#my brain: youre going to be helpful and share a tidbit of knowledge to someone who didnt know!

[macroglossus]

my greatest shame is that im a 'well actually' person.... NOT in a condescending way hopefully but like. someone says something and i cannot help myself but pipe in 'actually! :)'. worst part is i 'well actually' people who are JOKING. because sometimes i have trouble telling when people are JOKING. the realization haunts me every time

[op-sheepy]

One Piece Manga spoilers ahead...

Got a message from someone expressing disappointment that the recent OP manga chapters dashes their headcanons that the Heart Pirates are medically trained... or at least competent enough at it... I can see how the latest chapters could somehow change this perception which is a totally valid interpretation. (Likely to be canon too though it could all be interpreted some other way with our favorite headcanons intact.. :D)

Of course, bringing my attention to this could only mean that they wanted to be convinced otherwise. Using my favorite fandom tools of some recontextualization, selective interpretation, and some basic relevant medical tidbits (my friend preferred calling it me 'bulsh*tting' my headcanons into the realm of possibility, which fair) I did manage to convince them (it helps that they really wanted it to be true lol) and they've convinced me to share here. Remember to take the following with a grain of salt and to not take anything mentioned that's medically related seriously or as an absolute fact that would automatically reflect in real life. I mean, it's a manga and we're definitely stretching things here... Anyways, here goes...

Let me start off with this panel:

Now it's been years since I've had any use for BLS but still the first thing that struck me when I saw this was, 'That is not how one does chest compressions...'

You can do a quick search for proper hand placement for CPR and it will tell you that the heel of one hand is at the center of the chest with the other hand on top of the first hand, fingers interlocked. Now, I'm not really that good at making out details from manga panels but the hand placement does not look correct at all.

My first instinct was to make another WIP fic where their captain drills them and they review this (which I did do lol). And then made my assumptions if I go with the premise that the crew is doing their best to their knowledge.

This would bring up the following points:

As mentioned, the hands do not look correct for chest compressions.

Water is spouting from Luffy's mouth like a fountain suggesting that the pressure being exerted on the chest is pushing the water out.

The purpose of chest compressions in CPR is not to expel water but to emulate the heart beating and maintain circulation. (so the Oxygen can get to your brain continuously)

The incorrect hand placement would then suggest that Bolero Hat guy is not trying to maintain circulation but instead trying to expel the liquid from the lungs. Sort of like a lung massage. This is somewhat confirmed in a succeeding panel with them with someone trying to affirm whether they've gotten rid of all the water.

Basically, they are clearing the airway. Which they would only do if they've established that Luffy's circulation is fine and that the obstruction is the immediate issue that needs to be addressed.

Now, during drowning, generally, aspirated water should end up in the stomach because of laryngospasm (vocal cords spasming). For some reason, maybe force of will (because he did look like he was still screaming while he was drowning) or his strange anatomy (because he is rubber), the water somehow ended up in his lungs. We assume this because Luffy with water in his stomach looks like this:

Not as relevant but we can also assume that his rubber powers affect the displacement of liquids within the different membranes inside his body.. because otherwise, the next image wouldn't be possible (Bolero hat guy would have had better luck performing some modified thoracentesis with a spigot)

If you're still following my rambling, what we've pretty much established is that whatever the Hearts were doing it wasn't necessarily the chest compressions done in CPR or rather, it has maybe passed that (also note the lack of defibrillator use which should be available in that submarine).

Right after clearing his lungs of water, they move on to the next thing they need to address which is his lack of consciousness ('Open your eyes, man!') because from the image above the 'sh---h' sound coming from Luffy suggests that he is already breathing.

For alteration of consciousness, the treatment would depend on the underlying cause. Here the presumption was the lack of Oxygen (or whatever gas is being breathed in One Piece).

This is pretty much the scene that shows them seemingly not knowing what to do but given the circumstances, I thought it was understandable. Also, Luffy's physiology is pretty unique. I doubt squeezing the lungs would have been viable as a method of removing the fluid (it would have been postural drainage, some modified Heimlich, or straight up inserting a tube) had he not been made of stretchy rubber. Any further intervention without the accompanying knowledge could be more detrimental. Here is a picture of our other resident genius doctor saying as much regarding administering medication he doesn't know enough about.

Since no return to consciousness was imminent and there was no doctor to make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment, the team is left to determine the next step by themselves. (Look at them looking for their captain who happens to be their doctor...)

'I don't know what more to do for him,' suggests that they've already performed all necessary procedures based on the circumstance and Luffy's unique anatomy.

If we dissect the scene further, their panicked suggestions could only come from people who have some passing medical knowledge.

Someone suggests giving him some pills and someone quickly rebuffs by suggesting giving him an injection instead. Between the oral route and intravenous injection for drug administration after drowning, the latter should be the preference (to maintain the airway and because of possible injury to any part of the airway). But they probably have prior experience on the difficulty of getting a normal needle through Luffy's rubber skin.

It also suggests that they have a specific medication in mind to give him as they are arguing route.

Someone notes that Luffy is pale. As we are assuming that they've established the lack of a possible cardiac arrest, they should be looking into addressing any other possible underlying cause. It could be blood loss, poor peripheral circulation, anemia, hypoglycemia, hypotension, etc.

Ultimately, though, the team was successful in reviving him. Given that Luffy pretty much recovers from eating excessive amounts of food, he'll be fine and will probably be rejoining the battle good as new. The same could not be said for the Polar Tang's food supply.

TL;DR: The Hearts did a good enough job. Their captain would still drill them but he'd still be proud. And now they really need to win that battle because they'll be out of food.

[mistabullets]

Twilight (Kinktober Day #5 - Corruption)

Characters: Takuto Maruki x Reader

Word Count: 3.0k

Summary: You remind Maruki too much of someone.

Content Warning: n/s/f/w, afab reader, fem pronouns, corruption, loss of virginity, vaginal fingering, vaginal sex, teacher/student relations, doctor/patient relations, angst, dubcon/noncon cw, mind manipulation/alteration cause of maruki’s persona, older man/younger woman, dubious ethics, maruki calls you by the wrong name, p5r spoilers

Note: I went to town on this. I’ve been wanting to write something with Maruki forever and finally got the inspiration I needed

It wasn’t supposed to turn out like this.

It had started out simple - his relationship with you started out strictly professional. You were one of the seniors who had endured Kamoshida’s abuse, although not to the extent some other students had. You still held on to your high hopes and ambitions despite the pressure of exams weighing you down occasionally. Sessions with Maruki-sensei were relaxing. Unlike your parents and teachers, he listened . He didn’t brush off your complaints and invalidate them, he wouldn’t go off on tirades about how you needed to do better. He truly listened - it made you happy to be heard for once, even if you felt your problems were infinitesimal compared to your peers.

You frequented the nurse’s office. While you had friends who were probably better company than the school’s therapist, you found comfort in his words. You never grew bored or tired of his little lectures - he was researching something about cognition and how to mend the heart of its emotional labors. While he threw in complex words you couldn’t quite grasp, you tried your best to follow along and ask questions if you couldn’t wrap your head around a certain concept. And while Maruki was happy to grant you little tidbits of his knowledge, there was something gnawing at him, something he knew he shouldn’t admit.

Your mannerisms and speech patterns, the conversations you two shared, and your upbeat and quirky personality reminded him of Rumi. Every time your eyes glued on him, inquisitive and attentive, he was reminded of when Rumi would pause her studies, just to listen to him babble about two dots he was able to connect. Then he would recall her touch - lingering kisses, careful caresses, the act of becoming one, the noises that spilled from her lips, the heat that she would engulf him in—

But lately, he would visualize your face; contorted in pleasure, pleading with him oh-so-sweetly, and brows knitted as he speared your virginal walls.

However, he was the adult here. He knew it was wrong and he kept those thoughts locked away from his students. For him to fantasize about such things with a student more than a decade younger was unprofessional. For him to lock the doors after you left and pump his cock fervently to the thought of you was disgusting on his behalf. He tried to bury those carnal desires deep within - and he masked them for quite some time, believing he could simply get over it. His heart still belonged to Rumi and no one could replace her. Certainly, he wouldn’t throw that all away for some replacement, projecting her onto you, right?

But it all came to ahead.

The school was out for the day; most students had already gone home for the evening. Just when he was finished organizing paperwork, he heard his office door slam opened and closed. He glanced up, ready to offer whoever came in through his door some snacks and juice. But he was greeted to the sight of you, tears cascading down your puffy eyes. His chest tightened - he hated to see his students cry… but he didn’t want to see you like this. Usually, he thought of you as resilient and independent but he supposed you needed a shoulder to cry on, every once and awhile.

“Oh my, what’s the matter, L/N?”

He offered you a seat on the couch and sat beside you, offering a box of apple juice. You thanked him in a choked whisper, trying your best to collect yourself. Thank god Maruki had the patience of a saint, giving you ample time to compose yourself and reassuring you it’s okay every time you hiccuped a weak sorry .

You sniffled, “I-I don’t even know where to begin…”

“Take your time,” the counselor reassured.

A moment of silence. The clock ticked. You let out a shaky sigh and swallowed harshly, “T-This is all confidential, right?”

Maruki hesitated for a moment but nodded, “Yes. What happens in this room, stays in this room.”

“Okay… well, t-this is embarrassing. But I trust you the most right now,” you swallowed down your pride, willing the courage, “There’s… this student. We’ve been talking and we, uh… did some things.”

He raised his eyebrows when you paused, hearing you take in a deep and uneven breath. He could hear how broken your pride was - without considering it, he placed a hand on your upper back, rubbing it soothingly, reminding you to go at your own pace. It was welcomed. “Go ahead.”

“I… I really thought he liked me b-but…”

“He broke your heart, huh?”

You nodded, “I… I can’t go back in time. If I would have known… h-how cruel he is… M-Maruki-sensei, what should I do? My heart feels so heavy…” you buried your head into his chest, soaking his dress shirt with fat tear droplets. Awkwardly, he held you there, contemplating how he should properly respond to this situation. He furrowed his brows - he was a damn therapist and couldn’t even give you any advice on the matter. Hearing your cries reminded him too much of Rumi’s - the harrowing tears unstoppable as she was reminded of her trauma. He wanted to make them stop, make them disappear somehow. Life was so unjust, he pondered, forcing you to deal with inevitable heartbreak which would some way or another, define you. It was the seed of mistrust, the loss of innocence, and the beginning of life’s hardships.

He pulled you into his embrace, muffling your pathetic wails into his chest. Maruki noticed a faint throbbing in his head, a distant voice telling him, you can save her, let me help… he clung to that voice, asking himself how he could help, how he could be useful .

And then a flicker of kaleidoscope flooded the peripheral of his vision.

There was a ringing.

And your tears ceased.

“M-Maruki-sensei…”

You forgot why you were crying.

“L-L/N? Are you feeling any better now?”

Oh, right? You confessed your feelings.

“S-Sensei… I…!”

You lifted yourself away from the shirt you just soaked with your tears. Without hesitation, you pressed your lips desperately against his; you tasted coffee from his mouth and wanted more.

Maruki was registering what was occurring - a student was kissing him and he needed to put an end to it, he reasoned. However, before he could push you away, a hand reached down for his crotch. You pulled away from the intoxicating kiss, brain fried with overwhelming love for the man before you. “Takuto… a-are you hard?”

And for a moment, he was reminded of his first time with Rumi - her sweet voice whispering his name, worried about pushing him over the edge, “Takuto…”

Takuto…

“Takuto?”

And he snapped. He didn’t care anymore if this was wrong. He just needed you . He gained control and pushed you back into the couch, pouncing you like an animal. Experienced lips found yours and his tongue easily slipped into your mouth when you let out a gasp. He feverishly rubbed his clothed erection against your soft thigh as his kiss deepened and you were already moaning against his mouth. He needed you out of your uniform; he needed to be out of his clothes. God, he needed you so bad, he wanted you—

“A-Ah, please slow down, t-this is my first time.”

Oh right, you never specified if you were still a virgin or not. “S-Sorry…! Don’t worry, I’ll make you feel good, L/N… I mean, Y/N. Just let me take the lead.”

You nodded and assumed kissing, albeit much more calculated and less desperate. Maruki guided you as he promised. He stripped you of your pesky uniform, discarding them to the floor of his office. All that remained on your body were your simple bra and simple underwear which did not match. Maruki was addicted to the little noises you made under his kisses - you whimpered and sighed his name just like her . He ghosted his lips on the ample flesh of your breast and the experienced hand went unclip your bra, exposing the perky buds. His eager lips suckled and nipped each nipple, his slender hands fondled each mound with gentle calculation. He admired the quick rise and fall of your chest and your heavy pants; he wondered what kind of noises he could draw if he touched you down there. Would it be like Rumi’s?

“D-Do you like this, sensei?” you asked curiously, nervously spreading your legs apart as the older man settled in between them, groaning at the maiden heat of your core. He rutted against your clothed sex, relishing in the mewls you released and wishing he would strip off your panties already. God, you were particularly dripping - he couldn’t tell if it was your essence or his pre-cum that sullied the front of his trousers. And he didn’t care either.

“You’re doing so wonderfully, Y/N. You’re already so wet, my god… I’m going to take off your panties.”

“O-Okay…” and you helped him wiggle out of your underwear. He threw them to the floor, on the pile with the rest of your abandoned attire. While you were exposing yourself to him, you didn’t feel nervous - you trusted Maruki to handle you with care. The counselor gulped when you spread your legs for him, showing off your pretty pink pussy. He steadied his breathing and sighed, nestling him and observing it. Hesitantly, he brought a finger to collect your slick, rubbing the slit up-and-down. It was maddening, overwhelming all of your senses as he experimentally touched and observed your womanhood like it was some sort of specimen. Only when you bucked your hips against his hand did Maruki realize he was making you impatient. He couldn’t help but smile at your eagerness, “Patience, I need to prepare you so you can feel good.”

It was fucked up - how he was so willing to discard his ethics just to be able to relive the feeling of being with her; to fill the void in his heart since her memories were wiped clean. But wouldn’t it be more fucked up to deny your feelings? Sure, you may be confused, but… wouldn’t fall deeper into despair if he rejected you? Not only would you have to suffer through one heartbreak but two. If this helped relieve the stress of that one boy, so be it. If he could help you in the slightest, even if it means tossing morals and logic out the window, so be it. He’ll make sure you’re happy too .

After exploring every inch of your core, his index finger aligned with your entrance and pushed. Oh, did it burn but it was pleasant to have him inside. Maruki leaned down to pepper kisses on your throat and jaw, easing you into the thickness of his finger. When he buried it to the knuckle, he inserted his middle finger and sunk that into your tight heat. You hissed and the older man apologized, reassuring you that it would feel good here soon. You believed him and once you stopped trembling, the discomfort molding into a strange sensation, you told him you were ready. With careful precision, he pumped his digits inside of you slowly - he curiously scissored the canal, preparing you to take something bigger than his fingers.

When he curled his finger against a particular area of your wall, you jolted and cried out. It was just like Rumi’s first reaction, “Ah… I found your g-spot. Good, good… I’m going to go faster and touch that again. You may feel funny at first but I promise, it feels wonderful.”

Before you could question Maruki what he was about to do, you wailed as electricity shot throughout your synapses. You writhed and trembled, your head was flooding and your stomach was taut with a strange feeling. However, you couldn’t ask what this feeling was -  not when the counselor kept assaulting your g-spot, particularly finger fucking and rendering you a whining mess. Your hands found purchase in the cushion of the couch, tensing when you felt your pussy throb around Maruki’s fingers. You called out his name and he leaned down to silence your cries with his lips - the faculty should be long gone now but he wanted to be safe. You continued moaning into his mouth - then the strange coil in your stomach exploded and you arched your back, wailing and crying. He continued his ministrations, easing you down from your climax.

“T-Takuto… I-I feel so warm…” you panted, once you came down from your high.

“You just orgasmed. It was beautiful, Y/N,” he said.

“I-I’m glad…” you sighed, your body slumping against the couch. As you were washing up to the shore of your post-climax, you heard the rustling of belts and zippers. You glanced down to see the hard erection of your therapist, the pink head glistening with some fluid of sorts. Trepidation overrode your tranquility.

After seeing you come undone with just his fingers alone, he wanted to see you come undone with just his cock. Your reaction reminded him of her too, when she first offered to blow him. Her eyes had widened in surprise, not believing his cock could have this much girth to it. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought you were her reincarnation. Not hesitating a moment longer, he reached for his pocket to tear open a package of condom (better safe than sorry). He rolled the latex over his length before spreading you open to rub himself with your juices, coating himself with plenty. He wished he had a bottle of lube, just to make sure you were prepared but you were particularly dripping on the couch. You watched nervously, chewing your bottom lips as the head of his cock aligned with your entrance.

Maruki had his manners though. He gave a chaste kiss, littering more to your neck and collarbone before placing his forehead against yours. A hand reached to hold yours. Your free hand went to hold on to the back of his shoulder as he gave another kiss. “This may hurt… just relax, breathe in and out, and tell me when you’re ready, okay? … Are you sure about this?”

You nodded, giving him a demure smile as you took a gulp of air, preparing for the intrusion.

And he pushed in his bulbous head inside and you whimpered pitifully. You squeezed his hand until your knuckles turned white. Carefully, he pushed further in and knocked the wind out of you - you cried out and he paused, whispering sweet nothings and apologies. Once you were calm, he continued, and finally, his heavy balls rested against you. “Good girl, now just tell me when you move… on your cue,” he praised, leaving more ghost kisses on your vulnerable skin. You shuddered, adjusting to the painful thickness impaling your insides. However, the pain was quick to fade to only mild discomfort - it was bearable now.

“T-Takuto, nngh… y-you can move now.”

He smiled gently and carefully moved out before slowly thrusting back in. His rhythm was slow and tactful, giving you time to adjust to the feeling of sex. The initial discomfort swirled and spiraled into intense pleasure. When you moaned for more, you received more. Maruki picked up the pace - and his kisses became harsher. His head was buried in the crook of your neck and he nipped the side of it, leaving behind a red-purple bruise. That made your nerves sing and made you mewl, “T-Takutooooo~ Go harder, go faster, p-please…!”

Groaning, the older man readjusted your legs, pressing them against your shoulders so he could fuck your sweet pussy even deeper. You moaned, back arching as Maruki started to pound your oversensitive cunt. He was impossibly deep, you swear you were going to break apart on his thick cock. You continued crying and singing how good he felt, how happy you were that he was your first, and how you were wanted more. Your thighs smacked together, his balls hitting your ass deliciously, and his groin swiveled against your needy clit. His big cock was wrecking your insides and rearranging your guts, and his pace was growing desperate. He would ram the entirety of his length deep inside until the tip kissed your womb before switching it up and jackhammering into your tight walls with abandon. It made your toes curl, made you dig your fingernails into the meat of Maruki’s shoulder, and god, were you about to orgasm again?

Yes, you’re cumming again, Maruki thought as he panted against your sweat-slicked skin, relishing in your virginal tightness. He released your hand to quickly rub your swollen clit - he rubbed and rubbed ferocious circles, groaning when your pussy gripped onto his cock like a vice. Losing himself to your unbearably warm cunt, he began singing a name.

“Rumi, Rumi, Rumi…! I love you…! I’m gonna cum…!”

But rather than question the name that didn’t belong to you, you held him closer, telling him you’re going to follow him over the peak. “T-Takuto, I-I love you…!”

And the two of you exploded. He spilled himself inside while you milked his cock for more.

And while he was crying out someone else’s name like a mantra, you were praising him, seemingly not minding this. Once he finished spending the last of his seed inside of you, he collapsed on top of you. He was exhausted and didn’t seem to realize he was murmuring that stranger’s name again in your ear. Instead of shrinking into the couch out of hurt, you clung to him, peppering kisses to the side of his neck.

“I love you, R̼̗̗̹̻̄ͭͦ͌͜u̶͙̱͌ͩm̺̠͉̥͖͖ͯ͢i̖͕͚͗̽̓…”

"                    Y/N…"

You smiled. You loved how your name left his lips.

“I love you too, Takuto…”

You glanced out toward the window.

It's twilight now.

[evolutionsvoid]

If one has read through my previous entries on Slimes, you should know by now that they are an incredibly adaptable and versatile species. Though they are just a heart and a pseudobody, their special signals and incredible slime allow them to create a variety of shapes and forms. From sticky Flayers who cover themselves in adhesive goo and bone shards, to volatile Fire Slimes that secrete flammable liquids and use gathered flint to light it all aflame! It is no surprise that this species has thrived and spread for so long! However, at times this versatility can lead to some issues. Like any other beast, Slimes are susceptible to parasites, disease and the ravages of time. Horrible things that can mess with their minds and hijack their signals. When a Slime is struck by one of these terrible fates, you either wish for a speedy recovery or a merciful death. Cruel as it sounds, things can become a real problem when these illnesses choose to linger. Be it parasite or virus, one can take over the form of a Slime and turn them into something even worse. I have written about Slime Dragons before, and how those abominations come to be. To quickly recap, Slime colonies tend to have buried networks of elder hearts that aid in reproduction and knowledge transfer. Slimes can physically connect to these networks to share nutrients, information or transfer their young. In most cases, these networks get along just fine, but age can start to wear on the oldest of hearts. As the decades pass by, an elder heart may start to degrade and fail. Most cases end with these dying organs being put of their misery and absorbed, but there are rare instances where the network is too late in realizing this weakness. In extreme cases, a fading heart may start to produce a "rotted signal," a droning message that is simple and infectious. Slimes use signals generated by their hearts to control their goo and communicate with others. They can share signals with one another without a problem, but rotted signals are not so kind. Due to their nature, these signals are capable of overwriting the signals of other Slimes and causing their hearts to pump out the same infectious message. All Slimes who come in contact with an infected heart or pseudobody will be hijacked and added to the collective. Slime Dragons are beasts that can result from a rotted signal taking over, but they are only one outcome for this dire situation. You see, a rotted signal is not just gibberish or useless noise, it often is a normal message that a Slime would use that has become corrupted. For Slime Dragons, the signal that births them is the same signal Slimes use when they are hungry or look to feed. It is a blaring message to consume that takes them over and creates this gluttonous monstrosity. So that means a different signal can lead to a different outcome, which is where the Slime's versatility takes a cruel turn. For each type of rotted signal, their is a corresponding abomination that is born from it, and each is specially equipped to bring a whole lot of misery and destruction. The diseased amalgamation I wish to write about today is known as the Mind Sink. While it is a network that has succumbed to an infection like a Slime Dragon, it is quite different from those slithering, hungering brutes. Their congealed and hardening slime will form skittering legs, and a bizarre frame. While its outside has grown dark and thickened by the corrupted fusion of so many Slimes, within this brittle cage will form a gooey writhing core. Here is where the infested hearts lie, and from there comes a multitude of flailing tendrils and snaring tentacles. I imagine it is a freaky sight to behold, and one I have thankfully never witnessed! The Mind Sink is one of these abominations I am most disturbed by, as it hungers for something more than flesh! The signal that becomes corrupted is the one Slimes will use to transfer knowledge to one another. It is a message that kind of says "can I copy your notes?" which the other Slime will agree to and they will share their information. When it grows foul, though, this message does not ask for permission. Rather, it becomes more of theft than a collaboration, as the infested Slimes mindlessly drain the information out of the victim. Slimes that are caught by these serpentine limbs will immediately be linked to the corrupted network and they will begin to draw out all their knowledge. In moments, the Slime will be emptied of all their information and thoughts, and will instead start to pump out the rotted signal. They will be pulled into the core and will join their infested brethren, ready to seek out the next victim. I know some may think that it is a rough process for the Slimes, and to that I must make a correction. It is a rough process for everyone, because the Mind Sink does not just prey on its own. 

It has been thought that the signals from a Slime's heart shares some similarities with the signals our brains create. While that is a whole field of study and wondering I am not well versed in, I can say that Mind Sink has given us a bit of confirmation on that. Mind Sinks not only hunger for the knowledge of their fellow Slimes, but they will target other creatures as well. Doesn't matter if it is man, beast or thinking plant, if it has a brain or a similar organ, it wants inside. Non-Slimes who are seized by a Mind Sink's arms will be entangled and immobilized in its grip. Coils of slime will pin their limbs in a cocoon, and slithering tendrils will seek out the source of the victim's thoughts. They somehow have a way of pinpointing the location of the brain and, once they do, they find the quickest way to access it. The point of entry is usually a facial orifice, be it nose, mouth, ears or eyes. They will burrow to the brain and the corrupted goop will make physical contact. From there, it will hijack the signals and quickly learn how to manipulate the organ, giving it access to their memories, knowledge and life experiences. With the mental feast now ready, the Mind Sink will say "I will have everything!" and start to drain. So far it has not been found if there is any order to what it consumes first, or if there is any logic behind it. Like a whirlpool, it just sucks in whatever it can. The mind will be siphoned away by this hungering mass, and the victim is quite powerless to do anything about it. When your brain is taken over by a gooey monstrosity, you aren't exactly in the right state of mind to fight back. Due to the difference between Slimes and species like us, the brain draining process takes much longer. Think of it like trying to transcribe an entire book in a language you don't understand. Yeah, you can do it by just copying the symbols, but it will take you longer. It appears that it takes a few minutes for a fleshy or plant-based victim to be fully emptied, and then they will simply be tossed aside. Those that fall to this awful fate will not have much of a mind left. Memories will be gone, any knowledge or skills they had will be wiped out and their own thoughts will be a scrambled mess due to the brutal takeover their brain experienced. Most become comatose, while some may flop around like a fish and babble nonsense. It is a truly horrible thing, and a cure or remedy has yet to be found.   Due to how much longer it takes to fully feed off a victim, one can be saved from the grasp of a Mind Sink before they are truly lost. If one can sever the tendril that holds the prisoner and cut them off from the network, the slime will collapse in a useless heap. The connection with their brain will end and so will the drain. It should be noted that freeing a victim from a hungering tendril is just the first step, because the Mind Sink has a dozen more and it will be eager to reclaim its prize. Best to grab them the second they are let go and run as fast as you can! Severing this link before the mind can be fully consumed is certainly a good thing, but damages will still occur. It depends on how long they were being fed on, as that decides how much was removed from the brain. Those that were held for only a few moments won't notice too much of a difference after they have rested and recovered, but some things will certainly be lost. Probably a handful of distant memories and mental tidbits were taken, but they won't notice their absence right away. Those fed upon for longer will have patchy memory loss, temporary issues with physical functions and scattered thoughts. It will be like someone took the book of their life and ripped out random pages. Thankfully, the book will mostly remain, so that means recovery is possible. Physical therapy will be required for any functions that were damaged by the hijacking, and the mind will need some help too. Not only will they need to relearn lost skills and forgotten memories, but their mind will need to recoup as well. Meditation, therapy and other calming activities are needed to help them stabilize their thoughts and reorganize their scattered mental archives. Recovery is not the fastest thing, but time and patience will help heal the wounds and fill the gaps torn in their heads. No doubt now that it has become obvious that Mind Sinks are incredibly dangerous and need to be exterminated whenever they rise. These are diseased amalgamations that will cause untold damage and tragedy as long as they are alive, and there does not seem to be any peaceful way to resolve their rampage. Like Slime Dragons, the way to bring down these monstrosities is to target the original heart that is creating the rotted signal. That is where the signal is originating from, and the other hearts are merely mimicking it. Kill the source and the others will soon fall silent, causing the fusion to fall apart. When it perishes, all the other Slimes are set free, but they won't be the same as they were before they were assimilated. All the knowledge they had was taken by the Mind Sink, and where all that information goes is quite random. As far as we know, all that it absorbs is held in a condensed mess of noise and thoughts that is shared by all the consumed hearts. Its mind eating abilities may make it seem like it can take memories and knowledge then use them against their foes, but that isn't the case. They do not weaponize what they take, they don't even seem to pay the stolen information any mind. Their own mind is like a garbage can, and anything they get their tendrils on is just chucked inside without a second thought. They don't want to use it or interpret it, they just want it. So with all this knowledge shoved into one mangled ball of mental energy, there is no telling what belongs to who or who belongs to what! When the Mind Sink is terminated, all that knowledge is fractured and dumped randomly into the freed hearts. The Slimes who emerge from the collapsed amalgamation will have a stew of memories and thoughts that are not their own. Some will be completely different from before, while some will be fumbling with the fractured mess they have been given. Not only will they be mixed up with their own selves, but there can also be a whole bunch of information that was stolen from non-Slimes that is now stuck in them! Some may be in bits and pieces, while some Slimes can have whole chunks of a person's life inside them! There is a tale that has gone around about a monster slayer going out to kill a rampaging Mind Sink. He failed to defeat the beast and was consumed by it, but eventually someone brought it down. What was brought back to his family was an empty shell, and they cared for him in this comatose state. The family prayed that one day he would get better, that somehow his mind and faculties would return. One morning, his wife heard someone walking around the house and his voice started to call for her. Believing that a miracle had been granted, she rushed to him only to find him still in his bed and still in a coma. What walked in to greet her in her husband's voice was a Slime, who had somehow wound up with a big chunk of his memories and personality. I personally don't think this story is true, because the ending to this tale has several different versions. Some say she took the Slime as a replacement for her husband, while others say she killed it in horror on the spot. I have heard some say that the Slime returned all the memories to the comatose husband and he was cured, but that one is certainly fake. It would be nice if that could happen, but Slimes are incapable of putting things into our heads like that. Our minds are like colorful sandpaintings, and the Mind Sink just reached in and yanked out handfuls of it. Can you just take those fistfuls and put them back so easily? I say that about returning memories and how that is impossible, but then I remember that there is an exception to that: the Slimes themselves. While they can come out all scrambled, it is possible for the Slimes to rearrange themselves back into facsimiles of their old selves. Slimes can already transfer stuff to one another, so they could puzzle out what parts belong to who and then sort them out. I have no clue how you can tell if a memory is yours or not, but then again, I don't have the ability to copy and share my brain (I wish I did, though! It would make teaching so much easier)! So Slimes can return what was lost between them, but they will still wind up with pieces of non-Slime information. What they do with this is unknown and up to who wields it, but some believe that Slimes have gained portions of their knowledge by recovering stolen thoughts from a Mind Sink. Supposedly an ancient Mind Sink fed upon human settlements and was finally slain, and the Slimes that emerged claimed all the knowledge and skills of its victims. Could it have happened? Maybe. Do I believe it? No, because I do not like the light it paints Slimes in. The theory is essentially saying they stole all their knowledge and wisdom from others, and proposes that they couldn't have come across this any other way. Seems more like it is derogatory towards Slimes than it is trying to learn more about them. Doesn't help that the people I have met who believe this theory have all kind of been jerks towards Slimes. After all this talk about Mind Sinks and their horrific abilities, I bet some think that I can offer tips on how to kill one. In truth, I got nothing. Take out the original rotted heart and the rest falls apart. How do you do that? Not really my department there. I am a researcher not a warrior, and I personally don't want to be anywhere near one of these things. As someone who has spent years learning and seeking knowledge, the concept of a brain-sucking monster is absolutely terrifying to me. All my experiences, all my work drained away in minutes, reducing me to a mindless vegetable! No thank you! I like my thoughts right where they are, and I got enough of a scatter brain already! The only way I want to share my knowledge is through my writings and teachings! Read my life's work, don't yank it out of my skull! Speaking of that, I better watch my tongue. Enough talk about a mind-wiping monster and Eucella might hire one and sic it on me. It would be way easier to chop up my writings and sell a book if I was brainless idiot! Chlora Myron Dryad Natural Historian - You know I read these, right? This is not helping your case in the slightest. And also you might want to drop the "if" and change the "was" on the brainless idiot part.     - Eucella - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Slimes, Slimes, I love Slimes!      

[ichorhalf]

                   ❛                        wipe    the    𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅    off    your    hands    ,    little    owl    –    it    doesn’t    matter    .    you’re    still    a    𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐫    .    ❜

❝    you’re    hardly    innocent    yourself    ,    𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓    –    godhood    looks    cruel    on    you    ;    if    i    had    to    do    it    again    ,    𝐢    𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭    𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞    𝐚    𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠    .    ❞

                                         𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭  ,  𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐬  ,  𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝  𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

                   excuse  the  dramatics  ,  but  hello  !  i’m  cc  ,  can’t  read  ,  can’t  write  BUT  i  will  be  dramatic  about  it  nonetheless  .  i  am  SO  excited  for  this  ,  i  am  the  biggest  pjo  fan  in  the  world  &  i  love  pjo  rps  sm  i  have  been  blessed  by  the  gods  ,  paige  &  dani  with  this  .  dana  is  a  very  old  muse  i  used  to  have  &  recently  re  fell  in  love  w  ,  so  here  she  is  .  tidbits  before  diving  in  :  she  fought  for  kronos  &  the  titans  in  the  war  ,  she’s  a  daughter  of  athena  that  spent  five  years  unclaimed  in  the  hermes  cabin  &  she  is  for  the  new  cabins  –  it’s  what  she  was  fighting  for  anyway  .  if  you’d  like  to  plot  PLS  like  this  &  i’ll  come  to  u  ,  uwu  .  p.s  this  is  long  for  no  reason  PLS  come  to  me  if  u  want  a  tl;dr  .

〔  JEON    HEEJIN,  TWENTY,  CIS    FEMALE,  TELUMKINESIS  〕╰    DANA    AHN    just    came    over    half  -  blood    hill  .    you    know  ,    the    child    of    ATHENA    who    was    claimed    four    years    ago  ?  i’ve    heard    chiron    say    that    she    is    INSTINCTUAL    &    COGENT  ,    but    if    you    ask    the    aphrodite    kids  ,    they’d    say    they’re    DISPARAGING    &    GLACIAL  .    i’d    say    they    remind    me    of    quiet    grief    spent    in    lonely    hours    –    invalidated    by    people    she    swears    never    cared    for    her    ,    watching    a    new    constellation    form    with    crystalline    tears    in    exhausted    eyes    ,    a    lethal    slice    of    celestial    bronze    ;    it    brands    her    a    traitor    &    pile    of    painted    beads    crushed    underfoot    when    loyalties    are    chosen    ,    especially    since    they’re    FOR  THE  NEW  CABINS  .

❛   𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗   𝖔𝖓𝖊   ╱  𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭  

inspiration

         ❛  you’re  a  monster  .  ❜   ❝            better  a  monster  ,  than  an  arrogant  god  .  ❞

ethan  nakamura  (  percy  jackson  &  the  olympians  )  ,  ❛  one  of  my  sons  recently  traded  an  eye  for  the  ability  to  make  a  real  difference  in  the  world.  ❜  

❝          no  one  made  me   ,  i  made  me  –  so  give  me  a  bitter  glory  .  ❞

cato  (  the  hunger  games  )  ,  ❛  go  on  .  i’m  dead  anyway.  i  always  was,  right  ?  i  didn’t  know  that  till  now  .  ❜  

❝          am  i  the  villain  in  your  story  ,  when  i  was  always  the  hero  in  mine  ?  ❞

erik  killmonger  (  black  panther  )  ,  ❛  the  world  took  everything  away  from  me  !  everything  i  ever  loved  !  ❜  

full  name  .  ahn  ji  su  /  dana  ahn  nickname(s)  /  aliases  .  dane  ,  traitor    age  .  twenty  gender  /  pronouns  .  cis  gendered  female  ,  she  /  her  orientation  .  demisexual  ,  panromantic  hometown  .  boston  ,  massachusetts  faceclaim  .  jeon  heejin

aesthetic  .  a  walking  plethora  of  bad  decisions  made  by  a  rotting  heart  ,  remnants  of  red  rimmed  eyes  after  losing  so  much  more  than  others  in  the  war  ,  the  quiet  ,  ominous  static  electricity  before  a  lightning  strike  ,  watching  a  new  constellation  form  with  crystalline  tears  in  her  exhausted  eyes  ,  a  lethal  slice  of  celestial  bronze  ;  it  brands  her  a  traitor  ,  shouting  commands  over  the  sounds  of  her  kind  dying  at  her  feet  &  a  pile  of  painted  beads  crushed  underfoot  when  loyalties  are  chosen  .

label  .  the  premonition  ,  the  potentate  ,  the  traitorous  moral  alignments  .  chaotic  good  /  chaotic  neutral  ( + )  positives  .  strategic  ,  instinctual  ,  cogent  ,  potent  (  -  )  negatives  .  fustian  ,  disparaging  ,  glacial  ,  acerbic  hogwarts  house  .  gryffindor  godly  parent  .  athena  deadly  sin  .  pride  fatal  flaw  .  holding  grudges

❛   𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗   𝖙𝖜𝖔   ╱  𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞  

TRIGGER  WARNING  :  death  ,  murder  ,  injury  description

              𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫  𝐢  .  her  mother  ,  a  goddess  in  her  own  right  ;  ahn  soo  ah  joins  the  navy  as  kennedy  ahn  .  bright  eyed  &  wise  beyond  her  years  ,  she  graduates  from  the  united  states  naval  academy  with  notable  achievements  under  her  belt  .  she  is  astute  ,  a  walking  resource  that  the  navy  uses  as  a  strategist  –  one  of  the  brightest  minds  of  her  generation  ,  gone  unknown  as  she  helps  the  military  create  top  secret  missions  .  war  written  &  loved  ,  kennedy  has  an  affinity  for  battle  –  she  attracts  many  people  that  she  knows  are  more  than  human  .  but  they  search  for  romance  ,  they  ask  for  her  love  when  kennedy  has  never  sought  after  it  –  romance  comes  slow  to  her  ,  it’s  a  process  &  the  only  person  to  get  that  is  a  grey  -  eyed  liaison  named  dana  astbury  .  she  arrives  in  a  swirl  of  intuitiveness  &  intelligent  that’s  incredibly  attractive  –  but  their  connection  isn’t  one  based  on  romance  .  the  way  their  minds  bond  is  unlike  anything  kennedy  has  ever  felt  before  –  she’s  eager  to  work  with  her  for  the  short  time  ;  together  they  create  the  perfect  brain  child  .  two  months  after  astbury’s  departure  ,  a  golden  bassinet  appears  with  a  baby  girl  wrapped  in  silk  –  the  product  of  two  of  the  wisest  minds  ,  a  mix  of  godhood  &  mortality  .  kennedy  doesn’t  know  who  the  goddess  really  is  ,  but  she  knows  the  baby  is  hers  .

              she  grows  as  ji  su  ,  americanized  as  dana  –  the  smartest  woman  kennedy  has  ever  gotten  to  meet  &  dana  grows  up  loved  .  what  the  gods  lack  in  familial  love  ,  mankind  makes  up  for  it  ;  ji  su  ,  as  called  by  only  her  mom  ,  grows  into  a  remarkable  child  .  grey  eyes  that  look  like  they  belong  to  a  middle  aged  woman  ,  a  mind  that  knows  too  much  for  someone  so  young  –  they  see  everything  .  the  horns  hidden  the  mailman’s  hair  ,  the  one  eyed  man  giving  her  a  kind  smile  when  she  hands  him  a  daisy  ,  the  winged  creatures  flying  over  her  mom’s  new  job  ;  dana  holds  enough  wisdom  to  make  a  god  stop  .  kennedy  loves  her  more  than  herself  ,  waters  her  with  knowledge  &  sunshine  to  raise  her  as  an  extraordinary  human  being  .  dana  never  knows  life  without  love  until  she  returns  home  from  an  after  school  club  just  in  time  to  see  a  creature  hold  a  sword  of  celestial  bronze  through  her  mom  .  ten  years  old  ,  witnessing  her  a  woman  with  one  goat  leg  &  one  metal  leg  kill  kennedy  –  on  the  basis  that  kennedy  knew  something  about  olympus  .  she  didn’t  ,  but  she  paid  the  price  anyway  &  dana  runs  after  the  creature  ,  intent  on  getting  revenge  .

             𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫  𝐢𝐢  .  labelled  officially  as  a  missing  person  ,  it’s  a  lot  harder  than  she  thinks  to  survive  without  getting  caught  .  but  dana  has  always  been  smart  ,  she  is  sharp  ,  witty  &  quick  on  her  feet  .  it  takes  only  DAYS  for  her  to  find  the  creature  –  an  empousa  ,  learned  from  research  &  any  other  monster  that’ll  help  her  .  the  monsters  on  the  streets  are  kind  to  her  ,  they  spot  a  helpless  demigod  with  a  dirt  caked  face  &  dana  doesn’t  know  it  ,  but  it’s  the  most  kindness  she’ll  experience  for  years  .  a  month  later  ,  the  celestial  sword  taken  from  the  empousa  hangs  on  her  hip  –  along  with  a  lessoned  learned  ;  vengeance  &  revenge  don’t  feel  as  good  as  she  thought  it  would  .  the  monster’s  dead  ,  but  so  is  her  mom  .  a  prayer  sent  to  gods  of  every  pantheon  –  greek  ,  roman  ,  egyptian  ,  norse  ;  she  asks  for  help  ,  for  a  blessing  because  she  knows  they’re  real  &  if  they’re  real  ,  wouldn’t  they  help  a  child  ?  NO  ANSWER  .  it  takes  another  month  before  she  stumbles  past  the  borders  of  camp  half  blood  ,  bloodied  &  bruised  .  it’s  chiron  who  shows  her  around  ,  places  her  in  the  hermes  cabin  with  other  greek  demigods  like  her  .  some  have  lesser  gods  as  parents  ,  some  –  like  her  –  are  unclaimed  .  the  game  ,  to  figure  out  which  god  is  her  parent  ,  which  god  has  deemed  her  unworthy  to  sit  alone  in  the  hermes  cabin  .  everyone  knows  –  even  she  does  ,  the  eyes  are  a  dead  giveaway  .

              but  the  claim  doesn’t  come  &  what’s  supposed  to  be  home  quickly  turns  into  a  prison  .  she  wastes  away  alongside  the  bitter  ,  she  barely  gets  to  go  on  quests  (  on  the  basis  that  upon  completion  ,  she’ll  be  claimed  –  mr  .  d  tells  her  to  shove  it  ,  chiron  agrees  with  her  )  only  to  return  empty  handed  with  one  less  companion  .  scar  after  scar  ,  death  after  death  ,  she  turns  to  the  gods  empty  handed  ,  rid  of  the  offerings  she  used  to  make  .  a  CURSE  upon  athena  ,  a  CURSE  on  all  the  gods  who  sit  by  &  watch  their  children  fight  THEIR  battles  .  demigods  ,  their  children  ,  born  to  be  pawns  for  the  divine  –  to  fight  enemies  their  parents  made  for  them  ,  to  DIE  so  the  olympians  don’t  have  to  .  resentment  in  her  core  ,  she  falls  into  ranks  with  the  blond  boy  in  cabin  eleven  .  luke  castellan  ,  the  one  who  whispers  with  the  sleeping  one  ,  the  scarred  boy  who  promises  her  glory  &  change  .  the  gods  need  a  wake  up  call  ,  who  better  to  give  it  than  their  children  ?  she  leaves  the  summer  after  the  son  of  poseidon  arrives  –  keeps  a  hand  on  luke’s  shoulder  with  a  promise  of  changing  the  way  the  gods  treat  their  children  .

              𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫  𝐢𝐢𝐢  .  a  year  spent  with  a  rising  army  before  luke  asks  her  to  go  back  .  thalia’s  tree  is  dying  ,  an  inside  man  or  two  never  hurt  anybody  .  a  little  bit  stronger  ,  a  little  bit  more  trained  ,  she  arrives  at  the  same  place  she  had  stumbled  into  five  years  prior  –  four  years  stuck  in  the  hermes  camp  ,  one  spent  on  the  run  with  a  boy  king  .  almost  immediately  upon  her  arrival  ,  a  blessing  is  sent  from  athena  –  some  call  it  a  welcome  back  ,  but  dana  is  smart  enough  to  know  the  true  reasoning  behind  her  claim  .  the  gods  are  scared  ,  athena  herself  knows  of  dana’s  potential  &  the  claim  is  an  attempt  at  appeasing  her  but  dana  is  far  too  gone  .  it’s  not  enough  ,  she  leaves  when  the  golden  fleece  is  brought  back  .  one  of  many  demigods  to  go  missing  ,  she  finds  solace  on  board  the  princess  andromeda  .  the  monsters  here  have  shown  her  more  kindness  &  familial  love  than  the  gods  ever  have  .  under  luke’s  instruction  ,  she  grows  into  a  formidable  opponent  –  boasting  extraordinary  skill  with  any  weapon  she  chooses  .  she  grows  closer  to  the  commander  as  well  ,  shares  his  troubles  from  a  distance  while  she  keeps  her  head  down  .  dana  pledges  herself  to  his  cause  ,  pledges  to  stand  by  himself  through  all  of  it  &  mourns  luke  when  kronos  arrives  in  his  place  .  blue  eyes  turn  to  gold  ,  dana  goes  from  warrior  to  sword  .

              chosen  by  kronos  himself  ,  she  spends  an  unprecedented  amount  of  time  with  the  titan  –  often  out  of  sight  from  other  demigods  .  he  freezes  time  for  them  (  like  he  does  every  demigod  he  chooses  to  twist  )  ,  fractions  of  the  care  she’s  always  searched  for  shining  through  the  cracks  ;  she  learns  a  different  way  of  fighting  ,  a  different  way  of  feeling  ,  of  thinking  .  dana  learns  from  the  best  a  titan   reminding  her  of  her  worth  .  wrapped  in  resentment  &  the  blessing  of  a  titan  ,  respect  turns  to  admiration  to  a  twisted  psyche  before  she’s  gearing  up  for  the  battle  of  the  labyrinth  with  a  sour  reminder  –  the  gods  never  cared  ,  he  did  .  with  her  features  hidden  behind  a  helmet  made  of  GOLD  ,  she  proves  her  prowess  erupting  from  the  labyrinth  ,  striking  down  demigods  &  the  family  that  never  cared  for  her  .  after  an  untimely  defeat  ,  one  more  year  is  spent  preparing  .  underneath  his  instruction  ,  dana  continues  to  grow  into  a  weapon  at  his  disposal  &  she’s  blind  to  the  obvious  fact  –  he  never  loved  her  ,  she’s  simply  a  tool  for  them  to  use  .  blindly  naive  ,  she  continues  to  launch  herself  into  battle  ,  lay  her  life  down  in  hopes  of  waking  the  gods  up  .  she  ascends  to  her  peak  ,  unaware  that  everyone  is  waiting  for  her  to  come  crashing  down  .

              𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫  𝐢𝐯  .  charged  with  her  own  command  in  the  battle  for  manhattan  ,  monsters  &  demigods  alike  listen  to  her  orders  .  demigods  of  her  own  kind  fall  under  her  sword  &  she  doesn’t  know  it  ,  but  dana  is  only  one  of  many  chosen  champions  –  one  small  member  of  a  small  class  .  they’re  all  tools  at  his  disposal  &  he’s  manipulated  them  all  in  their  own  ways  ;  to  the  other  demigod  commander  slain  by  an  arrow  ,  he  promised  glory  .  to  the  other  commander  who  charges  the  hunters  of  artemis  ,  he  promised  revenge  .  to  dana  ,  struck  down  by  a  celestial  bronze  sword  ,  he  promised  love  .  they  all  have  their  titles  gifted  to  them  ,  unbeknownst  that  NOBODY  takes  them  seriously  .  demigods  ,  they’re  pawns  in  kronos’s  game  .  it  isn’t  her  first  time  being  injured  in  battle  ,  often  times  she  returns  to  him  &  lets  him  take  back  the  injury  ,  watches  her  cuts  close  up  underneath  his  power  –  but  this  time  ;  hubris  mixes  with  wrath  &  she  lets  her  guard  down  .  her  hands  around  her  neck  &  blood  pours  from  a  deep  cut  that  silences  her  ,  stranger’s  hands  wrap  around  her  armor  straps  as  she’s  pulled  into  safety  ,  holding  back  blood  with  pale  fingers  .  she  chokes  on  her  own  blood  while  her  life  is  begged  for  ,  she’s  close  to  the  underworld  when  she’s  healed  by  people  she  swears  never  cared  for  her  .  her  survival  is  a  travesty  –  to  both  her  &  camp  half  blood  alike  ;  apollo  himself  tries  to  heal  her  fully  ,  but  in  punishment  he  lets  her  suffer  .  twenty  years  old  ,  her  throat  slit  in  retribution  for  her  actions  .

              after  the  war  ,  a  month  spent  recovering  as  she  radiates  like  a  beacon  of  disappointment  .  grief  ,  for  the  titan  &  his  host  –  mixed  with  resentment  &  distrust  .  they’re  split  on  whether  she  should  stay  –  she  chose  the  opposite  side  until  her  dying  breath  ,  the  demigods  that  saved  her  can  still  account  for  the  blood  flung  from  her  mouth  while  she  tried  to  curse  them  .  so  she  keeps  her  distance  ,  but  she  stays  because  she  has  nowhere  else  to  go  –  no  degree  ,  no  identification  ,  not  direction  .  in  the  rivalry  ,  she  keeps  her  mouth  shut  but  she  stands  with  the  cabins  –  it’s  everything  she  fought  for  ,  it’s  all  the  forgotten  wanted  &  she’ll  gladly  go  to  war  for  it  again  .  but  ,  she’s  changed  –  the  image  of  a  lethal  opponent  turned  to  crestfallen  girl  .  she  doesn’t  talk  much  anymore  ,  she  doesn’t  use  her  ability  for  much  ,  doesn’t  train  ,  doesn’t  fight  .  most  often  found  with  a  couple  of  scared  satyrs  while  she  spends  the  day  at  arts  &  crafts  .  but  though  quiet  ,  she  still  harbors  unimaginable  HATRED  for  the  gods  –  she’ll  never  love  or  respect  them  the  way  they  want  her  to  .  they  want  her  to  shed  her  title  of  traitor  but  refuse  to  call  her  the  sword  of  kronos  ,  they  want  her  to  beg  for  a  new  title  at  their  feet  ;  dana  will  never  beg  them  for  anything  .

❛   𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗   𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖊𝖊   ╱  𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

exterior  .  an  outlier  in  camp  ,  dana  pretty  much  spent  more  time  with  the  titans  than  she  did  at  camp  half  blood  .  a  faint  scar  on  her  neck  ,  she  wears  it  like  a  brand  burned  onto  her  skin  .  despite  the  power  that  she  displays  (  a  gift  of  telumkinesis  ,  along  with  skill  &  prowess  learned  by  both  kronos  &  luke  himself  )   ,  she  doesn’t  use  her  power  for  much  these  days  .  cogent  ,  she’s  good  with  her  words  &  swaying  people  onto  her  side  –  which  she  used  a  lot  more  during  the  war  ,  since  these  days  she  mostly  keeps  her  mouth  shut  .  

a  beacon  of  pessimistic  energy  ,  dana  still  isn’t  shy  about  her  dislike  for  the  gods  .  she  says  often  ,  that  if  she  had  to  do  it  all  again  ,  she  wouldn’t  change  a  thing  .  the  gods  continue  to  disappoint  her  ,  continue  to  wrong  her  &  do  everything  in  the  crudest  of  ways  ,  so  dana  continues  to  be  a  blasphemous  follower  in  the  camp  .  she’s  still  here  simply  because  she  has  nowhere  else  to  go  –  no  degree  ,  no  schooling  ,  nothing  to  give  her  a  way  out  –  dana’s  technically  still  a  missing  person anyway  ;  so  until  she  figures  out  a  permanent  way  to  leave  ,  she’s  stuck  .

interior  .  she  almost  misses  kronos  –  at  this  point  ,  she  can  see  that  he  was  the  greatest  manipulator  of  all  but  she  really  felt  so  loved  underneath  him  .  he  saw  her  for  her  ,  molded  her  into  an  outstanding�� warrior  &  dana  owes  him  EVERYTHING  .  but  she  understands  now  how  bad  he  is  ,  how  much  chaos  could’ve  been  unleashed  had  he  won  ,  but  it  doesn’t  erase  the  twisted  care  she  still  holds  for  luke  or  the  quiet  idolization  that  still  lingers  for  kronos  .  she  held  a  title  in  the  titan  army  &  it  still  makes  her  see  red  when  she  thinks  about  how  she  went  from  the  sword  of  kronos  to  traitor  in  the  blink  of  an  eye  .

honed  with   pessimism  ,  dana  is  still  incredibly  intelligent  ,  incredibly  potent  but  she  spends  a  lot  of  time  alone  .  she  prefers  the  isolation  in  contrast  to  spending  time  with  her  siblings  or  any  other  demigod  ;  festers  alone  in  very  toxic  thoughts  about  ‘  hm  shoulda  died  hate  it  here  ’  vibes  .  a  lot  of  regret  ,  a  lot  of  very  twisted  thoughts  having  grown  up  with  the  Worst  Villain  Ever  pretty  much  raising  her  .

midway  .  an  entirely  too  gifted  demigod  ,  completely  wasted  on  the  bad  guys  .  in  a  theoretical  letter  from  athena  ,  dana’s  godly  mother  expresses  her  disappointment  that  she  created  such  a  potent  warrior  just  to  watch  her  fight  for  the  wrong  side  .  determined  to  give  up  her  powers  ,  she  was  only  recently  informed  she  HAD  telumkinesis  .  convinced  she  had  been  trained  by  a  titan  himself  &  that’s  where  her  weaponry  mastery  stemmed  from  ,  she’s  learned  that  it  all  stems  from  a  power  .

still  ,  she  has  room  to  grow  ;  in  her  dreams  sent  by  the  goddess  herself  ,  she’s  been  told  that  should  she  want  a  new  title  ,  she  would  have t o  earn  it  –  but  does  she  want  it  ?  does  she  want  to  use  her  power  to  fight  for  the  gods  that  have  only  ever  seen  her  as  a  weapon  ?  dana  doesn’t  know  ,  she  frankly  doesn’t  care  enough  right  now  .

❛   𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗   𝖋𝖔𝖚𝖗   ╱  𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

as  usual  ,  this  got  way  too  fuckin  long  &  i’m  so  sorry  but  dana’s  an  old  &  complicated  muse  .  tl;dr  ,  fought  w  the  titans  ,  kronos  trained  her  personally  (  &  manipulated  her  ,  mayb  there  was  a  lil  sumn  sumn  but  she’s  ,  in  my  opinion  ,  dumb  &  didn’t  realize  she  was  bein  played  )  ,  she  almost  fuckin  died  &  was  saved  by  the  people  she  was  fighting  even  though  she  herself  killed  numerous  demigods  &  now  is  a  quiet  ,  pessimistic  loner  .  hee  hee  ,  all  her  connections  are  here  ,  all  her  wanted  connects  are  here  .  if  u  read  this  all  i  guess  i  owe  you  my  life  ! 

[xathia-89]

Chandeliers Part 1

It was a ball beyond anything that Japan had seen in recent years. Chandeliers had been bought in especially for the evening, the best champagne and sake had been sourced, and they had hired only the best in terms of waiters, chefs and security.

It made Shingen smirk to himself as he nursed the cognac in his hand. The Emperor had gone all out for this one as his friend, Kenshin was stood next to him and watching the room with a keener eye than the Duke of Kai could manage while knocking back enough sake that would tranquilise an elephant. He secretly suspected that the man had several livers, or he was a robot running on sake.

His date for the evening was a perky little girl who spent her life at these parties, she was all looks and no brains, but it was an easy date who didn’t complain at Shingen for his lack of commitment. Kenshin would often scoff at the man, but the two would never turn each other down for some gambling or drinking together. She was about to drag him onto the dance floor, amongst the spinning masses and allow him to possibly read the room some more. There had been no formal reasoning for the ball, but there were so many rumours flying around that it was nearly impossible to pin it down.

Then he spotted one of his contacts also on the floor. A daughter of a Lord, and as knowledgeable as they can. She inclined her head to the Duke as they caught each other’s eye. She would be his next dance partner, as he purposely spun off his date to meet up with Chiyome.

“Apparently there’s a princess present, from one of those little known places,” she smiled, performing her part in the dance perfectly as they breezed past several other nobles. “She’s meant to be a pretty face, but I’m not sure what nation she comes from or how far up in the line to the throne she is.”

“You’re slipping,” Shingen teased, spinning the woman away with grace.

“They’re playing this one close to the chest, she may even be looking for a husband,” Chiyome replied, ignoring the comment. “Would you even want to be considered as a potential husband?”

“I like what I do,” Shingen began, but a pointed look from the woman made him falter. Technically there was the expectation of continuing the line with a wife, but it was always something that he had put off, saying he wasn’t ready.

The song promptly ended, and then the room just seemed to turn to the platform at the far end of the ballroom.

“His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Naruhito!” The speaker announced, giving way to a room bursting into applause.

Shingen had already laid eyes on a few individuals who he had never gotten on with, including the Duke of Azuchi and the Duke of Mikawa. Both of whom were standing with the Earl of Osaka and looking equally disinterested in being present. He could assume safely that the Duke of Oshu would be around somewhere, probably within the range of the food and kitchens, and it was often that the Earl of Tanba would be about as well.

The Emperor’s speech was full of riddles, entrapping Chiyome’s attention as she stayed with her arm hooked in his.

Until she sharply pulled him down to meet her hissing voice.

“My rumour was true. A princess is looking for a husband!”

Shingen was trying to hold in his smirk until he locked eyes with the Earl of Tanba, who was also probably sharing that tidbit of information with the three men.

“-and I am delighted to introduce Princess Sienna of Rutwaki to Japan,” the Emperor was smiling like a man introducing his daughter at her debut.

The building shook with a force that hadn’t been experienced before. Shingen was keeping Chiyome upright, but the walls weren’t sounding so secure.

“Fire!” A staff member yelled and plunged the room into a panic.

Everyone was rushing now for the exit, expelled from their stupor and stunned status and in the need to survive. Shingen was being dragged by the woman on his arm, screams of terror and shouts of direction filled the air as the telltale noise of the structure failing was now the soundtrack to the event.

Names were being shouted through the air, and indistinguishable from each other.

“Shingen!” One of his longtime friends ran up to him, physically checking him over as Chiyoma waved her goodbye to go and find her father.

“I’m fine, Yuki,” he promised, trying to catch his breath on the grand lawn. It was a chaotic storm of staff and guests, not that anyone was in charge truly while trying to work out just what to do.

“You can thank Princess Sienna for this!” A mad cackle attracted the focus of the madness, and another explosion wrecked the building, sending up more debris, shaking the floor and plunging the whole place into further disarray.

The following morning showed the extent of the damage. Thankfully, no one had been killed, just a few people with broken bones and smoke inhalation who were treated at the local hospital on the Emperor’s insistence and expense. It was all over the news, and the focus was on the fact that the idiots had blamed Princess Sienna for their actions. A lot of the newsreaders were calling for her to go home, but it soon became apparent on the internet that things obviously weren’t that simple.

Shingen was staying with Kenshin, it didn’t feel normal at all to go home and sleep, instead, they were both glued to the news.

A knock to the door surprised them both, before Kenshin’s head butler let himself into the lounge area.

“Terribly sorry sir, there’s a rather insistent messenger who claims to be from the Royal Palace with a message for you and Duke Takeda,” his accent was clipped and precise, as to be expected from someone with his level of experience.

“Send him in then, I haven’t tried my swords out in some time,” Kenshin’s smile was haunting, and the other men knew he spoke the truth in not hesitating to strike a man down if he was in the mood.

The messenger was dressed in the royal crest and colours, a formal outfit that was seen on the inside of the palace only before he bowed swiftly to the two Dukes in front of him, before pulling out two letters. Both of them were stamped with the Emperor’s personal wax seal. Something that neither of the men had seen before, it was something that was only mentioned in the circles they drifted in. This was obviously something valuable from their Emperor before the messenger disappeared as quickly as he arrived.

“I get the feeling we’re about to find out more about the ball,” Shingen spoke with an uncertainty, weighing the envelope up with a great distaste.

***

Sienna was shaken to the core.

She hadn’t taken those threats seriously, everyone on her security detail had declared them to be trivial and merely to stir up fear. Now she had brought danger to another nation, and she didn’t blame the news reports one bit.

Her security was fired the second the Emperor had to take her in under his protection.

Now he was under arrest for giving the incumbents an opening to kill people.

Sienna was truly alone in a foreign country, though it wasn’t for the first time. It was the first time she was facing such a backlash for being herself though.

She had grown up in the British education system under the best private schooling that money could buy. Her mother had sent her away until she was eighteen to learn, without her father’s permission. She had been jailed for that action, but it was refused to return the princess on the basis that there was no need for a forceful extraction after she had voiced at the age of twelve that she wished to finish her education. Her friendship with two princes had always stirred international headlines, but there was never any romantic attachment between any of them, and she was just glad for the company and to have people who understood.

Her country was very set in its ways. Men were the rulers and were always in charge. Women were there to make house and children, and it was said the best way a woman could ‘repay her husband’ was to bear him a son to carry on his lineage. The education was clearly split between the genders, with women trained to do the housework and how to look after children, while men were educated for a career. Domestic violence was rife, and the bigamy laws were never enforced. If a man wanted a woman, and she wasn’t married, then the woman had no defence. Her only way to escape it would be to marry another man before she could be wed to him.

Sienna was also the King’s only child. She was the legitimate and sole heir to the throne, much to the disgust of the aristocracy. Even any mistress had failed to bear an heir, her father was impotent by all means, but it was only the woman’s fault, of course. It was disgusting to know what was expected of women in this era in her country.

They had tried marriages of all sorts between Sienna and the various Lords and their sons of Rutwaki. All failures of the highest degree. There was even a rumour that her father was reportedly going to bed her in order to produce a valid heir for the throne. Something that Sienna had previously dismissed as a fallacy, but now she was scared to return home without at least a fiancé.  

The Emperor had taken her in out of sheer kindness, and their discussions were long ongoing. With repeated interruptions from staff members until it was confirmed that Civil War was brewing at her home. It left her with a difficult situation before she loathed to ask the Emperor if there was any way that Japan could help her.

His falter told her everything, and she smiled.

“I take no offence, you have gone out of your way as is, I can appreciate that this is a delicate matter,” Sienna had been all grace last night, but the Emperor had told her should she marry someone of significance from Japan then they could definitely argue intervention in the parliament.

The Emperor had called a morning tea with some of the bachelors of the aristocracy. Not that she was expecting this to be anything beyond a marriage of convenience. Saving her country was her priority right now, and this was the only way to do it that would cease the impending civil war.

A knock at the door brought her out of her trance, and the maids came in with a new outfit for her to wear for the event. A pale pink skirt with heavy netting that made it fluff out, and fell to just below her knees, and a simple shirt with sleeves to the elbow, and a faux cross front in just off white. She would look the soft wife to be in this combination, nothing like her true self that would be hidden until she could ensure that things were going smoothly.

Shingen was more than a little suspicious on his arrival with Kenshin to the Royal Palace in the mid-morning chaos. They weren’t the only ones who had been invited as Yukimura and Sasuke were also present, and then a string of other men.

A middle-aged man and woman were stood in front of the giant doors to the private tea rooms. Neither of them had spoken or even moved since anyone had arrived until a loud ring sounded out for silence was in the hand of the man, and the entrance was bolted shut.

“You have all been summoned here as a preliminary for meeting Princess Sienna,” the man opened. Shingen swore he looked so stiff that he was expecting to need some oil in his joints, but there was a seriousness that couldn’t be laughed off.

“You will go through several tests to whittle your numbers down and ensure the best chances for the Princess,” the woman stated. “Please stand around the edge of the dance floor and you will be called forward by name to show your etiquette.”

The tests were simple. It was ensuring that the man could actually dance, had the appropriate level of manners, could eat correctly at such events, how they presented themselves and their knowledge on Japan as a country. It surprised Shingen more how many of the fellow aristocrats couldn’t do it all. There were eleven of them in the end, and the tension was palpable.

“I see these are the gentlemen who could stand up to the global view then,” the Emperor spoke from behind them, startling the room as the staff then appeared exasperated. The Princess was on his arm, looking demure and feminine before she glanced over the candidates. “There was no point in allowing for those unable to uphold the scrutiny of the world to be put forward. This is a marriage which could define Japan of course,” he stated and caught several of them off-guard.

Then the Emperor’s gaze was on Shingen, before switching to Masamune. The two of them were known womanisers. If marriage was the end goal, then it was likely to not be him.

“I can tell from your gaze who to avoid,” the Princess spoke sharply and demanded the attention of the room. “Duke Shingen Takeda of Kai, and Duke Masamune Date of Oshu. Both of whom are not going to shine the best light on Japan, and will dig up more gossip than I could already cope with aside from ceasing a brewing civil war in my own country.”

Nobunaga Oda was captivated by the woman’s voice and defiance. She was everything that she didn’t look like. She knew why she was doing this before the princess was shown to a seat by the Emperor, and she was going to make them all work to impress her for sure.

[not-a-princess-but-a-queen]

So @ladyspock7 asked for Gobblepot at a charity auction and I loved it!! Hope you enjoy! 

Jim sighed and tugged at his tie. He'd  been roped into a charity auction for the GCPD, several of the stations highest detectives and officers were being auctioned off for a dinner date with the highest bidder. The proceeds were meant to go to some of the neediest charities around Gotham. Needless to say he wasn't that thrilled with the idea, but if it would  help the GCPD and he got a descent dinner out of the deal, he supposed he couldn't complain that much.

He sighed and watched as people started filling up the room, Gotham’s elite dressed to the nines. He'd dug out the best suit he had for this, but he still felt a little shabby. Beside him, Harvey took a drink from his flask and passed it to Jim who took a swig.

They all took their seats up on the stage, waiting for Essen, who was in charge to start them off. He settled into his seat near the end and watched as the bidding started.

He was one of the last people, so he got to watch in amusement as his fellow policemen were bid on. Everyone seemed relaxed and amused and the overall tone in the room was lighthearted. Jim found himself surprisingly relaxed.

As it got closer to his turn, he watched as Harvey was bet on and laughed when it turned out the redhead from the phobia support group won. As it was his turn he sat up straighter and eyed the crowd. Most of the people there he didn't recognize, but Lee and to his surprise Edward raised their hands.  

He sighed and waited to find out who he'd be having dinner with sometime within the next week. As the bidding started going higher, mostly with unknown people, a familiar figure stepped forward from the crowd, hand raised.

"10,000 dollars for James Gordon," Oswald Cobblepot smirked up at him, gaze flicking between Jim and the other bidders, eyebrows raised in challenge

.

No one did and Essen shrugged and pounded rang the little bell she had instead of a gavel. "Alright, that concludes tonight! Officers, meet up with your partner and make  plans for your dinner. Thank you everyone so much for your generous contributions. The GCPD thanks you."

Jim sighed and immediately rose and stalked over to Oswald, a frown on his face. "What the hell was that?" he demanded.

Oswald just raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm a citizen in this city like everyone else, just wanted to do my part."

Jim scowled but nodded in admittance to that.  "Well I guess I should say thank you. You don't really want to go to dinner with me, do you?"  he asked

Oswald shrugged. "I think I could handle one dinner with a friend. Unless you don't want to, I won't force it. If you don't we'll go our separate ways and a charity just got a hearty donation. No harm done."

Jim hummed and eyed the man before him. That was actually pretty generous of him. Maybe he'd had more from Harvey's flask than he thought, but the idea of a dinner with the mobster actually didn't seem horrible. "What the hell, ok. You're on. When works for you?"

Oswald's eyes lit up and he beamed. "I'm free tomorrow, does that work for you?"

Jim nodded. "Yeah, that works. I should be free unless I get called in."

Oswald hummed and held his hand out for Jim's phone. "Let me give you my number, if anything changes you can text me. If not I'll pick you up at your place around 7?"

Jim nodded and opened his phone, handing it over and Oswald quickly punched it in, handing it back. "There! I'll see you tomorrow than," he grinned and Jim watched him go, still trying to process exactly what had happened.

...............

Jim paced his apartment at a quarter till 7 the next day, fiddling with his sleeves on his button down. He was feeling oddly anxious about the dinner. He was surprised at how much he wanted this to go well. Not only had he not been out to dinner with someone in a while, he was anxious about being alone with Oswald. He knew he had mess up with him a few times, left him hanging with he shouldn’t he knew he could look after himself, the man had sown that but he did hate feeling like he owed the other man something. 

He heard a knock on the door and he turned toward the sound, making his way trough his small, sparse apartment to answer it.

Oswald was on the other side, sharply dressed and his hair attractively spiked.

"Good evening Jim!" Oswald smirked, eyes dancing.

Jim gave a small grin back before frowning. "I feel underdressed now," he hummed. "Where are you going?"

Oswald huffed and waved his concerns away. "Nonsense, you look fine. Quite dapper in fact. And it's a surprise. Come, my driver is waiting."

Jim locked the door behind him and followed Oswald down the stairs and out of the building.

Once they were in the car, Oswald settled in across from Jim, legs stretched out and a pleased look on his face. "Thank you for agreeing to see this through."

Jim shrugged and fidgeted in his seat. "It's the least I can do. I did think of a few ground rules though, if you don't mind?"

Oswald raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Yes?"

Jim sighed and nodded to himself. "First, no talking about either of our jobs. Second, no deliberate riling each other up. I know we both have a problem with that. Third, nothing said tonight can be used against us at a later date."

Oswald frowned in consideration before nodding. "That all sounds fair to me. Although you are pretty entertaining when you're riled up," he smirked, amused.

Jim rolled his eyes but chuckled a bit. "Shut up," he grinned.

"So, how did you get roped into the auction?" Oswald asked, curious.

Jim shrugged. "Harvey got picked first by Essen and He wanted company. I'm single and it was for a good cause so," he shrugged.

Oswald raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought I heard a rumor about you and Dr. Thompkins?"

Jim shrugged. "We tried a few dates, and they were nice. I liked her a lot but, there wasn't a real spark so we decided to just keep things casual. We've both been busy lately so we haven't seen much of each other.” 

Oswald hummed and nodded, turning to stare out the window for a few minutes. Jim wracked in brain to think of a conversation starter. He landed on the one time he'd seen Oswald with something  not completely related to crime activity, when he had his mother at the opening of his club. "How's your mother? I remember her at the club that one time, she seemed nice."

Oswald hummed and turned back to him. "She's fine. I'm trying to convince her to move into a different apartment now that I'm not home as much, somewhere more secure but she's not having it," he shook his head in exasperation.

Jim nodded in agreement. "I had the same talk with my mom when I moved here. She's lived in the same house since I was 10. If it hadn't been paid off she couldn't have afforded it."

Oswald nodded, settling into his seat. They spent the rest of the ride making small talk about Gotham, and it wasn't long before they stopped in downtown Gotham, Oswald's driver parking in a crowded parking lot.

They both got out of the car and Jim looked around and tried to find where they were eating. His eyes landed on one of the most expensive restaurants in Gotham. His eyes widened and he turned to Oswald. "Is that where we're going? Oswald that's so expensive, you've already donated to the charity, you don't need to do that."

"Oh, hush," Oswald chastised. "I'm perfectly capable of affording a nice dinner."

Jim just shook his head and followed as Oswald made the way into the restaurant. He glanced around as Oswald flagged one of the staff down and they were lead to a secluded table in the back.

Jim glanced around, taking in the fine china and candlelight, watching as Oswald slid in across the table. The candlelight cast attractive shadows over him, lighting his skin so it glowed. Jim blinked and shook his head, turning to look at the menu, written in French. Luckily he was fairly fluent, having taken it through High School.

"Do you want some wine Jim?" Oswald asked, catching his eye from behind his own menu

Jim nodded. "Sure, you can pick though. I'm more of a whisky guy," he smirked

.

Oswald chuckled. "I had a feeling of that," he shook his head fondly.

The waiter appeared and Oswald ordered a bottle for them, and an appetizer.  As they were waiting, the younger man started up some light chatter about their current location. Apparently it'd been around for a while, and was under new management. He kept up a constant stream about local Gotham history, clearly something he was passionate about.

The wine was good, and Jim found himself loosing up a bit, slouching in his chair and adding in tidbits of his own knowledge when he felt it was relevant.

They kept this up until their waiter returned and they ordered. Oswald gave him an impressed look when he ordered. "You speak French?"

Jim shrugged. "A little, I took it all four years in High School."

Oswald hummed taking a sip of his wine. "I can read it better than I speak it. I can mostly just speak scraps of Hungarian from my mother."

Jim nodded, but was saved from a response by their waiter returning with their food. The food was delicious and they were able to keep up pleasant conversation, discovering they shared a fondness for Bond movies and jazz. Oswald's mother loved musicals and he had a huge Broadway collection for piano that they would play when the club closed.

As the night wore on, they left the restaurant, making their way to Jim’s place. He found himself leaning against the door of his apartment,, arms crossed  as he watched Oswald. 

"Tonight  could have gone worse," he smirked at the mob boss who was currently fiddling with his cane.

Oswald met his eyes and grinned, pleased. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

Jim remained silent, coming to a decision in his head. "Oswald, was tonight an actual date?" he demanded, not letting the shorter man break eye contact with him.

Oswald shrugged and pulled himself up a little straighter. "Well I didn't think you'd be very agreeable if I  just asked you," he sniffed.

Jim chuckled and nodded. "Probably right there," he agreed. "I'll tell you what. I have your number, give me a few nights to think it over, maybe we can do this again?"

Oswald's eye lit up and he raised an eyebrow. "Truly?"

Jim hummed in agreement and  leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Oswald in a brief but warm hug. “ Good night, Oswald.” 

Jim let himself into his apartment, head abuzz and feeling invigorated. That was the best night he’d had in quite a while. He had a feeling he would be calling again. 

[cyrelia-j]

[Fic] Deuces VI: Billion Dollar Hand (Garak Bashir)

This got a bit long. I may switch it to AO3 next chapter or my site. We'll see. I'm not trying to kill dashboards if the cut doesn't work. 

Big thanks to @thebluemeany for the assist with Julian's crazy cousin quote. That thing is a work of art!

Previous parts are here:

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Summary: AU (no Dominion and some characters who died in the series are alive like Vedek Bareil) Garak and his surrogate daughter Ziyal find themselves on Deep Space Nine for a month on a stopover to Bajor. Their first date may not have gone so well but this time Garak's taking the lead, and he's going to see if Julian is worth the trouble

Warnings: a few seconds of language, some minor dominance/submission stuff and daddy kink

“Someone looks serious,” Ziyal teases him as he finishes fastening the high neck of the shimmering silver shirt. It’s one he wears on rare occasion- when he wants to make a point, when he wants to create a certain impression. It falls like liquid over him, a ripple of that metallic sheen down past his waist settling nicely on his hips. He decides to stay with the same black pants, opting for dark boots with several buckles stopping high on the ankle. These are the boots he wears when he doesn’t plan on taking them. Off. That’s not to say he isn’t planning on perhaps an... exciting evening. Just that it may be of a different sort than the other night. He’s certain Ziyal knows exactly what the outfit means though she knows he’s hardly going to give her any juicy detail.

He saves the details for his old friend Parmak back home. Parmak was - and still is to the best of Garak’s knowledge - Tain’s most trusted physician and he’s always been the embodiment of discretion. He’s also a deliciously corrupted and carnal soul who devours Garak’s tawdry tales like some mythical human incubus. He may also in turn respond with a few naughty little tidbits of his own. Parmak has demonstrated to him in his writings on numerous occasions that an acute knowledge of anatomy is quite useful in describing certain pleasurable acts. Really, Parmak might make a career of writing erotic pulp should he ever tire of taking Tain’s temperature and well... Garak prefers not to dwell on the other rumors surrounding his father and his old friend that Parmak vehemently denies.

“Well, if the dear boy went through the trouble of angling for a second chance, far be it for me not to put forth a comparable amount of effort as well.”

“Oh it’s a “dear boy” sort of date,” Ziyal says with a knowing grin. Garak turns away with a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“I have no idea what you’re implying. And, don’t think I didn’t notice you dressed in one of your more alluring tops.” She’s wearing a stunning sleeveless shirt with a neck high like his that proudly displays the tattoos of her arms. There are gold waves embroidered down the bottom, the color dark violet and matched with a pair of trouser of his own design- black with a high waistline, several attractive buttons and pockets sewn in contrasting patches along the legs. She has a pair of sandals on as well, her toes painted blue, and it’s certainly worth a comment. “Surely that’s not for Major Kira?”

Ziyal shakes her head and checks the time. Garak has a few minutes and he’s certainly never too busy to spend with her. Perhaps it might even give Julian a bit of pause if he lets him go a few minutes. Garak takes a seat on the sofa and she sits next to him.

“Should I be holding your hands with excitement or saying a prayer to the Ancients?” he asks lightly. He watches her take a deep breath, momentarily concerned before she waves him off.

“No it’s nothing exciting. It’s not. I mean I don’t know if it should be but I met a girl today yad’, the most clever, brilliant, beautiful girl and I really think you’d find her wit amusing and charming and I’m going to do bow-ling with her tonight. She told me I should wear shoes that come off easily so...” She says it’s not a big deal but he can see her practically vibrating.

Garak is glad. He was concerned about Ziyal finding her way on the Station and he’s been rather poor company in his avoidance of Julian but well, he may likely remain poor company for other reasons. Knowing that Ziyal is making... acquaintances sets his mind at ease.

“So have I met this charming young lady?” He asks thinking to anyone else he may have seen around the Station. He’d noticed a few Starfleet officers, a few other Cardassians who travelled with them; primarily merchants and a few researchers but... but no, she’s shaking her head. Interesting.

“Mardah works at Quarks. Actually I met her while I was apologizing to Major Kira.” Ziyal shifts on the couch with a bit of a bounce. “Would you believe that Major Kira actually trains a lot of the girls on the station for combat? She says self defense and something about Quark and grabby hands but she’s a wonderful instructor, yad’. You were right, I know I’ll learn a lot from her and Mardah... Oh she’s wonderful. She’s a few years younger than me and she thought my art was the most fascinating. She thinks that I’ll do well on Bajor and she’s studying to be an entomologist and she’s very strong and talented and well alright I might be a little excited for... for bow-ling”

“For bow-ling?” Garak asks with a little smirk standing up just in time to avoid being hit with a pillow. “Yes, let Mardah help you shore up your speed,” he practically sings, pretending he doesn’t notice her rude gesture. He laughs as he leaves a spring in his step saying a silent prayer for the best for them both.

—

Garak hadn’t specified a location, merely a time but as he imagined, Julian is standing outside of Quark’s looking just an enticing as he had the night of their first date. No, he amends, more so this time around since that air of practiced confidence and ease has been replaced with a genuine look of anxious anticipation and excitement. Julian’s entire face lights up when he sees Garak, a look of relief intermingled as well. Garak may have let him wait a few minutes just to make sure that he was properly contrite. He most certainly is, and there is admittedly anticipation and charge to the air between them as Julian practically runs that last few steps to greet him. It looks like Ziyal was correct when she was speaking with him earlier. This charming creature is already nothing like his date the other evening.

Strike that; there are a couple of similarities and those are quite promising. Julian looks just as handsome. He’s wearing a pair of loose beige pants which appear to be linen, nicely draping down with a peach colored shirt, contrasting to his tanned skin. He’s still showing an appreciable amount of said skin- the few buttons on top undone a bit more daring than before but he isn’t making a show of it today. His sleeves are rolled up, hair just a bit tousled and the look which he returns to Garak well… That’s just the same if not more excited than before.

“Garak!” he exclaims then winces at the loudness of his voice. Julian seems self-conscious of his own enthusiasm, lowering his voice a few octaves and clearing his throat. “Sorry ah I’m just… I’m pleased that you’re here.” He holds out his hand, clearly trying a different tact. Garak is tempted to have a little fun with him but decides that can wait until Julian is more at ease. He’s familiar with this custom and takes Julian’s hand warmly. He can tell immediately that Julian had honored his request not to mask his scent and it’s enchanting, a strong ginger mingling with an undertone of something sweet almost like honey. Garak wants to see if his skin tastes as nice.

“I’m pleased to see you more… comfortable,” Garak says diplomatically. Julian looks away momentarily, that clasp of hands hanging on a bit long from both of them before letting go.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d actually show up. I mean not that I don’t trust you er… I mean I don’t know you well enough but ah… I just… like to trust people before I don’t… I… I have no idea what I’m saying, I’m so sorry.” Garak sees him taking a step back already so flustered outside what was obviously a carefully scripted dance before. Ziyal had said somewhat naughtily that Julian was the sort of charming she was sure he wouldn’t be able to resist and while Garak had a good idea what she was implying- damn observant girl!- he feigned ignorance on that count. Oh, doctor, I would love nothing more than to devour you.

Garak smiles and puts a hand on his shoulder, a gesture that Julian recognizes but almost seems adorably confused by.

“Why don’t I tell you what I had in mind for this evening to start and we can go from there?” He suggests, letting his hand drop starting to walk to one of the directories. Garak may have used what little free time he was able to wrangle away from Odo that afternoon to do a little research. There’s one name on the Promenade Directory that stood out most. He had stared at it a moment uncertainly before deciding to just walk over and investigate for himself. It had turned out that the “Happy Bottom Riding Club” was in fact not as the name might have implied some sordid Federation Fetish establishment- pity- but rather a nice low key somewhat dimly lit supper club with an assortment of grilled dishes from the Alpha Quadrant.

He’d had a brief moment to speak with the hostess to make a reservation and she even took the time to explain that the name had derived from some old Earth establishment and was the brain child of a Bolian on station who owned “Forbin Project”. The Bolian, Ziw Tralar, had advised giving a name that stood out and promoted a conversation. Well, the young Andorran woman had explained, they did receive a considerable amount of curiosity business along with their fair share of “misunderstandings”. She had a poorly concealed huff of irritation explaining that last bit to him; Garak could only imagine. He lets Julian know their destination as they begin walking in that direction leisurely.

Julian laughs.

“Oh god. You know when I was first stationed here and I saw that name I thought the most awful things.”

“Did you now?”

“Well I mean you know Happy Bottom Riding Club like…” Julian pauses there and gives Garak a sideways look. “Like… you know…” Garak looks back at him innocently.

“Is that a colloquialism for some Earth practice I should be aware of?”

“Well… not exactly ah… you know it’s ah… like say you and I um…” Julian stammers again and catches Garak looking just a touch too sanguine. He scowls. “Oh you know bloody well what I mean and it’s not like my misunderstanding resulted in my showing up in vinyl with a zipper mask or something.

“My, Julian, we haven’t even started our proper date and to think I’ve already learned so much more about you than before.”

“Ha, but you know I’ve never actually been there all the years I’ve been stationed here.”

“I can’t imagine,” Garak says certain that Julian’s sure thing pleasure sim has negated any need to try anything different. Julian seems to read that thought as well looking a touch embarrassed.

“Well you know because it’s always seemed so posh with those big wooden looking doors and all.”

“Of course,” Garak agrees easily, stopping then they’ve arrived. Julian does look a touch uncomfortable but Garak puts a hand on his arm seeing Julian’s expression positively melt. Oh that’s so nice.

There’s little wait given his foresight and Garak may have made a subtle arrangement with the hostess earlier in the day when he confirmed that she would be working the rest of the evening. He let her know that he would be by later with a handsome young doctor on the station, and to her credit she wore a perfect mask of professionalism when it was clear she knew exactly which doctor and was impressed that Garak had somehow diverted him from his usual “routine”. Garak wasn’t quite sure how he felt dating a man with that infamous of a reputation but it also pleases him to be Julian’s first in a number of things. Garak had informed the hostess that he would be quite appreciative if she would note the manner of their arrival. If he were to arrive with his hands in his pockets then he wouldn’t object to prompt service and a table. If, on the other hand, he were to arrive with his hand on said doctor’s arm then he would appreciate a both in the corner, particularly, one of the intimate round seaters where they might sit next to each other and enjoy a discreet unhurried meal.

She smiles at him a little knowing expression and he slips her a few strips of latinum when she leads them both to that secluded corner booth, the clean leather large enough to sit four. Garak slides right into the middle and motions for Julian to sit next to him.

“I thought, since the first time we’d followed your plan that tonight, you might indulge my in following my lead,” Garak says, waiting to see how Julian responds. The dark lights don’t allow for as much detail of Julian’s face as Garak would like but that expression says it all as Julian nearly bangs against the table moving to obey. Obey; that has a nice ring to it. Ziyal had said- again not particularly subtly- that it was her impression that Julian was the type who might find it helpful if Garak were to tell him exactly what to do. Her expression when she offered that advice left no doubt as to what she’d meant and Guls, had it really been so long ago that she had grown her final incisors? Eight years now, Elim. Right, there will be no more lamenting of years slipping away. She is grown and in this instance that’s much to his benefit because he’s certain her advice will prove invaluable.

“Oh… oh yes, that would only be fair,” Julian says, a touch breathless when he says fair. But as tempting as he is, Garak isn’t going to rush. He’s going to be careful cautious, and he smiles as he takes a drink of cold water.

“I would like very then to play a little game with you, my dear.”

“A game?”

“Yes, a very simple one. I’m going to give you directions during our dinner and I’d like you to follow them as best as you can. I may ask you a question. I may ask you to perform just a simple task for me well within your abilities. If I’m pleased with your response then you’ll get a little reward. Is that acceptable?” Garak takes a long drink of water seeing Julian processing those guidelines carefully.

“I think that will be alright. What if there’s a question or request that I have trouble with?”

“I would never try and push you into anything that would make you uncomfortable,” Garak answers seriously, putting a hand to Julian’s arm again. “Please let me know if there is something to which you truly object.” Julian nods.

“Alright then, sounds good so then-” Garak takes the menu with a smirk just as Julian reaches for it. “Right,” he says, “following your lead.” Garak is pleased with how well Julian catches on and after establishing that there is in fact apparently nothing that the man won’t put in his mouth (Julian’s words, not his) Garak orders a carefully curated selection of dishes that can be eaten with the fingers. He then sees Julian about to take a drink, stop himself, and ask with a bit of a little gleam in his eyes for permission. Garak can feel a slight surge of heat at that as he grants it and tells Julian just a little softly himself that he won’t need to ask permission. Tonight, he adds with his own daring expression and Julian spends a little too long holding that look nearly dropping his glass with a stammered apology.

“Now then,” Garak begins. “I feel that we’ve had enough conversation revolving around the matter of Cardassian politics to last us a while so why don’t you tell me something amusing.”

“Something amusing?”

“Yes, and before you begin, I would very much like your permission to touch you a shade more boldly if you’re comfortable with that.”

“Well I’m not sure what a shade is but I’ll tell you if it’s too much?” He looks so hopeful that Garak can go nothing but agree.

“Alright then,” Julian continues with a dip of his head. You’re putting me on the spot here a bit but ah… I don’t know if you’d find any of the stupid stories about my family amusing. Ziyal had so… alright so this is completely ridiculous just happened last week actually. My cousin Paddy- god the stories I could tell you about him alone- well last week I got a COM from Ops that there was some emergency transmission coming through from Earth. So they patch him through and the first thing I see is my cousin Paddy on the dial up - er… old Earth slang, sorry- from this local pub and before he so much as says hello he’s asking me how do you know if a knife hits your arteries and then he proceeds to turn ‘round and show me right there two stab wounds. Then he says he didn’t know he’d even been cut but I should see the other buggers and I’m trying to tell him he ought to be dialing a doctor that can… you know be there in person and he’s trying to have me walk him through triage like this is just a normal thing and do you know what he says to me?”

Garak is laughing at Julian’s animated recounting, hearing that accent of his changing slightly the longer he goes on.

“What’s that?” Garak doesn’t need to affect his interest as Julian clears his throat and recounts quite comically,

“He says “I said to Jimmy, I said “ what’d you call one of the muppets down the ozzy for? Our kid’s a reet good doctor! He can learn us through it and it’ll be aber twice as good with none of the agro. Won’t even have to leave the bar. Now, go on our Ar La… ”” The translator seems to miss most of that, Garak trying to puzzle it out. Julian looks a bit sheepish as he repeats it in a more standard dialect. Garak grins as Julian continues recounting the ridiculous affair of trying to talk his cousin through treating his own stab wounds with the aid of “Jimmy” the owner of the bar and an array of likely unlicensed medical equipment. It’s a rather fantastic story, and Garak decides it certainly deserves a reward. Julian is laughing softly to himself as he concludes that as of this morning his cousin appears to be on the mend. “So is that satisfactory?” he asks, eyes moving to Garak’s hand when he sees it lift towards his face. Garak doesn’t answer immediately, instead letting his knuckles slowly and lightly drag over Julian’s cheek, seeing that his breath catches just a bit, the rest of him completely still. Now that is a lovely picture, he thinks, pulling back from that small gesture satisfied that Julian is left tongue tied when the waitress arrives and takes their order.

“Was there…” Julian licks his lips. “-anything else I might regale you with?” Garak thinks on it a moment and then instructs Julian to tell him something that he would be amazed to know, giving a sly warning that he’s quite familiar with a wide variety of subjects over multiple cultures. Julian rises to that challenge, informing him that there is a puzzle that he’s certain Garak could not possibly slither his way out of. Clever. There’s no way to confirm the veracity of your statement without the puzzle here. There may not even be a puzzle. But I wouldn’t know that. Garak is exceptionally pleased.

“That’s a good boy,” he says, this time that touch to Julian’s face lingering longer, fingers trailing down Julian’s neck with deliberate pacing, a long idle motion that leaves his eyes fluttering as he leans into that touch. This time Garak stops right at the end of his neck appreciating the way that Julian has to force his eyes to remain open. Garak has his full attention tonight, not merely a dating subroutine running on autopilot. Garak then says playfully that he’s going to tell Julian a story of his own to see if his clever boy can guess which part of it is false. Of course the entire story start to finish of their trip on the shuttle to the station is a complete fabrication but there is a point where he recounts the doctor traveling with them where he deliberately allows his body language to slip just a bit, a looks of his eyes elsewhere and Julian spots it immediately. Nice, then he can be observant when called for.

And then just to throw him, he turns back to the matter of the puzzle. Garak calls Julian’s bluff declaring that he doesn’t believe there to be so readily some trap from which he cannot escape. Julian surprises him again.

“Oh you say that now but I’ve absolutely got you.” He rubs his hands together excited with a bounce in the seat. “You really had me earlier what with the finger trap and all. I still have no idea how you pulled that one off but… I guarantee you that I have a trick you absolutely won’t be able to puzzle out.” Garak raises a brow ridge leaning in. He places a hand over Julian’s, lightly stroking the back of his hand, see a little shiver in response.

“You have my complete attention, Julian.” He sees Julian breathe out slowly.

“Right… God I don’t know how you make me feel so good with just your hands… not like that! I mean certainly like that I’m sure but-” Garak moves his hand, holding them both up.

“Is that better?” he teases as Julian already starts sliding out of the seat.

“Maybe. But you’re going to love this. Be amazed and delighted. You know when I was younger I thought it might be fun to do magic. Like you learn that all magic is really just tricks, sleight of hand, that sort of thing.” Julian has Garak come to the edge of the booth and cross his arms, feet flat on the floor facing out. “My cousin Alastair now he could do some fantastic displays but now… Is it alright if I touch here?” Julian asks pointing to the center of his own forehead. Garak nods, wondering just what it is he’s going to do. And then Julian gives a devilish grin and places a finger right at the bottom of his chufa. “Now try and stand up,” Julian says looking utterly charming with that looks of self-assurance.

Garak is certain he won’t be able to, thinking of the matter of leverage and balance and finds that assessment to be correct. He can’t stand even after gamely trying a few more times and failing.

“Is that good enough?” Julian asks teasing, just a hint of expectant desire for approval.

“It’s sufficient,” he answers with a grin and Julian releases him sitting back down, proud,sitting up a bit straighter in his seat after that.

Their food arrives and Garak rewards him by feeding him a sweet bite of char grilled utoxa. Garak wouldn’t have ever thought such a manner of cooking for the usually tough meat himself, but the description of the tenderizing marinade was too good to pass up. Julian seems to agree, eyes shutting a moment as he eats with a happy sigh.

“You know,” he says as Garak enjoys a taste as well, “My father always used to get on me about eating too quickly and you know, not properly savoring a meal but well, my mother is a fantastic cook just ah… to her own tastes. That’s brilliant right there. So how do I earn a bit of that darker piece there?” So Garak asks him another question in exchange for another piece of meat, letting his fingers just brush Julian’s lips as he slips him those bites, seeing his face start to tint just a bit darker, eyes bright and eager. He loses track of the time that passes as they clear the two plates brought out. Garak breaks that tension up volunteering a few bits of information about himself- some true, some not, but that’s the fun of it, he’s always found. Especially when Julian calls him on an especially unbelievable story during his time as a gardener and Garak quite smugly lists off every night flowering plant native to the Elaran continent, reveling in Julian’s wide surprised eyes.

“Alright,” he concedes. “I really have no idea if half the words you’re saying are even true but we are playing a game, right… You know that’s what Kipling’s Kim was all about too- the Great Game they called it,” Julian says dramatically, a bit carried away but full of energy. Garak takes a drink of the win recommended by the waitress finding it just suited for the Cardassian palette, she’s also ben keeping their water full rather unobtrusively as well. He makes a note to tip generously.

“The Great Game?”

“Well, it started as a matter of British and Russian Imperialism; a battle for the soul of India. But it’s rather like that. I mean- you could even say the battle for the soul of Bajor. Because of course Cardassia lost like Russia had all Bolshevik Revolution toppling the government and I mean the parallel is so obvious…” Julian stops suddenly, looking like he wouldn’t mind the table up and swallowing him right about now. Garak recalls Ziyal telling him that Julian’s silly tactics stemmed primarily from a fear of giving offense and well, given the chaff that Garak has imagined him bedding before now it’s hardly an unfounded concern. It rankles him to think that such a delightful mind was so vapidly wasted on dull witted Guls all these years.

Garak is far from offended. Instead he laughs, taking Julian’s hands with a reassuring squeeze. He is looking forward to having many a fiery conversation in a more intimate setting where they might… converse more freely. Julian really does get so passionate and Garak finds himself already with a rejoinder to that little verbal challenge.

“I take no offense and in fact I should very much like to peruse the work you mention just to see these... parallels.” He sees Julian nearly sag in relief. “Now how about a little reward for being such a good boy,” he all but purrs leaning in to Julian’s soft protest that he’s done nothing to warrant a reward. “Let me worry about your worthiness for rewards, my dear,” Garak says keeping hold of Julian’s hands, leaning in and delicately scenting the air around him. His tongue pokes out but doesn’t touch, letting Julian feel the warmth of Garak’s breath on his neck. He can feel Julian squeezing his hands back tightly as he moves down to the little bit of exposed skin, scenting that heady Julian musk, feeling a few heavier breaths drifting down and to think that he would be so aroused by such simple things. Garak squeezes back before letting go.

“Now, take a breath, as many as you need and tell me something that you’d like to happen in the next five minutes.”

“Five minutes?”

“Five minutes.”

“Alright I... if it’s not too forward, I’d very much like to kiss you.” Julian nearly looks away but holds Garak’s eyes when he makes that request. It’s a far restrained cry from the other evening but so achingly exciting nonetheless. It makes Garak bold and just a touch reckless. He’s silent a moment, watching Julian watch him back.

“Remember what I said earlier, Julian. Now then.” He pauses and lets his voice drop in cadence to a much lower, softer tone. “Put your hand on the table. Palm up.”

Julian looks at him a moment before obeying, letting his left hand rest on the tablecloth.

“Good boy. Now look at me and don’t stop looking at me until I tell you to stop.”

“Okay,” Julian agrees and Garak doesn’t know what insanity is possessing him to ask so much, to push so far but... Guls he wants this so badly. Julian’s hazel eyes are dark as they watch him and he picks up the steak knife making sure that Julian can see it. There’s a slight dilation of pupils in response to that sight and Julian gives a start when the point of the blade brushes the juncture of his thumb and palm. There’s an averted jerk of his head to watch but he remains there, a lick of his lips, a dart of his tongue uncertain but obedient watching Garak. And Garak watches him back as he slowly traces the tip of the blade over Julian’s palm- practiced enough, having read the Julian’s slightly rough callouses to know just the right amount of pressure. It’s a tickle. He sees Julian’s breaths hitch as he lets the blade circle, skimming over skin, seeing Julian shift in the seat, the moment dragging out, his motions slowing down until the tip rests in the center of Julian’s palm and his lips are parted slightly, breaths coming heavier as Garak lets the tip push in infinitesimally as if he might dare to push it through the rest of the way.

Garak knows when the skin will break but he doesn’t know when Julian will. Julian is silent, breathing harder, Garak scenting a slight increase in that heavy musk as he leans in closer, closer, letting up with the knife as his his lips meet Julian’s with that same delicate pressure, his tongue that experimental blade never breaking skin, flicked, gone, that press of mouths no more than a half a breath. He pulls back, feeling hot, feeling the swell of ridges around his neck somewhat embarrassed but doesn’t dwell on his own physiological reactions for long. Not when Julian is sitting there chest heaving, eyes half shut like he just fucking came.

“Such a good boy,” he murmurs in praise, petting the back of Julian’s neck, his hair softly, watching his head lull boneless to that touch.

“Thank you... daddy...” slips out in an unconscious hush just barely caught by his ears. Garak decides right then they’re not finishing dinner.

(Part 7 is now up HERE)

[unixcommerce]

Slack for Dummies Gives Readers a Quick How-to on This Popular Collaboration Tool

Even before the pandemic forced the masses to work from home, there has been a cadre of freelancers, road warriors and digital nomads who have been working remotely.  And the one thing they all had in common was the need to collaborate with people virtually – WITHOUT using email.

And this is where the Slack story begins. Slack was launched in 2013 to make collaborating easier and eliminate the dreaded, frustrating but necessary need to “deal with email.”

Seven years later, Slack is so much more than a messaging tool.  But this is where I have to stop and make my confession.

Even as an avid “virtual business tool” junkie, I’ve not been very active with Slack.  I have it installed, I’ve used it to communicate with a few people (because that is what they used) but I am a complete “Slack Dummy”.

I’ve always wanted to learn more about Slack and recently got the opportunity when I received a copy of Slack for Dummies written by my friend Phil Simon.  Simon has written eight books on technology including the prescient,  Age of the Platform, and has a knack for making hard-to-understand principles accessible to those of us who aren’t quite as tech savvy.

S-L-A-C-K

Right out of the gate you get Slack trivia and brain goodies. Slack is an acronym! Who knew? It stands for Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge.

With that, I can close the book and consider my life transformed!  But wait — it’s a “backronym” which means that they came up with it in reverse.  Even BETTER.

The first few pages are an introduction to Slack for the novice.  But, as you’ve just seen, there are some super nuggets in there that are bound to deliver a few tidbits you didn’t know.

Like this:

Slack was actually a pivot. The founders were actually working on something completely different — that failed. But

discovered their “cobbled together” tool actually held promise.

12 million people (and growing) use Slack.

There are 5 billion “transactions” each week on Slack.

If you’ve heard of slack and still feel like you don’t really understand the appeal, the first two chapters are critical.

If you’re a Slack user and looking to up your game, then you are free to bounce around the book based on what area you’d like to learn about.

Why Bother With Slack

75% of your current employees will leave your organization within 5 years. And if you are currently using email as a repository of conversations, this is a big problem.

Slack’s strength isn’t just in moving conversations from email to “live chat”, it’s a surprisingly simple way to create a sort of knowledge base for your organization.

One of the things I really like about Slack for Dummies is that Simon shares both the educational and technical details of using the platform along with the fun and entertainin ways that employees can build connections and engagements.

What About the Self Employed

There was one thing that really surprised me about this book.  It was almost wholly written for employees in organizations.  Granted, the tool was created to help employees inside of organizations with multiple locations. But, there wasn’t a lot of content around those of us who are self-employed.

While solid numbers are hard to come by, about 30% of the U.S. population is self-employed.  And in 2020, this number is bound to be growing.

One benefit that Slack offers is a simple way to create a virtual organization made up of people who don’t share a corporate email address.

In fact, Slack has dozens of open channels where you can become part of a larger community.

Who Should Read Slack for Dummies

If you’re a business that has had your employees scattered across the region due to work-from-home orders, Slack is a low-cost way to stay connected and on the same page.

If you’re a freelancer who has been frustrated with bouncing from Skype to Email to Google Chat and who knows how many other communication apps, Slack might be worth checking out.

If someone you work with has recommended you use Slack, but you’ve been overwhelmed — this is the ideal book for you.

Finishing Up

Slack for Dummies is surprisingly short for a “Dummies” book.  And this should inspire you to pick it up for yourself.

Like all the books in the Dummies series, there are simple step-by-step instructions along with pictures that will help you follow along.  It’s really like a help file in your pocket (errr- table), where you don’t have to read the instructions ten times over to realize you’ve missed something insanely simple.  You’ll get it right away.

I think that’s because author, Phil Simon, not only knows a lot about technology, but he’s gone through the process of discovering Slack and then learning to become a power user.

And you really “get” that from the way the book is written.  It’s like he remembers what could potentially be confusing and then explains it to you before you go down the rabbit hole.

I’m so glad I got this copy of Slack for Dummies!  I’ve been lukewarm about using Slack and I’m pretty sure it’s because I simply didn’t know how to get the most out of it.  I’ll be working my way through this book. So, until then — See you on Slack!

This article, “Slack for Dummies Gives Readers a Quick How-to on This Popular Collaboration Tool” was first published on Small Business Trends

https://smallbiztrends.com/

The post Slack for Dummies Gives Readers a Quick How-to on This Popular Collaboration Tool appeared first on Unix Commerce.

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[businessreviewguidenow]

Slack for Dummies Gives Readers a Quick How-to on This Popular Collaboration Tool

Even before the pandemic forced the masses to work from home, there has been a cadre of freelancers, road warriors and digital nomads who have been working remotely.  And the one thing they all had in common was the need to collaborate with people virtually – WITHOUT using email.

And this is where the Slack story begins. Slack was launched in 2013 to make collaborating easier and eliminate the dreaded, frustrating but necessary need to “deal with email.”

Seven years later, Slack is so much more than a messaging tool.  But this is where I have to stop and make my confession.

Even as an avid “virtual business tool” junkie, I’ve not been very active with Slack.  I have it installed, I’ve used it to communicate with a few people (because that is what they used) but I am a complete “Slack Dummy”.

I’ve always wanted to learn more about Slack and recently got the opportunity when I received a copy of Slack for Dummies written by my friend Phil Simon.  Simon has written eight books on technology including the prescient,  Age of the Platform, and has a knack for making hard-to-understand principles accessible to those of us who aren’t quite as tech savvy.

S-L-A-C-K

Right out of the gate you get Slack trivia and brain goodies. Slack is an acronym! Who knew? It stands for Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge.

With that, I can close the book and consider my life transformed!  But wait — it’s a “backronym” which means that they came up with it in reverse.  Even BETTER.

The first few pages are an introduction to Slack for the novice.  But, as you’ve just seen, there are some super nuggets in there that are bound to deliver a few tidbits you didn’t know.

Like this:

Slack was actually a pivot. The founders were actually working on something completely different — that failed. But

discovered their “cobbled together” tool actually held promise.

12 million people (and growing) use Slack.

There are 5 billion “transactions” each week on Slack.

If you’ve heard of slack and still feel like you don’t really understand the appeal, the first two chapters are critical.

If you’re a Slack user and looking to up your game, then you are free to bounce around the book based on what area you’d like to learn about.

Why Bother With Slack

75% of your current employees will leave your organization within 5 years. And if you are currently using email as a repository of conversations, this is a big problem.

Slack’s strength isn’t just in moving conversations from email to “live chat”, it’s a surprisingly simple way to create a sort of knowledge base for your organization.

One of the things I really like about Slack for Dummies is that Simon shares both the educational and technical details of using the platform along with the fun and entertainin ways that employees can build connections and engagements.

What About the Self Employed

There was one thing that really surprised me about this book.  It was almost wholly written for employees in organizations.  Granted, the tool was created to help employees inside of organizations with multiple locations. But, there wasn’t a lot of content around those of us who are self-employed.

While solid numbers are hard to come by, about 30% of the U.S. population is self-employed.  And in 2020, this number is bound to be growing.

One benefit that Slack offers is a simple way to create a virtual organization made up of people who don’t share a corporate email address.

In fact, Slack has dozens of open channels where you can become part of a larger community.

Who Should Read Slack for Dummies

If you’re a business that has had your employees scattered across the region due to work-from-home orders, Slack is a low-cost way to stay connected and on the same page.

If you’re a freelancer who has been frustrated with bouncing from Skype to Email to Google Chat and who knows how many other communication apps, Slack might be worth checking out.

If someone you work with has recommended you use Slack, but you’ve been overwhelmed — this is the ideal book for you.

Finishing Up

Slack for Dummies is surprisingly short for a “Dummies” book.  And this should inspire you to pick it up for yourself.

Like all the books in the Dummies series, there are simple step-by-step instructions along with pictures that will help you follow along.  It’s really like a help file in your pocket (errr- table), where you don’t have to read the instructions ten times over to realize you’ve missed something insanely simple.  You’ll get it right away.

I think that’s because author, Phil Simon, not only knows a lot about technology, but he’s gone through the process of discovering Slack and then learning to become a power user.

And you really “get” that from the way the book is written.  It’s like he remembers what could potentially be confusing and then explains it to you before you go down the rabbit hole.

I’m so glad I got this copy of Slack for Dummies!  I’ve been lukewarm about using Slack and I’m pretty sure it’s because I simply didn’t know how to get the most out of it.  I’ll be working my way through this book. So, until then — See you on Slack!

This article, “Slack for Dummies Gives Readers a Quick How-to on This Popular Collaboration Tool” was first published on Small Business Trends

source https://smallbiztrends.com/2020/08/slack-for-dummies-gives-readers-a-quick-how-to-on-this-popular-collaboration-tool.html

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[maritzaerwin]

12 Phone Interview Tips to Take Your Conversation from Bland to Brilliant

Phone interviews — HRs’ convenience and job candidates’ major source of anxiety. What if the connection is bad and I won’t hear them? What if my speech sounds slurred and I’ll have to repeat myself over and over again? Or, gulp, what if we’ll have those long moments of awkward silence? Anyone can have a slight (or not so) phone interview phobia and that’s OK. But you must not let that anxiety sabotage your interview!

The best way to calm your nerves and ace your interview is to be as prepared as possible. If you are ready to roll, here are our best phone interview tips!

1. Start with a Background Research of the Company

That phone will ring in a couple of days. Before it does, channel all your early nervous energy into a productive chore: company research.

Just like when preparing for a face-to-face interview, do some background digging on the employer. In particular, try to collect the following deets:

Company history, vision, and mission

The business sector and the target market they operate in

Their key objectives

Main products/services they offer

Cultural values

Any recent corporate news/happenings

Closest competitions

Doing this legwork will help you in several ways during the interview. First, it helps you visualize the party you’d be speaking to and guesstimate what would matter to them the most.

Secondly, being familiar with the company mission as well as cultural values will help you adapt your tone and communication style (from more casual to more corporate) to match the one of the interviewer’s. Positioning yourself ‘just like them’ is a secret way of getting to your next interview round. (more on this in the next tip!).

Lastly, having strong background knowledge about the company, industry, and competition will help you answer those popular phone interview questions with much more ease since you won’t have to google up the answers with another hand.

2. Prepare Some Questions Too

Most phone interview tips focus on coaching you on how to answer the common screening questions. But an interview always assumes two-way communication, meaning you are also expected to chip in with some Qs.

Posing meaningful questions during a phone interview has several advantages:

You demonstrate your interest in the company

Quick ice-breaker questions can put you at ease with the interviewer

Also, asking questions helps get across your personality more effectively.

Lastly, you actually learn more information about the proposed position

So as part of your phone interview ‘pre-gaming’, be sure to jot down several specific questions to the interviewer on a notepad. Then keep it within reach during the call.

3. Think Through Your Interview Setting in Advance

Give yourself a good 30 minutes before your phone interview to pick your surroundings and pep-talk yourself into the right mood.

Find a quiet spot in the house. If you have housemates, politely ask them to tone down on the noise during your interview call. Let the dog out. Close the windows if there’s street noise.

Also if you are doing your phone interview from home, don’t:

Slouch on the couch. Sit behind a table or a desk.

Wear your PJs. Get properly dressed.

Pace. This will only add up to your anxiety.

Leave your email, social media, or another pinging software on.

Don’t feel comfortable speaking from your house or the office? Go outside. Being in nature is a scientifically-proven way to reduce stress and anxiety levels. Looking at the greenery helps retain focus and distract your mind from negative thinking. So park yourself on a bench and get done with your conversation while enjoying some fresh air!

4. Check Your Phone

This is one of those no-brainer tips for phone interviews. But so many people actually forget to check their phone before the interview! Specifically:

Is it charged? You don’t want to go running around scrambling for a charge during the interview.

Did you turn off the Internet? You don’t want a barrage of social media messages to distract you.

Is it off silent mode? It would be super embarrassing to miss the call or get the interviewer diverted to voicemail.

5. Have Your Resume At Hand During the Conversation

Always have a copy of your resume close by. You can pretty much guarantee that your telephone interviewer will be looking at a copy when they call you and asking questions around the details you’ve provided there.

As the nerves can make anyone forgetful, it’s best if both of you stay on the same page — the same page of your resume.

6. Call In Early

Some employers will ask you to phone in at a certain time, let’s say 10.30 am. If that’s the case, be sure to dial them at least 2-3 minutes before that. After all, you might have to go through the answering machine or their secretary first.

This can take longer than you may expect, so it pays to call a couple of minutes early should the line be busy because the receptionist is on another call, or you are kept waiting on hold while being transferred.

7. Smile While You Chat

Here’s one of the less conditional over the phone interview tips you may hear: smile as you talk. Yeah, it may look and feel odd doing so. But smiling your way through your interview can really help you to feel better and less nervous about your call.

Research proves that smiling diminishes your body’s response to stress and helps lower heart rate during intense situations. Another study also found that a smile generates the same level of excitement for the brain as up to 2,000 bars of chocolate. So keeping a small smile during your phone interview can help you be more relaxed, happier, and even more approachable as the speaker will likely feel your positive vibes!

8. Try the Perspective-Taking Approach

The biggest issue with phone interviews is that it’s harder to be likable over a cord. You can’t gauge the other person’s facial expressions and other non-verbal cues to adjust your behavior. What you can do, though, to appear more likable during the conversation is to try and position yourself as someone ‘who gets them’. The gist of perspective-taking is to emphasize with the other party and attempt to see the world through their eyes during the conversation.

In fact, saying a simple phrase such as “I can really put myself in your shoes” has been scientifically proven to make the other person more empathetic towards the speaker.

So during the next phone interview, try to emphasize more with the interviewer and understand where their questions and concerns are coming from. Then tailor your answers to show that you share their perspective too.

9. Listen Carefully

OK, this may seem obvious because you are on the telephone, but many people having telephone interviews make the mistake of not listening carefully enough. They do this because they allow their minds to race ahead of themselves and think up questions or things to say without actually paying full attention to what the interviewer is actually asking.

So rather than keeping that brain of yours constantly occupied with your next response, do the following:

Briefly note the HRs questions and key points

Incorporate those tidbits into your answers

Use them to pose additional questions at the end of the interview

Doing so will make you look like you are detailed-oriented and a good listener — these are two prized interpersonal skills among employers.

10. Don’t Talk Too Much

You have to admit that with a real-life, face-to-face interview you are in a better position to read facial expressions and body language. You can take in visual clues about when to stop talking and allow the interview to move on. This is much harder to interpret over the phone, so the best thing you can do is to try to answer any questions concisely without talking too much. It is very easy to ramble on and on about a subject, especially if the interviewer is asking you about your hobbies and personal interests.

While bonding with an interviewer is important, it should not come at the expense of addressing your key qualifications. Phone interviews are for screening out candidates. If the HR fails to capture some important info from you because you’ve run out of time, they’ll just move on to the next person on the list.

So keep your initial answers short, sweet, and valuable. Elaborate when being asked.

11. Speak Up If You Cannot Hear Well

Should you have difficulty hearing your interviewer, don’t be afraid to speak up. You may have an interviewer with a very soft or quiet voice that makes it hard for you to hear the questions being asked clearly. It’s perfectly OK to ask them to speak a bit louder or repeat the question. It is better to politely ask them to speak up rather than go through the interview misunderstanding questions because you cannot hear them properly.

If you are unlucky enough to experience a bad connection, then explain the issue to the other person and ask them if you can disconnect and try again. This is a much better approach than trying to struggle through the interview unable to hear clearly.

12. And Speak Slower If You Need To

The courtesy of speaking distinctively goes both ways. So if you are excited or a natural rapid-fire speaker, try to tune down a bit on your excitement as the other party can be struggling to keep up with the convo.

If the interviewer is asking you several times to repeat things, try to adjust your delivery pace, tone, and speed. After all, your goal isn’t to deliver as many words as possible within the set timeframe but to clearly convey what makes you a strong candidate for the job at hand.

An increasing number of companies are now relying on phone interviews to pre-screen candidates and eliminate some targets, especially for competitive positions. Passing the phone interview, however, is almost always a certain guarantee of being called in for the next round.

So don’t mess it up! After all, you know a bunch of phone screening interview tips that can help you leave the best impression with the employer!

This post has been originally published on May 1, 2017 and has been extensively revised and updated on July 22, 2020.

The post 12 Phone Interview Tips to Take Your Conversation from Bland to Brilliant appeared first on Freesumes.com.

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[asfeedin]

Six Conservation Photographers Share What the Environment Means to Them

Celebrating Earth Day – and its 50th anniversary – against the backdrop of COVID-19 is something we’ll likely remember for quite some time.

Earth Day was established in the 1970s during the infancy of the modern environmental movement, and since then there’s no doubt that we’ve made great strides in our understanding of the needs of our planet. (Though, sadly far fewer strides when it comes to our long term progress on many of the movement’s most important issues.)

Eco-activism continues to become more mainstream, which surely is a positive step. Regardless of whether you’re making the transition to metal straws, demanding your elected officials take on the powerful fossil fuel industry, donating to organizations like the Environmental Defense Fund, dabbling in vegetarian or veganism, or just remembering to bring your own bags when you grocery shop, we admire and encourage your efforts.

But what will our planet and the movement look like in the next 10, 20 and 50 years? Without question, our future will be affected by the way in which we tell these stories photographically.

“Messaging is key, a mindset change is paramount. Imagery, instantaneously, will transcend boundaries of gender, age, culture and language, far greater than possible with the written word. Powerful images send those messages deeper into societies,” conservation photographer Pete Oxford tells us.

Photographers have a key role to play in this storytelling, regardless of whether the images center around raising awareness for threatened wildlife due to deforestation, documenting urban sprawl or covering climate change in some of the world’s most remote locations.

Today, we’re celebrating by sharing what six incredible photographers and members of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP) have to say about the importance of conservation photography on this pivotal Earth Day anniversary. 

Cover image by Karine Aigner.

Gerrit Vyn

The deeper knowledge you have of the natural world, how it works, and what it is supposed to look like from place to place, the clearer it becomes what a mess everything is. It is one of the great paradoxes of becoming acquainted more intimately with nature — you realize this thing that brings you great joy and fascination is deeply suffering. I can’t ever go back to joyfully chasing butterflies through a meadow and thinking the world is perfect; I see that the things I love are under massive assault from all directions and it is deeply distressing to me. Sometimes I wish I could stick my head in the sand and just enjoy what there is, but it is only natural to me that my focus changed over the years from simply enjoying nature to documenting environmental issues and wildlife through photography and film to speak up for what I love – to open other people’s eyes to what is happening all around us.

Endangered Greater Adjutant stork with a plastic bag at Boragaon Landfill. Assam, India. Photo by Gerrit Vyn.

Clay Bolt

My subject matter is often comprised of insects and other species that are often being lost before people have even had an opportunity to know that they exist. These animals are incredibly important to our world, and yet, if no one is aware of them, how can we ever expect to conserve them? It is my hope that my photos make the world a little more beautiful and wilder for viewers. I believe that if someone can see the beauty of a bee or a spider in my images, the next time that they are in their own backyard, or traveling, they’ll pay a little closer attention to the world around them. Ultimately, it is my hope that this awareness will lead to efforts to take better care of the natural world.

Metallic green sweat bees are gorgeous little insects about the size of a grain of rice. Various species are found throughout North America, where they can be found visiting flowers from mid to late summer. I photographed this particular bee on a humid summer afternoon in South Carolina as it visited a wildflower called black-eyed susan. I often use this species as the poster child of under appreciated insects in our garden. Photo by Clay Bolt.

Pete Oxford 

There are precious few people in the world who have a deep understanding or passion for wildlife, wildness and wilderness. As populations grow, pressures on wildlife increase, leaving the few with more and more urgent work. Messaging is key, a mindset change is paramount. Imagery, instantaneously, will transcend boundaries of gender, age, culture and language, far greater than possible with the written word. Powerful images send those messages deeper into societies. It is time to unite as warriors for the causes of natural degradation. If we each work locally, as much as globally we are far enough flung on the world stage to make a holistic difference. Earth Day is the perfect stage on which to unite.

A local fisherman enjoys swimming with a whale shark as it circles his fishing platform looking for tidbits, Cenderwasih Bay, West Papua, Indonesia. The locals actually revere the whale sharks believing them to be the harbingers of good luck. For many years they have been offering them small quantities of fish. Tourism is just beginning to realize the incredible whale shark experience here and is willing to pay the local fishermen for their help. In Indonesia, the world’s largest shark-finning nation this is a good outcome for the sharks. Photo by Pete Oxford.

Garth Lenz

I think it is critically important that people see and appreciate what we are at risk of losing and to witness the full impact of the kind of devastation and resulting impacts that threaten our planet. Photography has a unique ability to cut through the mind numbing statistics and endless arguments and communicate in a way which allows the viewer to truly experience the issues in a non-polarizing way in order to come to their own personal understanding and truth.

Alberta Tar Sands, Northern Alberta. Highway 63, dubbed the Highway to Hell by locals, cuts through the world’s biggest energy project and possibly the most environmentally damaging mega-project the Earth has ever seen. In the far north of Alberta, the frigid weather of an evening in March accentuated the greenhouse gasses and toxic pollutants spewing from this upgrader against the constant traffic of the tens of thousands of migrant workers and the magenta hue of the late evening light. I set up my tripod and used a 300 mm lens with a 1.4 extender to compress the scene. As I shot many frames as the sun sank and the temperature plunged I was (predictably) visited by one of the oil companies’ security teams and told I was not allowed to photograph. As I was on public land and beyond the border of their operations I informed them that I was beyond the line where their rules applied if I was breaking any Canadian laws they were welcome to report me to the police. Photo by Garth Lenz.

Karine Aigner

These are all massive idea concepts that are too big for most to connect with in a personal way, which makes it very easy for them to ignore. Much of the population is disconnected from nature—most can’t identify a blue jay in their backyard. My experience with animals is, that when people have a ‘moment’ with a species or a landscape–an experience–they begin to care about it; they want to know more, they want to learn. It comes down to what we know; it’s simple: we will not fight to save something that we know nothing about, that we have no connection to.

For me, telling stories about species, or individual beings, is a way to get people to understand the bigger picture. If I can engage an audience to be interested in, for example, a harpy eagle, because I show its beauty, its natural history, its offspring; I use my personal stories of wonder, and share my unique experiences with the species—if I can engage someone personally, I can hook them, and then feed them more information, which helps the person makes larger connections to big things like deforestation, to conservation, to climate change.

Then, it’s broken down a bit for them, and those concepts become more personal, and as a result, individuals are able to better understand how they play a role in those concepts. But, first, the audience first needs a connection. For me, the images are the bridge to the connection.

I’ve always loved the small critters, the ones we never get to see. This is a crested gecko or eyelash gecko (Correlophus ciliatus) — it is a species of gecko native to southern New Caledonia—and unfortunately as one of the largest gecko species in the world, a coveted pet trade commodity. This species was thought extinct until it was rediscovered in 1994 during an expedition led by Robert Seipp. This gecko belongs to an acquaintance, so I offered to photograph it. I’m always so impressed at how these creatures have evolved, and how they are better designed than anything humans could ever put together. Nature is incredible if we just pay attention. Every detail on this creature has a function. Photo by Karine Aigner.

Jaime Rojo

The world is becoming smaller and a myriad of photographers travel regularly to remote locations, bringing back nature and wildlife images and flooding the internet with them. It can be a bit overwhelming, and our brains are becoming numb. It gets to a point that sharing these images feels meaningless. But again, I think the topics we choose, the way we tell our stories with images, and what we do with those images becomes more important than ever if we are to create awareness in the audience and foster a change in our relationship with the natural world.

Monarch Butterflies in wintering sanctuaries in Mexico. I have worked with Monarch Butterflies for over a decade now and they are one of the most symbolic species in my career as a photographer, almost like my totem animal. They play an essential role as environmental indicators of the health of the ecosystems across North America and their migration is seriously jeopardized by the way we produce our food and by climate change. This image means a lot to me because it is the first one that I published as a professional photographer. Photo by Jaime Rojo.

More info about iLCP’s mission and plans for Earth Day 2020

“Our mission is to support environmental and cultural conservation through ethical photography and filmmaking. We are made up of over 100 of the world’s best conservation photographers and filmmakers who harness the power of storytelling to act as a catalyst for conservation. 

In 2020, we are celebrating the 15th anniversary of iLCP and it is incredible to look back on how much the organization has grown and what we have accomplished. We are using this anniversary as a way to affirm what storytelling and collaboration can do and to inspire us to move forward, invigorated to tackle new projects and work towards conservation goals,” Brooke McDonough, iLCP’s Development and Communications Manager, tells us. 

Now, we want to hear from you. How are you celebrating Earth Day 2020? What power do photographers have in telling environmental stories? Tell us in the comments below or tweet @photoshelter.

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[type2diabetestreatments-blog]

Ask D'Mine: Safe Alcoholic Beverages, Treating Lows (Also in the Bedroom)

New Post has been published on http://type2diabetestreatment.net/diabetes-mellitus/ask-dmine-safe-alcoholic-beverages-treating-lows-also-in-the-bedroom/

Ask D'Mine: Safe Alcoholic Beverages, Treating Lows (Also in the Bedroom)

Just a reminder: we don't shy away from much of anything here at Ask D'Mine, our weekly diabetes advice column.

So buckle up for another wild ride today with your host veteran type 1, diabetes author and community educator Wil Dubois.

Need help navigating life with diabetes? Email us at AskDMine@diabetesmine.com

Jackie from North Carolina, type 1, asks: I know there are a million ways to treat low blood sugar... but what works the FASTEST? And how long should it take you to recover from low blood sugar?

Wil@Ask D'Mine answers: A liquid sugar is fastest, minimal digestion required. So drink yourself back to normal blood sugar, instead of eating your way back.

But beyond that, I think something in the glucose family is faster than something in the garden-variety sugar family. So I'd rather you drank something like a Dex4 product; but failing that, I'd rather you had a "real soda" with real sugar, than a soda sweetened with corn syrup.

Liquid sugar stops dropping blood sugar in minutes. But how long it'll take your body to climb back out of the hole it's in varies quite a bit from person-to-person and low-to-low. The "rule" is to re-test your BG in 15 minutes, but the goal at that point is just to make sure you're not continuing to drop. It can take 30-45 minutes to return to a normal blood sugar level from one sugar "treatment," and it might be hours before you are feeling yourself again. Of course, that assumes you don't have a caveman low where you go crazy and eat everything in the fridge out of fear, hunger, panic, and reduced neural activity from the low.

If that happens, you'll end up super-high and feel like shit again. How long will it take you to "recover?" It might not be until the next day. For FASTEST recovery, my advice is to drink your sugar and avoid the pantry and the fridge.

... and speaking of drinking...

Danielle from California, type 1, writes: I am 28 years old and newly insulin-dependent. What is a safe alcoholic beverage??

Wil@Ask D'Mine answers: Red wine. White wine. Tequila. Lager. Whiskey. Vodka. Beer. Rum. Brandy. Scotch. That's my day so far, and it's only 9:15 in the morning.

Seriously, any type of alcohol is safe for you, my newly insulin-dependent sister. What you need to think about is what you mix it with, and how much you drink.

Many of the world's most fun-to-drink alcoholic beverages are very high in carbs. Daiquiris come to mind. Rum and Coke is bad news, unless you mix with Coke Zero. The unofficial state drink of New Mexico, the frozen margarita, packs a hell of a carb punch.

As you're new to the family, I'll just warn you now, it's almost impossible to bolus for liquid sugars. Our fast-acting insulins are not nearly fast enough to keep up with the surge in blood sugar that comes from drinking calories instead of eating them.

On the volume front, when you are boozed up, your body gets so busy filtering alcohol out of your blood stream that it forgets to filter out insulin. Having a lot of alcohol in your blood has the effect of "supersizing" your insulin, leading to epic low blood sugars hours downstream—often when you are sleeping it off. So that could be, like, fatal.

Bottom line: Moderation. Drink what you enjoy. Watch the carbs. And don't overdo it.

... and speaking of drinking too much and low blood sugar...

Brad from Montana, type 1, writes: I have lousy erections when my blood sugar is on the low side. Everything works just fine the rest of the time. Is it just me, or is this common?

Wil@Ask D'Mine answers: Not common. In fact, I'd never heard of such a thing so my first thought was for me to try taking too much insulin and calling an escort service. You know, for research for the column.

Then the clinical part of my brain took over and my second thought was, now wait-a-cotton-pickin-minute, erections are controlled by blood pressure, not blood sugar. So how, physiologically, could low blood sugar give you erection performance issues when you're fine the rest of the time? Could low blood sugar lead to low blood pressure, I wondered?

Of course, then I switched into diabetes educator mode and my third thought was maybe when you are hypoglycemic isn't really the best time to have sex.

For lots of reasons.

Among things that come to mind is that when your blood sugar is low, your cognition is not at its best. That means you might have sex with someone you really shouldn't be having sex with. And if your IQ and your blood sugar are both at 60, you might also engage in unsafe sex.

And of course, rigorous exercise when your blood sugar is low is only going to make your blood sugar lower, so your roll in the hay could end up putting you six feet under.

But back to how the bod works, there seems to be quite a bit of confusion as to whether or not low blood sugars can cause low blood pressure. Part of the problem is that the symptoms of the two conditions can be similar. Most of the literature I could locate dealt with sorting out whether or not various symptoms are likely to be caused by one or the other. The relationship between the two seems elusive. Certainly, if low blood sugar does cause low blood pressure, then in a roundabout way, low blood sugar could cause low erectile performance.

To get to the bottom of the blood pressure and blood sugar issue, I checked in with noted endo Dr. Kathleen Colleran, and she told me that lows actually raise blood pressure as your system releases assorted hormones to bring you back from the brink. (Actually, I paraphrased that a bit. Her answer was dryer and more clinical with lots of big words.)

My next step was to enlist the help of a diabetes sex expert. Oh, get your hands down, I wasn't asking for volunteers. I emailed Janis Roszler, RD, CDE, LD/N, author of Sex and Diabetes (along with several other books), and asked her if she'd seen anything like this. She told me that for a good erection, "a man needs good blood flow, good nerve communication between the brain and the penis, and enough energy to participate in sexual activities. That's what is missing if his glucose level drops—the energy required to be sexual."

And like any good sex worker (stop it, you know what I mean), she also had a fun tidbit to add, telling me, "I knew someone who would estimate his glucose level by trying to think about sex—if he had no interest, he was definitely low!" Thanks, Janis, but I'll stick to my CGM and meter on this one...

And of course specifically for Brad from Montana, Janis has this final piece of advice, "Fortunately, this problem has a simple remedy—he should check his blood glucose level prior to sexual activity and treat any low with an appropriate snack."

So eat up and get it on, Brad.

This is not a medical advice column. We are PWDs freely and openly sharing the wisdom of our collected experiences — our been-there-done-that knowledge from the trenches. But we are not MDs, RNs, NPs, PAs, CDEs, or partridges in pear trees. Bottom line: we are only a small part of your total prescription. You still need the professional advice, treatment, and care of a licensed medical professional.

Disclaimer: Content created by the Diabetes Mine team. For more details click here.

Disclaimer

This content is created for Diabetes Mine, a consumer health blog focused on the diabetes community. The content is not medically reviewed and doesn't adhere to Healthline's editorial guidelines. For more information about Healthline's partnership with Diabetes Mine, please click here.

Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Type 2 Diabetes Diet Diabetes Destroyer Reviews Original Article

[unixcommerce]

Slack for Dummies Gives Readers a Quick How-to on This Popular Collaboration Tool

Even before the pandemic forced the masses to work from home, there has been a cadre of freelancers, road warriors and digital nomads who have been working remotely.  And the one thing they all had in common was the need to collaborate with people virtually – WITHOUT using email.

And this is where the Slack story begins. Slack was launched in 2013 to make collaborating easier and eliminate the dreaded, frustrating but necessary need to “deal with email.”

Seven years later, Slack is so much more than a messaging tool.  But this is where I have to stop and make my confession.

Even as an avid “virtual business tool” junkie, I’ve not been very active with Slack.  I have it installed, I’ve used it to communicate with a few people (because that is what they used) but I am a complete “Slack Dummy”.

I’ve always wanted to learn more about Slack and recently got the opportunity when I received a copy of Slack for Dummies written by my friend Phil Simon.  Simon has written eight books on technology including the prescient,  Age of the Platform, and has a knack for making hard-to-understand principles accessible to those of us who aren’t quite as tech savvy.

S-L-A-C-K

Right out of the gate you get Slack trivia and brain goodies. Slack is an acronym! Who knew? It stands for Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge.

With that, I can close the book and consider my life transformed!  But wait — it’s a “backronym” which means that they came up with it in reverse.  Even BETTER.

The first few pages are an introduction to Slack for the novice.  But, as you’ve just seen, there are some super nuggets in there that are bound to deliver a few tidbits you didn’t know.

Like this:

Slack was actually a pivot. The founders were actually working on something completely different — that failed. But

discovered their “cobbled together” tool actually held promise.

12 million people (and growing) use Slack.

There are 5 billion “transactions” each week on Slack.

If you’ve heard of slack and still feel like you don’t really understand the appeal, the first two chapters are critical.

If you’re a Slack user and looking to up your game, then you are free to bounce around the book based on what area you’d like to learn about.

Why Bother With Slack

75% of your current employees will leave your organization within 5 years. And if you are currently using email as a repository of conversations, this is a big problem.

Slack’s strength isn’t just in moving conversations from email to “live chat”, it’s a surprisingly simple way to create a sort of knowledge base for your organization.

One of the things I really like about Slack for Dummies is that Simon shares both the educational and technical details of using the platform along with the fun and entertainin ways that employees can build connections and engagements.

What About the Self Employed

There was one thing that really surprised me about this book.  It was almost wholly written for employees in organizations.  Granted, the tool was created to help employees inside of organizations with multiple locations. But, there wasn’t a lot of content around those of us who are self-employed.

While solid numbers are hard to come by, about 30% of the U.S. population is self-employed.  And in 2020, this number is bound to be growing.

One benefit that Slack offers is a simple way to create a virtual organization made up of people who don’t share a corporate email address.

In fact, Slack has dozens of open channels where you can become part of a larger community.

Who Should Read Slack for Dummies

If you’re a business that has had your employees scattered across the region due to work-from-home orders, Slack is a low-cost way to stay connected and on the same page.

If you’re a freelancer who has been frustrated with bouncing from Skype to Email to Google Chat and who knows how many other communication apps, Slack might be worth checking out.

If someone you work with has recommended you use Slack, but you’ve been overwhelmed — this is the ideal book for you.

Finishing Up

Slack for Dummies is surprisingly short for a “Dummies” book.  And this should inspire you to pick it up for yourself.

Like all the books in the Dummies series, there are simple step-by-step instructions along with pictures that will help you follow along.  It’s really like a help file in your pocket (errr- table), where you don’t have to read the instructions ten times over to realize you’ve missed something insanely simple.  You’ll get it right away.

I think that’s because author, Phil Simon, not only knows a lot about technology, but he’s gone through the process of discovering Slack and then learning to become a power user.

And you really “get” that from the way the book is written.  It’s like he remembers what could potentially be confusing and then explains it to you before you go down the rabbit hole.

I’m so glad I got this copy of Slack for Dummies!  I’ve been lukewarm about using Slack and I’m pretty sure it’s because I simply didn’t know how to get the most out of it.  I’ll be working my way through this book. So, until then — See you on Slack!

This article, “Slack for Dummies Gives Readers a Quick How-to on This Popular Collaboration Tool” was first published on Small Business Trends

https://smallbiztrends.com/

The post Slack for Dummies Gives Readers a Quick How-to on This Popular Collaboration Tool appeared first on Unix Commerce.

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[maritzaerwin]

12 Phone Interview Tips to Take Your Conversation from Bland to Brilliant

Phone interviews — HRs’ convenience and job candidates’ major source of anxiety. What if the connection is bad and I won’t hear them? What if my speech sounds slurred and I’ll have to repeat myself over and over again? Or, gulp, what if we’ll have those long moments of awkward silence? Anyone can have a slight (or not so) phone interview phobia and that’s OK. But you must not let that anxiety sabotage your interview!

The best way to calm your nerves and ace your interview is to be as prepared as possible. If you are ready to roll, here are our best phone interview tips!

1. Start with a Background Research of the Company

That phone will ring in a couple of days. Before it does, channel all your early nervous energy into a productive chore: company research.

Just like when preparing for a face-to-face interview, do some background digging on the employer. In particular, try to collect the following deets:

Company history, vision, and mission

The business sector and the target market they operate in

Their key objectives

Main products/services they offer

Cultural values

Any recent corporate news/happenings

Closest competitions

Doing this legwork will help you in several ways during the interview. First, it helps you visualize the party you’d be speaking to and guesstimate what would matter to them the most.

Secondly, being familiar with the company mission as well as cultural values will help you adapt your tone and communication style (from more casual to more corporate) to match the one of the interviewer’s. Positioning yourself ‘just like them’ is a secret way of getting to your next interview round. (more on this in the next tip!).

Lastly, having strong background knowledge about the company, industry, and competition will help you answer those popular phone interview questions with much more ease since you won’t have to google up the answers with another hand.

2. Prepare Some Questions Too

Most phone interview tips focus on coaching you on how to answer the common screening questions. But an interview always assumes two-way communication, meaning you are also expected to chip in with some Qs.

Posing meaningful questions during a phone interview has several advantages:

You demonstrate your interest in the company

Quick ice-breaker questions can put you at ease with the interviewer

Also, asking questions helps get across your personality more effectively.

Lastly, you actually learn more information about the proposed position

So as part of your phone interview ‘pre-gaming’, be sure to jot down several specific questions to the interviewer on a notepad. Then keep it within reach during the call.

3. Think Through Your Interview Setting in Advance

Give yourself a good 30 minutes before your phone interview to pick your surroundings and pep-talk yourself into the right mood.

Find a quiet spot in the house. If you have housemates, politely ask them to tone down on the noise during your interview call. Let the dog out. Close the windows if there’s street noise.

Also if you are doing your phone interview from home, don’t:

Slouch on the couch. Sit behind a table or a desk.

Wear your PJs. Get properly dressed.

Pace. This will only add up to your anxiety.

Leave your email, social media, or another pinging software on.

Don’t feel comfortable speaking from your house or the office? Go outside. Being in nature is a scientifically-proven way to reduce stress and anxiety levels. Looking at the greenery helps retain focus and distract your mind from negative thinking. So park yourself on a bench and get done with your conversation while enjoying some fresh air!

4. Check Your Phone

This is one of those no-brainer tips for phone interviews. But so many people actually forget to check their phone before the interview! Specifically:

Is it charged? You don’t want to go running around scrambling for a charge during the interview.

Did you turn off the Internet? You don’t want a barrage of social media messages to distract you.

Is it off silent mode? It would be super embarrassing to miss the call or get the interviewer diverted to voicemail.

5. Have Your Resume At Hand During the Conversation

Always have a copy of your resume close by. You can pretty much guarantee that your telephone interviewer will be looking at a copy when they call you and asking questions around the details you’ve provided there.

As the nerves can make anyone forgetful, it’s best if both of you stay on the same page — the same page of your resume.

6. Call In Early

Some employers will ask you to phone in at a certain time, let’s say 10.30 am. If that’s the case, be sure to dial them at least 2-3 minutes before that. After all, you might have to go through the answering machine or their secretary first.

This can take longer than you may expect, so it pays to call a couple of minutes early should the line be busy because the receptionist is on another call, or you are kept waiting on hold while being transferred.

7. Smile While You Chat

Here’s one of the less conditional over the phone interview tips you may hear: smile as you talk. Yeah, it may look and feel odd doing so. But smiling your way through your interview can really help you to feel better and less nervous about your call.

Research proves that smiling diminishes your body’s response to stress and helps lower heart rate during intense situations. Another study also found that a smile generates the same level of excitement for the brain as up to 2,000 bars of chocolate. So keeping a small smile during your phone interview can help you be more relaxed, happier, and even more approachable as the speaker will likely feel your positive vibes!

8. Try the Perspective-Taking Approach

The biggest issue with phone interviews is that it’s harder to be likable over a cord. You can’t gauge the other person’s facial expressions and other non-verbal cues to adjust your behavior. What you can do, though, to appear more likable during the conversation is to try and position yourself as someone ‘who gets them’. The gist of perspective-taking is to emphasize with the other party and attempt to see the world through their eyes during the conversation.

In fact, saying a simple phrase such as “I can really put myself in your shoes” has been scientifically proven to make the other person more empathetic towards the speaker.

So during the next phone interview, try to emphasize more with the interviewer and understand where their questions and concerns are coming from. Then tailor your answers to show that you share their perspective too.

9. Listen Carefully

OK, this may seem obvious because you are on the telephone, but many people having telephone interviews make the mistake of not listening carefully enough. They do this because they allow their minds to race ahead of themselves and think up questions or things to say without actually paying full attention to what the interviewer is actually asking.

So rather than keeping that brain of yours constantly occupied with your next response, do the following:

Briefly note the HRs questions and key points

Incorporate those tidbits into your answers

Use them to pose additional questions at the end of the interview

Doing so will make you look like you are detailed-oriented and a good listener — these are two prized interpersonal skills among employers.

10. Don’t Talk Too Much

You have to admit that with a real-life, face-to-face interview you are in a better position to read facial expressions and body language. You can take in visual clues about when to stop talking and allow the interview to move on. This is much harder to interpret over the phone, so the best thing you can do is to try to answer any questions concisely without talking too much. It is very easy to ramble on and on about a subject, especially if the interviewer is asking you about your hobbies and personal interests.

While bonding with an interviewer is important, it should not come at the expense of addressing your key qualifications. Phone interviews are for screening out candidates. If the HR fails to capture some important info from you because you’ve run out of time, they’ll just move on to the next person on the list.

So keep your initial answers short, sweet, and valuable. Elaborate when being asked.

11. Speak Up If You Cannot Hear Well

Should you have difficulty hearing your interviewer, don’t be afraid to speak up. You may have an interviewer with a very soft or quiet voice that makes it hard for you to hear the questions being asked clearly. It’s perfectly OK to ask them to speak a bit louder or repeat the question. It is better to politely ask them to speak up rather than go through the interview misunderstanding questions because you cannot hear them properly.

If you are unlucky enough to experience a bad connection, then explain the issue to the other person and ask them if you can disconnect and try again. This is a much better approach than trying to struggle through the interview unable to hear clearly.

12. And Speak Slower If You Need To

The courtesy of speaking distinctively goes both ways. So if you are excited or a natural rapid-fire speaker, try to tune down a bit on your excitement as the other party can be struggling to keep up with the convo.

If the interviewer is asking you several times to repeat things, try to adjust your delivery pace, tone, and speed. After all, your goal isn’t to deliver as many words as possible within the set timeframe but to clearly convey what makes you a strong candidate for the job at hand.

An increasing number of companies are now relying on phone interviews to pre-screen candidates and eliminate some targets, especially for competitive positions. Passing the phone interview, however, is almost always a certain guarantee of being called in for the next round.

So don’t mess it up! After all, you know a bunch of phone screening interview tips that can help you leave the best impression with the employer!

This post has been originally published on May 1, 2017 and has been extensively revised and updated on July 22, 2020.

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