#or who have really cemented themselves as the 1 option for a position and don’t seem to be moving from that

[africanization101]

White masculinity shifting: a case study

I get an untold number of messages in my inbox from anons who all come to me with a similar problem: they are white males who describe themselves as submissive/beta/sissy/wannabe cuckolds or any such term, are deeply unsure about their role in the world and would like to hear my advice on that.

I have talked about this in the past and tried to do the Jordan Peterson bit where I encouraged them to clean their rooms and branch out into the interracial dating market on their own, but this seems to often fall on deaf ears; perhaps because you guys are too busy watching porn, but also, when your testosterone dips below a certain point, I guess the prospect of competing for women feels somewhat daunting.

Recently I had the pleasure of exchanging thoughts with a user who went off anon to contact me and was willing to answer some questions. I think his situation is fairly typical of many anon askers and he was excited to be a bit of case study for this topic, so gosh, I guess we need to talk about white males again, don’t we? They always seem to find a way into the conversation!

White Guy Problems: the cause

I’ve mused at length about the cultural reasons for white male insecurity and we don’t need to rehash it in detail here; suffice it to say that when an overwhelming number of your athletes, musicians, pop culture icons and lately also political actors are people of color, your somewhat justified feeling that you’re losing your somewhat unjustified #1 spot in the world might dampen your self-esteem a bit. More on this topic can be found here or here.

There’s also a biological effect going on in the background, namely that Western men’s testosterone levels have been steadily dropping in the recent past. Notice that the descriptor here is locational (Western) rather than racial, but “Western” is often used as a less fraught stand-in for “white” and we also know testosterone levels are related to life adversity, so sorry, your comfy middle class upbringing really did a bigger number on you there relative to Black and Brown men who had to struggle for a living. Sperm counts have been dropping at the same time of course, but that seems to be more of an effect than a cause.

So what we have here is a situation where our culture isn’t exactly boosting traditional white masculinity while many white men are also drawn towards greater physical and behavioral androgyny by their hormonal biology. Which is perhaps why the biggest beauty influencers on YouTube now look like this:

White Guy Problems: the effect

And this brings us to our case study. He’s a white male entering middle age who doesn’t identify as gay, genderqueer or any other particular label; he’s just doing his thing. He’s had relationships with women in the past, but never felt an urge to assume a dominant position behaviorally or sexually. In fact, he claims he was always aware of his submissive tendencies, but tried not to let it show in order to fit in better as a man.

This somewhat changed after he discovered interracial porn. I’ll let him speak for himself here:

Not only did it show me what sex (real sex) was, it also confirmed and cemented my feelings of inadequacy.  I was hooked! Over time, much spent viewing Black men bringing immense satisfaction to white women, my focus gradually became centred on the main source of that satisfaction:  the Black Man’s penis.  It was as though it became a reference point for all things pleasurable, and my fascination and awe just grew from there.  That Big Black penis was what I was staring at when I furiously rubbed on my own incompetent white penis, so stiff with admiration and respect.

The phallus worship expressed here eventually seeped into real life, where he headed out to a sex shop to look for a physical representation of his desires:

I was going to leave at one point, but I thought since i was there i might as well just get it over and done with, so i picked a 10 inch jet Black realistic looking rubber dong, two bottles of lube, paid for it and left. I was so relieved to be out of there and couldnt wait to get back to my hotel room.  I stripped off and opened the package, and let me tell you, just holding that thing was an amazing rush, feeling the weight and girth of it, and the contrast of it in my white hands. It was like i was quivering, butterflys in the stomach.

Now you’d be excused to think that this man is just very gay and in denial, but I really don’t think that’s it. For one thing, a submissive gay man wouldn’t necessarily be intimidated by a masculine partner; he’d see him as complementary rather than competition. A gay man would also feel very compelled to just go out and get the real thing, whereas our case study never did. Of course there are closeted gay men who never live out their desires, but they often fell into a heterosexual marriage or their living circumstances make it otherwise impossible to live out their sexuality. This was not the case here.

What this sounds like to me is a fundamentally heterosexual man who, for whatever reason, just doesn’t quite have it in him to be sexually assertive and find or please women that way, and who ends up somewhat transfixed on the kind of man who seems to be able to do that effortlessly. Given the setup of interracial porn and the larger cultural influences on his life, this kind of man ended up being Black, of course. So our white male case study developed a fetish in the original sense of the term: worshiping someone or something for a perceived inherent power. A worship that is tentatively sexual, but never quite crossed that threshold.

Our case study thinks he is somewhat representative of the white men who hang out in circles like these. I’ve certainly met enough of them to say that he’s part of a larger subdemographic, perhaps the largest one.

White Guy Problems: the solution?

I just gave you my best Sigmund Freud impression there, but I’m not a therapist and I’m not quite sure what the proper course of action for someone like this should be. He would probably be quite happy in a cuckold relationship, but this poses the problem of finding a relationship in the first place, which we already discovered was not one of his strong suits. He could try gay sex to see if maybe he likes it enough to pursue it. If the overall male body is a turn-off for him, he could maybe start with a glory hole, where it’s just the phallus.

He also confessed to having a weakness for transgender women, which will probably not surprise anyone. This, too, could unfortunately be a bit of a compatibility problem since he likes them specifically for having a penis while many transgender women embark on their journey specifically because they don’t like having a penis.

Man, these white guy problems are really tough. Of the options listed above, I think the most realistic would be to find a woman who can adapt to his submissive sexual desires and is willing to humor them or maybe even gets off on it herself. I would imagine you don’t need to be a stud to please this kind of a woman; she’d probably be looking for other qualities in the first place. But I couldn’t tell you where to find her, though I have talked to men who did find such women, so it’s clearly not impossible.

In the meantime, I guess he’ll have to keep himself happy with copious amounts of porn, which many white males of his persuasion seem to settle into as a consolation prize. I’m not sure how sound this is in the long term, so I’ll revert to Jordan Peterson again at the end of this post and suggest that cleaning your room and standing up straight with your shoulders back might work wonders for you even if your testosterone levels are a joke compared to your great-grandfather.

And now that I answered this concern in book length, I expect all you betas out there to ask more diverse questions in the future.

[scullysexual]

{untitled post col fic: 2}

Chapter 1 link here. Ao3 link here.

Still working on a title for this. So this has become a thing that looks like it’s going to be regularly updated. There’s no posting schedule rn, I’m just posting whenever. Currently I’m eager to write this so chances are it’ll be posted on random days.

@today-in-fic @mypanicface​ Let me know if you’d like to be tagged.

- - - 

Chapter Two.

Sunlight streams down through the bars, across her face. She tries to block the light with an arm but it’s useless. The cement ground is hard and her other arm aches with laying on it all night.

It wasn’t the first time Scully had found herself in The Box and it wouldn’t be the last.

Scully stretches, her body just about fitting the length of the small room, and pushes herself to sit up. Morning has arrived and she won’t have to wait long for somebody to unlock the doors. She’s been in here before, she knows the drill.

In the meantime, she shakes her arm back to life and wonders when it will be time to move on from this place.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

The red clone forcefully yanks her out of the van by the chain between her handcuffs. The metal cuts against her skin and Scully bites her tongue so as not to yell out. Once upon a time, she was putting the handcuffs on.

Having been stuck in darkness for what feels like forever, the sun is too bright and Scully finds herself having to squint.

“I don’t want to hear a word from you,” the red one tells her before pushing her into the line. She stumbles slightly but quickly regains her balance, throwing daggers towards the back of the clone’s head.

With her eyes adjusted, it doesn’t take Scully long to realise where she is. There’s a drop in her stomach as she stares up at her prison. They can build a new building but the fencing and grass have all relatively stayed the same. This was once the spot The White House sat.

She’s home. She’s walked past this street, this area, multiple times. Her apartment not too far away.

It becomes too much, to be standing here like she is, anxious and afraid of what to come but she will not cry, she won’t give them that.

There’s a thought to run. It was possible. Only her hands are cuffed together, her feet free. Adrenaline will make her run faster and she knows her way around this city probably better than the clones do.

But no. Her eyes catch the guards that stand around, their hands glued to their machine guns. She might be able to run fast but not faster than they can pull the trigger.

“Are these the new ones?”

A man’s voice cuts through her thoughts. Scully looks to the front to see a man with a long face and pointy chin, his hair a yellow colour of blonde. For the most part he looks human but Scully can see the slightly larger orbital cavity.

One of them. The colonists Mulder used to talk about, that she never believed existed- that nobody believed existed- standing before her.

“They are, sir,” the blue clone pipes up. “Most of them were found hiding in the Outskirts.”

The Colonist makes his way down the line, seeming to check each woman out. When he reaches Scully he stops and Scully doesn’t have the nerve to look him in the eye anymore.

“You were supposed to bring them to me unharmed,” the Colonist shouts, sounding furious.

“We had no option but to, sir,” the red one explains. With the Colonist looking away, Scully grins, he doesn’t sound so sure of himself now. “She forced us to.”

Her grin falls quickly when the Colonist turns back to her. His hand brushes against the bruise.

“We’ll get that looked at,” he says calmly and soothingly.

And maybe it was his hand touching her that had bile rising in her throat. Or maybe because she was scared and alone and feeling that fire slowly begin to fade out that makes her bat the Colonist’s hand away and cry out.

“Don’t touch me!”

She can almost hear everyone hold their breath. The Colonist’s grey eyes turn to cold ice. Out of nowhere something heavy collides with her ribs and abdomen. A cracked rib surely as Scully falls to the ground, her torso screaming in agony, those tears she promised she wouldn’t give them coming to her eyes as she splutters and coughs.

“And let that be a lesson to you all!” she hears the Colonist shout.

Scully stays laying on the ground, clutching her ribs, trying to calm herself. She’ll kill him, she thinks. She’ll kill them all.

“Take them inside,” the Colonist instructs. “Prepare them for the Initiation Ceremony.”

There’s a trample of feet moving. Scully knows she should get up, to follow them, but if they just left her here to die she wouldn’t fight it.

“What about this one?” one of the clones ask.

“Take her to the hospital.”

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Spirits were high. One of the girls was pregnant and that meant the community had a reason to celebrate.

Mulder learned quickly that being part of the Higher didn’t really mean much. He got a nice house and wasn’t a slave but the real power still resided with the colonists.

He was told they run the facilities that train the new slaves before they’re sold for auction next month. He had bought Chloe, of course. In a race against another potential buyer, Mulder had almost spent a year’s allowance on her for fear she would end up with the slimy bastard who’s reputation for owning most of the girls put on sale just so he could brutally mutilate and abuse those who didn’t give him results in the first month sent shivers down Mulder’s spine. He had won the girl and after two months with no results, it was lucky he had too.

A new month was approaching and a new auction along with it. Most of the girls auctioned off came from the facility but if a Higher grew tired of the slave they had, if she had given them a child and they wanted no more, she too would be in the mix. Every month for the past four months Mulder had gone to the auction in the hopes that maybe she would be there but it hadn’t been the case and he was beginning to lose hope she was even in California.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Motels and bars had become a rarity in the world now, however the odd one still stood, mainly to serve the Colonists or hybrids who might have to travel. They were dangerous for a simple human to visit, he and Scully would often avoid them for fear of capture but right now they were the best place to head if they wanted information.

Concealed by a hood, in a booth furthest to the corner, the few people occupying the bar pay him no attention. Skinner sits beside him, a beer in front of him, and when he takes a sip, his face contorts in disgust.

“Tastes like shit,” the man says, pushing the beer away.

“Keep drinking it anyway,” says Mulder. They didn’t want to draw suspicion to themselves after all.

The door to the bar opens and a weasel little man wanders in. He throws a nervous look to a man nearest the door- someone Mulder immediately recognised to be a Colonist- before his eyes dart around, landing on Mulder’s.

The little man makes a beeline for their booth, sitting himself down opposite Mulder.

“You’re Mulder, right?” the man asks.

Mulder refuses to clarify, asking, “What have you got?”

“I was told you were looking for someone called Scully.”

Mulder’s heart clenches in his chest. After all these years of searching is he really going to find what he’s looking for in one man.

“What do you know?” Skinner asks.

“Just that she gets auctioned a lot,” the man says. He keeps his voice low, his eyes constantly wandering over to the others in the bar. “That she’s trouble.”

Mulder fights to keep the grin from appearing on his face, he would expect no less from his Scully.

“Do you know where she is?”

With a clear glance towards the Colonist closest to the door, Mulder’s informant shifts forward.

“There are rumours she’s in California.”

Mulder bashes his fist on the table causing the drinks to spill and the man to jump in his seat.

“Rumours?!” Mulder shouts. A few people look their way before going back to their business. His voice quieter this time, Mulder asks, “All you can give me is rumours?”

The man is pale, scared and nervous.

“That’s- that’s all I know,” he splutters.

Clenching his jaw, Mulder sits back in his seat and shakes his head.

The door opens to enter a newcomer and the man’s face looks like he’s seen a ghost.

“I’m sorry I don’t have more,” the man says. He’s quickly standing from his seat. “Cali,” he says again as he backs away from the booth. “Go to Cali.”

Mulder was pissed. All these years and still no closer.

“I’m not following rumours,” he declares.

“You might not have a choice,” Skinner says, Mulder’s voice of reason since the disappearance of Scully. His sanity. “It’s been five years and this is the closest we’ve came. We have a location.”

Skinner was right. It may just be a rumour but it was the first utter of a location and rumours have some truth to them.

So Mulder nods, a new plan formulating in his mind. California his new destination.

“Cali,” he says agreeing. “We just have to get there.”

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

The door is unlocked and Edie stands in the doorway. She’s younger than Scully yet her hybrid-status puts her much higher position than Scully will ever be. Not that Edie sees that. Babysitting future human sex slaves was never her end goal.

“Learnt your lesson?” Edie asks.

A question she asks every time Scully ends up in The Box and each time Scully nods. They both know full well that by next time, Scully will be back in this box.

“Pack up your stuff,” Edie says as Scully climbs out the room. “You’re leaving.”

Her month is up already, Scully thinks. She hadn’t been keeping track. Days and months didn’t work like they used too, Scully doesn’t even think they call it 2002 anymore.

But this was it, she was leaving the prison. Her face scarred and her clothes consisting a multiple grey dresses. She wonders who long of a life she has left before they realise her body cannot build babies.

[achadental]

Dental implants morrisville

There is three (not serious) main questions, when you no doubt know that you desire a dental implants Morrisville procedure:

1. Just how much dental implant cost? 2. Just what are main dental implant prices? 3. Can I receive free dental implant? Actually, dentures implant procedure is one of the popular expensive actions you can take at dentist’s office.

Up until recently, dentists would be sure to keep or replace teeth with treatments for example root canals, bridges, and fixed or removable dentures. Unfortunately, an important wide variety of root canal treated teeth fail, bridges require that healthy adjacent teeth be slashed down and removable dentures is often unstable and require the usage of sticky adhesives. Dental implants are a resolution to these complaints, and lots of the concerns involving natural teeth are eliminated, including dental decay.

A Single-Tooth Implant

Single-tooth implants can be utilized in those who find themselves missing one or two teeth. An tooth implant is surgically slipped into an opening manufactured by your dentist on the jawbone. As soon as the implant integrates (attaches) in your bone, it provides for a new "root" in the crown that might be replacing your missing tooth. A crown (cap), that may be made to turn into a natural tooth, is coupled to the implant and fills the left on the mouth via the missing tooth.

For this action to figure out, the converter should have enough bone on the jaw, along with the bone is to be sufficiently strong to hang and support your tooth implant. If there isn't enough bone, be must be added in which has a procedure called bone augmentation. Moreover, natural teeth and supporting tissues near from where the implant might be placed must take good health.

There are many work with replace a missing tooth. A gap amongst the teeth, if obvious as soon as you smile or speak, may be a cosmetic concern.

Based upon their whereabouts, some missing teeth may affect your speech. A missing molar mightn't be noticeable as soon as you talk or smile, nonetheless its absence make a difference to chewing.

Whenever a tooth is missing, the biting force on the rest of the teeth sets out to change. Because the bite changes to make amends for the lost tooth, we have a risk of additional pressure on and discomfort on the jaw joints. If the missing tooth seriously isn't replaced, the encircling teeth can shift. Harmful plaque and tartar can collect in new hard-to-reach places having to do with the shifting teeth. After a while, this can lead to dental caries and periodontal disease.

Just what Dental Implant?

A dental implant is option for replacing a tooth. Implants are produced devices that they fit surgically on the upper or mandibular, where they are the anchors for replacement teeth. Implants come from titanium and many other materials that happens to be works with a body.

An implant-restored tooth consists of countless parts.

 The     implant, which     features titanium, is slipped into the top or lower jawbone.

The     abutment can     be achieved of titanium, gold or porcelain. It truly is coupled to the     implant which has a screw. This part connects the implant in the crown.

The     restoration (the     part that appears being a tooth) may be a crown, usually composed of     porcelain fused to somewhat of a metal alloy (PFM), but in addition will     be an all-metal or all-porcelain crown. The crown is attached either in     the abutment or instantly to the implant. It is usually screwed or     cemented onto the abutment. That the crown is screwed in the abutment, the     screw hole might be engrossed in restorative material for example tooth-collared     filling material (composite).

An implant feels and looks being a natural tooth. They fit securely as soon as you chew and speak. A single-tooth implant may be a free-standing unit as well as doesn't involve treatment in the adjacent teeth. Which includes a dental implant, the encircling teeth can remain untouched if they're scams healthy, and potency and efficacy and integrity could possibly be maintained. The implant can stabilize your bite and alleviate problems with difficulty the jaw.

 What Happens Through the Tooth Implant Procedure?

Treatment generally may be a three-part procedure that takes several months. Your dentist may supply treatment, or that you are mentioned an authority - for instance a periodontics, a orthodontist a dental and maxillary surgeon - for everyone or a section of the treatment.

In the first task, the dentist surgically places the implant on the jaw, with all the surface of the implant slightly above the surface of the bone. A screw is inserted within the implant to forestall gum tissue together with other debris from entering.

The gum then is secured in the implant, where its going to remain covered for as much as 3 to 6 months as the implant fuses with all the bone, an operation called "Osseo integration. "There are some swelling and/or tenderness during their visit following on from the surgery, so pain medication usually is prescribed to cure the discomfort. Eating too much soft foods, cold foods and warm soup often is recommended within the healing process.

With the second step, the implant is uncovered along with the dentist attaches an extension box, known as a "post," in the implant. The gum tissue is permitted to heal to the post. Once healing is complete, the implant and post will be the building blocks for the fresh tooth.

With the final step, the dentist is really a custom artificial tooth, known as a “dental crown," of your size, shape, co-lour and fit which will blend with other teeth. Once completed, the crown is coupled to the implant post.

And so, maybe most critical part.

We'll be sure to answer if dental implants are good selection for you.

 When     you're missing a tooth, or teeth you'll probably be a superb candidate for     implants, especially if your smile reveals missing teeth!

When     you're uncomfortable with all the way your dentures fit. Loose dentures     causes sore gums as a consequence of friction or food trapped inside the     given bridgework.

Loose     teeth from gums and teeth might have support.

Dental     implants can provide a fresh base to assist new teeth to operate and feel     as though natural teeth.

Over these instances, dental implants can help.

 Success and failure rates for dental implant procedure.

Dental implant success relates to operator skill, quality and volume of the bone available to begin, as well as the patient's oral hygiene. Various studies realize the 5 year recovery rate of implants that should be between 75-95%. Patients who smoke experience significantly poorer success rates.

Failure of your dental implant will likely be in connection with failure to Osseo integrate correctly. A dental implant is regarded as failing the expense of lost, mobile or shows peril-implant bone decrease in longer than one mm in the 1st year after implanting and longer than 0.2mm one year after that.

Dental implants are certainly not chafes from abrasion dental caries but additionally can be cultivated a periodontal condition called Peri-timpanists where correct oral cleanliness routines weren't followed. Risk of failure is increased in smokers. Therefore implants are generally placed only looking for patient has stopped smoking as being the therapy for this is very expensive. More rarely, an implant may fail as a consequence of poor positioning whilst surgery, or could possibly be overloaded initially causing failure to integrate.

Will do it very hurt to obtain dental implants placed?

A procedure to surgically place a dental implant is accomplished under local anesthesia and is normally never painful. If your anesthesia wears off about 3 to 5 hours later, you will expect some discomfort. How much discomfort can be quite distinctive from person to person, but the majority of patients don't need significant problems.

Where there does exist prolonged pain, you must call at your dentist right away. Prolonged pain is Nintendo Wii sign with dental implants and although no always mean failure, the explanation for the anguish needs to be determined immediately after possible. Automobile implant is improperly integrating within the adjacent bone or if infection develops, the implant might have to be removed.

Consider some of the options to implants?

The options to implants are dentures or bridges. On the flip side, you may want to simply accept the in which a tooth is missing.

A denture usually incorporates a metal and/or plastic base carrying plastic or porcelain artificial teeth. It's a removable replacement couple of missing teeth (partial denture) or a total range of teeth (complete dentures). Dentures are certainly common but additionally can loose, making it problematical to chow down and speak. Several implants is often designed for help support and retain a denture.

A bridge features artificial teeth cemented onto adjacent natural teeth. If a restricted bridge may be used, your dentist would lessen the adjacent teeth (the second molar along with the second bicuspid) and fit a 3 unit fixed tide over those two teeth.

The missing tooth is going to be known as a poetic and it might be effectively replaced by significant unit bridge. But if your dentist were to utilize an implant which has a crown in it, he'd place an implant on the site of the first first molar. He could do that immediately or at some date after the 1st molar was removed. There is absolutely no time period here. The implant will require about 3 months to touch base with all the bone after which it in those days, your dentist can construct one single crown relating to the implant to interchange the missing first molar.

The money necessary most of these procedures is different from office to office, but a 3 unit fixed bridge costs about like an implant and then a crown. A decision to try and do one over other rests with everyone’s dentist. One way is not inherently superior to other every relies on the method that you present along with your dentist's skills.

Related Article here: https://dentistmorrisville.weebly.com

[drferox]

Acceptance of non-conformity

@octarine-ash said to @ask-drferox: Hello! I'm (hopefully) graduating from vet school in Qld at the end of the year. As a queer person who hasn't been widely out at uni, I have a whole bunch of extra anxiety on top of my huge pile of general new grad anxiety. I know you've been asked for similar advice before, but I'm wondering if you'd share any tips you might have for finding a clinic that will feel safe and supportive? Have you found different areas to be more/less tolerant of things like gender nonconformity? I will absolutely be getting tf out of Qld and a big part of me wants to run straight to inner Sydney/Melbourne, but I like large animal work and I'm very scared of narrowing my career options too much. Do you know how realistic it is to get back into mixed work after doing smallies as new grad? What about if I did an honours research year or something? Do you have any experience working in 'compromise' practices  that are just outside cities and do a bit of hobby farm work?  How can I call out bigotry from my colleagues or clients? I want to try lots of different types of vet work and probably work overseas soon after graduating - what would you say is the minimum reasonable period to stay in a job as a recent grad? Big apologies for the absolute bombardment with questions!!! Thank you so much for your blog, even with lots of vets around irl it's still a very valuable resource and incredibly motivating. I appreciate the work you put into it a huge amount.

If you want mixed animal work, i would absolutely get ‘tf’ out of Queensland too, with Hendra being on my mind.

I will straight up say Australian Rainbow Vets and Allies is probably an excellent resource for you. You can find them on Facebook, and Kate has been pretty helpful any time she gets a spare minute. Definitely check them out. You might even figure out if anyone is hiring, or find a mentor.

I feel like it’s very difficult to get back into mixed work after working smallies for a while. The job you have in your first two years will help cement your skills, and if you narrow yourself too quickly it’s really hard to get back. Doable, I know it gets done, but difficult. I started in mostly smallies with hobby farms and occasional large animal enterprises, and found it wasn’t quite enough experience to do production animals super well on an industrial scale, but it did help me figure out what I wanted to do. The large animal work tends to be more basic in that scenario, as a lot of hobby farmers genuinely have little idea of what they’re doing and nutritional issues are common. You’ll probably figure out what you really want from a job in the first 18 months to 2 years, but some new grads only stay for the first 6 months, and that’s fine too.

Onto the more complex topic of finding somewhere safe, supportive and tolerant, and how to call out bigotry.

Some clinics are very distinctly open and supportive of the LGBTQIA+ community, especially when one of the owners falls under that umbrella themselves. But there are also a lot of clinics which are quietly or less extroverted about their support.

Quite a lot of people in my generation, when someone comes out, have a reaction along the lines of ‘oh yes, that makes sense in hindsight’. In older generations there seems to be a lot of ‘so, how does that work? What does that mean?’ but not malice as such, just not necessarily confronted by the idea before.

I’ve worked at practices where people have come out of the closet, and been very stressed about doing so, and it really turned out to be a non-event.

There is a particularly rough style of Aussie humor though, which you probably know by now but can catch some people off guard. It’s a little rough and dismissive but in a joking way. For example, one woman was terrified about how the boss would react when he found out she was a lesbian. All he did was give her a cheeky nudge and say “well you’re not going to get pregnant then” and made sure she had a +1 on her Xmas party invite. End of discussion.

In fact, there’s probably a lot of practice owners who just don’t care about someone’s identity or orientation, including rurally where they’re just glad to find someone who will do the work.

That said, there are some places, some of which I’ve been as a student, which set off warning bells that the culture there might not be all that welcoming or tolerant. And there are hints that, even without discussing it, there are places that are more open to new ideas and accepting of diversity.

Some good signs:

Diversity in the staff. There’s not always an obvious sign that someone belongs to the LGBTQIA+ community, but diversity in race and body types is hard to hide. If a clinic is employing some types of minorities, they’re more likely to be accepting of others.

Tattoos. You can infer some information about people by their tattoos, and as long as they’re not something like white supremacist symbols, they’re a good indicator that the clinic and community is more likely to be accepting of diversity. Normally I would say the same for piercings, but not all piercings are appropriate for a vet clinic so it might not be apparent.

They/them pronouns on the ‘about the staff’ page. Subtle, but if you see one generally a good sign.

Generally once you have some diversity in to break the ice, other types of diversity are likely to go down well.

Rabidly hateful google reviewers who have also left positive reviews for other people critical of, for example, same sex marriage. Suggests the clinic has done something right, or employed at least one LGBTQIA+ person.

Some potentially suspicious signs:

All the employed staff look the same. Might be a coincidence if all the employed staff are tall, blonde women with the same two haircuts, but it also might not be.

Always, always advertising at least one position.

Employers that say you are obliged to wear make up.

In short, the more diversity you can see within the staff, the more accepting the clinic is likely to be of diversity in general. The more conformity you see, the more conformity is likely to be expected. I picked my first job by spotting two staff members and thinking I could turn out like either one of them, and I was happy with that. Seeing a workplace that employs multiple women over 30 years old, about the time when your tolerance for garbage decreases, was encouraging.

Calling out bigotry from clients is easier if you know the clinic will support you. A simple “That’s not acceptable sir/madam” will often cut them off, sometimes followed up by a “That’s not up for discussion, it is unacceptable.” If need be, you can also use “I suggest you see a different veterinarian in the future,” if they are particularly noxious. Once you call them out, most of the bad ones will avoid you so you can get on with your life.

Calling out colleagues is harder and takes a lot more patience. You might not feel secure enough to call them out as such, but a quieter chat along the lines of ‘hey, this was hurtful because X, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t.’ That makes it personal, still semi-private as you haven’t embarrassed them in front of other people and it gives them a simplified choice to either consider changing their mind, or at least keep their mouth shut versus being a deliberate asshole. Best to assume ignorance before malice.

The future might look intimidating, but you’re going to wrangle it anyway.

[nettworkk]

Showcase Your True Potential: How skill sharing can shape thousands of lives

Joe Yakeen Vinitha | Mentor & Business Coach

The first time I heard the word ‘trading-positions’ was during one of my mastermind sessions with enthusiastic entrepreneurs. One of the participants gave an example which used this word and I was like what… But I did not forget to learn that from her and now I do trading!

 While doing all the research, tips & trick of trading, I realized I was becoming a part of a much larger, much more humane community of sharing skills with anybody who wanted to learn just in an attempt to make their lives better. In a way to connect people through their interests on a similar ground, the difference being one person is already adept at the particular field and the others just interested to learn.

To be honest, the concept of sharing skills is not something alien. We have all grown up with it. Take every mother who has taught her child to cook or every father who helped his kid with their homework. Thanks to the internet, skill sharing has become even more popular, allowing people to connect online and benefit from a person and their skillset even though they are physically miles apart.

 As Moses de Maimon, a Jewish philosopher, better known as Maimonides, says: “Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.”

 Here's some more information on how skill sharing works, and most importantly, how it can benefit you, your career, and most importantly, the not so privileged.

 WHAT IS SKILL SHARING?

Skill sharing to put it in absolute layman terms is when people share their skills with others. While it can happen in a formal setting – like a classroom – it can also occur casually at meetups, community centres, and even in people's homes.

 For example, if you may be a freelance graphic designer who wants to learn social media marketing, you can agree to exchange design lessons for a tutorial in an online marketing strategy. Or, if you are a project manager looking to increase your web knowledge, you might take an online or in-person coding course.

WHY YOU NEED SKILL SHARING IN THE FIRST PLACE?

 Every person possesses a separate skill set which makes him unique. But the power of it is not keeping it confined, it's in sharing it. Call that friend who is weak in your favourite subject and help him out. Skill sharing is how we grow stronger as a team.

 It is said the strength of your team is the strength of its weakest person. So why not help them grow? There is only so much we can grow as individuals. Every sector in our lives we need a team to grow. Starting from our family, our primary and secondary education to our peer group and work life. Whether formal or informal, any successful project, be it big or small, has one thing at its core: effective collaboration,   and   you   cannot   achieve   that without knowledge sharing.

 “In our research on knowledge transfer, we have seen companies greatly disadvantaged, if not crippled, by knowledge loss. Certainly, some expert knowledge may be outdated or irrelevant by the time its possessors are eligible for retirement, but not the skills, know-how, and capabilities that underlie critical operations — both routine and innovative. Organizations cannot afford to lose these deep smarts” says Dorothy Leonard, the William J. Abernathy Professor of Business Administration Emerita at Harvard Business School.

 Here are 10 BENEFITS that you can get from sharing your knowledge:

 1.  It helps you grow

As Claudio Fernández-Aráoz put it, “The question is not whether your company’s employees and leaders have the right skills; it’s whether they have the potential to learn new ones”. We can only accomplish a certain number of goals with a limited skill set. But once we start learning new skills the opportunities for us are endless. They say you could learn something from everybody in your life. Let us make sure we actually do!

2.  It helps you stay motivated

Even among peers, skill sharing can play an important role to motivate you to get better at your skills and try to acquire new ones. Seeing your peers showcase their skills pushes you forward in healthy competition as well as a team effort for all of you to develop on your skills. We are all achievers on the inside. Sharing knowledge practices pushes you to become better at what you do while driving you at the same time to contribute with your own insights.

 3.Getting top talent access

“If you’re the smartest person in the room, then you’re in the wrong room” the saying goes. Knowledge sharing helps you get feedback and help with your projects from those more skilled or with a different set of competences. You can always reach out to your peers – you’ll be amazed at what they can teach you in no time. Not to mention the access to upper management expertise!

4.Recognition

So many recent studies underline the importance of recognition at work – it is one of the most powerful motivators and will highly contribute to both employee retention and engagement. Sharing your knowledge with others will give your talents more exposure, thus giving the people you interact with the opportunity to identify you as a valuable expert. Helping others can help you build your reputation. And that is a valuable asset!

    5.Generating new ideas

They say two heads think better than one. When different skills and experiences collide, eye- opening ideas and solutions emerge. The creative energy of brainstorming can generate faster and more relevant solutions to your current assignments, supporting you in successfully achieving your tasks. Tribal knowledge FTW!

6.Future leaders’ discovery

Sharing knowledge can be a great tool for everyone to PR themselves. All you need to do is to be permanently connected to the hot business topics and offer your expertise every time you can. When people are open to prove their value through their competence, it’s easier to notice the ones likely to organize people and to take initiative. The leaders of tomorrow are among those.

7.Limiting the skill gap

Your team is as strong as its weakest member. By sharing knowledge and talking about certain decisions and procedures, the new guys or juniors could easily acquire new sets of skills. Create an environment where everybody is encouraged to ask questions and help professionals in all your locations and job positions stay updated with the latest information in their field.

      8.Team cementing and silo breaking

Working as a team gives employees a sense of belonging. When employees, teams, and leaders share ideas and resources with each other, the feeling that they pursue a common goal becomes authentic. The feeling of being part of a functional and collaborative team boosts enthusiasm and empowers everyone to exchange knowledge, breaking down the silo mentality. This boosts employee morale and increases their work efficiency.

 9.Sense of purpose

There is a thin line between employees “sort of doing stuff” and those that have a sense of purpose. By creating an environment where people feel like their knowledge makes a difference, they will clearly see how their work fits in the bigger mission of the organization. Work without purpose is no work at all.

10.Operational efficiency

That is perhaps the most important thing. Sharing knowledge increases the productivity of your team. You can work faster and smarter, as you get easier access to the internal resources and expertise within your organization. Projects don’t get delayed; people swimmingly get the information they need in order to do their jobs and your business fills the bill.

The “Knowledge is Power” adage is long dead as the new reality of the workforce has taught us that sharing knowledge is beneficial to everybody.

Moving one step ahead, I wonder how exciting it would be if we could also earn from our multiple skills!

HOW TO DO THIS AS AN INDIVIDUAL?

Helping others should be a natural extension of every capable individual’s responsibilities. Unfortunately, it does not come as easy as you would think. As privileged and able people, we often get too caught up in operations or our own problems to give people the help they need. However, in the last year, I’ve realized that most of my best clients, partners, and relationships have come from me helping someone for free and for a cost when required.

So how does someone share their multiple skills to the world? We’re all busy with our day-to- day lives, earning a living and eking an existence on Planet Earth.

But if you are willing, there is always some way. Helping others by sharing my multiple skills is something that brings me immense joy; hence I have shared 7 broad services which you can share with the world for free and for a cost:

    1.Professional services (Consultants, Engineers, Marketers, Chefs etc.,)

There are professional service providers as a company, but we are focusing of individuals who have these skills to offer these services. May be, you are in job offering these services, still you would want the world to know your skills for others to connect with you to receive those services form you.

 This is where a mobile app like nettworkk would help!.

 2.Home repair (carpenters, Roofers, Electricians, etc.,)

 In this ‘aggregators’ age, we have aggregators most services including food, taxi, products(amazon.com) and home repair services. Though these app provide customers with more options to choose from, the huge commission these aggregators take from the service providers really hits big on them.

 An app like nettworkk connects customers directly to you instead of them coming through aggregators.

 3.Software Services (Product managers, Solution architects, Developers. Testers etc.,)

Most of the college student eye a software job during college. Hope you agree. If you are trained in the latest software and aptitude skills, there are more chances of you getting through the campus interviews. So, there is always a huge availability of software professionals, testers and currently product managers. Interestingly, there are professionals with multiple skills, say., they are proficient in Java platform, cloud architecture as well as in big data. But they can’t be handling projects in all of them. They could only go by what their company project demands.

 It would be great if they could have a platform like nettworkk which could help them connect with people who are looking for people with these skills to offer projects.

4.Creative services (Writers, Graphic Designers, etc.,)

 It takes real skills and talent to master creative skills. Most people get into these services with seer love and passion for arts. They love colours, literature, imagination, and a sense of WOW in their work.

The speciality of creativity is that it is the basis of all innovation. Creative services need not be limited to arts but could be applied to almost any work including Engineering, Carpentry, Education... you name it!

5.  Personal care (hair stylists, massage therapists, etc.,)

Personal care services have always been close to individuals as we visit at least one personal care service in a month. Especially, working men and women. These services are always in demand and people who provide these services do it with love and care.

As they work physically close to the clients, they develop a sense of connect and client look to a particular service person if they get used to their service.

6.Health care (Doctors, Physio therapists, Nurses etc.,)

If these is a service which requires more inter connectivity with the community is Health care. As there are multiple disciplines in health care including various speciality Doctors, Physio therapists, Nurses, and various lab technicians, they all must be connected to refer the patients to the right specialists.

7.Coaching Services (Online coaching, Private tuition, Sports & Games etc.,)

The most steadily growing industry is the online coaching industry. Due to layoffs and insecure job environment, most of the professionals turn to online coaching to get themselves updated with the latest technologies, strategies, and other required skills.

Here I remember these famous words by American evangelist, Billy Graham who says: “We’re not cisterns made for hoarding. We’re channels made for sharing.” Obviously, what good is any skill if someone decides on hoarding it? The skill would die along with the person that hoards it and is not able to be passed on generation to generation.

Coaching service including sports & games have always been sort after wherever one needed expert guidance. Someone whom to they can go-to for re-evaluating themselves and fine tune their existing skills or learn new skills.

WHERE DOES NETTWORKK COME IN ALL THIS?

NETTWORKK provides you with a platform to share, showcase, and adapt skills with as ease as our day to day social media affairs. The steps for this are easy, create a profile, mention all the skills you can offer for free and for a cost and wanted services for free and for a cost.

NETTWORKK provides an easy connecting ground for people of all strata and ages to bond with each other based on their skills offered and wanted. And you get matched right on your mobile. No more advertisements in classifieds and social media ads!

Say., if you are software developer working in a software company, you are mostly like to introduce yourself as a software professional. What if you have multiple skills which you could offer for a cost. Say., you are also a competent chess player and you are willing to provide online chess training to people who are interested. You might not have thought about providing this service unless someone pokes you related to chess.

That is where a platform like nettworkk becomes essential. You can also offer free services, say., you are passionate about playing a music instrument, but not keen earning from it. You might keep you instrument playing passion live by teaching people for free or playing for free. Just to keep that passion… LIVE!

The most exciting feature of this nettworkk is that you can add as many as 10 skills which you can offer for a cost and 10 different skills which you can offer for free! Sounds exciting?

Start communicating and showcasing what you are good at, share it with the world and make a difference while you earn extra income!

[obaewankenope]

IT’S DONE! OMG IT’S DONE! IT’S 6.8K AND IT’S  D O N E

Summary:

“An owl, cat, or toad—what the fuck?” Crowley complains and Aziraphale smacks him on the arm for cursing.

“Crowley! Language!” the angel gasps, plucking the letter from the demons hand to read it himself. “Well—that is—it’s a little restrictive, I’ll admit,” he says, frowning a little at the list and specifications. “But if those are the only options—”

“Then we’ll make new options,” Crowley declares and Harry—enjoying the rebelliousness of his uncle Crowley immensely—nods vigorously.

If you don’t wanna read it on AO3 then click the read more and you can read it here :)

.

Harry’s letter is unsurprising for Crowley and Aziraphale for several reasons: number one) Harry has performed minor feats of magic ever since he began living with them above Aziraphale’s shop[1]. Number two) there are a select number of books in Aziraphale’s shop that are, to put it delicately, not for the mundane[2]. These books have been found and read by Harry with no damaging side-effects except when one specific chapter gave Harry the idea that levitation was a neat idea and thus must be performed at all times[3]. And, lastly, number three) several instances of poorly-disguised wizards appearing in the shop and trying to abscond with Harry only to be thwarted either by Harry himself, Aziraphale miracling them somewhere rather Unpleasant—he still refuses to tell Crowley where—or Crowley himself transforming into a rather terrifying serpent and constricting them to the point of unconsciousness before sending them to a cow field that is particularly pungent-smelling[4].

The requirements for his education, however, leave something to be desired.

“An owl, cat, or toad—what the fuck?” Crowley complains and Aziraphale smacks him on the arm for cursing.

“Crowley! Language!” the angel gasps, plucking the letter from the demons hand to read it himself. “Well—that is—it’s a little restrictive, I’ll admit,” he says, frowning a little at the list and specifications. “But if those are the only options—”

“Then we’ll make new options,” Crowley declares and Harry—enjoying the rebelliousness of his uncle Crowley immensely—nods vigorously.

“It’d be awesome if I could take a dog!” Harry exclaims and Crowley is a little put out since he was considering a snake, but this is Harry and if he wants a dog, then a dog he shall have[5]. “I could take it to class with me!”

Aziraphale laughs lightly. “I don’t think they would allow you to take your dog to class, Harry,” he says, quite reasonably.

“Why not?” Challenges Crowley. “The dog’d[6] be his familiar wouldn’t it? Stands to reason they’d have to let the kids have their animals with them whenever they want.”

Harry beams at this and Aziraphale gives Crowley a Frowny Look—the kind that says “you are being deliberately oppositional now and I know it so stop it”—that makes Crowley smile brightly at him.

“Perhaps,” Aziraphale begrudgingly agrees, letting himself smile a little at the prospect of the type of mischief a boy and his dog can get up to in a classroom. “We’ll see, won’t we?”

Diagon Alley is, in a word, disastrous. Crowley and Aziraphale bracket themselves around Harry like parentheses[7] and act as a tidal wall to break the waves of people milling about the—well-diagonal alley full of wizarding shops and wizarding people.

“Why does he even need a wand? Kid’s got plenty of magic, can just point and click his fingers like we do, can’t he?” Crowley asks for what is probably the dozenth time—it is in fact, the fourteenth time and Aziraphale has been counting—as they reach the wandmakers shop. “Pointless waste of wood if you ask me.”

“Yes, but we’re not asking you,” Aziraphale snips, as he pushes the door to the shop open. “Harry requires a wand to focus his magic, unlike us, now hush. We’re supposed to be normal.”

“Normal, pfft!” Crowley saunters in behind Aziraphale and Harry, shrugging derisively at Aziraphale when the angel gives him a sharp look. “We’re in a shop selling wands, angel. Not exactly normal.”

“I—well—yes but, more normal than—than us,” Aziraphale admits quietly, frowning at Crowley who just smirks at him. “Stop being annoying, Crowley. Now is not the time.”

“Oh I disagree, angel,” Crowley looks around the shop. “Being annoying is a full-time gig.”

Aziraphale ignores the demon, focusing instead on Harry and not giving Crowley what-for in a verbal manner. The shop is rather dusty and dark, obviously in need of a good cleaning, but Aziraphale can recognise the signs of someone who deeply loves their craft in the way the boxes, although dusty, are in perfect condition. This Ollivander fellow is obviously capable, then.

“Ah, Harry Potter.”

And incredibly creepy.

Both angel and demon step up beside Harry, protective and perfectly capable of being creepy and intimidating themselves if needed—though Crowley is skipping both and going for a more terrifying vibe. The old man—wizard—wandmaker steps into view from behind a drab curtain and reveals a head of hair that would rival Albert’s for chaotic[8].

“Yes! Hello there! You must be the—uh—the proprietor of this establishment!” Aziraphale says, pasting on a polite smile that is a little too false and only a little bit obviously fake for that reason. “We’ve come to enquire about a—well—a wand for our nephew here!”

The wandmaker stares at Aziraphale and Crowley stood on either side of Harry—a happy, healthy-looking, completely okay with the protectiveness of them both Harry—and makes a decision.

“Very well, I have a selection for you to choose from.”

Aziraphale relaxes with a floosh of breath but Crowley, ever the paranoid sort, remains alert and wary until they procure a wand for Harry—paying for it with the money the wizarding world has created on its own, a strange currency but Crowley is good with numbers so not a problem really—and escape the wand shop with only a minor bit of weird creepy talk from the wandmaker[9].

The rest of the shops are easy—although they do go to Gringotts in order to enquire about Harry’s family vault—and they are in and out of Diagon Alley by teatime. As a result, they—and by ‘they’ I mean, ‘Aziraphale and Harry’—declare that they really want food and angel cake and thus all of them end up in a little café near to the pub that acts as the entry point to Diagon Alley in London.

All-in-all, it is an enjoyable trip that gives Harry a taste of what the magical world-proper is like. It whets his appetite even more and by the time September rolls around, the eleven-year-old wizard is bouncing around the bookshop and flat like a bouncy ball that’s been flung with considerable strength. He won’t admit it, but Crowley is partly relieved Harry is attending a boarding school for most of the year, but the larger part of him that has grown ruthlessly attached to the child is sad and forlorn.

Thus, it is no surprise that Crowley—having caved and gotten Harry a dog that was a simple mongrel mix but may also, possibly, have had a little bit more wolf in it than is typical—travels to Hogwarts and assumes the position of Care of Magical Creatures at the school in order to keep an eye on his nephew.

It is also no surprise that Aziraphale also heads to Hogwarts to watch over both Harry and Crowley and pretend that he is offering positive guidance to a child with a Great Future for the benefit of heaven[10]. The Sorting Feast is, as a result of this, incredibly amusing for Harry when he recognises both of his uncles have somehow figured out a way to be at Hogwarts even though neither of them are wizards[11].

Harry is pleased to note that he is placed in the same house as his parents—although he doesn’t remember them, having the association of being in the same Hogwarts house as them is comforting for the orphaned child regardless of the fact that he may have been better suited for any of the other houses[12]. Both Aziraphale and Crowley notice the way Albus I’m-so-smart-and-sneaky Dumbledore is pleased by Harry’s sorting and, while they don’t begrudge Harry the connection to his parents, are Displeased by Dumbledore’s shitty attitude.

By the end of Harry’s first night at Hogwarts, Crowley and Aziraphale have firmly cemented in the minds of their fellow staff that they are: “very strange but in a sweet way” (Aziraphale), “very probably evil wizards intent on killing us all” (Crowley), and, lastly, “very much in love but denying it” (both). All of the guesses are somewhat right, though neither Crowley or Aziraphale have any intention of Clearing Things Up since they both enjoy a bit of chaos—even if Aziraphale pretends otherwise, Crowley knows him too well to think the angel would ever pass up a chance at messing with people.

Of their fellow staff members, three are Problematic For Various Reasons. The first is, naturally, Albus Dumbledore; headmaster and stupid prick who leaves orphans with racist, xenophobic, nasty people. The second is Severus Snape; potions master and a Generally Unpleasant Person who Crowley feels would get along well with Hastur and Ligur. Last but not least is Quirinus Quirrell; defence against the dark arts—“the dark arts? How pretentious is that, angel?” Crowley mocks when he hears about it—and absolute chicken who is afraid of his own shadow.

Although Quirrell doesn’t strike them as the type to be dangerous, the DADA professor is far too timid to be of Any Real Use and—as Crowley mentions to Aziraphale under his breath after meeting him—there’s something “strange about his smell; no it’s not the garlic, I know what garlic smells like!”.

Dog-the-mongrel-with-a-bit-of-wolf-in-her[13] has had a ball of a time with Hogwarts but, generally, is seldom seen in the castle. Like most of the pets the students have, she wanders the grounds and enjoys the freedom of Scottish geography in the way any canine with a bit more wolf than most enjoys it; by hunting poor little rabbits and terrorising any cat that crosses her path.

Harry makes friends quickly, befriending a young witch called Hermione Granger—“a lovely name, Hermione! It means ‘princess of Hermes’ you know?” Aziraphale exclaims, smiling brightly at the bushy-haired girl when Harry introduces her to him—with ease after mentioning how his “uncle Aziraphale owns a bookshop in London”, and a young wizard by the name of Ronald “Ron” Weasley—“oh, he has red hair like you, Crowley dear!” Aziraphale grins at the dark look Crowley gives him but both of them are polite enough even when ‘Ron’ gawps at them for being “Harry Potter’s uncles!”[14].

He regularly visits both of them outside of class, towing Hermione and Ron along with him and it reassures both angel and demon to see their de facto son with peers his own age that know about magic and can Understand Him That Way. In London it had been much harder considering they enrolled him in a nearby primary school and had to keep explaining to Harry that regular people—non-magical and non-immortal in this case—don’t understand Harry for his magic and while the children will like it, their parents will—to put it mildly—‘freak the fuck out’[15].

Halloween is, in a word, disastrous. The day starts off like any other day, though the students are more hyped up for the feast later on than on other days. Crowley finds that he’s a surprisingly decent teacher—especially when he ropes in one Rubeus Hagrid as an assistant for practical and theoretical lessons combined[16]—and has no problem exposing the children to creatures that could easily kill them if they’re not careful[17]. It endears him to most of the students if not, naturally, to their parents—or members of staff who think him Unprofessional or Whatever Other Rubbish They Harp On About Him In The Staffroom for actually enjoying the teaching and engaging with his students creatively[18].

By the time lunch comes around on Halloween, there are rumours galore about this and that and Crowley—being the demon he is—helps seed some of his own for the sake of it. It’s quite pleasant, come to think of it, and instantly Crowley knows that it cannot last. Halloween is a day of change, of thinning things and stranger happenings and he’s never known a single Halloween day to go well for him. Not since 1702.

It is for that reason that Crowley is the first to react when Quirrell comes barging through the doors of the Great Hall looking paler than the DADA professor ever has—a feat indeed for the pasty professor who seldom leaves his classroom save for meals—and proclaims “TROLLLLLLLLLLL! TROLLLL IN THE DUNGEOONNNNNNN! Thought you ought to know” and dead-faints in the middle of the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables.

He’s up and over the staff table—legs doing the usual thing they do when he ignores physics and How Legs Work Entirely—and half-way down the gap between the tables before the first scream leaves a students’ throat.

“Not to worry!” He bellows cheerfully, passing the unconscious Quirrell and giving the professor a sly kick in the process. “I’ll handle it! Haven’t had me a fight with a troll in centuries, ha!”

“Crowley don’t you dare!” Aziraphale shouts after him, rising from the staff table, but the demon ignores him with glib glee to head for the troll and beat it senseless—or whatever else he’s going to do to it, no one in the Great Hall rightly knows.

But the sight of the Care of Magical Creatures professor gleefully heading towards the dungeon does a more spectacular job of dissolving the fear and tension Quirrell’s words had elicited in the whole hall. Aziraphale stood glaring at the doors adds a measure of amusement to the whole affair that has Dumbledore trying to save face by declaring that the “feast shall continue but no students are permitted to leave the hall until Professor Crowley returns” before he, McGonagall and Snape all leave.

Aziraphale is curious about where they’re going but, considering that Harry is still in the Great Hall, he remains himself and gives Harry a reassuring smile. Both of them know Crowley will fair better than the troll—no matter what size it is—since he’s a demon and turns into a snake, but they worry regardless.

“Harry, your uncle is mental,” Ron says to Harry who nods and grins.

“He’s a demon, says it’s in his nature,” Harry replies and Ron just shrugs and takes another bite of the chicken drumstick in his hand.

“Fair enuff.”

When Crowley returns to the Great Hall, he’s got a few scratches and his sunglasses are hanging off one ear revealing his eyes, but he’s grinning widely and saunters up to Harry to throw an arm over his shoulder.

“That was brilliant, that was, right laugh!” Crowley declares, enjoying the wide-eyed, awe-filled stares he’s getting from the Gryffindors surrounding Harry. “Never had to tell a Troll to Troll-off before!”

“Crowley you utter fool!” Aziraphale exclaims from behind him, hands coming up to grasp at the edges of the demon’s robes. “Look at the state of you! You didn’t even clean yourself up—have to always make an entrance.”

“You love it, angel,” Crowley says, grinning at Aziraphale who huffs out a little smile of his own.

“Honestly, must I do everything myself?” The angel questions sarcastically, snapping his fingers and Crowley’s robes are miraculously clean and neat, his hair less ruffled, and the scratches healed. The only thing Aziraphale doesn’t fix are Crowley’s sunglasses, which he plucks off instead and pockets in his own robes. “You have such lovely eyes, Crowley, I do wish you wouldn’t hide them away all the time.”

This leaves Crowley wordless long enough for Harry to giggle along with half the table at his shocked expression levelled at the angel. It’s an amusing expression, to be fair.

“Right,” Crowley croaks, clearing his throat and looking away from Aziraphale to give Harry a Look. “Enough of that, you,” he says to Harry who continues to giggle before he and Aziraphale head back to the staff table for the rest of the feast.

By the time Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape return, the feast is again in full swing, Crowley is lounging in Dumbledore’s thro- chair and Aziraphale is sat in McGonagall’s seat nattering away to the demon with a soft smile on his face[19].

Neither of them seem willing to give up their chosen seats for the night and thus Dumbledore is consigned to sitting next to Snape where there is a strained correspondence of Looks and Words while McGonagall enjoys sitting in Aziraphale’s usual seat next to Hagrid and having a lively discussion with the assistant CoMC professor.

Christmas holidays begin with the same sort of fanfare the Christmas season always brings out in people: absolute chaos. Students running around the castle searching for misplaced items, professors all-but pulling their hair out over essays that have to be handed in still, and a librarian on the war path for every unreturned book in the Hogwarts library.

Harry loves every second of it—even if he could do without the essays.

It is, by group consensus, agreed that they shall return to London for the duration of the holiday period, though Harry is allowed to visit his friends as they both are heading home—although Hermione is reluctant as she cannot access the Hogwarts library from home, until Aziraphale mentions his bookshop and how she can study there if she wishes to, then she is single-handedly planning her Christmas holidays for her family to include as much time at the bookshop as possible. Crowley only has one stipulation; he meets their families first[20].

The meeting is short and sweet, mostly owing to Aziraphale’s determined approach to it all, but Crowley and Molly Weasley come to a terse agreement where neither will ruin the other because Harry Likes Them And It Would Upset Harry[21]. Harry enjoys his time at the Weasley home—“it’s called The Burrow, how cool is that?”—but admits that he loves being with his uncles more than with his friend’s family because—“you love me for me, not because of my name”—and that doesn’t make Crowley or Aziraphale burst into tears; except that it does.

Crowley blames it on allergies to Christmas pudding and Aziraphale hits him with a spatula for saying such a cruel thing about pudding. Harry’s laughter makes their Christmas all the more enjoyable but by the time the new term arrives, the three of them are happy to make their way back to Hogwarts for the rest of the school year.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron end up in detention with Draco Malfoy after attempting to have a duel with the young boy. They are caught by Crowley and McGonagall—had it been only Crowley they’d have gotten away with it, but McGonagall is a stickler and thus they were stickled—and their detention is a stint in the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid looking for unicorns. It is, at this point, that Harry discovers a new Fascination that he shares with Hermione and Ron but won’t tell his uncles just yet.

“Not until I’m sure, I don’t want them to think I’m stupid” Harry says to his friends after they return to the tower and settle on one of the couches near the still burning fire. It’s past midnight but it is a weekend and thus they needn’t be up godawful early for classes. Both Hermione and Ron frown at Harry for his stubborn refusal to talk about his scar, the cloaked figure in the forest, and the general number of suspicions he has about Things with his uncles.

“As if they’d think you’re stupid, Harry, they bloody adore you mate” Ron replies, shaking his head at his friend. “Seriously, they’re mental about you.”

Hermione agrees. “Ron’s right Harry, you should tell them”. The look she gives him is very much one she has learnt from Aziraphale and conveys the perfect amount of you-are-being-stupid as well as you’re-lucky-I-love-you that Harry smiles a little.

“Maybe,” Harry hedges, before he distracts them both with talk of their latest essay for potions.

Aziraphale and Crowley are content—mostly—to wait until Harry comes to them and shares his Fascination with them since he’s always done that before. They trust that Harry will come to them if he’s in danger however, they both forget that, although they’ve had Harry for three years now, nine years of his life were spent not trusting adults to Act Particularly Adult and, as such, Harry sometimes lets old habits rule his actions.

Earlier on in the year, Dog-the-mongrel had tried to scare a particularly smug-looking tabby cat only to get the shock of her life when said tabby cat transformed into an unimpressed witch with a pointed hat and even pointier words for her and her owner. At that point, Crowley had introduced Dog-the-mongrel to Hagrid and Fang which had been, overall, the Best Idea Ever. Harry gained a new friend in Hagrid and Fang gained a protective companion that made going into the Forbidden Forest an absolute breeze considering she seemed more terrifying than anything in the forest itself[22].

Summer begins and classes start to wrap up as exams are set up and students begin to stress about revising and passing and failing and which subjects they want to continue with and so on. Crowley tells his classes that anyone who doesn’t kill whatever creature and can at least write their own name is allowed to continue with Care of Magical Creatures. This results in him being buried under a pile of seriously stressed out fifth years who have been panicking over studying for all their classes on top of the suddenly heavy workload CoMC has given then since Crowley took over[23].

Aziraphale takes great pleasure in being able to loan out books laden in charms and spells designed to protect them from students destroying them but with the exam-season, he’s a little frazzled around the edges when certain students test these charms and spells to their limits. Crowley wisely doesn’t irritate the angel for a few days, preferring instead to let Aziraphale focus on not accidentally smiting any of the students who return books that are a little worse for wear[24].

Four days into June, Harry, Ron, and Hermione undertake a truly idiotic task of trying to get the Philosopher’s Stone before a certain evil professor can. They mistakenly think it is Snape who is after the stone when it is, in fact, the snivelling coward Quirrell, but at least they did some pretty good logical thinking to reach their initial conclusions. Ron is side-lined by a giant chess set where he gets walloped by a stone Queen. Hermione outlasts Ron by one more test but can’t get past the rest as it is a One Person Only kind of deal—and also they’re tests that Crowley and Aziraphale designed and Harry knows the Answers but he won’t tell Hermione since she needs to Warn Someone[25].

“But Dumbledore isn’t at the school!” Hermione exclaims, upset and Harry rolls his eyes.

“Forget Dumbledore,” he instructs, holding Hermione by the shoulders to keep her focused on him. “Tell my uncles. They’ll be in the library; uncle Crowley always bothers uncle Zira there because uncle Zira basically lives there.” Harry gives Hermione a reassuring smile. “I’ll be fine. Just tell them. And get Ron some help too.”

Crowley and Aziraphale appear in time to stop Quirrell from trying to kill Harry, though their appearance is a less dramatic than that of Dog-the-mongrel who bursts through a literally wall of fire to savage Quirrell’s legs with the ferocity of a dog intent on protecting its master.

This doesn’t stop both demon and angel from attacking Quirrell, they simply don’t bother to get in Dog-the-mongrel’s way and leave her to Quirrell’s rather tasty and meaty calves. Aziraphale summons a weapon of celestial being—not The Flaming Sword but rather a small Flaming Dagger that is just as effective even if its reach is shorter—to jab at Quirrell with while Crowley goes the traditional route and slams a fist into the side of the DADA professor’s jaw.

This coincidentally reveals the distorted face on the back of Quirrell’s head when his turban is knocked off by the force of Crowley’s punch. Thusly, Aziraphale has a brand-new target for his Flaming Dagger and gleefully slashes at the face of the-once-Lord-Voldemort.

The possessed professor lashes out with wandless magic, disrupting Crowley and Aziraphale long enough to wrap his fingers around Harry’s neck, only to cry out in pain when the fingers begin to sizzle and burn from the contact.

“Oi! Get off him!” Crowley shouts, grabbing the shoulder of Possessed Professor and dragging him away from Harry, accidentally unfurling his wings from his back with the force he has to exert. The wings flare behind him, four instead of two because this isn’t just Crowley-being-a-demon, this is Crowley-who-was-an-Archangel-and-is-Angry and this Crowley will not let someone hurt a kid.

Especially Harry.

Aziraphale takes the opportunity presented by Crowley pulling Possessed Professor away from their adopted son and confusing him with four wings mysteriously sprouting from Crowley’s back, to slam the Flaming Dagger into the chest of Possessed Professor. This elicits a pained shriek from Quirrell and the face on the back of his head—obviously owing to the fact that the face is evil and Quirrell evil-by-association-via-possession—and both Crowley and Aziraphale watch in honest surprise as smokey-dust flakes off of Quirrell’s body, both from the back of his head and his hands.

Before their eyes—and Dog-the-mongrel who has released her hold on Quirrell’s leg now that it’s sort of collapsing in on itself—Harry, Crowley, and Aziraphale watch Quirrell disintegrate until there’s nothing more than a pile of dust and a vaguely face-shaped smoke shadow shouting obscenities at them which Crowley rolls his eyes at and snaps his fingers[26].

The smoke shadow is promptly removed from their vicinity, sent to some random forest in Romania where it can stay for however long it likes so long as it doesn’t come near Harry, just in time for Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Severus Snape to burst through the wall of flames, wands drawn.

“What happened?” McGonagall questions, striding over to Harry worriedly, even though she keeps her wand up and has a suspicious expression on her face as she survey Crowley and Aziraphale.

“Harry stopped the now deceased Quirrell from stealing a priceless artefact,” Crowley drawls, rocking on his feet and giving McGonagall a smile. It’s the kind of smile he gives people to try and be appeasing but it’s really just annoying. “You can thank him later, he needs some sleep and fixing up from fighting with a plant earlier.”

“Also flying keys that attacked me,” Harry pipes up, helpfully, and Crowley nods.

“And those.”

Neither Crowley nor Aziraphale are in any mood to explain to the three professors what the fuck just happened—Harry is shaking, the shock hitting after the adrenaline has fled his system, and he is their priority thank you very much—so they simple freeze time and abscond with him to their living space inside the library to get some much-needed rest.

They also, possibly, sit Harry down and have a very Detailed Discussion about how he can come to them with anything; “yes, even if it’s stupid and pointless” Crowley has to reassure Harry that he’s not in trouble but that they’d rather he actually tell them Before The Bad Stuff Happens.

Albus Dumbledore shows up at the door an hour later, supremely unimpressed with their Shenanigans and—in the way that Dumbledore does best—demands an explanation.

Crowley, instead of explaining, happily informs Dumbledore that the only reason neither he nor Aziraphale have murdered the stupid fucking idiot is because “it’d cause way too much paperwork” for their “respective offices” and to “get the fuck out and leave Harry alone”.

Crowley may also tell Dumbledore in no uncertain terms that Harry is staying with them for good and that no wizard is a match for them and also:

“If you think I’m letting him go back to that nasty cow of an aunt of his then you’re absolutely fucking bonkers! He’s staying with us and you’ll have to kill me to take him,” Crowley says and it’s no joke, it’s not an exaggeration. It’s a Fact.

It is a Proclamation.

Heaven couldn’t kill Crowley. Hell couldn’t kill him. Like fuck will a wizard with awful fucking dress-sense manage what those two places cannot. Like. Fuck.

“You will also—I’m afraid—have to go through me,” Aziraphale declares, coming to stand beside Crowley in their little living space where Harry has a room to himself if he ever needs it—like now. “And I’m not a fan of fighting really. But I will! For Harry.”

Dumbledore stares at the both and he’s trying to read their minds but they’re over six thousand years old and no human can possibly understand that sort of scale of existence. He can’t even fathom how they think let alone what they are, and it’s a vexed, put out Dumbledore that leaves them alone twenty minutes later after agreeing to their ‘demands’.

Madam Pomfrey isn’t nearly as easy to deal with when she learns they absconded with her patient. It took Crowley an hour and a half of relentless grilling by the healer—and then a hands-on demonstration of his skill—before she begrudgingly accepted that Harry was Perfectly Okay and Crowley knew what he was doing[27].

The end of year feast is entertaining because Gryffindor wins and Harry is hoisted up by the Weasley twins who are cheering loudly for him. Hermione and Ron are hoisted up as well since they managed to get their house the windfall of points needed to steamroller over Slytherin. Crowley secretly thinks Dumbledore did the points during the feast just to be Dramatic, but he can’t be too mad about it when Harry gives him the biggest smile he’s ever seen on the kids face since that day he took him away from Number Four.

Harry returns to London via the Hogwarts Express while Aziraphale and Crowley just teleport over—though they utilise Crowley’s Bentley for the teleportation as it’s not exactly difficult for him to take a vehicle containing their belongings and themselves as a vessel for transport—to the station and pick him up the moment he’s peeled himself away from the Weasley family and the Granger family.

Together they return to the bookshop and enjoy the summer in London until a large-eyed, very dedicated House-Elf shows up and tries to ruin it all. But that is a story for another time.

.

[1] His first feat had been magicking himself a plate of rather delicious pink wafers (these are tasty bis- cook- we call them biscuits okay, Americans, accept it) from the cupboard because he was engrossed in watching a documentary about sharks on TV and was hungry at the same time. Aziraphale witnessed the resulting appearance of the delicious snacks and went about miracling himself some as well. Both of them had discovered an entire channel of documentaries and, unfortunately for Crowley, they loved watching them at all times.

[2] Mundane as human without magical abilities and, also, mundane as people who are a little Too Dull to imagine any of the contents of the books as possible even with magical abilities. Harry—being not at all mundane—found the books fascinating.

[3] Crowley found the situation to be hilarious considering the chaos Harry caused up to the point where the child decided to levitate himself up to the skylight and sit on the edging of it precariously with a snack. At that point, Crowley conceded that Aziraphale was right and Harry had to Stop Levitating This Instant. Harry, needless to say, was Not Pleased with this development. He did, however, do as requested and limited his levitating to only a few feet rather than a few hundred.

[4] Naturally, it goes without saying, that Crowley and Aziraphale both modify the memories of these individuals to ensure they don’t return. This, also, allows them information on who keeps sending these people. It is for this reason—and many others—that neither demon nor angel are particularly impressed with one Albus—six-dozen-middle-names-Dumbledore.

[5]Dogs, generally, are not something Crowley particularly likes. They tend to always chew on his trousers and his shoes whenever he leaves them around. However, although he isn’t their greatest fan, Crowley has never left a dog alone or in a bad situation. He has, then, at various points in his life, rescued several hundred canines that he has rehomed with families or individuals who will appreciate them as they ought to be appreciated. This is a fact about Crowley that Aziraphale knows in the Abstract but Crowley will Never Willingly Admit.

[6] This is actually “the dog would be” but Crowley is lazy with pronunciation at times, preferring to squash words and letters together until half of them are missing.

[7] Yes, that is a pun, what of it?

[8] Albert Einstein was a personal friend of Crowley’s and Aziraphale’s at one point or another in time. They both considered his later hairstyle to be, in a word, crazy but the style suited the physicist perfectly; it does not suit Garrick Ollivander.

[9] “The wand chooses the wizard, mister Potter!” Crowley had really wanted to ask how a piece of wood does that when choosing implies sentience and awareness of there being a choice, but the wandmaker distracted him with talk of how the wand Harry now possesses is a twin of the one that gave him the lightning scar on his forehead. The demon has Plans to return to Ollivander’s at a later date to pester the wandmaker but he refuses to take Harry in there ever again. Garrick Ollivander is too creepy for Crowley’s tastes and Harry is not to be exposed to too-creepy-even-for-uncle-Crowley things.

[10] Aziraphale, rather conveniently, replaces a rather unhappy, irritable, librarian who longed for retirement but trusted no one to be able to care for her precious books until she met Aziraphale and met a kindred book-loving-to-the-point-of-violence soul and accepted her generous retirement package from Hogwarts.

[11] They existed long before magic was a thing for humanity and will, hopefully, exist long after humanity also. As such, Harry only calls them wizards when it is necessary. Otherwise, they are ‘angel’ and ‘demon’ respectively.

[12] The Sorting Hat, at one point, all but begs Harry to consider the other houses but, unfortunately for it, it had answered Harry’s question of which houses his parents had been in and—thusly—ruined its own chances of having a bright child in the Smart house, a sly child in the Sly house, a loyal child in the Loyal house, and ended up with a child-who-is-all-of-those-things-and-more-because-children-should-not-be-pidgeon-holed-at-eleven into the Brave house.

[13] Dog-the-mongrel is not to be confused with just Dog who happens to also be a hellhound. This is Harry Potter, not Adam Young, and Harry is the Saviour of the magical world of Britain—because they cannot save themselves apparently—not the antichrist as is the case with Adam Young.

[14] One child that Harry does not make friends with is Draco Malfoy. The Malfoy boy is rude to Ron at just the wrong moment and, although Harry has been raised by Crowley and Aziraphale, this act by Draco results in Harry rejecting Draco’s offer of friendship while publicly scolding the other eleven-year-old for being rude and derisive for no reason other than “for the sake of it”. Ron officially loves Harry after this and is absolutely stoked to be friends with him.

[15] Harry had been most put out by this and had only accepted the necessity of it when the TV miraculously showed a documentary about the witch hunts in Europe and discussed how modern-day witch-hunters still “walk among us”. The irony isn’t lost on Crowley or Aziraphale that they do, in fact, know an actual witch-hunter by the name of Shadwell but they both decided to keep the eccentric man away from Harry at all costs.

[16] Albus Dumbledore had raised a complaint about Crowley’s decision for only as long as he could blink before the demon had told him—rather loudly—to “FUCK RIGHT OFF TELLING ME WHO I CAN HAVE AS MY ASSISTANT YOU COLOUR-CODED DISASTER” and storming out of Dumbledore’s office, taking extra care to cause a lot of chaotic damage to various objects in the magpie nest it was.

[17] Crowley had impressed this upon them all in every class by periodically assuming the form of one of the creatures they were to ‘care’ for and terrorising them with it until he decided They Got The Point and transforming back to his human shape. Oddly enough, the children now looked forward to his lessons and figuring out which of the creatures he was in the group—though none of them tried to figure it out by being rude, mean, or cruel to any of the creatures as they’d received a lot of detentions with the new librarian who was only cheerful until he learned who had sent them to him; then he was Scary.

[18] Crowley is quite certain that if someone told Severus Snape or Minerva McGonagall to approve their lessons with fun in mind, they’d likely explode; the former because he’s a Nasty Nastier and the latter because she is Traditional Teaching Only Thank You Very Much You English Dog. Crowley likes McGonagall for her no-nonsense attitude in life but she could stand to loosen up a little more—let her hair down, hex Snape a few times, chase some birds, that sort of thing.

[19] Quirrell had been left unconscious on the floor between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables as none of the staff or students have any desire to deal with the dramatics of the man.

[20] This is more to do with Ron’s family since they’re magical and if they had half a mind to, they could steal Harry and then he and Aziraphale would have to murder an entire family to get him back because no one is taking their son from them and least of all anyone who apparently thinks the sun shines out of Albus Dumbledore’s fucking arse!

[21] Aziraphale makes no such agreement and is, as such, the much more dangerous party of their little trio family group.

[22] Obviously this isn’t the case, but Crowley had, upon obtaining Dog-the-mongrel for Harry, placed a rather ingenious little demonic miracle on her that made her more terrifying to any mortal creature so that she could better protect Harry. Aziraphale continued to suspect that Dog-the-mongrel was actually a hellhound but Crowley refused to confirm or deny the suspicion—confirming it by doing just that as it happens when Dog-the-mongrel later leaps through a wall of fire to protect Harry from a possessed DADA professor.

[23] Crowley admits to Aziraphale later on that it had been kind of fun but it was really intended to cause a little more chaos for the other members of staff. It did, but Aziraphale isn’t fooled. Crowley is a big old softie when it comes to kids and Aziraphale knows it.

[24] Some of the worst offenders are, as to be expected, the Weasley twins. They seem to be capable of the impossible in regard to what is and is not possible with spells, charms, potions and so on. Aziraphale has an ever-growing list of what the Weasley twins have managed to do to the books they’ve taken out of the library. He has had to issue an ultimatum to them; if they wish to use a book, they cannot take it from the library but instead ask Aziraphale to make a copy of the relevant sections for them to use. Unfortunately for Aziraphale, he was overheard stating this by a group of Ravenclaw’s and now he’s miracling up entire books almost for students to use. It’s a good pastime however and he can include it on his monthly memos to heaven for what miracles he’s performed lately.

[25] Crowley’s test is simple: tell the snake not to eat you. Aziraphale’s is more about logic and books and figuring out which book is the best kind of book to read up about philosophy and philosopher’s stones. Naturally, Hermione would know the answer to Aziraphale’s test but since it is after Crowley’s… well, Harry can refuse to let her go with him since she’d be eaten by a snake that likes to eat people who can’t Talk Snake.

[26] At the same time that Crowley snaps his fingers, his wings curl back within his being and are, once again, no longer visible on the mortal plane. This is a good thing considering what happens next.

[27] Aziraphale, knowing that Crowley was once Raphael and was tricked into Falling by a very dickish brother by the name of Lucifer, smirks at him with that smug look he has when Pomfrey says that. Crowley gives him his best glare but the effect is ruined by the amusement in his serpentine eyes. Eyes he has given up hiding around Hogwarts after he was pestered by a dozen students who were Amazed By Them and thought they were Wicked Cool.

[thegizka]

Swift as Wind, Soft as Shadow

Chapter 1  Part I:  Expectations

It's been a few years since the last chunin exams, and the Kazekage has a proposal for the Hokage that might end up being bothersome for a lazy Leaf shinobi and the Kazekage's sister.

Written for ShikaTema Week 2019 Day 1: Chunin Exam

Note:  I do not own any aspect of Naruto.

Read it on Ao3.

Shikamaru was starting to get used to being summoned to the Hokage’s office alone.  As a genin, he had never cared much when he and his teammates were summoned to receive a mission assignment.  Things were different now that he was a chunin. Apparently the new rank meant he was responsible enough for solo missions or leading his own team.  Sometimes he was summoned simply to answer a question or give his opinion. Those meetings were always the most jarring. They felt like a waste of everyone’s time.  The Hokage had advisors like his father and Shizune, so she shouldn’t need the opinion of a kid like him. He was happy simply doing the grunt work of a shinobi, but this new Hokage was interested in incorporating him into her network.  It was a bit of a drag.

Shikamaru knocked and politely waited until he was bid to enter.  Lady Tsunade sat at her desk, piles of papers and scrolls arranged in some semblance of order before her.  Shizune stood holding Tonton behind her, and his father and Asuma stood before them.

“Ah, Shikamaru,” the Hokage greeted as though she hadn’t been expecting him.

“Lady Tsunade,” he returned, stepping forward.  His eyes glanced across his father and Asuma, trying to glean a sense of purpose from the two adults he knew best, but they gave no sign from their usual relaxed demeanors.

“Do you remember the last chunin exams?” Tsunade asked, not wasting any time.  Shikamaru’s eyes narrowed.

“They’re kind of hard to forget.”

“It’s been over two years, which is rather a long time to go without promoting any of our genin,” she continued.  “I have here a proposal from the Land of Wind asking to host a joint chunin exam with us.”

“This was their idea?”

“Yes.  I believe it’s an effort on the part of the new Kazekage to rebuild trust between our nations.”

“Or it’s a trap to get back at us for defeating them last time.”

“Several reliable sources in the Sand have confirmed that the Kazekage’s intentions are genuine,” Shikaku assured his son.

“Unfortunately, they also tell us that not everyone shares his views,” Asuma amended.

“Who is the new Kazekage anyway?”  He had heard rumors that the Sand had finally selected a new leader, but no official announcement had been made to the village.

“I believe you’ve met him,” Tsunade answered.  “Gaara, the Demon of the Desert.”

“Gaara?”  Shikamaru’s initial surprise settled into suspicion.  “Interesting choice, considering his history. I thought nobody in the Sand trusted him.  How did he become Kazekage?”

“He’s been working hard since the last chunin exams to repair relations amongst his people and the other nations.  Apparently something happened to him to give him a change of heart,” Shizune smiled.

Naruto…   That kid had a natural talent for making others want to do better.  Gaara falling under his influence wasn’t impossible. The last time Shikamaru had seen the Demon of the Desert, right after the failed mission to bring Sasuke back to the village, he had seemed much more in control of his rage.  But it was hard to shake the impression of his bloodthirstiness from the chunin exams and the attack on the Leaf. Coming face-to-face with him in Lee’s hospital room and seeing the deep hatred and murderous intent in his eyes was scarred into his mind.

“Shikamaru,” Tsunade continued, bringing his thoughts back to the present, “I believe it is in the village’s best interest to agree to this proposal.  Not only is it an opportunity to show the other nations the strength of our young shinobi, but it will also help cement Gaara’s and my positions as relatively new Kage while drawing our nations into an alliance.”

“Plus it will give us the chance to better monitor the situation in the Sand in case it’s really unstable,” he surmised.

“Right,” the Hokage agreed, standing.  “Shikamaru, I’d like you to be the Leaf’s representative for these exams.”

“What?  Why me? I’ve only been a chunin for a few years.”

“Unfortunately most of our jonin and more experienced chunin have other assignments,” Shizune explained.  “We don’t have very many options to work with.”

“This assignment is about more than just proctoring the exam,” Shikaku added.  “You’d be leading our diplomatic relationship with the Land of Wind. It’s a big responsibility.”

Yeah, and a lot of work , he thought.  What a drag!

“You are capable of reading the nuances of a situation and remaining aware of the big picture,” Tsunade explained.  “I know I can trust you to do what’s best for the village.”

His shoulders slouched in defeat.  The Hokage was entrusting him with a mission, and he could feel his father’s eyes as he waited for his answer.  As much as he didn’t want this responsibility, he knew he couldn’t to disappoint them.

“Alright,” he groaned, “I’ll do it.”

“Good,” Tsunade agreed, and he could tell she had known this would be the outcome as soon as she’d sent him the summons.  “In three days, you will meet the representative from the Sand at one of our outposts on the border to formally agree to host the exams.  I’m sending Asuma and a few other shinobi with as an honor guard, but it is important that we appear as non hostile as possible. This is meant to be an alliance, not an intimidation.  From there, I will leave it up to you and the Sand shinobi to determine where and how frequently you will meet to continue the preparations, though I will expect full reports after every meeting.  I want to know every detail that might tell us something about the state of the Land of Wind.”

“Yes ma’am,” he agreed halfheartedly.  Reports mean a lot of paperwork…

Shizune handed him a scroll with some more details about the assignment, and then he was dismissed.  They watched him leave, slouching under the weight of this work with a hint of despair in his eyes.

“I hope we’re not expecting too much from him,” Tsunade sighed once the door had closed behind him.

“Don’t worry, he can handle it,” Asuma promised, bemused.

“Give him the right motivation,” Shikaku agreed, “and he’ll be just fine.”

-----

Temari’s fingers drummed impatiently against her folded arms.  It was nearly noon, and there was still no sign of the group from the Leaf.  That made her nervous. What if they were preparing an ambush? They should have held this meeting on Wind territory, but Gaara was desperate to display measures of good faith between their nations.  In that vein of logic, he’d sent only her and Baki to this meeting. With just two of them, they’d be hard-pressed to escape if they were attacked. Gaara trusted the Leaf to reciprocate the good will, but the past few months had taught Temari not to trust anyone.

To say Gaara’s position as Kazekage was tenuous would be putting it lightly.  They couldn’t even be sure his guards were on his side, which had her and Kankuro constantly fretting about security risks.  Assassination attempts--unfortunately nothing new to them--remained startlingly frequent. And Gaara himself wasn’t making things easy.  He was careful to appear as non-threatening as possible to build trust, but in doing so, he often left himself exposed to attack. It was driving his siblings crazy trying to keep him safe.

“They’re going to be late,” Temari huffed.  She didn’t like being made to wait, especially when she thought this whole arrangement was a waste of her time.  There were plenty of other qualified shinobi who could play the part of exam coordinator. She ought to be back in the Sand coordinating missions and keeping an eye on Gaara’s enemies.  But the Kazekage had insisted she be the one to work with the Leaf, saying she was the only person he could trust to be aware of their situation and preserve his will in foreign diplomacy.  She knew he was trying to flatter her a little (which was a strange experience coming from a guy who used to threaten to kill her if he was upset), but he also had a point. She understood Gaara’s intentions and could represent him and their village loyally.  She had begrudgingly agreed to the assignment.

“Temari, relax,” Baki suggested.  “We have all day to work out this agreement.  It’s not a big deal if they’re a little late.”

“It’s rude,” she huffed, but she forced her fingers to stop their restless drumming.  She found it harder to relax now than when her littlest brother was a murder machine that might go on a rampage if you looked at him funny.  Baki, on the other hand, seemed more laid back. She suspected he’d felt like she did now back when he was one of her father’s advisors as well as the sensei of the Kazekage’s kids.  Now he had passed a lot of his responsibilities on to his pupils. She and Kankuro were the Kazekage’s new advisors, though they leaned heavily on Baki’s experience and advice. The rest of the council weren’t fans of handing so much power to a trio of teenagers, but they rarely showed their displeasure openly.  In some ways, she and Kankuro were proving themselves just as much as Gaara was.

“They’re here,” Baki observed.  Doing her best to brush off her stormy thoughts, Temari focused on the chakra signatures closing in on the outpost.  There were four, the typical number for a squad on assignment. That meant the party from the Leaf outnumbered them two to one.  She resisted the urge to grab her fan and strike an intimidating pose.

When they made it up the stairs to the meeting room, she was a little surprised that she recognized all of them.  Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane, chunin who often guarded the village gate. Asuma Sarutobi, son of the Third Hokage and former member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja.  And Shikamaru Nara, the lazy kid who embarrassed her during her own chunin exam but whose abilities she begrudgingly acknowledged. He always seemed to pop up when she had business with the Leaf.

“Sorry we’re late,” Asuma greeted, smiling disarmingly.  “I had some last-minute business to take care of in the village.”

Shikamaru rolled his eyes.  Evidently he didn’t think his sensei’s business was actually that important.

“No need to apologize,” Baki assured him.  “We barely got here before you did.”

It was a diplomatic lie.  Temari fought to keep her own eyes from rolling.

“Shall we get down to business?” Asuma asked, leading the way to a small table in the back of the room.  Izumo and Kotetsu remained by the door and window, standing guard. Or waiting to signal for an ambush…   Their presence didn’t make her feel any safer.  When had she become so paranoid?

“I trust you brought your copy of the agreement?” Baki asked.

“Of course.”  Shikamaru pulled a scroll out of one of the pockets in his vest and spread it on the table.  Baki did the same with an identical scroll they had carried with them from the Sand.

“As per the agreement worked out between our Kage,” Asuma summarized, pulling phrases from the contracts before them, “the Sand and the Leaf will share responsibility and authority in the next chunin exams, which will be held five months from today.  The Leaf will host the first portion, the Sand will host the second, and the final round shall be held on neutral territory between the two nations. All details will be negotiated between appointed representatives from each of our villages, with the Kazekage and Hokage having final authority.  Does this meet with your approval?”

“It does,” Baki agreed.

“And who is the Sand’s representative?”

“I am,” Temari declared.  “Temari of the Desert, daughter of the fourth Kazekage and sister of the fifth.”

She watched as Asuma wrote her name on the scrolls.

“And your representative?”

“Shikamaru Nara.”  He introduced himself simply, stifling a yawn.  Temari had suspected as much when she saw him here, though she was still a bit surprised.  He was notoriously lazy, and running the chunin exams would be a lot of work. Was he up to the task?

“Are we all in agreement then?” Asuma asked, glancing between the Sand shinobi.  Baki looked at Temari. She nodded, eyes on Shikamaru, daring him to back out like he had during their fight nearly three years ago.  He just shrugged.

“Sure,” he said, the epitome of indifference.  Her eyes narrowed. Working with him might get seriously annoying.

They signed the contracts, then shared a small lunch.  Asuma and Baki, more experienced with diplomatic small talk, carried most of the conversation.  Temari took the time to stew in her thoughts and observe Shikamaru as he picked at his food. She watched him with a mixture of frustration and fascination.  They hadn’t interacted much, but when they had, he managed to get under her skin. He always looked like he’d rather be anywhere else than where he was, even in the middle of battle, but she also knew he was sharply intelligent.  After all, he had nearly defeated her in their own chunin exams. He was craftier than he let on. She suspected even now he was listening intently to the conversation, interpreting secrets from what was said and what was concealed.

“It figures I’d be stuck with a crybaby like you,” she sighed.  If she had to work with him for the next five months, they’d better try and get along.

He glanced at her with his sharp, dark eyes, then shrugged, returning to his food.  “It’s a real drag, but basically I’m the only one with enough free time at the moment.  And when your Kage asks you to do something, you don’t say no.”

“Well don’t expect me to do your work for you.  I’m not exactly without other responsibilities, you know.”

“I figured,” he smirked.  “‘Daughter of the fourth Kazekage and sister of the fifth’, right?  Do you always put such emphasis on your lineage when introducing yourself?”

“There’s nothing wrong with being proud of your bloodline,” she huffed.  “Family histories are important in the Sand. You dad’s the advisor to the Hokage, right?  As his son, that’s something to be proud of.”

“Why?” he asked, grimacing a little.  “What my dad does has nothing to do with who I am.  I’m not my dad.”

“What about familial loyalty and pride?”

“You can be proud and loyal without making a point of it.  When you introduce yourself, you don’t need to include the whole history of your family, too.  Do you want people to judge you on the triumphs and mistakes of your ancestors? Because that sounds pretty messed up to me.  Why should people judge me on what someone else has done just because we share the same blood?”

Temari rolled her eyes.  He was stretching the point, and she was already tired of parrying his arguments.  Though she couldn’t help reflecting a bit on his words. When Gaara was unable to control his anger or the tailed beast inside him, she knew other people would look at her and Kankuro funny and distance themselves.  It wasn’t too significant since their father’s status as Kazekage shielded them somewhat from negative judgment, but the months after his death had shown her how unfair others’ opinions could be.

She shook her head, trying to get rid of these bothersome reflections.  They were nearly done with their lunch and would part ways soon. She was eager to return to the Sand and make sure everything was still in order.  She didn’t need to get tangled in thought webs crafted by a lazy crybaby.

When she glanced at him again, he was looking at her, almost as if he were trying to read her thoughts.  He turned away without saying anything, leaving her wondering what he was thinking.

[merryfortune]

001. Precure in general. 002: HikaLala. 003: Himari Arisugawa? (not all of them, just what you would like to answer, if any at all)

PreCure in general

Favorite character: Emiru Aisaki

Least Favorite character: this is… highkey unfair and for no good reason but that Towa girl. I’m like 2 episodes away from the violinist princess getting redeemed in Go Princess PreCure but I stan Yui so hard that in my eyes, Towa is the reason that Yui isn’t able to become the Princess of Music & Art

5 Favourite ships (canon or non-canon): Emiru/Lulu, Haruka/Kirara, Hikaru/Lala, Nozomi/Coco, Haruka/Close but there are more but these ones with the most interesting story or dynamic

Character I find most attractive: don’t at @ me but I think Close (and Shut) are both gorgeous as all hell (I like thots apparently)

Character I would marry:

Character I would be best friends with: Emiru!!!!!!!!!!

A random thought: where is all the fic ;w;

An unpopular opinion: I really liked how the Homare has a crush on Harry plot was handled. Maybe it’s because I remember/was in Homare’s position once (16/17 year old me was hot for teacher lol), I really liked how she found closure for herself without having to confess her feelings. I dislike how vehemently fandom will deny that this plotline even took place because I think young girls, who will develop crushes on unattainable/older men, need to be shown stories of how to handle those feelings without placing themselves in danger of being preyed on.

My canon OTP: Akira/Yukari (look, if the dub had to ungay them, that must make them canon)

Non-canon OTP: gonna give this to Ichika/Himari because I shipped them before Emiru was introduced I’m p sure so they get seniority privileges

Most badass character:

Pairing I am not a fan of: tbh I think I can give most precure ships a chance but I did see some Smile PreCure ships where I’m ehhh on. I only like Nao/Reika from that set. all the others should stick to being friends.

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): I think this goes without saying but Hana. Saaya, and Homare got super screwed over by Hugtto having a lot of Emiru/Lulu subplots. Also, Yui. She should have gone PreCure.

Favourite friendship: I mostly read said friendship as romantic but Emiru and Lulu……… they’re best friends oh my god

HikaLala

when or if I started shipping it: hmmmm middle of episode 1; definitely cemented by the end of episode 2 lol

my thoughts: I wrote a meta on them so I have a lot which mostly boils down to a lot of great symbolism between them gives them subtextual evidences, they hold hands a lot canonically so that’s cute, and it’s just a great ship

What makes me happy about them: Hikaru gets an alien girlfriend aND ITS FANTASTIC

What makes me sad about them: the Hikoboshi and Orihime parallels between them heavily implies that sometime in the future, they will separate and they will only have miniscules chances of continually/regularly seeing each other thereafter ;v;

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: me, who owns a lot of property in the hikalala fanfic tag on ao3, jack and shit, babe!

Things I look for in fanfic: anything which accentuates Lala’s alien-ness

My kinks: look… Lala can generate electricity…. that gives a lot of stimulation play scenarios but mostly… nah

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: I like these ships a lot - Hikaru/Yuni, Lala/Yuni, and Lala/Madoka

My happily ever after for them: they go off traipsing the universe, exploring. Hikaru takes after her father and writes a book on her travels whilst Lala uses the information to update the Saman Planet AI because I’d love to see a plot twist where the AI isn’t quite as benevolent as Lala trusts it is so she takes it upon herself to remedy it (using the Rainbow Planet Tragedy as a catalyst for said goal or as foreshadowing towards it)

Himari Arisugawa

How I feel about this character: I was expecting to fall totally head over heels in love with either Aoi or Yukari since their animal motifs are both feline and I’m a major cat person but instead, Himari managed to steal my heart before either of them got the chance. I super relate to her and see a lot of myself and some of my struggles (particularly in social situations) in her. so yeah. I love my squirrel daughter.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Ichika

My non-romantic OTP for this character: no one in canon springs to mind…  which brings to mind something else… so this is out of the left-field but I had a dream once where Spectre met all the KiraKira PreCure A La Mode girls but it was Himari whom he bonded the most with in said dream (kind of “I’ve only had Himari for five minutes but if anything happened to her, I’d kill everyone in this room and then myself” type situation or maybe its more comparable to the reaction image of the samurai dude (spectre) with the cat (himari)). anyway long story short, her and spectre because if one favourite character makes me happy then two makes me even happier.

My unpopular opinion about this character: she is the best girl of KiraKira PreCure A La Mode.

One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: can’t remember if this happens or not but I swear KiraKira forgot at some point that the girls gained animal characteristics (so, in Himari’s case, her superspeed) so I would have liked to see that explored more. also in a kind of Tokyo Mew Mew twist, I would have liked to see Himari (and by extension, all the girls) deal with their new animal natures in their civilian forms too… like, this might be too lore heavy for PreCure but I would have liked to see Himari (and I guess this applies to all the girls) deal with becoming “part fairy” (just like Pekorin and Ciel had to deal with becoming part human). TLDR: more Squirrel characteristics from Himari, please!!! because I am a furry!!!!

My OTP: Ichika/Himari

My OT3: i don’t have any but if I was at gunpoint, the options I suppose I could live with are Rio/Ichika/Himari (gee, Ichika, who let you have a girlfriend AND a boyfriend) or Aoi/Himari/Ichika because apparently Aoi/Himari is a semi-popular ship???

[statemant]

SUNDAY STATEMANTS - NO 1

This post is a solution that I have reached few days ago – due to having almost no time to create posts daily (while I really want to share my option), I thought of making one (longer) post on every Sunday (which I have mostly free – except fashion months) and combine everything that happened in Menswear during the past week – let’s see how It works out. So,

What would be the better start for the new format than Paris Men’s Fashion Week, that has just recently finished (on Sunday according to official FHCM schedule but actually on Monday with JACQUEMUS show).

FACTS

Runway Shows: 60 (according to official schedule)

Presentations: 27 (according to offial schedule)

Total Looks: Around 3500

Yes, when you combine the numbers, there’re fascinating results – there were around 3500 looks offered – just for Men, just in Paris – that is around 12000 pieces of clothing, 3500 pairs of shoes, around 2000 accessories – a lot! Especially considering the fact that few brands produce very identical outfits (in terms of fabrics, styling, vibes) and there’s a rapidly rising competition at Men’s fashion market. Thanks god Paris is the most diversified of them all and I could name like like only 7-8 brands that does not really fit in the schedule (compared to other 50 brands) – either they look similar, or I don’t get them (my problem?).

PALOMO SPAIN   (18 June, 11:00)

The SS 2020 (that already sounds quite major itself) has started on Tuesday, 18th June, 11:00 AM with Palomo Spain (who returned in Paris after previous season’s try in NY) with some beautiful dresses – yes, you read it correctly. Designer thinks that none of the specific garments are made exclusilvey for any gender and that he sees many boys that could rock those chiffon garments – a significant part of the collection that was inspired by Pompeii.

BODE  (18 June, 12:00)

Emily Adams Bode has just recently won CFDA Award (Emerging Designer of the Year) and there she was at 12:00 AM (straight after Palomo) in Paris, sending the collection that was inspired by her family’s history as wagonmakers for Circus in the early 1900s. She literally looked at the outfits from century ago and re-made them to keep appropriate with time.

AMI   (18 June, 20:00)

My favorite Parisian house is becoming bigger and bigger every season (and it little bit worries me to be honest, strange no? Here’s why: what I always loved about AMI is that it’s one-off menswear-only brands that produces timeless men’s clothes in a very affordable prices (and in a perfect quality), everything in the collections always feels modern (with bit of a twist), the styling is always impeccable with unexpected colors combined together BUT! I kind of missed this in the latest collection, shown at Grand Palais, it felt little bit too dark and serious (especially for Summer collection), I’ve missed color and the sense of freshness. I did like what was shown, there is a lot I would wear myself (especially now when Black has become favorite of mine) but I kind of think I could find many of those pieces at other rival brands, I understand that now brand established itself and it just becomes matter of brand loyality, when you decide where to buy regular black trench coat - that’s where AMI is headed now I guess.

ACNE STUDIOS   (19 June, 15:30) 

With Ambition to Create Novel Expressions, Jonny Johansson (brand founder) presented the collection that felt little bit weird for me (a huge brand fan tbh). I totally loved the opening with beige shirt, styled with yellow scarf, but then I did not quite get printed cycling shorts, or lace insets, or pvc details (and bit more, tbh). It was kind of everything but kind of nothing notable (Luke Leith from Vogue Runway agrees), and I felt disappointed, especially after few very, very strong seasons and increasing fame (after so many years on the market). At least, some great blazers were there (thank god!).

J.W. ANDERSON   (19 June, 13:00) 

It’s a second time for Jonathan in Paris, after moving his namesake label from London (that probably made his 2 out of 3 famed iPhones busier than before). As one of the pioneers who pushed gender-fluid shapes since the very beginning of the career, designer has put signature pieces on the runway - including dresses worn by male models. Blazers and coats had wide shoulder extensions and pants included giant fringe insets. Some of the looks could be well-fitted at his Loewe (the show was day after this in the calendar) but this still feels ”harder” and more personal.

Y/PROJECT   (19th June, 14:30)

Y/Project shows feel like a hard mathematical induction, you need a time to realize the logic behind and “solve” it, or maybe you don’t. Glenn Martens once again proved that there’s no stopping of him and he is cementing the brand aesthetic with gigantic steps every single season. For SS 20 (after showing previous Menswear at Pitti) distortion and asymmetric proportions became even more solid and serious. How can you not love the incredible outerwear, tailored blazers, knitwear and jaw-dropping denim pants – each of them proving that you can combine ugly and beautiful in a very smart way. One could analyze every single look in details, but I bet it would take a lots and lots and lots of time. Additional drama was brought by Bizet's "L'amour Est un Oiseau Rebelle" in one of the Parisian churches. It’s clear that brand’s approach to clothes are not welcomed just by fashion insiders or avid trend followers anymore, it’s just for everyone who love “smart”, fashion-forward and beautiful outfits (even if most of them are everything but classic understanding of beauty). There’s always a surprise cut or detail hidden in most of the Y/Project pieces, once you buy the garment, you get the freedom and possibility to wear it on your own way – I’ve seen myself three men wearing same Y/Project pieces in a completely different way in a same day.

VALENTINO  (19 June, 17:30) 

Pierpaolo Piccioli is keeping the youthful attitude with the insertion of loud graphic prints (this time deisgned by Roger Dean) at Valentino Men’s collections (continued from previous season’s UNDERCOVER collaboration) while keeping brand staple shapes and cuts and not following any of the ongoing trends as much, even the VLTN logo was gone this time (which makes me very happy), replaced with single vintage V sign. The signature camouflage sneaker (my first ever most expensive fashion purchase back in 2012) got upgrade shown alongside with new shapes. Long live Mr. Pierpaolo!

RAF SIMONS   (19 June, 21:00)

Raf Simons clearly is not done with America. After leaving CALVIN KLEIN (end of 2018), it’s his second outing in Paris and I think he used this time to digest everything then to express all in his latest collection. It was very Raf, I feel like he was just being honest putting his feelings and thoughts as motifs (likes of: STONED AMERICA, etc) and showing that he was disappointed with America.

LOUIS VUITTON   (20 June, 14:30)

Virgil Abloh has invited guests at Place Dauphine (Remember Carrie Bradshow walking there in SATC) and offered LV branded wooden green benches, crepes and ice creams, alongside with the beautiful collection. It was clear – Virgil has settled at the house in a year, already has several signature shapes (and lots of accessories) and as he mentioned he just (or “just”) wants to present collections that will be consistent, will help more men express themselves (and he has a huge fandom in that area) and he won’t push the exact specific inspirations (remember Michael Jackson case from previous season?). Show featured some mind-blowing floral pieces (in a form of signature harness, hat and various embroidery) modern tailoring (note: the colors), lots of mixtures of work wear with formal wear and many, many bags (some really hardcore shapes). Originally, show was planned around Notre Dame, but it had to be changed due to the recent fire (although the cathedral was still present as a motif on some of the pieces). In a few words – there’s no stopping for Virgil Abloh and his “work”.

DRIES VAN NOTEN   (20 June, 16:30)

I can never describe my exact feelings about Dries. It means and express so much of everything for me. I just let clothes speak themselves – out of this world beauty, that is all things modern, masculine, sexy, sensual, rebellious, stylish - just b e a u t I f u l. Sometimes I cried…

VETEMENTS   (20 June, 20:00)

I, myself predicted year ago that Vetements could go to McDonald’s one day - and it actually happened today. Guests went to Champs-Elysees branch of the restaurant (biggest one in Paris) to see the show that did not really shock anyone but I guess still brought the excitement to them. Show featured all things Capitalism and more - re-worked famous logos (Likes of Heineken, Vodafone, Internet Explorer to name a few), police-branded bombers, signature flower prints and awkward quotes - everything VETEMENTS has became known For. After previous season’s dark extravaganza (my least favorite show of the brand), they kind of got back to the roots and put everyone’s favorite parody and sarcasm backed pieces. Does it felt new? Ofc No, but still you do not get the fashion show at McDonald’s everyday (or at all) and condom as an invitation, so the mission that means making fashion more fun and sarcastic (but still sell it expensive) was again completed. One of the most interesting quotes that Demna Gvasalia has mentioned to Sarah Mower_ is that he always wanted to have his own celebration at McDonalds since 1997, when McD has opened in Tbilisi, Georgia (and I also remember that very day like it was yesterday, how happy I was to hold Happy Meal menu in my hands there) but he could complete it oy now, in Paris. I can’t stop loving the Gvasalias, for making my country on an international map by showcasing its darkest secrets to everyone!

BERLUTI   (21 June, 13:00)

It’s Kris Van Assche’s 2nd runway show at Berluti and we kind of see where he is going - positioning brand as impeccable (quality-wise) tailor-maker with an youthful, modern touch (mostly expressed in vibrant colors of formal clothing alongside with layered styling). Featuring older models on the runway is a message that Berluti does not forget about mature customers but wants them to look modern. Despite the very strong comptetition in this particular niche (Dior Men's and Louis Vuitton Men's in the same holding as Berluti, LVMH), there's always a need for a good (and fashion-forward) tailoring.

JIL SANDER   (21 June, 15:00)

If you thought Jil Sander could not get more sensitive and delicate, here you go with latest collection, as designers Lucie and Luke Meiers (wife and husband) mentioned in an interview with Alex Badia, they are showing their vision of tailoring, how they feel about the it and offering new ways of wearing it and it just feels right! I kind of feel the duo’s takeover at Jil Sander is still underrated and they are actual creators of the modern but absolutely timeless fashion!

SSS WORLD COPR   (20 June, 11:00)

t’s a daddies world! Justin O’Shea keeps the dandy aesthetic and crazy prints on top of his brand, always showcasing at the fanciest locations of Paris - this time at Ritz, casting some really hot models who are actually various sport (boxing among them) athletes and maybe thats why all the extravagant prints felt more real and wearable than before. And I bet many of you saw the O’Shea serving the guests himself by champagne at the start and taking the bow while he was riding a bike - very casual, indeed.

DIOR MENS   (21 June, 18:00)

Mr. Kim Jones was man of the hour (or the season) once again. He killed it 3rd time. With his couture-approach to the Men’s clothing (with continuous revisiting Dior’s women archives, especially Haute Couture alongside with John Galliano creations) and collaboratiosn with the hottest creative minds of the moment, Jones is just writing down history of modern menswear. This time it was Daniel Arsham, whom Kim contacted year ago with a request and to put his unique approach to the Dior pieces. Known formanipulating and reinterpreting existing materials and structures, Arsham has clearly engaged with Dior aesthetics and we have got some really extreme accessories (with Yoon Ambush included in the work). Appears, it’s not first time for Arsham working for Dior – back in 2005, Hedi Slimane commissioned him to design Dior’ Homme’s LA flagship. Wll, I just think of time, when they let Kim Jones take over entire Dior house (with rumors on Maria Grazia heading to Fendi after SS 20 show).

GmbH   (21st June, 19:00)

Did you notice the evil eye? Hard not to! Serhat Isik and Benjamin Huseby literally decided to ”protect” models (and then customers) from the misfortune but making it look fashionable and wearable. Featuring the usual diverse and exotic casting, GmBH presented their best to date (imo) collection at the National Institute of Young Deaf People in Paris. It was all things GmbH does the best - tailoring mixed with sportswear paired with both formal and Asics collaboration shoes - and everything being as vegan as possible. Designer duo rapidly took the spot for one of the most anticipated shows at PFW and with every season they are showing a very logical development in all areas. They’ve easily made some of their signatures well-recognisable: would this be a double-zipper denim or their logo-branded pieces and now the broader introduction of accessories, they will surely strengthen their space in buyers order sheets and customers wallets - and the strange magical effect of the ”evil eye” should actually play the significant role.

SIES MARJAN   (22 June, 13:00)

Sander Lak is the latest designer to move from NY to Paris (a step that has not been effective for Proenza or Rodarte, but still works for Altuzarra) and take Opera Bastille as a location for its debut Parisian show. Starting from knitted jampsuit (season’s trend) continued with beautiful segment of beiges (denim and cotton) and colorful crocodile-effect faux leather outwear, show also included variations on zebra print. Most of the pieces felt quite gender-fluid - all the pieces that were worn by male models could be well put on 6 females that also walked the show. Except SS 2020, show also featured Fall 2019 capsule pieces that will be available for purchase now. It all felt very modern and easily wearable - everything we all need now.

OFFICINE GENERALE   (23 June, 10:00)

Peter Maheo always serves us with delightful Sunday morning breakfasts in Paris – no, there are no croissants or chocola-chauds, but some really chic Men’s clothes. I could spend entire Spring wearing the show’s opening look (mint tailored duo), or the second look, and third, and all of the 45 others. I love how Officine Generale has kept it consistent and doe not tries hard to present gimmicks that you can never wear – I just want them all!

LANVIN   (23 June, 11:00)

After all the past year’s shake-overs at LANVIN , it seems that brand is on the way to settle and reboots itself with a fresh new page. Will this become a successful book tome? Only time will tell, but the foreword looks promising. It was a first Men’s show for house’s new creative director, Bruno Sialelli (who went from Loewe) and what he presented to audience made everyone think about only one thing – holidays! Staged around one of Parisian public pools, the show featured everything (and more) you associate with holidays – nautical stripes, bucket hats, sailor collars and even sleeping bags – white and blue shades dominated. LANVIN men now also wears printed sequin dress, azur intarsia knit jacket on a naked body and lots of baggy jumpsuits – and it all feels very young and naïve.

ALYX   (23 June, 19:00)

Can we call it the coolest show of the season? It just amazes me how Matthew Williams managed to put the brand on top of the current fashion industry in such a short time. I guess the quality that you can feel all around the brand and a dedication that Matthew and her wife Jennifer Williams (who walked the show actually) put in their brand (they have moved from NY to Ferrara, Italy to oversee brand’s production in the local factories). The collection featured sharp and sophisticated shapes. Started with classy suits and quite sexy (women’s especially) looks, show continued with signature streetwear vibe, but it also felt very, very sophisticated and elegant (and that’s not wrong for streetwear, at all), outerwear was to die for - crocodile effect rubber-like coat just nailed it!

CELINE   (23 June, 20:00)

With the second standalone Men’s show under the label, Hedi Slimane has presented “nostalgia for things I probably have never known” (read embroidery on a tote bag). It was classic Hedi (and it’s now a definition of particular style, not a single designer aesthetic), classic 70’s but felt still modern for me (and many argue on that). There’s clearly a huge market for what he is doing and with Saint Laurent making shifts to detach itself from Hedi (and CELINE as a brand), sales should be heading to the desired peak (LVMH plans to double brand sales with the help of Hedi in a short time).

JACQUEMUS   (24 June, 17:00)

Do we need to say anything more on this show?

- - -

it was a season of SS 2019 (in June 2018) that made a huge breakthrough in Menswear – that was when Kim Jones and Virgil Abloh both had a debut seasons at Dior and Louis Vuitton and when Raf Simons returned to Paris – the craze that you could feel in Paris those days was insane, that was when everyone agreed that Menswear has its notable importance and it’s only gonna rise with every new season – with SS 2020 being fantastic continuation for that.

Oh and almost every designer mentioned how they are trying to be more sustainable, nature-friendly, gluten-free, etc…

[avaantares]

So uh, I’m really really disappointed with the Torchwood fandom right now (over what you addresses in your post about being respectful/a normal human being online), and I’m just not quite sure how to deal with that. Sorry to barge in with this, but you seem like a really understanding, level-headed person 😅

I feel you, Anon, and you are certainly not the only one I’ve heard from! A number of people have told me they’ve been growing more uncomfortable with the fandom’s atmosphere lately, and have been actively avoiding posting about certain topics for fear of dogpiling. (This actually came up in a few private conversations before I made the post you referenced, and helped cement my decision to speak up.)

This post is long, so here’s a dash-saver. Below the jump I talk about the state of the Torchwood fandom, how people can avoid and resolve drama on their own posts, and some things everyone can do to make the internet a nicer place.

While my recent post was not targeted solely at the Torchwood fandom (the “how dare you differ in opinion from me” trend is disturbingly widespread; see also: politics), it is true that there has been a lot of sectionalism and polarization in that fandom lately. Fandom niches have always existed, but as the Torchwood fandom shrinks – whether due to natural attrition, lack of interest in the new content, or whatever reason – the Venn circles for each area of interest also shrink, making each group appear more segregated, and resulting in less crossover and less generalized Torchwood fandom.

Now, specific interest groups within the fandom are not a bad thing! They occur naturally, since not everyone engages with fandom the same way. Some people listen to the new Big Finish releases, while others have only seen the original series. Some people enjoy trading headcanons, while others aren’t interested. Some people create fanart or fanfiction, while others just reblog gifsets. Some people are only in the fandom for one specific character, and that’s okay! We’re all fans of the same source material; we can all share and respect each other’s unique interests!

The problems arise when we stop doing that, when interest groups become isolationist (i.e. ”we’re the only real fans”), or when one group decides their focus/interest is more important than another group’s or individual’s. If any group begins policing or calling out other fans who don’t share their views, that’s a problem. If fans are afraid to share their opinion on a topic because of the threat of harassment or name-calling from other fans, that’s a problem. If we can no longer politely discuss our respective viewpoints or agree to disagree, that’s a problem. If we all start blocking each other because we can’t get over the fact that Person A loves Gwen Cooper and Person B doesn’t, or Person C ships Person D’s NoTP, or Person E headcanons a character as a particular sexuality/alignment/whatever and Person F has a different headcanon, there will be no fandom left because everyone who loves Torchwood will be on another fan’s block list.

“But wait!” Person A cries. “[Opinion I hold] is really important to me, and is relevant to my personal identity! By disagreeing with me, Person B is being disrespectful to my identity!”

Sorry, but no. Certainly, Person A is allowed their opinion, and that opinion may well be informed by their personal identity or beliefs. But Person B is also allowed an opinion, which may also be informed by their identity or beliefs. Person A’s personal opinion is no more or less valid than Person B’s. It’s not about B being disrespectful to A by voicing an alternate opinion; it’s about both A and B showing mutual respect by acknowledging that the other person has an opinion.

Of course, just because you’re fully entitled to state an opinion doesn’t mean you are correct, or that you have license to say anything you want free of consequence. Any time you put your opinion out there, you are opening yourself up to disagreement or rebuttal.

“So how can I avoid people aggressively disagreeing with me?” Person A asks. “I hate reading dissenting viewpoints, especially on my own posts.”

Well, you have two options. Option 1 is for those who honestly can’t handle any level of conflict or disagreement, and that’s not to post your opinion at all.

“That’s no fun!” says Person A. “I like to share my opinions.”

Well, that brings us to Option 2: Set the tone of your posts. See, here’s the thing: If you post your opinion in an agonistic manner, you’re more likely to elicit agonistic response. Here’s an example of two different post tones:

A’s Post: I went outside today and looked up, and the sky looked blue to me, so I think the actual color of the sky must be blue.

This is a clear statement of opinion, phrased with supporting rationale, but it’s focused on the person who holds that opinion, rather than targeting or disparaging someone who subscribes to a different one. A dissenter might counter with this:

B’s Response: I’ve always thought the sky looked white. Those puffy spots up there are definitely white, so I think that’s the real color of the sky.

It’s relatively polite, with no offensive personal remarks, and (again) it’s focused on why they personally believe what they do. It is likely that this sort of rational discussion could continue for many exchanges without becoming heated or aggressive. Maybe one will convince the other, or maybe they’ll stick to their own beliefs and agree to disagree, but nobody’s getting hurt and nobody’s getting blocked.

Now, compare that to this type of post:

A’s Post: OMG I hate when those white-sky idiots say the sky is white, they must all be MORONS because it’s clearly BLUE and if you don’t agree you’d best unfollow me NOW because i don’t want you anywhere near my posts. This is a BLUE SKY ONLY BLOG.

This person has already personally attacked anyone with a different view, drawn a line in the sand, and declared that this is the hill they will die on – all without supporting their opinion with a shred of evidence or reason. Naturally, this will only serve to inflame the other side:

B’s Response: HOW DARE YOU CALL ME A MORON, I’ll have you know I have a Master’s Degree in Cloud Watching and I wrote my thesis on why the sky is white. Only uneducated idiots think the sky is blue. BLOCKED.

Yeah, this exchange is never going to result in any kind of rational discussion. It is already 100% emotional, and there is no actual discussing going on, just name-calling. Getting involved in this kind of argument is a waste of time and energy, will not change anyone’s mind, and will only succeed in stressing out all parties.

“But the sky really IS blue!” Person A protests. “It doesn’t matter what tone I take, I’m still right!”

Nah, in this case both sides are wrong. The sky’s apparent color depends on the angle of the sun’s rays, humidity, and the way light in the visible spectrum is scattered by air molecules. It looks blue when the sun is high, and red or orange when the sun is near the horizon, but the sky itself is colorless. (There’s your science fact for the day). Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how right OP thinks they are; chances are the other person is just as convinced that they’re right, and it’s entirely possible that you’re fighting over something completely arbitrary or fundamentally unimportant.

And that brings me back to the Torchwood fandom and the hill-I-will-die-on arguments that have been plaguing it more and more in recent months. There is one thing I think we can ALL agree on, no matter our individual interests, and that is that Torchwood’s canon is a hot buttered mess. The original TV series is internally inconsistent; the novels contradict both the TV series and other novels; the comics contradict themselves, the novels, and the TV series; Miracle Day contradicts EVERYTHING that came before, including parent series Doctor Who; and the Big Finish dramas try really hard to respect all the prior releases, and mostly just end up creating their own canon, because it’s utterly impossible to reconcile everything. If canon can’t even agree on relatively simple things like

whether or not Jack can get drunk (no: BBC novels / yes: also BBC novels)

whether or not Jack can sleep/dream (no: TV and BBC novels / yes: also TV and BBC novels, plus BBC audio dramas)

if Jack and Ianto went on a date after KKBB (yes: BBC novels / no: also BBC novels)

what year Owen was born (1980: TV and Torchwood Magazine / 1981: TV and BBC novels)

what Ianto’s sister’s last name is (Evans: The Torchwood Archives / Davies: CoE)

…there are bound to be contradictory fan views on more complex issues, and there may not be a clear “correct” or “incorrect” position. It is possible to find canon support for nearly any Torchwood headcanon, because Torchwood canon is consistently inconsistent. Don’t make every issue a hard line in the sand. Accept that people are different, and based on their own unique backgrounds and experiences, people can legitimately come to different conclusions when presented with the same canon evidence (or lack thereof).

(Hmm… it’s almost like this principle could also apply to real-life sources of conflict like politics, religion, and social and cultural norms. Maybe keeping an open mind is a good idea in general…?)

“Well, it’s MY blog, and I can say what I want,” says Person A. “If people don’t like it that’s their problem.”

That is absolutely true. But remember, whatever you put out there is likely going to come right back at you. If you go with a rude or aggressive stance, or if you make personal attacks, you should expect your replies/reblogs to be just as nasty. If you escalate, so will they.

“Okay, so what if I post something polite and someone STILL comes back with a nasty response?” Person A asks. “I’m honestly feeling so attacked right now, and it isn’t even my fault!”

There are a couple of solutions to this that don’t involve breaking out the napalm:

Check for a misunderstanding. It’s hard to interpret tone in plain text sometimes. If you think the person may have honestly misinterpreted your post, maintain the polite tone and either clarify your post, or ask them (nicely) to explain why they are so upset about what you posted. Look for resolution, rather than merely refuting their post.

Don’t respond. “Be the bigger person” may sound cliche, but believe it or not, the world will not end if you choose not to engage someone on the internet. There is great power in putting down the phone or stepping away from the keyboard, and it’s much better for your blood pressure and stress level. Plus, if that person keeps raging on posts and not getting any responses, it may make them wonder why nobody pays attention to their opinions. Speaking of which…

“YOO-HOO!” hollers Person Z from waaaaaaay over in the corner. “Hi there! I just came for the fanart, and I’d like to participate more, but I’m really stressed out by the way this fandom is arguing all around me. I’m worried that if I post anything, someone will yell at me and tell me I’m wrong. That would really upset me.”

So let’s talk positive reinforcement for a second! This is where the casual observers and innocent bystanders can have a lot of power to steer the direction that fandom grows. Ultimately, the goal of all social media is to elicit interaction, whether that’s in the form of Likes, Reblogs, Replies, Retweets, Shares, Follows, or what have you. Giving posts this kind of interaction is like praising the writer. Reblogging also makes that post visible to more people, potentially attracting them to your fandom circle. Posts with more notes get seen more, read more, and can set the tone for other fandom interactions. The more rational, polite posts get spread around and accumulate notes, the more rational, polite people will be likely to get involved, and the more likely a new post on that topic will be worded in a rational, polite way. Whereas interacting with argumentative, nasty, stressful posts will tend to make new people avoid your fandom, and will encourage more people to turn things into a drama-fest because that’s what gets the notes, and notes are currency.

So when you see a post that just looks like a slap-fight or upsets you in some way, just ignore it and keep right on scrolling. You don’t need to attract drama to yourself or your blog, and you don’t need to feed that machine. But if you see someone doing it right, or if there’s an ongoing polite discussion, consider getting involved in the conversation! You can comment, reblog, reply or just like if you don’t have anything to add. Pay the polite, thoughtful interactions in notes and let the harsh posts die an unreblogged death.

So, dear Anon, that’s a very long-winded expansion on my previous post, and one you didn’t exactly ask for. :) But you’re not alone; many of us want to initiate change for the better. I hope we can help the fandom return to the happier, more collaborative place it was not so long ago.

Be kind to each other, be respectful, let go of whatever is driving you to have the last word, and we’ll all have more fun and significantly lower blood pressure.

[auburnfamilynews]

Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

Defense is optional this year

After only three weeks of SEC play only two teams remain undefeated. That number is assured to drop to one this time next week. Only one team has been unfortunate enough to lose every game so far this season. Everyone else seems capable of beating or losing to anyone else any day of the week.

It’s chaos and ya’ll know deep down you love it.

It was a wild weekend featuring numerous upsets and some close calls. Attempting to figure out who exactly should be ranked over whom is getting a little ridiculous at this point but I did my best. Let’s take a look at where things stand heading into Week 4.

#1.) Alabama 3-0 (—)

SP+: 3 | FPI: 3

Last Game: 63-48 W @ Ole Miss

Despite two dominant performances to start the season, there were some cracks showing on this Alabama defense. Lane Kiffin took a sledgehammer to it on Saturday night to reveal that everything is not suddenly better on that side of the ball for the Crimson Tide. Granted, Alabama’s excuse is that Kiffin knows their signals since it’s impossible for the opponent to actually just play well against them.

Alabama LB Dylan Moses said he “definitely” thinks Ole Miss had Alabama’s signals on defense, pointing to Lane Kiffin’s time in Tuscaloosa.

— Alex Scarborough (@AlexS_ESPN) October 11, 2020

But it didn’t matter. Mac Jones continues to show why Tua was not a “generational QB”. He was just a good QB in a system that does an excellent job getting its insane amount of playmakers the ball in space.

This weekend though is the big one. Can this offense continue to dominate against the best defense in America? Can this defense slow down UGA’s resurgent run game? I am fascinated to find out.

Next Game: vs Georgia

#2.) Georgia 3-0 (—)

SP+: 4 | FPI: 4

Last Game: 44-21 W vs Tennessee

For the 2nd time this season, UGA went into halftime trailing. For the 2nd time this season, it didn’t matter.

The Dawgs took control of the game in the 2nd half rattling off 27 unanswered points. The Dawgs run game still isn’t dominant but it’s effective. Kearis Jackson is emerging as a big time playmaker in the slot while Stetson Bennett continues to avoid making the big mistakes.

It gets real this weekend with a trip to Tuscaloosa. To be honest, I actually think the Dawgs have been the best team in the SEC through the first 3 weeks and have a great chance at winning this weekend. Can Kirby Smart get over that mental hurdle and take down his former mentor?

Next Game: @ Alabama

#3.) Texas A&M 2-1 (+3)

SP+: 22 | FPI: 24

Last Game: 41-38 W vs Florida

We were all ready to bury Texas A&M early in the third quarter when they fell behind 28-17. But credit this Jimbo Fisher team. They rallied and pulled out a must win and gave Jimbo his first big win as the head coach of the Aggies.

Kellen Mond had that game he has every year where it looks like maybe he’s actually turned the corner and is ready to be an elite QB. He threw for over 300 yards and 3 scores while completing 25 passes on 35 attempts. Isaiah Spiller though was the difference late just gashing a beat down Gator defense again and again.

Despite struggling to beat a bad Vanderbilt team week 1 and getting walloped by Bama week 2, A&M is now in position to cement themselves as the #2 team in the West and a potential CFB darkhorse.

Strange times.

Next Game: @ Mississippi State

#4.) Florida 2-1 (-1)

SP+: 8 | FPI: 9

Last Game: 38-41 L @ Texas A&M

The margin of error is now incredibly slim for the Gators if they wish to finally knock UGA off their SEC East perch. It looked like they had taken control of the game early in the 3rd quarter but poor defense and a brutal late fumble resulted in a frustrating upset.

This offense though is still scary and if the defense can just get slightly better they are still a force to be reckoned with in the East. They MUST win this weekend against a falling apart LSU squad.

Next Game: vs LSU

#5.) Tennessee 2-1 (-1)

SP+: 24 | FPI: 23

Last Game: 21-44 L @ Georgia

For two quarters it looked like Jeremy Pruitt’s Volunteers belonged with the Dawgs. Unfortunately for the men in orange, football is a four quarter game...

The Vols lost their chance to prove they are ready to be an SEC East contender but are still in position to make some noise this season. They play host to Kentucky this weekend, a program they have only lost to twice since 1984. With Alabama, Texas A&M, Auburn and Florida still on the schedule, the Vols have plenty of opportunities remaining to put together a big season.

Next Game: vs Kentucky

#6.) Auburn 2-1 (-1)

SP+: 14 | FPI: 13

Last Game 30-28 W vs Arkansas

Auburn rediscovered its run game this past Saturday but failed to consistently do anything through the air and defensively were exposed much of the 2nd half. Bo Nix escaped a catastrophic mistake thanks to an official being so surprised at such a dumb play he blew his whistle early. This team is littered with injuries especially on the defensive side of the ball and continue to struggle to put points on the board.

And yet...

The Tigers are 2-1 with a legitimate chance to beat everyone on their schedule not named Alabama. They likely won’t but it’s a testament to the averageness of the SEC that the Tigers will be the favorite in at least all but two games left on their schedule. If Bo Nix can find any sort of consistency and this defense can get somewhat healthy, they could be a problem later this year. But this weekend is a must win for Gus Malzahn if he hopes to have any shot at challenging for the SEC West crown.

Next Game: @ South Carolina

#7.) Ole Miss 1-2 (+2)

SP+: 44 | FPI: 51

Last Game: 48-63 L vs Alabama

I was wrong on a lot of things this preseason but one team I absolutely nailed was Ole Miss. Lane Kiffin inherited an offense loaded with playmakers and he’s getting the most out of them every night. He also inherited a defense that legitimately might be the worst in the country.

He took the Tide the distance Saturday night in one of the most entertaining games of the year. Now he must travel to take on a pissed off Arkansas team that is proving they aren’t the pushovers of years past.

Next Game: @ Arkansas

#8.) Kentucky 1-2 (+3)

SP+: 33 | FPI: 38

Last Game: 24-2 W vs Mississippi State

I thought the UK-MSST game would have the oddest of box scores this past weekend and man was I right. Just look at this majestic piece of art.

The `Cats dominated a game in which they only had 157 yards of offense including 2.6 yards per carry. That happens when the other team throws 6 interceptions. Though per UK fan logic Mississippi State was clearly the better team...

Next Game: @ Tennessee

#9.) Missouri 1-2 (+4)

SP+: 60 | FPI: 47

Last Game: 45-41 W vs LSU

Ok I didn’t see this one coming...

Elijah Drinkwitz got his first win as head coach of Missouri by beating the defending champs on a 1 yard goal line stand. It was an incredible offensive performance as the Tigers picked apart Pelini’s defense all day long. I still don’t think this is a great team but they deserve the bump after a big time win

Next Game: vs Vanderbilt

#10.) Arkansas 1-2 (—)

SP+: 72 | FPI: 46

Last Game: 28-30 L @ Auburn

As if Arkansas fans needed anymore reasons to hate Auburn...

After falling behind 17-0, Arkansas outscored the Tigers 28-13 the rest of the way. Unfortunately for them, that was not enough to make up for the slow start and now Gus Malzahn is 6-1 against his alma mater.

It’s clear Sam Pittman is getting the most out of this team and I think it’s likely they get at least one more W before this season is over. Let’s see if Barry Odom’s defense can slow the Lane Train down.

Next Game: vs Ole Miss

#11.) South Carolina 1-2 (+1)

SP+: 42 | FPI: 32

Last Game: 41-7 W vs Vanderbilt

After some valiant but unsuccessful efforts to start the season, Will Muschamp’s Gamecocks took it to a bad Vanderbilt team in Nashville over the weekend. Kevin Harris averaged 8 yards a carry and scored two touchdowns. They get a vulnerable Auburn team this weekend inside Williams-Brice Stadium. Which boom will be the loudest this weekend?

Next Game: vs Auburn

#12.) Mississippi State 1-2 (-5)

SP+: 54 | FPI: 57

Last Game: 2-24 L @ Kentucky

Ok so it turns out I wasn’t wrong about Mississippi State. This is a bad team who was fortunate enough to draw a REALLY bad LSU defense week 1. K.J. Costello is a walking turnover and Mike Leach is already blaming everything on his players. Things are totally gonna go great in Starkville this year.

Next Game: vs Texas A&M

#13.) LSU 1-2 (-5)

SP+: 18 | FPI: 16

Last Game: 41-45 @ Missouri

I thought LSU would take a major step back this season. I did not expect that step to be “2nd worst team in the SEC” back but here we are.

Turns out that Bo Pelini is in fact NOT better than Dave Aranda. The LSU defense is a sieve and seemingly incapable of making any sort of in game adjustments. With all that said though it still wouldn’t shock me if they upset Dan Mullen this weekend....

Next Game: @ Florida

#14.) Vanderbilt 0-3 (—)

SP+: 117 | FPI: 112

Last Game: 7-41 L vs South Carolina

Every team that has beaten Vanderbilt this season has immediately lost the following game. Here’s to hoping that trend continues.

Next Game: @ Missouri

War Eagle!

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2020/10/12/21511196/sec-power-rankings-week-4

[junker-town]

The Heat needed more than Andre Iguodala

What will Andre Iguodala bring to the Heat?

No one wants to see the Heat in the playoffs, but Miami could have used one more player for their postseason push.

The Miami Heat are not favored to win the NBA title, the East, or even make the conference finals. But that didn’t stop them from using the trade deadline to raise their ceiling and solidify themselves as the team nobody really wants to face.

Wrangling Danilo Gallinari away from the Oklahoma City Thunder, as had been rumored, would have elevated them to an even higher level, but what they ended up with — swapping Justise Winslow, James Johnson, and Dion Waiters for Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder, and Solomon Hill — can still make the Heat more formidable than they’ve been since LeBron James left.

Even though they currently rank 10th in net rating, there are reasons to be bullish about what the Heat can now accomplish. Miami has been excellent in several areas, with two all-stars that don’t step on each other’s toes, supplemented by perhaps the NBA’s most dangerous collection of outside shooters. They’re sixth in RPI (a quantification that ranks every team based on their own record and the record of everyone they’ve played), and only 2.5 games behind the second-place Toronto Raptors.

Before the trade, it was easy to look at this roster’s statistical resume and have two contradictory beliefs: 1) that the Heat could make a legitimate playoff run, and 2) that several of their biggest nightly advantages would be schemed away in a seven-game series. Adding Iguodala doesn’t change either statement, but it does make them a more threatening two-way force, one that will be an even more troubling headache for the rest of the East come spring.

The Heat live in the half-court, don’t rely on fastbreak points as a spark, and take more time getting off their shot than any other team. A generous 63.6 percent of their baskets are assisted, which is sixth-highest in the NBA. Every player understands their role on the court. They move in symphony, with a head coach who preaches the timely adage that good offense is spacing and spacing is good offense. They’re the NBA’s second-most accurate three-point shooting team off the catch, a rain storm that squeezes all it can from the likes of Duncan Robinson, Goran Dragic, Tyler Herro, and Kendrick Nunn. Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler directly benefit as foul magnets that prop up Miami’s offense at the free-throw line (the Heat lead the league in free throw rate).

The Heat are also third in points scored off a screen assist, and only five percent of their possessions end with an isolation. They barely throw the ball into the post, either. Instead, no team uses the dizzying effects of dribble handoffs better, ranking first in volume and efficiency on these plays. Their bigs work at the elbows, then wait for shooters to either loop up from the corner or cut backdoor, depending on how the defense is positioned. It’s a cascading rhythm that makes guarding them for 48 minutes feel like an ultra marathon with no route or finish line.

The Heat run more miles when they possess the ball than every other team except the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans. And, as unsurprising as it is appropriate, Miami leads the league in play types that are categorized as “miscellaneous”. Their implacable motion is why they succeed.

The offense works wonderfully in the regular season, against teams that could be flying into South Beach on the second night of a back-to-back after playing an opponent with more traditional sensibilities. The Heat’s quirkiness is an inherent advantage in these games. The question is, how will they adapt to tighter whistles and tapered passing lanes in a playoff series?

Many of the easy buckets that materialize from an opponent’s physical and mental fatigue disappear in the postseason. (This stat isn’t a be-all, end-all conclusion, but during the 2018-19 regular season, teams averaged 10.25 points per 100 possessions on assisted baskets at the rim. In the playoffs, that number dropped to 9.01.)

Iguodala and Crowder won’t expand Miami’s offense or create by themselves like Gallinari could, but they’ll allow the Heat to experiment with smaller lineups that slide Adebayo to the five, where he and Miami are at their deadliest. And the Heat will enjoy Iguodala’s passing and unlock his resourceful skillset in too many ways to count; he’ll be a convenient addition to their whirring offensive system.

On the other side of the ball, where Miami has fallen to league average, they can be a lifeline. Iguodala is not the athlete he used to be, but he remains one of the more intuitive and intelligent defenders in the league. If he’s able to make life difficult for the Pascal Siakams, Jaylen Browns, Jayson Tatums, Ben Simmonses, and Tobias Harrises of the world without assistance, suddenly Butler will have more opportunities to take in-game rest, allowing him to channel more of his energy on the other end of the court.

There’s no guarantee the player Iguodala used to be still exists, however. And on the offensive end, Iguodala’s below average three-point shooting means playing him heavy minutes next to Butler (currently at 25.5 percent behind the arc) and Adebayo could muck up an offense that has grown comfortable in space. Defenses will happily leave Iguodala alone on the perimeter, which may be an even more glaring problem than it was when he was surrounded by Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant. (Iguodala went 44-for-98 on wide-open threes three years ago; Miami is obviously hoping that accuracy returns.)

On the whole, the Heat are greater than the sum of their individual parts, which is the goal for every basketball team that has ever wanted to win. But in the playoffs individual moments still matter, those momentous stretches when a player breaks off and conquers on their own. It’s here why Miami could come to regret not acquiring Gallinari.

As currently constructed, the Heat only have one player who can consistently create good looks for himself in crunch time of a tight playoff game: Butler. (Adebayo is wonderful in so many ways, but he’s not there quite yet.) Competing for a championship without any alternative isn’t an option, and Gallinari would have been an ideal solution. Not only would he have spaced the floor with more gravity and a quicker release than Kelly Olynyk or Meyers Leonard, but he can also duck inside to punish smaller defenders on the block.

He’s a nightmare mismatch, particularly on a team that has embraced positionless basketball to an extent that few others have. Watching him develop a two-man game with Dragic against opposing bench units would have been extremely fun. (In low doses, he’s been a pick-and-pop menace this year.) When the two feet that’s afforded during the regular season shrinks to two inches in the playoffs, Robinson, Herro, Nunn, and Iguodala will have problems getting decent looks at the basket. That would not have been an issue for Gallo.

But back to the Heat’s reality: I won’t label this deal, or most others, with phrases like “win now” or “all in” because nearly every NBA roster is more like a sandcastle than a cement structure. Even though the Heat acquired a 36-year-old who hasn’t stepped on an NBA court in eight months for a 23-year-old with obvious upside (who has only played 352 minutes this season), they will also be a destination every max-level free agent considers in 2021. If they lose in the first round and then sign Giannis Antetokounmpo next summer, nobody will remember how this trade potentially hurt them in the postseason.

In the meantime, Pat Riley upgraded Miami’s defense in an effort to take down Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks, along with the Raptors, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, and Indiana Pacers. Four of those teams did not make a single move yesterday, which could be to Miami’s advantage.

But even without knowing every detail of their trade negotiation, it’s still frustrating to think about what might have been had the Heat pushed in even more chips for Gallinari. Frankly, knowing they were close lessens the excitement around adding Iguodala, which sort of came out of nowhere and is a beneficial thing.

Gallo could have been the missing piece, someone who does exactly what these Heat will need in ways that Iguodala currently can’t. That doesn’t mean they would make the NBA Finals, but Gallinari would diversify an offense that may look rigid against playoff teams that have time to take away what they had so much success doing throughout the regular season.

If this sounds harsh, it doesn’t mean to be. The Heat are a delightful overachiever and their willingness to add a proven winner should be commended — that two-year, $30 million extension notwithstanding. There’s no way to quantify the value of championship experience, or what Iguodala will offer a focused locker room that can appreciate his expertise. This trade probably won’t catapult Miami to the top of the conference, but it does nudge them closer.

[gadgetsrevv]

Euro 2020 Qualifiers: Romania vs Spain

Artwork by @chapulana

Robert Moreno continued his 100% start in charge of Spain’s national football team after their 2-1 victory away to Romania in this Euro 2020 qualifying game. In another vintage performance from the current group leaders, Spain dominated possession and the proceedings against a Romania side that still has a chance of qualifying for next year’s tournament in 2nd place. This tactical analysis will provide an overview of the tactics used by the respective sides and an analysis of how Spain were able to dominate the game in such a fashion. This analysis will also look at what Romania may have been able to do differently to come out of this game with more than just the solitary goal.

Lineups

Spain deployed experimental personnel in a traditional 4-3-3 system with younger stars like Dani Ceballos and Fábian Ruiz enjoying impressive outings on their early introductions to the international stage.

Romania, in turn, lined out in a conservative 5-3-2 formation designed to crowd the space available to Spain in the final third and give the home side options on the counter-attack with two strikers up front.

Spain’s diamond in the early build-up

A key factor to Spain’s domination in this game was how easily they played around Romania’s first line of pressure. In order to play around Romania’s strike force, the Spanish side formed a diamond during the early stages of their buildup, featuring Kepa in goal, the two centre-backs and Sergio Busquets in the holding midfield position.

Using this 4v2 overload, Spain are easily able to play around the Romanian strike-force in this early stage of their build-up

With this numerical overload, Romania’s strikers were reduced to being redundant members of the defensive shape. The easy manner in which Spain played around their two strikers left Romania’s midfield unwilling to press higher up the pitch for fear of being played around in a similar fashion and leaving their backline exposed. This meant Spain enjoyed consistent and easy access up to the halfway point of the pitch.

This easy access up the pitch enabled Spain’s domination due to the fact it condensed the Spanish outfield into the opponent’s half which benefitted Spain’s counter-press as well as ensuring Spain had plenty of forward options in possession. This also forced Romania to start their attacks from deep and often in underloaded situations.

With the Spain side controlling the game inside the opposition’s half, all their players are closely connected to support each other in possession as well as the counter-press should the ball be turned over

The options Spain were able to create for the player on the ball inside Romania’s half helped to ease their circulation of possession in these high areas of the pitch. This helped to keep Spain’s possession fluid and at a tempo they could use to disrupt and stretch Romania’s defensive shape, particularly against the three they left in midfield.

Fábian Ruiz dominates the half-space

Ruiz put in a man-of-the-match display in a disciplined and elite performance that saw the Napoli player help dictate the vertical orientation of Spain’s possession. Operating in the half-space channel on the right side of Spain’s midfield, the midfielder gave Nicolae Stanciu an impossible task of limiting the Spaniard’s influence on the game. Either by dropping deep to receive the ball or pushing forward to combine on the flanks, Ruiz ran rings around his Romanian marker and manipulated the opponent’s midfield until they were powerless to prevent the Spanish progression.

Ruiz dropping deep into this area allows for the likes of Navas to push on as well as open up the space in between the Romanian midfield and defence. Thus allowing Ruiz the forward passing options available to him

By dropping deep, Ruiz achieved multiple objectives, firstly, stretching Romania’s midfield line as Stanciu moved to press him. This would open up gaps to pass through or allow Ruiz to take on his man in a 1v1. Secondly, by dropping deep, Ruiz would provide the safety and security in allowing Jesus Navas to move up the field and provide the width which would stretch the Romanian defensive line. This would create the gaps for the likes of Paco Alcácer and Rodrigo to run in which Ruiz was free to play into, having worked himself some space by moving deep in the above fashion.

Ruiz’s movement in this game created so many options for the Spaniards. The gaps his movement generated enabled other creatives like Ceballos to drop into off the backline and disrupt the flat defensive shape of Romania’s defenders. This inspired performance by Ruiz provides the vision for the lifeblood of the Spanish midfield for years to come, and the midfielder has every chance of cementing a starting spot before next year’s tournament.

Alba and Navas a constant threat in the final third

With their narrow midfield line and back five, Romania seemed willing to sacrifice a lot of space out wide for the likes of Jordi Alba and Navas, yet this only further played into the home side’s downfall in this game. Allowing the likes of Alba and Navas easy access up the pitch allowed Spain to flood the centre with the likes of Ceballos and Rodrigo which only helped to optimise Spain’s attack. This move provided them with pace and trickery down the flanks as well as technical ability and creative vision inside the final third. The pace of Alba and Navas proved to be vital in the creation of Spain’s goals in this game.

From this high starting position, Alba and Navas can utilise their pace to break in behind the Romanian defence where Alba can square the ball to Alcacer for the winning goal

This high up the pitch, Alba and Navas could utilise their rapid acceleration to get in behind the Romanian backline and into the penalty area. Because they were defending so deep and with their narrow midfield easily stretched and pulled apart, Spain were regularly able to play their full-backs into these dangerous spaces, from which Spain were able to win their penalty in the first half and where Alba could square to Alcácer for the winner.

Romania passive in defeat

From the offset, Romania never really gave themselves a chance to earn anything from this game. Their passive and conservative formation forsook the entirety of the attacking and midfield half to the Spanish invasion whilst also not giving themselves the opportunity to disrupt or upset the Spanish game plan. The tempo for Romania’s performance was seemingly dictated by their strike pairing whose laissez-faire approach to cutting off the supply to Busquets resigned their team to a tough evening.

Affording Busquets this much space allows the Barcelona midfielder to control the game and dictate the tempo. This also allows Busquests to demonstrate his vision as he threatens to open up the Romanian defence by playing a long ball into the path of forward runners

Upsetting the space allowed to Busquets was the only chance Romania’s formation gave them of disrupting the opposition from dominating the game. Having sacrificed the flanks as well as leaving their midfield hopelessly outnumbered and outmanoeuvred against the fluid Spanish, it really was unforgivable how little effort the strikers made to take Busquets out of the game.

Especially considering just how experimental this Spanish side was, Romania certainly had weaknesses to attack and exploit had they set up differently. Setting up with two strikers wasn’t the worst idea for Romania considering the spaces that Navas and Alba would leave behind them. Diego Llorente, in particular, struggled down the right with Navas proving to be a defensive liability, often forcing Llorente to abandon his position to cover for the winger. The result of this led to one time where Andone was left unmarked in the centre of the box to head home for Romania’s only goal of the game.

With Llorente having to temporarily defend against the wide man, Navas is ill-equipped to defend the ball played back into the box as he is up against a physical mismatch against Florin Andone

Romania however, simply needed another body in midfield to provide extra cover for those who had to support Romania’s wing-backs from being overloaded by the combinations of Rodrigo and Ceballos with the overlapping runs of Alba and Navas. These extra numbers down the flanks would help contain the Spanish onslaught and give Navas and Alba more to think about before charging up the field. This would also force the likes of Ceballos and Rodrigo to temporarily provide the width at times which is less suited to their playing style as well as serving to control the Spanish central overload.

Conclusion

Romania simply surrendered too much to Spain in this game- be that space on the pitch, the initiative or the tempo, and they were routinely punished for it. Navas’ suspect positioning off the ball did at times threaten to derail the Spanish advance, even leading to Llorente’s red card towards the end of the game, although Romania lacked the quality to truly punish the away side for these mistakes.

In more positive reviews, this Spanish side seemingly hasn’t dropped a beat so far under Moreno and should comfortably qualify for next year’s tournament where their depth and versatility should make them a threat late into the competition. Fábian Ruiz, in particular, put in an impressive performance and will prove to be one to watch for his international side in time for Euro 2020.

Artwork by @chapulana

If you love tactical analysis, then you’ll love the digital magazines from totalfootballanalysis.com – a guaranteed 100+ pages of pure tactical analysis covering topics from the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga and many, many more. Buy your copy of the August issue for just ₤4.99 here.

Luke Balls-Burgess

22. Supporter of Tottenham Hotspur and survivor of the “1984” atomic destruction of Colchester. If you’re thinking the dates don’t add up, remember you’re dealing with mutations beyond your comprehension.

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[ellymackay]

How to Be Confident in Your Dental Sleep Medicine Practice

The blog post How to Be Confident in Your Dental Sleep Medicine Practice was initially published to Elly Mackay's Sleep Blog

Newly installed AADSM president David Schwartz, DDS, has worked in a collaborative sleep medicine setting for more than a decade. And he wants other dentists to enjoy the benefits of multidisciplinary colleagues too.

By Sree Roy

David Schwartz, DDS, was aware enough of the therapy options for primary snoring that when an ear-nose-throat specialist recommended he have a uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, Schwartz declined the surgery and instead made himself an oral appliance. “It worked really well to control the snoring. I used that at the time as kind of a launching pad for me to become more involved in sleep medicine,” says Schwartz. That formative experience occurred about a quarter of a century ago.

Now the 58-year-old married father of three has been installed as the president of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM) and has embarked on a two-year term. He previously served on myriad AADSM committees and “the last thing that I remember is I was on a committee for the board review course, which was being run by two doctors who were on the board of directors. They had asked me if I would consider serving on the board of directors. I was honored and scared all at the same time, but I’m happy that I did that,” Schwartz says.

Residing in a Chicago suburb, Schwartz works as dental sleep director at The Center for Sleep Medicine, which has several locations in and around The Windy City. This means that for the past 12 years, Schwartz has been working on a team with neurology, pulmonology, psychiatry, ear-nose-throat, pediatrics, and more. “I’ve worked for many years in a collaborative setting, and I would like to have the other 3,000 members that are part of this academy have the luxury of working in a relationship like I’ve had,” Schwartz says.

Schwartz is in a position to move the needle on collaborative care, as well as other issues that are important to dental sleep medicine practitioners. One that he has been vocal about is a desire to “greatly increase the awareness of oral appliance therapy and the role that the qualified dentist can have in screening and managing sleep apnea and snoring,” he says. “I think the most frustrating part of a patient who’s seeking help for their sleep-related breathing disorder is the reason they’re so reluctant to get tested to begin with is they feel they’re going to have ‘one of those CPAPs.’ We have to bring them back around. Let those patients know and educate them: Just because you’re diagnosed doesn’t mean you’re going to have to have a CPAP machine; there are alternatives.”

Dentists are experienced with offering options to patients, Schwartz says, citing tooth fillings as one example (where choices include silver, porcelain, and gold, among other materials). “It has to be that the patient is making the decision with the dentist,” he says. In the case of obstructive sleep apnea, it means “educating the patients enough so they can have that conversation with their sleep physician to come to a proper choice that they’re going to be compliant with,” Schwartz says, versus the patient being told what to do.

Another area in which Schwartz wants progress is in using new technology to identify and treat patients. “We have so many of the wearable devices that will diagnose patients now with an EKG—when patients have [atrial fibrillation], they can look on their Apple Watch and it’ll alert them to that.” He sees an opportunity for dental sleep medicine practitioners to work with their medical counterparts to tap into consumer tech.

The AADSM has made progress on several fronts in recent years, one being that its Mastery Program—a clinically-focused educational curriculum about oral appliance therapy for obstructive sleep apnea and snoring—has grown exponentially, creating a useful standard by which physicians and patients can find dentists with evidence-based knowledge.

“We took that bull by the horns, and we’re the ones who established the curriculum in an unbiased way by making sure…[the] program is not-for-profit, unbiased, and evidence-based,” Schwartz says. “If you take a course given by one of the vendors, they’re going to talk about their device and methods—not that they’re bad methods, but they’re not unbiased.”

Schwartz credits the Mastery Program with creating a scenario in which “we’re approaching a critical mass of dentists who are trained and identifiable to help treat the burden of sleep apnea”—that is, a database of more than 1,300 dental sleep medicine practitioners to whom other providers can refer. Contrast that to the year 2006, when Schwartz became board certified and was one of just a few hundred dentists who had undergone evidence-based sleep medicine training. “We couldn’t go to providers and say, ‘refer to us,’” at that time, as there weren’t enough qualified dentists to refer to, he says.

The AADSM opted to create the Mastery Program in lieu of pursuing a Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) specialty designation because such recognition requires a 2-year postgraduate training program. While there is plenty of content to create such a program, dental sleep is still mostly overlooked by dental schools in their 4-year standard curricula—so no school is creating a postgraduate continuing education program in dental sleep medicine at this point. “They’re starting to incorporate some [dental sleep] lectures now—maybe two hours of lecture in dental sleep medicine throughout their 4-year dental school curriculum—but they’re not really going into it,” Schwartz says. The Mastery Program is a way to get needed training to dentists without the hurdles of becoming a specialty.

Another area where the AADSM reconsidered an approach was it recently discontinued its facility accreditation program. “That was a tough one for us,” Schwartz says of the decision to end the program, which had endured for nine years. Ultimately, the number of facilities earning and renewing accreditation was not enough for the academy to effectively advocate for them, he says. But, “we’re making all of those resources available into tools for the members—best practices—without the administrative burden on our end. They can still download and follow the accreditation standards on their own,” he says.

The AADSM can also help dentists who are struggling with how to compete with nearby practitioners who are trained in only one or a few specific appliances. As a solution, Schwartz also points to unbiased evidence-based knowledge as a competitive advantage. “Building a successful dental sleep medicine practice is contingent upon providing high-quality care to patients,” he says. “If the doctors are in it because they think they’re going to make a lot of money doing it, they’re doing it for the wrong reasons.” Referring physicians can see through a dentist who is making oral appliances for the revenue, he adds.

“The important thing is the patients are seen by dentists who are well-trained and use more than one particular device. Those patients are then going to refer other patients and are going to refer back to the [referring] sleep physician…and it will cement that relationship,” he says. “The appliances will continue to change and to evolve. The Mastery Program provides a general overview of all the appliances and a great foundation for the participants.”

When asked to recommend one thing that dentists can do today to improve their referral relationships with physicians, Schwartz says that increasing familiarity with nomenclature and best practices is key. “The most important thing is to educate themselves,” he says. “That way they can communicate at a level that imparts a confidence to the sleep physicians who are trying to send patients to them.”

And one thing that physicians can do to improve their referral relationships with dentists? “Seek out dentists that are Qualified [have taken the Mastery 1 course and passed the exam] or Diplomates by the [American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine]. That’s going to allow them to work with people who have really committed to improving the lives not only of their patients but that already understand dental sleep medicine and sleep medicine as a whole.

“They have to start trusting. If they don’t find somebody who they feel is competent, they need to look to others….[Physicians] have to trust that they’re going to find somebody who knows what they are doing.”

Sree Roy is editor of Sleep Review.

from Sleep Review https://www.sleepreviewmag.com/sleep-health/prevailing-attitudes/academies-associations/dental-sleep-medicine-david-schwartz/

from Elly Mackay - Feed https://www.ellymackay.com/2020/08/12/how-to-be-confident-in-your-dental-sleep-medicine-practice/

[sustainhealthmagazine]

Why Our Teeth Are Unlikely To Be Naturally Straight

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By Dr RHONA ESKANDER FOR SUSTAINHEALTH 

PUBLISHED: 10:12, 30 October 2019 | UPDATED: 10:42, 30 October 2019

The number of adults in the UK choosing to straighten their teeth is growing year on year. A survey conducted amongst members of the British Orthodontic Society in 2019 corroborates this; with 75% of members reporting an increase in private adult orthodontic treatments compared with 2016 (and three quarters of these treat with clear aligners).

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The trend appears to be global with clear aligner manufacturer, Align Technology (makers of Invisalign) reporting that in July 2019 over 7.2 million adults worldwide were either in, or have completed treatment.

But why is it that our teeth don’t grow straight naturally or are there things we are doing which cause them to move out of alignment?  

Dr Rhona Eskander from the Chelsea Dental Clinic explains: “There are so many factors that can affect how our teeth grow that it’s really actually relatively unusual to see patients with naturally perfectly straight teeth. To a greater or lesser extent, we all have some misalignment, but the degrees of misalignment varies from person to person.”  

What are the factors that can create or exacerbate crooked, gappy, overlapping or twisted teeth? 

1.     The size of your mouth – specifically your jaw

You may have heard your dentist referring to overcrowding (where your teeth overlap). In many cases overcrowding is caused by the size of your jaw, which may be too small to accommodate all your teeth. There is a school of thought that suggests that our modern diet has seen us eat a greater proportion of softer foods which require less chewing, which in turn has resulted in our collective jaw sizes becoming smaller. 

2.     Natural tooth movement with age – mesial drift

Your teeth will naturally move and shift in your mouth throughout your lifetime, while teeth themselves are of course made of a hard material, they are attached via periodontal ligaments to your jawbone. While a periodontal ligament is durable, it can also be flexible, and as it’s a soft tissue it makes it prone to mobility. 

3.     Tooth decay and gum disease

Natural tooth movements, as I mentioned previously, occur throughout our lifetimes, but the degree of movement can be significantly affected by our overall dental health. Tooth decay affects the enamel, the hard surface that covers our teeth. Enamel loss, whether it is caused by acid attacking your teeth (eg sugars) or from over brushing, can change the shape of your tooth, which in turn can cause your teeth to move out of alignment.  Gum disease can have a significant impact on your teeth positioning; loosening the soft tissues that support your tooth structure, can lead to teeth moving within the jaw.

4.     Missing Teeth

A full set of teeth in the mouth, with no significant gaps, reduces the amount of sideways movement that individual teeth can make. Missing teeth offer a space for teeth to move into, and can lead to teeth shifting alignment and becoming crooked in appearance. This can be an advantage when treating overcrowding of course, as your dental professional will be able to utilise this space to gently give teeth the room they need.

5.     Facial Injury

A significant force or hit to the mouth area can lead to teeth moving out of place.

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6.     Bad habits

I see quite a few patients whose teeth alignment has been affected significantly because of habits that they had never considered would have had an impact on the straightness of their teeth, including:

·       Thumb sucking – over a period of time, the pressure of the thumb on the teeth and the movement itself of taking the thumb repeatedly in and out of the mouth can cause teeth, particularly those few teeth in the front top part of the mouth, to move outwards causing what is technically known as an overjet, (to you and I bucked teeth.)

·       Tongue thrusting – most ‘tongue thrusters’ don’t actually know they do this until it’s pointed out to them, but I see quite a few people who have affected their dental alignment while regularly pushing their tongue forwards while they are particularly focused on something.  This can create a condition known as open bite, where the top and bottom teeth don’t meet.

·       Bruxism/ teeth grinding – again it’s often one of those habits people don’t realise they have, and most frequently occurs in the sleep. But over time bruxism’s can wear the teeth down, changing their shape, and in turn, lead to unwanted tooth movement.

·       Poor posture – I’ve noticed this particularly for those patients who work predominantly with a computer, and rest their face on their hands when reading their computer screens. Gradually over months and years teeth can shift position due to the forces placed on them.

·       Sleep position – there is a school of thought that sleeping on your stomach over a significant number of years, can lead to your teeth moving position more than if you sleep on your side or back, as your put more pressure on your teeth.  If I’m honest the jury’s out for me on this one, but I do sleep on my side!

As Rhona Eskander adds “As you can see there are a significant number of factors which can affect dental alignment. But what can we do to minimise the movement and what can we do to straighten our teeth?  Firstly, it is important to address the underlying cause - sort out health issues such as gum disease or modify habitual behaviours. 

Then there are a range of options available for adults; whether it’s traditional ‘train track’ metal or ceramic wire and bracket braces, or lingual braces, where the metal wire and brackets are cemented on the back your teeth near your tongue, or the favourite of my patients, clear aligners, like Invisalign, which use a series of removable clear aligners to gradually move your teeth into a straighter position. The reasons for my patients opting for clear aligners ranges from discretion, public facing jobs, comfort and lifestyle (sports or musical) and these underline the reason for the spike in the numbers of adults seeking treatment.

The other reason for the surge in adult adoption is the rise and rise of younger, digitally savvy adults who have used digital technology for most of their lives are comfortable with the internet and social media, so a digital system such as Invisalign is much more acceptable and understood by them. Many come for treatment having already heard of Invisalign from their friends. They have appreciated how virtually invisible it is in other people’s mouths have heard from them how comfortable and how convenient the device is compared with fixed braces.  All we do is validate their concerns and explain that they won’t have the traditional issues of pain, speech issues and foods they need to avoid, and that they can take out their aligners for important sports or social occasions.   That coupled with a digital prediction of the end look of their teeth before they start treatment and they literally can’t wait to start - Millennials desire immediate gratification and experiences - which this treatment provides in spades.

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[ncmagroup]

  It’s easy to hear the phrase “native advertising” and think, “Psh.”

Native advertising can sometimes get a bad reputation, especially when advertisers (or publishers) make big mistakes with how and what kind of content they present.

Case in point: The Atlantic being forced to eat crow and repent after publishing an editorial that appeared like it was written by the Atlantic editorial team, but in reality came from the Church of Scientology.

Certainly bad PR, but it did inspire some good spinoffs.

Now there are reports that the FTC plans to force publishers to explicitly signpost when native advertisements exist alongside normal content. #FakeNews is the mantra of the day.

Despite this, there’s still one very good reason to not give up on native ads.

Why people are wrong about native advertisements

One of the big criticisms of native ads hinges on the fact that they “look” like normal content and trick users into believing they’re “real.” That’s just not true—when’s the last time you were actually fooled by a piece of native advertising? It just doesn’t happen.

The key to the success of native ads isn’t that they trick users but that they express themselves as exactly what they are. Buzzfeed and other content masterminds have shown that people will eagerly click on native ads even when they’re labeled “sponsored.” Why?

Because a native ad doesn’t require you to abandon the experience you’re currently in. You don’t get redirected to another site and have to figure out how to get back later—you just keep flowing through what Cody Brown calls the content buffet:

So don’t fret if FTC regulations force a little more explicit signaling about the native ads out there, a little more honesty on the part of publishers—the strength of native advertising is not how well they hide. It’s how well they can stand out.

Successful native advertising is brash, it’s colorful, and it stands out amidst the rest of the content around it. Studying it can tell you a lot about how to do advertising in general—especially advertising on Facebook.

1. Adobe (New York Times T Brand Studio)

The New York Times’ “T Brand Studio” deftly combines subtle native advertising with high-quality in-house content marketing befitting of the Gray Lady. This well-researched Adobe piece on the future of shopping provides valuable insights and statistics regarding shopping trends in a VR-centric future but does so without appearing too salesy.

More info on T Brand Studio: Beyond native: How the NY Times plans to turn T Brand Studio into a full-fledged agency

Takeaway: Just because it’s advertising doesn’t mean you have to let your editorial standards drop. Thoughtful, long-form content, even when it’s part of your marketing, can be a powerful way to get your name out there and create a beneficial brand association.

2. Patrón Tequila (Twitter)

For International Margarita Day (February 22nd), Patrón took to Twitter with a promoted hashtag #MargaritaoftheYear and tweet prompting users to help vote for one of 7 innovative cocktail recipes.

  Takeaway: When you’re on a social network like Facebook, you need to look for ways to integrate a social experience into your ads. You want people to be tagging their friends, commenting and sharing the things that your company puts out there, so you need to engage with your audience on a casual, informal level.

3. Morgan Stanley (BBC Future)

While the BBC is thought of as a public service broadcaster, they do have substantial native ad channels such as BBC Capital, BBC Travel, and BBC Future for non-UK audiences. This content marketing is subtly included towards the bottom of the BBC News homepage, with no indication that the article is sponsored. Iceland is certainly in vogue at the moment, so coupled with the authority of the BBC, Morgan Stanley scored a big win with this profile on the gorgeous island nation.

  Takeaway: When it comes to advertising, the value that you’re delivering to your audience is what matters, not the fact that the content is hyper-relevant to your brand or your company. Especially when you’re competing with lots of other content for attention (e.g. Facebook’s Newsfeed), you’re going to need to produce something that people actually want to read if you want them to voluntarily check out your branded content.

4. General Electric (The Message)

GE’s 8-week-long podcast series “The Message” explores aspects of sound technology through a sci-fi narrative about a rookie podcaster and a group of cryptographers decoding an ominous message from space. The podcast achieved broad media acclaim and won the 2016 Webby Award for Best Use of Native Advertising.

And that’s not all—it also featured a viral, interactive game and inspired a subreddit where people traded theories and discussed questions they had about the program.

Takeaway: While The Message came about well after Serial had popularized podcasting, GE challenged themselves to work with the medium in a way that no one had before. That’s key here—you can look at what others are doing in the world of advertising, and even hop on the bandwagon, but if you want to really make an impact, look for a way to go beyond and do things a little differently.

5. New York Lottery (#JackpotDrumroll)

To increase interest in the record $1.58 billion Powerball jackpot in 2016, the New York Lottery decided to literally drum up sales by hiring 211 drummers across New York State to stand outside of bodegas and convenience stores for twelve hours straight. This stunt led to news coverage across the state, amounting to an estimated $4.5 million in earned media. It was nominated for the 2016 Webby Award for Best Use of Native Advertising.

Takeaway: This may seem like a crazy stunt, but guerrilla marketing pretty often involves physical stunts of this kind. Salesforce founder Marc Benioff was famous for doing things like showing up to protest competitors conferences back in the early 2000s. If you’re looking for a way to set yourself apart from the pack, it’s an option!

6. Cedar Point Catch-a-Ghost

Famed Ohio theme park Cedar Point decided to promote its Halloween offerings by inviting users to screenshot a fleeting image of a ghost on their Snapchat story, in exchange for a coupon/prize. This encouraged repeat viewings, as the task was difficult, but it also spoke to their targeted teen demographic. It increased engagement on their Snapstory by 233% and 144k unique users. Also, since this was not formatted as an interrupting paid ad, but rather a seamless part of Cedar Point’s social media presence, it positioned the brand as a valuable content producer.

(Source)

(Source)

Takeaway: Contests are a powerful tool for drumming up audience interest on social media. In order to create a sustainable content strategy and not just a flash in the pan, however, you want to make sure that the contest leads users to sign up or subscribe to your channels. Otherwise, you could acquire a ton of users—but only temporarily.

7. Taco Bell

Taco Bell’s sponsored Snapchat Lens for Cinco De Mayo 2016 was a record-breaker, garnering over 224 million views in a single day.

That was a huge success, though perhaps not that feasible for most of us, as these custom lenses can cost up to $750,000 for a primetime spot. Taco Bell was, however, also one of the very first marketers to buy into Snapchat’s on-demand geo-filter program.

Prices for these start as low as $5—a worthy investment if you’re thinking about Snapchat as a potential advertising channel.

(Source)

Takeaway: Sometimes big brands pull off marketing campaigns that no small or medium-sized company has the resources to follow. That doesn’t mean, however, that you don’t ever have a way to do something similar. There are plenty of ways that your SMB can use Snapchat in your advertising, for instance, even if you don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars to put towards it!

8. Airbnb (South London Hosted by Artwork / Thump)

This portal on Vice Media’s Thump Channel invites users to explore South London as curated by DJ and producer Artwork. The portal includes videos, several original articles, and an explorable map of points of interest. This subtly nods to Airbnb as being the best way to explore South London, but the branding isn’t overbearing, and the content has clear standalone value.

9. Netflix (Cocainenomics by the Wall Street Journal)

To promote its show Narcos, Netflix collaborated with the Wall Street Journal to create an interactive portal exploring the history of the international drug trade, and its nexus in Medellín, Colombia.

Featuring well-designed maps, timelines, articles, and even a quiz, this is a great example of native advertising generating interest and value.

Takeaway: Partnerships can be an incredibly powerful way to take your advertising in directions that would not have been possible otherwise. Other kinds of businesses bring different kinds of value to their audiences—and have different kinds of reputations—so the right kind of partnership can create very powerful effects both with regards to capturing new customers and delighting the ones you already have.

10. Newcastle Brown Ale (Gizmodo)

Newcastle embraced the snark of the then-Gawker affiliate Gizmodo in this 2014 paid article entitled “We’ve Disguised This Newcastle Ad as an Article to Get You to Click It.” The article explains how Newcastle purchased ad space from Gizmodo so they could embed a video about a focus group discussing a Super Bowl ad that Newcastle couldn’t afford to make.

Certainly a meta-approach to advertising, but the wry tone and radical honestly of this piece will cement Newcastle as a self-aware presence in the minds of the Gizmodo/Gawker crowd.

Takeaway: The amount of noise in the advertising/marketing world has grown exponentially over the last decade. One surefire way to make sure that you stand out amongst the crowd is to take a self-aware stance in your advertising. It can also work out for publishers, who have an opportunity, to be honest about why they’re putting native advertising in front of their readers—because it costs money to create good content!

11. Seven Seas Cod Liver Oil (Good News by The Telegraph)

Leading British health supplement company Seven Seas utilized a unique native advertising approach by sponsoring a curated page of positive and uplifting news in The Telegraph. You barely notice the Seven Seas branding if you’re not looking for it. Mostly you see a litany of articles having to do with well-being, human interest stories, and the like:

“Scientists reverse aging in mammals”

“Boy donates hair”

“Man takes a terminally ill dog on a farewell cross-country road trip”

  Although these topics have nothing to do with cod liver oil whatsoever, one leaves the page with a small psychological bias to view Seven Seas in a more positive light. It’s simply an association.

Takeaway: The content on this Telegraph sponsored page has nothing to do with cod liver oil. That goes to show that you don’t need to be self-promotional for your advertising to work—all you need is a brand an idea of the kind of content you should produce to make a statement.

12. Denny’s (Twitter)

Denny’s is known for its surreal Twitter, aiming to produce content aligned with the Dada-eqsue end of the meme spectrum. These aren’t paid ads, Denny’s is counting on Twitter users to be interested enough in their content to actually follow their account. Clearly targeting a millennial demographic, Denny’s embraces odd haikus and egg-based non-sequiturs to build brand awareness and street cred in a demographic not typically interested in casual dining chains.

Takeaway: No one says you have to adopt the Brand Marketing Voice to have a proper social presence. Denny’s has 355.4k followers and whoever runs their Twitter sounds like a 14-year old with a highly active Tumblr. Feel free to experiment.

13. Xerox (The Atlantic)

Xerox and The Atlantic collaborated to develop a portal for readers interested in seeing the latest ideas in the realm of productivity and growth hacking. Featuring articles by leading experts and a free e-book, the well-designed page is also interactive.

Based on the problems you’re having with your business, such as alignment, productivity, or agility—you can choose to receive different kinds of information.

Takeaway: Most of the examples in this post concern consumer-facing content. But B2B customers are just as human and just as interested in reading native content. We’re big fans of this technique—read our guide to marketing and promoting your free eBook here.

14. Ikea (The Telegraph)

The Telegraph scores again with a quirky A-Z quiz from Ikea that provides readers with tips on how to get a good night’s sleep. Like other native ads, this campaign shies away from selling a specific product but instead aims to strengthen Ikea’s brand association as a quirky yet accessible organization.

Takeaway: The good old-fashioned quiz, brought back into style (mostly) by Buzzfeed, is a cost-effective and fresh format for native advertising. It fits into the same vein as content like eBooks—you want to take the knowledge and expertise that your company has and use it to help others diagnose issues with their life, business, sleep (above), or other facets of their life.

15. Airbnb (New York Times)

This New York Times/T Brand Studio collaboration with Airbnb tells the story of Ellis Island and immigration in New York, by exploring specific family histories through narration, maps, and archival photos. Although subtle, this native ad focuses on aspects of hospitality and homebuilding that newcomers may experience in New York, a well-aligned sentiment for a short-term housing platform like Airbnb.

Takeaway: Even if your advertising isn’t going to be directly about your product or your company, it can still try to fulfill the mission that your company represents. Airbnb’s brand is all about hospitality, so this piece of content about the legacy of Ellis Island and how it has welcomed immigrants for centuries makes perfect sense for them to post.

16. Leidos (Politico Focus)

Engineering consultancy Leidos appeals to the Beltway set through “Hacker Avenue,” an interactive exploration of the vulnerabilities our society faces as we become increasingly reliant on the Internet of Things. Using smart infographics, a mini-game that leads you to important facts and statistics, and a robust piece of accompanying content, Leidos scored a big win on a platform not typically thought of as being aligned with native advertising.

Takeaway: Infographics are hands-down one of the best ways to create content that’s inherently shareable. Combine a great infographic with a great marketing campaign, and you can see your content spread across the internet like wildfire. For more on how to create sharable infographics, check out our piece on the 6 things all viral infographics have in common.

17. YouTube (Awesome Stuff Week)

To drum up interest in YouTube’s new e-commerce integrations, a campaign was launched to leverage YouTube’s top talent in the gadget and fashion spheres. iJustine and Lewis Hilsentegerof Unbox Therapy were just two of the YouTubers brought together to celebrate what wound up being called “Awesome Stuff Week,” a curated celebration of unboxings and makeup demos. It’s a natural medium for the message that you can now buy items straight from within YouTube videos.

(Image Source)

Takeaway: If you’re trying to tell users about a new service or release a new product, it always helps to build your marketing campaign on the back of something people already know—like influencers. On Instagram, contacting influencers and working with them to increase your exposure can be an easy way to get your brand’s name out there fast.

18. Warner Brothers (Fortune Magazine)

To promote its “Batman vs. Superman” film, Warner Brothers decided to sponsor a native advertising interview with villain Lex Luther Jr, under the guise of sponsorship by “LexCorp.” This is a great way to acknowledge the pitfalls of native advertising (such as the non-discreet sponsorship branding), while also helping maintain suspension of disbelief, for a tycoon like Luther probably would sponsor native advertising in a magazine like Fortune.

Takeaway: You can have some fun with the standard formats of advertising—for instance, there’s no reason you can’t have an interview with a fictional figure appear in the pages of Forbes!

19. IBM (The Atlantic)

The Atlantic proves again that it is at the forefront of developing high-quality and engaging sponsored content, this time for IBM. In this 4 part series, “Blood, Sweat, and Data”new innovations in sports medicine, equipment, and cloud solutions are analyzed alongside accessible infographics and shareable statistics.

Takeaway: Whenever you’re trying to produce engaging content for marketing purposes, you want to identify opportunities you have that will be 1) the least effort for you, and 2) the most entertaining for your audience. Data is a place where you often get this opportunity—you have a lot of it, and when put into the right kind of narrative, it will enthrall your audience.

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19 Amazing Native Advertising Ad Examples It’s easy to hear the phrase “native advertising” and think, “Psh.” Native advertising can sometimes get a bad reputation, especially when advertisers (or publishers) make big mistakes with how and what kind of content they present.