#which i know is an improvement over Complete 12 Hour Work In Eight Hours which has been their mo for the past month

[chronotopes]

ive had to email my boss "hey can i have a project to work on" like twice in the past week and if i don't get something new in the next fifteen minutes i'm going to have to do it again. what is going ON at this company. it is humiliating every time, like being a student reminding the teacher that there is homework, but i do not want to risk getting in trouble for not working so like. i guess the alternative is being annoying.

[juliusthedressmaker]

Hey! Have you ever been to school when you were my age?

Hello there (⁠◔⁠‿⁠◔⁠)

I was born in 1874. Regularly attending a real school was a luxury and privilege that was only available for the upper class. I was born into a working class family, and a working class family in the Victorian era is nothing like the luxury lives of the working class in the 2020s, you know?

Coming from a working class family in the 1800s meant I began working in the coal mines at least 6 hours a day, at least 4 days a week with my father, shortly after turning 4 years old. Of course as I got older, my hours of labor increased. At 10 years old, left school due to my hours working in the coal mines being increased to 12 hours a day, 6 a week. This was a common thing for the time, you know?

So no, I did not attend any school in the way you would know it to be. The closest I came to schooling was attending a one took, all ages school house which was rather dilapidated and lacked any learning materials and supplies. I was able to attend once a week for a 3 hour day, maybe twice a week if I was lucky (though that was very rare).

Most school was done at home in that era, however my parents never bothered so instead, Killian was my teacher. He never attended a day of school yet taught himself from a very young age not just the core subjects but advanced mathematics, science, languages.. Much more. He's a genius, you know?

I discontinued working in the mines at 13 years old, and once again began attending school for a few hours once or twice a week, upon Killian getting me a job as a bartender at the pub he worked at. It was eight hours a day and seven days a week, from 4pm-12am. It paid better, much better.

The schedule and hours were much more doable and tolerable, not to mention the environment was far superior. I still have and always will have the chronic severe cough I developed at 4 years old from the coal mines, however once I began it working at the bar, the cough no longer continued to worsen and even improved just a bit over a few years. Plus, I got to be with Killian at work there, so truly got to spend every moment together. I was as close to happy as Im able to when I began working at the pub, given it meant no longer being stuck in dark caverns, alone with my father in a space so small that the cave walls forcefully were pushing me into him............

Uhh, anyway, school. I stopped going all together from 10-12 years old. At 13 I began attending again though I only did so until I was 15, which was when I permanently disconnected attending. This was common for the time. Instead I focused on working and learning trades.

Most of my educational time was spent teaching myself how to make truly perfect, one of a kind and purely gorgeous dresses. When I was 16, I showed the collection I had made so far to a few women and girls who attended the same church as my family and I. They all were infatuated with the dresses and wanted to purchase one. After I realized I could turn my passion into a job I made an income from, well.... You can figure out where it went from there.

It deeply pisses me the hell off to overhear kids and teens complaining about attending school and claiming it is too difficult... You all live in luxury, and get a full education for free at that. For anyone who read this: before you bitch and moan over school, just remember that if you were born in the 1800s or early 1900s, you won't be at school because you'll be working in coal mines and sweeping chimneys every single day for half of the hours in the day. Will you prefer that? No.

Hush and go finish your studies and complete your papers. Zip it about the bullies, either ignore or punch but so help me Satan if anyone dare say 'b-but bullies and school s-stressful' to me, I WILL BULLY THE LIVING HELL OUT OF YOU AND INDUCE THE MOST STRESSFUL EXPERIENCE OF YOUR FUCKING LIFE >:U

All that said, I did not ever hold much interest in schooling, you know? However Killian would dream of being able to attend just a single day of school though he never was given the chance. In fact his childhood dream was to become an academic. He wanted to become a professor who teaches Latin(which he fluently speaks) and/or Ancient Roman History. I'm sure he would be fascinated and excited to hear about how school is now, and the intensity of it.

Have a happy afternoon!

:)<3

[aajjks]

TPOL!JK

“phew, mom, i’m home!!“ you yell while hanging your stuff up in the closet and kicking your shoes off at the door. work, yes, work was exhausting and there’s nothing like your mom’s home cooking to make you feel better after another long 12 hour shift.

its been exactly 2 months since you last left korea and moved to switzerland with your mother. you struggled to make ends meet for awhile and tried to keep a low profile when it came to completing your schooling. you did an easy program that allowed your credits to transfer so you could graduate with your masters, got licensed, and immediately began applying for jobs.

one week later, you got a job and began working hard to catch up on the bills and even pay for your mother’s healthcare which wasn’t expensive at all. you both live in a fairly small home but it’s a home nevertheless and your mother loves it here. she even made a friend named lola who lives next door.

although you take the train, you’re working on buying a car so you can just drive your mother around and in a year, you do just that. you buy yourself a gray honda sedan and improved on your german even though you’re still working on it. everything was going well, perfect even.

no jungkook, no crazy ass daddy issues, and you secretly flew yerin in every now and again to hang out. she informed you that jungkook asked her about you and is presumably dating a girl named tina hwang.

when you google search his name, he’s posted with this so-called tina everywhere. charity events, fashion shows, and other expensive gatherings that praise the two for looking lovely together. his stocks sky rocketed as well, so it’s safe to say he’s doing good and so are you.

you’re healthy, you’re working a sufficient job that provides for both you and your mother, and you even got a cane corso named mochi.

“so, you ARE coming to my birthday party, right y/n?”

“yes, yes” you giggle “i will be there”

and after 7 long months, you return back home for yerin’s birthday week. you stay at a hotel in seoul and keep in contact with your mom and your baby boy mochi. your mother informs you to be very careful and you know why.

the first two days, you, yerin, and hyuna go clubbing, eat out and have a lot of fun. you all drink, laugh, and reminisce on the good old days. however, jungkook gets a picture from his “friend” that shows you. outside. back in korea. your hair is a lot shorter and you look happier. you even look a bit curvier too.

you’re wearing a skintight dress he would NEVER approve of and there’s a crescent moon tattoo behind your ear with little stars. you look beautiful and he gets this urge to see you. he HAS to. at least one last time.

and so the next morning, you’re sitting by yourself at a coffee shop with your laptop typing away. you drink your coffee, eat your blueberry muffin, and read text messages from yerin who’s teasing you about working despite having a week off.

your smile is immediately turned to a frown when someone asks if they could sit with you. a familiar someone who you knew would show their face to you sooner or later.

“thought you said i’d never hear from you again if i walked out?”

“I don’t even know what I’m doing here.” Oh hearing your voice was the best thing ever. And if it’s possible, you’re even more beautiful now.

He takes time to look at your face, but you’re not even looking at him you’re just busy typing away at your laptop, Jungkook isn’t sure what he’s doing here he just had to see you. It is so pathetic he knows.

It is so pathetic how he is still not over you despite you guys ending it eight months ago. He sits right across you. “I just wanted to see your face.” He coughs out.

Oh, how is he going to be able to keep his composure when he’s seeing you after so long?

“I guess I do deserve the cold treatment you’re giving me.” he speaks once again but you don’t respond. It’s like he’s talking to a wall.

“I cannot believe that you moved away.” He says tone, a little, taunting. “so tell me how’s life in Switzerland yn?” He cannot take his eyes off a few and he sure that you noticed that.

He Scratches his neck, right where your name is tattooed.

He still has that tattoo. “why are you back?”

[jakemarsigliofin]

Entry 5 - Achievements and milestones (both technically and professionally, during the internship and personally).

Whilst there were no trophy presentations or official forms recognising my milestones and achievements throughout my internship with SEN, there were often little goals and personal bests I would set myself to achieve every shift.

Mintzberg et al. (2005) states that ‘goal setting involves the development of an action plan designed to motivate and guide a person or group’ This plan of action is what I adopted and created great success especially when motivation would linger, and I wanted to remain productive.

For instance, a simple one would be the number of videos/clips I could successfully edit and upload. I would tally this in all different ways whether it be clips completed in an hour, a shift, or even on an average basis (I.e., every 15 minutes).

In the first couple of weeks of my internship the goal would start simply with four clips completed in an hour. Of course, other tasks and things would get in the way, and I wouldn’t hold myself against that, but to start the milestone was four clips to ensure that there’d be no slacking off and that my role would be covered.

As time went on and my confidence and understanding of the position grew so did my little goals. With the quickest editing clips that didn’t lag or make me wait for too long I was determined to reach six to seven clips completed per hour. This was a great help when I was able to complete this goal as for shows such as SEN Breakfast, Whateley and Andy & Gazey that needed their footage to be posted onto various social media platforms straight away.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1607670248127320069

(This clip is two minutes long. With how fast the loading and exporting times were for Melbourne based shows that’s how long it would take to complete the clipping of the video, Andy & Gazey)

In terms of full shifts that I would stick around for eight hours for, I deem a successful day to be one where I completed and uploaded over 30 clips for social media viewing.  

At the end of my time with SEN my personal bests were as follows.  

Most Clips completed in an hour: 10

Most Clips completed in a day: 45

Fastest Clip that was completed: 50 seconds (including export time)

On a personal level, a milestone that was repeatedly reached was where I was able to fully understand how to edit a new show that needed new graphics shown on the page, thus independently creating the content and not hassling any co-workers and taking them away from their own work.

My co-worker very graciously reminded me of my speed, hard work and determination to produce content much to which I was very grateful but also didn’t know how to accept because I am awkward when it comes to getting complimented.

With all these little goals and compliments wrapped together, it added to the motivation that I already progressed to keep striving and beat my past performances.

Brad Johnson's early AFL season preview for Crows, Lions, Blues, Pies, Bombers & Dockers - SEN

(This longer videos I put together for a SEN’s YouTube channel could be broken down and split into six different clips and therefore getting me closer to my numerical goal, SEN Sports)

REFERENCES

 Andy & Gazey (@TheRunHomeSEN) (2022, December 27) How does Alastair Clarkson improve the legitmacy of a club like North Melbourne?. Twitter. https://twitter.com/i/status/1607670248127320069

  Kelliher, F., Murphy, M., & Harrington, D. (2020). Exploring the role of goal setting and external accountability mechanisms in embedding strategic learning plans in small firms. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 27(5), 705–725. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-12-2019-0411

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #146: Medusa (Lancer)

Today on Fate and Phantasms, we’re making the mini-dusa, Medusa Lancer. In this build, Medusa is an Eldritch Knight Fighter, and only that. Sadly Flesh to Stone is a little to high-level to get, but we’ll make it work.

Check out her build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet over here!

Next up: The closest thing we’re getting to a Tiamat build.

Race and Background

Having been kicked out of godhood by Athena, Medusa is the ultimate Hermit, giving her Religion proficiency. We’ll also switch things up and give her Acrobatics proficiency for sick anime flips while fighting.

Like her sisters, she’s also a Yuan-Ti, giving her +1 Intelligence and +2 Strength, thanks to Tasha’s. She also gets Darkvision,  Innate Spellcasting for the Poison Spray cantrip and unlimited uses of Animal Friendship on snakes. At third level you can also cast Suggestion once per long rest. All these spells use charisma to cast. You have Magic Resistance and Poison Immunity as well, the former giving you advantage on saves against magic, and the latter making you completely immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition.

It’s a shame you aren’t Small, but no race is perfect.

Ability Scores

Even if you’re wearing armor it doesn’t cover much, so make sure your Dexterity is pretty high. After that is Strength, which actually becomes your highest stat after racial bonuses if you’re using the standard array, because you’re swinging around a giant scythe and you aren’t a monk. Third is Intelligence, you know more than you let on and that’s the stat your eyes are attached to. Your Constitution isn’t amazing, but it’ll be plenty. Your Wisdom is kind of low, but we’re dumping Charisma. You just are not a people person, and you’re easily bribed with sweets.

Levels

1. First level fighters get a Fighting Style, and Thrown Weapon Fighting makes your scythe and chains a little more deadly, adding 2 to its damage rolls. Drawing the weapon can also be done in the same action you attack with it. You also get a Second Wind, letting you heal yourself as a bonus action. Your goddess core might protect you, but it’s important to pace yourself too.

You also get proficiency in Strength and Constitution saves, as well as two fighter skills. You’ve been on your own for a bit, so Survival is a good pick, and your character arc starts with you not being a fan of humanity, so I bet your Intimidation rolls will get a workout.

2. Second level fighters get an Action Surge, letting you slap an extra action onto your turn once per short rest. Copying an anime is always hard to do in D&D, but this’ll make it a bit easier at least.

3. As an Eldritch Knight, you get a Weapon Bond, letting you summon a weapon to your hand as a bonus action. You also can’t be disarmed while you’re conscious, but you’ll be throwing that thing around so much it probably won’t do much.

The big draw of the E. Knight, however, is the Spells you can cast with your Intelligence. Most of the spells you get will be abjuration or evocation, but that doesn’t stop you from getting Booming Blade and Mold Earth as cantrips. The former makes your scythe a bit scarier, and the latter is one of the few things proving your legitimacy as an earth goddess. You also get Mage Armor, because let’s be honest that outfit doesn’t count, Snare for some quick and dirty immobilization, and Longstrider to make yourself a little more mobile.

4. Speaking of mobility, use your first Ability Score Improvement to grab the Mobile feat, making you 10′ faster per round and making it so you can ignore attacks of opportunity from creatures you’ve tried to hit this turn.

You also learn the spell Protection from Evil and Good, making it harder for the gods to continue to ruin your life. Gods: not even once.

5. Your Extra Attack lets you attack twice per action, or four times with your action surge. Chains aren’t that deadly a weapon, it’s more about the quantity over quality.

6. Use this ASI to bump up your Intelligence for stronger spells. Trust me, you’ll want them.

7. Seventh level eldritch knights learn War Magic. If you use your action to cast a cantrip, you can then use your bonus action to hit somebody. How nice of them. You also learn the first of the two “none of the spells from 2nd level really work for you so we’re taking things that could reasonably be construed as Not Magic” spells, Enhance Ability, which lets you try a bit harder to gain advantage on one kind of ability score check. If you pick one of the physical scores, you also get a little bonus for your troubles.

8. Use this ASI to bump up your Strength for stronger scything. You also learn the one good 2nd level spell, Hold Person, forcing a wisdom saving throw (DC 8+proficiency + int modifier) on a humanoid, or they become paralyzed for the duration of the spell, up to a minute. They get to remake the save each round, but we’ll get a way to deal with that in a bit.

9. Before that though, you’re going to be Indomitable, letting you re-roll a failed save once per long rest! Your wisdom save’s looking a little weak, but we’ll patch it up in a bit.

10. Tenth level eldritch knights get an Eldritch Strike, giving creatures you hit disadvantage on saves against your spells for the next round. That means hitting people makes your hold person work better, and hold person makes your hitting people work better. It’s symbiosis.

Your war magic is so powerful it almost makes True Strike not useless, and you also get the second NOTSF2LRWFYSWTTTCRBCANM spell, Arcane Lock. It’s a lock, just pretend you’re carrying a lock around for some reason.

11. I hope the Extra Attacks aren’t getting too repetitive yet, because you’re getting another one this level! Now you can attack three times an action, or six times a turn with action surge.

You also learn the spell Thought Shield, because I was so tired of second level’s nonsense I turned to the UA to pad this out. For eight hours, one creature you touch can’t have their mind read, and it has advantage on saves that would determine if it’s lying. If people could figure you out, you wouldn’t be a god.

12. Twelfth level fighters get another ASI, and this one is making us Resilient, giving you +1 Wisdom and proficiency with wisdom saves. Actually getting magic cast on you is for plebians.

13. Your second use of Indomitable per long rest isn’t that flashy, but what is flashy is getting to use third level spells, like Intellect Fortress! For up to an hour, the creature you target has resistance to psychic damage, and gets advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saves. You already have advantage on most of those saves thanks to magic resistance, but now you can pass that onto a chosen champion as well. You could also use that third level slot for hold person, to hold two people at once.

14. Let’s make your magic even stronger with another ASI going right into Intelligence. That should make your eyes almost inescapable! You also learn the spell Haste, doubling your movement speed, adding 2 to your AC, and giving you most of an extra action each turn for the duration of the spell. You have to take a bit of a nap the turn after it ends, but the fight should be over by then.

15. Fifteenth level eldritch knights get an Arcane Charge when you use your Action Surge, letting you anime teleport behind someone immediately before or after your second action, to make sure the enemy knows it’s “nothing personnel, kid”. 

16. Use this ASI to round up your Dexterity and Wisdom for better saves and a higher AC. You also learn Counterspell, because your scythe is literally sharp enough to cut magic. I’m sure Medea isn’t jealous at all.

17. Seventeenth level fighters get an extra use of Action Surge and Indomitable. Not much else to say about this level. You’re just you, but better.

18. Your last eldritch knight goody continues the trend of “you, but better” with Improved War Magic, letting you attack as a bonus action after casting any sort of spell. Hit some people, action surge, cast hold person on them while they’re weak, then hit them again for more fun.

19. Use your last ASI for more Constitution for better concentration and more HP. You also learn the spell Stoneskin for even more defense, giving you resistance to physical damage types.

20. Your last level gives you yet another Extra Attack, giving you four attacks per action or eight with action surge. You also get your last spell, Protection from Energy, which can give you resistance to one type of damage: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder, for up to an hour.

Pros:

Normally hold person’s “save every turn” weakness would be an issue, but thanks to eldritch strike you can use it effectively for crowd control. Hit people, freeze them in place, then hit them some more!

You’re also pretty mobile, with 40-50 feet of movement and teleportation making it hard to pin you down for retaliation.

On top of all of that, you’re strongly resistant against magic, with ways to cheat spell saves and reduce damage even further with Protection from Energy.

Cons:

Using daggers, scythes, and whips to represent your chained weapons is fine and all, but it does mean all your attacks only do 1d4 damage. Even paralyzing your enemies for guaranteed crits isn’t going to make you scary.

Eldritch Knight spell slots only go up to level 4, so you won’t be able to cast Flesh to Stone. Maybe the big you can do it...

Your mobility spells, Hold Person, and protection spells all use concentration, so you’ll only be able to do one of those at a time.

[cheri-translates]

[CN] Victor’s Remembrance Date (Eng Translation)

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a date which has not been released in English servers! 🍒

Note: A bullet-point summary, but important scenes have detailed translations!

This format will be used in subsequent translations because pausing at every frame takes too much time (I’ll still do it for Gavin’s dates because I’m biased) :>

Doing this will also retain some novelty for you when the date comes to EN! :)

In his birthday event, Victor is eight years old and takes a plane alone to visit his mother in France

His birthday wish: I wish for my mother to be healthy, for my father’s work to go smoothly, and that my family can be together more often.

His mother plays “Serenade” (by Franz Schubert) on the piano. She tells him that it’s a song to be played to someone you like (this piece of information will be important in the date)

The actual date begins on 12 January, the evening before Victor’s birthday

MC is in Souvenir to ensure that her preparation for Victor’s surprise party is complete - both the cake and gift are done

Victor suddenly calls and tells her to pack her luggage so he can whisk her off to Paris to settle some issues with a program

Several hours later, they reach Paris

MC can’t help feeling downcast because her efforts to prepare the surprise party went to waste

Even though she’s used to having their private time taken over by work, she still wants to help him celebrate since it’s a special day

He happens to be free that evening, so she hopes to give him a surprise

But Victor suggests that he brings her to meet someone

Along the way, he purchases flowers, and MC’s mind wanders for a while

Afterwards, she realises that Victor is bringing her to his mother’s former residence, which is near a university

IT’S SO PRETTY

He starts talking how his mother allowed students to stay here whenever they wanted to, so it’s kept in good condition

And that she used to be a student in the university as well

MC starts feeling very anxious because it’s as though she’s here to meet the parents

In her fluster, she accidentally presses on the piano keys, and Victor asks if she’s preparing for an impromptu performance

MC starts playing "Serenade” on the piano because she heard him listening to it in the car before

She doesn’t know what it means to Victor

Victor is stunned for a while but recovers

Victor: MC.

Victor rarely calls my name in such a serious manner. It takes me a long while to react, and I nod numbly.  

His low voice seems to have a deliberate warmth in it, and it softly encases me within.

Victor: I’ve never cared about a “sense of ceremony”. A lot of ceremonies are meant for others to see. My life does not require the participation and approval of many people. A certain dummy seems keen on this though, and is always thinking of holding parties, giving gifts, preparing surprises…

Victor’s frown disappears. His dark eyes are dyed with a faint smile.  

Victor: So… it’s not a bad thing to switch the roles sometimes. MC, this is my “sense of ceremony”.

MC gets flustered and accidentally reveals that she prepared a cake as a birthday surprise

They leave the residence, heading towards the café where the cake is at

Just as we reach the opposite end, a small souvenir stall catches my attention.

In the midst of various souvenirs, one particular item takes up half the space. With a closer look, I realise that those are locks.

MC: Eh? Did we walk past the Love Lock Bridge just now?

I can’t remember when I first came across the story related to this bridge.

Legend says that if two people who are mutually in love hang the lock on the bridge, they will be together forever, until death.

I hurriedly turn around, but only see glass railings, and the slow-moving water under the bridge. There is no place to hang the lock.

Victor: Due to safety concerns, this bridge underwent a rectification a few years ago, and the railings are completely made of glass now.

I look towards Victor in shock.

MC: How did you know that I was thinking about this?!

Victor: A dummy’s thoughts are written all over her face. There’s no need to guess. For example, it’s clear from your face that you want to buy the lock as a souvenir.

Not wanting to be seen through once again, I retort in a soft voice.

MC: …I wasn’t planning to buy it at first, but since you put it that way, I have no choice but to buy one.

While saying this, I pull a resigned Victor to the small stall, and carefully select a lock.

Among the various fancy designs, a relatively simple red coloured heart lock catches my eyes.  

MC: I’ll have this one!

After paying, I stuff the lock and its golden coloured key into Victor’s hand.

Victor: What are you doing?

Looking at his hesitant expression, I smile and blink at him.

MC: This is your birthday present. A heart lock – there’s only one in the world! You didn’t guess it this time round, right?

Victor’s expression freezes for a moment, but it quickly returns to its usual state. He purses his lips into a line.

Victor: You’re right. Even after a year, your taste has not improved. However…

“Kacha”

Victor raises his hand and locks the heart lock.

After that, he places the golden coloured key into my palm.

The cold key and the warm fingertips – these two feelings mingle on my skin.

Along with his voice, they take over my senses.

Victor: Take it.

MC: For me…?

The white breath from my words spin in the air, and finally condense into a smile, appearing on his lips.

Victor: This is a key – there’s only one in the world. Now, I’m giving it to you.

The sun has completely set, encasing the world in a cloak of fiery red.

In the distance, the Eiffel Tower lies in the sunset. Sentences strung with beautiful French words drift into our ears. The occasional noise from pedestrians passes us by.

Everything is quiet and tranquil. Only my heart is beating wildly.

I curl my finger, holding the key tightly, as though I’m grasping a switch to the future.

MC: You… why are you suddenly saying such childish things…

In contrast to my wavering voice, the sound of Victor’s laugh is clear as it lands on my ears.

Victor: I said it before. It’s not bad to be like this sometimes.

His voice and the music of a cello from a café somewhere are both low and long drawn.

A bird flies over the Seine River, and the streetlights flicker for a moment before they light up.

The bell tower rings five times in the distance, and the lingering sound in the air reminds me of the time, and also tugs at my heart.  

It is 5pm in Paris, which is also… 1am in Loveland City.

After a second of hesitation, I make a decision.

I suddenly lift my head, directly meeting Victor’s gaze. I stare at the reflection of myself in his eyes.

I stand on my tiptoes and pull on his tie, secretly retrieving the present I prepared since this morning from my pocket.

I can see a flash of astonishment in Victor’s eyes, but that emotion is soon concealed and becomes even more profound and tender.

Cooperating with my movements, he leans down, and his hair sweeps across my cheek.

Like the evening light in the sky, and the streetlamps that were just lit, the gentle and soft sensation lingers where we touch.

In the midst of my rapidly beating heart, I release my hold. I take out the present, both cheeks red.

MC: I was lying just now… this is my real present. Victor, happy birthday.

Before I finish speaking, Victor reaches out to hold onto my waist, pulling me over.

The sudden closing of distance leaves me unable to react. I can only look dumbfoundedly at the person before me, and stare into his deep eyes.

Victor: Don’t move.

This is a very light and shallow kiss.

Like a feather, gently brushing across my lips. Like gentle waves on shallow water.

Yet, utterly special under the encasement of the sunset, the music and chiming of the clock mingling together.

It leaves an indelible mark in the deepest parts of my memory, and the most tender parts of my heart.

-

Phone call: here

Video call: here

[dreams-of-a-lark]

(Lark and Elias’s first and last photos together)

TASK 1: THE LAST DAY

January 11, 2016 7:00 AM, EST 12:00 PM, GMT

“Lark, you know I love you—”

“Boring.”

“Mmm fair. It’s fine, I have others. How about this one? Lark, you mean more to me than—” 

“Erh! Nope. Try again.”

“Oh, come on, you barely let me start!”

“Boo hoo… I knew where you were going with it. Got anything else?”

“Just one more, I was saving this one for last. It’s the best one I have, so will you let me actually get going before you stop me this time?” 

“Maybe. Compel me and we’ll see. I want to see you dig into the deep recesses of your soul, pull out your raw, still-beating heart and lay it bare. Otherwise, what am I even here for?”

“You’re unbelievable. But fine… Ahem...” Elias closed his eyes and let out a deep, shuttered sigh, “Lark. Before I met you, I had lost almost all faith in humanity. I found it impossible to believe that anyone acted with genuinely good intentions. I was bitter, cynical, lonely… and then, just as I was on the precipice of giving up on people entirely, there you were. Right on time. This pure light, banishing all my shadows. You are everything I was once sure didn’t exist in reality, but also the most real thing I’ve ever encountered.

The sheer amount of love you have to give blows me away. Love isn’t something you keep a reserve of only for certain special people. For you, love permeates the air around you everywhere you go and anyone lucky enough to meet you or know you gets to breathe it freely. Lark, you are so good, with no expectations or conditions attached to it, but just because it’s your nature. You make me want to be better everyday now, whereas before… I was just working on the motivation to be, period point blank. 

I have had the unfathomable privilege to breathe your love everyday for the past eight years and I hope you’ve felt even a fraction of what you’ve given me reflected back to you. Because, Lark, I love you more than I have the words to say. I love you with every last bit of life in me and I want to love you and feel your love for just that long, until the very last bit of life leaves me and I’m returned to the earth. I don’t know where I’ll be in the next five, ten, fifty years, all I know is I want to be wherever you are. So, Lark Dorian Crain, will you marry me?”

A silence hung in the air accompanied only by a faint mechanical whirring and the low buzz of an LCD screen. Katie finally broke it, her voice glitching and tinny through Elias’s small laptop speakers, “Better.” She said simply.

“Seriously? That’s it?” Elias replied, his voice laden with shock and disappointment.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful, definitely a solid start. I almost teared up a few times. But, as all first drafts go, it could use some improvement.”

“It’s not my first draft, though…”

“Eh, feels like a first draft, love.”

“You know, sometimes it’s almost impossible to believe you’re related to Lark, let alone twins?”

“To be fair, do you know anyone in our family that’s really like Lark?”

“Eleanor.”

“Not related to us, stupid.”

“Mmm.. true. Ugh! Katydid... What do I Katy-do?”

“Well, for starters, you could never do whatever that just was again. Secondly, stop worrying about it, seriously. Knowing Lark, you could throw the ring across the deck and say, ‘go fetch if you wanna marry me’ and he’ll be running for it in an instant.”

Elias rolled his eyes, but smiled fondly at the thought of Lark bounding eagerly around the ship. It filled his heart whenever he thought of Lark’s joy, to think he had the power to bring so much of it to the surface baffled him endlessly.

“I’m so nervous,” he admitted.

“You don’t need to be,” Katie reassured him, “All jokes aside, it’s beautiful, and Lark loves you so much. You may not have moved me to tears, but you’ll definitely move him to tears. And then he’s going to blush like a damned schoolgirl and say yes a million times, like the sappy romantic he is.”

“You think so?”

“If he doesn’t, call an exorcist immediately, because that’s not Lark.”

Elias scoffed, but this was comforting encouragement to hear. Nothing he didn’t secretly already know, but it didn’t hurt to be reminded when he was feeling self-conscious. He breathed in deeply, filling up his cheeks with air, then puffing it back out through the small ‘o’ his mouth formed. 

“You’re right, I know.”

“I know you know. Listen, I’ve got to get back to work, love. I can call you when I get off, if you want, but you really should just enjoy your time with him today. Just act like it’s any other day... on a fancy cruise ship with the love of your life. Right?” 

Elias nodded, “Right. No need to call me back, you’re right. I’m just going to enjoy the day with him. Have a good day at work, I’m sure we’ll both call you after it happens.”

“I’ll be sure to hold the phone far away from my ear, so you all can squeal without busting my eardrums. Bye for now, then.”

“Alright. Bye Katie.”

The call ended and Elias closed his computer and looked out over the beautiful expanse of ocean surrounding the ship. Lark was still asleep in their cabin and probably would be for another couple of hours or so, it was nearly impossible to wake him anytime before 9 am. So Elias decided to stay for a while, taking in the peacefulness of the empty deck while the majority of the ship’s passengers slept, rocked by the lullaby of gentle waves.

January 11, 2016 9:00 AM, EST

Elias crept silently back into their cabin to find Lark sleeping fitfully, brows furrowed, eyelids knit tight. This was normally fairly unusual, but lately he’d been experiencing an uptick of nightmares that he didn’t like telling Elias much about for some reason. Elias eased down onto the edge of the bed and carefully lowered a hand down toward his forehead, fingers grazing across, pushing aside a stray curl. Almost instantaneously, Lark’s expression softened at his touch. It was moments like this that reminded him just how strong their connection was, the small gestures that could soothe one another’s most turbulent emotions.

He leaned down and pressed a light kiss on Lark’s cheek at which his eyes fluttered open, gazing weary oceans up at him. A soft smile, wrapt in security accompanied the gaze and Elias felt a pang in his chest as his heart skipped in response. “Morning, sleepyhead,” he sang softly to him.

Lark hummed and curled around where he sat, “Mmmmm… no.”

“No? What do you mean, no?”

“Not morning,” Lark muttered.

“It is, though.”

Lark shook his head, “No,” he mumbled, sleepiness still heavy in his voice, “still nighttime.”

“Oh is it now?” Elias asked, to which Lark nodded. Then, before he had a chance to react, he felt long arms wrap around him and pull him down and over into the bed, “Ah! Lark!” He laughed, “What’s this?”

“We sleep now,” Lark cooed, clearly very pleased with the results as he held Elias close. 

Elias let out another gentle laugh and turned to face the larger man, pressing his forehead to the other’s and cupping his face in his hands. “I love you,” he whispered.

Eyes closed, Lark gave a delighted smile. “Mhmmm,” he hummed in response, raising a hand to Elias’s eyelids in an attempt to shut them, “we sleep now.”

“Okay,” Elias giggled, “we sleep now, just a little longer.”

January 11, 2016 1:20 pm, EST

Elias woke to find Lark gone. Where was he? He rolled to sit up in the bed and checked his phone. 1:20 pm. Of course it was. With a stretch and a hearty yawn, he began to work on getting to his feet and looked around. The room was empty, the shower wasn’t going either, then he saw a shadow through the blinds leading out onto the small balcony of their room.

He opened the blinds to find Lark sitting in a wicker chair, sipping tea, gazing out over the water in placid solitude. There was a bottle of champagne and a pitcher of orange juice sitting on the table next to him, along with two champagne flutes and a bouquet of roses resting in a faceted crystal vase. Elias smiled to himself and slid open the glass door onto the balcony, coming up behind Lark who turned his head slightly towards him. 

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Lark said, seemingly completely unaware of the irony.

“It’s nearly 1:30.”

The other shrugged, “Morning is a state of mind.”

“Okay,” Elias laughed, draping his arms around Lark’s shoulders, and kissing the top of his head, “what’s all this?” He pointed at the set up on the table, to which Lark rose from his seat, came around to hug him tight, and laid a tender kiss on his lips. 

He smiled, then turned to pour two mimosas, “Happy Anniversary,” he said, holding out a glass to Elias. 

They clinked glasses and sat on the balcony, sipping their drinks, enjoying that serene silence they could only take true comfort in with one another. Every once in a while Elias would glance over at Lark’s satisfied face, the view of the ocean sparkling in his bright eyes. It didn’t matter where they were, Elias knew, but this was perfect. He wondered if he shouldn’t just pop the question right now, but the ring stayed in his pocket, waiting for a moment more perfect than this one. 

January 11, 2016 5:30 pm, EST

Elias hopped and shimmied as he pulled on his slim fit black slacks and tucked his stark white button up into them. He sifted through his bag and spread out the various necktie options he’d brought with him — plain black, floral, black and blue stripes, matte and satin striped maroon, black bowtie with subtle gold stars. A muffled sound of happy singing came from beneath the hiss of the running shower in the background. Elias looked back toward the bathroom and smiled, then turned to eye the bowtie lying on the bed. He was no good at tying bowties, Lark would have to help him, which made it the obvious choice in accessory. 

“Lark! Hurry up, our reservation’s at 6:00.” 

The singing stopped, “What’s that?” Lark called from the bathroom.

“I said... move your butt!” he called back.

“It’s always moving, love!”

“You know what I mean.” 

“Alright, alright, I’ll be out in a minute.” 

The shower went on for a little longer, then the hissing became a light trickle and, soon enough, a thick fog of steam rolled out of the bathroom door, orange light dissipated through the clouds. Lark strolled out, towel tied around his waist, drops of water hanging from the ends of his hair and glistening on his shoulders. He eyed Elias with the untied tie around his neck. A pleased laugh escaped his lips as he inched toward Elias and tugged at the ends of the bowtie, pulling him in for a kiss.

“Did you pick this tie just so I’d help you with it?” Lark asked.

Elias shrugged, “Maybe I did, you don’t know me.”

“No, of course I don’t.” Lark smirked and gently traced the side of Elias’s face with his fingertips, taking a moment to savor the sight of him. Eight years in and seeing Lark look at him like this still made Elias’s heart race.

“We have to get a move on,” Elias muttered, breathlessly. 

Lark cleared his throat, coming back to earth, and brought his hand back down to the tie. “Right,” he said matter-of-factly, then started on the tie. He worked the ends over and under, focus woven into his furrowed brow. Elias glanced down to watch his hands move then glanced back up at him. “There,” Lark fluffed the bowtie proudly when he had finished and met Elias’s gaze again.  

“I love you.” Elias reminded him for the millionth time and pulled him down to meet his lips, running his hands through Lark’s wet hair. 

Lark responded in kind, wrapping his long wingspan tight around Elias’s waist, “I love you too,” he whispered into Elias’s lips.

“I know,” Elias said and patted Lark’s chest as they pulled apart, “Now get dressed, we have like fifteen minutes.”

January 11, 2016 8:00 pm, EST

Elias and Lark walked hand in hand across the top deck of the ship, stomachs full, hearts warm, and heads perhaps a bit too light from a day full of champagne. Above them hung a cloudless, black blanket of sky encrusted with brightly shimmering, diamond stars and the thin sliver of a waxing crescent moon. Not far from them, a band played a harmonious violin cover of “You Are The Reason” with soft percussion accentuating the background. 

Lark pulled away, still holding onto Elias’s hand at arm's length, “Dance with me?” he asked.

Elias looked around the deck at the other families and couples enjoying the night around them, “There’s so many other people.” 

“So what?”

“They might be watching us.”

“Then we’d better put on a good show for them, don’t you think?” Lark smiled, pulling him back in and holding him close. 

Elias sighed, but a blush pulled the corners of his mouth into a coy smile. He wrapped his arms around Lark’s neck and leaned into him as they spun around the deck. Holding each other like this felt equal parts due to the desire to be close to one another and the necessity to help one another remain standing. The more they danced the more the effects of the day’s drinks took their toll and it wasn’t long until they had to slow to a stop. 

“Getting a little dizzy?” Elias laughed.

“Just a little,” Lark agreed. Then his face got serious and he pulled Elias with him towards the railing of the ship to look out over the water, shimmering under the stars. 

“I don’t want this night to end,” he said as they walked.

“Neither do I…” a pause settled between them. 

“Lark—” / “Elias—” They both spoke the other’s names in unison, followed by another unison, “sorry.” Then Elias spoke alone, “You go first.”

“Oh, uh,” Lark began, thrusting his hands into his pockets. He seemed to be fidgety all of a sudden, “Well, Elias… I know you know how much I love you, but I just wanted to say… before I met you…” Was this going where Elias thought? Had they really had the same idea at the same time? Well, he’d be damned if Lark was going to upstage his proposal. He gave a knowing smirk and stepped forward towards the other, “Lark…” but suddenly… time seemed to slow.

January 11, 2016 8:15:28 pm, EST

“… sorry.” Lark squinted and shook his head slightly, slow blinking.

January 11, 2016 8:15:30 pm, EST

Lark’s knee gave out on him and he stumbled back a bit.

January 11, 2016 8:15:32 pm, EST

Elias noticed the railing behind him fell just below Lark’s hip level. His eyes widened and he reached out to him.

January 11, 2016 8:15:33 pm, EST

The railing of the ship caught the back of Lark’s thigh.

January 11, 2016 8:15:34 pm, EST

“LARK!” 

January 11, 2016 1:15:28 - 1:15:34 am, GMT

Katie slept fitfully, alone in her small, twin bed, nestled in her small, one bedroom, Hampstead flat. In her dream, a flock of seagulls surrounded a small brown bird with a yellow face, a white underside, and black accent marks across it’s chest, under its eyes and in the tufts that sat upon its head. The small bird desperately flapped its wings to stay in the air, but the gulls, ten times its size, flapped their wings with all the more force down upon it.

January 11, 2016 8:15:35 pm, EST

Lark flipped over the railing, tumbling down towards the frigid waters below. A small crowd on the deck gasped as they bore witness. Elias ran to the railing and climbed readying himself to jump in after, but, just as he was about to take the leap a couple bystanders stopped him. 

January 11, 2016 1:15:35 am, GMT

Katie sprung up in her bed and screamed, cold sweat running down her face. An indescribable feeling of unbearable loss hit her core and ricocheted through her body.

January 11, 2016 8:15:36 pm, EST

The two bystanders held Elias tight, while others ran to find crew members that could help. “NO!” Elias screamed, “LET GO OF ME! LARK!” His body, completely sober now, shook with shock and tears cascaded from his eyes. “LET GO OF ME, GODDAMMIT!” He struggled against the ones holding him, finally breaking free and running back to the railing. His eyes scanned the water, desperately searching for signs of Lark, but couldn’t make out even the slightest shadow of a body. “LARK!” He called out. “LARK!” His knees buckled and he collapsed against the railing. “HELP HIM! SOMEBODY! Do something!” His forehead pressed hard against the bars, as his voice gave out, cracking a helpless, “please…” the bustle of crew members rushing to help Lark echoed from lower decks.

“Please… Lark… help him… somebody… bring him back…” It was impossible to see through the blinding film of tears rippling across his eyes, “please… I can’t… please don’t let him be gone… I can’t… I can’t… please… I can’t… somebody… Lark… I love you… please… I can’t.” 

January 11, 2016 1:15:36 am, GMT

On the other side of the world, Katie sat alone in her bed and heaved untamable sobs for reasons wholly unknown, save for the fact that it felt like something had reached into the deep recesses of her soul and snapped her still-beating heart in half, leaving the memory of it lingering like a phantom limb. 

January 11, 2016 1:30 am, GMT

A high tinnitus whine made its home in her ears, as she tried to process what she was feeling. Then the phone rang.

[lunarr-rrose]

Understanding and Increasing Facility Value - Fernando Angelucci, The Storage Stud

https://u109893.h.reiblackbook.com/generic11/the-storage-stud/understanding-and-increasing-facility-value-fernando-angelucci-the-storage-stud/

According to Fernando, when it comes to Self Storage, one of the most important things to understand is not only the value of the facility that you are purchasing today but also where that value can be once you’re done with your term of ownership.

It is also paramount to understand the current financials. Everyone runs facilities differently and it’s important to see the performance of a storage facility in 12 to 24 months.

You also need to learn where to add values. One of the things that you can do is to cut spending.

To understand more about Facility value continue watching this video.

Fernando O. Angelucci is Founder and President of Titan Wealth Group. He also leads the firm’s finance and acquisitions departments. Fernando Angelucci and Steven Wear founded Titan Wealth Group in 2015, and under his leadership, the firm’s revenue has grown over 100% year over year. Today,

Find out more at

https://www.TheStorageStud.com

https://titanwealthgroup.com/

Listen to our Podcast:

https://thestoragestud.podbean.com/e/understanding-and-increasing-facility-value-fernando-angelucci-the-storage-stud/

---------------------------

So, when it comes to self storage, I think one of the most important thing is to understand, not only the value of the facility that you're purchasing today, but also where that value can be. Once you are done with your term of ownership, let's say you're doing a value add on a facility. How do we go from point a today to this increased value, you know, 18, 36 or 60 months down the line. One of the very first thing is, understanding the current financials and not necessarily taking those, you know, built-in stone, if you will, carbon stone. So, everyone will run facilities differently. So, I think it's important to look at the trailing, you know 12 or 24 month performance of a self storage facility, but then also see where you can add value. So for example, the very easiest things to do is just to cut spending.

So for us, when we go look at a facility, the first thing we look at is the property taxes. And if there's any way that we can either contest, the property taxes or structure the sale in a way where we assign a lower value to the property and the improvements in a higher value to the Goodwill, thus dropping our taxable basis for the County. So for example, let's say I'm buying a $1 million self storage facility. I'm not going to write a purchase agreement for $1 million. When I'm most likely going to do is I'm going to write a, purchase agreement for $700,000 for the property itself, the land, and any improvements on the land. And then I'll write a separate purchase agreement for 300,000 towards Goodwill, which is like an imaginary value that's assigned to the business itself. The Goodwill can not be counted towards property taxes.

So, now the tax assessor is going to see that we bought the property, the land and the improvements for 700,000 and we'll tax us accordingly to the mill rates on that portion of the purchase. Now, that will help us drop our purchase or our property taxes pretty substantially. I've heard of some buyers, especially some larger REIT's getting really aggressive with the strategy and almost splitting the purchase price 50, 50 between land and improvements versus Goodwill. So, that's one method that we use. Another method is, you know, insurance and labor. We can always get better insurance quotes, especially if we're getting insurance policies that are specific to self storage, because they carry much less risk than say traditional commercial property. So, if you don't have a good insurance broker or risk advisor, they may not understand that and might just quote you general commercial insurance and the premiums can be much higher.

Another thing is, labor. What we've noticed is, it swings both ways. Sometimes, sellers do all of the management work themselves and don't pay them anything. So, all of a sudden what you thought was a 10 cap deal, because the expenses don't account for any managers, all of a sudden you put $50,000 back into the expenses to pay for a manager. And now all of a sudden your 10 cap deal drops down to 7.2 or a 6.5. And all of a sudden it's no longer as appealing. Now, one of the things you can do on the flip side say that you have a property that is just overmanned, they're using two and a half people, we'll say two managers rotating plus a part-time person when the facility doesn't warrant it, or maybe a warranted it while the property was leasing up.

But, now that it's stabilized and now just kind of humming along, you don't need people just sitting behind a desk playing solitaire going on Facebook. So, one of the things that we look at doing is number one, how many man hours do we actually need at this facility? And then, how much of that can we automate? Can we use technology for? So for example, one of the things that we can do is, we can go to on one extreme, you know, we can have the two-and-a-half managers for a, call it 80,000 or a hundred thousand square foot facility, or on the way other extreme as we go completely unmanned. We use a system of kiosks that almost looked like ATM machines that allow people to rent properties or rent units, pay for insurance, get a lock box, sign their lease, everything right there at the site.

We also so always mix this with a online strategy as well, where someone can just go to the website and rent a unit. They can sign the lease on website, or send it to their phone. They can sign it with their finger. These are all ways that we can drop the total labor load. What we found recently is that almost 80% of our reservations are done over the phone. About 10 to 15% are done online, and about 5% are actually done in person in the store. So, it's only 5%. If you apply the 80, 20 principle to this, we shouldn't have any managers because 80% of our revenue is coming from a phone call. So, one of the things that we can do is, we can just hire a call center and that call center will take all the calls. And if there's anything that needs a physical person at the site, we can schedule that on a one-off basis, pay that person hourly, or as an independent contractor, as opposed to putting them on salary and having them sit in an office for eight hours a day, in the off chance that once a week, somebody comes in for five, 10 minutes.

It's just not worth that time. Another expense that, we usually look at dropping obviously is going to be our mortgage expense. If you have really good loan brokers, you're able to pay more for properties because usually the way that we look at buying properties as a spread against the, interest rate. So, if we can get an interest rate on a property for 4%, you know, I'm willing to buy three, 400 basis points above that at let's say a 7% or an 8% cap rate, as opposed to, if I'm paying 6% on my money, a seven or an eight caps not going to work, and I'm going to have to start buying it at a nine or a 10% cap rate, which is very difficult in the environment we're in currently. And then on the flip side, how do you increase revenue? Maybe, the property when you do a competition study, the property is 20% below market rents.

Maybe all the existing tenants haven't, have never had their rent increased in the 10 years that the owners own the property. So maybe they're due to be increased up to say, 90 or 95% of what the street rates are. You can add and ciliary profit centers, you know, such as boxes and moving supplies or locks or shredding services or mailing services, U P S, or FedEx, wine storage. You can rent out moving trucks. You can rent spaces for storage, for cars, boats, RV's, there's all these little ways that you can just keep edging the gross revenue up. That after 12, 18 months, all of a sudden you've doubled your income and you've had your expenses, and now you're going to sell or refinance this property for four times what you bought it for. So, those are ways that we look at understanding and increasing our facility's values, just from a, like a non cap ex, capital expenditure model.

Another way that you can increase revenue or the value of that facility is by getting pretty creative, say, maybe you don't want to expand the facility cause you don't want to pay the cost to build new buildings. But you know that if the year facility had additional land to expand onto, that it sell at a premium to the next buyer. So, one of the things that you could do is, put lease options on all of the adjacent land and either execute it yourself and purchase that land while you own the property or assign that lease option to the new buyer. And that will increase the value of your property.

[almost-correct-bnha-quotes]

Soft spot|Bakugou×Reader

Requested: Nope!

Warnings: Nah

A/N: It's 12 AM on a Wednesday and this idea popped up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At first, he treated you like everyone else. In his eyes, you were nothing but another extra, as he called you. But things changed after you made the simple gesture of standing up for him, after some older students began attacking him verbally. He never thanked you, but the manner in which he treated you had subtly changed since then. While he cursed other people and called them names, he seemed to avoid saying certain things to you.

Seeing the tolerating relationship between you two, people began suspecting something even more was between you. On several occasions, you were even asked if you were his girlfriend. Hell, even Deku asked you about it.

To be honest with yourself, he was attractive, and he definitely had the brains. The only thing that pushed you off, however, was his rather pompous personality. Things were, however, about to take a turn on a Thursday afternoon.

'Alright, y'all,' Aizawa said, during one of the homeroom hours he held for the 1-A students, 'I prepared an assignment that's due next week. You will have to work with someone and make a presentation of three minutes on how the Hero system can improve its security. You cannot choose with who you work. You can be as creative as you want, but keep in mind that you must have a PowerPoint that holds all the information that you'll present us.'

You sighed, just as the rest of the 1-A students. It was a pity- you had a particular strong friendship with Momo, reason for which you hoped that you could work with her.

'I put all your names in a bag, right here,' Aizawa pointed at a black, small, leather bag on his desk, 'Half of you will pick out a piece of paper with a name on it. Whosoever name you got, that's the person you'll work with. All clear?'

'Yes, sensei.' The group of students answered, in unison.

'Good.' Aizawa nodded, as he picked a random piece of paper out of the bag, 'Let's see... Momo, come take a paper.'

Momo did as she was asked to- she walked to the front desk and took a piece of paper out of the bag. Please let it be me, please let it be me., you thought.

'Ashido Mina.'

You pursed your lips. Not this time, you guessed. Momo looked at you and smiled softly. As she passed by your seat, she whispered a quick apology. You weren't mad at her. You didn't need her apology. You were very much aware that it was beyond her control to choose who she was working with that time.

Seeing how you wouldn't be working with your favourite person in that class, you scanned your classmates, looking for other good options you'd have. Deku could be a great person to work with, due to his knowledge over heroes and his persona, maybe Tsuyu would be nice too... Bakugou. He had his knowledge on heroes and the hero system, but seeing how the amount of patience within him was equal to a peppercorn, you doubted how well he's work with anyone.

Aizawa took another piece of paper out of the bag. 'Bakugou.'

The blonde boy stood up and walked proud fully towards the desk. He put his hand inside the bag and took a few moments to mix all pieces of papers inside, before eventually taking one out. He looked at the name on his paper and let his face visibly drop. He didn't have the smallest ounce of anger on his face, but he did seem... frustrated, in a way. You almost wanted to laugh. It was Deku, wasn't it?

'Bakugou,' Aizawa said coldly, 'Who is it?'

Bakugou looked at the man irritated, regaining his composure. 'Y/N.'

You felt your entire body cool off as everyone looked at you. Really...? Did... Did I just jinx it?

'So... Bakugou and Y/N,' Aizawa repeated as he wrote it on a piece of paper, 'Got it.'

'Don't say it like that.' Bakugou mumbled as he walked back to his seat.

By the end of the class, everyone had a partner. As everyone walked out class, you tried catching up to Bakugou. Finally reaching him on the hallway, you put your hand on his shoulder for a moment, as a request for your presence to be acknowledged.

'Hey, are you free this-' You began, only to freeze at the look he gave you.

He turned his head to you with a ice-cold look. He brushed off your hand off his shoulder without saying a word.

'What?' You asked.

'Leave me alone.' He demanded, coldly.

You weren't the type of person to give up so easily, but something in his tone and eyes made you rethink your choices. You shook your head.

'Alright then, mister bad mood. See you later.'

With that, you turned around and walked the other way down the hallway. You could live with a bad opinion on you. Or two, or three. It didn't matter to you much- there would always be people who won't like you, and it was okay. It wasn't even like you and Katsuki had a relationship anywhere near close, so you didn't miss out on much. All you had for each other was a slightly higher tolerance than with most people.

What you didn't know as you walked down the hallway was that Bakugou remained frozen on his spot with pursed lips, watching you get lost in the crowd of students.

'You didn't have to do her like that, you know.' A familiar voice said, next to him.

Bakugou snapped out of his trance and looked at the owner of the voice, only to recognise the relaxed face of a blonde boy in his class who looked at him expectantly.

'I know you have everyone, but-' he continued, but got interrupted mid-sentence.

'Do her like what?' A redhead boy, Kirishima, said with a laugh, 'Don't be stupid, Kaminari. Haven't you seen?'

'See what?' Kaminari frowned, as Bakugou looked at Kirishima in confusion, waiting for a more in-depth explanation.

'Bakugou,' Kirishima said, calmly, 'If you really like Y/N, your current attitude won't help, even if you do your be-'

Once he processed what the boy meant, Bakugou didn't hesitate to silence him through planting a rather violent kick on his head.

'Shut up! Who said I like her?' He yelled in his usual tone.

Kirishima laughed dryly as he rubbed the back of his head. He joked lightly on a different topic, in the hope that he'd change the mood.

As he and the two boys walked down the hallway to their next classroom, Bakugou snorted. Like you. He didn't even know why he tolerated you this much. Your Quirk wasn't anything spectacular, your skills were just a little above average, and he's seen girls who could be considered prettier.

Yet.. that once simple attempt to stand up for him while others took the chance to make him taste his own medicine did catch his attention. It was the first time he felt weak, and it was the first time he felt someone want to be by his side.

The rest of the day passed by rather quickly, as you occupied his mind through the rest of the classes. That evening, you were in your own room in the 1-A dormitory, completing an English essay that was due the next day. An unexpected light knock on your door made you jump.

For a moment, you looked at the clock. It was fifteen minutes past eight. Dinner was just an hour and a half or so ago, and most students preferred to be in their own bedrooms at the time, completing their homeworks. Who would bother visiting you?

You walked to the door and opened it curiously. You expected one of your friends to be there to ask you if they could borrow some school supplies or to ask you something regarding schoolwork, but that wasn't the case this time.

'Eh... Bakugou. Hi,' you greeted surprised as the boy looked at you with his typical frown, 'How can I help you?'

'May I come in?' He demanded.

'Of course. Enter.'

You backed away, allowing him to enter before closing the door behind you. While seating yourself back on your desk chair, you watched how he threw himself nonchalantly. on your bed.

'So... what brings you here?' You asked, trying to sound as friendly as possible.

'Whatcha writing there?' Bakugou raised his head from your pillow, to get a little sight on your desk. 'The English essay? That was really easy.'

You smiled as you continued to write down the rest of the essay. 'Yeah. It's not that hard.'

As you wrote, he didn't say anything. He simply watched you write. You two didn't get any moments to be alone, so you never got to truly know what the other was like when not under the influence of impressing others. He's looked at you before, but he couldn't remain and watch you for too long, in fear of someone noticing. It was in that moment Bakugou truly got to admire you for the first time.

It was then he realised how much he loved the way you looked when concentrating, the little tics you had while focusing, and how well you could use your time without getting distracted. He loved the way you talked, the colour of your eyes, and the way you always looked at things so optimistically. He loved the way how, even if you couldn't do something in that moment, you always pushed your limits to become better. He loved you.

After a while, he got up from your bed and walked behind you, looking at your essay over your shoulder.

'Hey, watch out,' he said as he pointed at a word on your paper, 'You forgot an h after the t.'

You analysed the word before turning at him with a smile. 'Thank you.'

At the sight of your smile, the corners of his mouth rised up inevitably.

'Tch,' he said as he grabbed a small chair and seated himself next to you. 'No need to thank me... loser.'

You smirked. 'Aren't we all losers at something?'

He didn't say anything, but he looked at you with a challenging gaze in his eyes, before resting his head over his arms on your desk. For the next ten minutes, neither of you said anything, except for the occasional moments when Bakugou would correct your mistakes on your paper.

Being honest with yourself, even if you knew that he was smart, you didn't expect him to do so well in theoretical classes. He gave off more of a street-smart aura that had you assuming that he just memorized everything before an exam or test and then let it go once the testing was over.

'There.' You smiled as you arranged your papers who were now full of writing, 'Essay's done. At last.'

Bakugou snorted. 'At last.'

'Thank you for your help, by the way. Is there anything I can help you with in return?'

You locked eyes with him curiously, as he thought. He opened his mouth almost immediately, ready to refuse, but a better idea came to him.

'Are you free this Saturday?' He asked, his smirk not leaving his face.

You felt how your face heated up, resulting in your cheeks turning as red as they could. What is this...?

'Ah... yes. I am. Why?'

'[Insert favourite movie]'s premiere is this Saturday in the cinema, isn't it? I thought you wanted to see that movie.'

Seeing the offer, you couldn't help but laugh. You couldn't say that any of the girls in 1-A were interested in seeing that movie, and you didn't know many people outside your classroom.

'Yes, I do want to see it!' You smiled.

'Then... will you go out with me, Y/N?' He asked.

The confidence he usually presented wasn't there in that moment, and you could easily feel it. You felt how vulnerable he was in that moment as he waited for your answer, and you couldn't understand why. Why would the king of confidence lose his wealth for a girl? Why would a king lose his wealth for a stranger?

'I would love to go out with you, Bakguou.'

You didn't even know why you accepted. You knew how rejecting that he normally was with everyone. Yet... in that moment, it felt different. It always felt a little different, but now the sensation that he might've been more than the hot-blooded demon he was in and outside class.

Bakugou smiled broadly as he got up from your desk. 'This Sautrday at six, then.'

He paused a moment as his eyes lingered a moment from you to your completed essay, and then back to you.

'Good luck with your essay... and everything else.'

'Thanks. You too.'

You watched how he walked to the other side of the room and pressed the doorknob. Just before opening the door, he looked back at you.

'Hey, Y/N?'

'Yeah?'

'Goodnight.'

'Goodnight, Bakugou.'

[s-j-ace]

The Same Question

Chapter Three

Characters: Shuichi Saihara, Ouma Kokichi

Words: 3360

Summary:

After Detective Shuichi Saihara encounters mysterious thief Kokichi Ouma for the first time, a game of cat and mouse ensues as both men ask themselves the same question. Why exactly does the elusive phantom thief do what he does?

This is Chapter Three, Here are Chapters One and Two

Read on AO3

[Log of Text Messages from Kaede Akamatsu’s Cellular Device]

From: Me

Hey Shuichi! How's it going? I haven't heard from you in a while. I keep forgetting I'm a human person and not a piano machine while I'm on this tour lol.

From: Shuichi! :D

Hi Kaede! I'm sorry! I forgot to check in on how your tour is going, probably because I've been kind of busy myself. How are you?

From: Me

No need to apologize silly 

I'm doing ok

Just craving human interaction that isn't a graceful hand shake or an approving nod rn 

Hey if you've been busy that means you're working another case, right? 

From: Shuichi! :D

Haha yeah I guess.

Or at least I'm trying.

From: Me

👀

You wanna talk about it or is this one still top secret?

From: Shuichi! :D

Uh

Well

I guess there's no client or victim to protect with this one

And there's nothing really stopping me from talking about it

But it's not that interesting to be honest.

From: Me

You're talking to a girl who is on her phone rn to avoid playing hoity toity with a bunch of rich people who like dressing up fancy more than they actually appreciate music :///

Anything is an improvement tbh

From: Shuichi! :D

Haha ok

Well

So like I've been tracking some thieves for a while now.

From: Me

Oooh is this like the Novoselic case?

From: Shuichi! :D

No it's more like a series of robberies than one big robbery.

From: Me

The intrigue,,, 😲😲🤔🤔

From: Shuichi! :D

Anyway it's just a group of thieves

They just robbed this casino and it's a little frustrating

Because I looked at the security tapes and they just kind of…

Walked in…

And the thing about these guys is that they all dress up like clowns

So like it’s literally just eight clowns on the security tape coming in and picking things up and leaving and there’s other people in these videos but no one even looks at them twice????

From: Me

Ffff that’s pretty funny…

From: Shuichi! :D

Hmm.. I’d probably have found it more funny if the owner of the casino hadn’t been crying and shaking me while I watched it. They dropped one of the chandeliers on his car or something.

From: Me

What??? Chandeliers????

From: Shuichi! :D

Yeah, the boss clown dangled these chandeliers off the side of the roof to distract me while these rare videogames were being stolen. Then he broke them when he thought his crew could get away.

From: Me

How is that not interesting??? That’s super intense Shuichi!! It makes me want to play movement three of Moonlight Sonata...

From: Shuichi! :D

Is that the really fast one

From: Me

Yes!!! :DDD

I’ll make a melomaniac of you yet!

From: Shuichi! :D

Does this mean you’ll stop making fun of me for getting a C in music appreciation senior year

From: Me

Oh yeah the real reason we broke up lol

From Shuichi! :D

Haha yeah.

Uh, anyway. With the thieves.

I know they're going to land in Cairo in a few days but I don't know what they're stealing.

From: Me

Hey! Rantarou's going to Cairo tomorrow!

You want me to see if I can get you a ride on his jet?

From: Shuichi! :D

Oh no you don't have to do that

From: Me

Yeah, but I'm going to

Unless you really don't want me to but I think that you do so...

From: Shuichi! :D

I dunno

That would be very nice

I'm a little low on a travel budget and I'm in Reno Nevada right now

From: Me

Oh huh where's that

From: Shuichi! :D

In America, like eleven hours away from where you are

From: Me

So? Rantarou's a trust fund baby he could afford the detour

From: Shuichi! :D

Yeah but also like

I'm pretty sure he hates me?

From: Me

Whaaaaat

Rantarou doesn't hate you

Last time you saw him you literally helped him track down all twelve of his missing sisters

From: Shuichi! :D

Yeah but I just get the vibe that he doesn't like me

From: Me

Shuichi you have social anxiety

---

From: Me

Hey you don't hate my friend Shuichi do you

From: Avocado Hair

Hmmm…

I don’t want to be mean

From: Me

Yeah you don’t >:/

From: Avocado Hair

But I thought he was a little suspicious when I first met him…

Don’t get me wrong, Shuichi’s nice and seems reliable enough

But also he’s your ex and I don’t trust exes of my friends just on principle

From: Me

...

From: Avocado Hair

Listen obviously I think Shuichi is cool now

But also it was kind of sus when he was just creeping around your shows without introducing himself…

From: Me

I invited him to those! >>:0000

From: Avocado Hair

Yeah, I know that now

He’s a nice guy alright? Really, I do owe him one

Or twelve hah

From: Me

Great! You’re picking him up from Nevada tomorrow

From: Avocado Hair

I'm doing what now

From: Me

From: Avocado Hair

So Nevada, huh?

---

From: Shuichi! :D

Yeah but also sometimes I'm right when I think people hate me

Having social anxiety does not make that not true

From: Me

I set everything up :)) he says you're a cool guy and he'll call you when he lands in Reno

From: Shuichi! :D

Oh

That's very nice of him

From: Me

Shuichi Rantarou owes you like 12 life debts

From: Shuichi

Finding missing persons is my job, it’s hardly something to owe a life over

From: Me

Shuichi it was 12 missing persons 

My mans Avocado lost track of twelve whole sisters and you found all of them and now you think he's capable of hate??? smh 😔

From: Shuichi! :D

I'm sorry okay?

From: Me

You don’t need to be!!!

--- 

    Shuichi Saihara found himself, one week after the heist in Reno, on practically the other side of the world. He was  blending in with the scattered crowd of tourists circling around the new exhibit at The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo, Egypt. As he looked into the wide-eyed, gilden face of a newly dug up sarcophagus, Shuichi struggled to convince himself that this wasn’t a complete waste of time. Interpol and the Boulaq Police Department certainly seemed to think it was... 

Back in Paris, Interpol hadn’t ended up giving Shuichi access to DICE’s next encrypted letter of intent. Instead, after Shuichi gave his testimony to the Paris Police and the investigation was essentially wrapped up, it seemed like Agent Kiyotaka Ishimaru decided to make an appearance just to have the pleasure of yelling at Shuichi about how many protocols he would've just broken if he were actually beholden to the employment of any law enforcement agency. 

… okay that wasn't a fair characterization of Agent Ishimaru. He was a nice enough guy. He just wasn't as disillusioned with the authoritarian reality of national militias given power by systems of government forged when people still thought eating your own vomit cured smallpox. One time he gave Shuichi a juice box, and some cookies his husband made, before chewing him out, so that was pretty nice. Although maybe that was only because Shuichi had just gotten lightly stabbed by an internationally wanted drug dealer…

    Regardless, Agent Ishimaru was far from pleased that Shuichi was “performing acts of covert vigilantism again,” despite the fact that Shuichi had absolutely no idea DICE was even on the flight and therefore his reactionary investigation didn’t include anything illegal, such as stalking, that would be classified as unlawful vigilantism without the backing of the appropriate law enforcement agencies. 

When Agent Ishimaru was done giving a speech about Shuichi’s naivete, he ordered him to get off the case. Luckily for Shuichi the Paris Police thought he was with interpol because of this exchange, and they let him look at security tapes and flight records from the two closest airports. He’d been able to deduce their arrival at Reno, but wasn’t able to figure out what DICE’s mark would be until the heist was already under way. He’d just barely been able to stop them from stealing every single vintage game console from the Silver Legacy Resort. 

    After looking at tapes from the Reno-Tahoe International airport too, Shuichi had been able to deduce DICE’s next destination was Egypt, but Egypt was a country and had a lot more national landmarks than Nevada did and honestly Shuichi didn’t even know where to start looking for possible burgleables. Rantarou, a friend of Kaede's who was nice enough to give Shuichi a ride to Cairo, had asked him to check out the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities first. 

Apparently Rantarou's family could trace parts of their bloodline back to old money European families which had partaken in the awful rich people trend of the 16th century where they would just rob graves in Egypt and eat parts of mummies. As a result, they had a bunch of artifacts that didn't belong to them, so Rantarou often made trips to Egypt to return as many as he could. Right now a lot of those artifacts were getting packaged to be shipped to the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, because the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities was due to be superseded by it next year. He was off somewhere mixing with Museum staff while Shuichi took stock of all the possible entrances around the exhibit. 

    The museum was rather crowded, and as a couple walked up behind him, Shuichi suddenly felt that he was very obviously blocking the view of the sarcophagus display he was in front of. He muttered an apology and moved away, turning around to look at a vase closer to the corner rather than the center of the room. Like most of the artifacts on display it was in a glass case, which Shuichi had noticed seemed to be of the make and model of the kind rigged up to a silent alarm system of some sort. If the cases were opened, the guards in the security booth near the front of the museum would most likely be notified. Although, the exhibit pieces in the cases themselves didn’t seem of much note to Shuichi. There were, of course, priceless artifacts held up on stands or splayed out on ornately embroidered mini-rugs inside the cases, but none of it quite seemed to fit DICE’s MO. Maybe he could look into the other exhi...bits….

    Shuichi’s train of thought trailed off as he noticed that on the other side of the vase he was looking at stood a young woman in a headscarf who he could tell was giving him a weird look. 

    Shuichi’s inner voice made a noise that would have sounded like, “Hghhhhhh” if he were speaking out loud.

Was he in front of something again? Did he have something on his face?

    Okay maybe she wasn’t looking at him and he was just being weird.

    His gaze flitted up to momentarily take in the heavily makeuped face and he instantly found himself locking eyes with the very familiar dark purple irises of a complete stranger.

Shuichi did a double take as he realized that this was not, in fact, a young woman.

Wait, did he really know that? Maybe he had just assumed the thief was a guy. Shuichi squinted. How do you ask an internationally wanted thief their pronouns?

“What pronouns do you use?” Ah okay, like that. Thanks for nothing internal filter.

“His majesty/His imperial highness,” The thief replied automatically as if he already knew what Shuichi was going to ask them and had remarks prepared. “Rat/rat bastard are also acceptable.”

Shuichi took that to mean that the thief wouldn’t be offended if he referred to him with masculine terms. Ugh, wait what where was his head at right now? 

Shuichi began to maneuver around the vase to apprehend him, but as he moved the thief moved at the same time, so it ended up looking like they were playing ring around the rosey with the vase display.

Shuichi stopped. The thief stopped too. 

He started going around the other direction. So did he.

They stopped again.

While maintaining eye contact, Shuichi attempted to discreetly move his hand into his pocket so that he could text Rantarou that a robbery was definitely happening right now. He had gotten pretty good at typing on his phone without looking, but as he slipped his hands in his pocket the thief’s eyes followed.

If he considered that Shuichi might have been reaching for a weapon, he sure didn’t look it. The man’s posture was relaxed and as he watched the grin on his face widened impossibly.

“Is that a phone in your pocket that you’re using to discreetly notify the authorities of my presence, or are you just happy to see me?”

Uh.

Shuichi sent the text -- he had managed to type out a simple “HELP” to his most recent contact, which was probably Rantarou -- and quickly pulled his hands out of his pocket. He maneuvered them instead into a placating gesture, glancing around at the trickle of visitors wandering through the exhibits around them.

“I… Don’t want to cause any unnecessary alarm…” Shuichi started to say as he tried to think of any way to de-escalate this conversation.

“Oh, trust me,” The thief began in an earnest tone that Shuichi definitely knew not to trust. “Neither do I.” 

Suddenly, the glass case lifted up and Shuichi realized the thief had somehow managed to pick the display case lock during their impromptu round of ring around the rosey. Which hopefully set off an alarm of some sort?

Yet as Shuichi glanced around he couldn’t spot any form of security in between tourists, none of whom seemed to see what was happening. Or maybe it didn’t register as suspicious to them? 

It certainly registered suspicious to Shuichi, who was now looking directly at the thief’s heavily makeuped face. He didn’t look anything like the first time Shuichi saw him, except for the facial expression that seemed to indicate he could just decide to pull out a knife or jump off an airplane at any moment. Shuichi had only a moment to connect this expression to that of the black and white cat that kept knocking over the potted plants on Kaito and Maki’s balcony before the thief’s hand was raised and already coming down on the ancient vase. The priceless artifact took a nosedive off its display pedestal, and Shuichi dove to catch it. 

Thankfully, Shuichi managed to grab the vase out of the air in the nick of time, just careful enough to prevent it from shattering into a million pieces on the floor. Not so thankfully, Shuichi was the one who fell on the floor instead. He hit the ground, but hey! At least the vase was fine! Then again the natural oils on his hands probably weren’t especially helpful in the grand scheme of the artifact’s preservation…

Shuichi moved to stand up, but froze as he realized that every eye on the room was on him. 

Uh. Okay. Time to. Not. Freak out about that. Yep. 

Oh shit oh shit oh shit they were all looking at him what if they thought he was-

Wait. Where did DICE go?

Shuichi heard a loud, sharp sound, and turned instinctively. He found that the thief had stepped behind him at some point, and had backed up to blend in with the rest of the crowd. As the sharp sound repeated, Shuichi came to the realization that the thief masquerading as a young girl had clapped. And now the man behind him was clapping to, and the woman behind him, and the lady behind her and almost instantaneously Shuichi came to the realization that the whole room was clapping, and that it was a distraction. As the clapping continued, the thief stood still as curious museumgoers pushed forward in the crowd to figure out what was going on in this corner of the display.

The thief was disappearing from view. Now was his chance.

In the brief instant Shuichi and the thief locked eyes, the detective saw his challenge. That it was not only a challenge, but a question. 

Will you drop everything to chase after me?

He had to make the decision now.

Shuichi chose to stand up to his full height and turned to place the vase safely back into the display case, closing it back up.

He wouldn’t make the same mistake he made in Reno, chasing after the man whose face he knew rather than keeping in mind the nine other just as capable operatives. He was starting to learn that DICE always seemed to take two steps ahead, and that if Shuichi wanted to do something it was most likely something that would benefit their plans. So he resisted the single-minded urge to chase the thief in to instead take the preventative measure of scanning the nearby displays for anyone trying to take advantage of the distracted crowd. 

He didn’t even watch as the thief disappeared into the crowd, and instead pulled out his phone. 

Rantarou had replied very helpfully to his “HELP” text with a carefully chosen one word reply. 

---

[Log of Text Messages from Shuichi Saihara’s Cellular Device]

From: Rantarou Amami

What

From: Me

Sorry

Don’t panic

But I am fairly certain that this museum has just been robbed

From: Rantarou Amami

...

what

    From: Me

    Uh

    It’s a lot to explain

        From: Rantarou Amami

    Just call me

    You were in a call with Rantarou Amami that lasted 38:56.04

     From: Rantarou Amami

    Hey is that interpol guy done yelling at you yet

        From: Me

    Oh geez

    Did you hear all that?

    From: Rantarou Amami

    I mean like

I got the gist of it

And the gist of it seemed to be

“Shuichi! Stop being such a good detective! You’re making me look bad!”

From: Me

Oh haha

I guess that was something along the general theme

I’m not really a better detective than him though

He’s just the kind of guy whose like 

RULES NEED TO BE FOLLOWED BECAUSE I DO NOT QUESTION AUTHORITY

But also I think his husband is like in a biker gang or something

From: Rantarou Amami

Come on Shuichi give yourself some more credit there

If you’re not a good detective that means that at best I’m an awful one

You found twelve missing people in one week who I had been searching for for five years

Also you literally just stopped a museum robbery

From: Me

Oh, sorry I don’t mean to be like weirdly self deprecating

But also I would contest the fact that I stopped a museum robbery with the evidence of the fact that the museum definitely still got robbed

From: Rantarou Amami

Yeah but like

The only part of the museum that didn’t get the carpets stolen from it was the room you were in

Which literally had the most valuable rug in the whole building in it

Like seriously even the carpet built into the floor of the gift shop was stolen

Also you saved that vase

One of the anthropologists here almost cried when he saw that girl push it over in the tape

From: Me

That is weird isn’t it

I think the rug being an actual exhibit might’ve been why DICE didn’t go for it

That’s not their typical MO

From: Rantarou Amami

Wow… that compliment dodge tho…

From: Me

Oh

uh

Sorry

From: Rantarou Amami

You’re good man

Hey do you need a ride back to the hotel

Shuichi?

Hello?

…

From: Me 

Oh sorry, I was doing some research 

I can get back to the hotel on my own

From: Rantarou Amami

Ok, cool

From: Rantarou Amami

Hey just checking in again, did you get back to your room okay?

From: Me

Oh, yes I’m here

Actually I was just about to text you too

I’m sorry to ask so much of you Amami

But could you possibly drop me off in Taipei on your way home tomorrow?

[dearophelia]

Lol duh. Gonna ask about Dropsonde.

I adore you. I’m gonna answer them all because I’m that person. Also includes 6-8 for @swaps55! Thank you both!! [dropsonde (singers in a lower choir remix)]

1: What inspired you to write the fic this way?

For the original? I think it was a half-baked scene that came to me while I was on vacation in Florida. I remember scribbling it down in a notebook and then going to town when I got back home. I threw a bunch of time-skips in there because, frankly, I didn’t want to write small children. I do not blame 2007 Sara for this. She was a wise human.

For the revamp? A cascading domino effect started in last October and resulted in my mental health going entirely sideways for eight solid months. Literally nothing was working to screw my head on straight again: not meds, not therapy, not yoga, not getting my sleep and food under control, literally nothing. I think it was around early June when I realized the hallucinations weren’t going away this time (and perhaps had never really left) and I hit the end of my rope. Luckily, my great pal Aly texted me out of the blue with the fact that she’d fallen face-first back down a Grey’s black hole. We got to talking about our various fics we’d both written, how nostalgic we were for them, and I re-opened the OneNote notebook I had for this. Started writing, didn’t look back.

I'm not gonna say that I’m stable again as a result (I’m really not), but I’ve written like 30k words in the last three weeks, which is the most I’ve written since August of last year, and it’s something to do and think about that isn’t pure doom and panic. It makes me happy, and makes me happy in a way that doesn’t include caveats or exceptions; there’s nothing else in my life right now that’s just happy. It’s helping.

2: What scene did you first put down?

For the original, it was the one at the beginning of (the original) chapter 2, where Addison’s finishing up Goodnight Moon for the nine-hundredth time. For the remix, it was the actual opener: where Addison finds someone else’s shoes in her apartment.

3: What’s your favorite line of narration?

Later, when the snow has turned into rain and they've even managed a round three, Addison curls up against his chest, tangling their legs together. She smiles. She'd been using dead reckoning to make it out of her storms her entire life. Now she has a lighthouse.

4: What’s your favorite line of dialogue?

"Your storm is a natural disaster. It's chaotic and wild and unpredictable and often the only thing I can do is hang on. But that storm brought me you. That storm brought me love and a future I didn't see a path to." His fingers coast across her bare shoulders, mapping constellations out of freckles. "And if I'm the lighthouse in your storm, then I promise you to stay standing and lit, because I need you to know the way home from your storm, Ads. To me."

5: What part was hardest to write?

I remember the original sort of effortlessly flying out of my fingertips. What’s been challenging about the rewrite is filling in all the little gaps the original left; writing the spaces between the facts. Don’t get me wrong - that has been fun as hell, but also challenging because I have to remember the voices of these characters I haven’t checked in on in over a decade.

6: What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics?

IT’S MY WARM COMFY BLANKET UNIVERSE. It also...it does not have a plot. There are pieces of plot to it, but there’s not an overarching plot or anything. It’s not a mission, it’s not a rescue, it’s not anything that has plot-based structure. It’s just life. I hate plot, I hate it, it’s the worst. This lets me write shit in a world I like and not care about what happens next because life just be like that sometimes.

7: Where did the title come from?

2007 Sara was an idiot and really liked formatting her chaptered fics by snagging an album and making each chapter title a track on the album. Even if the album didn’t remotely fit (even better if it didn’t, because she thought she was such a musical snob. she was not. she was full of crap). “dropsonde” is an album by the trance group Biosphere (and I hate it. I think I hated it back then, too). It’s also a hurricane tracking tool. So that’s a weird legacy to have to work with.

The revamp’s remix title comes from Leonard Cohen, because 2020 Sara is a pretentious asshole and owning it. Book of Mercy 1: In a transition so delicate it cannot be marked, the court is established on beams of golden symmetry, and once again I am a singer in the lower choirs, born fifty years ago to raise my voice this high and no higher.

That line gives me so much life and hope: I don’t have to try to sing higher. I don’t have to reach for other octaves, I don’t have to try to shove myself into a space that isn’t Sara-shaped, and in fact I should not. Because I was born to sing in this Sara-shaped choir and it would be insulting to myself and to the creators to insinuate that this Sara-shaped choir was not made for me. The space you inhabit is holy because it is yours. As much a reminder for me as it is for the characters.

8: Did any real people or events inspire any part of it?

I don’t think I grabbed anything from actual reality? I may have. Especially in the original prequel/second part/whatever we’re calling Shenzhou, when I was grasping at straws for ideas and wrote a few really random scenes just to fill up space.

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

Not of the fic itself, but this Rachel Montgomery is definitely the same Rachel Montgomery in gonna set your flag on fire. 

10: Why did you choose this pairing for this particular story?

Because it was 2007, I was writing fic instead of doing homework, and Addison/Alex was very much about to become a thing after being teased for a whole fucking season. Missed opportunities: the goddamn ship. I’m still mad.

11: What do you like best about this fic?

It’s fun. It makes me happy. And I don’t care about what anyone thinks about it - there are no expectations, I’m not trying to live up to “oh god I hope it’s good enough for so-and-so” (which, yknow, is bullshit anyway, but is how my brain was working on gonna set your flag on fire). It’s completely free from strings. So I can do what I want. Who cares. 

12: What do you like least about this fic?

It’s real fuckin’ long and I’m real fuckin’ long-winded. I’m about 30k in and Rachel’s not even one yet. Hot yikes.

But, on the plus side, as part of the “who gives a shit, do what you want” mentality, I’ve broken out of the “oh god I have to write the other side of this, I have to keep x topic going.” No, no I really don’t. It’s an Addison story, it’s always been an Addison story, I just didn’t realize that 13 years ago. It’s an Addison story and everyone else is window dressing that can come and go as the sun requires it.

13: What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn’t listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading?

oh boy, here have an eight-hour playlist

14: Is there anything you wanted readers to learn from reading this fic?

plot is overrated. write what you want.

15: What did you learn from writing this fic?

I learned how much I’ve improved as a writer in 13 years. Part of this experiment was to shut down the “you’re not a good writer, you suck, no one likes you, everyone’s just tolerating you” voice that has plagued me for my entire life and got a lot louder at the end of last year because of Reasons. That voice is still trying really hard, but it doesn’t have much of a leg to stand on when I can point to a scene I wrote in 2007 and then the exact same scene written in 2020 and see just how much better it is now.

[paracosmists]

Six Simple Tips For a Healthier Life

Are you looking for simple ways to get you from where you are now to where you need to be? Maybe you feel that you could do better than your current situation.

You're not alone. Most, if not all people have at least one of the following aims:-

To be joyful, to be healthy, to look beautiful, to be slim, to be healthy, to stay young, to succeed.

The following tips may help get you from where you are to where you want to be. They will however, be of no use until you need to change. You will need the desire to create that shift. It's of enormous help if you can imagine yourself in that better position.

After you can imagine how that better position will feel you'll find the motivation to take actions .

If you can turn off the TV and get up of the sofa it is time for;

TIP #1: START MOVING. Get up and go outside. Then walk into another corner and back. That's it. You've made a start on improving your own life. Try and walk daily or at least three times per week to start. Walk a bit further every time, but do not overdo it. If the furthest that you've been used to walking would be to your vehicle and back then you might find stiffness in your calf muscles initially. This will pass as your body becomes used to the new expectations. In addition to increasing the distance and for that reason the time that you're walking, endeavour to walk more briskly. Walking faster will, initially, make you somewhat breathless. Don't over exert yourself. Finding a little breathless will indicate that your heart is beating a little faster and that you're building your cardiovascular endurance. Your heart is a really important muscle and giving it some mild exercise is no bad thing, especially when connected to increasing your lung capacity.

TIP #2: STRETCH. You might have seen professional athletes stretching before doing or when heating up. Your stretching isn't in readiness for your entrance to the Olympic Games but,it's just as important. You need to stretch before and after your walks. Inactive individuals have tight hamstring and chest muscles due to prolonged sitting, so it should be your priority to stretch these muscles out. In addition to helping build and protect these muscles you'll also find a remarkable improvement in your posture. Long periods of sitting or childbirth or of slouching can mess up your posture and make you look old before your time.

TIP #3: IMPROVE YOUR DIET. Watch what you eat. No more fast food. What's in that stuff anyway? If you do not know what is in it why are you putting it in your mouth? Here is a little test for you. Go into a grocery store and get a ready meal. Look on the back and see the listing of components. For a start the quantity of sugar and salt in that 1 packet will likely be greater than the recommended intake for a week. Then what about that list of unpronounceable ingredients? How many of them do you understand? How many can you pronounce? I'm not a gambler but I'd bet that the longer the title, the less probable it is it will be good for you.

Eat regularly. Four or five small meals a day is significantly better for you than that one huge evening meal.

TIP #4: Eat five servings of fruit and vegetables per day. Attempt to make them organic where possible. Do try to get them unpackaged. That lettuce at the cellophane pack might seem fresh but it's probably been washed in detergent. Do wash all products, not only for any detergent but also for the elimination of any harvest spray.

Occasionally cakes can get boring, so do a bit of research and find new items to include. The health benefits of sprouting seeds is monumental. You can grow them yourself quite cheaply and have them fresh daily.

TIP#5: JOIN A GYM. With such a sizable part of the populace at risk of being diagnosed as clinically obese, it's of no surprise that health clubs are all the rage today. You should do a bit of research before you join . Bear in mind that a gym that has a fantastic reputation doesn't need to resort to aggressive advertising or create dubious offers.

So why join a gym in any respect? Because, it's where to go to burn calories and build muscle. Some might be put off by the notion of being surrounded by beautiful people and super healthy bodies. Do not worry. These people used to be where you are now and with a little discipline you may combine them in feeling good and looking great.

You're going to have to begin with a resistance training program in addition to a cardiovascular program. For the best benefit in addition to all over fitness, this is the best approach. We're not making recommendations concerning the particular routines or exercises on which you should be focusing as such will vary widely dependent on several things. Age, height, build, gender etc.. suffice to say you will need the recommendation of a recognised authority on the topic. In a fantastic gym you'll find no shortage of enthusiastic help if you need it.

TIP #6: GET A BUDDY. There may be no greater incentive to get you to the gym than knowing that someone is there waiting for you. Nobody enjoys letting down people and in this instance it's to your mutual benefit.

Start looking for a gym partner that's not too strict or too indulgent in their service. Start looking for somebody who will be supportive but firm in keeping you on track. You should also think about finding a partner who will mesh well with your personality in addition to schedule and location. It sometime helps if you're new to getting healthy, you can be a help and an inspiration to one another. Are you looking for more tips about healthy living. Visit PARACOSMISTS

3 Essentials To A Fuller and Healthier Life

Among the most frequent misgivings people have when it comes to embarking upon a healthy living program is they believe it'll be prohibitively costly to implement. Gym memberships and fitness equipment do not come cheap and a enormous number of the supplements on the market, certainly in the gym, look hugely costly. However, it isn't all bad news.

You may create some hugely significant changes to your life at no cost! In this day and age with everyone living such hectic, stressful lifestyles it's easy to overlook the basic principles of healthy living, and to focus on the latest fad diet or exercise gimmick to supply us with the quick fix that so many folks crave. So lets just have a moment to check out the 3 fundamentals to leading a healthier lifestyle, things we could implement right now without spending a dime.

There's a magical elixir that can cure all ills and is completely overlooked by most people. It's Water! For years, physicians, nutritional experts and exercise trainers have advocated that drinking eight 8 oz glasses of water every day is an absolute necessity to keep good health. Drinking more will help burn more fat by increasing lipolysis and mobilizing stored fat.

Of course there have been innumerable research into this. The University of Utah completed among the most recent. They found that those who consume the most water have higher metabolisms. In this study, subjects drank 4, 8, or 12 cups of water every day. Those who drank at least 8 cups reported greater concentration and greater energy levels, and tests revealed they were burning off more calories than the 4-cups-a-day group. As we all know, higher metabolisms lead to greater fat loss, a very important tool in any weight loss quest.

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey quantified where most of our calories come from and found, to their horror, the group making up the greatest proportion of our calorie intake-over 7 percent in fact-was not a food in any respect. It was soda!

These carbonated drinks contain loads and loads of sugar and empty calories (or health zapping artificial sweetners). Additionally, they can cause bloating and water retention. The bottom line here is steer clear of the fizzy drinks and unhealthy juices and stick to water in the event you possibly can. Many times fat will melt away with this one little change.

The next element to use in any healthy living program is that most natural of sleep! I can not begin to stress the importance of a great night's sleep, at least 7-8 hours if at all possible. Lack of sleep has been demonstrated to cause numerous problems, including severe mood swings, lack of memory and chronic fatigue. It has also been associated with high blood pressure, metabolism and weight problems, and depression. The essential point here is that too little sleep leaves us completely unable to work at our best. How on earth can you expect to lead a healthy life if you aren't getting enough sleep?

Now there are many tips on the best way best to get a better night's sleep and we could probably fill another few pages on the topic, nevertheless, here are only a few to get on with. Firstly, commit to creating a regular around your bedtime. Go to bed at exactly the exact same time each night and get up in the morning the exact same way. Keep your bedroom free of white noise and unnecessary distractions and try to keep the room cool and dark. Experiment with the amount of pillows etc to ensure that your bed is as comfortable as you can. Whatever it takes, get some sleep!

Last, let us take some time to CHILL OUT!! Anxiety is perhaps the biggest killer in the western world. There appears to be so much anger and pressure in our daily lives that it is little wonder we find it so tough to follow our healthy living regime. Yoga, massage, meditation, prayer, painting, composing, singing, dancing or making love. Whatever it takes for you to unwind and get some perspective on life.

These 3 principles are relatively straightforward to put into action, but when it comes to making some positive changes in your life they're only the tip of the iceberg, though you ought to aim to make them an important part of your healthy living plan. Whether you are attempting to drop weight or not they will still constitute good information and must be heeded.

The terrific news here however, is that you're not alone. Changing your life for the better could be challenging and you'll need all of the help you can get. Grab a buddy for assistance or hire a coach who will hold you accountable to what you state you desire.

[terminallymystical]

hi so this is an essay on the siege of bastogne i wrote for school!! feel free to just read or use as a basis for your own HIS essays! i just had a lot of fun writing this and i wanted to share :> the cited works are at the very end, no actual links but most of the references can be found in file format online! x

Easy Company and the 101st: The Siege of Bastogne

THE BEGINNING OF HOW THE AMERICANS WITHSTOOD THE NAZI’S LAST OFFENCE

“On December 21, it snowed, a soft, dry snow. It kept coming, 6 inches, 12 inches. The temperature fell to well below freezing, the wind came up… The men were colder than they had ever been in their lives. They only had their jump boots and battle dress with trench coats… Runners went into Bastogne and returned with flour sacks and beds sheets which provided some warmth and camouflage… the cold penetrated right into the bones. Shivering was as normal as breathing.” [1]

The events that occurred between 16 December, 1944 to 25 January, 1945, became known as the Battle of the Bulge. To this day it is the third deadliest campaign in American military history, resulting in estimated 89,500 casualties for the Americans, and between 63,000 to 98,000 for the Germans. This includes killed, wounded, missing and captured men. Approximately 3,000 civilians were killed. [2] For the 101st Division, total battle casualties in the Bulge were 1,766 killed, 6,388 wounded, and 207 missing in action. One of the major battles in the Bulge was the Siege of Bastogne, which happened between the 20th and 27th of December, 1944.

Bastogne is the hub of the highway net covering the eastern Ardennes— a countryside forbidding to the movement of mechanized forces except when the roads are available. Meaning the surroundings of the town are densely forested, with rough terrain and ridges formed by the Ardennes mountain range. By holding Bastogne, the Allies could unhinge German communications who were striking westward to the line of the River Meuse. [3] The German’s plan was to surround Bastogne and capture the Belgian port of Antwerp, consequentially cutting off supply to four Allied armies and trapping them there. If the Germans succeeded, they would have forced the Allies into a peace-treaty that favoured the Axis power. [4] In order to do this they had to gain control of the seven main roads through Belgium, which converged in the crossroads at Bastogne. The Allied Commanders considered the Ardennes area to be unsuitable for a large-scale German offensive. The surprise on the hand of the Germans was achieved, like most surprises in war, because the offensive made no sense. And because the defenders were guilty of gross overconfidence. [5]

After Hitler launched what would be his last offensive attack on 16 December, Eisenhower made a critical decision for the entire battalion without consultation of anyone outside of his staff, declaring the crossroads town of Bastogne as the place that had to be held no matter what. On 17 December alone, 60,000 men plus ammunition and other supplies, were transported into the Ardennes. In the first week, Eisenhower moved 250,000 men and 50,000 vehicles onto the front lines. Not even in Korea, Vietnam, or the Gulf War, was the U.S Army capable of moving so many men and so much equipment so quickly. [6] Easy Company was among them. All the men knew was that there was a gaping hole in the line and they were being sent to fill it. Grossly under-equipped for battle, the men were sent into the Ardennes with insufficient ammunition, no winter clothing, little food, and little medical supplies.

When the troop convoys carrying the 101st stopped outside of Bastogne, the men jumped out and marched down the road toward the Ardennes. The men they were relieving came toward them defeated and exhausted, some were panicked and yelling at their relievers to run away. Easy and the other companies in 2nd Battalion tried to gather what ammunition they could from the retreating soldiers, but it still wouldn’t be enough. Sounds of the battle were coming closer. To the rear, south of Bastogne, the Germans were about to cut the highway and complete the encirclement of the Bastogne area. Easy had no artillery or air support due to the low hanging fog that had fallen in the forest.

“We weren’t particularly elated at being here. Rumours are that Krauts are everywhere and hitting hard. Farthest from your mind is the thought of falling back. In fact it isn’t there at all. And so you dig your hole carefully and deep, and wait, not for that mythical superman, but for the enemy you had beaten twice before and will again. You look first to the left, then right, at your buddies also preparing. You feel confident with Bill over there. You know you can depend on him.” [7]

The men were sent out on patrols. Mortar attacks would fall. Snipers by day, and an even worse bitter cold by night. No one had enough sleep. Shell bursts hitting trees sent splinters, branches, trunks, and metal showering down on the men and their foxholes. For protection, they would cover their holes with logs, but without axes it was extremely difficult. Officers had to watch their men for signs of breaking. Captain Richard Winters of E. Company sensed that Private Joseph Liebgott was on the edge, so he brought the man back to the battalion command post to be his runner. “Just being back 50 yards off the front line made a tremendous difference in the tension.” Winters wrote. [8] Light didn’t come until 0800, and darkness fell at 1600. Sixteen hours of night in frozen conditions made the men miserable, but they pushed through it. Winters recalled, “When a man was hit hard enough for evacuation, he was usually very happy, and we were happy for him— he had a ticket out to the hospital, or even a ticket home— alive. When a man was killed— he looked ‘so peaceful’. His suffering was over.” [9]

Christmas eve rolled around. The men received General McAuliffe’s Christmas greetings. “What’s merry about all this, you ask?… Just this: We have stopped cold everything that has been thrown at us from the north, east, south and west. We have identifications from four German Panzer Divisions, two German Infantry Divisions and one German Parachute Division… The Germans actually did surround us, their radios blared our doom. Their Commander demanded our surrender in the following impudent arrogance:

“To the U.S.A Commander of the encircled town of Bastogne.

The fortune of war is changing. This time the U.S.A. forces in and near Bastogne have been encircled by strong German armoured units. More German armoured units have crossed the river Our near Ortheuville, have taken Marche and reached St. Hubert by passing through Hompre-Sibret-Tillet. Libramont is in German hands.

There is only one possibility to save the encircled U.S.A. troops from total annihilation: that is the honourable surrender of the encircled town. In order to think it over a term of two hours will be granted beginning with the presentation of this note.

If this proposal should be rejected one German Artillery Corps and six heavy A. A. Battalions are ready to annihilate the U.S.A. troops in and near Bastogne. The order for firing will be given immediately after this two hours term. All the serious civilian losses caused by this artillery fire would not correspond with the well-known American humanity.

The German Commander.”

Shortly after, General McAuliffe sent the following communication to von Lüttwitz in response:

“To the German Commander.

NUTS!

The American Commander.”

McAuliffe continues: “We are giving our country and our loved ones at home a worthy Christmas present and being privileged to take part in this gallant feat of arms are truly making for ourselves a Merry Christmas. A. C. McAuliffe, Commanding.” [10]

The men of the 101st didn’t share McAuliffe’s upbeat attitude. However, on the day following Christmas, Lt. Col. Creighton Abrams of the 37th Tank Battalion broke through the German lines. The 101st were no longer surrounded, and soon enough supply trucks were coming through and bringing the men food, medical supplies, winter clothing and ammunition. The wounded were evacuated, and in the breaking of the siege the men learned that they had become a legend even as the battle continued. To the outside world, the men of the 101st Division became known as the ‘Battered Bastards of Bastogne’. [11]

While the men were expecting to return to Camp Mourmelon to ‘bask in the Allied world’s adulation and perhaps to celebrate the New Year in Paris’, [12] their hopes were cut short when they were ordered to continue holding the line. Their conditions had improved, seeing as they now had winter clothing and a hot meal every now and then, but the frigid temperatures lingered with the snow and the Germans were now shelling the company daily. “At midnight, on the eve of 1945, every gun in Bastogne and every mortar piece on the MLR joined in a serenade of explosives hurled at the Germans.” [13]

Easy Company and the rest of the 101st Division’s time in the Ardennes over the course of eight days was an excruciating and extremely difficult struggle. One that had brought physical and emotional suffering to men on both sides, and a staggering amount of casualties in such a short period of time. Their ‘victory’ was hard won, but holding the line at Bastogne was essential to stopping the German forces from advancing and successfully capturing the crossroads. The 101st Airborne wouldn’t depart the Ardennes region and enter the French town of Hagenau until January 18, and they would suffer many more losses, but the Siege over Bastogne had been broken.

  WORKS CITED

[1] “Band of Brothers” Ambrose, Stephen E. (1992) p. 181 [4] p. 172 [6] p. 174 [7] p. 177-178 [8] p. 187 [9] p. 187 [12] p. 191 [13] p. 193

[2] “Bastogne: The First Eight Days” Marshall, S.L.A. (1988) p. 9

[3] “The Sixth Panzer Army Attack” Cole, H. (1965)

[5] “The Unknown Dead: Civilians in the Battle of the Bulge” Schrijvers, Peter (2005) University Press of Kentucky

[10] “Rendevous with Destiny” Rapport and Northwood, p. 545 [11] p. 586

[sachisth]

Hyper Male Force Review

Hyper Male Force Review

The hyper male force is doing wonders only by merely showing the results within weeks. This body has got a single organ that is not in need. Nature has made this beautiful human creature, and at the same time, it has created the herbs which could heal all the problems humans face merely by using their brain. There is nothing that happens automatically; instead, the pain increases as days pass.

Many males can enjoy their sex life in the right way, but some of them stuck in between the struggle or regret of being incapable of doing it. It is when they try to seek some security solutions to increase the size of their penis so that they could satisfy their partner. This can involve physical exercises or some inappropriate medicines which work for a temporary basis and in return gives a bundle of side effects. But, not Hyper Male Force, read on to know further how!

What is Hyper Male Force?

These are capsules that are responsible for giving power, strength, and growth to your penis. The main thing that separates it from other products in the market is the presence of some natural ingredients and safe medication. Natural products when getting involved than one thing that stays back foot are the side effects. It is difficult to find a product that works to solve the cause rather than creating a new one. This product is especially there so that you can resist any embarrassing moment that pulls you and your partner away from your desires. Your willingness to make love completely should not stay a dream. It’s good to have attractions but as a male, if you feel your penis as an obstacle for those sessions then just give your handle to these capsules. Within weeks can make you think that you had never faced any such problem in the past.

Hyper Male Force Ingredients

Vitamin B1

Vitamin B1 is an essential human supplement that has a place with the nutrient B complex. It assumes a significant job in keeping up a sound sensory system and improving the cardiovascular working of the body. Vitamin B1 is one of the eight water-solvent nutrients in the B complex family. It helps in the change of starches into glucose, which thus to deliver vitality for doing different substantial capacities.

The problem lies with the maximum number of people that stay common. They all are unable to take all the vitamins in the same proposition in which this leads to weakness and further when we start consuming it from natural resources, and then it takes a lot of time to recover. These capsules contain an appropriate amount of vitamin B1 which can help you stay longer in bed. The erections would also wait for a little longer. These capsules are the best way to get these vitamins in the most beautiful form.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B-12 is essential for the creation of DNA inside the human body. This vitamin helps in the growth of cells in the human body and these cells later hemp in hormone formation. It increases the metabolism in the body and increases the flow of blood too. These capsules contain this vitamin in the appropriate quantity so you can have them daily.

Vitamin B3

Niacinamide is a form of Vitamin B3. Niacinamide uses the niacin in the body. Niacin is changed over to niacinamide when it is taken in sums more prominent than what is required by the body. Niacin and niacinamide break up in the water.

Individuals with less than stellar eating routine, liquor abuse, and a few sorts of moderate developing tumours called carcinoid tumours may be in danger for niacin lack. Vitamin B3 is essential to give proper flexibility to the muscles, and these capsules provide appropriate amounts of this vitamin.

Ashwagandha

The main reason for which the man feels difficulty in having erections for a more extended number of hours is called erectile dysfunction. Ashwagandha is a powerful herb that is famous when it comes to ayurvedic medicines, and it deals with proper strength and blood flow in the penis. It increases the level of testosterone marginally, and this enables you to give more confidence during sessions as you can feel the change.

Hawthorn

The body needs to have the urge to do sex. This urge decides how you are going to perform in bed. In some cases, this urge starts missing as days pass by, and the partner usually starts complaining about this. To overcome such problems, you can always rely on some medications which contain the original form of Hawthorn.

Skull cap

The primary thing that bothers during sex is harder erections. When harder erections start coming then in most cases, the performance of men’s starts increasing. These capsules can show the result within a week or two, and you will feel that they are valid.

Gotu Kola

It is the most crucial herb which helps in sending signals to the brain. Our brain controls a considerable part of hormonal change, and these capsules promote hormonal change by sending the message rapidly.

How does Hyper Male Force work?

Whenever an individual consumes these capsules from that moment onwards, they start breaking down into proteins and herbs, and then circulation happens in the body. There are chances when your body does not need a particular protein, so in such cases, the body throws out that protein from the body. The body soaks all the other protein, which is useful, like a dry sponge. Some of them start adding energy to the collection while others can work on increasing the testosterone level.

Benefits of Hyper Male Force work

Uplifting of my mood

The major challenge that male experience when they are going through such problems is a feeling of being sad all day long. It happens because we try to judge yourself and feel disappointed due to the inner absence of that macho man. There are times when your partner would also say to you the same thing they expect more than in those cases, it feels like a disability. Overcome such bad moods, and there are some ingredients present in these capsules which make the person feel happy and relaxed.

Energetic

Our brain controls everything in our body, and when we are disappointed, then we try to resist every hope which our intelligence gives to our brain. Staying energetic is a combination of required proteins plus a state of mind. These capsules provide the body with the desired vitamins. Energy can be retrieved from other sources also, but these capsules contain the right amount and appropriate proportion of that energy ingredient.

Strength to the penis

Erections are hard to get, but when you are consuming these capsules, then it becomes hard even to miss a minute without your partner. Every partner in this world raises physical requirements, but the one who consumes such ingredients becomes the one who satisfies their partner. The erections start staying longer within a few weeks. It will make you and your partner feel good.

Size of the penis and blood flow

The size of the penis depends on the flow of blood in between the veins. These capsules increase the flow of blood and at the same time, increase the testosterone level.

Boost your stamina

Stamina decides for how much time you stay in bed during the intercourse. These capsules start working on the strength from day one and make the muscles feel relaxed. The less the tissues would be stiff lesser would be chances of your power to be less.

Hyper Male Force side effects

In these capsules, everything is natural. The ingredients are just a mixture of all the natural herbs which are challenging to find but beneficial if taken in the right quantity. People have always given some good feedback for these capsules as it has given happiness back to their love life.

Hyper Male Force Cost

There are saving options provided in 3 different purchase plan

Basic

In this pack, you get one bottle of Hyper Male Force capsule, and there are 30 capsules present in each bottle. This bottle will cost you $69 , and the shipping would also be free.

Premium

In this pack, you get four bottles of Hyper Male Force capsule, and there are 30 capsules present in each bottle. This bottle will cost you $49 for each cylinder, and the shipping would also be free. The total of these four bottles would be $196. It is the most beneficial deal among all three.

Standard

In this pack, you get two bottles of Hyper Male Force capsule, and there are 30 capsules present in each bottle. This bottle will cost you $59, and the shipping would also be free.

Money-back guarantee and refund policy

From 60 days of purchase, you are under the money-back guarantee and refund policy. In this policy, you can make a refund if your experience is wrong, and in return, they will ask you to share your feedback. It rarely happens when such systems as people always stay happy once they purchase these capsules.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these capsules safe for consumption?

It is safe to consume these tablets as they are present in all the natural ingredients. All the reviews and feedback have proved that they nowhere affected people in the wrong way.

Do I need to consume it daily?

The answer to this is yes. To get better results, you need to consume these capsules daily.

How much time does it take for capsules to show effect?

Generally, it takes two weeks, but it can extend up to a month to show the results. The results are not all of a sudden; instead, they are slow and effective.

Are these capsules addictive?

No, these capsules are not addictive. You just need to consume according to the requirement and effect that you have got from regular consumption.

Customer Reviews

By Anas

I gave these capsules to my husband five months back and right now, my husband is a fan of these capsules. We can quickly feel the strength and duration for which he lasts in bed. Thanks to Hyper male force capsules.

By Dover

I purchased these capsules two months back and right now there is no reason that I stop consuming them. Right now, I get better erections, and my testosterone also has it.

By Jorge

It has always been my wildest fantasy to have wild sex with my partner. From the day I have started the intake of these capsules, I see that fantasy to become a reality each day.

By Kenya

My friend told me about these capsules, and there is no day that I don’t thank him for such a good suggestion.creases this has made me realize what strength means and what is the actual meaning of being physical with your partner. I recommend all to purchase these capsules.

The final verdict

These capsules are magic. The routine of consumption of one tablet daily can help you get results within two weeks. The strength, stamina and the urge to be physical with your partner would be like never before. There is never a particular time to boost the performance of your body. The right time is now, and this can save you from any sort of self-judging thoughts.

[let-them-eat-rakes]

RED REALITY (part 1)

(my longest post yet.)

Item #: SCP-3001

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: To prevent further accidental entries into SCP-3001, all Foundation reality-bending technology will be upgraded/modified with multiple newly developed safeguards to prevent Class-C "Broken Entry" Wormhole creation. While knowledge of SCP-3001 is available to personnel of any level should they wish to learn about it, research and experimentation with SCP-3001 and its associated technology is strictly limited to personnel of Level 3 and above, with special clearance designation granted from Sites 120, 121, 124, and 133.

Description: SCP-3001 is a hypothesized paradoxical parallel/pocket "non-dimension" accessible through the creation of a momentary Class-C "Broken Entry" Wormhole.(1) While believed to be an infinitely extending parallel universe, SCP-3001 is almost completely devoid of any matter and has an extremely low Hume Level of 0.032,(2) contradicting Kejel's Laws of Reality with the relation between Humes and spacetime. This phenomenon causes matter inside it to decay at an extremely low rate, and damage that would otherwise prove fatal does not impede any biological/electronic function; simulations suggest an organism can lose more than 70% of their body's tissue and still operate normally, as long as at least 40% of the brain remains. However, prolonged exposure will cause said matter to gradually approach SCP-3001's own Hume Level, resulting in severe tissue/structural damage as the matter's own Hume Field begins to disintegrate.

SCP-3001 was initially discovered on January 2, 2000, at Site-120, a facility dedicated to testing and containing reality-bending technology. Dr. Robert Scranton and his wife Dr. Anna Lang were Head Researchers at Site-120, and were developing an experimental device, called the "Lang-Scranton Stabilizer" (LSS).(3) Dr. Scranton was transported to SCP-3001 after unexpected seismic activity damaged several active LSS in Site-120 Reality Lab A.

Initially presumed dead, Dr. Scranton has survived in SCP-3001 for at least five years, 11 months, and 21 days. During this time, he was able to record his experiences and observations within SCP-3001 through a somehow still functioning LSS control panel, which was also brought into SCP-3001 with him through the Class-C "Broken Entry" Wormhole. These recordings were later recovered upon the panel's sudden return, an unexpected side effect from testing improved reality-bending technology; these logs are the basis of SCP-3001 study. Despite new technologies being developed, retrieval and re-integration of Dr. Scranton has been unsuccessful. His current physical and mental states, if he is still alive, are unknown. [Further information on Dr. Scranton's possible retrieval is under Ethics Committee review.] Transcripts of Dr. Scranton's logs are below.

[No discernible/coherent dialogue can be heard from Dr. Scranton for the first eight days. He cycles through periods of panic, confusion, and anger throughout, and it seems he was attempting to navigate SCP-3001 to find a way out. He finally moved close enough to the recording log on the eleventh day, though did not notice it was operating for several more hours.]

…

Name, Robert Scranton. Age, 39. Birthday, September 19, 1961.

Favorite color, blue.

Favorite song, "Living on a Prayer."

Wife… Anna…

Anna…

Name, Robert Scranton. Age, 39. Birthday, September 19, 1961.

Favorite color, blue.

Favorite song, "Living on a Prayer."

Wife, Anna. She has green eyes. I love her very much.

Name, Robert Scranton. Age, 39. Birthday, September 19, 1961.

Favorite color, blue.

Height, 178 cm.

Weight, 85 kg.

Wife, Anna. Anna, I'm sorry.

Name, Robert Scranton. Age, 39. Birthday, September 19, 1961.

Favorite color, blue.

My wife's name is Anna. We got married August 12, 1991.

I hope she got out okay.

Please let her be all right, please let her be all right.

Robert, Scranton. 39. Anna, blue, wife. Please… please, God, please…

Anna… Anna… Anna bo banna… Anna bo banna…

What the… what the hell is that? [It is assumed at this point Dr. Scranton noticed the flashing light of the recording module.]

What the fuck, this thing's actually recording?

[Metallic clang heard.]

[Voice is highly agitated and panicked.] My name, is Robert Scranton. Yeah, yeah, my name, is Robert Scranton, former researcher at Foundation Site-120. It has been… I don't know, actually, I… I can't remember. I… I estimate it's been ten days, but, I-I-I don't, I can't… Oh God, can anyone hear me?! I-I-I don't know what's happened, I-I don't know where I am, and-and, please, please is anyone there?! Hello?! Anyone?! ANYONE?!

No one can hear me. Oh God, oh God, oh God. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK.

Why the hell is this thing even working, it can't be working, it SHOULDN'T be working, so what the hell?! I need to — God, I need to, I need to… see, how… long can I talk here, I think there's a-a-a cap or something on the recording log, and I-I-I can't see anything, I can only see the red light blinking on and off, I can't see any of the switches next to it…

I'm really hungry.

Thirsty, too. I think I should be dead from dehydration by now, but… I don't know.

Hi, little red light. Can you talk to me? Can you talk to… Anna, for me? Hello?

I found the controls.

Two weeks, three days, forty-seven hours, and fifty-eight minutes.

Two weeks, three days, forty-seven hours, and fifty-eight minutes.

Two weeks, three days, seven hours, and fifty-eight minutes.

Two weeks, three days, seven hours, and fifty-eight minutes.

Oh… Jesus.

ERROR WITH PLAYBACK, ERROR WITH PLAYBACK. ERROR WITH PLAYBACK.

Wherever the hell I am, I'm pretty sure now that… I don't need to eat to stay alive. It hurts… a lot, but… at this point I don't think I'm gonna die… So… I'm gonna… I'm gonna take my time… I guess. I… Maybe some sort of miracle will happen and I'll get out. Heh. Keep dreaming, Robert. Yeah, I'm… I'm tired, I'm gonna sleep.

Three weeks, four days, nineteen hours.

I have a picture of Anna in my pocket. I almost forgot. Little red light, let me see her face, please? Just a little bit, I just… I just want to see her a bit.

Hi, Anna, I'm still here, I'm still here. I'm coming back, okay?

Two months, four days, three hours.

… Hi. Robert here. Yeah, I-I haven't really recorded much to hear in the past few weeks. Ha. Hahahaha… Hahaha… huh… huh…

Sorry, gotta keep it together. Breathe.

I've been… I've been busy. Trying to learn more about the place I'm in. My prison. My kingdom all my own. Heh, King Robert. God, I stink. Is there even air in this goddamn place? Stinky King Robert, king of GODDAMN NOTHING FUCK.

…Sorry, sorry. I, I gotta keep this professional. I'll… I'll come back when I'm feeling rested.

… Okay, here goes. [Inhales then exhales deeply.]

My name is… Robert Scranton. I am a former Head Researcher of Site… 120, a Foundation facility dedicated to studying various reality-bending SCPs, for the purpose of developing more advanced countermeasures towards such threats.

For the last… red light, speak to me,

Two months, eight days, sixteen hours.

What red light said. I have been trapped in what I believe to be an empty pocket dimension. Alone. Yeah… alone. All alone.

I'm calling this place SCP… I don't know, I can't remember where we are, screw it. I don't know what's happened in the past… red light, please, again.

Two months, eight days, sixteen hours.

But… no one else is around to argue, and at this point… I'm just talking into this control panel to keep myself together. I… I need to keep a record. There might be some poor bastard in the future who ends up like me, and… if this ever actually makes it out… maybe, maybe I can help stop that from happening. That's all I have going for me right now, and I really need something to go for, hahahaha…

…So, yeah, Robert… Scranton… documenting a new SCP for… future research purposes. That'll have to do. Here we go!

- Close.

…

Two months, eleven days, ten hours.

Item number, SCP I don't fucking care.

Object Class, Euclid, I guess, but I don't know, I might update this in time. I need to explore more.

Special Containment Procedures, god I sound so much like a shrink right now… Um… I don't know if we could… contain wherever I am. It's… definitely not on Earth. To be honest I don't know where it is. I… I think it has do something with the Stabilizer prototype… I'll explain that more later. Okay… um… yeah, wherever I am, I don't think it can be contained much as… created. No, no, that's not the word I'm looking for. Um… entered. Yeah, entered is better. I came into this place because of some really bad reality-bending accident and… no, no, Robert, don't be like that yet, you don't know if there's no exit yet. Ooooh… livin' on a prayer… halfway… there. Ahem.

Two months, eleven days, eighteen hours.

So… wait, no, Description, Robert, stick to the format… This place… It's some sort of reality gap, I think. It's dark. Really dark. As in, this little red light that shows my words are actually being recorded is the only visible light in this entire place. I can't see my hands, and I can barely see the control panel here. I've had to basically use the light as a center, and remember how many steps I take and in which direction. I haven't gone past a hundred yet. I'm too… I'm too scared to. Heh. I wonder if my hair is turning white, right now? I can't even see what color it is anymore. Speaking of which, my head has been a bit itchy recently. If I don't concentrate on it, it's fine, but I feel this… tingling all over my face. I'm not sure why.

Two months, fifteen days, four hours.

Okay… hoooo… I-I need to relax for a minute, Jesus, god, shit. Holy… shit, shit, shit… I… just discovered a new property of this place. All this time, I've been thinking I might be walking on… some sort of… flat ground, if you will. I kept eye contact with little red as far as I could see, and it seems I could walk in a straight, flat path. Jesus, my head is buzzing right now, I think the adrenaline is still kicking… But, if my hypothesis is correct, and this really is some sort of reality… void, then there shouldn't be anything to walk on. Now that I think about, the whole time I've been in here, it's felt like… I'm walking, but I'm also swimming through something. And this something is thick, and form-fitting, it has this… pressure, which I know isn't the correct term, but goddamn it, this place makes no damn sense and I'm doing my best to understand it, okay?!

God… Sorry.

So, the best analogy I can come up with is… it's like I'm walking through really thick black gel. There's enough tension to keep me on a… "surface", but if I… imagine myself pressing down hard enough, I can descend. Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, I think… I think I need to test this more, I'll be back.

Two months, seventeen days, two hours.

Navigation is largely affected by… conscious impulses to travel in a certain direction. So, this definitely isn't a complete reality gap, at least according to mine and Anna's theories. If-if it were I wouldn't have been able to move at all, since space wouldn't have existed. Holy shit, okay, okay, this makes a lot more sense than it did before, great, great job, Robert, you're getting there. …Come to think of it, I should've realized that sooner when I was able to move in a flat plane to and from little red. It also explains why I'm not dead from dehydration or hunger yet, time barely passes in here. Okay yeah, so, I stood right next to little red, and went straight… "down." Okay, from here on out, imagine little red as the origin of a 3D space. I went straight… down, right, yeah, and then… and then I was then able to come back "up" to little red again. I've also been able to "fly" above red. Movement in here is slow, like I said, gel analogy, best I can describe it by.

Two months, twenty-two-days, three hours.

Reporting back for another update, red, SIR! Hahaha, come on red, lighten up. Ha! Pun not intended… Come on red, crack a little smile, it's funny!

…

… Fine, whatever. Ahem.

This place still seems like it barely follows Kejel's Laws of Reality Parameters. And by barely, I mean, really just barely. I'm pretty sure my math is right, but… hold on, I'm gonna check again…

Jesus. Yeah, yeah, pretty sure it's good still. Okay, this place… if we're using the standard Hume scale, I'm pretty sure I'm in a reality where the Hume Field is… point zero… four… ish. Yeah, really, really, really fucking low, so… Like I said above, space-time exists on a very minuscule scale, so my biology is not getting shot to hell and back because of any malnutrition, but that also means… I… I'm actually not sure what that also means…

…

Adding on from the last entry. I'm… I'm not sure how my biology will react in such a low Hume concentration, actually. I mostly worked with higher than average Hume Fields, and the reality benders we tested never had a Field lower than 0.8. This… this is gonna be a first. An all-time first. I remember Site-133's "Prommel Killer", they called it that because it broke the previous theory about the lowest limit of Hume concentration. Really expensive, really weird machine that brought down a small area to 0.4. 0.05 is… yeah.

I was lying. I was lying, last log… I… I'm lying to myself. My own body, and… little red here too… We're about the realest things in this place. And that means… over time… the Hume field's going to want to… equalize, and… I'm… I'm gonna go for now, I have some… some calculation to do again. Red, Anna, take note I'm using Kejel's Second, Third, and Fourth Laws, got it? Use… use 0.05 as the surrounding, my external field as… somewhere in between 1 and 1.4, use the Second Law's error estimation correction, and my internal as… as… as… shit. I'm not done yet.

I am real. I am super-real. Super duper real. Ultra real, the realest guy in a world of no-real.

You have no sense of humor as usual, red. I'm talking about the LSS, red. When we got sent here, I think… I think our reality got cranked up a notch. Red, didn't you pay attention in class? Hey, don't get fucking smart with me, red. Okay, the point is, the LSS surge got us up to… to…

Two months, eighteen days, seven hours.

No, red, not even fucking close, you must've converted Kejel's Third Law equation wrong. Because of the malfunctioning LSS we got blasted by, we're somewhere in between 2.2 and 3.6. Yes, that's good red, that's very good, because that means we have more time than we thought to… to… yes, red, before we fucking DIE, okay?!

Two months, twenty four days, five hours.

About three years. Four, if… If I don't interact too much. If… If I had had an LSS here, I could maybe stretch it out to… eight, maybe, that's best case scenario… But I have… I have to… I… know… but… but… three years. Three years, then it's past the point of no return. Ha. Hahahahaha. I should… I should definitely figure something out by then. I think I still should be pretty good for a while… At least… no, no, I won't be in here that long… I'll definitely figure something out…

Anna, what would we do with a case like this? I need your help, honey. That… that tingling I've been feeling… That's my Hume Field diffusing… My… my reality fading… Three years. I need to stabilize myself within three years.

I've been thinking… Anna and I, we had this theory… Even though the Hume Field is low, it's still a Hume Field. And precisely since it's so low, Hume diffusion should take quite a while. Now if… if I could… contain… recycle the fields, keep the diffusion from spreading too thin, I could… And I could also maybe… it's only a theory, but… It's worth a shot. But that means…

Hey, red. I… I'm gonna have to go for a bit. I want to test something, and you can't come with me. I… I'm sorry. No, no, red, I'm really, really sorry, I want you to come, I do, but… if we're together the diffusion will increase faster… We both need as much time as possible. I need to figure this place out more, and you need to make sure you keep all that info in your head. It's… red, come on. You- you'll be fine red, I know you will, you're tough. A lot tougher than me… it'll only be for a bit, red, but I need to see if I can find a way to keep us alive a bit longer. Maybe even get us out of here. If I can contain enough field, I can… I can maybe even get us out. No, no I'm not sure, but I need to find out. Red, we're talking about possibly escaping, okay? Yeah, it's a gap. A gap should have an end, like a… like the walls of a canyon, understand? I need to find a wall, and then, and then I can…

…

I'm sorry, red, I hope we're still friends when I come back.

…

I'm… I'm going now… I'll see you soon.

…

- Close.

Six months, ten days, five hours.

Hello again, little red. It's been a while.

You know… thinking back… I don't know what the hell I was so excited about. This place is… god, this place. This place is is fucking… hell.

There's no end. It just goes on. And on. And on.

I traveled in one goddamn direction for two, damn, months. God, I'm so fucking stupid, why did I think I could get out? I'm thinking like those old European shits that thought the end of the world was at the horizon. Fucking stupid, Robert, stupid, just-just- GAAAAAAAAAAAH—

If I let myself fall down long enough would I eventually hit a bottom?

Ten months, 28 days, 15 hours.

There's no bottom. And fuck you, red.

I'm sorry, red, don't go out, I'm sorry I turned you off, come back, come back, please—

… I turned 40 today. Happy birthday, Robert.

I was adopted, did you know that? Yeah, my parents left me in a box on the side of a street. Got picked up by some American couple, which explains my not-so-Chinese names. I don't even know my original last name. Just thought I'd share. How about you, red?

Anna and I met on-site in 1988. God she was beautiful. She still is. It was our eyes. She has beautiful eyes. My eyes are grey, they're boring, but hers… God they're beautiful. Do you think… Do you think she's still worried about me, little red? Is she looking for me?

You know, red, you're a great listener. But I never hear you talk about yourself. Come on, don't be shy, there's no one else around, right? Hahaha, right? Hahaha… hahahahaha…

"I'm sorry, Robert, I'm afraid I can't do that." Hahaha, red, you're hilarious.

Were you married? Kids? Any family at all? Girlfriend? Boyfriend? Come on, red, I won't judge, just… talk to me, please. God, my head hurts. And my feet feel like they've been asleep for forever.

I worked at a comic store as a kid. So much cheaper back then, and I got free stuff at the end of each week. I liked Spiderman the best.

I was in a box, side of the street.

I… what the fuck… no. No. No, no, no, no, no, no, red, have you seen my picture? The picture red, Anna's picture, where is - come on, come on, where-where- Anna! ANNA! ANNA! Where did - no, no, no, no, no, please, please no, anything but, PLEASE.

It's fading, she's fading, she's fading, please, Anna, no, please, come on, sweetie, stay here, it's too soon, it's TOO SOON, my math isn't wrong, it's NOT WRONG, YOU SHOULD BE FINE. ANNA, ANNA, I can't hold you, come back, Anna, sweetie, honey, Anna please, I need you, I need you, please, please, don't go, I'm here, I'm still here. RED GET HELP. Anna, please, please, don't go, don't -

Black hair, green eyes, 160. Black hair, green eyes, 160. Black hair, green eyes, 160. Black hair, green eyes, 160. Black hair, green eyes, 160. Black hair, green eyes, 160. Black hair, green eyes, 160. Black hair, green eyes, 160. Black hair, green eyes, 160. Black hair, green eyes, 160. [Dr. Scranton repeats this for three hours.]

Anna and I got married in '91. We couldn't really get the nicest suit and dress we wanted because of work, but, damn, we both looked great. Anna looked better, of course. We just danced, and danced the whole night, got the whole week off. Even a job like mine lets you enjoy your honeymoon… So, come on red, open up, put 'er there, high five. Come on. Come on, red.

One year, two months, twenty-seven days.

…

…

AAAAAAA—

[The next recordings only play the control panel's automated voice giving times, with intervals of one to three days, with several month-long gaps in between as well; also intermixed are Dr. Scranton's sobbing, screaming, and mumbling. These recordings continue until the time reading reaches two years, seven months, and 28 days, after which they cease to pick up any sound until two months later.]

[tjp5]

Day 1 January 15, 2020 – Written January 16, 2020

               So yesterday was the first official day of this twelve-week program. It was the first day that I would start writing this blog, and the first day that I would start doing a few things on a regular basis that I believe would help get my mental health in line, which I believe is of paramount importance to getting your physical health in line. I will elaborate on those at some point, maybe even today, I am going to be honest and tell y’all, I have no idea where these are going to go when I start writing.

Needless to say there was some excitement, and there was also some trepidation. Yesterday was a little grey for me.  I was upset with myself for my horrible dieting options on Tuesday. I am one of those people who continuously says “one last fat meal,” and no matter what, I absolutely regret it the next day. Another thing that made Yesterday a little grey for me was the fact that I was admitting my struggles with mental health to more people than just my therapist and my girlfriend. Some friends knew that I had issues with anxiety, and some friends knew about the struggles I had about eight years ago, but it was the first time I really said “hey, I am a little fucked up in the head.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsvyjePPFRs (shoutout to Adam on this one) It was good for me to admit that to this vast nothingness that is seemingly everything in the world, the internet. I also had a little bit of help, I don’t know if it was coincidence or what, but this video came across on youtube auto play and showed me that even the most successful people in the world deal with these issues. Old Athlete Meets Young Athlete To Discuss Mental Illness | Dean Windass Meets Tyson Fury | The Gap - YouTube – This video is definitely worth the time, and it will help you realize that people are out there living life and crushing goals no matter what that voice in the back of their mind is telling them that they are not capable of. Yesterday was also a little grey because of the fact that I reread what I wrote, I thought it would make me feel good, proud, and a little Tranquilo, (that’s a little shout out to the wrestling nerd in me, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyTtyg_fylI) but it didn’t. I realize now that taking off and not writing for four years, was a bit of a mistake, but we’re back on the wagon. Hopefully I will look back on these entries and see an improvement, probably not, but maybe.

Anyway, looking back I was excited to finally step into the program, this is something that I have not interacted with since I played baseball in college all those years ago. Back then, I absolutely was disgusted with the idea to hop into a designed program. I was young and thought that whatever I could come up with would be just as good as anything they had. I was wrong. I cam into college weighing around 235, and the coaches weren’t shy about telling me that I was too big. I was cocky, and didn’t care about who was ahead of me on the depth chart or what other players were brought in at my position. My mindset was simple, “I am the best mother fucker here,” to this day I don’t know how wrong I was exactly, but I do know I was not the best player there, I was correct in one sense, I was one of the most out of shape people on that team. Their program, as well as them watching and ridiculing everything I ate, helped me get down to 205 pounds, which is now near the top of my goal weight range. I don’t know if that is significant to me because it’s the last time I felt confident in my body or what, because it definitely wasn’t a time that I was experience a healthy mind. So now, completely opposite of where I was about nine years ago, I am excited about the prospect of getting ‘fit.’

I looked toward the first day of this program as something that would be easy, fuck me, I couldn’t have been more incorrect. In the last month or two I was sporadically going to the gym and just focusing on my cardio, this did nothing for me but give me a little bit of piece from whatever I had going on, so it was good, but it was doing nothing for my physical fitness. The workout started with 500m on the row machine as a warmup, this literally took about 3 minutes, but it kicked my ass. 500m on the row machine kicking my ass should have been a telling sign to where this workout was going, but it was not. I did some lower body, body weight movements, and then headed to the squat rack to find my three rep max (3RM.) My legs were already burning, I got 225 with some relative struggle from fatigue, but being alone, I left it there. I will use 250 as my 3RM from now on. That is something that is tough for me to admit, 250 as a 3RM, I used to be able to squat over 400 pounds, that wasn’t something that was challenging when I was catching over 100 games a year, it was just another thing that I could do. Squats are one of the things that I would like to improve most on, right up there with cardiovascular health. I am sure my relative obesity for the last near decade probably has wrecked a little havoc on my heart health. Speaking of cardio, that’s how the workout ended, with 12 minutes of as many as possible cardio circuit, fam I about died. This workout gave me a headache like I haven’t had since eighth grade basketball. I guess these headaches are kind of common, excretion headaches, and I am probably going to get them for the next week or so, oh boy!  

Anyway, this blog isn’t just to update y’all on workouts, its to keep myself in check. Letting myself down is something that I have become familiar with, so I am hoping, that it some way, this makes me think that I am letting everyone else down too. So some things that I am going to detail, is what I ate, and what times (so I fit with my intermittent fasting,) whether I am keeping up with actually doing my hair on workdays, and shaving my face 3-5 times per week so I don’t look like a hungover bum at work. There are probably other things that I will get to doing as well, but I am trying to evolve and will come up with those throughout the next three months.

 Workout today: A GD struggle, and it was only 45 minutes

Diet: A few cups of coffee and about a half gallon of water In the morning. 1:35 Two pieced of grilled chicken, Brussel sprouts, and cooked peppers and onions. 4:30: Beef chuck roast, baked potato and broccoli. 8:45: Protein shake and a spoonful of peanut butter (I plan to do better than this, but yesterday was a bit sporadic)

 Sleep: 6 hours ( trying to get 6-8 daily)

Therapy: Check

Yes I did my hurr, nope I didn’t shave my stubble.

My apologies for these first two being so long, but I am having a good deal of reflection as I try to start this new path.

Cheers!