#but we can ignore that and choose to instead focus on this new and improved hc)

[fanfic-gremlin-ft-trauma]

random hc but i feel like sokka can sing his ass off. like that man has a voice of an angel. he can hit all sorts of notes. like mariah carey type shit. but he plays too damn much. like it takes a miracle to catch that man singing seriously. he will start singing and mess up on purpose. and it really pissing his friends off bc they want him to sing seriously 😭

(and somewhere in a modern world, sokka and zuko is a singing + rapping duo bc ik zuko can rap like hell🤞🏾)

omg so sorry it took me like five years to answer this but OMGGSHJSUIUISKU.

why am I obsessed with this???? like this is honestly something I can see Sokka doing esp with his whole ‘harrumph harrumph I must be masculine and strong man so strong men don’t sing good grrrr’ complex.

also yes @ Sokka switching up when his friends are around… like my dad does this (for context he has a REALLY good voice and he CAN sing but he purposefully goes flat and off key and it drives my family insane 😭).

this also makes me want to add that when someone invents showers (probably Sokka tbh) he’d be singing in it and having a whole eras tour concert and Zuko (who up until now was 100% convinced that Sokka couldn’t sing to save his life) happened to walk past without Sokka noticing and he’s just like:

he doesn’t tell anyone but now he’s just sat there confused as hell bc why did Sokka sing badly on purpose?? wasn’t that embarrassing??

oh and now I’m just stuck with the image of Zuko being roped into a rap battle in a modern au and no one expecting him to be any good because he’s awkward and not the type but then he just whips out this whole freestyle verse n everyone’s like:??????

(Also Zuko refuses to do it again except for when Sokka drags him into it when they’re hanging out)

[redscreendarkwin]

You would never shift with that mindset All you do is complain and argue with everybody else. You will be forever stucked in this reality grow up and learn what shifting reality is. You're doing more effort in being a limiting person than doing an actual work in shifting. You don't understand how in every reality it's a different past for every race. You sound very inexperienced you mini shifted once and act like you know how this universe works. You are stuck in CR circumstances. This is why your account is flopping instead of posting motivational stuff you complain and create discourse. The universe won't give you award for best in morality you are just nothing(in void way). Too woke you're not educating anyone you just add more problems and limits. But I understand because you're too young and never experienced shifting for a long period of time. Stop focusing on cr. If you affirm you're not in 3d then do it ignore post about race changer if you hate them. I used to be like you before I call out everyone cancel them because we don't have the same moral values but as time passes by I notice I don't see any improvement with my journey all I do is argue with everyone in the comments and not changing my mindset. I tried changing my mindset I accept if I'm consciousnees being aware I can just shift anywhere else where I like it there's an infinite amount of realities don't focus on what you perceive as negative if they race change or date minors you can post about calling them out but that wouldnt change them although you can manifest these type of people won't exist in your reality but in another they still will so all your efforts of calling them out and you're proving them wrong are just a waste of energy and efforts. It is better to pour this effort with shifting and changing your mindset. Try improving your mental health and separating your self with contents that ruin your motivation block everyone else that disagrees with your opinion simple as that don't interact with their energy never post them dont acknowledge them just observe and block these people won't change. You're the one need to change. What i meant by you need a change is to change how you view this people see them as temporary and you will never interact with them once you shift to your desired reality. Don't get attached with the cr circumstances they're just temporary problem of your cr self but you're already living as dr self. The feeling of pain is the memory of past live in pleasure and happiness because you live now as your future dr self already. Tumblr is just an app that helps you communicate and interact with your community it's just an app all this opinions of people don't matter to you because yours matter the most use this app for love about shifting and your dr. these hating negative people can dissappear in just a tiny click of block button choose your moots well.

HELLLPPP, I can't even take you seriously. @mywitchyblog, going on an alt account just to write this shady ass anonymous comment is just well, I would say low but the bar is already in hell.

First off, thank you so much for my first hate ask. Didn't know you were this obsessed. 🤭

Now I'm beginning to realize how you saw my post a while back when I blocked you. You do know you can take your own advice and block me as well instead of getting on an alt just to hate? Better yet, put on your big boy pants and address me directly without anonymity.

And again you fail to comprehend my point but then again this behavior isn't anything new from you. I said that anything can be classified as a limited belief. Just because someone believes one thing doesn't mean they aren't going to shift. Which is why the whole "limited belief" concept is stupid. I don't see race changing or aging yourself down to date minors as morally right because it isn't. That’s my belief. I can call it what it is which is racist and pedophilic. Doesn't mean I'm not going to shift because I minishifted on multiple occasions and there are people out there who hold the same beliefs as me who have shifted for years.

For someone who acts all high and mighty about their journey, you fail to realize that everyone is different and everyone shifts at a different pace. This is how I know you barely know anything about shifting. You just go around saying the popular opinion and never have once had an original thought in your entire life. You're also talking about shit like the universe when it's widely known that the universe isn't gonna make you shift, you do.💀

I also love how you called me woke because I said I didn't want adults to fuck children. I would rather "flop" than have a whole bunch of pedophiles and racists agreeing with me. You're really making a case for yourself. I hope to god I never find myself bragging about how “successful” I am on TUMBLR of all social medias. You’re averaging 12 notes per post, how exactly are you not “flopping” also? I genuinely believe this is the only thing you’ve got going for you.

I'm not stuck in my cr circumstances, I just have morals. Your morals shouldn't change once you get into a different reality. Even if I saw people as temporary that doesn’t mean I can’t address them. With this logic, why should I care about world issues or anything for that matter. I could off someone but guys guys, don’t worry it doesn’t matter because this reality is temporary going by your logic 😱

And even if the limiting beliefs thing did exist you shouldn’t change your morals just to shift. That just says a lot about you and how flip floppy your morals are. There are realities where murder is seen as perfectly ok, doesn't mean I should follow. Me believing that murder is wrong isn't me being stuck in my cr circumstances. Any shifter with a murder dr could turn around and say that you’re wrong for thinking that murder is wrong and you’re “stuck in your cr circumstances”. Do you see how stupid your argument actually is? Can you get that through your skull? I feel like I'm talking to a brick wall here. One thing going in one ear and out the other.

Doesn’t matter how many people you send my way (like last time) because unlike you I actually stick to my morals. You can hop off my tip now. I am a minor after all.

Realize that I BLOCKED you for a reason and going on an alt because I blocked your main is ACTUALLY insane.

You and the counselor are twinning btw:

[accessories-not-included]

Not too long ago I posted a story about how my doctor was choosing to not refill my prescriptions. In effort to refresh your memory, this was because I don't have a dependable access to transportation to help me get to the doctor office. Since then my doctor has decided to dismiss me as a patient in total because of this. 

Thirty years ago, medical schools taught that it was "New Age Technology" to involve empathy as the "key" to healing a patient. 

According to the Hippocratic Oath: "I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug."

But does this also apply to healthcare outside of a mental health encounter? And if so, is it being taught? Is it being leveraged to improve the health of individuals and communities?

If empathy was truly a key to healing wouldn't the healthcare "system" clearly recognize that caring and accommodating patients outside of the office visit would be optimal for developing empathy? This would therefore develop a human connection and authentic relationship between patients and their doctors and thus would lead to optimal care. Shouldn't the "system" self-correct to honor the oath that physicians have sworn to?

When doctors dehumanize patients by actively remaining indifferent towards their patients and refusing to empathize and modify their treatments accordingly. Lacking empathy shifts physicians' focus from treating the whole person to merely treating a medical experiment. What's more, there's evidence to support that there are physiological benefits in empathetic relationships. This includes better immune systems shorter recovery stays, and faster healing responses. 

I blame the medical education system for not encouraging physicians to maximize the use of empathy in medical practices. Discouraging the use of empathy is due to the medical education system's emphasis on emotional detachment, neutrality, and reliance on technology instead of human interaction. 

The system continues to rely on short episodic office visits that are required for the most part to be in person. The funding model still rewards based on productivity. Meaning the system (insurance and the government) makes money based on how many patients doctors can see in a short amount of time. Then supply them with orders to purchase as much medicine as possible to supplement the economic funding from Big Pharma. This does not allow physicians to optimize or develop a relationship with their patients. In many cases, this even exacerbates the issue by trying to leverage rotating practitioners as a means to improve access to reimbursement and lower overhead. 

The medical education system is designed to train physicians to not honor the importance of empathy. Some people have thought that the reason for this was because the stakeholders in the healthcare system don't know any better. This is a false assumption. 

The importance of empathy, human connection, and authentic relationships between a doctor and their patients is known. It has been known since the days when Hippocrates drafted the oath, and is intentionally being ignored.

The system is flawed. The current medical system isn't designed to benefit the patient. It's designed to line the pockets of larger cooperation systems. 

So what do we do? Do we dismiss the importance of empathy, human connection, and patient/doctor relationships? Because by creating and enforcing this healing model that leverages these principles could cut revenue and lower profit margins. 

Do we instead avoid empathy and medical relationships in general because relationships are difficult and requires time, resources, and could be too time consuming? 

A "yes" to any of the above items is distressing and as a patient within the healthcare system, I urge that the medical system must reevaluate its motives and stop being afraid to embrace humanity through empathy. Patients and doctors are a part of our communities. We need each other to be well in this world work together and build a worthwhile future. If it means changing the medical system to be less lucrative... so be it.

[agape-philo-sophia]

➝ Take Off the Rosy-Colored Glasses.

We can have a better world instead of the suffering that is manifesting. Facing the negatives in the world enables us to understand how and why we are co-creating this condition. Some of the hardest darkness to face is within ourselves. It is required to know thyself, to gain self-knowledge, self-awakening, self-realization, self-awareness, self-dominion and self-control to stop doing what we shouldn’t be doing.

This requires looking back at ourselves in self-respect, self-reflection and self-analysis. We must face ourselves in the mirror in honesty and self-respect without fear of looking at the beauty and the horror, the light and the dark, the good and the bad within us and in the world around us. Looking at the shadow, demon, dark, negative side of ourselves and the world can be hard to confront. Truth can be difficult to hear or accept. Truth can be uncomfortable and undesirable to know.

We must overcome to propensity to ignore, deny, reject or refuse the knowledge of the negative around and within us. The hurt, discomfort and fear of facing the darkness can act as a barrier that prevents us from healing and only prolongs the suffering. Recognizing things as they are, is the way forward. To accept the current truth of the matter, but not accept that it should stay that way. Awareness of the darkness or chaos catalyzes the development of care, and the subsequent courage and will to choose to change ourselves away from the things we recognize are against our betterment.

This is alchemical transformation or transmutation. Taking the negative shadow and transmuting or purifying it as a phoenix is burned and is reborn from its ashes anew. So shall we be reconstituted in a new form -- resurrected from the “death” of a lower consciousness condition into a new life, an afterlife compared to the former life. Reborn anew without the aspects of our previous lower, unrealer and falser state of being, to have them removed, to be changed, healed, bettered and improved.

Avoidance of the knowing about the negative within or in the world is like wearing rosy-colored glasses. This is not the solution to our woes. This will not create a better condition for ourselves or others. Rosy-colored glasses are an illusory veil cast over reality that prevents us from seeing things as they are, from seeing the truth. Rosy-colored glasses are a glossy veneer of seeing everything as positive, wonderful, great and perfect, since that is what is being focused on. Only the pleasant side is looked at. Seeing things as they are, is unpleasant.

Rosy-colored glasses prevent an accurate perception of the world and ourselves. They prevent us from seeing the things that are not helping us, that are keeping us in chains of self-inflicted suffering in the aggregate. This avoidance and denial of reality and truth is based in fear. Rosy-colored glasses are a symptom of a consciousness that has not developed the recognition of the importance of truth to make our lives better.

The focus on feeling-good leads us to welcome ignorance and denial. Ignorance is bliss, and knowledge is suffering. Ignorance has you ignore the knowledge of reality that can bring discomfort and truth that hurts. Knowledge of the dark parts of reality brings the suffering of knowing about it and bearing the weight of that awareness to work at changing it. Rosy-colored glasses, positivity masks and focusing on feeling-good by avoiding the negative and not face the truth, prevents us from growing and changing towards making things better and how we want things to be.

We want to believe we are good. We lie and tell ourselves that what we are doing is fine in order to make ourselves feel-good about our choices and behaviors. We dismiss, deflect, diminish and deny truths that we don’t want to face, that make us feel uncomfortable, or that make us feel bad about what we’re doing. It’s a lot easier to ignore the hard truths that to face them, let alone accept them and align ourselves with a truer, realer and higher potential way of being.

It’s a lot easier to just keep doing what we’re already doing, to live in the comfort of our ignorance, falsity and lies. It takes time, energy, and effort to do the work to change, grow, improve, evolve, heal and better ourselves and change the resulting condition of the world. We have to point the finger at ourselves and see how we are collectively allowing things to exist as they are due to our failure to evolve consciousness and truly know right from wrong. The self-deceptions to maintain our illusory self-views and worldviews must end. Seeking and understanding greater degrees of quality, substantive and valuable truths is the journey and path we must all take.

[gadgetrevive]

Ever been stuck without your phone and wished for a reliable phone repair service nearby? At Phone Repair The Gap, we get how crucial your phone is to your day. We offer fast phone repair services for all your devices, aiming for quick and dependable fixes. You can find us at Shop No. 20 A - Kensington Village Shopping Centre, 8 Sovereigns Ave, Bray Park, QLD 4500, making us easy to reach for locals.If your phone has a cracked screen or a faulty battery, we're here to fix it fast. We focus on top-notch repairs that are also quick. Come see why many trust us with their phone repair needs.For more tips on standing out in the phone repair business, check out strategies for advertising phone repair work.Key Takeaways Quick and dependable repairs are crucial for customer satisfaction. Easily accessible locations enhance customer convenience. Providing high-quality repairs ensures devices function optimally. Building trust with customers leads to a loyal clientele. Effective communication about services and turnaround times is essential. 1Why Choose Us for Phone Repair ServicesChoosing a reliable phone repair service is key for our customers. At our place, we have a team of expert technicians with lots of experience. They know how to fix all sorts of mobile phone problems. We use the latest tech to make sure your phone gets the best repair.Expert Technicians with Extensive ExperienceOur technicians have been improving their skills for years. This means we can offer top-notch phone repair that meets the highest standards. Whether it's a cracked screen or a tricky software issue, we handle it with care. Customers love our fast and reliable service, making us a top pick in The Gap.Commitment to Quality and Customer SatisfactionWe aim for quality and customer happiness in every repair. Our repair process is clear and open, so you'll know what's happening every step of the way. We offer warranties to give you peace of mind. Check out our services here: reliable phone repair in The Gap. See how our expert team can fix your phone issues.Understanding Common Phone IssuesSmartphones are a big part of our lives, but they often have problems. Knowing about these issues is key to keeping them working well. Spotting issues like cracked screens, battery problems, and software glitches early can save us time and money.Identifying Cracked Screens and Display ProblemsCracked screens are a common problem for smartphone users. If ignored, these cracks can lead to bigger issues. We've seen many customers who thought a small crack was nothing, but it caused bigger problems later.Batteries: When to Replace or RepairBatteries are another big worry for phone users. They can last anywhere from 2 to 7 years, depending on how we use and care for them. If your phone doesn't hold charge well, it's time to get a new battery. This keeps your phone working well instead of risking it to fail completely2.Software Glitches and Their ImpactSoftware glitches can show up in many ways, like apps not working or the whole system crashing. These problems can really get in the way of what we need to do. It's important to catch these glitches early. Our skilled technicians can fix them quickly, making your phone work better again3.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJcCK5ZVSAYPhone Repair The Gap: Fast & Reliable ServiceWe're all about quick phone repairs in The Gap, so you won't be without your device for long. Our skilled technicians work fast, fixing most common problems in just a few hours. This means less time waiting for you.Quick Turnaround for RepairsHaving a working phone is a must. Our team works hard to fix your phone quickly. Many customers get their battery replaced in just 10 minutes and their screens fixed in 30 minutes. People love our fast service, saying it's the best in The Gap4.Affordable Pricing ModelsWe offer phone repair services that won't cost a lot. Our customers really like how affordable we are, making quality repairs easy to get5. We make sure our prices are clear and upfront, so you know exactly what you're paying for.

Repair Type Average Cost Turnaround Time Battery Replacement $50 10 minutes Screen Replacement $120 30 minutes Software Issues $100 1 hour Our focus on being fast and affordable has built a strong customer base. They trust us for our reliability and the quality of our work. We want to make fixing your phone easy and quick for everyone in The Gap, getting your devices back to you fast6.Our Repair Process ExplainedAt our service center, we're all about giving your phone the care it needs. We kick things off with a thorough assessment and diagnosis. This lets us figure out exactly what's wrong with your device. It's a crucial step that sets the stage for fixing things right.Initial Assessment and DiagnosisOur techs do a deep dive into your device, checking both the inside and outside. This assessment and diagnosis helps us spot problems like a cracked screen, a faulty battery, or software glitches. Knowing exactly what's wrong means we can fix it in a way that boosts your device's performance.Repair Methodologies We UseAfter figuring out what's wrong, we use trusted repair methodologies to get your device back in shape. Our steps include: Careful disassembly of the device to access internal components Replacing broken parts with top-notch ones Thorough testing to make sure everything works well after repair We aim to make fixing your device easy and eco-friendly. This fits with the growing talk about the right to repair in Australia. For more on this, check out the latest on repair policies. We're all about making sure your device works great, so you can count on it for your everyday life.Mobile Repair Services Available at Our LocationWe offer top-notch mobile repair services in The Gap, making it easy for locals to get their devices fixed quickly. Whether you need a small fix or a big repair, we're here to help. Our skilled team is always ready to fix your mobile device problems.Convenience of Local Services in The GapOur local phone repair services are all about making things easy for you. Just come into our shop, and we'll start checking out your device right away. This way, you save time and can get back to your day fast. We focus on making sure you're happy and that we work efficiently.We handle all kinds of repairs, from simple fixes to complex issues. This means we can solve many problems you might have with your device. Choose us for all your local phone repair needs. We promise to give you quick and quality service every time you visit7.Cracked Phone Screen Repair: Why It MattersHaving a cracked phone screen is more than just a cosmetic issue. It can lead to serious problems if ignored. The main reason to fix a cracked screen is to stop more damage that could affect how the device works. Moisture, dust, or more cracks can harm internal parts, making repairs more expensive later.Risks of Delaying Screen RepairsIgnoring a cracked screen might seem okay at first, but it can have big problems. Prolonged use can cause: Increased risk of injuries—sharp edges from cracks can cause cuts. Further screen damage—small cracks can spread with regular use. Internal pressure on components—leading to temperature or functionality issues. Potential data loss—if the device suffers severe internal damage. Our Screen Replacement TechniquesAt our repair centre in The Gap, we focus on quality and quick repairs for cracked screens. Our skilled technicians use the latest techniques for reliable fixes. We only use original or OEM-grade screens for the best performance. Most repairs are done in under an hour, so you can use your device again the same day. We back our work with a warranty, ensuring you're making a smart choice.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJaIviUMeAcChoosing us for your cracked screen repair in The Gap means you're making a smart move. You're protecting your device's future and safety8910.Specialized iPhone Repair ServicesWe are your go-to iPhone repair specialist, offering a variety of services for every iPhone model. Our screen replacement services get your device looking new again quickly.

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They often tell us how fast and reliable we are. Our team's professional and friendly nature gets a lot of praise for their skill and hard work.Our clients are happy with how quick we fix their phones. Whether it's a broken screen or a tricky software problem, they see the great value we add. Check out our website to see why they love our personal touch in every repair.Great reviews show how much we care about our customers. We keep them updated and make them feel comfortable during repairs.We always listen to what our customers say to get better. This helps us do more than just meet, but exceed what our community expects. We focus on what our customers need and improve our services to match.Warranty and Guarantees on RepairsAt our service centre, we focus on making our customers feel confident with our warranties on repairs. We promise to fix any issues that come up after the repair quickly. This shows our commitment to quality service. We think giving our customers guarantees for phone repair builds trust in what we do.We aim to make every client feel safe with their choice to use our services. It's crucial for customers to trust that their fixed devices will work well. That's why we offer strong warranties for different repair needs. We want to give our customers reliable protection and support at our centre.If you want to learn more about our repair services, please visit our website. We aim to go beyond what our customers expect, making their experience smooth from start to finish.In the repair industry, dealing with challenges is common. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has pointed out issues with consumer guarantees. Customers often find it hard to use their rights with expensive items. So, having a clear and efficient repair process is key17.Our Additional Gadget Repair ServicesAt our repair centre, we offer a wide range of services for gadgets. We're experts in fixing devices damaged by water. This is key for devices that got wet and could stop working if not fixed quickly.Water Damage Restoration TechniquesWe use top-notch methods for fixing water damage. Our goal is to clean your devices well so they work again. When a device gets wet, time is of the essence.Our steps include: Turning off the device and removing the battery to stop short circuits. Taking apart the device to see the inside parts. Cleaning parts that have rust with special solutions. Using drying methods that get rid of moisture safely. Putting it back together and testing to make sure it works well. We aim to make your gadgets work like new after water damage. We know how important it is to act fast and well when fixing damage. For more help on fixing an iPhone 12 screen, check out our guide at repairing an iPhone 12 screen.The Importance of Professional RepairsGetting professional help for your phone is key to keeping it working well. We know how tricky gadgets can be. A skilled technician can really make a big difference.Benefits of Entrusting Experts with Your DeviceChoosing experts means you get top-notch repairs and parts that are real. This helps your device last longer. Our pros fix things like broken screens, battery issues, and software bugs that can really mess with your phone. Quality Workmanship: Ensures repairs are done right the first time, prolonging device lifespan. Genuine Parts: Using authentic components reduces the risk of further issues arising. Efficient Service: We promise quick turnaround times, often completing standard repairs within 30 minutes. Comprehensive Warranties: Our repairs come with a warranty, giving you confidence in the work performed. Customer Satisfaction: We pride ourselves on high levels of customer feedback and repeat business. For more on why professional repairs matter, check out the benefits of expert repairs. Trust our skilled team to protect your investment and boost your device's performance. This way, you can stay connected without the worry of constant repairs.Getting in Touch: Contact DetailsWe're here to help with your phone repair needs.

Got questions about our repair services? Just reach out. Our team is ready to assist you.Shop Location and Phone NumbersDrop by Shop No. 20 A - Kensington Village Shopping Centre, 8 Sovereigns Ave, Bray Park, QLD 4500. Call us at +61 450 753 672. We're here to answer your questions and set up repairs that fit your schedule.Online Inquiries EmailPrefer emailing? Send your questions to gadget.kings.prs@gmail.com. We're excited to talk about our phone repair services with you.ConclusionAt Phone Repair The Gap, we offer top-notch mobile repair services you can count on. We make sure your device works well and keeps you connected. Our prices are fair, and our work is done by experts, making us a go-to for phone repairs in the area.We focus on quality repairs and keep up with the latest trends. This includes using eco-friendly methods and putting our customers first. As technology changes, we adapt to give you the best service possible. You can read more about our approach in this in-depth article on mobile repair services.We're ready to help you with any phone problems you have. Whether it's a cracked screen or a new battery, we aim to fix it fast. Contact us for all your repair needs and see why we're the top choice for phone repair in The Gap1817!FAQHow long does a typical phone repair take?Most repairs are done in a few hours. This means you can quickly get back to your daily life.Do you offer warranties on your repair services?Yes, we offer warranties on our repairs. If you face any issues after the repair, we'll fix them quickly. This gives you peace of mind.What types of devices do you repair?We fix a wide range of mobile devices. This includes iPhones, Samsung phones, and Android devices. We handle everything from cracked screens to battery replacements.How much will my phone repair cost?Our prices are affordable and tailored to your budget. You'll get a clear estimate before we start. This way, there are no surprises.Can you fix water-damaged phones?Yes, we can fix water-damaged phones. Our experts use special techniques to clean and restore your phone. This helps bring back its functionality and reduces damage.How do I know if my phone needs repair?Signs like a cracked screen, battery issues, or software problems mean it's time for repairs. Our technicians will check your phone thoroughly to find any issues.Where is Phone Repair The Gap located?You can find us at Shop No. 20 A - Kensington Village Shopping Centre, 8 Sovereigns Ave, Bray Park, QLD 4500. It's easy to get to for those in The Gap and nearby areas.What payment methods do you accept?We take many payment options, making it simple for you to pay for your repair. Just ask our staff about the details when you visit.Can I watch while my phone is being repaired?Yes, you can watch from our comfortable waiting area. Our technicians will work on your device while you wait.Do you use genuine parts for repairs?Absolutely! We only use genuine parts for repairs. This ensures your device works well and lasts longer after the repair.

[fitnessbeautyarts]

The scalp plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy hair growth and overall hair health. Choosing the right shampoo specifically designed for scalp health is essential for nourishing and maintaining optimal scalp conditions. In this article, we will explore the factors to consider when selecting the ideal shampoo, testing and evaluating shampoos for thinning hair, maintaining a healthy scalp beyond shampooing, and understanding the importance of scalp health in the hair growth process. Key Takeaways Select shampoos with ingredients like salicylic acid, tea tree oil, aloe vera, and chamomile for scalp exfoliation, bacteria elimination, and skin soothing. Consider hair type factors when choosing shampoos to ensure proper scalp and hair nourishment. Maintain a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and lean protein for optimal scalp health. Look for shampoo formulas with ingredients like biotin and caffeine to support scalp health and revitalize thinning hair. Regular scalp massages and gentle shampooing techniques can promote scalp health and improve hair growth. Choosing the Right Shampoo for Optimal Scalp Health Factors to Consider Before Buying When I'm on the hunt for a new shampoo, the first thing I do is check the pH level. It's crucial to find a shampoo with a pH between 4.5 and 5.5, which aligns with the natural pH of hair. This helps maintain the integrity of my hair's natural oils and prevents it from becoming dry and brittle. Another key aspect I consider is whether the shampoo is sulfate-free. Sulfates are known to be harsh on the hair, stripping away moisture and leaving it feeling parched. So, I always opt for sulfate-free options to ensure my hair stays hydrated. In addition to pH balance and sulfate content, I take into account my hair type and the fragrance of the shampoo. It's important that the product caters to my specific hair needs and has a pleasant scent that doesn't irritate my scalp. Lastly, the price is a factor that can't be ignored. While I'm willing to invest in my hair care, I also need to make sure that the shampoo is reasonably priced and fits within my budget. Here's a quick list of what I look for: pH level between 4.5 and 5.5 Sulfate-free formula Suitable for my hair type Enjoyable fragrance Reasonable price Ingredients to Look for When it comes to selecting a shampoo that will nourish and maintain the health of your scalp, the ingredients list is where you should focus your attention. Look for natural oils and extracts, such as Argan Oil (Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil) and Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice), which are known for their moisturizing and healing properties. These ingredients can help to soothe the scalp and promote healthy hair growth. It's also important to be aware of ingredients that can be harmful to your scalp health. I make it a point to avoid shampoos containing sulfates, parabens, and artificial dyes, which can strip the scalp of its natural oils and lead to irritation. Instead, I opt for products that are free from these harsh chemicals. Here's a quick list of beneficial ingredients to look for: Neem Oil (Melia Azadirachta Neem Seed Oil) Nettle Leaf Extract (Urtica Dioica Nettle Extract) Olive Oil (Olea Europaea Olive Fruit Oil) Shea Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii Shea Butter) Incorporating saw palmetto into your shampoo can prove to be advantageous in reducing hair loss. Remember, the right ingredients can make a significant difference in the health of your scalp and the quality of your hair. Take the time to read labels and choose wisely. Hair Type Considerations When I'm selecting a shampoo, I always remind myself that my hair type and texture are crucial in determining its needs. For instance, color-treated or heat-damaged hair may require a shampoo with a thicker consistency to provide extra nourishment. Conversely, finer textures often benefit from a lighter formula that won't weigh the hair down. It's essential to understand that even oily hair can thrive with the right hydrating shampoo.

Brands are now incorporating oil-controlling ingredients like witch hazel and aloe vera to maintain a balanced scalp. Here's a quick checklist for hair type considerations: Assess your hair's porosity and choose products that help maintain moisture without causing buildup. If you have high-porosity hair, opt for protective measures such as using leave-in conditioners and avoiding overprocessing. For those with fine hair, look for volumizing shampoos that are sulfate-free to prevent stripping natural oils. Remember, a healthy scalp is the foundation of strong, smooth, and fuller-looking hair. Regular trims, gentle detangling, and minimizing heat styling are all part of maintaining the overall health of your hair and scalp. Testing and Evaluating Shampoos for Thinning Hair Researching and Selecting Formulas When I embarked on the journey to find the ideal shampoo for thinning hair, I meticulously researched dozens of formulas. My selection process was rigorous, aiming to test 21 products that promised to address the specific needs of my hair. I focused on a variety of attributes, from the lathering quality to the overall impact on hair health. During my eight-week testing phase, I kept a detailed journal of my observations. Here's a snapshot of the criteria I used: Washing Process: Lather, coverage, and rinse-off ease Hair Feel: Volume, frizz control, and smoothness Growth Results: Density improvement and hair fall reduction I was particularly attentive to how each shampoo interacted with my scalp during the washing process, as this would be indicative of its potential to nourish and promote a healthy environment for hair growth. After the testing period, I compiled my notes and rated each shampoo on ease of use, performance, scent, and overall results. The table below summarizes my findings: Shampoo Ease of Use Performance Scent Overall Results A 4/5 5/5 3/5 4.5/5 B 3/5 4/5 4/5 4/5 C 5/5 4/5 5/5 4.5/5 The products that excelled in these areas made it to my recommended list, ensuring that anyone facing similar hair challenges could benefit from my extensive research and testing. At-Home Testing Process After meticulously selecting 21 shampoos for their potential benefits for thinning hair, I embarked on an eight-week journey of at-home testing. Each wash was a step towards understanding the nuances of these formulas and their impact on my scalp and hair health. During this period, I focused on several key aspects: The lathering quality of the shampoo and the amount needed for full coverage. The sensation on the scalp during application and the ease of rinsing off. The appearance of hair volume during styling, frizz control effectiveness, and the smoothness and shine post-wash. As the weeks unfolded, I began to notice subtle changes. Some shampoos stood out for their immediate comfort and cleansing efficiency, while others gradually improved the texture and volume of my hair. I kept a detailed log of my observations, which included notes on the growth results. It was fascinating to see how some formulas contributed to a healthier-looking scalp and, potentially, to hair regrowth. The table below summarizes my findings on two key parameters: Shampoo Lather Quality Hair Volume Post-Wash A Excellent Noticeably Improved B Good Slightly Improved C Average No Change This structured approach allowed me to objectively evaluate each product's performance, setting the stage for informed recommendations. Results and Recommendations After an extensive eight-week testing period, I've compiled my findings into a comprehensive assessment of various shampoos for thinning hair. The results were illuminating, revealing clear front-runners in the quest for a fuller mane. I meticulously rated each product on ease of use, performance, cleansing ability, and scent, among other attributes. With consistent use, some shampoos led to noticeable regrowth in thinning areas, particularly those formulated with biotin, known for strengthening hair.

Here's a snapshot of the top performers based on my evaluation: Shampoo Ease of Use Performance Cleansing Ability Scent Overall Results A 5/5 4.5/5 5/5 4/5 5/5 B 4/5 4/5 4.5/5 5/5 4.5/5 C 5/5 5/5 5/5 3.5/5 5/5 While the table above summarizes the quantitative data, the qualitative experiences were just as crucial. Hair appeared shinier and felt smoother after each wash, with some users reporting a significant reduction in hair fall. It's important to note that individual results may vary, and what works for one may not work for another. Maintaining a Healthy Scalp Beyond Shampooing Dietary Recommendations for Scalp Health I've come to understand that what we eat significantly impacts the health of our scalp. A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and lean protein is essential for maintaining a healthy scalp. Foods high in grease and fat can contribute to an oily scalp, so it's wise to avoid them when possible. It's not just about what we put on our hair, but also what we put in our bodies that counts towards scalp health. Here's a quick list of dietary do's and don'ts that I've found helpful: Do include a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables in your meals. Do opt for lean proteins like chicken, fish, or plant-based alternatives. Don't indulge in greasy, fried foods that can exacerbate oil production on the scalp. Don't forget to hydrate; drinking plenty of water supports overall skin health, including the scalp. Remember, a nourished body leads to a nourished scalp, and ultimately, healthier hair. Expert Tips for Scalp Care When I delve into the realm of scalp care, I often turn to the wisdom of experts who emphasize the importance of a holistic approach. I've learned that a healthy scalp is the foundation of healthy hair. It's not just about the products I use; it's about how I use them and the lifestyle choices I make. To start, I create a ritual out of my shampooing routine, focusing on massaging the shampoo into my scalp where oil and dirt tend to build up. I use my fingertips to avoid irritation and ensure that I rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water to prevent any residue that could lead to dryness. In addition to proper shampooing techniques, experts suggest paying attention to diet. A balanced intake of fruits, vegetables, and lean protein can help manage an oily scalp and contribute to overall scalp health. Lastly, I've picked up some rapid-fire tips from celebrity hairstylists: gently massage the scalp, avoid hot water, use blotting sheets for excess oil, and refrain from excessive touching or brushing that can transfer oils from my hands to my hair. Understanding the Importance of Scalp Health Role of Scalp in Hair Growth I've come to understand that the scalp is more than just the surface from which our hair sprouts; it's a complex ecosystem that plays a pivotal role in hair health and growth. Hair follicles embedded in the scalp are responsible for hair growth, and the health of these follicles is intrinsically linked to the health of the scalp. A well-nourished scalp provides the ideal environment for hair follicles to thrive. Maintaining a clean and balanced scalp is crucial. It's not just about hygiene; it's about creating a foundation for healthy hair growth. By ensuring that the scalp is free from excessive oil, dirt, and bad microbes, we set the stage for hair to grow strong and resilient. Here's a simple list of scalp care essentials: Regular cleansing to remove buildup Hydration to prevent dryness Nutrient-rich treatments to support follicle health Remember, the products you choose to nourish your scalp can make a significant difference. Ingredients like biotin and caffeine are known to support scalp health, while others, such as carnosic acid from rosemary or terpinene-4-ol from tea tree oil, help control microbial overgrowth. These components are not just beneficial; they're essential for a scalp that's conducive to hair growth.

Impact of Scalp Conditions on Hair Health I've come to understand that the health of our scalp is intricately tied to the overall health of our hair. Many hair loss conditions are directly related to scalp conditions, and it's clear that the products we use can significantly influence both. When my scalp is free from issues like bad microbes, my hair tends to look and feel healthier. This is because a balanced scalp environment supports hair growth and prevents issues like thinning and breakage. It's essential to recognize that the scalp is skin, and it requires the same level of care as the skin on our face and body. This realization has made me more mindful of the shampoos and hair care products I choose. Here's a simple list of steps I follow to ensure my scalp remains in good condition: Select shampoos with beneficial ingredients like biotin and caffeine. Massage the shampoo into the scalp with fingertips to avoid irritation. Rinse thoroughly to prevent residue buildup. By adhering to these practices, I've noticed a significant improvement in both my scalp and hair health. ConclusionIn conclusion, maintaining optimal scalp health is essential for promoting healthy hair growth and overall well-being. Through our research and testing of 21 popular shampoos for thinning hair, we have identified key ingredients and factors to consider when choosing the ideal shampoo for your scalp. From supporting scalp health with ingredients like salicylic acid and tea tree oil to considering your hair type and specific needs, finding the right shampoo can make a significant difference in the health of your scalp and hair. Remember, a balanced diet and proper hair care routine are also crucial for maintaining a healthy scalp. Take the time to choose a shampoo that suits your scalp's needs and enjoy the benefits of nourished and revitalized hair. Frequently Asked Questions What factors should I consider before buying the right shampoo for optimal scalp health?Before buying the right shampoo for optimal scalp health, consider factors such as your hair type, scalp condition, ingredients in the shampoo, and your specific scalp needs. Which ingredients should I look for in a shampoo for optimal scalp health?Look for ingredients like salicylic acid for scalp exfoliation, tea tree oil for killing bacteria, aloe vera and chamomile for soothing the skin, and biotin and caffeine for strengthening and revitalizing the scalp. How can I maintain a healthy scalp beyond shampooing?Maintain a healthy scalp by following a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and lean protein, avoiding greasy and fatty foods, and practicing expert tips for scalp care like gentle scalp massage and avoiding excessive oil production. What is the role of the scalp in hair growth?The scalp plays a crucial role in hair growth as it provides the foundation for healthy hair follicles and ensures proper nourishment and circulation for optimal hair growth. How do scalp conditions impact hair health?Scalp conditions can significantly impact hair health by affecting the health of hair follicles, causing issues like hair thinning, dandruff, itchiness, and hair loss. Proper scalp care is essential for maintaining overall hair health. Why is optimal scalp health important for hair growth?Optimal scalp health is essential for hair growth because a healthy scalp provides the ideal environment for hair follicles to thrive, promoting strong, vibrant, and healthy hair growth.

[missprotestalot]

38

Today I’m 38. Don’t know the last time I wrote a reflection, or something resembling a reflection (that wasn’t also a To Do list). I struggle to even know how to spend my birthday because it feels like a day that’s supposed to be about me, and I don’t even know what that means.

My kids have become the center point of everything, and that has been wonderful and sacrificial and challenging. Becoming a mother has totally transformed me as a person, to the point that when I look in the mirror I have to really squint to *see* the self I was even ten years ago, at 28, someone who said she was content to wake up at 4 am to work a kitchen job that barely paid the rent for my elevator-sized bedroom in a city that swallowed me up. I left New York at 29 looking for something more, not knowing what was in store for me yet. Children! Marriage! No one tells you (because how can they?) how hard and breathtaking and impossibly ecstatic these things can be.

Since lists are easiest for me these days, here are a few things I can manage to say I have learned as I reflect on 38 years. I think this list is for my children, who might, I hope, read it:

1.       Always shoo your ego away so you can be the one to say sorry, even if you’re first every time and the only one to do it.

2.       Impatience has never served you, and never will. Rushing is never worth it. Can’t think of a single time when I rushed, or acted out of impatience, and it worked out to be something I was glad about.

3.       Material items are harmful. Acquiring them, searching for the “best”, paying for them, caring for them. So much precious time is wasted on possessing “stuff”. The world revolves around capitalism and making you think you need things - more, better things -  to be happy. I wonder how many years I could get back, how much valuable time...

4.       Children deserve your full attention, whenever they ask for it. Always be willing to drop what you’re doing to look into their little faces and listen to what they want to tell you.

5.       Mistakes are the best way to learn. Make them instead of being afraid to try.

6.       Get more rest. Allow yourself to have no plans. Don’t worry that you will miss out on something. That’s a given – you will. But that’s OK. Learn to enjoy and experience the slice of life you’ve got right in your present moment.

7.       Let go of expectations, and see how much happier you can be with what you already have in your life.

8.       Be generous. Give people whatever you can. Do not spend a fraction of a moment thinking about what you are “getting” back from them. Focus on giving without receiving.

9.       We are a community of humans. We must help each other instead of find reasons to divide ourselves from one another. Look for similarities rather than differences in other people you come across, and learn to work with others instead of isolate and work alone.

10.   Be empathetic. Judgments are often made very quickly without enough information. Every day, remind yourself to think of this question about other people, “What are you going through?” and remember everyone is going through something, and you have no idea.

11.   Learn to love your house. It’s got a roof and it’s warm and even If the kitchen isn’t done and the walls are cracking, it’s home. You didn’t want perfect, anyway.

12.    Choose to be optimistic, even when it seems like optimism is ignorance. I still think that we can choose how we perceive our own lives. Which means we can steer ourselves in totally different directions along the way. I have learned that even dark and sad moments have new, important meaning for me related to growth rather than giving up. I would say learn to take your dark moments and your sad days and understand they are an important part of your whole life, that they should be acknowledged and thought of as pushing off points for experiencing joy, self-care and self-improvement, generosity, community, and sharing.

[glorenjoy]

first impression is the mission that makes the vision

We all have a constant stream of ideas sparked by experiences, conversations, or even a walk in the park. But with so many possibilities, how do we choose the winning one? The answer lies in GUTS: Grab opportunities to introduce your ideas. Unleash your wildest imagination to create bigger versions and turning them into reality, exploring every avenue to improve your concept for a wider audience. And transform challenges into opportunities to provide solutions and improve lives whilst remembering Guy Kawasaki's advice: prioritize meaning over profit.

Turning ideas into reality requires standing out from the beginning for those just starting. Your idea's first impression is crucial. Here's where elevator pitches come in. These short, clear presentations aim to pique the listener's interest without overwhelming them. Imagine offering a glimpse of your brilliant idea, enough to spark curiosity and leave them wanting more.

Crafting a compelling elevator pitch involves being yourself, whether that means being funny or telling stories to connect with your audience emotionally. While expertise is valuable, it's crucial to adjust your message based on who you're talking to, using clear and straightforward language everyone can understand. Avoid using fancy words or complicated explanations. And if possible, utilize visual aids to make use of your time more effectively and make your pitch more memorable. This way, you are promoting clear communication and focusing on making your idea easy to grasp.

Your pitch should also explain who you are, what your business is about, and who your target customers are. Highlight the problems your business solves and how it improves people's lives or saves time and money, as well as disclosing your marketing plan, team, financial projections, and expected returns.

Furthermore, pretending to ignore competitors does not help in pitching especially if your idea is familiar with existing market or industry. Instead, this is a good way to differentiate your idea from those businesses and rationalize why it is better. Through this, you can position yourself above the competitors. At the same time, you must always be prepared to answer questions from your audience as this is a great way to build your integrity.

Focus on realistic figures. As new information emerges, back your claims with data and well-considered plans for flexibility and adaptation. Highlight your unique strengths and opportunities. Explain what sets your business or innovation apart and the specific market gap it fills.

Finally, conclude your pitch with a strong statement or call to action that leaves a lasting impression. Make sure your audience knows what makes your idea special and what action you want them to take.

As the elevator doors close, exchanging business cards may indicate interest and further conversation. However, if they don't seem the perfect fit, don't hesitate to politely ask for a referral. You never know who they might connect you with – a potential partner, investor, or even someone who can offer valuable feedback. Regardless of the outcome, maintain your composure. Remember, rejection is a natural part of the entrepreneurial journey. Don't let a closed door discourage you. Use it as a learning experience to refine your pitch. Every interaction is a chance to improve, and the next time you step into an elevator with a potential backer, you will be stronger.

[sultanaislammow]

The ability of outstanding people to recognize problems and do things right in "two steps"

It is very important to grasp the ability to HE Tuber understand problems. If you want to do something and do it successfully, you first need to take action. This article will share with you how to achieve your goals by doing two things. I hope you can gain something.

I often hear people ask at work: How to solve this problem?

A very important point for people in the workplace is the ability to think independently. The process and quality of thinking determine how to do things correctly.

I focus on how to think and analyze, from understanding the problem to defining and solving it. In this process, I think independently and use the "two-step" method to do things right.

1. Understanding and practice of problems

When encountering problems at work, the first thing to do is to find sources of high-quality information, collect a large amount of information efficiently , and have a process of repeated understanding of the problems to be solved .

Everyone has a moment of inspiration every day. These inspirations are fleeting and may be difficult to recall if they are not recorded.

Before the rise of the Internet, many people were accustomed to carrying a pen and a notebook with them to record moments of inspiration. With the continuous enrichment and understanding of the recording process, they had a perceptual understanding of the problem, and further integrated and analyzed it. Gradually form a rational understanding of the problem after thinking, judging and choosing.

After you have a rational understanding of the problem, you need to find the key points and solve the problem in a targeted manner (concentrate resources on one point). Remember not to spread the problem everywhere, the result will definitely not be good, because your time, energy, and resources are all limited.

If you do not collect enough information at the beginning, you will understand and define the problem in a narrow sense. There are many such examples in reality.

When the middle management dismantles the higher-level goals, they only focus on the indicator results (how much money can be divided). They say: "I only look at the results." They completely ignore the user's habits and ideas, and look at all problems short-sightedly.

Objective analysis and thinking, focusing on going down to the front line to observe, analyze and solve, will help to grasp the essence of things.

Many people who make products have experienced the storm and received a wave of dividends from the Internet. For example, in life, one person chooses to look at a house, while the other chooses to work overtime, and it is not uncommon for the former to double his assets.

Many people think this is luck, but these people ignore the "decision-making power of choice". Choice itself is a kind of ability. In invisible places, people who successfully buy a house and improve their wealth often spend most of their energy and collect a lot of money. Conduct research and analysis of data.

Such as which location, which period, what you can bear, what needs to be given up and balanced, etc., and gradually form your own judgment on the information, and finally make the decision to buy a house through rational thinking instead of simply saying "luck" .

In this process of buying a house, choice is the focus and the fulcrum of the problem.

After we have a rational understanding of the problem, the actions we take through practice can verify our previous thinking process. From perceptual knowledge gained through insights and feelings, to the establishment of concepts to choose, reason and judge .

For example, when we are planning products, we usually draw prototypes/processes and sort out our ideas. During this sorting process, new understandings and ideas are generated.

The same is true when encountering problems. After you have a basic idea and understanding, you should start working first. In the collision of practice, you will encounter various problems, which will also be accompanied by more new thinking and new understanding.

Just like when we make products, after we have a certain understanding and grasp of the business, we can take action and run quickly. It doesn't have to be perfect, just roll it out and try it out.

But if I want to fully understand something before taking action, or if I just stop thinking about it, then basically nothing will be done.

And if you want to make this product a success, there must be a group of people behind you who support you. For example, while taking action in leading, project establishment, product review, etc., I also tell others that I am taking action.

At this time, the "resources" will actively lean towards you, and you can expand your horizontal organization/mobilization capabilities, mobilize collaborative departments, and form a project team.

This can also be regarded as a rule for product managers to "understand", "practice" and "resource" at work.

Quote from "Wang Yangming's "Zhuan Xi Lu""

“Where knowledge is true and sincere, it is action; when action is clear, aware and careful, it is knowledge.”

The idea of ​​"unity of knowledge and action" requires not only the understanding of "knowing", but also the continuous improvement and adjustment of understanding in the practice of "doing".

Once you have a concept and understanding, you can take action amidst constant changes, solve problems in the process of practice, and then return to practice to apply it after gaining new understanding.

[universalinfo]

CREATE THE ORGANISATION OF THE FUTURE: STEP UP YOUR HR STRATEGY

The way we lead and manage our organizations has been set in stone for decades, but what would happen if we were to rethink the traditional HR role? What if managers and leaders become Human Resource Architects instead of just admins? Instead of focusing solely on static tasks like payroll and hiring, they could use their skills to help build the organization of the future which is agile, diverse, motivated and innovative. In this blog post we’ll discuss how HR can be used as a lever to foster great organizational cultures – ones that bring out the best in everyone involved. 

The changing landscape of Human resources

The landscape of Human Resources has evolved significantly over the years, forging a path towards an increasingly people-centered approach. Technology has played a crucial role in streamlining HR processes, optimizing tasks like talent acquisition, managing employee training programs, and improving overall employee experiences. Such advancements have freed up HR professionals to focus more on strategic goals and employee engagement.

The rise of flexible work environments and a more dynamic workforce, in response to globalization and the gig economy, has encouraged HR departments to seek out innovative and adaptable solutions. Today, the spotlight lies on nurturing a strong organizational culture, promoting diversity and inclusion, ensuring employee well-being, and fostering continuous learning thereby shaping Human Resources into a powerful force driving business success.

Understand the companies mission, vision, and values

The first step to creating an organization of the future is to ensure that people understand the company’s mission, vision, and values. It’s crucial for HR professionals to create a culture of accountability and transparency by encouraging open communication with all staff, from top-level executives to line-level employees. When employees know their purpose and can see how their work fits into the greater picture, they are more likely to stay motivated and invested in their roles.

Training opportunities

To really build a successful organization of the future, HR must also put emphasis on developing talent within the organization. Investing in employee training opportunities helps keep teams up-to-date with industry trends, encourages career growth, and boosts morale. Regular feedback sessions are also important and managers should regularly provide their employees with constructive criticism and recognition for a job well done.

Recruitment

In addition to developing internal talent, HR must also play an integral role in recruiting top-notch employees from outside the organization. By creating an attractive employer brand that highlights your company’s values, mission, and benefits, you can attract potential candidates who share those same goals and ambitions. Once someone is hired, it’s important to have onboarding processes set up to ensure new hires are able to become productive members of the team as quickly as possible.

Opportunities

HR should not ignore the importance of workplace culture when crafting their strategies. A positive work environment is essential for attracting and retaining talented individuals. To help cultivate a culture of growth, HR should ensure there are ample opportunities for collaboration, career development, and social events.

Technology

Finally, Embracing technology has become a game-changer for Human Resources, paving the way for greater efficiency in meeting their goals. The integration of advanced HR tools simplifies complex tasks, streamlines procedures, and opens up valuable opportunities for growth and improvement. These solutions help HR professionals to make data-driven decisions by offering accessible analytical tools, resulting in enhanced business outcomes.

Furthermore, technology eases the burden of managing employee training and development programs, enabling HR teams to choose the most fitting strategy for each individual’s growth. The use of technology in the HR landscape empowers professionals with the tools they need to make a meaningful impact within their organization, optimizing time and resources while fostering a nurturing and supportive environment for their workforce.

By following these steps, you can create an organization of the future that embraces change and values its employees. With the right tools and strategies in place, HR can become the catalyst for building a successful organization that is focused on growth, innovation, and success. To achieve this goal, leaders must rethink their traditional HR roles from transitioning from admins to human resource architects who are actively engaged with shaping company cultures. By focusing on mission & vision alignment, talent management & development, recruiting strategies, and workplace culture building, HR can create an organization of the future. Step up your HR strategy to make sure you’re staying ahead of the competition.

Website : https://hrssolutions.com/sb/create-organisation-future-step-up-your-hr-strategy/

[alakmalakt]

What’s the worst thing that can happen to your mobile app? Your users don’t download your mobile application or do they simply uninstall it after using it once? The latter case is quite common among apps that lack features or functionality. If you want to increase adoption, then you need to make sure your app does what it promises. This means taking time to perfect the design and implementation of the app, as well as testing thoroughly before releasing it.

Today’s mobile app market is diverse and competitive. While some developers focus solely on creating useful software, others prefer to build games and entertainment experiences. In order to stand out amongst the crowd, you need to take advantage of new technologies. App failures happen for lots of reasons. Some of those reasons include bad design or architecture, poor user experience and user interfaces, etc. In this article, we will look at some of the major reasons that are the reason behind the failure of your mobile app.

So, here is the list of reasons which majority of the mobile apps fail:-

1. Unable to reach the target audience

One of the biggest mistakes that businesses make when marketing their mobile apps is not targeting the right audience. This can be a problem because if you are not focused on who your app is for, it becomes difficult to design an effective user experience and generate leads. Your app should be designed with the consumer in mind, and this means understanding what they want and need.

Additionally, your app needs to be relatable and fit within your target market’s lifestyle in order to attract them. When you know these things, it becomes much easier to develop features that will drive traffic back into your app and increase engagement rates among users. Another common mistake business owners make is launching their mobile apps without proper testing or validation.

2. Not offering the solution to customer’s needs

When it comes to mobile apps, making sure that you offer customers the solution to their needs is key. If your app doesn’t offer a solution, then customers may not be able to find what they are looking for and uninstall the app. Additionally, if you don’t provide updates or new content regularly, then customers might become disengaged and move on to other options.

In order to ensure that your mobile apps remain successful, make sure that you are constantly working on improving them by incorporating new features and designs into your app. You can also develop partnerships with leading third-party platforms in order to improve customer engagement even further. By taking these measures, you can ensure that your mobile apps will continue thriving long into the future!

3. Neglecting customer engagement and feedback

Avoiding customer engagement and feedback can often lead to mobile app failure due to a lack of transparency and poor design. This is because customer feedback is essential for improving the quality of your app, but sometimes developers choose not to accept it or ignore it altogether. As a result, customers are left with an inferior product that may not meet their expectations.

This situation becomes even worse when developers don’t respond to customer criticism in a timely manner. In fact, many times they will take measures like removing negative reviews or blocking critical comments from being seen by others. This can have serious consequences as disgruntled users may eventually stop using your app altogether which could hurt your business overall. It’s important instead to create an open and transparent relationship with your customers so that they feel comfortable giving you constructive feedback that can help improve the quality of your app.

4. Bad user experience while navigating

Poor user experience can often lead to mobile app failure, as it can discourage customers from returning or using the app again. This is especially true when it comes to poorly designed and difficult-to-navigate interfaces. Users may become frustrated with how long it takes them to find their way around the app and how easy it would be if the interface were more user-friendly.

This type of frustration can also negatively affect customer loyalty, as users might begin looking for alternative options. Additionally, high bounce rates are usually an indicator that your website is not well designed. Improving these areas will help you achieve higher click-through rates (CTRs), which in turn will boost brand awareness and increase revenue streams over time!

5. Improper testing and QA

Testing and QA are essential for ensuring that your mobile apps are bug-free and compliant with all applicable regulatory requirements. However, if testing isn’t done properly, this can lead to a number of issues, including application failure or faulty user experience. Poorly executed testing can also result in incorrect assumptions being made about the app’s functionality which could cause unforeseen problems down the road.

Additionally, poor quality control can compromise the confidentiality and integrity of data as it moves between different systems within an organization. Finally, inadequate QA may even invalidate intellectual property rights or expose customer data to unauthorized access by third parties. In short, proper testing is vital for catching potential issues before they cause serious damage to your business.

6. Not optimizing app performance for speed functionality

Poor app performance can lead to a variety of issues, including frustrated users who give up on your app. In order for your mobile apps to be successful, you need to make sure that they are as fast as possible. There are several ways that you can optimize your app for speed functionality, such as using caching plugins or speeding up front-end code with optimized templates.

Additionally, making sure that all resources are loaded in the correct order will minimize load times and improve overall performance. By optimizing your app’s architecture and design, you can ensure that it runs quickly regardless of what device or browser is being used. Finally, testing is essential to ensuring that changes made to the code do not have negative consequences down the line.

7. Too many similar applications available

One of the biggest challenges that mobile app developers face is how to create unique and compelling applications that are not easily confused with one another. If too many similar applications are available in the market, it can lead to a decline in users’ interest which will ultimately impact the success of your app.

As an app developer, it is important to keep things differentiating so that your application stands out from the crowd. You can do this by adding new and innovative features, creating engaging content, or developing marketing campaigns that target specific demographics. By doing these things, you can help increase user engagement and attract new customers who may be interested in your product or service.

Conclusion

Mobile app development is a complex process that requires careful planning and execution. It takes a lot of effort and expertise to develop a great app that meets all of its goals. As a mobile app developer, you should always strive to provide a positive user experience and avoid common mistakes that can prevent your app from reaching its full potential. In this article, we have compiled a list of mistakes that can lead to the failure of your mobile app. Avoid the above mistakes and step towards the success of your mobile app.

In case, if you need any help, our team of experts offers you industry-specific advice on how to improve your business using state-of-the-art technologies. Contact us today at Alakmalak Technologies for expert services at no additional cost.

[prfmanagementdubai]

10 Benefits of Outsourced Accounting in Dubai

Accounting is a very essential part of any business as it helps manage finances and money, which is why it cannot be ignored or taken lightly. It is very important to always keep your business accounts straight and clear, irrespective of your business type.

But handling accounting on your own can be a tough task for businesses, as they have a lot of things to handle already with little time and resources on their hands.

Accounting is a broad concept that has many aspects. Normally, an organisation handles its accounting procedures with the help of an internal accountant, but nowadays, entities seek the services of a reputable accounting firm to make things simpler and more professional.

There are many accounting firms in Dubai, but choosing the right one is very important. You will need to choose a company who will take care of all your accounting needs while you focus on your business.

So, let’s look at the benefits of outsourcing your accounting to PRF Management Consultancy. 

Cost Effectiveness

Outsourcing your accounting is much more cost-effective than hiring an accountant. You have to only pay the amount for the work that is done, and save a lot by not paying the money paid to an employee through salaries, recruitment, office space, and other benefits. 

You can even save on the money spent on hiring and training staff, as well as the costs of maintaining an in-house accounting department. This will undoubtedly help you spend more on real estate and staff in Dubai. 

At PRF, we will make sure to provide you with the perfect accounting solutions without compromising the quality of our services. 

Access to Expertise and Professionalism 

Outsourced accounting services can provide you with access to expert advice and guidance on a wide range of accounting-related issues, such as tax planning, financial reporting, and compliance with regulations. You can save a lot of time by not having to search for and hire professional accountants. When your data is handled by experts, you can be confident that your targets and deadlines will be met. 

The right professionals will provide you with information and advice that can help you avoid tax-related legal penalties by maintaining your books of accounts correctly. Furthermore, hiring an accounting firm as your outsourcing partner gives you access to their team of accountants.

Focus on your business

In order to execute a flawless internal financial analysis, a qualified outsourced team will ensure that your balance sheets and financial statements are correct. 

With this, you can be relaxed about accounting and easily focus on growing the other aspects of your business.

By outsourcing your accounting services, you can free up time and resources that can be better spent on your core business activities.This can help you focus on growing your business and improving your competitive advantage

Wide Range of Services 

One of the benefits of outsourcing your accounting is that you can offer a variety of services and management consultation according to the business laws in Dubai.

Accounting firms offer a wide range of accounting services, including tax preparation, bookkeeping, consultation, and tracking expenses and revenues. If you're new to Dubai and have just started a business there, you can get consultation from accounting firms that adhere to local regulatory standards.

Flexibility

Outsourced accounting services can be tailored to your specific needs and can be scaled up or down as your business grows or changes. This can provide you with the flexibility you need to adapt to changing business conditions.

Instead of hiring a new employee who needs a salary and benefits, you can outsource tasks to outside experts if you have an unanticipatedly poor financial quarter. Every company requires this level of financial flexibility to be competitive.

This flexibility is not possible with an in-house accounting department.

Increased efficiency

Outsourced accounting services are typically provided by experts who are trained and experienced in the latest accounting techniques and technologies. So, when you outsource your accounting services to a firm, it doesn't only save your business money but also contributes to efficiency and precision. 

This can even help you improve the efficiency of your accounting processes and reduce errors.

Accuracy in account statements

It is very important to have accuracy in account statements because a single error can jeopardise the accuracy of a company’s financial statements. Hiring someone who is an expert and professional in this area may be difficult.

That is why outsourcing your accounting services to a professional accounting firm will be the best decision, as they have a skilled team of employees who are well-versed in accounting concepts and know how to address issues with account statements. 

Maintain compliance with accounting standards

The governments of the United Arab Emirates and Dubai have rigid accounting standards and rules for setting up company procedures. Based on the state of the economy and other factors, these rules and regulations are periodically updated.

A professional accounting firm will help you keep your business, transactions, accounting methods, and other paperwork in accordance with the updated accounting standards. In the event of noncompliance with accounting standards, it will have an adverse impact on the continuity of the business.

Proper Utilisation of Time

Accounting work will take a lot of time, and there are many possibilities of making a mistake or error if you try to do it yourself. Trying to do it again and again will take a lot of your time. In addition, things like accounting have to be done by people who are experts and skilled at doing that, such as accountants.

If you outsource your accounting services to an accounting firm in Dubai, they will handle all of your activities that result in the inflow or transaction of money to regulators and tax-collecting entities. Auditors in Dubai can assist a firm by paying close attention to the important activities that are directly connected to the processes and methods used to generate profits.

Risk and Fraud Protection

It is very important for businesses to protect themselves against risk and fraud. But when you run a business, you should know that new projects and transactions can come with a lot of risk that cannot be avoided.

That is why it is very important to let an accounting firm manage your accounting services. Accounting firms have expertise in protecting your business from risk and other fraudulent activities.

Conclusion

These benefits can help you improve the financial health of your business and achieve your long-term goals.

At PRF, our team of experts and professionals will use their best approach to provide the best accounting services for your business, so that you have the time, money, and resources to focus on other parts of your business. 

We use high-end project management tools to provide outsourced professional accounting and financial management services, which allow businesses to seamlessly interact with our professional consultants through a multi-platform app or web portal. So, get your consultation now from the best accounting and bookkeeping firm in Dubai, PRF Management Consultancy.

Source : https://www.prfmanagement.com/blog/outsourcedaccounting.php 

[grabyourluck-blog]

11 Ways to Sabotage Your Online Success

New Post has been published on https://www.referral-master.com/11-ways-to-sabotage-your-online-success/

11 Ways to Sabotage Your Online Success

Hint: Do the Opposite and Success Will Be Yours!

Is the Internet easy money? A lot of people seem to think so, which might be why we see Internet businesses come and go faster than feathers in the wind. And sadly, while it takes a lot to succeed in business, it really takes very little effort to fail.

But you can turn the tables and give yourself a head start by NOT doing the following:

1. Bringing nothing new. You see what someone else is doing and you copy it. FAIL. Unless you do it faster, better, cheaper, stronger, more effectively, etc.; you won’t make a dent in the market. You’ve got to differentiate your business by either offering something new or something vastly improved.

2. Not prioritizing. If you’re obsessed with trivial things like getting your latest article perfected – rather than focusing on the big things like making sales – you’re going to fail. Decide what’s most important to making your business a success (aka: getting new customers and taking care of your current customers) and spend your time and resources on those activities.

3. Doing everything yourself. Sure, you’re lousy at building websites, but who wants to pay a pro, right? So you spend 4 weeks building a website that frankly looks like it was made by a junior high student doing just enough to get a barely passing “D” grade. Forget about it. Hire outsourcers to do the things you stink at, and focus your efforts on what you do well.

4. Pleasing everybody. You’ve got a product that everybody needs and wants, and you’re going to sell billions of them, right? Probably not. First of all, how do you reach a market of “everybody?” Second, when you try to appeal to everyone, you generally wind up appealing to no one. By targeting your product or service to a specific group of people you vastly increase your odds of success.

5. Not being obsessed. If you’re laid back, working now and then when you ‘feel’ like it, and wondering where the truck full of cash is hiding, then guess what: It’s not coming. You’ve got to put in long hours in the beginning of your business to make it succeed, and if you don’t then you’ll never have a business – only a money sucking hobby that annoys your spouse and wastes what time you do spend on it.

6. Changing course repeatedly. Hey, you were going to write great content about fishing and promote fishing related affiliate products, but you just bought this great course on how to sell backlinks, so you’re going to do that instead, except there’s this other course on how to make a killing servicing the Forex community… STOP! Choose your business model and then strap on a pair of blinders so thick you can’t tell if it’s daytime or nighttime.

Once you’ve got those blinders on, the ONLY things that get through are methods and tools that help you on your present course. Anything that could divert you off course is totally, completely irrelevant and will be shunned and ignored to the full extent of your laser focused abilities.

7. Thinking the universe will do it for you. Yes, you’ve watched The Secret a dozen times and read all the latest books on manifesting your destiny. Now all you need to do is sit back and visualize your success 24/7, and it’ll happen because you’re just that kind of guy (or gal.) Get a grip. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to be because you MAKE it happen, not because the Universe owes you a debt of gratitude for you being, well, you.

8. Being a cautious genius. You’ve got a good idea of what to do, but there’s just a few more things you need to learn before you take that first real step because you’ve got to get it just right. After all, in school it was all the studying that got you the good grades, right?

Well guess what, this isn’t school and studying won’t even get you out the door. Yes, you need to know what you’re doing, but no, you don’t need to write your doctorate before you take action. There are times when you need to throw caution to the wind. If you’re procrastinating, if you’re scared, if you’re “not quite ready,” then it’s time to stop preparing and start DOING.

9. Clutching pennies so tightly they scream. You go with the $1 a month hosting because it saves you $9 a month. Then your website crashes the day of your first launch, and there’s no phone number or online chat to get a hold of anyone.

In fact, reading the fine print on your web hosting site, you discover that they only accept correspondence via carrier pigeon, and then only on the third Tuesday of the month. Yes, you need to watch expenses. No, you do not need to cut corners so badly you ruin your own business.

There is an exception and it’s this: If you happen to have a lot of money sitting around gathering dust, you can hire people to perform most of your online marketing tasks for you. You’ll still need to determine the course of your business and guide it in the right direction, but what you spend in money can save you in time.

Then again, having a lot of money to throw at a new venture is often its own recipe for failure, so beware and be careful if you plan to employ this method.

10. Screwing your customers. What’s important is making the sale, not making the customer happy, right? Wrong. Refunds, bad reviews and disastrous customer service will ruin your business faster than termites will eat tree houses in the tropics. Take care of your customers, give them more than they expect, thank them and then ask what else you can do for them. Remember: No customers = no business.

11. Failing terrifies the stuffing out of you. Maybe you shouldn’t do ____ because you might fail. (You fill in the blank.) Guess what – failure is GOOD. Without failure there is no success. The only person who has never failed is the person who has never attempted anything in their life. Do you want to be that person? No. Then expect that you will fail now and then, and when you do, you’re going to pick yourself right back up and keep going.

There you have it – 11 ways to fail or succeed. The choice, my friends, is up to you.

[icinch]

11 Ways to Sabotage Your Online Success

New Post has been published on https://www.cinchhomebiz.com/11-ways-to-sabotage-your-online-success/

11 Ways to Sabotage Your Online Success

Hint: Do the Opposite and Success Will Be Yours!

Is the Internet easy money? A lot of people seem to think so, which might be why we see Internet businesses come and go faster than feathers in the wind. And sadly, while it takes a lot to succeed in business, it really takes very little effort to fail.

But you can turn the tables and give yourself a head start by NOT doing the following:

1. Bringing nothing new. You see what someone else is doing and you copy it. FAIL. Unless you do it faster, better, cheaper, stronger, more effectively, etc.; you won’t make a dent in the market. You’ve got to differentiate your business by either offering something new or something vastly improved.

2. Not prioritizing. If you’re obsessed with trivial things like getting your latest article perfected – rather than focusing on the big things like making sales – you’re going to fail. Decide what’s most important to making your business a success (aka: getting new customers and taking care of your current customers) and spend your time and resources on those activities.

3. Doing everything yourself. Sure, you’re lousy at building websites, but who wants to pay a pro, right? So you spend 4 weeks building a website that frankly looks like it was made by a junior high student doing just enough to get a barely passing “D” grade. Forget about it. Hire outsourcers to do the things you stink at, and focus your efforts on what you do well.

4. Pleasing everybody. You’ve got a product that everybody needs and wants, and you’re going to sell billions of them, right? Probably not. First of all, how do you reach a market of “everybody?” Second, when you try to appeal to everyone, you generally wind up appealing to no one. By targeting your product or service to a specific group of people you vastly increase your odds of success.

5. Not being obsessed. If you’re laid back, working now and then when you ‘feel’ like it, and wondering where the truck full of cash is hiding, then guess what: It’s not coming. You’ve got to put in long hours in the beginning of your business to make it succeed, and if you don’t then you’ll never have a business – only a money sucking hobby that annoys your spouse and wastes what time you do spend on it.

6. Changing course repeatedly. Hey, you were going to write great content about fishing and promote fishing related affiliate products, but you just bought this great course on how to sell backlinks, so you’re going to do that instead, except there’s this other course on how to make a killing servicing the Forex community… STOP! Choose your business model and then strap on a pair of blinders so thick you can’t tell if it’s daytime or nighttime.

Once you’ve got those blinders on, the ONLY things that get through are methods and tools that help you on your present course. Anything that could divert you off course is totally, completely irrelevant and will be shunned and ignored to the full extent of your laser focused abilities.

7. Thinking the universe will do it for you. Yes, you’ve watched The Secret a dozen times and read all the latest books on manifesting your destiny. Now all you need to do is sit back and visualize your success 24/7, and it’ll happen because you’re just that kind of guy (or gal.) Get a grip. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to be because you MAKE it happen, not because the Universe owes you a debt of gratitude for you being, well, you.

8. Being a cautious genius. You’ve got a good idea of what to do, but there’s just a few more things you need to learn before you take that first real step because you’ve got to get it just right. After all, in school it was all the studying that got you the good grades, right?

Well guess what, this isn’t school and studying won’t even get you out the door. Yes, you need to know what you’re doing, but no, you don’t need to write your doctorate before you take action. There are times when you need to throw caution to the wind. If you’re procrastinating, if you’re scared, if you’re “not quite ready,” then it’s time to stop preparing and start DOING.

9. Clutching pennies so tightly they scream. You go with the $1 a month hosting because it saves you $9 a month. Then your website crashes the day of your first launch, and there’s no phone number or online chat to get a hold of anyone.

In fact, reading the fine print on your web hosting site, you discover that they only accept correspondence via carrier pigeon, and then only on the third Tuesday of the month. Yes, you need to watch expenses. No, you do not need to cut corners so badly you ruin your own business.

There is an exception and it’s this: If you happen to have a lot of money sitting around gathering dust, you can hire people to perform most of your online marketing tasks for you. You’ll still need to determine the course of your business and guide it in the right direction, but what you spend in money can save you in time.

Then again, having a lot of money to throw at a new venture is often its own recipe for failure, so beware and be careful if you plan to employ this method.

10. Screwing your customers. What’s important is making the sale, not making the customer happy, right? Wrong. Refunds, bad reviews and disastrous customer service will ruin your business faster than termites will eat tree houses in the tropics. Take care of your customers, give them more than they expect, thank them and then ask what else you can do for them. Remember: No customers = no business.

11. Failing terrifies the stuffing out of you. Maybe you shouldn’t do ____ because you might fail. (You fill in the blank.) Guess what – failure is GOOD. Without failure there is no success. The only person who has never failed is the person who has never attempted anything in their life. Do you want to be that person? No. Then expect that you will fail now and then, and when you do, you’re going to pick yourself right back up and keep going.

There you have it – 11 ways to fail or succeed. The choice, my friends, is up to you.

[kieraelieson]

No Rest for the Deathworlders

Logan had always loved the stars.

Still did, though his love had been dampened by the way in which he was currently seeing them.

He watched out the window, or rather, screen, but it was made to show the outside of the ship, and thinking of it as a window was oddly comforting. A bit of something close to home.

A lump grew in his throat at the thought of home, pressing against the collar. He forced himself back to a neutral, tugging the collar away from the front of his throat as far as it would go. A brief flicker of anger replaced the nostalgia. Anger at the collar, at his own inability to remove it, at the monsters that had forced it onto him, at his own complacency now that it was on.

He didn’t have it as bad as some other humans did, he was well aware. All the collar did was teleport him to the location of the person holding the remote. Granted, it was unpleasant and incredibly disorienting, but nothing like the near-torture he’d heard was the more common method of keeping humans captive.

The captain of the ship was smart in choosing Logan, as far as the welfare of the ship went.

“You’re invested in your own survival,” He’d said through the translators. “If the ship goes down, you’ll go with it. If you sabotage the ship and try to escape on a pod, I can get you back to me immediately, and you’ll meet the same fate as you intended for us. It’s in your best interests to cooperate and to bond with the crew.”

Well, Logan could agree that it was in his best interests to cooperate. But no one could make him get attached to anyone. And no one could stop him from making little problems.

Like ignoring the insistent, “Human, where are you? Human!” that was coming from his communicator.

The window dissolved in front of him, and Logan felt abruptly as if he were on the world’s worst rollercoaster for several seconds. It took him a minute to register the angry captain now in front of him. He was yelling something, but not through the communicator, so Logan couldn’t understand what. And he was far too dizzy and almost nauseous to pay attention even if it was understandable.

He shook his head slowly from side to side and up and down once, hoping to clear the vertigo somewhat.

“You must come when called!” The communicator translated. “Or at least answer!”

Logan stubbornly remained silent, the dizziness gradually clearing.

For an alien that looked more like a slime monster than anything with a real face, the captain still managed to look extremely displeased. Not that Logan cared.

“There are ------ trailing our ship,” the captain said, one of his words not translating properly. “We need to go faster or we’ll get boarded.”

Ok, maybe Logan did care.

“Humans are supposed to be good at making ships go faster, fix it.”

Logan frowned. “I’ve been here three days,” he said into the communicator. “I hardly know how anything in the ship works, much less how to improve any of its functions!”

“I’ve studied humans, I know better than that, fix it.” The captain said shortly.

Logan opened his mouth to protest, but the room around him dissolved, the horrible spinning sensation back. His legs gave out and he dropped onto the floor in a different place.

He swallowed hard, his stomach threatening to upend itself.

“And they call you deathworlders,” someone scoffed. “A transporter has you on your knees.”

Beyond his sick feelings, and the anger at being mocked, he caught onto that plural reference. Was there another human on the ship?

In addition, there were apparently multiple remotes to the teleporter around his throat, which ruined his plan of trying to steal or fight the captain for the one.

He slowly sat up, his head still spinning. He hoped that his body would eventually grow accustomed to the teleportation and the dizziness would stop being so awful.

There was a chittering sound beside him that the translator didn’t attempt to process. He turned to see an alien that would likely be very tall if it wasn’t on all fours. It was very thin, with long arms and legs, which ended in smooth nubs, without hands or feet. The front two, which Logan thought of as arms, though the alien probably would have a different name for them, seemed to be perforated along the last six inches. As Logan watched, one of them was extended towards him slowly, and something softer could be seen on the inside. It was able to be extruded through the holes, and was likely the way in which the alien could grasp things.

He backed away from the limb before it could touch him, and the alien also backed away a step, making a low woody sounding whistle, like air blown over a jug. It’s head looked rather moth-like, with antenna that curled and straightened, and large eyes.

The alien seemed sentient, though Logan was confused that the translator wasn’t picking up on its speech.

Until he saw a very familiar collar, only around their waist. They were also captive then. And possibly, though it disappointed his hopes of meeting another human, they were the other deathworlder, also affected poorly by the teleportation.

The strange attempted touch then, could have potentially been intended as comfort or aid.

“You’ve been sitting long enough, get this ship to move faster,” the other alien in the room grumbled.

Logan glared. “How am I even supposed to do that?” He snapped. “I don’t have training or experience, I don’t know what half this stuff is and I can’t read your labels!”

“You can either fix it now, or we can teleport you between here and the captain until you do.” The alien's tone was disgusting and wet, and Logan was glad he could focus on the robot sound of the translator as his stomach lurched again.

He could try.

If nothing else, he might learn some new things and be able to convince them that he really wasn’t able to just do things he’d never tried before.

The room was smaller than he would’ve expected, presuming he was in a kind of engine room. Around the edges of the room were a number of bins, holding substances ranging from powders to liquids.

In the center of the room was a glass tube that went from floor to ceiling, and seemed to be filled with a glowing crystal stalagmite. From the top of the tube dripped some kind of liquid, and at the bottom it flowed out in small pipes, glowing the same as the crystal and possibly converted into fuel.

He could assume that with all of the powders and liquids that there was a chemical reaction causing the substance to obtain the glowing quality and become fuel. But what that was, and how to know what was safe to change about it, he had no idea.

“Well?” The alien, whom he now assumed to be what served as the ship’s engineer, asked.

He was making so many assumptions, and still was barely anywhere. They could all be wrong.

“Explain to me how it works,” Logan said. “Then I’ll try to ‘fix’ it.”

The alien made an unpleasant sound that the translator interpreted as a sigh. “This is a ——-, the liquid is a mixture of ——, ——, ——-, and ——, but it could be made with any of the ——— family instead of the ———, or you could replace the ———- with ——— for better efficiency at different energy levels. We also have several forms of ———-, which ought to make more potent fuel for higher speeds, but every time we’ve tried the ———- smokes and explodes and there’s residue in the tubing for several rotations which puts us at a standstill.”

Logan grimaced. He had a very small idea of what was being said based on gestures, but he’d much prefer to have names and details. It seemed this was a very large and dangerous version of chemistry experiments, with no textbook, and his only advice coming from someone who hadn’t studied.

Well, there was the other ‘deathworlder’ in the room. He could only hope they knew something about any of this. Though the difficulty in communication might make that knowledge impossible to access.

He turned towards them anyway. “Can you understand me at all?”

They made another low whistling sound, followed by chittering. One arm waved, with… could he call them fingers? gesturing towards Logan.

He hoped desperately that he could consider that to be a yes.

“What would you do in—“

The engineer’s communicator interrupted him. “We thought we’d have a few more rotations but they’re closing in, has the human done anything yet?”

“No,” the engineer said. “It’s just staring at everything.”

“Well get it to hurry!”

The other ‘deathworlder’ made a long series of noises, pointing at one bin in particular and then at a place where it seemed the not-yet-fuel liquid was.

It was a foolish thing. A very foolish thing. But Logan took a scoop from the bin and dumped the powder into the liquid.

It bubbled and fizzed on contact, sending up thick clouds of a dark blue smoke.

An alarm blared.

The ship lurched, knocking them all to the ground.

And then the new ingredient actually hit the crystal, and there was a loud, high pitched ringing.

Logan covered his ears and shut his eyes, feeling like a weight was pressing him to the floor.

Everything was spinning, and loud, and then it was loud in a very different, but no less painful way.

“Protect me!” The captain shrieked.

There was a pained, screeching scream.

Logan was shoved, but he was barely aware of which direction, let alone what he was supposed to do about any of it.

Something grabbed onto his shoulders, and he flailed, hitting and kicking indiscriminately. Something burned on his side, and he kicked into something much more solid, sending a throbbing pain up his leg.

Everything was noise and pain and lights and movement and he didn’t understand any of it!

Logan struck out blindly at anything that came near him.

He thought he’d backed into a wall, but something must’ve been behind him, and it hit him hard over the head. He dropped to the floor, tears swimming in his eyes and blurring everything even further.

Everything dissolved around him and he was falling, spinning, dropping, tossed.

He was grateful more than anything when unconsciousness took him.

•^*^••

He woke slowly, feeling hazy and heavy. It was quiet, and not too bright, nothing was touching him. So he didn’t bother to open his eyes, just laying still.

He wasn’t dead at least.

Probably the pirates had attacked. Definitely he’d ruined the ship he’d been on.

The question was, was being with pirates any better than living on a ruined ship with aliens that considered him to be some kind of hyper-intelligent slave?

Or perhaps the question was, where was he now?

He forced his eyes open.

He was in a relatively large, empty room. The floor and walls seemed bare, though patched, not all of a single material.

He pushed himself up. There was a loud skittering noise away from him, and he yelped, flinging himself away clumsily.

He turned, and saw the other deathworlder, front legs shaking and making a rattling noise. He wasn’t sure if it was a fear response, a method of communication, or even some kind of threat display.

“It’s alright,” he said quietly, backing up a little farther.

The other alien didn’t try to come close again, so he figured it was mostly likely not interested in threatening him. There wasn’t an echo of his words in an alien language though, and he patted his shoulder to discover that the translator had been taken. His hand went to his throat, disappointed to find that they’d left the collar.

It was still there on the other alien also. They were both still prisoners then, wherever they were.

Looking around, it seemed that they were in an empty cargo space, rather than a proper holding cell, so there was a slightly greater possibility of escape.

There was that low whistling sound again. Logan was certain it was meant as a form of communication.

He tried whistling back, as low as he was capable of.

The alien chittered and shook its legs again, but Logan couldn’t tell even if it was a positive or negative reaction.

“I… don’t know how to talk with you,” he said, keeping his tone low and calm. He sat in a comfortable, loose position, hoping to get across the calm in his tone and posture. “But I’d like to try. I’m not sure what anything you’re doing means, and it’s possible you’re in the same situation. I’m hoping that you have more knowledge of humans than I do of your kind, and that you’ll be able to make better inferences than I’m currently capable of.”

The alien cocked its head to the side, watching him as he spoke. It took a tentative step forward on its spindly legs, and then propped itself on three, holding the fourth out to him.

Logan eyed the appendage. The softer inside substance was filling the holes, making it appear to have small bumps, rather than holes. He held out a hand to it, but didn’t try to touch.

The alien bumped the end of its leg into Logan’s palm.

That seemed… good? Perhaps this was a greeting similar to a handshake?

Logan very gently grasped the end of the appendage, the softer inside substance feeling cool to the touch, and almost like a stiff putty, whereas the harder outer shell felt very smooth and rigid, similar to metal, but light.

The alien retracted their arm, and then looked between their arm and his hand. The inner substance reformed, pressing out from several holes into a clear attempt at fingers. It seemed to be fully controlled by the alien, and moveable, albeit much more slowly than Logan could move his own fingers.

“That’s very impressive,” Logan said.

The alien chittered back at him.

Perhaps they could get somewhere through a kind of charades.

•^*^••

“I think that’s all we can carry,” Roman said, looking over the wreckage.

“We can hold more, we aren’t full yet,” Remus protested, still sad that some of the ship’s inhabitants had taken the escape pods. Aside from the power crystal, which was far too unstable to take, they were the best value on the little ship.

“The whole 3rd cargo bay is empty for the two deathworlders, we’re full.” Roman insisted.

“Oh. Forgot about them. Well, if we can hold ‘em, they might be enough to make it worth it.”

“If we can refill,” Roman grumbled. “I was expecting usable power from this ship.”

It had really been a not-very-great raid. They’d lost Aide, and Bill, and Rahgezis, and hadn’t even gotten much of anything good out of it.

And the deathworlders were far too grumpy to join the crew. If they’d had enough room they would’ve separated them, but he just took away the translators and hoped they weren’t already pack-bonded, and wouldn’t become so. Two single deathworlders were bad enough, two together? Their ship would be a wreck from the inside out.

They needed to give them a rotation or two to calm down, try and have a talk, and then drop them off at the nearest Embassy and get away before bad things happened.

Maybe the Embassy would even pay them for handing over deathworlders. Or maybe they’d arrest them for being pirates.

But without Rahgezis, Remus didn’t want to attempt anything on the black market with such a high demand as deathworlders.

And the teleportation bands should make it a little easier on them. They were super old, and no one in their right mind would use them, except as a practical joke, or a way of keeping enemies too off balance to attack. The ones on the two of them had been fused closed, rather than the usual buckle, so he felt more safe trying to hold the deathworlders than he would otherwise.

They’d only found one remote, but Inshes was already working on making a second.

“I’m going to see if the Scraascik is on any registries,” Roman said. “And I’ll check for the Human, but that’s less likely.”

Remus nodded. “I’ll handle getting us moving again. If they’re awake, maybe you could see about dropping some food into the cargo bay.”

“Yeah, I’ll try.” Roman sighed.

Remus set a claw on Roman’s back. Roman grumbled, leaning into Remus’s side, and then went off to do his research.

It’d been a hard day for both of them.

•^*^••

They’d managed to exchange names… sort of. The alien’s name was two notes, whistled lower than Logan was capable of, and likewise there was no way of the alien being able to pronounce the word Logan.

But the alien made a deep, almost resonant sound, that was as close as it seemed they could get to anything involving vocal cords. And that was their version of Logan.

Logan considered the two note sound, and came up with a slightly similar-sounding name. Virgil.

Neither of their names for each other were really very similar to their actual names, but they were able to understand each other, and that was what mattered.

As it turned out, Virgil was stronger than he was at pushing things, or hitting, but they couldn’t pull with any strength.

Logan was focusing his attention on the door, and had been so far unsuccessful in prying it open. It was solidly locked, and the lock seemed to only be on the other side of the door. Which likely meant that this room was detachable from the rest of the ship, in case of emergency or danger.

“Virgil.” Logan said, and Virgil turned to look at him from the patch on the wall they’d been inspecting.

Logan hit the door with his palm, his arm straight, in an imitation of the way he’d seen Virgil hit some of the patches, trying to break them. “Hit here.” He pointed at Virgil, and then at a spot where he suspected the lock was.

Virgil made a chittering sound and shambled over.

Logan again mimicked the strike, and then pointed at Virgil.

Virgil got into position. They were able to balance on three legs and rock their whole body weight forward to strike that small point their arm hit with all their strength and weight together.

They tried three times, but the door held firm.

Logan was impressed that they did not seem hurt by the attempt. Their exoskeleton must be very strong indeed. Which was possibly a part of why they were considered a deathworlder.

Logan wondered what their home planet was like.

The door suddenly opened, an alien clearly holding up one of the remotes to the teleporters.

Virgil backed away, turning and running to the other end of the room.

The alien spoke into a small microphone, which translated. “I brought food. Don’t come near me.”

The alien’s body looked almost bear-like, but with longer legs, clearly bipedal. They were only about half the size of a bear though. The fur also was shorter and sparser, and a very reddish kind of brown. The hands looked more useful than a bear’s paws as well. The head though was very unlike a bear’s. Logan didn’t know what to compare it to.

The alien was wearing clothes, which Logan had learned was entirely optional to most aliens, in bright reds and goldish yellows.

Perhaps this meant that this particular alien was more… Logan hesitated to say civilized. He scarcely knew anything about aliens, and could hardly make such judgements about them. Still, he believed he had a bit more chance reasoning with this one.

“Let us out of here,” he said, grateful that the translator picked it up and interpreted it.

“No.”

“We will leave you alone, we will not harm the ship. Let us go,” Logan said calmly but firmly.

The alien again said no, pushing in a tray of what could be food into the room with their foot, already starting to close the door.

“Wait!” Logan said, stepping forward.

The alien jumped, and pushed the button on the remote.

It didn’t seem to affect Logan, but instead Virgil was teleported close to the door. Virgil stumbled, falling against the wall and letting out what could only be described as a scream.

The alien who had delivered food looked even more scared now, and quickly shut the door. Logan pushed through his shock and alarm to try to open the door before it could be locked, but he was too late.

Virgil slumped to the ground, scream fading to a whistling wheeze.

As bad as the teleportation felt to him, Logan was scared that Virgil was being injured by it. Perhaps on the inside, where they were softer. Or perhaps it put too much strain on their rigid exoskeleton.

Was there anything he could do? He didn’t have any idea about what Virgil could need for medical care, and he didn’t want an attempt at comfort to be construed as an attack, especially while Virgil was vulnerable.

He knelt close to Virgil, a bit farther than an arm's length.

“Virgil?”

Virgil’s eyes opened, and from this close Logan could see the differentiation between pupil and iris. Virgil’s eyes were moving back and forth, like Logan had seen before in children who’d been spun in circles. He was likely still extremely disoriented then.

Virgil lifted one arm and waved it around slowly. It knocked into Logan’s shoulder lightly, and Virgil kept tapping it against his shoulders and head. Logan allowed it without complaint, guessing that it was grounding to Virgil, being able to verify that Logan was in one place and not moving, not spinning.

Virgil gradually steadied, taking their arm back.

Logan wished he had a way to ask ‘are you ok?’, but he didn’t. The best he had was, “Virgil?”

The whistle-clack he got in return seemed more positive than negative, though he had no way of accurately judging alien tones.

“Logan.”

Logan nodded, as it seemed the correct response.

Virgil pointed towards the nearly-forgotten tray, and Logan went to get it. Virgil struggled to their feet, looking something like a very large baby deer first trying to stand. If Logan had to guess, Virgil’s kind didn’t frequently sit or lie down.

The tray had a number of small round roll-like things that Logan was now accustomed to seeing. They were similar to banana bread in texture, but the taste was salty and rather bitter. When he’d asked, he’d been told that they were the standard in rations as they kept for a long time, and held an array of nutrients that was sufficient for the basic needs of a majority of species.

He suspected that he would require some greens or fruit if he continued eating these primarily, but he hadn’t seen any anywhere, only these.

Virgil stood over him and leaned down as much as they seemed easily capable of, which still left their head several feet above the ground. Logan was just wondering if they would need assistance to eat when a very long tongue, or perhaps proboscis, unrolled from their mouth and curled around one of the rolls, pulling it up into their mouth.

“What do you eat natively?” Logan wondered aloud. “And do you need water?”

There was a pitcher of water and two small cups. Logan poured one cup full and held it out to Virgil.

Virgil seemed to still be chewing, however, and incapable of drinking while doing so. Or perhaps they didn’t require water. Though, now that Logan was watching, he didn’t believe they were chewing at all. Certainly there was no jaw movement. They could be massaging the food with their tongue, and have particularly effective saliva perhaps.

Logan started eating a roll, setting Virgil’s cup down and filling the other for himself.

A minute later Virgil’s tongue unrolled again and drained the cup, seemingly effective as a massive straw.

“You really are fascinating,” Logan said softly. “Were we not in such a situation I would love to learn more about you.”

Virgil responded with a series of clicks and whistles.

“As it is though, we probably ought to attempt an escape. They haven’t tried to get anything from us, which makes me think they intend on trafficking us further. Most likely they don’t have the power to force us into work like the last ship did, so I think, despite the danger, that this will be our best chance. Of course, the danger is greater for you, the teleportation seems to hurt you much more than it does me.” Logan thought for a while. “I think our best bet would be to try forcing our way out the door the next time it opens. Perhaps one of us could knock the remote away. It is enlightening to know that the remote only works on one of us at a time.”

Logan sighed. “Of course we don’t know when or if they’ll enter again. It’s possible we’ll be held here until we reach wherever we’re going.”

Virgil made a low, soft whistle.

Logan laid on his back. “I can’t even properly ask you for your partnership. It’s infuriating to not be able to succeed at anything I attempt. There’s such a wealth of knowledge that is necessary, and I have no idea of any of it. Nor a way of learning, save through painful experience. I can’t become complacent, I have to effect change, but I never know when my efforts will be simply overturned.”

Virgil nudged his arm with their own.

Logan turned to look at them. Virgil chittered at him, bobbing up and down on their legs.

“What is it?”

“Logan.” Virgil said, still bobbing up and down.

Logan sat up. “I don’t understand.”

Virgil tapped his legs with their arm. “Logan.”

Logan stood up. “Is this what you want? Oh. If you don’t lay down to sleep, you must’ve been concerned when I did. I’ll have to sleep sometime though, and surely you’ve been exposed to aliens that lay down to sleep.”

But rather than relaxing, as Logan would assume Virgil would do if they were concerned, Virgil stepped closer, almost over Logan. Their antenna tilted towards him.

“Oh I see, this would be how you would confirm that I’m healthy, by feeling with your antenna, yes?” Logan remained still, unsurprised when there was a soft touch on his head.

But he was not at all expecting the sudden mental image of himself tackling the alien who’d delivered the food. It was so vivid it was as if he was already doing it, seeing the door open, tackling the alien, smashing the remote, and running forward to climb onto Virgil’s back as Virgil ran them both through the hallway.

Logan jerked back, falling on his butt. “What was that?! You have telepathy??”

Virgil made a movement that could be best described as a shrug.

Logan stood up again, reaching his hand out, battling his speed from excitement in an attempt not to scare Virgil. “Can we do it again?”

Virgil brushed his hand with their antenna, and the same scene flashed before his mind’s eye.

“Yes, yes I’ll do that! Can you understand my answer?”

Virgil made a whistle that Logan was almost certain was affirmative.

Logan paced back and forth excitedly, thinking out loud. “So you can communicate with me even if I can’t communicate with you well. And you very much want my partnership in escaping. We have a plan now. And a form of communication. Virgil, this is amazing!”

Virgil made an almost trilling noise.

•^*^••

“No, it hurt the Scraascik,” Roman said, already changing the ship’s course. “We can’t hold them safely, we have to get to the Embassy.”

“We didn’t even ask them to join us yet!” Remus protested.

“Would you join a strange crew after they hurt you?” Roman retorted, sending a message to the engine room to increase speed.

“Well what about the other one?”

“Remus. It won’t work.” Roman glared at him. “I don’t want to take chances with deathworlders.”

Remus sighed. “Fine. But let me try talking to them before we get there.”

Roman’s face went hard. “You have until we arrive,” he finally conceded.

Remus hurried down to the cargo bay.

He burst the door open, and it slammed shut behind him. Both deathworlders jolted, staring at him.

He then realized that he’d entirely forgotten the remote and the duplicate, and also that he was locked in a room with two deathworlders.

Well, there was a reason people joked he was addicted to adrenaline.

“Hello!” He said, waving. “I’m wondering if you’ll join my crew.”

The human moved first, standing up to a height decently taller than Remus was. And the Scraascik was even larger.

Perhaps he really was in serious danger.

“We just want to leave,” the human said, sounding rather threatening.

Probably telling them about the plan to hand them over to the Embassy then wasn’t a good idea until he was sure that he wasn’t in attack distance anymore. “You can, leave with us. Join our crew and you can adventure with us, raid ships, explore planets!”

“We want to leave alone,” the human said firmly.

“We? So… you bonded then? I guess that rumor is true, deathworlders all really do bond super fast.”

The human bared its teeth at him. “I will not be bonding to your crew based on your desires. I will not remain here, I want to leave. We want to leave.”

The Scraascik agreed in some of the most heavily accented Common Remus had ever heard. No wonder the translators hadn’t picked up any of his yelling when they’d boarded the ship. He’d probably need a translator to touch his antenna, but good luck getting a Scraascik to let anything touch their antenna.

“So you won’t even consider it?” Remus asked, not yet daunted.

“You’ve essentially kidnapped us, and both can and have hurt us! Why would I consider it?”

Yikes, the human sounded angry.

“Well we didn’t mean to hurt you, really, it’s not meant to be that bad. And we only kidnapped you from other kidnappers, and also I can’t hurt you cause I forgot the remote.”

The two deathworlders looked at each other, and Remus knew he really had gone and shoved his whole fist in his mouth. The human shifted position to a much more threatening crouch, as if it was going to pounce on him.

Remus held his arms out, claws at the ready. He might not have a hope of winning against deathworlders, but he could certainly make himself a pain of a target.

“I know I’m a pirate, but this was supposed to be just a talk,” Remus said, wondering if he’d be able to hit the communicator in time and if rescue was possible. Violent deathworlders in an enclosed space was not something he wanted his crew walking into, even for a rescue.

“It’s not much of a talk when we don’t have a say,” the human said, looking more and more threatening every second.

Iaoth , he wanted this human on his crew.

“Of course you have a say!” Remus said. “Name it, what position do you want, what pay, days off, I’ll give you whatever room in the ship you want as your quarters.”

“I fundamentally disagree with joining people that would knowingly traffic other people,” the human growled.

And then it leapt forward.

Remus yelped, swiping at the human and hitting the communicator with his other hand. “Roman!”

He was tackled to the ground, and the Scraascik pinned one arm while the human sat on his middle and held his other arm down.

“Remus?!” Roman’s voice came through the communicator.

“Let us go,” the human growled. “Once we’re out we’ll let them go.”

There was a tremor to the floor that Remus recognized. Roman must have been overloading the engine, they’d arrived and were docking.

“Is Remus ok?” Roman asked, sounding terrified.

“I’m fine, just a little stuck,” Remus said, trying to not sound scared so Roman wouldn’t get even more worried. “Laying under a deathworlder~ not quite as fun as I always imagined.”

Roman made a sound somewhere between a sob and laugh. “I’m coming to let you out. Don’t hurt him. Please.”

Remus was honestly a bit surprised that he was only pinned. The human was leaking blood from its shoulder and across its chest where Remus’s swipe had connected, but it hadn’t retaliated.

“Hurry,” the human said coldly.

The communicator turned off, and Remus had a strong suspicion Roman was calling the Embassy to have guards outside the ship when the cargo hold was opened.

“You sure you don’t want to join us?” Remus asked. “I know it won’t look like it from your end, but we don’t traffic, we take from ships we attack, but we’d either let them join us or take them to the authorities, we don’t just continue the traffic. And we could use people like you, you could help us take down so many more ships.”

The Scraascik leaned harder on his arm, and Remus grimaced.

“What would the authorities do?” The human asked.

“Uhhhh… well with the Scraascik, probably drop him back on his own planet, or with a Scraascik colony. Your planet though is still restricted, so they’d probably keep you until it’s opened.”

The human’s face contorted into something that did not look good for Remus.

“We’re on our way there, aren’t we?”

Remus wasn’t sure he dared lie, not when he was pinned to the ground with two very angry-seeming deathworlders over him. “Yeah.”

The human hit the communicator. “Listen.”

“I’m listening,” Roman said warily.

“Don’t open the cargo hold,” the human ordered. “You’re a pirate ship. You have smaller ships for scavenging, yes?”

“…yes.”

“Give us one.”

There was a long pause from Roman.

“Put food and fuel and translators in it,” the human said firmly. “We’re taking this one with us until we’re safely inside.”

This was probably wrecking Roman’s plans. There would be authorities involved and now no deathworlders to give them.

“Alright,” Roman said.

•^*^••

The door to the cargo hold was opened. Logan had the bear-alien in a tight hold, and Virgil was above them, looking like they were ready to strike out at anything that got within range.

They managed to walk along the halls until they reached the smaller ship. Logan had no idea how he was going to fly it, but it was the biggest chance by far that he’d had yet.

He shoved the bear alien away and slammed the door shut.

Virgil went immediately to the pilot’s seat, and Logan was amazed to see that there were places in the ceiling that fit their antenna. Soon there was a fast and loud humming, and the tiny ship lurched into motion.

•^*^••

Patton was being sent, since they didn’t really believe that there could be a Human and a Scraascik on the cobbled-together ship that had docked. So it was just him and Janus.

Janus wrapped his long tail around the back of Patton’s neck for balance as Patton walked back and forth, waiting for the ship to open its cargo bay.

It sure was taking a long time. They’d seemed so rushed when they called, but now they just wouldn’t open.

And then there was an engine powering up.

A teeny little scavenging ship took off from the bigger one, flying off. Patton scanned it, alarmed to see that there was indeed a Scraascik and a Human signature on board.

“Hey! Hey wait!”

He pulled out his radio, quickly setting it to the bigger ship’s frequency. “Let me in and go after them! We can’t let a Human go flying around unattended!”

“If they don’t let us in fast, go take the SC Meteor,” Janus said.

Patton wasn’t too surprised when the ship started undocking without answering him.

“We’ll get them!” He yelled, running for the Meteor.

[notasdriedapricots]

Hey everyone! Just a few quick (realistic) reminders to start the week. And you might say "the fuck are you to go around giving advice like what the hell?" and to that I'll say you're totally right. But I've been having what at this point is a shitty month so I just wanted to try to, maybe, make others feel a bit better, at least regarding something I can talk about here. I still have a long way to go, so take it with a grain of salt. When I get into something I like analyzing it, and so here we are. These are all based in my own insecurities and feelings as someone who has been writing for just eight months (so I know fucking nothing about actually writing).

So, under the cut to not be as annoying, again, a few quick (realistic) reminders to start the week if you're… someone who writes:

- Your writing is not as bad as you think it is. It might not be mindblowing, but that's okay. What you see as bad is likely not really "bad" as much as it's "missing"; you have some vague idea of how it could have been better, you see the parts that you feel you half-assed, the parts you "settled for" because you "couldn't come up with something better". The reader doesn't. Writing is a skill, so as long as you keep using it it'll keep improving.

- Your OC is not as boring as you feel it is. It feels that way just because you know everything about them; there's no surprises in what you already know, but remember how you feel every time you come up with a new little canon fact about them? How cool you think it is? How well it suits them? Yeah, that's how other people feel when they learn about what to you is old news. They might be old but that doesn't mean they're boring.

- Your plot has worth. Maybe it's not perfect, it probably isn't, we all struggle with that, but it's not either perfect or shit. There is a middle, and as with your writing you're probably higher up than you think you are. You are telling a story. How many stories about something that happened at the supermarket have you heard throughout your life from different people? They're all people, they all went to a supermarket. Yes, and are all those stories the same? No, because they happened to different people in different days and different supermarkets. You have your own characters, and or your own day, and or your own supermarket.

This next one's especially for me. I hope I start following y own advice someday because it's good

- Focus on the people who encourage you, instead of on the people who don't. This has nothing to do with criticism; criticism should be considered unless it's hateful (not only because fuck people like that but also why would you follow the advice of someone hateful?). I'm just saying, don't give so much weight to the people who don't like your writing; don't let it affect you negatively more than the opinions of people who like what you do affect you positively. I know it can make you doubt yourself when you post something and it gets a certain kind of ignored, but shift focus to the people who cheers you on instead. Please, I beg you.

- If you find that you, yourself, often end up hating what you write, still write it. Write it, post it somewhere, and don't read it again. When you get someone saying that they love it, you'll hate it less. Trust me.

- Ask someone you trust to read over it, if you're doubting. I'm guilty of not doing this, I'll admit that (in my defense, when I started writing I never thought I'd publish it, and when I started publishing I didn't know anyone here. Now I wish I could be ahead enough to ask someone check it out), but do as I say and not as I do. It will calm your anxiety A LOT.

- Whatever comes to mind, write it down. This I do follow myself, and that's why I say it. I have notes that only have two lines of dialogue, or a brief description of someone waking up, or a little piece of narration that came to mind; it doesn't matter that they don't have a place yet, they probably will at some point, somewhere. I'm convinced I'm not special for this to be something that only happens to me, so trust me: sometimes those tiny phrases stand out and become one of your favorite bits. And you'll think "I wrote that with one eye open while I was falling asleep. And it's pretty good"; don't you want that? Would you rather "I thought of a nice little chat the other day but I can't remember it"?

- Maybe slightly contradictory after the last one, find a ritual to write. This is relative to how you typically write and might not apply to you, but it's worth giving it a go. If you can, find a place and make it your writing spot, have a specific playlist that you only use to write, have a cup of tea or coffee or chocolate or whatever you choose with you every time you start to write, pick a time of the day you're usually free at and sit down to write even if at first you don't manage to write anything. I could get more scientific with this, but the idea is: the brain learns. What this does is it cues your brain that "It's time to write!" and the more consistent you are the more used to it your brain will be and the less effort it'll require for you to get in the mood for writing. You'll get less anxious if you don't have much free time by knowing you have a designated period, and will help you focus. If you have a lot of free time it will stop you from going in and out of your doc constantly for hours while not doing anything else because you're "writing right now". This is not incompatible with the previous point: here is where you find a place for and/or flesh out those little ideas you put down so far.

These are the ones I can think of right now, but please add your own or argue any and all points if you want. Have a nice week!