#any option i choose could potentially have disastrous consequences

[postmail]

i want to draw but its too late out..... i shouldnt get out my art stuff rn

guess i could just write instead

[the-dubstep-strawberry]

Blind Betrayal: In Defense of Elder Maxson

(I have no idea what prompted me to go full Elder Maxson Defense Squad late at night, but I’m having thoughts on this that won’t leave me alone, so here goes...)

Picture this.

You are Arthur Maxson. 

You’re a member of a famous family line known for leadership, courage, wisdom, survival, tactical genius, accomplishing feats of glory in battle, and so on and so forth. 

You are also the last member of that family line. 

As a result, you have not only been saddled from birth with Expectations of Greatness, but with the terrible knowledge that if you fuck it up, you have doomed your entire bloodline to extinction and potentially placed the future of your faction - your home, family, friends, comrades, and whole way of life - in severe jeopardy.

No pressure.

You’re also twenty years old. 

You were orphaned as a child and were quite shy, but you were also quite bright, creative, maybe a bit of a daydreamer. You liked to write stories and thought Liberty Prime was cool. The Scribe caste might have been a good niche for you. Unfortunately, you are Arthur Maxson, Last of His Line, and any control that you might have had over your own life has already been overridden by people older, wiser and more powerful than you. They’ve decided that you had to learn how to be a Knight and go charging into battle to perpetuate your family’s glorious reputation in combat, but also not to get yourself killed or else Your Whole Faction Is Doomed (again, no pressure).

So you learned to be a Knight, and probably got kicked up the ranks a little faster than most teenagers because not being a child prodigy was not an option for a Maxson. Luckily for you, you were able to live up to at least some of the hype, pulled off some brilliant tactical and diplomatic moves to crush Super Mutant invasions and incidentally reunite a rogue chapter, which became disillusioned on ideological grounds and left years ago, with the rest of your faction.

Nice job. Your fans will probably fill in the gaps with a little extra stardust and hype, so if you flubbed your lines once in a while, it’s probably not going into the Codex.

And now you’re Elder of the Brotherhood of Steel. Your entire faction looks to you for leadership and relies upon you for survival. You have quite a large army at your command and have cultivated an impressive reputation, and have now decided to leave your usual stomping grounds; you’ve embarked upon an ambitious campaign to liberate humanity from the sinister clutches of The Institute and the army of synths that they’re hoping to replace actual humans with. People expect nothing but complete and total victory from you. This is no time to screw things up.

(Did I mention that you’re twenty? Most guys your age are still finding their way around their Power Armor, goofing off in the barracks, chasing after girls, getting into hijinks on shore leave, and so on. But you are Arthur Maxson, and you have Responsibilities. No slack whatsoever will be cut here, and failure is not an option. If you go down, the Brotherhood of Steel falls with you and it will be your fault.)

Everything appears to be going well, the new Pre-War recruit is exceeding expectations and even grumpy Knight Rhys appears to merely resent their existence. All is going according to plan...

... until you find out that one of your men, Paladin Danse, a highly respected field officer of many years’ standing, is not what he appears to be.

You have long been impressing upon your crew the need to completely eradicate any and all synths because they are The Enemy and will destroy mankind, but one of them has infiltrated your senior command and knows all kinds of key strategic stuff about your faction, classified stuff, military intelligence, and other things that you really do not want The Enemy to know. If he’s been reporting back to them, they will soon know how to destroy your faction from the inside out.

He has also gone missing in suspicious circumstances and you think your new recruit, who was training under his wing, knows - or can at least find out - where he is. You’ve made efforts to keep this quiet while you tried to verify this intelligence with the rest of your senior officers - checking and double-checking, because holy shit, how could this have happened? This can’t be true. You don’t want it to be true. You trusted this man as a fellow officer and as a friend, and always spoke of his abilities and character in glowing terms. But this is not only a personal betrayal - it’s a professional one, with potentially far-reaching consequences. After all, how can your judgment be trusted if you confided in someone who was sent as an enemy agent to infiltrate and betray the Brotherhood? This could potentially destabilize the Brotherhood of Steel’s entire command structure and spell doom for yourself, your men, and possibly even humanity itself.

So now your faction is unexpectedly in mortal peril and the shit has hit the fan. Word has gotten out about this revelation and people are talking. Whispering, in fact. All the while, looking to you to see what needs to be done about this problem.

It’s clear what has to be done. However much you liked Paladin Danse, he is potentially a traitor with too much important information about your faction, and he cannot be allowed to run loose - or, worse still, report back to the enemy which placed him in your midst in the first place. So you send your new recruit after him, with the strict instruction that he is to be terminated. 

You are, naturally, very pissed about all this and want the problem to go away as soon as possible. A threat to the safety and integrity of your faction, which has already splintered off into rival groups once, to disastrous effect, over disagreements with the general direction and trustworthiness of its leadership, is an unacceptable existential threat. You are not about to let the Brotherhood disintegrate on your watch. You can’t. You have no choice but to keep this together.

Unfortunately, there is a problem. Danse is very sincerely professing to know nothing about his true identity and claims to have always served the Brotherhood with unfailing loyalty. Your new recruit is inclined to believe him and is refusing to follow through on their mission objective.

You have no idea if he is telling the truth, or if he has been programmed to say this convincingly - so much so that he possibly even believes it himself. You are most likely incredibly pissed off by this whole situation, but there are greater things at stake here. 

Like humanity’s future. And your faction and family legacy not being torn apart by internal division, with great risk of harm and death to the people who rely upon you for protection, justice and their very survival.

You can order that Danse be killed and know, whatever happens, that your faction will be safe from betrayal to its sworn enemy, even if the poor guy didn’t even know that he was being sent to spy on the people he was taught to call his brothers and sisters. You are very aware that this is a horrible outcome if he proves to be an unwitting party and genuinely unaware of his origins, but also acutely aware that if you start recanting your own statements about synths being The Enemy, you run the risk of undermining your entire campaign, losing the trust and respect of your men and your senior command staff, and possibly even being deposed as Elder. You were appointed Elder after a succession of unsuccessful candidates followed in the Lyons’ wake, and it’s very likely that whoever will take over from you will be - at best - a lesser candidate, and at worst, a potentially disastrous choice who will lead the Brotherhood into ruin, despair, madness, death, etc, etc.  You know damn well that weak leaders don’t last long in the wasteland, and neither do leaderless factions. This is potentially a choice between Danse’s survival, or the Brotherhood’s - you can sacrifice a single hapless soldier to appease the threat of Scylla, or opt for Charybdis to try to spare him and risk having your whole ship pulled out from underneath you, condemning yourself and countless others to a terrible fate.

Or... you’ve been given a potential out. You can declare the former Paladin dead, but spare him by way of permanent exile, upon pain of death should he ever return. Only the new recruit will know the truth. Danse will still potentially be running around as someone who Knows Too Much about the Brotherhood’s military secrets, which is obviously a less than desirable state of affairs, but he will no longer be in a position to continue to spy and report back, so that aspect of the (perceived or actual) threat has, at least, been permanently removed. This option is merciful and, if you’re really honest with yourself, you probably prefer this one because it lets you off the hook to a degree and you no longer have to kill a trusted officer and friend. However, it also requires you to assume a great deal of personal risk, particularly to your reputation as a leader. What are your men going to say if they see the “dead” guy running around the Commonwealth and it becomes clear that you have not only failed to execute a traitor, but lied about it to everybody in your faction? How are you going to explain why you refused to kill someone who was planted in your organization’s ranks by a sworn enemy?

You have to choose one or the other. You’re the leader of the Brotherhood and this is a particularly shitty dilemma which you would really prefer not to be in, but you were appointed because these kinds of impossible decisions frequently arise in times of war, and you know that effective leaders sometimes have to make deeply unpleasant choices, opting to sacrifice one man in order to protect many more.

Either way, there’s going to be a downside and you’re either going to be regarded as a complete asshole (even if people are forced to reluctantly agree that you didn’t have much choice in the matter and acted out of concern for the safety of the Brotherhood and the success of your mission), or you can risk a great deal - perhaps far too much - all for the sake of a man you’re no longer sure you can trust, because good leaders are merciful and Danse has never steered you wrong before, even though he’s had plenty of opportunity to do so in the past.

It’s a hell of a decision and not one to be made lightly, but you have to make it nonetheless. You may be twenty years old, but the world is depending on you all the same, and there’s no way out of this one. The fates of you, your men, your mission, Danse, and all of humanity are potentially at stake and riding on that one decision.

Choose wisely, Elder.

[cwneunae]

a simple envelope arrives at your room, so nondescript you may wonder if it’s actually meant for you — until you notice your name written on the front in black, cursive letters. there is no sender but the envelope has been closed shut with a wax seal you know to be from THE SEER. it seems you have a message of upmost importance… but will you open it?

“you’ve been invited to a wedding of a princess you are fond of who will be leaving the country to join her husband. as the ceremony is coming to an end though, another royal steps up to object in their matrimony. do you do anything to interfere?”

————— @thecrownseer

strange. eunae had always thought of what she would do in the face of a message from the seer. prior to the actual moment, she’d always said that she would respond without hesitation, just as she would any other message addressed to her. however, now that it was actually happening, she could not avoid the ominous feeling of dread running through her bones.

she knew there was no wrong answer…but what if there was? eunae knew not what the consequences of her response could lead to. in fact, was the seer even real or just a mere person wanting to pull a trick? perhaps one day she would discover the answer. but until then,— she resigned to her desk to muster up a reply, only hoping that it wasn’t a ploy to somehow be used against her.

to have been invited to the wedding of a princess whom i am fond of would be a true honor of mine. witnessing the matrimony between two countries, even more so. one would say that it is common knowledge to know that it is a custom that holds much importance in maintaining good relations throughout our three kingdoms.

however, it would be hypocritical to say that to follow through with the marriage at all cost is a duty that outweighs that of your own heart. i, myself, had chosen not to move further with my engagement to a prince of another kingdom. although it was a difficult decision that could have had great consequences on my kingdom, i was not happy— nor did i believe that i ever could be. the thought of potentially sharing a throne with one i held such disdain for— and whose deep contempt towards me felt suffocating— pained me. in the end, i felt like a mere pawn on a chessboard— helpless. there were no contributions i could make to my kingdom in that state. i could not follow through, nor do i believe i was ready.

if the princess felt the same as i did, there would be no way i could bring myself to interfere. whether or not they choose to act on the objection of the ceremony or not is a decision that must ultimately be left to them. such a difficult situation could provide the strength to help them persevere, regardless of which outcome they decide to pursue.

eunae pauses her writing as she stops to think of how she would react were she to be in the princess’ shoes. if she had gone through with her engagement to hyunsu, standing before him at their ceremony, would she have wanted an objection of the matrimony to be interjected? a quick yes crossed her mind at the fear of having to face the confrontation so late into the process. the backlash that the outburst would receive— mumbles of an affair, the pride of her fiancé (regardless of her personal feelings towards him)— would be disastrous. but had it been the one she truly loved, her heart would be swayed, and there was really only one option: to be with that person. eunae knew that if she were given that push, she would want to be able to pursue her true desires.

every royal knows the weight and consequences of objecting a matrimony. to do so is an act of foolishness and could place you in a dangerous predicament. however, it is also brave to be able to confront your feelings in the face of that danger, and that should be commended, not punished.

[but-first-geek]

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[gra-sonas]

The Roswell, New Mexico Abortion Storyline Is Just As Timely As Ever

Showrunner Carina Adly MacKenzie and actor Lily Cowles 'had to fight' to bring Isobel's raw narrative to TV screens

Make no mistake: Roswell, New Mexico is, in many ways, a fantasy. But in the story of three humanoid aliens finding a new sense of home after being abandoned on earth, and of the people they love and who love them, there are plenty of opportunities to tell real-world stories, too.

Take the character of Isobel Evans (Lily Cowles): In the CW show’s second season, she learns that she is pregnant by her villainous ex-husband, but feels like she has few options available to her. She can’t go to a doctor, she reasons, because her body is not of this world and doing so would risk her discovery. And she opts not to confide in her family, or anyone else she knows. Instead, Isobel decides to take a poison specifically designed to shut alien bodies down, despite receiving cautionary visions from her late brother Max (Nathan Parsons) warning her against it. What results is a self-induced abortion with potentially disastrous consequences — and a story that showrunner Carina Adly MacKenzie, who co-wrote the episode in response to the so-called “heartbeat bills” that conservative lawmakers tried to pass in states like Georgia and Ohio, hopes will resonate with viewers in a particularly timely way.

In telling this story, Roswell, New Mexico joins at least 43 other TV shows that featured abortion storylines in 2019. Isobel’s experience includes a particularly rough set of barriers, albeit fantastical ones, that complicate her ability to receive medical care. In that way, she mirrors the people who live in abortion deserts, or in states that mandate restrictive waiting periods and other invasive hurdles that many individuals living paycheck-to-paycheck simply can’t afford to broach. In March alone, lawmakers in Texas, Ohio, and Iowa have tried to use the current coronavirus pandemic as cause to ban abortion care by deeming it an “elective” and “non-essential” procedure. But how can a service that has the potential to change the trajectory of someone’s life forever be defined as “non-essential?”

The Roswell, New Mexico team kept the people who might be denied choice-affirming care in mind as they worked on what would eventually become the third episode of Season 2. MTV News spoke with Adly MacKenzie and Cowles about their supernatural allegory for the issues at stake, how it feels that this episode is airing at a time when abortion access is visibly under attack in the United States, and science fiction’s legacy of tackling controversial topics.

MTV News: How did you and the writers decide to tell this story?

Carina Adly MacKenzie: There wasn't a plan in place last season for Noah impregnating Isobel. This was something that was really born out of wanting to speak to what it looks like when someone feels like they have to take desperate measures to save their own life, whether that's their actual physical life or the kind of life that they're choosing to have. That's the story that we're trying to tell with Isobel. It's really about her being unable to access the care that she needs through medical professionals, and doing something very, very dangerous and very, very scary to protect her own bodily autonomy and her own agency, which has been taken from her for a very long time.

Lily was the first phone call that I made, and she was at first a little bit freaked out by it. I was like, “I'm not sure that this is something I want to tackle. I'm thinking about it and then I want to put it in your head and see what you think.” She circled back to me later and was like, “Let's do it.”

Lily Cowles: I remember this moment so well. She called me and she's like, "Listen, I have an idea for Isobel and I want to run it by you because it's no small thing." And it knocked the wind out of me when she told me. For a moment I had this resistance because I knew what it was going to take to go there as an actor and to put your character through that. But Carina was very sensitive about it and told me, "I want you to think about this and take some time and tell me what your thoughts are." It was really intimidating, but I knew that it was extremely important. And so I called her the next day and I said, "We’ve got to do it."

MTV News: That Isobel tries to self-induce an abortion because she can't access care is an allegory in a sci-fi setting, but it has very real world parallels, and very real world stakes. One report from the Guttmacher Institute found that the number of attempted self-induced abortions may be on the rise, likely because people feel like they have few resources or options. With that in mind, how did you draw the line between fantasy and reality?

Cowles: It is absolutely allegorical with Isobel. She's an alien, and she can't get medical help because she has a different biology. And yet this is the reality that so many women have faced in a very real way. There are so many women who face this and I think that was the reason we felt we really needed to tell this story.

Adly MacKenzie: I think it's a very real story. We have Isobel taking alien poison but the metaphor is right there. It's not a leap to imagine a woman in this situation and what measures she might take. The story is about an alien who can't go to a normal hospital, but it's also about a woman who can't afford a $400 procedure, or a teenager who can't tell her parents, or someone in Texas right now where abortion is being halted because it's considered an elective, non-essential surgery during this pandemic, which could go on for months and months and months. Anybody in any of those scenarios could become desperate.

Cowles: There's a real stigma around this subject and it's such a hot-button political issue for so many people. Ultimately it's the most personal situation that someone can be in. In my opinion, it's absolutely the business of the person that's just going through it and it is not something that the nation needs to be commenting on.

Adly MacKenzie: We did try to make Isobel's story mirror reality. There’s a lot of blood involved and we had to fight to be able to show that on TV. We wanted to show the ugliness of what it really looks like on TV because we wanted to make sure that we weren't telling a story that sugarcoats the experience in any way or that makes it seem like it's safe to try this at home without medical help. Were she not in a sci-fi situation, she says, “I would be a statistic.”

Cowles: We felt an obligation to tell this story hopefully so that we could say “you're not alone” to people who have had to go through something like this, who are facing this.

MTV News: The fact that Isobel tries to self-induce without medical supervision is important to distinguish, because statistically, a medically-supervised abortion is one of the safest procedures there are. How did you make sure that you were telling a story about a dangerous situation as responsibly as you could?

Cowles: We're taking on a very real story that many women face and deal with and an issue that still feels dangerous to touch. I think the story that we're looking to tell here is that women’s bodies are their own bodies. We're investigating the consequences of what happens when you take away female autonomy. And it's not pretty.

Adly MacKenzie: One in four women have gotten abortions in one way or another. She is doing this in an unsafe way and I think we're really clear about that in the episode and we make sure to drive home the idea that poison is not the method, but also that it is a very real story about what happens when people get desperate.

Cowles: This is a reality that we face as a consequence of putting restrictions on female reproductive health. This is the consequence. What will happen as the people will get into situations where they have unwanted pregnancies that maybe threaten their lives, threaten their futures in some way, and they have no opportunities to manage it because of restrictions that other people have put on them?

Adly MacKenzie: We're not telling the story for shock value. We really tried to avoid glamorizing any aspect of it. There was a point in which I was asked if I could make the blood glittery. I was horrified by that. I hope that people see the ugly side of it and understand the story that we're trying to tell.

MTV News: What was it like to work with each other on this episode specifically?

Adly MacKenzie: Lily is a person who puts a lot of care and a lot of thought into her work. She comes prepared. We had a lot of conversations. I think the thing that she brought to this was fearlessness. It's a very vulnerable story to tell. She's lying in a nightgown while people are applying fake blood to her inner thigh and she's crying and she's trying to get into this space of being in a lot of pain. It was a very solemn day on set and I think that Lily took it very seriously, but she approached it ready to be completely vulnerable.

MTV News: How did you make sure that Lily was supported throughout all the filming?

Adly MacKenzie: Jeff Hunt is a director I've worked with before and who the whole cast knew pretty well. He was somebody who our cast was comfortable with. I was also on set the entire time, and Deirdre, the other writer, was on set as much as she could be.

Cowles: I came into it already feeling I was in a very safe place. I think the way that Carina handled it in general, having called me and asked me to think about it, it was always something that I felt I had a certain amount of say in. It wasn't like, “You're doing this so good luck and have fun.” It was very much a collaborative experience where I got to feel like I was really at the helm in a lot of ways.

Adly MacKenzie: I'm very serious about making sure the actors are always feeling safe and feeling comfortable even when they're portraying unsafe and uncomfortable situations. I think she was surrounded by a lot of love and a lot of feminine energy. We asked her, “OK, what do you think Isobel would be wearing in this situation? How much do you think we should be seeing? How much are you comfortable with the positioning?” When you're shooting those difficult angles, you want to make sure that the actor has the choice. She definitely guides the situation.

MTV News: During the moments Isobel is imagining her brother Max, she tells him that her desire to induce an abortion isn't really a matter of motherhood. Can you walk me through why you decided to include those lines?

Adly MacKenzie: It wasn't about being selfish and it's not about whether Isobel wants to be a mother. It's about having agency over her body right now and about choosing the way that you want to become a parent if you do want to become a parent. We wanted to tell a story about choosing how and when your life takes big turns.

Cowles: I truly believe that Isobel wants to be a mother. I think she wants to have a family. If Noah hadn't been a psychopathic, serial-killing alien, she probably would've wanted to have kids with him. She might've been trying for a baby, but the way that her marriage turned out… Consent almost became a question for her.

Adly MacKenzie: She's reacting to something that she never really had a say in. Now she does have a choice, and she's making it. She's just in a situation in which making that choice isn't easy, when it should be.

Cowles: Being pregnant and having a child is probably one of the most wonderful things that a human being can do. And it is conversely maybe the most terrible thing that can happen to someone when it threatens their life or their future or their personhood. And I think that's what Isobel is facing with this is, “These are not the terms that I want. This is not how I want it to be. It’s not that I don't want to be a mother, but that I want to be a mother on my own terms.”

MTV News: This episode is airing concurrent to the fight to protect abortion access in states where lawmakers are trying to argue that the procedure is “non-essential.” Given that this episode was written in response to the Georgia bill that was eventually blocked, how do you feel about the continued timeliness of the issue?

Adly MacKenzie: It's always under siege. The people who want to ban abortion are always looking for a new reason. I also was shocked when I thought it was being considered a non-essential medical service. But then that shock turned into, “Of fucking course, the world is falling apart right now and this is what some people are thinking about.” It is a life-saving procedure always, every time. Sometimes it's about literally saving the mother's life. But it's also about protecting the lives that they're choosing and protecting the lives that they want to lead.

Cowles: We live in an age when particularly white men are trying to make decisions about female bodies. It seems like something that should've been resolved a long time ago. You can decide that you would never want to have an abortion and that is absolutely valid. Or you might need to have an abortion and you should absolutely be granted the ability to do that. It's sad at this point that we're still fighting this fight, but we have to keep fighting for it because having autonomy over one's health and one's body seems to me a very basic fundamental human right.

Adly MacKenzie: It's frustrating. When the heartbeat bill in Georgia didn't pass, I felt this immense sense of relief. But what's the next thing? And there's always something. With the Supreme Court as it stands right now, I don't know that we're going to see the end of this fight in our lifetimes. It seems like there's an endless battle against women having control over themselves and their own medical care.

MTV News: A lot of people believe that certain television shows shouldn't be political, but many elements in Roswell, New Mexico are really political. What responsibility do you think the show has to wade into the more obviously political waters?

Adly MacKenzie: I don't think the show is more political than our daily lives are. I just think it's more political than other shows are. I think other shows avoid the politics that we face on a day-to-day basis and we're just not doing the acrobatics to avoid it.

Cowles: It’s a responsibility to shed light onto all the different parts of the human experience. Some of them are really not pleasant. They're ugly and they're scary and they're raw. They make you uncomfortable. It is part of the work to represent that just as much as you represent how good it feels to be in love and to triumph over your woes. It's equally part of the human experience.

Adly MacKenzie: I don't necessarily think the show is there to push any agenda except for humanity — ironically, because we're literally dealing with actual creatures from outer space. But it's not about the politics, it's about the humanity. That's where we try to live in our storytelling.

Sci-fi, for as long as it's existed, has been about metaphor, has been about telling human stories in a fantastical way. Anybody who's a sci-fi writer will save that they're telling you a story that's a metaphor for real human emotion. The difference between that and what we do is that we are telling a story that's a metaphor alongside telling the story that's real life. Here, we’re telling a story about what it feels like to be an unwelcome alien on earth, and also telling a story about what it feels like to be an undocumented American in a border state. And we’re trying to tell it with compassion as opposed to spectacle.

~ MTV

[lawofavgs]

The Sacrifices We Make - Chapter 3

Chapter 1 

Chapter 2

I thought I was dead

Laying in the damp grass with my eyes closed, even before my wits had the chance to return to me, I knew that I had just taken my last trip through the stones. Without a doubt, I realized another attempt would kill me. Every part of me felt weak, ripped apart and put back together haphazardly. I could only pray that the life growing inside of me was sheltered and safe.

There was a moment, remaining in a prone position and refusing the open my eyes, where I could convince myself that I was anywhere – any time. I could be back in 1743, where I knew familiar faces were running about the Highlands. I could be in the 1940s, so close to safety for myself and my child.

The echoing sound of cannon fire tearing through my serene thoughts shattered any illusion I could have about the year. 1746, the Battle of Culloden.

Irrationally, I began yelling Jamie’s name, as if he had just brought me up here himself to send me away to a better life. I sat up and began looking around in a panic. Surely he must be close, possibly descending down the hill to return to the battlefield, or already on horseback. Even as I looked, I knew logically that I would not catch sight of messy red hair or familiar tartan. Jamie wasn’t here.

If my plan had worked, he had never been here.

I spent a long time sitting in the grass, heartsick yet sure of my decision. Now was the time to formulate a plan, to choose where I went from here. Trying to survive as an unwed pregnant Englishwoman now would be impossible. Even if I journeyed to the nearest garrison, told a heart-wrenching and sympathetic story that would grant me passage to England, I had no one to go to. My only option was the one that held the most promise as well as the most potential for emotional destruction.

I stood, and once more, I started off towards Lallybroch.

---

I had spent so much time over the past three years traveling through the Scottish Highlands and living off the land. Whether in times of peace with the rent party of the Mackenzie men, or in times of war with the Jacobite army, I had always been able to survive the elements, no matter how harsh. However, there were now two obvious differences that I was dealing with. First of all, I had no horse to take me quickly over the terrain. Secondly, I was alone. Jamie wasn’t here to help catch rabbits or plot the best route or keep me safe while I slept.

My journey was slow-going and took everything I had. I foraged as much food as I could find, slept in short bursts hidden amongst large rocks and fallen trees, and kept a wary eye out for Redcoats in search of Jacobite soldiers. There were times I believed I wouldn’t make it, that I would lie down on the spot and give in to the inviting oblivion of death. That’s when my hand would find its way to my stomach; to the small bump that encouraged my feet forward. The familiar nausea was the greatest gift I could ask for. As long as I felt the upheaval in my gut, I knew my baby still had a chance.

It felt like a lifetime, my mind plagued with uncertainty that I was going the right way and Jamie’s voice in my head guiding me along, before I finally spotted it: the “north-facing” tower without a face. I wanted to fall to my knees and weep. I didn’t care about the consequences or the implications of what my interfering may have had.

If Brian had been able to avert the disastrous future ahead of him, Jamie, at 25 years of age and a future Laird instead of an outlaw, would most likely be married. Throughout my travels here, my heart would sink at the thought. Now that I had made it, I could only count my blessings that I was alive and in a place where I could find safety and shelter.

Feet blistered and sore, head woozy from lack of nutrition, stomach rolling from the not-so-morning morning sickness, I pushed myself that last small distance through the fields towards Lallybroch, towards something so known and yet so unfamiliar at the same time. Towards….

“Sassenach!”

My heart stuttered for a beat or two at hearing the name, lungs seizing inside my chest. I followed the sound and saw Brian, standing near a cart of hay with a pitchfork in his hands. Even from this distance, I could tell he didn’t look too much older than he did when I last saw him – in 1740.

He quickly made his way over to me, placing a steadying hand on my shoulder as a wobbled slightly. It felt as though the last of the adrenaline fueling my journey had seeped out of my body in a rush and left me drained and feeling every ache and ailment.

“Ah Dhia,” he muttered as he looked me over. “That’s…that’s the same dress ye wore when I brought ye to the fairy hill.”

He looked at me as though I was a ghost, and perhaps to him I was. I stood before him, the mysterious woman who delivered a prophecy of his doom and his family’s torment, not changed in the six years since I disappeared like a mist before him.

All of a sudden, he came back to himself. Snapped out of his revere, he held my upper arm firmly but gently and urged me forward. He shouted to one of the men working the fields with him to run to the house and have Mrs. Crook heat some stew right away. I barely managed to stumble beside him as I willed my body to push on just a little bit further. Through the doorway and up the steps I had treaded upon so many times before, Brian assisted me the whole way. The smell of cooked food washed over me like the most soothing balm, nearly knocking me over with relief. Thankfully, Brian helped me down into a chair and ushered Mrs. Crook to the table. A large bowl was placed right under my nose, along with a plate of bannocks.

“The famine,” I croaked out, turning a panicked gaze towards Brian. “Did you prepare?”

The Laird, once dazed, smiled warmly. “Aye, lass. We’ve been growing potatoes for years, and we’ve built up quite the stockpile of food and supplies to get us through the dark years to come. Thanks to you. Now, eat yer fill. Mrs. Crook will have a bed prepared for ye when that bowl is clean.”

Not needing to be told twice, I dug in with enthusiasm. To me, this was the grandest meal I had ever been served. I just barely remembered to observe proper manners by not attacking the food like a wild beast, telling myself that anything wolfed down too quickly would make an unwelcome reappearance shortly thereafter.

Standing off to the side, Brian broke the silence. “Can ye tell me yer name now?”

“Claire,” I replied after I swallowed a mouthful of vegetables. I paused, realizing I would once again have to conceal my recognizable married name. “Claire Beauchamp.”

“Weel, it’s a pleasure to meet ye formally, Claire.”

After half a dozen more spoonfuls of the fragrant broth, I spotted a flash of dark hair out of the corner of my eye; a woman peering into the dining room with wary curiosity. Too tired from all that had happened to be cautious, I offered a timid smile. “Jenny.”

Jenny pulled back slightly as though slapped. Instead of responding, she turned to her father with a questioning gaze.

“A nighean, this is the lass I’ve been telling you about all these years, the ban-druidh, the one who saved our family. Claire Beauchamp,” Brian explained casually, as if introducing his daughter to a childhood friend and not a prophesizing witch. Jenny still didn’t seem settled, and with a quick nod, made a hasty retreat.

“Did she marry Ian Murray?” I asked suddenly, hoping my interference hadn’t impacted their union.

“Aye, about 5 or 6 years ago now. They have three bairns of their own.”

“Wee Jamie, Maggie, and Kitty,” I finished for him. He seemed a touch surprised before he remembered exactly who he was speaking to. I wanted to ask about Jamie, to know if the future Laird had spent the past 6 years building a family of his own, but I was too cowardly to confirm my own heartache. Instead, I finished the rest of the meal in front of me and retired to the room that had been readied upstairs.

I have always believed there are healing powers in a good wash, clean clothes, and sleep in a warm bed. All it took were those three things – along with a full belly – for me to feel almost normal again. Gone was the wild woman who had pulled herself out of the forest, who had been scared and hungry and tired and alone, replaced with the clear-headed, civilized version of herself. It was time to figure out what was next for me and my child. At the very least, it appeared Brian’s goodwill towards me would translate into a shelter from the hardship befalling Scotland at the hand of Cumberland’s army. Perhaps I could trade my services as a healer here for room and board. I’d also have to explain the pregnancy and the unnamed husband who would have perished on the other side of the Stones, in a different 1746.

Unsure of how long I had slept, I made my way down the stairs quietly. I followed the sound of voices to the sitting room and saw Brian and Ian, both with drinks in hand. It was an odd feeling, to be in a place that was once considered my home, where I was now a stranger and a guest. Not knowing the proper protocol, I waited for Brian to acknowledge my presence and invite me to sit. A dram of whisky was thrust into my hands before I could blink an eye.

The sound of approaching footfalls filled the air and I knew without looking who and what I was about to face. No matter how much time I had spent going over this meeting in my mind, I knew it would never be long enough. With the confidence of a man in his own house, Jamie entered the room in a flurry of red hair and familiar tartan. Everything I had done to prepare myself mentally and emotionally for this moment shattered apart like the flimsiest of glass panes. I struggled mightily to contain the feelings from showing on my face, but more than likely failed miserably. It was Jamie, with the same copper curls and blue eyes, broad shoulders and capable hands that I knew intimately. Yet this Jamie was not mine. As far as I knew, he had not lived through the trials and tribulations of being an outlaw or a traitor. He was never flogged, never gave his body up to save his wife, never fought a losing war. Many of the physical scars that I remembered would be gone. Even from here, I could see his left hand bore no marks or stiffness.

“Grannie McNabb’s roof won’t be leaking again any time soon,” Jamie told his father by way of greeting. Hearing his voice again hit me sharply, his parting words still an echo in my heart. At the time, I thought it was a voice I would never hear again, outside of my dreams.

“Good lad. Jamie, I want ye to meet Claire Beauchamp. I ken ye didna believe me, but this is her, the Sassenach that came to Lallybroch 6 years past with her warning.” By the tone of his voice, it seemed as though Brian was relishing telling his son who I was, an indication that he was doubted before and was all too pleased to say, ‘I told you so’.

Throughout Brian’s introduction, I watched the curiosity in Jamie’s blue eyes transform into something else entirely. I’d seen the look before, but never once directed at me.

Mistrust. Anger. Disgust. The ferocity of it took my breath away.

“May I speak to you in the other room?” Jamie gritted out, teeth nearly clenched shut. Without waiting for his father’s response, Jamie spun on his heel and stormed out of the sitting area. A huff escaped Brian and I knew a Fraser showdown was about to occur. I would have found the situation more amusing if I wasn’t already reeling from the coldness of Jamie’s gaze.

Even after everything that had changed, did his soul really not recognize mine? Did it not hear the calling of its mate and answer back? Was he no longer the man that had wanted me from our first meeting?

You chose this, a voice inside me whispered.

I did choose this, and I would make the same choice again given the option. I would risk every ounce of happiness to save Jamie anguish and grief.  Still, my hand drifted to my midsection and cradled the little life there, sheltering it and bracing myself against the pain of prolonged heartbreak.

The men argued fiercely in Gaelic, and while I was able to catch a few words, they spoke too fast and too heatedly to follow along. I did hear words like witch, and fool, and trouble from Jamie. Brian had countered with safety and ungrateful. A few feet from where I was seated, Ian turned his empty glass round and round in his palms. His smile was tight and awkwardly uncomfortable.

“Jamie’s a bit of a hothead, ye ken?”

“Yes,” I replied quietly, “I’m aware.”

The conflict came to an abrupt end as Jamie stomped back in and stopped a few feet in front of me. Raising an accusing finger at me, his voice was low and menacing as he ground out, “You’ll take yer leave, witch. There’s nothin’ for you here. Leave us be.”

With an obvious lack of interest in any possible defense I could muster, he exited the sitting room once again, the pounding of his boots on the steps echoing through the air and speaking of his rage. I barely noticed my increased heart rate and shallow breathing. The walls seemed to be closing in around me and I struggled to rein in my emotions. The sound of Brian’s voice made me jerk out of my stupor.

“Forgive the lad, it’s been a stressful few months leading up to this date and he’s worrit about the hardships about to befall his family and our tenants.”

The words he spoke made sense – the Jamie I knew always put others first – but I had never seen him so cold. Even at his angriest, the emotion also burned and smoldered. This was like ice, permeating my spine and suffocating my heart. I wanted to speak, but the moment I opened my mouth, my body had other plans.

I raced back to the kitchen and grabbed a bucket, forcefully bidding farewell to the lovely meal I had enjoyed earlier. Tears slid down over my heated cheeks as I fought valiantly to catch my breath. Where would I go? Where would I raise this baby, and with what money?

“Yer with child then?”

I whirled around to face Brian, wiping a sleeve across my face in a poor effort to clean myself up and look slightly more presentable.

“How?” I gasped out, “How could you tell?”

The man smiled knowingly before pointing a thumb over his shoulder. “I saw my daughter handle three pregnancies. My wife, four. Nothing made them move as fast as when they needed to vomit. How far along are ye?”

“3, maybe 4 months? I’m not really sure. Things have been rather hectic lately,” I deadpanned, finding some water to rinse my mouth out with.

“Don’t listen to Jamie, lass. Ye’ll stay here, or in the village. I’m sure we’ll have need for a healer in the years to come,” he offered, as if he had read my mind. I suddenly felt drained and exhausted again. All I could do was smile tightly and nod, unable to voice my gratitude. After cleaning up the mess I had just made, I returned to the guest room, intent on getting some more much needed rest.

Before being mightily dragged into sleep by a fatigue I was powerless to defend against, my thoughts were plagued by a familiar stranger and his utter disdain for me.

[angeltriestoblog]

I took an online course!

Hello, and welcome to my first proper post under the #quarantingz tag: a little series where I chronicle all of my virtual endeavors and adventures in the time of COVID-19. Through this, I hope to achieve the following (research paper ka, gh0rl?):

Share what I’m doing with all of you guys, since it’s much easier than messaging and video calling you all one by one to confirm that yes, I am alive despite my inactivity on Messenger;

Hold myself accountable so I strive to find ways to keep myself occupied instead of sinking back into stagnancy;

Inspire you to pick up a hobby or try something out while we’re all cooped up indoors! I’ve seen a lot of my friends post that they’ve been getting so bored that even sleeping seems like a chore to them, but the four walls of your room present more opportunities than you think. Let’s try them out together!

And before anything else, it’s worth mentioning that this pandemic is not a productivity contest and we should not feel pressured into making or being the Next Big Thing. But, I believe there’s nothing wrong in seeking structure for one’s self-improvement if your mental health is up for it!

Ok. [START]

During the early weeks of the pandemic, online classes were still ongoing for students at my university, and needless to say, I was not having it. I was already worried enough about the possibility of contracting a life-threatening virus, and on top of that, I had to decipher lessons I could barely understand in a face-to-face set-up, and submit a paper on it that was worth half my grade. But thankfully my university opted to exercise cura personalis—“care for the entire person”, individualized attention to their needs—towards those who lacked the resources needed to keep up with the demands of e-learning. So, they cancelled the rest of the semester! I was filled with relief because as necessary as it might have been to stay on track, it was not an effective way to facilitate learning and retaining of information.

Which is why it’s kind of ironic that one of the first things I did once I realized I had so much free time on my hands was sign up for an online class. *cricket noises*

A friend had sent me a viral listicle of 500 free Ivy League courses. I guess a lot of people had looked at the indefinite quarantine period available at their disposal as an opportunity to learn something new! And well, I couldn’t help but join along, especially since Harvard was my dream school growing up, and they were offering hundreds of programs for me to choose from. (Sorry, Ateneo. I did say otherwise on my application essay.)

Growing up, I had wanted to be an author-doctor-scientist-rockstar-supermodel. I consistently proclaimed this to anyone with ears, whether they liked it or not, with all the conviction my four-year-old body held inside. I hadn't the faintest idea which degrees I needed to get to make a livelihood out of these childhood fantasies, but I figured that if I was going to be a legendary multi-hyphenate, I’d have to come from the best university in the world. I also remember negotiating with my family members from the States that I would have to live with them while I was finishing my college education, not knowing how far their humble home in Orange Country, California was from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Reality inevitably took over—more like, held the reins on my ambitions—and I had to accept that there were several constraints in place that would keep me from studying there despite my desire to.

Well, that was until I chose to take up a course on rhetoric, the art of persuasive writing and public speaking under HarvardX! I picked this out of the several options because I believe learning to separate logic from emotional appeal helps me analyze an argument better and craft more well-informed decisions—definitely a skill we must have in our toolbox given today’s media landscape that is constantly inundated with fake news.

I was to learn about how arguments are structured and how rhetorical techniques are usually employed by dissecting a number of influential and prominent speeches in American history. I then had to apply these learnings in two major written requirements: an opinion editorial and speech, both on any topic of my choice.  

Every morning for a week and a half, I would wake up as early as 9:00AM—just when some people on my timeline are getting ready to go to sleep—and dive straight into my lessons. I decided to take on a module a day since each was pretty packed with information in the form of readings and videos. More often than not, the flow looked like this:

The transcript of an address by a prominent American figure: examples of which are Former Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, as well as Martin Luther King, Jr. I would annotate this with my first impressions, opinions on any lines and ideas that struck me.

The background of the speaker and the context of the speech: This honestly contributed a lot to my understanding and appreciation of the material. Although I’ve heard of most of them through almanacs I’d read as a kid, I never knew the story behind them.

The key concepts of the module: These consisted of terms and examples, as well as how to make use of them properly and to my advantage. Examples of the topics covered were modes of appeal, kinds of reasoning, and logical fallacies (my favorite).

The transcript, again: For the second round, I would have to spot the concepts that were previously taught to me, in action. When I was fully drained of my brain juice, I had the option to view and respond to the comments of my peers, as well as the lecture notes of my virtual professors. I admit I didn’t get to interact with any of my fellow students: majority of them were from different timezones. I would occasionally creep on the forums, look at the replies my peers would leave, and see I was in the presence of people from Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Videos of actual lectures regarding the reading, held by the professor: This course is an online version of an existing in-person Harvard class called "The Elements of Rhetoric". Probably the best part of the daily lessons, because it felt like I was also sitting in, watching his students recite from the other side of the room.A quiz on the topics discussed: Very easy, and you get two attempts before you submit your final answer so it’s almost always a sure pass.

As I mentioned a while ago, there are two major outputs to be submitted and they involve a lot of writing and preliminary research. (I personally wouldn’t recommend this to you if you don’t derive pleasure from activities of that sort.) In an attempt to shed a light on a timely issue, I wrote my op-ed on the steps the Philippine government must take to rehabilitate our healthcare sector, and my speech on the use of social media as an effective political tool amid a crisis such as this. The last one was a requirement I had done for my Comm subject, which I tweaked for the sake of formality.

The op-ed was subject to self-evaluation: I had to answer questions on whether my submission met the set criteria or not and give proof as to why I thought so. The speech, on the other hand, was graded by two anonymous peers, who gave encouraging remarks and cited points for improvement. Although I knew I gave my best, my final grade was very much dependent on what they thought of my work so I was a bit nervous. Thankfully, everything went well: I got a perfect score on almost every component and secured a certificate of completion (which I had to pay for, but looks great on my Linkedin, if I do say so myself).

Overall, I enjoyed a lot and found the learnings I picked up to be useful. The ideas might seem abstract but the building blocks of rhetoric pepper even the minutiae of our daily conversations, whether we're aware of it or not. All of us engage in discourse and form our stances on issues using emotion, authority, or hard facts. We elaborate on them by stating the general premise then delving into specific examples, or the other way around. Our last resort tends to be a form of character assassination, faulty generalization, or leading question. The list goes on! I don't think I can speak or listen without policing someone in my head!My response towards this experience is a far cry from how I felt towards my required online classes for school, it's true. But, there are several factors that differentiated both of them.

I was able to choose what I wanted to study. No Quantitative Methods or Computer Science being forced down my throat (although I am revisiting my lessons in those respective subjects after I’m done with everything else I want to do, because I remember my parents paid for those). I am free to invest in areas outside the scope of my degree and gain key insight from the most reputable institutions around the world. I have the luxury to study to test something out, to see if it’s simply a hobby or a potential minor/double degree/career trajectory. If I find out after a few sessions that it’s not my cup of tea, I can easily unenroll and move on. Trying to do that in college would lead to disastrous consequences.

Another thing I liked was the freedom I had to go through everything at my own pace, mull over what I wanted to write for as long as I needed to, rewind and go back to parts in the videos that I liked. Additionally, if I wasn’t in the mood to do anything productive on a certain day (it happens to everyone), I could easily do so without the fear of missing out on anything. I know that a handful of courses do require you to stick to a schedule but everything is still within a reasonable time frame.

Now, I understand that several things are chipping away at our (deteriorating) focus right now. It’s hard enough when school demands so much of our energy—I remember my Quant prof had offered to teach us once via Zoom and though if we were only preoccupied with Netflix and trashtalkan groups back then, we collectively decided to ditch him. But, if you’re determined and committed to learning for leisure purposes, here are some tips that helped me hold myself accountable!

Tidy up, both physically and mentally.

Find a workspace that is conducive to learning. In the absence of a desk in a bedroom, the living room couch or the dining table when no one's eating meals are suitable alternatives. As long as there is a constant source of light, little to no noise, and a simple set-up that minimizes the chances of you leaving your work, it should be perfect!

And while we’re on that note, eliminate distractions. I only had my notebook, pen, and correction tape on the table along with my laptop: I made use of the Forest app regularly as well and now I have a nice collection of various shrubs and trees. I even put my phone on top of the cabinet, God knows my sedentary lifestyle keeps me from exerting the effort needed to stand up and reach for it.

If you aren’t sure that you can devote your full attention to the task at hand, get someone you trust to help you! I update my mom that I’ve been studying and fill her in on my progress not only because I am naturally predisposed to telling her everything going on my life, but also so she can help keep me on the right track and ensure I do my work.

Take it seriously.

Allot a specific time of the day for it. That way, it’s easier to integrate it into your routine and stop you from bailing halfway. For me, it's not advisable to go at it early in the morning, because your mind won't be ready to process anything of that scale. But, it has to be one of the first tasks of the day so you can avoid putting it off in favor of whatever your subconscious feels is more interesting.

Take notes when needed, complete the assigned activities seriously without consulting other sources, and participate in the forums as a substitute for recitation! Be the star student you wanted to be, but were probably too shy to turn into for the fear of being smart-shamed by your peers!

Try to see the purpose in what you’re doing.

In my case, it gave me the motivation to finish it so I could apply it in real-life situations and make the necessary changes in my behavior and habits.

This definitely isn’t the last online course I’m taking: as a matter of fact, I have a couple lined up! I’m currently working my way through something on strategic planning by this website called Culture and Creativity. Although the material has been tailor-fit to address the social and economic development of countries in Eastern Europe, the concepts can easily be utilized in local contexts. Here’s a list of other programs that caught my eye while I was browsing the different catalogs across other platforms.

Investor Pitching Course for Creative Businesses | Culture and Creativity

Applied Psychology: Introduction to Consumer Behavior | Alison Courses

Marketing Analytics | edX

Transformational Leadership | Alison Courses

Global Trends for Business and Society | Class Central

Wishing you all the love and light the world can offer at a time that can be as apathetic and dark as this one. Wash your hands, pray for our frontliners, and check your privilege!

[maxwellsoft4-blog]

Designers Will Rule the Website

Better software will transform the web design landscape.

The past 25 years of the web have been about code. Those that have possessed the capacity to get the hang of programming dialects and employ the intensity of a content tool have constructed inconceivable items, and have frequently been remunerated abundantly.

While designers have assumed an essential part, they’ve been more in the background. Planners have dependably been inconsistent with the web development work process, obstructed by constrained instruments and moderate moving principles.

The next 25 years of the web will be about plan. We can gain altogether more ground by opening up the intensity of web development to the majority. Like how work area programming once changed print outline, or how blogging administrations have reformed the distributing scene, an all the more ground-breaking website design can totally change how we make for the web.

The progress paradox

When I initially got into website architecture in 1999, it just took a couple of long stretches of playing with Dreamweaver to take in most of the website specialist’s toolbox. Very quickly, I felt enabled and began going up against genuine activities for genuine organizations that paid me genuine cash.

Getting into website architecture today, be that as it may, is an altogether unique test. While programs have turned out to be more institutionalized and unsurprising, the expectation to absorb information for creating for them is more extreme than any time in recent memory. HTML and CSS have extended essentially in degree, and JavaScript has turned into a considerably more fundamental part of most sites and applications.

In spite of the fact that we’ve had numerous structures and apparatuses worked around the website composition work process, almost every one of them remain code-based and require a level of solace with content tools that most originators don’t have. The sheer number of systems drives amateurs towards a conundrum of decision, making many surrender before understanding the essentials.

On the off chance that that wasn’t sufficient, the blast of advanced mobile phones and tablets has made the activity of the website specialist much harder. Planners can never again expect a settled width canvas, and need to ensure their designs modify and reflow effectively at each conceivable goals. They need to stress over system speeds, dynamic upgrade, media inquiries, program characteristics, et cetera. It doesn’t push that the answers for these issues are code libraries.

So while the web has gained extraordinary ground, it has turned out to be progressively hard to bridle its capacity. This is disastrous, in light of the fact that it implies that many individuals are by and large forgotten on the grounds that they don’t know how to code.

Arrested development

Regardless of the developing multifaceted nature of web development, there has been very nearly zero advancement made in visual website architecture devices throughout the most recent 10 years. The greater part of the energy behind Dreamweaver appears to have been slaughtered by the Adobe procurement, and most new apparatuses that have developed have been founded on composing code. It appears that code has given a pleasant bolster, as though we have conceded as an industry that it’s the main genuine way we can make for the web.

In any case, for what reason would it be advisable for us to agree to written by hand code similar to the main ‘appropriate’ arrangement? For quite a long time effectively, visual designers have had apparatuses like Photoshop and Illustrator to work in their medium and free them of Brazier math and arcane points of interest of physical typesetting. Print designers approach visual work area distributing programming like In-design. 3D specialists have demonstrating and movement programming that they can control specifically. But then, website specialists are screwed over thanks to two problematic decisions: either figure out how to code or depend on developers to make an interpretation of designs to a working arrangement. This is totally broken!

The pitiful reality is that we are extremely ailing in incredible instruments particularly for web creation, and we have to construct them with a specific end goal to open a greater amount of the web’s potential. Advising designers that they have to figure out how to code is as not a decent arrangement.

The abilities of the present realistic and interface designers far outpace the instruments that assistance breath life into their thoughts. Rather than approaching a far reaching website architecture condition, designers are compelled to take care of issues by attempting to sort out several unique systems, preprocessors, and code pieces. It’s no big surprise that numerous designers feel overpowered and need to depend on others to execute their thoughts.

An ideal web design tool

A perfect website composition instrument should fit the intuitive medium of the web, and ought to enable the designer to specifically control their canvas. Designers shouldn’t need to type code into an editorial manager and after that go to some other place to check whether the consequence of an activity coordinates their plan — that is such an arcane method to do imaginative work!

A perfect website composition apparatus ought to make visual deliberations around regular web development natives. It should enable designers to make dynamic information and consistently infuse it into designs and formats. It should make it conceivable to outwardly indicate client associations without turning to jQuery contents. What’s more, it ought to engage designers to make adaptable style frameworks and reusable parts, and do as such without requiring a foundation in programming.

A perfect website composition apparatus ought to rise above the specifics of code and execution, and help designers center around things that extremely matter – like information, feel, collaborations, and ease of use. Designers shouldn’t need to stress over databases, FTP customers, record minification, or even HTML and CSS code. In the meantime, it should regard the advancements that make up the web, and create spotless, organized, and performant code.

Design can’t be automated

Design is an all inclusive dialect. It rises above fringes, races, and talked dialects. It is always showing signs of change and adjusting to new thoughts, new stages, and new conditions. It’s inalienably more human than programming – the majority of us can tell great design from terrible, while a lone a minor rate can recognize great code. Design is the interface between the issues we confront, and the arrangements we make to defeat them.

Not at all like numerous specialized orders, design is difficult to robotize. Like awesome writing and workmanship, incredible design draws on human compassion and feeling. In the event that we some way or another do figure out how to computerize design, we would have basically robotized mankind.

The design of an answer is considerably more vital than its execution under the spreads, since the last is quite often imperceptible to the client and can go up against such huge numbers of various changes. Regardless of whether it’s a straightforward page, an information rich online daily paper, or an out and out intuitive application – how clients encounter it effortlessly trumps the fundamental code used to manufacture it.

For what reason does that make a difference? Since to propel the web quicker, we have to concede that design is the shared factor behind the vast majority of the substance and encounters on the web. It’s not code. Code is only an unfortunate obligation; an execution detail, but a critical one. But, composing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is as yet an essential to making for the web.

At Webflow, we’re taking a shot at putting design up front, while mechanizing without end the dreary programming bits however much as could be expected. Also, we’re doing this in a way that keeps the last code lean, clean, and quick – without depending on alternate ways that break set up traditions.

Towards a better web

Despite the fact that the web has been around for a long time, we are as yet trailblazing. The web is another boondocks, thus far just a relative few have gone out to begin investigating it. There are requests of greatness more development in front of us than behind us.

On the off chance that the web is to achieve its maximum capacity, we need to enable numerous more individuals, with less specialized limits. The requirements and abilities of the web will become quicker than culture can prepare up new PC software engineers, so we must choose the option to rise above past programming to cooperate with this delightful new medium.

With specialized boundaries out of the condition, we can introduce an inventive renaissance on the web. Designers won’t simply think up and wire outline thoughts, they will really have the ability to breath life into them!

About Maxwell Global Software

We are No.1 & Best website designing & development in Chennai for any business or company. If you are looking for total solutions like Responsive web designing & development company in Chennai, best SEO, SMO Company in Chennai, Android app development company in Chennai, PPC Advertising, and Facebook Marketing in Chennai, then it is time to contact Maxwell Global Software

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Get Back In The Sack Review

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Of course, there are many medical conditions that lead to the condition. These include: Early ejaculated men are a very embarrassing and disturbing situation. Fortunately, I believe that if it is given proper treatment, it will likely be cured. Good news, in many cases with this particular condition, the results occur on its own. Get Back In The Sack System In the event the situation does not naturally fix itself, there are some things which a man can do on his own to get some kind of design. Like for example ,: Men may also participate in numerous lifestyle changes, so they can control erection problems. It has been found we now have many elements that can affect the ability to control the penis. It consists of smoking, peaks, cigarettes, alcohol intake, taking some non-prescription drugs and joining illegal drugs. If a man partcipates in these organs and halts these individuals, they will face their dilemma. 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[kayawagner]

Are You Crying For Real, or Just Pretending?

Phil Vecchione wrote an article on safety tools at the table, and we were approached around the same time about an article on larping lessons that could be applied to tabletop RPGs regarding safety. Since the topic of safety at the table is one of incredible importance, we decided to move up the running of this guest article by Jason Morningstar of Bully Pulpit games.  – John Arcadian

I think about safety all the time – my wife’s not-entirely-respectful nickname for me is “Safety Champ”. Live action games – freeform, larp, whatever – can be physically and emotionally intense, and while their capacity for actual harm is low, it is not zero. So as I make and play this sort of game, safety is on my mind. I don’t really want players to be thinking about it, but I want them to be embodying it – and there’s a lot of clever ways to approach this goal.

Metatechniques are tools that we can use to control a live action game from the outside. The idea of a GM whispering suggestions in a player’s ear is a metatechnique. For example, the “bird-in-ear” technique allows a GM (and sometimes other players) to whisper in-character thoughts or impulses into a player’s ear to help guide and motivate their character’s actions. While these are fun and useful, the most obvious use of metatechniques, as far as I’m concerned, is to make play safer. My thoughts here build on the work of many, many smart people with countless experiences using these tools – and others – both successfully and disastrously. I am not really saying anything new and urge you to follow the links at the end for insight, nuance, and revelation.

Take Care of Yourself

You need the freedom to leave a game for any reason, at any time.

All other safety metatechniques cascade down from this. The most common formulation of this principle (I hesitate to call it a metatechnique) is “The Door Is Always Open”, first articulated, as far as I know, by Eirik Fatland. Once this is understood, it is widely used in practice, to good effect. If you need to pee, go pee, even if we are all pretending to be locked inside a nuclear reactor. If you aren’t enjoying the experience, go do something fun and we’ll all be happier for it. If leaving somehow derails the game, that’s fine – sometimes that happens. Making it clear that people are more important than the game is remarkably freeing, and every other technique feels like a refinement of this sentiment.

Stop Everything!

Many larp communities use a single word to stop play in the event of immediate danger. The word “stop” is very likely to come up in play, between characters, in situations where nobody wants or needs the entire game to pause. A very common alternative, used in Nordic larp since the 1990s, is “Kutt”, or “Cut”, which is less likely to crop up as a word in play. Many campaign boffer larps, where combat with prop weapons may be a primary aspect of play, use “Hold” for this purpose during field battles, with an accompanying “Lay On” to resume the action. In my experience these are treated with deadly seriousness, and rightly so. This raises an important point – the more people involved, and the more potentially physically harmful the interaction, the more critical this tool is.

In practice Cut is rarely employed (although Hold is used readily, in my experience). When it is needed, though, it’s really needed. What’s more, the action of discussing and practicing Cut allows people to trust in the game and play more comfortably, even when it is never used. The down-side to Cut, as my friend Alex Roberts notes, being the person who grinds play to a halt and attracts the attention of everyone in the room is a social anxiety nightmare, particularly for people who might feel marginalized or uncomfortable already.

Ease Up, Buddy!

Another best practice is one word that calibrates intensity. The Nordic companion to Kutt is “Brems,” or “Brake.” The idea behind Brake is that, when invoked, it signals scene partners that you are approaching a level of intensity with which you aren’t comfortable. Essentially you are saying, “this far, but no father, please. Tap the brakes.” Unlike Cut, there’s no clear and standardized understanding of what to do when you hear Brake beyond “take care of your scene partner.” Used as intended, it requires a player to be aware of their level of discomfort and think ahead a little, which can be challenging if not impossible. Brake also has the distinct disadvantage, in English, of being a common word with a homonym (break) that is likely to come up often is normal conversation. Brake, because of this homonym, sometimes gets confused with break, and gets used like the semantically identical Cut. That’s a lot of potential for confusion.

“Largo” is a North American alternative to Brake, developed by LearnLarp LLC and used very effectively in their New World Magischola weekend larps. Largo, when spoken as a metatechnique, means “take a physical step back and lower your intensity.” This has a couple of distinct advantages over Brake, in my opinion. First, nobody says Largo in everyday conversation, so it jumps out verbally and demands attention. Second, the meaning is very clear: get out of your scene partner’s physical space and lower the intensity of the scene. Usually the reason for calling Largo is obvious, but if it isn’t, you have the distance and opportunity to check in. If Largo has any disadvantage, it is that it sounds a little weird to say and may be hard to remember.

Checking In and Checking Out

There’s a whole universe of tools that may or may not be appropriate for your particular game.

You might want a way to discreetly ask another player if they are feeling all right – like the title of this article says, the difference between genuine emotional distress and being super into your character’s emotional journey is pretty opaque from the outside. The best tool for this that I’m aware of is called the OK Check-In, and it is a simple hand gesture that is offered and reflected, signaling either “I’m good” or “I could use some help, please drop character and see what you can do for me.” The OK Check-In is so simple, and so easy to instantiate, that it is being widely adopted across North American larp scenes.

You might want a way to enter a scene unobtrusively, or exit without disrupting the action. There’s a clever metatechnique called the Look-Down that’s excellent for slipping into a class at magic school late without your character actually being late.

That’s Not How We Do It Around Here

I should note that culture and style of play have a huge impact on how these metatechniques get used, and how effective they are. Cut and Brake emerge from a style of play that assumes they will be the only two out of character words ever spoken during play, for example, while Largo fits in well with a play style where, if a player isn’t sure why Largo was called, they can comfortably drop character and ask.

Other obvious choice would be “Slow Down” or “Slower”, but these present many of the same problems as using Stop instead of Cut: it’s easy to say the words as a character without intending to invoke a metatechnique. On the other hand, it’s obvious, direct, and easy to remember. The consequences of not remembering it when you need it are serious enough that I’d still consider “Slower” a good option. When accompanied by a distinctive hand gesture the intent is unmistakable.

Tools In A Game-Shaped Box

Safety metatechniques need to fit the very specific needs of individual games and experiences  – in a game with a small player count where everyone is going to be engaged with everyone else throughout, for example, Slow Down/Brake/Largo and a relaxed group of players may entirely obviate Cut. There’s no one true way, just the right tools for the job.

Consider the implications of strictly verbal safety metatechniques, for example. What happens when I say “Largo” to a player who is hard of hearing, or not as receptive to auditory cues due to extreme engagement or the way their brain is wired? Combining it with a codified hand gesture – like a gentle pushing away at chest level – solves this problem. If everyone makes a big “X” over their heads when “Cut” is called, you know there’s a problem a mile away.

It’s also worth considering the number and complexity of the tools you choose – there are many appealing options, but you rapidly reach a point of diminishing return if players can’t remember or implement them effectively.

An Example

For the most part, I’m designing short live action games for 4-8 players. I began with Cut and Brake, switched to Cut and Largo as soon as I tried Largo and saw how well it worked, added The Door Is Always Open, and am now switching my calibration metatechnique to Slow Down, and moving away from Cut toward a sort of “cascading trust” model that subsumes it in a broader landscape of informal communication. You can see an example of where this is heading in my own work below. I believe this stuff is important and worth constantly tuning based on my experiences with actual play.

Here’s my current safety framework for a 4-8 person, two hour larp that assumes zero larp experience from the participants:

Getting Ready

Friendship

Always start with friendship. Make sure everyone is comfortable and has the tools to stay that way. Playing pretend – and that’s what you’re doing – requires a high level of trust! Trust that your friends are going to do their best to give you an experience you’ll love, and work hard to do the same for them. Approach the game with respect and love.

Three Ironclad Rules

There are three ironclad rules to playing this game.

People are more important than the game. If you ever need to decide between the actual needs of a real person and literally any competing impulse, go with the person.

The door is always open. No matter what’s happening in the game, take a break or stop playing entirely if you ever feel the need. Let people do what they need to do without questioning them. It’s their business; you can just keep playing.

Slow it down if you need to. If you are ever uncomfortable – if things get too intense, or too weird, or too anything – say “slow down.” If someone says “slow down” to you, take a step back and take it down a notch. If you aren’t sure why you are slowing down, ask. You can say “slow down” for others, too!

You may have other safety rules. Feel free to add them, but always use these three as well.

Helpful Advice

Here are three tips to help you jump right in:

Be obvious. Just do what comes naturally and say the most obvious thing. It isn’t a contest, and deliberately trying to be surprising or funny usually guarantees that you won’t be.

Listen. Use the information the setting and other players provide. Part of helping others have a great time is making their characters interesting, and the best way to do that is to listen and use what you hear.

Be kind. Respect your friends, share the spotlight, and do your best to make everyone else feel awesome. If this isn’t happening for you, remember the three ironclad rules and say something!

Ask questions. If you aren’t sure what is going on, ask. If you aren’t sure someone is having a good time, ask. If you aren’t sure your idea will be fun for your friend, ask.

If this sort of game is new to you, you should know that new players are, without exception, the best players. It’s just a fact.

I feel like these guidelines strike a good balance between openness and constraint. Every conceivable safety ruling descends from following three clear rules: we care about each other here, anyone can leave at any time for any reason, and we control the intensity of play for ourselves and, if necessary, each other. There’s no jargon, low complexity, not much to remember in a potentially stressful moment. Obviously this is an inadequate set of safety rules for a weekend-long game, or a game predicated on physical combat, or a game for eighty people. But for six players and two hours? I feel like these are the right tools. You may note that nowhere do I use the word “safety,” preferring to position the discussion around trust, love, friendship and cooperation. “Safety” terminology introduces anxiety (“Why do I need to be safe? Is this a dangerous activity?”) and a false expectation (“If I follow these rules I will be safe”).

More Thoughts on Safety

The brilliant Lizzie Stark has loads to say on this topic

Johanna Koljonen has a whole blog about larp safety…

…with tons of resources

Eirik Fatland on Kutt, Brems and The Door Is Always Open

The Nordic Larp Wiki has a whole category

Maury Brown is Very Smart

For Discussion…

The techniques discussed here come from experience in collaborative tabletop RPGs, small-scale and 100+ player larps, and other game experiences in between. These principles seem broadly applicable, but how broadly? How are you thinking about safety in your current games? How will these tools evolve as new situations emerge?

Are You Crying For Real, or Just Pretending? published first on https://supergalaxyrom.tumblr.com

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Natural Talalay Latex Mattress and Its Advantages for Your Physical

Natural Talalay Latex Mattress is the solution to this common ponder on your own deal with presently: what sort of mattress need to I choose? This question may perhaps strong like everything humorous at initial. How may possibly everybody incorporate difficulties with choosing which bed in direction of invest in, immediately? How demanding may possibly that be? All people on your own question more than his incorporates a generic resolution toward this wonder: specifically select one that is soft for yourself. Effectively, sticking towards this may possibly supply you a disastrous result. “Comfortable” in just this scenario is way too broad a phrase. What is gentle for your good friend may well not be for you. Still, your buddy is not thoroughly mistaken While he or she advised therefore. Nevertheless it is what your self just take as the benchmarks that will impact the greatest success. A mattress is named comfortable in direction of employ anytime it does not tension your body in direction of lie directly on its surface. Lying straight on a bed will lead in direction of sure specifics upon your body eating towards undergo most of your human body excess weight. For a brief moment, this may well be perceived as anything small. Maybe, the worst oneself appear to be right after waking up is particularly light suffering on that community of your body, which subsides with period. Sad to say, as soon as extensive, proceeding sleeping placement such as this route would lead to a large assortment of prospective lousy effects. Misalignment of neck, again, and midsection success in sorts of conditions and disorders. Your self may be a single of the several men and women who do not go through towards actual physical deformities ensuing in opposition to this lousy positioning. Sadly, fundamental situations may possibly continue to exist. Sleep condition may perhaps be caused by way of any variety of factors, all of which may perhaps be attributed in direction of the completely wrong point on your own assume While sleeping. Month to month mattresses do not conform in direction of your overall body contour. They lie flat therefore when on your own lie on them, there is absolutely nothing to assistance the curves developed by means of how your neck, back, and waist are situated. Therefore, the key in the direction of accomplishing the best ease and comfort in sleeping is deciding if a bed facilitates human entire body which is not within right line. This is where by a Natural Talalay Latex Mattress may possibly be of best added benefits for yourself. Talalay mattresses are designed of latex. Their substance is squishy sufficient towards type niches that conform in the direction of the contour of your overall body. As these, there will be not points or elements upon your system that have to put up with Good worry when you are lying down. And the content material can revert back toward its original sort the moment retain the services of. This path, the mattress can accommodate the option sleeping point at any given year. This may perhaps be another source of wonder for your self: why make your mind up a Natural Talalay Latex Mattress if there are every month memory foam mattresses out there that characteristic the similar way? Do on your own consideration the “natural” term? That’s the keyword. Other mattresses, nevertheless adjustable and conforming in direction of system contour they may perhaps be, are manufactured in just huge component of non-natural materials and structure. If there is just one, likelihood are it is not 100% natural and organic. Why? A mattress is constructed having layers of material. While a bed is intended taking a natural product, other components may not be. For this reason, a mattress provided to your self might be said as some thing organic and natural nevertheless not thoroughly. This is in which troubles could possibly transform up. Month-to-month, non-natural, or semi-natural mattresses are built with lots of chemical substances and substances remaining provided. The wool layer inside of that favorite mattress of yours might be synthetic inside character, which implies it is created artificially. The substances applied inside of manufacturing the wool may well disperse unstable leftover gas, which can threaten your conditioning. The latex made use of inside that so-called comfortable mattress by yourself are tempted toward invest in may perhaps be generated utilizing substance derived versus rubber trees, which are as organic as factor can be. However, the technique of making that greatest form of latex might involve actions where by many amount of additives and chemical substances, generating what was at the time organic material into some thing that should really hardly ever be utilized in direction of boot. A further thing toward undertake in just head is the reality that all non-natural mattresses are drenched inside of flame retardants in direction of deliver it fireproof. This is a need dictated via the legislation in direction of guarantee people’s safety Though getting the mattresses. None of the chemical substances used as retardants inside this case-or ever-are protected for human health. Exposure toward such chemical substances will contribute in direction of tremendous variants of disorders and conditioning diseases. Natural Talalay Latex Mattress is developed working with latex that contains gone throughout course of action that does not include chemical substances. Hold within just thoughts that other patterns of latex incorporate unstable natural and organic compounds that are even added harmful as they age. Even though the Talalay latex is made using the same treatment as other models are, it does not involve gelation reagents, chemical compounds made use of in direction of provide latex its obvious appear and textures. Talalay latex is purified towards its original useful resource and variety through couple of concentrations that incorporate freezing, vulcanization, and oxidization. The greatest consequence is a latex material that does not incorporate chemical additives and destructive chemical substances. There are many reasons why Talalay latex is a beneficial alternative for a mattress: 1. It is flexible enough toward be molded into types of variety. As a result, this written content is even appropriate for youngster cribs. 2. The latex is malleable sufficient in direction of improve and is long lasting plenty of that it can withstand pressures. As well malleable a mattress and your self possibility your overall body sinking down. As well long lasting a bed and oneself are at risk of feeding on sore joints and stiff system. Talalay stands only involving the two variables that yourself can alter it to disperse tension frivolously across your overall body. 3. Talalay latex, as currently outlined, is made with no substances excess to it. As a final result, the mattress designed applying this written content is safe even for employ the service of upon a youngster crib. Those people with sensitive pores and skin or breathing disorders will not undergo against publicity in the direction of the natural compounds released by way of the written content and those people with normal problem will not acquire indications. 4. This could possibly be a much more indirect comfort yet within marketing you the comfort and ease oneself need to have, a Natural Talalay Latex Mattress could possibly in all probability replenish your self with fresh shipping and delivery of electrical energy. To get the job done very well, your entire body requires electric power. Though this electrical energy Provide includes been depleted, you need to have to recharge. Having a chill out and sleeping is a further path of restocking your energy yet just if by yourself experienced excellent sleep. Top quality slumber is supplied via top quality bed that does not destruction your overall body. Talalay bed, remaining adjustable and conforming as it is, supports your human body as a whole. This good results inside high-quality rest and potential customers toward renewed electrical energy for your entire body. However, for a Natural Talalay Latex Mattress in the direction of be in a position towards give oneself with positive aspects, it needs in the direction of appear with aiding factors that are the two organic. Incorporating wool layer and cotton go over towards a thick Talalay latex mattress is essential for they Deliver dry entire world for your sleeping pad and market Fantastic air move in direction of stop your physique from overheating through sleep. Even now, if the wool of this layer is produced of synthetic amount, your self will not be able toward derive the complete positive aspects of having Talalay latex as your mattress. For this reason, yourself need to have to stick toward purely natural content.

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Using Negative Visioning to Improve Your Personal Finances

Publications and numerous posts and movies and courses have now been designed to discuss the ability of positive-thinking a number of them, and good visioning some of these and smart pseudo- whimsical and spiritual. It’s easy to understand why: good visioning could be an extremely effective device for the economic existence.

Nevertheless, it’s not foolproof and it’s of visioning you need to depend on not the kind.

However, let’s action back before we search in also heavy. Good visioning or positive-thinking may be the exercise of making use of your brain to assume an optimistic result for anything that’s arising inside something or your future that you wish to show up inside your potential. You visualize an optimistic results of a function task, or may visualize an optimistic discussion with somebody you’re thinking about relationship, for instance.

The large concept behind good visioning is the fact that it will help develop confidence. It allows you to observe that good outcomes actually are feasible as well as allows you to organize your ideas and ideas in ways to improve the likelihood of these good results. That’s extremely useful.

Nevertheless, it’s additionally a point that is delicate. It leaves you totally unprepared for that unforeseen although it helps you are feeling well informed and does provide you with a strategy. The stark reality is that depending totally on good visioning for the planning and assurance leaves you without any actual backup strategy or copy strategy since you’ve provided oneself no space to consider anything-but an effective result. And, enjoy it or not, life’s results aren’t usually effective types.

Within Jean’s smart terms Picard, “it can be done shed but still to dedicate no errors. That’s not really a weakness, that’s life.”

Visioning doesn’t that is good assist at-all with these circumstances. If existence has failed you, the positive visioning in the world won’t all assist you using the assets you have to get over that condition or using what to complete next.

That’s why it’s my perception that good visioning, particularly with long haul planning, must be combined with atleast some damaging visioning.

Visioning that is damaging is simply the alternative of visioning that is good. It’s about envisioning unwanted results to some specific approaching occasion that you experienced. You don’t obtain the work. You don’t obtain the day.

Many people may appear upon that concept with disfavor. At first glance, in the end, you may think that visioning that is damaging works against self confidence.

I really discover that the alternative holds true, for factors that are all.

To begin with, I frequently realize that the drawback of disappointment isn’t as apocalyptically bad when I believe. I’ll frequently agree with the proven fact that disappointment in a specific scenario will be extremely poor, with disastrous individual outcomes and much-reaching results. The stark reality is that many problems in existence truly aren’t that poor.

Next, damaging visioning frequently uncovers defects in my own present planning. I’ll visualize a result to get a specific occasion and it’ll create me rapidly understand that the program I’ve in position that’s designed to provide me an optimistic result includes a drawback of some sort, one which I’d haven’t observed without damaging visioning.

My personal favorite instance of the may be the crisis account. An urgent situation account – and also its worth is a results of real visioning that is damaging. Should you never envision poor results like your vehicle if you want it wearing down, you’ll never begin to see the reason for a crisis account. Should you never envision circumstances just like a misplaced budget or perhaps a lender decreasing your charge card, you’ll never begin to see the reason for a money crisis account.

Whenever you mix these two together, you’ll frequently discover that damaging visioning becomes a contractor. knowing the plan-you are thinking about is just a powerful one, it really increases your assurance since you realize that your strategy has you lined in the event of unforeseen occasions.

Better still, should you choose crash – and you’ll occasionally – you’re prepared for that drawback. You’re not captured in stress style since the factor you simply imagined in an optimistic method fell aside you departing you without option ideas.

Here’s ways to utilize positive and negative visioning in stability to attain results that are excellent inside individual existence, and your monetary, skilled.

First, determine anything you’re worried about later on. Perhaps it’s employment meeting or maybe it’s a bit more down the road like changing professions or possibly it’s method in the future, like assisting your kids through university. Whichever that problem is, concentrate on that for that period being.

Through your extra occasions, visualize those activities having a good result. consider them the way in which you’d like in order for them to come out. Envision yourself obtaining the result you would like and executing nicely.

Believe the particular aspects of your efficiency for the reason that visioning, although not only concerning the big-picture. What particular issues have you been performing to create that good result? Have you been grinning? Have you been along with the reality? Have you got a company strategy inside your palm? Did you begin conserving sometime ago?

You’re not completed however, although these components are likely to sort the spine of one’s arrange for attaining that objective.

Next, visualize those activities with numerous unfavorable results. Envision yourself bumbling within the meeting and never obtaining the work. Envision not and yourself declining to truly save having the ability to assist your youngster. Envision the beginner inside your vehicle so you can’t allow it to be to function declining.

Clearly, such pictures into the future aren’t types that are enjoyable to consider. They may place a inside your assurance and may provide you with a queasy sensation inside your belly.

In the place of taking a look at these visions as unavoidable results, however, think about that which you may study from all of these bad thoughts. so what can you need to do to reduce the likelihood of bumbling through the meeting? Get yourself ready for meeting concerns that are difficult is one path that is particular. So what can you need to do to make sure that you’re likely to have the ability to assist your youngster? Automating some savings is a start that is good. So what can you need to do to nevertheless make in case your beginner fails it to function? Having a crisis account and understanding the coach routine are two actions that are effective.

You utilize them straight to create your plan than before, one which has had treatment of possible unfavorable results and can consider these actions that you simply think about consequently of one’s damaging visioning.

What I frequently do is alternative between damaging thoughts and good visions, atleast in early stages. To ensure that I’ve a general framework leading to some good result I’d like the good thoughts, but I’d like these damaging thoughts to ensure that I’ve contingencies in position against undesirable results. an optimistic result is very good, but a large section of that good result is ensuring you’ve reduced the likelihood of damaging results, which comes through planning.

I mainly utilize good visioning at that time to construct confidence once personally I think that I’ve a powerful strategy in position that’s maximized my likelihood of an optimistic outcome and reduced my likelihood of an adverse result. I’m stored by my planning, and that I also visualize results which are simply solely good, although I visualize items that may potentially go south.

Ultimately, damaging visioning in early stages assists me to build up a far more strong arrange for finished I’m worried about, to ensure that my good visioning afterwards becomes stronger and greater at building confidence.

I since that practice will frequently drop quickly the monitors experience the real energy of positive-thinking to my location from my desires. Alternatively, I take advantage of a combination of good visioning and damaging visioning to build up an extremely strong plan for attaining my objective, after which when I move ahead with that strategy, my good visioning for future years becomes a lot more strong and becomes something for growing my-self-assurance.

In a nutshell, the ability of good thinking alone is advantageous, but fragile; a lot of that weakness is bolstered by additionally integrating the ability of damaging thinking!

When you have some ideas or occasions as time goes by which are evaluating in your thoughts, I recommend utilizing a mixture of good visioning and damaging visioning to build up a powerful arrange for ensuring the good result is more prone to occur, after which utilizing good visioning atop that strategy because it advances to be able to develop assurance for that occasion itself. I was assisted by It’s through the years through several existence problems and that I proceed to make use of it frequently.

In whichever problems existence best of luck provides you!

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