#like do i even want to bring this up to my training instructor/supervisor now that we just went through my schedule for the next period | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

obeymeluv · 4 years

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So, that kidnapping thing you did with the pact radars and stuff (those head cannons about pact mates are REALLY GOOD btw), how about Diavolo this time if you want to do so?

Let’s answer this, shall we? I was supposed to take my exam today but the online proctoring service we’re supposed to use will not let me book or take the exam. So now I have to wait to speak with my instructor or a supervisor of that company because the regular tech support can’t figure out why common fixes aren’t working 😡

Anyways, have some Diavolo

Diavolo:

Someone DARES to disrespect THE KING?

Technically, he’s a prince but he’ll be THE KING OF THAT ASS-WHOOPIN’!

He has access to the compass feeling, the brain push, the sensations--the whole lot. But, being from the royal lineage, he has TWO unique tools at his disposal (no, not the magic butler).

Diavolo can summon Little D’s, manipulating shadows by extension. This power is limited to how many shadows are available and whether he’ll have to fight light or disruptions to maintain or strengthen them

The second and most powerful tool he has is connecting with animals. Those human superstitions about possessing crows and animals and such? Very real.

Diavolo is especially fond of Hell Hounds and actually gifted Cerberus to Lucifer (and helped Lucifer train him)

Because of his confidence in the Little D’s, in shadows, and his few but loyal Hell Hounds, Diavolo won’t use the compass or push. He’d rather not tax your body

Being a royal, he uses more energy when connecting to his pact mate. It’s always very clear and from much longer distances than most demons can manage. This makes it very taxing on the pact mate by default.

So death steps soft but firm, shadows sniffing and stretching far ahead of him as if to unroll the red carpet

He gave the Hell Hounds your scent and they dutifully trot alongside the shadows, occasionally baying out pack calls (if they split up) or just announcing impending doom for whoever awaits with his beloved

It isn’t the Hell Hounds or the twisting shadows with suggestions of Little D giggles or piercing eyes that turns your captors’ blood cold, but the jingle of his royal jewelry.

Diavolo aims to be fair and balanced. A just ruler. As he stares down your captors, he really wonders if there should be exceptions. Centuries of carefully crafted compassion, the desire to see unity between the three realms, is almost overpowered by baser demon instincts demanding for the blood, for the head, of those who should steal from him

The urge to crush their throat in his hand is almost enough to make it itch

Diavolo scowls, his eyes burning into them. Does he flare his wings to look big and impressive, or keep them drawn close to use the gilded tips to slice their throat? Decisions, decisions...

He fears he is not impartial enough to make a decision. Diavolo barely stops himself from asking you to decide their fate. That would make these little gremlins scramble over to you and paw at you as they try to persuade you. As they beg for their mercy. He doesn’t like that.

They don’t get to touch you again. Not after they’ve manhandled you and led him on a hunt.

Instead, he breaks you free of restraints with his bare hands, with terrifying power you would’ve never imagined he’d have or use, and rubs your wrists. The Hell Hounds have your captors squished against the far wall and he could care less of their existence

Seeing that your captors graciously provided a dingy, flattened mattress and something that should pass as a blanket gives him an iota of compassion.

Diavolo swaddles you in the blanket, apologizing that he didn’t bring anything nicer or that it’s not a comforting smell, and lowers himself to the mattress. He sets you in his lap and sits as dignified as ever, like he is on his throne.

“Close your eyes, beloved.” he rocks you a little, turning you into his chest as he pulls the blanket around your head. He commands the Hell Hounds to drag your captors before him.

He makes a deal with them. “Plead your case, and if you convince me, I will let you live.”

Diavolo covers your ears as your captors begin to accuse each other and incoherently tell a story. He clacks his nails along his jewelry in an age-old sign that the Hell Hounds recognize as attack.

It’s not outright maiming, no. Just insistent nibbling, maybe a little bit of dragging. It really depends on if they fight over the same one or not. He continues to remind them that they should be pleading their case and convincing him, not screaming about their legs and tendons

After what seems like ages, he calls the dogs off. They’ve had their fill. At least one of your captors has died from blood loss (probably). There’s one pathetic one still twitching and whimpering. Somehow they’re able to look up at him as he breezes past with your quivering form bundled up in his arms

“Y-You said you’d let us live...” he was gasping and straining. Shaking.

“If you convinced me,” Diavolo nodded in agreement. His eyes seemed even brighter than normal. Crueler. “And I cannot lie.” he turns away, making the clacking noise again.

I hope you liked it :)

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s0ym1lk · 3 years

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One of the things I think about a lot as a bisexual trans man is how the things I’m ‘allowed’ to say map directly to how people read me as a person.

Pre-transition, I experienced a lot of misogyny due to my life and career choices. I’ve been sexually assaulted twice and was stalked by a supervisor at a previous job. As a passing trans man, people do not assume that I’ve had these experiences (and I don’t blame them for not expecting it - how could they know?). That occasionally puts me in a strange position. For example, I once took a diversity training where the instructor asked a series of questions about different experiences and asked anyone that had had those experiences to stand up. It is VERY uncomfortable to be the only man standing when the question ‘Have you ever been harassed due to your gender at work?’ is asked. (I would like to caveat that the instructor told us standing up was voluntary, that we should only do so if we felt comfortable.)

The experience brought up a lot of different thoughts for me - that my identity is not fundamentally captured in our binary understanding of gender and gendered experiences, that assumptions about gendered experiences leave me isolated from everyone around me, that such attempts at diversity training without space to share your actual experience leads to misunderstanding. It also made me question how much explanation I ‘owe’ to someone when I speak out about my experiences. Speaking superficially, the answer is of course that I don’t owe anyone anything. Speaking more realistically...should I have clarified that my experience should fall into the ‘female’ bucket, because the people harassing me assumed I was female? The instructor’s point was to highlight that women face an issue men largely do not, and by standing but not speaking out, I muddied that point when I could have just explained.

Assuming I’m cool with explaining (which is sometimes true and sometimes not, in that case I had the spoons to stand but not to explain), even that is complicated. Knowledge around trans people and trans issues is not widespread. If I bring up my transness in a discussion, the discussion has to be sidetracked to bring everyone up to speed about what exactly that means. Even if people are familiar, they generally respond as if that’s something that needs to be discussed or something I need to be reassured about, which leads the whole discussion off on a tangent. I remember I was once having a conversation with two people at a party, one man and one woman, and the woman was sharing a pretty personal memory of sexual harassment. I wanted to commiserate because I’ve had the same experience. But commiserating meant sharing my status as transgender, which would have pulled the focus away from her and onto me to explain all that, and she was in the middle of being really vulnerable so of course I didn’t want to do that. That meant that for all intents and purposes, I was isolated from connecting with someone via shared experiences due to my status as transgender and due to other people’s perceptions of my experience. That...sucked.

Professionally, I’ve been involved in many conversations around gendered issues. It is definitely the case that as a man, I can talk about these issues (and be listened to seriously) in a way that women can’t. But to be more clear, that means talking about them as if I’m a cisgender man. Because the value here doesn’t come from me saying ‘I’m a man and yet was sexually assaulted while being perceived as female’, it comes from me pretending to be a cis man and saying, ‘but I still believe women when they talk about the seriousness of sexual assault!’ In fact, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told my own stories of harassment and misogyny and pretended that it was something that happened to ‘a friend of mine’ instead. Again, I don’t owe it to anyone to pretend to be cisgender in these conversations. I also don’t owe it to anyone to come out as transgender so people have the right context. AND YET, I do feel I have an obligation to say something. So in the end, I still have to choose one of those options. If I don’t, the people around me seeing me stay silent in the face of misogyny are not going to magically know that my silence is due to the complicated nature of my gender history. They are going to see me as a cisgender man allowing misogyny to happen. I want anyone seeing what they think is a cisgender man failing to stand up to misogyny to call that person out. Equally, I do not want to be called out because someone’s perception of me is not correct.

Joking has also become vastly more complicated. I never realized how much joking I did that relied specifically on someone being able to see me and make assumptions about my identity in order to understand the joke (which, to be fair, isn’t just a gender or sexuality issue....the other day, a coworker I’d only ever chatted with online sent me the message ‘thanks you in Asian’, which had me preparing for a very serious conversation until I saw him in person and realized he was literally referring to himself as an Asian guy). I could very easily make a sarcastic joke now intending to call out misogyny that would come off as me being sexist towards women.

Same deal for sexuality. I made a joke today at work that might have seemed homophobic if it were coming from a straight person. I am not a straight person. My coworkers don’t know this. The guy I said the joke to, to the best of my knowledge, is a straight guy. If someone overhears that joke and feels offended because they are LGBT or on behalf of LGBT people, does that mean I did something wrong? And yet...am I required to censor the way I talk about my own sexuality in order to not seem like I’m being homophobic? Do I have to come out in order to not be perceived as telling homophobic jokes? It becomes a situation where I either censor the way I talk about my own identity to reduce harm, I commit to being true to my identity and perpetuate harm, or I out myself in an attempt to give context but therefore open myself up to discrimination.

The whole subject is complicated. And mind you, I’m not advocating in any way that call-out culture is toxic or flawed with this post. I can and do want people to feel comfortable calling out others for what they perceive to be discriminatory or bigoted behavior, even if that means I end up in the crosshairs. I’m just trying to share some thoughts about how being part of a community in a way that’s not visible can be complex and frustrating to navigate. This is a subject I navigate daily, sometimes multiple times in a day, and it never gets easier.

#transgender #ftm #trans man #trans #bisexuality #ultimately even if my approach is imperfect i try to remind myself that speaking up is doing more than most people do #i really was not prepared for how hard dudes try to convince you to buy into misogyny though #i snapped at a coworker recently for making a trap joke in reference to trans women #i had literally just come from being denied an ID due to having my birth name and gender on a document so i was not in the right headspace #to be gentle in that conversation #and it turns out he thought trap jokes were a silly anime meme and not like #a slur #and i was like great #from this guys perspective i tore into him over a meme that he didn't even know was transphobic

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donkeygrain4 · 3 years

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Exactly How Business Training Can Help Ladies Attain Goals They Have Actually Seriously Wanted To Get To

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Most of those who have looked for help from a job coach did so after shedding a job-- and have never ever looked back. Rebecca Gwyn, 41, was made repetitive in 2009 after 6 years of operating in the City. She had actually currently started really feeling uneasy there and also saw her redundancy as the best chance for a clean slate, so made a decision to set up her own service. Those who speak highly of their services claim they can aid you achieve anything from a healthy work-life balance, to acing a job meeting, safeguarding a promo or adjusting to a recent one. You can expect to pay in between ₤ 150 as well as ₤ 500 an hour depending on the level of the instructor's experience and also the course can last anything from an hour to 12 weeks. Lord Davies' record right into females in the office, published in 2011, has actually also fuelled this trend and encouraged women to satisfy their capacity. As Bev White, taking care of supervisor of Penna Career Services, places it,' motivates ladies to concentrate on their careers the concept of coaching came to be less stigmatised'.

Your partnerships will start to boost, your weight will begin to leave as well as you will unexpectedly begin to come to be extra popular and make new close friends at work. I have also known people get expecting after years of attempting, just as a result of obtaining extra from their job. A profession mentoring solution, like London based Occupation Professional will show you just how to start appreciating your job once more and put the trigger back into your job.

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#women coaching #coaching service women #women business coach #women coaching uk #coaching service women uk #women business coach uk

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spainlibra4 · 3 years

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Wellness & Mentoring Service

Boosting Gender Equity Within Sporting Activity Training Workforces

Content

The Advantages Of Coaching Ladies Leaders.

Discover A Task.

She adds, 'I've seen several durable specialist females in their 40s who are expecting a total profession change yet are accountable for young children or senior moms and dads. ' We studied every aspect of my job and what I wanted,' states Natalie.

This intelligently-tailored professional training ensures ladies like you are much better outfitted and also planned for their next phase of management.

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We can collaborate with you to harness your existing staminas as well as experience, supplying the catalyst and support to achieve far more of your possibility.

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' I obtained homework jobs, tests and also quizzes that my coach had actually produced to further explore my passions. She asked me what was I enduring, what I had actually accomplished, what I such as about myself, what I enjoyed from my last task, which 3 things about my career I most needed as well as would most like to transform. Lee is a Master Qualified Coach and has actually been working in Knowing and Development for 16 years. She has actually dealt with elderly and also mid-level leaders in a range of markets such as Banking, FMCG, Financial Providers, Building and also Power. She has been a Complement Lecturer at Chicago Booth Company College in London as well as at College of Edinburgh Service Institution and she is a Program Supervisor, Facilitator as well as Executive Train at London Company College. Along with running her very own Training as well as Development firm she has an extremely strong rate of interest in Womens management. She started a national not-for-profit focusing on enhancing sex equal rights in UK politics and also meant election to Holyrood for the Female's Equality Event.

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yentotajaan · 4 years

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Training III - Azure Dragoon Charcoal Lancer

This was it - the last day of Yen’to’s training with the Lancer’s Guild. At least, so long as I pass this test. I wonder what they have in mind. All he knew was that it would be a field test. No straw filled dummies or venerable, grumpy training instructors. He would be given an assignment and a veteran guild member would observe from a distance, only to intervene if his death was all but certain. Even though he was no stranger to combat, he still felt pangs of nervousness. I just need to focus, and not become distracted. Listen to my instincts and I will be fine... just fine. Perfectly fine.

After what seemed like an exceptionally long wait, the elezen that would be supervising the exercise arrived to give the details. Yen’to frowned as he listened to the assignment. Apparently a particularly large and aggressive wild boar was spotted a little too close for comfort to Quarrymill in the South Shroud. Yen’to was allowed to use whatever armor and lance we wished. Hmm... I will probably want something relatively heavy to wear. The tusks on those boars are nothing to sneeze at. If it is as aggressive as they say, making it skittish on approach will not be an issue. I’m not much a hunter, so setting a trap seems out of the question...

Yen’to returned to his private chambers at the Shroudrose Teahouse to prepare. He figured that new set of armor he had bought a while back, but never got to use during training, was finally going to get some use. Besides, he tended to feel naked in anything that didn’t have a lot of metal plating. He also opted to bring his trident, the weapon he intended to use once certified by the Lancer’s Guild. The three prongs should increase wound severity compared to a regular spear, and I will not need the hooking ability of a halberd for a beast. Duly equipped, Yen’to set out towards Quarrymill.

At least this time Yen’to didn’t get lost. At least, I did not have to ask for directions this time. How does anyone find their way around in these woods? A quick chat with the Wood Wailers stationed at Quarymill confirmed the beast was in the east, past a cave near Urth’s Font. Other boars made their home there as well, but none had ventured as from from the Font as this one. It was a bit larger than the others, and had a scar across one of its eyes that stood out. The Wailers grimly pointed out that the one who gave it the scar didn’t survive. Oh, well... that is a lovely note to start on.

Yen’to carefully made his way through the tunnel just outside Urth’s Font. He may be forgoing stealth, but he still did not want to rush headlong into trouble. I doubt boars can set ambushes, but if it sees me before I see it then this will be a really short trip. He paused at the tunnel exit to take in the surroundings. The night sky was not visible through the thick foliage, but he could still make out some details thanks to his dialated pupils - the only sound was the rustling of leaves and trickling of running water. Hmph, maybe it is sleeping. I am pretty sure they are not nocturnal anyway...

Yen’to slowly edged towards the shallow water, although his armor still clanked around no matter how careful he was. He was just starting to regret his choice of protection when he heard a loud snort emanate from behind him. Oh gods, is that -- and he turned around just in time to get knocked off his feet by what felt like a tonze of bricks. He could feel dented metal pressing against his ribs, at least one of which was probably broken judging by the searing pain he felt while scrambling back up to his feet.

The large, dark shape that blurred past him was slowing down just a few yalms away to wheel back around. Yen’to was thankful it didn’t simply try trampling him and braced himself for a second charge. Gritting through the pain, he planted his feet in a wide stance and leveled the tip of the trident towards his foe. It was clearly a boar, but whether it was his target or not was impossible to tell at the moment. This better be it, I’m not dying to some random overgrown pig. Or going through all this work for nothing!

The sudden appearance of pointy bits in its intended path forced the boar to halt its charge, causing it to rear back and bellow out its displeasure. They both glowered as they sized each other up, slowly circling each other until an opportunity presented itself. The beast finally grew impatient and made its move - it angled its head to the side in an attempt to ram the tusks against Yen’to’s side. Reflexes kicked in and he lept to the side. Ignoring the throbbing pain coming from his side, Yen’to thrust the trident towards the beast’s face as he landed.

Whether lucky or well aimed, the trident’s prongs found purchase in the beast’s left eye. A roar of pain and anger pierced the woods, and it began thrashing around wildly. It must be blind, it is not even aiming at me - now is my chance! With the last of his strength, Yen’to thrust the trident into his foe’s neck, where it promptly collapsed with a rumbling gurgle and wheezed out its last breaths. Yen’to collapsed soon after onto his knees, gasping for breath and grimacing from the pain. His ears perked as he heard the sound of leaves crunching from behind him, and turned his head to peer over his shoulder. It was the supervisor, who gave Yen’to the good news that the corpse before him was boar in question and that he had passed the test. Feeling sympathetic, the supervisor helped Yen’to up and supported him in the trek back to Quarrymill for mending. This walk feels so much longer on the return trip, ow....

Yen’to begrudgingly allowed a conjurer to heal his broken ribs, and despite protestations he decided to head back to the Lancer’s Guild as soon as the magic had done its work rather than rest further. He promptly presented himself to the guild master, the dent in his armor still glaringly visible. The man was a little impressed with the skill Yen’to had reportedly displayed in the task, even if his hunting technique needed work. Yen’to would now be officially registered as a member of the guild and can use them as a reference when taking bounties, leves, and the like, in addition to access to better practice facilities.

Yen’to knew he did not have to sign up with the guild, or any weapons guild for that matter, to learn and use whatever weapon he wished. It was not like doing so was illegal. But he knew he needed some sort of mentor, and the Lancer’s Guild seemed the best official way to accomplish his goal without him coming off as amateurish. Anyone can claim to be good at something, but now he had an official backup source if anyone questioned his credentials. Unlike Notu’tan, who I am fairly sure has none of the martial arts skills he claims to have... hmph. At last now I feel like I can use a lance at work without poking my own eye out. Let the towering troublemakers look so smug now.

#lancer #dragoon #character development

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synthsizedproductions · 4 years

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The Arrival

"Alright, you have all been separated into groups depending on what you will be doing to help the efforts. The local authorities have kindly lent us some of their supervisory staff so we can cover more ground. Care package creators will go with Supervisor Coleman. Shelter assistants will go with Supervisor Andrews. The survivor intakers will go with me."

My friends and I stood to the side and watched as all the other students separated into their groups. Instructor Evans gave his group some basic instructions before sending them on their way to their living quarters. He made his way toward us with a vaguely sour look.

"Okay, I want to be very clear that I do not approve of the assignment I have given you four and I especially do not like leaving you in the care of this…" He glared at Anak. "...individual. I had to twist a few arms to get the supervisors to agree to let you go out to ground zero. If any of you get hurt, it will come down on me. Which of you is going to be team lead?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't that be Anak?"

Instructor Evans shook his head. "No, he is your supervisor. As this is meant to fill your community service hours, you as students have to lead yourselves. Volunteers?"

I glanced at my friends and raised my hand. "I can lead this ragtag band of misfits."

Evans made a note on his tablet. "Very good. Everyone's life is now in your hands, Xamber. Make your way to the transit center at the address in your data tablets. The transport will bring you to the border of ground zero so they can get you set up for whatever project they want you handling. If you have problems, contact my personal number."

We made our way to the transit center and were quickly ushered onto a transport vehicle that looked like it had seen better days. We were the only ones in the vehicle besides the driver who was separated from us by the cabin door. Kolyver took a window seat as usual and I sat next to them. Maera sat in the pair of seats behind us, pushing up the armrest so she could lounge on them both. Ryka and Anak sat together across the aisle from Kolyver and I. Anak wrapped an arm around Ryka and our new friend leaned on him with closed eyes.

At first, I didn't notice how intensely Anak was staring at me, but I felt his eyes. Every time I looked his way, though, he wasn't looking at me at all. I shook my head, deciding I was just sleep deprived from not getting much rest on the train.

"Doesn't look like your nap helped much."

I looked up at Kol in a small daze. "Hm? Oh, yeah, I guess I just don't sleep well in moving vehicles."

Kolyver pulled me into their lap and wrapped their over-sized jacket around us both. "The tablet said this ride is two hours. I'll keep you steady while we move so you can rest."

I laughed and rested my head on Kol's shoulder. "You aren't going to let me argue, are you?"

Kol shook their head as they settled in their seat, covering my face with their jacket. "Sh, sleep, birdie."

I rolled my half-lidded eyes. "You've never even seen a live bird. How do you know covering one puts it to sleep?" I didn't get an answer before dozing off against my companion's warm chest.

"Xam, we're here."

I sleepily blinked when my friend spoke, looking out the window at the transportation center as we came to a stop. Kolyver got me up and led me out of the vehicle as I tried to finish waking up.

We were met by a stern faced individual in a coordinator uniform. "You are my student volunteers and their supervisor? Good. I'm glad the transport was able to get you here in a timely manner. Delays have become commonplace since the incident. I am Coordinator Galvin. You will be reporting to me at the beginning and end of each day. Who is your team lead?"

I raised my hand. "That would be me."

"Name?"

"Xamber."

Coordinator Galvin took a note down on their tablet. "Excellent. And what is your name, Supervisor?"

It took Anak a moment to realize the coordinator was talking to him. "Ah, yes, my name is Anak."

Galvin nodded and took down another note. "Excellent. You two will be one ones bringing your reports to me. We will be providing a reporting tablet that you must have on your person at all times. They have tracking chips to ensure you can be found in case of emergency. Please do not misplace them. Our resources are spread thin enough without having to replace our tablets. Now, follow me to your living quarters."

As the automatic doors opened, we were greeted by the acrid smell of some distant fire. I was hit hard by the stench, closing my eyes tightly as my nightmare swam into my vision.

Kol put a steadying arm around me. "You okay, Xam?"

Galvin looked over their shoulder with a frown. "My apologies. I've grown used to the smell and forgot to mention it. Do you have breathing problems, Xamber?"

I shook my head and reopened my eyes, thankful the buildings around us weren’t ablaze. "No, sorry, I'm okay. Just wasn't expecting it to be so strong."

Galvin sighed as we continued on our way. "With so many of the fires originating in our air systems, there are very few places free from the smell of smoke. This may not be comforting, but you will also grow used to it by the time you leave."

#Awoken #Xam #CW: Fire

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howling-harpy · 5 years

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Dear Lover [BoB, winnix]

Rating: G Warnings: Period-typical attitudes Genre: Fluffiest fluff to ever fluff Word count: 4584 Summary: During the Korean War, letters are sent.

Disclaimer: This is a piece of fiction based on HBO dramatic tv series and the actors’ portrayals in it. This has nothing to do with any real person represented in the series, and means no disrespect.

It felt slightly immoral and definitely boring to be assigned to oversee mail while there was a war on. One certain military mail censor had had high hopes to serve his country, to join the fight in the lead of the UN among other brave men of the United States of America, but because of various reasons – perhaps not least because of his of laziness – had ended up reading and sometimes censoring mail leaving the fort.

In training they had drilled into them that every job was valuable, that every single job had to be filled so they could succeed and thus they were equally important, and as supervisors of mail they were helping tactics and intelligence in preventing information leaks, as well as upholding the moral on the homefront by not letting the worst of military life get to them.

But say what you wanted, it was still mundane, and other personnel certainly didn’t see the paper-pushers from intelligence and communication like that. So Tony had to just suck it up, accept it, and carry on. But there were upsides to the job, and one that was a well-kept secret among the mail censors was the joy of snooping. They didn’t discuss any of it outside their own circles, and for most part they didn’t care about the long-winded regards to Private Nobody’s mother or the bragging sent to wives and girlfriends, but every now and then there were juice cases worth enjoying. The absolute favorite of Tony and his circle of friends’ in the office was the case of one Major on the fort. Apparently the Major was a decorated veteran and sort of a legend among paratroopers. He had a reputation, and anyone who had met him vouched for it: he was a man who commanded, a man who made you stand up straighter and give it your all, a presence to be valued in training. Anyone would also vouch that the Major was a proper gentleman, a teetotaler, God-fearing man, as straight-laced as they came, there was no question about it. Which was why it was so exciting that the Major had so much correspondence. He wrote monthly letters to several friends, and from the contents they quickly deducted that they were war buddies – on of whom was in the service currently as well – but one person who got several letters a week and wrote back just as often was a woman. The Major must have been aware of the censors who went through his mail, but that didn’t stop him from writing lengthy, tender letters that could only be labelled love letters. But the catch was, the Major was not married. He was not writing to his wife, but a woman whom he never referred to by her last name, and whose address was just a mail box in New Jersey. The most prominent theory at the office was that the Major was having a scandalous affair with a married woman. *

My dearest Louise, nothing much has happened since my last letter. Army life continues to be both the same and very different from how I remember it. Or perhaps I have changed, after all I have been through this before and I’m not the young eager man I used to be, emphasis on young. I couldn’t run Currahee anymore, and I confess some amount of grief over that. Imagine that, it used to pain me so as it did all of us, but now that realize it’s not mine to do anymore, I miss it. But most of all I think of you, my dear Louise. I imagine you here with me all the time, in every part of my day, and wonder what you’d have to say about this all. I’m sure you’d have something witty and cutting to say about everything, and some people around here could definitely use some lightening up! Again, I wonder if it’s just me being old and solemn or if it’s the oak leaves that are intimidating our young recruits… Actually, that might be it, I choose to believe that’s it, as I am a man in my prime. Ah, I wrote that but in my head it sounded like your voice. This is how low you have brought me, this is how much I miss you: I keep trying to mimic your wit just to ease the pain of missing you. I may be going a little crazy here, but I took a pass this weekend and I could have sworn I saw you at least a dozen times. I must have been poor company because I kept glancing around, thinking I saw you from the corner of my eye, and then all I could think of was how I’d walk up to you and ask you to dance, and you’d give me that smirk of yours that promises trouble, and then I’d hold you close and we’d dance all night. No one else would get a turn with you, only me. No one would know us, and so we could just sway to the music and forget about everything. I’m even wearing my uniform again, so it would make up for the time we missed before. That was my Saturday night. Out socializing and dreaming about you. It’s strange to be back at camp and have weekend passes. I hate to tell you, but I told the drill instructors in my battalion to revoke several passes to get extra training time. Turns out many things that felt unfair back then are actually useful. I feel like I have reached a sort of military adulthood. Other than this there’s not much to tell. Trust me, I want to tell you everything so it would feel like you were here with me, but this will have to do. I think of you every day. You’re the first thought in my head every morning, you’re the last thought in my head every night, and when I sleep I’m sure I dream of you even if I don’t remember it. I anxiously wait for your next letter. Faithfully yours, Major Dick Winters * Dear Dick, oh my heart flutters and my delicate hand trembles as I write this! My dearest love, where ever art thou, think of me! There, is that lady-like enough? Or should I read more Emily Brönte? Maybe I have a future in theater, even. What do you think? Perhaps both of us have to admit that youth is behind us. I still like you the same, though. Every time I get a letter from you it’s the best thing of the day, possibly the entire week. Probably the best thing since your last letter, and the best thing until the next one. I already miss you so much when we’re apart, but now that you’re back in the army it feels like you are somehow even farther away. Even though yes, you look so handsome in your uniform, and yes, I do love it when you wear it. ‘It’, I wrote, as if you didn’t look handsome in all of them. I know ladies generally love the dress greens – and for a good reason, you handsome devil – but I would have you in anything, your O.D.s and muddy jumpboots are just as dashing on you as your finest dress greens. Sometimes I even think that your harness exists only for me to get a good hold of you and never let go! I wish I hadn’t. This letter-writing thing is not my forte, I admit that much, but damn if it isn’t easier to write this down than say it straight to you. Or maybe it is just that I miss you so much that it’s made me stupid. There’s really no telling, but here I am, having told you in this one letter that I miss you multiple times. I miss you. There, one more. Everyday life of the army isn’t very exciting, I know. But don’t you worry, my love, neither is mine. I still work as I used to, it’s the same, mildly despair-inducing but tolerable. It would seem that you are the best thing in my life and being apart like this has taken all the color out. But worry not, write all the boring things you want! I read it all eagerly, everything from your dealings with the recruits and fellow officers to your weekend adventures. I want to know where you are and what’s going on with you. It brings me comfort, like you might be far away but you’re still real. You exist, and you think of me as much as I think of you, somewhere far away. I dream of you too, and I can’t even begin to tell you how I smiled at your daydreams about dancing. I imagined leaning on you and resting my head on your shoulder. No one would have to doubt what we are to each other. All the best, your Lou * My dearest Louise, you have always been very lady-like with your fine education, good manners and absolutely admirably proper behavior. I often wonder what someone so delicate and serene as you sees in a rowdy country boy who turned into a gruff army man such as myself. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves with a theater career, though. My bunk is very narrow and lonely. I know we didn’t get the chance to sleep next to each other that often in the first place, but somehow I miss even those rare times and wish they would be every night. Some married people here are so lucky and they don’t even realize it. On some mornings here I reach over for you only for my arm to slip over the edge of my bunk and meet air. As thick as I feel in those moments, waking up without knowing where I am and feeling so sentimental, I realize that you belong there. I must have known that before, but now I truly feel it. I hope you won’t mind me telling you that, considering our circumstances. I continue training the troops. Their PT is not as harsh as ours was, but still demanding. Results are good as well, I am pleased to tell, and again I wonder both about youth and army. The transformation is so dramatic and fast! I keep thinking that it wasn’t like that for us, but maybe we just didn’t realize it back then, the same way these boys don’t realize it about themselves now. Life is curious, my dearest. Some of my fellow officers have noted my unmarried status, and it’s caused some open confusion at the mess hall. I haven’t minded the wondering of strangers about it before, but somehow being back here it really hit me: I am something of a curiosity. I wish I had some of your mischief, that way I would have an easy explanation at hand and I could put a stop to the questions once and for all, but I am who and what I am: an ordinary, proper man, who has failed to find a wife. Everyone thinks it’s odd, especially since they can’t point out what’s wrong with me. The CO of one of the companies said that just yesterday, during lunch: “But why, Winters? There’s nothing wrong with you!” I just shrugged and gave them that look you’ve said I sometimes do, but really I wanted to tell them about you. I wanted to take out a photograph of you and tell them all, “this is my Lou.” I didn’t, as it wouldn’t have been smart, and I don’t even have a picture of you, but I wanted to. That’s all for this week. Thinking of you, missing you, waiting to hear from you soon. Faithfully yours, Major Dick Winters * The small group of them was lingering by the coffee maker, pondering the matter. It had been months of rapid correspondence between Major Winters and the mystery lady Louise, and it was the talk of the office. They knew they were ordered to keep a tight lid on things, and dutifully they didn’t breathe a word to anyone, but among themselves they just had to whisper about it. “It’s so romantic,” sighed Mandy as she stirred her coffee. “Sounds like an affair to me,” countered Emma, slightly scolding. She was just as invested as everyone else and read the letters with equal interest, but forced herself to feel bad about it afterwards and judge the probably indecent romance a bit. “It might be, or maybe there’s something else that keeps them apart. We don’t know. And even if it were an affair, Louise must be trapped in an unhappy marriage. She clearly loves the Major, purely and passionately,” Mandy mused and sighed again. Roger pondered it as well. He secretly enjoyed the real-life romance he was peeking at, but mostly wanted to know the truth about it. “Louise might be black,” he pointed out. “A black woman with lady-like manners and good education?” Mandy remarked, pointing at him with her spoon. “More like she’s some rich socialite who was set to marry a family friend’s son, and now she can’t be with her one true love. Major is from the country, after all.” Roger chuckled. “One true love, huh? What is this, a movie?” “Well they are clearly in love,” Emma said, sounding strangely wounded at even the slightest implication that that wasn’t the case, “and something’s keeping them apart. That much is certain from the letters.” “I wonder how they met in the first place, since they are so different,” Tony said. Mandy gasped. “I’m sure it’s a war time romance! She must have been a nurse or a secretary or something, and they ran into each other when they were in the European theater! Perhaps he was wounded, and she took care of him and they both just knew they were meant to be.” “Now that’s a movie for sure,” Tony chuckled, and others joined him. “But Louise works. She said so herself. If she were a married rich socialite, she wouldn’t work.” Somehow the notion had been forgotten and it gave them all a pause. The rich unattainable girl and the salt of the earth simple true love was their best theory, but the job certainly put a wrinkle in it. They stirred and drank their coffee in contemplative silence, adjusting their thinking after this tilting notion. “There must be something they haven’t yet mentioned,” Emma said, surprising everyone by speaking first. “Something… Something more concrete that’s keeping them apart. Perhaps… Family? Some sort of duty? Or maybe they aren’t kept apart by money, but the lack of it.” Mandy was quick to jump aboard, her big brown eyes shining with emotion. “Yes! There is definitely something like that! Stars-crossed lovers…” She put more sugar in her coffee and sighed. * Dear Dick, I am pleased to announce to you that today marks my one-year anniversary in sobriety. I have to say, I’m feeling pretty good about myself. I wish I could look back through time and see what my one-day-sober self looked like, but even without that I can tell she looked and felt like she’d been hit by a train. The today-me is much better. I like waking up without a hangover and then just going about my day without planning it around refills of my flask or hitting one of my stash bottles. I dare even say that I’ve lost weight, and my face isn’t puffy at all. I celebrated with my sister, and I’m writing this letter on a train back from Chicago. She asked about you, but I told her you’re somewhere in service and that we don’t keep that much in touch, so we weren’t really a topic of the day. Other than that inquiry, we had good time in the city. We went shopping together, met some friends and then went to have a celebratory dinner for my one year. It was a fun day, and even I feel very optimistic about my future. I couldn’t have done this without you. And I know I had to pull myself up and that it was me, but let’s not pretend it was all me. You made it possible with your support and how you shook me awake from that haze, how you made me realize what I was doing to myself, and by extension, to you. To us. So thank you, my dearest friend! I toasted with Coke, and I hope you’ll toast too with your plain canteen water when you get the chance. But not only celebration, this is also a time for reflection. I reflected on what kind of a person I am, and especially on what kind of a friend I have been to you, and especially-especially compared to what kind of a friend you have been to me. I was thinking about your last letter too, and despite the cheery mood of today, I am a bit sad. You are so wonderful. You are my dearest, most beloved, most cherished friend, and you have been nothing but kind and good and loving to me, and I don’t deserve you. Not that I could have you, even if I did deserve you, and this pains me. I’m thinking about all those wonderful things you have given me, all these irreplaceable things you keep wasting on me: time, your life, your love, your future, and I am in pain, love. Have I given you anything of that value? Am I the thing that’s wrong with you? I am almost certain that I am, but you also know how selfish I am, and I don’t want to let go of you. I love you too much, and I wish I could swear that my love is real and true and pure, but I’m not so sure. On the contrary, I know this is wrong. And still, if I could have anything in the world, I would wish to be really and truly yours. Properly. In every way. In the eyes of God and man alike. This was supposed to be a happy letter. Hah, I think my pen got away from me and made me pour this on the page. Sorry about that, love. It seems that I don’t need alcohol to get melancholic. Lucky you, huh? I still wish to hear back from you. All the best, kindly, Lou * My dearest Lou, let me start this letter by congratulating you on your one year sober! I can’t even fully express in words how happy I am for you and how much I admire your fighting spirit. You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for. I admire you. I think I don’t tell you that often enough. You are a wonderful, silly creature, and you are also strong, fearless and probably the smartest person I have ever met. Every day since I met you I’ve felt happiness and gratitude for our friendship. Did you know that I’ve thanked God on several occasions for bringing us together? You should know that, because it’s true. You are not ‘’a thing that’s wrong’’. You are not taking anything from me, and we are not a sin. You are what’s right. You are the most cherished and most beloved to me too. I feel the same, and it’s so warm and good and lifts me up in such a way that I can fully assure you that we’re not wrong. What we have cannot be anything but good and right, because it simply feels too good and right to be anything but. And let’s not pretend that I’ve been all good for you. I might have been there for your low moments, Lou, but so have you for mine. I’m not perfect, and I want you to know that I appreciate how you’ve stuck with me through all of this. Through this hiding, through my hesitation about us, through my seriousness and distance and rigid work ethic and stupid habits, and now through my service. This is not even mentioning the wounds the war left on me. You got me through that as well and continue to do so, and don’t you ever forget that you did. Reading your doubts from your last letter pained me, and not only because I can’t take you in my arms and hold you until it’s all better, but because I never told you these things. You’ve stuck with such a quiet man such as myself, and maybe it’s just that I never seem to find the right words and that I’m sometimes still shy like a schoolboy around you, but I’m ashamed that it took me this long and this separation to properly express my feelings. Lou, you make me laugh. You brighten each of my days, and you always remind me of the funny side of life. Your smiles are gifts. You are witty and smart and you always know what is important and deserves time and what doesn’t. You help me take it easy and remember that not everything in life is so serious, and you make me a better man. I want to be a better man, for you. I love you, Lou. I really, truly love you and only you, and I don’t want to stop loving you, not ever. And just like you said I indeed am lucky that you are a bit sweet on me as well. I might not be able to swear an oath on that before God and men, but I can swear it to you: You are the only one for me, and I am yours. You are not taking any bright future from me, because that’s you. There’s never going to be anyone but you, Lou. When the army releases me, I will return to you and this time I will stay. Faithfully and forever yours, lovingly, Dick * The latest letter was a hard one to read and send off. It did a round through all four of them, each taking a long time read it through. It was getting increasingly hard for all of them to read the letters, their very clearly private and shamelessly open tender feelings, not to mention the absolute lack of anything that would even warrant the attention of censoring. The letters were something beautiful and tender meant to be shared only between these two people, and they were intruding on it. Tony tried to justify it to himself by the nature of the army’s system. Major Winters was an officer and a veteran, and he must have known the letters not only might but probably would be read by an outsider party, and so Tony and his friends weren’t doing anything all parties involved didn’t know about. But still, as Mandy had pointed out, both the Major and his Louise still chose to write all those delicate, private things, perhaps not because they were willing to share them but because they couldn’t help themselves. “That’s just true love, plain and simple,” Mandy sighed one afternoon on their coffee break. “I wonder if she’s going to reply soon. Maybe they’ll finally get married.” Even Roger had been taken aback by the two latest letters, especially the Major’s, and he wasn’t needling the others of the friend group about their sentimentality, though some realistic pragmatics of him prevailed. “They can’t get married, for whatever reason,” he reminded them. “I think that much is clear. They might want to, but they seem to both agree that they are unable to get married. I don’t know about you three, but my theory still prevails: Louise is probably black.” “Roger… Come on,” Mandy resisted. She was sticking with her original stance on the matter, months later, but seemingly only out of pride. Emma didn’t let any of that fly: “She might be! She’s not the picture-perfect sighing princess you want her to be.” Emma, who had from the beginning been the most reluctant about both reading the letters and spying on the romance, had ended up in a rather strange position since the letter that revealed Louise’s past as a heavy drinker. She seemed both triumphant in a morally superior way now that the perfect pining maiden Louise had revealed such an uncouth flaw, but simultaneously she seemed to secretly root for this flawed Louise more than she ever did for the perfect Louise. Mandy sighed then, deep and defeated. “Well… Yeah. None of us knows who she really is or what she’s like. But…” She drifted off, rather dreamily. Roger, impatient and intolerant of such aloof behavior, hurried her: “But, what?” Mandy jumped a little, shaken from her daydream, and then coyly refused to look anywhere but into her coffee. “But they seem so genuinely in love, is all. I can’t help but…” she fidgeted, took a sip of coffee and still refused to look at anyone. “I can’t help but hope that they get to be happy together, whoever they may be.” No one dared to agree, but no one argued either. A strange air of silent yet reluctant agreement settled over the group around the coffee maker, and all four knew they’d never breathe a word about this to any other living soul – at least not in a long while. Tony didn’t know what to think about any of it, but weirdly came to a conclusion that he agreed with Mandy. He didn’t know Major Winters and he knew Louise even less, having never even set eyes on the woman, and he didn’t really know their story all that well. All he had were these letters from the past year and his own interpretation based on the bits and pieces of information he had gathered from them. And still, he found himself rooting for them, even though he logically could see there was something suspicious about them. They simply couldn’t be your perfect couple. They weren’t married and seemed to be outright unable to do so, and as such they were in a situation that would definitely be frowned upon in polite society. Tony found himself thinking back to the first letter he had read and his theory about an affair and forcing himself to consider it now realized that it might be the case on top of other circumstances. Still, he found himself with Mandy on the subject: their relationship sounded so painful. He hoped they would find a way to be happy together. But after that, only two more letters were exchanged before the Major was discharged. * Dear Dick, Wherever you will go after, take me with you. Just get here and take me away. With love, your Lou * My dearest Lou, I will. Forever yours, Dick * That was the last time Tony or anyone of his friends heard from Major Winters or his Louise, that they remember. The whole affair was set aside soon enough, and later it turned into a rose-tinted silly story told vaguely at parties, with details and names long forgotten, and after a few decades the four friends all told widely different stories of the event. Naturally, Tony never saw those letters again after they had left his hands. Not until over forty years later, in the late nineties, when he picked up a rather controversial memoir that was dedicated to “my dearest Lewis”.

#winnix #band of brothers #mun ficci

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calorieworkouts · 4 years

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23 Weight-Loss Tips That Actually Worked For Women Just Like You

There's no question that employing a trusted registered dietitian is the means to go when you're attempting to make a big modification to your lifestyle.

But you understand that else has some pretty damn suitable ideas when it pertains to dropping pounds? Individuals that have really done it themselves.

Here, 23 various women share small tricks that helped them lose weight (and also keep it off).

1. Ditch your trigger foods.

Bags of chips. Tubs of crackers. Additional Halloween candy. Do away with anything that's a weak place, specifically any foods you've binged on in the past. 'If you understand you'll damage into the remaining birthday cake at twelve o'clock at night, throw it quickly,' states accountant Brandy Thele, that shed 130 extra pounds after she was detected with kind 2 diabetes mellitus.

Instead, swap 'restricted' foods for much healthier replacements. As opposed to swearing off treat completely, for circumstances, indulge in fresh fruit after meals. As well as if your partner or youngsters balk at your chucking the gelato, hide it behind the icy edamame so you don't glance it every single time you open up the freezer.

2. Hold on your own responsible ... for every little thing.

Keep a food diary as well as consist of everything (yes, that bite of your toddler's mac and cheese matters) so you can see where the calories come from. Day-care supervisor DJ Gray listed what she consumed and tracked her calories with the SparkPeople app on her way to shedding 115 pounds.

3. Produce an assistance system online.

Social media can be a powerful incentive to stick with your plan and make progress, Christina Donatella, now an individual fitness instructor, established up a Facebook page about her diet plan and workout routines and dropped 180 pounds.

Are you captured up on Jenna Jameson's weight-loss journey?

4. Take note of section dimensions.

So lots of dieters undervalue just how much they're eating. Devices and also devices can help: Teacher Jen Punda downloaded and install the MyFitnessPal app to help her gauge serving dimensions and also dropped 91 pounds, stay-at-home mother Krystal Sanders acquired a portion-control plate, which educated her to eyeball healthy and balanced portions of healthy protein, veggies, and starches.

5. Cook your own food.

Research reveals that individuals that prepare the majority of their own meals take in fewer calories, carbs, sugar, and fat than those who prepare seldom. If you insist you're also overloaded, try this method from paralegal Jessie Foss, who shed 100 pounds: On Sunday, work up a big batch of something healthy and balanced, like soup from a slow cooker, and also eat it throughout the week.

6. Do not nix the fiber or fat.

Fiber broadens in your belly and also requires time to digest, both of which aid keep you really feeling complete for longer. Great resources include entire grains, veggies, as well as whole fruit (not juiced). Healthy fats like olive and nut oils-in moderation-improve flavor, give you energy, and also help your body use specific nutrients. Alexandra Shipper included healthy and balanced fats, such as avocado, to healthy protein sources like eggs as well as fish on her method to going down 55 pounds.

7. Do not really feel required to go to the fitness center.

When you're at your heaviest, it can be frightening to step right into a health club and start running or lifting among the spandex-clad. Exercising in your very own space is likewise merely less complicated to schedule-you can lift weights while the child naps or very first point in the morning without dragging yourself out the door. 'I bought a stationary bicycle so I can function out whenever I want,' states Sarah DeArmond, who shed 100 extra pounds.

8. Job weights into your workout routine.

To drop significant lbs, you require the one-two strike of cardio exercise plus strength training. Resistance assists construct and also protect metabolism-boosting lean muscle mass while shedding fat and is particularly crucial when you hit a plateau. Amanda Eco-friendly lost 15 pounds in 2 months doing hour-long cardio DVDs, but it wasn't till she started running outside and training weights three times a week that she was able to ditch the last 15 of her 30-pound objective.

9. Difficulty yourself by enrolling in a race.

Jessica McMullin signed up for her first race, a 5K walk-run, hoping an obstacle would certainly help motivate her to shed weight-which it did, method greater than she could have pictured. 'I absolutely fell in love with running, it changed my whole life,' she states.

Not only did it aid her shed 60 extra pounds, yet making it a day-to-day practice also helped her overcome her depression. Now she stays motivated by remaining to challenge herself with brand-new race goals. To day, she's completed over 100 different races.

10. Do not promise off your favorite deals with for excellent.

Little treats keep you from feeling robbed, so everyday, allow on your own a little bit of something you enjoy (go for 150 calories each). This kind of small amounts is the distinction between a 'diet' and also a way of life you can stick to for life. For salon proprietor Caitlin Gallagher, who shed 125 pounds, that indicated changing her every night bowl of ice cream with a square of chocolate, social worker Brittany Hicks, that lost 100 pounds, started cooking mini variations of her favorite pies.

11. Always ensure you have a plan.

When going out to supper, follow the lead of law enforcement agent Larissa Reggetto, who dropped 105, and also look up the food selection ahead of time to prevent impulse buying.

12. Stick to a routine.

Too much selection in your diet regimen can tinker your satiation cues and also make you eat way too much, so include some (tasty) monotony to your routine. One easy way: Consume the exact same healthy and balanced breakfast and/or lunch daily during the week, and appreciate new tastes on the weekend break. The most effective feature of that strategy, claims 69-pound-loser (emergency room, champion?) Melanie Kitchen area: 'I really did not need to keep developing new dishes!'

13. Have a positive weight-loss rule.

When Katrina Plyler decided to take control of her weight, she chose to try the Whole30 as a way to reset as well as commit to her objectives.

' That initial day was so tough, I nearly caved and also grabbed the vending equipment at job yet I kept in mind a quote I carried my Facebook web page that claimed 'The only thing standing between you as well as your objective is the bullshit tale you maintain informing yourself as to why you can't attain it' which was enough to make me avert from the machine,' she says.

She completed the entire month of the Whole 30 and stuck to a clean Paleo-style diet regimen afterward. Within a year she was down 46 pounds. 'I always keep that quote close-by and also reread it when I'm really feeling weak,' she adds.

14. Search for things to include to your life, not deduct.

Starting a weight-loss journey can be hard, particularly if you're quiting a great deal of points you love. Shannon Hagen's key to remaining positive while dropping weight? 'I never ever consider it as giving points up, that makes me feel deprived,' she states. 'Rather I concentrate on adding in one little healthy change at a time, until it comes to be a practice.' Instead of being bummed over not having your normal dish of ice lotion before bed, attempt a new healthy dessert recipe to include to your file.

15. Focus on what you wish to acquire, too.

Chronic migraine headaches were what first inspired Amanda Tagge to begin working out. 'I was intending to discover some remedy for my frustrations as well as working out did aid however I realized that if I truly desired to really feel much better I required to overhaul my health habits overall and slim down,' she claims. The even more she transformed, the far better her frustrations obtained and she lost 70 pounds in the procedure which aided her feel even better. Concentrating on right her wellness was enhancing kept her going even when the range wasn't moving.

16. Track your fruits as well as veggies.

Snacking is the crucial to Mary Rogerson's 60-pound fat burning but it's not just exactly how usually she eats yet what. 'I intend to eat at least 7 portions of vegetables a day, in addition to some protein, every couple of hours,' she states. 'And also The finest component is that by the time she's filled up on her rainbow of fruit and vegetables, she's usually also full to eat much else as well as her yearnings for sweets have actually gone method down.

17. Consume something rejuvenating as quickly as you wake up.

' Every morning I consume alcohol a mug of warm water with half a lemon pressed right into it, a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, and a dashboard of cayenne pepper,' states Michelle Keough. This assists her beginning her time off on a healthy note while obtaining her moisturized after a long night. This technique, integrated with eating meals constructed around healthy protein as well as veggies, helped her lose 20 pounds and also keep it off.

18. Try establishing an 'consuming home window.'

Connie Jory advocates recurring fasting-eating during a certain window of time, like from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. consuming at all.

' In the beginning it was difficult to adapt to but I've found that if I stick to only consuming within my collection home window, the hunger pains vanish and I don't even think of food.' This intermittent fasting method has actually assisted her shed greater than 70 pounds.

19. Make treats a real treat.

' I have one hell of a wonderful tooth, therefore I have to decline to bring sweet, cake, or sweets right into the residence, period,' claim Lin Williams, who's lost 105 extra pounds. Rather, if she desires a reward she has to want it poor enough to get up, obtain in the cars and truck, leave her house, as well as go to the store-a procedure that rarely really feels worth it. As well as on the rare occasion she does indulge? 'I get specifically what I want as well as enjoy every bite of it!' she says.

20. Use a loved one as inspiration.

Finding the inspiration to work out as well as drop weight was difficult and as a busy mama Sabrina Winder can never appear to discover the time. When her son decided to do a biking value badge for Kid Scouts, unexpectedly helping her youngster indicated helping herself also.

' My reason made use of to be that I really did not intend to leave my kids alone to work out, however this assisted me see I can still do it and simply include them,' she states. Currently she's slimming down and obtaining trimmer while setting a healthy and balanced example for her children. 'It's a win-win for our entire family,' she adds.

21. Don't really feel poor for saying 'no' often.

' My father resembles a food-pushing wizard, he's always pulling stuff out of his pockets or showing up with delicious food,' states Mary Mock. While the family members tradition of shock sugary foods was fun, when it came time to lose weight, she knew she needed to place a quit to all that lure. 'At first, he seemed hurt when I kept claiming no yet when I explained it was for my wellness, he hopped on board. Sometimes I still have to remind him though!' she says.

22. Discover ways to treat on your own without food.

Making the connection between her stress and anxiety and also her food desires was a game-changer for Kelly Pedestrian. 'I understood that by the end of the day, I simply wanted something to relax me down as well as so I 'd binge on delicious chocolate,' she states.

' Regarding a year ago, I started looking for other ways to handle my stress and anxiety besides consuming, like washing or doing acupuncture.' She's lost over 40 extra pounds but the finest component is that she feels extra unwinded than she's ever been. 'It ends up that eating all that sugar was making me much more distressed, making a ferocious cycle.'

23. Make your refrigerator a 'healthy and balanced treats just' zone.

Having a healthy option within your reaches when you're depriving can make all the distinction in between sticking to your objectives as well as providing in to temptation. 'I keep little containers of hummus and also carrots, pickles, nuts and dried out apricots, salsa and rice biscuits, and other healthy and balanced combos in the front of my fridge and also kitchen so they are literally the initial thing I see when I unlock,' claims Lita Moreno. 'I don't also offer myself a selection to rip off.' This little change has aided her decrease virtually 80 pounds.

#exercise #fitness #fitness center #fitness instructor #health #health club #the fitness center #weight #wellness #work out #workout #workout routines

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manelyec · 4 years

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A Heart For Service - EC Student Spotlight on Michael Wells

EC Student, Michael Wells has always been passionate about serving others. Growing up in downtown Atlanta, after graduating from high school Michael made the decision to join the National Guard. Another dream of Michael’s was to become a police officer, and his military training helped that dream become a reality.

“I graduated from the Police Academy in 1996 and got a job with the Dallas (GA) Police Department and worked there for a year or two,” Michael remembers. “I went onto work with the Holly Springs Police Department for 10 years, where I was promoted to Sergeant Supervisor.”

In 2001, Michael was called into active duty and was deployed to Iraq from January 2005 to June 2006. It was there that a roadside bomb blast changed his perspective on life.

“It was September 8, 2005, we went through multiple IED blasts, roadside bombs but one of them in particular seriously injured my gunner,” Michael remembered. “I was driving the Hum V and sustained a brain injury, which I didn’t know about until I got home.”

Later on, Michael ended up returning overseas, this time as an instructor to teach the Russian troops about how the roadside bombs are triggered and how they are used against us.

Ultimately, the complications from his brain injury forced Michael to retire from both his military and law enforcement careers.

“It was heartbreaking,” he said. “I couldn’t imagine not being able to do what I loved anymore.”

On hard times, traveling back and forth to the VA and Emory Hospital for therapy and treatment, it was an opportunity to work with horses that helped Michael not only refocus, but introduced him to his wife.

“My wife’s father owns a horse farm,” Michael said. “Working there helped me focus after surgeries and everything.. It was a big change from being a solider and in law enforcement, where I was responsible for millions of dollars in equipment and personnel to now being a farm boy taking care of horses and fixing fence lines.”

Instead of getting depressed about the new direction his life was taking, Michael took advantage of the opportunity, deciding to go back to school.

“I always wanted to finish my college education,” he said. “I started college in 2000 but it was all online. I didn’t think I would fit in in a traditional setting.”

But then his father in law introduced him to Emmanuel College.

“With my training, I had a lot of college credits toward a degree in Criminal Justice, so I thought that would be a great place to start,” Michael said. “My father-in-law knows a lot of people in the Ag program at Emmanuel and suggested I minor in that.”

At first, going back to school was a stressful process, especially as a non-traditional student.

“Seeing professors who were my age, students that were my kids age, that was an adjustment,” Michael said. “But I feel it was a blessing to come here. Good works in mysterious ways. My whole life, I did things my way, and I’ve come to realize it’s now time to do what God wants me to do – and he wanted me here.”

What’s his long term goal?

“I’ll graduate in May with my associates,” Michael said. “I’ll go onto get my bachelor’s and the ultimate goal is to get my Master’s. I’d like to be a part of the staff here at Emmanuel and help teach Criminal Justice”

For Michael, Dr. Sue Weaver, the Chair of the Social Sciences Department and Criminal Justice Professor, has made the biggest impact on his life during his time at Emmanuel.

“We have so much in common,” he said. “She has a law enforcement background and sustained a brain injury from a car wreck. Her style of teaching is what I’m used to in my life. I enjoy her classes because I’m learning new aspects of Criminal Justice like victimology and criminology, that they didn’t teach us in law enforcement. She taught me different parts of Criminal Justice and it’s given me a different outlook. I wish I had this knowledge before, I would have taken more time to help victims.”

One thing Michael admires about the professors at Emmanuel is how they consistently bring faith into the classroom.

“Before class we have prayer,” Michael said. “Some professors will even ask the class if there’s anything they’d like to pray about. It may not be considered unique because we’re a Christian college, but it does strengthen by beliefs and helps me at home with my family, too. Being in an environment like this during the day at school among fellow Christians, it helps me at home and in my personal life with Jesus.”

If Michael could give advice to other non-traditional students looking to go back to school, he’d remind them it’s never too late.

“You’re never too old to stop learning,” Michael said. “Even though I’ve gone backwards, finishing my life with college, I’d recommend and be an advocate to encourage people like myself to go back to school if it’s financially possible. If it wasn’t for the VA using the GI bill benefits, and President Trump signing the Purple Heart Bill, with me being a purple heart veteran, it payed 100% of everything for me.”

Not only would Michael recommend going back to school, he’d recommend taking a look at Emmanuel.

“You have the best of both worlds here,” he said. “You can get the education you need to succeed as a productive citizen in society and you can grow in your spiritual relationship with Jesus at the same time.”

Michael’s heart for service is something that was on display while he served in the military, in law enforcement, and here at Emmanuel. Although Michael’s path to completing his college degree may not look like most, he is confident that he will fulfill his dream of finishing his degree in Criminal Justice.

Thank you, Michael and all of our Veterans for your service to our country.

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yogaadvise · 7 years

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The Myth of the Perfect Family

Flipping with a cooking publication just recently, I quit to check out a short article about cook Nancy Richer's Christmastime dishes and practices. Yearly, Nancy and also her husband host their two lots or two children and also grandchildren in their upstate New york city farmhouse, and the household 'invests nearly every second with each other,' according to the article-taking sleigh trips, playing hockey in the barn, having rest parties as well as a huge vacation supper. 'When I take a look around the table at everybody, it almost makes me cry,' Nancy is priced quote as saying.

Part of me scoffs at this picture-perfect picture, however an additional part of me wants for it. Articles similar to this, TELEVISION shows like Parent, and also films like Dan in Reality play on our deeply rooted needs for belonging as well as for the long-lasting safety of a synergistic tribe. They're idyllic depictions of caring extensive families whose members might not constantly agree on everything yet always discover their way back to each other after a problem, and also have each other's back regardless of what. It's no wonder we're drawn towards these circumstances, in a time when Americans invest approximately only 18 hrs per month-less than a hr a day-with family members members.

It's frequently around the holidays when we feel the pull of exactly what we're missing, or visualize we're missing. In a research study of adults estranged from their moms and dads or brother or sisters, 90 percent reported finding the holiday challenging. And also it feels like a natural following action at fault ourselves for the absence of sleigh trips and also slumber parties-but we don't should go there. Leo Tolstoy's well-known declaration that 'pleased households are alike' was patently incorrect, they could look a million various ways.

' My household was simply my mama, father, and me,' states yoga educator Cyndi Lee, creator of OM Yoga exercise and also yoga exercise instructor trainings. 'We got on truly well, and mostly I bear in mind a whole lot of laughing. We didn't make a big deal regarding 'family members'- we simply naturally did a great deal of things together because my moms and dads shared their interests with me. The extended household really did not live near us, so possibly that's one reason we were such a close device.'

By comparison, Shari Cavalier, my all-time favored vinyasa instructor, expanded up in a close household of six youngsters and states they all proceed to have a deep link with each other, despite navigating some bumps along the way.

' Now that I am nearing 53, I see our differences a lot more plainly,' she claims. 'When I was in my 30s, this bothered me a lot. I yearned for everybody to count on the very same traits, be enthusiastic about the very same things, etc. It had not been up until my mid-40s that I started to accept them for who they are, to understand that I couldn't change them and they could not alter me. There were some quite big blowups at family gatherings around points like faith, national politics, money, elevating children. We had to discover how to consent to differ.'

So just how do we practice allowing go of the fantasy as well as accepting exactly what's truly in front of us? Right here are a couple of ideas for bringing more happiness and also empathy to our incomplete reality.

Remember, it's not personal. The psychological imprints of the generations before us notify that our moms and dads are, that we are, and also that our brother or sisters are, claims Mark Wolynn, supervisor of the Family members Constellation Institute and also writer of It Didn't Beginning with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes That We Are And also Just how To Finish The Cycle. 'Each brother or sister brings a different piece of the family members system and also is drawn by a different force, even with comparable parenting,' Wolynn states. 'The injuries of generations prior enter into our unconscious inheritance.' Instead of taking your mom's quibbling personally, think about just how her mommy's perfectionism affected her. Might your sibling's propensity for recommending you on ways to manage your finances originate from his deep-rooted desire for stability since your parents' divorce? Might your sister's snottiness about your spouse be covering her instability concerning not being in a long-term connection? Once we comprehend our relative a little better, we could stop obtaining triggered as well as attune to empathy instead.

Practice loving-kindness meditation, additionally referred to as 'genuine kindness.' 'This is an extraordinary practice to contact when you remain in the middle of household challenges,' Lee says. 'This technique means that you pertain to everybody as a buddy, regardless of what. Have a go at to see that individual as themselves, with all their fears as well as joys as well as sadness and also benefits. You see them as they are, excrescences as well as all, and also you start to see the reality of truth, which is that we are all connectioned.' She additionally advises exercising 'mindfulness meditation right away'- noticing and allowing go of judgmental ideas or feelings of inconvenience as they arise, via stopping and also bringing attention to the breath. 'This takes around 2 seconds, however it can create a gap between stimulations as well as feedback as well as, in that space, there is a tremendous possibility for you making favorable options regarding your speech and also activity,' she says.

Take time alone to rebalance. When she's with her extended family members for greater than a day or 2, Cavalier stays focused by discovering a silent place in your house to unroll her yoga floor covering, or taking an introspective run or walk. 'I sneak away for an hour approximately when things are reaching be too much for me,' she says. 'Generally, no one knows where I am as well as that I practice there. It is my little oasis.' She might practice a mantra-inhaling on 'peace' as well as exhaling on 'love,' or breathing in on 'let' and breathing out on 'go.' Among her preferred pranayama practices for generating the relaxation response is merely inhaling for a matter of four and also breathing out for a count of seven.

Receive what there is to receive. Not everyone has the ability to share love in a perfect means, however that does not mean they do not feel it. Learning how to accept and bask in the love that member of the family have the ability to give-rather than what you desire they would certainly give-is a substantial step towards recovery incomplete partnerships. 'If your moms and dads resemble a tap whose love only flows at 2 percent, can you place your cup under that tap as well as load it up One Hundred Percent?' Wolynn asks. 'If your mom's only method of loving you is to purchase you presents, take the presents. If it's cooking blintzes, delight in the blintzes.'

#ashtanga yoga #meditation #mindfulness meditation #pranayama #yoga

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drivelings · 7 years

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49.

You could hear them as you walk in–whispered shock and curiosity. They nudge each other, pointing at you, and trying to get a better look. ‘Is that our instructor?’ ‘No way! That fatty?’ ‘Bullshit!’

That was quickly muted by the appearance of Gabriel Reyes, who strides in after you in wide, heavy steps that easily overtakes their voices. All noise dies immediately with a well-placed glare from the man. You, on the other hand, take your place front and center, hardly intimidating compared to the man who can eclipse you with his presence alone.

“Welcome to basic combat.” Your voice barely even echoes in the large hall. Students further back after to shuffle forward to hear you. “Myself and Sergeant Reyes here will be your instructors and supervisors–”

The room comes to life immediately with hushed whispers and shuffling.

“Silence!!”

The deep timbre of Gabriel’s voice makes everyone in the room jump, including you. He has a set of lungs and a diaphragm that could put an opera singer to shame. You continue your explanation of the class, Gabriel’s voice still rings in everyone’s ears.

You explain the technicality of each move while Gabriel demonstrates.

The both of you march down each line, watchful of any mistakes. You can hear Reyes barking out corrections–“Pick up your heel, you’ll snap your tendon!” “You call that a punch? My abuela does better. Put some hip into it–no, not like that.” “Punch me like you mean it. Like I kicked your–ow.”–and you try your best to keep your composure. Gabriel was always rather dramatic when supervising combat exercises.

You could feel it. The rise in adrenaline, the shaking that it brings like a beast rattling in a cage, and the heat in your neck and fingers that spread and threaten to consume. But years of patience teaches you to resist and just smile graciously even though the coiling feeling in your chest makes your hands and legs tremble at the promise of a good fight.

“Oh God, you’re shaking! The runt’s shaking!” The recruit chokes out a laugh that sends everyone else in the room into quiet laughter themselves. Only a few are not amused by this display, and you make sure to remember their faces.

Gabriel steps sharply in front of you, the mere sound of his boot falling makes the little asshole jump back. Wasn’t he just across the room? There were times when you are jealous of his speed and long legs--it makes his bulk all the more intimidating, unlike yours. You can’t see your colleague’s face, but you’re sure he’s wearing the one with the deep scowl and flashing eyes (he practices with you sometimes).

“Something funny, cabrón?”

“N-no, sir...”

“Good,” he says smoothly, leaning down and overshadowing the shrinking recruit. You resist the urge to roll your eyes or pull Gabriel back. That’d be undermining his authority, and he gets very irritated whenever that happens. “If you have a problem, you deal with me, got it?”

“Yes, sir.”

Gabriel nods sharply, undoubtedly baring his teeth if the way the recruit was shrinking even further away is any indication. Your colleague flashes you a grin, and you just raise an eyebrow--while his help was nice, it has undoubtedly undermined your authority with the class.

Nearly two weeks pass since that day.

When Gabriel isn’t around, they call you names behind your back, sometimes when they feel brave, they say it right when you pass them by. ‘Sergeant fat-ass’, ‘Marshmallow’, 'Pudge-face’. The most creative so far had to be 'Sergeant Peep’. It was nothing you haven’t heard before. At least it was better than those comments you once received from your peers about sucking your way up.

But despite their bravado and words, they do not try anything. Not with the way Gabriel looks over you, or shouts at them whenever they even think of doing something out of line. After class, when they are all dismissed, you could see them–kissy faces and inappropriate gestures. Gabriel must see it, too, and growls, ready to bring an end to their teasing (and lives). You pinch his sleeve, barely able to draw his attention. “Don’t bother, they will learn eventually.”

“Well, those shitheads are going to learn now.”

You hum, and discretely curl your fingers into his sleeve, wrapping the fabric over your knuckles. The tightness at his arm effectively stops him from taking a step. He gives you a strained grin and you glance back in silent warning. If you brace your arm under his, you could lock his elbow. If you just took a slight step and twisted away, you’d be in the perfect position to toss him over your shoulder. He tugs a little bit to let you know that he could do the same. The threat did not go unnoticed, but to anyone else watching, the two of you were in a loving arm lock. It does nothing to quell the noise and mockery for the watchful students who think they know what they see.

But this is a game. You use your leverage and begin to steer him away. He follows begrudgingly, but not without his fair share of griping.

“I’m going to tear those brats a new one,” he says none too quietly.

“Don’t. Then they’ll think I’m even more of a pushover.”

“They already think that.”

You nod. They aren’t the first and they aren’t going to be the last either. But what they think does not matter.

“Just show them up already.”

“Eventually.”

“Can’t believe they think someone like you is weak. It’s not like you got this fucking far that way--how much training do they think we do?”

You chuckle at the irony of it. “You didn’t think that a few years ago.”

“This and that are different.”

“Sure it is,” you say sarcastically, but none the less with good cheer.

Gabriel rolls his eyes and gives you a shove with the arm you have hostage. “Shut up, short stuff.”

You yank on it. “You shut up, or do you want me to defenestrate you?”

He gives a mock salute. “No, sir.”

“Keep that up and I might seriously do it.”

Gabriel laughs, shrugging his shoulders. “Didn’t do it then, can’t see you trying it now.”

You laugh, and it’s enough for him to forget his irritation for the time being.

He kneads your arms underneath his thumbs, pleased by the softness that meets him first, but secretly admiring the firm muscle, feeling for where they are divided into small cords and how they flex threateningly even below the multiple layers of cloth and skin. Sure, the other members of Overwatch had this sort of mass and he was definitely no exception, but there was something alluring about the entire package of such power in such a small frame. Maybe it was the deception. Maybe it was just because he was a masochist. Maybe it was just you. Who knows?

He smooths his hands over your stout waist. There were no sharp lines or angles to your stomach like his, just softness and curves. But when his fingers squeeze just a little too hard, the muscle beneath the surface jump out–forgiving plush turns into stone walls–violently rejecting his touch.

“Stop that,” you laugh, squirming.

It comes to a head one day. Not even back for half a day after your week-long mission and already you were assigned to teach your basic combat class with Gabriel. You only had time to write your report and send it off as written–spelling errors and all–before getting pulled into a series of briefings and other work. Your stomach growls irritably throughout the day, and only a handful of people manage to walk by you without making some comment about the darkness underneath your eyes.

It isn’t until Gabriel announces that today is a practical examination day that you even realize what you were getting yourself into. Successive one-on-one matches, hand-to-hand combat exercise. Each student gets thirty seconds to show what they have learned. The very reason why Gabriel volunteered for this class when it was announced. The class devolves into excitable chatter that only fuels your exhaustion.

“I’m not the first opponent.” He jerks his head at you, and you can only return a deadpan stare, your eyes asking if he was serious. He shoots a grin back at you. “Show’em what you’re made of.”

“That encouragement should go to the students, not to me,” you mutter wearily, annoyed at having been volunteered for this. You didn’t have enough strength to be patient or to be a kind teacher figure today, and you suspect that Gabriel must know that.

Gabriel does not even bother hiding his delight. It’s fun being a hardass and giving the students a hard time, but watching it happen especially coming from you is a special treat. He debates recording this for posterity’s sake, but the chances that you’ll kick his ass becomes extremely high. The rewards definitely outweigh the risks, however.

He leads with a left jab, it doesn’t even reach you. Your student steps in, swings with his right. You duck, spin and slam your heel into his exposed side. He is thrown across the invisible ring with a yelp that dies in in throat when he hits the ground.

“Angles are important,” says Gabriel loudly. You get the feeling he’s not talking to you.

He aims for your face, but you duck again and grab his arm from below. Loosely over his wrist, the other underneath his upper arm.

“Where you place your weight–” You turn, pull his arm over your shoulder, tuck in your hips and pull. He flies over your head, barely catches his landing on his back.

“–is important.”

You aim a kick at his face while he’s down. He yelps, barely scrambling out of the way. But you do not relent. He tries to get into a defensive stance–a boxing stance–but he’s not looking, his own arms blocking his vision. A firm foot to the pelvis proves his defense ineffective, and he ends up on the ground again.

“Keep your eyes open!”

You want to tell Gabriel that yelling at the recruits won’t help–you’ve been there, you’ve done that, it only confuses them and makes them panic. But you say nothing, just focus on breathing and reading. God, did your student really have to broadcast his moves? Pulling back his arm so far does nothing, you think to yourself as the punch is unleashed at your head, but a full blink too late.

The next opponent is smaller, closer to your height, and almost immediately, you instinctively try to get down even lower than she. She tries to do the same, carefully raising loose fists. The two of you are quiet and still for a beat. Then another.

One after another, your opponents come and go. It’s only after the sixth opponent that you find yourself no longer moved by sheer adrenaline or anger. It’s just hot. Your lungs and skin are blazing, the heat the adrenaline left behind is eating you up and makes everything itch.

You unzip your hoodie and toss it at Gabriel’s general direction both to keep it from being dirtied and to shut his mouth for a bit.

It shuts his mouth all right, as it does everyone else’s.

You pull one of your arms across you in a stretch, and he can feel his mouth water when he spies the muscles that ripple gently underneath your skin at the motion.

underneath your t-shirt, loose but still tighter than most of the clothing you wear. Gabriel licks his lips. He doesn’t think he’ll ever get tired of watching you reveal your true nature.

“Next!”

They come reluctantly, one-by-one. And in the same order, they all go down. Some of them are left shaken, others are thirsty for vengeance (but those are quickly brought down by both yourself and Gabriel, who grows weary of the pace their attitude is weathered.)

The recruits do not come near you for weeks, and the obvious way they avoid you or bow their heads in your presence is enough to send everyone else who sees into harsh fits of laughter.

“Ugh. Is that how I look like? Put that away,” you groan, face aflame behind your hands. He grins viciously, leaning heavily against you on the couch, pushing the video closer to your face.

“You look good.”

“I look terrible,” you insist. “Look! Look there! My foot is in the wrong place, if he just put his weight on the other foot, then he’d sweep me–I, ugh.”

You shove a hand at Gabriel’s face but he avoids it, laughing, and follows the inside of your arm to lean his head against your chest. Your arm wraps around his shoulders, pulling him closer against you, and resting your chin on his head. The video continues to play and the recorded you demonstrates the ferocity of palm strikes against one of the better students.

“Think they’re scared of me?”

Gabriel huffs a laugh, squeezing his lips onto your cheek. “Better be.”

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avidbeader · 7 years

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More of the Sheith soulmates AU

Here’s the next part of the story that I posted here. Still trying to figure out a title and concrit/feedback is welcome.

Voltron fandom, Sheith story that acknowledges their age difference and will probably stay T-rated or below.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Keith was in the middle of writing his study guide for the upcoming Interstellar Navigations exam when it hit him. The sudden clash of excitement-nerves-joy-fear-hesitation-disbelief made him drop his tablet.

Shiro. It had to be the Kerberos mission. Shiro must have gotten the pilot’s position.

He took a deep breath. He could handle this. They had talked about this.

“And you’re sure you don’t have a problem with it? Being alone for fourteen months or more if I’m chosen?”

“The only problem I’ll have is if some nutjob researcher finds out we’re soulmates and tries to keep me in a lab and monitor our bond while you’re gone.”

That made Shiro pause. Previous research showed that soulmates still felt the bond between Terra and Mars, but the chance to test it as far as the edge of the solar system would be very tempting to some scientist somewhere.

“I’ll bring it up with Commander Holt. I don’t think there’s a chance in hell of you coming with us, but he might have some ideas on how to protect you.”

“I was mostly joking, Shiro. I’m not sure anyone around here remembers that we’re soulmates other than Matt.”

“True. And I’m going to wake up Matt every morning on this mission and thank him for bringing us together.”

“Sap.”

“Of course.” Shiro pulled Keith into his arms. “Seriously, this is going to be hard.”

“I know. But I’ll put my time to good use. I’m already almost halfway through the second-year requirements. What do you think about coming back from Kerberos to find that your soulmate is a junior officer at seventeen?”

“I think that’s one of the best ideas ever. But don’t kill yourself trying to get it.”

They had a plan.

<> <> <> <> <>

Keith accompanied Shiro’s parents to the reception before Shiro and the Holts would move to quarantine prior to leaving. Shiro’s mother doted on Keith, promising to stay in touch and send care packages. His father was a little standoffish and Keith began to worry that he had done something wrong.

Shiro sensed his anxiety and pulled him aside. “What’s the matter?”

“Your dad…I don’t think he likes me.”

“He does, I promise.”

“No, Shiro, he really seems uncomfortable with me. Maybe he’s just been saying he was fine with you having another guy for a soulmate and now he can’t deal with it face to face.”

Shiro put a hand to either side of Keith’s face, tilting it up. “It isn’t that, I promise you. He’s worried because of his own experience. He found his soulmate when he was twelve and she was ten.”

Keith frowned in confusion. “But, your mom said—”

“She was killed in a car accident when she was fourteen. Dad needed a lot of time and support to get through it. He met Mom at college and they hit it off. Her family never bought much into the entire soulmates concept in the first place—they were very ‘whatever will be will be’. She decided falling in love was just as good. Anyway, after I told him about us, Dad gave me a long lecture about what it felt like to lose your soulmate, getting used to that hole in your mind and heart that never really goes away. I bet he wanted to give you the same warning, but Mom put her foot down.”

Keith chuckled a little at that, having seen Shiro’s mother in action. “Thanks for telling me. I was getting worried.”

Shiro planted a quick kiss on his forehead. “You’re welcome. Come on, let’s get back to the party.”

<> <> <> <> <>

Keith was grateful that he could isolate himself in his room as the launch happened. He sat on his bed, his tablet streaming the live audio broadcast, and focused on Shiro’s presence, savoring every shift in emotion as they lifted off.

Once the ship was safely out of the atmosphere and Shiro’s triumph poured into him, Keith concentrated on sending back his pride and love.

I’ll see you in fourteen months.

<> <> <> <> <>

Shiro did indeed thank Matt daily for being the reason he and Keith came together. He tried to find a different phrase each day, resorting to multiple languages or bursting into song when he was feeling a lack of inspiration. Commander Holt found it hilarious, but would often share stories of his own soul-bonded grandparents, giving Shiro a good picture of the ups and downs of being permanently mentally linked with another person for the rest of your life.

During the voyage out, Keith was a steady presence in Shiro’s mind. His soulmate was indeed driving himself hard, working to achieve his early graduation goals. There were occasions that Shiro knew Keith had been injured, likely in physical training, and twice something happened to trigger Keith’s temper in spectacular fashion. But generally they shifted back and forth in an easy, contented existence, patiently waiting to be reunited.

<> <> <> <> <>

Commander Holt had devised an excellent compromise for Keith’s worries about being turned into someone’s lab rat. He found a scientist that was indeed eager for the chance to expand the study of distance effects on the bond. Holt then negotiated fiercely and arranged a contract dictating that in return for exclusive access to Keith during the mission she would limit her examinations to three times a week and give Keith a generous stipend out of the resulting grant money.

Keith stashed away half of the first installment in a bank account but did allow himself one large indulgence and bought himself a late-model used hoverbike. He spent many Sundays taking it out into the desert around the Garrison, learning its every quirk and coming the closest he could get to actual unsupervised flight until he finished his training.

By sheer coincidence he was in Dr. Hooper’s lab, electrodes already on his forehead, temples, and chest, when everything spiked. Hooper ran around, shutting off all the alarms, and looked at Keith frantically. “What’s going on?”

Keith’s smile threatened to split his face. “They made it! They’re on Kerberos!”

The doctor clapped her hands. “That’s wonderful! When do you think they’ll announce the success?”

“Probably in a few days. I expect Commander Holt will confirm landing, then confirm when they’ve started collecting the ice samples they’re after. The Garrison will probably announce both at once, make a bigger media splash that way.”

His grin never left his face as Hooper recorded the readings in excitement.

<> <> <> <> <>

Two nights later, Keith woke up screaming from a nightmare of a ship looming over him and his crew, of being hauled in by some irresistible force. Large figures with glowing eyes and purple skin towered over him and dragged him through a long hallway, throwing him into a small cell.

Shiro! Something’s happened to Shiro!

He rose and threw on clothes, shoving his bare feet into sneakers and grabbing his jacket, and took off for the monitoring center. His security clearance as a cadet would get him into the front lobby. Then he needed to find someone who was stationed with the Kerberos mission and warn them.

Entering the building, he saw Commander Iverson, deep in conversation with Lieutenant General Franke. They both looked up, startled, as Keith burst through the door.

The eyebrow above Iverson’s bad eye quirked up, throwing his face off balance. “Kogane? What the hell are you doing here?”

Franke focused sharply on Keith and muttered, “The soulmate?” He put the tablet in his hand to sleep and stepped forward. “What can you tell us, Kogane? All we know is we lost radio contact a few hours ago.”

“I think…I think they’ve been taken by a hostile force! Shiro’s trapped, scared…I think the Holts are alive, but I can’t be sure!”

Iverson reached out and took Keith by the shoulders. “Deep breaths, Keith. Hold your focus. It’s a good thing you can confirm that he’s still alive. Now, I need you to keep this information completely to yourself.”

“Y-yes. Yes, sir?” Keith found the request odd. He struggled to concentrate through Shiro’s and his own fear coursing through him.

“We need to sort out what to tell the press. It is vital that you do not tell anyone else what you know. Can you do that?”

Keith swallowed hard, trying to clear the lump in his throat. “Yes, sir.”

“I’ll arrange with your instructors to give you the next few days off. We’ll say it’s flu. Stick to your room as much as possible.”

“Could I…stay at Shiro’s apartment?” The possibility of being among Shiro’s things, in his bed, immediately made Keith feel calmer.

The two men looked at one another for a moment, then Iverson nodded. “Get your things. I’ll let the building supervisor know to expect you.”

<> <> <> <> <>

The guards never acknowledged his words. Every time someone would bring the tray of slop that served as food, every time one of those weird hooded figures stopped to look in, Shiro would plead for himself and his crew. But the helms and hoods hid their eyes and he had no sense at all whether they even heard him, much less understood him.

That changed after one of the hooded things reached through the bars in the door with an odd device. The alien activated it and a bright purple light swept over him from head to toe. Pain spiked in his head and receded.

The thing withdrew and Shiro heard it speak words he could understand, in an odd hissing voice. “That should take care of it. Their brains are primitive, but similar enough for the translators.” And just like that, Shiro could understand everything being said around him. It brought no comfort.

Keith’s fear for him was constant in the back of his mind. Shiro tried to keep his own emotions steady for Keith’s sake, but the best he could manage was perpetual dread over the situation and worry over the Holts.

And then, three or four days later, they came and pulled him out of his cell.

The guards ruthlessly stripped him of his spacesuit and threw a set of dark clothing at him. The bodysuit material seemed made to stretch out and fit its wearer perfectly, with the gray tunic added for warmth. The boots were made of an odd fabric that was flexible but strong, with rubber-like soles for traction.

Once he was dressed, the guards grabbed him and practically dragged him down a long corridor. Others dressed similarly were being brought as well. Shiro’s heart leaped when he recognized a shock of brown hair sticking up in all directions.

“Matt!”

The head turned to reveal Matt’s face with an ugly bruise spreading from one temple. He peered around a tall gray alien and called back, “Shiro?”

“Yes! I’m here!” One of Shiro’s guards drove a fist into his ribs.

One by one, all the prisoners were thrown into a holding area in a shuttle, then the door closed, shrouding them all in a faint purple light. Shiro immediately moved to Matt’s side as they felt the shuttle leave the ship.

“Do you know where your father is?”

Matt shook his head. “No. They kept us together for a day or so, then pulled us out and did some kind of physical exam.”

Shiro nodded, remembering the point where he had been dragged from his cell to a room and one of those purple aliens, with a white face and white stripes on its head, drew blood and poked and prodded at him for a short time.

“The day after that they came and took Dad away. One of them said Dad was too old and only fit for a camp.”

Matt’s comment made Shiro’s heart rate spike. “Too old? Too old for what?”

Another of the aliens, with majestic red horns curving from his head, spoke up. “Too old for the arena.”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Part 3

#voltron #voltron legendary defender #fanfic: voltron #voltron fanfic #sheith #quintessential bond by avidbeader

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kansascityhappenings · 5 years

Text

After state report finds racial disparity in traffic stops, advocates and lawmakers call for change

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Racial tension between law enforcement and the black community is high.

In 2000, the Missouri legislature passed a statute that requires all law enforcement officers to report a driver’s race for every traffic stop to the attorney general’s office. That statute came about because of allegations of racial profiling from concerned citizens.

For almost 20 years, we’ve had the information, but now lawmakers, civil rights and criminal justice advocates, mothers and musicians are saying it’s time we do something with those numbers.

The 2017 Missouri Vehicle Stops report says black drivers were 85 percent more likely to be pulled over than white drivers, even though they make up less of the driving population.

FOX4 asked about a dozen Missouri agencies for interviews on this topic, but they chose not to accept our offer.

The disparities in the traffic stop worries a lot of people, like a composer and an opera singer who produced a piece called “DWB — Driving While Black.”

The opera singer wrote the lyrics based on national headlines, anecdotes from family members and fears about her own son.

“All you have to do is read the paper. Watch the news. Listen to people around you. It’s scary,” Roberta Gumbel said.

Roberta Gumbel

As accusations of brutality and shootings of unarmed black men by police came to light in recent years, Gumbel’s fears for her 18-year-old son’s interactions grew.

“The concern that he might find himself in a situation where he’s pulled over, or profiled, same thing, pulled over and in position that is foreign to him, that no one should have to be in,” she said.

Gumbel’s friend Susan Kander composed “DWB,” and approached her about writing the socially motivated opera.

“I have two sons who don’t have that problem. They’re not driving while black. And I was just so anxious on her behalf while all this was going on,” Kander said.

Kander felt she could bring an awareness about racial disparities in traffic stops and other police interactions to a traditionally non-black audience.

“We want them to experience it from Roberta’s point of view, from an African American mother’s point of view,” Kander said. “A parent is a parent, and we all have our concerns. And we thought it was a very natural thing to say, these are concerns all parents should have and can understand. This should be something everyone can understand if they take the time to stop and think about it if they have it shown to them,” she said.

After the performance of “DWB” at the Saint James United Methodist Church, there was a panel discussion and questions from the audience, which provoked a lot of emotions.

“I think we all need to stand up and do something about injustice. That’s what I think about that,” audience member Bill Yord said.

“Outstanding. I think the performance was true to form, true to life. Many of the experiences they were acted out, I’ve actually experienced and lived through,” audience member Tony Banks said.

The Attorney General’s Vehicle Stop Report was brought up during the panel discussion. Along with a disparity index, the report also looks at contraband hit ratios, search rates and arrest ratios.

The Attorney General’s Vehicle Stop Report

Black drivers were one-and-a-half times more likely to be searched than white drivers. Six-and-a-half percent of stops involving black drivers led to arrests, compared to just over 4 percent for white drivers.

But according to the report, black people were less likely to have contraband found on them during traffic stops than white people.

Toya Like, an associate professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Criminal Justice Department, said those disparities are harmful.

“It really does further divide trust among the African American community that law enforcement are going to treat them fairly, that even if they engage in what we deem as respectability politics, it doesn’t afford them any advantages with whites who perceive them as dangerous,” Like said.

“That you can engage and do all the things you’re supposed to and still not make it home safely,” she said. “It sends the message that the police are not there to protect us, are not there to serve us, but actually see us as enemies and therefore, we are subjected to those kinds of hostile encounters with them.”

The NAACP issued a travel advisory for the state of Missouri in 2017, citing the information from the attorney general’s report.

“It’s a reflection of our implicit biases that we suffer from today,” Like said. “I’m not saying that most officers go out and are consciously aware of the biases that they hold, but we certainly cannot explain why African Americans are so over represented in these tops by police. So I think it is an absolute reflection of systemic racism within our society and how racism has really equated to the unconscious biases that we all possess, and how those implicit biases are affecting policing and who they decide to pull over, who they stop and search.”

Toya Like

Just like Gumbel, Like is a mother. Her concerns about police interaction dictates her behavior when it comes to her son. He once called her and told her he was going to walk home from a friend’s house at night, a few blocks from their own home.

“I immediately jumped up and said, ‘Oh no you’re not.’ Because I don’t trust that even in our own neighborhood, that if he were walking and he were stopped by the police, what that encounter will entail,” Like said.

Those fears come from experiences that date back to her college days.

“We went to a movie and we were speeding on the highway and the police officer pulled us over,” Like recalled. “And when the officer came to the vehicle the officer drew his weapon, and that was my first time seeing a gun that close to my face. And the officer drew the weapon on my friend who was in the military who was driving at the time.”

Like said the officer backed off when she learned the driver’s military status and nothing happened.

Those are the kinds of things one of the “DWB” panelists, Merrell Bennekin, investigates. He’s the executive director of the Police Board of Commissioners Office of Community Complaints in Kansas City.

It’s his office’s job to evaluate and investigate complaints, including biased-based and race related complaints, against Kansas City Police officers.

“Anytime there is an incident, if it’s not a positive one, it does hamper and hinder any progress that can be made,” Bennekin said. “But it is important that we’re able to have discussions, such as the one on Sunday, so we can try to build bridges with the community.”

In 2015, the Office of Community Complaints received two bias-based police complaints. In 2016, there were five. In 2017, all of the six bias-based complaints were race based. There weren’t any race based complaints in 2018.

All of the complaints from the previous years were either unsustained, meaning they were unable to determine whether there was a violation of policy or procedure, or closed for other reasons.

Merrell Bennekin

“It should be noted that even though a complaint isn’t sustained, it is addressed in some fashion. Every complaint that is filed with this office is reviewed not only with the Board of Police Commissioners but also by the chief of police, his office and staff. We do take some action even if it is not disciplinary in nature,” Bennekin said.

Along with investigating complaints, Bennekin also teaches at Kansas City’s Police Academy.

“There is an entire module just on racial profiling and biased based policing,” he said.

Other training sections also cover implicit bias for academy cadets and officers who are already sworn in. The Kansas City Police Department declined FOX4’s request for an interview on this topic, but did provide information about bias and cultural training.

“Instructors include aspects of implicit and explicit bias or diversity in a variety of subjects taught at the Academy,” KCPD spokesperson Sgt. Jake Becchina said through email. “There are some classes that are about these subjects specifically and then some classes that are not about these subjects but the subject is discussed to varying levels in relation to the class.”

Specific in academy training for KCPD recruits (all of class hours are on subject matter):

Cultural Diversity – 9 hour class

Cultural Diversity Fair – 5 hour class

KCAVP – 2 hour class

Mediation – 4 hour class

Minority Relations – 2-3 hour class

Related academy training for KCPD recruits (subject matter is discussed at some point during these classes):

Tactical Communications – 9 hour class

Communication Obstacles – 6 hour class

Dealing with Aggressive Behavior – 9 hour class

Car & Pedestrian Checks – 28 hour class

Constitutional Law – 32 hour class

Ethics & Professionalism – 4 hour class

“Since 2017, KCPD Instructors have produced racial profiling and implicit bias courses for the KCPD sworn officers and other regional police departments to attend at the Regional Police Academy,” Becchina wrote. “In addition, Dir. Merrell Bennekin’ s De-escalation course covers some implicit bias for the recruit side.”

Bennekin said the attorney general’s report is concerning, but he has bigger concerns about the information.

“I’m more concerned with what do we do with that data? What are the actual steps we are going to take to address those issues?” Bennekin asked.

The “DWB” opera was designed to raise awareness and spark conversation, but Missouri lawmakers introduced legislation they say will reduce disparities in traffic stops if passed.

State Rep. Brandon Ellington’s House Bill 150 would require officers to get written consent from people before they searched them or their cars.

“People need to stop looking at it under the simple guises of racial disparity and look at it under the guises of institutional abuse,” Ellington said.

The bill would also require random supervisor review video and audio from traffic stops.

“We’re talking about government institutions. And we’re not saying police are bad or police or good, we just want accountability across the board,” Ellington said.

“So when we look at a disparity index that has drastic imbalances in numbers and populations that doesn’t equate to the amount of people that’s being pulled over, then we need to address that,” he said. “So we’re talking about stopping profiling, abusive profiling and guaranteeing that citizens are being protected by institutions.”

The American Civil Liberties Union is working on Missouri House Bill 484 with a St. Louis lawmaker, called the John Ashcroft Fourth Amendment Affirmation Act.

“A bill that would essentially say, we are moving beyond collecting data and with the data that we have, we after periods of reviews, could have penalties assessed against law enforcement agencies that do engage in racial profiling,” said Sara Baker, legislative and policy director of the ACLU of Missouri. “So it’s basically adding some teeth to our already existing law prohibiting racial profiling.”

If passed, an agency with high racial disparities in traffic stops would be given a change to improve. If that doesn’t happen over a period of years, money collected from fines and fees would be used got more training.

The bill also adds to the information that an officer must report each time they stop a driver, and adds to the attorney general’s responsibilities when it comes to analyzing the yearly reports.

“This is about the quality of life in Missouri,” Baker said. “It should be equal for everyone. I should be able to walk down the street and have the same experience that anyone from any racial or ethnic background has and that’s simply not what’s happening in Missouri.”

“There’s also a cultural shift that needs to happen in Missouri where we are closer to one another, and recognize that we have more that binds us together than drives us apart,” she said.

Roberta Gumbel

That message of coming closer together and understanding each other to bring about change is what Gumbel hopes her audience will take away. While she sang her soprano heart out, her son, the basis behind the opera and the emotions, watched in the audience.

“As soon as I started driving, my mom always told me, ‘Be careful. It’s dangerous to drive and be black at the same time,'” Rapheal Prevot said. “So it’s something I did know how she felt. I didn’t know quite how powerful it was or how powerful the fear was for her.”

It’s a powerful fear that Gumbel hopes everyone will open their eyes to.

“It may be something they’ve never had to think about, but being blind to it doesn’t help solve the problem. They’ve got to be aware of it. They have to be. It can’t just be a black problem. So this is where we are in this country,” Gumbel said.

The data from 2018’s traffic stops is due to the attorney general’s office by March 1.

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2019/02/20/after-state-report-finds-racial-disparity-in-traffic-stops-advocates-and-lawmakers-call-for-change/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2019/02/21/after-state-report-finds-racial-disparity-in-traffic-stops-advocates-and-lawmakers-call-for-change/

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