#i had to open the app and check myself like manually and it's stressing me outttt

[wonsolsoon]

vernonline: How's the Blue?

@ KENZO x @ VERDY by @ NIGO KENZO.COM #KENZOxVERDY

📷@ kangmingew

[christinaengela]

Hello friends and fans!

Welcome to my 34th newsletter – and this time, I think you’ll notice right away that there’s something different about it!

In Brief:

October already? Wow! One of these days it’ll be December and Saturnalia again! 😉 Oktoberfest is on its way – and of course, our favorite festival of the year: Halloween!

In last month’s newsletter I said that this has been one of the busiest, most productive years in writing I’ve had in a long time, and it’s only right that I emphasize that!

That said, this edition of my newsletter also has to be the most intensively updated and detailed one yet! It even has a gorgeous new header image – and lots of extra information!

Let’s carry on, starting with some of the technical background stuff related to my writing!

Discontinuation of the .net website

As I told you last month, the .net website has been discontinued as of mid-September, so please don’t use the christinaengela.net url/link as the redirect to christinaengela.com isn’t expected to work much longer!

I opened the .net site in September 2018 as an experiment, and set up an array of onboard selling tools – but although I finally had just three direct sales from that website during the past year (amounting to a whopping $6 in all that time!) the cost of renewing the service just didn’t justify the expense. I have no intention of renewing the .com domain either when it expires in 2020, since the cost of that via WordPress would be actually three times the renewal cost of the .net through GoDaddy! I will nevertheless do my best to keep all my url mentions updated – hence this reminder!

Updates On Lulu AND Amazon

As you probably are aware, one of the two main service providers I publish through is Lulu.com (the other I use is Smashwords). While both have their fans and their pro’s and cons, Lulu is the only one of the two that distributes to Amazon straight-off – Smashwords wants you to sell a truck-load of a title via their own site, or Apple, or Kobo before they will even consider forwarding it to Amazon! Also, as I mentioned in last month’s newsletter, I’d updated quite a few titles incrementally on Lulu over the past few years, and noticed that inspite of everything I did, Amazon was still displaying some quite old versions of my books that were no longer available, and not updating to the newest versions!

Upon investigation, I complained to Lulu’s help department, and they clarified: it turns out that while I may have updated a project file on a particular book, those changes didn’t reach Amazon. I’m still not sure if this means the process of “revision” on Lulu is automatic and it didn’t work properly in this case, or if the process is not automatic and I’m supposed to notify them to send updated files to Amazon after making changes – they simply didn’t clarify that part – but in the meantime I found a workaround of my own! By that I mean that I undertook the gargantuan task of republishing my books on Lulu not once – but TWICE in the space of a single week!

Let it not be said that I don’t put enough effort into my books! Whew!

The process involved taking down basically ALL my books that are on Lulu, “retiring” them one by one, and then manually republishing each one again – from the beginning, getting new ISBN numbers in the process! As if that wasn’t stressful enough, a few days after completing the updates I received an email from Lulu informing me that this still wasn’t good enough and that I would have to make changes yet again! Hang on a sec – I thought Smashwords was supposed to be the pedantic nitpicking one?

I decided I’d be damned if I was going to change all the covers again to suit them – I wanted the series names on the covers as well, so – groaning and grudgingly, I took all of Galaxii and Quantum down a second time in the space of one week – and republished them again, this time with titles matching the covers EXACTLY! Fortunately, the next morning I received notice that this had done the trick and all Galaxii and Quantum titles had passed Lulu’s evaluation for distribution and had been forwarded to Amazon, Kobo and Barnes & Noble!

I heaved a huge sigh of relief once that was done!

In the meantime, all the titles concerned were still directly available via Lulu’s own shop page, and of course, everywhere else they’re distributed to – Kobo, Barnes & Noble, iBookstore, Smashwords, etc.

All that legwork is now finally behind me, and the newly updated titles that were supposed to have reached Amazon months ago arrived there by the 20th September! But at least, they’re finally there! I was finally able to claim them by clicking “This is my book!” and added them to my Amazon author page! Only then was I able to ask Amazon to link the new editions to previous editions, which will solve the knotty problem of having multiple editions showing side-by-side there!

Still, the drama isn’t quite over yet, as only once this has been done will I be able to update my GoodReads book listing, since their system allows only ISBN/AISN numbers of books being sold on Amazon, and nowhere else!

To make matters even more complicated, somehow in the publishing process over the past couple of years, a duplicate GoodReads author profile got created automatically by some system gremlin or other, and all my current titles are already listed on that site under “Ms. Christina Engela” in duplicate – as they are on Amazon itself – and I can’t claim or add or merge them with my existing GoodReads author user account either! *Head desk!* Perhaps this issue can be resolved if I create a new user account on GoodReads and claim that account… but I still have to get around to it!

I often wonder if aspiring indie authors out there actually knew the amount of work, admin, research, learning, trouble and frustration lying in wait for them, if they’d just give up and not bother! But then, this is my obsession, so it’s not as if I actually have a choice in the matter!

Reviews

“Dead Man’s Hammer” received an amazing 5 star review from UK writer and reviewer, Lee Hall on September 9! I’m not sure how other writers take it, but when I see glowing reports of something I wrote, containing statements like: “As the Quantum series unfolds, it grows more and more impressive“, “Dead Man’s Hammer is proof that Christina Engela can build an established world and insert so many genres into it along with retaining a unique style of writing that not only tributes her influences but has a way of confiding in readers” and “Throughout Engela’s writing style naturally flows and is fun to read“, I feel like breaking out the bubbly and inviting people round to celebrate!

It’s truly gratifying to realize that the reason a reviewer is saying these things, is because they took the time to read something I wrote. It’s also humbling, and I’m very grateful!

It’s probably worth mentioning though, that “Dead Man’s Hammer” has been available since 2006, and this is the very first review I’ve had of that particular title! That alone should serve as an indication of how difficult it is to get reviews as an indie or self-publishing author!

Theo & Yvonne Engela’s Books – New Covers & Formatting

As part of the revision process I told you about in the previous section, I took the opportunity to fix a few things and improve upon the presentation of my parent’s books! I know, I know, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, right? Still, I couldn’t help myself! At any rate, what I did was create new covers for my parent’s books to make them stand out more, and also to make them look similar and part of the same series, while also reformatting the interior of the eBook into a more uptodate and modern format – the same as the one I use on all the Galaxii and Quantum books! I think they really pop, don’t you?

Poetry by Wendy K. Engela

A couple of months ago my wife and partner in all things wierd and wonderful, Wendy, published her first book – a collection of her gothic poetry! “Season’s Change“. The collection is now available as an eBook via all the expected places, Amazon, Lulu, Smashwords, and all their distribution partner sites.

Sales & Downloads

Since I made a host of new free promotional items available on Lulu and Smashwords, interest towards the end of July – particularly on Smashwords has been gradually showing signs of improvement. Let’s just say that at least I can detect a pulse! Downloads of my free items are happening, and I feel a little encouraged. On the sales front however, things are still pretty dire. Hopefully they will pick up soon.

Current Writing Projects 

Book 7 in Quantum – tentatively operating under the working title “Underground Movement” – is still under way. Just slowly. At the time of last month’s newsletter I told you I’d just reached over 29000 words… and then I peeled some of those off and shifted them to the next title after that’s draft… so “Underground Movement” is currently sitting at just over 21000 words again! Still, it’s all part of the creative process, isn’t it? Right now I’m pondering whether I shouldn’t just merge the next two title’s stories? The story’s finer detail is still evolving and unfolding, so sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of the path while I’m distracted by all the scenery! Anyway, when I make my mind up, I’ll let you know!

Translation

As some of you may recall, in 2016 I released Afrikaans translations of “The Thirteenth Ship” and “Wiggle Room“, which like the English originals, were made available as free downloads. These have been updated and made available once again!  I also made it a goal back in the day, to get all my fiction works translated into Afrikaans for the local market, but also into a couple of other languages – as far as that was possible! Translation work isn’t easy, as I’m sure you can imagine – translation apps can really mangle the works up, and without a native language-speaker to check these translations I’m still up the creek without a canoe!

That said, I’ve had to rely on volunteers to do it out of their own good will rather than to pay top dollar for paid translation services! All I’ve been able to offer people willing to assist me in this task, is mention of their name in the credits and perhaps to give them a free eBook copy of any one of my paid books upon completion of the job!

Now, before you accuse me of being a skint old duck, please bear in mind that the items I wanted translated were all free sample works for which I wouldn’t get paid anyway! It doesn’t make sense to spend thousands of near-worthless Souf Efikin ronts on something that gets given away for free, does it? That being said, some time ago, a few people volunteered eagerly to translate a couple of short stories, and quietly disappeared, never to be heard from again! This recently was the case as well, with several apparent eager-beavers silently vanishing into the mist! Hopefully, in the long-run I can get some of the novels translated. This is a long-term goal, so I expect progress to be slow.

Communication

I’ve also done my level best recently, to start making a post via my website blog daily and then sharing that across social media instead of posting directly to Facebook, Twitter et al. The goal I’ve kept in mind is to post informative articles about various different characters or elements of my stories – and also to come across to readers as more personable… that is to day, less businesslike and less intimidating. After all, I is human too, and I don’t bite… much! So far, that seems to be helping! Below are links to a few of my most recent posts on The Crow Bar:

The Tech Side #1: A Broad-Spectrum Approach To Sci-fi Storytelling

LGBT Heroes in Galaxii & Quantum – the “G” in LGBT

Secret Weapons of the Resistance: Time Travel, Beck the Badfeller & Cindy-Mei Winter

FAQ’s Answered #13: Who Is Sona Kilroy?

FAQ’s Answered #12: Who Is Cindy-Mei Winter?

FAQ’s Answered #11: What Is The Time Saving Agency?

Storm Area 51! Let’s See Them Aliens! Etc!

FAQ’s Answered #10: Who Is Marsha In “Dead Beckoning” to Blachart?

FAQ’s Answered #9: What Inspired “Prodigal Sun” & “High Steaks”?

Secret Weapons of the Resistance: Fred (the Arborian)

Secret Weapons of the Resistance: Bovine Torpedoes

FAQ’s Answered #8: What Inspired The Akx?

Preserve The Past… Save The Future!

Another Round At The Crow Bar #33 September 2019

FAQ’s Answered #7: What Do I Write About (& Other Questions)

Anyway, let’s move on to some more new releases!

New Releases

Some of you may recall that in 2016 I released Afrikaans translations of “The Thirteenth Ship” and “Wiggle Room“, which like the English originals, were made available as free downloads. These have been updated and made available once again!

  Currently Available Titles:

I currently have 22 unique titles available in 4 series (not including the 15 free promotional items).

Alternately, you can view Christina’s books at Amazon, Smashwords, Lulu or Payhip.

Some of Christina’s titles are available in other languages: Afrikaans.

The Galaxii Series

(Click on the cover images to view product pages for each title.)

The Quantum Series

  (Click on the cover images to view product pages for each title.)

Panic! Horror In Space

Space Sucks!

(Click on the cover images to view product pages for each title.)

Other

  (Click on the cover images to view product pages for each title.)

Non-Fiction

(Click on the cover images to view product pages for each title.)

Edited by Christina Engela

  (Click on the cover images to view product pages for each title.)

FREE Promotional Items:

     (Click on the cover images to open free samples.)

On A Personal Note

As I related to you last month, I have opted to sell via Amazon again. Not that I like them, but there’s simply no other way to make any headway as an author – especially an indie author – without making use of their platform.

The two different earlier editions of my dad’s collection of short stories “African Assignment” I mentioned last time as listed on my Amazon author page have finally – after another round of emails, been merged. At this stage, I’m just waiting for the current version to reflect on Amazon’s database before adding it to my listing and then getting those merged with it as well.

Hopefully some headway will be made soon in this regard, and I will as always, keep you posted.

Fan Mail, Reviews & Honorable Mentions

I found the following items to display in this months issue:

Medium.com has shared my article “No LGBT Stereotypes Here!” from last year on their website.

“Dead Man’s Hammer” received an amazing 5 star review from UK writer and reviewer, Lee Hall on September 9, 2019 – the very first for this title!

My favorite reviewer also tweeted THIS about “Black Sunrise” on the 12th!

I got this review on Smashwords for “The Thirteenth Ship“: “Started average, but the ending was different. 4 Stars” – James Jenkins September 12, 2019.

I was quoted by Stephanie C. Odili on Aug 13, 2019 on an article at Medium.com “The patriarchy longs for the days ‘when men were men’ and women were oppressed, subservient — and they can see no wrong in it. It justifies its former power and lust to hold on to it — and if possible, to regain it…How can oppression and power over another person’s life ever be ‘love’?” ― Christina Engela.

A short story project I collaborated on with fellow author Alex S. Johnson “Negative Wonderland” appears on Pintrest.

CrowdCount has one of my quotes at the bottom of their website in a carousel along with quotes from Margaret Mead, Ron Siltanen and Mother Theresa. “Human rights is a numbers game. Who is going to care if only 20 people pitch for a protest?“

Poopbite (odd name, that) lists one of my quotes on a list about bonfires. “Knowledge and education are the keys to this human tragedy which is a bonfire of hate-fueled by ignorance.” – Christina Engela.

GGGMall is still quietly carrying on, selling my books via their website AND on Bid or Buy.

The Daily Ripple posted a quote of mine from “The Pink Community – The Facts” right at the top of their homepage! “The problem is, in a world where some people (even in the USA, where someone like Donald Trump was allowed to rise to the level of a serious presidential candidate in 2016) have descended to such levels of ignorance that science itself is dismissed by leaders, political and religious as ‘an agenda’, and frightening numbers of people cling to ignorance and superstition because it suits their conservative anti-human rights views and objectives.” ― Christina Engela, The Pink Community – The Facts.

I display my Fan Mail, Reviews & Compliments with pride, gratitude and humility. You are always welcome to have a look.

Hate Mail & Horrible Mentions

I’ve had nothing in this department over the past month, other than a couple of pitiful dick pics and weak insults – surely my haters can do better?

This Levitican dickhead (who was on my Facebook friends list until then) made an effort to let me know what a hopeless transphobe he is by posting this string of abusive comments on a share of LGBT Heroes in Galaxii & Quantum – the “G” in LGBT. Yes, I write about LGBT characters in some of my books – and I’m open about being transgender and lesbian myself – so if you’re a homophobe or transphobe, why send me friend requests to begin with? #gallery-0-7 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-7 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-7 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-7 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

This next ignoramus stepped up to demonstrate what happens when you’re a hate-filled sack of shit and you miss your turn to use the family brain cell – when you open your piehole, you sound like a TERF. #gallery-0-8 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-8 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-8 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-8 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

I’m rather proud of my hate mail, and you can review my collection here – but be forewarned, don’t do it while eating or drinking, or you might choke while laughing!

Interviews

I have nothing new to show you here this month.

All my interviews are linked to from this page. If you would like to do an interview with me about my work, please do get in touch!

In Closing

Well, that’s all for this time, folks! 🙂

Thanks again for all your support, friendship and interaction!

Until next time, keep reading!

Cheers! 🙂

If you would like to know more about Christina Engela and her writing, please feel free to browse her website.

If you’d like to send Christina Engela a question about her life as a writer or transactivist, please send an email to christinaengela@gmail.com or use the Contact form.

Show your appreciation for Christina’s work!

All material copyright © Christina Engela, 2019.

Another Round At The Crow Bar #34 October 2019 Hello friends and fans! Welcome to my 34th newsletter - and this time, I think you'll notice right away that there's something different about it!

[bleedingcoffee42]

Eureka AU- Part 10

20k words was a gross underestimation.  Maybe this ‘pilot episode’ will be wrapped up in 30k-40k but fuck me for already thinking about making more episodes in this AU and making it a series.   Cause I have that time.   But the ‘working together as well as married Royai AU’ element is not getting used enough in this fic and that would be a shame to not work with that more.  

Click the Eureka AU tag to see prev parts of this serial flash fic.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

While Mustang and Edward where taking what they needed from Comanche's lab, Marcoh went over to have a conversation with Alphonse about the concerns he had with the chelation process.   He had caught a few glances from Dr. Knox that said 'You better bring this up before I do' and he appreciated the good doctor allowing him to have the floor to discuss the matter.   He was a little apprehensive about disturbing Al as he was controlling the nanites within Hawkeye manually.   “Can we talk without it disrupting what you're doing?

“This?”  Al said cheerily.  “Oh this is actually easy for me.   Ever since that little accident a few months ago where I had to transfer my consciousness to the bots to become a suit of armor because my body was in another dimension, I really fell like they're a part of me.  Controlling them is second nature at this point.”

Marcoh had just assumed the kid was really into cosplay or prepping for a renaissance festival during that week he was walking around like a knight.   There was a lot that happened in these halls that nobody really wanted to question.  “If you can make them anything you want, why did you pick that?”

“Well, our Dad used to collect vintage armor when we were kids and had them lining the walls of his study.  That's where Ed and I taught ourselves science.  That's also where Mom would bring us cookies and tell us how proud she was of us and since we were trying to bring her back I was thinking of those days.  She always smiled the most when we were in there.  That's how I remembered her.  So when I was being deconstructed and I quickly transferred myself to the nanites, I was already thinking about that time and place.  It was the first thing I thought of.”  Al smiled and then got more serious.  “Plus I had to be taller than my brother and that was the biggest human size specimen I had ever seen.”

“If these nanites are a part of you.” Knox finally interjected himself into the conversation.  He was blunt and that was what was needed or Marcoh was going to bring out the tea and cookies and start chatting about something else.   “What's going to happen when we neutralize them with the chelation process?”

“They're not fragile, they'll just go offline until I can set them in repair mode once they are back in their tank.  The chealors will bind to specific metals they are constructed of and disassemble them, they'll be partially broken down but nothing they can't fix themselves.  If anything they'll come out of this stronger and with more experience than before.”   Al said confidently.   “So Dr. Knox, please place a catheter and collection bag if you have not already.”

“Not without Mustang's approval.” Knox said and sat down next to his patient.   “First why don't you start by explain to me how you're going to avoid causing renal failure?”

“We're using a biological so that it will take time and collect the metals and deposit them in the kidneys so they can be processed like any other waste.”   Al said.   “I could program the nanites to do this themselves on a metered basis, but I would have something far more complex than the kidney's are prepared to hand.  That's why we're going with chelation because it will transfer control of the process back to a biological competent instead of a mechanical.   Nature can work in ways that mental I can't anticipate. “

“The chelators will bind to and break down the metals in the nanites themselves.”  Marcoh reiterated.  

“I get all that.”  Knox said dryly. “What about the virus?   The chelation process is going to destroy the carrier for the virus that we're counting on carrying it out of her system.  Removing it from the blood stream is only a first step, depositing an active virus in the excretory system is worse.”

“My nanites have mapped the strain we're dealing with.    We need an anti-viral to target them.”  Al replied.

“There we go.”  Knox opened his hands as they came back around to the missed step.  

“Oh, yeah.”  Al said and bit his lip.   “I guess we didn't talk about that.  I just assumed Dr. Marcoh was waiting on me to get him the profile of what we're dealing with so he could make something.”

“I was.”  Marcoh shrugged.  He had just assumed this was the route and he watched Knox mumble about 'fucking researcher' and 'I don't read minds'.   “I'm sorry Doctor.  We're used to working on our own and even in collaborations we leave each other to work on our respected specialties.   I don't think any of us would work with someone without knowing something about what that person could bring to the collaboration and respecting their ability to contribute to the process.”

“Right.”  Knox nodded.   “I'll sit over here and commiserate with my patient who has to deal with the repercussions of that way of thinking in her job and life every damned day.”

“I guess...” Al thought about it. Knox was just an ordinary doctor, even if he was exemplary.  He treated patients using the tests and technology they produced but he was an end game user.  “We should be better about explaining things but it's just not how we operate.”

“We honestly wouldn't work well together if we told each other what to do.   It usually devolves into a lot of yelling and not much progress.”  Marcoh mumbled.  “No offense, doctor.”

“None taken.”  Knox said.  “Just looking out for my patient.”

“I'll get to work.”  Marcoh said.   “I'll go to my lab.  Call me if you need anything.”

As Marcoh left, Ed and Roy returned.   Roy saw Marcoh was engrossed in his tablet and on a mission so he asked Al, “Is he off to make the anti-viral?”

“Yes.”  Al said sheepishly and Knox mumbled so more.  “Can I get your permission to have a collection bag placed?”

“I thought you would have done it already.”   Roy replied and Knox threw his hands up, cursed a little  and got up to leave.   He wasn't sure why he was upset but was pretty sure it had to do with being around scientist who liked to assume a lot of things and did not waste time explaining anything unless they wanted money or supplies.   “Did you check to see if there was any blood in the blood bank from Riza?  I know she donated a lot and we have at least one bag in storage from her annual physical which is required.”

“Nothing fresh.”   Knox said. “It's been a busy few months around here and you can understand why she only donates when there is downtime.”

“I do understand that completely.” Roy nodded.  42 days was still the standard for keeping fresh blood refrigerated.  They hadn't pushed those limits yet.

“We should have something frozen but I didn't want to pull that out in case we needed it.”  Knox replied.  “We have plenty fresh in her blood type.”

“Our storage facility is state of the art.”  Roy assured him.  “Dr. McDougal's advancements in freezing technology mean we can store frozen plasma way long that the conventional year.  In case you have your concerns.”

“Yeah, so I'm told.”  Knox replied.  “Thankfully I haven't had an occasion to need it since I've worked here.   One nice thing about dealing with scientists instead of soldiers.”

Al frowned and the doctor got up to leave and collect his necessary supplies.   Mustang looked over at him for an explanation and he quietly said, “I guess the whole anti-viral step wasn't obvious to everyone.”

“It was obvious, you doing something about it was not.”  Knox snapped right before he left and tried to slam the door.

“Sorry.”  Al called out after him.

“We're all a little stressed.”  Roy admitted.   Then he went back over to Riza and sat down.   He rubbed his eyes and leaned back in the chair.  “Once Marcoh makes the anti-viral we'll proceed with the chelation.   We'll have to give the anti-viral time to work, but if he's making it it should be extremely efficient.  He already knows the Xerxes virus since he made it, it's familiar territory and the hold up will just be the equipment producing what he needs.     Time will also give Riza a chance to take her body back from all this and once Knox gets back I think plasma will help.   Al, how are you doing?”

“I can keep this up all night.”  He assured him.

Roy reached over and took Riza's hand again, weaving his fingers between hers and gently squeezing.   “Ed, now that we have a profile of this pathogen we're dealing with, see if you can't do some digging and find out who made it.”

“I should be able to narrow it down by finding out who got an extra dose of Marcoh's Xerxes Vaccine.” Ed said and slid his laptop over.  “We are pretty good at monitoring who we distribute our products to, even if the government isn't.  Did you want to give me your access to....”

“No.”  Roy said and flashed a smile at him.  Give Edward Elric his password to gain complete access to everything this facility had on it's servers?   Ha!   “I'll send you the invoices. “

“We could just ask Dr. Marcoh.”  Al said.  “He'll know how many he made.”

“I think the good doctor feels bad enough about how this all turned out, let's not compounded it unless we have to.”  Roy said and took his phone out and opened up the app he used to keep track of billing.   He did a quick search and found the invoice in question and forwarded it to Ed.   “Knox pulled the records from her unit, did he leave those notes here?”

“Yeah, it's in the file.”  Ed gave an embarrassed grin.  “'Cause someone likes to share information, unlike us.”

“Occupational hazard.”  Roy said.   “He's over it, he just wants to make sure it doesn't keep happening.   We have to make sure we include him even though I know you all think he's just a doctor.”

Al sighed.  The superiority complexes and egos did get out of hand here where almost everyone could brag on multiple doctorates, and too often did.   Mustang and Ed were no exception and Al thought he was above that but he had been the one to offend Knox.   “It's not like a medical doctor is a lesser field of study or occupation.  We do respect him a lot.”

Roy knew that Knox was on edge, not just because of his patient, but because his own history as an army doctor had put him in the position to do some ethically questionable things while under orders.  This, the way they were approaching Riza's treatment, felt more like experimenting on a patient than saving her.   Roy knew that Knox would never say anything, he knew that wasn't the case, but he could see it in the Doctor's eyes when they bounced from solution to solution.    He understood for sure that there was no time to test, just react, but it didn't mean it felt right to him.   Both Knox and Riza were the same in that respect, they trusted instinct because their job was rooted in practice.   Roy and the other scientist saw practice as a sign of complacency, if something was already established it was meant to be reconstructed in some way to make it better.   There was no settling for how things were, it was always a process of moving forward especially because the results were uncertain. Science was about knowledge and pursing a greater truth, bending the rules of nature and shattering the standard practices because they had been established by scientists before them who failed to push boundaries any further than that.   Roy squeezed Riza's hand again, it drove her crazy that he would rush into the unknown with a grin on his face when she wanted to default to reconnaissance and defense until it was safe to proceed.  

“The order for the Xerxes vaccination was originally for a dozen doses.”  Ed reported.   “However Marcoh demanded blood samples from the Army so he could test the vaccine while also regulating how much he was sending out.    So each vaccine he made was labeled for a specific person to avoid a surplus. Comparing to the records Knox got from his Medical Corps contacts, there is an extra dose intended for a Private Mobuta Mobuo who was not in that unit.”

“Did you say Mobuta Mobuo?”  Knox asked as he returned with supplies.  

“Do you know him?”  Ed asked.

“Yeah, I made him up.”  Knox said and shook his head and walked over to his table to set his box down. He turned to see three surprised scientist and wished he could be satisfied with being the one to cause that reaction, but his own heart was pounding as a name from his past came back to haunt him.  

“I got the idea from an episode of M*A*S*H where they made up an officer in order to give his pay to an orphanage.   I created a fictional soldier who 'used' up a lot of supplies during my attempts to save him from injuries, which I instead sent to a pair of doctors who were treating patients from both sides in the war.   I had to 'kill' him in action in order to avoid having him promoted and given a medal of honor for as many times as I reported him being my 'patient'.”

“Dr. Knox, “  Al said with a hush whisper of awe.  “That's amazing.”

“Yeah, well someone brought him back from the dead and that's not a coincidence.”  Knox tried not to loose his cool but he was worried.   Not about himself, but because this was a sign someone was trying to eliminate a lot of loose ends.

“Don't worry Knox, apparently that happens a lot around here.”  Roy said and leaned back in his chair.    So this was as well orchestrated move on raven's part.    Knox would have done the autopsy if they didn't step in and save Riza from certain death.    Knox would be thorough, use all the resources available to him, and would eventually find traces of the Xerxes virus.    Then it would all play out like a scripted murder mystery: Eyes would turn to Marcoh for creating it, Roy would defend him and pull the invoice and they would be at this stage right now, asking who the hell Mobuta Mobuo was and why he wasn't real.   Blame would shift to Knox who created the fake personnel file and by the end of the day he would be in handcuffs heading to a military camp to await trail.    

“I got those doctors killed.”  Knox said and the three of them once again looked at him shocked.   He leaned on his patient's bed to support himself as the guilt of actions long ago ripped his heart out.   “The Rockbells.  They were good people.   They volunteered their services to a humanitarian medical organization that treated patients no matter who they were.   The army saw them as problem, putting enemy soldiers back on the front and replenishing numbers, so they would confiscate their supplies as contraband and try to dry up their resources.  They were heroes, real doctors without allegiance to anyone but patients, and when they were killed....I suspected it a bit too convenient of an ambush to be coincidence.”

Ed watched the doctor slump over further, weighted down by the guilt.   “That was not your fault!”

“I helped provide a trail of stolen supplies to their camp.”  Knox said.   “I gave them a reason to write off a murder as a 'tactical move'.”

“No.”  Roy said with a flat monotone that said there was absolutely no doubt in what he was saying.  “Raven bought himself a promotion in blood from that campaign.   His corruption runs deep and now he's trying to erase the evidence.   You and Hawkeye are both loved and respected soldiers, exiling both of you here was the only way he could ensure nobody asked questions about your disappearance from the ranks.   Being off the radar for so long, you've both lost contact with your original units and life has moved on.”

“Yeah, I don't have to have the obvious explained to me now, Mustang.”   Knox looked up at him.   “These eyes have seen a lot and I know a set up when I see it.  I also know I wasn't going to be seeing a trial.”  

“We can't let him get away with any of this Mustang!”  Ed said and slammed his fist into the table.   “This son of a bitch is losing sleep tonight because he's excited he's going to get this gift wrapped and delivered  to him like a present tomorrow.”

“He's underestimated us.”  Roy said and looked at Riza.   “So let's get back to work saving our Sheriff so she can have the pleasure of arresting him tomorrow.”

[alicedoessurveys]

VERY long survey

Where have you lived throughout your life? 

Birmingham UK

Do you find your job rewarding? 

N/A

What kind of cake did you have for your last birthday? 

chocolate

To you, which is better: English muffins or bagels? 

I enjoy both, but bagels.

Do you paint your nails? 

yes. although they're not painted at the moment because ive been cleaning the house so much the past couple days and its stripped my varnish off

What’s the last website you signed up for? 

a dating thing

Do you check your email everyday? 

yes, I cant stand having the little red number above the mail app 

Have you created any pages on Facebook?

yes but I dont have them anymore

Is there a subject that you absolutely suck at? 

every subject, but especially maths and science 

What’s your favourite song by Dave Matthews Band? 

I dont know any 

Are there people you have absolutely nothing in common with, but still enjoy talking to? 

I dot particularly enjoy talking to anyone :’)

Have you ever wandered around drunk with your friend? 

yes, we wondered around through the middle of Birmingham at 4am 

Are you good at holding back your laughter if needed? 

haha nope

Have you ever been so unfortunate to suffer from a hangover?

yes

Have you ever had a panic attack? 

many, I had to drop out of college because of them 

Are you deathly allergic to anything? 

nope

Have you ever had a mouse in your house? 

nope

Do you know anyone who DOESN’T have an ex? 

myself 

Is anyone you know really religious? 

my family

Are your eyebrows naturally thick? 

yes

Has speaking in front of people ever made you sick? 

not physically sick, but definitely felt it. the worst experience Ive had with speaking was in college when I had to give a speech then teach a 10 minute class. my throat totally dried up and I literally couldnt speak. everyone just stared at me and I was trying so hard not to cry. longest 10 minutes of my life and as soon as it finished I legged it out the room and burst into tears. 

What was the last movie that made you teary-eyed? 

Mary Poppins Returns almost got me but the last film to actually make me cry was Coco. That shit had me SOBBING!

Have you had two friends that absolutely hated each other? 

yes 

Has a laptop ever burned your legs? 

not really, I put a cushion on my lap normally

Do you know anyone who has a scar through their eyebrow?

no

Who was the last person to flip you off? 

probably rhys, as a joke

Anyone’s birthday coming up soon? 

my dad turns 50 next week

Would you ever wear fake eyelashes? 

I have done a few times but they annoy me

Are you good at following directions? 

no no no I get confused very easily

Do you have someone that you can just act a fool with and not care? 

yes rhys 

From where you’re sitting, can you touch a wall? 

if I reach behind me 

When at a restaurant, do you put your napkin on your lap? 

occasionally, it depends where I am and what im eating 

Do you prefer electric or manual pencil sharpeners? 

manual 

Are your biceps at all noticeable? 

they used to be before they went into hiding under a layer of fat 

Have you ever seen a walrus? 

nope

When it comes to dropping food, do you believe in the 10 second rule? 

no, I believe in the ‘what food is it’ and ‘how dirty is the floor’ rules

If given the opportunity, would you ride on a camel? 

yes. I was supposed to have gone on a camel ride in Tunisia ages ago but I was ill so we didn't get to go 

Do you believe that cellphones actually do cause cancer?

they could be. the number of people getting cancer has gone up a lot since everyone has mobile phones 

When people you know cry, does it make you feel like crying too? 

depends who it is 

Do you tend to jump to conclusions? 

yes. Im an anxious person so im constantly overthinking and I also find people really hard to read and can get

Are you good at remembering your friends’ birthdays? 

yes my brain cant remember important things but when it comes to dates its like a sponge 

Is there something you need to do, that you’re trying to avoid doing? 

getting a job

Ever pop someone else’s pimple? 

ew no

How long does it take you to fall asleep? 

about 15 minutes depending on how tired I am 

Do you crack your neck often?

no that freaks me out 

Did you have a weird dream last night? 

not that I can remember, I have been having a lot of weird dreams this week because im ill

Who do you sometimes compare yourself to? 

everyone. especially when im at the theatre, im constantly watching other people and wishing I could act like they can or look like them or have their style 

Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things? 

both

In what way are you your own worst enemy? 

every way, I dont look after myself at all 

What activities make you lose track of time? 

sims

When you help someone do you ever think, “What’s in it for me?” 

not really 

Who do you tell your secrets to? 

these surveys 

Who do you live with? 

my parents and our foster kids 

When did/will you graduate? 

I didn't 

When are you moving next? 

I have no idea. probably never 

When is the last time you took a vitamin? 

this morning, im fighting a cold 

Why are you stressed? 

im not too bad right now tbh

Do you need to return anyone’s phone call? 

nope

Where do you keep your birth certificate? 

no clue, my mom has it somewhere 

How many books are in your room?

a lot. I have quite a few on display and a whole bunch hidden away in my closet because theres no space for them anywhere else. I'll include some photos of the books in my room;

(the book on my bedside table in the second picture is actually a lamp that lights up when you open it)

Have you ever been IN a wedding? 

nope

What was the last thing you laughed out loud at?

probably my mom 

Do you have a nickname? Why? 

my family call my bongy or Ali bong, I dont know why.. (my name is Alice)

Have you ever had a bad concert experience? 

nope

When was the last time someone told you that you were beautiful/good-looking? Do people often tell you this? 

my mom tells me almost every day but Im like youre my mom of course you would say that 

Are you missing someone of the opposite sex atm? 

no

Want someone back in your life? 

meh

Are you currently sad about anything? 

actually nope

Are you wearing anything shiny? 

my pj top has glittery silver letters on

How important is a sense of humor in a significant other? 

very, I fall very easily for people who make me laugh

How many followers do you have on Twitter? 

198 (@alicethenerd if ya wanna follow 😉)

Do you sleep with the door open or closed? 

closed. I aint about letting those murderers and monsters just waltz straight in easy peasy 

Have you ever been to the beach? 

yes every summer since I was a kid 

Can you handle blood? 

nope

Do you pay your bills or do your parents?

I pay my own bills. no way my dad would be up for paying my bills, he already digs at me constantly about the fact that I live rent free even though I look after the foster kids and tidy the house more than he does

What’s your best friend’s middle name? 

Connor

Has any place hired you underage for a job? 

not officially

Have you ever barely passed a grade/year in school? 

yes

Have you ever carried a concealed weapon? 

no

Have you ever tried to sell something overpriced to someone? 

no

Do you plan to become very wealthy some day? 

I hope to become wealthy enough to not worry about having enough money to put fuel in my car anymore and to be able to pay back my parents and grandad for everything they've done for me 

Do you remember your first time going to the movies? 

no, but my earliest cinema memory was going to watch Monsters Inc with my dad when it was first released 

Does eating breakfast make you sick? 

if I try to eat before a certain time yes

Are you dying to say something to someone right this minute?

not dying to nope

Book series you enjoyed reading recently? 

im reading eve of man atm which apparently is going to be a series

Do you enjoy lying in the grass during the summer, and just existing? 

I prefer lying on a blanket, I dont like the feel of grass and I dont like the bugs crawling around 

Do you have a passport? If so, how many stamps do you have in it? 

yes, it doesn't have many stamps in because I lost the one that did have lots in and I havent been away much since getting the new one 

Are there any keys on your keyboard that have letters fading away? 

nope

Do any of your close friends have children? 

no

What do you plan on having for dinner?

we already had dinner, we had chippy

Do you like Chinese food, or do you find it disgusting? 

I only really like one meal 

Have the police ever come knocking on your door looking for someone? 

actually yes, literally a few weeks ago

Know anybody who works in a tattoo parlor? 

yes, my second cousin 

Have you ever played flashlight tag?

ive never heard of it

Could you call yourself a movie buff?

not really, im a huge movie fan but theres still a lot I need to see 

Have you ever had a piercing get infected?

never had a piercing 

Do you check your fire alarms when you’re supposed to? 

dad does it

Are you a shorts wearing kind of person? 

nope nope nope, my legs are not suitable for public viewing :’)

Is your grandparents’ house obsessively tidy?

not really no. my nan and grandpa’s house is always neat but not obsessively neat. my grandads house is full of clutter because my nan was a hoarder 

About how much can you bench press? 

I dont know, I havent lifted in years 

Have you ever had your phone die on you in the middle of a conversation? 

yes

Is anybody in your family a carpenter? 

no

Are you avoiding someone? 

yes

Do you call your boyfriend “Monkey”? 

I dont have a boyfriend but if I did I doubt id call him monkey

What’s your favorite primary color? 

yellow #hufflepuffpride

What were you for Halloween? 

nothing, I didn't dress up 

Do you have any clothes from Walmart? 

nope, we dont have Walmart here

When did you get a Facebook? 

about 10 years ago 

What color are your eyes? 

green/hazel

What motivates you? 

happiness

Can you walk in heels? 

nope

When was the last time someone asked you your age? 

the other day, my own mother forgot how old I was

Do you keep a journal? 

not really

Have you ever tried a weird flavor of vodka? 

never had vodka

Do you wear a ring on your finger? 

occasionally

What are you doing? 

watching ‘the greatest dancer’ and wondering if this survey is ever going to end 

What’s the last kind of soup you ate?

tomato 

Do you currently have a sunburn?

no. its winter

Who did you last text? 

my sister

Who’d you last call? About what? 

my mom, to ask her to come downstairs and let the dogs out because the baby was asleep on me and there was no way I was going to risk waking her up

Are you currently frustrated with someone? 

yes

Do you drink water or soda more often? 

water

Do you straighten your hair?

yes

When did you last talk to your brother or sister? 

today

What is your least favorite vegetable? 

all of them

Outside of family, name 3 people that make you smile/laugh often. 

Rhys, Addison, Jacob

In school, what subjects did you achieve your highest grades in? 

IT

Was there a subject that you enjoyed, but weren’t too good at? 

I didn't really enjoy any subjects at school

When was the last time something didn’t go to plan? What happened? 

today. I had planned to deep clean the bathroom but I went super dizzy and had to give up half way through cleaning 

Do you have any children? If not, at what age do you think you’ll feel ready to be a parent? 

I dont but I am seriously considering adopting one of our foster babies atm. I want to adopt anyway, theres no way I could be pregnant 

When was the last time you bought a new item of clothing?Describe it. 

I honestly cant remember, im due a shopping trip

Was your last Facebook friend request from a male or female?

female

Do you have an item of clothing that makes you feel especially beautiful? Describe it. 

not really no

Think of the last person that betrayed you. If they said they were sorry, would you forgive them? 

I would cautiously forgive him but I would also make sure he knew that how he treated me was not okay and that he really upset me and this would be his last chance. but tbh I think hes done with me so 🤷🏻‍♀️

Nastiest thing you’ve ever done? 

I dont know, I dont like being nasty

Have you ever been in a lighthouse? 

nope

What colour is your shower? 

I think its silver, ive ever actually noticed

Where do you order your pizza from?

dominos

When is the last time you had a serious talk with someone?

few days ago 

Do you find that you have a certain meal you eat every time you go to certain restaurants? 

yes, im a creature of habit

What colour is your bike?

silver & purple

What word can you not stand to hear people say? 

the c word, I cant even type it

What room of your house are you in? 

living room 

What is the temperature in your city right now? 

9°c

When did you last use a post-it-note?

last week in the script for the show im currently working on 

Would you ever want to own your own restaurant? 

yes

Do you have a fan in your bedroom? 

no I dont like them, they make too much noise 

Who is the last person that you took a picture with? 

one of our foster kids 

When is the last time you were stuck in a fairly long traffic jam?

the weekend before christmas 

Do you have certain friends that you hug every time you see them? 

not many

When was your most recent trip to an aquarium? 

almost two years ago 

What do you like in your salads and what dressing do you prefer? 

I dont like salads

If it has one, do you ever use the notepad function in your phone? 

all the time, Im constantly writing lists or reminders to myself 

How good would you say your memory is?

long term good, short term bad

About how many times during the night do you wake up from your sleep? 

a few times

Are there any air fresheners in your house? What kinds? 

multiple, we have plugs in and sprays and those automatic ones that go off every 15 minutes 

What’s one thing you’re glad you’ve done recently?

done my laundry :’) im on my last pair of pants!

Have you ever done something sexual that you regret? 

no

Do you like to sit in the sun and tan when it’s hot out? 

not really, I dont like being too hot

Ever had a person who was obsessed with you so much that it scared you? 

no

Can you drive, and if you can, do you like it? 

yes, I love driving most of the time 

Have you ever said anything to the last person you kissed that you regret? 

no

Do you like french fries?

yes

Have you ever eaten so much you puked?

not since I was a kid 

Do you care about what others think of your physical appearance? 

annoyingly yes

Would you rather go to Greece or France?

greece

[mysidewriting]

Through the Storm

Through the Storm Page "Soundtrack" From the Start--Previous Chapter

Chapter Twenty One

"Moon." I woke suddenly to being shaken, my eyes flashing open to see Gladion standing over me with his hand on my shoulder. "Come on."

I sat upright, confused and disoriented. Apparently I'd fallen asleep while trying to relax, music still played on my phone and my head felt heavy and fuzzy. I reached for the device to check the time and nearly flipped when I saw it was past one in the morning. A single message from the guy standing next to me on my screen, just a question mark. "Sorry." I said, "I guess I fell asleep."

"It's okay. It's good you got rest." He said, stepping back as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed. I slowed a bit to prevent any further dizziness.

I glanced up to him, noticing the heavy layers he wore, all dark clothes. Nothing out of the ordinary for him, but I realized he was probably making the smart decision. Just in case... I stood and immediately went to the dresser, his gaze trailed after me, resting on my shoulders like a weight. "Don't wear anything you wore when you went missing." He said, catching on to what I was doing.

"Okay." ...He's smart. I quickly pulled out a different outfit and rushed to the bathroom to change. Splashing water over my face while I was in there in hopes of waking up a bit more.

I stepped out of the bathroom feeling much more alive than I had after getting out of bed. Gladion stood in the same spot he had before, staring down at his own phone as he messed around on it. "I'm surprised you woke me up for this." I said as I approached, tossing my bag over my shoulder. "You were so opposed earlier."

He stiffened, jaw clenching. "Yeah. Then Steven said you were number one on the murder list." His voice was harsh, but I could tell the anger wasn't directed to me. He motioned with his chin to start heading out and I simply nodded, stepping out of the room. I guess it's not surprising that that's his reasoning for wanting to leave now.

"I'm sorry." I said as we headed up the stairs. Everything was dark and he didn't want to use flashlights in fear of someone seeing us. So I took the stairs slow, reassured by the fact that he was right behind me the whole way. "I'm sorry for yelling at you and acting like a drama queen. It was stupid and rude. I really do appreciate how much you care." I felt stupid apologizing after he'd agreed with me, it was the typical bitchy girl thing to do... but I had been planning on apologizing for a few hours now at least.

He didn't say anything, only rested his hand on my back as we reached the main floor. Directing me towards the front door and carefully opening it, taking care to make sure no noise escaped the metal hinges. We both slid out quickly, not opening it too far since the sound of the rain was booming. That was much easier than I thought it would be. A freezing wind gripped me as we stood on the porch and a shiver shot down my spine.

I'm sorry too, Moon." Gladion said, his voice barely audible over the pounding rain drops. "I should have known you were stressed and not been such an ass about making you wait longer." His gaze traveled out to rest over the lawn, watching the violent winds and rain that we had yet to step into. "I just..."

He stopped for some reason, "Just what?" I prodded.

He shook his head and grabbed my hand, tugging me towards the truck and ignoring my confusion to the shortened thought. The rain was cold and pounded the top of my head hard. I covered as much of myself as possible with my free hand as Gladion manually unlocked the passenger door with the keys, swearing under his breath before finally tossing the door open and guiding me into the seat. I jumped up and he shut the door quietly behind me. I shuddered, watching his rain soaked form rush around to the driver’s side. He hopped in quickly and slowly closed his door as well, sliding the keys into the ignition and turning the car on. He left the headlights off and I nearly commended him for being so thoughtful and careful of alerting anyone to our departure. I probably would have been so much messier by myself...

"You want to drive?" I asked as he started to flip the truck around. "Cause I can."

He shook his head, eyes ahead as he answered. "No, it's fine. You can direct us."

"Uh, okay?" The confusion in my voice was enough for him to realize I didn't know how to do that.

The truck stopped at the mouth of the driveway, "You got the address right?"

"Of course." I pulled up the string of numbers on my phone and held it out to him, he nodded absently before snagging the device from my hands. My mouth popped closed before I could tell him to give it back and instead waited patiently, he wasn't one to go digging through my messages.

When he handed the device back to me a foreign gps system was on the screen, he scrolled down and pointed to a series of instructions. "Just read off those directions when they highlight."

The car started back up and we bounced down the gravel drive away, the only sound being the rocks crunching beneath the tires and the rain pounding the roof of the cab. I wondered how the hell he'd managed to plug in the coordinates on my phone so quickly and figured this was something he'd done for Aether plenty of times in the past. I tugged the hem of my shirt up to cover my furiously blushing cheeks, there was something attractive about how resourceful he was. Lillie wasn't wrong when she'd claimed we'd be a power couple... Between his careful planning and research skills and my strength on the battle field, I was starting to feel extremely confident about our ability to get info.

He took the first turn without needing input from me, grumbling about remembering the first couple directions so I could relax.

"Could we stop at a Pokémon center before we get there?" I asked, "My team is worn out after that battle and I want to withdraw some Pokémon too."

He hesitated before responding, gaze distant and distracted. "We'll stop... but you probably shouldn't be accessing your accounts right now. That's something the police could track and by extension anyone trying to find your location. We can take some of my Pokémon out if it would make you feel better, I don't mind if you use them for now. But I'd rather be safe than sorry."

Just another thing I hadn't even thought of... Thank Arceus he did come with. I didn't even want to think about what could have happened if I had attempted to do this alone. I'd been so certain that I had everything under control and accounted for but listening to him talk now... I knew I could have actually gotten myself killed, either that or endangered everyone in that house at this very moment. Another set of shivers shot down my spine at the thought. I'd already caused so much worry with my choices up to this point... I was a danger to everyone around me, and by Steven's assumption... even more so than the other champions. I was lucky anyone wanted to help me at this point. They were safer leaving me to clean up my own mess. And as much as I wanted to keep my friends and allies safe, no matter what it took, I couldn't handle this alone. Not when two deranged teams and some crazed woman were out to kill me.

My silence clearly bothered Gladion, he shifted in the seat anxiously. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I said quickly with a sharp shake of my head. "Just... thinking." I passed him a smile in hopes of clearing the worried crease from his eyebrows. "I'm glad you decided to help. As painful as it is to admit after the shit I said earlier... I would have screwed up everything."

He watched me for as long as he could without steering off the misted road, "You can't do everything alone." His voice was quiet. "I understand your strong, I don't doubt you, I never have. But two heads is better than one."

"I know." My voice was just as quiet. "I'm sorry, Gladion."

A dismissive shake of his head and everything fell quiet again. I pulled my knees up and folded my legs on the seat, attempting to condense and conserve my own body heat. It was freezing and I knew it wasn't just my own strange chill that was making my toes numb. The heat was on, nearly full blast, but it wasn't helping all that much. The screen of my phone lit up and I was forced to release my frigid fingers from the cocoon of shirts and sweaters to check the gps.

I told Gladion to take a left turn at the next fork in the road, "If I switch out of this app will it disappear?" I added.

"No."

I threw on music before setting the phone down again and wrapping my hands up in my warm sleeves.

It took about thirty minutes to reach a Pokémon center, surprising considering how many of those buildings were found across all regions. We must have been real far off the grid at that house. I hadn't been able to tell when we drove in... to high strung after being sliced across the face and seeing my friends relieved faces. Hoenn was a much larger island than any of the islands in Alola... that much was clear. It almost didn't even feel like an island from what I could see out the truck windows.

The streets were entirely empty, the whole town looking like a wasteland aside from the warm glow of the Pokémon center. Gladion slid across the bench seat so he was sitting right next to me, his leg against mine. I felt my heart stutter for a moment. Then he yanked the hood of my jacket over head and down over my face as far as it would go. "Let's do this quick. I'll do all the talking." He said, reaching for the handle of my door.

"Do I really need to hide this much?" I asked as I stepped out of the car, him following suit.

"Yes. It's better if everyone thinks you’re still missing for the time being." He said, taking a firm hold of my hand and tugging me behind him towards the center.

"Hello!" The person behind the counter called cheerfully as the doors dinged. "What's a young couple like yourselves doing out on such a nasty night."

I could feel my cheeks heating but I only ducked my head, allowing Gladion to deal with it. The place was completely empty, taking me by slight surprise. I'd expected trainers to be hiding out in here to wait out the storm... I suppose it was better this way. Trainers were the most likely to recognize me...

"We wanted to check out the storm." Gladion said calmly to the nurse. "Our Pokémon aren't really happy about it though." He said with a convincing laugh. He released my hand to set his pokeballs on the counter and I did the same with mine.

"You really shouldn't be out in this weather, it's much too dangerous. Feel free to stay in the center until it passes." The nurse said sweetly and she picked up the balls to tend to our friends.

"Thank you, but we live fairly close by. I think we'll be able to make it." He said, taking hold of my shoulders and directing me towards the pc by the counter while the woman was turned around. He positioned himself behind me, his arms reaching around to log into his account. The door dinged behind us as a small group of people stepped into the center. I was just about to turn and look when he whispered for me to stay still. The screen flashed and a log of all the Pokémon he had on hold popped up. I glanced through, a lot of them unfamiliar to me. Some from other regions and some that I didn't know he had to begin with. I'm sure some of them are from work...

The people that had just walked in wandered up to the counter. I expected some chatter between the group, but they were all silent. Strange... Gladion stepped closer to me, his chest pressing against my back and forcing me to stand closer to the computer. Like he was a shield. I managed to squeeze a tiny glance towards the strangers and bit back a gasp as I saw the red outfits. Magma...

"Oh excuse me you two." The nurse called, making Gladion tense. I quickly picked the reuniclus and noivern and logged out of his account. "You aren't suppose to let others see your accounts. No matter how close you are with them." Her smile was kind, there was no way for her to know how much more difficult she was making this.

The Magma groups attention was resting on us, I could feel their eyes on me like knives but I refused to look up. They would recognize me in a heartbeat. The balls popped from the machine and Gladion quickly grabbed them. "Sorry." He said, his tone light. "I told her she could see my Pokémon, I forgot about that rule." You are so good at lying, it's scary.

The nurse huffed, "It's alright, but don't let me catch you doing it again." She slid a tray across the counter to us with our healed teammates and I quickly grabbed them all and shoved them in my bag.

"Thanks." He said and grabbed hold of my arm, his grip tight enough to make me wince. We rushed out of the center, the minute those doors closed behind us I rushed towards the truck. Gladion grabbed me once again and I rammed to a halt. "Wait... I want to know what they're doing."

"Probably just healing their teams. We should go before they come out." I said trying to tug him towards the truck with the arm he had grasped.

He was far stronger though and the yank he gave me sent me flying into his chest where he held me in place, an arm around my waist. He stepped against the building and leaned towards the window to see in. I could feel his heart pounding, could hear it faintly as well.

"They're just talking to her." He muttered, the sound rumbling in his chest. "She looks scared."

"Do you think they're asking her about the champion's...? About me?"

"Maybe..." He paused for a moment, eyes going wide before he shoved me towards the side of the building, hissing for me to hide quickly.

I slid into the tight alley between the Pokémon center and the next building. Going deep enough in so the shadows would hide me if they walked by. But not so deep that I couldn't see Gladion... resting casually against the wall with his phone out.

The door dinged as the group stepped out and I swallowed my breaths. Not wanting to make any noise. "I thought you two left." One of the grunts said.

Gladion shook his head. "Girlfriend had to stop and talk to a friend." My face was burning again, though I knew he was just keeping up that facade the woman in the center had given us. "What are you guys doing out in this storm?"

What are you doing?! He couldn't possibly think...

"We're actually looking for some people." One of the grunts replied, "Have you seen any of these people around recently." They held a phone up to him. I couldn't see what was on it but I already knew...

"I haven't... those are the champions though, aren't they?" Gladion said gruffly.

"They are, they're needed for information and help with all these charizard attacks... if you do see them. Give us a call." They handed him some card and Gladion took it happily.

"Will do. Have a nice night." He replied, the group finally leaving. They passed by my alley without a single glance in my direction. I waited until Gladion poked his head around the corner before stepping out, finally sucking in a breath.

"You hear that?" He asked as I plucked a spinarak web off my shoulder. "They're either idiots or desperate if they're going around asking people off the streets for you."

My head bobbed and I took the card from his hand, glancing over the number and name. Maxie... if this was his real number then we had gotten some useful information from that exchange. "This is the guy that locked me up at Magma, the guy in charge." I said pointing to the name of the card. "I doubt it's actually his number but if it is...?"

"Again. They're idiots or they're desperate. Either way this could be useful." He pocketed the card and led me back towards the truck.

The first place we hit was the day care center where the charizards had supposedly been bred and hatched. Gladion explained that Kukui had been the one to find the place, having done a search on a charizard that appeared in Alola. He'd gotten all distant and stressed when I asked about what happened that day and refused to tell me why... though I had a good feeling that was the day I'd been reported missing. It took another forty minutes to arrive at the dark building and fields and the hours ticking by were starting to worry me. Neither of us wanted to walk in on a search party back at the house, knowing they'd be more pissed off if they didn't hear about any information we found first. I still wanted to check Aqua above all else, but Gladion wasn't sure we could even manage that with the roads as bad as they were.

I didn't have to hide this time since there wasn't a single person in the vicinity. The caregivers long retired to their homes and beds and the trainers that normally wandered the area intimidated by the torrential downpour. I still kept my hood up but Gladion didn't hover anywhere near as close as he had at the Pokémon center. Sticking to my side instead and letting me take the lead. I released Kai after we hopped the fence, figuring her nose may come in handy. I imagined a charmander hatching area would be rather scorched and charred.

The ground squished and shifted under foot, the fields of long grass turned muddy and treacherous with the flooding. Kai weaved rather expertly through the more dangerous spots and I held a hand out behind me for Gladion as those paths grew narrower and narrower. I could barely see through the rain but eventually a decently sized chunk of rock appeared through the sheets of water, as lightning flashed I swore I saw a handful of eggs hidden inside a crevice of the rock.

"Be careful..." Gladion said, his voice barely audible.

"It'll be fine, right?" I asked with a glance over my shoulder to his worried gaze. "No one is out here."

He shrugged, paranoid possibly. "I don't know."

I tugged on his arm repeatedly until he was standing close enough that I could feel his warmth on my back, his other hand grasping my shoulder tight. Further giving away his stretched nerves. "Watch my back then, please."

His breath tickled my ear, "You don't have to ask, Moon."

The crevice was an opening to a manmade underground cave, a couple eggs lined the walls, dotted orange and red. Gladion had no doubt they were charmander, he'd seen similar eggs a few times at Aether. Kai's whimper brought my attention over to the steep hill that lead deeper into the cave. She had just started to descend but stopped half way down. She was crouched close to the ground, her tail between her legs. I swallowed the nervous lump in my throat and followed after her.

A heat emanated from the depths, warm and comforting especially after walking through the freezing rain. Though as pleasant as it was, it was unnerving and unnatural. The sound of whirring and banging machines leading me to believe Gladion's paranoia had been correctly placed. That we weren't alone out here.

I whispered after Kai to stop her from turning the corner at the end of the hill. She paused and instead of returning to my side, she went rigid. The fur on her back standing on end. A loud crash made me jump, my foot hitting a jagged rock in the path and nearly making me trip. Gladion caught me and pulled me back onto my feet, his hands lingering on my waist momentarily before sliding around my stomach and locking me against him.

"What's wrong with it this time?" A woman shouted, her voice echoing through the tunnel we stood in. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I swore I knew that voice, it sounded painfully familiar, made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and my stomach twist and churn.

"I don't know!" A man's voice returned in a booming shout. My head started to hurt, I know that voice too. It can't be... "Give me another one of those feathers. It needs more juice." He barked.

Gladion tightened his grip around me. "Moon, it's okay. Relax. Be quiet." He hissed and I realized then that I was on the verge of hyperventilating, my chest squeezing my vision going black at the sides like I was seconds away from passing out. I focused on his breaths, though they were quick and stressed as well, I attempted to match the pace.

A shout of pain and annoyance from a Pokémon echoed and the woman's voice told it to shut up. The machines began whirring again, clanking twice before the noise switched to a hum.

"There, it should be working now." The man said and once again I felt a bit dizzy. That voice didn't belong here. It wasn't right but I didn't know why. Come on, figure it out!

"Call back Kai." Gladion said, his voice shaking.

"What?" I looked down to my Pokémon, she had hunkered low again though this time she was poised to attack.

"Return her to her ball. Quick!" He hissed grabbing the pokeball from the pocket of my jacket and pressing it into my hands.

I'd only just pressed the button to call her back when she suddenly span on us, growling loud enough to alert anyone in this cave to our presence. Gladion swore under his breath as the red light flashed and she was pulled back into the ball, only seconds before she jumped at us. Teeth bared, a ferocity in her eyes that rivaled the charizard that attacked the champions.

I didn't give myself time to think about it. I started backpedaling out of that cave, forcing Gladion to do the same.

"Seems we have some guests." The woman's voice cooed, falling into this unsettling laugh.

That laugh...

Gladion switched to holding my arm and started dragging me towards the exit of the cave, his hand shaking like a twig in a windstorm. The woman rounded the corner and my body locked up as I saw her. The same woman from Aqua. The woman who had cut my face.

A grin twisted across her lips, the look more unsettling then the laugh she released. "Come to play, have you, Moon? I was wondering how long it'd take until I found you again."

I couldn't get any words out, just let Gladion keep tugging me towards the exit.

"Why don't you send your little lycanroc back out, I'm sure she'd love to play too." She started walking up the hill, a houndoom appearing around the corner, fire spilling from its jowls like slobber. I reached for a pokeball but not Kai's.

"Don't do it." Gladion snapped, his shout echoing in the cave.

"Don't tell her what to do, boy." The woman grinned. "She's a champion, let her make her own decisions." Her words were too spot on, like she knew exactly what had happened earlier today. What'd I'd been yelling at Gladion about... She can't know though, no way.

I tossed out the Pokémon anyway, his reuniclus appearing and I ordered it to use psychic on the woman to hold her still. I wanted to see what was in that cave. I wanted to see what the machine was and if that voice belonged to the person I was worrying it did. But when the attack launched from the cell-like pokemon, it didn't shoot towards the villain, it shot towards me.

Gladion managed to yank me out of the way just in time so the telekinetic wave crashed into the wall instead, but reuniclus readied another psychic without any order, turning to face both of us this time.

The woman laughed and shouted back to the man in the cave, "It's working!" She turned back to us, holding a hand up and somehow stopping the rebel Pokémon from attacking us. My heart dropped to my stomach. "How do you like that, champion Moon? Not being able to use your own Pokémon against us. Makes you almost want to..." she grinned as she saw the look of horror spreading across my face. "...Give up?"

Something clicked then and my body shot into action before I could even process what was happening. I recalled the reuniclus and dropped the ball into my pocket all in the same motion of turning around and shoving Gladion towards the exit. I dashed out of the cave with him right on my heels, the ankle deep mud seeming more like ice beneath my feet as we raced over it. I didn't stop running, even when a huge plume of fire shot past my left side, close enough to make me sweat from the intense heat. The only thing that stopped me was Gladion jumping and knocking me to the ground with him as that houndoom vaulted over our heads with a mouth full of flaming teeth. A flash of red light blinded me momentarily before his silvally appeared, landing a hit on the attacking Pokémon.

"Fuck! Silvally, no!" He shouted, rolling off me as he reached for the pokeball his friend had escaped from.

But silvally continued attacking the other Pokémon, unlike Kai and reuniclus it wasn't turning against us. I pushed onto my feet and released my own Pokémon of the same type and instructed her to attack as well. She followed my orders willingly. The houndoom falling faint quickly.

The woman who had slowly been following behind us came to a sudden stop and she swore. "What?! What now?!"

Gladion got to his feet then, slipping something heavy into my jacket pocket. "There's more coming. Get to the truck, now." He snapped and shoved me in the direction the vehicle was parked.

I only glanced at him for a second, seeing his Pokémon step up to his side with no hesitation as an Arcanine flanked the woman as well. Silvally's feathers glowed blue and I knew he had it under control. So I waved for my Pokémon to follow me as I booked it towards the truck.

A few stray Pokémon attacked as I made my way back. Tiny, wild things like poocheyna and eevees that had been woken from their burrows. They had that same anger in their eyes, like a bloodlust I'd swore I'd only ever see in those hostile charizard. Silvally kept them at bay easily, only knocking them out of the way whenever they lunged for my ankles or readied some other sort of attack. But just the fact that they were trying to get at me was reason enough to send me into another hyperventilation fit and by the time my hands hit the cold, wet exterior of the truck I felt like passing out again.

I dug in my pocket and pulled out that heavy thing Gladion had slipped in there. Unsurprised to find the keys and I quickly unlocked the cab and hopped in. Recalling silvally as I did so. I slammed the door shut and almost locked it, but could see Gladion heading back already so I left it.

I slid the keys into the ignition and started the car up, but slid to the middle of the bench as it idled. If I couldn't keep my breath steady there was no way I could keep a truck steady.

Gladion jumped in and slammed the door shut, not saying anything just quickly getting the car going and pulling back onto the road. The cars squeaked as they dug through mud and he swore over and over until they finally caught something and we hit the road again, tearing away from the care center and off in the opposite direction we had come from.

"Wh-wha-what..." He cut me off.

"The arcanine was weak. She got all pissed and went back to the cave, bitching about that machine and something about kyogre." He rushed the words out, head shaking. "Said silvally shouldn't have been listening to me at all. She tried to grab him..."

I stared at him, he was shaking just as much as I was. "They... They can control our Pokémon."

"But how..."

[duaneodavila]

Dear Email It’s Not Me, It’s You

Does this sound like you? Chained to your email 24/7? Always checking email on your computer, phone, and tablet? Your train of thought is constantly being interrupted by the ding of a new message? Just living that typical “always on” lawyer life?

Yeah. Been there, done that. My email addiction was strong. I used to find myself mindlessly (and anxiously) hitting refresh on my email countless times a day. I went from computer to phone back to computer again within minutes as if I was expecting to see something different. It was the first thing I did every morning and the last thing I did before bed each night.

I was always on, always connected, and always seriously stressed. For a while, I tried to justify it. I would say, “I own my own business and emails equal money.” But, it eventually got to the point where it was seriously hurting my productivity and mindset. I knew things needed to change.

At first, I just tried to be mindful of how often I checked it and stop myself when I felt like it was becoming too much. However, this wasn’t super effective (cause, willpower) and it still took a lot of time and energy to enforce.

After some trial and error, I successfully implemented the following four steps and put some healthy boundaries in place with my email. If email has taken over your life too, try them out and get your life back.

(1) Get organized

The first step I took in getting control over my email was to organize it. I’m ashamed to admit that I had roughly 12,000 unopened emails. Now, before you hop on the judgment train, most of them were from random email lists I had subscribed to over the years. But, the point is there were a lot of them, and they were cluttering everything up. In addition, I had thousands more opened emails that I was saving for one reason or another. Thousands of emails with no organization. It’s no wonder my inbox produced so much anxiety.

I started off by going through and deleting everything that could go (and yes, this took days). Next, I created folders for all of the major types of emails I receive (i.e., client, personal, business management, etc). Then, I sorted every single email I had received to date into one of these folders. Finally, I set up a variety of filters that would auto sort new incoming emails into these folders without me having to manually do it.

Now, when I log into my email it is easy to see what’s new, what’s important, and what needs attention. This system makes checking my email far less overwhelming and takes significantly less time than sorting through one big inbox.

(2) Create structure

Next, I set up specific times during the day dedicated to checking email. I settled on 12 p.m. and 7 p.m. This was a really hard decision because I genuinely liked checking my email first thing in the morning. However, I was allowing other people’s priorities to start my day, which wasn’t setting my day up for success. I also disabled all email notifications. Not having the constant reminder to check my email in my face all the time definitely helped to limit the amount of times I checked it.

(3) Set up roadblocks

Even with my email being cleaned up and my fancy new email-checking schedule in place, I still needed to take some extra measures to protect my new system. I downloaded an email-blocking app on my phone and laptop and set it up so that I could only check my email at specific times.

At first, this was really weird. I would be on the train or sitting in a waiting room and go to check to my email, but nothing. However, I eventually got used to it and broke the habit of constantly checking it. Then, I took things a step further and removed all email applications from my phone and tablet.

(4) Batch and automate

This final step is my favorite one and my secret weapon. I am a huge fan of batching tasks and using automation whenever possible. But, for the longest time it never occurred to me that I could apply these principles to my email systems.

The biggest thing that kept me attached to my email all the time was being afraid I was going to miss something or forget to respond to something important. Batching and automation have helped immensely with that. For example, once a week I batch by drafting all the emails I want to send in a week. Another example of batching occurs when I sit down twice a day to respond to emails. I automate by using a Google extension called Boomerang to decide the date and time I want the email to send.

I hope you can implement these tips to break free from your email chains and gain some more freedom in your life.

Kerriann Stout is a millennial law school professor and founder of Vinco (a bar exam coaching company) who is generationally trapped between her students and colleagues. Kerriann has helped hundreds of students survive law school and the bar exam with less stress and more confidence. She lives, works, and writes in the northeast. You can reach her by email at info@vincoprep.com.

[pauldeckerus]

10 Pro Tips for Taking Your Drone Photography to New Heights

Ever since I began traveling for work, I’ve looked for ways to capture the beauty of planet Earth from above. As early as the 1990s, I began experimenting with every alternative imaginable: ultralights, helicopters, seaplanes, hot air balloons and hang gliders. For me, the drone was simply a dream that materialized in front of me – the beginning of a new era that opened all the doors I desired and freeing me in my search for new photographic elements, perspectives, and composition.

The advent of drone photography also gave me a newfound interest in shooting video. In 30 years of photography, I had always avoided it. But in working with drones, I was inspired even more than photography itself by video’s dynamic qualities and found myself excited to seek perfection in motion and enjoy the challenge and focus required to coordinate the eyes, hands, and mind.

I began my drone career with the DJI Phantom 1, then the 2, 3, 4 and 4 Pro, as well as the Mavic Pro, the 2 Pro, 2 Zoom and the Parrot Anafi. Since 2016, when the reliability and quality of drones finally satisfied my every need, I began flying everywhere and have since shot with drones in 17 countries around the world for my project, “Over the Horizon.”

I increasingly specialize in extreme environments with flights as long as possible. In a multitude of environments, including glaciers, icebergs, waterfalls, geysers, deserts, steppes, savannahs, oceans, coral reefs, and volcanoes, I’ve tested the limits. I’ve flown beyond the 80th latitude north, at 20 degrees below zero, reached a flight distance of than 3.5 kilometers and even reached the altitude threshold of 1,500 meters in order to capture the beauty of Madagascar’s stunning Nosy Iranja islands, never seen from such a view before then.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, I’ve also flown just 30 meters from the mouth of Stromboli’s erupting volcano and the glowing Lava of Sicily’s Mt. Etna.

Here are 10 of my tips:

1. The first rule of drone flight is to think about security, not so much that of the drone but people. For this reason, despite having pushed the drone beyond all limits, I generally never fly in close proximity of people and avoid crowds & gatherings and, if possible, even cities, unless working on a special assignment that requires and allows for such footage.

2. The second rule could be defined as the Steve McCurry philosophy — rules are meant to be broken. But in drone work as with traditional photography, the same basic principle applies: rules must be learned before they can be broken. That said, despite having earned two drone pilot license certifications, I do exactly the opposite of one rule taught in such courses (taking into account the remote areas in which I typically fly) and that is the much-discussed rule of keeping the drone in sight! The VLOS flight (Visual Line of Sight) is really only necessary when flying very close to subjects near your take-off point. Otherwise, in order to have maximum control of the craft and fully immerse yourself in a flight while making images, you must work in total harmony with your remote without ever looking away from your screen/phone. For maximum efficiency when returning for a landing, manually turn the nose of the drone towards yourself so you can see what the drone sees. Using the DJI Go 4 App, follow the map and direct the arrow towards the starting point. Also, if you are flying from a boat, remember to set the remote control for the dynamic starting point and not the static one for RTH (Return to Home) — otherwise your drone may land in the water!

3. Although drones are increasingly sophisticated and equipped with smart batteries, my advice is to always check the status of batteries and cells, especially at the outset of a flight. Before taking off, allow the drone to hover for a few seconds, then try pitching and rolling in all 4 directions with your sticks to make sure the drone remains stable. In case of missions at low temperatures (-20 degrees Celsius/-4 degrees Fahrenheit and below), it is a good idea to keep the batteries warm and perhaps add a hand-warmer, attached with simple tape, while flying. Also, never put batteries in checked baggage while traveling by air, but always carry them with you in your hand baggage. Discharge the batteries to avoid any risk of fire on board (see Samsung Note 7 combustion problems for reference).

4. Beyond the batteries, the other fundamental element for ensuring a successful return of the drone to home base is the compass. Rather, “compasses” as there are two redundant units. So every time you proceed, always perform the compass calibration step first, especially if you are working in a country different from the previous flight. The worst message that your drone can give you is “compass error” which means that it can literally lose the compass and its orientation, and even the RTH function will not work. In this case, your only recourse is to try to turn off the GPS and, if the drone is not too far away, bring it back in “ATTI (Attitude) mode which, especially in windy conditions, is not easy. DJI suggests never flying beyond the 70th parallel north due to its proximity to the magnetic and geomagnetic north pole that affects the compasses. DJI is certainly right. In fact, one of my drones goes “crazy” precisely at the 80th parallel but the arctic beauty that can be captured at those extreme latitudes is well worth every risk!

5. For video, even more so than for still shots, it is absolutely recommended, even mandatory, to use a neutral density (ND) filter. It’s best to have an entire series of ND 4 to 32 on hand so you can easily choose the right one depending on the lighting conditions and type of landscape below (sea, forest, ice, sand, etc.). To create video that is as smooth and fluid as possible, especially during flight motion, it is ideal to shoot at 25 or 50 FPS (frames per second). Therefore, especially for drone models that do not have an aperture control setting, it is absolutely essential to decrease the amount of light that the camera will read in order for the shutter to reduce its speed at the above values ​​accordingly.

6. Night flying is always the riskiest as you can never rely entirely on the sensors that work in the daytime, nor on the four sides when flying in manual mode because at night they auto-switch off completely. The easiest way to keep an eye on the drone is to place the bicycle lights on the drone arms.

7. Pay particular attention while flying in strong wind conditions. Always use the anemometer to understand if the wind is over 40 kilometers per hour (25 miles per hour) and never take off from the ground but always from the hand accompanying the launch of the drone itself. It’s always best to fly against the wind so that even in the worst-case scenario, the drone will still be pushed in your direction. In case of rain, it is always best to avoid flying altogether, not so much for the protection of the engines, as for the camera lens, as drops of water falling on the lens will render the shots and especially video, unusable.

8. I once flew over a huge area of terraced rice fields in China and landed with 1% battery! Apart from that it is absolutely not recommended, mainly due to the stress on the batteries that should never get so low. However, you must take into account that at 20% the drone will signal Return to Home (RTH) but once the battery charge drops below 10% the drone will begin to automatically descend wherever you are, still trying to land. Only by pushing the control of the engines can you can keep it at altitude, but this is very difficult to manage, especially if you are not used to performing the maneuver and the scenario is best avoided. Always set the altitude of the RTH depending on where you are. It’s best to stay high to avoid any risk of collision and I personally set my default at 100 meters.

9. Learn to fly your drone in full-manual mode, especially while handling the most demanding maneuvers. This is the only in this way to become fully skilled and to accomplish special effects. For example, rotations on static central subjects like the beautiful dolly zoom effect that, if managed manually, often makes the difference in mediocre versus great footage. To be “good” you should be able to manage 3 manual stick movements simultaneously. In order to achieve “phenomenal” status, you must get to 4!

10. Last but not least, always take at least two if not three drones with you to a shooting location, because conditions and flight events are always unpredictable. This is especially critical in remote locations. If you are working in the Mongolian taiga, for example, or filming above the reefs of Raja Ampat, immediate solutions will be difficult, if not impossible. Remember that every flight could be the last one. For this reason, I change the SD card and battery at the end of each mission. I also recommend that you download the streaming video data via your app, at least. By doing this you can ensure that even in a worst-case scenario, at least your video, even if it is low quality, will not be totally lost. With this, I wish you good fun and good flights! And above all, remember the first rule — respect for people and their safety must always come first.

About the author: In 32 years of photography and reportage, Italian photojournalist, explorer, and television producer Luca Bracali has traveled to 141 countries documenting the world’s most fragile ecosystems and threatened cultures. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. Bracali specializes in arctic exploration and is a licensed drone pilot, a Fuji X-Photographer and lifetime Ambassador for “Save the Planet,” a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of environmental issues. The author of 13 books, Bracali is a frequent National Geographic contributor and has enjoyed more than 50 solo shows worldwide, including an exhibition at European Parliament highlighting the global impacts of climate change. You can find more of his work on his website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

from Photography News https://petapixel.com/2019/02/05/10-pro-tips-for-taking-your-drone-photography-to-new-heights/

[sailorrrvenus]

10 Pro Tips for Taking Your Drone Photography to New Heights

Ever since I began traveling for work, I’ve looked for ways to capture the beauty of planet Earth from above. As early as the 1990s, I began experimenting with every alternative imaginable: ultralights, helicopters, seaplanes, hot air balloons and hang gliders. For me, the drone was simply a dream that materialized in front of me – the beginning of a new era that opened all the doors I desired and freeing me in my search for new photographic elements, perspectives, and composition.

The advent of drone photography also gave me a newfound interest in shooting video. In 30 years of photography, I had always avoided it. But in working with drones, I was inspired even more than photography itself by video’s dynamic qualities and found myself excited to seek perfection in motion and enjoy the challenge and focus required to coordinate the eyes, hands, and mind.

I began my drone career with the DJI Phantom 1, then the 2, 3, 4 and 4 Pro, as well as the Mavic Pro, the 2 Pro, 2 Zoom and the Parrot Anafi. Since 2016, when the reliability and quality of drones finally satisfied my every need, I began flying everywhere and have since shot with drones in 17 countries around the world for my project, “Over the Horizon.”

I increasingly specialize in extreme environments with flights as long as possible. In a multitude of environments, including glaciers, icebergs, waterfalls, geysers, deserts, steppes, savannahs, oceans, coral reefs, and volcanoes, I’ve tested the limits. I’ve flown beyond the 80th latitude north, at 20 degrees below zero, reached a flight distance of than 3.5 kilometers and even reached the altitude threshold of 1,500 meters in order to capture the beauty of Madagascar’s stunning Nosy Iranja islands, never seen from such a view before then.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, I’ve also flown just 30 meters from the mouth of Stromboli’s erupting volcano and the glowing Lava of Sicily’s Mt. Etna.

Here are 10 of my tips:

1. The first rule of drone flight is to think about security, not so much that of the drone but people. For this reason, despite having pushed the drone beyond all limits, I generally never fly in close proximity of people and avoid crowds & gatherings and, if possible, even cities, unless working on a special assignment that requires and allows for such footage.

2. The second rule could be defined as the Steve McCurry philosophy — rules are meant to be broken. But in drone work as with traditional photography, the same basic principle applies: rules must be learned before they can be broken. That said, despite having earned two drone pilot license certifications, I do exactly the opposite of one rule taught in such courses (taking into account the remote areas in which I typically fly) and that is the much-discussed rule of keeping the drone in sight! The VLOS flight (Visual Line of Sight) is really only necessary when flying very close to subjects near your take-off point. Otherwise, in order to have maximum control of the craft and fully immerse yourself in a flight while making images, you must work in total harmony with your remote without ever looking away from your screen/phone. For maximum efficiency when returning for a landing, manually turn the nose of the drone towards yourself so you can see what the drone sees. Using the DJI Go 4 App, follow the map and direct the arrow towards the starting point. Also, if you are flying from a boat, remember to set the remote control for the dynamic starting point and not the static one for RTH (Return to Home) — otherwise your drone may land in the water!

3. Although drones are increasingly sophisticated and equipped with smart batteries, my advice is to always check the status of batteries and cells, especially at the outset of a flight. Before taking off, allow the drone to hover for a few seconds, then try pitching and rolling in all 4 directions with your sticks to make sure the drone remains stable. In case of missions at low temperatures (-20 degrees Celsius/-4 degrees Fahrenheit and below), it is a good idea to keep the batteries warm and perhaps add a hand-warmer, attached with simple tape, while flying. Also, never put batteries in checked baggage while traveling by air, but always carry them with you in your hand baggage. Discharge the batteries to avoid any risk of fire on board (see Samsung Note 7 combustion problems for reference).

4. Beyond the batteries, the other fundamental element for ensuring a successful return of the drone to home base is the compass. Rather, “compasses” as there are two redundant units. So every time you proceed, always perform the compass calibration step first, especially if you are working in a country different from the previous flight. The worst message that your drone can give you is “compass error” which means that it can literally lose the compass and its orientation, and even the RTH function will not work. In this case, your only recourse is to try to turn off the GPS and, if the drone is not too far away, bring it back in “ATTI (Attitude) mode which, especially in windy conditions, is not easy. DJI suggests never flying beyond the 70th parallel north due to its proximity to the magnetic and geomagnetic north pole that affects the compasses. DJI is certainly right. In fact, one of my drones goes “crazy” precisely at the 80th parallel but the arctic beauty that can be captured at those extreme latitudes is well worth every risk!

5. For video, even more so than for still shots, it is absolutely recommended, even mandatory, to use a neutral density (ND) filter. It’s best to have an entire series of ND 4 to 32 on hand so you can easily choose the right one depending on the lighting conditions and type of landscape below (sea, forest, ice, sand, etc.). To create video that is as smooth and fluid as possible, especially during flight motion, it is ideal to shoot at 25 or 50 FPS (frames per second). Therefore, especially for drone models that do not have an aperture control setting, it is absolutely essential to decrease the amount of light that the camera will read in order for the shutter to reduce its speed at the above values ​​accordingly.

6. Night flying is always the riskiest as you can never rely entirely on the sensors that work in the daytime, nor on the four sides when flying in manual mode because at night they auto-switch off completely. The easiest way to keep an eye on the drone is to place the bicycle lights on the drone arms.

7. Pay particular attention while flying in strong wind conditions. Always use the anemometer to understand if the wind is over 40 kilometers per hour (25 miles per hour) and never take off from the ground but always from the hand accompanying the launch of the drone itself. It’s always best to fly against the wind so that even in the worst-case scenario, the drone will still be pushed in your direction. In case of rain, it is always best to avoid flying altogether, not so much for the protection of the engines, as for the camera lens, as drops of water falling on the lens will render the shots and especially video, unusable.

8. I once flew over a huge area of terraced rice fields in China and landed with 1% battery! Apart from that it is absolutely not recommended, mainly due to the stress on the batteries that should never get so low. However, you must take into account that at 20% the drone will signal Return to Home (RTH) but once the battery charge drops below 10% the drone will begin to automatically descend wherever you are, still trying to land. Only by pushing the control of the engines can you can keep it at altitude, but this is very difficult to manage, especially if you are not used to performing the maneuver and the scenario is best avoided. Always set the altitude of the RTH depending on where you are. It’s best to stay high to avoid any risk of collision and I personally set my default at 100 meters.

9. Learn to fly your drone in full-manual mode, especially while handling the most demanding maneuvers. This is the only in this way to become fully skilled and to accomplish special effects. For example, rotations on static central subjects like the beautiful dolly zoom effect that, if managed manually, often makes the difference in mediocre versus great footage. To be “good” you should be able to manage 3 manual stick movements simultaneously. In order to achieve “phenomenal” status, you must get to 4!

10. Last but not least, always take at least two if not three drones with you to a shooting location, because conditions and flight events are always unpredictable. This is especially critical in remote locations. If you are working in the Mongolian taiga, for example, or filming above the reefs of Raja Ampat, immediate solutions will be difficult, if not impossible. Remember that every flight could be the last one. For this reason, I change the SD card and battery at the end of each mission. I also recommend that you download the streaming video data via your app, at least. By doing this you can ensure that even in a worst-case scenario, at least your video, even if it is low quality, will not be totally lost. With this, I wish you good fun and good flights! And above all, remember the first rule — respect for people and their safety must always come first.

About the author: In 32 years of photography and reportage, Italian photojournalist, explorer, and television producer Luca Bracali has traveled to 141 countries documenting the world’s most fragile ecosystems and threatened cultures. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. Bracali specializes in arctic exploration and is a licensed drone pilot, a Fuji X-Photographer and lifetime Ambassador for “Save the Planet,” a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of environmental issues. The author of 13 books, Bracali is a frequent National Geographic contributor and has enjoyed more than 50 solo shows worldwide, including an exhibition at European Parliament highlighting the global impacts of climate change. You can find more of his work on his website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

source https://petapixel.com/2019/02/05/10-pro-tips-for-taking-your-drone-photography-to-new-heights/

[moderncolors]

About Quirky Bohemian Mama This was my answer to a question on Quora, "What is Bohemian About You?". My answer turned out so long that I decided to turn it into a blog post! I’ve been bohemian since before I even knew what the heck that was. When I was younger I had no idea I was what you could consider a bohemian until I read Lauren Stover’s Bohemian Manifesto. The book is kinda satire but it's so entertaining but there is so much truth in it about how bohemians live; I found myself agreeing with so much of it. The question is "What is bohemian about you" so, I’ll make a list of all the ways I’m bohemian. This feels kinda weird, I’ve never done this before LOL. I’m a “bohemian mom” blogger, and I recently wrote a post, “How to be a Bohemian” but I don’t really talk much about how I AM a bohemian because it feels kinds of weird to me. I guess I don’t want to come off as being pretentious, “Oh look at me! I’m sooooo bohemian and you’re not! Bow down to the goddess!” Yeah, I don’t want to be like that. With that being said, I HUMBLY present a few things that I feel are bohemian about me:  I don’t keep up with fashion trends. I really don’t want to look like everyone else. That is so boring. I have my own style and I’m not really interested in changing it. I’ve been like this all my life. There are some trendy things I’ll by because I personally really like them, not because it’s the cool thing to do. Like right now, the “boho” fashion craze is declining, so you know what that means? All of that boho clothing is getting marked down and put on the clearance rack is marked down dirt cheap for meeeeeee!!! It’s easier than ever to find my style of clothes and I love it! I don’t really like to get my clothes at popular retail stores though but if there’s something I can’t live without, I’m going to get it. I much prefer thrift stores, hand-me-downs, festival vendors, and online shopping.  I’m super hedonistic.  I like to have my cake and eat it too but in order to do that without racking up debt, I’ve got to be very careful and creative with how I spend my money. Like I mentioned before, that means thrift shopping, collecting hand me downs and shopping online for the best deals. I also barter and DIY. My philosophy is: the less you spend on one item, the more stuff you can buy.  Would you rather have a $90 purse with $10 in it? Or a $10 purse with $90 in it? Would you rather have one $100 dress? Or 10 $10 dresses?  The entire outfit below, jewelry, shoes and all cost about $30. My kids are wild. ...and by wild, I don’t mean BAD. I mean they’re free to do whatever, just as long as it’s not going to hurt anyone. At 4 and 5 years old my children have their moments just like any young kids but they're actually a very well-behaved, smart, and healthy! I let them jump on the bed and couches, we don’t follow strict schedules, and jumping in muddy puddles is just fine with me - just change into play clothes first.  If they want to play, they play. If they want to draw, they draw. If they want to watch TV, they watch TV. They don’t get the latest toys and gadgets, they’re not glued to YouTube (they do love that Ryan kid though!), my daughter only knows a handful of the Disney princess, my son would rather play his ukulele than with action figures and they only just got their own tablets a couple months ago to help with homeschooling. I don’t care for mainstream entertainment. I have no idea what songs are on the Top 40, what movies are in the theater, what TV shows are the most popular or even who half of today’s celebrities are. I don’t rush to the store to get the latest books or go to movie openings. Heck, I haven’t even been to the cinema in almost 10 years. I don’t know why I’m like that. I just am. I’d much rather discover my own entertainment. Most of the stuff I like is pretty obscure but I don’t care if anyone has heard of it or not.  I don’t play video games but I do play apps on my phone every now and then. I love playing them late at night when I can’t sleep from stress. I love world music, I get my books from thrift stores and clearance bins. I’d much rather go to a free art opening than the opening of a movie any day! Self Expression is a MUST.  If I’m not creating something then that means I’m dead. Even in my dreams I create music, develop story plots, design fashion. Whether it’s with comic art, crafts, dancing, costumes, blogging, singing, I’ve got to ge it out or I will freaking lose my mind. I was once so desperate to start tap dancing again, that I stuck a bunch of thumbtacks to the bottom of a pair of sneakers! I’m rebellious. I freaking hate being told what to do and following rules. Don’t tell me what to wear, how to act, where to go, or what to do just because you feel that’s the only way to do things. Right now, I work from home mostly because I have to be my own boss and make my own rules. I can’t handle anyone telling me what to do even if it is my job. Yeah, I’m not the kind of personality that needs to be in the workplace! Hollie is terrible team player. What about you? Are you feeling so bohemian like me? (Remember that song?) Let me know in a comment below! _________________________________________________ Hold up. bohemian babes and dudes. Before you head out please check this out! Soul Flower is a natural clothing brand for kind souls and free spirits. Mindfully made with natural fibers and heartfelt art, they design their threads with kind vibes from start to finish. They create clothing in a way that supports our planet, spreads a positive message, and most importantly -- helps you express yourself. You can make a difference with what you wear, so share the vibe and let your Soul Flower in our natural fiber clothing! Read my SoulFlower reviews HERE! _________________________________________________ amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "mocotw-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "My Amazon Picks"; amzn_assoc_asins = "1784880434,0821228900,1419724827,0865653399"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "735592458e331fb68c5b42878d2c1bf6";

http://www.quirkybohemianmama.com/2019/01/what-makes-me-bohemian.html

[higginsbeatty7-blog]

Sana Wellness Goals To Stop Sleeplessness With Smart Eye protection

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[old-soulless]

The Last Diet You Will Ever Pay for and Fail Again

Do you find positive lifestyle changes difficult to maintain?

Odd question, I know.

But if you give me a few minutes of your time, I'd like to share a few personal stories with you and why I'm excited to finally provide my clients – my Tribe – with something I've been working on with my wife, Christie, for the past year and a half.

Change is difficult, especially when it goes against our present conditioning – our M.O. if you will.

So many of the choices we live each day are made without our mindful presence. We just are. We just do. But if you are frustrated with a life of ‘just's' then read on.

Making lifelong shifts, changing habits and living a mindful lifestyle is a challenge, but not as difficult as one may feel if given the right tools and framework – but I'm getting ahead of myself.

I bet if you think long and hard about it, you can remember coming to a number of crossroads in your life. Those moments when you have been presented with a choice and could have gone left or right, knowing that if you went LEFT you would be moving closer to who you were wanting to be in life, however, in the moment, you chose RIGHT. Then you spent months lamenting, thinking about, and regretting your choice from that fateful day at the crossroads. You knew the best path to walk, yet you chose the opposite.

Why do we continuously repeat this pattern in our lives?

You aren't alone in your frustration. I know exactly how you feel.

I remember when I was a preteen and battling morbid obesity. I came to what I felt was a cross-road over and over again, yet to only discover it was more of a round-about which seemed to never stop.

I traveled round-and-round-and-round, trying to lose the weight, having some success here and there, but inevitably always gaining it back and often more than I had lost in the first place… it took 5 years of continuous attempts to get healthy until I finally made my choice to get healthy stick. I had a personal breakthrough which shifted my view of myself and current choices, and I never looked back. Living a lifestyle of health became my norm… but it didn't stay that way forever. Fast forward 15 years and I found myself at another crossroads.

Fast forward 15 years and I found myself at another crossroads.

In my early 30's, I found that one of my favorite pastimes was to numb myself at the end of a stressful day with a half bottle of wine (sometimes more). I knew it wasn't aligned with who I was or how I was wanting to live my life, but I continuously chose to uncork the bottle and drink myself into a cloudy consciousness.

Living a Life Free of Addiction

Last week I alluded to an emotional article I've been working on. This is my story of how I chose my life over a bottle. It wasn't because I had to, but because I wanted to. Not an easy decision, but the hard ones rarely are. I've spoken about this openly on a few podcast interviews and speeches, as well hinted at it in my book – but this is how the day played out back in January 2010. #AddictionFreeLife – full article published at: http://daim.co/LifeFreeOfAddiction

由 Dai Manuel 发布于 2016年4月20日

It wasn't until after a number of failed attempts to change, I found myself at what I felt was my final set of crossroads and that the next decision would be my last. It was in that moment that I ultimately saw my choice as the only choice – I chose my life over that of a bottle.

Interesting when we are presented with some extreme reality that we finally choose the path we should have chosen in the first place, isn't it?

And yes, things tend to happen in 3's don't they?

Most recently about 2 years ago, my wife Christie and I, set in motion a decision to live our lives a little differently.

I was working 70 to 80 hours a week, over-stressed, under-rested, and disconnected from my closest relationships including those of my family. As a father of 2 growing girls and a dedicated husband, I realized that who I wanted to be and the life I was living at the time we're both heading in different directions. I made one of the scariest decisions in my life to that point and chose to change my situation, leaving a career of 17 years behind.

I opted to pursue a down-sized, minimalist lifestyle so I could spend more time with family and chase a number of passions and goals I had created for myself, one of which included writing and publishing my book, The Whole Life Fitness Manifesto.

Hoorah! Look what I found at Barnes and Noble?! #WLFMRoadtrip

由 Dai Manuel 发布于 2016年1月11日

Life presents us all with many choices, but how do we trust our judgment to chose the right path?

As a coach, I tend to find I often answer a question with another question… so let me ask you this…

What path feels right to you? (And why do you think that you feel that way?)

You are probably wondering why am I sharing these stories with you. They aren't exactly something you normally hear from a health, fitness, and lifestyle coach.

I share these stories for a reason.

You see, I could have kept eating the junk food I loved, could have kept playing video games instead of going for a bike ride. I could have chosen to keep drinking a 1/2 bottle a day, neglecting my responsibilities and lying to myself that I was happy with my current state of being. I could have kept working at my career and living a comfortable life, accepting that my passions and visions were an unattainable goal and just kept doing what I was doing.

Those would have been the EASIEST choices to make. But they didn't feel right to me anymore. And I chose to do something about it.

Sustained lifestyle changes are difficult.

For many of us, life is on auto pilot. There exists a lot of patterns, habits and daily rituals that occur over and over in our lives. These seemingly innocent choices compound and can contribute to taking us further away from health. Further away from fitness. Further away from our personal goals, ambitions, and what was once our purpose in life.

It's been my biggest struggle as a coach – both personally and professionally.

I've dealt with 1000's of clients over my 20+ years in the health and fitness industries. I've seen too many self-sabotaging patterns recur for my clients, and I'M DONE WITH IT!

And that brings us to WHY Christie and I set out to create a single program to deal with all the pieces we struggle with, offering a plan to rewrite our personal user manuals and ultimately become the architects of our own lives.

It's a lifestyle program, not some ‘eat this, don't eat that', ‘do this, don't do that' or ‘think this, don't think that' kind of program. If that's what you want, we can't provide it, but if you are open to truly diving in and learning about what we've created, and want to see if it's a fit for you, and you a fit for us as your coaches, then I invite you to apply.

Apply here –> http://ift.tt/2txSmQw

What is the Whole Life Manifesto Coaching and Mentorship Program?

The Whole Life Manifesto Coaching Program is a lifestyle transformation from the inside-out. It involves whole-life fitness that blends mindset, personal development along with nutrition, fitness, and accountability coaching.

Most of our clients have a specific lifestyle goal — release a few pounds, increase lean muscle, greater focus, confidence, more restful sleep, reduce life's stresses, healthier skin, and better sex – we have learned from working with 1000's of clients over the past 20 years, that small and sustainable changes work best to attain long-term results.

The other thing we’ve grown to understand is that often a lack of health and happiness is not due to ones’ knowledge, but typically a result of a stressful life and a lack of prioritizing an investment in one's self.

Is this program for you?

For this reason, we developed The Whole Life Manifesto, online coaching system. A group coaching program for men, women, and couples, which enables you to implement sustainable changes in your nutrition, fitness, mindset and overall lifestyle, with the daily support of like-minded individuals and a qualified team.

To achieve the life goals you want and deserve, you must be open to guidance, and be willing to make a lifestyle change. In our program, you're not alone and we are committed to your results.

In the words of one of our clients:

Dai and Christie have taught me that although life is busy there is always enough time in a day to dedicate to ME! I deserve it! On the other hand, they’ve also taught me not to beat myself up if there is a day here and there that I cannot do ‘my plan’. It's life! I can honestly say I love the person I am becoming more and more every day thanks to Dai and Christie! – Carmen

Because we are so committed to you achieving your goals and want our program to be the last “diet, fitness and lifestyle program” that you ever invest your money into, we require a minimum 3-month commitment, although most of our clients choose to extend.

Through the Whole Life Manifesto Coaching Program, you will receive:

A Complimentary Transformation Call before starting to make sure it’s the right program for you

Nutrition Coaching based on your goals and the behaviors required to move you forward in reaching and sustaining a high-level of functional health

Personalized Fitness Plan incorporating support for any relevant areas of functional fitness

Shopping lists, checklists, cheat sheets, action lists, educational modules, and more

Workout & Nutrition App to track and report your customized workouts and provide direct accountability check-ins with your coach. (smartphone required to access)

Two 1-on-1 Calls within the first month to get you successfully started and orientated

Access to weekly Group Coaching Calls.

Access to Course Resources, Videos and Recipes via your own login to a unique members site

Access to a Private Group for daily questions and support

Accountability through our unique Accountability System to make sure no one gets left behind

Priority booking on all Live Events

Advice on Testing and Supplements

Tools to Improve Physical, Emotional and Spiritual health

Access to book a 1-on-1 call at any time to deal with any challenges

Apply Now

About Your Coaches Dai and Christie

This life transforming program is facilitated by lifestyle and performance coaches, Dai and Christie Manuel. With over 16 years’ experience in working as a couple, parenting, coaching, and relationship/lifestyle mentorship – our motto is simple, ‘lead by showing, not telling’. Through Dai’s award-winning blog DaiManuel.com, and the 28-Day Whole Life Fitness Manifesto movement, we’re honored to have helped 1000’s of people transform their physical and emotional health.

What a few more of our clients have to say...

What a few more of our clients have to say...

I thought I was fit and healthy when I started but now I feel better inside and out. I've changed the way I see exercise, what and how I eat, how much sleep I get and how I manage my day which impacts on my relationship with my kids, my family, my colleagues and everyone I meet in my day. I couldn't have changed so quickly if it had not been for Dai, Christie and the WLFM. They are really so passionate about what they do and it comes across so naturally and easily. It is a daily lifestyle, not a flash diet. It does work in with hectic lifestyles, unlike other fitness plans and it takes into account the whole person, not just the fitness. – Sharon There are several impressive things about Dai's coaching style: The ability he has to engage an entire room of athletes. Dai is good at fostering a supportive learning environment through demonstration & knowledge that is both encouraging and engaging. A wealth of knowledge that invited me to have more of a holistic outlook in regards to health and well-being. Most importantly is inclusion. Dai always fosters community. If the saying goes “it takes a community to raise a child”, then Dai is able to do this through his style of coaching. – Todd Before joining WLFM I had a gym membership but hated going to the gym. I'd go randomly, struggled to establish a routine, and would eventually just stop going altogether. Then a few months later I'd try again and repeat the same cycle. Before joining, I never had any true strength. I didn't know what it meant to lift with my legs and I couldn't flex my biceps because I didn't have any. I'd avoid physical challenges, and get other people to do any heavy lifting for me. Before joining, my snow pants didn't fit, and they haven't for 5 years. It's a big deal to me because I love to ski and every time I would ski I was reminded of my decline in fitness and strength. I finally decided to take exercising seriously and made myself follow the workouts for 12-weeks. At the end of 12 weeks, I have a daily exercise routine I love, a supportive coach, and community, excitement about exercise and health, and I feel strong, stable, and comfortable in my body. Oh, and my snow pants fit! I'm thankful to you Dai for creating the WLFM, and for supporting his tribe members. I am forever grateful and excited about this way of life. – Sarah

Family is one of our pillars… Where one goes, we all go.

  We only work with people who are 100% committed and know that change is the only option. If this scares you, then it’s probably exactly what you need.

We invite you to apply to be part of the program and to schedule your complimentary transformation call for more information. Simply fill out the form below and we'll be speaking with you soon. 

June 17, 2017 at 07:23AM

[dac-bonj]

Lesotho Infinity And Beyond: 3 November 2016: South Africa- Durban, round 2

For my post-Lesotho travels on the blog, I’m gonna be pretty specific about places and prices and things just in case you’re trying to do some traveling in Southern Africa and somehow stumbled upon my blog to help you with your plans. In this case, please enjoy and feel free to comment or email me with any questions

                I specify this post as Durban round 2 because I did go to Durban once before about a year ago, but that post has been removed because of...reasons. So here’s a little, much less exciting, snippet about my second go at Durban.

                After arriving at Tekweni hostel (R190/night for a dorm) on Halloween day, I just kind of lazed around and read and wrote. I came to Durban as my first stop because it would be the place I would pick up a rental car that I would use to hop down the coast toward Cape Town with. My plan was to spend about a month doing this in South Africa. So Durban consisted mostly of me getting the car, but other than that I didn’t do much in the city besides eat Indian food, try so hard to swim at the beach but being thwarted every time by rain, and generally wandering around town.

Moses Mabhida Stadium

Cloudy skies, but the fishermen are still out

                Oh, my other plan in South Africa was to, once done with Cape Town, stop off in Pretoria to get a visa to visit my dear friend Milea in Liberia. Southern Africa is great for free or cheap visas that you can, with little exception (Mozambique), get upon arrival. It’s all very low stress, except when you get stuck at the border of Malawi with no US Dollars after being super fried from being on a train for like 18 hours (See the Malawi "Panic! at the border" post from July if you missed out on that fun story). So the point is, almost every other country outside of Southern Africa has expensive visas that you have to apply for ahead of time, Liberia being no exception. So eventually I’d have to get into contact with the Liberian embassy in Pretoria. So I promptly bought some airtime for my South African sim card and called the number I found online. No answer. I called again so many times at different times of the day and different days of the week with the same non-response. It also didn’t help that my emails to their listed address kept bouncing back to me undelivered. I decided that I would just show up in person in Pretoria in a few weeks and see what I could make happen.

                Perhaps the most interesting part of my Durban story is getting the rental car. I reserved it through a company called Around About Cars, which farmed me out to another company called Tempest. I walked to their location downtown, having to ask a bunch of people where the actual place was, because it wasn’t super easy to find. I had reserved the cheapest car they had, for about R200/day. Being a cheap car, it was a teeny tiny Chevy Spark. Also being a cheap car, it was a manual, not an automatic. Mind you, I didn’t drive a manual at home, and the only few times I had practiced with a manual were when a bunch of us rented a car and went through Namibia a year and a half ago. My friend Lea had shown me the basics, and the most I’d done was go maybe a few hundred meters on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, stalling all the way. In preparation for renting this car, I had called both Lea and my mom for some last-minute refreshers, and I used the wifi at the hostel to find some Youtube videos to give me some tips as well.

                I decided to rent a car for several reasons: I really wanted to learn to drive a manual car, it would give me much more freedom to go when and where I wanted, and the other options were not ideal. Public taxis were, well, the same taxis I had been dealing with for the past two years, which leave whenever they feel like it and only limit you to certain routes. There are also big busses like Greyhound and Intercape, but similarly, they run on set schedules and don't go everywhere. The other popular option among backpackers is the Baz Bus, which is like a hop-on-hop-off type of thing that goes all over South Africa and drops you right at your hostel, but you have to book it several days ahead of time, and it is pretty expensive considering what it is, and it would have cost me almost as much as the rental car.

                The day came. I had been pushing imaginary pedals and shifting imaginary shifters in my mind all morning. So here I am at the rental place, and as the rental car guy and I are going around the car checking out the scratches and stuff, I mentioned that it had been a while since I drove a manual. This was an understatement to say the least, as I had never actually driven a manual other than for a few middle-of-nowhere stretches. He said that my license was for a manual car, so it would be fine. I found out at this point that in other countries, your driver’s license specifies if you’re certified to drive a manual or just an automatic. The US doesn’t do this, so I guess no indication of “automatic only” on my license gave him the impression that I had passed my test with a manual. After I immediately stalled out a few times trying to get the thing out of the driveway, the rental car guy offered to give me a mini lesson around the block, assuring me all the way that my (non-existent) muscle memory would soon come back to me. Then he put the car in a little strip of the parking lot so I could just practice going forward and backward a bunch of times. After I decided that I could sufficiently start the thing without stalling it, and after many odd stares from the lady cleaning the parking lot, I jerkily and haltingly unleashed myself to the open road. First, to do some more practice, I got myself to a pretty calm road with lots of roundabouts that parallels the beach. I took a break to photograph this cool skate park I found covered in graffiti, then continued on to my hostel.

                Let me take you aside here, oh reader, to tell you about the wonders of an app called Maps Me, which lets you download maps ahead of time and use them offline so you don’t suck up all your data. This is the app that routed me to my hostel, and all the way to Cape Town with many stops in between.

                It was a while before I got to my hostel again because I was having trouble starting up hills. Durban is quite a hilly city, and starting up a hill without stalling was proving to be very difficult. At one point, these people eating at the patio of a restaurant nearby looked on with much concern as I stalled out at least a dozen times trying to turn a corner going uphill, and it was only after I assured them that “I’m still learning; don’t worry,” that I realized I was trying to start in second gear, then corrected my mistake and managed to actually continue driving. Ooff. Then I found a residential hill nearby and did a million hand brake hill starts in little increments, and then when I got to the top I drove down the hill and looped around to the bottom to do it again and again and again. Content with my progress, I got my bags from the hostel and got kind of lost trying to find the highway. I was sweating at intersections (exactly as Lea told me I would) with the anxiety of thinking about starting without stalling and worrying about making tons of cars behind me start honking at me like I was some moron on the road.

                I finally found the highway and set myself free, taking so much pleasure in the freedom and in the speed. It was at that moment that it started to hit me that I had left my Lesotho life behind, as I was driving away literally as fast as I could (safely) go. My next stop was an hour or so southwest, past Port Shepstone to a beautiful place called Oribi Gorge.

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