#i had so many mentors helping me along the way until my foundation was strong enough for me to stand on my own

[mirkwoodshewolf]

A heavenly reunion pt. 1; Queen x reader

*Author's note*

This is it guys. After almost 3 years of writing this series it's FINALLY come to the end.  Like all good things, they must end eventually so here it is. The LAST chapter of my Rock Angel series.

I first want to point out the YEARS (except Freddie's death date) DON'T MEAN ANYTHING. I'M NOT TRYING TO PREDICT THE FUTURE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. I just picked these random years to represent when the remaining members of Queen will pass, AGAIN THESE AREN'T REAL DATES AND I HOPE THEY AREN'T.

Pt. 2 will be up in just a few minutes so until then, enjoy this first part.

Taglist:

@plethora-of-things

@waddles03

@psychosupernatural

@ixchel-9275

@simonedk

@queensdivas

@queendeakyy

@queen-paladin

@sparkleslightlyy

@starswin

@labessieisallama

@isabella-bby

@naturalswifty89

@onebigfangirlworld

@ssa-sadboi

@5sos-wdw

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels

@geek-and-proud

@wormzteef

@bohemiansweede

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*3rd Person POV. June 23rd, 2051*

Rock star, animal rights activist, founder of organizations like ANGELS CURING AIDS, WORDS CAN HURT TOO; Victims and survivors of emotional and verbal abuse, and the ANGELS AGAINST STALKING that helps protect people from violent stalkers. Also apart of charities like the Mercury Phoenix Trust foundation. The Rock Angel (Y/n) Kline had lived a full life.

She continued to tour with Queen as they got many other partnerships throughout the years. But she most enjoyed collaborating with Adam Lambert as he reminded her of him, bright and ambitious just wanting to share his music with the world and he knew he could never fill in Freddie's shoes but he sure as hell made a name for himself in his own way.

She was also a part of the "Bohemian Rhapsody" film that had been made and got to know the actors playing the men that she had grown up with and came to see them as her true family. Ten years after the film released, her own story got to be told thanks to the rights of Paramount and the brilliant mind of Dexter Fletcher, who had directed the story of her boys and Elton John, another one of her dearest friends and mentors.

But now at the crippled age of 90, the Rock Angel now lived in the privacy of her home in London. She was forced to stop touring because just 3 years ago she was diagnosed with a form of dementia.

It was hard on her family and her 4 children and dozens of grandchildren even great-grandchildren to see the once strong woman they had once admired for so long and looked up to as a role model not only in music, but life.

In their current home of London, her husband of over 70 years Jack who had made a name for himself. After the whole stalking incident, Jack joined the ranks of the LAPD. He worked himself all the way to the top and became Chief for over 30 years before he retired by the time he was in his 60's.

He sat there by his wife's bedside stroking her long white hair as she lay there forced into bedrest. She looked up at him and whispered.

"Jack?"

"I'm here baby."

"Where are they? Where are my boys?" she asked.

"Our sons? They're just downstairs."

"No, no. I meant my boys." At those two words, Jack's heart broke as he looked at his wife sympathetically.

"Baby they've—they died. It's been so many years since they all left this world." At hearing her boys were dead, tears fell down her face but Jack held onto his wife and kissed the top of her head. "But I can show you their videos, if you'd like."

"Please. I need to see them. To tell them goodbye." Jack then reached for the I-pad and opened up the Youtube app and began typing in the very song that he knew he would need.

He knew his wife didn't have long and he wanted her to have one last happy memory of hearing the perfect song written by her boys.

Together they held the I-pad and soon the music video "These are the days of our lives" came on.

"Why does Fred look so sick?" she asked worriedly. Jack swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to explain.

"He was suffering from AIDS, and it—really affected him love."

"I wish I could've taken care of him." She said as she stroked the screen every time Freddie came on screen. At the instrumental break as she watched Brian skillfully play the guitar, she smiled and said. "Bri....he was such a good guitar player."

"He was, but nothing compared to you." Jack praised obviously playing favorites. He then took notice of his wife growing tired as the song ended.

It was time.

"It's okay baby, you can rest now." And she did just that. Her breathing slowed right as Freddie spoke the last 'I still love you' line and the video ended. "Goodnight my Rock Angel. Be with your boys once again." He then let out a sob as he leaned against his deceased wife.

At 10:45am on June 23rd, 2051 (Y/n) Kline was pronounced dead at the old age of 90.

Everyone who had collaborated with the Rock Angel or had looked up to her all gathered at her funeral. Close friends and family all came to mourn at the loss of the last of the greatest Rock and Roll singers. She was buried in her birth town of Leicestershire, right next to her real parents.

*My POV*

I felt peaceful. My mind was no longer hazy. I could remember everything once again, but what confused me was where I was. I found myself walking through a long corridor but as I passed a mirror, I stopped and backed up to find a shocking surprise.

I was young again.

I looked to be about the age of 19, when I first met the guys. My hair was in the same long wavy fashion I once had before I cut it. I stroked along my cheek just to see if this was real or a dream, but as I stroked it I found that it was. Suddenly a door opened before me and I don't know why but I found myself walking toward it.

Now I was in what looked like an office with everything you would see. Filing cabinets, a large desk filled with paperwork but what caught my attention was the abacus that stood at the front center of the desk.

"Ahh (Y/n) Kline, please come forward." I turned to see a man around his 60's with short black hair, a grim like face with sharp cheekbones and icy blue eyes. He wore a black business suit and he was intimidating but for some reason I came forward toward the desk.

He sat down and pulled out a file and began reading through it humming to himself then he said.

"Place your hand over the abacus." I looked at it to see that the color code was white and black. White at top and black at the bottom.

"What is this?"

"This shall determine your next step. Just place your hand over it and let fate do the rest." I didn't know what this was gonna mean but again I saw myself place my hand over it and the second I did, it started going frantic.

Moving up and down frantically with no one even touching it. It was mostly balanced most of the way until it finally majority of the counters went white. The man smiled and said.

"Give my regards to those Rockstar friends' of yours. I'll be looking forward to your next concert." He then snapped his fingers and everything went bright.

Next thing I knew, I heard the sound of birds chirping and felt the sun beaming down on me. I was then greeted with wide open fields and a giant house along with several barn-like homes. It was like Garden Lodge and Rockfield farm mixed into one.

As I stood a few feet away from the main mansion-like house I swore from the second window of the white satin curtains I saw movement. I walked towards the house and placed my hand on the doorknob, I paused for a few seconds before I finally opened the door. I walked in and it was exactly like Freddie's home of Garden Lodge.

I walked through the threshold to see the grand staircase to my right, the long corridor ahead of me and the entrance to the living room to my left.

"Hello?" I said as I stood there. It was then I felt something nuzzle between my legs and I heard a meow. I heard it again and I looked down to see a very familiar face. "Hey, Delilah." I picked her up and held her as she purred and nuzzled my face. I scratched under her chin and she lowered her head to lick my hand.

"No it should be more like this." I heard a low, smooth baritone voice say.

"No, no and no Mr. tuxedo! Bernie has it like this and it shall remain this way. He and I are the genius piano and songwriting duo and it'll stick to this rhythm and timing." Another voice boasted out.

Oh my god.....It can't be. I set Delilah down and she took off running up the stairs as I crossed the living room into the parlor where Fred kept his piano to see two men that I had not seen in forever.

"David? Elton?" I spoke up. The two men turned toward me. David looked so much healthier than last I saw him and he looked younger just like me, in fact he looked about the same age he was when he did Live aid as well as working on the Jim Henson project 'the Labyrinth'.

Elton on the other hand looked about the age from when he was first starting off, back before he began experimenting with all the drugs and all that. The vibrant ginger hair but he still had on those flamboyant sunglasses he always loved to wear.

"Is that—really you?" I asked bewildered.

"Oh shit it can't be. The high angel herself, the Rock Angel?" Elton dramatic tone.

"Yes, it's me."

"Ohh darling. Welcome home." David greeted me with a wide smile and open arms as he walked up to me. He embraced me as he chuckled warmly and said, "Did you have a good life darling?"

"Uh-huh. I had the best life." I said, my voice muffled within his blue suit.

"It looked like you did love." We separated and I couldn't help but admire just how healthy he was.

"How have you been David?"

"Much better darling. No more chemo, I can finally breathe again."

"That's good."

"Alright you overgrown smooth talker, let me at her now." Elton proclaimed as he shoved David aside and immediately came up and kissed both of my cheeks before embracing me. "Oh darling we sure have missed you."

"And I you Elton. Life just hasn't been the same without your music."

"Been practicing those scales I taught you?" he asked pointedly.

"Yes, whenever I could."

"That's my girl." He hugged me again and I buried my face into his shoulder.

"(Y/n)?" a choir of voices soon rang up. I felt my heart stop as I lifted my head, not believing what I was hearing. Elton let go of me and both he and David with soft smiles on their faces told me to go and see who it was. The four voices called out my name again.

I crossed through the parlor, ran across the living room until I came to the door and just halfway up the staircase, I felt my smile widen and tears fill my eyes.

"My boys."

"You're finally here!" Freddie proclaimed. My legs raced directly up the stairs and Freddie, Brian, Roger and John all gathered me at the center in a long awaited Queen group hug.

All I felt were arms wrapped around me tightly, kisses all over my head and face and gentle hair and back strokes. I don't even know how long we were in that hug for but I didn't care, all I cared about was the fact my boys were here all together. When we finally separated I finally got a good look at all four of them.

They were all so young and vibrant just like how I first saw them back in concert long before I became an intern, I would like to think they were now the same ages they were when they first played at the Rainbow back in 1974. Long hair and all.

"I can't believe you four are here." I praised.

"And we can't believe you're here. And with your long hair again, was this when you were most happy?" asked Brian.

"If by that you mean when I first became Miami's intern? Yeah, best day of my life. Do you guys hate it?"

"No darling we've loved you no matter what your hair length is." Freddie said as he stroked the ends of my hair.

"I only just hope you didn't bring along any extreme surprises. Belly button rings, more tattoos." Deacy teased me. I chuckled but felt tears fall down my face.

"Aww lovie what is it?" Roger cooed as I felt him rub my shoulder. All four of them looking at me with those concerned puppy dog eyes they all knew how to do.

"I'm sorry. It's just—I missed you four so much." They all awed as Freddie first took me in his arms and said with his head leaning against mine.

"I know darling. It seems like it's been forever since the five of us were together."

"Coming from you Fred you have no idea." I wept as I gripped onto him as tight as I could, burying my face into his long black hair which softly tickled my face.

God if there's anything I missed about Freddie, it was his warm hugs. They were always so warm and inviting, anyone who was lucky enough to be given any sign of affection from this loveable man was considered lucky, and I was fortunate to be one of those people, and now finally after almost 60 years, I was able to feel that affection once more.

We were now upstairs in the master bedroom to do some private catching up.

"Alright sister dear, come here you." Deacy said. I smiled and immediately went into his arms and he embraced me. As all of you know, after Freddie's death, Deacy was the one to take it the hardest. So much so that he hardly played at any Queen gigs except for maybe three occasions then by 1997 he officially retired and no one had heard from him since.

The guys and I respected his decision so in order to make sure he was alright, I kept in contact with Veronica and would occasionally ask how Deacy was doing as well as the kids. I had learned that the two of them had two more kids, Luke and Cameron and the two of them had been successful in their own ways, all of the Deacy kiddies had, especially Luke who followed in his dad's footsteps and played in a band of his own.

In fact with the permission of the parents, I had allowed my nephew Luke to play at a few of my tours, and god just seeing him play reminded me so much of his dad, not to mentioned he looked so much like him.

And it was an honor to play with a second generation of Deacon.

The sad news of Deacy's passing came to Jack and I from Laura on a cold November day in 2035. Out of the two of us, Jack was the most heartbroken because he not only lost a brother but his idol and mentor.

We were invited to the burial by decree of the Deacy clan but I made sure that through some makeup and wigs that Jack and I weren't recognized by press because we wanted this to be private. As Deacy would've wanted that.

"Ohh I've missed you so much (y/n)."

"Not as much as I missed you brother mine."

It was then my attention turned towards the last 2 members of Queen, the remaining members I kept working with till the end. Brian May and Roger Taylor.

Together in our lives after Freddie's death and Deacy's retirement, I had been there for everything Queen got to accomplish, and they did the same for me. In fact it was Brian who bestowed upon me my plaque to be initiated into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before I was given my star right above Queen's.

I was also involved with some of the work they did for a little movie called "Bohemian Rhapsody", and they helped become a part of my movie "Set it all free Angel". I first turned my attention to Brian.

It had been almost 10 years since my movie came out and 20 for Queen's film Bohemian Rhapsody. I was in my home studio working on my next upcoming album when I had received a call from Anita telling me that Brian had passed away at the age of 93. It was a peaceful passing so he wasn't suffering or in pain which I was thankful for in a way, he's suffered through so much that if I wanted him to go out, it would have to be peacefully in his sleep.

The world was devastated at losing such an inspiring man. Not only in the music industry, but for his work in astrophysics, as well as the animal programs that he's helped funded and laws he helped raise awareness for.

When he died, I took over the business in his name and within 3 years; I finally helped get laws of abusing, harming or killing animals to be illegal and anyone caught doing that wouldn't get misdemeanors. They would face legal full sentencing of 20-50years in Federal prison. On the night the laws passed and I along with Brian's partnering animal rehab centers signed off on the law, I went to Brian's grave and told him everything.

I immediately glomped him into a hug and held onto his waist tightly. He embraced me back just as tight as I was holding him, me humming lovingly as I buried my face into his chest feeling him stroke down my hair. After what felt like forever, he separated from me and stared down at me with those loving hazel blue eyes of his as he placed both his hands at the top of my head before stroking them downward against each side of my head and ending by cupping my face in his hands.

"I am so proud of everything you've done (Y/n). I saw it all, thank you for continuing my legacy for animal rights."

"You taught me everything I needed to know about being kind and caring towards all creatures, so much so you helped inspire me to do my own animal rehabilitations and rescues. I just—wish I could've been there for you when you......"

"It was beyond your control love. But I didn't suffer. I knew you loved me, and would've done anything to come see me had you known. I never blamed you, so stop blaming yourself." I nodded as tears slipped down my face but with his thumbs he wiped them away before hugging me once more. I felt him kiss my temple before cupping the side of my face once more to kiss my nose.

Even as I got older and we were both in our senior years, he never once stopped with the nose pecks. I smiled and Eskimo kissed him before he pressed his forehead against mine. It was then I felt a hand on my shoulder and I turned to my right to see Roger standing before me.

Besides Freddie's death, I think the most devastating thing for me was when Roger died. It was about a year after Brian's death when I had gotten a frantic call from my godson Rufus that Roger had been taken to the hospital because of a stroke. Without hesitating, I got into the car and raced to West London Medical Hospital, where I met up with the Taylor pride.

I was frantic with anxiety and fear that I would lose yet a 3rd member of Queen. Over 48hrs passed when Rog finally regained consciousness and I was sitting right there by his bedside holding his hand. He spoke so softly it was like whispers on the wind and the only thing he wanted to do was go outside.

Reluctantly the doctors allowed it so my godchildren, and his wife Sarina took him out to the hospital garden and allowed me some one on one time with him. But I didn't know that that would be the last time they would ever get to talk to him. The last words he ever spoke to me were and I still remember it to this day, even up here in heaven.

"Brian and Freddie have come to collect me, they send out their love to you and Deacy. Look after the old bastard for us." And I literally felt his life slip away from my hand as he died right there in front of me.

For months I was depressed. I was allowed to go to the funeral and speak my eulogy and I sang at his funeral, this time my own rendition of Phil Collins' song 'You'll be in my heart.' It was also because of his funeral that Deacy and I got even closer than we had in years.

He had secretly gone to both Brian and Roger's funeral but it didn't take till Rog passed for him to physically approach me and we both just wept and cried from losing a father, a brother, a great friend together.

Finally when I finally gained the strength, me and the Taylor children all took a picnic up where Roger was born and just looked out beyond the fields of where his childhood home was and reminisced on all the wonderful memories we had of our father.

And it was from his death I produced my album 'Papa Lion' and dedicated it to him; 'To my Papa Lion, and all the other father lions out there. Keep protecting your children no matter what'.

"You gonna get into these arms or what love?" he asked me. I spoke not a word but felt tears in my eyes as I raced up and buried myself into his neck and dirty blonde almost brunette hair. He held me and spun me around, kissing all over my face humming and moaning lovingly.

When he finally set me down, he cupped my face just like Brian did but he gently leaned forward and very gingerly headbutted my forehead and the two of us nuzzled each other, rubbing our noses together.

Like a father lion and his cub reuniting with each other at last.

I held onto his wrists which still cupped the sides of my face and just allowed my tears to fall out but I couldn't stop smiling.

"I hope those are happy tears." He said to me. I sniffled and nodded.

"Yeah the—these are....ha-happy tears." I choked out.

"You know you don't have to be so strong around me, right lovie?" It was then I just broke down and wept as I embraced him. "Shhh, shh. I'm here my lion cub, I'm here. Papa lion is here." He whispered in my ear.

"God I have waited so long for you to say that." I whimpered out to hear him softly laugh and just hug me tighter.

"Oh my darlings.....my heart.....it's too full!" We heard Fred exclaim out dramatically. We both laughed as I nuzzled deeper into my papa lion's chest, happy to finally be reunited with them.

After finally calming down, we were all just sitting around the master bedroom. I was up against the couch leaning against Deacy's legs as he was currently brushing and braiding my hair.

"So you guys continuing to rock it out here in Heaven?" I asked.

"Don't you know it darling. Every good singer who has helped made a difference comes up here and we continue to live a peaceful eternity doing what we were born to do. Be performers." Freddie stated.

"In fact we just had our concert the other night. We got to perform alongside the Beatles." Said Roger.

"Shut up! The Beatles?!"

"You know it love, Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr." Said Brian.

"Wow, I wish I could've seen it." I said.

"You will darling, we perform our concerts every single night. And it's always a mix mash of artists and bands collaborating together to perform the Greatest Heavenly Rock 'n Roll concert." Said Fred.

"Now that you're here poppet, you'll get the chance to perform with the best of the best." Said Deacy. I was flabbergasted.

"Holy......" I couldn't even finish it because I was just so shocked to think that I would be performing with the greatest artists long before my time and bands I wish I had the chance to record or perform alongside with. The guys all chuckled at me and I said.

"So that's why David and Elton were here."

"Mm-hmm. We're all performing together in tonight's show. Three artists of the 70's decade for the first time ever sharing the stage together." Said Brian.

"Ohh man what people would've killed to see that in person. I mean yeah you guys performed at the same venue like we did with Live Aid or did some recordings together but never all three of you guys on stage at once." I said.

"That's how it works around here." Spoke Deacy as he finished the last strand of my braid. I thanked him and observed the braid he had done and I commented.

"You've gotten better Deacy."

"Laura was good practice. My baby girl always wanted her hair braided."

"She may have gotten that from me, sorry." He playfully scowled at me but I cheekily stuck my tongue out at him. "Say Fred, where's Jim at? I figured if you were here, he would be too."

"Oh that man of mine, he's out tending the garden, come have a look." He escorted me to the back window and there I saw a field of flowers as far as the eye could see.

"Whoa. He's done all of that?"

"Been doing it since 2010 darling. Always a hard worker my husband. When he first came, I was worried he wouldn't like this appearance of mine, after all I didn't have my tache and my hair was much shorter than when I first met him."

"Jim loves you Freddie. He loves you no matter what you'd look like."

"And I did know. Turns out he's got a long hair kink." He whispered to me which made me choke out a laugh.

"Seriously?" He nodded ecstatically and that's when Deacy spoke up.

"We're still here Fred, no need to hear any of that."

"Oh god Deacy don't act so innocent. After all you were the one who wrote a song about pre-ejaculation." Deacy's mouth just gaped before turning stoic, and of course Rog and Bri were laughing their asses off. He turned to me and I shrugged saying.

"He's got a point."

"Okay yeah ha-ha fuck all of you."

"Oh come off it John. We mean no harm by it." Roger teased

"At least it's better than a car fucking song." Deacy fired back.

"That's not funny!" Roger proclaimed.

"It is kinda funny." Deacy sassed back.

"Okay, okay enough both of you. I had enough of your arguments to last an entire lifetime. I don't need to relive it now when I just got here." I stated.

"Sorry love." They both choired out.

"Oh (y/n), I do have a surprise for you though." Brian spoke up. I looked at him and said,

"What kind of surprise?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?" He said as he walked right up to me.

"If you tell me, I'll still act surprise." He chuckled and wrapped an arm around me.

"C'mon love, let's head outside." We soon went down the stairs and headed out of the house.

Brian lead me to an open field about a half mile away from the house. There was nothing but green for miles ahead.

"Brian what's this about?"

"You'll see." He then took his index finger and thumb and curled them inward like pinchers before placing them against his lips letting out a loud whistle. We stood there for a moment that was until I heard a bark. A very familiar bark. No it—it couldn't be.

Soon jogging up the hill about a mile away was a German Shepherd. His familiar traditional fur coat shined under the sun as he looked right at me. He let out a couple of barks and soon several more dogs came running up beside him.

They consisted of a golden retriever, 2 pit-bulls, 3 huskies (1 traditional black and white, another grey and white and the last one an auburn coloring), a collie, and 4 Labradors (2 blacks, a tan and one brown).

With each dog that this pack had, I knew every single one of them. I turned to Brian baffled and he just grinned at me before nodding telling me that they were who I thought they were. I turned back around and the German Shepherd let out a bark. I then let instinct take over and ran as I cried out.

"Bucky!" He soon came running after me, as did all the other dogs barking and panting as they all ran down the hill towards me. "C'mon kids! Come on!" I proclaimed. Each dog was running as fast as they could but Bucky and the black and white husky Shasta were leading the pack. "C'mon kids!" Bucky let out some barks as he raced ahead of Shasta and we met half-way.

Bucky leapt with both paws to my shoulders knocking me down onto the ground.

"Ohh Buck. I can't believe it's you! Ohh look at you boy! Good boy Buck!" A second later Shasta came up to me whimpering happily as his tail wagged. "Oh Shasta baby boy look at you! Hi~ Hi baby boy~." Soon enough my entire dog pack was all up on me grunting and whimpering happily as they all began to tackle me, wanting my attention and love.

Now while you all know I've had Bucky and Sammy as the family pets for Jack and the kids. The other dogs have a different story. The two pitbull brothers that I had named Titan and Bear were rescue dogs when I was a part of an actual rescue mission with one of my animal charities in saving dogs from a Mexican dogfight.

Whenever I was free from touring and recording, I made sure they were well taken care of and even let them stay at my home for awhile before they were finally adopted by a good family.

My triple threat huskies Shasta, Maya (the grey and white) and Eevee (auburn) were actually Kelly's dogs. Shortly after she left for college, she wanted to fill her house with dogs so she adopted these three and very often when she would visit or we would visit her, these troublemakers were always there. Sweet and loveable but stubborn little buggers but I wouldn't take them either way.

The Labradors were also rescue dogs that I helped out. The black one Raider and white one Rowdy were just left abandoned tied up in the backyard of their owners homes. The owners had abandoned them and left them for dead in the hottest summer of the year. But thanks to my team we got them out, sheltered and good homes but I occasionally checked in on them since I couldn't let them go.

The brown lab Cleopatra and the other black lab Midnight were once stray dogs till my son Freddie found them and gave them some food and water. Since he didn't have the heart to turn them to the shelter he adopted them. They even started their own little family since Midnight and Cleopatra were mates together and had many puppies together.

And finally the beautiful Collie was Jezebel. Jezebel was something special because she was actually my nana's dog. I hadn't seen her since I was probably five years old, she was already an old girl growing up but from what I remember, she was so maternal with me.

Whenever my nana was busy with something, she knew she could trust Jezebel with me.

After giving every single dog my attention I finally managed to stand up and see all the dogs in my life standing in a row.

"Jezzy, Bucky, Sammy, Titan, Bear, Shasta, Maya, Eevee, Cleo, Midnight, Rowdy and Raider. I don't believe it. Good doggies. My lucky dog pack. I can't believe you're all here. How did you find them all?"

"I was out strolling wanting to observe the stars when I found Bucky and Sammy. They immediately recognized me and just came running right for me. Soon enough they brought me to meet the rest of the dogs you've known and rescued. I was surprised about the collie but I knew she wouldn't be among them if she wasn't a part of your family."

"Yeah, Jezebel was my nana's dog. I called her Jezzy cause I couldn't quite pronounce her name. She was like my guardian dog angel. Always maternal until she passed away of cancer when I was just 5 years old." I walked up to her and pet her head and she leaned up against me. "She even saved me from almost being attacked by a stray dog one summer."

"Well I'm very glad she did." Brian said as he walked up and stroked her head and she gave his hand a friendly sniff and lick.

"And you took care of all of them?"

"Well I'm an animal activist through and through. If Freddie takes care of every cat that comes to Heaven, I thought I should take care of the animals I've grown fond of, but also the animals my little protegee has taken on herself. As well as the family dogs." I smiled and Brian and thanked him with a hug and he gratefully hugged me back.

As the day drew to a close and nightfall came, the boys had escorted me over to the Heavenly Concert hall. If we want to look at it scale wise, imagine it as Wembley Stadium during the time of Live Aid back in 1985. We drove in a royal golden carriage fit only for her royal majesties themselves.

"Wow, it's just like Wembley stadium."

"It is in a way, but it can fit an infinite amount of people. Any and all are welcome to watch us perform." Said Deacy.

"And we won't need to do soundchecks or anything?"

"Nope. This is heaven darling. Up here everything works to the full capacity and capability. No have to worry ever again about sound checks or power outages." Freddie stated. Our carriage soon stopped at the back entrance and the doors magically opened.

I stepped out first followed by Deacy, Roger, Brian and Freddie. Deacy wrapped his arm around me and guided me into the building and the five of us followed the sign down to the basement level where the dressing rooms were.

And it was like they said, I saw dozens of stars with the names of so many artists and bands before and during my time. Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, the Beatles, David, Elton, Led Zeppelin, REO Speedwagon, George Michael, Phil Collins, Bob Dylan, and everyone and anyone you could think of.

"And here we are darling, your dressing room awaits." Roger said as he stood before a red door with a golden star with wings on each side that read in bold black letters my stage name ROCK ANGEL. He opened it up and I was in awe.

Inside was a very large room filled with furniture, a huge makeup station with large mirror decored with lamplights around the perimeter of it.

On the left side of the dressing room were hundreds of different outfit's I've worn throughout the years. Everything was there on hangers along with some of the hats I wore, fedora's, cowgirl, and my famed flat caps of various different colors and styles.

While on the right; I could see just music instruments like the Red Special Brian had made for me up against a special holder up along the wall right by my makeup stand.

"Is this my....."

"Go on and have a look darling." I heard Freddie say in my ear.

"Okay. I finally have my own mall." I walked in and was just in awe at everything. It looked like heaven had taken my master bedroom from my first home I had after becoming the Rock Angel and just put it all here.

I walked inside and said.

"Ooo, very nice shoes." I pointed out on the shoe wrack seeing some of the styles of shoes I've worn. From combat boots, to Adidas', flats, and even the high-heeled boots that Deacy always wore during the 1970's.

"We're glad you like them darling. Why don't you go around that corner and press the black button along the dresser." Deacy said. I walked further in and reached a dresser and found the black button. When I pressed it, a couple of shelves slowly opened up revealing almost every pair of sunglasses I've always worn.

"Oh my god! I've missed wearing these." I picked up a pair of my ray ban black and gold framed sunglasses. "Didn't I make these look good?" I quickly turned to see the guys were gone. "Guys?"

"Over here love." I heard Brian's voice say. I walked towards the right to see my boys standing or sitting along some of the foot stools.

"Oh there you all are. Ohh nice amps." I couldn't help but see the amps up along the wall. "I—I'm just...." Before I could continue a remote was tossed over at me by Roger as he said.

"Before you even say anything else. Type in combination 2-1-2." I muttered the combination to myself as I pressed the numbers and soon the closet before us opened and soon revolving around were various guitars and bass guitars, shelves soon opened revealing several pairs of drumsticks each imprinted with my name on them.

I had no words.

"Umm....this is.....I can't—" I jumped back a bit as the top shelves suddenly opened revealing two different microphones. One was a basic black but it was bedazzled with red gems while the other one was pure gold with golden gems.

"Elton and I had a little hand of having your microphones designed." Said Freddie with a modest shrug.

"I mean....guys this is......unbelievable. And this is all mine?"

"Oh darling you should see ours. It's practically the entire mansion back home."

"Each star that comes here is given the full custom of what they've enjoy back on Earth. And since you've favored how you once had your rotating dressers back in 2011, it's all here for you but advanced into your instruments as well." Said Roger.

"And if anyone has any suggestion like if they're close to another artist, they can submit some suggestions of what should be in said artists dressing room." Brian spoke up.

"Aww you guys, I love you." I said as I came up to them and we got into a group hugged.

"We love you too (Y/n) darling. Now hurry up and get ready, the concert is about to begin." The boys left me to my own business. I walked up to my clothes rack and went through every style and decided that if I was to do my first concert in Heaven, I might as well wear exactly what I wore for my first concert as the Rock Angel.

After getting ready and doing my makeup the same way Freddie had done for me that day in Madison Square Garden, I picked up my Red Special and put it around my neck and left my dressing room.

"The Rock Angel is back." I looked up to see the boys standing across me in front of their dressing room, dressed to the T like they had at the they did at the Odeon theater Christmas Eve 1975. I smiled and said.

"Well look at you guys, it seems like only yesterday I was sneaking my friends into the house while Joanna and Graham were at their Christmas party just to watch you guys live at the Hammersmith Oden theater." I sassed.

"Thank you love, now c'mon time to head to the stage." Roger said. The lads cheered and I followed behind as we all walked back up the stairs and went through the corridors of backstage. Hundreds upon hundreds of artists were getting themselves ready to go up and perform.

I watched as the boys did their typical body warmups to get themselves pumped up when I felt a nudge at my arm.

"You seem quiet poppet, everything okay?" I looked up to see Deacy standing beside me.

"You said anybody whose anybody comes to see these shows right?" He nodded and I said solemnly, "Do....do you think my family, like my mum and dad know that I'm here now? That I'm here performing?" I felt him wrap his arm around my shoulder and he said.

"It's possible. Anytime a new artist or band comes here, it's fully announced far and wide throughout Heaven. So there's a good chance they might be out there in the audience."

"I hope so. I just want to show them what I've achieved, I want them to be proud of me."

"They are poppet. Just like we are." He embraced me in a one armed hug leaning his head against mine.

"I really have missed these moments between us Deacy."

"So have I. And I've got a hell of a lot of comforting to catch up on."

"Well now's a good start."

"Oi you two! Are we going to perform or not?" The two of us smiled as we heard Roger's voice cry out to us. My brother looked down at me and he said.

"C'mon, let's go do our thing." I nodded and we headed towards the guys.

*3rd Person POV*

Once again it was concert time. Every soul that had passed into heaven that was a fan of Rock and Roll or music in general came from far and wide to come to the concert of concerts, even bigger than the Earthly event that Live Aid gave the world.

Generations of artists and musicians that had come from around the world from many different backgrounds came to this very stadium to give the performance of their afterlives. Thousands, almost a million people poured into the stadium as the lights were flashing and doing their test run for each artist that would perform that night.

Soon Bob Geldof came onto the stage and everyone applauded for him.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Welcome once again to the Heaven's Rock and Roll concert." Everyone applauded and cheered holding up signs of their favorite artists or bands that would be performing tonight. "It gives me great honor to announce that we recently were given a new arrival, but I won't give it away on who it is." The audience crowd because they wanted to hear who it was as Bob continued, "I'll leave that to the band who know her best. So without further ado I would like to bring up on stage the first band performance of this evening's festivities. These lads I knew personally and they helped make one of the biggest rock concerts even greater than I could ever imagine. These four individually talented young men rose to the stardom in the early 1970's before exploding into the worldwide phenomenon by the 1980's. Ladies and Gentlemen please bow before her royal majesties that is Queen!"

The crowd roared with applause as Bob left the stage and the stage grew dark. Soon the opening notes for "Now I'm here" began playing and everyone cheered louder as they began clapping in rhythm. Those who have seen and grew up seeing Queen live, knew exactly how to react and behave during a Queen concert and those who got to know Queen up here in heaven got a taste of what it would've been like had they seen them in person with all four of them up on stage.

Soon Freddie's silhouette and voice echoed through the speakers as he began to sing the song. When the song began to pick up, the lights on stage exploded as did fire from the sides of the stage as all four members of Queen were finally revealed to the crowd.

Freddie lead with the vocals and his mates and brothers backed him up on not only the vocals but their instruments, and ever the frontman he was, strutted the stage like it was his as his voice overpowered and reached out into the audience with a force unlike anything.

By the end of the song, Freddie proclaimed into the microphone.

"Thank you! Thank you, good evening everybody!" The crowd cheered as Freddie continued, "Oh it looks magnificent out there tonight. Okay my darlings, right now. Right now, we're going to take you for the first time ever we're taking you all to the battlefield. This is called Ogre Battle!"

The boys continued to play a few more songs like 'White Queen', 'Killer Queen', 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'Don't stop me now' and 'Son and Daughter' included with Brian's famous guitar solo giving Deacy and Freddie enough time to change clothes for the next half of the performance. Freddie now wearing the famed black satin outfit with his chest exposed and diamond fingernailed glove as well as the chain glove on the other.

"Yes thank you, thank you very much. Featuring Brian May on guitar!" Brian took a bow as the spotlight shined on him and the crowd cheered. "Now then my darlings, as I'm sure everyone's heard we have a new arrival. A very special girl to all four of us. How would you all like to meet her?"

The crowd roared with applause and soon Roger began doing one single rhythmic beat. Hearing the beat made the entire audience clap in that single beat rhythm.

"She first rose to the spotlight in the summer of 1981. A bright, charismatic young woman whose music has touched the lives of millions. To us she wasn't a shadow of our fame, she was an equal partnership. The like of which we had never knew we could ever ask for. Ladies and gentlemen and everyone up in the balcony give it up for Heaven's very own Rock Angel, Mrs. (Y/n) Kline!"

From up on the catwalk above the stage, the silhouette of the Rock Angel herself came up and it appeared that she actually had angel wings sprouting from her back as she began the first verse of her famed song "Set it all Free".

By the chorus, the screen lifted up and she hopped off the catwalk and gratefully fell from the 10ft catwalk onto center stage playing her Red Special as her boys backed her up as they always did whenever they performed this song together.

And seeing the two artists perform together, Queen and the Rock Angel, the crowd was in pure excitement bouncing up and down and crying out the lyrics to the well known song that the Rock Angel's 'Bohemian Rhapsody'.

But none were more happy to perform once again than the artists that were on stage. It had been forever since it was the five of them together up on stage and they couldn't help but look at each other. As the guitar solo came up, it turned into a guitar battle between the Rock Angel herself and Brian May which got the crowd really pumped up.

By the end of the song, everyone was chanting out 'Angel! Angel! Angel!'

"Hello Rock and roll heaven how's everyone doing tonight!?" The crowd welcomed her with a roar of applause. "God I can't believe I'm here performing with my boys once again. And right now we'd like to bring out a special guest for this next number." She turned to Deacy who nodded and began playing his bassline for "Under Pressure" which got the crowd applauding louder.

"This man is a well-known legend and the birth of a true 'flamboyant' hard rocker. And a very close friend of mine." Freddie started.

"Six time Grammy award winner, 4 time Brit award winner, actor, musician. Everyone put your hands together for Mr. David Bowie!" (Y/n) proclaimed into the mic.

It was then Freddie and (Y/n) began singing the first part of the song as at the center stage a circular hole began to open and soon rising up onto the stage was David Bowie himself. He wore a royal blue suit with a black undercoat suit shirt as well as the business white shirt. A light blue tie and black shoes.

He soon began his line of the first bridge as Freddie and the Rock Angel backed him up. When the second part of the song came up after Freddie's little vocalization, David gave the gesture for (Y/n) to take the second part of the song. And as she always performed it, she would lowly sing in her alto range before suddenly belting out to the perfect volume as she would hold the note out for as long as she could letting the two legends back her up.

Just like the record Freddie and Roger softly sung the first part of the break, then David came in before (Y/n) belted out the why vocals before the song picked right back up. It was something that could only be seen in Heaven. Three legendary singers performing one song.

David Bowie, Freddie Mercury and (Y/n) Kline the Rock Angel.

The three lead singers stood side by side with each other with David on the left, Freddie in the middle and (y/n) to the right. The three in almost rehearsed synchronicity began to sidestepped across the stage as all three voices blended the bridge that it could give one an eargasm.

Agreeing with each other and knowing what she could do to close the song, both David and Freddie stepped back with (y/n) completely unaware as she just allowed the song to consume her.

At the final note, she let out a proud controlled belt that was first heard at Freddie's tribute concert and it almost seemed like the sun was rising as the stage was lit up in a heavenly glow as she held the note. The entire audience was in an uproar as they gave a standing ovation to the Rock Angel herself.

She turned around and saw the five older men smiling at her and applauding her for a phenomenal performance that they have missed so dearly.

The concert continued as Elton John soon came up on stage and together he, Freddie and (y/n) sang 'I'm still standing' a song that was personal to all three of them in some shape or form but they knew this was the perfect song for them all to sing.

After a few more Queen songs, with the allowance of their beloved Rock Angel since her set was about to come up after theirs, she allowed them to stay and be her band as she would perform her hit songs before the souls of Heaven.

Songs like 'Who I am', 'So good,' 'Bridge of light', 'Rock angel', her rendition of 'Somebody to love', 'We'll be together', and with her boys already up there with her they did a few more duets of Queen songs like 'Friends will be friends', 'Spread your wings', 'Fat Bottomed girls', and 'Jailhouse Rock'.

Finally their time was up and as 'God save the Queen' played through the speakers, all five of them stood side by side each other and bid the crowd a goodbye and thank you.

After watching several performances from backstage, and when the concert finally came to a close it was time for the after party. So just outside in the back a beautiful garden was set up with refreshments and plenty of drinks to fit everyone's needs and all the performers of the night came out to talk amongst one another and to celebrate another well-performed concert.

As well as to welcome their newest achievement.

*My POV*

Oh my god. That was a thrill rush, and now being here at the after party I saw literally everyone. Elvis, Janis, the Beatles, Little Richard, Elton, David, Hendrix, everyone in rock and roll big names were gathered around this beautiful garden.

As I went to go grab some water I felt a hand tap my shoulder and there stood John Lennon himself.

"So you are the famous Rock Angel?" I swallowed my water and was completely star-struck.

"Y-yeah I.....Mr. Lennon I....."

"Please call me John."

"Okay, John. Can I just say.....just between us that you were always my favorite Beatle out of the group."

"Coming from you that's a huge honor. And now I can finally rub it into Paul's face the bugger." I laughed and that's when I heard a female voice say.

"Alright let me at her, where is she?" And there donned with her famous fur coat, tall Russian-like hat and red circular shades was Janis Joplin herself. "And there she is. The one female rocker better than me." She spoke as she came up to me.

"Oh no Mrs. Jop—"

"Ah-ah. Mrs. Joplin is not my name. Call me Janis baby girl." I blushed and she wrapped an arm around me and said, "You know, you and I aren't so different kid."

"How so?"

"Well we both struggled in our families and personal lives, got together with some male rockstars to form a partnership before splitting off to have our freedom. The only difference is, is that I wish I had your strength. I decided to call it quits with heroin being my way to kick the bucket."

"You were someone I did look up to. I mean yeah you had your struggles, but hell you didn't take shit from no one. When conservative minds at the time wanted you to do it their way, you said....."

"'Fuck you. I'm doing it my own way!'" She finished off which made the two of us laugh. "Yah know something baby girl, I like you. Promise me for Lady's night you'll do a song with me?"

"It would be an honor Janis." She smiled and hugged me tightly.

"Alright my darlings, may we have everyone's attention?" Freddie's voice soon spoke up as he was now standing on top of a table. Everyone looked up and as the boys of Queen stood up front Freddie continued, "First of all magnificent show all of you. So cheers my lovely darlings." Everyone of us raised our glasses in the air saying 'cheers'.

"We'd also love to specifically say a wonderful show for our newest arrival," Brian spoke up. He turned to me and extended his hand out for mine. I took it and he gently pulled me up front so that everyone could see me.

"Our beloved Rock Angel herself, (Y/n) Kline." Roger spoke up as he smiled warmly down at me.

"To the Rock Angel!" Deacy stated as he raised his cocktail glass in the air.

"To the Rock Angel!" Everyone choired at me. I bashfully smiled and said.

"Thank you, it was an honor to see most of you perform tonight, and it was great to perform with someone of you once again after so many years. I hope I have the privilege to perform with every single soul here." I said.

We then raised our glasses once more and the mingling and partying continued long into the night.

[prettyboylovemail]

[Hana + Juzo] As Long As We’re Alive

FINALLY! I finished this fic that I’ve been working on all week!

I recently rewatched the Danganronpa 3 anime and wanted to figure out how my S/I would fit into the new killing game! Including interactions with my favorite character from the anime cause I can’t help myself 👀

(Also, for a bit of context: This takes place following my S/I from DR 1 surviving the Hope’s Peak Killing Game!)

As such, this will include anime spoilers!! Keep that in mind!

I worked super hard on this, so I hope you guys enjoy!!

Also a big big thanks to @duncanlovemail​ for helping me do some final edits and tweaks!! ❤️

—

In a split second, her life flashed before her eyes.

There were some good memories, sure, but mostly bad ones — memories of the last killing game she’d been forced to play overshadowed her happiest moments. And now, laying on the floor, staring wide-eyed at the tip of a katana, she could only remember the moments where she’d been this close to death.

But this time, she didn’t think she’d get to make it out alive.

There was a brief rustling sound from somewhere nearby, but Hana barely noticed it. It sounded as if someone was walking by and she silently begged that it’d be an ally. But as the footsteps grew fainter, she realized that she didn’t have any real allies left, and that she was only going to be left for dead. 

The man behind the corner kept walking. He’d seen the fight, or rather, the one-sided attack, but he paid it no mind. With a scowl, he left Munakata to finish his work. Who cares how many insignificant people died? As long as he made it out alive, then Juzo would slaughter every other person here. If it meant that Kyousuke would be victorious, then he didn’t give a shit about the rest.

Then why?

Why did his chest tighten up at the sight? Why did he feel a twinge of guilt leaving her to die? It’s not like that girl was anyone special or important — just some rookie from another division — so why did he feel like a piece of shit as he turned his back on her?

“Dammit, Juzo, this isn’t like you,” the man muttered to himself through gritted teeth. “Get ahold of yourself and keep walkin’. It’s none of your business.” It wasn’t until the next thing he heard that he stopped in his tracks, listening.

“Please, I-I’m not on the side of despair! I d-don’t want to hurt anyone! Please, believe me!!”

The girl’s voice sounded desperate, like she was crying. Juzo swallowed thickly, trying to take another step, but feeling his entire body stiffen up. Her voice rang through his ears, echoing in the empty hallway, the sound piercing his chest like a knife. 

“PLEASE, DON’T KILL ME!”

The man’s fists balled up, squeezing every ounce of strength that he could muster.

Shit!

“Kyousuke!” Juzo’s voice boomed through the hall as he spun on his heel. He felt the weight of his entire body shift and slam to a stop in front of the scene. Munakata paused and glanced up at him with no change in his cold expression.

“What is it, Sakakura?”

“Don’t worry about that one!” Juzo stepped forward, placing himself between Munataka and the helpless girl, frozen on the ground. “Your target is Makoto Naegi, isn’t it? Why waste your time on a brat like her?”

“Why are you interrupting?” Munakata’s eyes narrowed sharply. “Have you fallen to despair, Sakakura?”

“Don’t be stupid, of course not. But you know as well as I do that it’d be useless to kill this girl. She’s just some random kid, she doesn’t have anything to do with your plan.”

“She’s a survivor along with Naegi and the others. She’s in cahoots with them and as such, must be eliminated.” The katana glistened as Munakata turned it towards him. “And I will kill anyone who gets in my way.”

Juzo sharply inhaled. Was it really worth it, saving this kid at the threat of being turned on himself? He sent a glare behind him, seeing the frantic eyes of the shaking girl beneath him. Her eyes begged for him to save her, but pleading normally didn’t work on him. He turned back to Munakata and grit his teeth.

“What the hell’s gotten into you, man? Do you realize who you’re pointing that blade at?” Juzo raised his voice slightly. “I’m on your side, but right now, we need to focus on the real objective!”

“This is the real objective!”

There was only a moment to react. Time seemed to slow as the blade was swung, but not at him. The katana grazed past Juzo and towards the ground. He felt his heart stop as he reached out and—

“AGH!!” Juzo grunted out loud as the pain of steel cutting through flesh surged through his hand. Blood poured from the wound and it took all his might not to flinch back. He turned towards Hana, cowering barely a foot below the blade, and yelled. “GO!”

She took a sharp breath and squirmed away from the line of attack, barely able to keep her balance as her legs pushed her backwards. “W-What are you doing?” she managed to ask with a feeble voice.

Juzo gripped onto the katana with his opposite hand, keeping it in place as to not cut further into his hand. “Don’t ask stupid questions! Get the fuck out of here!! NOW!” His voice blared through the halls, shaking Hana out of her daze. She stood as quickly as she could and ran, hastily turning the corner. 

“Sakakura! Why are you letting her escape?!” Munakata shouted. “You’re a traitor to the cause—”

“No! I’m not!! Just listen to me for once, god dammit!” Juzo pushed back against the sword, yanking his hand away from the blade and jumping out of range. “Naegi is still on the move right now! Once you get rid of him, you can exterminate the rest of these stupid brats, you hear me?” There was a pause. “I won’t get in your way again, but we’ve gotta track down that bastard Naegi first.”

Another pause as both men decided their next move. When Munakata backed down, Juzo did as well.

“You’re right.” Munakata sighed, lowering his sword and re-sheathing it.

Juzo let out a sigh as well. “Good. Now come on, let’s go search for the brat.”

“Alright…”

—

The two men walked down the empty hallways, searching, scanning every corner for an enemy. Neither of them said anything, and the atmosphere was only growing more tense with every passing minute.

“Kyousuke,” Juzo started, breaking the silence between them, “those wounds don’t look so hot. We should find you a first aid kit.” When he didn’t receive any response, he paused, before making an attempt to change the subject. “Hey, so—”

“What’s on your mind?” Munakata stopped

“Well, uh,” Juzo began, “Kimura’s been killed. Kizakura got poisoned, too. Oh, and Ando was stabbed by one of the survivor brats...” his voice trailed off. Munakata hadn’t reacted to a single thing he’d said and it was starting to throw him off. Did he care that their comrades were dying? Juzo glanced away. “I… just… thought you oughta know…”

“Tengan, as well.”

Juzo’s eyes widened, “No joke?”

Munakata’s voice was cold and unwavering. “I killed him myself.”

It took a moment to process what he’d said, but it was unmistakable. Kyousuke had murdered the chairman. Of course, Juzo was always on his side, but this… didn’t seem like him. And his best friend’s icy demeanor was really concerning him. He knew that Munakata was willing to do anything to achieve his goal, but this—

“Right, sure…” Juzo turned away, putting on a smile to hide his uncertainty as best he could. “Hey, that’s good! This is what we wanted, isn’t it? To purify the foundation.”

Munakata said nothing, just stared at his friend’s back as he continued.

“Heh. ‘Bout damn time. This baby’s in your hands now, chief. You’ve been promoted.” When he still received no response, Juzo continued further. “No one in their right mind is gonna contest it. The revolution’s over, and the spoils of war are all yours! I’ll help, of course. We’re gonna fix the Future Foundation! After that, the world.”

Finally, after a couple of moments, Munakata spoke. “The world, you say…” Juzo turned to face him. “Hey, Sakakura. We go back. You’ve been at my side for years in fact, since we were students.”

“Uh, yeah…?”

Munakata’s eyes closed. “We had our share of good times, the two of us, and Yukizome, of course. Eyes always on the future. Three friends intimately bound together by the same ideals.”

Juzo paused.

“Our mentors were supportive. Tengan always found the time to give me advice. I held firm that the world could change. That I could be the one to change it.” Munakata balled his fist, opening his eyes, but kept them focused down. “That conviction hasn’t left me. It’s as strong as ever…”

“Yeah, sure…” Juzo also looked away, “Hey, it’s strong in me too, ya know. Always has been.” He returned a determined gaze to his friend. “Backing you up’s been the whole point of my life. I take a lot of pride in throwin’ down for your ideals.”

“I know you do… And you’re right, my friend,” Munakata said with a heavy expression. “Without your unwavering support, I would’ve never made it this far.”

There were a couple moments of silence before Juzo spoke up again. “Look, I— There’s something I gotta get off my chest, okay?” His heart began to race. Why did he suddenly feel so nervous? Was it because he was finally going to say it? Finally going to tell Kyousuke how he’s always felt? Or… was it something else? Something more… disconcerting…? “To be totally honest with you—”

“Enough!”

And in a flash — before he could even react — a sharp, searing pain surged through his stomach as Munakata’s fiery blade pierced through his midsection. He coughed, blood erupting from his throat and filling his mouth with the revolting taste of iron before spilling from his lips. The smell of burning flesh filled the air in an instant.

What…?

“K-Kyousuke…”

Blood quickly spread from the wound and in the next second, Juzo’s feet gave way beneath him and he collapsed onto the cold ground. He lay there in agony as the severity of the situation hit him. He choked and gasped for a breath, craning his neck, struggling to look up at the man who’d betrayed him. “W-What the hell, man? Why… would you… do this?”

Munakata’s voice was just as cold and uncaring as it was before, and it sent a shiver down Juzo’s spine as he lay on the floor beneath him.

“You know why. You know exactly why.”

And with that, Munakata turned… and left. His words hung in the air over Juzo, who lay face down, cursing himself as he felt his senses begin to weaken. He didn’t bother to watch his friend leave him there. He couldn’t bear the sight.

Why did it come to this? 

Dammit!! Why?!

Then everything faded to black.

—

Hana staggered through the halls, dragging her injured ankle beneath her. It’s not that bad, she told herself, as long as she could keep moving. As long as she was still alive. Her thoughts drifted back to earlier, when Juzo had saved her life. It’d been almost two hours since then, and the next time limit was approaching soon. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stumbled.

Why was she so useless?

Even in the previous killing game, she couldn’t do anything to protect her friends. She couldn’t save those she cared about. She just had to stand by and watch as the ones precious to her died brutal deaths. 

That included him…

Hana stopped and pressed her back to the wall behind her as the tears she’d been trying so hard to hold in fell down her cheeks. Why did she have to think about him right now? The girl felt her knees weaken, and she slid down to the floor with a heavy breath. Here she sat again, completely powerless to stop the deaths happening around her, unable to do anything besides cry. She despised her weakness. 

It might be better if I just sit here… and wait for someone to come and kill me…

As if on cue, the sound of footsteps pulled her out of her thoughts. One? No, two people, she guessed. Were they enemies? Friends? Hana’s thoughts raced. Should she run? Stay put? What would she do if someone attacked her again? Was… it even worth fighting back?

It wasn’t until she heard the sound of familiar voices that she stopped.

“Kyousuke, those wounds don’t look so hot. We should find you a first aid kit.”

Juzo? And Munakata is with him?

Hana froze up in a cold sweat. Juzo had saved her once, but he was still loyal to Munakata. If they were still together now, then— Her hands began to shake. He wouldn’t spare her again.

The sound of footsteps stopped as the two men continued talking just around the corner. Hana wondered if she should run, but her body remained stagnant, completely paralyzed.

“Tengan, as well”

“No joke?”

“I killed him myself.”

Munakata had gotten to the chairman already? Then, there was nothing stopping Munakata from killing everyone else too. Had he already killed Makoto too? Hana kept listening, as silently as possible.

“Look, I— There’s something I gotta get off my chest, okay? To be totally honest with you—”

“Enough!”

The sound that came from around the corner was enough to make Hana’s blood run entirely cold. The sound of metal plunging through flesh. The sound of Juzo crying out in pain. A heavy thud. 

No way…

There’s no way…

“Why… would you… do this?”

“You know why. You know exactly why.”

Hana’s hands clasped over her mouth to keep herself from gasping. Her entire body shook and she felt dizzy. She knew that they weren’t aware of her presence, but hearing that felt… directed. If Juzo hadn’t stepped in to save her, if he’d just ignored her and left her to be killed, this wouldn’t have happened. 

Juzo is going to die because of me.

Just like before—

I can’t do anything.

This is my fault!

Footsteps faded as Munakata walked in the opposite direction. Once she was sure he was gone, she risked a glance around the corner and saw Juzo lying on the floor, unconscious and bleeding. Her legs moved on their own as she rushed to his side, frantically checking his wounds. Thankfully, the stomach wound had mostly cauterized due to Munakata’s blade, but he was still bleeding out slowly. Hana took off her jacket and tried tying it around his stomach in a hurry. “God, please,” she gasped. “Please don’t die.”

Once she’d finished securing her makeshift tourniquet as much as possible, Hana wrapped her arms around the man, attempting to pull him up just enough to move him, to no avail. She just wasn’t strong enough to lift him, and dragging him would only cause more damage. “Damn it…” the girl cursed, frantically searching the area. She didn’t want to leave him here, but there was no way she was going to be able to carry him to safety by herself. She had to get help or—

“I’m not going to let you die, I promise.”

Hana stood and ran down the hall, looking for anyone who would be willing to help. Maybe if she found Makoto. Or Koda— Izayoi should be with her, right? Juzo said that Ruruka had been killed, she could only guess that Koda’s the one who’d done it. If she found the two of them, they could help—

“Please. Please. Anybody.”

—

Hana’s eyes fluttered open slowly, a groggy dizziness overtaking her as her vision attempted to clear, and she scanned the area around her, disoriented from just having woken up. She glanced down at the bangle donning her wrist, still displaying the forbidden action she’d been cursed with, and let out a deep sigh. She’d made it through another time limit alive.

Thank God…

She filed through her memories, trying to remember everything before she’d dozed off. She’d found Juzo laying on the floor, bleeding, after his falling out with Munakata; that part was clear. But after that— Hana frowned— she couldn’t really remember much. She postulated that the time limit had stopped her from finding help, and she figured that if Juzo were still alive, that she wouldn’t know where to look for him. She could only hope that he’d survived.

The girl staggered to her feet, slightly swaying from a lack of balance, and stretched her arms into the air. “Alright,” she muttered to herself, “what to do now?” 

For a moment, she considered looking for an ally, someone who’d be willing to team up with her, but the thought was fleeting. With her forbidden action being as fragile and deadly as it was, Hana figured that it’d be best to stay alone for now, what with Munakata on the hunt. She counted the number of known victims in her head, trying to figure out who was left. 

Makoto, Kyoko, Hina, Koda, Izayoi, Munakata, Ryota, and, maybe, Juzo. 

Including herself, only nine people remained alive out of the starting seventeen. She grit her teeth. Too many people had died already. 

History was repeating itself.

Suddenly, there was a screeching sound, signalling the overhead speakers turning on. Hana glanced up, trying to find where the noise was coming from, before a voice came through. 

“Makoto Naegi.”

Munakata—!

“If you’re awake, I assume you’ve figured out what Kirigiri’s forbidden action was.”

She took a sharp breath and her body went rigid. Kyoko…? Her forbidden action? Hana’s eyes widened with shock. 

Is Kyoko dead?!

The voice on the speakers continued, but Hana was only half listening as she repelled the urge to throw up. The pit in her stomach only continued to grow as she heard Munakata call Makoto to confront him alone. He was planning to kill Makoto, she’d already known that; but now, with Kyoko dead, he would be falling right into Munakata’s trap, spurred on by emotion and his relentlessness to push forward. That’s just always how he is — how he was back then too — and Munakata would be anticipating that.

Hana rushed from the room she’d taken shelter in, scanning the halls for anyone else. If Munakata was able to use the loudspeakers, then he should be in the broadcasting room, so if she just avoided there, then she would be fine and she could get help to back up Makoto. It wasn’t much, but she had to try.

The walls around her were broken and beaten to hell, with blood splattered against the dark concrete and rubble scattered across the floor at every turn. The sight made her nauseous, but she had to keep moving. No matter what, she had to push forward too.

As she turned a corner, Hana bumped into something solid and lost her balance. Her ankle twinged with discomfort and she let out a pained groan as she fell backwards. “Agh… shit.” Noticing movement in her peripheral, her eyes darted up to see what, or rather who, she’d crashed into, and she was hit with a wave of relief.

“Damn it. Can’t get anywhere without runnin’ into one of you brats, huh.”

“Juzo!” Hana exclaimed, half from the reassurance to see him alive, and half out of worry that he was still loyal to Munakata. Although, she considered, after what happened between them, she couldn’t say for sure that he was still on Munakata’s side. “How are your injuries?” As the girl stood, her eyes drifted to his midsection; the tourniquet she’d wrapped around him was gone, but his wound wasn’t actively bleeding anymore. Juzo must’ve noticed the concerned look on her face, as he only scoffed in return.

“I’m fine. What’d’you care anyway?”

She made a dejected noise of acknowledgement and glanced away. “Sorry, is that a bad thing?” When he didn’t reply, Hana let out a soft exhale. “I saw what happened… between you and Munakata. I know it’s not really my place to intervene, but I couldn’t just… leave you there, ya know?”

Juzo sighed, a low growl escaping his throat, “So you saw all that.” He looked down at the ground, an expression on his face that was somewhere between anger and sadness. He clearly felt betrayed. Understandable, all things considered. “Fuck,” he cursed as he sat on a nearby slab of rubble, “this whole thing is such bullshit! How did it get this far?”

Hana stayed silent, watching the man in front of her. He was normally so aggressive and strong, but seeing his posture fall and his confidence crumble, it filled her heart with a nostalgic sadness. The same feeling that she had before, before that sickening execution, seeing someone so strong that she had nothing but admiration for collapse into weakness and despair. That feeling of helplessness as she couldn’t do anything but watch from the sidelines. It hurt to see the same thing happening yet again.

“I’m sorry…” Hana spoke gently as she sat beside him. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and keeping her gaze fixated on the floor. “...for what happened. If you hadn’t had to save me, he wouldn’t have—”

“Shut up.”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t have to save you. Hell, I thought that I should’ve let you die back there.” Juzo spat out his words with no hesitation. “Even I wondered why I bothered to step in.” Hana didn’t say anything, and only kept her eyes on the ground. “But what’s done is done. And even if I didn’t come to save your sorry ass, Kyousuke already had it in his head to betray me. Leaving you there wouldn’t have prevented anything.”

“You don’t know that for sure,” Hana mumbled. “You two were so close. Why would he have tried to kill you if he didn’t think you were on Makoto’s side?”

There was a pause.

“That’s the question, ain’t it…” Juzo sighed. “I gave everything to show him I wouldn’t hesitate to kill for his ideals. I really would’ve killed that bastard Naegi with my bare hands to prove that.” He slumped over, raising his wrist to clearly see the band hanging from it, “If it wasn’t for this damn thing, I could’ve done it by now.”

“But would killing Makoto really have put a stop to all this?” the girl questioned, sending a glance over her shoulder.

“Dunno. Don’t really care either, at this point.”

Another pause, this one longer than the last.

“Then, let’s end this game.”

“Huh?” Juzo scowled at the girl. “What do you mean by that?”

Hana’s eyes glinted with determination, “The attacker is still out there, right? That’s why there’s a new victim after every time limit. So if we can find and stop the attacker before the next time limit happens, then the game should end!”

“Forget it. If you wanna get yourself killed, then go right ahead, but I’m done.” The man’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t give a shit what happens to the rest of you.”

“But you want this game to end too, don’t you? Or would you rather just stay locked up in here forever?”

“Tch. Even if you think you could find the attacker, how would you be able to stop them? They only show themselves when everybody’s knocked out, so how do you plan to fight them?” He gestured down to Hana’s leg. “And with your busted up foot, I doubt you’d be able to handle yourself if push came to shove.”

That seemed to make the girl back down, as her shoulders slumped in realization. “Well. I don’t know yet. But I still want to try, ya know?” Her eyebrows knitted together. “If I don’t do anything, it’s only a matter of time before everyone is killed off one by one. I don’t want to let that happen again.”

Juzo groaned in frustration, “Right, I get it. You’re trying to play hero just like Naegi, aren’t ya. Cause of that other killing game, right?” Hana kept quiet. “Jeez, you brats are all the same, thinkin’ you can change things by stickin’ your necks out. So damn annoying.” 

He gave her another harsh glare. “So what if I entertain your little suicide mission, huh? How do I know you aren’t just pullin’ a fast one on me, trying to get me to lower my guard?”

“What?”

“Say, hypothetically, that you’re actually the attacker. What makes you think that I can just blindly trust anything you have to say?”

Hana paused and stared at his face before sighing and closing her eyes. She moved her wrist into view, showing off her bracelet, and the message that circled around it in big, red letters. 

SUSTAINING AN INJURY THAT DRAWS BLOOD

“I haven’t shown anybody this,” Hana said quietly. “I’ve been too worried that someone would use it against me, so I’ve been avoiding everyone else.” Her voice was soft, yet full of resolve. “Earlier… even if I could’ve somehow escaped from Munakata alive on my own, one tiny cut from his blade would’ve been enough to do me in. If you hadn’t come when you did, I would’ve absolutely died... one way or another. All it would take is the smallest drop of blood, and I would be dead.”

“So, what?”

“So that means that I’m willing to put my trust in you. Maybe that’s a dumb decision, but I don’t want to doubt people anymore! And if I don’t do anything, more people will just keep dying. If that means taking a few risks, then so be it.”

“Yeah yeah, I heard you the first time. But unless we can get these stupid bracelets off, we can’t do shit. You’ve gotta accept that.” Juzo paused. This girl, as annoying as she could be, was persistent to say the least — more stubborn than he would’ve given her credit for. It reminded him of before, back when Chisa was still alive. She was persistent and determined, just like that. She wasn’t the strongest person, far from it. She was emotional and irritatingly cheerful sometimes, and the look that Hana had on her face right now looked exactly like her. 

Juzo glared at the girl for a moment, studying her expression for any hint of ulterior motive. It wasn’t like he thought she had it in her to play mind games, but with everything that's happened up to now, he couldn’t underestimate anyone. Not again. 

“Tell me something. I’ve been wondering for a while. ”

“Hm?”

“Why do you keep following me around, anyways? You’re not gonna confess your love or something, are you?”

Hana was clearly caught off guard by the question, but found herself giggling in reply. She brought up her hands to dismiss the implication. “No, no way. Believe me, I don’t have any interest in you like that.” She gave him a smug look. “Plus, I don’t really think I’m your type—”

“Get on with it.”

The girl laughed, “Got it, sorry.” A moment passed and she gazed off somewhere down the hall, a forlorn look gracing her features. “Well, it’s just that…”

“...?”

“...You remind me of someone. That’s all.”

Juzo gave her a questioning look, but she paid it no mind. “So that’s it, huh.” He’d be lying if he said the sentiment wasn’t at least a little bit mutual, but he’d rather die before saying that out loud. “Well, I couldn’t give a damn about that.”

“I know.” With a soft chuckle, Hana kept her eyes down. “It’s kinda silly, isn’t it? To try and keep someone’s memory alive by projecting them onto someone else… it’s stupid to think that’ll help anything. But even so… it’s given me a little bit of courage.” Hana faced Juzo with a bright, albeit somewhat forced, smile. “So it can’t be all bad, right?”

“Tch…” The man clicked his tongue in annoyance. “If you say so.”

The sound of a distant rumbling caught both of their attention and they shot to attention. Juzo jumped to his feet, while Hana’s entire body straightened up.

“That has to be Munakata! He should be fighting Makoto right now,” Hana exclaimed. “We have to help!”

“I told you to forget it! You’re already hurt. You shouldn’t even be walking around so much, much less trying to fight,” Juzo snapped back at her.

“But if I don’t, then Makoto’s going to die!”

“So be it! If he decided to confront Munakata, that’s his own damn business! This isn’t your fight to meddle in!”

“I’m not going to sit back and let another one of my friends get killed!” Hana shouted, standing on her wobbly legs. “If you’re going to still side with Munakata after all of this, then fine, but I’m going to try to help my friends!” She only made it a few steps before a hand gripped her wrist and forcibly yanked her backwards. 

“Don’t be stupid! Just stay here and don’t get in the way, otherwise you’ll end up dying too, you hear me?!” Juzo yelled, squeezing the girl’s arm tight so she couldn’t break free. “If you’re so fucking concerned, then I’ll handle it.”

“What are you talking about?” Hana asked, wincing at the pain in her wrist. 

“You said it yourself! The tiniest cut would be enough to kill you, wouldn’t it? So just find somewhere to hide and stay put.” He released her arm and the girl pulled back to rub the spot he’d grabbed. At this point, Juzo didn’t even know what he planned on doing, but all he knew was that this stupid girl was going to get herself killed if she tried to fight Munakata again. Regardless of how he personally felt about the matter, he knew that her determination would be useless in this situation. “You’ve already done enough, so just stay outta sight and don’t die, got it?!”

Hana stepped back, a confused look on her face, but ultimately didn’t make any more attempts to oppose him. She exhaled softly and nodded. 

“Okay.”

And without a second thought, Juzo ran off into the darkness.

—

Shit… Why’d I let myself get roped into this…?

Juzo breathed heavily, grasping at his sleeve, soaked in blood, as he staggered through the dark halls. He figured it was almost time for the next time limit, although he couldn’t be sure of that anymore. Sweat beaded on his forehead as the throbbing pain surged through his left arm, and he risked a glance down to where the bangle had once been. With his hand now gone, he was free from risk of being poisoned, but the cost of passing out from the pain wasn’t far behind him. 

“D-Damn...it…” he muttered through strained breaths, “This is… all ‘cause of… that girl…”

He thought back to their earlier conversation. He had no initial plans to take what she’d said to heart, not like this, but seems that today was full of surprises, wasn’t it? All that shit he’d said before was just a means of shutting her up at the time, but after pondering it for a while, he realized what he had to do.

He’d set off to find Munakata and Naegi, to stop them from fighting, by however he deemed necessary. Whether that be by stopping Kyousuke again, or by killing the brat that started all of this, he would end this damn game. It wasn’t until the beeping of his wristband caught his attention, to signal that the time limit was fast approaching, that he remembered Hana’s plan. As reckless as it was, he knew that if one of them were to be able to pull it off, it would be him. That’s when the solution to get rid of the bracelet came to mind, and if it took a drastic measure, then that’s what he’d do. So he endured through the pain, biting the fabric of his jacket, grinding it between his teeth as he did what needed to be done.

But now, as he wandered the empty halls, with only the ominous glow of red from the monitors to guide his path, he wondered if he’d made the right decision. He had barely any strength left, why waste it on trying to fight off the attacker when he should be preserving it just to stay standing? Bullshit...

That’s when he heard it, the sound of screaming echoing in the darkness. Was somebody getting attacked? It almost sounded like—

Juzo took off in a sprint, dashing through the hallways. Anger surged through his body like electricity, but he skidded to a sudden stop at the sight before him.

Makoto Naegi, kneeled on the floor, a knife poised to his throat. 

In a split second, Juzo was at top speed again, his strides slamming into the ground with every step.

I don’t think so, you little bastard!

One swing was all it took to knock the knife from the boy’s hands. He paused in confusion, looking around for a second before Juzo gripped him by the arm and raised him to eye-level, slamming his elbow to Naegi’s throat. He writhed and flailed under the pressure of being choked, but Juzo didn’t waver. 

“You’re the man who defeated Junko Enoshima. If you think I’m going to let you kill yourself, then you’re dumber than you look!” he growled, pressing his arm further against the boy’s neck. “You hear me, you little punk?! Not now. Not ever!”

After a few more seconds of struggling, Juzo released Naegi, letting him fall to the floor in a heap as the boy coughed and gasped for air. He looked up at the man in confused distress. “H-How are you even—?!”

Juzo picked the knife from the floor, gripping the handle. “You wanna die so bad, then allow me.” He raised the blade, fully intending to strike and end this right then, but stopped himself mid-swing when Naegi recoiled. He looked pathetic, like a small animal cowering in fear of its predator. Juzo scoffed and dropped the knife, his feet collapsing beneath him as his strength started to waver. “Dammit…”

“How are you still awake?” Makoto asked, staring at Juzo intently. That’s when the boy noticed the crimson-soaked sleeve and gasped, “Y-You cut off your arm?” He looked at the man with concerned eyes. “Well, that’s one way, I guess.”

“Figured I could make the scene before it happened…” Juzo muttered, his energy depleting quickly, “I could meet whoever’s behind this god-forsaken game face-to-face. Take out the attacker and be done with it.” 

Naegi’s eyes widened when he realized Juzo’s intention, and paused. “There is no attacker. There never was.”

“...Huh?”

“It was suicide. The victims— They were all brainwashed into killing themselves by what they saw on the monitors.” Juzo followed Naegi’s gaze up to the glowing monitor. “When the time limit was up, we were all knocked unconscious. But whoever was closest to a monitor got woken up by a special signal from their bangles. Awake and alone, they were subjected to a video. After that…” his voice trailed off, leaving the implication as it stands.

Juzo slumped over, his expression darkening. “Who did this? What sicko piece of shit thinks this is entertaining?”

“That, I don’t know. At least not yet.” Naegi raised a hand to his chin in thought. “But they wouldn’t even need to be here for it to work.”

“What are you tellin’ me? They could’ve set this up? Controlled it remotely?”

“Probably.” Naegi straightened up, sending a determined smile over in the man’s direction. “On the bright side, at least we don’t have to suspect each other anymore.”

Juzo could only laugh at what he was hearing. Rage boiled through his veins, and it took everything in him to keep himself in check. “So what are we supposed to do now? It’s all a shell game. We’ve been manipulated from some unknown other place. Killing each other like a bunch of animals.

“Yukizome. Gozu. Kimura. Some video brainwashed them into taking their own lives? All the horrible things we’ve done to smoke out the killer and it’s been us?!” Juzo gripped the handle of the knife in his fist once again, shaking with anger. He slammed the blade against the concrete, breaking it in half. “Son of a bitch!”

There was a long pause as Juzo took a breath and collected himself. Everything he’d done — everything he’d tried to prove — it was all for nothing. This entire damn game has been nothing more than a way for some bastard in a far-off place to enjoy a good show while they all chased their tails like a pack of rabid dogs. Juzo stood again, turning and taking a few steps down the hall.

“What are you doing?”

Juzo gritted his teeth. These fucking brats and their million questions. What did it matter what he did now? Why was everyone so concerned about him and whatever he was doing?! “I have somewhere to be,” he forced out. Really, he didn’t know where he was going to go, or what he was going to do. Nothing mattered anymore.

“Let’s end this game.”

He paused, stopped dead in his tracks. What the hell? Did all these survivor kids have the same brain, or was it just coincidence that this brat said the exact same useless shit that she did? Whatever, he didn’t care. He didn’t have to listen.

But of course, that didn’t stop the words from coming. “If we destroy all the monitors, that should do it,” Makoto urged. 

“Heh.” Juzo sent a glance over his shoulder. “You got any idea how many of those things there are?”

“B-But—”

“Don’t let me stop you. Just don’t expect me to help either.” With those words, Juzo continued walking. That’s right. It didn’t concern him. He didn’t give a shit what the others did anymore. But still, that uncomfortable twinge of guilt in his chest tugged at him. The same one he felt when he saved that girl’s life. Juzo tried to force the feeling down, but it stayed, regardless, and his feet stopped yet again. He remained quiet for another second before breaking the silence. “True story… I wanted you to die. I’d have gladly done it myself.

“See, I’m not a man who can just forgive and forget. I hated you. No, from the moment you walked out of Hope’s Peak High School alive, I loathed you. Despised you,” Juzo growled. “So, I’m not gonna lie, when Munakata told you to kill yourself, I thought, ‘it’s about damn time’.”

“But why?” came the feeble voice of the kid he hated so much, “I don’t…”

“Because…” Juzo glared back at him. “You defeated Junko Enoshima.” 

When he saw the confused look on Naegi’s face, he continued. “Yeah, that’s right. Bitch played me like a fiddle. I knew she was up to something, and I kept my mouth shut.” The anger he’d been feeling surfaced even faster as he balled his fist. “I had one job and I botched it. So this is the result…” Juzo raised his mutilated arm and gave the boy a pained smirk. “It’s all on me. I couldn’t stop everyone dying... I couldn’t kill you for Munakata...

“And in the end...” Juzo’s eyes narrowed, his eyes stinging and his chest throbbing, “he threw me away. Like an old pair of boots.”

“He was wrong! It’s the game!” Naegi called after him. “The man was fooled into thinking you’d gone over to the enemy!”

Juzo kept walking, gripping his injured arm as he stepped into the darkness.

“Tch… No kidding…”

And this time, he didn’t turn back.

—

“Dammit…”

He didn’t think anything mattered anymore. He knew that whatever he did at this point would ultimately be useless. But… even so…

“If I don’t do anything, more people will just keep dying. If that means taking a few risks, then so be it.”

He kept walking. Kept moving. Through the pain and the dizziness, he kept pushing forward. Was this because of that that girl said? Or because of the brat? Or were these his own thoughts? Juzo didn’t know anymore. With every blood-stained step, his breathing staggered. Every motion felt like a hundred bricks weighed on his shoulders. But he had to keep moving. As long as he was alive, then he could fight.

Juzo pushed on, making his way towards the breaker room. His movements were slow and heavy, but determined to make it there. As he stepped through the Monokuma-printed door leading into the hidden room, he scoffed at himself, at the effort he was making. “Well, damn. Guess I’m a Despair now…” he let out a dry laugh that came out as more of a cough. “Wish I could find the humor in—”

He didn’t have time to finish his sentence before his foot gave way beneath him, causing him to stumble forward and crash into the wall. A cry of pain erupted from the man’s throat as he collapsed and slid down the wall, leaving a bloody trail behind him. And as Juzo lay crumpled on the ground, bleeding out from the wounds he’d sustained, he smiled. “This is what I get for letting Enoshima off the hook…” Everything in him wanted to give up, wanted to close his eyes and fall into the depths of darkness right then. 

But he couldn’t die yet. Not until he’d finished what he said he’d do. 

Not until this fucking game came to a bitter end.

With the last quarter of strength he could muster, he pushed himself onto his knees, draping his body against the breaker room door in order to force it open. He gazed down at the long line of switches. “Always been too much of a softie,” the man grinned to himself.

Juzo reached up, struggling to move through the crippling agony, and grabbed the first switch.

“...‘Least that’s what they’ll say about me.”

—

Hana sat alone with her knees pressed to her chest. It’d been too long, and the silence was starting to drive her crazy. What was everyone else doing right now? Was anyone else even alive? The thoughts that plagued her mind had continued to worry her, but she forced them down.

Everything’s fine. We’re going to make it out of here. All of us.

Then suddenly, everything went black. Hana jumped, startled by the sudden change, but relaxed slightly when the emergency lights came on. The room she’d hidden in was then illuminated a deep red, and the girl stood up to investigate. “Does this mean…?”

She peeked out into the hallway, not seeing anyone nearby. The girl stepped out and her foot swelled up in pain at the sudden movement, but she didn’t stop. Hana staggered along the wall, looking for anyone else to confirm what she’d thought. However, she didn’t have to wonder for much longer. With one final beep, the wristband that’d acted as her shackle for the entirety of the game snapped and fell to the ground. Hana touched her wrist, finally freed from the burden of death, and she let out an exasperated breath.

Is the game finally over?

It only took a couple minutes of walking to notice a few drops of blood on the ground. Her eyes followed the trail, seeing the drops become larger and more frequent as they moved down the hall. The dots began to connect in her head, but she shook them away, not wanting to assume the worst. She followed where they led and was brought to a room she hadn’t been to before. 

“A library?” she questioned aloud, seeing multiple bookshelves lining the walls, “Or maybe a study?” Her inquiries were cut short, however, at the sight of a body coming into view from behind the couch. Hana let out a gasp at the startling sight. Ruruka lay on the ground, a singular gash across her neck, a puddle of blood recently drained from the wound. Her eyes were wide; her expression twisted in shock and pain. She must’ve been caught off guard, Hana assumed.  A closer look revealed something glinting from inside the corpse’s mouth, what looked like a piece of blue candy on her tongue.

They did say she’d been stabbed, but did Koda really do this? She was never the type to murder someone in cold blood, even if it was someone she hated.

As brutal as the scene was, Hana gulped heavily and attempted to move past it as best as she could. Ruruka probably deserved it in all honesty, as horrible as that sounded, but that didn’t make seeing her dead body any easier to handle. Once she met up with Koda and Izayoi later, she could ask them about it, but she shook her head to rid herself of the image. Ending the game was the top priority. So she continued deeper into the room.

The trail of blood, now in large puddles, led into another area, a space behind one of the bookshelves that’d been pried open, it looked like. Hana glanced inside to find a hidden room, one a lot darker than the previous one. She stepped inside, following the trail further until she entered a final door. And when she peered inside, she froze. 

That’s…!

Slumped against the back of the room, one hand on the final switch, lay the familiar figure of Juzo. She rushed to his side to check for any signs of life. Considering the amount of blood he’d lost on the way here, it was unlikely that he was still alive, but—!

“Oh God…” Hana stared into his face, eyes closed and a peaceful smile gracing his lips.

She checked his mouth for breathing. Nothing.

“No, no, damn it.”

Checked his neck for a pulse. Nothing still.

“God, please…”

She pressed her ear to his chest to listen for a heartbeat, every movement more frantic and worried than the last. Tears stung her eyes.

I can’t be too late!

But then—

Bu-bump.

A heartbeat. Faint, but still barely there.

Bu-bump.

Another one, even fainter than the last.

He’s still alive—!

Hana stood, her body shaking and her breathing ragged, and dashed from the room as quickly as her legs could move. “I promised that I wouldn’t let you die, dammit! I can’t fail now!”

She ran and ran and ran, turning every corner at top speed, searching for anyone who could help. Anybody. That’s when she heard the faint sound of voices at the end of the hallway. She didn’t know who, but she didn’t care. “Help!! Anyone, please help!!” she shouted into the darkness, praying that someone would hear her and come to her aid. 

“Fujiwara?” a voice echoed back.

As she ran farther down the hall, multiple people came into view, and tears of relief spilled from her eyes. The figures of her friends, as well as a platoon of soldiers that’d presumably been ordered to search for survivors, relieved the immense weight on her shoulders. “Makoto! Byakuya!” 

Finally, finally. They were saved.

“There you are!” Makoto exclaimed. “We hadn’t heard from you all day, we thought you were dead!”

“Don’t worry about me right now! Juzo needs help!” Hana shouted with as much conviction as she could muster. “He’s in the breaker room! He doesn’t have much time left, but he’s still alive!” She turned to Byakuya and his squad of reinforcements, in tears. “Please, we have to save him!”

Byakuya paused for a moment, taking in the information, before barking an order to his crew. “Three of you, follow Fujiwara to the breaker room and ensure Sakakura’s safety! The rest of you will follow Munakata and Naegi to stop Mitarai! Now! Go!”

“Yes, sir!”

—

The sun peered through the blinds into the hospital room, shining more light on the already blindingly white room. Juzo stirred a bit, then begrudgingly opened his eyes with a strain. He attempted to sit up, but the overwhelming pain caused him to fall backwards onto the bed.

“I wouldn’t attempt to move for a while. You won’t be fully healed for quite some time.”

“E...Eh?” Juzo struggled to see who was speaking to him, and squinted to see blonde hair and the shine of glasses being pushed up the bridge of the man’s nose. “Y-You’re… that rich kid… from the Hope’s Peak survivors…” he forced.

“Byakuya Togami, Future Foundation: 14th Division,” he scoffed, crossing his arms hastily over his chest. “I’d be offended that you don’t remember who I am, but I’ll give you a pass due to your injuries.”

“What are...you doing here? Why am I… still alive?”

Byakuya sighed, “Well, to answer the first question, it’s been about 4 hours since the killing game ended. I’m only passing through on official business to check in on the status of the remaining survivors. Naegi and the other members are also here on business as well, albeit in separate rooms.”

“Tch…”

“And as for the latter,” Byakuya continued, sending a glance over his shoulder, “this one practically begged me to save your life.”

Juzo followed the blonde’s eyes to see a sleeping girl sitting hunched over in a chair in the corner of the room. The man clicked his tongue and pressed his head back into the pillow. 

“She’s the one who found you, barely breathing, and ran all the way to come find someone and led my squad back to your location. Once my team brought you into custody, we rushed you to the medical tent. It’s a miracle that you survived, honestly.” Byakuya sent a sharp glare in Juzo’s direction. “The fact that you’re still alive is extremely lucky. I’d be sure to give her your thanks when given the opportunity.”

“Yeah, yeah. I hear ya,” Juzo sighed, but ultimately didn’t say anything else. 

“Well, now that you’re awake and are showing no signs of falling into comatose.” Byakuya stood, shoving his hands into his pockets. “It seems my work here is finished.” The man turned towards the door, taking a couple strides before stopping. “We’ll have to hold another meeting again soon to discuss the plans of the Future Foundation, but I would rest while you can. We’ll take care of everything for now.” And with that, Byakuya left. 

Juzo’d only been half listening, honestly, but he got the general gist. Still, he closed his eyes, processing everything he’d heard. The killing game was over, and he’d actually survived it. He had fully expected to die at the time, and had accepted that fact, but he made it out alive, thanks to her. He mentally laughed at himself. It was always thanks to her, wasn’t it? The only reason he was even able to end the game in the first place was because of her saving his life after being stabbed. And it was because of what she said that he kept fighting to the end.

I’m so damn pathetic, aren’t I? When did I get this soft…?

Then he drifted back to sleep.

—

Time will always pass. No matter the hardships, the tears, and the pain, life will always go on. Maybe the memories wouldn’t fade right away, not for days or weeks, even months or years, but with every passing day comes a new opportunity to make the best of your situation. 

Bad memories may linger, but life moves forward.

Hana stepped into the sun, a gentle breeze blowing wisps of her hair into her face. It’d been a week since then, and things have been getting back to normal as quickly as possible. The Future Foundation was still working on rebuilding their headquarters, as well as it’s credibility with the public, and they were still trying to figure out what to do with its remaining members. But despite all of that, the girl smiled at the bright blue sky above her.

They’d made it. Through everything, they’d made it.

“You seem awfully cheery for someone still hobbling around on one leg,” came a man’s voice from behind her. She recognized it instantly.

“What are you doing moving around out here, Juzo?” Hana turned where the voice was coming from. “You aren’t fully healed yet, ya know.”

Juzo scoffed, “I got tired of layin’ around in that stuffy room every day. Can only take so much boredom before I end up wanting to off myself.”

The girl put her hands on her hips and sighed, but made no objection. “Geez. If you keep pushing yourself, you’re only gonna have to stay longer.” She gave him a smirk. “Well, whatever. Just don’t get caught by the hospital staff.”

“Doesn’t matter to me. It’s not like I’m leaving the hospital grounds. Just gettin’ some air is all.”

“I know, but still.” She gestured for him to sit on a nearby bench and he reluctantly obliged, to which she joined him as well. After a couple moments of silence, gazing off into the distance, Hana spoke quietly. “Things have gotten pretty crazy lately, huh…” she muttered, “never expected it to end up like this…”

Juzo stared at the girl as she spoke before closing his eyes and leaning back into the bench. “I get what you mean. For one thing, I figured I’d be dead by now.” When Hana didn't reply, he changed the subject. “Did you guys ever figure out what happened to Munakata? Or where he is?”

She shook her head. “No, we didn’t,” the girl answered, “he wandered off somewhere and told us not to follow him, from what I heard. Mentioned something about bearing his own cross. I don’t think he’ll be coming back to the Future Foundation anytime soon.”

“Damn it,” Juzo huffed under his breath. “He’s always been like that. Thinking that he has to take on all of the burdens alone. He’s such an idiot.”

“I don’t think it’s stupidity.”

“What’re you gettin’ at?”

“I think he’s concerned about you and the others in his own way. ‘Course, I can’t say for sure, since I didn't really know him that well. But it seems to me like he recognizes that what he did was wrong and wants to put some separation between himself and the organization to allow for healing. 

“For both the Future Foundation and also for himself,” Hana spoke gently, “I think he needs this time alone to reflect. We shouldn’t urge him to come back if he isn’t ready to.”

“Don’t get all preachy on me,” Juzo retorted. “I know all that already.” 

The girl airily laughed a little, “Sorry…”

“So,” Hana leaned back, pulling one knee up to her chest, “what are you gonna do now? After you’re discharged, I mean.”

“Hell if I know…” the man sighed. “‘Dunno what I’m supposed to do now.”

The girl hummed in response. “Well… what do you want to do? Plan on looking for Munakata?”

“No. If he decided that he’d rather be alone, then I have no reason to chase after him anymore…” Juzo’s eyes fell to the ground. Before Hana could respond, he continued, “What about you? What are you gonna do now that the Future Foundation’s in shambles?”

“Hm, I don’t know…” She placed her chin against her knee, thinking deeply, “I think I just want to go home… wherever that is now…”

“Yeah,” the man let out a small breath, letting his gaze drift into the distance, “same…” After a few minutes, Juzo spoke up again, breaking the silence. “Hey.”

“Hm?”

He paused, his eyebrows knitting together as he tried to mentally piece together the right words, “Why…’d you bother savin’ me back there? I get the first time was to pay me back for helpin you out against Munakata, but—”

“Because… I promised I wouldn’t let you die.”

“Huh?”

Hana brushed a few strands behind her ear and looked down, “I made that promise to myself and I… couldn’t break it, no matter what.”

“What’s up with that?” Juzo snapped back, “You got some kinda hero complex?”

She gave him an embarrassed smile and an empty chuckle, “No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just…” she hesitated for a second, “someone I knew was… very stubborn about keeping any promise he made. And I guess that sorta just… rubbed off on me.”

“I see how it is,” the man replied, “one of the kids from the Hope’s Peak Killing Game, right?”

A light blush appeared on Hana’s cheeks as she pressed her lips together and fidgeted her thumbs in her lap. “W-Well…”

“Lemme guess, you had a crush on the guy. Then he died, so now you feel like you’ve gotta keep up his ideals in his place,” Juzo said frankly, not wavering for a second. “Sound about right?”

The small squeak that the girl made, along with her face turning a deeper shade of red by the moment, promptly answered his question. “T-That obvious, huh?”

“Yeah, kinda,” Juzo sneered. “But whatever, it’s not like I care to pry into some brat’s love life.”

Hana glanced away, leaning her cheek against her knee once again, “I know I mentioned it before, but you kinda reminded me of him, ya know. I think that’s another reason why I told myself that I had to save you, no matter what happened.”

“Uh-huh?” Juzo paused, giving her a questioning look. “You’re still not gonna say you like me or some sappy shit like that, are you?”

“I already told you it’s not like that!” the girl huffed. 

“Just checkin’.”

“It’s more like… I dunno,” the girl thought for a moment, “you’re both so strong and aggressive and stubborn, but you’ve both got a soft side too. You care about your friends and are willing to do anything to protect those who are close to you. That’s something I really admire, so…”

“Tch, you don’t need to say anything else. I understand.” Juzo also looked away, an embarrassed expression on his face. “I’m not that big a softie.”

“I know, I know. But still…”

The two sat in silence for a while longer, watching a couple birds fly from their perch on a telephone wire. The wind blew softly. Even with all of the chaos happening around them, everything still seemed so peaceful. They still had a lot of work to do; the war against despair wasn’t completely over yet, but for now… 

Things were okay.

With a loud sigh, Hana stood. “Welp! Nothing’s gonna get done if we keep sitting around here.”

“Take it easy. Didja forget you’re still bandaged up too?” Juzo scolded. “You don’t need to push yourself either. Take your own advice for once, will ya?”

Despite Juzo’s harsh tone, Hana giggled. “Don’t worry, I’m alright. I’m mostly healed now. You’re the one in a lot worse condition, but yet here you are still walking around.”

“I’m a lot more sturdy than you are. I can take it.”

“Mhm, sure. You don’t need to act all tough.”

“Shut it.”

“Got it, sorry,” she said with a dismissive laugh. “But, I should really be getting back to the others. Gotta check in on some official Future Foundation business before I go home.” The girl gave a bright grin before turning her back to him. 

Juzo paused before pushing himself up as well, leaning heavily on his crutch. “Right. Duty calls, I guess.” He watched her back for a moment. “Hey, kid.”

“What is it?”

“If… you ever need anything. Just gimme a call, alright?”

Hana smiled softly and nodded. 

“Okay!”

- END -

[skekheck]

All About the Seven Clans: The Spriton

THIS POST CONTAINS EVERYTHING I COULD FIND ABOUT THE SPRITON. SOME INFORMATION WRITTEN HERE ARE FROM OLDER MATERIAL AND MAY EITHER CONTRADICT STATEMENTS OR IS NO LONGER RELEVANT. I WILL DO MY BEST TO STRING IT ALL TOGETHER AS COHERENTLY AS POSSIBLE. IF THERE IS INFORMATION THAT I AM MISSING, PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND I’LL ADD IT!

Clan Index: Dousan Drenchen Grottan Sifa Spriton Stonewood Vapra

OVERVIEW

The Spriton were a farming clan that occupied the southern plains of Thra. Although well known for their knowledge in agriculture and husbandry, they were also experts in textile creation and other fine arts. Due to their location and way of life, they were the most important providers of grains and produce for other clans. Interestingly in other media, usually older works, the Spriton were a warrior clan instead.

The Spriton totem animal was the Landstrider and their core elements were the earth, its foundation, and protection of the land and its creatures . Both their clan and sigil colors were green and their pennant colors were beige with green and gold detail. 

Characteristics 

Most Spritons had dark or tanned skin and were sometimes covered in freckles. Their hair was dark-colored or black and were only ever worn in single braids. Decoration was minimal with only adorning their hair with small beads. A Spriton's eyes were noted to be "jewel-toned", usually light in color. Grey and off-white yellow or green were fairly common with darker greens and browns being rarer exceptions. Thanks to their lifestyles, Spritons were athletic and graceful. Spriton wings were noted to be long and narrow which were good for speed and agility. In the books written by J.M. Lee, one Spriton named Gereni had bright green wings. Older gelfling commonly had sun-worn skin and calloused hands.

Spriton clothing were simple, described as russet colored with autumnal qualities or earthy tones that matched their environment. Reds and browns in particular were extremely common. Plenty of gelfling from this clan wore head coverings which protected their heads from the Three Suns. Despite its simplicity, Spriton fashion displayed beautiful textile work with a unique stitching style not seen in other clans. 

Lifestyle

The Spriton were a traditional clan that valued hard work and generational knowledge. Performing daily tasks kept the community thriving as well as providing clothes and food for other clans. Their agricultural livelihoods revolved around season events like the trine cycle as well as ninents or greater seasons, which were one hundred trine in length. It was very important for memories to be passed on to ensure the success of crops for future generations. Living in harmony with Thra’s plants and creatures was also a tenet in Spriton culture. This stemmed from the Song of the Six Sisters where the Spriton’s first maudra was tasked with not only taking care of the land but also its foundation and animals. 

The Spriton were a medium-sized community whose population was comparable to the Drenchen's. Most Spritons lived in the clan's hometown Sami Thicket, but branched out into smaller villages and singular houses and farms along the Spriton Plains. The Spriton were some of the first clans to had spread outside their main village. Even the Stonewood, who had a larger population, didn’t stray too far from their home village until well into the Age of Division.  A Spriton family unit usually consisted of three to six gelfling. Despite the distance from their hometown, the Spriton never lost their sense of community. Whenever families returned to Sami Thicket to give crops, practice trading, or for special occasions, they were always welcomed warmly. 

Daily Routine

A day in the life of a Spriton consisted of long work days that started when the suns rose and stretched on well after dark. In Sami Thicket, and perhaps in some neighboring villages, an hourly bell was rung so the Spriton never got too lost in their work. When younglings grew to the age of apprenticeship, they were selected by mentors to begin training. They were put into a work group that was monitored by two elders. Younglings also refined their riding and hunting skills by participating in sports like bola-throwing and knock-knee, a race-and-ball game played on the backs of Landstriders. In the book series, they were also trained in combat and to fight with a spear. 

Because Spriton had a variety of jobs, they were divided into three main categories:

Hearth Workers: This group focused on tasks of integrated care of the hearth and home. Occupations included caregivers, woodworkers, songtellers, musicians, hearth workers (sometimes also called fire workers), bell ringers, food servers, and artisans like weavers, stitichers, and craftsmen. This group emphasized on building and maintaining the physical homes as well as replenished the hearts and spirits of the Spriton. Artisans were also seen as integral to the clan as their tapestries and other creations preserved their way of life.

Dirt Workers: Dirt workers protected the land and cultivated the clan’s many gardens in Sami Thicket and nearby fields. They were largely farmers, but also consisted of animal breeders and maintainers. They kept oral records of seasonal wisdom by marking the passing of time using sun-sticks posted in fields and horticultural and agricultural knowledge from previous generations. Dirt workers tended to creatures by tracking their numbers and observing their health. They believed that the health of the animals represented the health of the land.

Path Workers: Path workers were traders. Gelfling with these jobs were responsible for sorting, preparing, counting, and trading Spriton products. They were strong in numbers and noted for their adventurous and outgoing personalities who used their intelligence, sharp tongues, and charismatic smiles to sell their items. A popular saying “as smooth as a Spriton wagon driver” was inspired by them. Spriton traders often traveled outside of Sami Thicket, mostly staying within the plains but ventured to Stone-in-the-Wood and even Har’rar. 

Spriton Crafts

The Spriton were renowned for their crafts as much as their expansive knowledge on agriculture. They covered just about everything from textiles and quilts to tools and weapons.  Although, in regards to their metalwork, it was not as refined as the Stonewood’s and Vapran’s due to the dearth in materials. Spritons opted to work mainly with charmed wood, fiber, and substances from both vegetables and animals which were magically bounded.  Needlework in particular was considered a highly valued talent within Spriton communities as it was believed they were the stitchers of the gelfling clans.

Spriton textiles were easy to spot with its exposed stitchwork, extensive variety of magically-enhanced colors, and embroidery. They were highly sought out by other clans, especially the fashion-oriented Vapra. Their sandals were particularly famous not just for their beauty but also because of how sturdy they were. Spriton wool, which were spun from the coats of various plains creatures, were popular especially when dyed from one hundred pigments made in Sami Thicket. 

As previously mentioned, Spriton crafts sported a unique style. While craftsmen in other clans hid binding agents like threadwork in shoes and tangle-weed in pottery, the Spriton purposely exposed them. They believed that if it weren’t for them, the craft would fall apart. Highlighting these parts was the Spriton’s way of showing respect to them. Exposed threadwork was incorporated artistically with patterns on clothing and shoes. Tangle-weed, which made clay more durable, was dyed in beautiful vibrant colors.

Some other examples of Spriton craftsmanship were their lyres and bolas. While lyres from other clans had six strings, Spriton lyres had seven. The seventh string was spun from Vapran metal which clans were given through trading. It gave the lyres a sublime character and was said to have emulated the voice of Thra. Spriton bolas were better than ones produced by other clans as it had longer rope with smaller stones, which made it easier to throw and reached farther distances.

Dream-stitiching

Dream-stitching was a type of magic that originated from the Spriton. It was a skill that combined elements from dreamfasting and dream-etching, which had the ability to fasten memories onto a physical object that invoked all senses and stirred imagination. The object could be anything: books, paintings, tapestries, or even stones or plants. This skill was difficult to master and was only taught by the Spriton maudra.

Kylan, a dream-stitcher, displayed noteworthy forms of the art. In the TV series, Kylan dream-stitched Brea’s memory of her mother within a Glider Seed so that others could know the All Maudra like she did. His skills in the book series were even more remarkable as he bounded Tavra’s soul upon the body of a crystal-singer and spread the message of the gelfling resistance on the Sanctuary Tree’s petals with dream-stitching.

Animal Husbandry

Much like their knowledge of land, the Spriton knew plenty about Thra’s diverse creatures, dating as far back as the Age of Harmony. Dirt workers were the ones responsible for training and handling animals. They knew animal calls and methods that taught them certain commands.  Many of these animals helped the Spriton in their daily tasks. For example, Mounders used their digging abilities to create irrigation channels in fields that helped Spriton crops. 

Landstriders

Landstriders, the totem animal of the Spriton were the most notable animals among the clan. In fact, it was common belief by other clans that all Spritons were experienced Landstrider riders. Riding one was noted to be difficult for newcomers and it took time for the creatures to get used to a saddle. But trainers created a system that made the Landstriders comfortable giving gelfling rides if they were given treats in exchange (usually roasted fruits or nectar).�� While their eyesight was poor, they had impeccable hearing and could “see” by listening to the echoes of their hoofbeats. They could be ridden during both the day and night, but weren’t good for stealth as their hooves produced loud sounds. During times of war, Landstriders were given armor, even on their legs. While this slowed them down, lining them together made for an affective barricade. 

Spriton cared for Landstriders within several large herds. They were given plenty of freedom to roam in large meadows with built structures for them to take shelter with eating-troughs and trenches from nearby rivers for fresh water. These living spaces formed positive relationships between Landstriders and gelfling. These bonds became especially important during the late Age of Division as they were the only animals capable of fighting off the Garthim thanks to their swift speed. 

Swoothus and Windshifters

Swoothus and windshifters were other notable Spriton animals. They were used for delivering messages all throughout gelfling settlements. While windshifters were faster, they were more aloof and easily distracted. Swoothus, on the other hand, were slower but easier to train and performed better especially when motivated by food. They were capable of understanding speech and specific commands as well as recognizing multiple locations. 

Like with Landstriderss, bonds of trust formed between Swoothu or Windshifters and their trainers. With Swoothus, it came to the point where they’d visit their trainer even when there were no messages to send. Younger Swoothu tended to not stray too far from Sami Thicket until they gained the courage or curiosity to fly farther out. Sometimes they hitched a ride with their trainers or traders until they’re ready to fly off. By then, they mainly traveled to major gelfling settlements like Stone-in-the-Wood, Har’rar, and the Castle of the Crystal. 

Cohabitating With Podlings

While podlings had always co-existed with gelfling, the harmony between them and Spritons were the greatest. The relationship between the two were very communal and so close that they adapted cultures and characterstics from one another. Gelfling from Sami Thicket and neighboring villages commonly spoke podling tongue.

Podlings lived alongside their fellow Spritons in Sami Thicket, having houses nestled in between the gelflings’. They worked alongside the gelfling in various jobs, shared everything together, and even raised within the same nurseries. The two species took part in each other’s holidays or traditions, like podling funerals. Spritons and podlings alike gathered by the Pavilion and prepared the body for service and burial. 

Diet

Thanks to the Spriton’s knowledge in agriculture and crops, they found ways of growing fruits and vegetables not normally found in their region, elongated growing seasons, and yielded bigger crops. Because of the large bounty of produce, a Spriton’s diet was heavily relied on fruits and vegetables. Meat was consumed rarely and when they did the gelfling carefully picked a creature, quickly slaughtered it, and gave it their respects.

Spriton cuisine involved mixing greens with vegetables and fruits. Produce was sometimes marinated in a tangy sauce or seasoned with fire-toasted seeds or nuts. Spriton cheese was treasured and came in great variety, from soft spreadable to harder cheeses suited for grating and melting. The cheeses were widely sought out by other clans and fetched good prices, especially in giant markets like the ones in Har’rar where such foods were hard to come by. 

One notable Spriton delicacy was the sweet cherry squash. Cherry squashes were roasted which gave them a savory sweet taste. They were saved for special occasions like visits from the skeksis during tithe and census ceremonies. Other Spriton foods included dried squash and emroot. 

Festival of the Sour Squash

This was an autumn holiday that celebrated the harvest of the sour squash. The ripeness of the squash signaled the beginning of the harvest seasons and the coming of winter. The fruit grew in partial shades of the thicket and changed color from green to amber and, when ripe, to red. Sour squash was delicious when roasted, although the ripeness produced an even more flavorable heady sweetness. Otherwise raw sour squash, as its name indicated, had an unbearable sourness. Roasted sour squash was similar to roasted sweet cherry squash for both flavor, crispiness, juiciness, and equally sweet-scented.

Along with the beginning of the harvest, the festival was also the Spriton’s way of thanking Thra’s generosity for the bounty of their crops. This was reflected in the festival’s tradition: after gelfling roasted their sour squash they must share all of it with others and only then were they allowed to eat the ones given to them by others. It was generally considered bad luck to decline to share. Sharing roasted squash wasn’t limited to gelfling as it involved podlings and the animals that resided in the village. 

Day of the Great Sun

This was a traditional summer festival that all gelfling celebrated with summer activities like carrying water, taking a day of rest and more. But for the Spriton, who referred to it as the Longest Day, observed the event differently with a tradition called “sun-filling”. On the days leading up to the Longest Day, the Spriton cut back the trees around their homes and removed the latching from their roofs. When the day came, the sunlight from the Greatest Sun filled their houses with its light as it made its long journey across the sky. The Spriton held the belief that the light the sun brought kept out dust and last until the next trine.

Another tradition was burning old or discarded items within Sami Thicket’s hearth whose fire raged on through the entire day. When homes were cleaned and the fire put out, the head of each household took a small handful of ash and sprinkled on the newly thatched roofs. It was a reminder of letting go but also respecting and honoring the old.

Spritons sung a traditional song called “Sun-Filling Song” while they de-dusted heavy quilts and mats.

Mysteries of the Mystic Valley

Although the Spritons lived near the Valley of the Mystics none knew about the existence of the urru. Yet, they knew that something lived there beyond the dried-up ravine as rumors sprung from sights of silhouettes and hearing chanting at night. Many had gone into the valley to find the source of the rumors but found nothing. This may be due to the mystic magic that cloaked their village from outsiders. Many songs were created to explain these seemingly mysterious phenomena. Some were more logical, that the valley was the new home of the Arathim, but some were more superstitious that the ravine was haunted by a long forgotten race. 

Interestingly, plenty of songs focused on skekMal the Hunter who was known by many gelfling to be a myth. In many of these stories he was known as the Hunter. They explained that the Mystic Valley was his birthplace and in one particular song, called “Hunter’s Knife”, was also the resting place of his heart. In the song, it explained the origins of his bloodthirst as, believing his spirit was holding him back, he carved out his heart with a knife made from stone. He left it in the valley where, as rumors believed, was the source of the moaning heard at night. It was his disembodied spirit’s desperate calls to be reunited with his body. 

Sami Thicket, Hometown of the Spriton

Nestled within a small wood in the middle of the Spriton plains lied Sami Thicket. The word sami meant “to rest” in old gelfling, which signified the village being a welcoming place of rest after a long day of work. Hundreds of families of both gelfling and podling lived within their clay and wooden houses, some multiple stories high. Some houses, like the ones outside of the village, were built with sturdy logs. Animals also lived within the village with winded creatures like Windshifters and Swoothu having built-in dens and nests throughout the wood. The village circled around the Pavillion. 

The Pavillion was known as one of the hearts of Sami Thicket. It was located right in front of the Spriton maudra’s large round house. It radiated out from a stone hearth as its core with paved multi-colored stones of red, gray, and blue which were arranged in a mosaic, twisting, tree branch-like pattern. The hearth itself was ringed with stone ledges wide enough for several gelfling to stand on or for a whole band to play in the evening. 

The community gathered around the Pavillion daily for performing tasks and where supper was served by hearth workers. It was also the meeting place for special occasions. During these times, fire workers created giant fires that towered over the village and beautifully lighting up the Pavillion. 

Nenadi-Staba 

Otherwise known as the Low Tree, this was the patron tree of the Spriton. It was considered the other heart of the Sami Thicket and was located within a bowl-like valley near a winding brook. The tree itself was a squat tree with bulging roots that had a gnarled, maze like-pattern with dangling smaller roots and vines. The Low Tree’s thin, reedy branches were ruffled with fragile hand-shaped golden leaves. It only took a short walk to get there which allowed the Spriton to visit it whenever they wanted. Younglings played on its labyrinthine roots while elders meditated under its shade. To pay homage to their Great Tree, the Spriton sang a song called “Ode to the Low Tree”.

Relationship With the Skeksis and Other Clans

The Spriton were among the most loyal of the skeksis. In fact, it was the Spriton who first agreed to form an alliance with them, kickstarting the Alliance of the Crystal. SkekVar, when he was known as the Ambassador, convinced Elder Carn of the gelfling council to form a compromise of exchanging weapons for the skeksis protection from the Makraks. After meeting with skekSo the Emperor did Elder Carn solidified the alliance with them. Since then, the Spriton remained loyal to the skeksis, where they provided them with tithes and banquets whenever they visited. Like most clans, some Spritons were sent to the Castle of the Crystal to become guards. In the book series, along with the Stonewood, they made the majority of the skeksis’ armies and guards at the Castle of the Crystal. However, their loyalty was eventually driven by fear as evident by Maudra Mera. In both the TV and book series, she remained stubborn about joining the resistance fearing the safety of her own clan. Eventually she decides to join the Spriton in the fight against the skeksis.  

Spritons generally were respectful and kind to any visitors who visited Sami Thicket and neighboring villages. They valued keeping face and held the belief they had good trading relationships with other clans. They did have their fair share of rivalries, though. The most well known of these were with their woodland neighbors the Stonewood. Depending on the media, the severity of their rivalry varied. In the timeline established in Age of Resistance, it didn’t extend outside of name-calling and rumormongering. The book series, however,  had the two clans constantly feuding over territory within the Endless Forest. Despite all of this, the Spriton shared the same folklore with them including the heroic Jarra-Jen and the villainous Hunter.

They were the only neighbors of the Drenchen which they had semi-regular contact with. On the surface, the two had a friendly neighboring relationship but looking past this lied a steadily growing tension. This hit a crescendo in the book series as, after Stonewood’s defeat and supposed annihilation, the Drenchen took up arms to fight the skeksis themselves. To get to the castle, they would have to go through the Spriton which were still loyal to the skeksis. Fueled by fear that they too would end up like Stonewood, the Spriton expected to fight the Drenchen. Thankfully, Naia and her friends were able to defuse the situation from becoming a civil war and managed to get the two clans to join the resistance.

Like other clans, the Spriton had their own stereotypes from outsiders. While the Spriton thought of themselves as humble and more productive of the seven clans, others found them overly obedient and old fashioned. At least in the book series timeline, the Spriton were believed to be territorial as well as aggressive and combative. Some outsiders referred Spritons as “grasslings”. 

Notable Spriton Members

Kylan: A songteller who lived during the late Age of Division. He accompanied the Drenchen Naia who wanted to find Rian and exchange him for the freedom of her brother. He would then help the gelfling resistance by helping the other clans light the fires of resistance. Interestingly, Kylan is half Spriton from his mother side: his dad was from Stonewood.

Maudra Mera the Dream Stitcher: Maudra Mera was the Spriton Maudra during the late Age of Division. She loved the skeksis and much as she feared them and would do anything to keep her clan safe, even if it meant siding with the lords who were draining gelfling. She was shrewd and traditional.

Tolyn: A Spriton who served as a guard at the Castle of the Crystal. When an uprising was being formed after the gelfling learned the truth, Tolyn decided to tell the lords about this supposed traitorous behavior. It backfired on him completely as he was drained of his essence along with most of the castle guards.

Carn: Also known as Elder Carn or Maudra Carn. She lived during the late Age of Harmony and the early Age of Division. During the Makrak raids, she agreed to form an alliance with the skeksis for their protection, an alliance that would nearly last a thousand years.

Thall: Daughter of Carn. A lover of the forest she lived near by, she was the first gelfling to encounter urSu the Master. She, urSu, and Raunip found a way to help the Makraks find their way back underground and stopped their destructive raids. 

Veara: A healer from a Spriton village. She tried helping Barfinnious and Hup with a beast that had been attacking her village, but was snatched by it instead. Veara was able to leave a trail of herbs to the cave where the beast lied in hopes the two could put a stop to it. 

Vortina: A Spriton farmer from a village outside of Sami Thicket. Vortina tried to defend her farm when a beast attacked it but was hurt in the process. Her wounds were mended by the village's healer Veara. 

Mimi: The daughter of Maudra Mera. 

Lun: In Shadows of the Dark Crystal, he was seen helping roast cherry-squashes in preparation for the arrival of the skeksis lords. In Flames of the Dark Crystal, he became a scout for Maudra Mera to keep track of any Drenchen soldiers.

Phaedra: A Spriton who lived in Sami Thicket. She was the village’s sandal-stitcher.

Remi: A childling who lived in Sami Thicket. He was in charge of ringing the hour bell. 

Gereni: Gereni was a scout who accompanied Lun to look out for Drenchen soldiers. 

[Sources: Song of the Seven Gelfling Clans, the official Dark Crystal website, Shadows of the Dark Crystal, Song of the Dark Crystal, Flames of the Dark Crystal, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, the Dark Crystal, The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance: An Epic Return To Thra, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance: The Ballad of Hup & Barfinnious, Author Quest: The Gelfling Gathering, Creation Myths, Heroes of the Resistance , the Dark Crystal Bestiary]

[dailyaudiobible]

10/16/2020 DAB Transcript

Jeremiah 28:1-29:32, 1 Timothy 1:1-20, Psalms 86:1-17, Proverbs 25:17

Today is the 16th day of October welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I'm Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today as we continue our journey and, yeah, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover today. In the Old Testament we’re gonna cover, probably if not the most, one of the most famous passages in the Scriptures right now. And then when we get to the New Testament, we’ve got a brand-new letter in a whole new kind of series of letters that we’ll talk about when we get there. So, we’re reading from the New International Version this week. Jeremiah chapters 28 and 29.

Introduction to first Timothy:

Okay. So, now we come to our New Testament portion for today and we enter this new grouping of letters, three letters. They are known as the pastoral letters or the pastoral epistles, and the first one is known as first Timothy and the other two are second Timothy and…and then the letter to Titus. Now these are highly disputed letters of Paul. There's very few biblical scholars who would affirm that Paul wrote these letters, much like we’ve talked about before, like the letter to the Hebrews. We…we don't know who the author actually is. There are those that say these are letters from Paul, there Pauline in their kind of ethos, but this is not like a new debate. This is a centuries old thing that’s been going on for a very long time, whether or not Paul wrote these letters, which letters Paul actually wrote, which came from Pauline influences but maybe later than Paul. And that kind of debate is a vigorous thing until this very day. And, so, those that would favor that Paul didn't write the pastoral letters would say that in these letters there's church structure, right, polity church governance. There's ways of things being done that…that’s being said in these letters that were later inventions after Paul's lifetime. And as a side note, I mean Paul has only ever been a controversial figure, I mean from the beginning of his ministry. And, so, we've talked about why, especially the Jew, Gentile, kind of rub there, the tension that existed but Paul's still controversial today. And if he's controversial today, it's around church governance things that get said in some of his letters that then get hotly, hotly debated and vigorously defended. And, so, for those that are like, yeah, these things that were laid down, they came after Paul, Paul did not put these in place then we’re looking at like just a little bit after Paul, how as the church grew, how structures were put into place. And there's pretty much no scholars out there that…that don’t affirm the fact that the language in the pastoral letters is a bit different than the language in any of the other letters but then  those would be more persuaded to for Paul's authorship would…would like, you know, they authenticate themselves, the author claims to be Paul in the letters, these letters were referred to by the early church fathers. And then maybe that the language differences are because these weren’t circular letters, like these weren’t letters to be performed in front of an audience at church to be sort of read as a word of encouragement directly to a church. These are personal letters. And, so, they weren’t supposed to be passed around even though they obviously were passed around or we wouldn't have them today. But that's kind of what's…what’s going on around these three letters, the pastoral epistles. They are correspondences to two different pastors who were very, very close to Paul, - Timothy and Titus - who had under Paul's leadership become pastors themselves. And, so, they were directly caring for churches that…that had been established by Paul. And the churched needed leadership, strong leaders who understood the doctrine or the teachings of Paul regarding the faith, the faith itself and how to live into it in community. So, you know, we’ll talk about Titus when we get to Titus. But the very first pastoral letter is to Timothy. And Timothy is somebody we know. We’ve been hearing of his name a lot. He is a protégé. He grew up in the shadow of the ministry of the apostle Paul and we met him in the book of Acts. So, we know a little bit about Timothy. His mother's name was Eunice, his grandmother's name was Lois, they were from the city of Lystra, they were some of the early believers. And Lystra is now in modern-day Turkey. Paul introduced the faith the Timothy. Timothy received that faith, believed in Jesus and became a loyal follower and…and disciple of Paul. Paul loved Timothy enough to call him a son, like a spiritual son in the faith, and not just like a son in the faith that was distant. Like, Paul directly mentored Timothy in the faith and in church leadership for that matter. And Timothy was kind of Paul's go to messenger. So, we hear Timothy mentioned in six of the other letters of Paul in the New Testament and often in the context of Paul sending Timothy with a letter or Paul sending Timothy to a church, and Timothy returning with news of how things were going. So, Paul's kind of a stand in, a representative…or I’m sorry…Timothy’s a representative of Paul during his ministry. And, so, Timothy knows the churches. He’s been around church leadership enough to know people. So, he's got some skill and he's got some experience. And when this letter is written it is near the end of Paul's ministry if…if Paul wrote this. I mean, the context of that it's set in. And Timothy’s a pastor. He’s a pastor of the church in Ephesus a strong church where…where Paul spent a lot of time. And it’s just a spiritual father writing to his spiritual son, guiding him, giving him counsel, giving him encouragement. And there's a lot of personal personality, like love and hope. It's personal to Timothy, not just to the entire church itself. This is the letter where Paul says to his son in the faith Timothy to fight the good fight of faith. And, so, we begin the short letters, personal letters, known as the Pastoral letters. First Timothy chapter 1.

Commentary:

Okay. So, you probably recognize the very, very famous Scripture that we passed through in the book of Jeremiah today and maybe even when you heard it in its context you were like, wow, that's a different story kind of like the one I've been thinking or quoting. And if you’ve been, you know, one or more revolutions around the sun hear the Daily Audio Bible then you kinda know this. But this is one of the greatest examples of how context matters while reading the stories in the Bible as there are. And…and really, really one of the most helpful examples because this is one of the most famous Scriptures, “for I know the plans I have for you says the Lord,” right? “And there plans for good and not for harm or disaster. They are plans to give you a future and a hope.” Chances are you can quote that. It’s like one of the most memorized verses in the Bible, one of the most quoted verses in the Bible. And, I mean, those couple of sentences they’re actually lifted out of a letter that Jeremiah had sent. So, Jeremiah is in the holy city of Jerusalem that is basically a conquered land that is now deporting people. Many, many people, like all of the aristocracy, the royalty, the best laborers, the smartest thinkers, kinda like the cream of the crop best of the best, these people have already been sent away into exile in Babylon. And Babylon’s not like just a town, it's an empire. So, people are being dispersed all over the place. Families are being broken up, people have died, there's a bunch of stuff going on in the disruption and dislocation of people. There are those who are left in Jerusalem. Jeremiah the prophet is still in Jerusalem prophesying from Jerusalem. And there are those who are speaking for God in Babylon. There are people, prophets, who are speaking for God in Jerusalem. And since there are still people in Jerusalem these profits are like going, “you know, this is all gonna be over soon. This is all gonna be over really quick. Within two years all the stuff that's been taken from here is coming back. It's not gonna take that long. It’s gonna be a quick thing.” Jeremiah, on the other hand, has been saying all along, “it's not. It's not gonna be as quick of a thing as what you're saying anyways. And there were all kinds of points where this story could have turned, the plot could've shifted. You were warned. You were warned.” Of course, we've already talked about how difficult of a scenario this is, the faith that the people would have to put into the surrender to the Empire that they saw as their enemy - Babylon. Babylon is coming. So, they looked at this invading nation, this invading Empire as the enemy, when Jeremiah is prophesying, “they're not really the enemy. They will be your protector ultimately. They're kind of going to be used in my master plan as a bulldozer. We are starting some things over. It's gonna take a minute, we gotta build new foundations, we gotta start this thing over because the trajectory is only evil and I'm not putting up with it anymore. The covenant has been broken for the last time”, basically. So, this is what Jeremiah’s kind of been saying, but there are other prophets who are saying, “no it's not gonna be like that at all. The mighty arm of the mighty God is gonna do some mighty arm mighty God things and He's gonna use that mightiness and this is all gonna be over quickly even though it never had to happen.” And even though God's saying through Jeremiah, “that’s not the plan. These quick fixes these Band-Aids, they're not working anymore. You keep returning to only evil. So, we’re gonna do something different and it's gonna take a little longer.” Okay. Are you with me? Because that's the backdrop for this very famous passage. Jeremiah from Jerusalem writes a letter to the exiles who have already been taken away to Babylon. This letter is supposed to be distributed and…and move around kind of like Paul's letters only much earlier. And, so, now I read from the letter placing our famous passage in context. “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. Build houses, settle down, plant gardens and eat what they produce, marry and have sons and daughters, find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there”, right? So, in exile. “Increase in number there. Do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it because if it prospers you too will prosper. Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says. Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them declares the Lord. This is what the Lord says. When 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” These people did not specifically particularly want this message. They would have very much preferred the two-year plan that other prophets were prophesying in the name of the Lord about how quickly this plague, this exile was gonna be over which ironically is…is sort of the general use of these famous sentences, “behold, I know the plans I have for you”, right? Somehow embedded into our quotation of this is a short time span, that God knows the plans that He has for us and they are coming quickly, which is not the context for this verse or what's being said here at all. What God is saying to those people is it’s gonna take 70 years. So, basically a generation. And what God says is, and I'm quoting, “build houses and settle down, plant gardens and eat what they produce, marry and have sons and daughters, find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters.” In other words, like the next generation. “Increase in number there. Do not decrease. Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it because if it prospers you to will prosper.” And then basically goes on to tell the people. “Don't let people lie to you. This is what I'm saying.” So, for those of us who like quote, “behold I know the plans I have for you” to ourselves or to others who are in or like basically feel like they're in exile. Some of us feel like we’re just…we…we've been in exile forever, but this is not where we believe, we need to move out from here, we need you to be moving in some other direction, the path has to lead somewhere other than this. We feel trapped. We feel stuck and we keep telling us God's got a plan. God does and He did have a plan here. What he told him was, “settle in. This is gonna take a minute. You don't have to be upside down in all this. You don't have to be only longing for what you no longer have. You don't have to be all anxious and all uptight about what you…you don't have right now. You can settle in. We are restarting something. It's gonna take a minute. I have plans and they are good, and they don't have to start in 70 years they can start now. You can prosper where you are while you wait. And then you will fully bloom and fully prosper later, right where you are while you wait, you can prosper.” That is the message of Jeremiah 29:11. That is not as flashy of a prophecy as some of the other prophets were speaking which is like “this is all gonna be over so quick. You’re gonna barely remember it even happened. Within two years all the exiles, all the stuff’s coming back.” The problem is that just wasn't true and is not the context of this verse. God is giving His people though permission to thrive where they are, even if they don't want to be where they are. They can thrive. The thriving doesn't have to start when they finally get to where they want to be. It can start now and continue as God's plan unfolds. Some of us, yeah, we'd still like the two-year plan, right? We’d like the six-month plan. We’d like the 30-day plan. Like we just want this all to go away when actually what’s being invited here is a shift of internal focus, a settling down, a ceasing of striving towards something that we just keep bashing our head against over and over and over. Maybe it's gonna take a minute but maybe we can thrive. Maybe we can prosper where we are while we wait. I mean, if we’re honest isn’t this really kind of the backdrop of life itself. Like haven't we come to a place of the now and the not yet? Haven’t we come to a place in our faith where we are living into it? And yes, we fall down, and we get up and we fall down and we are continuing to press forward. But ultimately, we’re waiting. We’re waiting. We’re waiting for God to do what's next; we’re waiting for Jesus. Same as the people that we’re reading about in the letters in the New Testament. So, maybe we can prosper where we are while we wait.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit we invite You into that. We don't like waiting. It's hard. It can be really, really, really hard sometimes knowing that the best is out in front of us, but not being able to get anything but a glimpse once in a while. It's hard. And, so, You are inviting us to stop worrying about what is out in front of us because that isn't happening. It has not yet happened, but things are happening now. And when all of our focus is out in front of us on things that are not happening, we are missing what is happening, that You have given us permission to thrive. And, so, come Holy Spirit and help us appreciate with deepest gratitude where we are. And may we settle in as You have said and follow Your time and follow Your plan instead of the anxiousness of our own. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In the name of Jesus we ask. Amen.

Song:

While I Wait - Lincoln Brewster

Deep within my heart, I know You've won I know You've overcome And even in the dark, when I'm undone I still believe it

I live by faith, and not by sight Sometimes miracles take time

While I wait, I will worship Lord, I'll worship Your name While I wait, I will trust You Lord, I'll trust You all the same

When I fall apart, You are my strength Help me not forget Seeing every scar, You make me whole You're my healer

I live by faith, and not by sight Sometimes miracles take time I live by faith, and not by sight Sometimes miracles take time

While I wait, I will worship Lord, I'll worship Your name While I wait, I will trust You Lord, I'll trust You all the same

You're faithful every day Your promises remain You're faithful every day Your promises remain You're faithful every day Your promises remain You're faithful every day Your promises remain

Though I don't understand it I will worship with my pain You are God, You are worthy You are with me all the way

So while I wait, I will worship Lord, I'll worship Your name Though I don't have all the answers Still I trust You all the same

[joyinpractice]

PA FOUNDATION - PA Student Awardee Shares Their Scholarship Experience

Published August 9, 2018

[White text and logo on dark turquoise background stating "PA Foundation" and menu bar listing "About Us," "Get Involved," "Our Programs," and more ways to Donate.

In April, I applied for the PA Foundation Scholarship along with two other friends during our Psychiatry rotation. Fingers crossed, we all submitted our best shots, hoping that one of us would receive a coveted award from the PA Foundation up to $2,000. As we all know, a Master's in Physician Assistant Studies is a pretty hefty financial endeavor and any amount helps towards reducing the debt burden.

Last week we heard back from the award committee and we were SO EXCITED to find out that one of us had received the award! ASD - the brightest student in our year no competition and a truly beautiful soul to boot! - was one of 37 students who was awarded a PA Foundation scholarship (out of 630 applicants!). They have graciously agreed to share an excerpt from their "What do you hope to do as a PA" essay! Additionally, ASD answers some questions about the application process and how they felt after receiving the award.

Overall, the PA Foundation Scholarship application is relatively straightforward! For the application, you will fill out demographics information, a detailed financial need statement, and submit two essays. For 2018, the prompts are listed below! Your program director will also need to confirm that you currently attend a PA program.

1. In 500 words or less, please describe your involvement in relevant volunteer and/or community service activities. Do not include mentoring, shadowing and/or paid activities. Why did you choose these particular activities, and what do they mean to you? *

2. Please provide an essay (maximum 500 words) concerning your decision to become a PA and what you expect to accomplish as a PA, including any specific clinical interest areas you may have. What do you hope to do as a PA? *

“The wedding ceremony took place, and it took another year before I saw F again. When I laid my eyes on her, she was thin and frail, barely smiling and joking like she used too. As we started to catch up, I couldn’t help but notice that she had a visible “bump.” Over the next few days, I learned that her pregnancy was complicated by a lack of proper nutrition and prenatal care. F was due in a week and she was seeing a doctor for the first time. She was pale, her veins barely noticeable; she carried the baby, but it looked as though the baby was leeching the life out of her. One night, I woke up and found my mother with red eyes, like she had been crying. All I remember are the words “gave birth… complication,” and in the wake of the night, just like that, at fifteen years young, F was gone. In the next few years, I came to realize that this reality – lack of preventative healthcare, access to basic services, essential medications – was the norm in my village. In Niger, a gravid woman must bring sterile gloves in her own birth bag, because even the top hospital can’t afford to offer them to every patient. There, healthcare was a privilege rather than a basic right. [...] F, and then later A, are just two of the many women I know whose stories drove me to join the medical field as an aspiring OB/GYN PA. Whether in a developing nation in Africa or the inner cities of New York City, there’s a strong need for quality prenatal care and preventative education. I want to help young women attain the knowledge to better take care of themselves and make their own informed choices. As a PA, I intend to change lives and most likely, even save some.”

Q&A REFLECTION

Q: So CONGRATS on receiving a PA Foundation Scholarship! How are you feeling and what advice would you give future PA students interested in applying for these scholarships?

A: Thank you so much. I am currently in my pediatrics clerkship and it was a slow clinic day until I read that email. It made my day and gave me lots of energy. I was in disbelief and had to read the email twice to make sure it did say that I have won. Then, I just texted V who was the reason I applied and won. Some advice I would give future/current PA students and myself is to:

Always explore opportunities that come our way.

Take risks and allow yourself to fail. It is okay and promotes growth.

Apply early and every year while you are in school, it is never too much money.

Your essay should be personal and relatable. Just pick one event in your life that triggered a positive change in your life or affected you deeply.

Find friends/family to guide you and support you during the process.

You always feel better if you have tried and failed than not trying at all.

Q: That's really great pieces of advice and I would agree with all of them! What is one piece of advice you would give to PA or Pre-PA students who are worried about the cost of attending PA school?

A: If you have made the decision to take out loans for PA school (like I have done), just put the thought of "How am I going to pay this back?" aside while you are in school (didactic year at least). It is one more thing on your plate that is already overflowing. I don’t think you have space for more stressors.

You have made a great decision for yourself and loved ones by pursuing a career - focus on that first. The one thing that you can do to lessen the burden is to be mindful of your spending habits, just take what is indispensable. And there are so many options available for how to pay back loans. Your job can have loan repayment programs, there are federal loan repayment programs, and lastly, with a decent job you can pay off your loans.

[veridium]

Short Story: Solas Helps Theia With Her Anger

Writer’s note: So, I have always wanted to write this depiction of Theia’s and Solas’s friendship, but I haven’t found the right niche for it. I realized that maybe it was a good standalone read, an accent to her main narrative. I know I’ve alluded to their friendship before, but I haven’t yet fleshed it out, so, here is some of that! It also comes with my personal interpretation of Mage abilities and some of it may very well diverge from canon, but, who cares! It’s all about the adventure, right?

Summary: Theia Trevelyan has come to her friend for assistance in a very personal matter. Solas, obliging for his keen and willing ally, instructs her in the process of unlearning some intemperate crutches she has fortified in her powers as a Mage. The ritual unfolds, and Theia learns more about what drives her viscerally to succeed as both a Mage and a leader.

“You are conflating temper with willpower, Inquisitor, and it will get you only so far.” Solas’s calm comment defied the energetic nature of the moment. There she lay, once again on her back on the floor of Solas’s study. While their outdoor sparring ground was useful for most anything, sometimes a curious discourse would provoke both the Mages into demonstrating under a roof.

Theia, panting slightly as she tried to recollect her breath after the latest trip-up to the floor, growled with undirected frustration.

“I swear by the Maker’s greased smallclothes that I am utilizing my willpower and not anger,” she grumbled, before using her legs to jerk herself upright and back onto her feet, rising from the squatted position and picking up her staff along with her.

“Then why am I so successful in countering? You are using your fury as a source of reinforcement. Willpower by nature is collaborative, and does not favor a single source of momentum.”

Theia paced, dragging her feet with a hand on her hip. “Fine, then, you caught me. I’m a ball of furious rage and there’s no hope for me.”

“You are too resigned to your own carnal nature. Being emotionally intuitive and in control are not mutually exclusive. Let us try again.”

Theia chewed on the inside of her cheek. Rolling her shoulders which were exposed after she had taken off her overcoat, leaving only a thick tank-top on her upper body for dexterity, she turned to face her friend once more. She tried hard to hide her disdain for the situation so as to show respect to him and the time he was taking, but they both knew she was growing more impatient by the minute.

“Again,” he commanded simply, folding his arms and taking a few steps back.

Theia took a stiff, though deep breath. Loosening her body deliberately, she held out her staff horizontally in front of her chest, both hands on gripping out at shoulder-width. She closed her eyes, feeling the tension slip out from her shoulders, down to her waist, then through her hips and thighs until it felt as though its slipperiness was like a silken nightdress let slip.

Then, through the darkness of her eyelids, she envisioned a slowly growing and brightening orb of light. It was blue at first, undominated by any one emotion. She felt excited when she saw it -- as if it were only a slight chance it would reappear, even with her tenacious conjuring. Her lips parted as she focused, and that is how Solas knew she could see it, too.

“Good. Now, do not think of it as holding back. Think of it as organization, as cohesive input.”

Theia could feel her willpower and anger being intertwined like vines, a relic of her protective spirit. Her temper, her fury, was her source of power for so long, it felt nearly-impossible to revoke. That is what sparked her consultation with her friend in the first place -- she wanted to be more, be better, than this. Anger, after all, was a secondary emotion: its power was based on its corruption of the root of her nature, a symptom and not a foundation.

She grit her jaw slightly as her mind worked to entice her anger into relenting. It was a strong proclivity, and her temper was feeling entitled to her powers. She wanted to give in, to witness the strength of it. It viscerally thrilled her, but she knew that was what led to its dominion over her.

A low, willful growl emanated from her throat.

“Do not mirror it, counter it. Do not argue, debate.”

She could sense Solas starting his pacing of a half circle around her. Then, hairs around her face began to billow in a self-cultivated momentum of air.

There it was. Her anger, supreme and exalted. The redness, the purple, the kaleidescope of bruising. It was heated, pulsating in her chest.

You deny me what is mine? She could hear her inner voice ask.

Theia could feel the sensation of sweat gather on the side of her forehead. She was being disputed, and ferociously so. Her lips closed, jaw clenching with assurance but not aggression.

Solas’s voice, an echoing thing now, again: “It will utilize what it knows. Redefine the boundary.”

Theia’s eyes strained to remained closed. Her powers were seeking an outlet now, she had conjured and built up the energy in her body like a pressured bottle bomb. Now, it wanted expression, craved its release. Anger was the easiest kindling to use, and had always been.

You know I am inextricable, it hummed again, lurking and waiting for an exposure of spiritually weak flesh in its host body.

“No. I am your hands. I am your mind. I am your protecturate,” Theia said in her mind, teeth slightly gritting with her words.

Detestable, you disrespect me in my own domain.

“I am your domain because you are mine. Let us come to an understanding.”

I have kept you alive and this is how you repay me.

“I am saving you as you have saved me.”

Bullshit, you are nothing without my authority.

“I am everything because I am your authority. Now, a compromise, if you would.”

The quaking in her ribs was unignorable now. Her mana, her willpower, all of it, witnessing a standstill. She wanted to see it, wanted to visualize who she was debating. It had to have embodied something, or someone, to be so potent and dictatorial. She knew it had attached to a crutch in her psyche, but what? Who?

“Show me what you are, so we can debate this like women.”

Then, a chuckle. A familiar one. A crushing one.

You ask for me but you do not address me by name. Insubordinate.

Theia growled now, but tried her best to keep it with as weak of an emotional undertone as possible. She knew exactly, then, who would use such diction. Her closed eyes flickered side to side, up and down, searching for the source of the voice.

Then, feeling a cold breeze encapsulate her shoulders, like a ghost would extend their hands, she held her breath.

“Faustina.”

Then, like a blinking snapshot, her body appeared. The silver-haired woman, the mentor, the teacher, the sparring partner. Her curvatures, her stature. Her curls of hair framing her angular chin and cheekbones. She smiled, as if she had been enjoying a jubilant conversation all this time. It unnerved the Inquisitor, who had encountered one-too-many foes with betraying facades.

My apprentice, you have discovered me. Or, rather, the trace of me in your subconscious.

In the back of her mind, Theia wondered why Solas had grown quiet. Perhaps it was because he knew she had found the epicenter of her struggle, and now it was her battle alone to do.

“Faustina, why have you embedded into my power?”

Another chuckle, deep and warm, though slightly sinister.

My dear, you put me here long ago. You depended upon me to help organize your emotions and your abilities. It was only logical that you should encapsulate me here. Or, my likeness, anyway. I knew once you would become powerful to find me and untangle me from your web, you would.

“So you are the embodiment of my anger, that which has consumed my powers?”

I am one of them. The main source from which the rivers in your soul flood and drought dry. I helped you discover it, after all. Now, you must convince me to release myself from you. You are right, you are the authority.

“Okay. So, how exactly do I accomplish this?”

You must take all that you have learned and re-frame how you hold your memories in yourself. I am anger, that is true. But anger derives itself from injustice, and injustice is unrest and a hunger. Do you still hunger for it?

Theia could feel her shoulders tense, feeling all of the reasons all at once for why she did feel hungry for justice. She had always carried it, like a torch with an intemperate flame, relying upon it when it could only stand certain terrain. Her allies, her friends, her wanderings.

“What if I do? What if I hunger for it, but I also wish to turn my heart towards this new life of mine? Can I do both? Surely you would understand and know how,” Theia’s voice was not enveloped by her sentimentality for her teacher.

My dear, Faustina reached a hand to her, her fingers tucking under her former mentee’s chin, You are powerful, and almighty, but you also allow your body to be a conduit for something you alone cannot muster. Your anger protects you because it feeds off of your recklessness, and depends on your survival for its meals. Is that what you truly want? Mages have said yes before, and will do so long after we are gone.

Theia’s throat hardened as she felt the unfamiliarity of peace within herself. Faustina was giving her a taste of what it was like to unmesh the anger from all the deep caverns of her soul, and leave room for something different. It was tempting in the most melancholic of ways.

“How can someone like me ever allow peace in myself without falling short in my destiny?”

A pause of silence. Faustina withdrew her hand.

Theia, my dear, sweet, protective Theia. Keeper of an ice heart. Your peace sharpens your teeth more than any fury can.

Suddenly, Theia understood. She understood now why Solas was so intent on this process, and why Faustina’s smile seemed to mock her. Her fury was beautiful, ravenous, and powerful, but it was also negligent of the other sides of herself. Her peace, her determination, her resolution, brimmed with possibility.

For what was more menacing and fearsome than an angry Mage woman? One who felt contented in her polarities.

“I see now. I know, I know what I must do now.” She felt the ache of her strong grip on her staff begin to vibrate as the power in her limbs used the staff as an outlet.

Good. Now, follow your friend’s instructions, and convince.

She took a solid breath, feeling the webbing of her rage dance across her skin. She felt the static of it, interpreted via her electric powers. She felt half of her body enveloped in peace, and the other in her temper. It was like she would split apart in two, but she remained whole. Then, as if held in reservoirs, they crashed into one another like waves. She felt the tingling, the rush of adrenaline surging through her veins as she stayed still.

From the outside, Solas witnessed her oscillation, a satisfied grin on his lips as he witnessed his friend’s inner triumph. He did not usually take such a tutorial interest in people, but after months of Theia proving to be a precocious and optimistic individual, he felt more open to instructing her in ways he felt would empower her to be a better Mage and a better leader.

As the glowing dissipated in her skin and her staff weapon, he knew she had come to the necessary conclusion of it all.

Then, as if an invisible weight was released, she jerked forward, coughing as she hunched.

Trying hard to reclaim her breath, she held her staff in one hand.

“Well done, my friend. You have created a treatise within yourself.”

Theia, straightening her posture as she huffed quietly, put a hand to her stomach. “I can’t...believe...was that all real?”

“You know my answer to such a question, so my verbal reply is unnecessary.”

“Solas?”

“Yes, Inquisitor?”

Theia stood fully upright now, inhaling and quieting herself, before the casually switched the staff between her hands.

“Thank you. You have done me a great service.”

Solas, feeling the aplomb derived from a sincere friendship, was internally taken aback by her modesty and stillness. Surely, such a procedure could have easily yielded her manic. But, as she had done what was instructed, she was now able to collaborate her emotions and not hinder them.

“My pleasure, Inquisitor. It brings me satisfaction to know you, of all people, will salvage some form of peace in these days to come.”

[bellabooks]

The Lesbian, Bi and Queer Year in Television 2017: Love, bravery, and found family

2017, if you ask me, has been an absolute toothbrush of a year: cleaning out the toxic plaque, bloodying the gums a little in the process, and hopefully leaving us with a minty fresh start to 2018. Optimism, in the face of that exhaustion which December almost always dredges up, is a tough sell. Personally, I find it helpful to take a look backward, to find something productive if not inspirational to stand on in the past twelve months — something to arm yourself with, essentially, as the calendar turns over and the seasons begin anew. Though media remains, by most accounts, leaps and bounds behind where we’d all like it to be in terms of representation, there are some occasions in which the stars align between the creator’s vision and the viewer’s hunger, and characters have an impact larger than could be predicted. The 100’s Clexa, for example, along with Wynonna Earp’s WayHaught, and Supergirl’s Sanvers — all characters and couples subject to their own individual issues and idiosyncrasies, and yet have left lasting marks on the current state of queer women television fandoms, inspiring fans to show up in droves at conventions and signings. Sanvers, in particular, seems to have left its mark on 2017 as the ship to discuss, even if (like me) you’re a season behind.   HONORABLE MENTION: ALEX DANVERS OF SUPERGIRL Coming out stories have become a staple for lesbian, bi and queer character introduction, and variation on them is rare — Alex Danvers stands apart, in company with One Day at a Time’s Elena Alvarez in its focus on family. Where Alex Danvers is concerned, we’re given the epitome of the late bloomer that tugs itself away from stereotypes and corrects for them — soft and cautious at first, pulled out of her shell by an unforeseeable, intense connection, exploring a world not just new to her, but finally the right fit after purported years of her character struggling to understand the more intimate relationships in her life (or lack thereof). Alex, and her subsequent relationship with Maggie, has undoubtedly meant so much to so many. Bold, then, that they should separate — but in a world where the buried gay trope is, ironically, alive and well, a parting centered not on fatality but on future plans is unfortunately refreshing. A little haphazard, a little slapped together in its reasoning, but the decision to have Alex hold strong on something evidently so important to her is respectable. In the way that we watch straight main characters on shows run through seasons of love interests and deal with the aftermath, it’s just as refreshing to have an opportunity to see how Alex grows into herself as the series continues.   Looking back on my watchlist from 2017, I can track four distinct characters (and their respective relationships, romantic and otherwise) that struck a real chord with me this year. I’ve tried to focus on characters from brand new shows, with one exception, as the story arc snuck in pretty much under the wire and absolutely blew me away. Tying the year together with a neat knot is impossible, but if I had to pin it down, the discussion of family, when we find our own and when we let them go, seems to sum it up pretty well. -cue Seasons of Love- SPRING: DEVON OF I LOVE DICK I Love Dick is a show that (at least in my corner of the internet) went largely unnoticed. Its story is a mess of threads, a triangle that’s not really a triangle so much as it is a Venn diagram of desire and insecurity, and Devon is little more than a B story to that plot. But her cool, collected search for artistry in a town that traps her as much as it inspires her, creates the foundation for an amazing character. We see it in her backstory, in the show’s fifth episode, “A Short History of Weird Girls”, where the three main female characters tell a brief history of their lives and their artistic journey. Devon walks us through her battle for identity, her unwillingness to conform to gender stereotypes, and the college girlfriend who left her heartbroken when she was unwilling to jump wholeheartedly into a relationship. Devon ends up dropping out of school, moving back to her hometown, and getting a job fixing other people’s problems. It’s when Devon opens up and begins mingling with the artists gathered in Marfa that she begins to let go of her control a little. She may not agree with a person’s methods of self-expression, but defends to the point of arrest their right to do it, as we see when she defends the borderline drifter girl she’s seeing, Toby. Toby, an incredible character in her own right, is an artist who finds artistic, aesthetic beauty in the shapes and colors of hardcore porn. Their scenes together are electric, their relationship intense, full of conflict and the tossing of social and sexual norms — but Devon’s possessive attitudes drive a wedge between them, in a scene that makes the jilted jock stereotype of someone so fervently attempting to reject such banality. There seems to be a link here between Devon’s sexual and gender fluidity and her journey to letting go of her own rigidity. By the end of the season, she’s leading the cowboy and trucker men of Marfa in a dance, allowing them to open themselves up to expression outside of their prescribed slot in the gender binary. Every breath of her screen time is resistance. Artistic expression. Entirely genuine, combatively unique. Even when I Love Dick suffers from its more abstract concepts, Devon takes no shit, stands tall, refuses to suffer for who she is. When her brief fling with Toby all but ends, she continues her work, tireless, seeking unity — if not of her hometown, then of herself.   SUMMER: KAT EDISON OF THE BOLD TYPE Kat Edison takes no prisoners. Her approach to a conversation is a strong fist against a table and an open hand already waving away your ill-formed argument. Armed with a mountain of professional know-how and instinct, her inexperience, it turns out, is more personal, an inability to slow down long enough to re-evaluate aspects of her life, and the people who are important to her. It’s when she’s met with someone so totally opposite, someone who puts the individual under the lens and captures it, that she begins to shift. Kat’s focus is on the social, the community — Adena’s is instead on the expression of the individual. Their initial interactions are rife with misunderstanding and discomfort, but it only pushes Kat further, to explore the draw between them, to a woman as outspoken and independent as herself. A crush becomes more. A friendship becomes a deeper form of sharing, of educating one another, of support. And even when it becomes physical, their relationship comes back to that point — even when separated, even when protesting from opposite corners of the world, there is a through line of supporting each other in their separate paths, returning to each other when they can, but never damning their respective causes. Put simply? Ultimate power couple.   AUTUMN: WENDY CARR OF MINDHUNTER I picked up Mindhunter on almost a whim. Fincher’s style didn’t disappoint, nor did the vast majority of the characters twined in the interrogation, interview, and in-depth analysis of the 1970’s most notorious serial killers. Anna Torv’s Wendy Carr is more than a pleasant surprise — she’s a vision of strength, a sturdy by-the-book intellectual standing tall in the face of a twenty-something sliding down a slippery slope to doucheville and the grouchy borderline Old West sheriff serving as his mentor. When she flies from Quantico to Boston halfway through the season, shoulders heavy with the choice between her old life and a new one, she goes home to consult with her partner. Her partner is an older woman, a fellow professor, a fellow intellectual. I’ve written about their one scene together before, but the long and short of it is this: Mindhunter recognizes Wendy as a character whose personal life does not dominate the process of hunting serial killers, and so her personal life does not dominate the structure of the show. There’s a few scant kisses, the stroke of knuckles, but for a pair of women well in their adult years, the focus isn’t on sex — it’s on stability. And their relationship, while stable, has a toxic edge, one that compels Wendy to leave it behind her and move on, to Quantico, to a new profession. Season Two of Mindhunter may not expand much further on Wendy’s lesbianism — in fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if it remains a sidelined facet of an already busy show — but for now, her strength to pull away from the only family we’ve seen her have in an effort to protect herself from being steamrolled is a mark of her character, one that will apply to everything she does.   WINTER: ROSA DIAZ OF BROOKLYN NINE-NINE This is a month where censorship of both the internet and the CDC has been a hot topic. This is a month where we have been trying to wring the truth out of powerful people, to get clear concise language. This is a month where half the cast of Brooklyn 99 said various forms of the term “bisexual” multiple times. The con has been on for seasons to set up the arc of Rosa’s coming out — multiple episodes where Rosa’s disgust in sharing personal details about herself while dating Marcus, or Pimento, or about her family, even where she lives. Rosa is a private person. Rosa could have a stamp collection, and we’d never know. Why? Because it’s personal. And for Rosa, personal is private, until it isn’t. Usually, the revelation of details about her life is a total accident, and in this case, it’s no different. It’s bullpen quirkmeister and all-around lovable loudmouth Charles Boyle who’s the first one privy to the info, and his reaction? He understands that coming out is on Rosa’s terms, and does his absolute best to keep quiet (which, given what we’ve seen in past seasons, is incredible in itself). Rosa eventually announces it to the squad, even allowing stereotypical questions for a brief period before moving on to more important matters. The focus Brooklyn 99 puts on this plotline, for a comedy cop procedural, is stunning. The story spans two episodes, including one which serves as the fall finale of the show, a lingering final note for their audience to reflect on. The casting of Rosa’s parents, which could easily have been thrown away roles, go to Tony Award-nominated actress Olga Merediz and certified stone-cold badass Danny Trejo. The tension of “Game Night” builds through the mistaken assumption that Jake is Rosa’s boyfriend and comes to a head as Rosa, standing in front of a Pictionary-esque drawing board, has to explain to her parents that she’s bisexual, that it isn’t just a phase while she waits for a husband, that it’s something she’s known for a long time. Something true. It’s a heartbreaking moment when her father states, “There’s no such thing as being bisexual,” and Rosa responds clearly, in that matter-of-fact Rosa Diaz tone we know and love, “I know there is because that’s who I am.” The redemption moment comes a few short scenes later when Rosa’s father turns up at the precinct, promises her that he accepts her for who she is — but the scene turns bittersweet when he asks her to hold off on joining them for game night again. It’s clear that, while he’s willing to work to preserve their relationship, the family dynamic will never be the same — so the squad gets to work, and on Friday night turns up en masse to Rosa’s place for, as Jake puts it, “family game night”. Rosa’s character, ever the private, distant, steel-plated detective, has made leaps and bounds towards becoming more open. In season one, the squad didn’t even know where she lived, and now not only have her address, but are somewhat welcome there. Even then, they don’t push for information, taking what she offers them in stride and making sure she feels welcome. Captain Holt pulls her aside and gives her a heart to heart, thanking her for her bravery, for helping to make the world “a better and more interesting place.”   I hope 2017’s media helped you find your community, or inspire you to create worlds and characters of your own. And offline? A new year is an opportunity to celebrate differences in our community as much as we triumph over unity, to work harder to make the world a better, more interesting place. Here’s to 2018. Let’s use it wisely.   pic 1 arrow.wikia.com pic 2 I Love Dick FB pic 3 Bold Type FB pic 4 Netflix pic 5 Fox Youtube http://dlvr.it/Q6sTv8

[nextgenerationpayroll]

Transition From Employee to Entrepreneurship

Starting The Path of Entrepreneurship

Make up your mind that you are going to be one or the other and don’t look back. Decide if you are going to be an entrepreneur for the rest of your life or an employee who will work for someone else. Choose to grow up the corporate ladder, accept a position that provides security, certainty, and a cushy salary. The alternative is a position that has no glass ceiling, no person to report too, unfathomable earning potential, unforeseen risk and rewards beyond your imagination. Entrepreneurship can be an amazing rollercoaster ride, filled with both high and low points. Above all, it should be an experience you’d never take back.

Figure out which career choice is going to be the most meaningful and fulfilling. First, decide what you want to accomplish in life, then start making plans and setting goals for yourself. Pondering about starting a business won’t make a business come to fruition, but your actions can create a new reality.

Write a Business Plan

To make a dream a reality, you have to breathe life into it and start walking in it. We are way past the days in which we can watch a Disney movie and expect everything to work out perfectly where the hero wins at the end. Therefore, do not expect it to be all sunshine and rainbows when it comes to your business. You must plan for success because it surely won’t fall into your lap.  Download a business plan template and jot down your ideas, objectives, vision and action plan for success. This will help you solidify your business’s foundation. If you happen to have a partner(s) or key employees at an early stage of the business. You may want to identify each participant’s strengths and weaknesses while creating and defining roles for the person(s) running the company.  

Get a mentor or business advisor

Develop your team of references, consultants & mentors who will guide you in your business growth. Successes multimillion-dollar revenues companies all have started where you are. Don’t be mistaken, fortune 500 companies have outside consultants to come in and help change a company’s direction and lend them new perspectives to better their business.  Before you embark on your new adventure, find people that will usher you down the right path. A mentor should be someone who currently or previously managed a profitable business. Find someone who has experience in your industry so that they provide you valuable insight. Mentors who specializing in marketing, accounting or a legal profession, for example, maybe great if those areas are not a part of your core strengths or experience.

How will you penetrate your market?

The bottom line is that you must figure out how you are going to draw in people to patronize and invest in your business. Hence, before you launch your business make sure you have multiple channels of earning revenue. Once you have clientele rolling in, running a business is easy. Until then, sales and revenue generation will be more of an uphill battle. Even when you arrive at a comfortable spot, keep on pushing for more.

Develop a marketing strategy that allows you to grow your client base so that you can substantially grow over time.  Ask yourself the following questions:

How Many revenue streams do you have in your business?

How much revenue do you hope to gain in years 1, 2 and 3?

Are you able to compete for a fair market share?

Will you primarily sell products online or have a storefront location?

Which social media platforms are best for promoting your business?

Will you use digital advertisements, radio or google adds to reach customers?

What about ranking on Google, Bing and Yahoo search engines?

We’ve grown into a company that provides marketing solutions for small businesses so that we can help you get to where you’d like to be.  

Implement A Content Marketing Strategy

Get a professional website built and implement a strategy to gain google rankings so people can find you online. One common mistake I see is that small business owners start their business without a marketing budget which is a huge no-no. Social media platforms are great, but they are only a small fraction of the equation.  One mistake I see small business owners make is that they believe these platforms are going to be their businesses savior. They won’t help you in terms of bringing in tons of new clients to increase your market penetration.

Become A Subject Matter Expert

In today’s world, consumers consult industry experts for advice and guidance before they initiate a transaction. People ready articles, follow bloggers, they watch videos that help them make informed decisions. Why not be the person who enlightens their views, earns their trust and subsequently earns their business.

Businesses Failure: Know The Risk Factors

Just like you need to know how you can win and be successful, you also need to know how you can fail. You need to know all of your setbacks that you can potentially face starting and running a business. Hence, the importance of having a mentor in your industry and a tenured business owner as a resource.  

Don’t Follow Stupid Advice

People say that you gotta fall and get back up again and learn from it. Fail and get back up and repeat the process until you have the experience.  You must crawl before you walk. Says who?  I’d like to call BS on that one. I definitively say no to that! History does not have to repeat itself; I firmly believe that to be true. Therefore, you don’t have to make the same mistakes people made before you.  

Be A Wise Entrepreneur

Don’t you think it would be better to learn from other business owner’s negatives experiences anyway? Let’s be smart about running a business rather than walking into it blindly while headed toward a cliff. Don’t be the stupid cartoon character that walks off the cliff, only to later find out he’s walking on air.  Take the time to understand the risk factors involved in running a business before you take a leap of faith.

Secure Startup Capital

I started my company with an investment from a good friend. I had been casually telling him about this business plan that I wrote, and he found confidence in my plan and was thoroughly convinced this was going to work. Even though I was not asking for any money or help, he invested in me. The same can happen to you.

Make sure you explore all avenues to funding your business. Conventional financing and the less traditional methods of funding a business. Bank loans, investors, business grants, friends or family may be great funding sources for a new business venture. The use of personal savings or a 401k may be on the table for some.

Entrepreneurship Become A Reality

Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) with the IRS by and register your business name with the state that you reside in. At the point in which you receive your EIN with the IRS, your business is official. You have taken a dream and made it a reality. I recommend you take some time to explore which business entity type best suits your company. In short, each entity has varying tax advantages, liability limits, and legal implications to consider.

Transition To Entrepreneurship

Start the transition. Ask your current employer if you can reduce your hours from 40 a week to 30 a week. Also, ask if they can be more flexible to allow you to work nights or weekends. Thus, freeing up time to grow your business. Flexibility can come in different ways, you may ask to work 4 days a week instead of 5 days a week. You can ask that you add 1-2 half days during the week as well.  If your current employer is not able to provide the flexibility you need, perhaps you seek out another employer who can. Perhaps maybe you are one of the people who take the leap of faith, cash in your 401k or savings and hit the ground running…

The Focus of Next Generation Payroll

We want to wish you all the success in the world in your future adventure. If you have a business existing, great! We prayerfully hope that all is going well and trending upward. We here are Next Generation Payroll want all businesses to success and are happy to help you along the way. When I started the company, I didn’t imagine that we’d focus so much on the day to day operations of a business, but this is who we are now. We have blossomed into a business solutions company that provides fresh perspectives to businesses that leads to growth and prosperity. Likewise, we provide resources and tools for people like you to build a strong foundation so that companies can weather any storm that crosses their path. We are all about learning expertise that makes business better.

Tips For Entrepreneurs: Dedicate your time to what is most important

We know that Payroll services may or may not be apart of your business plan right now, but we are here to help. Above all, you may need us, and we’d like to be here for you now. Perhaps, you are considering outsourcing payroll, feel free to read the article should I outsource payroll and why people change payroll providers for assistance. I am a firm believer in maximizing the time-value of money, therefore, capitalizing on every opportunity to build revenue. One major benefit to outsourcing payroll is it allows a business to offload burdening tasks to 3rd parties for nominal fees. Ultimately allowing you Redirecting your time to developing a sustainable business and perusing endeavors that propel you forward.

[thesimplyluxuriouslife]

256: 72 Hours in San Francisco - Where to Eat, Sleep, and Get About, Then Tailor to What You Love

"San Francisco is one of the great cultural plateaus of the world — one of the really urbane communities in the United States — one of the truly cosmopolitan places and for many, many years, it always has had a warm welcome for human beings from all over the world."—Duke Ellington

In 2002 I began my career in teaching - my first job was teaching 9th grade English in a small town at the bottom of South Lake Tahoe in northern Nevada. And on occasion, maybe two or three, I believe it was two, times I made the four hour drive to San Francisco for long weekends. I found a small boutique hotel near Union Square, walked and drove the hills (becoming more proficient with a clutch than ever before) giving my calves an exquisite workout, enjoyed a delicious brunch at the Empress Hotel with my mentor who showed a bit more of the city to me on a long holiday weekend, as well as drinks at the Top of the Mark, but each of my visits was well before Google Maps and the entire tech sector engulfed Silicon Valley and the city by the Bay, so I wasn't sure really where to go and just visited as far as my feet and my comfort would take me.

Fast forward sixteen years, and I finally had the opportunity to return to San Francisco.

Since before moving to Bend, it has been on my list of places to visit. After all, it is in many ways the West Coast's New York City. Understandably, each city is uniquely its own, but having visited Los Angeles, Seattle and many times Portland, Oregon, San Francisco isn't quite like any other west coast urban destination. In fact, I have to agree with Cecil Beaton,"San Francisco is perhaps the most European of all American cities". Now, New Orleans certainly is a destination unique infused with French and Spanish cuisine and history, but San Francisco involves more ease and community than any other major urban city I have visited, sports the most delectable food options, offers transportation that is varied and easier than any other American city I have traveled, as well as a temperate climate that is never too extreme in any season. Again this is my opinion, but perhaps Twiggy is right, "I’m just mad for San Francisco. It is like London and Paris stacked on top of each other".

But I am getting ahead of myself gushing about San Francisco. I'd like to share with you all that we experienced in a mere 72 hours this past week, offer up some recommendations, and perhaps encourage you to either visit or return to the Paris of the West (an old term used primarily in the late nineteenth early 20th century largely because of the three waves of French immigrants arriving in San Francisco beginning in 1849 with the Gold Rush, in 1852-53 when Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte III offering a national lottery of trips to California to rid the country of his intellectual opponents, and a third wave of many women and children as in San Francisco's early days, the city was comprised of 90% men. In short order, in 1852, six thousand of the city's 36,000 residents were French).  No wonder I love this city so much. :)

I've organized today's episode/post into the three fundamental parts for any trip to any country/city to be most successful. Thinking of it as the tripod foundation of traveling with ease: knowing how to get around to wherever you want to go (transportation), knowing you have a comfortable and safe place to sleep at night, and knowing you will be fed to satisfy your appetite. Where to eat, sleep and get about.

Once these three decisions are made, reserved and settled, I am able to loosen up on the itinerary and also relax and look forward to my trip.

Let's begin the 72-hour visit to San Francisco. The good news is you don't have to make your plans too far in advance to still have a wonderful experience. Case in point, for our trip last week, the trip was decided upon in April. Plane tickets and hotel arrangements were made, and then one month prior to the trip, dinner reservations were made as well. The only piece of the three part puzzle was to tend to the on-the-ground transportation, which I had researched, and will talk about more below.

~Fisherman's Wharf - classic fisherman's boats docked.~

When to visit:

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." —Mark Twain

Depending upon the weather you hope to experience, as one of our Uber drivers who has lived in the city for decades shared with us, don't come in June, July and August and expect traditional summer temperatures. Nope. While there is the rare extremely warm day as there was a couple of weeks ago, the average high in the summer is low 70s - expect the fog to roll in and out throughout the day and if you're by the bay, the wind will rip through in the afternoon.

If you are looking for the idyllic weather, our driver, after sharing Twain's quote above, suggested coming in September and October. I quickly took note. The rain will abate in April and not truly return until November. Again, taking the advice of the driver, so readers who live in the Bay Area or who have lived in the area, please do confirm or correct.

Also, we traveled during the work week. The opportunity to arrive on a Tuesday and return on a Thursday was perfect for the pace of everyday life. Nothing was too extremely tourist-laden (there was still an abundance), the evenings were very quiet on the street as we had a street-side window, and traffic at the airport and getting about was as would be expected in any work day scenario - rush-hour, etc.

Whenever you visit, bring layers. One day we both were kissed by the sunshine more than we expected, but in the evening we needed a jacket. My mother packed her light-weight cashmere scarf, which was perfect. I saw many people with scarves. What did I forget, of all things? A scarf. I won't forget again. It is a city in which to wear a scarf.

How to Get Around Once You Arrive

BART - from the SFO airport, the Bay Area Rapid Transit is a very affordable and dependable way to reach the city. We took BART into the city with our luggage with great ease. It was helpful that the line basically begins at the airport, so you have a pick of where to sit and can get situated with your luggage before you get into the heart of the city at which time the train became very full (morning rush hour). The cost was $2.50/person versus a $45+ cab or Uber fare.

~waiting for the airport shuttle to take us to the BART airport stop~

Trolley/Cable Car - $2.75/adult; $1.35/senior - There are only three lines that the Trolley/Cable Cars travel, but they are easy to find on a transportation map. We relied primarily on the trolley throughout our trip. You pay in cash or can purchase a pass online. The fare is good for two hours if you buy a single pass. Each of the many cars we rode on were exceptionally clean, and the drivers very helpful.

Bus — We happened to ride a bus one evening as it was serving the same line as the trolley car we had arrived on. The transportation map makes it easy to see where to get on and where they stop, and the pass you use for the trolley/cable cars works the same way.

Uber/Lyft versus Taxis - We chose to use Ubers the entire time we were in the city when a trolley wouldn't get us where we needed to go and it was too far to walk, but we also wanted to make to our destination quickly (across the Bay Bridge, to the Golden Gate Bridge and to the Richmond neighborhood). I prefer to take Uber/Lyft because I know what my fare will be upfront. Taking six Uber rides during our trip, we were in a car in fewer than 10 minutes, the cars were clean, the drivers friendly if we chose to talk with them, and we arrived swiftly at our destination).

Where to Stay

While my list won't be long in this section, what I can share with you is where we did stay during our trip and why I highly recommend it. I know it will not fit everyone's budget nor be what everyone would prefer, but if you are looking for the following, you will be very happy with The Argonaut Hotel on Fisherman's Wharf:

Located in North Beach along the Fisherman's Wharf - ideally located for easy access to common sites: Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, a primary Trolley Line that will take you throughout the city, Ferry Building (via Trolley ride), Lombard street, and Little Italy.

Comfort - the beds are plush, the rooms are large, and you can reserve a room that will look out onto Fisherman's Wharf

Located in a historic building

The only hotel on Fisherman's Wharf

Quiet - granted, we stayed during a weeknight, but I could not tell we were staying in a city. No tall buildings surrounded us, we woke up to seagulls and even seals saying hello along the bay, and the street doesn't have many cars use it as it isn't a through street to anything of importance to locals or even tourists as the parking lots are set off the shore.

Impeccable service - we arrived early - 8:30 am, and while we didn't expect our room to be ready, they found one that was, even gave us a free upgrade and situated us before we went out exploring. If the room hadn't been ready, they would have stored our luggage.

~Fisherman's Wharf seen directly out our hotel room window.~

~wallpaper in the bathroom~

  Where to Eat

As one Uber driver who has lived in the city for 22 years told us, San Francisco has always had a strong food culture. Boasting 5000 restaurants, whatever type of cuisine you prefer, you will be able to find it. While he couldn't guarantee it would be delicious fare at every destination, he did note that you can find many wonderful places throughout the city and Bay Area. So let me share with you four places I HIGHLY recommend.

Tartine - If you are looking for French bakery buttery goodness, visit Tartine Bakery (the original bakery that opened about 15 years ago) and/or Tartine Manufactory (sit down for breakfast and lunch). The two locations are about 10 short blocks away from each other.

          Pearl 6101 Restaurant - Having been opened for about a year, this Richmond neighborhood located restaurant opens at 8 am for breakfast and lunch (closing 1t 2pm), and opens for dinner at 5pm, running until 10 pm. They have brunch on Sundays.

~the scrambled egg plate and avocado toast~

Boulettes Larder + Bouli Bar - Located in the Ferry Building on the far right corner next to Sur la Table, this two-part restaurant offers scrumptious seasonal and locally sourced meals. Boulettes Larder is the light and bright restaurant space that is open for lunch and breakfast (dinners are only reserved for special group occasions, as I learned later).  BouliBar (where we dined) is where they serve lunch and dinner, and the pizza as well as other items on the menu will please your palette immensely. My slow baked King Salmon set atop a bed of millet and vegetables dressed in sparkling vinaigrette was mouth-watering delicious. Paired with a glass of rosé - yum.

~the dining room for Boullettes Larder (open to the public for breakfast and lunch; private group dinners in the evening)~

~Bouli Bar (open for lunch and dinners for the public)~

~Pistachio Cake with strawberry ice cream~

Chez Panisse - Yep, Alice Waters' famed restaurant in Berkley. A dream of a experience, of which I will share in detail on Wednesday of this week, so do stop by. Reservations are taken only one month in advance on the day you wish you dine, but one month prior. Call on that day, when hours of operation begin. Every night a different menu. Every menu is seasonal and sourced locally. You can keep your menu. I had mine signed by the waiter. That is how awesome and, perhaps in admiration I am, of this restaurant. It exceeded my expectations. Stop by Wednesday to find out exactly why.

~the entrance to Chez Panisse in Berkeley~

~the menus - guests can keep them~

~dessert: Savarin cake with fresh summer berries and candied pistachios~

Now it's time to tailor it what you love

Each one of us who visits San Francisco will come to the city for different and special reason. As I shared in last Friday's weekly newsletter with subscribers, my visit was all about the food in preparation for The Simply Luxurious Kitchen's upcoming second season. And the city did not disappoint. However, there were a few other places we took the time to see and experience, and I'd like to share them below in case you too might be curious to check them out.

Beautiful views of The Golden Gate Bridge - visit Baker's Beach

Consignment Clothing, designer options galore at reasonable prices - Goodbyes (two shops) on Sacramento.

To see an infinite amount of flowers - The San Francisco Flower Market

Luxuriate in the splendid scent of sourdough bread - Boudin at the Wharf (Fisherman's Wharf)

The Ferry Building - farmers market Tuesday and Thursday beginning at 10 am (small); Saturday at 10 am (large)

All of the shops inside the building are opened each day (this is also where Bouletttes Larder + BouliBar is located

Frog's Hollow Bakery is scrumptious as well and located next to Boulettes Larder

So many delicious food-inspired businesses inside.

Ghirardelli's Square — Of course, you will find the Ghirardelli's Chocolate shops inside this square, but there are also many other shops, boutiques and restaurants. The view of the bay is lovely, and the park in front, as it is situated next to The Argonaut, was some place I enjoyed just sitting and relaxing after a long day of exploring.

~Ghirardelli's Square in the background, park in the foreground~

With the 72 hour trip nearing an end, we decided to hop in an Uber to take us to the airport as we didn't want to lug our luggage onto BART amongst the crowds, although, it wouldn't have been impossible to do, we were just tired. In a swift 30 minute time period, leaving from our hotel, we were at the airport ready to return to Bend.

While I knew we had soaked up every minute of our trip seeing and exploring and eating, we also were able to take a nap each day which for me was absolutely necessary. But even with the naps, I slept deeply and quite more at length this past weekend than I have in awhile. What a pleasure this trip was, and I am thankful it is only a 90 minute flight away. Needless to say, with even more recommendations from readers, and places I look forward to visiting again, I look forward to returning.

"Leaving San Francisco is like saying goodbye to an old sweetheart.  You want to linger as long as possible." —Walter Kronkite

Be sure to stop by the blog later in the week for a detailed post on Chez Panisse.

  ~None of this trip was sponsored and all was entirely planned according to my own curiosities and predilections. However, there are some affiliate links. 

~SIMILAR POSTS/EPISODES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

  Petit Plaisir:

~Late Night

~Written and Co-Produced by Mindy Kaling, starring Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling, John Lithgow, Reid Scott (VEEP)

~Support women in Hollywood to promote multi-dimensional, diversity in age, ethnicity, life-experience and the varied representation of women that inspires women and young girls to be the hero of their own lives and others, not the playmate in someone else's story. Learn more about the statistics of women in Hollywood. While the numbers are gradually improving, they is progress to be made, and when we go see films that support what we truly applaud and wish to see more of, producers and film executives follow where the money is.

  https://youtu.be/XE7OVnets4g

  ~All images via TSLL, any image with Shannon in them were taken by my mother (thank you Mom!)

Tune in to the latest episode of The Simple Sophisticate podcast

[bumblebeesky]

My experience with The NetBSD Foundation as a part of Google Summer of Code, 2017

As the first evaluation is approaching, I’d like to share my experience, so far, with The NetBSD Foundation. My project is related to adding support for other virtual machine systems, like GXemul, Virtualbox etc. to Anita (a tool for automated testing of NetBSD installations on various platforms.) as well as integrating support for cpu architectures it doesn’t currently support.

Anita is a set of a library and a few scripts. Although, its main purpose is to test sysinst installation procedure and quickly detecting the errors encountered in the process, it is also used for testing the whole NetBSD system by running ATF test suite. In future, we also have plans for supporting kyua, which would ultimately replace ATF. The problem with kyua right now is that it doesn’t get installed properly when a NetBSD release is built with MKKYUA=yes build option. Although, it can be installed manually, that’s not really what Anita should be doing. Both, the library part and the controlling script for Anita are written in python. Additionally the package includes a bourne shell script for testing older NetBSD releases too. This has been done to ensure back compatibility.

So far, throughout the coding period, I have build lots of realeases (and fixed many of them), done lots of testing and also contributed to the Anita library and the controlling script.

Building releases

Building releases is as easy as cloning the repository and executing build.sh in the root of source directory along with all the options. However, it takes a lot of time for the build process to complete. On a laptop with intel core-i5 6300hq, building the amd64 release takes about an hour and ten minutes with all the 4 cores enabled. (On a laptop that was purchased for web browsing and using spreadsheet, this will take much much longer than that.) This may look like an easy task and you might be thinking “Bro! I’ll just let it build for an hour, leave it like that and enjoy all this while”, but it’s not that easy. While testing random realeses or trying to get a build to work, it will fail to compile several times. Let’s suppose, it fails 5 times, just when the build was about to complete. On my system, you’d end up wasting 5 hours building and let’s say, an hour, in total, fixing the errors. So, that’s a solid 6 hours. Not only that, while all this is happening, you’ll get up and leave several times and wouldn’t know that the build has failed. This will lead to extra loss of time. The only way to stop this is to keep sitting in front of your screen.

Let’s add up an hour for it too. So now, it’s 7 hours. This was just for one release. While trying to figure out which release broke the build process, you’ll have to test multiple releases. In my case, this was almost always 15 – 16 releases. So lets multiply that too. 7*16 = 112 hours. Now imagine, on a machine running exactly 4 times slower, how long would it take? 112*4 = 448 hours. Now let’s suppose, you work for 10 hours a day. In my case, it would take me just 11.2 days to finish off the work whereas on a 4X slower machine, it’ll take 44.8 days. I hope you got the point! And mind you, the entire calculation assumes that you’ll be using your processor to the fullest possible extent, so don’t expect a long battery life. It’ll probably get reduced to 1/3rd or 1/4th. So even if you get 5 hours of extra usage with a slower machine, the difference will now be merely 1 hour 15 minutes.

The system libraries a generally written in C and sometimes in assembly language. So, you need have at least basic debugging skills for C. Although, the system files are quite long (in length) and contain a lot of macros and pointer usage etc. that a regular college student might not be familiar with, you won’t face any difficulty in debugging them if you are good at understanding what the code is trying to do, i.e. your skill for interpreting new code base is strong enough.

Testing

The testing part is actually a bit better than the building part. All you need is a virtual machine system, like GXemul, an empty (or populated with a working filesystem) raw disk image. In some cases, it requires us to have a kernel and an iso image for the first boot too. Basically, you just need to be familiar with the command line for that particular virtual machine system. The main objective of testing is to make sure there are no errors during the boot process and you’re able to log in and then halt the system properly. In case of any errors, you’ll have to fix that and go through the build process once again.

Apart from that, the entire NetBSD system can be tested with ATF test suite and kyua. But, that is not really a part of my project. Anita does that for me.

Contribution to Anita library

This is something that required the least amount of effort until now. Now that we have a few more ports working (by going through the build process, testing and then fixing errors.), the code contribution to this and possibly the controlling script is going to increase. A special emphasis was given on finding the simplest possible solution with least amount of additional code. I ensured that I took full advantage of the classes and funtions that already existed in the library. Of course, this means that I had to go through lots of code muliple number of times. The Anita library was already over 1700 lines of code, when I started.

Currently, we’re working on adding support for NetBSD/evbearmv7hf-el. Now this port contains a lot of kernels. The first kernel to be supported would be VEXPRESS_A15.

Future plans

In future (during the GSoC period), we may even have a working NetBSD/macppc. This is yet to be tested successfully. 

Work is already on for getting a mips port supported on Anita. I (with the help of my mentors and various other members of The NetBSD Foundation) have succesfully tested the NetBSD/pmax port. If time permits, we will likely have more arm and mips ports supported on Anita.

Conclusion

For me, Google Summer of Code was the single best experience I’ve had in years. Until now, it has been quite adventurous and I’ve learnt a lot more than any college could have taught me.

[seracross]

Heart of Fire - Chapter Twelve: Bookwyrm

Summary: “A dragon without fire is nothing but a liability.” Nine years ago, Syra was thrust into a war: a hide-and-seek battle for control of five powerful crystals, hidden by a secret organization 200 years prior. Taking human-form, Syra searches the dragon-hating city of Altaira for clues on their location. But when her secret is revealed, fickle hearts are quick to change. And when an old enemy raises his scaly head, who will be there to turn to? Her estranged siblings? An ex-fiancé? Or a temperamental pixie the size of a duckling? In a race against her father’s murderer, Syra must traverse the five kingdoms to halt his efforts to rebuild a powerful relic that should never have been created. Are the bonds of love and family strong enough to survive the horrors of secrets and betrayal? And how do you fight an elder dragon bent on revenge when you’re a wyrmling who can’t even breathe fire?

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance, Drama

Rating: PG-17 (Strong Language & Violence)

Read All | Read Next

"All of Caelus’ notes are on these shelves," Sulaer said, waving to a bookcase brimming with old books and older scrolls. Some laid sideways, still open, while others had free pages poking out of them. "I tried to organize them, but they just never seem to stay put. You can blame Ristau for that."

Syra pulled one with roughened edges from a shelf and leafed through it. Her jaw tensed, overwhelmed by the mass of messy script and sketches smiling up at her.

"I know it looks daunting," Sulaer said. "Believe me, I've spent decades pouring over these things and I'm still puzzled by some of his spelling."

"And you expect me to find something you haven't?"

Sulaer grinned and took the book from her hands, sliding it back in its place, "I expect Valen's apprentice to give it her best shot."

"You know him?" Syra knew her mentor had a reputation, but was surprised by its reach.

"All the Kesh Raza know him. But he was also a study partner of mine back in Sylvani."

"You went there, too?" Syra broke into a whine. "I am so jealous."

Sulaer laughed and patted her on the shoulder, "Well, there's plenty to learn here!"

"If I can even understand any of it."

To say there were many tomes would be an insult. Sulaer’s lab might as well have been a library with the occasional bench and cabinet. One with writing’s Syra had never seen, on subjects she had never seen, and most all of them were written in Talian.

"Don't you worry. I took notes on Caelus’ notes, and they're much more organized."

Syra forced her unease down and took a long look about the room, steeling herself, "So, where do we start?"

Sulaer guided her through the makings of the spell first. Its foundations and procedure, and why this was added with that. Over the next couple days she gave demonstrations, showing how the different ingredients interacted under different conditions, and translating along the way. Syra was relieved that her room was adjacent to the lab as they rarely left, even for sleep. After days of introduction and mental drilling, Syra had a rudimentary hold on the language and was able to read and deduce for herself with the use of Sulaer’s notes.

"Now, the experiments start," Sulaer said, gathering her notes.

"Experiments?"

Sulaer grinned, "Today, I take you to the shard."

Further into the academy, where wooden walls became carved from stone, the shard slept in an iron case within a room stained, charred, and fractured by the years of failed trials. The cabinets were stocked, but the shelf-lined walls were bare, their contents moved to a safer location—which would explain the lab’s overabundance—and the acrid air stung Syra’s nose hairs.

“You’ll get used to it,” Sulaer said, seeing her crinkled nose, “but do make sure to take a break now and again.”

Peering into the box, Syra could feel the pressure pulsing from the shard. Such a puny thing, she thought, seeing how it took up little space in the box.

“Take it,” said Sulaer, “It won’t burn you. Surprisingly.”

The green-and-purple shard fit neatly in Syra’s palm and was warm. Very warm. Like a fire before you got too close. And Syra could feel her body gulping down the mana it radiated, to the point of becoming dizzy.

“Be careful not to drink too much,” Sulaer said, placing the crystal back into its box and latching it, “You’ll overload yourself and end up with a horrible headache.”

Syra nodded and stepped back from the box, its heat fading from her skin, “What should I do now?”

A wide grin cracked across Sulaer’s face and she handed Syra a notebook, freshly bound, “Play with it.”

“Play with it?” Syra repeated, “Isn’t that what caused this whole mess in the first place?”

“And it’s the only way to get us out of it. Like you said, work backwards. You have the notes, supplies, and now the power source. I expect an update every other day, and do try not to blow anything up—this is the last room left. I’ll keep my study door open if you have any questions, and I’ll update you if I find anything new.”

And like that, Syra was left to wilds of alchemical discovery, with a hurried vocabulary list and 150-year-old ramblings of a Talian hermit. If there was ever a magical exam to be passed, it was this one.

A week passed with Syra mired nose-deep in parchment and potions, but book after book, trial after trial, she still hadn't made any leeway outside of singing her eyebrows. And other than at mealtimes, she hadn’t seen nor spoken to Aidan or the twins. Any attempts were met with, “How’s the cure coming?”, “Find anything?”, or the more common, “Just focus on getting the shard so we can go.”

Normally, she wouldn’t have minded being left to her devices in solitude, but normally she’d have someone to turn to for help, be it a teacher or classmate. Even Aidan had clever solutions sometimes. But despite her original promise, Sulaer busied herself in her own readings and research, many times disappearing for hours all together. It was that sort of day when Syra went to her balcony for a quick rest.

The balcony off her hallway faced over the terrace towards the city’s center. She could see the Playhouse with its patrons, and beyond that a training field, and a flower garden with a small pond. She watched from this spot as Cassius and Petra trained one-on-one in combat—Wyn had insisted that if they were to stay until a cure was found, they might as well learn to be useful. They were getting better, and Syra found it a relaxing distraction from the dim cave and strong smells and words that blurred together. But there was something off about that scene that day. An uneasiness that drew her attention from the twins to the small bench by the pond. A bench where Aidan sat, too comfortably, next to Sulaer in her satin dress with her big books.

Syra’s stomach dropped. They were laughing. She waved the thought away as quickly as it came, but the cold knot in her gut told her to keep watching. Sulaer pointed to the book Aidan was reading—Syra’s book—and he smiled. He smiled that smile where his forehead creased and his eyes glinted from behind that mask of smart sensibility he always wore—a smile she had not seen since the festival. But this time it wasn’t for her.

There were more laughs, more smiles, more flicks of the hair. There was always more, and Syra had to break away from the balcony before she broke herself. She returned to the lab, in its quiet, dim solitude, but her mind was now a blur and she felt the prodding of nausea. Just ignore it, she thought. We’ve all been stressed and he deserves a nice break. Even if something did come of it, halflings weren’t all that rare—there was one in her Runes class after all.

She forced herself to continue working, throwing herself into the scripts and charts and diagrams of old, looking for any missing piece or glint of hidden meanings. But nothing helped. Her mind kept returning to the image of Aidan smiling with Sulaer, and she continued to return to the balcony where any sight of him numbed the grief left to fester.

More days went by like this. And the more she looked for evidence of their relations, the more she found: more hours in the garden, more exchanged gazes at meetings, more whispered giggles at the dinner table. Many times she started to tell Cassius of her troubles. Hoping that, perhaps by purging them, she could lessen the ache that gnawed away at her and made her world dim and gray. But she never could.

She'd watch from her balcony as he and Petra found confidence in their two-legged fighting skills: their weapons becoming lighter and swifter, until a swing and twirl were second nature. No, he had his own problems to deal with. Certainly, he had dealt with hers far too much at this point. This was something she had to bare on her own. And that just made the ache deeper.

She was returning from her time on the balcony—which had become a bit of a habit—when a low rattle came from one of the rooms a few doors down from the lab. The door stood slightly ajar and through the crack she could see Ristau slumbering wide-mouthed at his desk. She went to walk onwards down that hall, but the mortar and pestle atop his desk called her back. Ristau had those at the Playhouse, she thought, recalling their first meeting. She had been curious about this "Down" they spoke of, but never found the chance to ask.

Please don't squeak, she begged the door as she pushed it open with a fingertip. She took a step into the room and paused, watching Ristau for any movement, but he snored on with his head rested back against his chair. Padding over to the desk, she examined the dusty bowl and the small bag sitting open next to it. Again, she glanced over at Ristau, but he continued to dream with a slight grin on his ruddy face. He looked so calm and happy. Did Down affect dragons the same way it did Tal?

Then she reached for it, plucking it by the drawstrings. It was the swift, heavy hand that made her jump.

"Careful, milady," Ristau said, fully awake and gripping both her hand and the bag in one large hand, "That's a slippery slope you're treading on."

Syra looked down at the bag, but didn't move, "Does it help?" she asked in a small voice, "Will it make the pain go away?"

"No," he said, empathy softening the edges of his face, "but it will dull it."

He lifted his hand and she took the bag, clutching it to her chest, before turning to leave.

She stopped in the doorway, "Why are you—"

"The only thing that clouds the mind better than rage," he said with a solemn face, "is grief. And I need your mind to save my people."

She nodded, shut the door, and returned to her quarters where she drowned herself in pages, and the ache slid into its box and waited.

It was Cassius who found her.

"Syra!" he exclaimed in a whisper when he entered later that night to find her dazed and lopsided in her chair. "What the hell happened?" He asked, sitting her up straight.

She mumbled something about a potion and needing to get back to work, and that's when he saw the dust specks under her nose.

"You're kidding me." He looked to her desk to find the bag open with dusting around its brim.

"It helps," Syra said, pulling out of her stupor and smiling up at him. "Well, at least until this groggy part. I think I might finally be on to something. I think I can—"

"Oh no," Cassius interrupted, putting a finger to her lips, "You're not telling me anything until you've sobered up." He picked her up from her chair and set her on the bed.

"But I'm fine, really!"

"Bashta!" he cursed, taking Syra aback by his sudden harsh tone, "You're pale, wobbly, and slurring your words, all things completely not you."

"I'll be fine so enough," she shooed his hand away from her forehead, "just...let me enjoy not feeling like shit for a moment."

Cassius stared down at her, his own face reddening, "How do you think Aidan would feel if he saw you like this?"

The mention of his name woke the monster inside the box, and Syra grimaced at the pin prick in her chest, "He has someone else to worry about now."

Genuine surprise flashed across Cassius’ face, “Who?!”

“Don’t play dumb. It’s sickeningly obvious.” She rested her head back against the headboard, tired of faking her cheeriness.

Cassius’ eyes searched his memories of the past few days before scoffing, “Well, it’s not Petra, I can tell you that right n—”

“No, you blind lizard. Sulaer!” She wriggled farther down into the bed and clutched at a pillow, “With her silky hair and library and big…womanly-ness.”

“You’re being silly.”

“I can’t compete with that, Cas,” Syra said, the sparkle gone from her eyes.

He sighed and looked away, unable to put his thoughts into words she would care to understand.

In the quiet, her grip on the pillow loosened and a wry smile bubbled to the surface as her mask slipped off.

“Though, I can’t really blame him. I’d squat for her if I were in his shoes.”

She chuckled and looked over at her brother who appeared a tad embarrassed by the subject.

“We’re all messed up, you know?” she said, gaining a raised eyebrow from him, “all three of us. Petra keeps pining after Tarys, who wouldn’t know she existed if she weren’t Vayguard. I’m going bat-shit over a human boy. And you…” She looked Cassius over with a slow, critical eye, and sneered when they landed at his neck. With a sly finger, she flicked the strands of hair away and slid it down across the light bruising just under his ear. “You go sneaking off to have a little fun with fairy boy when nobody’s looking.”

Cassius smacked her hand away and snarled, baring his teeth. But that didn’t stop him from flushing, or Syra from snickering.

“Hold your fire, I meant no harm. Hell, I might as well join you next time. First round’s free, right?”

For the first time since their reunion, she took a moment to study his human form: his slender face, toned shoulders, and firm chest that was just visible behind his unbuttoned collar. Her eyes stopped at the black marks that peeked out from under his shirt.

“Actually, while you’re here,” she leapt from the bed and snatched up a blank strip of parchment from her desk, “hold still for a second.”

“W-what are you doing?” He fidgeted as she unbuttoned his shirt.

“I said, hold still.” She balled a fist and light shimmered around him, yanking him down onto the bed.

Running down the middle of his chest were black runes left from Valen’s spelltag. She pressed the parchment overtop.

“Just relax,” she cooed and traced the markings with smooth strokes of a finger until they burned onto the paper. “Perfect,” she said, admiring her work.

“What’s that for?” Cassius asked, scooting away and buttoning his shirt.

“I told you, making progress.”

The two stood there silent and Syra looked from him to the door, “You may go now. I’m sure fairy boy is waiting for you.”

“What is with you?!” Cassius growled with true, but scorned, concern. “I’d expect this kind of attitude from Petra, but not from you!”

“Then you obviously haven’t been in my head long enough.”

“I think I’ve been there too long,” he said, standing from the bed. “Come find me when you’re not such a graga.”

He left her side but stopped in the doorway, “Sulaer’s already engaged, by the way. But you would know that if you got your head out of your ass and actually listened to people.”

The next morning brought Syra a splitting headache and a visitor.

“So, did you hit the books, or did the books hit you?” asked Ristau from her desk. She hadn’t even heard him come in.

“That’s not funny,” Syra said, massaging her temples.

“Yes, it is. And what’s even funnier, is that I was woken up by your brother lecturing me about keeping you sober.”

“He told you?!”

“Of course, he did. Who else does he know with access to this?”

He snatched the bag of Down from her desk.

“Hey, wait, don’t!” She sprang upwards and gripped at the air towards the bag, “I need that.”

“Uh-uh,” he said, shaking a finger, “One: this is mine. Two: it was my mistake for giving it to you in the first place.”

“But you use it all the time.”

“Yes, and I know how to keep my head up and my mouth shut. Not spitting venom at anyone who shows the least bit of concern.” Grief softened his eyes, “He’s your brother, Syra. And the only one you’ll ever have. Never take that for granted.”

She would have retorted, but the Down had left her system and the words she spoke last night burned her tongue worse than the dry-mouth. She groaned and hung her head.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t tell me that,” he said, riffling through her papers, “I certainly wouldn’t believe you.”

His words hit hard, and she remained silent.

“And you know what’s the worst part?” He paused his shuffling to look right at her, “You knew better. And I know you knew better because you wouldn’t have said those things otherwise.”

Syra had no excuse to give. Every one that popped into her head she could reason away as being callous, petty, and downright pitiful. A bitter, self-centered brat wallowing in self-pity, that’s what she had shown herself to be. So this is what Aidan meant by ‘mopiness’.

“What is this?” Ristau broke Syra out of her self-reflection as he looked down on a spelltag similar to the one she had copied from Cassius last night. The runes were different and more complicated, but the structure was the same.

“Progress.”

“No-no,” he said, pounding a finger on it, “this isn’t a counter-spell. This is a shapechanging spell.” He leered over at Syra who met his gaze with confidence, “You can’t be serious.”

“I’m very serious, and all I need now is a power source,” she said. “Plus, it made me realize something about Caelus’ spell, and why our attempts keep failing.”

“Oh, and what’s that?”

“That we’ve been going about it all wrong, for starters. But I can’t really get dressed and to go tell everyone with you standing here, now can I?”

Ristau begrudgingly put the spelltag back on the desk.

“Thank you. Now, shoo-shoo. Go and bring everyone to the lab.”

The seats around the lab table were filled by the time Syra arrived, and all waited anxiously for her news. To her disappointment—but of no surprise—Aidan took the seat next to Sulaer, who watched her enter with both nervousness and excitement.

“So, what did you find?” Sulaer asked, almost bouncing in her chair, “What’s this ‘realization’ Ristau was talking about?”

Syra pushed her insecurities aside and plopped a thick notebook on the table, opening to Sulaer’s cliff notes on the powering of Caelus’ spell and its general make-up.

“Lanis,” she said, looking to the king who was deep in thought, “when we first got here, you said that Kor Lahru’s mana spring ran down here, right?”

“Correct, it does.”

“You then said that you believed this to be a reason why the disease isn’t progressing—why the Lower Tal aren’t getting any worse.”

“Yes—”

“You’re wrong,” she said, inciting tension around the table, “At least, I think you’re wrong.” She pointed at little Leimia who sat quiet by his side, “You are getting worse. Every generation is getting worse. You said that children born here suffer worse deformities if they survived at all.”

“Again, correct, but what is your point?”

“I think it’s the mana spring that’s making them worse, and why we can’t find a cure.”

Sulaer looked confused, but intrigued and motioned for her to continue.

“We thought all the conditions had to be the same for the spell to be reversed. But you can’t counter a curse using something that it draws power from. You’ll only be feeding it,” Syra explained. “Caelus’ spell was powered by the shard—a huge source of mana—so would it not make sense that the disease is also powered by mana?”

“The mana spring is feeding the disease,” Sulaer hushed, growing pale.

“Yes, just like using the shard in our trials stops any counter-spell from working. We’ve been trying to swim upstream.”

“So, we do what, exactly?” Aidan asked.

“Stop using the shard, for one,” said Ristau.

“Not just that,” Syra said, setting a second book on the table and flipping to a sketch of an Arrun tree. “We have to starve it.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Aidan asked Syra as she devoured tome after tome searching for any instructions on how to create a mana-draining potion. “Don’t Tal need mana to survive?”

“Not necessarily,” said Ristau, who also joined in on the search party. “Unlike Fae or dragons, we’ve separated from the Mana Flow over time. So, while draining our reserves will severely weaken us, it will not kill us.”

“But you could run the risk of the disease killing us while our bodies are too weak to fight off the infection,” said Lanis. He and Leimia had a tower of books each to themselves that had already been looked through.

“So, we’ll just have to kill the infection before it kills the patient,” said Syra. “Do you have any information on any known cures?”

“Before we get to that, let’s focus on weakening the infection first,” Sulaer said, nose-deep in her own stack.

Aidan looked around at everyone sitting in a sea of parchment, their eyes red from hours of scouring—even Petra was making progress.

He sighed, “I think I know how to make one.”

All heads looked up from their pages.

“You tell us this now?” Petra yelled.

“I wasn’t sure if it fit what you were looking for, and I’m honestly not proud of it.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Syra.

“Dragonlances,” he said, meeting her gaze, “they’re tipped with a poison made from the bark of the Arrun tree. If concentrated enough, it can kill any magical creature…even dragons. That’s why we use them.”

Syra bit her lip, “And you know how to make this poison?”

“I helped invent it.”

Syra, Petra, and Cassius all stared at him shock.

“Those arrows were made by you?!” Petra growled.

“By my alchemists, yes.”

“We lost clan members because of you!” Petra screamed and Cassius had to hold her back from lunging at him.

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have flown so close!” Aidan spat back, “Just stayed way up in the mountains where you belong!”

Tension grew with the silence, and Aidan lowered his head, “I’m sorry. That was wrong of me to say.”

“No, you meant what you said.” Tears formed in Petra’s eyes and she shot to her feet, knocking over her stack of books, “I knew we shouldn’t have brought you along! You’re no different than Marrak, or Larson, or any of the other Black Thorn members! Only caring to act when it suits you best. And to think I was starting to trust you.”

“Petra, I’m sorry. I take it ba—”

“Bashta!” she cried, spitting at him, “You’re just a lowly pink worm. Altaira’s doomed with a king like you.”

With that, she stormed off, leaving the rest to sit and simmer in her wake. Cassius went to say something, but he couldn’t bring himself to even look at Aidan. And the four Tal could only watch on as outsiders.

“Where we belong?” Syra finally asked, looking to him, “After what you’ve seen your own people do, you still see us as monsters? Even as we sit here trying to help another race?”

“It’s a hard habit to break, Syra,” Aidan admitted, “Those roots run deep and I…I just need time to let them die.”

“More time, huh?” She shook her head and closed her book, standing, “Unfortunately, time is something we don’t have. Marrak is moving, and we don’t have time to wait for your scars to fade. We need to know that we can still trust you.”

“Of course, you can!”

“Good. Now, get to making that vile poison of yours and I’ll look into killing the infection for good. Sulaer?” she asked, turning her attention away from Aidan, “Are these all the books you have?”

“No, just the ones we know with relevant information. There’s also the Grand Library below the academy.”

“A Grand Library?” asked Cassius.

“Yes,” Sulaer nodded, “Omei has the largest library in all the realms and, to be honest, there are scrolls there that even I haven’t read yet.”

“Take me there,” Syra said, her face steeled against the screams and tears that begged to burst out. “We might be able to find more clues on how to kill this thing.”

“Sure. There’s a whole section on all our medicinal advances.”

“Then we’ll start there,” Syra went to follow Sulaer out of the lab, but stopped abruptly, “And Aidan?”

Aidan looked up at her, guilt plastered on his face.

“Where I belong, is my choice.”

Down into the depths of the mountain they went, spiraling down the main staircase. The roots of Mother Tree still reached even this far down, and lit their way past floor after floor. The Medicinal Section was located on the seventh floor and took up most of the sixth wing that branched off of the main staircase.  

“So, this is even bigger than the Sylvani library?” Syra asked in amazement.

“Just by a floor, but I still like to brag about it,” said Sulaer.

“Just looking at all these books makes me want to fall asleep,” said Petra. She and Cassius had joined Syra after Petra decided that she’d much rather read than be stuck in a room with Aidan.

“We can’t nap now,” Syra said. “Not until we have a solid plan, at least.”

“Here,” Sulaer said, leading them to sit around a wide, round table off in a cozy nook with a small plant as its centerpiece, “have a seat. I’ll warm us up.”

Carved from stone and far from the warmth of the city, the Grand Library held a chill. The siblings sat about the table while Sulaer fiddled with the plant. She peeled back the cone of leathery leaves to reveal a rather plump bulb. She rubbed her hands together and blew on them, as if they were cold. Faint green light appeared between them and she wrapped them around the bulb. In seconds the bulb glowed and then unfurled, releasing a wave of warmth into the nook.

“Much better,” said Sulaer, turning back to the bookshelves, “now where to start?”

Book after book they read until their stomachs growled, but still they did not find a solution.

“What about this one?” Petra asked, sliding the open book over to Syra.

“Nope, not that one, either.”

“Ugh!” Petra groaned and laid her head on the table, exhausted and hungry, “I thought you said we could find cures down here.”

“These are cures,” said Sulaer, “they just all require some addition of mana, and that’s the opposite of what we need.”

“Well, we can’t stay here forever. Even you said you haven’t read all of these. How are we supposed to?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“Wonderful.” Petra closed her book and left to return it back to the shelf. As she slid it back into place she screamed, dropping the book and making Syra and Cassius run to her.

“What is it? What happened?”

“What is that?” Petra pointed an accusing finger and grimaced at the fat grub waving its pincers at them from the shelf.

“It’s…it’s a worm,” Syra said, puzzled. “Sulaer, why is there a worm down here?”

“You are underground, remember?” said Cassius.

“That’s a bookworm,” Sulaer answered, laughing.

“Like, the kind that eat books?” Syra recalled hearing talk of them in Altaira, but had never actually seen one.

“No, not exactly.” Sulaer reached over and scooted the worm into her palm, and Petra quivered in disgust. “They eat their memories.”

“Come again?” Cassius asked.

“All the memories of all the people that ever read it, even the author. It takes a lot of energy to write a book, and even more is invested by those who pour themselves over one. And it’s these little fellas that hold on to that energy in the form of memories.”

“So, you’re saying these worms hold the memories of all the books in here?” Syra asked.

Sulaer took a moment to answer, “Depends on their age, but yes, it wouldn’t surprise at all.”

“Can I see it?” Syra asked, taking the worm from her hand and running back to the table.

“Don’t put that thing over there!” cried Petra, “I sit there!”

“It’s not going to bite you, Petra,” Syra said, setting it down on the table, “I don’t think.”

Syra took out a piece of parchment and a quill from her bag on the table and began writing.

“A locator spell?” asked Sulaer surprised, looking over her shoulder.

“If that worm has memories of the information we need, then maybe I can find the book it got it from.”

Sulaer watched her hands fly over the paper, her strokes a tad sloppy in her hurry.

“Don’t rush,” she said, stopping her hands a moment, “it won’t work as well.”

Syra nodded and continued with slower, more precise marks. The script wound around the borders and spiraled inward until only a blank spot was left in the center.

“Now you just need a purpose,” said Sulaer.

Syra hesitated. This was always the hardest part. She could learn spells fine, but creating one had always been a hurdle. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, imagining what she wanted and hoped the words would come. And then she wrote.

 Locate the tome,

your only quest.

And bring me thither,

At my behest.

 The bane of plagues,

it acts alone

To restore the body

And make it whole.

 “Not bad for your first try,” Sulaer said. “Now what?”

Syra picked up the worm and placed it on the page. She balled a fist, charging it.

“Sorry about this,” she said, pointing a finger. She tapped her fingertip to the worm and a spark of electricity jolted the worm, causing it to seize and spit up the juices from its gut onto the paper.

“That’s just disgusting,” said Petra.

“It’s magic,” Syra replied, scooting the poor grub off to the side.

“Nothing’s happening,” Cassius said, watching the paper.

“I’m not done.”

Sulaer took a pin from her pouch and handed it to Syra, who pricked her finger and pressed it to the page. The words shimmered as light traced along the spiral of ink until it came to the center. Please, work, she thought, but nothing happened. The page still glimmered, but did not move. Syra bent over the paper, analyzing it to see what she could have done wrong, stopping at the small glob of blue liquid just outside the center lines. She blew on it, flicking the glob over into the center.

It sparked, and glowed, and the page twitched and ruffled. Then it started folding itself. Over and over, folding and twisting until it formed itself into a bird that flapped its wings and hopped about the table.

“You did it!” Sulaer rejoiced, gripping her shoulders.

“Well, look at that, you did!” Petra said, laughing at the paper bird, “What’s it supposed to do?”

Syra bent over the table and the bird stared up at her, beak to nose.

“Go,” she said, and the bird flew from the table into the air, fluttering on its tiny wings in circles above them.

“Where’s it going?” Cassius asked.

“To find the cure.”

[english-ext-2]

Do you look back on your major work and see any elements which you think made your work stand out the most? Is there something that you think set your work at a higher standard in particular, or was it just all round a quality piece? I go to a public school and get consistent band 6's with all of my English assessments. I just worry that there are so many better students out there with abilities I don't have. I love extension and my concept but I struggle with confidence in myself :(

To this day I’m still uncertain what exactly about my MW was so appealing to the markers. Part of it was probably the “originality” of my concept. I don’t think many students before me had written about languages in a way that didn’t link to the immigrant experience. And the fact I’d chosen to write a short story about translation might have come off as surprising - most people associate poetry with translation, the embodiment of “lost in translation”. So here was this major that subverted the norm on two counts. 

But you don’t get top marks with a great idea and poor execution. I wrote well in a technical and literary sense for someone my age; I also exerted strong authorial control over my work but didn’t write in a way that imposed on the audience. I respected my readers’ intelligence, trusting them to engage with my argument for a greater appreciation of literary translation and translators. There’s nothing worse than a condescending and intrusive authorial voice, here I am to tell you why you’re wrong. You want more, here are a thousand and one reasons to side with me.    

I think the humour helped too. Lots of students approach EE2 with serious intent (which is great!!); they have many social, cultural, and sometimes political issues on which they want to comment, or they have a mind to producing Literature (yes, with the capital L), works with a modernist or postmodernist bent that have a profound message. This is all possible within the scope of the course, but there’s a lot to be said if you can laugh a little while you’re at it. Light jokes, playful banter, and happy endings are not your enemies; they often serve to contrast a work’s graver themes and thus make the serious truly Serious.    

If you love your concept and English then you already have a solid foundation to do well. Obviously I can’t speak to your specific situation, but I can share some of what I felt as a Year 12 student starting out on her major. Like you I was a consistent band 6′er in English; my peers regarded me highly and I had the favour of my English teacher. Personally I was very proud of my English achievements and knew I had the capability to excel in EE2, which paradoxically sent me into fits of self-doubt because I was terrified I wouldn’t live up to my own high expectations.       

It was partly this inner paralysis that wormed its way into my first draft, or “first draft” if you will, since it didn’t remotely resemble a draft of anything at all. To be honest, it took an outside view to pull myself back together. Our former principal, who’d been kind enough to review everyone’s first drafts, gave some positive feedback. My mentor expressed her disappointment in the gentlest of fashions, reiterating her faith in me that I could do better. I didn’t feel confident per se; I felt grateful, then renewed my determination to indeed do better.

I guess what I’m getting to is that EE2 isn’t a solo enterprise. Like any other creative process, for success you need external input and encouragement.  You need someone to pore over your work critically but kindly, who nods at what you’ve done and points to where you could do better. The confidence you feel will be a mixture of other people’s faith and your own self-belief. 

But returning to what I first said - if you love your concept, that’s half your confidence already. You know you love it. You can be confident you do. And it’s that love that’ll carry you in your darker moments, those creative blocks and “what am I even doing” implosions. It’s true there are people who have talents you don’t. But it goes both ways. You have talents they don’t. You have your own ideas, ambitions, skills, character, and personality. You have something worth saying. 

This answer is getting long so I’ll end on one last point. Self-confidence isn’t going to run like a raging river through your head when you sit down and write. It’s not all thunderstorms of epiphanies or a Niagara Falls of I’M A GREAT WRITER, it’s much quieter and smaller and sometimes so subtle you lose sight of it altogether until one day you trip over it and go, “wait, it was there all along?” It’ll disappear, come back, slither out of your grasp, as changeable as you are. And that’s nothing to be afraid of.      

[csrgood]

NRG Women Making History

As we embark on a new decade, we would like to take this opportunity to recognize women whose efforts have led our company to its current success. We wish to recognize five powerful women essential to breaking new ground and making history both at NRG and in our sector. Continuously improving our business, these women solidify the importance of placing inclusion and diversity at the center of who we are and what we do. Please join us in recognizing the amazing strides they have made and the path they are laying towards a more inclusive industry.

Andrea T., Director of Product Innovation, Green Mountain Energy

Our industry is very complex, and impacted by many variables, some predictable and others, like weather, unpredictable.  This also means the opportunities are endless.  NRG, fortunately, has built a strong foundation that fosters a diverse, strong and creative workforce.  Over the nine years I have been at NRG, I’ve experienced that no matter how big or small an idea is, it is always heard. Also, I have seen the company encouraging women like me to leverage our strengths in order to be a strong player in this dynamic market.  We are natural multitaskers, strong communicators, nurturing, empathetic, motivated by big challenges, we dream big and focus on teamwork and collaboration. All of these are greats skills to get things done effectively, but are also needed to develop and offer amazing products, best-in-class customer experience, and a sustainable future. 

At NRG, I have found my passion for addressing some of the environmental issues we face as a society.  The company has given me the opportunity not only to develop initiatives with strong quantifiable results, but sustainable programs and products that fulfill me as a customer, employee and mother.  My position as Director of Product Innovation for Green Mountain Energy has allowed me to be creative, help customers meet their sustainability goals and to impact our communities in a positive way. I have learned that no matter where our customers are in their sustainable journey, they always want to do more to reduce their carbon footprint.  This inspires me to continue to figure out more ways to make our planet a better place to live.  With the support of an amazing and creative Product Team, I have developed solar programs and products that address different customer needs – from virtual solar products such as Go Local Solar to rooftop solar offerings.  Today, Green Mountain Energy is considered a leader in sustainability and I am proud to be part of this journey.  We are in the middle of an exciting and challenging time, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for NRG.

Donna B., SVP, Chief Program Officer

Women at NRG shape the future of the corporate world by bringing diverse viewpoints and creating a tone of teamwork.  This helps teams work together through change and complex work efforts in our industry and within NRG. Since women represent nearly half the U.S. workforce, but significantly less than that in the energy industry, women have an opportunity to expand in the energy workforce, offering their valuable skills and viewpoints.  At NRG, women bring in extensive experience from internal and external energy careers, consulting experience and a wealth of coordination and communication skills to move the company forward. We see women in all departments who are actively committed to achieve our goals and values. They are often key facilitators, communicators and planners for the teams that they are a part of.

The contribution that I bring to NRG, and to other women at NRG, is to foster opportunities to grow, learn and apply skills.  Some of the strongest project and program managers are women with strong leadership, management and organization skills.  I work with, mentor, and support many of them in their careers. I also value the attributes of all team members working together toward common goals with a meaningful purpose. I strongly believe each team member brings unique skills and talents, and our job as leaders is to make sure we provide clear goals, then coach and support our teams to be successful.  This ‘servant leadership’ has been proven to be especially successful for women leaders, now we just need to get more women into those energy leadership roles.  

Outside of work, I am an active Girl Scout leader, encouraging girls across our region to get involved and develop leadership, science and communication skills. This is part of preparing our next generation’s workforce and encouraging the women of our future by both example and involvement.

Kimberly C., Director, Customer Experience

Traditionally, energy has been a male-dominated industry, but forward-thinking companies like NRG realizes it’s not only the right thing to do, but essential for its success to include top female talent. Integrating women is vital to having a broad perspective at the decision table.

When women are exposed to powerful female role models and mentors, they are more likely to see themselves in leadership roles or see a path for advancement. As I continue to grow with the organization, my goal is to serve my internal and external customers. As a brand, I want every single customer interaction with NRG to be the best experience they’ve had with any company. And internally, I want to continue to align with my colleagues across the company and serve as the voice of the customer, as we push ourselves to continue to deliver a best-in-class experience.

Judith L., Senior Vice President, Asset Management

As the SVP of Asset Management, I’d like to acknowledge the women I work closely with at NRG; four others in my immediate group, and several others throughout the organization.  It’s a wonderful feeling to know that I’m in the company of great women who have impressive accomplishments in their own right. If I think about what these women have in common, it is their complete commitment to their families and their professionalism. Perhaps never has this been more apparent than it is right now as we try to maintain some trace of normalcy in our lives in the midst of a global pandemic.

Over 20 years ago, I made a career change, from consulting engineering to business management.  With my engineering and new business degree, I applied for a job with a small independent power producer called United American Energy (UAE) to be the general manager of their hydroelectric power plants and later, of their cogeneration projects.  While I had experience designing power plants and other large civil works, I didn’t have business management experience, or plant operations experience, or direct knowledge of hydroelectric power plants for that matter.

But the owner and founder of UAE was David Goodman. The Goodman family dedicated their lives to removing barriers and promoting social justice in honor of their son and brother, Andrew Goodman—one of the three civil rights workers that were murdered by the Ku Klux Klan during Freedom Summer in 1964.  While there were several men at UAE in identical roles for which I was applying, there were no women.  Having grown up in a home with no bias, David took a chance on me and I became UAE’s first female General Manager of Hydroelectric Projects.  I had to earn respect being a woman in a position that until me was always held by men. I had everything to learn but there was absolutely no way I was going to let David and his brilliant Executive Management team down. 

Going on my 19th year at NRG this June, I have a unique perspective having witnessed the company mature from the early days of competitive markets and evolve along with the industry, adapt to an unforeseen shale gas revolution, and deliver more savings to customers through innovative products and services than perhaps anyone could have imagined. 

As the head of Asset Management for one of the largest competitive power companies in the US, our Asset Managers have tackled just about every aspect of managing the life cycle of a power plant: commissioning new units integrating portfolios, repowering, converting to cleaner fuels, installing emission controls, capturing carbon and enhancing oil recovery, contracting plants needed for reliability, and transitioning plants that have reached end of their economic lives. It is rare to experience such diverse accomplishments over one’s career, it is even rarer to have done that as a woman.

What’s left to do? Plenty. On top of mind is to ensure that we can achieve clean energy goals, including NRG’s to be net zero by 2050, and preserve reliability through a competitive market process at a price our customers can afford. It’s likely I won’t be the one to deliver these results 30 years from now but will gladly pass the torch to the next generation pioneers.

Elizabeth E., Mergers and Acquisitions Director

NRG is incredibly fortunate to have so many intelligent and inspiring women contributing to the advancement of our company and the energy industry as a whole. Women at NRG have led the company’s most important business initiatives, solved our most complicated challenges, and fostered a collaborative environment where inclusion and representation are our norms. As NRG continues to evolve and sharpen its focus as a customer-focused energy company, our full diversity of perspectives and experiences will be an especially valuable asset. I’m particularly grateful for all the opportunities I have had at NRG to work alongside impressive and accomplished women, and as a woman in the energy industry, I’ll always be on the lookout for ways to pay it forward throughout my career.

We recognize the importance of showing appreciation for those pushing us toward a brighter future. Do you have women in the energy industry—or any industry—that you look up to? Join us in recognizing the contributions of powerful women by sharing stories about those who inspire you on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook and by using the hashtag #WomenEmpowerment.

source: https://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/45666-NRG-Women-Making-History?tracking_source=rss

[lisakellner]

What do you do when art systems crumble?

When it’s time for a total overhaul

Important: If you are in a dire situation, click on this list of emergency resources.

What to do when art systems crumble:

We are in a time of upheaval.  Galleries close, museums cut services, jobs are suspended or lost.  The system we have been relying on for so long is coming apart at the seams.

I want to offer some real tools to help you move forward.

1. Feel What you’re feeling.

What ever you are experiencing right now is okay.  Take the time to really feel the emotions going through you.

 I had a great mentor that gave me some valuable advice.  She told me that whenever she experienced something bad, she would stop what she’s doing and take fifteen solid minutes to really feel the emotions.

 It’s important to acknowledge the impact this particular event is having on you in this moment.

 Whatever you feel is the right feeling to have right now.  Take the time and embrace it.

 One effective tool is to acknowledge the feeling yet separate yourself from it.

Instead of saying, “I am angry and frustrated about xyz”, try this instead:

 ”I feel anger and frustration about xyz.” You can have the feelings without them completely overtaking who you are.

2.  Get in the right Mindset.

When you are ready, ease yourself into a better mindset.  What does that mean exactly?  You can’t get out of this situation, if you have a defeatist attitude. 

You have to be able to shift your thinking.  New scenarios require new ways of problem solving. 

Check out this blog post:  Why the Right Mindset matters.

 Each day, try to immerse yourself in a new activity.  See whether this activity shifts your thinking, even if its for a few minutes.  It takes time to change your mindset.

 I recently went through my own personal journey of shifting my mindset.  I wish I could tell you it took a day or even a few weeks.  Like all good things, it took time. (In my case a couple years.) But the outcome is that this shift became permanent. And I am so grateful for that!

 Just start on the journey of a new mindset for a new era; one that empowers you to achieve, not makes you reliant on systems outside of your control.

3.  Believe (and Know) that you will get through this.

“You are what you believe yourself to be.”

— Paulo Coelho

Make sure your true belief system is in alignment with your actions and your thoughts.

 It’s one thing to say I believe “abc”, but you also have to know it with every cell in your body.  It has to become a part of you; impervious to outside influences.

 Sounds simple, but not always so easy.

 Use this time when all things around you are seemingly declining, to renew your belief system about yourself.  Repeat until you know it innately:

 You are perfectly capable of finding your way through anything.

You are successful and thriving. 

 Nothing can get in your way of your own success.

 If you can’t get there quite yet, the first step is being aware that your belief system is not in sync with your own ability to prosper.  You want to be successful.  If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be struggling right now.  Be cognizant that you might be placing some roadblocks in your own way.

 Once you understand that the biggest thing holding you back is your own set of beliefs, then - and only then - can you change them.

4.  Diversify your income and your strategy

I have been through a recession (actually three) and have learned a thing or two along the way.  The first one hit two months after I graduated college.  As I watched everyone around me being laid off or fired, I spent each day waiting for the ball to drop.

 I decided right then and there to never depend solely on one source of income.

 Diversify your income AND your strategy.

Let’s talk strategy first.

 As an artist in the time we are currently living in, I strongly suggest that you do not rely on one source for exhibiting and selling your work.  Diversify.  If you are completely dependent on galleries (one or more) to get your work seen and sold, then you are NOT diversified.

 What happens when those galleries close or a pandemic forcibly shuts them down?

 In the financial world, not being diversified is foolish - to say the least. An investor would not just invest in oil companies or soft drink companies.  A smart investor would make sure their portfolio is well diversified.

 A smart artist should do the same. Your investment of time, energy and money required to make your work should embolden you to never fully rely on one outlet for your success.

 It’s time to come up with multiple streams for promoting, exhibiting and selling your work. Use this time to gear up and create a strategy that will once again place you on a firm foundation.  Force yourself to think of innovative ways that maybe you haven’t considered before.

 Take a look around.  there are many artists already doing this.  Start an online course or YouTube channel that you can monetize.  Create a Patreon membership offering a service or product that is really valuable.  Use Zoom to show you working in the studio and ask for a “Pay what You Want” donation.  Create your own online exhibition or studio tour.

 The point is stop relying on old systems to get you through this new landscape.

Okay, finances.

 I have always felt that a secondary source of income is a must have, for everyone but especially for artists.  Having that source of income not within the arts makes it a diversified income source.

 You want to be recession proof.

 Look around right now and assess what industries are actually thriving (or at least sustaining) during this time.  I can think of a few.

 All indicators point to a flourishing online economy - like it or not.  Get yourself a foothold online so that you can profit from this already burgeoning system.  The beauty of it is, you can be online and remain independent.

 Another overlooked system is the most local one near you.  What is working and what isn’t right now in your local landscape?   How can you provide something that works here? No matter where you live, growing and providing food will always be in demand.  Is there a way to use your creativity to profit from a local food system?

 What about a passive income source?  Write an eBook and sell it.  Use your art in new ways to earn for you. Create an awesome t-shirt with your own distinctive style!

Passive income streams inside and outside of the arts are a viable source of secondary income.

 Finally, keep your expenses low.  (I’ll have more on this at a future date.)

Suffice it to say there are two things you can do immediately to reduce your expenses.

Eliminate ALL unnecessary monthly subscriptions.

Communicate honestly about your situation to those who you owe money to.  This includes your landlord, credit card company, bank, etc.  You would be surprised how many people, and businesses, are willing to work with you when you are genuine (and respectful) in your communication!

5.  Be of service

I know.  You’re thinking, how can I help others when I am suffering myself?

 When times are tough and people come together, the world opens and the potential for opportunity is suddenly realized.

 It’s important to get outside of yourself and help others.

 When you do this, an interesting thing happens.  You begin to problem solve for other people and it leads to new ways of thinking (mindset revamp) and new ways of doing.

 Be being unselfish, you start to see things in a new light, finding ways around a problem that perhaps you hadn’t considered before. Then, you start applying these to your OWN life.  Amazing!

 I challenge you right now to use your art and your creative skills to find a way to serve your audience.  When we help others we put into context our own problems and take on a larger perspective of how the world works.  Always a useful tool.

6.  Build your own thing

As old systems begin to crumble, the opportunity arises for you to create your own system.  One that relies mostly on you and not on things out of your control.

 A stand of trees in the woods depends on each other.  Yet, each tree has to have a strong root system and trunk in order to survive the worst of storms.

 Decide right now to rebuild your own foundation and be impervious to future crises.

 Creating a strategy and building your won system is something I focus on in my One to One coaching sessions.

 Begin with a website.  If you already have one, do a total revamp and make sure that your website reflects the new you. 

 Start to create your own community.  Don’t just commiserate with other artists about how bad things are. 

Be a part of the change that needs to happen.

What is lacking right now?  Be the solution for it. You are smart and you are creative.  Use these skills to change the problem rather than just succumbing to it.

Take your power back.

7.  Get the right kind of help

Reach outside of yourself for new information, new skills and new mentors.

There is plenty of information online that can help you through.  Or you can find someone you trust to help you with a strategy for the future.  This will pass and we will get through it.  You decide how that is going to happen.

If you want to take this further, here’s how I can help you: The Artist Essentials  One on One Method.

In Summary:

What to do when art systems crumble:

Feel what you’re feeling.

Get in the right mindset.

Believe and Know that you will get through this.

Diversify your income and your strategy.

Be of service.

Build your own thing.

Get the help you need. Sign up for personal, tailored advice with The Artist Essentials Services.

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[kethwithlove]

KWENTONG JOLLIBEE

I did get my first “real job” when I was 16 and I called it my “gateway to adulthood”.

I was 4th year college when I joined Jollibee. I applied as a Service Crew because I wanted to experience how to earn money and sustain my needs in school without a help from my parents. I submitted my application in Jollibee-JP Laurel, Davao which is near to my school (USeP-Obrero). I was told to wait for a text or call for an interview. I received a message from Jollibee 2 weeks after I submitted my resume. “Gikulbaan ko nga wa ko kasabot nga feeling.”

The day of my Interview

Ma’am Anne. Fierce, beautiful and cool. She asked me a lot about my skills, talents and my attitude towards customers. Purely situational questions. I was nervous and a bit excited. Ma’am Anne endorsed me to the next phase of the interview.

Ma’am Diane. She was pregnant that time. A little moody but soft-hearted. She doesn’t like the smell of my perfume (Vanilla scent) but she managed to have a conversation with me. She was wearing a hanky-mask when she interviewed me.

When she asked me “Keth, how do you see yourself in Jollibee?” I said, “Honestly, I don’t know yet, Ma’am since this is my first ever job. Maybe this is my gateway to adulthood.” She laughed. I was fragile that time, an innocent girl without any idea what future brings. Ma’am Diane told me to wait for a text with a big smile on her lovely face.

I GOT THE JOB!

I received an SMS that I needed to attend the orientation. I was in awe! To my surprise, I was hired and became part of the pioneer team of Jollibee-Buhangin. A perfect timing, indeed.

  Orientation Day. Ma’am Diane (Store Manager) holding the mic. Sir Jerzon (ICT expert and Singer) and my co-trainees.

TRAINING

We had our training at Jollibee-JP Laurel, Buhangin. It’s not a simple training BUT a very challenging yet rewarding training.

Ma’am Yen. Witty, pretty and jolly. She was my mentor. She trained me a lot. I thought I only needed to learn on how to host a party, fix the mascot and assist customers BUT to my surprise, I needed to LEARN everything in JOLLIBEE. I’m obliged to passed the certification before they endorsed me from a crew trainee to a full-fledged Service Crew.

I had one memorable experience with Mama Yen. My FIRST task as the Store Marketing Officer.

The client booked for a 3-hour seminar. As the assigned crew, I reminded the client that she only had 30min left. 3hrs beyond is subject for an additional fee. She did not listen to me. She consumed 4hrs already. When she asked for the bill, she was so mad that she needed to pay for an additional hour. She scolded me. I was trained by Mama Yen to empathize and to stay calm whenever I encounter an irate customer. I explained the excess charges but she was furious. Mama Yen rescued me. Phew!

Another palpak day. I booked a wrong date for a children’s party. Kitchen crew prepared the ordered food based on the booking. Feel nako palayason nako ni Mama Yen.🤣 Ratol na pud ko. But, Mama Yen is professional. She just told me “Ketch, lesson learned. Next time, tan-awa jud ang kalendaryo.” Thanks to my katangahan, the food they prepared turned out to be our CREW MEAL.

Ketch. Mama Yen’s endearment. I love her so much. She’s now in Canada with her family. I missed her a lot!

Ground ZERO

  I experienced the following training: The “ACKNOWLEDGE” word, order-taking, cashier station, drive-thru cashier, customer service, POS machine training, kitchen, fry, inventory of stocks, sanitation, proper calling of orders (PC for POS 1 spag 1 to go please), and a lot more! Imagine how difficult it was for a first timer. But, I was happy. Tired but rewarding.

My FIRST HOSTING career in Jollibee

I was still a TRAINEE when I experienced my first hosting career in Jollibee.

We had the chance to visit the House of Hope Foundation for Kids with Cancer Inc. located inside SPMC (Southern Philippines Medical Center). We had an outreach program sponsored by two Jollibee stores (JP Laurel and Buhangin).

I was a bit scared but somehow excited because that was my first time to host an event outside the store’s premises. Looking on the face of the children with Cancer made me brave. I needed to do well.

Ma’am Diane tapped my shoulder and said, “Kaya mo yan, Keth!” Sir Jerzon wished me luck as well. Sir Lan helped me with the mascot.

From the Left: Ma’am Diane, Me, Ma’am Jinggay, Sir Yan, crew mates, Sir Lan, Sir Jerzon and the rest of the team.

OPENING OF JOLLIBEE BUHANGIN

Jollibee BUHANGIN Grand Opening

The Management Team

From the Left: Ma’am Diane (Store Manager), Sir Jerzon, Ma’am Anne, Sir Yan, Sir Lan, JB Staff and Ma’am Jinggay

Sir Jerzon. Famous line: Oooh Yeah! Sir Jerzon was the coolest among them. He loves singing. The most memorable day I had with Sir Jerzon was during my birthday. He was with us ALL DAY (til’ dawn). We had Karaoke sesh, too!

Hi, Sir Jerzon!

One day, we received a letter (memo). It was gloomy. Everything went dull. There was a directive to transfer Sir Jerzon to another Jollibee branch. I was in pain. I cried like a baby. Begged Sir Jerzon to stay. But, we had no choice. Sir Jerzon left a little scar in our hearts that time.

It’s been 14 years, nothing has changed. Sir Jerzon is still HIM. Idol! He is now a successful Broker. If you guys are looking for a House and Lot or Condominium, Sir Jerzon can help you.

Sir Jerzon, THANK YOU! You taught me a lot of things. You are not just the PCQ Manager but our Big Brother.

Ma’am Jinggay. She was my confidant. I was with her during her Ups and Downs. There have been many hardships and struggles, but through it all, Ma’am Jinggay tried to remain grateful and focused on the positives along the way. She was a strong woman.

Ma’am Jinggay hired me as a Tutor to her Kids – Ena and Patty. How can I not love you, Ma’am Jinggay? I will never forget your kindness. I will always treasure you, Ma’am Jing.

Ma’am Jinggay and Me

  Ma’am Anne. Soft-spoken and sweet. She always got my back. I loved how she treated me since day one. She never scolded me (ever). My crewmate always thought that I am Ma’am Anne’s fave because I can talk to her confidently without hesitation.  There was one time that my crewmate accidentally forgot to turn off the electric deep fryer during the opening shift. From french fries to “burnt fries”. That was the first time I saw a dragon that has awakened from her deep slumber. Hahaha! Everyone was afraid to Ma’am Anne. They even asked me to collect their DTRs to be signed by Ma’am Anne. They didn’t know that Ma’am Anne was also preoccupied that time. His son was sick and she needed to go to work early because she was the Manager (Opener) for the week.

“What time na, Keths?”, “nag inom na ba kaya sya ug tambal karon noh…”, “Keths, ikaw na bahala arrange sa bookings ha?”, “Ang drive thru, Keths palihog ko ikaw salo ug absent ang naka assign.”, “Keths, thank you kaayo ha sa pagsabot nako.”

The sad part. When I decided to resign, I handed her my resignation letter. She was teary-eyed. I gave her a puppy stuff toy for her to remember me. 🙂 She asked me multiple times if I’m 100% sure. Dili jud siguro gusto ni M’Anne nga mulakaw ko. 

Ma’am Anne, you know how much I love and respect you.

  Sir Lan. “Boy Astig” with a Heart. I hated him sometimes. Why? He always assigned me as the ASSEMBLER. He wanted me to run and lose weight. HAHAHA! 

“Kethelle! Ayaw sigeg petiks diha. Dagan kung kailangan.”

“Kethelle! Hustle!”

“Kethelle! Second TC. Abtik!”

“Kethelle! Kuha ug tissue and ketchup sa stock room! Hustle!”

You see. I can’t make him smile but when I got an accident, he laughed so hard! The floor was slippery. Sir Lan lend me his hands. He said, “Kethelle, pag amping sunod. Pero mu bounce ra man ka ba. Hahahaha!” 

There was one time that our PC (Product Control) crew got a flu. Sir Lan took over the PC station. I witnessed his dedication towards his job as a Manager. He did not left the Kitchen until the end of mid-shift. I was like “WOW! Wa ko magtuo nga ingon ana ka paspas si Sir Lan ma PC, han-ay kaayo ang Kitchen!”.

Sir Lan, how’s Canada? I hope to see you ONE DAY kay gimingaw nako sa imong kasaba. HAHAHA!

  Sir Yan. I have my Mama Yen, and I also have Papa Yan. 🙂

He loves LECHON. Hahaha!

This man has a GENUINE HEART. He’s really fun and likes to joke around, and he loves sarcasm (sometimes). I think he we just trying to figure out to make a balance from being a Manager and a friend. 🙂

The telephone number (the digits) of Jollibee Buhangin was his birthday. He was the OPENING MANAGER. I don’t know the exact designation but his job is to OPEN A NEW JOLLIBEE BRANCH. He loves to stay at the rooftop of JB-Buhangin store. He loved it there.

He is still connected with Jollibee until now. ISA KANG ALAMAT SIR YAN! Ginabaligyaan ko niya ug Valentus Coffee para mupayat na daw ko. Haha!

FRIENDSHIP

I met a lot of people working in Jollibee. My co-trainees and the Regular (Tekton) crews. No guts, no glory – that was our motto. Amidst the challenging training, we were happy. We enjoyed every bonding and the journey we had in Jollibee. I miss them.

  Your Jollibee Store Marketing Officer is now a Public School Teacher. I am who I am now because of Jollibee. 

Daghang Salamat, Jollibee!

  My Jollibee Story KWENTONG JOLLIBEE I did get my first “real job” when I was 16 and I called it my “gateway to adulthood”.

[qmcareers]

Student Story: Rebecca’s Enterprise Journey

Rebecca Rickwood, 3rd year Chemistry student

Tell us a bit about yourself

I am a final year student studying a BSc Chemistry degree. My favourite area of research is in Inorganic Chemistry, where I find studying the atomic structure and properties of materials very interesting.

Alongside my studies I work part time at an IT company, and I am also CEO of my own new company, Gement. Following graduation I hope to develop my new business full time as a first priority, and if time allows then also study for a Master’s Degree in Computer Science.  

In my spare time I like to play the piano, figure skate, spend time with my family, and bake cakes.

What is your idea/business about?

The use of ordinary cement has huge implications. It is a major pollutant producing nearly 1 tonne of CO2 for every tonne of cement manufactured. The increased demand for cement has caused a steep increase in the price of raw materials needed for the manufacture, so much so that sand from beaches has been stolen, creating an increasingly negative impact on tourism and animal ecosystems. In addition, buildings made from ordinary cement need regular repairs, for example the Dubai tunnel which was built in 1975 needed a complete restoration in 1986.

Geopolymer cement is a new, environmentally friendly, stronger alternative to ordinary cement. The manufacture produces less CO2 as a result of waste materials being used in the reaction mixture e.g. ash from coal fired power stations. It also has far superior mechanical properties and durability properties to ordinary cement, for example fire resistant properties.

My business Gement, has the potential to provide a positive impact on society by not only increasing the strength of new infrastructures made by the use of geopolymer cement, but also by reducing CO2 emissions produced by cement manufacture by 85% on average.

It is certain that the introduction of Gement to the UK market and will lead to stronger and safer constructions of large building projects.

What was the most useful aspect of the support QEnterprise provided?

The knowledge I have gained through the Enterprise Team has been second to none, with an incredible amount of support given.

The Enterprise Team have helped me personally by providing me feedback with great emphasis on identifying potential problems with my business model. They have given me great advice about ways that I can reach out to my customer market, and knowledge on applying for business licences and patents. The support from regular business update meetings have been invaluable to me in terms of designing my website and company logo. The team have always been very responsive when answering questions via email, and due to the ample support available I have not only managed to alter and shape my business model, but also improve my presentation skills from doing mock pitches.

What was your experience of taking part in the QIncubator programme?

Applying to be part of the QIncubator programme has been one of the best decisions I have made during my University time.

Before starting this programme I had essentially no business knowledge at all. However, I now have a new set of skills and knowledge on how to establish and develop a business.

Throughout the programme, the quality of teaching was phenomenal, with professional mentors and experienced entrepreneurs giving lectures each week on different topics, such as how to create a successful business model or how develop our products to suit the customer.

What skills have you gained and/or what have you learnt along your entrepreneur’s journey?

As someone who initially had little business knowledge, I have now learnt through this programme the fundamentals of starting a business.

Specifically, I have learnt a lot about marketing and how to tailor your website to a specific customer range; I’ve also learnt how to effectively design a product roadmap.

There were also many technical aspects I picked up such as how to fund a business and applying for licences and patents. 

Learning these things from the QIncubator programme made me realise starting a business is a lot more work than I initially thought, and it really made me more serious about working harder in order to launch my company.

What were your biggest challenges you have faced while setting up your business (how did you overcome them)?

One of the biggest challenges I faced initially was how to get my business off the ground- arguably one of the hardest aspects of starting a business.

The professional mentors were great at giving me advice on this, because they had all started businesses themselves and knew exactly what it was like to be in my position. Having a variety of new mentors each week also gave me fresh ideas on how to grow my business, such as by understanding who my customer market is and how I can reach them more effectively.

One speaker in particular Letitiah Obiri, helped us understand the logistics behind effective logos that companies use, for example specifically choosing certain fonts or colours in their logo. This greatly helped me in designing an effective website for my company.

What is your biggest achievement?

My biggest achievement so far has definitely been winning a funding award from the QIncubator programme. I worked really hard to create a good application but I knew the competition was fierce; when I received an email telling me that I had been granted £500 to start up my business, I was ecstatic. I remember the day I found out, I was jumping up and down telling my family, personal advisor and lecturers about gaining the grant.

Would you recommend the Enterprise department to other students?

I would without hesitation recommend the QIncubator programme to anyone! This programme is perfect for students who have a potential business idea or even just an entrepreneurial mind.

It can be intimidating not knowing how to start your business, and this programme gives you the fundamental foundations on not only where to begin, but also important knowledge you should know before you begin.

What’s next for you and your business?

I am currently in the process of creating a website for my business, after which I hope to reach out to construction companies about using geopolymer cement. Once I have a few customers and I have carried out strong market research, I intend to apply for the £10,000 grant which will allow me to rent a warehouse to begin the supply of geopolymer cement.

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Rebecca’s story inspired you but you are not sure where to start?

More information about QIncubator here.

QIncubator applications are open for Semester A until 9th June. Apply now!

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