#I try to consume different types of media in small doses | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

startledstars · 3 years

Text

Theology 101: Dispensationalism

A Matter of Salvation

(What are biblical ‘dispensations’ and why are they important for salvation? What are the requirements for the current dispensation? What does the Bible say about the future?)

God saves people in different ways during different periods of time. These four examples in Genesis are archetypes that align with salvation in Exodus, the Old Testament, the New Testament, and Revelation.

1) Enoch: Faith and Grace

Enoch was a prophet in Genesis. He was called up directly by God, and did not leave a body behind.

By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

“Pleasing” God is not an action that Enoch was instructed to take. It was a natural outcome of his faith.

2) Noah: Grace, faith and works

Noah preached for almost a century about the coming flood and was ridiculed and ignored. He built the famous ark.

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

If Noah did not follow God’s precise instructions in building the ark and what types of animals to take, he and his family would’ve been destroyed along with the rest of the antediluvian world.

3) Lot: Grace and faith

Lot and his family escaped Sodom, a city so corrupt, it was destroyed along with all its inhabitants.

At dawn the next morning, the angels begged Lot to hurry. They said, “Go! Take your wife and your two daughters with you so you will not be destroyed when the city is punished.”

But Lot delayed. So the two men took the hands of Lot, his wife, and his two daughters and led them safely out of the city. So the Lord was merciful to Lot and his family.

Note that even though Lot was slow to follow God’s instructions, verging on disobedience, God’s mercy still saved him.

4) Abraham: Grace, faith and works

God promised Abraham to bless all nations through his descendants. Specifically through Abraham’s son, Issac. God made this promise before commanding the infamous sacrifice.

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

Along with faith in God’s promise, Abraham had to follow God’s instructions. There was some testing and proving required.

Summary

Enoch and Lot were saved because they pleased God by their faith. They were not asked to preach for a hundred years, then build an ark following God’s exact instructions, as Noah was. They did not have to prepare an altar for their own sons, as Abraham was commanded to. They only had to find the truth and believe.

The Old Testament: Grace, Faith and Works

From Exodus to Jesus’ death on the cross, God gave specific instructions to His People. If they failed to follow those instructions, they were punished for a time. Despite their experience with God and the great signs He provided, Israelites in the Old Testament turned to evil practices, such as sacrificing their own children to Pagan gods.

(Child sacrifice is the worst thing any parent, or society, and partake in; in such a society, incest, child abuse, bestiality, and other atrocities may also be normalized. Imagine the level of corruption in such a population. The Canaanites, the pre-flood population, and Sodom were steeped in sins too dark to even consider, and had no desire to repent. That’s why they had to be destroyed. Even today, with the disclosure of Jeffry Epstein and his connections, we see hints of the same secret, deep-rooted corruption plaguing our society. There’s also an epidemic of pornography, much of which fetishizes incest, minors, and sometimes even animals or animalistic behaviors being consumed in secret on a massive scale. The corruption of humanity exposed over and over by the Bible, is evidence that this book is Truth. The corruption we see today shows that the words here remain relevant, despite the passage of millennia.)

Then, imagine God’s mercy in the face of such corruption.

If Israel kept God’s instructions and had faith in his forgiveness, they were saved. Still, they had to work very hard to fight the corruption within, and the corruption that surrounded them on all sides.

The New Testament: Grace and Faith

From Jesus’ death on the cross until just before the first seal in Revelation is opened, God saves people by His grace, and through their faith.

This is why, after the events of the book of Acts, we see very few great signs and wonders. There is no great cloud of smoke, no parting the Red Sea, no fire raining from heaven or flaming chariots visible in the sky or even miraculous, instantaneous healing. It’s impossible not to believe when you see the supernatural out in the open. In the absence of such signs, faith becomes a choice; a matter of free will.

Right now, the only prerequisite to salvation is a love of the truth that surpasses any love you might have for the world. Inevitably, this love leads to the Cross, to realizing your own fallen, sinful condition (how many times have you let your loved ones down? how many times have you let yourself down? why do you keep doing things that are bad for you? why is it so hard to change? why do you feel like you’re wasting your life?) and then, asking God (through faith that He exists, despite never having seen His face) to save you.

And God does all the rest. Even if you try to delay like Lot, He will carry you out of the city before its destruction.

That’s why this is the greatest time to be alive, the best dispensation, but it will end soon. Like Enoch and Lot, believers of the present dispensation will escape the time to come.

This dispensation will end with the rapture of the Church (a matter for a different study) and the revelation of the anti-Christ:

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

In the next few years, the “great falling away” of professing Christians leaving the faith will continue. It’s getting harder and harder to be a believer (and we are commanded not to hide our faith, or be ashamed of Jesus. If you keep your faith a secret, it calls your salvation into doubt). You already see how Christians are villainized, stereotyped, and scapegoated in pop culture, movies, and media.

Once the falling away is complete and the last true believer comes to faith, the body of Christ will be removed, and the anti-Christ will reveal himself.

Watch for him if you’re not a believer, and please heed the next part carefully.

Revelation: The Mark of the Beast (Grace, Faith, and Works again)

In the coming dispensation, God will once again save people by his grace, but also requires their ‘works,’ just as in the Old Testament.

There is a ‘mark’ coming. You will be compelled to take it, or be violently persecuted and unable to participate in society.

And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

The King James translation from 1611 says “in” while other translations say “on.” This word would not have made sense in context 400 years ago, but considering the jab and RFID/microchip technology, “in” is key evidence that this prophecy is meant for those alive today.

God requires those in the coming dispensation to NOT take the mark, no matter what. That, along with faith, is the only requirement for the coming dispensation.

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

Those who take the mark will, without exception, be tormented even in this life.

And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

This ‘rona jab is a test run for the upcoming mark. If you’ve taken the second dose and thought those symptoms were bad, the mark of the beast will be unimaginably worse.

So, if you don’t believe me now; if you’re not willing to accept the gifts of this dispensation, at the very least, please remember this warning about what’s coming next. If you see the signs come to pass, you’ll know that this is true, and you’ll know what to do.

#spiritual awakening #spirituality #prophecy #revelation #long post

2 notes · View notes

loreweaver-universe · 5 years

Photo

This is a very complex question, but I’ll break it down into a few important bits.

First, be aware that liveblogging is very intense. I’ll confess to enjoying a little bit of validation every time somebody tries picking up liveblogging and goes “OH MY GOD I’M NEVER GOING TO MAKE FUN OF LOREWEAVER FOR HOW LONG HE TAKES AGAIN”. Liveblogging is a very intense, very time-consuming process that alters the way you experience media and requires lots of mental effort. It’s not for everyone, it doesn’t come naturally to everyone, and most importantly, it’s not fun for everyone! Keep your own enjoyment in mind. For all my foibles, trials, and troubles, I enjoy doing this very much. It’s rare for me to actively dislike liveblogging something; usually, even with stuff I’m not enjoying, I find something cool to do with it. People like to cite my Rising Tides/Crashing Skies liveblog as one of their favorites, and it’s because I disliked the episode so much that I conjured an entire alternate canon for Ronaldo’s blog and fanbase, one I enjoy adding to to this day.

Second, protect yourself from spoilers. I’ve done what I can to encourage easily accessible resources for people to use--most new liveblogs are able to snag an ask screener from a general stable pretty quickly these days, for example--but you NEED one if you’re going to liveblog with any integrity. It’s not that people want to spoil things for you, either. Well, there are a few jerks who do that, but the real problem is that people get excited about the things that they love. What we do here is...well, you know that feeling you get when you’re showing a friend a movie you love that they’ve never seen, and you have to clamp down on the impulse to elbow them every thirty seconds and go “Hey. Hey. Hey, look at this. Hey, pay attention, this is awesome. Hey.”? We’re the oblivious friend, and we’ve got hundreds or thousands of people eager to nudge us and try to point to things to pay attention to. Unfortunately for them, surprise is the best thing for both us and them--a more pure reaction, better bewilderment, and funnier face-planting makes for a better liveblog. Your confusion and bewilderment and especially your excitement over the show will make your audience happy, and that means having to protect yourself from being spoiled in weirdly small ways.

Third, pick something you’re going to have fun with. People enjoy different genres, paces, media types, levels of quality. Some people like liveblogging hot garbage, while others prefer high-quality fare. Some people enjoy science fiction, others enjoy romantic comedies. Some people like long shows, others bite-size ten-minute episodes. Some people like episodic stories while others like ongoing narratives. Find something you’ll be able to get into, and don’t be afraid to switch things up if it gets stale.

Fourth, if you care about success, don’t expect it overnight. I know people like Zephyr and Minda and I made big names for ourselves, but all of us in one way or another made ourselves about liveblogging to a high degree to get there. If you’re doing this as a hobby, word of mouth will only spread so quickly compared to those of us who do it very regularly; I almost worked myself to death in that first month in 2015, doing something like forty episodes of Steven Universe in just over a month. This is a weird, niche genre of entertainment, and it takes an odd approach to work out for people.

Fifth, don’t be afraid to share your stuff with larger communities. Hell, I have a whole channel in the LWU community discord dedicated to people advertising when they’re streaming or liveblogging! if you’re starting a liveblog, make yourself known. Who knows, you might get a shout-out ;)

I’m kind of...in between doses of my ADHD meds, so I may have missed some stuff I’ll come back and add later, but for now, I hope that’s helpful.

#ask loreweaver #bloggin #inbetween #zephyrthejester #mindareadsoots

40 notes · View notes

lloftvlly · 5 years

Text

D̶̦̦̞̮̞̱́̕ę̷͕̑t̶̫̃͋̇̓̚o̵̞̔͆̒x̵͎͋́ — [ Prologue ]

FIC MASTERPOST:

⇛ Since there’s no after ending for Saeran yet and the wait is killing me I decided in the meantime to type my own. Also, because I’ve been wanting to get back into writing fanfiction.

DISCLAIMER: All rights to Saeran Choi and the Mystic Messenger universe belongs to Cheritz and I’m merely borrowing their beautiful universe and characters for writing.

— The timeline may not truly match up with Saeran’s good ending but with this story, I wanted to dive into his physical and mental healing process more.

Saeran Choi x MC // MysMe // [ pt. 1/? ]

It’s only been five days since the news about the prime minister's illegitimate sons were made public by C&R’s intelligence unit and the RFA. So naturally, things have been eventful,... let alone the fact that Saeyoung was still missing.

Of course, it didn’t come as a surprise that the media and authorities wanted to pry out more information out of all of you, but mostly Searan. He did what he was capable of doing, in his condition. But unnecessary stress was something you had to avoid as best as you could because he was still unstable, not only his mind but also his body. Even though Saeran would tell you over and over how you saved him, you knew you still had a long way to go, to heal him from his past. So far you’ve merely gotten him out of a toxic environment but there was still plenty to do before you could consider him to be saved.

All the drugs he was taking and was forced to take, while he was in Magenta were still running through his veins.. it took time for them all to leave his bloodstream. Even if he wanted to be back to normal, that wasn’t his choice to make, but his body’s. Initially, he didn’t show many withdrawal symptoms right after leaving Magenta, maybe because there was too much going on and he had focused on different things, but as time passed his symptoms worsened. And even though Saeran had taken control over the darkness in his heart and mind, for the most part, he still had moments of it taking over him.

Of course, you had considered to let him stay in a medical facility but he was strictly against it. You think he was too scared of being locked away under the care of strangers; after all, for the first time in his life, he actually was allowed to be free and make his own decisions. So who really could blame him for not wanting to be in a restrictive place once more, even if it was with good intentions. And his decision was to stay here in this hideout with you under the condition that he got regularly visited by a private doctor and a therapist which Jumin had organized for Saeran and which would keep your location confidential.

It wasn’t easy of course. There were triggers you still learned about, that would cause him to break down or yell at you. Years of brainwashing wouldn’t be gone as fast, no matter how much love and patience you showed to your boyfriend. He also still had a hard time talking about his brother without him showing physical signs of struggling.

Some moments he would still fight his darkness, others he would almost give in and let his demons take over and the shadows of his past consume him. But he would fight so hard not to ever hurt you again. He was terrified of the thought that he’d fall back into the dark character he showed to you in the days you were locked in your room at Magenta. You both knew that side of him wasn’t completely gone, even if for the most part.

Some days, when he suffered severe pain from his body trying to rid of the remaining poison in his blood he would also fall into desperation and beg for more of the elixir to end his pain. At times like this, you had to get help to restrain him and keep him from running back to seek out the Mint Eye for his dose. Jumin then sent over security guards to keep Saeran from running off when you weren’t able to keep him inside. And once Saeran would come back to his senses, he would thank you for it,... no matter how much he had cursed out you and the security guards during his desperation for the drug.

So clearly, you still had a long way to go. But together you had managed so much, so you would get through this too.

And as curious as the public was about Saeran and Saeyoung, it wasn’t the time now for him to constantly be under the pressure to give answers to all the people seeking them. Even if the vast majority were on his side, first he had to get healthier, only then he could properly decide if he even wanted to give more of his side to the media and public.

The ad department at C&R also advised Saeran to get healthy first before taking any other further steps. And Jumin, together with all his connections and the intelligence unit made sure to advise you in what was the best way to deal with all of the other concerns. It was such a good feeling that Saeran already trusted Jumin as much as you all in the RFA would. It sure couldn’t have been easy for him to trust anyone ever again, so this was something you considered to be the first step of healing.

And that brought you here. In a somewhat safe cocoon, the RFA provided for you until Saeran was better.

You’ve been staying in Saeran’s secret hideout for most of the time. Jumin would have even sent you off to a private island, but you decided it was better to stay where the rest of the RFA was in reach and where you would have a hospital nearby in case of a medical emergency. And neither the authorities nor the media would be able to find you here either. Jumin eventually agreed this was good enough. Until things settled down he advised you to stay here where you wouldn’t have to deal with unnecessary stress. The third option would have been Saeyoung’s place, but being that he was abducted from there, it just didn’t feel safe enough... Even if the security system was better there than anywhere else and even if the twins' father was behind bars, you couldn’t take chances. Saeran didn’t only have fans but also enemies out there after all. Even if they were smaller in number.

Sometimes members of the RFA would drop by to make sure you were fine. Even though you also made sure to show up in the chatroom regularly to update everyone, mostly on Saeran’s condition.

It broke your heart every time you weren’t able to give good news about his recovery… some days it felt like he was getting worse rather than getting better. But from what Jaehee had researched about recovering from long drug abuse, it would naturally get worse before it could get better, so you kept on holding onto the hope that soon things would look up. .

...

Not in this night, however … just like the nights before, you’ve been staying right next to Saeran who kept throwing himself from one side of the bed to the other, squirming in pain and groaning as his whole body was shaking. He seemed slightly better in the morning but now was back to having strong withdrawal syndromes.

❝Saeran… are you cold? Should I get another blanket?❞ you asked worried while reaching out to place your hand on his forehead. He was burning up again.

❝... No, I‘m so hot, my body is on fire❞ His voice was hoarse and trembling as he threw the blanket aside and wrapped his arms around his own body as if he tried to keep himself from shaking, or if he had to hold onto his dear life this way. His shirt was drenched in sweat even though you made sure he changed into a fresh one barely an hour ago.

It was heartbreaking that you couldn’t do anything to end his pain.. again … but you had to stay strong for both of you. If you had shown too much concern, it wouldn’t help either of you. Saeran needed you to stay positive in order to lead you both to a brighter future.

❝Here, maybe this is gonna cool you off a bit.❞ You reached for the washcloth in the bucket next to the bed, wrang out some of the water and gently placed the cloth on his forehead. A small sigh escaped his lips, causing you to smile ever so slightly. The cold cloth must have given him a small amount of relief.

❝You should drink too … you need to stay hydrated now. It’s important.❞ you grabbed the bottled water and opened it for him before bringing it to the boy's lips. He opened enough for you to gently tip the bottle and help him take a few small sips. But like usual, he wouldn’t drink a lot. It was like his body refused water and food for the past few days. And if you got him to eat, it wouldn’t take long for him to throw it all up again.

You put the bottle down on the nightstand when Saeran started coughing and quickly apologized. ❝I‘m sorry... I made you choke!❞

He shook his head but continued coughing painfully. ❝It’s not that... it’s just...I think I‘m going to be sick again...❞

❝Should I bring you to the bathroom?❞ You didn’t wait for his answer and instead already stood up to reach for his arms. It was a stupid question anyway, obviously, he was feeling sick.

As Saeran leaned with his whole weight on you while you pretty much dragged him with his arm around your shoulder to the bathroom, you recalled the story which Saeyoung told you over the phone during one of your calls while you were at Magenta. The story was about a mother that was able to lift a car her child was trapped under. Because you weren’t naturally strong at all.. kind of weak actually. But in the past days, you had been taking care of Saeran like that, you showed unusual physical and mental strength because of your love for him. Just like this mother with her child, you would turn into a superhero when it came to taking care of the one you loved, as silly as it may sound...And Saeran was far from the weight of a whole car... kind of light actually... concerning light.

You knew Saeran hated when you saw him like that. But there was no way you’d leave him on his own when, once again, he purged the little food and water he had today. Before all this, you could hardly watch anyone being sick. But if it was for Saeran, although it broke your heart to see him in pain, you had no issue sticking right next to him, rubbing his back and whispering words of comfort until he could stop throwing up. You patiently waited for him to cough up, what looked to be only white foam by the end after he had emptied everything he had kept in his stomach until now.

After you were sure he was done you grabbed a fresh towel with some water on it and sat down next to him on the floor. You turned his face towards you as he was weakly resting against the bowl, truly looking miserable. He was still shaking and even paler than usual. The dark circles under his eyes were also more visible than ever. It hurt to see him like that but all you could do was try to make him feel at least somewhat more comfortable.

❝You’ll never get stronger again if you keep throwing up all your food❞ you scolded gently while tapping his mouth with the towel.

❝I hate when...❞

You interrupted him ❝… I see you like that, I know. But if I‘m not here who’s to say you won’t collapse like the other day? I don’t want you to bump your pretty head again.❞ You reached out to brush the fringe off his forehead where it was sticking to his skin. On the side of his forehead was a visible mark from the other day when he bumped his head on the edge of the bathrooms cupboard after passing out from pain and malnutrition. You had only left him alone for five minutes and this happened, so now you couldn’t allow yourself to leave him on his own unless you were sure he was perfectly stable. You still felt guilty you let it come to this.

❝I‘m disgusting.. you shouldn’t touch me.❞ Saeran grabbed your wrist weakly to pull your arm down.

❝You can’t be disgusting, no matter how hard you try❞ you countered and playfully stuck out your tongue, causing your boyfriend to quietly chuckle. It’s been some time since you heard his laugh.. even though it sounded weak now, it made you feel better. ❝But since you insist.. maybe you should take a bath. It might do you good... and relax your muscles since your whole body is tense.❞

❝You don’t need to make up excuses to get me to take a bath. I know I must reek with all the toxins leaving my pores.❞

❝Yeah, you kinda do stink, actually.❞ you jokingly held your nose and received a weak push from Saeran whose lips curled into a timid smile.

❝For that, you’ll have to wash my back.❞

You grinned ❝I don’t mind washing all of you.❞ although you tried to be blunt you felt your cheeks getting warm. Maybe Saeran was blushing too, or maybe the fever caused his cheeks to turn red again. But him averting his eyes and scratching the back of his head told you he was also flustered about your words.

❝I— I will take your word for it.❞ he eventually said, and you could tell he tried to sound bold as well, but instead, he stumbled over his words and stuttered, causing you to secretly chuckle into the palm of your hand.

— tbc

#mystic messenger #saeran choi #mysme #saeran x mc #fanfiction #writing #f;detox

15 notes · View notes

toonstarterz · 6 years

Text

BECAUSE I’M NOT POPULAR, I’LL READ WATAMOTE: CHAPTER #141

The first half of Golden Week is over, and Tomoko has found herself the object of “platonic" affection for four different suitors. And as our intrepid heroine muses over the which of them to pursue, out of nowhere comes the dark horse. Once thought to be missing in action, this little girl, having been there since the very beginning, threatens to overtake the competition in one psychotic swoop.

Chapter 141: Because I’m Not Popular, I’ll Go to School with Kii-chan

The things that Stuffed Yuu-chan and Pals have seen...

Ah, the classic Introvert Burnout. I had a feeling Tomoko would be drained after having what may have been the most socially stressful time of her life. Not simply for being social, but for how much she had to navigate as a fish out of water. Each “date” involved a new experience for Tomoko to address, and that much effort at once can be really exhausting for a layabout like her.

That my friend is what we in the TvTropes community call, “Tempting Fate”.

Heeeeeere’s Kii-chan!

Can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this entrance. We all know who Kii-chan is. But even those outside of the loop would get a feel for who she is. Adorable and sweet-natured, but disturbing due to an apparent lack of negative emotions (even when appropriate). Ah, Kii-chan, it’s been far too long.

Nothing to say here, really. Just think it’s a particularly lovely picture of Tomoko.

Because the popularity of a manga series is largely dependent on real-time reception, it’s very common for mangakas to add new, “popular” characters, or give the spotlight to characters who’ve been out of focus. Watamote is no exception. It may seem contrived to bring Kii-chan back after being gone for a while, but it works here because it relies on Kii-chan’s character to it, instead of a series of implausible plot developments. Kii-chan is just considerate of her cousin’s schedule–that’s all we need.

The first hint of Tomoko’s reawakening as the role model onee-chan.

One of the perks of being a sporadically-appearing character is that you can really see just much the art style has evolved since the character’s last appearance. For Kii-chan, she hasn’t really changed much design-wise other than being a little taller. But even then, the linework is much cleaner and consistent this time around, which compliments the more “everyday slice-of-life” approach Watamote’s been embracing.

If only she could grow a nose.

The best thing about this type of censorship is that you don’t necessarily have to understand what's being censored. All you really need is a bit of context to put the pieces together. The outlines are detailed enough that we can see the characters as some kind of humanoids with animal features. And given what we know about Kii-chan, it makes perfect sense.

Y-Yeah, I...I’ve totally heard of that show.

Other than the whole Ucchi situation (which is slowly becoming an unintentional blessing), this is the last of the misunderstandings that still needs resolving. It’ll be hard, though, since this particular issue isn’t that troublesome. For now...

Look at that platonic sibling bonding.

Perhaps I’ve been conditioned by manga/anime, but I find it refreshing how Watamote has managed to develop the Kuroki siblings’ relationship while avoiding any incestual subtext. Lots of series oversell the sibling relationship by having them be overly affectionate and clingy. With Watamote, their bond feels organic because they don’t have to be touchy-feely. An unspoken quality time is all there is to it.

It’s hard to get a read on Tomoko’s emotions here, but at the very least, she seems troubled. It could very well be that Tomoko just realized that she’s changing in regards to the media she consumes. The former her would’ve probably jumped on the Kemono Friends bandwagon, but the reality is, Tomoko’s otaku interests are being compromised by the mainstream, at least as mainstream as rap battles get.

But the kicker is...she realizes this change isn’t all that bad.

Of course, nothing beats watching anime with your psychotic cousin.

The whole “pet-sitting” relationship they have here is a tricky one since each side is trying to accommodate the other based on “flaws” that don’t exist (or no longer exist). This usually results in an endless cycle of misunderstandings that lead to nowhere, but this confusion has transcended that cycle to develop into a progression of sorts. Similar to the Ucchi situation, the absurdity became so frequent that it just became reality. One that each side has been influenced greatly from.

With her constantly adorable face, you forget that Kii-chan is a middle-schooler and is therefore old enough to know about things like sex and perversion. Like Yuu-chan, she may look innocent, and while she was aware of such things as a kid, she didn’t really get it until they approached high-school age.

You know, I read this really good manga called Kaguya-sama: Love is War (shameless plug, I know), and they actually had a chapter about a rap battle a while back. Given that both series tend to be up-to-date on contemporary trends, it makes me wonder...has rap suddenly become a hot thing in Japan? Or has it always had its niche audience?

I’m sure many fans knew that this was going to be an inevitable development whenever Kii-chan showed up again. Unlike Tomoko’s school friends, Kii-chan wasn’t there to see the slow, gradual growth of Tomoko’s character, so it must have hit her like a ton of bricks to see her precious onee-chan go from helpless loner to mature teen in the blink of an eye.

Sometimes I wonder just how pitiful Kii-chan thought Tomoko really was...

Why would you censor Disneyland now of all times?

Those of us who were clamoring to get close-ups of the photos taken in the Disneyland arc finally get their wish.

The Kowarith photo is my favorite, even though two-thirds of the people in it are faking their asses off. While that may be my personal bias towards the Tomoko-Yoshida-Yuri trio, I think it reflects a better sense of kinship between the girls. The effort is there, phony as it is, to support each other in an awkward situation, which is fundamentally what the series is all about.

The assumedly Fireworks photo is also pleasing, make no mistake. You can definitely feel more genuine emotions (or lack thereof) being expressed than in the other photo. But this focuses more on the individual than how they work as a collective group, despite there being more people. The girls ultimately look like six different colored Skittles–part of the same package, but each unique.

Could this be the start of Kii-chan revitalizing her perception of Tomoko as a super popular girl? I sure hope so.

How ironic. Kii-chan’s perspective of Tomoko is starting to grow ever so gradually on the upside, whereas Tomoko’s perspective of Kii-chan grows more and more negative.

Hang on, is that supposed to be some fake Dragonite shirt? Neat.

At this point, people assuming that Yoshida as some kind of punk based on her looks is a dead horse of an issue. Some stereotypes exist for a reason, I suppose.

I see your game, Nico Tanigawa, using a deliberately vague line about “two girls” to make your readers overanalyze a single panel. All I have to say to that is that I am completely and utterly guilty.

One of the girls is probably Yuri, if only because she’s the only girl to appear in both photos. As for the second girl, your guess is as good as mine. I’m inclined to say Ucchi because if Kii-chan only has their appearances to go on, then Ucchi and her emoji-face make quite the impression.

I’m getting Yuu-chan vibes here with the way Kii-chan phrases half-insults with a friendly demeanor.

+ 1 TO THE HAREM.

Kii-chan is definitely that relative you leave a self-imposed boundary on. Fine in small doses, like at parties and family gatherings, but long-term exposure is unhealthy for the brain. This isn’t even a wholly exaggerated fantasy on Tomoko’s part. Okay, the eating bit is a little much, but given that Kii-chan allegedly dreams about treating Tomoko like a pet, the latter is right to be a little concerned.

There needs to be an AU one-shot of Tomoko, Tomoki, and Kii all going to the same school at the same time. Right. Now.

I do appreciate that despite Kii-chan’s deteriorating sanity, Tomoko doesn’t view her as a lost cause and even tries to put a positive spin on it. Reconciliation Arc is a-go!

Did Kii-chan really have that big of a growth spurt, or has Tomoko just reached her peak in height? Not sure how far the genetics will go, but Kii-chan becoming taller than Tomoko is only going to make her even more intimidating.

This little scheme of hers is definitely reflective of the “old” Tomoko, but there’s a nice reversal going on here. Instead of Tomoko trying to make things sound cooler than they actually are, she’s trying to make things seem worse. Of course, Murphy’s Tomoko’s Law states that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Especially if Tomoko wants it to go right.

Ah, Ogino. The only character whose relationship with Tomoko has remained relatively unchanged despite indirectly having the most impact on Tomoko’s life.

Better update her Wiki page now.

It’s pretty telling how it’s these two who cause Tomoko the most grief. It’s not the delinquent who routinely bashes her face in, not the pervert(s) lusting after her little brother, and not the otaku who passive-aggressively teases her. As for why, I think it boils down to the fact that Ogino and Kii-chan challenge her comfort zone the most. It also doesn’t help that Tomoko doesn’t interact with them as often as the others, so she hasn’t really had the time to get desensitized by them.

This freakin’ teacher, man.

The second worst part of Ogino’s “help” is that she never actually lies. Sure, she exaggerates to hell and back, but it’s always loosely based in reality, like some cheap movie adaptation of a best-selling novel.

But the worst part of it is...you can’t hate Ogino for it. Her personal assessment may be founded on largely suspect reasons, but it’s still an honest assessment. I have no doubts that Ogino really is proud of Tomoko, and that’s exactly why she’s the best worst teacher.

That’s true. If Ogino gave that spiel to people like Hijirisawa or Hatsushiba–y’know, people who don’t know her as well–they might actually buy that crap. But people who know Tomoko like Yuri or Nemo, people like us, can tell that Ogino’s sugarcoating the whole thing. Kii-chan, with her terrifying skill for knowing too much, is no exception.

Ah, I see. This is one of those put-all-the-secondary-characters-who-we-haven’t-seen-in-a-while-into-one-chapter chapters.

Can’t complain, though. I like Itou.

“Or something” can also be translated as “lust after Tomoki”.

We don’t really have much to go on for how Itou views Tomoko, but I think it’s reasonable to think that she may not see her in that good of a light. Not only did Tomoko give off a weird impression when she played off the whole fist bump thing, but Itou’s “powers of perception” probably made her aware of Tomoko and Komiyama’s frenemy-ship, hence her “warning” that Komiyama was around.

The Inherent Awkwardness of Second-hand Relationships: The Life of Tomoko.

Betcha’ no one saw this interaction coming. Whether it’ll lead to anything more remains to be seen. Itou’s still got the whole “friendship potential” going on with Futaki, but given that she has the tolerance to BFF Komiyama, I see no reason why she can’t befriend a psycho like Kii-chan.

That desire to “loudly blow” is Kii-chan’s inner demons screeching out in desperation for release. I pity the fool who unleashes the beast.

That does sound like your typical amateur definition of a psychopath, doesn’t it?

For the record, I don’t actually believe Kii-chan is a psychopath, despite the jokes I made. There are way too many moments that discredit such a claim. Now, if you were to accuse Kii-chan as being some sort of deviant (sexual or otherwise) I might see that. But ultimately, I think Kii-chan was just a victim of having her innocence shattered too fast and too soon, which made her more, uh, crafty than Tomoko could handle.

Man, it’s been a long time while since we last saw Dicky-chan, hasn’t it? Hope we get to see more of her (and Sayaka, for that matter) after this chapter.

I love how even when she’s collecting masturbation material, Komiyama has to hold her camera phone all lady-like. If the term “purevert” ever needed a concrete definition, this girl would be it.

Main Character privileges, that’s why.

Get. The. FUCK. Out. Of. Here.

With each subsequent appearance, Komiyama’s standard for what constitutes a bitch primed to steal away her Tomoki-kun falls hilariously lower. It’s not enough that a girl in their class makes two seconds of eye contact with him, nosiree. Any girl with an inkling of a relationship with Tomoko is not immune, even if it’s his own damn cousin. Granted, I don’t think Komiyama would be so pathetically scummy as to confront Kii-chan about it like she did to Yoshida.

...I hope.

“Best friends” may be stretching it now that we’ve gotten this far in the series. However, there is one aspect of Tomoko and Komiyama’s relationship that triumphs over all the others:

Absolute candidness. Even now, the only one who gets to see the complete, raw package that is Tomoko Kuroki is Komi-something. While Tomoko has made substantial friendships with the likes of Yuri, Nemo, and Katou, Tomoko still restrains herself just a tad lest she pushes them away. It’s only with Komi that Tomoko bears her full ugliness, which I think has developed into some freakish level of respect/understanding that none of the others can claim.

Damn, even the bishounen dude gets to make an appearance. All we need know is Lethal Chef Girl to make a cameo and I’m set.

Nope. Any game is an away game when your “harem” shows up to cheer you on.

A few people have expressed discontent with how the chapter seems to end so abruptly, and it’s a fair criticism. It may be the lack of a “Next time...” tagline throwing people off, but while this chapter indeed ends at an odd point, it’s not that unprecedented. Some of the previous chapters ended this way, like that time Komi was all “Oi!” at Yoshida at the cafeteria, which indicates that this chapter is likely one of those series-of-vignettes that also doubles as a build-up chapter.

On a positive note, while the chapter does feel prematurely ended, how the next chapter plays out if it is connected to this one is sure to be a surprise.

#watamote #watamote review #chapter 141 #no matter how i look at it it's you guys' fault i'm not popular!#tomoko kuroki #kiko satozaki #ogino #itou #kotomi komiyama #akari iguchi #tomoki kuroki #that one bishounen dude #review

29 notes · View notes

concerthopperblog · 4 years

Text

20 Standout Roots and Americana Albums of 2020: 20-11

It's tough to think of very much good about 2020, much less “best” or favorite”, unless you count it almost being over. But, while those of us who love live music (and you can guess, at a site called “Concert Hopper” that's all of us) have been suffering, one result of artists being off the road is that it's given them time to create some stellar albums. Even keeping to roots music, culling down my list of favorites to 20 was a chore, and I left some very worthy albums on the table. Note I said “favorite” there, not “best.” Plenty of sites will be giving you the “best” albums over the next few weeks. I'm not that vain. As Concert Hopper's resident roots music consumer, I'm one man with one set of ears. I can't possibly hear even 1/10th of all the albums released in a year, much less tell you what is the best. My hope is that, in the 20 albums contained in this and the forthcoming article, you will find something you haven't heard before, or something that you may have, but need to give another try.

A note on my methodology, just to curb the outrage. My list has always excluded live albums, re-records, cover albums, and compilations, just to keep the number manageable. So that's why you won't see Sturgill Simpson's excellent Cuttin' Grass or Margo Price's Perfectly Imperfect listed here. I broke that rule twice this year, but have endeavored to explain why in the individual comments.

But enough housekeeping! Let's get to the first half of what I consider the 20 standout roots and Americana albums of 2020. Where I reviewed the album, I have included a link to the full review. Where I haven't, I have included a Youtube link to one of the album's songs.

20. Antsy McClain- 15 Songs From Isolation For anyone who is a fan of Antsy McClain or his band The Trailer Park Troubadours, it was no surprise that he was one of the first to release a full album of songs written and recorded during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Always a DIY kind of artist, this setup really isn't all that different than many of his albums. The real sell for 15 Songs From Isolation is another of McClain's hallmarks; finding the humor and silver lining in even the darkest moments.

19. Chicago Farmer- Flyover Country “Flyover country” is a pejorative term, supposedly used to by coastal elites to describe the residents of the Midwest and the South, places they only “fly over.” Mostly it's a term used by conservative pundits to fire up those same heartland residents. But it's a perfect title for an album by Chicago Farmer. His songs weave relatable tales about the oddballs and misfits who provide color to any small town; the people who complain about “$13 Beers” at arena shows and spend their paychecks “All in One Place.”

18. Della Mae- Headlight When I first saw them as the opening at at Americanafest's smallest venue a few years back, I knew Della Mae was going to be something special. Since that time, the lineup has changed and the people wanting to see them wouldn't fit in The Station Inn. But the things I loved then, a firm grounding in roots traditions with a willingness to experiment with new sounds and inject a much needed dose of feminist fire into a bluegrass genre that has traditionally been fairly chauvinistic, is present in spades on Headlight, bolstered greatly by assistance from gospel vocalists The McCrary Sisters, who should be contractually obligated to appear on any album with a chorus.

17. KIT- EP When I put this list together, having Della Mae and KIT next to each other was an accident; but it ended up being a fun one. I discovered KIT aka Katie Wighton's band All Our Exes Live in Texas in the exact same circumstances as Della Mae. Following the Australian folksters on social media led me to Wighton's solo debut. For those looking for Exes type harmony, you're out of luck. Instead, KIT uses her freedom to explore power pop, punk, and country soul. At an economical 15 minute run time, KIT won't take you long to sample, and it's as good a quarter hour as you'll spend all year.

16. Secret Emchy Society- The Chaser While Queer Country has been around for decades, it's just now grown enough to start to get noticed, and many people misunderstand the label, thinking they're signing up for “message” songs about inclusion. While that exists if it's what you want, it's not what you'll find on The Chaser. Instead, Secret Emchy Society simply wants to be out (and if you think all that's over, go look up the furor around “Girl Crush” a few years back) while producing a slate of hard living, hard drinking, and hard fighting barroom country. Album standout “Whiskey Fightin’ Terri” sounds like Waylon Jennings' lyrics if interpreted by Robin Weigert's Calamity Jane from Deadwood.

15. Cinder Well- No Summer The most rewarding part of this job is finding bands you've never heard and likely never would have without a random press release. For me this year, that was Cinder Well. The “doom folk” group formed by Irish singer-songwriter Amelia Baker has one of the most original takes on roots music of 2020, and one that fits the year. Owing as much to the atmospheric dread of early Black Sabbath as to Appalachian and British folk, Baker has crafted the perfect album for the isolation and desperation felt by many during a year best forgotten. Cinder Well is a band I hope to keep with me long after this pandemic is over.

14. Whitney Rose- We Still Go to Rodeos Another Americanafest discovery for me, Canadian Whitney Rose came to prominence with a voice as sweet as Skeeter Davis and an attitude as big as Joan Jett. After recording two albums with her musical mentor Raul Malo from The Mavericks, We Still Go to Rodeos is Rose's declaration of independence, as well as her first full-length album to fully embrace the musical influences of her new home in Austin. Working with producer Paul Kolderie, known as much for working with rockers like Radiohead and Morphine as with roots artists, Rose pushes her own boundaries with the addition of rock guitars while retaining the unique style that gained her fans in the first place.

13. Sawyer Fredericks- Flowers For You Most fans who know Sawyer Fredericks know him from his winning turn on singing competition show The Voice in 2015. But to lump him in with the glut of “reality TV singers” would be a mistake. After walking away from the mainstream to record the excellent blues-folk Hide Your Ghost in 2018, the 21 year old singer evolves again, tapping into the chemistry of his road band to become not a solo artist, but more of an Americana Alice Cooper, a band that just happens to have the same name as its singer. Flowers For You also sees Fredericks evolving as a songwriter, especially on the socially charged (and instrumentally intense) album highlight “Call It Good”, decrying a culture where markets throw away perfectly good food while people starve.

12. X- Alphabetland “Wait,” some of you are saying right now, “X, like the LA punk pioneers? In a roots music list?” Yes, because X has always had a core of Carl Perkins' rockabilly sound that drove their punk fury. After a couple of decades of solo exploration in the country scene by band founders Exene Cervenka and John Doe, their first X album since 1993 ramps up the rockabilly influences even more. Reunion albums are a hit or miss prospect. X hit it out of the park. Even in their '60s, Doe and Cervenka can out-rock and out-snarl any given Warped Tour lineup combined.

11. Gillian Welch and David Rawlings- All the Good Times Are Past and Gone When I told you I was breaking my “no covers albums” rule this year, this is where I do it. I could try to make a good excuse for that, but the simple explanation is that Gillian Welch and David Rawlings are so consistently solid in anything they do, any release deserves a place on any year-end list. On All the Good Times Are Past and Gone, recorded acoustic and at home on reel to reel, Welch and Rawlings take on “traditionals” like the title track, as well a god-like songwriters Bob Dylan and John Prine, who give the album its two shining highlights in Prine's “Hello in There” and Dylan's “Abandoned Love.”

That's it for the first half of my favorite roots albums of 2020. Stay tuned soon for my Top 10, as well as other year wraps to come.

#2020 #album review #review #Concerthopper #Roots Music #americana music #americana #best of 2020 #music #Americana Music

0 notes

exploring2gether123 · 4 years

Text

How To Deal With The Beauty Care!

Hello viewers, how are you all? Are you guys taking skin care during this pandemic or are procrastinating it by thinking no one will notice it? My dear friends, beauty care is very essential as it is a basic need of our body. We should not take it lightly and not as well use harmful products for it. Confused how to deal with beauty care? Don’t worry i have so many suggestions for you which are completely safe and natural. Let’s explore them:

Dark lips– take a teaspoon of each honey and lemon juice. Mix well and apply to your lips. Leave it for 15-20 minutes and rinse with water.

How often– thrice a week

Note– lemon juice can cause a stinging or burning sensation on your skin. Do a patch test before trying it.

Dark circles– take a cotton ball and soak it into milk. Dab it on your dark circles and leave for a while. Wash it after it has dried.

How often– until your dark circles are lightened.

Note– milk may cause pimples on some skin types. Do a patch test before trying it.

Dry skin– take a slice of tomato and rub it on your face directly.

How often– until you notice the changes in your skin.

Note– tomato can cause itching on some skin types. Do a patch test before trying it.

Oily skin– take oatmeal and curd in proportions to make a course paste and then apply it on your face. Wash it after it dries up.

How often– once a week

Note– curd may cause pimples on some skin types. Do a patch test before trying it.

Wrinkles– take one egg white, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 and ½ teaspoon honey. Apply it on your skin and leave it for a while. Wash it after it dries.

How often– until wrinkles starts healing.

Note– keep yourself hydrated and don’t use heavy makeup.

Perform a patch test before trying it since egg whites cause different actions on different skin types.

Hair mask-take 2 medium sized banana and 2 tablespoon of oil. Mix them well so no lumps remain. Apply it and wash your hair after it dries or after an hour.

How often– twice a month

Note– you can use any oil

Pigmentation– use apple cider vinegar for this problem which is quite frequent but underrated. Consume apple cider vinegar as per the dose mentioned on the product or you can also consult your doctor.

How often– as prescribed

Note– it might not suit everyone, so take small amounts of it or consult your doctor.

Body scrub-take 1 cup sugar, 2 teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 and ½ cup of oil.

Combine all ingredients until a coarse paste is formed. Apply this paste on your skin and massage it all over. Wash the mixture with lukewarm water once your massaging is done.

How often– 2-3 times a month

Note– some of these ingredients might cause irritation. Do a patch test before trying it.

Any oil can be used.

Pimples– take multani mitti and mix it with water to make a paste. Apply it all over your pimples and let it dry. Wash it afterwards.

How often– until your pimples vanish.

Note– your skin might be allergic to it. Do a patch test before trying it.

Glowing skin– as we all know about the numerous advantages of aloe vera. Take aloe vera pulp and directly apply it on your skin. Wash after it dries.

How often– thrice a week

Note– aloe vera might not work for all skin types. Do a patch test before trying it.

These were some natural skin care tips or DIY hacks as you may call it which is extremely beneficial for your skin. You not only get a glowing skin but confidence and sense of responsibility towards yourself too. So guys do try these beauty care hacks at home and definitely share your experiences by tagging us on your social media handles.

https://exploring2gether.com/beauty-care/

0 notes

whatsyourcolor · 7 years

Text

Dragnet - Ch2- The Detective

Hello. Here’s the second chapter of Dragnet. A million flowers and thanks to @lucidink for helping me edit.

Chapter 2 – The Detective

An open book rested on his chest as the first rays of dawn filtered through the blinds, stealing him from the elusive and vacillating hours of sleep. He laid in absolute stillness—the hand over the book—dressed in tailored pants, a white shirt and a slightly loosened tie; a posture that to any outsider would resemble that of a dead man in his funerary and elegant tranquility.

But he did open his eyes, and dreams about cases, numbers and suspicions dissipated from his view and memory. Just as he had conquered (through relentless forbiddance against what he perceived to be his faults) the crags of rigorous discipline—that is, through a carefully designed routine that allotted brains and muscle the time and energy demanded, needed—the trivial merited the same type of sharpness and obsessive precision. Setting the book aside, he stood and fixed the wrinkles on the covers of his bed. The bedroom’s décor was minimalistic: a bed, bare walls, an old sofa and a nightstand to hold books and cigarettes.

Like most mornings, he went to the kitchen to prepare himself a modest breakfast and ate while watching the MWPSB sanctioned news on a holographic screen.

So, they decided to keep the media in the dark about the case, he thought, when a commercial for hue-clearing vitamins interrupted his train of thought.

After putting the kitchen back to its tidy state, he headed for the other room in his apartment. As a detective, he had become aware early on of the paradoxical nature of his job; at once rigid and fluid; requiring a sharp memory and an ability to forget. He had wondered back then—when he was younger—if he’d ever be able to develop what Masaoka called a “detective’s intuition.” Not the habit to predict that hindered so many inspectors, but the ability to smell and to follow that smell.

The door opened to a smaller room with a desk and three tall bookcases replete with paper books. On the wall hung a large board with notes and drawings—spirals, waves, lines—over pictures, names, numbers, coordinates and maps. He sat at the desk where stacks of files stood in irregular towers. Other documents were placed carefully on the floor in a calculated arrangement, discernible only to him. When he managed to find free time or in his off days, he’d sit to read on a cushioned green seat nestled between the shelves: it was his favorite place in the apartment.

It was as though this room held what he rarely allowed himself out of it: the pangs and sparks of random inspiration, the license to be more visceral than rational for a while and, even at times, the short flashes of madness that came with lucidity. Doubtless, it was his discipline that kept that chimera controlled and his Psycho-Pass clean: he could dwell without letting his thoughts seize him and drag him down.

Many of the paper books he owned—most well-thumbed; the oldest failing to hold together—had come from his father and grandparents’ library. Even though he never met his father, he could piece the man together, the ghost of him, by sorting through his literary collection, the only legacy left of him. But most of his collection had come through Sasayama and his connections (to whom or what, he didn’t care to know): random titles—both local and translated to Japanese—that told stories in more ways than words. There was the big fat dictionary with different dates scribbled on its end papers (the oldest one dating to 2015); the mystery novel that had pages chewed off by some animal and the love dedications written on poetry books with aging pages. What surprised him the most was the notion that there was still a market for such rarities, not only virtually obsolete, but the type that could cloud your hue.

Patiently, he began to study the files; his personal observations for the cases of the MWPSB. Soon after, it was time to shower and head to work.

“We’re back where we started. The suspect says she was given hue-clearing drugs and sent to work at a factory for a measly salary. She’s an unregistered and latent criminal. There’s no lead as to who the seller is and there’s no match for the name she gave us.” Ginoza summarized in a humdrum tone, impatient with the delay of the closing in this case.

“Five days after she was taken into custody, the body of an unregistered man was found in a small textile factory in a different part of the city. The cause of death is still to be determined, but—” Kogami clicked a button and a picture of the holo projection of the body appeared on the screen, “the open sores found around his neck and his bloated extremities point to a reaction to a certain type of chemical ingested. We still haven’t determined if it’s an adverse reaction to the drug. As for the woman, it doesn’t make sense that if she was up to her ears in illegal hue-clearing drugs, her Psycho-Pass would suddenly cloud. There must be something we’re overlooking.”

“What you’re overlooking here is that the drugs she was given may have been counterfeit,” Sasayama muttered through his teeth, trying to lit up his cigarette.

“Sasayama! Didn’t I tell you not to smoke here?”

“Okay, okay, Gino-san! Calm down, will ya? Don’t want to kill your little cactus with those pitch-dark vibes of yours,” Sasayama replied, a little startled by the loud reprimand, putting out the cigarette.

“If the drugs are counterfeit, then how do you explain the fact that she worked undetected for a whole month? As soon as she’d come out of the abolition block the cymatic scanners would’ve detected her,” Kogami countered.

“There’s two possibilities: the sellers use a hook dose that’s effective temporarily, then replace the dose with a counterfeit. Or, second, the drugs have some sort of expiration date that renders them useless after a while.” Sasayama replied, with his usual overconfident satisfaction, smirking.

“But what’s the point of selling drugs that don’t work?” Kogami asked.

“That’s the question, Ko.” Sasayama said, smile wide now. “I’m sure from the business point of view there must be something to be gained.”

Kogami held his chin in his hand, deep in thought. But it doesn’t make sense, even from the business point of view.

“Don’t think so hard, Inspector. Your Psycho-Pass may cloud,” Yayoi softly told Kogami. “Also, there’s still the matter of how these drugs are being transported undetected to different places in the city and if there are additional unauthorized people working elsewhere. And we don’t even have a sample of the drug to have Shion analyze it.”

“If people realize that unregistered or illegal aliens are working alongside them, it could cause a Psycho-hazard. Not to mention the fact that most of them may be latent criminals. Hordes of criminals could be walking the streets amongst healthy citizens.” Ginoza turned to look at the screen behind him. On it, there was the image of a woman in her forties, sitting in an interrogation room, still dressed in the factory uniform. Her hands were wringing her shirt nervously and she appeared distressed. “Still, let’s not rule out that the defect in the drug could be a mistake on the part of the manufacturers.”

“Could be. But even if that’s true, there’s still an organization that’s in the business of drugging unregistered people and putting them to work or even killing them,” Masaoka said, receiving in reply a glacial stare from his son.

“We checked the logs of the factory and they followed the hiring protocol. Since her Psycho-Pass was clear, they didn’t pay attention to some irregularities, like her birth date. I don’t think we’ll get much more than that since the Ministry of Economy isn’t willing to cooperate,” Ginoza said.

Let’s focus then on the possible routes they’re using to transport the drugs between abolition blocks. Look for reports of hues suddenly clouding and transpose them onto the city map for now,” Kogami ordered.

By force of habit, in stressful days like this one—days in which they could not even say they were stalemate, since no opponent or game had been identified—Kogami and Sasayama ended up having a smoke in the balcony of their floor. The golden city around them shone as the sunset mirrored on the buildings circumambient. It almost seemed like this city could never be dark.

“So, what’s new with you, Ko?” Sasayama asked casually, attempting to have a talk that carried some semblance of levity, after a whole afternoon of grim faces.

“I was just thinking…” Kogami said, taking a drag while hunching over the glass panel of the balustrade, “it’s evident that they wouldn’t risk moving the drugs on the streets of the city, even if they were using the drug themselves. It’s too unstable and their hues could suddenly cloud. If they know about the side effects, that’s even a bigger reason not to use them.” Sasayama rolled his eyes hearing him speak. “You know, on the night I lost my dominator I met—”

“Oh, you’re still on that? All we’ve achieved so far with these underground crackdowns is stir up the pot for a bunch of maladjusted teenagers and crash their little parties. But we may have found new rave enforcer material, for sure!” He grinned mischievously. “Don’t tell Kunizuka that I said that. She already wants to murder me.”

“And we didn’t find any trace of the drug,” Kogami continued, still engrossed in his thoughts.

“True, but we found lots of alcohol that got confiscated and are probably being consumed by old man Masaoka as we speak, the undefeated champion of the ancient game of ‘elbow-raising,’ if you know what I mean,” he said, half-laughing.

Kogami was finally dragged out of his thoughts.

“Don’t worry, he’ll call when he’s ready to share his loot. He always does anyway.” He snickered, amused.

“Yeah, but you stopped joining us after that night.” He looked at him from the corner of his eye, his wide grin biting the cigarette in his mouth. “The fateful night in the enforcers’ lounge when you got so drunk you were slurring your words and tried to wrestle me because I beat you at Mahjong.”

“Because you cheated,” Kogami replied in a serious tone, exhaling smoke.

“And the arguing with old Masaoka about women, and beauty and death and all that nonsense? You two wouldn’t shut up!” he laughed. “I’d never peg you for the philosophical yet violent type of drunk.”

“You won’t ever let me forget it,” he muttered in a low complain, averting his eyes.

“Don’t worry, you are a karaoke legend now in the enforcers’ lounge. After all, it did take three men to rip the microphone off your paws and even after that, they were terrified that you might bite them!” Sasayama was now bending over the balustrade, laughing shamelessly.

“And you still expect me to come back?” Kogami said, red in the face but it was unclear if from embarrassment or irritation. “Forget it. I’m never drinking again.”

“Don’t blame the alcohol, Ko. Sake is one of those poisons that makes you dance on the line between lucidity and foolishness. It’s your own fault you went down the path of foolishness.”

“Says the person who ended up throwing up in the bathroom,” Kogami sneered.

“Well, when it comes to my vices, I can’t help but be foolish. I’m… what do you call it? A hedonist. I live for sake and—“

“Women. Yeah, we’ve heard it all before a thousand times. Half the time getting shitfaced and the other half getting slapped by the women you supposedly revere,” Kogami said, trying to bite back.

“Supposedly? Okay, now this is personal. One day, Kogami Shinya, you will understand! All your drunk talk about beauty and women is nothing but abstract cynicism that you use to keep people at bay; crap you’ve read in your books,” Sasayama said, and even though both knew he was teasing, there was an unmistakable sting in his words.

“You’re crossing the line, Enforcer.” Now Kogami was pissed off. He put out his cigarette and threw it in the garbage can, walking away.

“Hey! You’re still the most liked Inspector of Division 1!” Sasayama shouted to him as the glass doors closed. Kogami gave him a sarcastic thumbs-up gesture without looking back.

“Shit. I always hit his sore spots without meaning to,” Sasayama mused with a shrug, unconcerned.

Leaning back on the chair of his station, arms on the back of his head and a cigarette in his mouth, Kogami Shinya was absorbedly staring at his computer screen. Everyone had already left and, though he was tired, he knew that if he went home he wouldn’t catch any sleep. A map of the city of Tokyo flashed back at him from the screen.

Illegal hue-clearing drugs sold to unregistered latent criminals wanting to work. Two cases in different parts of the city seemingly related to the drug. Worked for months… but then their Psycho-Pass clouded. The drugs stopped working. Wouldn’t it make more sense to have loyal consumers than kill them with the product? That sure throws whatever prospects of new customers out of the window. This doesn’t appear to be the classical drug crime confined to the abolition blocks either.

The face of a young woman talking about tunnels appeared in his mind.

“This is a tunnel that hasn’t been mapped yet.”

He sat up on his chair.

It would make sense for the sellers to use the old tunnels to transport the drugs. That woman was familiar with the tunnels and understood the marks on the floor; maybe even made them herself.

He typed some words into his computer and the website for the MLIT blinked in front of him.

Those old structures stopped being used more than 25 years ago as the city went an infrastructural remodeling under the Toyohisa construction company per commission of the MLIT. According to the company, those tunnels have been perpetually closed or destroyed. No common citizen, even less someone in an abolition block would have access to that information. Unless the old tunnels weren’t destroyed and someone was…mapping them out for criminal use.

The face of the girl was becoming more and more vivid in his mind.

What was her name? Could she be involved with…?

He brought his hand to his forehead and closed his eyes to recall what he saw before she kicked his dominator.

Tsu…Tsugawa… no. Tsubaki? Tsumita? Tsu… Tsu…

He remembered those incandescent golden-brown eyes, staring at him with anger.

“Tsunemori!” He spat out loud, typing away in his computer.

“Tsunemori. Age 20 to 24. Female. Short. Dark hair.”

He skimmed through various pictures in the citizen database of Sibyl. Quickly scrolling through blonde, brunette, long haired, freckled women until, finally, there was her.

Or at least, someone that looked like her.

No, it was her. As he remembered: short brown hair and two locks falling along her cheeks framing a pale face. But her countenance was decidedly different; softer, even innocent. The faint trace of a smile still rested on her lips, as if someone had said something amusing seconds before snapping the picture. The sparkle in her brown eyes held something delightful, hopeful.

Her doe-eyed look would certainly fool him on a different day, had he not been on the receiving end of her fierceness. Her profile read:

Tsunemori, Akane. Age 22 Graduated from Hongou Higher Education. 2112. Currently employed at Fioira Restaurant. Roppongi.

Wait, this punk works at a restaurant in broad daylight?

Her boot brushed the dusty wooden floor while her body laid suspended in a hammock in a dim shop. A small monkey eating a piece of fruit sat on her stomach as she played with its hair, captivated by the animal—a real one, not a drone pet. In the corners of the room, old artifacts in disuse laid accumulated in random piles that could fall at the slam of a door. The only thing suggesting that this was something akin to a shop, were the two run-down barber chairs with peeling leather cushions and the old mirrors facing them, so old, that you’d think you were looking at yourself as through a thin fog.

“Well, you look much better than the last time I saw you,” Tanaka-san said as he entered his shop, sending a serious glance at the intruder romancing his monkey.

He was a bald old man with a few unruly wisps of white hair hanging from behind his ears; he had the habit of licking his fingers and stroking them to set them down. Dressed in an odd attire—something not uncommon to those living in abolition blocks—he wore sweatpants and sneakers under a dilapidated kimono that had been feasted on by hungry moths.

He unrolled a piece of cloth over a small table and began to organize his tools: the straight razor, the comb, the shave brush, the scissors. He cleaned the relics in the same ceremonial fashion that Akane had seen in those who, anachronistic and useless in Sibyl’s world, strived to preserve a sort of pride in their bygone knowledge.

“Well, I can’t be sad forever, right? Also, Salsa makes me happy,” she answered to his concern, her finger caressing behind the ear of the little monkey who hooted agreeably.

“You should know, that monkey eats better than me nowadays,” the old man said, glaring at the hairy face that stared at him, chewing open-mouthed.

“No worries, Tanaka-San. I also brought something for you.”

She moved her hip to grab the container on her side and the monkey quickly gobbled up what was left of his fruit, hoping to be treated to this banquet too, raising his arms to make a reservation.

“No, Salsa! This is for me!” the old man quickly snatched the container, hiding it from the monkey.

“The best ramen in all of Tokyo!” Akane said eagerly, hoping to reanimate the spirits of the grim old man. She stretched her arm to retrieve the fruit container from a chair and gave another piece to Salsa.

“So, is Ryota coming or what?” the old man said, taking out his metal chopsticks from a drawer and sitting down to eat.

“Yeah, he should be here soon.”

“Good. There’s a group of unregistered that needs to be moved.”

#psycho-pass #fanfiction #dragnet

19 notes · View notes

lovrodney · 8 years

Text

Miracle of Love - Changmin

This is for Anon! I hope that you enjoy this scenario and I hope that you can get back on your feet and do all that your heart desires <3 Please let me know what you think of this story and I am super sorry for the lateness of this scenario, I hope it finds you~

Request: Here

A constant dull ache engulfed your body, pulling you out of your dreams and back into reality, with the sun basking over the top of your sheets. Rolling over onto your back, you lifted your hands and rubbed the sleep away from your eyes. Pain slowly accompanied both sides of your body as well as above and below your waist, feeling the pain slightly higher than the days before, you already knew that it was going to be a rough day for you.

Laying in bed, you reached over to your side table and pulled over your phone, still keeping it connected to the charger, you pressed a button as the screen lit with life. Seeing the list of notifications clustered on your home screen, you scrolled through them as you tapped on the first one you wanted to answer.

As the message pulled up, you closed your eyes for a moment while the dull pain slightly increased for a moment as you adjusted yourself among the sheets before finding another comfortable position. Letting your body slowly sink back into the mattress, you thumbed through your phone trying to catch up on the activities and the lives of your friends that they posted about on social media. Finding your mind wandering with each scroll of your thumb, you quickly reached the end of your feed, to where the posts began to look familiar to the night before.

Tapping the top button, it scrolled back up to the top as you refreshed the page just to see no new posts. Sighing softly, you let your hand fall onto the sheets, looking up to the ceiling, you sighed softly still feeling tired from the night before. Closing your eyes once again, you began to drift in an out of sleep once again, trying to sleep off the soreness in your joints. You slowly woke to the pain surrounding your body once again as a vibration soon followed originating in your hand where your phone was placed.

Sliding your thumb across the screen you tapped the new message at the top of your screen as your phone worked to open the newly received message. Your sleepy eyes blinked a few times to try and focus your vision before you were able to read the name that titled the top of the conversation.

Good morning, beautiful I hope you slept well :) I was just thinking of you and thought I would drop you a message. - C

Reading the message once over, a smile pulled on your lips as your thumbs slowly moved into position to type a reply. Before you could hit the send button on your reply, he sent you another message.

I was wondering if I could come over a little later today? Spend some time with my favorite girl? - C

Feeling butterflies in your stomach, you happily smiled, letting your screen fall black, you carefully pushed yourself upright. Taking your time, you slowly moved out from under your warm covers. Grabbing your cane on the side of your bed, you pulled it close as you readied yourself to slip out of bed. Using your cane, you carefully stood up before you slowly began moving across your carpeted floor to the bathroom. Carefully filling a glass of water, you hobbled over to your medicine cabinet and slowly began pulling bottle after bottle of medication down from the shelves within.

Slipping the correct dose of pills from each bottle into a small bowl, you gathered all of your medicine before you closed the small door and looked down at the multiple pills that you had to consume. Sighing softly, you leaned yourself up against the counter as you sipped the water slowly, closing your eyes you focused on the wet liquid coating you dried throat before you let your fingers fumble around in the small bowl before choosing a small pill to swallow first.

Placing the small pill on your tongue, you took a sip of the water and gulped as you felt the pill slide down your throat.

“One down…” You whispered to yourself, trying to encourage yourself to take the other multiple pills.

One after another, you swallowed every last pill that resided in the bowl. Finishing off the water, you placed the cup on the counter as you turned around and steadied yourself on your hands on the counter top. Feeling your body ache with a dull pain, you gently bit down on your lower lip but with just a slight pain increase in that area, you lifted your eyes to look at your reflection.

Seeing yourself and your jostled hair, your night shirt falling off one shoulder as it hung loosely over your figure, you let your eyes drag over your figure as questions ran through your mind. Taking in a deep breath, tears began to fill your eyes as those questions turned slowly into doubts.

Standing there for a half an hour, you let some tears roll down your cheeks as they slowly dripped off of your chin and onto your hands below. Feeling the droplets hit your hand, your bloodshot eyes lifted to see your figure once again. A pounding ache in your head began to slowly grow as it accompanied more tears.

Feeling weakened from before, you glanced down at your cane as a sinking feeling hit your stomach as you wondered if you were even going to get rid of the device you used to help get around. Frustration began to boil up within you as you couldn’t help but ball up your fists before using the closest foot to kick your cane away.

More tears streamed down your face as the hopelessness of actually healing and getting better began to turn into a drive. Determination replaced the tears as you slowly turned away from the edge of the counter and more towards the door as you took a step. With one hand still holding on to the bullnose of the countertop, you slid one foot in front of the other to gain your own confidence. Step after step you slowly gained your confidence to let go of the countertop with one hand, taking a few more steps, you got to the doorway as one of your hands moved to the frame of the door. Taking in a deep breath, you slowly retracted your hand from the frame as you steadied yourself on your feet before taking a small step.

With a smile curling onto your lips with the successful step, you tried again, with another successful step, you slowly moved your feet across the carpeted floor one foot at a time. In between the door and the bed, your legs began to shake with fatigue, feeling yourself struggle to stay upright, you slowly spread out your arms, your knees moved towards one another as you tried to create a stable stance for yourself. Lowering your center of gravity, your muscles screamed with pain as you contorted your face in pain before you knew that you were going to hit the ground. Moving your hands from the sides downward, within a second or two, you were on your side against the ground as your breathing was slightly rapid and your heart was pounding against your rib cage.

Trying to look around you for your phone, you heard a buzzing as you had set it on your bedside table, on the other side of the bed. With a sigh, you tried to look around for any other form of help. Knowing that you lived alone, you thought back to your boyfriend, Changmin.

“Did he say the he was going to come over?” You quizzed yourself as you couldn’t remember if he had said that or not.

However a few seconds later it hit you that you didn’t answer him back. Sighing out of frustration, you tried to reach out and grab the bed frame to try and pull yourself closer to the bed but it was just out of your reach. With your energy draining quickly you took in a deep breath and looked up the ceiling.

Taking a deep breath, you tried to access the damage done, if any. But with your medications working now, you felt your exhaustion slowly relax your body as you slipped back into sleep.

Hours ticked by as you slept on the carpet, little did you know that Changmin had pulled in front of your apartment and was making his way up to your front door. Adjusting his collar around his neck, he undid a button or two as he held some grocery bags and his duffel back containing in his practice clothes, in his hands along with a bouquet of your favorite flowers. Taking one more look over himself in the reflection of his phone, he gently knocked the back of his knuckles against your black colored door. Hearing his light knocks echo through your apartment, he waited a moment as the anticipation of seeing you caused his heart to pick up.

A few minutes ticked by before he leaned forward and pressed his ear to the door, knocking with a little heavier hand, he called your name and kept his ear close to the door to try and pick up any moment that might be going on inside.

Without another reply, he backed away from the door and slid his free hand into his pocket, grasping the key chain filled with keys, pulling out the ring of keys, he thumbed through the different sized and colored keys on the ring before find the one that matched with your front door.

Slipping the key into the doorknob, he carefully twisted the key and then twisted the opened handle as he called your name softly.

“_______, I’m going to come in okay?” He made his entrance as he closed the door behind him, locking the door behind him, he slid the keys back into his pocket before he moved into your kitchen to place the bags down on the countertop.

Grabbing a vase from one of the tall cabinets, he filled the glass vase with some water before placing your flowers in the water. Beginning to put away some of the groceries and treats that he bought, he hummed to a soft tune one of your favorites songs. Repeating the song twice even three times, he began to wonder where you were since you usually hummed along.

Finishing the song for the fourth time and putting away all of the groceries, Changmin began to grow increasingly worried over you. Balling up the plastic bags and tossing them underneath the sink, his eyes passed over the large windows seeing the sun start to slowly dip lower into the sky.

“_______” Changmin called your name in hopes that you would answer as he continually moved throughout your abode, starting at one side of your apartment he began searching in your laundry room. Then moving into the guest bedroom, he headed out to the guest bathroom, then the living room and kitchen.

“________, sweetheart?” Changmin’s pace began to increase rapidly as he only had a few other places to search for you before you were nowhere to be seen.

Hearing a pair of knuckles knock on your door, you hummed softly as your eyes slowly opened. The moaning hinges alerted you that someone was entering as you tried to focus your eyes to the stranger.

“Sweetie, are you okay?” Changmin’s voice called to you as your eyes finally focused at his trotting form before he knelt down next to you and pressed his hands into the carpet on either side of your shoulders as you slowly rolled over onto your back. “What happened?”

Letting your mind awaken and slowly catch up to the present, you just peered into his beautiful brown eyes as he allowed you to take your time. Brushing his finger across your forehead, he tucked some jostled hair behind your ear.

“I-I was trying to walk to the bed… without my cane” You told him, your eyes turning away from his towards the end while your voice slowly tapered off.

“How long have you been on the floor?” Changmin smiled down at you lovingly as his smile pulled on his perfect lips, a light chuckle lining his words.

“Well… what time is it?” You answered his question with a question causing Changmin to laugh lightly at your cuteness.

“Almost four in the afternoon” He told you checking the slightly loose fitting watch around his left wrist.

Blush filled your cheeks as you knew just how long you had been asleep. A grumbling of your stomach filled the silence between the two of you as your hands pressed into your hallowed stomach.

“Sounds like you haven’t eaten yet either” Changmin planted a soft kiss onto your head, letting his lips linger on your skin.

Pushing himself upright, he stood over you with a smile, his hands outreached as they beckoned you to take hold of them. Lifting your hands up to his, your wrapped your fingers around his hands as you nodded to him that you were ready. Pulling you up slowly, you tightened some muscles while you relaxed others to help him as his toes pressed down on yours to keep your feet planted. Once you were mostly upright, he wrapped his arm around you and pulled you against him as his other arm placed your arms around his neck.

“Let’s go feed that hungry monster” Changmin smiled as he gently released your feet from underneath his. Scooping you up into his arms, you adjusted your arms around his shoulders as your head rested on his broad and strong shoulders.

Pressing a sweet kiss up against your temple, he carefully walked out of your bedroom, turning sideways to fit through the door, he carefully maneuvered through the doorway as he padded across the floor and moved into the kitchen. Setting you on the countertop, he untangled his arms from you as he looked into your eyes sweetly.

“What would conquer the monster of hunger?” Changmin’s hands rested on either side of you, leaning in close and taking in your beautiful eyes that he has missed so much.

Giggling at his cute tone and word choice, you named off a few things that sounded good to you and your grumbling stomach. Without a second thought, Changmin made your requests to your liking and carried a plate over to the table as you looked over at the table and then down at the ground seeing the drop below.

Changmin glanced over at you seeing your grip tighten around the edge of the countertop. Observing you for a moment, he slowly made his way over beside you and hopped up on the counter beside you.

“Would you rather we eat the food here?” He questioned in a soft and gentle tone, nodding your head slowly, Changmin brushed his hand against yours before he slipped from the counter and grabbed your food and carried it over to you.

Placing the plate on the countertop next to you, he brushed back some fallen hair from your eyes, “Anything else I can do for you, my love?”

Shaking your head gently, you reached over with one of your hands and picked up the fork that had some food all ready for you to eat. Lifting it slowly up to your mouth, Changmin smiled as he rubbed your leg with a light touch, unsure of how much pain you were in today.

“I’m going to go wash my practice clothes, call me if you need anything” Changmin told you as you nodded in agreement.

Walking away from you, Changmin headed back over to the front door where he dropped his bag when he first entered. Grasping the handles on the bag he looked back over at you eating slowly. A sweet smile curled his lips as his heart beat faster at all of the happiness that you bring him. Feeling the love for you in his heart, he carefully walked across the apartment to your laundry room and placed his load into the washing machine, pouring in some soap and pressing the buttons as to what he wanted the machine to perform, he closed the lid and looked out at you through the slight opening of the cracked open door.

Little did he know that silent tears were trickling down your face, thoughts running through your mind about him and your condition were pulling you down into a dark place. Taking in a ragged breath along with a hitch from your tears, you lifted your hand up and wiped away your pouring tears as you placed your fork back down on the plate and buried your head in your hands.

Keeping an eye on you, Changmin’s heart dropped, seeing you lean forward, your head in your hands, his heart began to sink to his stomach. Wondering what could be running through your mind, he slowly exited the laundry room and closed the door quietly before him as your soft whimpers and sniffles filled the quiet apartment.

Changmin slowly shuffled over to you again, feeling his presence before you, you kept your head in your hands before his thumb brushed lightly over your arm.

“Do you need anything, sweetheart?” He questioned wondering if there is anything that he could do for you.

Removing your hands from your face, you reached out and grabbed his black t shirt and gently tugged the fabric towards you. Stepping forward with your gentle gesture for him to come closer to you, your arms slowly slid around his torso and pulled him against you. Gently placing his hands on your back, he was careful not to trigger more pain or pressure on you as he kissed your head that you gently pressed against his chest. Listening to his steady heart that kept a steady and even beat.

“You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to, I know this is hard on you too.” You told him, more tears spilling from your closed eyes. “I don’t want to hold you back… you are a wonderful man and you deserve someone who you can go out with, who you can dance with, who can spoil and take care of you the way that you deserve to be…”

Changmin’s grip around you tightened slightly as his heart began to pick up pace as you felt him adjust his head to rest lightly against yours.

“Even out of all of the other possible girls that I could be with right now, they don’t compare to you, they haven’t in the past and they never will. You are a strong woman, stronger than you think. None of those things would matter, if I wasn’t doing them with you.” Changmin whispered, tears of his own pooling in his eyes, “Sweetie, I love you with all my heart, I don’t want anyone else, I want you to have and to hold forever and always no matter what the future holds. I don’t want to share it with anyone else than the most beautiful woman that holds my heart, that does more for me than all that I can do for her.”

The two of you let the silence linger between the two of you, the weight of one another’s words sinking into your hearts as you just held Changmin closer to you.

“I don’t want you to have to live with all of this, all of my issues, carrying me if I can’t walk, helping me do this and that” You told him more tears pouring down your face. “I want you to slow dance with someone and not have to worry about them falling off the bed or falling down when they are alone in the house.”

“Babe” He pulled away, tilting your head up so that you could look him in the eyes, “I love you and I want to be with you forever, if that means that I don’t get to slow dance with a girl I can easily give that up because I can’t give you up. No matter if you were healed, I would still worry for you if not more than I do right now. I will never stop worrying, never stop loving nor stop wanting you to be mine.”

The truth of his words began to envelope your heart as you saw the truth and the deep emotions behind his beautiful brown eyes.

“I didn’t want you to leave… but I’ll let you go if you really want to” You told him, giving him one more chance to back out if he so chooses too.

“I’m more happy where I am right now” He whispered, his head gently resting against yours as you peered into his beautiful brown eyes.

Feeling a few thoughts slowly form in your mind, you slowly snaked your arms around him, knowing that he isn’t going anywhere. Resting your head on his chest, you heard his sure heart beating as your eyes slowly closed, the thoughts in your mind began to clear as one stood alone begging for your lips to speak.

“Changmin?” You whispered his name gently, feeling his head move you knew that he was looking down at you as his gentle and loving touch gently rubbed against your back telling you to say what is on your mind. “I want to walk again… I want to be able to slow dance with you.”

His touch softened on you as you felt his warm lips press against your temple. “If that is what you would like, love. Then I will help you achieve it.”

“I do… I just don’t know how…” You told him honestly, your fingers brushing over the fabric of his shirt.

Silence began to fill the room as the two of you began to think on how to make your goals achievable. Feeling Changmin pull away, you sat slowly upright as he lifted your chin with his curled finger.

“I have an idea” He whispered, a sweet smile curling on his lips, “It is going to take some trust though.”

Nodding your head, he kissed your head sweetly before making sure you were steady before he stood up and went into the living room. Pushing the couchs back and moving the coffee table, he cleared a large area. Walking over to the built in shelved, lining one wall of the living room he turned the stereo on and began to thumb through the albums that were standing next to the speakers. Choosing a slower album, one of your favorites, he started the music as he turned down the volume so it was soft and soothing.

Returning to you, he held out his hands for you to take as you scaled your eyes up his figure. “You’re gonna have to trust me.”

Placing your hands into his, trusting him wholeheartedly, he smiled and bent down slowly as he placed your hands on his shoulders. Linking your hands together behind his neck, you kept your eyes on his while his hands rested on either side of your hips. Helping you up to your feet, you slowly rose to your feet as he kept his eyes locked on yours, searching for any pain behind your eyes, he made sure that you were steady on your feet.

“Remember, step with me and go your pace” Changmin whispered to you as you were unsure of what he was thinking, or what his idea is.

Sliding one of his feet back, he gently pressed his hands on your hips as his other foot joined the other. A gap was now between you and Changmin, feeling your legs stable underneath you, you looked down at your legs as Changmin watched you, feeling your hands gently grip his shirt and shoulders, he watched as you slipped one foot slightly in front of the other. Shifting your weight from one foot to the other, you let your other foot join next to the other.

“Good job love” He whispered, sealing his pride and happiness for you with a kiss.

Stepping back further and further, he slowly let his grip on you fade with every accomplished step. Praising you continually with each successful step, the two of you entered into the cleared space of the living room. With the music still playing, he moved one of his hands from your waist and gently held it out to you.

“Would you like to dance?” He questioned with a soft smile, knowing you can handle it with him there just in case you need him.

“I’d love to” You whispered, tears filling your eyes as you couldn’t help but feel weightless. Taking his hand once more, he smiled and pressed a sweet kiss against your cheek.

Beginning to slowly sway from one side to the other, you kept yourself against him as he kept the movements slow but sure. Making sure that you were keeping up with the movements, you began to catch on as you stayed against him.

Not even swaying for a song, your legs began to feel weak as you held onto Changmin a little tighter. Slowing his sway into standing with you in the middle of the room, you looked into his eyes as he gently nodded knowing that your legs were tired.

Bringing your hand back to around his neck, he carefully bent down and scooped your legs up in one arm as he held your torso in the other. Leaning against his chest, your head rested against his strong shoulder as he pressed a soft kiss against your head.

“We’ll do that everyday until you can do it on your own. Just take it one day at a time” His pink lips brushed against your temple before pressing a loving kiss against your skin. “I’m very proud of you”

“Thank you, I would really like that” You told him as you brushed your fingertips along the side of his muscular neck. “Would you want to come and watch a movie with me?”

“What movie did you have in mind?” He questioned as he smiled, carrying you to the bedroom where he knew you always loved to watch movies.

“You know… there is that new one that came out that you wanted to see for a while” You told him with a smile, willing to give up your movie pick for his since he has already done so much for you that day.

“Sounds like a date” He giggled as he gently set you on the bed, making sure that you had everything you needed. He locked up your apartment and put away your unfinished food so that you could finish it later before returning to you.

With you having the bed turned down, the lights dimly lighting the room and the movie ready to play, he slipped into bed with you, his arm wrapping around you as you leaned against his shoulder. The strong arms of your beloved boyfriend securely around you, you rested your head on his chest while your fingers laced with his. Kissing the top of your head, you pulled the blankets over his legs then turned your eyes to the movie that is playing.

The storyline progressed as your head rose and fell with every one of his breaths, his heart beating happily underneath you while his thumb brushed slowly over your fingers. Placing a kiss on you every once in a while, his other arm wrapped around your waist and gently played with the bottom hem of your shirt.

Time slowly ticked on as the darkness of night enveloped the two of you as you cuddled in your bed. With his strong, understanding, comforting arms encircling you while his love for you shined through every single action. Allowing your mind to reel slowly over the day’s events, your eyes closed slowly as your body began to fall into the comfort of sleep within the arms of the man whom you trusted, loved and cherished, for all time and eternity.

#lovrodney scenarios #changmin scenarios #dbsk scenarios #kpop scenarios #tvxq scenarios #shim changmin #changmin #tvxq #dbsk #tvxq changmin #dbsk changmin #kpop changmin #lovrodney #request #medical

23 notes · View notes

eatprayjop · 8 years

Note

since your korean and your also learning the language what's the easiest /fastest way to learn? something that works for you, also do you own any good easy to follow korean books for beginners?

idk if im the best person to ask this bc i haven’t formally learned korean much (like from books or classes) bc im a heritage learner and picked up most of my korean from my family (plus heritage language learners typically need to focus on different aspects than beginners w/ no background) but since i’ve been learning chinese as a foreigner i guess i can say i also think it depends on the kind of learner u are some ppl really thrive academically (like in class, hw assignments, textbooks, etc.) and some ppl do better when they actually go out and speak w/ people whether it’s ppl who are natives of the language or other ppl who are also just practicing - so kno what kind of learner u are and go from there first i think. idk what the best way is but i’ll list some things for you that could be usefull???- if u wanna start dipping ur toes into things I’d consume media (movies, shows, music, etc.) first bc that’s always easy and fun!!- for songs that i really like sometimes i’ll look up the korean lyrics and the english lyrics and look at it line by line to completely understand what it says sometimes i write it down just bc it helps to rmr it better- for korean since it’s phonetic i’d just practice reading anything even if u don’t understand it now it’s good to practice u can probably find easy online stories or read lyrics to songs out loud- u can change the language settings on ur phone or on some apps bc it really makes u think and practice even in small doses- i’d add korean to ur computer and cellphone keyboard (it’s easier to type in korean on ur cell tho esp bc autocorrect is an angel in some ways lol for the computer keyboard they have stickers w/ the korean and english letters u can buy or u can use online sites that show/help u type in korean if u google it)- try to hang out w/ ppl who either want to also practice speaking korean or some actual native korean speakers this will probably help u the most tbh but ik this step is hard i have like .5 actual chinese friends and i’ve been in china for a semester already rip but it helps maybe (if ur attending school) u can see if they have a club of some sort where ppl practice speaking????- idk any korean language apps besides duolingo (which i did use for a bit) but i kno there are a ton if u look it up- i do use the naver dictionary app tho it’s more accurate than using google translate and it works both ways (typing in korean and typing in english)- be persistent in studying (i suck at this bc im so lazy w/ studying sometimes rip we can work on this together lol), make things a habit (at one point i was writing random summaries in korean most days which helped my writing a lot i should do that again)- when u learn new words try to use them in conversations somehow it really helps them stick more in ur memory- when u watch tv shows or something watch w/ subtitles once and then w/out subtitles another time (when i’m watching chinese stuff and they say something i kno or something i just learned from watching i’ll repeat it out loud a few times even tho i look kinda dumb but its helped me rmr quite a few phrases)- i think korean variety shows might be good for u bc they’re fun and also they have lots of captions or stickers and stuff on screen u can practice reading while u watch- most ppl say the best way to learn a language is immersion tho (like studying abroad)I don’t have any specific textbook recommendations the only textbook i’ve ever used was one that my university professor wrote w/ some other people lol but im sure if you use google u can find a lot of sources to help beginners like how to read the phonetic alphabet, etc!! I’m sorry this is probably super unhelpful im not the best student rip i wish u luck tho

#i follow a few korean language learner blogs tho i can link u off of anon or even on anon if u send me another message #these are probably all things u already kno i dont think there's any 1 way to study a language u just have to try and see what works for u #hope u have a nice day/night anon!!#feel free to drop by my inbox anytime if u have other questions as ur learning or something #Anonymous

0 notes

olivialapointe-blog1 · 5 years

Text

Ethical Issues with Social Media

Social media is a great tool, not just for consumers, but also for businesses. However, there are so many issues with regard to the ethics of how businesses use social media. The two articles from this last week discussed the issues within social media and what occurs. Two major topics of discussion in the articles this week were that of media monitoring and fact-checking.

The first article that talked about content moderation really hit deep. I recently watched a crime show that dealt with individuals that monitor content. In the show, individuals became very numb to the content and would turn to drinking or other ways of handling their emotions. I think the article talked about this and dug deep into the implications of these kinds of jobs. It is extremely important to have proper monitoring on social media, but some content can be very graphic and disturbing. Individuals that are put under this kind of job that may instill mental distress need to be compensated. Moderation should be conducted in small doses, and raises in pay need to be made, as many individuals are only earning minimum wage (based on the first article from this previous week). I think we should automatically put content that has been flagged or reported into a hub with specific qualifications. As we are moving toward technology that can take on the tasks of humans, I think we could eventually have technology that deems if the content is too graphic or severe to be shared with others.

As for the fact-checking, it is so hard to get the proper and truthful information out on the internet. I see posts about different actors or celebrities doing certain actions, or even “dying”. These types of lies also fall into the political posts that are made on social media like Facebook. Apparently lies in campaigns are allowed. This is ridiculous! Facebook is profiting off of these ads and allowing politicians to manipulate us. I think this is a big reason why I, myself, ignore political content on Facebook. As I’ve noticed, the content can be spread around like a virus and no one attempts to stop it. Like the content moderating, I think the same thing needs to be done for advertisements. And businesses that condone this behavior of lying to consumers or individuals, in general, should be severely punished. Their accounts on social media should be flagged and they should have to make a public apology of the wrongs they have committed. This should also be true for politicians. This issue really does frustrate me to the point of how do we ever know what is true and what is a lie? At the societal level, I think this would be a proper response for how these individuals and businesses should handle this situation if they are caught lying or even posting anything deemed inappropriate.

From a personal level, I think we should each take it upon ourselves to flag content that is truly obscene or inappropriate. It is important that we take action and ensure that content (especially content that can be viewed by children) is being monitored. And if businesses can’t manage to take it upon themselves, or if content moderators aren’t able to catch it, I think it is our duty to catch the unethical wrongdoing of others.

From a business perspective, I think each business should have content moderators that monitor their own content on a regular basis. This plays into taking into account the flagged or reported content of theirs and trying to solve the problem. Businesses should ensure that they are transparent and take responsibility for their own actions.

As I learned about the GDPR, I thought it was a great idea. I think it is our responsibility to ensure data information collected is legal and that businesses, or individuals, will do all they can to protect the data. Again, this kind of falls into businesses; big, small, or non-profit, showing transparency to customers. Without going into too much detail, I feel this would be a better ethical way to handle data, advertisements, and information that is posted overall on social media.

Overall, it is the responsibility of businesses and individuals to monitor content. Acting ethically is in the best interest of everyone. Content should be monitored 24/7. This will help to build trust in communities and create a safety net for those on social media. The Internet alone is a scary place. But if we work together to watch out for one another, whether a business or individual, I think we will be able to manage content well in the future.

0 notes

jesseneufeld · 5 years

Text

Cannabis is medicine — don’t make it taste good

Most of the clinical fiascos I’ve seen and heard about associated with cannabis consumption have involved the use of cannabis edibles, going back to the days when two bohemian college roommates visited Amsterdam, took two “space cakes,” waited 30 minutes, took two more, and spent the next 20 hours clinging to each other and hiding in the closet. I asked, “How was Amsterdam?” In unison, they replied, “We don’t know.”

I was surprised recently to be accused of “reefer madness” when I suggested, on Twitter, that cannabis shouldn’t be formulated into gummy bears or other succulent treats that a young child or a pet could gleefully over-consume. According to my logic, if cannabis is, or can be used as, a medicine, one should make it look and taste like a medicine. If we wouldn’t put ibuprofen into a candy, why would we put a psychoactive substance like THC into a chocolate bar? To me this is a no-brainer, but some people appear to take any limitation on their inherent right to consume medicine (or get stoned) by eating a gummy bear quite seriously.

Edibles have fueled the debate about cannabis safety

The topic of cannabis edibles is a flashpoint in the debate over how cannabis should be legalized and regulated, with arguments of personal freedom and responsibility clashing with concerns for public health. As with many things cannabis-related, the issue is highly politicized, and usually, when a new study comes out about some cannabis-related benefit or harm, such as levels of teenage usage, crime rates, medical uses, or driving statistics, there isn’t consensus on either the validity of the data or the implications of the data. It can be difficult to get a clear picture of the true benefits and dangers of cannabis.

Availability of edibles and emergency room visits

A recent study in the Annals of Internal Medicine discussed ED visits that were “deemed at least partially attributable to cannabis,” meaning that other conditions and factors could have been contributing to the admission. The study authors suggest that visits for cannabis edibles in the ED have been steadily rising in Colorado as a consequence of legalization of cannabis. Another explanation for the perceived increase in cannabis-related ED visits is that with legalization, patients are finally able to state the true reason they are in the ED without fear of getting in trouble with law enforcement or social services for using an illegal drug.

Personally, I believe the premise that ED visits are up for cannabis, in part because of the availability of edibles, and because of the many anecdotal stories I have heard through lifelong involvement with this issue. For example, an acquaintance, who is trying to be open-minded about a family member who uses medical cannabis, consumed that family member’s THC-infused medicinal chocolate bar which he found, unmarked, in the fridge, and ended up in the emergency department with a panic attack. This should never happen. By leaving a medicated but unmarked edible lying around, you put someone else’s well-being at risk. What if that person tried to drive? Then even someone else could have been harmed. The same goes for cannabis-infused barbecue sauce, pizza, honey, etc. I would suggest that these items are intrinsically too dangerous, in terms of accidental or incidental risk to others, to market and sell.

On social media, some people defend this type of risk, or the risk of exposure of a small child or a pet to some cannabis-infused treat, by saying, most commonly, “People should be responsible,” “A few irresponsible people shouldn’t ruin it for the rest of us,” or “Parents should just not leave it out around their kids.” Not to be cynical, but after practicing as a primary care doctor for 25 years, I can say with confidence: not all adults act like responsible adults. Also, even responsible adults can make mistakes. Any unmarked “spiked” consumable risks the well-being of anyone who is not aware of that fact.

Edibles are not for novice cannabis users

The main benefit of cannabis edibles is that they are long-acting — up to 12 hours — which can be helpful for chronic pain or chemotherapy patients. But the long-acting nature of edibles can also explain some of their menace: if you have consumed too high a dosage, you are stuck with it for a long time, and, if this is causing a panic attack, it can be extremely uncomfortable. It also can be difficult to gauge one’s dose correctly, as edibles can take from 30 to 200 minutes to kick in, and people often make the mistake of re-dosing too early, leading to an over-dosage and a miserable experience.

Edibles don’t always have the same effect every time

Edibles take effect more rapidly on an empty stomach, and their absorption depends on the amount of fat in your last meal. They aren’t always labeled accurately in dispensaries and, when cooked at home, the cannabis isn’t always evenly spread throughout the brownie batter. The effects of edibles are chemically different from that of smoked cannabis, because orally consumed cannabis passes more directly through the liver (versus the lungs) and the THC, which causes the high, is chemically converted to a different cannabinoid, called 11-hydroxy-THC, which has a different, and potentially stronger, psychoactive effect.

What if you’ve unknowingly consumed too much?

In clinic, with medical cannabis patients, I try to steer clear of problems with edibles altogether by advising all but the most experienced cannabis users to flat-out avoid them, and by reminding all patients to “start low and go slow.” If a medical or recreational cannabis user finds oneself in the unenviable situation of having consumed too large a dosage of a cannabis-containing edible, the best practice is to sit in a calm, quiet place, practice some mindfulness, hold the hand of a friend, drink plenty of water, try some CBD if you have it (which may antagonize the effect of the cannabis). Many people believe that consuming CBD helps negate the effects of THC, but this has not been definitively proven. Remind yourself that this will wear off, and you will be fine. This method almost always works. However, if you start to develop a full-blown panic attack, difficulty breathing, chest pain, or start having any unusual psychiatric symptoms, you must at that point consider having a friend take you to the emergency department.

If it can be used as a medicine, make it look like a pill

I believe there are a few sensible regulations that would reduce the problems caused by cannabis edibles: make them look and taste like medicine, in pill form, in pill bottles, with specific labeling that specifies exact dosages and with childproof packaging. This could go a long way toward helping us protect our pets and our kids, as well as those who find a benefit from cannabis and those around them. Sensible regulation of edibles may move us toward finding a larger patch of common ground on which to construct future cannabis policies.

The post Cannabis is medicine — don’t make it taste good appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

Cannabis is medicine — don’t make it taste good published first on https://drugaddictionsrehab.tumblr.com/

0 notes

mhealthb007 · 5 years

Link

Edibles have fueled the debate about cannabis safety

Availability of edibles and emergency room visits

Edibles are not for novice cannabis users

Edibles don’t always have the same effect every time

What if you’ve unknowingly consumed too much?

If it can be used as a medicine, make it look like a pill

The post Cannabis is medicine — don’t make it taste good appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

from Harvard Health Blog http://bit.ly/2wGuFZO Original Content By : http://bit.ly/1UayBFY

#Health #Fitness #Healthy #Fit #Health and Fitness #Being Healthy #Health maintenance #fitness mainte

0 notes

ncmagroup · 6 years

Text

By Jillian Ilao

Short attention span, digital natives, browsers-not-buyers, multi-taskers and socially conscious – these are just a few of the characteristics that people associate with millennials. This generation, which has overtaken baby boomers as the largest generation, is moving into their prime spending and working years; hence, marketing to millennials should be an important consideration for your business.

Here are our 28 ideas on how to effectively tap millennials.

Channels and Tools Marketers Should Use To Reach Millennials

1. Utilize Google advertising.

Marc Prosser, Fit Small Business

Ask any millennial where they would go to search for something on the internet, and you’re likely to get a simple answer: “I’d Google it.” Don’t waste the opportunity to make sure that your business is one of the first results they see! Click here to read our full guide about advertising on Google–we’ll even tell you how to get $200 in free advertising!

2. Retarget millennials on Facebook.

Maggie Aland, Fit Small Business

Retargeting ads have been shown to result in anything from double to four times the click-through rate of a regular display ad.

Retargeting ads “stalk” consumers with advertisements on Facebook for products or services they’ve viewed recently. If you’ve already looked at a product, you’re probably interested in it. That makes you a warm lead, and much more likely to convert than someone who’s never been to the site before.

Learn how to set up a retargeting campaign on Facebook with our in-depth guide.

3. Explore using new and trending social media tools and channels.

Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC)

As soon as a new social network or platform becomes popular with millennials, it’s important to consider adding it to your marketing strategy – but carefully study first if the channel or tool fits your business and message. Using trending social media tools positions you as an early adopter and innovator. Stay on top of new platforms via tech or media blogs, and don’t hesitate to experiment when you join a new site.

4. Rock your mobile marketing.

Sujan Patel, Co-founder, ContentMarketer.io

Marketing through mobile devices is important in general, but given that 85% of millennials in the U.S. own smartphones, it’s essential when you’re targeting this generation.

To excel at mobile marketing, first, consider the basics. Are your landing pages optimized for mobile? Are they too graphics-intensive, making load times longer with slower connections? Is your call to action clear, even on a smaller screen?

Finding ways to integrate your advertising natively into popular mobile applications and programs, especially if it’s styled as a reward, is a great way to reach millennials.

5. Listen, learn and speak their language.

Rustin Nethercott, Content Developer, ConstantContact

The biggest mistake you can make when marketing to millennials is forgetting to listen to them. Hear what they’re saying and how they’re saying it.

Follow them on social media to become familiar with their patterns and the causes that matter to them. However, do not attempt to pander using slang or gimmicks like emojis unless you’re able to make it feel completely natural. 9 times out of 10 this feels painfully contrived, and the company ends up looking like a parent trying to act hip to relate to their teenage kid.

6. Optimize content to increase the chance that people will share.

Emerson Spartz, CEO, Dose

Focus your marketing spend on reaching millennials via social platforms. These drive the most significant traffic back to brands and publishers. Optimizing the content is also key. We see the highest shares on short, captioned videos that nail the first ten seconds of content to hook the viewer. Keep it brief and don’t assume millennials are waiting around to watch long videos with the sound on.

7. Ride on trending topics.

SEO Pressor

Pay attention to what’s currently trending and jump on the bandwagon as soon as you can.

By creating social media posts and advertisements subtly referencing the subject, you’ll have a casual and fun way of advertising your products that will appeal to millennials.

Nail your advertising to sync with trending topics and you just might have a chance to go viral. Of course, timing is crucial and you need to get it right. You won’t look as cool if the ad you roll out is a week too late or you are using the references in the wrong context.

8. Give them meaningful videos to share.

Jennifer Schiff, President, Schiff & Schiff Communications

Millennials relate to product videos that tell stories of how other shoppers used products in real life. Millennials are 1.5 times more likely to watch videos while shopping online before they decide if a product is a good buy. About a third buys products directly as a result of watching product videos.

Millennials are also more interested in consumer-made how-to videos than overly stylized brand videos. So be proactive and add this content to your product detail pages to inspire purchases and make the experience more realistic.

9. Go live on Facebook.

George Beall, University of Pennsylvania

Facebook Live is quickly becoming a more and more popular option for brands to broadcast their message. More importantly, it is a great way to reach an engaged audience. There is something special about going live that creates a more genuine medium for you to communicate with your audience. It’s also early in the live streaming game, so investing in this channel early can pay off.

10. Get creative with your visuals.

Olivia Adams, Brand Manager, Come Recommended

Don’t hesitate to use creative visuals such as infographics, videos, and photos to grab the attention of Millennials. It’s proven that 40% of people respond better to visuals than plain text alone. In addition, 71% of people feel better about a brand that incorporates visuals into their content.

11. Sell using GIFs.

William Harris, CEO & Growth Marketer, Elumynt, LLC

Visuals are hugely important selling tools when interacting with the millennial audience. In addition to video stories and rich photography, GIFs are another type of visual that you should be incorporating into your e-commerce marketing strategy. GIFs are simple, animated files that can be incorporated into emails, Facebook posts, product pages, landing pages, and more.

GIFs are mostly used by millennials as funny memes and pop culture references, but more and more savvy businesses are starting to recognize their value and use them to present products in a format that is both familiar and entertaining to millennials.

12. They like being able to interact with brands.

Cassi Manner, Marketing Manager, Pretty Girl Makeup

Millennials are all about two-way communication via social media. I like to do call to action campaigns in which social media users, particularly Instagram, must re-post a photo, tag friends, or comment their favorite tip or trick in order to be entered to win some prize.

Millennials also enjoy social media posts that bring some benefit to the table, whether it be a how-to or do’s and don’ts of a certain activity. Basically, anything that engages the users and puts them in communication with the brand helps build a relationship and promote sales and growth.

What Millennials Look For in a Brand

13. Millennials want mobile-friendly websites.

Jeremy Marsan, Fit Small Business

More people are now searching for businesses on their phones over desktops, so make sure that your website is optimized for mobile. This doesn’t just mean that your website looks ok when someone pulls it up on a mobile device. Make sure that your mobile site has larger fonts, clearer call to action buttons and a simple checkout process. The phone screen is much smaller than a computer, so make sure you are maximizing the little space you have, and making it easy for people to find the information you want them to on your site.

14. They like fast solutions from brands.

Jayson DeMers, Founder & CEO, AudienceBloom

Are millennials impatient? Do they tend to favor instant gratification, or do they make more impulsive decisions? The jury is still out on these qualities, but one thing’s for sure: millennials have ubiquitous access to technology, and they know how to find information. And because they’re often on mobile devices, looking for answers to immediately pressing problems, they want their content quickly. If you want to be their go-to brand, serving their content needs and earning their loyalty, you need to present them with fast, thorough information and solutions.

15. Coupons and discounts excite them.

Christina Baldassarre, Founder, Zebra Advertisement

66% percent of millennials follow a company or brand on Twitter with the sole purpose of getting a coupon or discount. Something that millennials have mastered is the way to cut costs in this economically-driven time. That’s why this group is most likely to share their location on their mobile devices in order to receive coupons from businesses that are close by. Chances are if you advertise a sale or give out free shipping coupons, the clientele will follow your social media accounts.

16. Validate your brand with online reviews.

Aleh Barysevich, Founder and Chief Marketing Officer, Link-Assistant.Com

Millennials are native researchers when it comes to shopping – 80%, for example, wouldn’t buy a hairspray without reading 10 reviews online before choosing the one for them. To make sure every step of customer’s research leads to the ultimate goal – purchase – brands should demonstrate their trustworthiness and expertise. You can do this by taking care of your online reviews and encouraging customers to share their experience with your brand online.

You can also use a reputation management software, such as ReviewTrackers, to help you get reviews from your current customers and monitor existing reviews from over 75 different review sites.

17. Appeal to their FOMO nature.

Wendy Lewis, President, Wendy Lewis & CO Ltd

Millennials are all about FOMO (fear of missing out). Offer them a unique experience, event, or special offering, to tap into their drive for being involved and staying in the loop. Sharing a sneak peek of something that’s trending, temporary and timely works for them. Of course, Snapchat and Instagram are the platforms of choice for the under-35 set and are good choices for promotions and to generate buzz for your brand.

Read our guide to Instagram advertising to learn more about how to reach millennials using the social media platform.

18. Don’t be too salesy.

AJ Agrawal, Forbes

The hard sell has become something of a piece of satire in the eyes of millennials. They don’t respond to the salesperson following them around screaming about how great their products are. The hard sell is gone and you need to let millennials make buying decisions for themselves.

Millennials value authenticity over everything else. They’re more likely to listen to a fellow consumer, as opposed to a piece of promotional copy.

19. They support brands that do social good.

Kevin Donnelly, Content Creator, Shopify

Millennials are a socially conscious generation with a strong desire to make a difference in the world. They’ve started turning to businesses to help them make a bigger impact. Worldwide, 69% of millennials want businesses to better facilitate customers getting involved in social issues which is a huge opportunity for businesses to start stepping in and helping out.

20. Market through their friends and influencers.

Lauren Friedman, Head of Global Social Business Enablement, Adobe

The fact is, people trust people. And people buy from people, not brands. One of the easiest ways to connect with the millennial crowd is to entice one of their peers to represent your product or service. Influencers have so much power when it comes to marketing products. Whether they like something or not directly influences a consumer’s decision to purchase. Speak to your consumers not through your brand but through their friends with trusted recommendations.

21. Appeal to their emotions.

Dana Mia Kim, Sleeknote

Emotion is one of the ruling factors for millennial’s engagement tendencies. Make them laugh, make them cry, give them something that will have an impact on their beliefs and their world.

A good example is Dove’s “Choose Beautiful” campaign – the video of the campaign became a viral hit after people watched women make a choice between whether they are “Average” or “Beautiful.” Tons of people shared the video to express their opinions on the impact and significance of the campaign on women empowerment.

22. Let them be your star.

Colie Edison, VP of Marketing, Bowlmor AMF

We know this group of consumers likes to see themselves in the media they consume and we take that insight quite literally, focusing on user-generated content to help tell our brand story. On Instagram, our guests use our brand hashtag #strikeitup to submit images and videos of themselves in our bowling alleys, for a chance to win gift cards in our ongoing consumer promotion. We are then able to feature these assets in all of our marketing channels. When your consumer can relate to your content in an authentic way — in this case, an honest look into the brand experience — your brand message goes a lot farther.

23. They want to buy purpose, not products.

Michelle Jaelin, Marketing & Media Expert, Nutritionartist.com.

During a time when there is information saturation, providing a product or service that has a good cause or helps the world in some way is more attractive to millennials. From my experience, millennials are more open to supporting products or services that care for a cause or benefit humanity in some way. Whether it is tech, health, food security or international development – companies that show transparency and show benefit to the world in a positive way are more likely to tap into the millennial market.

Samples of Successful Campaigns Targeted to Millennials

24. Carlsberg Beer Body Ready.

Nikki Gilliland, Writer, Econsultancy

With humor at the core of all its advertising, Carlsberg has found recent success with campaigns targeted to millennials by coming up with content that is relatable, witty and shareable on social media.

Jumping on the fury caused by the ‘Are You Beach Body Ready’ campaign that was launched by a weight loss company, it cleverly placed ads asking train commuters if they were ‘Beer Body Ready’ – highlighting that consumers don’t need to look a certain physical way to enjoy summer.

The combination of timely relevance and relatable humor made it one of the most inspired campaigns of the past few years.

25. Make it personal like Coca-Cola.

Mindy Weinstein, Founder & President, Market MindShift

If you really want to win millennials over, use their names. Coca-Cola utilized this approach in a powerful way with its “Share a Coke” campaign. What better way to increase sales than to make bottles personalized to customers? According to The Wall Street Journal, Coca-Cola’s soft-drinks sales in the U.S. went up 2% after launching this campaign. The campaign put 250 of the most popular names among teens and millennials on 20-ounce bottles.

The result? A customized and personal product, as well as share-worthy content. Coca-Cola even created a website wrapped around this campaign that lets customers discover facts about their names, order customized bottles, and find out event dates for the Share a Coke tour.

26. Effective use of a credible influencer in Under Armour’s ‘Rule Yourself’ campaign.

Kit Smith, Marketing Expert

This ad focuses on its star rather than the brand. That’s easily done when you have Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time.

It’s beautifully shot, with only occasional flashes of the Under Armour logo as Phelps trains. It highlights the hard work and determination needed to be successful, with the implication being that if Under Armour is good enough for someone that puts this much effort into their training, it’s probably good enough for you.

However, it is important to note that influencers don’t always have to be celebrities and Olympic stars, you should be able to find influencers in your niche who come with a less expensive price tag.

27. Tackle opposing beliefs like Heineken’s ‘Social Experiment’

Alexandra Jardine, Creativity Online

Heineken brings together strangers with directly opposing beliefs and points of view and gets them to build a bar together in a “social experiment” designed to overcome barriers in an overly polarized world.

A recent Heineken video ad features a three-pair team up a climate-change denier with an environmental activist, a transgender woman and a right-wing guy who thinks it’s “wrong,” a feminist and an anti-feminist. They’re challenged with assembling some flat pack furniture and then a bar, as well as discussing each other’s personalities (but not beliefs specifically).

It’s only after they’ve worked together are they shown a film of the other person discussing their beliefs. They are then given the choice either to walk away or sit down and have a beer with the other person. Their reactions and expressions seem authentic — and in a world where we’re told we’re all existing in social media echo chambers, the video shows the power of actually connecting with people in person as opposed to trolling them online.

28. Give them a chance to pay it forward like Toms.

Colleen Irish, Sr. Account Director, Tier One PR

Toms and Target teamed up one holiday season to offer a limited-edition holiday collection of Toms’ shoes, Toms for Target, hoping to leverage Toms’ popular “One for One” campaign with Target’s limited-edition expertise. With the holiday campaign, Toms and Target go the extra mile with additional items priced under $50; and each purchase triggers a donation, including meals and blankets, in addition to shoes.

The Toms footwear brand does an excellent job of marketing to millennials by appealing to the generation’s social consciousness and desire to make a difference. Toms’ business model is based on giving back: with each purchase of shoes, an additional pair is donated to those in need. Kudos to these brands for recognizing an opportunity to make a good idea even better by joining forces and aligning missions in a focused way.

Over To You

We’d like to thank everyone who contributed ideas on effectively marketing to millennials!

To the small businesses out there, we hope that these tips will help you come up with innovative ideas on how to tap into this young and huge market – remember, they want authenticity, transparency, and mobility!

What is your favorite idea from this list? Leave your comments below and let’s talk!

Go to our website: www.ncmalliance.com

Marketing to Millennials – 28 Ideas From The Pros By Jillian Ilao Short attention span, digital natives, browsers-not-buyers, multi-taskers and socially conscious – these are just a few of the characteristics that people associate with millennials.

0 notes

debbimacktoo · 6 years

Text

Some Professional Guidance On Elegant Grass Fed Whey Isolate Secrets

Xwerks is a Florida-based supplement company that has a particularly dedicated following among the functional fitness crowd. The brand sponsors a few big name CrossFit® Games athletes, most notably Noah Olsen, and their slogan is “Optimizing Human Performance.” Today I’m review Xwerks Grow protein powder. They don’t sell a ton of supplements: they have one preworkout, one creatine, one fish oil, and one protein powder. That’s what I tried today: Xwerks’ “New Zealand Grassfed Whey Protein Isolate.” Let’s see what it’s like. Xwerks Grow Whey Protein Isolate Nutrition Info One scoop contains 110 calories and 25 grams of protein. What’s really surprising is that the nutrition label doesn’t include the amount of carbohydrates or fat. Xwerks informed me that this is because the product doesn’t have any carbs or fat, but that should have been put on the label. As far as micronutrients go, one scoop contains a pretty impressive 21 percent of your recommended daily intake of calcium, as well as just three percent of your daily sodium intake (80mg). For a whey powder, that’s both high calcium and low sodium — a relatively rare occurrence. Xwerks Grow Whey Protein Isolate Ingredients The ingredients list is unusual, and I can see why it would appeal to the functional fitness crowd: there’s nothing but whey protein isolate, natural flavor, xanthan gum, and stevia. Every ingredient is natural. Well, the term “natural” might be debatable when you’re talking xanthan gum, a thickener and stabilizer, but it’s made by mixing fermented sugar with bacteria and is considered safe in small doses. Some have found side effects like gas and bloating in dosages of fifteen grams or more, but there’s probably less than a gram of the stuff in a scoop of this product. Grow only comes in 2-pound bags which cost 49 dollars a piece. With thirty servings per bag, you’re looking at $1.63 per serving or 6.53 cents per gram of protein.

To read more about ISO XP grass fed organic whey protein isolate visit https://sites.google.com/site/xperformancelabs/grass-fed-whey-files

For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit https://barbend.com/xwerks-grow-whey-protein-review/

What Are The Best Choices For Protein Powder For 2018

As a lactose free product, even if you are lactose intolerant, this is a suitable supplement. What follows is a look at some popular protein powders, and some guidelines on choosing the best ones for your needs. If you're trying to gain weight, you might want to use whole milk, preferably from an organic source. This is a supplement that combines whey protein, which the body absorbs quickly, and casein protein, which is absorbed more slowly. This will affect the number of calories you consume, the amount of sugar, carbs, and so forth. What gives this supplement such an advantage, is the way you get immediate results from the one protein, along with later results from the other one. You can find many types of protein powder, but what's the best choice for you now, in 2018? You can find many competing brands telling you why theirs is the best, but you have to look at the reputation of the company and perhaps try a few products yourself. Workouts can be more effective when you are using caffeine, according to some evidence, but it is sensitive to some people. If you take any supplement, remember that to get the full benefit you must also eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly.This is actually a fairly important consideration, because there's a big difference between mixing protein powder with whole milk, low fat milk, juice, water or some other beverage. If you're trying to lose weight, on the other hand, you'd be better off using water, or perhaps low fat milk or a milk substitute. CytoSport Muscle Milk is a leading protein powder that has been proven effective by many satisfied users. With the hundreds of protein powder supplements available in 2018, it can take you some time and trial and error to find the one that is the best for you. Cow's milk that has not been treated with hormones is used by Click in their products, and they are also gluten-free and flavored naturally. If you are looking for a supplement that will help you get the most out of your workouts, Muscle Milk could be it. When you buy any kind of protein powder, you have to decide what to mix it with. One product you need to decide for yourself on how it affects you, is caffeine, since even the experts have conflicting views. Some users have found the sweeteners, containing fructose and sucratose, that are found in this product, too sweet for their taste. Not only is the protein content high, but you will also get minerals and essential vitamins of at least 20 different types. Click Espresso protein drink is for coffee lovers who find that it makes their workouts go better. Although the information we've given can be helpful, you really just have to try the protein powders and see how your body reacts to them. If you are looking for high quality protein with some extra vitamins and minerals, and with a blast of espresso thrown in, then try this supplement. This is a protein powder you can take anytime, before or after workouts, in the morning or at night. So you have to think about your goals when you decide what to mix your protein supplement with.

Advice On Clear-cut Whey Protein Solutions

youtube

Are low-carb diets as effective as we think? From the media to your mom, everyone seems to be on a low-carb diet. But do they work as advertised? Or is there a better way to eat? Hi, I'm John Berardi, co-founder of Precision Nutrition. Over the last 15 years my team and I have coached nearly 100,000 clients in 100+ countries; educated over 50,000 health, fitness, & wellness professionals; validated our work in multiple peer-reviewed journals; been featured in top publications, and consulted with the world's biggest companies. We’ve learned more about effective nutrition than anyone else out there. And we’re excited to teach you our secrets. The science behind low-carb dieting (and common misconceptions). How Keto diets really work, including the pros and cons of ketosis. Why Paleo isn’t a single diet — and how hunters/ gatherers actually ate. Higher carb, higher risk? Why a doctor reluctantly gave up his low-carb plan. How to eat right for your body type (3 types, with different carb needs). And much more, all taken from our research reports and studies. Simply add your first name and email address; we'll send you the free guide, including the latest science on low-carb, ketogenic diets, and more.

https://www.precisionnutrition.com/low-carb-report-blog

0 notes