin). ‘Karrieresprungbrett’ for example is a program to establish newcomers and ‘Pop im Kiez’ is raising awareness for the acceptance of live music in neighbourhoods. Most deadlines to apply for scholarships are around February (only for newcomers registered in Berlin, roughly 5000-10000 €). Above all you apply with music, next to a small project plan, CV of your artistic career and a small finance overview for the jury to decide. They are active in supporting more female*, non binary and trans artists.

Giuditta Panzieri of Music Pool Berlin followed. The non-profit organization exists since 2014 and offers a mix of think tank, consulting, education and networking. The aim is helping musicians to take a step forward and to be able to navigate inside the Berlin music industry. They offer 4h-workshops once a week (15€) on topics like e.g. marketing, branding, music licencing, DIY booking and similar to support independent artists. There are two types of consultation (all available in German and English): One for free and one that that offers you a ‘personal expertise’ (20€=1h). Once a month there is an event called ‘Community evening’, an easy going conference offering different topics and experts with changing locations every time. The other event of the Music Pool is the artist meetup, where artists are free to sign up for a slot and then do a pitch to show what they are doing at the moment as well as to ask for feedback and ressources.

The Berlin Music Commission was represented by Tim Joppien who first stated that this network and cooperative consists of 120 members with a background in labelwork, management, radio stations and booking agencies. They also do consultations but workshops and thinktank formats as well. Tim called the Music Commission a ‘music industry network’ which targets companies, but also more and more ‘individuals’. They were part of the ‘Most wanted: Music convention Berlin’ and do a monthly event called ‘Backstage’ which for example tries to bring together people who create music and other industries like the film industry. Their ‘Sprechstunde Musikwirtschaft’ is a consultation for basic music industry knowledge and there is a program for internationalisation called ‘Music Ambassador’. Via their platform ‘listen to berlin’ they are including compilations of newcomers and the applications usually open up around April.

After a short break Mona Katawi of the transnational counseling center ‘Landesmusikrat Berlin’ explained her offer, which she does in four different languages (German, Arabic, English, Turkish). She manages the program ‘Information about the music market’, making information available for people who just came to Berlin, especially for musicians in exile who just fled their country. It is mostly a very general consultation, like for example regarding “what is the KSK and how to I get in”. They also work together with Kulturförderpunkt and ver.di, accompanying people who mostly need translations and emotional support with bureaucratic appointments in Germany. Also they made a map visible on landesmusikrat-berlin.de/projekte/musikarbeitsmarkt which shows various institutions and locations regarding music. The program is funded by the ‘Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Europa’.

Sebastian Hoffmann who is working inside the ‘touring artists’-advisory package of SMartDe Netzwerk für Kreative e.V. explained that they are open to all sectors of music and the music industry. They give advices regarding VISA, residential questions, transports, taxes, insurances and similar issues. Except German and English they offer some information in Polish, French, Dutch and some Italian. As they are funded from the federal government they offer free consultation via phone, in universities and through workshops. Mainly they focus on two ways of consultation: for people who just arrived to Germany and for people who want to travel outside Germany. The next workshop will be on January 15th in the afternoon from 2-6pm at Music Pool; an overall crashcourse on all topics shown on the website. Costs 15€.

Following this, Matthias Krebs of DigiMediaL_musik introduced the free online platform SKILLFRIED which is focussing on music projects and is all about connecting professional musicians as well as freelancers and creative heads. This is especially interesting for people who are already experienced in music-related projects and are searching for new partners or collaborateurs.

Last but not least the current initiative savemauerpark.de was given the space to make the situation visible by a delegate of busking.co; musician and (street) artists Laura Hoo. Not only being linked to other busking projects all over Europe, she is involved into founding the Verein related to streetmusicberlin.de, trying to help out street musicians in a time when more and more places are getting problematic and finally shut down. As the rules for busking are not really clear and visible in Berlin, buskers are threatened about losing their instrument through confiscation. Since summer weekly demonstrations in Mauerpark took place, as the situation got out of hand during summer with a lot of neighbour -and police troubles. To support the cause and buskers in their work, it’s about getting involved and spreading the word and awareness or simply get in contact to join the weekly meetings. At the moment, the initiative tries to do lobby work in Pankow/for Mauerpark but probably has to go for a berlinwide movement. Everybody signing the petition to create pressure on the authorities helps the cause!

Closing wrap up, Sandra mentioned some more institutions to find consultation and networks: -female:pressure -culture container -ALEX Offener Kanal Berlin -musicBwoman.de

Like always there was time for questions and networking and the evening was rounded off by a cosy talkative session from an audience that clearly appreciated the Berliner Musiker*innen Treff. Thanks & Good-bye! :-)

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almassadlive · 5 years ago

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How To Start and Run a Successful Lifestyle Business Online

A Personal Insight

Congratulations! You have chosen a really rewarding option into how your business and life will coexist happily ever after." That was a little note to myself when I chose the lifestyle business option, quite a far cry from a traditional start-up that I was running in the entertainment and events industry after quitting my 9-5 job. The latter required me to be in a specific physical location of course so as to reach and serve my clients.

Today, I run a digital business model and all I need is a laptop handy and an Internet connection. I then choose when I want to do some work and where I want to get that work done. And that my friend is what I call a perfect match! My life meets my business everywhere I go, anywhere I am. The general business rules remain pretty similar and herein I will share my own golden rules that new entrepreneurs will particularly find informative... But first... if you are about to quit your job, you are probably wondering

Can Starting A Lifestyle Business Change Your Life?

No more dreadful Monday morning train commutes to work and staring into a stranger's face seated across from me wearing sunnies on a cold morning, perhaps a subtle attempt to numb the pain of the lifeless surrounding. They are having the same thoughts as me. "Friday cannot come quick enough". Then I start thinking about my email box and that Monday morning meeting that I have not prepared for. I have to fill in my boss on the current project status before he can go into another meeting with more important people than me to tell them what I just told him!

I remember having those thoughts and it just makes me queasy as I write this. I know you get the drift. I remember suffering temporary amnesia as I walked out of the house, holding car keys and looking for them all over the kitchen and lounge. I had spent a whole hour pre-occupied in thought on how I will handle the stress that was about to unfold for the next 5 days of my life.

The Road Ahead

As exciting as this new journey is about to be you want to get a few things in order straight away in your new 'house' to make this transition process as smooth as you possibly can. That business idea is looking great, you have done lots of research, consulted a few souls preferably smarter than you. You have also been making some new friends. I really hope none of them is still working where you just quit! I soon found out that these friendships only flourished over the years because of shared interests such as office politics that tended to specially thrive on Friday night at the bar when we didn't have to whisper about overwhelming love for senior management.

The reality now is, you are in an elevated consciousness phase of your life, one that these friendships cannot exist. Your mindset needs to be fed with new insights and nurtured with refreshing thoughts about living a fulfilled life. You have some money saved up in the bank and probably have an actionable step-by-step business plan. There is something of value that you have to share and a strategy to get customers lined up ready to give your 'something' a warm welcome into this new world order.

But that is the easy part. I shall be completely honest here; apart from some money that I had saved up at the point of quitting, I really didn't have much more than a rough idea of what I was going to do. I was risking it all. When I left my day job some years ago, I was at a point where it was either that or I lose my mind.

7 Golden Rules

A New MIND-set:

As with all things new, your mind is the first guy you want to put in check. Let him know there is a new sheriff in town. If you are like me, you have been spending the better part of the last 6 - 12 months buried deep in business books and ripping them apart in your spare time. At some point, you found personal development material captivating. Eventually, you started finding out why that constant nagging feeling of life and lack of fulfilment was. As an example, I had read books like Richdad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and listened to the audio version of the same in case something was lost in translation! I had also read Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and Dale Carnegie's How To Win Friends and Influence People among others.

This is an activity that you will not want to let slip into the overflowing 'good habits to continue when I get time bucket'. I had one like that and needed no motivation adding more stock completely in autopilot. Mind food is paramount in this journey. You want to stay inspired a good chunk of the time because this is where the sowing is happening. The thing is as abstract as some of the ideas in this material may seem at this point; I found that with time, it all starts to fall into place as the journey progresses. So do not sweat any concepts that are not clear yet. Keeping the reading habit going is all you need. These books are not really designed for reading cover to cover. Think of them like the SAT NAV system your car or as you own version of a personal SIRI.

It is a known fact that our minds don't like disruption. Whether that disruption is good for us or not, it is not very welcome without some whip cracking. The mind has got everything figured out. It is a very well trained machine with thoughts and habits that shape your life and works even when you are sleeping, doing the 'regular chores around the house'.

The 9-5 routine mindset is still at this point deeply wired into your system. It's advisable to start setting up ground rules so that YOU and the MIND are both on the same page. This takes a while and certainly took me the better part of 2 years. Don't stress just know there are changes you will need to work on consistently in this area. Oh, remember when I mentioned who your new friends cannot be a little earlier?

Breaking The Bad:

I made the mistake of trying to keep a regular 9-5-like routine when I first started my entrepreneurial journey. Big mistake. What tends to happen as a result is, the mind in these early days of business life, is still largely unaware of the 'new life in construction progress'. It actively runs the old familiar version of 'code' from its 9-5 days in the background in stealth mode. You might know what happens when you try to run a new version of Microsoft Windows on old PC hardware? Yes, exactly right!

All sorts of weird compatibility issues are not unheard of.

I did not understand this myself. The mindset driving my routine was still stuck in the old version. The correct term for this is the subconscious mind. So your poor conscious mind, which is pretty much what we operate on until new ways are 'learned' runs into a constant battle. It really wants to change the world for you, it's ready to work hard, promising to cut the Friday night binge that serves no purpose other than a regular headache which eats away the Saturday morning and pinky swears to cut down on addictive TV shows.

Someone, please explain why my favourite big screen stars are also hanging out in these TV shows... like really?

The Deal With Time Management:

As a new entrepreneur what quickly comes into awareness I would say is the time management beast and what seems to be like an endless stream of unmanageable distractions. In a lifestyle business that is run from home, the park, at the beach, the airport lounge or while on safari at The Mara, this can be a constant battle. Don't get too hang up on being perfect day one with this one. The more I tried to fight it the more I stressed about it. Stress did not improve my time management skills and only added to unfinished tasks that needed more worrying about... I thought! The time drama continued until I put measures to progressively learn how to improve time management.

Keep educating yourself on what works for your schedule and what sorts of distractions are overpowering you. I can tell you now it's going to be technology related!

It didn't matter that I was an early riser who wouldn't go to bed until my eyeballs were literally unlocking themselves from my sockets in protest. Occasionally I got the odd finger in this scuffle! And sometimes I still wouldn't give up. Now, this does not necessarily equate to being productive. The actual real result was a constant feeling of exhaustion, elevated stress levels, and anxiety.

Why You Need To Design A Routine That Works Around Your Lifestyle Business

I hadn't changed my routine so my mind would expect the usual treatment, 9 am we are active at work and then at 5 pm it expects that we are on the 'winding up for the day phase'. I, on the other hand, had with all good intent, added extra hours in front of the 9 and after the 5. Now you can see where the problem was once I kept this up for a while. Insane!!! Create a new routine and optimise around what works for you.

Decide When You Want To Work... Create A Routine... Then Follow It With Military Discipline

Perfecting this phase when you start a lifestyle business, which means your physical surroundings change constantly, it can feel daunting. However, with a well mapped out daily, and weekly routine that you have the discipline to stick with, you will start to see results. In no time, this will end up running on autopilot.

There's going to be a lot of 10 to 12 hour days, maybe longer but they don't and shouldn't be in your constant daily routine. After all, it's business around your lifestyle. I have 3-hour blocks and generally leave my 'heavy lifting work' for when I get into a state of flow, usually after midnight.

Understanding Your Personal Power and Peak Performance State:

This state starts becoming more regular with practice and awareness. Understand your highs (i.e. peak energy state), lows (this is no time to do the books and usually a good time to choose pizza toppings and make big decisions like thin or thick crust?) and my personal favourite flow state (this is creation mode and a good time to change the World). Pick a block of hours that works for you. Once new habits in your routine become solid you will have an easier time telling these states apart.

It's not unusual for me to get into flow while at the shops looking at apples and kiwi fruit fresh deals of the day. This state for me comes through an insightful thought or sometimes as a series of thoughts back to back, so please keep a hardcover notebook at all times for these moments. You might just stumble on your best business idea yet!

Time management and productivity is a continuous optimisation process. All you have to do is decide how many hours you want to work. Pay attention to your body clock and maximise for times when you are at peak energy states. Then learn to induce these states through rewarding practices like meditation.

Schedule Fun Times on Tuesdays:

Although it's not how I started off, I am lucky thus far to be working on businesses that allow me lots of flexibility as to when and where I actually work. If this tickles your fancy you are on the right track here. In my case, all I need is my mac book pro and decent wifi. Tip: When I am in a location where the menu has an under $10 dollar price tag frenzy going on, I move on swiftly.

About Tuesdays

Move all the things you used to do for fun on Saturday to this day. The Keyword here is FUN guys so if mowing the lawn is fun! Okay, you get my point. It doesn't matter what the activity is but I recommend you do it in the early days of your journey. The feeling is absolutely incredible. For me, it was reading the paper and a coffee down the road.

Do you guys wonder why we still print newspapers today?

So, usually, one or two local Moms will swing by the coffee shop and that is all the action there is. The rest of the 'real' world folks are at work. This is my opinion but what I found with being Mr Tuesday is that it gives me a boost of confidence and that sense of freedom where I feel, "yeah that's right, I can do what I want when I want".

I will point out here that this has nothing to do with money. I have done this even when the reality at that time was 'cash-flow challenges!'. I am not advocating that you should smile and be happy when you are broke, no no no. When you think about it, this is when you need your mind at a 100% and if all it takes is a series of 3-dollar coffees down the road, so be it. While on this topic, my ideal Tuesday day is on a yacht surrounded by endless views of blue seas at exactly 11 am and a safety vest in close proximity! Unwanted swimming lessons are not part of this plan.

What does your ideal Tuesday day look like?

Your Inner Circle... Your Players CLUB:

This is an interesting one because if you think about your ideal Tuesday above, how many people do you know today can do that? Initially, you will probably be alone or maybe with someone close to you like a partner, wife, girlfriend or somebody else who probably does what you do, or benefits directly from what you do. I found out that the friends I used to hang out with on Saturdays and Sundays in my previous life no longer fitted in the new life I was creating. It's a delicate balance but I had to make some changes. For the same reason, of course, the folks at your old job will probably not take Tuesday off to hang out at your newly found happy place to share happy coffee with you.

I could go on and on about this inner circle area of the new life but what I realised and accepted was, I needed to decide as part of the journey, to be alone for a little while as more new quality friendships developed. This is still an ongoing process. As an example, a couple of months ago I was in HongKong for a week just by myself. I had a blast but would it have been nicer to share that escapade with someone familiar?

I met new people on that trip and did things I had never done before. I love travelling and it is one of the reasons why starting a lifestyle business was a brilliant model. The thing is, if I can make friends who also have time to be lazy on Tuesdays for happy coffee and random sun baking escapades, that is probably a good 'new friend barometer' check right there! Oh and hopefully of course what they do for money is generally not frowned upon by law!

On the real, though, I personally don't have many of these friends but I found that this is a good time for me to reflect inwards and to focus on my personal growth. If you are new into this game, this could be a good time to spend with a business mentor, perhaps meet other like-minded people in your local community, go deep into nature or maybe just hang out on social media platforms and engage and find out the latest buzz like who got a cat! Seriously the point here is, have a lot of choices in your back pocket that you can go crazy with and if you have bucket list ideas all figured out, check them off weekly without fail.

Family:

Family is very dear to me and I would imagine it's the same for you too. Perhaps, much so that you are making this decision to escape the 9-5 and really start learning new ways to make money outside the voluntary solitary confinement space (also known as office cubicle). One of my reasons for choosing this journey was my family. To be more available to them and to enhance my own life experiences. To fill those experiences with what I really want anytime I wanted it. The one thing I encountered and you probably might as well, those we love and care for dearly may not understand the new you. These moments may not be as dramatic such as waving placards in protest but you will see it vividly.

Remember how our minds don't like change?

It's not their fault and they are probably coming from a place of love for you. Embrace the response you get with love and remember your bigger mission. I had lots of strange conversations with people I love and would have like to be speaking a foreign language at the time. That way being misunderstood would have been spot on. Then one day I realised, they weren't really saying they disliked my new outlook on life and crazy ideas like giving up a six-figure income.

They were just saying, "We don't understand how to process this new information". Please show us how. You might also take consolation in the fact that how well you manage this close relationship is a reflection of how you will do 'out there' where the World is short of people like you and me, people who are lost in self-indulgence and totally unconscious of their daily actions will not understand you either!

Remember, training takes time. That's what it took for me until they somewhat understood. If you are lucky enough to get the all in response from them, great, if not, give them time and if need be, add the space element to it as well. Be kind to yourself.

At the time, I was on a roller coaster going through a myriad of changes both personal and business that required me to be very present. My first business was in an industry I did not know at all, the physical surroundings were not very familiar (I will discuss this in a later post) and a pending divorce as a result of a strained long-distance relationship. Now, this was a lot of action in one headspace!

In Summary

Your circumstances may be a little different from mine for wanting to come this way and choosing this journey. As you go along, it's reasonable to expect moments where you will be tried and tested by fate. Things will happen that will be out of your comfort zone or out of your control and sometimes both.

In the end, I find that clarity on my why I do what I do sails me through choppy waters. I embrace whatever comes my way with love. Answers to what I don't know come in the right time. I keep the bigger mission clear in my mind. Creating a life where I can live on my own terms is not free, there's a price to be paid.

Another really important thing to have a solid business system. I found my answer with the six-figure mentors. They have a step-by-step business system that shows you how to leverage the Internet and start your very own online business. What's, even more, is that if your goal is to start your own business say around your passion, the business skills you will learn are second to none. From experience with my first 2 ventures as a newbie without a mentor, I would recommend every new entrepreneur make getting a mentor, their number one priority. Looking at how I started my entrepreneurial journey, this was my single most expensive mistake up until today as I write this.

Final Thought

Along the way somewhere, I realised that I needed to give up the idea of perfection and get cosy with uncertainty about what will be tomorrow and experience some discomfort today because of the things that I don't know yet. I experience more growth as I continue to operate in that mental space. All I have to do TODAY is take to take the next best action. This post is unusually long so if you are still reading, I sincerely thank you. I hope you found some value in there. Feel free to share this post with someone else who will enjoy reading through the ideas and insights I have shared.

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tamboradventure · 5 years ago

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The Ultimate Guide to Teaching English in Thailand

Posted: 2/15/2020 / February 15th, 2020

Thailand is an English teacher’s dream. With a low cost of living, incredible food, rich culture, plenty of partying, and a mai pen rai (no worries) attitude, the Land of Smiles is a very popular country for English teachers.

For Thais, English is considered a necessity to work in the global market, so there is always a need for teachers. With language schools, primary schools, universities, and other locations offering English classes, there are numerous avenues for employment.

So, how do you get a job teaching English in Thailand?

In order to do so, you need to be a native speaker from an English-speaking country (defined as the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand) or prove your fluency, and have a bachelor’s degree.

Because of the popularity of teaching English in Thailand, I’d recommend also having a 120-hour TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA certificate to make you more competitive.

With all teaching opportunities in Thailand, salaries vary greatly depending on the location and employer. In hot tourist destinations like Koh Samui, Phuket, and other spots, expect to earn less than what you would make in less exotic locales, because people will accept a lower salary in exchange for the beach lifestyle.

You will earn the most in Bangkok, followed by Chiang Mai.

Here’s a breakdown of the various ways to teach in the country and what to expect with each position:

Public Schools

Public schools are free from preschool through high school. The school year begins in May and ends in March and includes a three-week break in October.

As a public school teacher in Thailand, expect to work full-time, even if you’re not teaching every moment of the day. Responsibilities range from creating lesson plans and exams to grading papers (none of which you are compensated for if it’s on your own time), as well as keeping office hours at school.

Students range in their knowledge and understanding of English, and often there is little guidance in terms of the curriculum you need to create. You’re basically on your own here! Many teachers incorporate games, television shows, and movies into their classes.

In public schools, the student-to-teacher ratio is high, so expect large class sizes.

Salaries range from 25,000 to 40,000 THB ($827–1,317 USD) a month. Teaching in the cities will earn you the most money. You can expect lower salaries in the countryside, but cost of living is so cheap there, you’ll still end up having plenty of extra money!

Private and International Schools

There are very few differences between public schools and private and international schools, other than the lower student-to-teacher ratio and the fact that salaries are significantly higher since they are not free to attend.

International schools have the most coveted positions, but you’ll need to be an actual certified teacher to get one of them, as the curriculum follows the West’s. Private schools are a little less strict, but you’ll still want to have some experience. You’ll need to have not only a degree but also a TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA certificate and prior teaching experience, and be a native English speaker.

If you’ve never taught English before or have only a little experience, you’re unlikely to get a job at one of these schools.

Whereas the public schools follow the Thai system and come with little support, these institutions tend to be more like Western schools, so if you’re wondering what teaching is like there, just think back to what it was like when you went to school!

International schools pay the most, roughly 80,000–170,000 THB ($2,633–5,596 USD) a month (which is well above the typical Thai salary and allows for your lifestyle to be more lavish); private schools pay 60,000–80,000 THB ($1,975–2,633 USD).

These positions also come with a lot of perks: contract bonuses, lots of vacation days, health insurance, and sometimes airfare to and from Thailand.

Universities

Teaching at a university in Thailand can help give you an edge over the competition for other English teaching jobs in the country. But teaching at a university means teaching part-time and earning only 30,000–60,000 THB ($987–1,975 USD) a month.

The upside is that you can also teach at another school part-time, you get a few months of paid vacation, and you are compensated generously should you have to work overtime (about 1,000–1,500 THB, or $33–49 USD, an hour).

Depending on where you teach, your responsibilities will be different. All teachers must come up with lesson plans, but some may also have to teach faculty or have additional sessions outside of the classroom, among other duties.

You may or may not have textbooks to use for your curriculum. Class sizes at universities are notoriously large, about 50 students.

Language Schools

Teaching English at a language school in Thailand is different than at a public or private school. Classes are normally held in the morning before the workday starts to accommodate businesspeople, then again in the afternoon and into the evening for children and adults.

The workweek at language schools extends into the weekend.

At language schools, classes are small and range from four to ten students. As a teacher, it’s your responsibility to come up with lesson plans and activities.

There’s also the option at language schools to work full- or part-time. Full-time teachers make anywhere from 30,000 to 40,000 THB ($987-1,316 USD) per month; part-time teachers make 350–500 THB ($11.50–16.50 UD) per hour.

There are lots and lots of language schools in the country, and jobs are fairly easy to get. They don’t really care about previous experience or even if you have a TEFL certificate (though having both makes it easier to get a job).

You’ll also get very little support from the schools and will basically have to set up everything on your own. You’ll only get paid for actual classroom time.

I didn’t really love teaching at the language schools, but the work was easy even if it was not well paid.

Corporate Training Programs

As a corporate teacher, you teach from a company’s office, giving lessons to their staff. Classes tend to be large, so many employees can attend. Because these programs are quite expensive, the positions are only filled by teachers with experience.

Expect to work during the morning or late at night, as you have to teach people outside business hours.

Corporate teachers make anywhere from 45,000 to 60,000 THB ($1,481–1,974 USD) a month, and it’s normal for the school to cover travel expenses to the company.

Test Preparation

Test preparation in Thailand is different than in other English positions. You must be knowledgeable in a variety of English tests, including SAT or GRE prep (and have finished in the 95th percentile or above), as well as IELTS and TOEIC, both of which are used to test students before they work or study abroad.

As a test prep teacher, classes are either groups or private and take place on both weekdays and weekends. It’s your job to not only teach the courses but also design and develop the course curriculum.

Test prep teachers average about 600 THB ($20 USD) an hour.

Best Job Resources for Teaching in Thailand

There are numerous sites to find jobs teaching English in Thailand. The best one for jobs is ajarn.com as it simply has the most listings and is specific to Thailand. It’s the oldest teaching in Thailand website too.

Other sites with job postings include the following:

Go Overseas

Teach Away

Teaching in Thailand

How to Apply for a Visa

It isn’t hard to apply for the Non-Immigrant B visa necessary to teach English in Thailand and your school will help you do, but there are quite a few steps to getting it and then starting teaching.

First, make sure your passport has validity beyond six months and have passport photos for applications, as well as your original bachelor’s degree, transcripts, and a certified criminal background check.

Next, you’ll need to apply for a visa from outside of Thailand and include a letter from your employer with the job offer. Once you have your visa, your employer steps in and handles the paperwork, completing the remainder of the application on your behalf.

After the visa is complete, you’ll need to have a physical exam and a medical certificate from a Thai doctor and then get your work permit. From there, it’s on to the Immigration Department in order to extend your visa in your passport for 12 months.

The last two steps are to get your tax card from the Tax Department and then your teaching license. Your employer should be able to assist you in all aspects of the process.

It’s important to note that if you choose to teach without these necessary items, you run the risk of getting kicked out of the country and fined.

***

Teaching English in Thailand is one of the best teaching opportunities in the world, thanks to the country’s cost of living, tropical environment, and laid-back lifestyle.

With so many options for teaching and the ease of getting a visa, it’s a perfect spot to start your English teaching career abroad.

P.S. – Want to meet other travelers in real life? This year we launched The Nomadic Network, a platform created to help travelers connect, learn, and get inspired in real life! Here are our upcoming events if you want to take part: Seattle (2/17), Austin (2/18), Fort Lauderdale (2/19), Portland (2/19), San Francisco (2/20), Los Angeles (2/23), Detroit (2/24), Boston (2/24), Dublin (2/24), San Diego (2/24), London (2/25), Chicago (2/25), and NYC (3/10).

Ready to Teach Overseas? Get My Comprehensive Guide

This digital guide will put you ahead of your competition, help you land a high-paying job with a reputable company, and give you first-hand knowledge from real teachers! Get started today with this downloadable PDF (for your computer, e-reader, or mobile device) with the book PLUS 12 interviews about life as a teacher, plus job advice from one of the industry’s top recruiters!

Book Your Trip to Thailand: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay elsewhere, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

World Nomads (for everyone below 70)

Insure My Trip (for those over 70)

Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and I think will help you too!

Looking for more information on visiting Thailand? Check out my in-depth destination guide to Thailand with more tips on what to see, do, costs, ways to save, and much, much more!

The post The Ultimate Guide to Teaching English in Thailand appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

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junker-town · 6 years ago

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Elena Delle Donne and Ariel Atkins’ fight through injury may have saved the Mystics

The Mystics got a huge emotional lift from Elena Delle Donne in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals.

Two stars battled through injuries to put the Mystics on the brink of a championship.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — The Washington Mystics prepared all week to play without their two-time MVP, Elena Delle Donne, in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals. Two wins away from a championship, it was a miserable life to picture, but Delle Donne was suffering from a herniated disc in her back that kept her out for all but three minutes of a Game 2 loss at home. The superstar whose teammates “bah” like a goat for her in the locker room was in serious pain at the worst time. It was a familiar story.

Sunday was make-or-break for the Mystics, and it began without clarity. Nobody knew the status of Delle Donne or starting guard Ariel Atkins, who also had back spasms, until 30 minutes before tip. An hour before the game, Thibault told reporters he was still unsure if either would be able to go. Then, to the surprise of the team, it was announced Delle Donne and Atkins were not only going to play in Game 3, but both would start.

Their willingness to play through pain might have saved the Mystics’ title chances.

“Damn, they’re really giving everything they got,” Mystics guard Aerial Powers remembered thinking when she heard the news before tipoff. “And a back is nothing to play with. So you know as a teammate, if they’re doing that, you better be coming off the court fucking tired. Period. If your family is giving everything they’ve got, you’ve got to match it, if not more because they’re hurt.”

With Delle Donne and Atkins in, the Mystics played with a different energy from the lackluster slog that saw them lose by double-digits in Game 2. They came away with the 94-81 victory they needed to put them one win away from a championship.

The Mystics were red-hot from the get-go. Natasha Cloud came out firing from distance, sinking 5-of-10 threes for 19 points. Kristi Toliver, freed from the burden of carrying the scoring load, connected on 7-of-9 shots for 20 points. And playoff Emma Meesseman was back too, torching Jones for 21 points on 13 shots.

Neither of the two injured stars looked themselves, but that was never the point. Atkins only logged 14 minutes and made one of seven shots, and Delle Donne was a shell of herself. The 6’5 all-world talent, already strapped in a lofty leg brace from last season’s injury and a face mask for her broken nose two months ago, couldn’t blow by defenders off the dribble and was reduced to straight line cuts and setting screens in high pick-and-rolls. She wasn’t out there as a decoy. She just played a reduced role, spacing the floor to sink 5-of-6 shots for 13 points.

But having the full lineup in action, no matter how limited, revitalized the dynamic offense that makes the Mystics so great. They swung the ball rapidly around the perimeter, tying a WNBA Finals record with 16 made threes on 27 attempts. They assisted on 20 buckets, shot 51 percent from the field, and drained all 10 of their free-throw tries. Washington was having fun. A mic’d up Powers screamed “Yeah, baby! Yeah, baby!” live on ABC after securing one of her eight rebounds and draining a put-back layup in the paint.

Aerial Powers’ last name is Powers and she just yelled “Yeah, baby!” a bunch. pic.twitter.com/Wd37OjCd9L

— Air Buds (@airbudspod) October 6, 2019

The constant reminder of what Delle Donne was fighting through was in clear view for her teammates throughout the game. Thibault only played his star in short spurts, and each time she was subbed out, she’d leave the bench to move around on a stationary bike in the hallway outside the locker room to stay active. “Sitting is my worst enemy,” Delle Donne said. “I haven’t sat much these past couple of days. When I do, I get really stiff and it’s hard to get up from it.”

There remained a sense of responsibility on everyone to contribute above and beyond their usual roles in the minutes Delle Donne did play and the ones she didn’t. “They came out there for us,” Meesseman said after the game. “So I think all of us thought, ‘We got you.’”

Delle Donne was careful not to push her back too much, but a star’s mentality can’t be contained for a full 40 minutes. With three minutes to play, she pulled off the ultimate warriors’ task of taking the moment upon herself to seal the game despite her back discomfort.

The Sun had cut a Mystics lead down to 10 when Delle Donne showed the ball one way, then zipped by Alyssa Thomas on the baseline. In vintage Delle Donne fashion, she hit the breaks and decelerated as she neared the rim, scoring over the top of 6’2 forward Bria Holmes.

Elena Delle Donne has a bad back and she's still carrying the Mystics on it pic.twitter.com/nggTvfKLaP

— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) October 6, 2019

Nothing about the move was pretty. Delle Donne was steps slower than usual and missing the lift that typically makes her shot untouchable. But the message was clear: there was no feeling sorry for her in her third consecutive trip to the Finals with injury.

“It was kind of one of the moments like, ‘Hey, I might give my back up and my body up on this one,’” Delle Donne said after the game. “But I feel like it was such a big moment to stop that run they’re making.”

So much is at stake for Washington this postseason. The franchise hasn’t won a title in 21 years of existence. Mike Thibault, the winningest W head coach of all time, is ring-less in his 16th year. And Delle Donne, one of the game’s greatest ever, has now been injured in all three of her Finals appearances, losing the first two in sweeps. If any year was going to turn around two decades of suffering, it was 2019. This has been the year of the Mystics all along.

The team finished as the No. 1 seed with a record-shattering offense. But nothing has been easy since. The Finals have thrown curveball after curveball that nobody could’ve been prepared for. The team was one loss from the tide completely turning in the Connecticut Sun’s direction.

There is no underselling the importance of winning Game 3 for the Mystics. Now, they just need just one more win, whether that be on the road on Tuesday, or back in D.C. for a potential Game 5 on Thursday.

The Mystics’ journey was rewritten in Game 3. And now they’re 40 minutes from finishing off a season to remember for all the right reasons.

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riichardwilson · 5 years ago

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How Remote Education is Evolving During the Crisis

May 7, 2020 5 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Over the last decade, online education has grown significantly, especially for adult learners who want to earn a degree or certificate while working full-time. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported 6.6 million students enrolled in distance education courses at postsecondary institutions during the fall of 2017.

Within the last few years, high schools have also started exploring ways to add remote learning options, including dual-enrollment courses in partnership with local community colleges. Although the majority of these courses were offered solely on the high school campus, recent NCES research noted growth in online options.

Related: Google Play Replaces Family Apps With ‘Teacher-Approved’ Kids Tab

Fast forward to today, and suddenly online education is no longer optional. In fact, all schools at all levels must immediately migrate to some type of remote education format. Although some schools had already begun the digital migration, the majority of institutions weren’t ready. But when faced with the task of making a quick change, online education became a mandated reality.

Our new reality may help push remote education even farther forward. Thanks to the urgency of the situation, technology has stepped up to show educators, students and parents what remote education might soon look like.

Learning management systems

Learning management systems create a seamless digital learning environment with all the tools necessary for remote learning. These platforms house front-end areas used by students and parents in addition to back-end areas where teachers and administrators can post assignments, add and change grades and interact with students through virtual classrooms.

Numerous school districts already use this type of platform, allowing parents and students to see assignments and grades. But in the last several months, the learning management systems have became a crucial foundation for building out comprehensive remote education frameworks that integrate other learning tools.

For example, PowerSchool Unified Classroom gives teachers a way to create custom virtual classrooms that connect to a student and parent dashboard. There are options to incorporate additional recordkeeping tasks for matters such as disciplinarian issues, attendance tracking and standardized testing scores. These learning management systems streamline communication and work for both schools and students.

The dashboard view shows the teacher’s current classes, upcoming assignments, messages, grades and other content. The student version has additional features, such as tools to submit assignments, discussion boards and online quizzes and test apps. Each virtual classroom can be enriched with videos, presentations, visuals, and links to other educational resources. Mobile applications make these learning management systems even more accessible.

Immersive learning experiences

Making learning fun is something that challenged teachers long before the current crisis. Another pressing issue has been how to show students certain topics that may be otherwise impossible to illustrate.

Enter virtual reality (VR), a technology that can provide immersive experiences for the user. VR lets students experience concepts, processes and skills over and over again until they master the subject. A well-built VR educational system could accommodate all development levels while also helping students get more out of the learning experience.

Related: 5 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Keep Their Children Busy and Learning While You Get Work Done

Making VR accessible to educators and students is no easy task. One partnership between Lenovo and Veative Labs seeks to increase accessibility to this new way of learning. Many of Veative’s collection of 550 interactive STEM modules are now available on Lenovo computers though Lenovo’s new Distance Learning Solution or on Lenovo’s VR devices through its new VR Classroom 2.0 solution.

Grades four and up can use the standards-based modules. They cover areas like science, math, SAT and ACT preparation and Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways for health sciences and agriculture.

This immersive education content offers a way for teachers to explain complex concepts through virtual tours and VR modules. The technology also helps teachers and school leaders track progress and create unique learning opportunities for all students.

Online test taking

Another obstacle to progress in remote education has been finding a way to administer tests wihtout cheating. During this current school year, testing authorities were forced to cancel SAT and ACT exams and adapt the Advanced Placement (AP) credits program.

Early solutions already suggest that testing can move online. Already used by some colleges and universities, Proctorio is an online proctoring tool that monitors students who take online tests. This “learning integrity platform” operates as a Chrome browser extension. It combines facial detection technology and a suite of automated tools along with numerous security features to protect student and educational data.

Related: Entrepreneurship Programs Are Preparing Students to Become Pioneers

Additionally, Proctorio incorporates plagiarism detection to ensure that any content-focused exams—for example, those that require short answers or an essay —only include original student work. Numerous screening tools also help prevent other cheating methods that students might try to employ.

Still, questions about remote learning remain. Applications and tools will need to continue to evolve to address physical education classes and labs, sports teams and competitions, band and choir and other educational programs. There are also other areas to consider that have little to do with books and tests but are just as crucial — for example, social learning, including playground dynamics, friendships and human connections.

Related: 10 Tips for Entrepreneurs to Actually Get Work Done While Homeschooling Kids

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Delray Beach SEO

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douglassmiith · 5 years ago

Text

How Remote Education is Evolving During the Crisis

May 7, 2020 5 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Related: Google Play Replaces Family Apps With ‘Teacher-Approved’ Kids Tab

Learning management systems

Immersive learning experiences

Related: 5 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Keep Their Children Busy and Learning While You Get Work Done

Grades four and up can use the standards-based modules. They cover areas like science, math, SAT and ACT preparation and Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways for health sciences and agriculture.

Online test taking

Related: Entrepreneurship Programs Are Preparing Students to Become Pioneers

Related: 10 Tips for Entrepreneurs to Actually Get Work Done While Homeschooling Kids

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

Via http://www.scpie.org/how-remote-education-is-evolving-during-the-crisis/

source https://scpie.weebly.com/blog/how-remote-education-is-evolving-during-the-crisis

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scpie · 5 years ago

Text

How Remote Education is Evolving During the Crisis

May 7, 2020 5 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Related: Google Play Replaces Family Apps With ‘Teacher-Approved’ Kids Tab

Learning management systems

Immersive learning experiences

Related: 5 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Keep Their Children Busy and Learning While You Get Work Done

Grades four and up can use the standards-based modules. They cover areas like science, math, SAT and ACT preparation and Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways for health sciences and agriculture.

Online test taking

Related: Entrepreneurship Programs Are Preparing Students to Become Pioneers

Related: 10 Tips for Entrepreneurs to Actually Get Work Done While Homeschooling Kids

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/how-remote-education-is-evolving-during-the-crisis/

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laurelkrugerr · 5 years ago

Text

How Remote Education is Evolving During the Crisis

May 7, 2020 5 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Related: Google Play Replaces Family Apps With ‘Teacher-Approved’ Kids Tab

Learning management systems

Immersive learning experiences

Related: 5 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Keep Their Children Busy and Learning While You Get Work Done

Grades four and up can use the standards-based modules. They cover areas like science, math, SAT and ACT preparation and Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways for health sciences and agriculture.

Online test taking

Related: Entrepreneurship Programs Are Preparing Students to Become Pioneers

Related: 10 Tips for Entrepreneurs to Actually Get Work Done While Homeschooling Kids

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/how-remote-education-is-evolving-during-the-crisis/ source https://scpie1.blogspot.com/2020/05/how-remote-education-is-evolving-during.html

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isaiahrippinus · 5 years ago

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Hop Take: Beer Industry Faces Taproom Closures, Layoffs, and Uncertain Future

In the last several weeks, the coronavirus and Covid-19 have left businesses reeling. Breweries, beer bars, and shops are stuck in a holding pattern as each navigates the pandemic’s arrival, and indeed, their own survival.

Already, the effects of Covid-19 on the beer industry have been staggering.

Annual beer industry events, including the Brewers Association’s Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America and World Beer Cup, combined comprising the largest industry gathering in the country, have been cancelled. The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA), representing beer distributors, called off its annual conference. And the American Homebrew Association’s National Homebrewers Competition, which draws hopeful amateur brewers each year, has been postponed.

Additional consumer-facing festivals with with national, and even international, appeal — Cigar City’s Hunahpu’s Day, Firestone Walker’s Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest (FWIBF), Pike Brewing’s Women in Beer, a tasting event and Planned Parenthood benefit — are likewise off the books.

Adding to Covid-19’s financial, social, and spiritual blows are the bottom-line challenges, as craft beer production slows, and taprooms close with no new beginning in sight.

“These are incredibly challenging times, easily the hardest week in our company history,” Jack Hendler, founder of Jacks Abby and Springdale breweries in Framingham, Mass. tells VinePair. “State officials have made the decision to close all bars and restaurants for on-premise consumption in the interest of public health and it’s the right thing to do, but closing our taprooms are a huge hit on our business.”

Hendler continues, “We have had to adapt our business model to takeout, curbside pickup and delivery overnight. […] It isn’t easy, but we are all doing everything we can to fight through this.”

Across the state and country, many small breweries have announced similar plans. In Massachusetts, Boston’s Samuel Adams and Tree House Brewing Co. announced indefinite closures of their taprooms. In California, Sierra Nevada has cancelled all guest services. Russian River, whose Santa Rosa and Windsor locations draw tourism to their respective cities year-round, furloughed about 175 staff members — 90 percent of its workforce.

Sadly eclipsing this figure, Portland, Ore.’s McMenamins brewery and hotel chain laid off nearly 3,000 employees across 55 of its 56 locations in Oregon and Washington state, leaving only its Portland bottle shop open.

“These are the hardest decisions and conversations we have ever had to make,” Natalie Cilurzo, co-founder of Russian River, told Brewbound on Tuesday. “The situation changes every day, and each day we have to add to the list of furloughed employees.”

For many small businesses, the hardest part is not knowing what’s ahead. “We are in uncharted territories,” Hendler says. “It feels like we’re making two business plans a day as the situation is ever evolving.”

With NYC restaurants and bars closing down by exec order tomorrow, we will be working furiously to realign our staffing and production to the new reality while trying to minimize impact to our people. It’s not pretty

— Laura Dierks (@LLDierks) March 16, 2020

In New York City, Brooklyn Brewery announced cashless sales, cleaning procedures, and compostable plastic cups. Interboro Spirits & Ales, in nearby East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, prepared for changes to staffing, production, and taproom service. Throughout the borough, Threes Brewing, Kings County Brewers Collective (KCBC), and Grimm Artisanal Ales shifted to digital delivery services such as Caviar; while Finback Brewery and Big Alice Brewing, both operating locations in Brooklyn and Queens, remained open for to-go sales, growler fills, and gift cards.

The Silver (Aluminum) Lining: Beer Retail

Indeed, an unprecedented uptick in beer sales online and at local retailers has served as somewhat of a silver lining for some beer industry members.

Across what feels like an apocalyptic landscape, beer sales have surged on sites like Drizly, which, on Monday, reported its gross merchandise volume was up 500 percent year-over-year that day alone. “Drizly is also seeing that consumers are placing larger orders, now spending on average 50 percent more than normal on Drizly, which indicates a ‘stock up’ mentality,” the company told Beer Business Daily.

One Craft Beer Cellar franchisee told me the business was “Extremely busy in Belmont [Long Island], with schools closed and parents working from home. Online orders and deliveries are up, as people take advantage of not having to come to the store.”

Brewer Survey Says: Results ‘Aren’t Pretty’

But it would be negligent, if not impossible, to ignore the immense setbacks that lay ahead. On Wednesday, Brewers Association Chief Economist Bart Watson shared insights from a survey that gauges initial impacts of Covid-19 on small breweries across the country. At press time, more than 600 breweries responded, painting a limited but striking picture of what small breweries are experiencing nationwide.

Among brewery respondents, 90 percent said Covid-19 has impacted onsite sales. About 59 percent said the virus has affected distributor orders. And, come April, 95 percent expect to see year-over-year sales losses.

Currently at the brewery – we have one customer pic.twitter.com/7DrQAonxlJ

— Em Sauter (@PintsandPanels) March 14, 2020

Big Beer, Big Losses

Small breweries and businesses will without question suffer the most. But global brewing companies, while better-equipped to weather the storm, are already seeing stocks plummet — even to recession levels.

On Wednesday morning, VinePair charted publicly-traded beer, wine, and spirits producers to determine how their stocks are faring year-to-date compared to the S&P 500. Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) took the steepest hit.

“AB InBev, which just drew down a massive credit line, has clearly suffered the most,” Joshua Malin, VinePair president and co-founder, told me. “This makes sense given how much effort they have put into pivoting the future of their business toward Asia in recent years.”

And while Boston Beer actually outperformed the S&P 500, this is likely due to its Truly Hard Seltzer brand, which is the second-best-selling brand in the explosive hard seltzer category ,behind White Claw. (White Claw parent, Mark Anthony Group, is a private company, Malin added.)

International Impact

Of course, the effects of the coronavirus and Covid-19 reach far beyond U.S. borders.

Guinness closed both its Dublin and Baltimore, Md. locations last week. “But it’s bars, pubs [and] restaurants I’m most concerned for. They’re not cash-rich,” Jon Urch, Sales Director, PNW, Diageo Beer Company USA, told me on Twitter.

In that thread, several beer industry members shared their struggles. “[The] biggest issue for us is we have had to cancel a very important, six-figure contract, hop selection trip to NZ. Truly gutted about that,” Paul Jones, founder of the U.K.’s Cloudwater Brewing, recently voted one of the 10 best breweries in the world by RateBeer users, said. “It’s near impossible to make contingency plans, but we are trying to prepare for draft sales to plummet.”

Beyond the taproom — which, Jones said, reduced its capacity by 50 percent as of March 14 — is the mental and emotional strain among staff and business associates. “The anxiety and stress in the team, despite us taking early, clear, thought through steps, is palpable. Our worries about customers (we wholesale ~85% of our beer) and the issues they’ll face just compound the pressures we feel right now.”

Miranda Hudson, co-founder of Duration Brewing, a new farmhouse brewery opened in rural Norfolk, England in October 2019, said, “We sell the vast majority of our beer via wholesale while we build a local direct and national online customer base. We have yet to see an adverse impact but we are very much tied to a supply chain.”

How to Help Small Beer Businesses

On Wednesday, Ireland’s White Hag Irish Brewing Co. announced a virtual event via its Facebook page, “possibly the worlds’ first ever online beer launch,” for its Phantom Hazy IPA. It may sound frivolous, but it’s exactly these types of light-hearted efforts that can ensure craft beer culture can sustain. And we, as consumers, are responsible for doing our part to help them survive.

While you’re stocking up on canned soup and toilet paper, consider picking up a four-pack from a local brewery. I did.

If you’re scrolling through social media feeds whilst sheltering in place, see if the breweries you’d usually visit are offering contactless deliveries of their beer — and if they are, order it. I did.

And if you’re on lockdown and, for whatever reason, are not feeling up to imbibing, crack open that homebrew kit that’s sat dusty and daunting in the corner since December. By the time it’s finished in four weeks’ time, you might muster up the courage to share it with a roommate — or, better yet, at your first homebrew club meeting after the coronavirus curve subsides.

Covid-19 and its whiplash of effects on the beer businesses are only beginning to be felt, but what’s happening now will absolutely affect the future of these businesses and ultimately, yours and my consumption of beers and other products from these purveyors. But the beer industry and its community are nothing if not resilient.

Don’t underestimate the power of positive drinking. Stay connected to beer acquaintances through virtual tastings. Start an Instagram story chronicling your socially-distanced beer journey. Or, after you make it through another weary, work-from-home Wednesday, share what you’re drinking with friends and ask them to send what they’re drinking, too.

Last but not least, let brewers, bartenders, and service industry members know you’re thinking of them. Offer to buy their next round —especially if they’re one of the thousands that have lost their jobs. It might not pay their rent, but every little beer helps.

We could all use a little beer, and a little “cheers,” right now.

Infographic courtesy of Jacks Abby Brewing Co.

The article Hop Take: Beer Industry Faces Taproom Closures, Layoffs, and Uncertain Future appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/hop-take-beer-industry-faces-taproom-closures-layoffs-and-uncertain-future/ source https://vinology1.tumblr.com/post/613052349464838144

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johnboothus · 5 years ago

Text

Hop Take: Beer Industry Faces Taproom Closures Layoffs and Uncertain Future

Already, the effects of Covid-19 on the beer industry have been staggering.

Adding to Covid-19’s financial, social, and spiritual blows are the bottom-line challenges, as craft beer production slows, and taprooms close with no new beginning in sight.

— Laura Dierks (@LLDierks) March 16, 2020

The Silver (Aluminum) Lining: Beer Retail

Indeed, an unprecedented uptick in beer sales online and at local retailers has served as somewhat of a silver lining for some beer industry members.

Brewer Survey Says: Results ‘Aren’t Pretty’

Currently at the brewery – we have one customer pic.twitter.com/7DrQAonxlJ

— Em Sauter (@PintsandPanels) March 14, 2020

Big Beer, Big Losses

International Impact

Of course, the effects of the coronavirus and Covid-19 reach far beyond U.S. borders.

How to Help Small Beer Businesses

While you’re stocking up on canned soup and toilet paper, consider picking up a four-pack from a local brewery. I did.

We could all use a little beer, and a little “cheers,” right now.

Infographic courtesy of Jacks Abby Brewing Co.

The article Hop Take: Beer Industry Faces Taproom Closures, Layoffs, and Uncertain Future appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/hop-take-beer-industry-faces-taproom-closures-layoffs-and-uncertain-future/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/hop-take-beer-industry-faces-taproom-closures-layoffs-and-uncertain-future

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maritzaerwin · 5 years ago

Text

10 Smart Tips to Pass The CPA Exam on The First Attempt

Original Image Source – Depositphotos.com

Passing the CPA exam is one of the fastest ways that accountants can negotiate their way into a dream job.

The CPA exam not only makes you more valuable to employers but also gives you the freedom to choose what accounting path you want to take and how specialized you wish to become.

Unfortunately, the AICPA makes you earn this right to call yourself a Certified Public Accountant, which makes it crucial to understand exactly what you need to do to pass the CPA exam on your first shot.

Let’s cover 10 smart tips you can follow to increase your odds of passing.

1) Find The Right CPA Review Course

The first step to passing the CPA exam is to find the right CPA Review Course. With several different options available it’s crucial to find the study software that most closely mirrors your learning style.

The CPA exam is broad and you don’t have time to waste on study tools that aren’t helping you learn as efficiently as possible.

For example, if you lose focus after a few minutes of watching a lecture, but are able to spend hours digging into a textbook without losing focus, then you want to find a course with an excellent textbook and not focus on finding the best video instructors and vice versa.

Unfortunately, most of these courses are quite expensive and you will be tempted to go with a more affordable course if you are paying out of pocket. My advice is to look at the CPA exam as an investment in yourself that will pay dividends for the rest of your life and again give you freedom in your career.

You are also putting yourself at risk of failure if you invest in a more affordable course that lacks the functionality you need to optimize your learning speed.

To make the right choice, it is recommended that you sign up for the free trials of each

course and spend time actually trying to study with the demo content.

The course that feels like it is teaching you the most efficiently is likely the course you should invest in.

2) Understand The CPA Exam Application Process

There are six primary steps you will need to follow in order to sign up for the CPA exam.

The first step is to submit your application and pay your application fees.

You should only apply to your state board of accountancy once you have qualified for the Education, Residency, and Age requirements of your state.

You can find all of the specific requirements for your state here — State & Territory Requirements.

The next step is that you will receive an Authorization To Test (ATT) from your state.

Next, once you have paid for your first section, you will receive a Notice To Schedule (NTS).

With your NTS, you are then able to schedule your first exam at a Prometric testing center and the fun begins!

The next step is to sit for each exam and then finally you receive your scores from NASBA or your state board of Accountancy.

3) Mentally Prepare

Taking the CPA exam is not a walk in the park for most accountants. It will require hundreds of hours and your complete focus. If you are working full time and have a family it will challenge your time management even more.

You need to work smarter, not harder.

In order to mentally prepare for the CPA exam, you need to understand that failing the CPA exam is by design. If it were an easy exam with a 90%+ pass rate then the value of the license wouldn’t come with the respect and prestige that it holds today.

By making the exam very time consuming and very mentally draining, the AICPA is creating a similar experience of what a CPA is going to experience during a busy season. It will also filter out the accountants not willing to put everything they have into passing the exam.

It is Darwin’s survival of the fittest at its best.

4) Communicate

A risk for CPA candidates is that when they begin the CPA exam process that they will isolate themselves while studying.

This can create friction at work and at home with the people around you. This is why communication is one of the most crucial pieces of passing the CPA exam.

You need everyone in your life to understand WHY you must become a CPA and get them involved in the process. If you don’t then you risk alienating yourself and harming your relationships, both personal and professional.

You also need to be aware that your absence will take a toll on your loved ones. This is why it’s imperative that you silo your study time and your social time.

Meaning that when you are studying, you are 100% focused on studying and when you are socializing that you are 100% focused on being present and not distracted about your exam.

5) Set Smart Expectations For Yourself

As a CPA candidate, you need to be aware of your schedule, your energy levels, and your tipping point.

When you are being pulled in multiple directions between personal, professional and studying, it’s crucial to learn how to say no to activities as possible that aren’t helping you achieve your goal of passing the CPA exam.

You also need to set smart study goals for yourself. This doesn’t mean setting a strict number of hours per week you need to study, it means creating quantifiable study goals that you can track.

When you can quantify how much studying you have completed it makes it much easier to feel accomplished for the week and take some time away from studying to reset.

This also makes it much simpler to be present when you are socializing with friends and family because when you have completed your weekly study goal you can shut your study brain off for a few hours or even a full day.

Original Image Source – Depositphotos.com

6) Always Be Reviewing or Study Looping

Each section of the CPA exam covers as much as a full semester of material, if not more.

Check out the AICPA Blueprints here to understand exactly what you need to know to pass the CPA Exam.

Because of the amount of material you are expected to understand, it becomes crucial to always be reviewing while also moving forward and learning new material.

If you don’t review while in the learning phase then what you learn in Chapter 1 will become stale by the time you reach the final chapter and you will find yourself scrambling to re-teach yourself everything as you approach exam day.

This process of learning but also simultaneously reviewing is called Study Looping.

7) Prepare For Worst, Hope For The Best

As you know, the pass rates for each section of the CPA exam hover around 48-60% per section.

While no one goes into the exam wanting to be one of those statistics, most accountants don’t prepare for failure.

This creates a problem. When you don’t prepare for failure and it happens to you, it can completely derail your mental mindset about the entire exam and sabotage your future sections.

This is why it’s crucial to set the expectations early that there is always a chance that you could fail and then have a step by step plan of attack for what you will do if the worst does happen.

If you do find yourself in a situation where you fail a section, then it’s recommended that you sign up for a retake of that section as soon as possible.

The reason being that you need to maximize your short term memory of all that information you were just tested on.

The longer you wait to retake a section, the more time it will take to re-learn it.

8) Do The Best You Can

No matter how much you study, it’s nearly impossible to feel fully prepared for a section of the CPA exam.

This is why you need to control your inner perfectionist and just accept the fact that there will be topics and questions that you just physically don’t have time to cover.

This is okay and totally normal. What you need to focus on instead is reminding yourself that you did the best you could with the time you had available and go into the exam with a positive mindset.

Having a positive mindset will keep your test anxiety at bay during your exam and keep your confidence high.

9) Don’t Let Score Results Ruin Your Next Section

The CPA exam isn’t one long marathon, it’s four sprints that are back to back to back to back.

As a CPA candidate, the worst thing you can do is let one of your sprints (sections) interfere with your next sprint. Keep each race separate and remember that they are isolated events, each with their own set of difficulties and obstacles to overcome.

You may have bad performance on one sprint but it doesn’t mean all your future sprints will be the same.

This is easier said than done, but when you sit for an exam and are still waiting for your score to be released, it’s a best practice to not check that score until after you have sat for your next exam.

10) Find a CPA Exam Mentor

A recent resource to make its way to the CPA exam industry is finding a CPA exam mentor.

A CPA exam mentor is someone who has experience with using your CPA review course, has passed the CPA exam and is willing to give you feedback and advice on your specific situation.

There are three primary types of CPA exam mentors:

a) The first is a public CPA exam forum

These forums are full of anonymous people taking the CPA exam and, if you are lucky, you can glean some valuable information from the groups.

The problem is that you have no idea who is giving you the advice, if it’s trustworthy and if it isn’t outdated.

Forums are the least helpful version of a CPA exam mentor.

b) The next type of CPA exam mentor is a bit more difficult to find

They are the people you work with who have passed the CPA exam or people you personally know who have passed.

These types of mentors are invaluable. They know you personally and understand your situation very well.

The downside is that they are just as busy as you. If you pester them too much then they may become annoyed and it could damage your relationship if you aren’t careful.

c) The third type of mentor is both effective and easy to find.

It’s a digital CPA exam mentor.

These are CPA exam mentors who have created premium online communities and online courses where you can learn the exact steps to passing the CPA exam.

Companies such as Ultimate CPA Exam Guide even tailor the advice they give you based on your specific situation, which is exactly what you want when figuring out this entire process.

These types of CPA exam mentors are the best because it allows you direct access to a community of vetted CPA candidates, study tactics that are proven to be working and getting results in real-time and you also get access to expert CPAs that you can pester all day long without risking embarrassment or annoyance with a co-worker or acquaintance.

Conclusion

When you plan every aspect of the CPA exam process, it will ease much of the overwhelm that you will experience on your journey to passing the CPA exam.

You also don’t want to tackle this exam alone. Get as many people in your life involved as possible to not only hold you accountable but also to keep you focused and motivated.

It is possible to pass the CPA exam when you take it one day at a time and prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

The post 10 Smart Tips to Pass The CPA Exam on The First Attempt appeared first on CareerMetis.com.

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