#i think i favor phe

[disturbedbeautywrites]

Second Time is Not the Charm - Bradley Rooster Bradshaw

"I think we should see other people." You could still perfectly remember the night that Bradley said those words to you, your heart absolutely shattering. You were too stunned to speak, not knowing where the last perfect year had gone.

You were almost sure the two of you would get married and have kids one day. Both of you were in the Navy and were stationed at the same naval base; which had to count for something, right? Or so you thought. But, as you stood in front of Bradley in his living room, you realized that didn't mean anything at all.

You felt your heart completely shatter and hit the floor as you prayed and prayed he would take it back. But, he kept his composure and just shot a look of pity at you. How could he be so okay with all of this? How could he not be hurting at all?

After standing there for what felt like an eternity, silence engulfing the two of you, you decided to leave his apartment. You picked up your broken heart and left, walking out to your car. The ride back to where you lived was dead silent as you let your thoughts fill the space the lack of music left. How could he do this?

The next few months were absolutely hell. Having to work with your ex boyfriend was definitely not something you would recommend to anyone, especially if you were still in love with them. Each and every day you got to see his stupid head in front of you and you got to hear his stupid comments to things that Hangman said. It was torture. It was absolutely torture.

"Come on, you just gotta get out there again." You sat next to Phoenix at the hard deck, two shots of tequila lined up in front of you as you quickly downed them. You heard her words and just shook your head, laying your forehead in your hands. "He was it, Phe. I saw my entire future with him down to the dog that we would own. Now I'll never get to meet Apache." Your voice was a small whimper as she put a hand on your back, rubbing it soothingly.

She looked at you for a second before she reached down and took your phone, downloading tinder and setting your profile up. She was playing on your phone for a few minutes before she handed it back to you. "There, now you're back out in the dating pool."

You had vowed to kill Phoenix then and there, and now as you sat on a date, the urge was even bigger. You were a navy pilot and you were used to action and adrenaline, so when you were listening to a guy talk about the excitement of accounting, you almost wanted to fake food poisoning to get out of it. Or, maybe you could convince Phoenix to pretend to have a family emergency to get you away.

But, as you typed SOS messages to several people in your phone, not a single person answered. You let out a frustrated sigh before finally having enough. "I'm sorry, I really am. But, this isn't going well." You laid down money for your part of the bill before you excused yourself outside, a small sigh leaving your lips. You felt awful, but you could not put up with that anymore.

As you sat on the sidewalk, you realized you had no way home. You had sent out text messages wanting someone to call and had recieved no answer from your usual friends; which left one person, Bradley. Your thumb hovered over his name as you swallowed thickly, your head hitting the brick wall behind you. This could not be happening. You pressed the dial button before you could change your mind, the tone playing as it went through.

"Hello?" You heard Bradley's gruff voice come through your phone, sleep lacing his words as you heard him shuffling around in bed. You squeaked out a greeting as you played with the strings on your dress, wishing you could disappear in this moment. "I need to ask a major favor." Your voice felt small and mouselike as you felt the anxiety building and building in your stomach.

You heard him hum and then there was silence on the other end of the line, his way of urging you to continue. It had been months since you had talked to him for this long, your conversations were few and far between. You tried to only talk to him if it was completely necessary when you were in the air. Otherwise, it was radio silence between the two of you. “I know we’re not together anymore but I’m on a date that went really wrong. Can you come get me?” Your words were rushed and shaky as you finally got them out, a shiver running up your spine.

You heard him take in a sharp breath before he finally agreed to come get you, the two of you hanging up. You sank down against the wall and pulled your knees up under you to keep you warm, your hands rubbing up and down your shins. You stayed in that position until the bronco pulled up, a very disheveled Bradley sitting in the front seat. You got inside, closing the door behind you as you buckled yourself in.

The two of you drove in silence before Bradley spoke up, his voice deep and curious as his brown eyes landed on you. "So, you're dating again?" You groaned at his question, leaning your head against the window. "Can we please skip this awkward bs? We both know you don't care." Your words came out more as a snap then you intended, your eyes narrowing at him as he held his hands up in surrender before he put them back on the wheel. "Just trying to make conversation, sorry."

He turned the radio on for a few brief seconds before he turned it off again, his gaze falling on you once more. "I actually miss you, you know." His words caused your mouth to go dry as you looked back at him, wanting to see if he actually meant it. He didn't show any sign of not meaning it as you searched his face desperately. "I miss you too, roo." Your voice was soft as you watched your house come into view, deciding to throw one last hail mary out into the universe to see if he regretted what he said.

"If you want us to try again, I need to hear you say it." You looked at Bradley, his eyes clearly showing the gears turning in his head. He thought about speaking up, but ultimately he kept silent. Regret was evident in his features and you couldn't help the silent laugh that left your lips. He was absolutely unbelievable. You just nodded your head at him once, getting out of the bronco. "Guess not. See you around, Bradley." With that you walked back into your apartment, making a mental note to talk to cyclone about a relocation.



[unhingedselfships]

After the third or fourth time Kimi vented to him about how she felt and thought about everything going on, Daigo presented the idea of a solution he'd been toying with.

Ophelia, having been curled on the couch, half sprawled across his distressed wife, cackled and begged to be allowed to watch.

He'd instead invited her to partake and she'd lit up like it was Christmas.

His wife, his wonderful, beautiful, miserable, wife, smiled for the first time in days.

"I suppose I'll need to pick out fabric for dresses."

“Anything you want, sweet girl.”

“Ugh, fittings.”

Kimi laughed at her partners, already thinking of what she wanted for her and Phe to wear to the summer event.

…

They arrived together, Phe in yellow, Kimi in aqua, Daigo in crisp black but with a tie that matched his wife well enough. A darker teal, but in the same family.

They floated around the room together, making the rounds, greeting everyone. His hands were always on his wife, and she and Phe exchanged kisses and giggles often.

A triad of a sort, with the plump little woman at the center. 

Except they weren’t really a triad, were they?

Well. Everyone would know soon enough.

Including his mother. He loved her, he did. But he really wished she’d leave his poor wife alone. 

The glaring was getting old too.

Daigo noticed as soon as Kadokura arrived, and whispered in her ear. The gossip had already well picked up. Everyone had an opinion, something to say, even if they kept it to passing whispers. It grated, but hopefully things could be put to rest soon.

Or well, rather, they could be replaced, with a whole new batch of rumors and speculations.

The man wasn’t avoiding them per se, but was certainly “playing it cool”.

He could feel Kimi’s growing agitation. And anticipation. 

“He’s so going to yell at me for this.”

“I’ll hit him if he does.”

Daigo laughed at Phe’s quick answer, before asking his wife, “Did you want to back out? It's not too late.”

She shook her head, “No, I want to do this.”

He hummed, squeezing the hip his hand rested on, “Well then sweet girl, let the show begin.”

They made their way, a happy little group, over towards the man in question. The man of the hour.

“Kadokura-san,” Daigo greeted him affably, hand still resting on Kimi’s hip.

Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, waiting to see how things would play out.

“Hey dipshit-chan!” Phe’s eager greeting, smile sharp and full of something both eager and spiteful.

“Dojima-san, Ophelia-san,” he greeted in turn, eyes shifting to rest on the one member of their party that had yet to speak.

She took a deep breath, steeling herself, before slipping out of Daigo’s hold, darting forward.

Grabbing hold of Kadokura’s collar, she tugged him down just slightly, just enough, her hands slipping up to cup the base of his skull, and she kissed him, as soundly as he had her at the last party.

Parting, she smiled at him, both pleased and uncertain, and Daigo laughed.

“I think she missed you.”

…

Daigo would spend the rest of the night, sharing his wife’s attentions happily. She drifted between her loves and never particularly favored one over the other.

He, in turn, fielded questions and comments. Offering explanations and snark as needed.

“My wife is not especially fond of specific labels, she finds them too constricting. She will claim a few for simplicity, but otherwise prefers not to. It ultimately, however, doesn’t matter. She loves who and how she will. We have always had very open and clear communication and she has never done anything I was not aware of. We have boundaries, and at no point has she acted outside of them. She’s happy, and so am I, and so is the rest of our family. If anyone has an issue with what that means for us, they can take it up with me personally, because frankly speaking, it's really no one else’s damn business.”

[lonelyasawhisper]

Queen Swings Both Ways

Jon Tiven, Circus, April 1975

ACCOLADES SUCH AS "greatest single long-playing achievement since Sgt. Pepper" and "the most important record album ever made" fall over Queen's latest album as easily as butter melt-ing on a hot potato – but few realize what a hot potato the album actually was in its pre-release days. It took a bevy of high-powered attorneys, some low-life finagling, and more than the usual amount of wheeler-dealing just to get the album out without its being hacked to death by defamation-of-character suits.

Guitarist Brian May explains: "I'm in real difficulty here because I've been threatened with libel because our old management had a good go at stop-ping the album coming out. They thought 'Death on Two Legs' was about them. They wanted us to take the track off and we nearly had to, and in fact they got a load of money out of our publishing company because it supposedly was libelous, but it's never been proven. It's all very stupid – they wanted to sue Freddie, the band, the publishing company, and the record company."

All very dramatic stuff, but a band like Queen survives not on operatic finesse alone, but on gut-level melodramatics in the business department as well. When you produce your records, write the songs, play all the instruments, and do everything your-self, chances are you're going to have to pay some legal dues, too. But ah! the rewards – such as the single, 'Bohemian Rhapsody', hanging into the No.1 spot in the British charts for seven weeks in a row!

"We're a bit more in the public eye now, we're starting to get recognized a lot more," says Brian May. "We're carrying on working just as we did before, but obviously we're very pleased with how the record's doing. It's sold more than a million copies in England – I can't believe it." But it's true: Queen's stature in England has risen from that of the No.1 teenage hard rock band to that of the-group-that-made-the-single-that-every-house-wife-knows-by-heart.

What propelled Queen in that di-rection is their Night at the Opera album, a slight departure from what Queen fans know to be the Queen sound. The hard rock screams have temporarily subsided, replaced by ex-perimentation with different voicings of instruments and production tricks. Those who found Queen's approach over-decibelled can relax to the quiet ''39' or 'Good Company' and tap their feet to 'Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon' without fear of being guitarred to death. "It's just what came out," says Brian. "They're offshoots of our main direction. There's plenty of time for the rock."

"The album wasn't really supposed to go in the direction that it did, it was just the songs we had. While we were making it we were thinking, 'Yeah, it is getting a bit light,' but rather than fight against it we de-cided to do it properly and then think again afterwards. So instead of try-ing to heavy up the lighter things, we pressed on. We had a few things we didn't use, but we're getting more demanding of ourselves. There are a few heavy things kicking around, but we may use them on the next record."

The two strongest forces in Queen have always been Brian and Freddie. With A Night at the Opera, where experimentation and branching out in new directions are the most obvious characteristics, the personalities of the band are often obscured by the newly emerging elements. "Sometimes I feel that Freddie and I are going in different directions, but then he'll come up 'with something and I'll think, 'My God – we do think alike.' When I'm working on one of his things I can tune in very easily to what guitar part he wants, and vice-versa. In terms of what we're trying to do in songs, we are moving in different directions, but I think that could be a good thing."

Critical response to the band is now almost unanimous-ly favorable in both Great Britain and the United States, which is quite phe-nomenal when you stop and think of how anxious many critics were to pan them two years ago. "I'm not going to take it too seriously," Brian says, "because I remember what the critics said about Queen II.. It would seem that everybody is beginning to like us ....very much. I can take it at that level, but there's no doubt in my mind that sometime in the future there'll come a time when we get slagged for everything. Queen II is still my favorite of the Queen albums, certainly the most daring. Especially for the time. I think we're still finding our feet now, and the way I feel about the new album is that we're searching for new directions and most of them are sort of half-formed. We've got the Queen II feel in some places, and in others we've got the Sheer Heart Attack polish. I don't think we're quite sure where we're going.

"This album, at the very least, negates all the comparisons to Led Zeppelin that we've been living with for the past three years. I think Physical Graffiti is amazing, by the way. I saw Zeppelin at Earls Court, and I met Pagey afterward, for the first time. It was great, he was very nice and gentle. I respect him a tremendous amount for 'Kashmir' and 'The Light', for being able to put his brain on record – it wouldn't matter if he couldn't play a note."

Economic criticism has been less favorable, however. A Night at the Opera was widely rumored to be "the most expensive album ever made" when it was released, a point which Queen's management denies. Nevertheless, Queen has been taken to task by quite a few English journalists for spending so much money – estimated at £30-40,000 – making one record.

Brian has a retort: "We wouldn't have spent so much money if the studios weren't so bloody expensive! [The album was recorded in seven of them, sometimes three at once.] We weren't mucking about for any of it, it was four months of solid work. It came down to having the equipment available for four months, and we didn't begrudge the amount of time spent in the studios, but it comes to a fair amount of money. There's a lot of things that seem light, like 'Good Company', which actually took a great deal of time and care. All those trumpets and clarinets being fashioned from guitar sounds – I took it quite seriously because I wanted to do it right, even though it was a lighthearted thing. We worked too hard for our own health, we got a bit down and depressed."

While Queen was laying about England between record and tour, a few of them got going on some independent projects. Brian and Roger produced an R&B group's single, but there were some record company hassles and it may be some time before the record gets released. And on the eve of the Amer-ican tour, Freddie Mercury went into the studios with a singer/songwriter managed by the Rocket Organization (which manages Queen as well) to try his hand at production.

"Eddie Howells is the guy's name, and he's managed by David Mead, and they're doing a single for Warners. I'm playing some guitar on it." Brian restrained himself from going out on any limbs before the American tour in order to get himself physically fit. His health had been a crucial problem on an earlier American tour, and he's not particularly anxious to spend time in hospitals when he could be onstage instead. "I actually get more tired off tour than on tour," he admits. "But I am in good health."

Once the English leg of the tour did get started, word started to flow very quickly back to the States about Queen's dramatic stage show – a stage show to end all stage shows, with Mercury donning short-shorts to add a bit of the hairy leg to Queen's otherwise pristine presentation. "The show is the same, but different," Brian says confusedly. "We've merely developed what we did before with some new material from the new album. It's a bit of reshuffling. Plus we do 'Doing Alright' from the first album, which we've never done onstage before. And 'Seven Seas of Rhye', which we'd do in England but never in America before. It's quite a lot different, actually."

American audiences got their first chance to sample the new presentation on January 27 in Waterbury, Conn., when the first concert of Queen's scheduled 32-date, 21-city American tour got underway in the Palace Theatre. After arriving in the States at Kennedy International on January 20 and spending a couple of days in New York for interviews, Queen began five days of rehearsals at the Palace to ready their show for American fans across the country. After Waterbury they dove headfirst into the intensive six-week tour, which featured extended runs in New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles before its scheduled end March 12 at the San Diego Sports Arena.

Despite the novel direction of the new album, onstage Queen proved to be the same rocking outfit they've al-ways been, letting loose with the same kind of guitar-bass-drums-piano barrage they've delivered in the past. "We don't do '39' or 'Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon' in our show," Brian explains. He seems a bit defensive of Queen's rock spirit, which is kept intact in the live set by 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'Sweet Lady', 'Prophet Song' and the deletion of the "experimental tunes" from A Night At the Opera.

By the by, those who missed Queen on earlier tours but want to see how they've changed now have the means. Queen have joined the prestigious ranks of the Zeppelins, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones whereby some illegal entrepreneur has issued a bootleg album of one of their American concerts. "I hate those things – they rarely give an accurate picture of the group," Brian states unequivocally, and in this case he's right. The Queen bootleg has transistor radio fidelity, and the only truly audible members of the band are Brian and Freddie. Yet the fact that a bootleg exists confirms the fact that Queen is now well on their way to the top.

Retrieved from rocksbackpages.com

[dailyadventureprompts]

Hi! Do you have any ideas for the Theros setting? I have a level 7 party and I'm struggling to come up with a good introductory adventure for this setting that won't be too obvious to the Greek mythology buffs in the group! Thank you!

(Happy to help, here’s one the adventures from my own Theros campaign) 

Adventure: Dreams of the Sleepless King

Adventure Hooks

 A call has gone out to champions across the realm: a great treasure has been stolen from Xenephon, king of a prosperous trade polis, who will pay handsomely for its return.  When the heroes asemble in the great king’s hall, they find that their host absent and secluded, instead dealing with one of the king’s Stewards who does everything she can to playcate the gathered warriors without ACTUALLY letting them see the king. 

Perhaps only stopping off in port for a quick resupply before pressing onward, the party discover a bedragled man hiding out in their hold. He’s disorented and forgetful, seeming to think that he’s someone of authority on his way to somewhere on a mission of great importance, but he can’t seem to remember exactly who or exactly where. The party is half way through figuring this out when a squadron of royal guards headed up by their Captain board their vessel, apprehending the confused man and throwing the party into the dungeons without so much as a second word. 

Spending enough time in the polis or the palace will see a member of the party approached by a jade-white serpant, who will ominously stare at them before beckoning them away. Following this beast and sneaking past the palace defenses will lead to a secluded cell in the dungeons containing an Apothecary eager to share some secrets. She claims she is a devotee of Pharika, goddess of curses and cures, and that she was hired to tend to Xenophon’s sickness and later blamed when his condition worsened.  She has more to tell, but only if the party swears to free her, possibly evoking the wrath of the mistress of venoms should they fail. 

Setup: King Xenophon did have something stolen from him, but it was far more precious than any material treasure. It was his mind that he lost, or more specifically his dreams; his dreams of his kingdom’s future and his place in it, his dreams of his past and self identity, and the restful dreams that bring healing and peace to the body.  All of these were taken, like keys on a loop, leaving behind a man trapped in a waking fog of forgetfulness unable to ever truly sleep.  It has been weeks since the theft, and the king deteriorates a little more each day, kept secreted away in the palace by his most important servants lest his family, people, or enemies catch sight of his weakness. 

To spoil the mystery,  the king’s dreams were stolen by the Apothecary’s assistant Keddia, in offering to her secret patron: Phenax, god of trickery and lies. The god had sent the king a series of awful dreams, necessitating the  services of a healer, and providing an opportunity for Keddia to sift through the monarch’s addled mind and secret his dreams away in a conch shell made of obsidian glass gifted to her by the god. Her prize in hand, Keddia has fled to a rocky shoal-land favored by pirates where she waits for a band of outlaws loyal to Phenax to pick her up. 

Upon discovering the truth, the party must hurry overland or brave treacherous waters to apprehend this disciple of treachery, stalking her through an old smugglers den wreathed by mist and the wrecks of many ships to find her and retrieve the king’s dreams. 

Challenges & Complications

Untangling the truth is going to prove more difficult than just asking the right questions. The Apothecary knows most of the facts but is shady as all getout, the head Steward blames the Apothecary for this disaster and is trying to keep the polis from falling appart, and the Captain of the palace guard suspects the head Steward planned all of this as a coup and sees conspirators in every corner. Exactly the web of mistrust and chaos that Phenax loves spinning. 

By the time the party catches up to her, Keddia has already escaped. In her place is a construct woven of mist and lies by Phenax to play a role in an even greater deception. Keddia was sure to let her teacher’s familiar ( who was watching over Xenophon as he slept)  see her steal the king’s dreams and store them in the glass shell. A second shell has been left along with the decoy Keddia, a poison prize filled with false memories for the party to bring back and place into the king’s head. Having been “restored”, Phenax now has the ability to freely edit Xenophon’s memories and aspirations, directing the otherwise good-natured king like a puppet each time he sleeps. This shell-game can only be discovered if the party exposes the false-Keddia’s body to fire ( evaporating the mist), or investigates the smugglers den and realizes that no one has been living there for some time. 

Future Adventures: 

The liar-god’s plans are a far ways off, and in the meantime, the party has earned themselves the thanks, hospitality, and gratitude of a king. in addition to the treasure heaped upon them as a reward, a well rested Xenophon offers to make the party permanent champions of his household, granting them a luxurious place to stay and the offer of further employment performing tasks for the good of the polis. An amazing deal to be sure, and  if some of these tasks just so happen to further Phenax’s schemes, well... nothing comes without a catch now does it? 

Stealing Xenophon’s dreams wasn’t just about gaining Phenax a new game piece. The king had dealings with the gods of Theros before, and was privy to a number of great secrets the Trickster and his disciple Keddia now plan to abuse. The party may encounter the wayward Apothecary’s apprentice on a much later adventure, following the dreams in the shell like a treasure map, searching for some artifact of the gods or other wonder the king encountered during his younger, adventuring days. 

Art source 1

Art source 2

[melisa-may-taylor72]

Accolades such as “greatest single long-playing achieve­ment since Sgt. Pepper” and “the most important record album ever made” fall over Queen’s latest album as easily as butter melt­ing on a hot potato—but few realize what a hot potato the album actually was in its pre-release days. It took a bevy of high-powered attorneys, some low-life finagling, and more than the usual amount of wheeler­dealing just to get the album out without its being hacked to death by defamation-of-character suits.

Guitarist Brian May explains: “I’m in real difficulty here because I’ve been threatened with libel because our old management had a good go at stop­ping the album coming out. They thought “Death on Two Legs’’ was about them. They wanted us to take the track off and we nearly had to, and in fact they got a load of money out of our publishing company be­cause it supposedly was libelous, but it’s never been proven. It’s all very stupid—they wanted to sue Freddie, the band, the publishing company, and the record company.”

All very dramatic stuff, but a band like Queen survives not on operatic finesse alone, but on gut-level melo- dramatics in the business department as well. When you produce your rec­ords, write the songs, play all the in­struments, and do everything your­self, chances are you’re going to have to pay some legal dues, too. But ah! the rewards—such as the single, “Bo­hemian Rhapsody,” hanging into the #1 spot in the British charts for seven weeks in a row!

“We’re a bit more in the public eye now, we’re starting to get recognized a lot more,” says Brian May. “We’re carrying on working just as we did before, but obviously we’re very pleas­ed with how the record’s doing. It’s sold more than a million copies in England— can’t believe it.” But it’s true: Queen’s stature in England has risen from that of The #1 teenage hard rock band to that of the-group- that-made-the-single-that-every-house- wife-knows-by-heart”.

What propelled Queen in that di­rection is their Night at the Opera album, a slight departure from what Queen fans know to be the Queen sound. The hard rock screams have temporarily subsided, replaced by ex­perimentation with different voicings of instruments and production tricks. Those who found Queen’s approach overdecibelled can relax to the quiet “ ‘39” or “Good Company” and tap their feet to “Lazing on a Sunday Af­ternoon” without fear of being gui- tarred to death. “It’s just what came out,” says Brian. “They’re offshoots of our main direction. There’s plenty of time for the rock.”

“The album wasn’t really supposed to go in the direction that it did, it was just the songs we had. While we were making it we were thinking, ‘Yeah, it is getting a bit light,’ but rather than fight against it we de­cided to do it properly and then think again afterwards. So instead of try­ing to heavy up the lighter things, we pressed on. We had a few things we didn’t use, but we’re getting more demanding of ourselves. There are a few heavy things kicking around, but we may use them on the next record.”

The two strongest forces in Queen have always been Brian and Freddie. With A Night at the Opera, where experimentation and branching out in new directions are the most obvious characteristics, the personalities of the band are often obscured by the newly emerging elements. “Some­times I feel that Freddie and I are going in different directions, but then he’ll come up with something and I’ll think, ‘My God—we do think alike.’ When I’m working on one of his things I can tune in very easily to what guitar part he wants, and vice-versa. In terms of what we’re trying to do in songs, we are moving in different directions, but I think that could be a good thing.”

QUEEN II: Critical response to the band is now almost unanimous­ly favorable in both Great Britain and the United States, which is quite phe­nomenal when you stop and think of how anxious many critics were to pan them two years ago.“I’m not going to take it too seriously,” Brian says, “because I remember what the critics said about Queen II. It would seem that everybody is beginning to like us. … very much. I can take it at that level, but there’s no doubt in my mind that sometime in the future there’ll come a time when we get slagged for everything. Queen II is still my favorite of the Queen albums, certainly the most daring. Especially for the time. I think we’re still finding our feet now, and the way I feel about the new album is that we’re searching for new directions and most of them are sort of half-formed. We’ve got the Queen II feel in some places, and in others we’ve got the Sheer Heart Attack polish. I don’t think we’re quite sure where we’re going”.

“This album, at the very least, ne­gates all the comparisons to Led Zep­pelin that we’ve been living with for the past three years. I think Physical Graffiti is amazing, by the way. I saw Zeppelin at Earls Court, and I met Pagey afterward, for the first time. It was great, he was very nice and gentle. I respect him a tremendous amount for “Kashmir” and “The Light,” for being able to put his brain on record—- it wouldn’t matter if he couldn’t play a note.”

Economic criticism has been less favorable, however. A Night at the Opera was wide­ly rumored to be “the most expensive album ever made” when it was released, a point which Queen’s management denies. Nevertheless, Queen has been taken to task by quite a few English journalists for spending so much money estimated at £30-40,000—making one record. Brian has a retort: “We wouldn’t have spent so much money if the studios weren’t so bloody expensive!

The album was recorded in seven of them, sometimes three at once.” We weren’t mucking about for any of it, it was four months of solid work. It came down to having the equipment available for four months, and we didn’t begrudge the amount of time spent in the studios, but it comes to a fair amount of money. There’s a lot of things that seem light, like “Good Company,” which actually took a great deal of time and care. All those trumpets and clarinets being fashioned from guitar sounds—I took it quite seriously because I wanted to do it right, even though it was a light­hearted thing. We worked too hard for our own health, we got a bit down and depressed.”

While Queen was laying about England between record and tour, a few of them got going on some independent projects. Brian and Roger produced an R&B group’s single, but there were some record company hassles and it may be some time before the record gets released. And on the eve of the Amer­ican tour, Freddie Mercury went into the studios with a singer/songwriter managed by the Rocket Organization (which manages Queen as well) to try his hand at production. “Eddie How­ells is the guy’s name, and he’s man­aged by David Mead, and they’re do­ing a single for Warners. I’m play­ing some guitar on it.” Brian re­strained himself from going out on any limbs before the American tour in order to get himself physically fit. His health had been a crucial prob­lem on an earlier American tour, and he’s not particularly anxious to spend time in hospitals when he could be on­stage instead. “I actually get more tired offtour than ontour,”he admits. But I am in good health.”

HAIRY LEGS: Once the English leg of the tour did get started, word started to flow very quickly back to the States about Queen’s dramatic stage show—a stage show to end all stage shows, with Mercury donning short-shorts to add a bit of the hairy leg to Queen’s otherwise pristeen pre­sentation. “The show is the same, but different,” Brian says confusedly. “We’ve merely developed what we did before with some new material from the new album. It’s a bit of re­shuffling. Plus we do “Doing All- right” from the first album, which we’ve never done onstage before. And “Seven Seas of Rhye,” which we’d do in England but never in America be­fore. It’s quite a lot different, ac­tually.”

American audiences got their first chance to sample the new presenta­tion on January 27 in Waterbury, Conn., when the first concert of Queen’s scheduled 32-date, 21-city American tour got underway in the Palace Theatre. After arriving in the States at Kennedy International on January 20 and spending a couple of days in New York for interviews, Queen began five days of rehearsals at the Palace to ready their show for American fans across the country.

After Waterbury they dove headfirst into the intensive six-week tour, which featured extended runs in New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles before its scheduled end March 12 at the San Diego Sports Arena.

Despite the novel direction of the new album, onstage Queen proved to be the same rocking outfit they’ve always been, letting loose with the same kind of guitar-bass-drums-piano barrage they’ve delivered in the past. “We don’t do “39” or “Lazing on aSunday Afternoon” in our show,“ Brian explains. He seems a bit defensive of Queen’s rock spirit, which is kept intact in the live set by “BohemianRhapsody,” “Sweet Lady,” “Prophet Song” and the deletion of the “experimental tunes” from A Night At the Opera.

By the by, those who missed Queenon earlier tours but want to see how they’ve changed now have the means. Queen bave joined the prestigious ranks of the Zeppelins, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones whereby sorne illegal entrepreneur has issued a boot­ leg album of one of their American concerts. “I hate those things-they rarely give an accurate picture of the group,” Brian states unequivocally, and in this case he’s right. The Queen bootleg has transistor radio fidelity, and the only truly audible members of the band are Brian and Freddie. Yet the fact that a bootleg exists confirms the fact that Queen is now well on their way to the top.

CIRCUS MAGAZINE, APRIL 1975

@natromanxoff, @mephisto92, @moviestorian, @x5vale, @39-brian, @onegoldenglance, @crosmopolitan, @an-abyss-called-life, @his-majesty-king-mercury, @i-live-for-queen, @brian-39-may, @toomuchlove-willkillyou, @brimaymay, @sail-away-sweet-sister, @drummerqueenrmt, @old-fashioned-roger-boy-deactiv, @briianmaay, @l-over-bo-y, @inui-mycroft, @deacytits, @iminlovewithrogscar, @drowseoftaylor, @brianmayislongaway, @balticlover, @astrophysicist-guitar-god​, @miez-lakatz, @brianmayoucease, @jesus-in-a-life-boat, @roger-taylors-car, @silapril, @sherrifanciesfriskyfreddie, @tenderbri, @brianmydear, @thosequeenboys, @millionairewaltz-carpediem, @painandpleasure86, @bribrifrenchfry, @xlucylennonx, @a-night-at-the-abbey-road, @inthedayswhenlandswerefew, @madformeddowstaylor, @queenrogertaylorfan, @let-roger-get-a-lunch, @queen-for-life, @rethought, @darlinginnuendo, @mymakeupmaybeflaking, @old-but-still-a-child, @let-roger-get-a-lunch, @warriorteam1924, @funnydressesweirdhairanddance, @painkiller80, @thefanhuman13, @yourtieddownmother, @hgmercury39, @brimi-stardust, @thefairyfellermercury, @retroromantics, @foxmonkey, @sophiaintheskywithdiamonds, @holybrianmaywritingbear, @lydiannode, @39-yellow-daffodils , @ure-gonna-loveme-when-u-seeme, @kaykaybeachgirl, @rhysjoejoshtomfarisblog @redspecialandclogsandcurls, @briansrainbowsocks, @delilahmay39, @ohmybribri, @bless-the-queen, @infunitehearbeat, @sketchiesscketches, @everythingaboutfreddie, @doitforthevine67, @recordsoftheseventies, @tenementfunsterwithpurpleshoes, @drummah-in-a-rocknroll-band, @beatlegirl1968, @maylorsqueen, @shearrehartatacc, @gralto, @alittlepeoplemagic, @rainbowsockbrian, @sailawaysweetbrimi

[sssaaavvveeedddd]

( ◜ ° 💬 . ❛ PHE .  )

nikki: phe...?

nikki: you know i normally wouldn't ask for favors, but do you think i can crash with you for a couple of days? just to get my head on straight. i spent the day in san diego, thought i was gonna stay there but the only thing i thought about doing was calling zeke and i'm really not in the mood to talk to him anymore.

nikki: if i go home i'm gonna call him, if i'm alone i'm gonna call him, if i go stay with liv... there's jaxson and i'm gonna end up crawling my way back over to him. so, can i be an imposition until friday-ish? maybe?

nikki: i'll stop and pick up some ice cream?

[cs-discourse]

as someone in both kal/kel communities, i think it’s interesting how super complex designs are favored in kalons. don’t get me wrong, they can be really pretty, but from an art standpoint, i would never be able to redraw them. it doesn’t seem to carry over into other communities so much, i wonder why? (not in a passive aggressive way, honestly curious)

I think it’s the point of the fact that there are so many adopts and designs people may think have to make their custom or adopt incredibly different for it to not blend in/be pointed out as copying because it looks like another design. It’s kinda of odd though, because if you look at other CS on places like DA, a species can have thousands of adopts but still be in the zone where it hasn’t gotten as extensively complex as kalons have. People probably made complex customs, others saw how pretty it was, and the more popular things get the more other people will do them. I will say a lot of kalons do seem to be almost undrawable from the pov of someone who does commissions, but some people just like having something pretty to look at .phe

[colorfulhearts]

Colorful Hearts Ch. 12

*Ring*

Jackie had just finished lighting a few candles when her computer started ringing at her for attention. Glancing at the old clock on her wall she smiled to herself, realizing who it could be.

*Ring*

Walking to her desk and pulling her plush computer chair out and sat down. Clicking her mouse she answered the video call. A comforting familiar face popped up on her screen with a genuine smile.

“Hey, Jack. There are two new commissions on the site. Did you see?” She was looking away from the camera. Probably looking at the website inbox on a different monitor.

To most it would have seemed rude but to Jackie it was just how her relationship with Robynn was. It didn’t matter that they didn’t see or talk to each other every day. When they did get to talk it was like not a moment has passed since their last conversation. It would be considered extremely strange to those that didn’t know them. Even to those that did didn’t seem to fully grasp the concept of their friendship. The two had never met in person but together they ran a very successful business. Robynn handle the website and the books of commission and projects while Jackie created. To them it was fate that had brought them together. Tech Science and creativity working together to bring fiction into reality as they put it.

Jackie shook her head, the messy bun slowly coming undone. Robynn saw her silly action and laughed while moving her webcam to show the other monitor. Just like Jackie had suspected their website was in full view on it. Squinting her eyes she got closer to her own monitor to read what she was showing her. It was two commission requests for a new item she had created that had yet to have its debut on the site. Bat wings that could be tied onto any shoe with laces. She had showed them off unofficially not long ago along with a few other pieces that she had gotten the guys to wear.

The guys.

Phelix.

Her mind began to wonder. Thoughts of the other night clouding her mind yet again. As her mind wandered about Phelix, Robynn continued talking about the commissions and their specifics. It wasn’t until after she had finished reading the notes on the orders that she noticed that Jackie wasn’t paying any attention to her.

“Jackie…” the voice sounded distant. “Jackie.” Another pause. “YO JACK! SNAP OUT OF IT!” That time Robynn shouted and clapped her hands close to the mic on her headset. That snapped Jackie out of her daze and back to reality.

“What? Huh? Sorry, what did you say?”

“Okay,” Robynn sighed, “spill. You don’t space out like that over nothing. What’s up?”

Jackie looked away from the camera, looking down at the keyboard. She noticed it had glitter mixed with dust in between the keys. She really need to clean it before it affected anything.

“Jackie…” this time Robynn didn’t have to shout. The concern in her voice was louder than any battle cry every could be.

She looked up from her keyboard to look up towards her own webcam and looked at Robynn. She didn’t say anything. She just locked eyes with her friend. Hoping that she would drop the subject. But she knew better. Robynn would start to worry and slowly get her to talk about what was running through her crowded mind. She was amazing that way.

“Come on, Jack. You know you can talk with me about anything and everything.” Her voice was so comforting. Like a warm blanket right out of the dryer.

Jackie nodded her head. She did know. She’d always known. Even before the business they created together. Since their first emails to each other on a blogging site she knew that Robynn was someone she could talk to no matter what the situation. It was like fate had created this crazy path through the internet for them to cross. What they had was special.

She opened her mouth and then closed it. Robynn didn’t rush her. She didn’t have to. She knew Jackie was just sorting her thoughts out. Jackie grabbed a pen from her pen pot and started messing with it. Removing the cap then putting it back on. It was a tick she had developed over the years when she was nervous or overwhelmed at her desk. She always had pens around so it was helpful. She would focus on the pen and breath.

“I think I’m starting to develop real feelings for Phe. And not just friendship feelings but…” her rushed words just stopped.

“Romantic feelings,” Robynn finished.

More nodding. She really needed to break this habit of losing her words. She made a mental note to look for other ways of communication that didn’t involve using your own voice.

Robynn smiled at her long distant friend; in the back of her mind she wished, once again, that they lived closer so she could hug her friend. She could tell that she really could use it.

“I was wondering when you would face the facts.”

Jackie tilted her head to the side and looked at Robynn in a very confused way.

As if reading her mind she said, “You and Phe have always had a different relationship. Yeah you two are great friends but it’s always been different.”

“How?” Jackie asked quickly.

“Well,” Robynn took a sip of what she was drinking, “When you talk about him you smile differently. Like you really like remembering whatever it is you are remembering about him.”

“I smile when I talk about Marco and Ethyn too,” she said almost defensively.

“True,” Robynn laughed. “But it’s a special smile. Like the kind that hurts but you don’t mind it because it’s about someone special.”

Jackie was about to say something to counter what Robynn had said but she had raised a hand stopping her words.

“Jackie, why are you so afraid of this being a real thing?”

Was she scared? Jackie took a moment to think about it. Really think about it.

If she allowed herself to give in to these feelings what could happen?

“Jack…”

Robynn’s voice made her refocus on her.

“Talk it out with me. Please.”

Jackie nodded her head. “If I let this happen, let my feelings come out about Phelix, it could be both a good and bad thing.”

“How so?”

Sighing Jackie answered, “We live in the same house. That’s both good and bad. We’ll see each other a lot. But maybe too much.” Her words started to get faster, “Then he might grow to resent me. We have a lot of the same friends, especially in this house. Also a good and bad thing. They may grow to be annoyed if we get to couple-y. What if they don’t like us together? What if they think it’s awkward? Or if we break up what happens then? Does he move? Do I? What then?!”

Her breathing was labored.

“Breath, Jackie.”

She heard her but Robynn sounded so far away. The pen in her grasp felt like it was about to snap in half.

“Just breathe.” Robynn’s voice was getting closer. The panic was dying down. The grip on the poor innocent pen was loosening. “I don’t know exactly what you are feeling but I can tell that the thought of trying something new and it failing is scaring you.”

Still unable to use her words Jackie nodded her head.

“But if I’m remembering right starting this friendship and business was also something new and very scary. I was a stranger.” Jackie looked up towards her screen to see Robynn looking off into the distance, recalling the beginning of their friendship.

“I was a random person answering your very vague post about looking for a website partner,” she laughed remembering the very suspicious post on tumblr of all places. “But look what that crazy post created. A friendship that most people find crazy and unreal. A very successful business that’s coming up on its three year anniversary. Which by the way we need to post a few pictures of the pieces that will be debuting with the coupon code.”

A smile was creeping onto Jackie’s face. Robynn’s words were true.

Instead of focusing on the actual matter she nodded her head and picked up her phone to pretend to text. “I’ll ask Ethyn and ask when he has a time slot for a photo shoot.” She gently placed her phone down and mentally took a note to ask Ethyn for some photo time. He’d do it for sure. He loved photography. Any chance to use his camera he took.

Robynn laughed and checked something off on a notepad she had in front of her. She loved working on her computers and tablets but nothing replaced the joy of checking something off on a physical to do list.

“But really, Jack. Talk to him. You know you want to talk with him.”

Jackie was about to say something but Robynn continued.

“It’s going to be scary and it’s a risk but isn’t it worth taking?”

Jackie thought on what she just said. Was it worth taking? She thought about the night she shared with Phe. It was sweet and every time she remembered his forehead against hers, the look in his eyes, her heart fluttered.

If she could take the risk of starting not just a friendship but a business with someone she had never met why was it so hard for her to take the risk to give these feelings she was having a chance.

“Jackie…”

The silence was getting overwhelming for Robynn. Jackie looked up and gave Robynn and genuine smile. “I’ll talk to him.”

“It’s going to be okay, my dude. I’ll be here for you no matter what.”

With that assurance Jackie finally felt like she really could, without a doubt, talk to Phelix. Even if it didn’t go like she imagined at least she had someone in her corner with support.

After a while the two began to get back to their so called meeting. Catching up on their personal lives and finally discussing the upcoming anniversary sale.

Jackie had been working on new wing designs as well as finalizing the designs that she had created and had the boys wear a few weeks back at a show she was asked to be a part of. While the boys were on her mind she remembered to text Ethyn before she really forgot and he got busy with another project.

Reaching for her phone she actually used it to text Ethyn.

Jackie: Hey Ethyn! I need a favor please! Involves you and your camera.

She hit send and placed her phone back on her desk knowing that the boys went to the movies and was unsure if they were out or not. She returned to talking with Robynn about the orders she had been talking about before she got distracted. As Robynn was going into detail on the orders Jackie’s phone began to vibrate.

It was Ethyn.

Ethyn: I think I already know and of course. We can talk about the details when I get back. Be home soon.

Be home soon.

“They’ll be home soon.” Jackie hadn’t realized that she had said this out loud until Robynn replied to her.

“You don’t have to talk to him the moment he gets home. You take your time.”

“You’re right,” Jackie let out a breath she had been holding slowly. “Let’s get back to work. Also Ethyn said he’d take the photos.”

“Perfect!” Robynn smiled and continued typing.

As they were finishing up their meeting Jackie heard the door open and shut.

“JACKIE WERE BACK! WANNA GRAB DINNER WITH US?!?” Marco shouted.

“Is there a need for the yelling!?” Ethyn shouted at Marco just as loud.

Jackie laughed, “Will you both stop shouting before we get a noise complaint from the neighbors!”

Robynn laughed as she waved, “I better get going. But call me anytime. Okay?” She raised her eyebrows at Jackie.

Nodding Jackie waved back, “Talk to you soon Roby.” And with a few clicks their call disconnected.

As she got up from her desk there was a knock on her door.

“Come in…”

Slowly the door opened and Phelix was standing in her doorway, a smile crossed his face. Fully facing him she gave him a sweet smile in return and it faded a bit when she saw a bruise on his forehead, “How was the movie, violent?”

He looked at her confused, head tilting to the side. She gestured to his forehead and he quickly realized what she meant.

“Uh,” he stammered and laughed nervously. “Nah, just bumped my head. Wasn’t paying attention.” He cleared his throat and changed the subject. “Wanna go to dinner with us?”

He looked so not himself but she brushed it aside.

“Yeah, just let me freshen up a bit. Just got done with my meeting with Robynn.”

“You look perfect.” The words left his mouth without thinking. His face blushed a deep red as Jackie giggled, hiding her face in her hands.

“I’ll be out in a bit.”

“Right.” Phelix began to close the door and almost got his hand caught. She managed to see him take his hand away just in time which made her laugh.

‘I’ll talk to him soon.’ The thought crossed her mind as she pulled her hair down, fingers running through her dark waves.

‘Soon.’

She looked at herself quickly in the mirror giving her reflection a smile and tossing her hair from side to side to give it some volume. After blowing out the candles she lit, she grabbed her jacket from the closet as she walked out of her room to meet up with her roommates. Her friends.

“Come on, Jackie! Before Marco eats the neighbors,” Ethyn laughed as he joked, holding the front door open for her.

Stepping outside she saw Phelix in the driver's seat waving at them to hurry up and get in. She laughed at the sight of a grumpy Marco in the passenger seat.

She walked over to the car and got in. She took a deep breath and let it out quickly.

“You okay back there?” Phelix asked as he looked at her through the rear view mirror. He took in her image, her dark hair, crystal blue eyes...

Marco quickly answered the question with a growl that wasn’t meant for him, interrupting Phelix’s mental note taking of Jackie’s appearance, “She’s hungry. Hurry up and drive!”

That made Jackie laugh a bit but when she saw that Phe was still looking at her she smiled and nodded her head to assure him that she was fine. He nodded back and put the car in reverse and backed out of their driveway.

Jackie’s heart felt like it was doing flips in her chest but she enjoyed the feeling. Change was coming and she was excited about it.

[fpvoices]

Dorah Taranta, Project Manager, Hope-LVB Project, Pathfinder International

Uganda

When they started gaining confidence, we trained  them as peer educators. We worked with them to become peer educators, so they would go out to fellow young mothers in the community, and to schools to talk to these young girls and boys: What are the negative issues, or what affects them negatively as young people, as youth when they get out of school, when they get pregnant when they are young? We are really helping the youth to learn from fellow youth: What has happened to them, how they have gotten out of that situation, and—those that had already either become pregnant or had babies—how could they be supported? They provide a social network in the community. But, also, they became champions, and they started reaching out to all of the people—parents and their in-laws—because those are the significant others who have an influence on how these young women and youth would be affected or they would be supported. That is basically to sum what they have been doing. They have been at the center of our PHE work, and they have ably portrayed the picture of: “I can come from nowhere or nobody to a champion, regardless of what society used to think about me.” (3 of 3)

Interviewer: Liz Futrell

Photographer: Chris Darlington, Favor Studios

[tarasstorybook]

Making Plans

Phoenix was in his room, after hearing that his sister was going to have a meeting with another kingdom he decided that he was going to keep to himself this time around. At least he thought Ambriel wouldn’t notice the lack of his presence in the meeting room, turns out he was wrong. Phoenix was reading when his sister knocked on his door.

“Come in.” Phoenix doesn’t look up when he answers who was on the other side.

“Ah Phoenix, there you are.” Ambriel smiles when she walks in. “I thought I’d find you here, come on you’re needed for the meeting.”

Phoenix hides behind his book, cursing under his breath. “Okay Brie.”

Phoenix walks next to his sister, quietly pouting to himself as he began to fill with regret. He knew it was important to sit in on political meetings, especially when it came to make new allies, it was just so boring at times. While he walked with his sister Phoenix wished he was doing anything at the moment than sitting with his sister.

“Lady Marissa.” Ambriel greets. “My apologies for keeping you waiting, I had to find my little brother.”

Phoenix gives her a small smile and nod as a quiet greeting, he wasn’t too excited to take part.

“Don’t worry about it.” Marissa smiles. “Micah and I had to spend some time looking for our son.”

“If I’m not mistaken I do believe the boys are around the same age.” Ambriel muses while they walk into the meeting room.

“Yes I suppose they are.” Marissa agreed. “Micah this is Lady Ambriel and her younger brother Phoenix.”

“A pleasure to meet you.” Micah smiles and takes her hand.

“And you as well.” Ambriel smiles back.

“This is our son Max.” Marissa nods in Max’s direction.

“Nice to meet you.” Max smiles and greets them.

Phoenix feels his stomach twist in knots but manages to put on a smile and say back. “It’s a pleasure to meet you and your parents as well.” He gladly shakes Max’s hand.

“Remind me of where you hail from?” Ambriel asks Marissa.

“Kelna.” Marissa smiles. “Not easily found unless you’ve lived there or visited it by accident.”

“I see.” Ambriel nods. “It sounds nice.”

“It is, beautiful hilltops for as long as the eye can see.” Micah puts in. “If you don’t mind the suggestion Lady Ambriel, but why don’t the boys use this as a chance to get to know each other if our kingdoms are going to be allies?”

“That sounds like a wonderful suggestion.” Ambriel smiles. “Phoenix, why don’t you show Max around the castle?”

“M-me? But I thought…”

“Yes I know, I trust you know how to handle political meetings by now.”

“But, but, but-” Phoenix is cut off with a sharp look from Brie and he visibly shrinks back. “Yes sister.” He says quietly.

“Very good.” Ambriel smiles. “We’ll see you in a little while.”

“Yes Brie.” Phoenix turns to Max and gestures for him to follow.

“Be good Max.” Marissa reminds him as he walks off.

“I will mother.”

“Is Kelna far away then?” Phoenix asks once they’ve walked far enough from their respective guardians.

“It’s another island away.” Max answers. “A few days by sea, but I love sailing so it doesn’t bother me much.”

“I’ve never sailed, Brie usually didn’t let me travel with her overseas. She always said it could be too dangerous.”

“That’s a shame, there’s not much to do at sea but I find it fun. Better than staying in the castle all day.”

“I’m sure.” Phoenix chuckles. “What do you do in Kelna?”

“Ah, um I used to wander about town a lot, but as I started to get older my parents decided I should spend more time in the castle.”

“Oh, if it helps my brothers and I get restricted to the castle grounds sometimes. But that’s only if we really upset Brie that day, I try not to as much as I can.”

“I can believe that, my mother wants me to focus on being prepared to take over the throne one day.”

“I understand, but Brie allows my brother and I our free time. I like to spend my time in the library, it’s quiet there and not very many people bother me.”

“Sounds nice.” Max smiles. “Being the only heir the attention is almost always on me, it’d be nice to have a little peace.”

“Well, with your parents talking with my sister you’ll have plenty of time for that. Come on, I can show you the secrets this castle holds. My brother and I would torment the staff when we were younger.” Phoenix takes Max’s hand and leads him from the middle of the hall. “Let’s see, which one was it?”

“What are you looking for?”

“You’ll see.” Phoenix runs his hand along the wall until he finds what he was looking for. Pushing a stone into the wall a doorway opens up, Phoenix turns to face Max, smiling as the secret passage opens up. “Arnie and I found them a long time ago, made for convenient hiding places.”

“I don’t think our castle has hidden passageways.”

“Come on, I can show you where they all go.” Phoenix takes Max’s hand again, pulling him through the open doorway he shows him where they all lead.

While Phoenix and Max were getting to know each other, Ambriel and Max’s parents were talking, or more specifically about Phoenix and Max. They had been writing back and forth for a while now, at first about becoming allies and then about the boys.

“I hope the boys are getting along well.” Marissa says, the three of them were in the meeting room for awhile.

“Phoenix can quite easily make friends, it comes naturally to him that’s why he does so well in negotiations.”

“Max has always been able to get along with others.” Marissa smiles, Max had and always will be her little social butterfly. “He loves people, he’s able to brighten a room without trying.”

“A good quality to have.” Ambriel sips her tea. “I imagine neither of you told him the real reason why you’re here?”

“No.” Micah shakes his head. “The last time we told him about plans for an arranged marriage he took off and was kidnapped by pirates.”

“It took months to get him back.” Marissa sighs, it was not a memory she liked to think about. “I’m only glad they didn’t kill him.”

“I understand your worry, I’ve entertained the idea to both twins. Ornias threatened to overthrow me and his older brothers. Phoenix turned as white as a sheet, neither of them liked the idea.”

“I imagine not.” Marissa laughs a little. “I’m glad Max didn’t go to that extreme when we told him.”

“Ornias likes to be dramatic sometimes.”

“Do you think Max and Phoenix will catch wise to what we’re doing?” Micah asks.

“Phoenix no, he’ll be too busy trying to win Max’s favor as a friend to notice. As for Max, well I can’t really answer that question.”

“I don’t think he’ll notice.” Marissa reassures. “He’s a bright kid but he has his moments.”

“Then I see this going very well, if they get along and everything goes well then we’ll start making arrangements and hope one of them is brave enough to propose to the other.”

“But?” Marissa questions, she could pick up the trepidation in Ambriel’s tone.

“The only thing I’m a little worried about is Ornias catching on and telling his brother. But I don’t believe he would tell Phoenix anything, probably tease him about it and Phe would write it off as just that...hopefully.”

“Micah and I have been talking about what to tell Max in case of the event that he starts to catch on. I guess now we just watch how everything plays out.”

“I guess so.” Ambriel muses. “Should we go see what they’re up to?”

“Sure.” Marissa rises to her feet, Micah following suit. The three of them walked out of the meeting room and go to find Phoenix and Max, surely they didn’t go too far in the castle. They could only hope that the two of them were getting along, whether or not things played out as planned was yet to be seen.

[anycontentposter]

The Best Foods to Try in Hoi An & Where to Eat Them

I love to eat. Like, really love it. In fact, it’s such a high priority when we travel that not only do I make a list of things I want to do and see wherever we’re going, I also make a list of all the foods I want to try while we’re there, too.

That said, I’ve never been particularly skilled at food photography, and I’m always too impatient when my food arrives to even think about risking a cold meal in order to get some practice in, so my food photos when traveling are usually little more than hastily snapped, often blurry iPhone images. Certainly nothing worthy of sharing on the blog, that’s for sure.

I decided to make an exception in Hoi An, though, and actually put some effort into documenting my meals before frantically digging in like a half-starved mountain lion. One, because Vietnamese food is my favorite and I really want to be able to share my love of it with you. And two, well, this one’s a little more selfish – I wanted higher quality images to remember these amazing meals by.

Having heard that Hoi An was somewhat of a foodie destination in Vietnam, I arrived with dangerously high expectations for the meals I was about to consume. And how many times did I end up disappointed? ZERO. Chefs in Hoi An really know their way around a spice rack.

We’ve traveled to quite a few places over the past five years, but nowhere have we enjoyed the food more than we did here. Because I want you to have the same heavenly food experience in Hoi An, I took one for the team and sacrificed a few hot noodles to create this list of the best foods to try in Hoi An, plus give you a few tips on where to eat them. No need to thank me. It’s all part of the job. :)

Hoi An Food Guide: What to Eat and Where

1. Cao Lau – Hoi An’s Signature Noodles and Pork

What is cao lau? The dish Hoi An is most famous for consisting of thick rice noodles, savory slices of barbecued pork, bean sprouts, fresh greens, and crunchy crackers served with a light sauce.

Why you should try it: Because Hoi An is the only place you’ll be able to try a truly authentic bowl of cao lau. Supposedly, to be considered true cao lau, the water used to make the noodles must come from a very specific well located in Hoi An and the ash used for soaking the noodles must come from trees grown on the nearby Cham Islands.

While I think this is likely more old wives’ tale than actual practice these days, it’s always fun to sample a local dish in the place it was first created, and in this case, it’s so good you’ll probably want to sample it more than once!

Read More: 7 Things to Do on Your First Trip to Hoi An + Travel Tips

Where to Try Cao Lau in Hoi An – Mot

Finding cao lau in Hoi An won’t be an issue. Most restaurants and cafes have it on the menu at varying prices.

Our favorite spot for cao lau was a small, open-air cafe in the Ancient Town called Mot. Here, you can enjoy a delicious bowl of cao lau for just 30,000 VND (a little over $1 USD).

Besides the excellent prices, the quirky decor, and the convenient location, the other thing we loved about Mot was the owner – a friendly elderly lady who, when she wasn’t busy serving, always came around to talk to customers. Despite wanting to try as many different Hoi An restaurants as we could, we found ourselves back at Mot a second time just because we felt so welcome there.

Find Mot on a map: 150 Tran Phu, Hoi An

2. Com Ga – Vietnamese Chicken Rice

What is com ga? White rice cooked with pandan leaves in chicken broth and served topped with tender, shredded chicken, fresh coriander, and onions.

Why you should try it: Accustomed to the milder flavors and more simple presentation of Singapore’s chicken rice, we were pleasantly surprised to discover Vietnam’s version to be far more fragrant and colorful. There is an abundance of flavor packed into this relatively simple dish as well.

Another upside – if you’re traveling with picky eaters (aka: kids), you can ask that the onions and greens be left off, easily making this a child-approved meal.

Where to Try Com Ga in Hoi An – Wind and Moon Restaurant

Com Ga Ba Buoi in the city center is generally considered to be the best place to taste this zesty dish. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the opportunity to try it there, but we did discover a great restaurant along An Bang Beach, Wind and Moon Restaurant, that served what we considered to be an excellent plate of com ga.

Besides, if I had the choice to enjoy a meal with this view or in a crowded street cafe, I would choose the scenic view every time.

Find Wind and Moon Restaurant on a map: An Bang Beach, Quang Nam

3. Banh Bao Vac – ‘White Rose’ Shrimp and Pork Dumplings

What is white rose? Delicate rice dumplings filled with either shrimp or pork and sprinkled with scallions and crispy fried onions, served with a dipping sauce of shrimp broth, sugar, lemon juice, and chilies on the side.

Why you should try it: Given the nickname ‘white rose’ due to their appearance, banh bao vac are little taste explosions. Even without the dipping sauce, they pack a punch thanks to the many spices the shrimp and pork are cooked with.

Supposedly, the recipe for white rose is a highly guarded secret and all of the dumplings sold in the city are made by the one family who knows it, so if you ever want to try them, you’ll have to do so while in Hoi An.

Where to Try White Rose in Hoi An

If you want to try banh bao vac directly from the source, you can pull up a chair at White Rose Restaurant where Tran Tuan Ngai and family serve their secret recipe.

However, you’ll be able to find them much cheaper elsewhere in town, and if the legend is true, you’ll still be eating the exact same dumplings you would at White Rose Restaurant. We loved to have these for a little snack in between meals and our favorite ones came from the same place we first tried com ga – Wind and Moon Restaurant on An Bang Beach.

Read More: Lasenta Boutique Hotel: A Scenic Place to Stay in Hoi An

4. Ca Phe – Vietnamese Coffee

What is ca phe? A strong cup of coffee balanced by the addition of sweetened condensed milk.

Why you should try it: Well, it’s served in a unique contraption for starters. When you ask for a cup of ca phe in Hoi An, you’re handed a coffee cup topped with a phin filter (French drip) that’s been filled with coarsely ground, dark-roasted coffee beans and hot water. The hot water slowly trickles through the filter, and after about 4-5 minutes, you’ll have a freshly brewed cup of coffee in your hands.

Secondly, it’s deliciously strong. To truly drink it Vietnam-style, be sure to stir in the sweetened condensed milk provided on the side.

Where to Try Vietnamese Coffee in Hoi An – Reaching Out Teahouse

Even if you don’t drink coffee, it’s still worth paying Reaching Out Teahouse a visit. The coffee and tea they serve is top of the line and their teahouse and back patio gardens are beautiful, but what really makes this place special is their mission.

Every person employed at Reaching Out Teahouse is either deaf or unable to speak. When you visit the teahouse, you’ll be asked to keep your voice low and you’ll communicate with your servers via written messages and visual cues.

Located in the center of the city, visiting Reaching Out Teahouse is a one-of-a-kind experience, and a wonderful way to support the deaf community in Hoi An.

Find Reaching Out Teahouse on a map: 131 Tran Phu, Hoi An

5. Banh Mi – Vietnamese Baguette Sandwich

What is banh mi? A hot, crusty baguette spread with homemade mayonnaise, signature sauces, and pâté, then filled with your choice of juicy meats and fresh vegetables. Vegetarian options are also available.

Why you should try it: If you’ve ever wanted to try something so tasty that it will quite likely cause you to drool as you’re eating it, do yourself a favor and try a bahn mi. Easily customizable to your own tastes, I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying the unique blend of flavors in these sandwiches.

In addition to being a super tasty lunch easily eaten on the go, banh mi is also ridiculously cheap. You’ll find banh mi commonly sold throughout the city for 20,000 VND or less. That’s under $1 for what may be the best sandwich of your life. Totally worth it.

Where to Try Banh Mi in Hoi An – Banh Mi Phuong

It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the long queue that stretches halfway down the street is an excellent indicator of the treasures that await inside Banh Mi Phuong.

Regarded as the best banh mi in Hoi An, I can personally attest to the fact that the sandwiches served here are well worth the wait. (The line moves relatively quick, but there’s also seating inside if you want to sit down and order.)

I recommend making this one of your first food stops in Hoi An, because chances are you’re going to love it so much you’ll want to return again before you leave.

Find Banh Mi Phuong on a map: 2B Phan Chu Trinh, Hoi An

6. Bun Bo Nam Bo – Beef Noodles with Veggies

What is bun bo nam bo? Thin strips of marinated beef, stir-fried, and then tossed with soft vermicelli noodles, vegetables, and nuoc cham – a blend of fish sauce, lime juice, chilies, and a little sugar.

Why you should try it: Ever so slightly spicy due to the chilies, the marinated beef in this dish is out of this world. A feast for the eyes and the stomach, I wasn’t even all that hungry when I ate this and I still finished the whole plate. (A by-product of having a long list of foods to try in a short amount of time meant my stomach forgot how to feel hungry here.)

The veggies included with bun bo nam bo seem to differ depending on who’s making it, and sometimes you might even get crushed peanuts sprinkled on top, but regardless of which version you receive, it’ll be a hearty, filling dish perfect for dinner after a busy day sightseeing.

Where to Try Bun Bo Nam Bo in Hoi An

Often called beef noodle salad (to differentiate between beef noodle soup), this is another dish you’ll find served all over the city.

Most restaurants in the Ancient Town have a version of bun bo nam bo on their menu. However, if you want to go the cheapest route, on the outskirts of Hoi An, you’ll find street food stalls that only serve this dish. If you decide to give bun bo nam bo a go here, I recommend choosing the one with the longest queue.

Read More: Snapshots of Hoi An: A Photo Series

7. Pho – Vietnamese Noodle Soup

What is pho? The national dish of Vietnam – a healthy and highly tasty broth-based soup consisting of rice noodles, herbs, assorted vegetable garnishes, and either beef (pho bo) or chicken (pho ga).

Why you should try it: It’s the perfect introduction to Vietnamese food. Mild, but not the least bit bland thanks to a genius combination of herbs and spices, enjoying a bowl of pho in Vietnam is like eating pizza in Italy, sushi in Japan, or burgers in the US – you just have to do it, no matter how cliche it might feel.

It can be a little tricky scooping up the broth with a soup spoon in one hand and maneuvering chopsticks in the other for the noodles, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be full of yummy pho (and self-pride at your newly acquired skills) in no time.

Where to Try Pho in Hoi An – Cham Cham Restaurant

Typically eaten for breakfast by locals, you’re still welcome to order pho any time of day you like. Since breakfast was provided at our hotel, we had no qualms about ordering pho often for lunch and dinner.

The best pho we tried was at Cham Cham Restaurant, located along the waterfront in An Hoi (the little island across the Thu Bon River from the Ancient Town). Popular with locals and tourists alike, we received great service at Cham Cham Restaurant and prices were extremely reasonable for the area. The best part, however, was definitely the gorgeous view of the river and the lights of Ancient Town we had from our table.

Find Cham Cham Restaurant on a map: 49 Nguyen Phuc Chu, Hoi An

8. Mot Tea – Iced Herbal Tea

What is Mot tea? A refreshing herbal tea concoction of lemon, lemongrass, ginger, honey, and various herbs.

Why you should try it: Because it gets murderously hot in central Vietnam in the summer and you’re going to need something to cool you down as you make your way from site to site in the Ancient Town.

Sold out of a giant tea cauldron at the front window of Mot (yep, the same Hoi An cafe I recommend you get your cao lau), Mot tea costs just 10,000 VND a cup (under 50 cents) and comes complete with lotus petals and kaffir leaves, nature’s version of the paper cocktail umbrella.

FYI: No need to grab a table to order Mot tea, just queue up at the window.

Where to Eat in Hoi An on a Budget – Central Market Food Hall

While it’s likely everywhere you’ll eat in Hoi An will feel like eating on a budget since everything costs so little in Vietnam, there is one place you’re always guaranteed a cheap meal – the Central Market Food Hall.

The Central Market is Hoi An’s biggest and busiest street market selling all sorts of fresh fish, fruits, and vegetables for reasonable prices. If it’s a hot meal you’re after, though, head into the Food Hall where you’ll find an abundance of stalls serving up many of the things included on this list.

A bonus for travelers: Prices are marked on nearly every stall, so you won’t have to worry about being charged the ‘tourist price’ for your meal.

Any delicious foods to try in Hoi An I missed? I’d love to hear your favorite dishes!

Read More: Hoi An Ancient Town Guide: Everything You Need to Know

Did you enjoy this article or find it helpful? Save it for later on Pinterest!

Read more about this at thewanderblogger.com

https://blogsandtravels.com/the-best-foods-to-try-in-hoi-an-where-to-eat-them/

[mshurtleff]

Phe of Fire

     The Lands of Kazadre were dry with drought, despite the people’s pleas to the water elementals for rain. The only people to benefit from the situation were the raiders. Villages weakened their defenses as they tried to ration food, and the fire elementals seemed to favor the raiders. If a village didn’t want to burn, they would have to submit to banditry.

      The Blood Raiders, as they were known, were the most successful renegades. They plagued most of the villages along the Grey River. Ganta was the only village to defy them and succeed. It was a large village, and its inhabitants managed to chase the raiders away again and again, but they were weakening. With the spoils of war, the raiders were able to supply themselves with everything they needed for a siege, while the supplies of Ganta dwindled. And the Blood Raiders were returning. It was dubious whether Ganta could survive another string of attacks.

     Martis expected their full destruction in the next attack. He’d helped trained the young warriors of Ganta; Phe, Lep, Spiris, Ren, and a few others. They were all ready to die fighting, but he didn’t want that. As their leader, he’d come to know them each very well, and he wasn’t ready to watch their fall--not in such a futile battle. He prayed that the elementals would favor them, but he didn’t really believe they cared. Spiris had once lived as an elemental of air, and only remembered the darkness and loneliness of those days. Lep was the one who brought her back as a human, and he was the only reason she was fighting with them—why she might be willing to die with them today. She was probably the only outsider to care about the fate of their obscure village.

     “Any sign of them?” Martis called to Ren who kept the lookout. It was unlikely that they would show so early. The raiders knew that there was nothing to lose in the delay. Waiting was the worst part, but staying on the defensive was their best chance. They were stationed near the woods above the village. From there, they could have a good lookout and keep a low profile.

    “No sign, except…Phe’s coming up.” Martis jerked his head where Ren pointed. A figure pushed up the hill on the forest side. It was Phe, of course, with her long red braid hanging behind her. Phe was a mystery. The village may have been large, but it rarely had visitors anymore, and strangers were a unheard of. And yet, somehow, no one seemed to know anything about Phe. However, as soon as she heard about the raiders, she’ d signed up to fight them. When she joined his soldiers, Martis got to know her better than anyone. Despite her serious disposition, they’d become friends, often training and planning together. He may have come to trust her most of all. Very few of the young warriors were as level headed and battle ready as she was.  Wherever she came from, they obviously knew something about war.

     “Report,” instructed Martis as Phe approached.

     “I’d say there are about three forces waiting down there. The reinforcements and provisions arrived just before I got there. How is the village?” Martis wiped sweat from his forehead and frowned. Even if every able-bodied man were willing and trained, they’d be lucky if they could still match even one force of raiders.

    “It looks like it’ll rain,” Lep suggested, joining them. “Since were on the high ground, it might give us some advantage.” He put a hand on Martis’s shoulder, being half a head taller, and smiled. They were about the same age and good friends, but Martis never understood Lep’s optimism. Rain would be a disadvantage to both sides, but at least it would cool the summer heat.

     “Are you sure this is how you want to do it?” Phe suddenly asked Martis. Her eyes poured into his; she knew the doubt and guilt that lurked there. The night before had ended in a long discussion over death and sacrifice. But why was she asking this now?

     “If you don’t think…”

     “No, we all agreed this was the best way, but is this what you want?” Phe asked again. Martis stared, confused.

     Lep dropped his hand and spoke up, “What are you talking about Phe? Martis is the bravest of all of us, he wants whatever is best for the village. But, if you want to back down…”

     “I didn’t ask you,” Phe grumbled. Martis bit back a smile. He knew that, on any other occasion, Phe would have lit into Lep in a second. No one was allowed to question her courage like that.

     “Lep, maybe you should check the weapons supply,” Martis intervened. Lep laughed.

     “Apparently, I’m not wanted. Okay, I’ll go, but I’m not about to go count Kale’s freakish knives,” he conceded and left to find Spiris.

     “He’s just been trying to be encouraging,” Martis said when Lep was gone.

     “He has no sense of appropriate gravity,” she muttered in return.

     “He was right in one thing though, I do want what’s best for the village…”

      “I know,” she cut in, “but this plan will be the end of all of us. If it will save the village, then fine. But either way it will mean the death of all of us.”

     “We might escape,” he suggested, and Phe just gave him a questioning glance. She hesitated before saying more.

   “The men of the village are also ready to die, but Lep and Spiris just found each other and…”

   “I would make them leave, but you know Lep, and Spiris won’t leave him. I don’t want anyone to die, Phe, but we agreed that this was our best chance. If I could, I’d ensure that no one even got hurt, but I can’t; and we, unlike the men waiting in the village, don’t have families to take care of.” Why was she talking like this? As though he didn’t think about the consequences every second.

     “But you don’t crave a warrior’s death?”

     “No, of course not. Are you alright, Phe? You suggested this plan yourself…”

     “I just wanted to be sure—sure you know what’s going to happen out there, that you’re ready for it. It won’t be easy for any of us.”

     “I know, Phe, I know, but we have to do what we can. We all agreed to this, and trust me that I haven’t once forgotten what it means. We have to give it our best shot.” Phe nodded.

    “We won’t die, though,” she added suddenly, “so don’t be so afraid.” Martis didn’t have time to answer her cryptic assurance.

    “They’re coming now!” Ren shouted from his post. All the young warriors stood in their places, watching the wave of weapons rush toward them.

     “Light the fire!” Martis directed. The hay blazed as Phe and Kale hurried about with torches. It wouldn’t hold the raiders long, but hopefully long enough for the villagers to prepare. And hopefully, it wouldn’t spread too fast.

      The clouds finally began to sprinkle, but it was too late and too light to stop the flames. Martis called the others to back up. Ren and the other archers sent volleys over the flames. As the soldiers broke through, Martis ordered the counter attack. They lost control of the fire, and the raiders were cutting through, quicker than they could be cut down. The fire and raiders encircled the young warriors. They were a strong group, and held together well, but there were so many raiders. It wasn’t long before they faltered.

     “This is the end,” Martis said as it finally began to sink in. Phe, who fought beside him, heard. He’d hoped they could at least make it back to the village first, but the fire cut off their escape. They all had known that this might happen, though.

     “We aren’t going to die,” Phe assured him, features hardened against the fight. There was something in her voice that set off warning bells in his head. Phe wasn’t the sort to deny the truth. He swung his sword in defense and when he looked back, she was gone. Another raider came on his right, he couldn’t find Phe. His stomach twisted into knots. She was going to do something desperate. Phe fought off the last raider in her path. The fire was dimming. Soon they would all break through.

     Phe threw off her helmet and made for an open spot in the battlefield, where the fire blazed strongest. She breathed in deep. Fire. It licked about and called to her. She dropped her sword and walked into the flames until they consumed her and her bright red hair. Ren saw her and screamed. Martis tried to breakthrough and go after her, but it was too late.

   “She killed herself,” Lep muttered. Martis froze. From where Phe disappeared, sparks arose and the flames burned hotter. A shower of fire and sparks shot into the air. For a moment, the battle died down in awe as flames spread into wings and a beak. The fire bird flew in a loop, leaving a trail of smoke. It came around and burned the ground in a whoosh of scorching wings. Martis, Lep, and the others gravitated towards each other. The bird turned and swooped around them in circles. The raiders who weren’t burned fled for their lives.

    Long after the raiders left, the fire burned and burned out until the survivors were surrounded by nothing but ash.

   “What happened?” Lep stuttered. Spiris shivered, running her own hand up her arm; as though to make sure she was still there. She didn’t like to remember what it felt like to be an elemental. Martis could only stare in horror; he understood now.

     “She was a phoenix, a type of fire elemental,” Spiris explained. Martis jerked his head, wondering at her knowledge, but then he remembered. She was once air, she would know. They were silent.

     “Is she gone?” Kale whispered.

    “But…aren’t phoenix’s supposed to be born from their own ashes?” Lep wondered. Spiris looked with uncertainty towards where the fire died. There was a distinct pile of ash where the burnt earth ended. In the ashes, something started to move. All covered in black, a small girl began to shake herself clean. Ren gave Spiris his cloak and she flung it around the little thing’s shoulders. The soot fell away and a bright-eyed little girl stared up at them all. She radiated with heat.

    “What am I?” she asked eyes full of wonder.

   “A phoenix,” Spiris replied reverently.

    “Why is everyone so sad? Today is my birthday!” the thing said. They exchanged looks; Spiris wrapped an arm around the girl and helped her to stand.

    “They lost a friend today, a very dear one. What’s your name?” The girl looked about.

    “Seraph, call me Seraph.” No one said a word. Phe, Martis thought, had it always been short for Phoenix? He could just imagine her birth. Fire, chaos, and then a girl with brilliant red hair and a frown. Phoenix, she would have thought, I’m a phoenix. And then, when she finally met someone who asked her name, she probably looked at them and said Phoenix, as though stating the obvious, perhaps even envisioning her glorious death. It was very like her.

     “Is there…there’s nothing of her left?” he managed to murmur. Spiris shook her head. So this was a new life, a new phoenix—Phe’s progeny. The friend and warrior he’d known was gone forever.

    “We’ve just fought a battle,” Lep explained further, “It’s a sad day, but we won against all odds because our friend was a hero, and then you were born. Perhaps we should celebrate.” The wide eyed thing tilted its head and smiled.

     “What if the raiders return?” Ren asked.

    “Because of Phe, it looks like fire’s on our side,” Lep answered, “And I don’t think they’re the sort to risk that but we’ll keep a close watch on them—just in case.” Martis turned away from them, towards the village. He couldn’t celebrate. Phe had planned this all along, he realized. Even when she first came up with the plan to use fire, she must have known this would happen. And just like he’d said he wanted, they were all alive. All but one.

[lashondaditter-blog]

Exactly How The Net Embraced A 'Simpsons'.

This's fantastic exactly how swiftly our houses may start to appear dated. I received mad and malfunctioned to splits and began thinking that an ill individual. Health and wellness representatives point out over 500,000 folks might possess been actually administered along with Incredible Gel, a breast augmentation material China prohibited in April, a file said. It has a charitable feeling to comprehend that folks carry out certainly not regularly hurt us due to the fact that they decide to. Frequently, they run out command over their activities in comparison to we, their victims, perform. Just off our knowledge and sympathy can our team recognize that when individuals harm our company, that is their weak spots that persuade all of them to function. ( HealthDay)-- The Fourth from July weekend is a time for occasions and also attractive rockets display screens. Selling and also delivering grocery stores as it is done in these times is certainly not a high-margin company because there are no reasonable differentiators. A 2nd (and occasionally 3rd) area of the PHE is actually added to eliminate the continuing to be heat energy along with a combination from cooled pure water as well as propylene glycol These refrigerator systems can be produced to combine large evaporator surface as well as high cooled water flow costs to cool higher flow rates of dairy. Between 7 and also 10 million individuals are estimated to possess Parkinson's ailment all over the world - 1m in the UNITED STATE as well as much more than 100,000 in the UK. This indicates numerous thousand people are going to additionally create PDP and adventure sometimes disabling illusions and also deceptions. Being the premier meals company carries out certainly not imply being the largest yet this performs indicate being the greatest in terms of consumer value, customer care, worker skill, and also predictable as well as consistent growth. There must never ever be actually an opportunity when he must offer you "hints" as well as tap you on the shoulder to "go south", you ought to perform it given that you love to perform that, initiate that when he does not expect it, due to the fact that you "require this;-RRB-." Release and be actually coy and seductive along with your other half, let him understand you intend him which he turns you on. All this will definitely create sex extra appealing for both from you, you'll begin and also he'll observe. If this is in fact correct, at that point why do so few people really accomplish this, as well as experience the activities from lifestyle without function or even factor, feeling dropped, http://nickstrenghtblog.info/ unsatisfied and separated? Which would indicate that if you devoted the decade consuming, cigarette smoking, being actually inactive and eating considerable amounts of junk foods, your brain is actually more probable to experience the repercussions. You are going to practically feel your heart perish a little bit of if someone blemishes this - which I believe many individuals will do since no one ases if a wealthy show off. In today's planet, certainly not merely is this necessary to have a clean as well as excellent business credibility and reputation online, but additionally to possess a really good personal online reputation as well as impact. The detach is simply that, often times the market are going to stand by while a firm is actually making the reverse to favorable revenues. Your perspective is actually the crucial to results in every facet from your life like your wellness, wide range structure, connections, success at the office, and appreciating day-to-day life. Consider starting tiny with a tour blanket or tea towel, and after that move up to garments as well as drapes as well as other house and also personal extras. She manages a candle provider along with her daddy phoned "Super Service Woman." Newson likewise possesses ambitions to go on to end up being mayor of the urban area, and also eventually the head of state of the United States.

[fpvoices]

Sabila Willy, Chairman PHE Mt. Elgon (Lake Victoria Basin Commission)

Uganda

We first mobilize the people, and then we sensitize them. In sensitization, we are making them to understand the positive and the negative impact. For instance, when we talk of population—having a big number in a family, there are a number of challenges. We give them time to contribute: What do you think? We compare someone having maybe 3 children with someone having 10 children. Maybe all these people need support from their parents, in terms of food, in terms of education, in terms of clothes. Then you compare that with someone having three children. You also give them time to give options: What do you think we can do? You find people themselves also contributing.

Then you go to health: If you advise someone to have a latrine—if a visitor comes to your home, yes, it is ok. Maybe he or she arrives there and finds everywhere is being defecated by children. When you give food or tea, do you think that the person can eat? People start giving answers. If you dig a latrine, and you maintain it well, do you think you will have these problems, like diarrheal diseases and other diseases from poor hygiene and sanitation. You ask them, “Which way can we go? Can we still move in the same way that we used to?”

Previously, mothers have been delivering at home, and many children have been dying. Now when we advise the mothers to deliver in the health facility, where you find that you have the experts who know how to handle mothers, compared to delivering at home, which way do you think it can go? You find communities contributing. I think there are a number of changes from the communities, because they are empowered, and they give their own contributions for the success of the program.

Interviewer: Liz Futrell

Photographer: Chris Darlington, Favor Studios

[fpvoices]

David Johnson, Chief Executive, Margaret Pyke Trust, Coordinating body of the Population & Sustainability Network

London, United Kingdom

We need to start talking to other sectors about the importance of family planning. In our work, in the last year of talking to conservation organizations, we’ve been taken aback at how almost universally excited they are about the PHE [population, health, and environment] approach. We need to actually tell them about it. If you don’t tell people, they don’t know that there’s an option out there. We’re in a situation where conservation organizations need to start working with communities more. There’s a real opportunity if we as reproductive health advocates tell them about the power of PHE that we can actually get them to change their methodologies. I think sometimes we’re not ambitious enough in actually going and talking to these new audiences, and we instead talk to ourselves.

Interviewer: Liz Futrell

Photographer: Chris Darlington, Favor Studios