#minding my own nonessential business!

[jrueships]

if jaren didn't know jp was newly living as a switch... he knows now <3

[translations-by-aiimee]

Dig a Grave to Dig Out a Ghost - Chapter 13

Original Title: 挖坟挖出鬼

Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Supernatural, Yaoi

This translation is based on multiple MTLs and my own limited knowledge of Chinese characters. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Chapter 13 - Doubt

In the archaeological internship Lin Yan participated in, the Ming Tomb was undoubtedly a very peculiar place. The excavation work lasted three months. Before the excavation started, Lin Yan didn't even get any relevant background information. He asked his professor several times but never got a response. When he was told that would be staying at the tomb for only a week, he thought he was coming to be the team's water boy. Instead, he was unexpectedly sent to the site as soon as the plane touched down and was given one of the most important jobs of cleaning the body found in the main room of the tomb.

It was a medium-sized underground mysterious tomb. Bluestone blocks were built into arches. The apse in the room was about forty meters long. A large black lacquered coffin left slightly ajar rested peacefully on the stone platform. Lin Yan and the rest of the crew held their breath together. When the golden nanmu wood coffin lid was slowly lifted, and the gold, silver, jade and rosy brocade around the corpse were exposed, a soft cheer erupted from the tomb. Everyone couldn't help but celebrate that they found such an magnificent mausoleum that had been left completely untouched by tomb robbers. After a long while, all nonessential personnel evacuated one by one. Lin Yan remembered that the professor was the last one to leave the scene. When he left, he rested his hand heavily on his shoulders, as if he wanted to say something but never ended up getting anything out. In the empty and dark main room of the tomb, only Lin Yan and a few lights, both bright and dim, were left. Sometimes, the miner's lamp was often extinguished inexplicably. He later recalled that the owner of the tomb might have been watching him ever since then.

The corpse in the coffin had rotted into a skeleton, but the hair that remained was soft and shiny. However, when Lin Yan sat alone by the coffin and skimmed through some history books, doubts arose. The identity of the owner of the tomb was like the bronze of this mysterious palace, unrecognizable under the green rust. There was no record, no genealogy, nothing even mentioned in town and county chronologies. The tomb's eternal light placed in front of the coffin had long been dried up, and a two-foot-long black name card behind it was coated with thick old blood. The place where the name should be written was empty, and it turned out to be a non-character memorial tablet.

When the last artifact in the coffin was successfully taken out, Lin Yan was told he could return. It only took them seven days and no one had ever told him about the origin of the tomb that whole time.

The sun was shining on Friday morning, and the roses in the flower bed were rushing to bloom. There was a soft fragrance of something oily like burning opium in the air. Lin Yan parked his car at the school gate and hurried through the small square in front of the building to get to the professor's office. He was in such a rush that he went through the ground fountain in the square. After he took a few steps, bells and drums started playing and spurts of water shot from the jets, the surrounding area immediately turning into a forest of water columns shooting up.

"Shit. . ." He couldn't dodge them and got completely soaked. Lin Yan internally cursed as he rushed forward, wringing out the hem of his shirt. A few school girls had just come out of the main entrance of the building and giggled at the embarrassing scene.

Lin Yan blushed a little.

Shiny drops of water splashed off his hair and a droplet fell into his eye. When he raised his hand to wipe it away, his wrist was caught by someone. The cold fingertips wiped the drop off one of his eyelashes. Lin Yan blinked and stood there silently.

When he walked up the steps, he saw a new large poster on the left side of the automatic door. A gentle-looking middle-aged man with glasses was holding a pen, and his demeanour resembled an unopened folder in a stationery store. There was a large line next to him: Chen XX, a well-known Chinese history professor, is coming to our school to give a lecture. All students are welcome to participate. This will be a great chance to interact with the professor.

The tune played was one typically used by the Propaganda Department, the following rows of small letters are written with the specific time and content of the event. Lin Yan struggled to twist the hem of the wet T-shirt and walked towards the hall, muttering that this was probably the reason that the fountain suddenly turned on. Turning back, he frowned and stood in front of the poster for a minute. He always felt that the man on the poster was a bit familiar, but he couldn't remember who it was. After thinking about it for a while, Lin Yan shook his head and stepped through the hall.

The professor's office was on the fourth floor.

"Professor, are you kidding me? From the preliminary preparations to the end of the tomb excavation, so many people participated in it. How could it be possible that nothing about the tomb owner's origins could be found until now?"

"That tomb was already considered to be average to wealthy for the time period. Even if the owner of the tomb was not of official origin, there is always a record in historical records for wealthy businessmen."

University institutions were never busy on Fridays. Everyone was waiting for the weekend. Lin Yan’s professor was no exception. He was sitting in the office with his legs crossed when the drenched student burst into his office. Behind the table, he held a heavy purple sand teacup in his hand. Because he often went to the West in his early years, his skin was wrinkled by the wind and frost. His midsection was blessed by some middle-aged fat, and the bags under the eyes were hanging loosely behind the glasses.

The professor grew impatient with Lin Yan's aggressive tone, and patted a stack of books on the table: "Isn't that so? You see, I'm more worried about writing a report on the excavation. I've been busy for more than a month and I haven't made any progress."

Lin Yan leaned forward impatiently with his hands on the glass plate of the tabletop: "The mausoleum was left untouched. The body and burial items were intact. Isn't it possible to determine the identity of the tomb owner?"

This student had always been known for his politeness and patience. It was rare for him to be this anxious.

"That's the problem. Comparing the data compiled based on the unearthed cultural relics with the records at the time, I can only say that he's completely unknown." The professor put down the cup and tapped his finger on the cover of the book a few times: "Ming Dynasty history is not my specialty. Tell me, why don't you do some research yourself? The students in our school must be able to research independently. You should make good use of the school library resources."

Lin Yan shook his head disappointedly. Just like the professor said, there was a lot of historical data to go through. He wouldn't make any progress in the next three months. Even three years might not be enough time to go through all the information. By then, he would have run out of ten lives. What's more, he has searched through the relevant history books of the library for the past week and even asked Yin Zhou to search through the database in less legal ways, but the strange thing is that no matter what keywords they use - the age, name, location - he couldn't find any information. It was common sense that, in ancient times, even a talented person would be written about somewhere in the county annals, but this Xiao Yu was like a person from another world. The records passed over him like he had never existed.

The faint scent of book pages and wood was floating in the air, and the light blue shutters broke up the rays of sun leaking in. Lin Yan subconsciously glanced back, as if there should be a companion waiting to respond to his doubts. But Xiao Yu does exist, he thought.

Trying his best to stay calm, Lin Yan lowered his head and lowered his voice: "Teacher, this is really important to me, can you help. . ." While speaking, his gaze was fixed on the table. Under the glass plate were many old photos of the professor when he was young. There was a row of people wearing work clothes and hard hats in the black-and-white pictures. Compared to the middle-aged man with swollen eyes in front of him, there was a strange sense of contradiction in the gray-headed but happy-looking man in the pictures.

Time really did wonders.

The instructor tapped two fingers on the table. He didn't look at Lin Yan when he spoke. His eyes were a little dodged: "Why do you need to know the owner of the tomb? Do you need to write a paper?"

Lin Yan took a deep breath. He had always had a keen insight into people's emotions. When he had been sorting through clues last night, the situation that occurred in the tomb flashed in his mind. He had already had his doubts at the time, but he was so nervous and excited that he didn't think too much of it. For example, ever since he joined the team, everyone had been keeping secrets, and the professor also looked at him with that dodgy look when the excavators all left the tomb. The whole thing seemed to have been arranged long ago, so Lin Yan hadn't cared about interrupting the teacher's off-time and grabbed the phone to set up a meeting time.

"Professor, you should know why; this is a matter of life and death." After hesitating for a moment, Lin Yan frowned and said this sentence with emphasis. He pressed his hands on the table hard and turned away.

When I walked to the door of the office. He paused, one, two. . . Lin Yan counted silently in his heart.

Three.

"Wait." The professor's voice sounded from behind.

"Lin Yan, this project isn't under my control. I just heard that a lot of strange things happened when the tomb was opened. Someone came to me and asked you to go. I didn't agree with it. . . If you really want to know more, you can go ask the coordinator of the excavation yourself." The finger tapped twice on the desk. "His name is Chen, he'll be at our school next Monday for a lecture. There are posters downstairs." After speaking, he took a few volumes from the neatly arranged books and put them back on the table, gesturing that he could leave. "You can get more out of him than me"

"Last question." Lin Yan held the door frame and poked his face in: "Teacher, do you know Xiao Yu?"

"No, I don't." The answer was quick this time: "Who's that?"

Lin Yan sighed and held the railing as he quickly walked downstairs.

[angst-for-the-angst-queen]

Pandemic Preparedness

Markiplier Egos Fanfic

Originally posted on Wattpad on March 17th, 2020.

Summary: It’s the middle of March. Dark is trying to make sure the egos are prepared if the pandemic takes a turn for the worst and asks Google for his assistance. Google is less than willing to help.

Warnings: COVID-19

Thunk, thunk, thunk. The sound of metal knocking on wood rang out through the office. The man sitting in the room at his desk didn’t bother to look up from his work. “Come in,” he commanded, his voice deep with a hint of another layer just beneath it.

The door to his office opened and the whirring of mechanical parts became audible. “In what way do you require my assistance?” Googleplier’s monotone voice asked. “And why would you send the Jims to fetch me?”

Darkiplier flipped a paper over, scanning the other side. “They were in my office, trying to interview me about my opinion in regards to the new coronavirus. Or, as they called it, the ‘deadly buggy-wuggy.’ Getting them to fetch you took care of two problems at once.”

“And why did you summon me?” Google asked again, the voice of the easily angered android becoming impatient.

Dark finally looked up from his work and focused his gaze on the search engine. “I need your assistance in making sure we’re prepared to weather this outbreak. The Bay Area has ordered a ‘shelter in place’ and the governor is planning to extend it to the rest of California. It’s a good idea for us to have as many extra supplies going into this as soon as possible.”

Google scowled. “Though COVID-19 has been declared to be a pandemic, my calculations show that it is unlikely to cause as many deaths as the Black Death or the Spanish Flu. Both of them had at least fifty million deaths. In this situation, the only way to get that many deaths is if humans had no response whatsoever to the pandemic. It is a shame, as a culling of the human population of that magnitude could have significantly helped me with my secondary objective.”

“Even if it won’t kill as many people as previous pandemics, we still need to be prepared,” Dark countered. “While most of us spend the majority of our time in this manor and wouldn’t have to worry about catching the disease, if society starts falling apart, we may not have access to all the supplies we need. And because there are fourteen of us, we need all the supplies we can get.”

Google narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. “It is not my fault you all are trapped in fragile, fleshy bodies and require food and water to survive. And it is not possible for me to catch this disease, so it is no concern of mine.”

Dark sighed. “We currently only have enough generators to keep the bare necessities of the manor running and for one android to charge. If the power stations fail and you don’t assist me, Bing’s the one who will get complete ownership over the charging station.”

Google’s face turned murderous. “How dare you. You would not, he is the inferior search engine.”

“I would and I will, if you don’t help me,” Dark replied evenly. “And since I can’t imagine that months without charge would be healthy for your battery, you’ll do what I ask.”

The android grumbled to himself before making up his mind. “Fine, but only if we get another generator.”

Before Dark could respond, the door swung open again. “Terminator Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiim!” a voice cried out. A figure wearing a blue shirt and tan pants somersaulted through the doorway, landing in a position with one leg bent on the ground, one foot planted on the floor, and a microphone extended outwards. Another man with the same exact outfit army crawled after the first man, holding a camera as he did so. “Terminator Jim, we overheard what you were saying to Broken Jim. Is it true that the deadly buggy-wuggy is now a ‘pandemic’?” And do those ‘calculations’ you mentioned also show that the people who are buying toilet paper are panicking for no reason?”

Google, who was in no mood for the Jims’ shenanigans, clenched his hands into fists. However, because his primary objective was to answer questions as quickly as possible, he was forced to reply. “Toilet paper is more of a luxury item than a necessity for survival. The humans who are mass purchasing toilet paper are wasting their money on nonessential supplies.”

The reporter decided to interpret that as an affirmative response. “So, you’re saying we’re having a panickdemic?”

Google blinked. “Was that your attempt at a pun?”

Cameraman Jim nodded very seriously. “Humor makes the ratings skyrocket.”

Dark massaged his temples. “Since when did the Jims know how to make puns?”

“Ever since they started watching Sanders Sides so they could interview the Sides better if they ever got to meet them,” Google answered.

Reporter Jim piped up. “Morality Jimposter has taught us many things. How to make puns, that baby Jims come from messenger falcons, that the process of becoming an adult Jim is called adultery...”

“Jims, leave now,” Dark ordered. “Google and I have work to do, and we can’t do it with you two in here. If you want to talk to someone about Patton, I’m pretty sure he’s friends with King.”

Reporter Jim gasped. “Did you hear that Jim?! We can go get the scoop on Morality Jimposter if we go talk to Squirrel Jim! Onwards!”

Reporter Jim moved out of the room as though he was leading a parade, using his microphone as a baton while Cameraman Jim followed close behind. “We’re off to see the King! The wonderful King of the Squirrels! Lala lala lala lala la la lalalalalalaaaa! ...I forgot how the rest of the song goes.”

The song faded off into the distance as the Jims went off, exploring the manor in order to pester poor King. He was probably busy making sure his squirrels didn’t catch the disease, even though Google assured him that it was impossible, and he wouldn’t take kindly to being interrupted.

Dark slowly released a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Google, please go through the Jims’ computer history. I suspect they’ve been spending way too much time investigating pop culture. I’m not sure if people in this house could keep their sanity intact if they make one more reference.”

“Certainly,” Google replied, turning to walk out the door.

“Wait, where do you think you’re going?” Dark demanded, a ringing sound that was previously barely audible cutting through the air.

“To go look at the Jims’ computer history,” Google replied, looking at Dark with a slight smirk before continuing on his way.

“I didn’t mean now. You still need to help me with preparing for coronavirus.”

Google didn’t reply, as he was already out the office door.

The ringing rose to an almost painful level. “Google, I’m trying to treat you with respect. I don’t want to abuse your commands, but if you don’t act like a human, I’m not going to treat you like one.”

Google appeared in the doorway again and glowered at the demonic man. “I never act like a human,” Google spat. “Don’t you dare ever say that to me again.”

Dark simply arched an eyebrow. “You want the ability to make your own decisions, instead of simply following orders given to you like other modern robots and androids would. That seems pretty human to me. And besides, you’re going to help me with this task either way. It’s just whether or not you’re going to do it on your own free will.”

Google’s hands opened and shut rapidly, the sound of a high pitch beep filling the air. His head glitched once. “Fine,” he growled. “What do you need me to do?”

“Good.” Dark nodded then pushed a piece of paper towards Google. “I started making a list of essential items we would need if we remained in the manor for an extended period of time. Check to make sure we have enough of each item to last at least a month. If not, make a list of what we need to buy and how much we need to get. Also, add on any essentials we might need that I forgot.”

Google snatched the list up and stalked over to the door. Dark looked back down at his work, his aura flaring red. “And don’t slam the door.”

The android, who was in the middle of doing exactly that, pursed his lips and then slowly closed the door the rest of the way.

Dark cracked his neck, thinking over the conversation. He didn’t think he worded anything in a way that Google would try to exploit. And even if he did, he doubted that Google would try to find a loophole, with his charging privileges being on the line. He rolled his shoulders back and started working again, his train of thought back to where it was before Google entered the room.

[love-bucky-3000]

Every time We Touch (Ben Descendants 3 x Reader) pt 1

Prompt: Can I please get a Ben x reader where she’s mal’s sister and she thinks he likes mal and she has a flirty relationship with Jay so Ben thinks she likes jay. Thank u  Okay so the Reader and Mal were separated at birth so the reader has a heavy Hades vibe, people don’t know that Mal and the Reader are sisters because this is set in the first movie. Guess who isn’t really following the prompt again  @ithasntbeenprovin

WC- 1.2kish

AN- I’m sorry for the lack of posts but hopefully a new series will help. Thank you. I’m having fun writing a Soulmate fic

Auradon. Boradon. Same thing. You were finishing up your shift at Dr. Facilier’s Voodoo Arcade. It was busy for a Thursday but then again, does anyone actually go to school? Your hair was pulled up into a ponytail to keep it from sticking to your face with sweat. Air conditing was apparently nonessential to Dr. Facilier no matter how many times Ceilia complained. 

You clocked out and said goodbye to Ceilia, who had just handed your dad’s clothes over. Why he insisted that she do all his hard work was beyond you, but you had a suspicion that he wanted to mature her, the way her own dad never would. 

The walk back to the lair was boring. Bonded couples were everywhere. “At least others can find their soulmate,” you bitterly thought as you pasted a couple in the market. You made your mission to touch every person on the Isle, hoping that one will bring the joy of colors to your eyes. You didn’t even know what color your hair or eyes were. Dad told you they were both blue, but what exactly is blue? Thoughts would creep into your head at night. 

“What if your soulmate is already dead?” “What if” you almost gagged, “in Auradon?” You shuddered at the thought of some Boradon prince or pretty pink princess being bonded to your soul. Oh, but how you wanted to see the hues of the Sun or the pearly white of the King’s castle from across the lake. You’re taught colors in school, usually just different shades of black and white. Unless you were lucky enough to meet your soulmate young.

Take Harry Hook for example. His dad had just pushed him into the water, trying to teach him to swim as a bird would throw the chick off the tree branch and hope it flies. “If you’re going to be aboard the Jolly Roger, then you have to learn the waters beneath it.” Harry thought the last thing he’d see was the sun trying to break the surface of the water, until a slippery rope wrapped around his waist and suddenly the water wasn’t black, it was blue.

“Dad! Are you home?” you were answered by your own echo. Dad must still be out. You were putting the food that needs to be kept slightly cold in the broken fridge when a taped-up paper caught your eye. 

Dear Daughter of Hades, God of the Underworld,

You have been formally invited by future King Benjamin to attend 

Auradon Prep in the great city of Auradon. We would be very pleased to

have you attend our school. You are officially a part of the new Villian Kid 

Exchange Program honored by the King and Queen. Please fill out the following application form and bring it with you to meet your Auradon driver on the

Day of meeting. The meeting will be held at the entrance to the bridge at eight A.M. sharp tomorrow. We will be pleased to see you there.

The Auradon Court

You scoffed and threw the paper on the table. Did dad want you to go? You finished cleaning up the kitchen, your mind constantly finding its way back to the letter. It was signed, so it wasn’t faked, but you still had your doubts. A little voice in your head quietly said something about soulmate fate but you quickly pushed it away. 

Hades made it back soon after. You were lounging in the living room when he made his presence known. You watched with a raised eyebrow as he rummaged around the kitchen, making it very obvious that he was reading the Auradon paper like he wasn’t the one who taped it up. You rolled your eyes when he acted surprised. “Dad, I’ve seen it.” He glanced at you and shrugged. “This is great, isn’t it honey?” No. “I guess, dad.” He smiled and kissed your cheek. You wiped it away with a groan. Why was he so weird?

“I hope you know that you’re going,” “What!? No, I’m not! I’m fine here!” “I need connections in Auradon! You know the power that the ember holds over there,” you huffed, and here you were, thinking he wanted you to go for your own good. Always about power with him. “I’m just trying to find out a way to get off this horrible piece of trash that they call an island.” You knew that. You really did, but it’s hard to think that he was doing this for you and not to gain the rule of Auradon. 

“Fine, I’ll go, but I’m doing it on my own terms,” Hades smiled gleefully, “that’s all I could ever ask of you, honey. Oh! I almost forgot! Here,” he handed you a strip of rope with what looked like a blue rock… is that, “a part of the ember?” you asked. Hades nodded, “It won’t do everything that it does for me, but it’ll help.” You were shocked. Hades never let go of his ember, much less break it into pieces.

 “Does this hurt the ember?” Hades shook his head, “but it does make it vulnerable. Having two pieces makes it harder to protect. Just remember, the Daughter of Malenifant holds power over this ember, not as much as you, but it can still be used.” You seethed at the mention of Mal, “She won’t even be in Auradon.”  Hades half smiled, “I know you despise her. You need to know that she was also chosen,” “I’m not going now!” Hades rolled his eyes, “no take-backs, (Y/N).” Of course, your dad picks this time to be a child. “Pack your bags! I see you when you break the spell.”

After a very sleepless night, you were awoken by the big, bad three-headed dog at seven sharp. You reluctantly pulled yourself out of your cot. You would have stayed, but the last time you laid around in bed when you had to be up, you got a face full of lukewarm water and a swat to the shoulder. You didn’t want to go through that again. 

You looked at yourself in your broken mirror. You didn’t need a soulmate to see that the circles were dark underneath your eyes. You pulled your hair up, not bothering with makeup. Not that you had much on the lines of makeup. You threw on your clothes and grabbed your leather jacket. You safely wrapped the ember around your neck and put it inside your shirt. You picked up your duffle and walked across the hall to the kitchen. Hades was stationed at the rickety table, acting like he wasn’t waiting for you to come in.

“Look, (Y/N), I’ll be proud of you no matter what you do. If you get down there and absolutely love it,” you grunted and he shot you a look, “hey now. Anyway, just don’t forget about your old man.” You could tell this was his way of saying he’ll miss you and he expects you to up and leave him. “Dad, if I stay-and that’s a big if- I promise to visit every chance they give me.” He smiled, “that’s all I could ask for. Now we need to get you to the entrance.”

Tag list- @doveycam @idjit-angel-radio @the-marvelatic @captainmaniseffinghot @starrdustdoodles  @fisted-waffle @ldrmas @harvestleaves @nightrainn2 @thegirlwholikestomanythings (my normal tag list. I’m sorry, I can’t remember who just wanted Hades and not Descendants in general.)  @bluediamondsevie 

[sebastianshaw]

Alt-Marauders fic. Shaw gets a debilitating injury, and Madelyne and Haven have different reactions to HIS reaction. ***

In the pit where she’d been tossed aside---she had no powers, she’d been of no use to their enemies---Haven slowly felt herself regaining consciousness. And just as she had, she felt a hand in her hair, patting and tugging. “There you are, Ms. Dastoor,” said the familiar voice of Sebastian Shaw. Her eyes went wide at intrusion upon her person, what was he doing--- “Forgive the clumsy pawing, but as you can see...I cannot.” As she turned to look at him and her eyes adjusted to the dark, she saw that Shaw’s own eyes...were gone. His empty sockets were bleeding profusely, as were his ears, the already-crusting red rivulets running down his thick neck like the crimson throat patch of a great frigatebird. Haven had not screamed when she had been seized. Nor when she had been tossed into this oubliette. But she screamed now, and he could not hear her. *** They got out of it alive. Haven had partially crushed her left arm under her own weight when she’d hit the stone floor, Pyro and Shinobi had broken a few nonessential, and Madelyne lost a couple chunks of flesh. Claudine, well, Claudine could heal. But since the rest of them could not, they had to sail for the closest Krakoa portal to get ahold of a healer, as none of them were in any shape to take on hostile forces. Least of all Sebastian Shaw. Their captors had not been able to harm his the rest of his body, to gouge his flesh or break his bones, but they had blinded and deafened him. At the moment, Haven was doing her best to clean him up and disinfect the...holes. He jerked back away from her touch as the cloth neared his sockets, “Keep your fingers out of there, Allerdyce!” Pyro snickered from other side of the room, and Haven sighed, “Claudine, Madelyne, I don’t normally like telepathic invasion of any sort without permission, but...” “But you don’t want him getting gangrene in his face, said Claudine, and telepathically spoke to the man, as his ears were currently useless, Sebastian, it’s not Pyro poking around in there, it’s Haven trying to clean it out so it doesn’t get infected on the way to Krakoa. Let her. And your ears. “I should have known,” Shaw grouched aloud, at pushed back at Haven to get her away, “Stop fussing, woman, it’s fine! We’ll be back on Krakoa before--” What, before GERMS crawl into your gaping SKULL HOLES?! Madelyne demanded into his mind now, Look, if YOU want that, that’s fine. If you want the healer to grow your eyes and eardrums back in OVER them, trapping the infection INSIDE so it can eat your brain, I don’t think anyone will have much objection---except Haven. And okay, her a little too, she still liked Sebastian, she couldn’t help it. She just still did, okay? Liked. That was all. Liked him enough not to want to watch that. It is not Haven’s place to decide my medical treatment, he mentally returned. Oh, you’d be demanding we disinfectant it RIGHT NOW if she WASN’T already trying to do that, said Claudine, You just don’t want her playing mama with you like she does everyone else. And she won’t be okay? Madelyne promised, I’ll do it. That fine with you? Shaw just grunted, “If someone must.” Alright, tough guy, I’ll tell everyone else to clear out True to her word, Madelyne shooed others away accordingly and went to work. She’s just trying to be nice you know, she thought at Shaw as she did her best with the wounds. No mental answer. She cares about you Still no answer. Look, you don’t need any more enemies on this ship Telepathic silence. She could just dig deeper and read what he was thinking, rather than only what he deliberately broadcast to her, but that was uncalled for. Well, actually, you’ve done really well on that front, she amended, Only Pyro and Shinobi really can’t stand you, and Shin was like that coming in right? And he still works with you. So I guess it’s just Pyro. But still, be nice, she’s trying to help. And I like her. When Madelyne was done, Sebastian set about the task of stumbling to his room. “Madelyne, what’s wrong with him?” Haven asked in deep concern as she saw him going swaying clumsily by, unaware of her presence. “Bastards got his inner ear along with the drum,” Maddie explained, “So his balance is all messed up. Don’t let Pyro and Shin see this, they will have WAY too much fun fucking with him. “The poor man. Madelyne, tell him I’m going to help him, so it doesn’t startle him when I touch him.” “Don’t think that will be a problem,” said Maddie, and Haven took hold gently but firmly of Sebastian’s arm with her own good one, intending to support and guide him. “Away with you!” Shaw shooed her, “Don’t you know when you’re not wanted or needed?! Go fawn over my son, I’m sure he’s busying whinging and whining for his mother!” “Well, you heard him,” Madelyne said with her arms crossed and what-are-you-gonna-do tone, “Let’s let him break his neck.” She didn’t mean it, but ugh he was so frustrating!

Haven did remain though to watch him, and she felt a little guilty for that. She knew that Shaw wanted his dignity and did not want to be seen like this, nor feel weak for receiving help. And though she did not agree with that outlook, she respected his that it was his choice to make. She knew that he would not want her watching. But he was blind, deaf, disoriented, off-balance, and on a boat. She really did not want him to, as Madelyne put it, break his neck, or anything else. She knew full well that if he did get hurt, he’d not tell anyone, even if it meant he had to lay in silence on the ship floor for however long it took him to doggedly drag himself to his quarters. And she just couldn’t leave the poor man alone to do that. Radha Dastoor was probably the one person on the planet who felt bad for Sebastian Shaw, and it wasn’t because of his physical injuries. Feeling guilty for what she perceived as a violation, she followed along to ensure no serious help was needed. Shaw continued to wobble but kept upright except for one tumble. After that though, he righted himself immediately and found the wall, and once he had that to guide him, he did fine. Once he had reached his sleeping area, he said, as he shut the door. “You may cease your escort, Ms. Dastoor. I can climb into bed unsupervised.” Haven blinked in shock as the door closed. How had he known she was there? Apparently, she was as predictable to him, as he was to her. And given his usually profound problems with empathy, that actually made her happy.

[jakebasementmaker-blog]

How will Corona Impact employment/unemployment

 We are seeing the biggest loss of jobs ever in US History since the Great Depression. But the question on everyone's mind is, “Who is at most risk to lose their job?” and “Why is it these people who are the most at risk financially during this crisis”  Hopefully my blog will answer these questions.

Before we get into that I think its good to go over some key terms:

 Key Term #1:

Nonessential businesses: A business decided by the city level to not be essential to everyday life and stability(such as Pet stores and farmers markets ) or cannot be replaced by online services (such as banks and schools)

Key Term #2:

Layoffs: A massive termination of workers sometimes brought on by a general economic downturn or company specific financial loss. (An example of this would be if a company’s product launch turned out bad so the company would dismiss workers to cover expenses)

Key Term #3:

Unemployment: Being without a job. (such as being between jobs or having a disability)

So who is the most at risk?

“I don’t think you can force hundreds of thousands of small business owners to voluntarily shut down and let failure happen to them,” 

This passage stands out to me because it stresses the importance of keeping small businesses afloat which makes since that only about half of a small businesses make it through their first year of business.

What will it take to prevent this?

Heather Boushey, the president of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth said “those workers needed to have paid sick leave, adequate health coverage,access to corona virus tests and affordable care for their children while they worked in order to stay healthy and to protect consumers from further spread of the virus.”

I also believe we have to protect some businesses as well especially smaller businesses because people will probably spend less as more stay at home orders are issued. This can cause businesses and as a response owners could panic and layoff many of their employees trying to save their business.

Whats even more disturbing is what The Congressional Budget Office wrote on Thursday that it expected at least a quarter of the current suppression measures to last through year’s end, and that the unemployment rate could still be 9 percent at the end of 2021 as opposed to the current 3.9 percent. 

How will Corona Virus impact employment/unemployment?

Although the numbers given are mostly speculative what we do know is that with the new stimulus bill and pushes to keep business up, less employers will feel the need to fire employees which will ultimately keep more people employed however if the bill or other plans fail to protect businesses many businesses especially smaller ones will go under and probably fire many of their employees and find themselves out of work as well. The jobs I predict to be the most at risk are probably those employed at smaller businesses and some could be fired to keep their businesses from tanking. Another business that could be at risk could be housing/real estate as many people are forced indoors and almost no one wants to either buy a house nor put their own up for sale as doing either of these would demand contact from at least one different household.  

To conclude, the numbers shown are speculative and there are no guarantees if the unemployment rate will be higher or lower than 9% in 2021 however I believe people who are employed in smaller businesses especially restaurants or bars or real estate agents will be the most at risk. 

[go-redgirl]

Trump Extends Social-Distancing Guidelines to April 30, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — Siding with public health experts’ dire projections, President Donald Trump on Monday defended his decision to extend restrictive social distancing guidelines through the end of April, while bracing the nation for a coronavirus death toll that could exceed 100,000 people. “The worst that could happen is you do it too early and all of a sudden it comes back,” Trump said during a nearly hour-long call-in interview with “Fox & Friends” as members of his coronavirus task force fanned out across other media outlets to warn the virus’ spread was only just beginning. The comments came a day after Trump made a dramatic course reversal and announced that he would not be moving to ease the guidelines and get the economy back up and running by Easter, as he said last week he hoped to do.

In the face of stark projections from his team and searing images of overwhelmed hospitals in his native New York City, Trump instead extended to April 30 the social distancing guidelines, which had been set to expire Monday. Many states and local governments already have stiffer controls in place on mobility and gatherings.

Trump’s impulse to reopen the country, driven by pleas from business leaders, met a sober reality check from health experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, who on Sunday said the U.S. could experience between 100,000-200,000 deaths and millions of infections from the pandemic.

That warning hardened a recognition in Washington that the struggle against the coronavirus will not be resolved quickly even as Trump expressed a longing for normalcy.

“It would not have been a good idea to pull back at a time when you really need to be pressing your foot on the pedal as opposed to on the brakes,” Fauci said on CNN on Monday, describing how he and Dr. Deborah Birx, the coronavirus task force coordinator, had convinced Trump to reconsider.

“We showed him the data. He looked at the data. He got it right away,” Fauci said. “It was a pretty clear picture. Dr. Debbie Birx and I went in to the Oval Office and leaned over the desk and said, ‘Here are the data. Take a look.’ He just shook his head and said, ‘I guess we got to do it.’”

Americans are now being asked to prepare for at least another 30 days of severe economic and social disruption, with schools and businesses closed and public life upended. One in 3 Americans remain under state or local government orders to stay at home to slow the spread of the virus, and employment claims have already skyrocketed.

Trump also spoke with the nation’s governors on Monday, as did other members of his administration. Birx told the governors that it’s “several weeks away from the peak of the curve for the United States.” Trump said that modeling projected substantially more deaths if the nation did not incorporate social distancing.

“I thought that was a very important study they did and it sure solved a lot of problems in my own mind and maybe in your minds,” Trump said in an audio that was obtained by The Associated Press.

Republican Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland voiced appreciation for the $2.2 trillion economic stimulus bill that Trump signed into law last week and the president’s acknowledgement that states will need more help, but he also emphasized that governors are “still frustrated” about a scarcity of medical supplies.

The federal guidelines that Trump elected to continue recommend against group gatherings larger than 10 and urge older people and anyone with existing health problems to stay home. People are urged to work at home when possible and avoid restaurants, bars, nonessential travel and shopping trips.

Reflecting the extended restrictions, congressional officials on Monday said curbs on visitors to the U.S. Capitol would last an additional month, through April. All tours in the Capitol Visitor Center are halted and only lawmakers, aides, credentialed visitors and journalists will be allowed in the Capitol and congressional office buildings.

For more than a week, Trump had been bombarded by calls from outside business leaders who urged him to begin reopening the nation’s economy, at least in places with low infection rates, and warned of catastrophic consequences that could damage his reelection chances if it remained shuttered for much longer.

Trump told “Fox & Friends” that “nobody” was “more worried” about the economic impact on the country than he was. But he said, “We want to do something where we have the least death.”

Trump, who has largely avoided talk of potential death and infection rates, cited projection models Sunday that said 2.2 million people or more could have died had social distancing measures not been put in place. And he said the country would be doing well if it “can hold” the number of deaths “down to 100,000.”

In addition to the numbers, Trump said he was moved by harrowing scenes from New York, particularly hard-hit Elmhurst Hospital in his native Queens. He described the images he’d seen on television with “body bags all over, in hallways. I’ve been watching them bring in trailer trucks — freezer trucks... because they can’t handle the bodies, there are so many of them.... I’ve seen things that I’ve never seen before.”

But experts warn that those scenes could play out across the country, as the virus spreads. Birx and Fauci said even areas that have so far been spared must prepare for the eventuality that they, too, will become hot spots, with undetected cases likely in existence now.

“It’s critical that even if you don’t see it, it could be circulating in your community,” Birx told “CBS This Morning” on Monday.

Fauci said on ABC’s “Good Morning America” that smaller U.S. cities are now ripe for the kind of acceleration that has occurred in New York.

“If you look throughout the country there are a number of smaller cities that are sort of percolating along,” Fauci said. “It looks like it’s low level, it starts to accelerate, then it goes way up.”

The U.S. had more than 140,000 COVID-19 cases reported by Monday morning, with more than 2,500 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins.

Most people who contract COVID-19 have mild or moderate symptoms, which can include fever and cough but also milder cases of pneumonia, sometimes requiring hospitalization. The risk of death is greater for older adults and people with other health problems. Hospitals in the most afflicted areas are straining to handle patients and some are short of critical supplies.

In the “Fox & Friends” interview, Trump also said his administration was considering providing hazard pay for medical professionals who are on the front lines of the pandemic. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin agreed, telling Fox Business Network in a separate interview that the idea “makes a lot of sense” and is “definitely something we’ll put in the next bill.” Some lawmakers have said a fourth economic relief package eventually will be needed.

For weeks, Trump had minimized the gravity of the pandemic, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday accused Trump of “denial” in the crisis and called it “deadly.”

Asked whether she believes that attitude cost American lives, Pelosi told CNN: “Yes, I am. I’m saying that.”

Trump lashed back on Fox Monday morning.

“She’s a sick puppy in my opinion,” Trump said. “I think it’s a disgrace to her country, her family”

__ Associated Press writers Alan Suderman in Richmond, Virginia, and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

[finn-nelson-for-the-win]

The Good Life: Chapter 3

Hello, my lovelies! This chapter has been sitting nearly-finished for well over a week now, but the last two weeks for me have been absolute shit and it’s been hard enough keeping up with daily life and what’s going on in the real world, let alone finding time to edit this chapter and/or post regularly, so please forgive me! This story is just starting to pick up and work closer towards all the fun stuff we’ve all been waiting for, so I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Need to get caught up? The Good Life: Ch1 and Ch2

If you want to be added (or removed) from the tags list for this story, just feel free to let me know!

@pink-royaute @believethaticanandiwill @milllott @likeashootingstarfades @i-dream-of-emus

The Good Life: Chapter 3

Rae logged off of her computer and waited for it to shut off before standing up from her desk chair and stretching her legs after having been sitting down at work for most of the day.

“So, any fun plans for the weekend?” Rae asked.

“Yes, actually!” Anna replied, “I’m meeting a group of people at the pub for drinks once everyone gets off work in a couple hours.”

“Oh! That should be fun!”

“You’re totally welcome to join us as well, if you’d like. It’s gonna be a bunch of people from work and I think most people are bringing other friends or their significant others and stuff, so you’d be more than welcome too!”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m already running late for my dinner plans as it is.”

“Rae Earl...do you have a date tonight? Who is the lucky boy...or girl, I don’t judge, I promise!”

“It’s not a date,” Rae laughed as the pair walked towards the staircase and began walking down to the ground level, “I’m meeting up with my friend that I’m going to be roommates with once I move out of my current apartment. We’ve been trying to meet up for a week in order to discuss all the logistics of our little arrangement.”

“Oh, damn...I was really hoping you had a date tonight. I can’t even recall the last time you went out on a date, Rae!”

“Excuse you! I go on plenty of dates, Anna, I don’t need your pity!”

“When was the last date you went on?” Anna asked in challenge as she held the door of the building open for her coworker.

“Uh...I think it was, like...whatever, I don’t need to justify myself to you! I’m just glad I finally found a roommate!”

“Alright, I’ll drop the dating topic for now. But as soon as you get your new living situation sorted, operation ‘get Rae a date or at least get her laid’ begins!”

“Ugh, you are simply incorrigible,” Rae replied with an eye roll, “Have fun at the pub and if Calvin tries to climb on the table and serenade Ronnie again, make sure that you get it on video and send it to me, alright?”

“Will do! Have fun discussing apartment stuff and being a boring adult!” Anna replied with a wink as she walked a bit further in the parking lot towards where she had parked.

Rae pulled out her cell phone as she climbed into her car and send a quick text apologizing for running late and letting Finn know that she was on her way before starting the car and driving to their agreed upon meeting location.

When Rae arrived at the restaurant, she could see Finn sitting alone in a booth on the far side of the restaurant, looking visibly uncomfortable with whatever the waitress was saying to him.

“Hiya! Sorry I’m late,” Rae replied with a huff as she sat on the opposite side of the booth facing Finn.

“Rae! You made it!” Finn replied with a visibly relieved smile as some of the tension in his shoulders dissipated.

“I’ll just give you two a moment to look over the menus and then I’ll come back,” the waitress replied curtly as she glanced at Rae before walking away from the table.

“I’m ten minutes late and you’re already chatting up other girls and trying to replace me, huh?” Rae joked as she took a sip of the water that Finn must have ordered for her before she arrived.

“Hardly,” Finn chuckled humorlessly, “She’s been talking to me about how she is sure that she knows me from somewhere but she can’t quite place where since before you texted me that you were on your way. You quite literally saved me from having to continue that conversation out of politeness for another minute.”

Rae chuckled as she picked up her menu and casually flipped through the pages.

“I’ve never been here before,” Rae said when she looked up from her menu and noticed Finn had not been looking at his own menu, “What do you normally get here?”

“I dunno. I don’t go here often, since it’s a bit classier of a place than I tend to frequent,” Finn muttered as he glanced around at the other patrons who were dressed business casual and sipping glasses of wine before looking down at his own more casual clothing, “but it seemed like the kind of place where we could hang out for a while and actually hear each other while we talk.”

“I agree, it’s nice and quiet here...sort of intimate and cozy, I guess, but I like it.”

“I’ve heard great things about their pizzas, so I was considering getting one,” Finn said as he opened his menu to the page listing their pizzas, “We can share a pizza, if you’d like, but I don’t know what toppings you’d want on it.”

“That sounds good to me. I trust your judgement and I’m sure whatever toppings you choose will be fine, so just surprise me!”

When the waitress came by, Finn placed the order for their pizza and the waitress left promptly to put in the order.

“So... I guess we’re roommates now or something, huh?”

“Looks like it, yeah, unless you’ve realized your mistake and want to change your mind.” Finn agreed with a small smile.

“You couldn’t be so lucky,” Rae replied, “Though I’m not sure how to feel about the gang’s reaction to us becoming roommates.”

“Well, I’ve talked to Archie since then and he said that he was worried about us moving in together because he mentioned that moving in with close friends doesn’t always work out or something. Like it can either work out really well or really badly but you won’t know until you’ve already committed. And I’m sure that Chloe was just looking out for ya and being over protective because you’re her best mate.”

“That makes sense. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t too certain about being roommates when you first brought it up, but now that I’ve had some time to think it over, I have a really good feeling this.” Rae said with a smile as she reached for her glass of water to take a sip.

“I’m glad. So, we have a lot of apartment and roommate related things to discuss, don’t we?”

“Yeah, we do. I have my laptop with me so we can look into some places online if you want to, but we should first sort out some of the logistics and stuff, yeah?”

“Sounds good to me. I’ve never looked for an apartment too seriously before, so I don’t completely know what I’m doing, but I’m sure we can figure this out.”

“This is my fourth time apartment hunting, so I know the drill!”

“Fourth time? Oh wow! I’m in the midst of a professional, it seems,” Finn joked.

“Damn right you are!” Rae added with a chuckle, “Back to the task at hand, move-in dates for the apartment. What are you thinking?”

“Well doesn’t your current lease end really soon?”

“In about a month, yeah, but I can always couch hop for a while if need be,”

“I don’t want you to have to do that. I’m ready to move in as soon as we find a place or whatever dates work best for you.”

“Alright...and just to be sure, you’re alright with splitting all our shared bills evenly, right?”

“Of course!”

“Good, just checking. I’ve had roommates before that weren’t so eager to pay their share.”

“That’s bullshit. I’m more than willing to pay my half of all the bills in addition to helping with any furniture or nonessential stuff that we may want.”

“God, you’re already one of the best roommates I’ve ever had!” Rae joked.

One of the other waitresses brought their pizza to the table and Rae and Finn continued discussing some of the basic information they needed to cover while eating, pleasantly surprised at how well-deserved the praise about the pizzas at this restaurant was.

When they finished eating and their plates had been cleared from the table, Rae pulled her laptop from her purse and powered it on.

“Do ya mind if I sit on the booth next to you so I can see what you’re looking at on your laptop as well?”

“Not at all. Come on over!” Rae replied as she slid further into the booth and angled her laptop so Finn would be able to see it as well.

Finn sat down beside Rae and scooted closer to her so he could look over her shoulder to get a better look at what was on the screen of her laptop in front of her.

“So what are some of your apartment deal breakers or things that you’d like it to have?” Rae asked once she had pulled up one of her favorite apartment hunting websites.

“Er, I don’t know. Suppose I never really thought about it,” Finn mumbled.

“Well, we know we’re looking for a two-bedroom two-bathroom, right? Close to the city...in range of our combined budget...that covers all the basics. What cool features would you like?” Rae asked as she entered those criteria into the apartment search options.

“Uh, a nice kitchen?”

“Do you cook a lot?” Rae asked with a slight tone of surprise in her voice.

“No, well not really, but I know that you do...”

“Oh! Well, you’re not wrong. I’ll add ‘nice kitchen’ to our wish list! I would also like to have some type of a balcony or patio area, if possible. Is that alright?”

“Of course, Rae, I want you to have a say in the apartment you’ll be living in as well. I’m putting my complete faith in your ability to find a decent apartment for us.”

“Challenge accepted,” she replied with a small smile, “I think we have a few decent options that we can look into more. Are you free this weekend to go tour a couple of these available apartments together or would you prefer that we each do that on our own time?”

“We can do it together,” Finn replied eagerly, “I’ll free up my weekend so we can go do this!”

“Okay, perfect! I don’t know about you, but I’m really starting to get excited about living together!”

“It’s not just you,” Finn replied with his signature crooked smile, “how about a celebratory drink to being roommates and making progress to getting an apartment together? My treat...”

“Trying to win my heart with offers of free booze? This whole ‘roommate’ thing might work out even better than I thought!” Rae joked as Finn left the table with a laugh to place their drink order at the bar on the other side of the restaurant.

A/N: I wanted to get to the last of the boring stuff in this chapter so in Chapter 4 we could jump right into the fun of Finn and Rae being roommates, but I thought it made this chapter drag on too long and there was too much skipping around and I didn’t like the way it changed the flow of the chapter, so I’ve decided to prolong the plot building for at least one more chapter after this. In the grand scheme of the story as a whole, I can assure you that 4 plot building chapters will seem pretty insignificant, since this story is gonna be a long one haha.

I feel like I always say this, but whenever y’all reply to the stories/chapters I post or add commentary, it makes my day and gives me such an ego boost, so I can never thank all of you enough.

With that being said, the winner for “Best Comment” on the last chapter is:

I didn’t even make the connection between that vine and this story, but when I saw this reply I laughed and showed my roommate (oh yeah, did I mention that this story is inspired by my irl roommate right now? Because yeah, it sort of is, lol).

Life has been super rough on me these past couple weeks and it seems that as soon as I’m able to move past something bad that happened to me, something else bad happens and things keep getting worse...but I’m trying to get a grip on my life again and trying to come back to some baseline level of shitty-ness in life that is manageable, so even though I missed posting a chapter last week, I’m gonna try to get back to my weekly posting or something similar.

Enough of Sarah rambling about stuff no one cares about...Until next time: Stay awesome, my friends! :)

[mx-ryder]

Falmere x Bradley

I’ve been working on this piece for a while! I just wanted to write some totally-canon-but-nonessential-fluff for my two favorite boys.

Falmere wasn’t studious as a general rule. He usually preferred more physical ways of passing time, but one could only spend so much time on the training grounds before one got bored of the repetitive drills. Korravai had gone, naer visit having run its course. Nae were needed back in Imivaria, and naer departure left Falmere feeling listless. He hadn’t realized how much he missed Imivaria until Korravai had come and reminded him of home.

With Korravai gone and Guinevere busy, he was left with little to do.

But the library in Summerkeep Castle was, he had found, a delightful place to spend his otherwise empty time. He had discovered the library within his first few weeks at Summerkeep, but so far he’d had little reason to spend any length of time there. Usually only when Guinevere found time to peruse the shelves did he enter the library. He found it strange, to sit among the books alone. There was a hushed atmosphere to the library that he enjoyed. Even ordinary sounds seemed muffled in the vastness of the room, the books stifling everything with their bodies.

He didn’t hear the footsteps until they were right on him, bearing down on him from behind one of the shelves.

Startled, he jumped in the chair, looking up from the book in time to see Bradley coming around one of the shelves. Falmere blinked in the dim light, the lantern resting just above him casting the Prince into shadows.

“Oh,” Bradley paused for a moment before stepping into the light. “Falmere. I thought I was alone.” He carried a stack of books in his arms, so mountainous Falmere had a brief flash of worry. But Bradley shuffled the stack expertly, balancing it in one arm as he came closer.

Falmere dropped his eyes, running his fingers over the pages of his own book. “I thought the same,” he admitted. It was late, after all, and the library never seemed to be crowded even at the best of times.

“What are you reading?”

The question caught Falmere off guard. He looked up again, finding Bradley standing close by him, peering down at the book. He smelled like lavender, the fresh scent of it punching Falmere in the face so he had to catch his breath. Bradley didn’t seem to notice, absorbed in trying to see the words on the page, despite the fact he was reading them upside down.

Falmere closed the book, running one finger down the spine. “It is—” he hesitated, looking for the right word. “a history of Bedor. Recent history.” Clearing his throat, he looked away again. It had been long enough by now that he ought to have felt comfortable in the Prince’s presence, or at least not nearly as uncomfortable as he felt now. They’d reached a peace, an uneasy alliance based on the fact that Guinevere was deeply important to both of them. And on the butterfly fluttering in his stomach that came upon him every time he met Bradley’s eyes.

He went on, still not quite daring to look into Bradley’s face. “I wanted to learn more, since I will be living here. I should know as much about Bedorian culture and history as possible, yes?”

Across the table, Bradley let his stack of books fall with a thump. Falmere jumped again, startled into looking up at Bradley. His mouth twisted into a smile, and he ran his fingers through still-wet hair. Had he just bathed?

Hastily pushing the thought away, Falmere lowered his eyes again.

Bradley’s voice was soft when he replied. “Guinevere told me you were finally beginning to adjust. It’s important to her, that you’re happy here.”

Falmere’s throat tightened, and he frowned down at the book, his thoughts racing. Guinevere spoke about him to Bradley? It would have been foolish, to expect that he never come up, but what did this foreign Prince care about his happiness?

“The Paragon is kind,” he forced his voice into stiffness, the distance and disinterest of just a guard. “to consider me.”

There was a pause. A pregnant silence, during which Bradley tapped his fingers on the tabletop and Falmere looked anywhere but into the Prince’s face.

Then, dropping both hands to the table and pushing himself up from the chair, he went on. “I really ought to be going. It is late, and I have taken too much time away from my work. If you’ll excuse me,”

He thought if he made his excuses, he would be free to leave, but Bradley rumpled his hair and yawned just as he stood up to go.

“Maybe you’re right.” He said, blinking at the pile of books he’d brought to the table. “Do you suppose those will still be there, if I leave them until morning?”

Falmere couldn’t guess whether or not the royal librarian was likely to put away the books. He simply shrugged, lingering just beside the table. Bradley stood up, and now Falmere wasn’t certain if he could leave without appearing rude. As if to answer his doubts, Bradley smiled at him from where he’d just selected one among the stack of books.

“I’ll walk with you. I’ve been enjoying our conversation.”

And now Falmere was stuck, walking beside the Prince as they passed through empty halls, lit only by the pale light of the occasional candle. Bradley walked too closely beside him, the occasional brush of his arm against Falmere’s sending sparks crawling through his skin. And he talked incessantly, keeping their conversation going.

“I’m glad you’ve come to appreciate Bedor,” he paused in his stride long enough to look sideways at Falmere. “I hope you’ll come to me with any questions you have, I am well-read on our history and culture.”

A question had been prickling at Falmere for as long as he’d been in this strange country. He stopped full, turning to face the Prince. “There is one thing,” he watched as Bradley carried on a step or two before turning back and coming back to face him.

“Why,” Falmere went on, and he reached out as he said it, unconsciously. “do you wear a standard?” He touched the elegantly embroidered design on Bradley’s tunic. The thread was rough under his fingers, and he wondered how they achieved the delicate, shimmering silver of the flower.

Bradley stilled under his fingers, looking down at the standard on his own chest. Falmere felt heat crawl up his neck, and he realized he was standing too close to the Prince, too close to Guinevere’s husband. Before he could move away, Bradley lifted a hand and covered Falmere’s own, trapping his hand against his chest. Falmere froze in place, his entire body going still while his brain spun out of control.

He looked up into Bradley’s face, and immediately found himself trapped in the other man’s gaze. Bradley was looking at him with an odd look on his face, his mouth twisting into a half-frown as he chewed his bottom lip.

When he responded, his voice was low. Falmere pushed himself even further forward to hear him. “I’d never considered it. But it’s to identify me. So everyone who sees my standard knows who I am.”

Who he was. The Prince of Bedor, Bradley Layne, recently married to the Paragon of Imivaria. Falmere wet his lips, his heart racing in his ears so loudly he couldn’t hear his own thoughts. Bradley’s hand was still tight over his own, holding him there, unable to pull away.

“It’s important, for people to identify someone of a certain clan at a glance?”

“I suppose it is.” Bradley tilted his head down slightly. Falmere couldn’t tear his eyes from the Prince’s face. Until, that it, he squeezed Falmere’s hand and, without breaking eye contact, lifted it to his lips. “I’m glad,” Falmere could hardly hear him past his thundering heart, past the electrifying feeling of the Prince’s lips against his fingers. “That you’re taking an interest in my country. It has been an honor, and a pleasure, to have you here.”

The difference in their height was minuscule, but Falmere still pushed himself up on his toes to breach the space between them. In the same instant, Bradley leaned down, tilting his head further toward Falmere. They met in the middle. Falmere squeezed his eyes shut, pressed his mouth against Bradley’s. He heard Bradley utter a small gasp, the sound a puff of warmth against his mouth.

Then Bradley’s arm was around his waist, and Falmere twisted his fingers in the front of Bradley’s tunic, pulling him close. Closer. As close as he could possibly get, pressing their bodies together until he could feel the warmth of Bradley’s skin against him.

In the next instant, he pulled away, his eyes flying open. Bradley looked at him with his eyes half-closed, a dazed expression on his face.

“Oh, Mother, what have I done?”

Bradley reached for him again. “Falmere, I—”

Falmere shied away from his touch. His face burned and his heart raced, but his thoughts were surprisingly clear. A single thought coalesced, taking shape and turning over again and again in his mind as he turned away from Bradley.

How could I betray Guinevere this way?

Guinevere trusted him. She trusted him with her life, and with her heart. She trusted him not to hurt her, to always have her best interests in mind, and he had betrayed that trust. He pushed himself into a faster walk, ignoring the sound of Bradley’s voice calling after him.

When he arrived at Guinevere’s suite of rooms, his heart was racing with the breakneck pace he’d set as well as from the excitement of the moment. The guards standing to either side of her door greeted him, but he hardly heard their words.

“Leave us,” he said, sending them to the far ends of the corridor. They went without argument, disappearing to the further ends of the corridor at once.

He knocked immediately, rapping the wooden door with his knuckles politely at first and pausing to wait. He bounced on his toes as he waited, chewing his thumbnail. Then he knocked again, pounding on the door with his fist, harder with each passing second that his knock went unanswered.

The door opened unexpectedly, so much so that he nearly struck the chamber maid who’d opened it. She peered out at him with wide, scared eyes, holding the door open only a few inches.

“Her Serene Highness is not to be disturbed.” She said, her voice shaking.

Falmere had to admire her courage, even if he would rather she weren’t so brave. “I must speak with the Paragon. At once.” He could feel himself going wild, and he could only imagine what he must look like to this Bedorian girl. Did she see the calm, clear-headed personal guard, or did she see him for what he really was? Could she see the evidence of his transgression in his heated face?

“I’m afraid she’s asked not to be disturbed. Not even by you.”

“Seline,” Guinevere’s voice came to him from the recesses of the rooms. “Let him in.”

Her voice, usually a balm to his anxieties, sent his heart racing anew. But as the chambermaid stepped aside, he forced himself to enter the room.

He’d been here a million times before, even in the dead of night. A guard never rested, and, apparently, neither did the Paragon. When he stepped into the room he found himself in the soft glow of candlelight. Guinevere sat in the middle of the room, on a soft carpet she had brought with her from Imivaria specifically for this reason. Candles surrounded her on all sides, bathing her in pools of their gentle light. The fragrance of burning incense brushed his nose.

She turned to him, a smile dying on her lips as she caught sight of his face. “Leave us.” She spoke sharply, waving a dismissive hand at the chambermaid. When the girl showed signs of hesitating, Guinevere flicked her eyes to the girl’s face, frowning. “At once!”

The girl left.

Falmere stepped further into the room, feeling suddenly that perhaps he’d made a mistake in coming to her right away. He’d interrupted her in her prayers, something he never would have dared do under normal circumstances. He lingered just beside the door, taking in the room laid out before him; drinking in the sight of Guinevere sitting among the candles, the wavering light lending her soft face harder edges than it ever could have achieved normally. She un-crossed her legs and moved to stand up, her frown deepening.

“Falmere, what’s happened?”

It was an astute question, one that took what little breath he had left away. She had not asked if something was wrong, or if anything had happened. Instead she asked what, what had happened to upset him.

He went to her, falling to his knees in front of her before she could fully rise. Falling forward, he bowed his forehead to the floor, feeling the tears come at last, burning the backs of his eyes like fire. “Forgive me, Guin.”

If she had been worried before, she was alarmed now. His combination of imperial obeisance and her informal nickname had caught her off guard. He heard the soft intake of breath, and then her hands were on his arms, pulling him upright.

“Falmere, tell me what’s wrong. You’re frightening me.” And she certainly did look frightened, her eyes wide and staring, her mouth tight with worry.

He stared into her face, taking in the lines he’d memorized years ago. The words didn’t want to come, but he had come to confess, not to admire her. “I’ve betrayed you.” He choked, pausing to catch his breath. Tears burned his eyes, blurring her face and the flickering glow of the candlelight.

In the silence that followed while he gulped for air, breathing in the fragrance of the incense in hopes it would calm him, Guinevere sat back on her heels. She looked into his face with something akin to exasperation. “Falmere, whatever it is you’ve done, I doubt I will count it as betrayal.”

Her faith in him was astounding.

He shook his head, his hair coming loose from the braid with the severity of the action. “I have committed the unforgivable.” He needed to make her see, to make her understand just how badly he’d broken her trust. “I—I met Bradley in the library. He began walking with me to my rooms and—” He cut off, swallowed down the fear that made him want to stop talking forever.

“I kissed him, Guin.”

He pressed a hand to his mouth, cutting off a heavy sob that threatened to shake the last shreds of his composure loose. He refused to let himself break down in front of Guinevere. His tears would only make her feel poorly, and he had no right to her sympathy. Not any more.

A long, long silence fell, and Falmere made himself meet Guinevere’s eyes. She looked at him with the same wide-eyed surprise, her lips parted slightly with the suddenness of his revelation. Despite his best efforts, a tear escaped to slide down his cheek.

Guinevere reached to wipe it away, and the gentleness of her touch only brought more tears. He didn’t deserve her kindness after what he’d done. He’d broached the sanctity of her marriage, kissed the man who only she ought to be kissing. He’d dared to entertain thoughts about Bradley that he never should have allowed himself to think, and yet she looked at him now with so much fondness in her face it startled him.

“Oh, Falmere.” Her voice was soft, the hint of a laugh behind her words. She took his hands

in hers, lifted one to her lips and pressed a kiss against his fingers in the same way Bradley had done so recently. The brush of her lips against his skin was soft as a summer’s breeze as she spoke again. “Poor, dear Falmere.”

He couldn’t understand where the amusement in her voice came from. Unable now to stop the flow of tears, he looked at her in abject misery until she finally laughed aloud.

“Please, don’t cry.” She reached released one of his hands to reach out and wipe away another tear. “This is nothing to shed tears over. Honestly,” she cut him off before he could do more than draw breath to protest. “I have never been more serious in all my life. Look at me, Falmere, and see how serious I am.”

He obeyed, meeting her eyes and finding nothing there to hint at insincerity or untruth.

He swallowed down another bout of tears. “But why—how can you forgive me?”

She laughed again, apparently unable to help herself. “You remember the conversation we had, when we were children?” She said it as though it had happened years and years ago, instead of only a year or two past. Of course he remembered it—she had torn his heart out, confessing to him in the dead of night that she had no interest in romance. It had taken him many weeks to come to terms with the idea, even though he’d known from the very start that it was foolish to believe they could be together in that way.

He nodded now, thinking back to the conversation.

She went on. “Do you believe that I have changed so much, in so little time? That I could grow to love a man whom I only met a year ago, and who I had to marry for political reasons? That I could love him, when I cannot love you?”

He shook his head, but he had suspected that, hadn’t he? Guinevere was happy with Bradley, happier than he’d seen her in a long time. And a small part of him had wondered if it was possible for Bradley to make her happier than he ever had.

Wasn’t it, if Bradley made Falmere feel as though each of his dreams could come true?

Guinevere cupped his cheek, bringing him back into the present. “You know I do love you, Falmere. You are a dear friend, and I cannot imagine my life without you in it. But if you need someone who can love you—” she hesitated, chewing the stud in her bottom lip. “Who can love you the way you love them, then who am I to stand in the way of that?”

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, Guinevere still watched him, concern written across her face.

“This will not be easy.” He warned her. His mind was reeling, thoughts whirling so fast he could hardly grasp at an individual one. He found himself wondering if he could actually do it, actually pursue the thing he’d been telling himself he didn’t want. Could he possibly love Bradley, and continue his relationship with Guinevere? Could the two of them be married, if they did not love one another?

Guinevere laughed, the sound comforting him. “Life is not easy, Falmere. But if you’ve found someone to love, and who will love you in return, then you must not let that go. Know that I am behind you, and that I love you.”

She leaned forward, resting her forehead against his. He closed his eyes again, leaning into the contact.

She was right. It would be hard, but, perhaps it would be worth it.

[ulfwolf]

Odd Couple -- Musing 203

We’re an odd couple, My body and I: Craver and   trammeled   Dreamer

My body eats while I dream of eating.

My body breathes while I dream of breathing. My body feels while I dream of feelings. My body gasps while I fear the sheer drop of the cliff I now stand at. And my body laughs when soon or late I get the point of the a-mite-too-subtle joke.

My body smiles if another body smiles at it. Me, I might be surprised at both smiles.

In some ways—in many ways—my body is a flesh and blood mirror of what antics my mind is up to. Yes, it can grow hungry for food all on its own and it can relay that hunger to the mind—and whence to me—in no uncertain terms, clamoring for some productive action. Now, if you don’t mind.

Also, when a sufficient number of sperms have accumulated in the epididymis, sufficient to exert some internal pressure (like an expanding little balloon), the body knows precisely how to tell me, and does, that I should start looking for somewhere (someone) reproductively viable to deposit this load. Anything over eighteen in skirts, according to my body, should do just fine, thank you. Now get with it, as in going.

And this is a hunger hungrier than hunger. A thirst thirstier than thirst.

This is a craving that invades and commandeers even the loftiest, and (prior to this assault) most real dreams—sheer fluff, says the body, having no time for such dreamy frills, get with the program; and then opens the lust faucet.

Now I don’t know precisely what chemicals are involved in this assault, but I firmly believe that heroin has nothing on human lust (or that of any animal—they fight to the death, don’t they, at least some of them do, for the right to impregnate).

A compound consisting of pervading, expanding warmth and yes, I have at time recognized it very, very clearly: love as well. Not any love, but the love I felt for Barbro during and after our (and my) first kiss. I was sixteen then and hardly knew what true love might be about, but I knew this love, it filled me head to toe and back up again, stole my appetites for anything else, say such nonessentials as food or water (or sleep).

This love, this thirst for human (of the opposite gender) nearness, hovers either below or above or within this chemical compound that the brain and mind (cooperating nicely) interpret and describe and enforce as lust.

We humans have come up with the term infatuation to pinpoint this state—a nice word for this helpless-puppy love. Talk about the tail (of sorts) wagging the dog.

Now, I have extracted, bottled and submitted to FDA for approval this compound; it will make me millions, billions, trillions.

Once lust has grown claws it is a feeling, a sensation, very hard to stare down: it stares right back at you and dares you to try again. And if you do try again, it will rise on its hindlegs, bare its fangs and send you to the seedier side of town looking for working girls.

“Lord, give me chastity and continence, but not yet,” so famously prayed Saint Augustine who in the end actually did stare lust back into the epididymis by endlessly reciting verses from the Bible—apparently one of the few antidotes.

The early Buddhists, too, were highly suspicious of this creature, and in their code for monks very early on listed masturbation as one of the few offences that would result in immediate and irrevocable expulsion from the sangha (group of monks).

Even ejecting semen in your sleep was viewed by these early monks with (perhaps justified) suspicion.

Saints and Holy Men from just about any religion are as a rule celibate.

I believe the reasoning goes “If I am this helplessly at effect of my body, what business have I—or how can I expect any success—in pursuing loftier or spiritual goals.”

Good question.

Also, at least until recently, celibacy was also a firm prerequisite for priesthood in many churches.

For good reason.

It is amazing though that a chemical compound can so commandeer the entire physical being with part treachery, part force, part sheer delight, and part love.

And I must say that “part love” (that lovely craving for nearness, for human warmth) was a nice touch by whoever concocted this poison. Quite brilliant. Sex as a whip slash carrot has certainly stood the test of time.

Meanwhile, I insist on my right to dream, undisturbed.

 ::

P.S. If you like what you’ve read here and would like to contribute to the creative motion, as it were, you can do so via PayPal: here.

[martinahlijanian]

In Search of the Lost...CLM

It’s Springtime in Boston – new beginnings, growth, shaking off the doldrums of winter (especially this recent one!!)  In that spirit, I’ll throw off my dusty 2020 sanitized cloak and admit to you all something unprofessional, yet based in beauty and a deep love – some might call it a devotion. My beloved??  The Moody Blues.  Yup, I’m a devoted fan – have been for decades. Make your elevator music joke – I don’t care.  I know – nowhere nearly as cool as Post Malone, T-Swift, Dua, Doja, Don’tya, whomever. But majestic, original, thoughtful, and DEEP.  Long ago in a New England portion of the galaxy far, far away, a suburban ethnic kid picked up a handful of vinyl albums at a yard sale, and the incredible double album “This Is The Moody Blues” was in the pile. I was immediately hooked. Have seen the boys several times in concert, and they never disappoint (though to steal a line from Don Henley about his own band, they don’t exactly dance around the stage – they mostly loiter.)

 By now you’re probably thinking “the connection between THIS and Contract Lifecycle Management systems (“CLMs”) will be the most tortured bootstrap in history”, but if you followed the Moodies, it would be so very clear and obvious.  Back in the medieval era (certainly not the dark ages) the boys released an album called “In Search of the Lost Chord”, an appropriately pretentious title implying not only that the Moodies knew of a unique, world-changing musical chord (typically 3-5 notes played together simultaneously), but that they, and no one else, found it!  If your experience evaluating CLMs has been anything like mine over the past few years, you’ve been on a similar quest, but with less than satisfying results.  Here are some of my impressions from my search for a perfect CLM.

 Keeping with the musical theme for just another minute, my other non-work passion is synthesizers. I’m the proud owner of 6, ranging in age from 29 years old to 4, with the toddler being an absolute musical powerhouse of seemingly infinite possibilities called the Yamaha Montage.  The synthesizer market exemplifies Moore’s Law, that old chestnut that says the number of transistors per silicon chip doubles every year, with corresponding performance increases and speed gains resulting from denser integrated circuits. That’s certainly the case with my synths. My boat anchor of a keyboard in 1981, an Italian-built instrument called the Crumar Orchestrator (no longer with us), was very heavy, cost $1,050 (Armenians never forget prices), and produced a whopping 5 sounds, though two sounds could be layered together.  Needless to say, the new Yamaha plays rings around it, for only a few bucks more, but requires extensive training and synth engine tweaking. No one could seriously consider the two as peers – the Yamaha is a high-end laptop embedded into an 88-key digital synth with touchscreen programming that would make Dr. Moog himself drool.  And yet there was something wonderful about the simplicity, intuitiveness, and real-time access of the Crumar’s sounds. In CLM terms, the Crumar didn’t have many bells or whistles, but did the job, and did so quite well and dependably.

 Back in 2016, I had the pleasure of serving the team at SmashFly Technologies. We realized we needed a high-functioning CLM, and after a thorough RFP process, we selected SpringCM as our first system, enjoying a fantastic relationship with both the SpringCM team in Chicago and the platform itself. The integration of our prospects’ contract forms into the platform for redlining, version control, and eventual e-signing was a key element of our use case, shortening the sales lifecycle substantially.  And internal workflows created with the system were embraced by both our Sales and Customer Success teams for both new and upsell/renewal business, respectively. Did the platform have every possible mind-numbing feature?  No, but it was always there when we needed it and fit our business needs perfectly, with secure, real-time support and document processing. Definitely a Crumar relationship!  

 Author and theologian Richard Foster has written often on the virtues of simplicity, counseling one to “strip away all excess baggage and nonessential trappings”, and even the Moodies themselves, despite being known for complex orchestral production and cosmic lyrics, have echoed this concept (yes, with another keyboard reference), singing:

There's one thing I can do Play my Mellotron™ for you Try to blow away your city blues Your dreams are not unfound Get your feet back on the ground

So, in the spirit of the Moodies’ grandeur (pomposity?), I’ll attempt to blow away your CLM blues and get your feet back on the ground with an overview of my CLM experiences and suggestions for core requirements, particularly with respect to recent CLM market developments. As you may’ve guessed, I tend to lean toward simplicity, but as someone who has embraced technology since my garage band days, I get as excited about bleeding edge product developments as much as anyone, so I’ll try to keep the scales balanced.

 In my startup-oriented world (ranging back 9 years), speed is everything.  Correctness is assumed, whether it be contract version control, updated pricing/BAFOs, or proposal submissions – those are as fundamental as breathing.  But speed varies greatly between organizations and markets.  A twenty-four month (or longer) RFP pursuit under a federal government procurement, being run by a large publicly-traded company, doesn’t have the same day-to-day time pressures as the end of a quarter at an IT startup, particularly one that is chasing B or C-round funding or later investment/sale avenues.  So like my beloved Crumar, a selected CLM must be fast, intuitive, and dependable. I can’t write code, and never want to be deep into programming instructions of my CLM; if we’re at that point, we’ve failed. As I’ve told my engineering colleagues for years, “this company is in DEEP trouble if you want me to write code”.  (The corollary to that, of course, is “and we’re in equally deep trouble if engineers are interpreting contract terms”, but I digress, and you know I love you guys. )

 Any system that has a steep learning curve, plods along in terms of system performance, and/or has numerous updates (so-called “upgrades”), patches, and maintenance downtime beyond market standards must be avoided.

 Uptime availability should be as close to 99.9% as possible, if not higher.  If you’re reading this, you’re probably a contracts, legal, or compliance pro, so you know any firm that won’t state that uptime availability percentage specifically in the contract’s SoW or SLA is telling you they’ll never hit it; run for the hills! Similarly, data center operations should be with a well-established, secure North American supplier (you know who they are – they certainly don’t need free advertising from me) to the CLM company, and the history of that relationship should be explored.  A firm that bounces between all of the major cloud providers may try to argue that they’re always trying to get the best deal for their clients, but for my money, stability, security, and dependability are best served by a long-standing CLM-cloud provider marriage.  

 In addition, CLM implementation times should be clean and short.  If you hear too many horror stories in the market, or references to “Well, Sue, it all depends on the amount of legacy data you’ll be transferring into our Platinum Platform, and what condition your data is in”, keep looking. You haven’t played the lost chord – just some sour notes.  We all understand that dysfunctional customer data is not the responsibility of a new supplier, but my experience has been that a supplier who tries to foist performance concerns on the prospect early in discussions is typically the one who has the most problems during the contract term, and as a result is either terminated or churned at renewal time.

 Speaking of pet peeves and more bootstraps, you may not believe there’s any connection at all between CLM demos (or the lack thereof) and a long-term positive relationship, but I maintain there is, and have experienced it.  A company that plays hide-the-ball with its product may not be as confident in its features as its collateral or website proclaim.  I certainly appreciate the arguments against a “demo right out of the gate” view – limited SE resources, non-serious buyers just trolling, numerous demos placing company IP at risk, SDRs need more due diligence discussions to properly tailor the demo, need to avoid multiple demos for the same prospect (so wait a bit and get all stakeholders on the same call), etc. But any experienced SDR or Account Exec/Regional Sales Manager should be able to tell from the first discussion with a prospect whether she/he is serious, has an immediate need and budget, and has authority to move forward or needs to have a senior exec (or two) participate in any demo.  Hiding the ball from a serious prospect is counter-productive to the aims of the relationship and quite frustrating.

Wow – now I’m fired up. Given that I’m writing this late on a Tuesday, perhaps I should play the Moodies’ classic hit “Tuesday Afternoon” and mellow out!

 My friends know that I LOATHE the use of jargon, but I have to use the phrase “table stakes” just once here – it’s in the context of a CLM’s e-signature capabilities.  Any CLM with kludgy e-signature placement, or non-intuitive use (or worse, multiple drop-downs/windows before insertion in a document) should be avoided.  Simplicity really should reign here.  In most companies the contracts or legal reviewer is not likely to be the signatory, so any digital doc in a CLM should be easy to prepare and forward for senior management’s execution.

 Your company’s templates and forms, and especially your Fallback 1 and Fallback 2 clause libraries, will require a bit more heavy lifting from the CLM partner, but given the evolution of CLM systems across the board, this process should be fast and clear. And the redlining of a prospect’s Word doc should never send the CLM into a spin.  

Your selected CLM should have easy-to-create workflows that integrate with your company’s CRM, and appear as a widget or new page within the Account or Opportunity section thereof. If workflow creation requires multiple calls to the CLM provider’s tech support team, or worse, a purchase order for fee-based tech services, you’ve selected the wrong company.  Which leads me to report generation…

 In the synthesizer world, drum and percussion effects generated from the keyboard sound cool on the sales floor of Guitar Center or Sam Ash, but in terms of live performance, I can unequivocally state I’ve never used them, and never given them a second thought. And my studio friends tell me they’d rather use software-based drum sounds & loops than 90’s-style percussion from their synths. Basically, a “bell” of limited value. Report generation hardly falls to that level, and my CFO and CMO depended upon recurring reports generated automatically from the CLM, as did my SDR Manager.  But ad hoc ROI report generation gets too much press, in my humble opinion, and may be touted at great length by your intrepid CLM sales rep.  As far as I’ve seen, every CLM in 2021 has report generation; I wouldn’t be too swayed by a firm that crows about this as a product discriminator, unless your senior management is asking for numerous non-standard reports other company systems can’t provide.

 I hope my earlier levity about engineers doesn’t generate too much hate mail – I have the utmost respect for them, as they know; that same sentiment applies to my beloved Sales colleagues. But having said that, for the safety of all, I only provide my Sales pros with access to NDA templates.  That’s it.  Your CLM will certainly have a rules-based structure where you can provide, or remove, access to forms or project documents based on department, unit/function, individual name, or transaction.  Again, simplicity should be the rule, not the exception here.  Ask for sandbox or live “dummy” system access and have the provider walk you through the gory details of this process. You should be able to do it alone, on a real-time basis; time-sensitive special projects (often M&A related) sometimes arise with little notice, and with strict guidelines about disclosures to other team members.  If you can’t readily change access rules yourself, you’ll have problems, and will spin your wheels – while the clock is ticking and the C-suite is waiting for a reply – all because this process is too difficult.

 Every app on the planet needs to have mobile functionality, and CLMs are certainly no different.  As we emerge from COVID travel restrictions, the need for airport/Acela/in-meeting access to your CLM will return to 2019 levels. Any hiccup or frustration with the mobile use experienced during demo should receive substantial negative demerits in your evaluation phase.  I’ve seen everything from a unique mobile app for a vendor’s platform to the identical (though hard to read) platform access using a browser on your iPhone or Android device. This comes down to personal preference, and what an otherwise high-scoring provider is selling. So long as core functionality is present in a mobile platform, I wouldn’t make a final decision based solely on this.

 Lastly, a CLM platform’s ability to host a private document that could be shared via public URL, such as your company’s Supplier Code of Conduct or SLA, should be easy to find today and require nothing but the most basic training steps to create.  

I suppose no essay on technology would be complete today without a reference to AI or ML. And pitch deck references to AI/ML are just as ubiquitous; there isn’t a major CLM player who isn’t emphasizing AI.  However, make sure a vendor’s AI solution isn’t substantially dependent on a third party’s tool; I know of at least three heavyweights in this sector whose AI is subject to the vagaries of their supplier relationship with subs.  

 The distinction between strategic roadmap and current offering is an important one as well.  No one wants to repeat the selection and implementation process any time soon, so a company’s track record of creative product development, as well as its record of actually delivering those future-proof features, should be an important part of your investment strategy.  Today’s flavor of the month that either doesn’t have the R&D resources, including funding and personnel) or technical acumen (or both) to evolve the product over time will not be a solid choice, particularly if your company is in high-growth mode.

 Another core requirement in 2021 is digital transformation. Where e-contracting automated processes within the Contracts, Legal and/or Sourcing department, digital transformation takes the data in our world and shares it with finance, ops, HR, and other company systems, beyond your CRM.  If your vendor doesn’t at least address this, keep looking.

 Which brings us back to synthesizers.  Do I miss my Crumar? Absolutely.  Was one of COVID’s silver linings less time sitting in traffic and more time embracing my Yamaha….oh, and of course my family? Heck yes!  But my favorite synth of all-time is actually a wonderful instrument called the Korg N364. It’s modern-ish, but with many live performance capabilities and instant access to over 500 sounds.  It’s absolutely bulletproof in terms of construction and reliability, and is playable right out of the box.  While the Moody Blues never did find The Lost Chord, I’m convinced one could come VERY close with uninterrupted time, extreme creativity, and the Korg machine.  It’s the perfect balance between features, reliability, and intuitiveness.

I hope some of these thoughts help you find the best CLM for your team!

[dipulb3]

2021 Toyota Camry Hybrid first drive review: A hard formula to mess up

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/2021-toyota-camry-hybrid-first-drive-review-a-hard-formula-to-mess-up-2/

2021 Toyota Camry Hybrid first drive review: A hard formula to mess up

It might not be the most exciting car on the planet, but the Toyota Camry Hybrid absolutely excels at its intended purpose. It’s comfortable, efficient and sufficiently equipped with modern creature comforts. For 2021, a smattering of nonessential updates slightly refines the formula, making a contextually excellent vehicle just that much better.

New tech, but also not

The most immediately noticeable upgrade in the 2021 Toyota Camry Hybrid is the addition of a new “floating” screen that replaces the one set into the dashboard. The entire middle of the dashboard is redesigned to accommodate this new display, which measures 9 inches on my Hybrid XLE tester, although lower trims make do with just 7 inches. Either way, it’s prominent, and the new look still packs the same physical buttons for the climate control, which are easy to reach and use with little distraction. Charging takes place via several USB ports, but only the one under the dashboard is capable of running smartphone mirroring; the USB-A and USB-C ports in the armrest are for charging purposes.

While the screen might be new, the Entune software on it is not. It’s the same familiar user interface found in every modern Toyota, and it’s the same one we’ve been privy to for the last couple years. It’s not a bad setup by any stretch, with sufficient response times and both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, in addition to Amazon Alexa integration, as well as an embedded nav system that looks old but functions just fine. However, nobody seemed to tell Toyota that when you start making much larger screens, you might want to upgrade the resolution, because everything on my tester’s display is simply upscaled and, as a result, hella pixelated.

Image quality isn’t the best in other ways, either. The head-up display that comes on high-end trims is surprisingly blurry, enough so that it becomes a distraction. The backup camera is, frankly, among the worst on offer across the industry, with an image so grainy (and blown up, given the screen size) that details just disappear into fuzz. Oddly enough, the small color display between the gauges is crisp and incredibly easy to read at a glance. I don’t get it.

What most buyers will appreciate, though, is the upgraded Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 Plus system, which is standard on every Camry. While I don’t feel like testing out the improved pedestrian and cyclist detection, nor the left-turn detection system that prevents me from creeping into an intersection at the wrong time, it’s solid peace of mind that they’re there. The adaptive cruise is updated, and I like that it now accelerates during a lane change, but the active lane-keeping assist is entirely too heavy-handed, just like it is in the updated 2021 Lexus IS that I recently drove. Leave that bit deactivated, though, and it’s smooth highway sailing, so long as you can center your own vehicle.

New look, but also not

The 2021 Toyota Camry has updated styling. Can you tell? Me neither. In case you’re curious, the cushier LE and XLE models get new wheels, the latter rolling on 18-inchers, which look sufficiently luxury-oriented on my tester. This Hybrid also rocks a new interior herringbone seat pattern, which actually looks the business, even though it’s on the subtle side. The sportier SE and XSE variants get some lower fascia tweaks, too.

That’s it. It’s a Camry. More often than not, folks are buying it because it’s a damned good family car. Sure, the lower grille’s a little large, but the whole shebang looks handsome enough to pass muster in the valet line.

Effortless hybrid power

The 2021 Toyota Camry Hybrid’s powertrain remains unchanged for this year, and that’s good, because it’s already stellar. Under the hood is a 2.5-liter, naturally aspirated inline-four that combines with a pair of motor-generators to produce 208 horsepower. While that might not seem like all that much for a midsize sedan like this, there’s a good amount of get-up-and-go if I need to shoot a gap when turning onto a faster street. Once it’s up to speed, it’s all about balancing the throttle to maintain efficiency, something that’s easy to do with the big ol’ power gauge on the right side. No matter how much motive force I call up, though, the Camry Hybrid responds with smooth delivery.

One might not consider a Camry to be all that luxurious, but the ride quality that comes at this price is very, very hard to beat.

Andrew Krok/Roadshow

The body is tuned similarly. In fact, it’s pretty close to Lexus‘ ride quality, with supple damper tuning that turns harsh roads into soft undulations. The XLE is a luxury-themed trim, and on the road, it excels at keeping occupants comfortable. Sure, it’s a little nautical in the turns, but you’d spring for the Camry TRD if you wanted flatness.

The Camry Hybrid’s ride isn’t just effortlessly comfortable, it’s efficient, to boot. The EPA rates the 2021 Camry Hybrid XLE at 44 miles per gallon city, 47 mpg highway and 46 mpg combined. My right foot is clearly government-approved, as I earn about that much in each category, perhaps 1 or 2 mpg lower, but some of that can be attributed to Michigan’s drivers being, um, a sprightly sort.

Down to brass tacks

The 2021 Toyota Camry Hybrid is good, but that’s because the current generation of Toyota Camry Hybrid has always been good. It’s comfortable, efficient and more affordable than before, with my range-topping XLE trim commanding a $33,165 price tag, down $560 from the year before. Include the fact that buyers get more bang for their buck than last year, and this car makes for an opportunity that’s pretty hard to pass up.

Climb in the driver’s seat for the latest car news and reviews, delivered to your inbox twice weekly.

[yesthisiscrystal]

QUARANTINE HAS SCRAMBLED EVERYONES EATING HABITS

The Quarantine has gotten everyone adjusting to a “new normal”.

With social distancing rules in place some people have decided that it's time they start cooking, some have decided to throw a quick oven pizza or frozen meals is best and some have continued to buy takeout.

With social distancing rules in place supermarkets have lengthy lines of people trying to stock up on food to eat since they’re in the house more often. However everyone is stocking up rather differently and not everyone is stocking up to make full course meals regularly.

One supermarket employee noticed how many frozen dinners were being brought by older men.

Mothers of both essential workers or mothers working from home, have also resorted to a lot of frozen foods as well especially by the bulk at supermarkets like BJs and Costco. Frozen food such as Chicken nuggets, frozen pizzas, pizza rolls have become popular amongst mothers. Grandmothers on the other hand  have seemed to be cooking the same regularly like normal, leading to stocking up on ingredients to last a while to save continuous grocery trips.

A lot of people have decided that during this time would be a perfect opportunity to begin cooking for themselves. Many have said that their busy everyday schedules a lot of the time ended in them not really cooking and eating takeout because of its close proximity and convenience.

Yvana Peart says she already knew how to cook but always got too busy or too tired but started to actually love cooking and even dabbled in baking.Yvana got creative and decided to make her own rendition of the Popeyes chicken sandwich. “It's been pretty successful so far although when things don't turn out the way i plan i get upset cause then it ends up wasted”. Yvana mentions

Many people who have returned to cooking more often have actually enjoyed it and the only challenge is the upsetting part when the new recipe they’ve tried didn’t come out as planned and there’s a temptation to throw it away and give up. On social media there’s people sharing their cooking and taking pride in it.

Danika Piper had bragged about her making lemon pepper wings for the first time as she decided not to eat out so much. “I made them for Mother's Day. They are really good i thought it would go good with pasta” She went on to tell me about the process one how she cleaned her chicken and seasoned it with lots of seasoning, covered it with flour and added flour and lemon seasoning and fried it in olive oil. This inspired her to make buttermilk fried chicken and Ben salmon “ I made a lot of stuff during quarantine I definitely have more time now i ate out alot because of work or I didn’t eat much because I didn’t like my campus food” Danika explained

Because a lot of the first time cooks or returning are mostly millennials and gen Z a lot of what they’re cooking is even food that they’ve had takeout in or food from their cultures.

All us New Yorkers know our infamous New York deli classic meals the bacon egg and cheese sandwich  chop cheese and Jeremy had decided what if he brought those classics to his kitchen and tried to recreate them himself. He didn’t think it tasted the same but he did say he plans to try again since he tends to get bored.

In the very beginning of the quarantine there was speculation about ordering out and some people started cooking to avoid that. However their people who felt as if they might as well order if they want to. Now even people who are cooking frequently especially the mothers and grandmothers have occasionally not minded ordering a pizza pie once in a while.

According to “The Atlantic” People are ignoring Social Distancing. On the weekend before St. Patrick’s Day a bartender in Washington D.C witnessed several patrons coming in just over 21.

A man from Boston in the bar works as a pharmacist and said he is already at risk it’s only so much he could do.

This goes for many essential workers although dining in hasn’t been an option anymore they still do takeout because its more quick especially with many of them working longer hours .

Some people carried on with their nonessential weekend plans. A woman in Los Angeles went to a bar with a friend and she stated “this could be the last bar we go in a long time”. After recent social distancing restriction policies Americans aren’t eating out. According to “Bloomberg blog 54,000 restaurants stopped dining in.

The stop of dining in increased deliveries and take out orders. Food platforms like Uber eats, Postmates and DoorDash have seen increased stocks. The platform has no contact delivery services and no delivery fee promotions.

Take out fast food restaurants also have taken a hit with angry customers and short staffing. Alana says her restaurants are just as crowded with people coming in to pick up their food and becoming very rowdy and impatient when it isn’t ready.

Wendy's employees have noticed a significant increase in DoorDash orders and a drive thru line cutting right into traffic.

It's also been mentioned that not everyone is abiding by the no dining in rules 

Christian mentioned his coworkers being cursed out by customers when they told them of the in dining in rules because smaller local restaurants haven’t all decided to take out the few chairs they have considering they had signs thinking it would be abided by.

The “new normal” has had different effects on everyone. It allowed some to finally try a new skill that they were too busy for before, but it's also had some people who are still busy figuring out new easy out alternatives and then people who will enjoy their favorite restaurants regardless.

[aidanchaser]

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: Everyone Lives AU

Table of Contents

Chapter Six The Train Ride from Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters

The morning of September 1, 1991 was a very loud and chaotic morning for the Potter family. Harry had hardly slept. He kept packing and repacking his trunk. His parents had written out a packing list for him, but he kept adding to it.

At seven in the morning he heard his mother get up and start cooking breakfast. He leapt down the stairs two at a time to help. It was a big breakfast — everyone was coming to send him off.

At eight, James came stumbling into the kitchen, dressed, but hardly awake.

At eight-thirty, Sirius and Uncle Remus arrived. Lily and Harry put breakfast on the table and everyone ate quickly.

At nine-thirty, James and Sirius tried to take Harry's trunk downstairs.

"It wasn't this heavy last night," James grunted, and set it back down. He opened it up with a frown. "Harry, you can't take all these books."

"But what if I want to read something besides my school books?" Harry shouted from downstairs.

"There's a library."

James and Sirius carefully rooted through what was essential and nonessential.

"Harry, you can't take your broom," James said with a sigh.

"I don't have use it," Harry said. "I just want it with me."

"No."

And Lily took it and held onto it, so it could not get repacked behind anyone's back.

Sirius and James tried taking Harry’s trunk down again. Halfway down, Sirius stepped on the centre of the fourth stair. The loud noise that sounded throughout the house startled him so much that he dropped the trunk on his foot, and with a yell that was drowned by the faulty alarm system, tumbled the rest of the way down the stairs. James fell too, on top of the trunk, which slid its way down the last few stairs.

When the buzzer had died down, and the portraits were calm again, James and Sirius laughed.

"You of all people," James wheezed breathlessly.

"I know, I know. I forgot about that one."

Sirius sat down for a minute and cast a temporary cooling charm on his foot while Remus and James put the trunk and Harry's owl beside the door.

Lily took her list and went through Harry's trunk again.

"Mum, I've got it all —"

"I know, I know. I just want to be sure."

Sirius called Harry into the parlor while Remus and James cleaned up breakfast.

"What is it?" Harry asked as he sat down on the couch.

"Wanted to give you this," and he pressed a galleon into Harry's hand. "There's a candy trolley on the Hogwarts Express, and I wanted to be sure you get enough, in case your Mum gets stingy."

"Thanks!" Harry said with a wide grin, then lowered his voice, "And you can't help me sneak my broom in?"

Sirius snorted. "After that garden snake you set on me two weeks ago? Not a chance. Sorry, mate. Next year."

Harry sighed dramatically, but was still grinning as he went to make sure his mother properly repacked his trunk.

"And you fed Hedwig?" she asked.

He'd decided to name his owl Hedwig, after a woman in his book A History of Magic. She'd taken to it well enough.

"Yes, I did Mum. Can we leave now?"

"I'm ready. Is your father?"

Harry went to the kitchen where James was putting the last of the dishes away and Remus was wiping down the dining table.

"Remus, you don't have to," James was protesting.

"I know, I know," Remus shrugged. "Might as well." He tossed the cloth into a bin and washed his hands. "Ready to go Harry?"

"Yes, can we, please?"

"Just going to grab my cloak," James said and ducked back into his and Lily's room.

Remus glanced into the hall and then knelt next to Harry so they were at eye-level. He pressed twelve sickles into Harry's hand. "Just in case you want a few more chocolate frogs on the train, alright?"

"It's alright," Harry protested, but Remus refused.

"I did some Horklump gardening the other day. Consider it a birthday present."

"Thank you," Harry said quietly, and tucked the sickles into his pocket. Somehow, they felt more valuable than the galleon Sirius had given him.

"Everyone ready?" Lily shouted from the doorway.

Remus and Harry joined her, and Sirius limped after them. James was pulling on his cloak as he came through the door.

It was ten-fifteen.

"Harry, you have your ticket?" Lily asked, and Harry pulled it out of his cloak pocket for her to see.

"Okay. Harry, you're with me. James, you have the trunk. Remus, here's Hedwig. And Sirius, you're on your own."

"Don't know how I'll manage," he said with a grin, and with a loud crack, Disapparated.

There were three more cracks in quick succession, and they all Apparated into a side alley in London.

"Quickly," and Lily ushered them all down the street — Remus and James shared the trunk — to the train station. At least there, they were able to get a trolley for Harry's things.

By ten-forty-five they had arrived at King’s Cross, Platform Nine.

"Through the barrier," James said with a grin. "Ready?"

"Don't be scared and don't stop," Remus said quietly. "That's the trick."

"Okay," Harry said firmly. He wanted to sound more confident than he felt. With a deep breath, he rushed forward, and pushed his trolley through the barrier between the platforms.

He emerged on an entirely different platform, with a scarlet engine emblazoned with the words, "Hogwarts Express." James came right behind him, then Remus, then Lily, then Sirius.

The platform was already crowded. He saw Neville with his grandmother, anxiously hunting for his toad. He saw Fred and George Weasley with a boy he didn't recognize — dark skin and dreadlocks, small wooden box in his hands.

"Let us see," George was begging.

"Come on, Lee, open it," Fred pleaded.

Sirius pulled his attention away before he could see what was inside the box. "Well, where to?" he asked.

Harry stood up on tiptoe and noticed the crowd was thinner at the back of the train. So that was where he led his family, until he found an empty compartment.

"It's almost where we sat, isn't it?" Sirius asked with a grin as he stowed Harry's trunk under the seat.

James's head brushed the door of the compartment as they helped Harry get his things in and stowed away. "Sure you want to be back here by yourself?"

"Yes," Harry answered readily.

"You don't want to be with Ron or Neville or Susan?" Lily frowned.

"I'll find them later."

"Well... alright." Lily pulled him close and kissed his forehead, right on top of his scar. "We love you, and we're very proud."

"And you'll have to write every day," James grinned.

"Every day?" Harry frowned. "Then you won't even have time to miss me."

"Once a week, please," Lily smiled, and tried to smooth his hair flat. It didn’t stay.

"Send Remus all your History of Magic essays," Sirius said. "It's what we did."

"Write your own essays," Remus scolded, but with a smile.

The whistle blew — time for the train to go.

Remus and Sirius each hugged Harry goodbye, then James took his turn to say goodbye. He knelt down beside Harry and pulled him into a tight hug.

"You're going to have so much fun. And we're all very proud." When they parted he said, "And I am sorry about your broom. I'm sure Sirius will help me keep it limber while you're gone."

"Don't break it."

"No, of course not," James smiled. "And say hello to McGonagall from me. I'm sure she'll roll her eyes, or something."

The train whistle sounded again.

"James, let's go," Sirius shouted.

"I know, I know! I'm coming," James shouted back. He stood up and gave Harry a galleon. "From your mother and I, for the candy trolley." And he gave him a second one. "And that one's from me," and he winked. He pulled Harry into a hug again, then stepped out of the compartment.

Harry went straight to the window and waved to his family on the platform. Another whistle blew, there was a rush of steam as the brakes released, and slowly the engine began to pull away from the platform. Harry waved and his family waved back, all the way until they were too small to see among the rest of the crowd, and then Harry sat back down in the seat and let out a deep breath.

He looked over at Hedwig and poked his finger into the cage. She nipped at it playfully.

Then the carriage door opened, and Ron Weasley stood there, an apprehensive look on his face. "Can I join you?"

"Oh, sure," Harry said, and moved Hedwig's cage so Ron could sit. "Where are Fred and George?"

"Apparently Lee's got a tarantula."

"You didn't want to see?"

Ron’s face seemed to turn green at the thought. "No thanks. What're you doing all back here by yourself?"

Harry shrugged. "Dunno. Wanted some quiet I guess."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I can —"

"No, it's alright. I don't mind. Really."

Ron sat back down and cleared his throat awkwardly. Harry didn't exactly except Ron to be much for conversation on a good day, and now he'd gone and ruined it all together by saying he wanted to be alone.

"Uh, Ron," Harry started awkwardly, "do you know why our parents are friends?"

Ron shrugged. "The war, wasn't it? My uncles fought You-Know-Who with your parents. Until you beat him, that is. Oh — can I talk about this? Mum says not to bring it up around your family. She says things were real bad when we were born, and that —"

"It's alright," Harry shrugged. "Mum and Dad don't talk about it. But, I don't know.... What do you know about it?"

"It?"

"Yeah. The war. Voldemort. All of it."

"You're not supposed to say his name," Ron whispered.

"Oh. Sorry." But he wasn't really. His mother was comfortable saying it, so why shouldn't he?

"Well, Mum and Dad don't talk about it much. But once Mum said Uncle Fabian and Uncle Gideon took down five Death Eaters and Uncle Fabian only lost an arm. He does spells left-handed now. Kinda off. But I didn't really know him before. I mean, I was only a baby. Well, so were you. Sorry, mate, I don't really know much else. You could ask Percy, when he's not too busy polishing his prefect badge. He would've been five, though. Do you want me to write to Charlie? Or Bill?"

Harry shrugged. "They'd probably just say to ask my parents."

"What do your parents say?"

"Nothing interesting," Harry shrugged and scratched at his scar.

Ron picked at the fuzz on his jumper while Harry watched the houses grow more sparse as the train began traveling through the countryside. Soon, it was all green around them. It reminded Harry of home, with rolling hills and clumps of trees. He wondered if Hogwarts would have a lake to swim in, or trees to climb like he had at home.

Around noon the candy trolley came by. Ron declined, claiming he was fine with his sandwich. Harry spent his three galleons and twelve sickles on as much candy as he could for him and Ron to share.

They ate pumpkin pasties, traded Chocolate Frog cards, and dared each other to try suspicious Every Flavor Beans until the quiet countryside turned into wild woods and raging rivers. It was a pleasant trip, just Harry and Ron. Harry’d never noticed how fun Ron could be when he wasn’t surrounded by his brothers.

Around sunset, there was a knock at their compartment door. Neville came in, looking very sullen as usual. "Oh. Hello, Harry. Ron. Um, you haven't seen a toad, have you?"

"Sorry, no," Harry said, and Ron shrugged his shoulders.

"I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me."

"He'll turn up," Harry said encouragingly.

"Yes," Neville answered miserably. "Well, if you see him...." He moaned as he walked away.

"Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a toad, I'd lose it quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk."

Harry held his forefinger out to the dark-coated weasel for it to sniff, but it snapped at his finger instead.

"He's not really nice to anyone. He was Percy's first, and he hated Percy, too. But Percy got an owl this year, since he's a prefect and all. So I got him."

"He's pretty dark for a weasel."

"I guess so. I tried to turn him yellow but the spell didn’t work. I’ll show you, look..."

Ron pulled his wand out, an old battered thing with the unicorn hair poking out at the top. He’d just opened his mouth to do the spell when the door opened again. Neville was back, but with a girl neither Harry nor Ron recognized, already in her Hogwarts robes.

“Has anyone seen a toad? Neville’s lost one.” Harry had never met someone with hair messier than him before. He wondered if her mother tried combing it flat as often as his did.

“We already told Neville no,” Ron said with a frown. Clearly he didn’t like the bossy tone. But the girl already didn’t seem to care. She was much more interested in the wand. “Oh, are you doing magic? Let’s see then.” She even sat down in the compartment.

Ron and Harry exchanged a glance and a shrug, and Ron cleared his throat.

“Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow Turn this stupid weasel yellow.”

The only thing that happened was that Scabbers bit the back of Ron’s hand.

“Are you sure that’s a real spell?” asked the girl. “Well it’s not very good, is it? I’ve tried a few simple spells just for practice and it’s all worked for me. Nobody in my family’s magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it’s the very best school of witchcraft there is, I’ve heard — I’ve learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough — I’m Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?”

Harry was a bit dizzied by it all and looked to Ron or Neville for help. Neville looked just as bewildered but Ron managed to mumble, “I’m Ron Weasley.”

He looked back at the girl and, thinking a Muggle-born witch wouldn’t know anything about the Wizarding War, said, “Harry Potter,” in the most unassuming voice he could manage.

“Are you really?” she said. “I know all about you, of course — got a few extra books, for background reading, and you’re in Modern Magical History and the Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century.”

He didn’t like that a witch raised with Muggles knew more about him than he did, but he was more curious than anything else. “Blimey, am I really? Mind if I borrow those?”

“Goodness, you didn’t know? I’d have found out everything I could if it was me.” As if he wasn’t trying.

But she changed the subject before he could ask her any more questions about it. “Do either of you know what house you’ll be in? I’ve been asking around, and I hope I’m in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn’t be too bad…. Anyway, we’d better go and look for Neville’s toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we’ll be there soon.”

And she left, dragging Neville with her.

“Whatever house I’m in, I hope she’s not in it,” Ron said grumpily, and threw his wand into his trunk. “Stupid spell — George gave it to me. Bet he knew it was a dud.”

“Is everyone in your family in Gryffindor?” Ron nodded gloomily. “Mum, Dad, my uncles—all my brothers. I don’t know what they’ll say if I’m not. I don’t suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin.”

Harry did not like to think about what would happen if he had to write a letter to his father saying he’d been sorted into Slytherin either. He didn’t think his mother would mind much, and he imagined his father would cool down after she talked to him — he always did — but Sirius wouldn’t be very happy either. Harry wanted very much to be in Gryffindor like his family, too.

“You know, I think the ends of Scabbers’ whiskers are a bit lighter,” Harry tried in an effort to get him and Ron talking about something other than houses. But Ron still looked morose, so he tried again. “How are Bill and Charlie?”

“They’re alright. Charlie’s still in Romania. Bill just went off to Africa. Always top secret with him, though. Gringotts doesn’t like people other than goblins knowing what they’re doing. Bill’s pretty lucky, Mum says. Did you hear about Gringotts? The robbery?”

Harry nodded. “I was there the day after. They said nothing’d been taken.”

“Yeah. Really weird. They didn’t even catch the bloke that did it. Dad says it must’ve been a powerful dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case it’s You-Know-Who.”

“So you don’t think Vol—er, You-Know-Who is dead either?”

Ron shrugged. “Uncle Fabian and Uncle Gideon don’t, but they’ve always been a little nutty. Good friends with Moody, y’know?”

Harry smiled. He did know. Paranoid was a word invented to describe Alastor Moody.

“Been keeping up with Quidditch?”

Harry nodded vigorously. “Sirius got me a Nimbus 2000 for my birthday.”

“A Nimbus 2000? Really? That’s incredible. Can I see it?”

“First years can’t bring brooms,” Harry sighed. “I tried to convince dad to let me anyway, but I think Mum talked him down. She always does that.”

“Maybe we can borrow Fred and George’s. They’ll probably make us do something stupid in exchange, but it might be worth it. Percy said there’ll be proper flying lessons for first years. Might not be the end of the world.”

Suddenly, the boys were exchanging flying tips and swapping Quidditch game stories. It was the most conversation Ron and Harry had ever had. Harry thought things were a lot more comfortable between them without Neville or Ernie Macmillan around like at family parties.

Their carriage door slid open and three boys Harry didn’t recognize walked in. They all looked curiously at Harry, and were wearing their robes and even their hats. Their gazes made Harry wish there was an inconspicuous way for him to cover his scar.

“Is it true?” the pale boy in the middle said. “You really are Harry Potter?”

“Yes,” he said, and he wished he didn’t sound like Neville’s toad had lodged itself in his throat. The other two boys looked very mean, like bodyguards on either side of the boy in the middle. “Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. “And I’m Draco Malfoy.”

Ron snickered quietly and Harry mumbled, “The hat might’ve given it away,” but Draco didn’t catch it. He was too busy glaring down Ron.

“Think my name’s funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford.” And he turned back to Harry. “You’ll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don’t want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there.”

So that was what his dad had meant by, “We aren’t friends with those sorts of wizards.” Even though Sirius had encouraged him to be friends with who he liked, Harry had already decided he would much rather be friends with Ron, who could be a little quiet and self-deprecating at times, than with this snobby boy, who walked around with a pair of bodyguards like some sort of self-appointed prince.

So Harry ignored Draco’s extended hand and said, “I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks.”

A pale pink spread across Draco Malfoy’s cheeks and his voice turned very cold. “I’d be careful if I were you, Potter. Unless you’re a bit politer, you’ll end up considered a blood-traitor, especially if you hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys.”

Harry and Ron were both on their feet.

“Say that again,” Ron said, completely red with anger.

“My mother is Muggle-born,” Harry nearly shouted. “You better learn some manners yourself before you start throwing around words like ‘blood-traitor.’”

“Oh, you’re going to fight us, are you?” Malfoy sneered.

“Unless you get out now,” Harry glanced quickly over Crabbe and Goyle, took in their massive size for eleven-year-olds, and something told him he was doing something far more reckless than Sirius had ever done.

“But we don’t feel like leaving, do we, boys?” Malfoy glanced back at Crabbe and Goyle. “We’ve eaten all our food and you still seem to have some.”

Goyle reached out to grab the last of the Chocolate Frogs, and Ron dived at him. But before Ron got more than a step closer, Goyle was screaming.

Scabbers hung from Goyle’s knuckle, his long slinky body swinging in the air as Goyle tried to shake him off. But the weasel had a stronger grip than Goyle could manage, and even as all three boys disappeared out of the compartment, Goyle trailing behind, still screaming, the weasel refused to let go. Ron and Harry ran after them, nearly bumping into Hermione Granger in the hallway.

“What’s going on?” she demanded.

“They’re stealing my weasel,” Ron said and pointed after Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle.

Hermione pulled her wand out of her robes and said, “Spiculus.”

There was a high-pitched squeak and Scabbers dropped to the floor. Ron quickly scooped him up and all four of them, Hermione and Scabbers included, went back to their compartment. Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy left.

“I’ve heard all the Malfoys are that mean,” Ron said sourly. “They were some of the first to come back to our side after the war ended. Said they’d been bewitched. Uncle Fabian and Uncle Gideon don’t believe it, and dad doesn’t either. Says the Malfoys never needed an excuse to go to the dark side.” And then Ron looked over at Hermione, as if he hadn’t realized she was still with them. “Can we help you with something?”

“You’d better hurry up and put your robes on. I’ve just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we’re nearly there. You’d better be careful about picking fights. You’ll be in trouble before we even get there.”

“We didn’t pick that fight,” Ron scowled. “Would you leave then, if we’ve got to change?”

She sniffed. “Well, I only came in to make sure you were all behaving yourselves. It’s rather childish to chase people down the corridors. And you’ve got dirt on your nose, by the way. Did you know?”

Ron glared at her until the door closed. Harry looked away to the darkening skies. The train really did seem to be slowing down.

So he tucked his jacket into his trunk and pulled his robes on. They barely brushed the edge of the floor, perfectly hemmed. He noticed Ron’s robes were a bit short, and you his trainers were visible underneath.

The conductor’s voice echoed through the train, “We’ll be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes’ time. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to the school separately.”

Harry and Ron grabbed as many sweets as they could fit in their pockets. Harry let Hedwig nip gently at his finger and Ron left Scabbers snoozing on the seat. Though he did leave him a Chocolate Frog as a reward for his courage in battle.

They joined the crowd of students in the corridor as the train slowed to a stop. People pushed their way out of the train and onto a small, dark platform. Harry pulled his robes tighter, wishing he’d left his jacket on underneath. Then he saw a lamp high above everyone’s heads, and Hagrid’s voice calling over the crowd.

“Firs’ years! Firs’ years over here! All right there, Harry?”

Harry smiled up at him and followed close behind. Not that Hagrid was very easy to lose.

“C’mon, follow me — anymore firs’ years? Mind yer step, now! Firs’ years follow me!”

The path was very steep and very narrow. A couple times, Harry had to grab Ron’s shoulder so he wouldn’t slip. Nobody said anything to each other. The only sound, besides a few stumbling children, was Neville, still sniffling over his missing toad.

“Ye’ll get yer firs’ sight o’ Hogwarts in a sec,” Hagrid called over his shoulder, “jus’ round this bend here.”

And as they came around the corner, everyone let out a soft “ooh.” They had reached the shoreline of a great black lake, and across the water was a castle, with lit windows flickering like candle light, like orange stars on the horizon. Great spires rose up from the castle, and its grand gates glittered in the light of the waning moon.

“No more’n four to a boat!” Hagrid shouted, pointing to the small wooden boats on the shore of the lake. Harry looked around to see if he knew anyone nearby — he hadn’t seen Susan or Ernie at all today — and ended up in a boat with Ron, Neville, and Hermione.

“Everyone in?” Hagrid called from his own boat. “Right then — Forward!”

And all the boats moved at once, gliding across the water as smoothly as Harry’s Nimbus 2000 flew on a clear summer morning. The first years were all still quiet, gazing at the castle.

“Heads down!” Hagrid said as they passed under the cliffs, and the boats carried them through the ivy hiding the entrance into the castle through the rocks. The caverns seemed to travel under the castle, to its very centre, before the boats docked themselves onto the shore of a hidden cove. The children climbed out into the harbor onto rocks and pebbles. The castle looked enormous now, its stiff walls looming over them.

“Oi, you there, is this yer toad?” asked Hagrid, as he helped a few of the first years out of their boats.

“Trevor!” Neville said with a shout of relief, and tucked the toad into his pocket.

The first years followed Hagrid up a flight of stairs until they came out in front of the castle’s large, glittering doors.

The grass was damp as the crowd of children moved to sturdy oak front door, Hagrid and his lantern still leading the way.

“Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?”

When Neville squeaked out a, “Yes!” Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

[amazingsubahu]

Misery to Blissfulness

Our life is what we think and do about it all the time. I have experienced the significant changes in it, as I changed my perceptions, associations, and choices I have made in my recent past. I have made in the last one year at every level of my being, physical, mental and spiritual level. This is all started with the scanning of my body, mind, and spirit, all the fact and figures we have collected about my life and its current status at that time by physical, medical tests. I have done a deep analysis about everything concerned with my life in terms of mind, body and spirit, habits, associations, likes, dislikes, interests, thinking pattern, diet, eating habits, all other routines, things I used, my job, my earnings, everything about me. It is in terms of mind, body, and spirit. I have a good experience out of all the exercises and application of suggestions my friend has given to me, as he directed, in the form, measure and way he prescribed and instructed. It was incredible and I have produced significant positive changes in my life, I am so happy that I have agreed to transform myself and improved everything in my life in the span of one year. I have produced significant results even, I have not done 100%. First of all, I have accepted all my mistakes and faults I have done in recent years and doing at that time. I have deeply diagnosed and traced all the flaws of mine, at all the level of my being of physical, mental and spiritual. I asked and checked what are the things sucking my life unnecessarily and made me lethargic, frustrated and put me in low self-esteem and indulged in wrong activities, likes, desires, and associations.

This exercise gave me a true picture of my current reality, a lot of facts and information about my existence, activities, their impact on my mind, body, spirit, time, money, energy, relationships, and everything concerned to live a fulfilled energetic, positive and joyous life. I found a disastrous amount of facts about my physical, mental and spiritual states and shocked to see them and their sick and sucking influence on my total being. It was the time to take a right decision and a big turning point in my life, so, I am writing about it. I feel it's better to share it with all the fellow beings on this planet. if it will give them a reminder or a clue about inquiring and knowing about their current status of their mind, body, and spirit. The positive and negative impact of their habits, associations, mentality, a way they are living, and doing everything. It's a must do for each of us, we must know what we are doing and what it is creating for ourselves? How fulfilling or sucking it is all? Does it upgrade or degrading us? Does it helping us to make better versions of ourselves? How much time, money, energy, and efforts we are putting in what, and why? What are we getting out of it? Where it leads to us? Does it give any growth and quality to our life? Do we are living that life we are born for? Do we utilizing our all resources and strength in life-enriching and expanding activities? Do we know ourselves? Do we know what is our real potential? Do we are living in a creative way? We should know about everything around us. How intelligent and stupid we are? Do we know why we are doing anything? How sane and insane we are in our thinking, doing and living? It is a self-assessment and synthesis of our own life and our attitude towards its growth and development. It's our responsibility to look after ourselves and give all, which best serve our purpose of living here and to make us enable for highest possible growth in all the possible dimensions of our life. We are born here to make it, and we must check that how justified and productive and creative it is? Does it lift our mind, body spirit at higher levels or it makes us sicker, drained and degraded human beings? If we are not true to ourselves, we will not get what we really deserve, thanks to our sincere efforts that we have fixed almost all of them and discovered new dimensions and avenues of my creative potentials and abilities. Now I am so full of energy and charged with enthusiasm and positivism, I am doing what I want to do and love most. I am busy in making best out of me and growing towards greater levels of my being. I have seen the futility and uselessness of many of my activities, the job I was doing and the environment over there, people I have associated with, activities I was involved. I have changed all of them and get rid of most of them completely within no time, that's the great thing about me.

ha ha ha ha, it's good to give credit to yourself? about all the good things happened in your life as well as by taking responsibility and doing necessary actions to end the worst things, we have done to ourselves, to our environment in a short or long period of our living on this planet. If you are not ready to do this now, no one else will ever do it for you. I have found one more thing that if we really love ourselves and wants to live the life of our dreams. We have to make the necessary changes at any point in our life, and one thing I have discovered that we can change almost everything at any point in our life. It doesn't matter how old we are, How rich or poor, healthy or sick, promoted or dominated we are? It's all about our will and effort to change and ready to receive all that life is offering and preserved for us. I am much different being within a year from the day I was on this day last year, and it's happened due to I have decided to change the total course of my life, and succeeded much in it. It's just a beginning of a Newman resides in me. I am carving it, every moment by sculpting and uncovering it by removing all the waste and nonessential attached and embodied to it. I have made radical changes in my lifestyle, my food habits, my thought patterns, my association, my vibes, my interests, my goals, my health, my routines, my preferences and priorities, related to my body, mind, and spirit individually and collectively. I have learned many new things and lessons and developed deeper insights towards life and its creative aspects. I have access to my own treasures of being unaware of before this transformation. it's a blissful experience and I am going deeper every passing moment, the total credit goes to my will to live and explore more of me and everything around me consciously, lovingly, carefully. I have found that it's given to me abundantly, as I opened to myself for all that is existing and available to me. I am so grateful to everyone and everything comes across my way of living, they gave me enriching experiences and insights, a good or bad way. I have now, the joy, the health the free mind and boost in spirit. dear friends, at last, I want to say only one thing do Love and care about yourself, love your body and do care most about it. It's the indispensable tool to live righteously and get everything in this world in most beneficial and great way. AmazingSubahu     Read the full article