#but my trainers board is so expensive

[thehackneypony]

i am just so in love with her

#not me trying to financially rearrange my entire life so i can keep her in training/lessons #shes just doing so well i feel like i cant bring her back #but my trainers board is so expensive #hrngh #chalk #friesian cross #paint cross #my horse

[orphicdreamers-wp]

Better Hide Your Love — Nico Hischier

Summary: In which Jack and his girlfriend set you and Nico up on a blind date and neither of you are willing to give them the satisfaction of knowing it went well.

Content Warning; Blind date, mentions of previous sucky dates, secret relationship, sneaking around, plotting bff & jack.

Pairing: Fem Reader & Nico Hischier

You let out a defeated sigh as Maisie pleaded with you to let her set you up on a blind date. You’d gone on your fair share of blind dates recently, most going horribly whether you were stood up, the guy realized how much money you made and expected you to pay when he ordered the most expensive meal on the menu, made comments on your appearance or one of your interests. They just hadn’t been going the best. Maisie smiled, “I promise if the date goes badly I will order you takeout whenever you want for 4 months.” You grinned, “Deal, only because I hate paying for food I didn’t cook.”

On the other side of town Jack was doing the same thing his girlfriend was doing, but for his best friend. Nico shook his head, “No way Jack. After what happened last time I let you set me up no way in hell!” Jack held his hands up in defense, “Hey! I didn’t know she was a nutcase and would tattoo your face on her ass. But I swear this girl is perfect. She has a good paying job so you wouldn’t have to worry about her being with you for money, she’s friends with Maisie so obviously she isn’t crazy. Look if the date goes shitty I’ll let you drive my car for a month.” Nico raised an eyebrow, amused by the offer, “Alright, I’ll go. Just text me when and where.”

Jack grinned as he hurried to his phone to call his girlfriend. He pressed the phone to his ear, “Hey Mais, he said yeah. Okay Friday night at 8? Drinks and dinner. Okay at DiLaurent’s right?” He nodded as his girlfriend agreed. He returned to his friend, “DiLaurent’s downtown at 8 on Friday night. Dinner and drinks.” Nico sighed as he ran a hand over his face, “This better be a decent date Hughes.” Friday came quickly and you were standing in front of your mirror sporting a soft smile. You opted for a black dress with ruffles and a slit up the thigh. You paired it with simple gold heels and gold jewelry and a red lipstick and winged eyeliner.

You let out a deep breath, “I got this.” You grabbed your thin gold clutch and hurried out of your apartment and downstairs to get into the backseat of your Uber. You nervously tapped your nails against your bare thigh. You arrived outside the restaurant and thanked your Uber driver and headed inside. You told the hostess your name and she led you to a table where a man sat with his back to you. From what you could see, he was definitely taller than you and muscular and he looked damn good in dark red.

You smiled as he stood up to pull out your chair, “Y/N right?” You nodded, “You must be Nico. Hi.” Nico smiled at the woman sitting in front of him. She was effortlessly beautiful and her eyes held a twinkle in them that Nico was interested in looking at for awhile. You smiled at him, “So how do you know Jack if I can ask? Maisie didn’t give me much.” Nico grinned, “He’s my teammate, and most days my best friend. How do you know Maisie?”

You laughed, “We were roommates at boarding school in Switzerland when we were in like grade 9.” Nico smiled widely, “What boarding school?” You smiled as you crossed your feet, “Brillantmont International.” Nico shook his head, “No way! My sister went there.” You laughed, “I loved it there.” The waitress approached your table, “Have you had a chance to go over the drink menus?” You looked at the woman, “I’ll just do a white wine if possible.” Nico looked over the drinks, “I’ll take a Negroni.” The waitress smiled as she walked away to get your drinks.

You and him fell back into a smooth rhythm of conversation. Nico smiled as he took a drink of his drink, “So what do you do for work? Jack said you make decent money.” You laughed, “I’m the head athletic trainer for the Harlem Wizards. I also sent to med school and am doing a cardiology residency. I worked for the Seattle Mariners for a while before moving here.” Nico grinned sheepishly, “So if I get hurt you could nurse me back to health. Good to know.” Your cheeks flushed a deep red at his comment.

The waitress had returned to take your order for the meals. Nico ordered first as you weren’t quite ready yet, “Could I have the chicken broccolini alfredo with extra garlic?” You smiled as the waitress turned to you, “Could I have the 8 oz steak, medium rare, extra mushrooms and onions and a side of loaded mashed potatoes?” The waitress smiled at you two, “Of course I’ll have that right out for you. Can I just say you two are a stunning couple.” You smiled at Nico as he thanked her. Nico grinned, “Hey at least people think I could convince a beautiful woman to be my girlfriend.” You laughed, “I’m sure you could.”

The date ended just as well as it started. You and Nico had both ordered the same dessert and laughed about it. You agreed to not tell Jack and Maisie blow well the date went. You made plans for another date. You exchanged numbers as Nico waited with you for your Uber to arrive. You returned to your apartment sporting a grin. You could hear the low hum of your television so you knew that Maisie was in your living room waiting for you to return home to pester you about the date. You pulled out your phone and sent Nico a text telling him you got home safe.

You wiped the smile from your face as you unlocked your door and entered the apartment, “Hi Mais.” Maisie turned off the TV at hearing your voice, “So how was Nico? Was he sweet? Did the date go well? Are you seeing him again? Me you and the guys can double date now! We can go to home games together!” You laughed at the woman’s antics, “Nico was fine, he was kind and respectful. He was just too blah for me. I don’t think we’re gonna go out again.”

Maisie frowned, “Okay, well do you wanna watch TV? There’s a new Love Island episode on.” You shook your head, “I’m wiped Mais, I just wanna take a shower and go to sleep. We have a game tomorrow so I have to be in early to do pre game checks.” Maisie nodded, “Alright, good night. I’ll let myself out.” You hugged her as your made your way to your bedroom and began to get your stuff ready for a shower. You allowed the huge smile to return to your face as you did so.

Nico entered practice the next day with a spring in his step. He was cautious about letting Jack see it so he could lie and say the date didn’t go well so you and him could enjoy getting to know each other without having Jack and Maisie in your ear the whole time. He entered the locker room when Jack spoke, “Hey so what went down last night? Mais said she thought Y/N seemed off after the date.” Nico shrugged, “We just didn’t click. We have nothing in common.” Jack left it at that.

A good two months had passed since the blind date and you and Nico spent every available moment together. You sat high up in the crowds at hockey games while Maisie sat in her box seat. Nico made appearances at a handful of Wizards games. Currently you two were sitting on your couch making out as an Etta James vinyl played on your record player. You two had gone out to a dive bar the previous night. Nico didn’t have practice today so he spent the night. You two had watched all of the Scream movies and then made dinner together and now were making out.

He’d asked you to be his girlfriend the night before. You pulled away from the kiss as you heard keys in your door, “Shit, go hide in my shower. It’s Maisie, I forgot that I told her she could raid my closet for her anniversary date with Jack today.” Nico pressed a quick kiss against your lips as the door opened. He hurried down the hall into the bathroom as Maisie entered the living room, “Hey Y/N, seriously you don’t need to be drinking this much. What did you forget you had a glass already. She was gesturing at the two wine glasses on the coffee table.

You let out a sigh of relief, “Let’s just find you an outfit so I can get back to my horror romance book.” You shut a book near you and made your way to your bedroom. You laid across your bed as Maisie began to flip through your clothes landing on a silk purple dress and heading for the bathroom, “Wait Mais! Just use my room, I have to shit.” Maisie nodded as she returned to your room and you made your way into the bathroom and pressed a hand over Nico’s mouth as you stood there in silence.

You dropped your pants and sat on the toilet as Maisie entered the bathroom. You had never been more grateful you chose dark green shower curtains. Nico was completely out of view of Maisie as she fixed her hair up. Maisie turned to you and sighed dreamily, “I can’t believe I’m celebrating my two year anniversary. I mean Y/N don’t you wanna fall in love?”

You sighed sadly, “Yeah someday, I just don’t want to be the person who falls in love with someone incapable of loving them back, again.” Maisie shrugged, “I know, maybe you should think about trying another date Nico. He’s sweet and still single.” You shrugged, “I don’t know maybe. You should go before your late. You look stunning Maisie.” Maisie smiled at you, “Thank you, I’ll see you later.”

You waited until you heard your front door shut to speak, “That was so close.” Nico spoke as he stepped out of the shower, “I know, maybe we should tell them? I don’t love hiding this now that I know Jack isn’t gonna screw it up for me.” You shrugged, “Maybe your right.” You and Nico returned to your heavy make out session on the couch.

A few weeks later Nico had convinced you to come to his game and you two would figure a way to tell Jack and Maisie you guys had been dating. You had your own plan, you’d borrowed many of Nico’s spare jerseys and you decided to borrow one and wear it to the game. You paired it with a pair of ripped jeans, black converse and an oversized leather black jacket. You put a bit of red lipstick on and clipped in some silver hoop earrings.

You were climbing up the stairs to your seat when Maisie called from a lower part of the seats, “Y/N! What are you doing here?” You smiled as you hugged her, “Can I sit?” Maisie grinned, “Of course sit!” You pulled your leather jacket off as you turned to your friend. Maisie was sporting a confused look, “Why are you wearing Nico’s jersey?” You sighed, “It’s a good thing your pretty Mais.”

Nico skated onto the ice and smiled to himself upon seeing you in his jersey sitting with Maisie and the other WAGS. You had your back to the ice when Jack noticed you and turned to his friend, “Did you finally get a girlfriend Nico? Who’s the chick with my girl?” Jack’s eyes bugged out of his head when he saw the girls face as you turned around. Jack gasped, “You are such a liar! You two have been together for months! Haven’t you?” Nico’s face paled, “Maybe.”

Jack skated away from his friend and stopped in front of you. He glared at you, “You owe us big time! Both of you.” Maisie looked at you then her boyfriend and finally Nico, “You bitch! You’ve been sneaking around behind my back to my face!” You grinned, “I just wanted to have one thing to myself for a while. It’s new though, we’ve only been dating for like 3 weeks.” Maisie grinned, “I’m so happy! So the blind date was a success?” You grinned as your boyfriend approached you, “Yeah.”

Nico grinned widely, “13’s a good look on you.” You grinned as a bright red blush painted your cheeks, “I could say the same thing about you Mr Hischier.” Nico grinned, “So you still up for tonight?” You smiled, “Definitely.”

#hockey player x reader #fanfic #hockey #nhl #nhl fanfiction #nico hischer x reader #nico hischier #nico hischier x reader #nico hischier x y/n #nj devils #new jersey devils

[moneymartin]

MAY I REQUEST FOR LOTTIE WITH A SKATER GF HCS

🦌-lottie with skater!gf hcs

k this has been sitting in my inbox for like a week im sorry zzz also pulling stuff out of my ass cuz im so sleepyt

rich girl yes, she def buys you your gear and shit

if you ask her for a new deck she will literally get it for you no hesitation even if she already got you one

even the clothes and shoes like okayyyy (all brand name clothes for skating r so expensive too omfg)

offering her some help cause she wants to learn just for you

one day before she asked for it though she came home with scratches and a few bruises here and there cause she was trying to learn while you were out of the house :(

cannot balance thats why it happened

when you do end up teaching her though she is gripping onto you so tight it feels like your shirt is gonna rip 😭 she’s terrified of falling in front of you it is literally her biggest fear

teaching her tricks is a whole new level like she cannot pop up the tail properly and always holds on to you cause she sux!

you probably get her the skate trainers so she can do them when you’re gone ☹️

idk if ppl are gonna know what i’m talking abt but having her stand on the board while you hold her hands and she jumps so you can make the board underneath spin

please tell me you guys know what i’m talking abt or i’m gonna sound fucking crazy…

when she gets what she considers good she always calls you out so you can see her do a silly lil pop shuv or a strawberry milkshake 😭

when you sucked at skating you would get hurt ALL THE TIME!!!

lots of blood thats for sure.. lottie tending to your wounds and calling you ‘stupid’ for not wearing a helmet

you tell her “it looks dumb on me” and she ends up smacking you in the area where it hurts just so you know not to do it again and wear the damn helmet no matter how dumb it looks 😒

makes up for that tho fs! kisses your little scratches and bruises while you sleep so they magically feel better in the morning

definitely gives you massages too like she is such an angel oh my god

i think if you broke her arm or leg she’d FREAK!!!

she sees your hand twisted in that weird way but you’re just sitting on the floor holding up your wrist while she’s literally sobbing and calling an ambulance 🤧

same thing with the leg me thinks… your ankle twisted or something like that

when you get your arm casted up she helps you do everything like dress and cook and all that shebang

also she writes all over the cast like she makes it hard for the other yjs to sign it cause all there is on there is her name a bunch of times and a million hearts and doodles

one space on there where the yjs have their names cramped up while lottie’s is everywhere 😕

when it heals and you start to skate again lottie makes you wear a big ass sweater with a shit ton of padding underneath

probably makes you wear big old pants too so she can pad them up as well

gets you a big dumb helmet too so you don’t get hurt

but in reality she just cares about you too much and hates seeing you in pain 🙁🙁🙁

#yellowjackets #yellowjackets x reader #lottie x reader #lottie matthews yellowjackets #lottie matthews x reader #lottie matthews #charlotte matthews x reader #yellowjackets headcanons #lottie matthews headcanons #yellowjackets x you

[octuscle]

Hi, i could really use some support. I was supposed to go on a big trip to Turkey for some sun, but I've busted my knee and now I'm bed-ridden in Wales instead. My doctor gave me this device to "help me experience a Turkish holiday" but I've no idea how to set it up.

Your doctor is absolutely right, Chronivac Travel offers great and authentic travel experiences. Here's something I think you'll like. Turkish guest worker on home leave. You can get your boarding pass at the Turkish Airlines counter. And until then, I've booked you the wheelchair service at the airport. After that you won't need it any more.

From the moment you check in, you will become a month younger every minute. And you'll have spent an extra month in Cardiff working on the rubbish collection. Hard work during the day. Hard training at the gym in the evening. And save every penny. After all, you want your family to be proud of you. You live in Cardiff with your cousin. He's the one who got you the job. That's why you speak very little other than Turkish. And in addition, every hour one of your grandparents becomes a real Anatolian.

Your knee problems are history within a minute of picking up your suitcase. And you can even say "goodbye" and "have a nice day" in Turkish. Your backpack is suddenly a hipbag. Almost a real Louis Vuitton. Your cousin has good sources for almost everything. And when you finally get through the one hour security check, you are 35 years old. Your father's father was Turkish. And for the last five years you've spoken almost nothing but Turkish. Your style of dress has already changed completely. Fake leather jacket, ripped jeans, expensive trainers. The latter are fake, of course. Your hair is short, your beard freshly shaved, but your beard growth is getting stronger. You already have a beard shadow again.

You spend most of the time until boarding in the smoking cabin. The flights to the family are okay, but the fact that you can't have a smoke for four hours is torture. At the beginning you read the sports section of the Hurriyet. But after a few minutes you start to discuss football passionately with the other fellas around you.

You are 30 years old when you leave. Your father is a proud Anatole. And so are you. Proud of your manly body and your manly genes, which dominate those of your mother. No one takes you for a Welshman. And when you change planes to Antalya after a total of four hours in Amsterdam, you are no longer one either. A 20-year-old Turk through and through. Macho at its best. But if you can't fuck a chick, you fuck a cousin. If you don't make eye contact, it's not homo.

And when you finally get to your family's summer house and sit on the leather sofa, proudly watching everyone unwrap their presents, you check out your cousins. One or the other is due tonight!

#male tf #chronivac #muscle tf #reality change #race change #age reduction

[thedeliverygod]

Fundraiser to Help Service Dog Abused By Trainer

Hey all. One of my best friends Claudia has recently gone through something awful & needs our help. Somnus is her precious puppy who was intended to be a service dog. To begin his lengthy training process, he was sent to a training facility where he was also boarded. While he was away from home and in the care of the trainer, Somnus was neglected and abused leading to malnutrition and injuries. Claudia has already had several expensive visits to both the ER vet and their primary vet with more to come. The injuries to Somnus's legs are likely going to lead to expensive surgeries and needless to say, Claudia is overwhelmed. Please, please, please consider giving what you can. If you're unable to give at the moment, please share this post publicly so that we can spread it as far and wide as possible. Here is the link to the go fund me that’s been put together for her situation. Thank you!

#pets #service dog #disability #disabled #somnus

[xiubaek-13]

The Busiest Night Manager In Seoul Part 1

Part of the Crimson Aurora Hotel & Spa collaboration

Genre: Hotel AU, eventual smut.

Pairing: Night Manager Baekhyun x Hotel Guest Reader

Word Count: 3,932

Warnings: Christmas tree innuendo? Roleplay if you squint. Nothing really for this chapter, its mostly an intro to their characters.

A/N: I hope you enjoy this. There will be 3 parts to this short fic. I wanted to break it up a bit rather than drop a 15k monster on all of you.

You checked your booking information one last time before leaving for the airport. You’d gotten ready too early, a trait your mother had ingrained into your subconscious, at least you weren’t as extreme as her - she’d be at the airport 8 hours before the flight boarded, you were only a couple of hours ahead of schedule. Still not quite believing that you were off on an all expenses paid trip to Seoul, you shut the door behind you and rolled your suitcase towards the taxi that had just pulled up in front of your building. When you’d topped the sales board for most insurance policies in your branch last year you had been gifted a $100 voucher for dinner so it had come as a huge surprise that this year instead of a gift voucher, you received an envelope through the internal mailing system that contained a plane ticket, a 5 night hotel booking confirmation and details of a one day meeting that you were to attend on behalf of the company. 

After confirming that the trip was indeed real and not some sort of joke you’d looked the hotel up online and it was fancy with a capital F. You just knew you’d look out of place there. The Crimson Aurora Hotel & Spa was a top tier, very expensive, luxury hotel. You had this image of all of the guests in their designer clothes, nary a hair out of place. Your personal style did not scream ‘I have lots of money’, not that you cared. You liked your style, it wasn’t bad, it would just stick out like a sore thumb in a place like that. 

The hotel had recently been renovated. You’d spent a decent portion of your flight to Seoul reading up on the new and improved Crimson Aurora. They offered a wide range of services, more than you’d seen on any hotel list that you’d stayed at before: 24 hr room service, on-site pool, spa, sauna, gym with personal trainer, yoga sessions, cocktail bar, celebrity chef, top of the line security, tour guides, live music. The list went on. Surely they were offering too much? How many employees did it have? It would have to be a lot to accommodate all of those services. 

You were due to arrive late at night, checking in around 11:30pm due to your flight times. You had been given instructions from one of the very helpful receptionists on how to contact the night manager once you arrived so that he could check you in and see you to your room.  While the taxi from the airport took you to your destination you rang the number you’d been provided with. After two rings the night manager answered. 

“Crimson Aurora Hotel & Spa, Night Manager Baekhyun speaking. How may I be of assistance to you this evening?” His voice was soothing, the tone of it comforting. It made you feel like you were speaking to an old friend which kind of startled you.

Pulling your mind from the odd tangent it was headed down Do I know him? Surely not right? But his voice…it feels familiar… “Oh hi, I was told by one of the daytime receptionists to call this number when I was on my way to the hotel. I’m in the taxi from the airport right now.”

“Are you checking in for a stay with us?” He asked.

“Yes. I got stuck with a late flight. Christmas in July and all that. The driver says we’ll be arriving in about 15 minutes. Can you let me in once I arrive so I can check in? I’m sorry to be arriving so late at night.” You apologised. You knew that check in had technically finished hours ago but you’d specially organised the late check in after realising at the airport that your flight was delayed.

“It’s a very busy time for tourists, that's for sure.” He replied, not at all fussed by your late arrival.  “Ma’am if you could provide me with your booking reference I’ll have most of the check in process completed by the time you arrive.” He said kindly.

“Ok great. My booking reference is CHS-01004099.” You replied.

“Thank you ma’am. I’m just bringing the booking up now.” He hummed softly as he pulled up your booking information. The sound was pleasant to your ears but was not doing anything to help keep you awake. “You’re going to be spending a week with us. On behalf of Crimson Aurora Hotel & Spa I hope you enjoy your stay.” You could hear the smile as he spoke. “Now when you arrive, walk up to the glass doors and press the white button on the left hand door frame. That will notify me of your arrival and I will come out to assist you with your bags and finalise the check in process.” He stated.

You nodded, then realised that duh, you were on the phone so he couldn’t see you, and spoke. “Thank you. See you soon then.” You hung up, stifling a yawn as you made sure you had all of your bags ready for when you pulled up to the hotel. 

***

“Ok you are all set,” He smiled warmly at you as he handed you your room key. “I’ll have Jinki, our bellboy, bring your bags up to your room in a moment. You’ll need to use the room key to access floors above the restaurant level, which is level 3. On behalf of the Crimson Aurora Hotel & Spa I’d like to welcome you and hope that your stay is everything you wish it to be.” He guided you through the hotel lobby and stood with you while you waited for one of the three elevators to arrive. 

You don’t know what you expected the night manager to look like but it sure as well wasn’t what had greeted you when you had arrived. In head to toe black his ash blonde hair stood out almost as much as his incredibly warm smile. He’d greeted you and helped you inside, his ring clad fingers taking your bags from you as you followed him to the reception desk. It had been difficult not to just stare at him, there was no denying that this night manager was handsome. If he’d noticed your lingering gaze on his face and the few too many undone buttons of his shirt, he made no comments about it. Maybe it was the jet lag setting in or maybe it was just him but you continually found yourself stealing glances at him during the entire check in process. Baekhyun had remained a consummate professional so either you weren't staring as much as you thought or he was ignoring it. 

He grinned and waved after you stepped into the elevator. "Sleep well. Just call the front desk if anything in your room isn't right." You nodded in thanks, a small smile creeping onto your face.

The bed in the room was so incredibly comfortable that as soon as your head hit the pillow you fell asleep. You didn't even hear the knock at the door when the bellboy arrived with your bags, nor the way he quietly opened the door and placed them just inside before leaving. The long flight coupled with the huge comfortable bed meant that you slept a lot longer than you had planned. You managed to wake up right before breakfast had finished for the day. One hurried shower later you arrived at the restaurant just before the breakfast buffet closed.  You’d read about this buffet on the flight over and the way it had been described made it a must on your ever growing list of things to see and experience while you were here. 

The review you’d read had been correct, if anything it had undersold on just how unbelievably good the food was. Every single thing that you had off that buffet was delicious to the point that the food was making you mad. Whoever they’d hired as the chef and kitchen staff were worth every cent, possibly more.

Once you finished eating you took yourself on a tour around the hotel grounds, past the gym where you saw a few people taking a class with a very enthusiastic instructor, the pool; manned by a seemingly disinterested pool boy, the massage parlour; which was manned by one overconfident man who winked at you as you wandered by, the yoga studio where a class had just finished, the beautiful gardens and a second restaurant spot. You found your way back to the main area of the hotel and passed through the bar lounge and games area before you came to a stop in the lobby. The hotel was beautiful and whoever had redecorated had done an amazing job. You had read in the information pack that the Kim Kibum (better known in the art world as Key) was the mastermind behind the interior decorating.

The rest of your day was not very busy. You took yourself on a tour around Seoul, taking in all of the sites, doing some shopping and eating some local foods. Tomorrow would be the day of your actual meeting so you worked out the building that you had to go to and the most efficient route between it and the hotel. You went back to your room to look over the schedule for the day as well as key points and topics to be covered. Most of it was boring pseudo sales crap but you made sure to read all of it, not wanting to be under prepared. You are an excellent sales person but you also like to be prepared for these sorts of things, not wanting anyone to surprise you and make you look like a fool.

***

Baekhyun POV 

“Yah Junmyeon! When are you gonna hire more staff? I can't keep doing this on my own every single night. There's too many jobs, too many guests and I'm the only one apart from Jinki who works the night shift.” He half whined down the phone at his friend and boss. He was tired. Tired of demanding shifts with little to no thanks. He needed at least one more staff member and one more security officer before his job could become smoother. He also needed the damn bartender and the musician to start already. He was being run ragged and if the issue didn’t resolve itself soon, he’d be in danger of burning out.

Ever since the refurbishment of the hotel Junmyeon had been busy searching for and hiring new staff. He only wanted the best - he had a vision of what his hotel could be and this was his chance to get it right. So far he had hired a world class celebrity chef, an incredibly attractive pool boy, a masseuse who was good at his job but would steal your heart, a flashy bartender and a new musician. However, not all of these hires had commenced work yet. Some were still in mandatory training and others weren’t due to start until August. He couldn’t have pulled this difficult period without his events coordinator who was a true lifesaver almost as much as Baekhyun was. Junmyeon truly didn't know how he would have continued to run the hotel without Baekhyun's help. He was willing to do a shift that no one else wanted to, giving up his nights to cater to the whims of tired, grumpy, drunk and handsy elite guests. He was always available to work, was never sick and Junmyeon was pretty sure he hadn’t had a day off in at least three months. It was something he wanted to change but it would have to wait until after the Christmas in July period because he couldn’t trust anyone else to keep up the charade to children in the night when Santa was concerned.

“Soon Baek, I’m interviewing more candidates today.” He sighed, the pressure to get his staffing issue solved quickly weighing down on him. “I’m doing my best to find more staff to cover the nights and we’ve got others starting next month. We’ve just got to get through July.” Junmyeon couldn’t risk hiring the wrong people so his screening process was lengthy and demanding. 

“I know you are hyung. It’s just been a lot this past week. Christmas in July has made my shifts incredibly busy and while I’m amazing, arguably the best night manager there ever was or ever will be, I’m only one man.” He said.

“You know how much I value you Baek. I’m going to find you the staff you need but I can’t rush it. We’ve gotta trust the process.” He paused. “I’ve gotta go, the first candidate for the day has arrived.”

Baekhyun hung up and continued his journey to his room. One of the perks of being Night Manager was a suite on the eastern side of the hotel. His suite was lovely, he’d done his best (much to the chagrin of Key) to make it feel like home. He accepted all of these shifts, as well as the title of Night Manager, because he loved working for the hotel. He considered Junmyeon to be one of his closest friends, he didn’t even mind that his close friend was his boss. 

He loved his job, he just wished that he didn't have to wear so many hats at the moment to please the guests that they had. As it was newly refurbished they were trying to bring in new clientele and in order to do that it had to seem like the hotel was fully staffed at all times including the night shift so not only was he night manager but he was everyone else during the hours of 10 until 6. To say that this was exhausting and kind of boring in the beginning was not an understatement but he turned it into a game to keep it interesting for him.

Behind the reception area where no one could see he had a coat rack full of the other uniforms that staff would wear to fulfil their various roles and when it was called for he did a very quick costume change, disappearing and reappearing as someone new. For him the most fun was when he impersonated the staff that weren’t there.

Most of the guests were so full of themselves or the business that they were there for that they didn't really pay much attention to the staff as long as the staff member was good at their job and present so Baekhyun had gotten away with his ruse for quite some time. He had it down to a fine art. Until you. You saw him and he didn’t know how to feel about that. At first he was scared that you’d make a complaint to the hotel about him, but you seemed to enjoy watching him play his many roles. He wasn’t sure why the thought of that thrilled him as much as it did.

It had been quite some time since a guest had stared at him the way you did, as though you were transfixed by him. He was used to people looking through him, just seeing a staff member that they needed for something, which was fine with him, but you looked at him. That first night when you checked in he hadn’t had time to change back into the suit he wore for his main role. He’d been serving drinks at the bar right up until you buzzed the front door. He hadn’t missed the way that your eyes kept drifting to his lips, chest, hands, and thighs. It felt good to be looked at like that, as someone desirable, but he kept quiet about it. He didn’t want to make you embarrassed as he was pretty sure you weren’t aware of how unsubtle you were being after having been in transit for most of the day. He hoped he’d get to know you better during the course of the week. 

***

Your POV

After two days at the hotel you’d come to know a few things. 1. During the day, the place was bustling with both guests and staff. 2. At night, it was still bustling with guests but the staff… well the staff seemed to just be Baekhyun and Jinki. 3. Baekhyun denied this vehemently. 

The first night after your arrival you headed down to see the Christmas tree in the main lobby and grab a drink at the bar, maybe even listen to the dulcet tones of their newly hired pianist. You saw Baekhyun at the reception desk, giving him a small wave as you passed by. He smiled and waved back as he continued to assist the couple in front of him with directions.

You stood in front of the large tree in awe. You’d never seen a Christmas tree of this magnitude before. It was lit up, well like a Christmas tree, the red and gold baubles accenting the green of the tree beautifully. It was a lot grander than your small tree at home. Granted, yours was a real tree and you had to keep it alive (something you wouldn’t say you were excelling at but the thing wasn’t dead). 

“I’ll give you a drink voucher if you can spot my favourite decoration.” His voice startled you. You turned to your left and found Baekhyun grinning as he stood next to you. “Sorry, I thought you’d have heard me walking over. You must have really been immersed in the tree.”

You nodded. “Yeah, I’ve never seen one this big before.” He laughed. “It’s huge! Who has a Christmas tree that’s at least three storeys high and isn’t amazed by it?!”

He shrugged. “I guess I’m just used to it. I see it every day so its size doesn’t distract me.” He fought the urge to wink as he spoke. “Anyway, my offer for a drink voucher stands. You just have to find my favourite decoration. I’ll give you one chance per day.” The distinct ring of the bell at the front desk sounded and he sighed. “I’ll be back. Go get up close and personal with it.” 

Not one to pass up a free anything, you moved closer to the tree as Baekhyun went about doing his job. At first glance you’d only focused on the red and gold baubles but the longer you looked, the more decorations you noticed. There were ornaments spread across the entire tree. You spotted a candy cane, a nutcracker, various glittery pine cones, some snowmen, some varied Santa ornaments, and angel or two, a range of coloured balls with odd symbols on them, random animals with vaguely Christmas themed objects; like the corgi with a snowglobe. 

You decided to pick the European gnome style Santa ornament, with his hat covering all of his face except for his nose and beard but when you turned around, Baekhyun was nowhere to be seen. You decided to go to the bar, figuring you’d see him on your way back to the elevator when you were ready to return to your room for the night.

***

“Why are you everywhere?” You asked, pointedly.

The bartender, who was without a shadow of a doubt, Baekhyun replied. “I don’t know what you mean.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “You served me a drink then disappeared, only to suddenly be over at the piano accompanying the jazz singer who’s here tonight, and now you’re back serving drinks.” 

“You’re mistaken.” He gestured to the tag on his shirt. “I’m Taemin, as you can see from my name badge and the pianist is Chanyeol. We’ve got similar hairstyles so I could understand why you might confuse the two of us.” He pointed at his attire. “But as you can see, I’m wearing completely different clothing. Maybe you need your eyes checked. We staff aren’t all the same, you know.” He smirked as he shook a cocktail for another guest, expertly adding little flourishes as he worked. You were not convinced. This man tending the bar, as far as you were concerned, was Baekhyun and he was doing a terrible job of convincing you otherwise. Maybe the other guests didn’t notice him the way you did but you had memorised the features of his face, and apparently some other features as well.

You leant forward on the bar counter. “You both look alarmingly similar to the night manager…” 

He chuckled as he shook his head at you in disbelief. “So our CEO has a type. How is that our fault?”

“Baekhyun…” You started.

He tutted at you as he moved to stand directly in front of you, only the bar counter separating the two of you. “I might have to cut you off little lady, I just said my name was Taemin. How could you get that so wrong?” He tilted his head, a mischievous glint in his eye. It felt like a challenge, one you were willing to play along with for now.

“My apologies, er Taemin was it?” He nodded, happy that you were playing along. “Your drinks must be stronger than I anticipated. You see I was talking with the aforementioned Night Manager before I came in here. He offered me a free drink voucher if I could guess his favourite decoration on the Christmas tree.”

He leant forward on the bar, his closeness almost distracting you. “Did you guess correctly?” He asked, a knowing smile forming on his face.

You shook your head, pouting. “No. He was nowhere to be seen when I was ready to make my first guess.”

“Ah, he is a busy man.” Not-Baekhyun offered. “I’m sure you’ll see him before you return to your room.

You sighed. “True, but I wanted to make my guess. I really stared at that huge, girthy tree for so long and got so close to it to inspect all of the details.” 

He cleared his throat. “Now I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone describe the Christmas tree like that before.” 

Before you could continue your innuendo another guest arrived at the bar which demanded Not-Baekhyun’s attention. He offered you a slight shrug as he turned to focus on the guest’s order. You couldn’t say that you minded though, you enjoyed watching him tend the bar. He was remarkably good at it, flipping bottles and providing easy banter. You weren’t sure why he was pretending to be someone else, changing his shirt, jacket and sometimes his hair wasn’t enough to fool you. Clearly it worked for the other guests as you’d spotted quite a few people who you’d seen speaking with him at the front desk not even take a second glance at him as they ordered their drinks.

The whole bit with the size of the tree? You’d picked up on his suggestive yet playful tone when he’d first mentioned it. You were here for a few more days and there was absolutely no harm in flirting with the very attractive man who seemed to be doing everyone’s jobs. He seemed interested so even if nothing came of it, you could both have your fun until you left.

As you sipped your drink, a devious little plan formed in your mind. One that would achieve a few goals for you. It would catch him out on pretending to be others and explore the extent of the wardrobe options he had on hand. If it went really well, then you both just might get to have a very Merry Christmas…in July.

Part 2

A/N: Thanks for reading and enjoying this collab. Please don’t forget to check the other writers out @myeoning-call @leewalberg @yourkeeperoftherunners @taem-min @ouvuo @dreamylittlesugarcube @jxstadaydreamer and @sojuri

#exo fic #baekhyun fic #exo fanfic #baekhyun fanfic #exo imagine #exo scenario #baekhyun imagine #baekhyun scenario #exo smut #baekhyun smut #crimson aurora hotel collab

[theadventurek9]

A hotly debated topic I’ve seen floating around TikTok that I am personally at war with in my own head is pricing for dog training. While I’m not going to go into my own prices right now I’m curious to hear dogblr’s thoughts on it. Both from other profesional trainers and as dog owners that pay for training.

It started with a video of a user exclaiming how having expensive board and trains as their only training options leaves out systematically oppressed minorities in the dog owning community. Which I can agree with, if quality trainers only charge thousands of dollars in training costs then low income people have no access to training other than low quality box store options. (Petsmart/petco) which I used to train for and know that there are some gems training for these companies but largely it’s not.

Then the retaliating side is saying that dog trainers have a right to create programs that cater to what and how they want to train. They also have a right to charge prices that give them an acceptable living that they need. That offering low prices doesn’t keep roofs over head and food on the table. Trainers burn out and end up leaving training for jobs with better pay and security. I don’t know about you guys but I know WAY too many trainers living in pretty poor conditions and barely able to make their payments each month.

I’m currently working with a business coach that has highlighted some points that are ringing with me (because they did not like how low my prices were). If you charge more for higher and more rounded programs (than just in home privates or group classes) then you can build yourself up to help more people later on down the road.

Part of your income should go back into your own education, seminars, mentorships, classes, and so on. Part of your income needs to go into expanding the quality of your business (better facilities, vehicles, equipment, kennels and so on) and then when you have that and your own needs met, you give back to the community. Through scholarships, training for rescue dog programs, free info and all of that. Yet before you can give, you have to make sure you get your own needs met. So that can entail higher end programs to start, getting the the needs of yourself and your business in order, then you can start giving back.

I’m not sure how this would be structured yet but I’m excited of the potential of getting there. I really like the idea of scholarships, then maybe offering some more simple programs down the road.

I’ve already made sales for programs, that are started after I move, but I’ve already reinvested all that money into more online classes for things I feel like I have holes in. I’m also hoping to attend the online clicker expo this year. (DC is just too far, maybe we will attend in 2024 when it’s supposed to be on the western side of the country)

People of all incomes deserve access to basic dog training. Dog trainers deserve to make money and be comfortable. There is a fine line somewhere here and it’s stressing me out to put a finger on it.

#I might be opening up a nasty can of worms #but I legit have been going over this a lot in my head #I want to help #but in order to help I have to be stable myself #we need to buy a house god dammit #then with my own yard I can do so much more with people

[canisitsnotlupus]

The rise of things like Fenzi academy is one of the most accessible things on this planet to people with disabilities in the dog world, imo. While DF herself has said some pretty nasty things (and don't worry, I know she has and I've had it out over it), the academy itself is just a huge, positive thing for the dog training world. And yes, there are still access issues: screenreader issues, videos needing transcribing, how not everyone has good internet, so forth. But as a disabled person, most dog clubs in particular are inaccessible to me. For instance, a class held outside: sometimes I'm not allowed to bring a chair (bullshit), if it's in the heat even while shaded I can't regulate my temperature and I'll overheat, it becomes Sensory Hell with bugs, sounds, distractions, etc. For classes inside: sometimes still not allowed a chair, not allowed a drink, quite a few are not wheelchair accessible, sometimes multiple classes are running (hard to focus then/sensory hell), most are SUPER echo-y so dogs barking is sensory overload, etc. It's very basic things, and some are hard to fix if not near impossible. And both generally will have 'no recording' rules, move too fast for me to take notes, have strict schedules (afternoons when I'm already overwhelmed by the day and tired), not always offer what I need in particular (so once I've done basics, then what?), require travel, so forth. But with FDSA, I have access to a hugely diverse repertoire of dog trainers. I can take classes on Control Unleashed, Nosework, and Dock Diving at the same time. I can rewatch a video in the class fifty times if I want, take as many notes as I want, read the material over and over, and generally.. do it at my own pace. And I get not everyone learns like that. It's hard for me to focus and feel motivated, too. But I don't have to leave my house. I can take my time, repeat what I need to until I understand it. I can go onto the FB groups and ask questions. I can find videos in the forums of people doing it and learn. Basically, I control everything except the material itself. I can watch those class videos at 3am, my AC running, while eating an icecream sandwich and a movie playing quietly on my other screen. I can set myself up for success to be able to better absorb the material. And while $65 is absolutely inaccessible to some people, they offer great scholarships, raffles for classes, etc. And usually, I can't find a six week local class for that much - most classes are 100+, then add in cost to drive there, not to mention the time requirement for scheduling. I just really love the opportunities that the rise of online dog training platforms have given me. I am learning from trainers I would likely never have access to because seminars are expensive, I have intense agoraphobia and rarely leave my house, and I have a huge amount of other disability-related reasons why seminars and classes are just.. low on my list of being able to do, especially alone. Not to mention the cost of just.. getting to those seminars. Driving. Hotels. Boarding for other dogs. It's just something to think about. I am just so thankful I have the privilege of being able to buy classes and learn like this and better myself as a dog trainer and dog owner.

[draftingteacups]

How will the leader react to Soni if she bring the regions leader like pokemon gym leaders, elite four, Champions and the Kahunas

Oooh, that's interesting. A clash of the Leaders 👀

I can definitely say that the Gym Leaders would be way too many to touch on in terms of meetings because there's a whole bunch of them like over 50+ people alone.

Probably a handful of them would go and even then, it'd be a topic secret meeting thing because they're being taken to another world where magic is the priority, so 🤷

Champion-wise, that is a lot easier, but it's still a sizable amount of people involved, especially in this universe of the Pokemon world. Soni, in her own right, is a Champion, but she got yeeted to TWST for free (at the expense of being a therapist), so she doesn't count in this ask alkjdsjflk

Depending on the person, Soni is pretty much the broker between the two groups, which, in itself, will take massive planning, time limits for topics, and a whole bunch of bonding experiences. Having to find them as they all are scattered in other regions, some of which are Champions from the games and the game protagonists because of timeline things.

Cynthia would probably be on-board with the idea of going to TWST because there's a whole other world where she can explore things and nerd out about the mythology in TWST. I consider her to be very curious about all myths and stories, so she's probably one of the first to accept the invite.

Alder is another that I can see accepting the invite as well, being very charismatic and open-minded to teaching the Rulers of TWST about Pokemon (seen in Pokemon Black and White with Cheren that would lead to him helping younger Trainers on that same path when they focused on strength alone). He would get along with Farena and Cheka (Cheka snuck into his father's trunk alksdfljkajlk), the latter finding this funny, grandpa man to be pretty cool. He'd be one of the last to get the invite because he's a roaming Champion that has an interesting past with the position since he was appointed to be Champion (Ghetsis mentions this somewhere).

Lance would be an interesting one to bring along, but so would Red as the first young Champion that kicked off the Age of Legends. Although Red would be older by this point in the Pokemon timeline and according to my numbers, he's about 20, but still, Red is young and it'd bring a dynamic into the Champions as well.

There's a bunch of others, but the Rulers of Twisted Wonderland would be in awe of these people. They're one of the strongest in their world and have come to theirs to talk about understanding the concept of Pokemon as well as the dangers of it on an international level.

It's like the meeting with Soni, but bigger and more complicated as they dive into the whole aspect of criminal organizations with the use of magic & possibly Pokemon.

#ask #rulers of twisted wonderland #the champions #the sucessors #soni monet #twisted wonderland x pokemon

[renaissanceclassics]

Up From Slavery - Intro: Part 1

of 18 parts. Sylllabus, Preface & Intro

Up from Slavery is the 1921 autobiography of Booker T. Washington sharing his personal experience of having to work to rise up from the position of a slave child during the Civil War, to the difficulties and obstacles he overcame to get an education at the new Hampton Institute, to his work establishing the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama to help black people learn useful, marketable skills and work to pull themselves up by the bootstraps. He reflects on the generosity of both teachers and philanthropists who helped in educating blacks and Native Americans. He describes his efforts to instill manners, breeding, health and a feeling of dignity to students.

Preface

This volume is the outgrowth of a series of articles, dealing with incidents in my life, which were published consecutively in the Outlook. While they were appearing in that magazine I was constantly surprised at the number of requests which came to me from all parts of the country, asking that the articles be permanently preserved in book form. I am most grateful to the Outlook for permission to gratify these requests.

I have tried to tell a simple, straightforward story, with no attempt at embellishment. My regret is that what I have attempted to do has been done so imperfectly. The greater part of my time and strength is required for the executive work connected with the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, and in securing the money necessary for the support of the institution. Much of what I have said has been written on board trains, or at hotels or railroad stations while I have been waiting for trains, or during the moments that I could spare from my work while at Tuskegee. Without the painstaking and generous assistance of Mr. Max Bennett Thrasher I could not have succeeded in any satisfactory degree.

Introduction

The details of Mr. Washington's early life, as frankly set down in "Up from Slavery," do not give quite a whole view of his education. He had the training that a coloured youth receives at Hampton, which, indeed, the autobiography does explain. But the reader does not get his intellectual pedigree, for Mr. Washington himself, perhaps, does not as clearly understand it as another man might. The truth is he had a training during the most impressionable period of his life that was very extraordinary, such a training as few men of his generation have had. To see its full meaning one must start in the Hawaiian Islands half a century or more ago.* There Samuel Armstrong, a youth of missionary parents, earned enough money to pay his expenses at an American college. Equipped with this small sum and the earnestness that the undertaking implied, he came to Williams College when Dr. Mark Hopkins was president. Williams College had many good things for youth in that day, as it has in this, but the greatest was the strong personality of its famous president. Every student does not profit by a great teacher; but perhaps no young man ever came under the influence of Dr. Hopkins, whose whole nature was so ripe for profit by such an experience as young Armstrong. He lived in the family of President Hopkins, and thus had a training that was wholly out of the common; and this training had much to do with the development of his own strong character, whose originality and force we are only beginning to appreciate. * For this interesting view of Mr. Washington's education, I am indebted to Robert C. Ogden, Esq., Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Hampton Institute and the intimate friend of General Armstrong during the whole period of his educational work.

In turn, Samuel Armstrong, the founder of Hampton Institute, took up his work as a trainer of youth. He had very raw material, and doubtless most of his pupils failed to get the greatest lessons from him; but, as he had been a peculiarly receptive pupil of Dr. Hopkins, so Booker Washington became a peculiarly receptive pupil of his. To the formation of Mr. Washington's character, then, went the missionary zeal of New England, influenced by one of the strongest personalities in modern education, and the wide-reaching moral earnestness of General Armstrong himself. These influences are easily recognizable in Mr. Washington to-day by men who knew Dr. Hopkins and General Armstrong.

I got the cue to Mr. Washington's character from a very simple incident many years ago. I had never seen him, and I knew little about him, except that he was the head of a school at Tuskegee, Alabama. I had occasion to write to him, and I addressed him as "The Rev. Booker T. Washington." In his reply there was no mention of my addressing him as a clergyman. But when I had occasion to write to him again, and persisted in making him a preacher, his second letter brought a postscript: "I have no claim to 'Rev.'" I knew most of the coloured men who at that time had become prominent as leaders of their race, but I had not then known one who was neither a politician nor a preacher; and I had not heard of the head of an important coloured school who was not a preacher. "A new kind of man in the coloured world," I said to myself—"a new kind of man surely if he looks upon his task as an economic one instead of a theological one." I wrote him an apology for mistaking him for a preacher.

The first time that I went to Tuskegee I was asked to make an address to the school on Sunday evening. I sat upon the platform of the large chapel and looked forth on a thousand coloured faces, and the choir of a hundred or more behind me sang a familiar religious melody, and the whole company joined in the chorus with unction. I was the only white man under the roof, and the scene and the songs made an impression on me that I shall never forget. Mr. Washington arose and asked them to sing one after another of the old melodies that I had heard all my life; but I had never before heard them sung by a thousand voices nor by the voices of educated Negroes. I had associated them with the Negro of the past, not with the Negro who was struggling upward. They brought to my mind the plantation, the cabin, the slave, not the freedman in quest of education. But on the plantation and in the cabin they had never been sung as these thousand students sang them. I saw again all the old plantations that I had ever seen; the whole history of the Negro ran through my mind; and the inexpressible pathos of his life found expression in these songs as I had never before felt it.

And the future? These were the ambitious youths of the race, at work with an earnestness that put to shame the conventional student life of most educational institutions. Another song rolled up along the rafters. And as soon as silence came, I found myself in front of this extraordinary mass of faces, thinking not of them, but of that long and unhappy chapter in our country's history which followed the one great structural mistake of the Fathers of the Republic; thinking of the one continuous great problem that generations of statesmen had wrangled over, and a million men fought about, and that had so dwarfed the mass of English men in the Southern States as to hold them back a hundred years behind their fellows in every other part of the world—in England, in Australia, and in the Northern and Western States; I was thinking of this dark shadow that had oppressed every large-minded statesman from Jefferson to Lincoln. These thousand young men and women about me were victims of it. I, too, was an innocent victim of it. The whole Republic was a victim of that fundamental error of importing Africa into America. I held firmly to the first article of my faith that the Republic must stand fast by the principle of a fair ballot; but I recalled the wretched mess that Reconstruction had made of it; I recalled the low level of public life in all the "black" States. Every effort of philanthropy seemed to have miscarried, every effort at correcting abuses seemed of doubtful value, and the race friction seemed to become severer. Here was the century-old problem in all its pathos seated singing before me. Who were the more to be pitied—these innocent victims of an ancient wrong, or I and men like me, who had inherited the problem? I had long ago thrown aside illusions and theories, and was willing to meet the facts face to face, and to do whatever in God's name a man might do towards saving the next generation from such a burden. But I felt the weight of twenty well-nigh hopeless years of thought and reading and observation; for the old difficulties remained and new ones had sprung up. Then I saw clearly that the way out of a century of blunders had been made by this man who stood beside me and was introducing me to this audience. Before me was the material he had used. All about me was the indisputable evidence that he had found the natural line of development. He had shown the way. Time and patience and encouragement and work would do the rest.

It was then more clearly than ever before that I understood the patriotic significance of Mr. Washington's work. It is this conception of it and of him that I have ever since carried with me. It is on this that his claim to our gratitude rests.

To teach the Negro to read, whether English, or Greek, or Hebrew, butters no parsnips. To make the Negro work, that is what his master did in one way and hunger has done in another; yet both these left Southern life where they found it. But to teach the Negro to do skilful work, as men of all the races that have risen have worked,—responsible work, which IS education and character; and most of all when Negroes so teach Negroes to do this that they will teach others with a missionary zeal that puts all ordinary philanthropic efforts to shame,—this is to change the whole economic basis of life and the whole character of a people.

The plan itself is not a new one. It was worked out at Hampton Institute, but it was done at Hampton by white men. The plan had, in fact, been many times theoretically laid down by thoughtful students of Southern life. Handicrafts were taught in the days of slavery on most well-managed plantations. But Tuskegee is, nevertheless, a brand-new chapter in the history of the Negro, and in the history of the knottiest problem we have ever faced. It not only makes "a carpenter of a man; it makes a man of a carpenter." In one sense, therefore, it is of greater value than any other institution for the training of men and women that we have, from Cambridge to Palo Alto. It is almost the only one of which it may be said that it points the way to a new epoch in a large area of our national life.

To work out the plan on paper, or at a distance—that is one thing. For a white man to work it out—that too, is an easy thing. For a coloured man to work it out in the South, where, in its constructive period, he was necessarily misunderstood by his own people as well as by the whites, and where he had to adjust it at every step to the strained race relations—that is so very different and more difficult a thing that the man who did it put the country under lasting obligations to him.

It was not and is not a mere educational task. Anybody could teach boys trades and give them an elementary education. Such tasks have been done since the beginning of civilization. But this task had to be done with the rawest of raw material, done within the civilization of the dominant race, and so done as not to run across race lines and social lines that are the strongest forces in the community. It had to be done for the benefit of the whole community. It had to be done, moreover, without local help, in the face of the direst poverty, done by begging, and done in spite of the ignorance of one race and the prejudice of the other.

No man living had a harder task, and a task that called for more wisdom to do it right. The true measure of Mr. Washington's success is, then, not his teaching the pupils of Tuskegee, nor even gaining the support of philanthropic persons at a distance, but this—that every Southern white man of character and of wisdom has been won to a cordial recognition of the value of the work, even men who held and still hold to the conviction that a mere book education for the Southern blacks under present conditions is a positive evil. This is a demonstration of the efficiency of the Hampton-Tuskegee idea that stands like the demonstration of the value of democratic institutions themselves—a demonstration made so clear in spite of the greatest odds that it is no longer open to argument.

Consider the change that has come in twenty years in the discussion of the Negro problem. Two or three decades ago social philosophers and statisticians and well-meaning philanthropists were still talking and writing about the deportation of the Negroes, or about their settlement within some restricted area, or about their settling in all parts of the Union, or about their decline through their neglect of their children, or about their rapid multiplication till they should expel the whites from the South—of every sort of nonsense under heaven. All this has given place to the simple plan of an indefinite extension among the neglected classes of both races of the Hampton-Tuskegee system of training. The "problem" in one sense has disappeared. The future will have for the South swift or slow development of its masses and of its soil in proportion to the swift or slow development of this kind of training. This change of view is a true measure of Mr. Washington's work.

The literature of the Negro in America is colossal, from political oratory through abolitionism to "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and "Cotton is King"—a vast mass of books which many men have read to the waste of good years (and I among them); but the only books that I have read a second time or ever care again to read in the whole list (most of them by tiresome and unbalanced "reformers") are "Uncle Remus" and "Up from Slavery"; for these are the great literature of the subject. One has all the best of the past, the other foreshadows a better future; and the men who wrote them are the only men who have written of the subject with that perfect frankness and perfect knowledge and perfect poise whose other name is genius.

Mr. Washington has won a world-wide fame at an early age. His story of his own life already has the distinction of translation into more languages, I think, than any other American book; and I suppose that he has as large a personal acquaintance among men of influence as any private citizen now living.

His own teaching at Tuskegee is unique. He lectures to his advanced students on the art of right living, not out of text-books, but straight out of life. Then he sends them into the country to visit Negro families. Such a student will come back with a minute report of the way in which the family that he has seen lives, what their earnings are, what they do well and what they do ill; and he will explain how they might live better. He constructs a definite plan for the betterment of that particular family out of the resources that they have. Such a student, if he be bright, will profit more by an experience like this than he could profit by all the books on sociology and economics that ever were written. I talked with a boy at Tuskegee who had made such a study as this, and I could not keep from contrasting his knowledge and enthusiasm with what I heard in a class room at a Negro university in one of the Southern cities, which is conducted on the idea that a college course will save the soul. Here the class was reciting a lesson from an abstruse text-book on economics, reciting it by rote, with so obvious a failure to assimilate it that the waste of labour was pitiful.

I asked Mr. Washington years ago what he regarded as the most important result of his work, and he replied:

"I do not know which to put first, the effect of Tuskegee's work on the Negro, or the effect on the attitude of the white man to the Negro."

The race divergence under the system of miseducation was fast getting wider. Under the influence of the Hampton-Tuskegee idea the races are coming into a closer sympathy and into an honourable and helpful relation. As the Negro becomes economically independent, he becomes a responsible part of the Southern life; and the whites so recognize him. And this must be so from the nature of things. There is nothing artificial about it. It is development in a perfectly natural way. And the Southern whites not only so recognize it, but they are imitating it in the teaching of the neglected masses of their own race. It has thus come about that the school is taking a more direct and helpful hold on life in the South than anywhere else in the country. Education is not a thing apart from life—not a "system," nor a philosophy; it is direct teaching how to live and how to work.

To say that Mr. Washington has won the gratitude of all thoughtful Southern white men, is to say that he has worked with the highest practical wisdom at a large constructive task; for no plan for the up-building of the freedman could succeed that ran counter to Southern opinion. To win the support of Southern opinion and to shape it was a necessary part of the task; and in this he has so well succeeded that the South has a sincere and high regard for him. He once said to me that he recalled the day, and remembered it thankfully, when he grew large enough to regard a Southern white man as he regarded a Northern one. It is well for our common country that the day is come when he and his work are regarded as highly in the South as in any other part of the Union. I think that no man of our generation has a more noteworthy achievement to his credit than this; and it is an achievement of moral earnestness of the strong character of a man who has done a great national service.

Walter H. Page.

[theorist-influencer-untitled]

2.10.24 Saturday

12:09 am

I still have windblow... Weird! I'm on an "unplanned training" for the entire day...

I find it so weird! TL Krizzy just ordered a barge at the side... I feel weird and lowered.

I'm planning to resign and apply on other company or other account. I need money still, plus the account it will be until April. In a way it will end in a lil while....

I always feel low in call center... I feel irritated. Why, I feel that I can't beat it!

I still want and need money... I have to calm down...

Revo is not around... Chloe the other TL, is not around as well...

Aizzy is not really reacting on me but I pity her which I can't understand. Aside, from my own personal self-pity...

6:34 am

Thanks to TL Krizzy in a way for being crazy and nice... She is still nice for allowing us to file the special holiday today and for insisting that we should file it... Sweet in a way in spite of her craziness...

What else? Princess sent me a message on our TEAMS that the black american guy that I like was with them in prod C. The black american guy that I saw in the pantry. I asked what is he doing there? Princess said I think he is trainer.

I feel that I'm on a detention room for the whole day...

6:46 pm

OM was just there, just like a mushroom...

Ian and I are the only people on our line sitting arrangement. Ray is off today... Kaede still drinking his pick-up coffee every start of our shift. Lay was there, still nice and mysterious.

Yam was there but I'm not trusting her just like Prexel. Joms helped me on doing the filing of special holiday today. John was just quiet as always and buddy of Joms. Jay ( Jay is wearing black sweater hooded with a print of Beatles and why Beatles??? ) sitting beside Aizzy.

T the super healthy TL just peacefully sitting on her throne.

I barged with Fritz and V... V is a college graduate finished education but not yet a board passer. Young and fresh, young as 23.... I asked V if she is happy she said yeah! I'm ohkay, I've been here for a year.

8:20 am

I'm here in the house now... I need to clean, we don't have helpers now and we can't hire one...

One of my major complexities in LIFE!

We need to pay our electric, I can't share for now... My salary is small, I have my own personal expenses. WE NEED TO PAY OUR ELECTRIC...

8:30 pm

So,if I have a visitor I need them to have schedule here but probably a bf visitor who can help me on money these days or on my expenses here...

My call center salary is not enough to have a good life.

Someone who can accept me,my situation. Like for example on that cute black american man, I'm gonna tell him that we are facing a financial tight budgeting. I have to work coz I have my own personal expenses and I have a son-dog and that dog has a life. I share 1300 in pesoses for our gasul and sometimes my nana is requesting a money from me and to buy her some stuff. Of course she took care of me when I was lil girl. It is my responsibility as well to pay her back in a way... But my money is not enough. I'm giving a lotion or a deo on Uncle Jun for taking care of John when I'm not in the house. My lil favour from him.

I have a son-dog who I took care and still taking good care of him since he was 3 months old. He has maintenance just like a human kid.

I have my own personal needs as well... I'm not ready to shoulder other bills in the house but we need to pay it, of course no matter what happens... Like our electric bill...

I need to save for myself as well... Uncle DD is receiving the fundings from my adoptive parent's to pay the bills here but of course I'm trying to help but I can't cover for everything here. My salary is just small...

8:40 am

I don't know...I feel sleepy but I have to clean in a way... Poops are everywhere here in our living room, coz I can't hire a yaya to look after my son-dog when I'm away... If I have yaya then even if I'm not in the house someone will clean his poops. My nana is old for that and my Uncle Jun here is a lil strange, he doesn't want to clean the poops of John in the living room plus I think he is still sick now...

So, today probably I will do some general cleaning... I have no choice, I need to clean angels!!!

8:45 pm

Probably, I will buy whisky coke or Smirn Off while cleaning....Late afternoon, I have to clean our trash can and some floor mats of John, I have to wash it outside... This is my rest day here...

I still need to check some fan blade outside in a repair electronics shop, whatever....Coz it is cheaper though not my ideal life. Yeah! Yeah! It is a crack pot here... I want my bf2x visitor to accept this bitterish reality of my life here.

10:16 am

This Uncle DD will borrow a 20kilos dog food for Neko... Huh? I can only manage 2 kilos... But he needs to return it angels,coz I'm not that rich...

Thank God I'm able to buy new fan blade for 90 pesoses... Thank God! I'm a survivor....Good as brand new...

2:35 pm

Done, eating.... I still have windblow... Will still rest later afternoon, I need to clean outside our trash can. I feel bitterish .... I still feel fat and ugly... I need to diet correctly...

What will happen to me next week?

Hmm... One of the reasons of my troubled chats it was ohkay but they didn't take my rapport coz for them I was making a joke but I got it in Iqor, it was our training to make life funny.

In short I've mentioned on my chats that " I can no longer do some magic here coz you need to contact your state about this" or Yeah! I can downgrade you using my magic, in a snap of a finger". In Conduent they don't like it but in Iqor it is fine they wanted to make our client laugh but in Conduent they wanted to sound serious. TL told me to not do that dialogue anymore on my clients.

I'm thinking where to find my Daddy-bf the one who can take me as me...Who can swallow my situation in life. Someone who can have a tough tummy on me in spite of my negative situation.

I also wonder, where is Revo probably with Chloe but nobody can tell the truth behind every bathroom's scene.

I needed to do a ritual or someone I can call my bf2x to finally kick a negative force. Well, hoping to be with Daddy-Bf aside from I need help these days on money and how to have a good life much more than this... Relationship with someone is about talk if the situation is something serious.

It is just kinda hard for me to be with someone younger but I hope a younger soul is willing to be a companion in times that I needed someone, it should be platonic but probably beyond this coz of something deep that I'm asking from HIM, if ever a younger soul like Revo but it is not easy. If with Revo I want him to have a loving and tough heart but a willing heart and ready to give in and loose and let go... It is a weird relationship if ever if money will be involved...

I told Princess that I really like Daddy-bf the first time that I saw him entering the 5th floor pantry, wow! Who is this cute black american man?

That day when I saw a possible Daddy-bf he looks so cool that is there a cat walk here? Or probably checking something or looking for someone, I don't know but that night I just want him to see me... I wanted to measure how tall he is and I did... It was just a friendly and casual smile... WHO IS HE???

4:10 pm

In a lil while... The cleaning will start... WAITING FOR UNCLE DD's fundings for food and for some bills here.

I still need to keep a job... I wanted a nose perfection and my deep smile lines. I feel self-pity...I haven't seen the world... For 17 years they are smashing me... They repeated me but they changed me and that is super unfair for some fake relatives!

7:13 pm

I think there is bug or chair bugs not bed bugs in our chairs in Conduent office coz I got this 2 days ago. 2 days ago I suddenly felt a sting and itch at my back...

7:41 pm

I feel ugly when I have a bite on my skin coz I need to bleach it or use a kojic or carrot soap to whiten the bitten parts... I'm fading, I feel ugly!!!

8:01 pm

I'm worrying so much... What if Daddy-bf ( my black american man ) or Revo will be at my back and I'm on my sleeveless just like today and they will see this bitten part of bugs coming from Conduent.. I feel shy, I feel conscious... I feel ugly that I'm fading...

I need to revive my skin angels...

9pm

I still have windblow....Hmm... Why other people will say goodbye... Strange... I didn't do anything bad to harm them...

I'm gonna share something here, it is bad to spy on someone for the purpose of knowing things and harming the person.

#Youtube

[icyhotheartwritings]

Actually wait I need to rant about the horse illness thing, under a cut for Gross and Ranting

So the illness is pigeon fever. Not a horrible diagnosis or anything, BUT if a horse gets it there’s a very good choice they’ll end up with scarring or permanent swelling. My mom could tell my old horse had pigeon fever from one look cause his sheath was permanently swollen. Primarily affects the chest and sheath/udders but I’ve also seen it in the face. Really nasty swelling and lots of pus and vet bills.

What needs to happen when a horse has suspected pigeon fever at a boarding stable is complete quarantine of ALL exposed horses, far away from other horses and a boot wash with disinfectant in front of their stall and every bucket, pitchfork, and grooming brush needs to be disinfected throughly before going near any other horse.

This has not happened. The horse with pigeon fever was moved, yes, but he was stalled with a second horse who is still in the pen. Right between a horse in the care of a trainer and another boarder.

The quarantined horse has no boot wash in front of his stall. I’m settling for carrying a bottle of hand sanitizer, squirting it all over my boots and rubbing it into the cement floor before going near any other horses. I can’t speak for what tools they’re using between horses but I doubt they’re keeping them separate. This horse is part of a group of 10. This is about to become a fucking epidemic if my boss, the trainer, and the horse owners don’t get their fucking shit together.

Bonus on pigeon fever, visible scarring from it makes horses ineligible to compete in some shows. My boss is about to spend thousands of dollars training a VERY expensive filly he bred and intends to bring to the Big shows AND just spent $8k on two new horses. They’re over by my horses so across the property from the affected horse but if the morning feeders cross contaminate anything or he takes his horses out onto contaminated ground/they get got by flies. Uh oh.

Also I’ll raise fucking hell if my horses get infected by this shit. It’s not deadly, but it is not fucking pretty. I’ve got a sneaking suspicion I might end up having to feed my horses morning and evening til this is done to prevent any spread from the new morning feeders. They fed my horse a pair of scissors on Saturday and fed him the entirely wrong thing on Friday. Who knows what the fuck they’re doing.

#icy rambles

[olko71]

New Post has been published on All about business online

New Post has been published on http://yaroreviews.info/2023/05/mike-ashley-doesnt-get-flannels-luxury-appeal-says-ceo

Mike Ashley doesn't get Flannels' luxury appeal, says CEO

By Dougal Shaw

Business reporter, BBC News

It’s never easy taking over a business, especially when your predecessor is as successful, and vocal, as Mike Ashley.

But a year after taking over as CEO of Frasers Group from his father-in-law, Michael Murray told the BBC he is reinventing the company his way.

He is targeting “new luxury, aspirational” customers, especially in his 60 Flannels shops, which sell designer clothes.

He admits his father-in-law, however, thinks the shops are “bonkers”.

Frasers Group’s best-known brand remains Sports Direct, which Mr Ashley founded in 1982 and built into a publicly-listed company.

The Sports Direct empire was rebranded as Frasers in 2019 and now includes the likes of Jack Wills, Sofa.com, Evans Cycles and House of Fraser, as well as Flannels.

Mr Murray, 33, is married to Mr Ashley’s eldest daughter Anna. Before he took over as CEO last year, he wasn’t an employee of Sports Direct, nor did he have a seat on the board. He earned millions of pounds in consultancy fees linked to a host of property deals he made for the group.

Sports Direct originally made its name with cut-price deals on sports goods. Self-made billionaire Mr Ashley made headlines with revelations about his drinking exploits and his 14-year tenure as owner of Newcastle United Football Club.

PA

Mike the Mechanic

Mr Ashley, 58, is still the majority shareholder in Frasers Group and Mr Murray says his father-in-law is very much involved in the business.

“Mike’s an expert operator,” he says. “We call him ‘The Mechanic’ – he looks after the warehouse, the supply chain, he’s optimising that engine.

“He’s making sure the back-end system and the logistics keep up with the front end. That’s what he spends his day and night thinking about.”

At family occasions like Christmas, “business is all we talk about, there’s nothing else, it’s our common interest.”

“It’s difficult,” Mr Murray says with a smile. “We’re both obsessed, we live and breathe it.”

But one area where Mr Ashley and his son-in-law don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye is Flannels, where Mr Murray is showcasing his vision for “aspirational shopping”.

If you look around the Flannels store on London’s Oxford Street, you will see on display sports tops for £600, trainers for £400 and hoodies for £300. There are certainly no 2-for-1 sock deals, which you will still spot in the Sports Direct store that stares at it from over the road.

In the basement of the London Flannels store there is even an immersive, digital art installation.

So what does Mr Ashley make of Flannels?

“He thinks it’s bonkers,” says Mr Murray. “He can’t understand why people would spend so much on luxury clothing. But he understands that he doesn’t understand, and he understands you have to be relevant to consumers.

“He understands when he sees the results. It’s quite remarkable what we’ve done.”

Frasers Group

In its last set of results, Frasers Group’s “premium lifestyle” brands saw revenues of just over £530m in the six months to the end of October last year, up nearly 25% on the previous year, with Flannels the biggest driver of that growth.

The sports retail side of the business, including Sports Direct, still turns over around three times as much revenue as the premium lifestyle arm, though it is not growing as rapidly.

More CEO Secrets interviews:

Sir John Hegarty: Digital advertising and brand fame

Dermalogica founder: My mother’s five words of advice

Sarah Willingham: ‘He realised his assumption, it was a beautiful moment’

Flannels has “ridden the wave of new aspirational shopping”, says Mr Murray, despite the cost of living crisis.

Its target market is 18 to 30-year-olds, who have been taught to aspire to expensive products by social media, he says.

Many are still living at home, so have been sheltered from rising interest rates, rents or high energy bills. They like to spend their disposable income on health, fitness and clothing, says Mr Murray.

While Flannels may be his pride and joy, Mr Murray admits it is not as scaleable as Sports Direct, which is expanding internationally, including into Asia.

One year into the job, he says he would like his legacy to be “the transformation [of the business] from a discount sports retailer to Europe’s biggest, most aspirational retailer”.

Related Topics

Sports Direct

Frasers Group

Retailing

Mike Ashley

Luxury retail

More on this story

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5 May 2022

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20 September 2022

[wanderingandfound]

Hi I hope you don’t mind me responding like this, I’m not currently disabled but I did have a period of l illness that stopped me from leaving the house and I lost all my physical stamina and the way I fixed it was to literally just go for little walks. Like I started just going around the block. Or to the end of the block and back. And slowly built it up daily from there. I think I was just going around the block for a month before I went further. I also saw a personal trainer who specialized in injury & recovery, but that was pretty expensive so I wouldn’t recommend it across the board but if it’s in your budget!

Thank you Nonny, I don't mind at all.

I do actually like walks, so this would make me happy. I guess I gotta remember that a little walk every day will lead to better results than a two-hour walk every five months. And it will make those two hour walks easier again, instead of today where I was a little bit annoyed at how tiring a half-hour walk was.

#Consistency. Gotta strive for consistency. #Thank you Anon. #Ask #reply #Anonymous #learning to function

[nickgerlich]

Spin To Win

The last few years have provided me with an endless array of stories to tell and opportunities to   scrutinize both the good and bad as companies tried to survive. Some rolled over and died quickly, while others put up a valiant fight, little different from that scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The Black Knight refused to die, to the point of silly resistance. Bravado can only carry the day for so long.

To be honest, a few months ago I would have thought that Peloton was the new Black Knight. Having ridden the crest of stationary bike and treadmill sales during COVID, the company found itself in deep trouble once restrictions lifted and people started going outdoors once more. Suddenly they were stuck with massive amounts of unsold inventory, and their DTC (direct-to-consumer) business model was failing. After all, it can be a hard sell spending more than $2000 sight unseen.

But after numerous personnel changes, distribution agreements with Dick’s Sporting Goods and Amazon, outsourcing manufacturing, inking a deal with Hilton for exclusivity in hotel gyms, and the launch of a subscription program to structure workouts, the company is actually showing some signs of life. It’s almost like the Black Knight sprouted new limbs.

Not all is perfect, of course, but things are much better. Cash burn last quarter was “only” $94 million, while a year ago it was $547 million. Sales of hardware are down, but subs are up. As a result, investors are becoming cautiously bullish on Peloton stock, which surged 26% yesterday.

Letting others bear the burdens of manufacturing and distribution is genius. Essentially, Peloton is now in the software subscription business, which allows them to be a much leaner corporation.

The challenge will be in getting all those previous customers to sign up. At least new customers will know in advance that this is the drill. I have to wonder how many of those Peloton bikes and treadmills purchased during COVID have now become expensive clothing racks. Home exercise equipment often winds up this way.

And then there is the difficulty of retaining subscribers once you have them. I consider indoor training to be cruel and unusual punishment. I would much rather beg outdoors on my bike than creating a puddle beneath my trainer. Even in winter, I am outdoors about half the time, but in summer, it is all the time.



Even still, I cannot get on board with a workout tied to software. I know…some people can. Yesterday I simply fired up a concert video on YouTube, turned up the volume, and did my hour of self-inflicted agony. It was better than nothing—the couch always beckons, you know—and the dopamine was flowing nicely afterward, but I would much rather be burning up the road.

While there are some serious glimmers of hope for Peloton, I am not completely convinced they will make it. We have entered into the subscription overload zone these days, between streaming this and that, activity trackers, and so forth. They all sound so cheap in isolation, but taken together can become quite a drain on monthly incomes.

And yet Peloton is still here, beaten and bruised, but not yet down for the count. This may be one of those stories we tell years ahead of a company clenching victory from the jaws of death. As long as they can keep it on the road, though.

Dr “Keep The Rubber Side Down“ Gerlich

Audio Blog

#marketing #Peloton #bikes #trainers #treadmills #subscription #workout

[naturecoaster]

Coping with Dementia: The good will of Dementia

We have just finished our annual fund-raising walk for Dementia Education, Inc., a Citrus County-based nonprofit that supports families living with dementia.  As always, I came away from this event in a state of gratitude and wonder! Dementia is our most feared medical condition, even above cancer, heart disease, and stroke.  This is not surprising because dementia lasts eight to 12 years after diagnosis, and it eventually can require years of around-the-clock care.  It is expensive, exhausting for the care partner, and traumatic for everyone involved. Little wonder then that most of us, after we have traveled this journey, want nothing less than to run and hide.  We never want to deal with or hear about dementia again.  This is a natural and justified response, and I would never criticize anyone for feeling this way. This is why I am astonished that so often the horrendous experience of dementia has just the opposite effect.  I cannot count how many people I’ve met who traveled this awful road, then turned to retrace their steps to become angels of compassion and mercy for those who are coming behind them.   Not surprisingly, our Coping with Dementia fund-raising Walk seems to be a gathering place for these kinds of people. The good will of Dementia First, I think of Dementia Education’s board of directors.  Each of these women and men have gone through the experience of losing a spouse or parent to dementia.  Yet they dedicate many hours of their time to voluntary service to create and fund programs that will benefit current and future care partners in Citrus County.  Many of them give additional monetary gifts, then turn out as workers at the Walk to make sure everything runs smoothly. I think of Judy Spencer, a resident of Grand Living who, after losing her longtime friend to dementia, has become the King Kong of team-builders for the Walk.  She relentlessly prowls the halls of Grand Living on her scooter, recruiting residents to join their team.  Three times she has won the Mary Blair Darling Award by creating the largest team, generating upwards of $2,000 each time.  There is a member of one of my support groups whose husband has been diagnosed with early onset dementia.  They are both years away from Social Security and he can no longer earn a living, so she must provide for their family’s needs.  Yet, on a Sunday they put on their purple shirts and set up a table at their church to solicit support for other families living with dementia.  This year, they and their nine-year-old friend proudly handed us more than a thousand dollars in small bills!  You could see the joy on the young girl’s face because she alone had raised over $300! This young lady, and others like her, remind us that dementia is a disease that does not affect only the elderly.   This year, a group of students at Lecanto High School created a Dementia Awareness Club that has recruited more than 40 members.  Many of these young people have already experienced dementia through the lives of their grandparents.  They had a table at the Walk, and they were a hit!  For those of us who have already traveled the road, we saw evidence that our future is in good hands! I have talked about fund-raising in this column, but money is not the point!  It is what is behind the fund raising that counts, and this is the good will, compassion, and desire to ease the burden for others who will travel this road.  Can anything as awful as dementia have good results?  Yes, of course!  I see it all the time. I saw it again this year at our Walk, and I never fail to stand in awe of those who turn their pain into compassion and kindness for others. They too realize that we all deserve the best! Thank you all for your continued support. About Debbie Selsavage Debbie Selsavage is a Certified Trainer and Consultant in the Positive Approach to Care and a Certified Dementia Practitioner.  She authors a monthly column to assist caregivers in coping with Dementia. Her company, Coping with Dementia LLC is dedicated to making life better for individuals living with dementia.  Contact Debbie at [email protected]. Read the full article