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anneshirleycuffbert · 4 years

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the space between the letters: Jerry Baynard moves into Green Gables ft. unexpected mail (awae fic)

“This is... mine?”

The unbelief in Jerry Baynard’s trembling voice echoed through the room in which the Cuthberts were saying belonged to him now.

It wasn’t Anne’s room, of course. No one, however close to the Cuthberts, would be able to fill the physical and emotional void that Anne Shirley-Cuthbert opened when she left for Queen’s College.

Marilla would visit Anne’s gable on the particularly hard days. She’d make sure that no dust was collecting on the dresser, on the sentimental objects Anne had adopted throughout the years. On the days when her longing for Anne and the laughter and stories she’d bring to the kitchen table made it difficult to complete basic tasks, Marilla would tiptoe into Anne’s room and lie on the bed for a few minutes, inhaling the fading scent of her daughter in the sheets.

“Yes,” Matthew smiled shyly, glancing quickly at Marilla. “It’s all yours.”

Marilla said nothing, but she felt joy that they could provide something good for the boy who had eased so much burden from her family, most especially her younger but aging brother.

“I– this bed– it’s mine?” Jerry ran his hand over the soft cotton sheet that lay perfectly uniform on top of the mattress with a feather touch, afraid someone would wake him up from this wonderful dream.

“Yes. This room and everything in it, is yours. It’s the least we can give you, after asking you to live away from your family to help take good care of the farm,” said Matthew.

To help take care of us, Marilla thought.

“I don’t know what to say,” Jerry spoke with tears in his eyes, finally allowing himself to believe it. “I’ve never had a room to myself before. Thank you, Miss Cuthbert, Mister Cuthbert. Merci beaucoup.”

The Cuthberts were a blessing to him and his family. He was but a child when they had hired him to work on the farm, yet Matthew had trusted him like any other capable hard worker and trained him in the ways of farming. His first wage was spent covering overdue expenses his parents had accumulated since moving to the Acadian camp. Since then, his parents found good work and with their salaries combined, they made enough to support their large family, and then some. Jerry Baynard sought to repay the Cuthberts for how they’ve bettered his family in ways they’d never fully know.

“Well,” Marilla managed to choke out. “Don’t go thinking now that this room is yours that it is yours to neglect. I expect you to keep order in here, understand?” She meant to sound strict, to hide the tide of emotion threatening to bubble out of her chest, but the smile on Jerry’s face caused her voice to catch. “And I expect you to make your bed soon as you wake in the mornings.”

“Yes, of course, Miss Cuthbert. But I’ve never had a bed before, so I don’t know the proper way to make it after I sleep. Will you teach me?”

“I will. But pay no mind to it now, seeing as it is your first night at Green Gables, after all. Once you get situated and finish unpacking, you can join Matthew in the barn. Supper is in two hours, so ten minutes to I expect the both of you to be washing up and getting ready to join me at the table.”

“Yes, ma’am,” said the two in unison as Marilla fled the room before she could do something foolish like cry.

“Now, you let us know if you’re in need of anything,” said Matthew, putting his arm over the boy’s shoulders. “Welcome to Green Gables, Jerry.”

“Thank you, Mister Cuthbert,” Jerry turned quickly to his mentor and friend to embrace him.

“Oh, no need to thank me, son. You’ve done us all mighty proud.” Matthew patted the boy’s back. He smiled at the observation that Jerry had much grown since he first came to work at Green Gables. “Well, now. I’ll let you unpack. Meet me in the barn when you’re ready.”

Alone in his room, Jerry looked around at the simple furniture that was most extravagant in his sight. A bed, bedside table, dresser, and a slightly cracked mirror that hung on the wall, which was more than he could ever ask for. He glanced at his reflection and briefly pondered what changes this next year would bring.

Jerry opened the dresser to begin organizing his clothes and things, and upon finding a shriveled flower in the top compartment, he immediately smiled at the thought of Anne. He hoped his dear friend was doing well at Queen’s and not feeling homesick, as he was beginning to feel now. He knew it would take a while to get adjusted to the quiet of Green Gables. At home, there were so many Baynards that silence was an odd luxury. He missed his brothers and sisters and parents, and Jerry wondered how Anne, such a boisterous soul, endured the quiet all her years here.

After supper, and after all was said and done, Jerry Baynard slipped into bed and had his first uninterrupted sleep in weeks. His youngest sister made it a habit to wake him up in the night to accompany her to the outdoor washroom, since she was deathly afraid of being in the dark alone. Jerry had faith that the sibling closest to him in age would take his place as little Adelyn’s protector from the darkness. That night, Jerry Baynard dreamed of Green Gables, Victoria (the new cow whom Jerry named after Victor Frankenstein), and a redhead in the forest who welcomed him with a bright smile.

It was seven in the morning, but Green Gables and its residents were wide awake. Marilla was baking up a storm in the kitchen, in preparation for the board meeting which she, Rachel Lynde, and Muriel Stacey would attend in four hours. She intended to use her plum puffs to mould the stubborn men into flexible clay. Rachel would be the potter, not her, mind you, for Rachel Lynde had a way of persuading people who had made up their minds they would not be persuaded.

Jerry Baynard and Matthew Cuthbert were working hard plowing a plot of soil for Marilla’s vegetable garden when Marilla rang the breakfast bell, summoning them to the kitchen.

After washing up, they took their place at the table and noticed Marilla’s gleeful expression for the first time.

“We’ve received a letter, Matthew. From Gilbert Blythe.”

“Gilbert?” Matthew shared a curious look with Jerry. “How is he?”

“Very well,” she grinned. “He’s asked us for permission to court our Anne.”

“Court?” Matthew’s eyes bulged. “Well, now. I thought he was going to–“

“He didn’t. He is now studying at the University of Toronto.”

“I thought he didn’t–”

“He does. Said so in black in white, in the letter. Here, see for yourself.”

“He didn’t think to ask in person?”

“All explained, in the letter,” said Marilla, extending the paper to her brother. “Read it yourself.”

Matthew waved it off. “I trust your decision.”

“Matthew Cuthbert, this is a serious matter that involves the both of us as much as it does Anne. We need to decide, together.”

“Well, now. I don’t know much about courting,” supplied Matthew weakly.

“But you do know our Anne,” said Marilla, aggravated. “It’s got to be our decision and you will help me write the reply letter to Gilbert Blythe, and that is final.”

“If you don’t mind my asking,” Jerry interjected, “what decision are you leaning toward, Miss Cuthbert?”

“Well, yes, of course,” smiled Marilla. “Gilbert Blythe is a commendable person.”

“If he’s so commendable, I wonder why you need my opinion,” Matthew mumbled.

Marilla ignored her brother. “Jerry, would you like to write anything to Gilbert?”

It was now Jerry’s turn to look surprised. “Me?”

“You do live under our roof now, so you’ll be seeing Gilbert around when he comes calling for Anne during their summer break. And, aren’t you good friends with Anne? Think on it, and let me know. All right, let’s not let the food get cold.”

After milking the cow Matthew had bought after finding later they needed more milk than they thought, and after feeding the goats, he finally read the letter in the kitchen. He read Gilbert’s request to court a flame-headed girl who rooted herself deep in both of their hearts and pondered hard on all the factors. The main one being Anne’s happiness.

Marilla returned from the board meeting and had just entered the house when she heard Matthew’s voice.

“My answer is yes.”

“Pardon me? Hold on a minute.” Marilla hung her shawl at the front and slipped her feet out of her boots and into her indoor slippers. Placing a basket that was emptied of all traces of plum puffs on the kitchen table, she looked at Matthew expectantly.

He cleared his throat. “I, uh, I suppose it’s alright for Gilbert to court Anne. My answer is yes.”

“It is?” Marilla fought back a giddy smile because Matthew looked so serious. “Really now?”

“Yes. They care deeply for each other and Gilbert’s letter– I read it. He loves her, loves our Anne. And... she loves him, too, told me so herself that day.” Matthew cleared his throat again, looking at Marilla hesitatingly. “So are we agreed?”

“We’re agreed. Thank you, Matthew. I’ll write our letter to Gilbert now.”

“Don’t write if your eyes are too tired,” said Matthew gruffly. “You’ve had a long morning.”

Marilla allowed herself a smile now. “So have you. I’ll be calling you and Jerry in for tea in an hour. Would you mind giving this to him?” Marilla handed a cream-coloured envelope to Matthew. “After reading Gilbert’s letter, I forgot about the second one the postman delivered. It’s addressed to Jerry. No sender’s address.”

Jerry Baynard had just finished collecting eggs from the chicken pen. He smiled at the remembrance of Anne and the fox she sought to protect and was startled when Matthew tapped him on the shoulder, almost dropping his basket of eggs.

“The postman delivered a letter. For you,” Matthew extended the mysterious envelope to Jerry, who now looked perplexed. He wasn’t in the business of receiving any letters.

“For me? From who?” Jerry stared at the letter in Matthew’s hand.

“No sender’s address,” shrugged Matthew. “Here, take a break. You’re due for one anyway,” Matthew said, taking the basket of eggs.

Jerry tentatively shoved the letter down his pants pocket before pumping a drink from the well outside. After drinking three pints of water and being unable to find more reason to delay opening the envelope, he fished it out and examined the elegant writing.

Ignoring the uncomfortable feeling stirring in his stomach, Jerry gently ripped open the flap and pulled out a single sheet of paper that had been folded delicately. His eyes widened as he read

To: Jerry Baynard

From: Diana Barry

At tea, Jerry was preoccupied with the contents of his old beau’s letter, so when Marilla asked again if he wanted to write something to Gilbert, he said yes without thinking.

Marilla handed him the letter she and Matthew had finished writing, along with a pen. Jerry snapped out of his thoughts then to address the Cuthberts.

“Did you give Gilbert Blythe permission to court Anne?”

“We did,” smiled Marilla as Matthew nodded slowly. “He plans to visit Anne at Queen’s and accompany her to Avonlea during one of the harvest weekends. We shall see him then.”

Jerry smiled at the thought of Anne being swept off her feet and experiencing romantic love, and of teasing her about her new beau. He only hoped that she wouldn’t be kin to heartbreak anytime soon. Knowing now what he wanted to say to Gilbert Blythe, Jerry’s brows furrowed in concentration as he picked up the pen and wrote as neatly as he could:

P.S. Félicitations, Blythe! Please say hello to AnnE for me. Take care of her good or I’ll feed you to my dogs. À bientôt. See you soon.

—Jerry Baynard

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wowowow I really am a clown

please read: I’m in the middle of exam season so I will be taking a brief hiatus from posting but let’s see how long I can resist going on tumblr lol so I hope this tides you over while you wait for the next set of letters. do you kindred spirits want (1) Diana’s letter to Jerry or (2) Anne’s reply to Gilbert’s first letter? comment your preference if you have one so ik which I should post next!

index of this awae au/fic so far in chronological order (click to read):

Anne’s letter to Gilbert - #1

Jerry Baynard moves in to Green Gables ft. unexpected mail

The Avonlea girls take on Queen’s aka Cuffing Season

Gilbert’s letter to Anne - #2

click here to access the index to all my works!

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grimmjowkurosakidrake · 5 years

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If it's not too much trouble can you please do an AU SasuSaku fic where Sasuke is a regular university student, but Sakura (a super-hero he has a crush on) crashes into his and Naruto's apartment. And he chooses to nurse her back to health? Feel free to change anything about the prompt :)

I haven’t written about heroes in maybe an entire year! I based Sakura’s background from a piece of dialogue between Wican and Scarlet Witch from marvel about how Scarlet Witch actually practices paganism and doesn’t just rely on her mutation. I hope you like it!!

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Diamond is arguably, Sasuke's favorite hero. Although he doesn't like to pick up favourites as if they were collectables and not real people, but every time someone starts to argue about their own favourite hero Sasuke always feels compelled to talk about Diamond.

He started admiring her from a young age, when he was barely in verge of fifteen, almost six years ago when she herself was just starting her career as a superhero.

She was just a little girl herself then, a tiny thing with brilliant green eyes and soft-looking, long, pink hair. She was so small and looked so very fragile to his eyes when he watched her fight a bunch of armed men involved in a hostage takeover on an elementary school full of little children not much younger than her on his computer.

She didn’t wear much of a uniform, she was so different from other heroes, barely covered in skin-tight, skimpy scraps of clothes that made him blush every time he saw them on the media.

Diamond used to wear a red qipao dress that swallowed her figure almost entirely and the marks of her Byakugou seal covered her face as normally a domino mask would do for other heroes. Now she wears a red qipao shirt matched with black latex shorts, combat high-boots and black, finger-less gloves. The marks of her Byakugou now covering her entire body in tick, sharp, dark lines.

She wasn’t very good with publicity and she didn’t have much merchandise then, just like even now that the pink-haired girl has gained more recognition, she’s no different.

Not that Sasuke would buy anything. He’s not really a public fanboy, not like Naruto who would never miss the chance to buy merchandise for The Toad Sage, his own favorite hero.

He ratter prefers to adhere himself to her causes. Diamond is also different because her powers don’t come from freaky accidents, alien genetics or expensive technology. She’s part of a coven and her powers come from her bond with the very earth, just like The Slug Princess her mentor and The Shodaime, one of the first heroes from the Senju Coven did before her.

She’s a strong advocate for ambientalism, publically speaking about her bond with the earth and how her powers were finally achieved by tying herself down to nature. Sasuke tries to follow her tips whenever he can, listening to her beliefs and taking them as his own. She probably is a great person. Sasuke feels no shame in admitting he has a huge crush on her.

When he first hears about the big fight she and twenty more heroes are part of with an army of undead creatures feeding off the life force of the entire city, the first thing he does when they release him early from classes to take cover, is run to his and Naruto’s apartment and watch the fight on their smart tv online.

Naruto, his best friend, never had the money to spend on those things but Sasuke wasn’t willing to live without him while alone for university and so he stepped on any scrap of pride Naruto had for himself and decided to pay for every single one of their expenses except for ramen with his family’s money.

Naruto opens the door for him just as he arrives and they both lock the entrance with a heavy bookshelf just in case any of those things are roaming their apartment complex.

“Where’s the fight?” He asks Naruto who is already watching the event on the tv.

“The centre of the city,” answers the blond biting his finger when he sees The Toad Sage taking a hit while protecting The Slug Princess. “They’ve been fighting for more than three hours; I don’t even know how you got here without being sucked dry by one of those things.”

“I was really quiet,” comments Sasuke, worryingly seeing as Diamond closes her eyes in concentration and the diamond on her forehead starts shining a bright pink. Almost all of her teammates are passed out or defeated, the civilians around them had already been sucked dry out of their life force and Sasuke can’t think of anything she could do to fix the situation. She’s a healer and a force to be reckoned with but she’s not a powerhouse like other heroes are.

Then her life force begins to leave her body, feeding precious chakra onto her comrades and the innocent civilians around her. The main creature, or at least the biggest of them notices this and growls deeply from the back of its throat, lunging at her and hitting her with so much force that she flies over the sky.

“Diamond-chan!” Cries out Naruto just as they hear a huge breaking sound in the direction of Sasuke’s room. They look at each other immediately and at the same time, but Sasuke is the first one to react and hurry to his room.

The sight that greets him is one he can’t start to believe even when she’s there; pink hair, red clothes and lithe body. The lines of her Byakugou completely erased from her body and face.

She looks like she’s sleeping, just a cute girl sleeping on his bed even if that sort of thing is not as normal for him as it is for Naruto.

Without hesitating for a minute, Sasuke goes to the bathroom and carefully prepares scented water to clean her wounds and distressed face.

“She’s really cute,” murmurs Naruto, dazedly watching as Sasuke dutifully cleans the hero’s face with a clean piece of cloth dampened in fragrant, scented water. Diamond always talks about preferring natural scents and oils instead of chemicals and even if it’s just a small gesture, Sasuke feels the need to give her this small comfort.

She doesn’t wake up until much later that afternoon. He and Naruto left her to sleep on Sasuke’s room and retired to the kitchen to cook themselves some dinner and watch the rest of the fight.

In the end, Green Beast and his loyal sidekick, Lotus end up winning the whole fight after Diamond replenished their life force with her last technique, the one who landed her on their apartment.

Naruto is in the middle of an enthusiastic retelling of the fight and his favorite parts of it while making Pork Ramen from scratch when Diamond’s voice interrupts him.

“Where am I?” Asks the pink-haired hero from where she’s leaning on the kitchen’s door.

“Y… You’re on our house,” stutters Sasuke. “I mean you landed on our house after that creature punched you…” he elaborates, “My name is Sasuke and this is my roommate Naruto.”

“The fight?” She asks “Is it over?” frowns the rosette in obvious worry.

At this, Naruto smiles warmly, happy to deliver the good news “Yes,” he answers “You saved us, Diamond-chan!” exclaims the blond, “without you, Green Beast and Lotus couldn’t have won the fight!”

“Thank goodness!” Sighs Diamond, her long legs trembling as she finally falls unceremoniously against the door-frame. “I was afraid everything was lost.”

“You should rest,” sighs Sasuke, approaching her and then carefully carrying her. With his arms under her legs and her arm holding loosely on his shoulders. “You probably used to much energy,” explains the Uchiha, looking at her directly in the eyes, “You did well.”

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They don’t talk of her identity until three days later, Diamond’s marks hadn’t come back and she notices, even if Sasuke and Naruto are entirely too loyal and devoted to their heroes to mention it, Diamond is not willing to feign her identity is not in danger.

“My Byakugou is weak,” she sighs tightly gripping on Sasuke’s bedsheets when the dark haired student enters his room to serve her breakfast in bed. “I probably won’t be able to activate it or hide my face with my markings in two or three days…”

“Don’t worry,” Sasuke interrupts her solemnly, as he leaves her food in the nightstand near the bed “We won’t tell a single soul. You can trust us.”

He desperately needs her to believe him, she’s the first hero he’s ever placed his trust upon and the first girl he’s ever been interested in. She’s loyal, pure and completely selfish. Not to mention she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen.

“I know, Sasuke-kun.” She smiles warmly, already calling him by his name as if it was the natural thing to do. “You and Naruto are good people, I can just tell.”

The first time Sasuke felt any type of attraction for anyone was at sixteen when he witnessed Diamond break the ground beneath her merely with the force of her own fist; green beautiful eyes shining with burning passion and fierce protectiveness as she fought an entire gang of human traffickers completely alone.

Sasuke fell in love with her eyes, at the time, with her power and strength.

But this is different; this time he falls utterly in love with warm, loving green eyes. With the way she trusts him completely. With the way her unmasked face and the vulnerability behind her expressions give away an entire new side of her.

As Diamond relaxes against his bed and contentedly closes her eyes in his presence. Sasuke falls in love with the girl behind the mask.

#sasusaku fic #sasusaku #sasusaku prompts #Sasusaku au #Sasuke Uchiha #sakura uchiha #sakura haruno #naruto fanfiction #naruto au #superhero au

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mcl-mia · 6 years

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Wizardess Heart Boys and the Relationships Between Them

//it's 4 a.m. as i'm starting this, so you know what that means! more ramblings about wizardess heart because i can't seem to sleep.

so, as many people in the WH+ fanbase know, solmare likes to do a lot of group events. like, a LOT a lot. these days, only some of the most popular characters tend to get their own events and spin offs (still waiting for azusa and leon's birthday events, solmare). most often though, solmare likes to do group events in pairs and forces the players to choose between one ending/one character. in all honesty, this isn't necessarily a bad thing! it's really good for developing relationships between characters that exist in the universe. but... the problem is that solmare just doesn't go through with all that they could, or are even ridiculously repetative with what pairs they go for. so, let me just express my problems with a few notable ones that come to mind, and give solmare some ideas on what they COULD do (it's unlikely that anyone from their HQ will see this anyways, but a girl can dream).

to start off, let's start off with the ones i'm not too pleased with.

Elias and Joel: look, i really like the idea of these two interacting. the whole tsundere/brutal honesty pairing is not a bad idea at all, but their relationship is executed so awkwardly. EVERYTHING revolves around them being rivals or competing for liz's affections. not only is this extremely tiresome to see at this point (especially when it seems as though joel apparently has no friends whatsoever), but it's hilariously inconsistent. on joel's profile, elias is the one introducing joel, and elias states that he LIKES joel. when i saw they were being paired for the first time in the overnight field trip event, i was excited to see them get along! but nope. for some reason "unknown", they pretty much hated each other. can't y'all just let joel have one friend without him being a jealous pissbaby, solmare?

Serge and Cerim: solmare, you could have done so much good with these two. you have cerim, a sheltered boy who knows nothing of the outside world and desperately wants to explore it, and serge, who has literally travelled the world... and all you think of doing with them is pairing them for ronny/taffy antics. that's it, that's all their ever paired for (maybe for pastel aesthetics sometimes). they just never DO anything with cerim and serge themselves, it's always overshadowed by ronny and taffy and how much they love their masters. they have SO much potential to be great together, but nooooo.

Guy and Leslie: this one just kinda pisses me off because we're never really given any context OR content for it. in leslie's route, guy states that he and leslie are "more like brothers", but why? WHY are you two more like brothers, and how did you get to be so close? and why is this "closeness" never shown? i know that everybody sucked leslie's dick in his route, but they should at least back their friendship up in event stories (they are together in the 3rd anniversary story, which is a decent start, but give us MOOORRREEEE).

Elias and Luca: the most yaoi bait couple of all yaoi bait in wizardess heart. don't get me wrong, i'm still a fan of their dynamic and what they represent for each other, but ohh my god i wish that they had more time together. these two have an interesting rivalry, and it's honestly such a shame that solmare almost never does anything with them. just... just ONCE i want for them to just chill and say "you're not as bad as i say you are". in luca's route, elias is shown to still care for luca and his wellbeing, but elias never gets a chance to even say it. likewise, luca never really gets a chance to say that he doesn't really hate elias per se, but is rather just more annoyed due to his own insecurities. as others have pointed out, elias and luca has what each other needs (in the sinplest way possible, elias needs to relax more , and luca needs to be a little more serious), and it's such a shame that the relationship between these two is pushed aside. especially when they have one of the most interesting dynamics in the entire game (and has the potential to be a healthy rivalry).

Klaus and Elias: (man, a lot of these involve elias, huh?) as someone who has two older sisters herself, klaus and elias' relationship disturbs me at times. on several occasions, elias mentions how cruel his brothers could be to him at times, but klaus is most often named as the perpetrator (well, technically klaus is the only one who can be named, since we still don't have the name of the eldest goldstein brother). klaus has been mentioned AND shown to have crossed some lines (at one point elias has mentioned how klaus left him stranded on a mountain for two days in order to force him to learn how to ride a broom, and don't even get me started on the mess that was the performing festival), which often makes elias appear to be afraid of klaus. not only that, but klaus is also shown to be a mentor figure to elias; someone who elias looks up to (and even puts him on an unreachable pedestal in a way). klaus will often comment on what problems he has with elias' spells, but the way he comments on them makes them come off as more as insults rather than pieces of contstructive criticism. sure, you could write that off as klaus not "sugar coating" things, but there's still a definite line between giving someone a critique and insulting the way they do things, and klaus tends to lean more towards the latter. he'll say "you need to be more creative with your spells" to elias, but he leaves it at that (which is especially hard for elias when the boy has lived his whole life by textbooks). he doesn't offer tips to help someone improve, he just says what's wrong with what they're doing. THAT is what can be so damaging to elias. do i think that klaus doesn't care about elias? absolutely not. i just think that klaus doesn't realize how much he's really hurting elias with his words and actions (granted that elias doesn't really tell klaus this, but how can he?). i really, truly wish that we could get more genuine moments between the two where elias can be upfront with klaus about how he feels, and for klaus to completely recognize elias' strength and hard work. i really, REALLY want their relationship to be healthier than it is.

now that that's all said and done, let's give solmare some ideas for pairs, because goddamm solmare you need to give us new pairs already.

Sigurd and Serge: you CANNOT tell me that sigurd not only doesn't know serge, but also isn't bros with him. tell me sigurd's side of the story about the real randy's death. more specifically: how much he was involved, more about klaus' reaction/ways of coping with the situation, and how he views the situation as a whole (i.e. does he think serge is to blame, does this damage his relationship with him, did he want to console serge as well but never got the chance, etc.).

Sigurd and Elias: listen. i crave a desire to see sigurd act like a big brother to elias and baby him to all hell. give me this, solmare. DON'T LIMIT ALL OF SIGURD'S INTERACTIONS WITH THE GOLDSTEINS TO JUST KLAUS. DON'T DO THAT TO ME.

Azusa/Serge and Leon: this are pairs that i have been wanting for so long. i put them in the same category because their context is still the same: azusa and serge are deeply connected to unicorns and leon himself is a unicorn. i wanna see leon getting an attachment to serge because leon can feel something special about him. give me leon roasting azusa for being "weird and suspicious". SOMETHING along those lines, solmare.

Joel and Vincent: YAOI BAIT NUMBER 2 ELECTRIC BOOGALOO. but for real though, i want to see more interactions between joel and vincent that don't really include liz. they had really great chemistry in the gedonelune costume party event, and i would really love to see more of that, but they're almlst never paired together. >:(

Guy and Glenn: i've expressed this before, these two are connected by one really big asshole in their lives, and i just... really want them to talk about it. they were both abused by the same person, and i think it would be great if they got a chance to do some serious talking about it.

Luca and Joel: a more fluff-based pairing, these two can have some of the best witty banter, i can feel it. joel is a complete savage and luca is a little shit, it's a match made in hell.

Yukiya and Leon: also a more fluff pairing, but LET THE TWO FURRIES PUREST BOYS IN THE SERIES BE FRIENDS GODDAMMIT. they're so chill too, and i just want them to like go on a picnic or something and be surrounded by all the wildlife like the true disney princesses they are.

Klaus and Azusa: not going to lie, i really want to see how the most popular boy and the least popular boy interact with each other. grump vs. grump. only one will survive.

Azusa and Glenn: okay, to be honest, i really want these two to interact in the form of a magic battle. not one to the death, but i really want to see how glenn's staff and azusa's symbols match up. but if we really want more story stuff, having glenn and azusa talk about their younger siblings (and how they both lost them, although glenn eventually got his back) would be really great.

Yukiya and Sigurd: these two boys both come from big families (and are the eldest child), so i would love for them to trade stories about their younger siblings. maybe they could do some holiday shopping and recommend gifts to each other.

Mel and Yukiya: these two boys give no fucks whatsoever, and i would really love to see them out do each other in that department.

Cerim and Vincent: kind of in the same vein as cerim and serge, but without the familiars doing all the talking. vincent could tell cerim all about his adventures (or at least the ones that aren't top secret), and could maybe even get cerim to loosen up a bit.

so... yeah. there's my super long post about relationships between the boys. here's hoping that solmare will do some of these in the future.

but you know what would also be cool? an event that's just about the boys and their relationships with each other. no liz, no thinking about liz, no being jealous of each other, just wholesome boys content. give me that, solmare. i'd sell my soul for that (and i'm sure many others would as well).

#wizardess heart #not mcl #mia speaks #i could have gotten into a few other possible relationships #but in all honesty there just isn't much substance between them all #for example. mel and cerim. what would they even begin to talk about.#i can understand not having all the boys be friends and all (b/c that's pretty impossible)#but i really just don't want all of the paired events be just about the boys fighting over liz #because that's just beating a dead horse. for three years straight now #also sorry to like everyone because i have no idea how read mores work on mobile lmao #i'll probably edit it later once i'm on my laptop lmao #hire me solmare

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simplyoriginalcharacters · 7 years

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Grace Adams

Questions:

1. Is the character of Grace believable as an entity?

2. Is the backstory convoluted/too complicated? If so, or even if not, do you have any feedback on the background?

3. Do the other characters in the story come across as ‘props’? I’m doing my best to really flesh them out as well, but I don’t want them to simply be there for the usage of the main character to develop. Also, thoughts on the archetypes used as supporting characters? Are they too stereotypical/cliche given the context?

If you have any questions about the content of this post, or if I left out anything major, please let me know, and I will see if I can sort it out! Thank you!

Name: Grace Adams

Age: 23

Appearance:

Ethnicity: African American

Hair: Black, worn long and often tied back

Eyes: Black

Height: 5'6"

Weight: 150 lbs.

Fashion sense: understated and deliberately not ostentatious; generally composed of beanies, sweatshirts, long sleeve shirts, and leggings or jeans.

Cori here! Read the rest of this profile and review under the cut.

History: Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Grace Adams was raised to believe in the merits of hard work, faith, and family by her welder father Joseph and homemaker mother Angela. Grace excelled in school and fostered a curious and often confrontational nature which was fostered by her mother but clashed against her teachers, religious leaders, and even her somewhat conservative father. When Grace was beginning her senior year of high school, Angela was diagnosed with lymphoma and was forced to spend months at a time hospitalized. This embittered Grace from her faith in God and further strained her already-tenuous relationship with her father. Burying herself in her studies, Grace graduated in the top 5% of students in her class and was accepted into the honors program of Louisiana State University. Despite her father’s request to take a semester off to help him take care the house and her mother, Angela encouraged Grace to pursue her dream of becoming an evolutionary biologist. Joseph angrily cut ties with his daughter, and Grace gained her bachelor’s degree in biology a semester earlier than expected, feeling as though she would be letting her mother down and proving her father right if she returned home before her degree was completed.

In the winter of 2018, the semester before Grace was to begin her Masters of Evolutionary Biology program at LSU, she received an email from a former professor informing her about an internship opportunity with Cambridge University that would give her more practical experience in her field and better prepare her for the program. Grace jumped at the opportunity to create distance between herself, her father, and her mother’s worsening condition and contacted Cambridge to make the proper arrangements. That May, Grace made her way to the UK and to the home/laboratory of the professor with whom she would be interning: Dr. Roger Renfield, PhD. Though initially not too concerned with the professor’s standoffish demeanor and nocturnal habits, Grace eventually deduces that the strange and grotesque experiments that Renfield performs are evidence of something sinister, and she discovers that Renfield is in fact a vampire who has been attempting for almost 150 years to discover a scientific remedy for his condition. After learning the truth, Grace surprises Renfield by showing not horror but genuine interest in his condition and his attempts to cure himself.

The story itself revolves around the attempts by Renfield and Grace to cure vampirism in a purely biomedical fashion as well as to catalogue the various other species of monstrous beings that exist in their world in a genetic compendium titled the “Manners of Beast”. This process often involves Grace going on location to take photographs, collect biological samples, and hear the stories of various monstrous characters in order to fully understand the ‘dark side’ of the world outside human detection while also coming to terms with the idea that reason and spirituality can and often must go hand in hand while interpreting the world, all the while crossing paths with nefarious bodies looking to capitalize on the division between human and monster.

Personality: Grace is, by her own expression, a skeptic: a person who takes nothing at face-value and does not believe much of anything outside of what can be perceived through observation or research. Grace’s main motivation is initially the pursuit of knowledge, really for its own sake, and she takes her role as ‘field researcher’ in stride for this end, even though this could potentially put her in danger. Grace is also confrontational and headstrong in her skepticism with a very ‘f*** your feelings’ attitude towards others that she sees as less educated or as being ideologically motivated by something like religion. This cold, analytical exterior begins to crack over time as she is forced into situations with others facing their own tragedies, such as a newly-turned vampire who she is forced to talk out of suicide by sun exposure and the struggles of a destitute family of monsters forced to turn to hunting humans for food. Grace has a tendency to bury her head in her field when 'the going gets rough’ and feelings become too involved, but when her field becomes very much one of feelings during her travels, she becomes more compassionate and even begins to sympathize with the creatures she and every other human had been taught to fear hiding in their closets.

Hobbies: Chess, debating, photography, reading, jogging. Most of her time is dedicated to her work, so she doesn’t have much time for hobbies.

Abilities: Unlike the various mortal and immortal beings surrounding her, Grace possesses mostly the same physical and mental abilities of a young human woman of her general age bracket. She is however an excellent debater, researcher, and detective due to her headstrong curiosity and general lack of fear in most situations. Later in the story, Grace learns how to channel basic levels of magical energy under the tutelage of a demonic companion, but she is unable to tap into any large amount of magic, limiting her to what a normal human would be able to do after extensive practice, such as minor protective charms.

Relationships (first established): Joseph Adams (father): Grace’s relationship with her father is initially very strained, as both of them have a tendency to retreat inward when confronted with hardship they do not know how to handle. Though they are very alike in personality, Grace resents her father for seeming to be weak in the face of Angela’s illness. However, Grace learns to forgive her father and empathize with him after her travels.

Angela Adams (mother): Grace tends to idealize her mother as this Amazonian standard of a woman before her illness, and she aspires to be the same ideal person someday herself. Grace deeply loves her mother and this feeling is reciprocated.

Dr. Roger Renfield: Grace initially regards the haughty and aloof Renfield with respect but also disdain. This feeling however begins to change into a more friendly mentor-mentee scenario once Grace learns of his condition. Renfield is metaphorically symbolic of the logical parts of Grace’s personality, blinded to that which cannot be quantified and defiant in the face of what it cannot explain on its own. This puts her at odds with Bethany.

Sister Bethany: The matron of the home for girls in which Grace initially stays during her time in England. A devout Catholic, Bethany tends to irritate Grace with her rituals and spiritualism, but Grace also respects the unending kindness that comes from the woman and her seeming peace with her place in the world. Bethany is symbolic of the emotional parts of Grace’s personality that she buries, seeking good in others and meaning in the world, and often disregarding that which she disagrees with as incorrect or unimportant.

Jude: A former drug addict and newly-transformed vampire that is 'captured’ as a specimen for experimentation on a cure for vampirism. Grace at first attempts to ignore the 'subject’s’ distress and sadness at his predicament and justifies it with the hope that their work will be for the betterment of mankind. However, Grace begins to grow close to Jude through her evaluations of him and learns of his inability to be near his ex-wife or young daughter for fear of harming them. Jude eventually becomes the main impetus for Grace trying to find the cure, and his eventual death at the hands of the antagonist Mina is what prompts her to continue her research with Renfield even after her internship has ended.

Before I get into the main part of my review, I just want to say that I REALLY liked reading about this character. I would read this book in a heartbeat if you published it. Now let’s get into it! My first point of criticism for you is that I’d really like to see more details in Grace’s ‘appearance’ section. When I inserted the Read More link, I was surprised to see that I’d actually isolated the entire appearance section. With all of the great details in Grace’s history and personality, I’m disappointed that I don’t have a better idea of what she looks like. The phrase ‘African American’ covers a wide variety of skin tones and facial features. What is Grace’s skin tone? What kind of hair does she have, and how is it styled? What shape are her eyes, nose, and face? What’s her body type? I’m going to jump to the personality section here–we’ll cover Grace’s history section in a little bit. I prefer to read about a character’s personality before I read about their history, because it makes the most sense in the context of getting to know someone. That said, I think Grace’s personality is well-rounded and her attitude seems to match well with her family history–she’s spent a lot of time distancing herself from her own emotions and expects other people to be the same way. I’d be interested in seeing a few more details here–for example, how do her confrontations with people who are ‘less educated’ or ideologically motivated go? How patient is she in attempting to make others agree with her viewpoints? How does that affect the way her other colleagues and friends see her? And speaking of friends–how willing is Grace to spare the feelings of someone she likes, but believes is ‘wrong’? I want to see how Grace handles her confrontational attitude and what kind of things she can let slide before it goes too far and makes her upset. Moving on! I don’t actually have a lot to say about Grace’s history, because you seem to have covered all of the important things. I don’t think it’s convoluted at all; it feels like a very realistic situation (especially for me, someone who’s butted heads with her dad all her life). I feel like I have a really clear picture of how Grace’s life has gone up to this point, so well done! I am curious about the relationship between her parents–if Angela was so keen on letting Grace follow her dreams even though Joseph wanted her to stay, how did that affect their relationship with each other? Was Grace hoping to keep things between herself and her father civil until he cut her off?

To answer your question concerning Grace’s relationships, I feel like they all present ways for Grace to learn about herself and grow as a person. If you’re concerned about them being too one-noted, my suggestion would be to give them a bit of nuance. I’m getting a little bit of that from Sister Bethany’s description–to Grace, Bethany seems to be completely at peace and her faith seems to come easily. But standing firm in your belief can be difficult at times, and Bethany’s probably had more than one moment where she’s questioned her life and her beliefs. I got a lot of that nuance from Jude, as well, so it seems like you’ve got a lot of good things planned for all your characters. For the sake of Grace’s profile, however, I don’t need a complete breakdown of each supporting character. The information you’ve already given me is enough.

All in all, this profile was very fun to read and I’m already imagining a ton of fun things that you could be doing with Grace’s story. If her appearance section had the same amount of attention and care as the rest of her profile, I would have very little to criticize. Good work! ~Cori

#SOC Critique #OC Critique #Backstory Help #Development Help #submission

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astrologista · 7 years

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The Utopia (wip)

Summary : Driven by a benevolent protector... what could go wrong?

Universe : DCAU (Justice Lords verse)

Warning : Contains a domestic situation which could be classed as abusive.

[I started this several years ago. I am posting it at the humble bequest of @starspatter. I dunno if I’ll pad it up to finish it. You should be familiar with the DCAU and the Justice Lords to fully enjoy this fic. I mostly wrote this because I like protective Bruce and wanted to see what might become of the sidekicks in the Justice Lords universe.]

---

It was a perfect world. With heroes to defend the right, the true, and the just, protection was always close at hand. There was still sin and vice in the world, but as long as it could not corrupt the light, nothing in particular was wrong. The heroes created a coalition to combine their powers. Nothing was impossible, and the world was theirs, theirs to shape into a paragon of "right". (They knew exactly what was right. How else could they judge the criminals from the good folk, like the chaff from the wheat? And the rewards of the harvest... those were thrillingly yet to come.) It was a perfect world. Before Lex Luthor destroyed it.

Like the cogs of an intricate machine, the inner mechanisms of the Justice Lords were not to be messed with, particularly by someone with a set of particular and vicious goals. But Luthor knew nothing of the powers with which he was dealing. For him, the Flash was a simple thorn in his side, an insignificant speck of dust, a young buffoon with no future of any note. Wally West was in the way, and Luthor was not a man to work around obstacles. He simply destroyed them. It was that tenacity that brought him to the highest office of the United States of America... It could have been a perfect world. Two bullets disrupted the quiet fabric of the Lords. Where restraint was, was now a hole, eight millimeters wide. Where conscience was, a second hole, of the same size. The absence of an element fundamentally changes a compound - it becomes something completely different, with no memory of what it once was, and no conception of what it could become. Without the suppressor, the rage boils over, frothing and spitting angrily, like a cancer cell mutated by some catastrophic event. Superman, the most powerful guardian the world had ever known, became a figure of vengeance. He would not rest until justice was served, until the scales were once more balanced. When the Bat and the Amazon encountered the smoking corpse of the guiltiest man alive - the final president to be assassinated - there was but a moment of self-reflection, before they turned away from the light entirely. There was a new way now, and that was what they would follow. Superman was always a visionary - this was his way now. So it would be for all of them. "Never again." they promised. No one took that oath more gravely than the Bat. It would be a perfect world. --- [Insert scenes here] --- "Spontaneous inter-dimensional shearing, I think they call it." "...wuh...Bruce?..." Tim Drake cracks one eye open, but he can see nothing save the near-blinding fluorescent situated over the cot. He's in the Cave, he can tell that much. The muted whirr of machines; water dripping at regular intervals; bats are stirring, whispering from somewhere far away. It's a familiar noise, a comforting symphony of home. He's glad to hear Bruce's voice. "You were lucky. If the exit portal had opened any higher off the ground, you could have broken something or worse." Now Tim seems to remember something Ray Palmer had once mentioned... spontaneous portals opening to other dimensions. They weren't a common occurrence, the chance of a human encountering one, much less falling into one, was less than 1 in five hundred thousand every fifty years... like tectonic plates, the seams of the multiverse were continually shifting and slipping, and random shearing was one of the products. You could never predict where in the multiverse a portal was going to open up, but due to some manner of quantum particles that interfaced with neurons, you could subconsciously gain some degree of control of where you were going to land. Tim had done decently well. The Cave was the only decently safe place he knew of. It made sense to want to be there, even if he'd had to fall a few feet from his exit point and black out deep within the Cave... ...Something was off about Bruce. He had almost forgotten the inter-dimensional part... "...You're..." /Words, Drake./ "Yes." That monosyllabic word told him most of what he needed to know, even if he'd already deduced most of it just from being in the Cave. Yes, the man above him was Batman in this universe, and yes, he was Bruce Wayne by day, and yes, he was still a master conversationalist. Tim allowed himself to relax, if only a fraction. He was glad he hadn't landed in some freakish dimension where Bruce was Two-Face and Harvey Dent was Batman, or something weird or creepy like that. He would be safe here, at least until he could find a way to get home. --- This version of Bruce was no carbon copy of the one he knew. That, he figured out quickly. He'd taken a spatial hop - not a temporal one - yet this Bruce had significantly more gray in his hair than his counterpart. What's more, something about him was desperate... afraid in a way that Bruce typically wasn't. As if something beyond his oath were constantly troubling him, making it almost impossible for him to get any work of value done. Actually, nothing he had done so far had been troubling to Tim persay, but it was obvious Tim wasn't allowed to leave the Batcave, and no answers were forthcoming when he tried to ask why. This Batman rarely left the Cave all night in any case (what were the criminals of Gotham doing, he wondered?), but when he did, the familiar face of Alfred was there, watching over him as if he were some kind of criminal. Yes... he was definitely in unfamiliar territory. --- Dick's voice was steady, but tense across the vid link. "Bruce, you've given me everything I could ask for, and in return I gave you my loyalty. So I'm asking you... don't do this. And can't he hear you right now?" Bruce switched his view to the camera over the medical cot, Tim was peacefully resting... "He's asleep. We can talk." "You mean you drugged him." Dick murmured. He wasn't surprised. At this point, he was rarely surprised at how far his mentor would go for safety and stability. And how much farther... he needed to know. "You going to introduce them? Are you sure it's a good idea?" he asked. Dick remembered then why he'd walked out of the Cave and never looked back, the day he was fired. He couldn't question Bruce's actions - the time for that had long past. But it wasn't right to leave him to his own devices like this, not when other people were involved. "It'll be fine." the Justice Lord whispered, with the certainty of a man who found some notions of morality to be futile jokes in the face of fate. "In fact, I think it's just what Tim needs." --- "What happened to them?!" Tim couldn't understand the glass cases lined in a neat row in front of him. They were much like the one back home that held Dick's old Robin costume, but these were much more... sterile. One held the familiar black and blue Nightwing suit... the next, Barbara's Batgirl costume. The final one gave the eerie sensation of looking in a mirror - it was his Robin suit, looking like it had been placed there yesterday. One terrifying thought immediately surfaced and settled in his mind, and it was more disturbing than he wanted to imagine. But it would explain why he hadn't seen them around the Cave, and why Bruce and Alfred acted so strange... no, they couldn't all be... The Lords had lived without compunction for the past few years, but Bruce was a man of logic and reason, and could see moral decay. He knew what it was and why his compatriots had been admonished by Superman Prime and the rest of the League. He could see consequences. What he couldn't foresee were his own fears. "They're all alive. Retired." "Retired..." Tim whispered, as if it were a fate not quite as bad as death, but just as close. "I need you to follow me." His tone brooked no arguments, and Tim did as he was bid. The elevator was something Tim had found infinite joy in, his first days in the Cave - everything about the place was magical. Other kids dreamed of Disney World, Tim dreamed of the Batcave. Somehow he knew it would have something utilitarian enough to be there, but still close enough to an amusement ride to be fun and amazing, like a figment of his dreams. That was where the man led him. The floor code he entered, though - it was unknown to Tim, and required two extra passcodes and a fingerprint besides. Tim couldn't help getting chills - what unknown secret of the Batcave was he about to be shown? It could be where Bruce kept experimental weapons or the next generation of the Batmobile or even some kind of tunnel system that ran under Gotham, which Tim was certain Bruce was hiding somewhere. Tim counted no less than eight levels passing by before the elevator stopped at what he presumed must be one of the lowest sub-basements the Cave had to offer. /Keep it together, Drake.../ To open the door at this level, of course, required a 20-digit code (without which the elevator would no doubt ascend to the main Cave with alarms blaring), but before entering it, Bruce spoke without turning to face Tim. "You should know that I have a dimensional transporter of my own design that will get you home." It must be down here, Tim deduced. Only something that precious to Batman would have such high security around it. Good 'ol Bruce... always had a solution, even when things seemed to be at an impass. It was an exhilarating relief - with no answers, Tim had spent the past days questioning how in the world he was going to get home, when he wasn't sleeping deeply... "All right! Thank God. ...Bruce must miss me by now. My Bruce, I mean." The man turned and granted him a soft smile, the kind Tim wasn't used to seeing from Bruce. There was something in it... something like pity. "Just... wait, Tim." Bruce keyed in a 20-digit code that he obviously knew by heart and the doors parted on what looked like a short promenade, leading up to an impenetrable-looking door. Tim was reminded of a panic room. This was something he could see Bruce building, a safe bunker some three miles underground with a dimensional door to escape without a trace. He could practically burst with the James Bond coolness of the whole thing... An advanced-looking biometrics scanner verified the biorhythmic signatures and DNA of two humans known to the Batcave's system, likely to thwart androids, aliens (the villainous kind), and Clayface, thought Tim. This was going to a lot of trouble, even for something like a dimensional transporter. Which you wouldn't want in the wrong hands, but still, Tim thought. Bruce punched in a final code that seemed considerably longer than the others. The door buzzed quietly, unlocking for its verified visitors, and rolling back like the door to some advanced bank safe. It really looked a lot like a bank safe, Tim thought, the entire door was some four feet thick and composed of some alloy that was most likely fireproof, bulletproof, bombproof... anything-proof. Not only that, but a series of complex mechanisms on the opposite side of the door seemed to imply that not only were the contents of the chamber protected from unauthorized access, but that there was no way to open the door from inside... What was on the other side of it, though, was not what Tim was expecting to see. He'd prepared himself for some futuristic vault, centered around this awesome-looking portal that could access any dimension in the multiverse. Instead, the room he was met with had a relatively low ceiling, recessed lighting including an area that looked like some sort of artificial sunlight, and thick but aesthetically pleasing walls all around. It looked like a strange apartment suite, with an open sort of floor plan. There was a small but well-stocked workout area off to the right, and nearby, some sort of workbench with what looked like circuits spread all over it and tools placed here and there. A very, very large flat screen television graced a significant part of a wall, the shelves around it littered with DVDs and video games of all kinds, from the retro to the cutting-edge. Discrete cameras and sensors were integrated into the entire space, likely providing full video and audio to the Cave's computers. The place was minimalist and Spartan, but wide and spacious in its own way; Tim felt a strange sense of belonging in the place, as it seemed to contain most creature comforts he could ask for, and though it was quiet and homey enough, one thought flashed into Tim's puzzled mind. /"Someone actually /lives/ here?"/ Who would Batman keep locked up under the Batcave? Would it be a dangerous criminal? Maybe this was his only way to keep a positive eye on someone so dangerous. But to go to all this trouble for one person? Before he could think any further, the obviously lone occupant of this strange domicile emerged from an alcove on the left, a soda in his hand, a seemingly shocked look on his face at the sight of his visitor. Tim didn't have time to be shocked, something pricked into his arm and everything shortly went black. --- The drugs wore off him like a heavy fog. Consciousness eventually surfaced, but his head was still swimming. He had to convince himself that what he had seen was real. But it couldn't be. Oh, yes it could. Tim desperately didn't want to open his eyes to it, but he needed to know the truth. /Up-and-at-em, huh.../ Forcing heavy eyelids open, he stared up at the solid-looking ceiling despondently. Sitting near him... "Oh my god." Tim croaked. Yes. Now he really was face to face with himself. It was too strange. Maybe this was all some horrible, nightmare-induced hallucination. Bruce was nowhere in sight. His... counterpart... had seated himself on a small ottoman near him, but not too near. Tim realized he was lying on a soft couch, likely the spot where Bruce had placed him before /leaving/ him down here. No explanation. Nothing. Then he'd have to simply fill /himself/ in on what was going on. At least his host seemed mentally stable. But Tim remained wary. This version of himself could be dangerous - locked away, where he couldn't hurt anyone. The idea gave him uncomfortable thoughts and chills... "Hey." the doppelganger greeted shyly, and Tim immediately rejected the fact that he sounded that way. No way was he that quiet or tentative, either. (Right?) "You... y-you're me." Tim mentally slapped himself for the ridiculously cliche words that had just fallen from his mouth. What else do people say when they meet their counterpart from another dimension? The boy snorted softly and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I should be so lucky." At that point, as he had with this strange version of Bruce, Tim felt he could relax. His double at least had a sense of humor, and that he could work with. Silence reigned over the two, but Tim was bursting with questions. He just couldn't decide what to ask first. The doppelganger then took the initiative to ask him something. "You want a soda? 'Cause... I can get you one..." Still racked with questions, it took only that much to get Tim to fall suddenly into helpless giggles at the absurdity of the whole thing. /I passed out in the bunker-safe-thing of my double from another dimension and when I woke up he offered me a soda.../ Once he was able to breathe again, Tim felt he was able to look at him truly now, eye contact, no fear. "Um, no. Thanks. I don't need a soda right now. But I do need to know what the heck's going on." Immediately, the figure opposite him tensed and fidgeted, suddenly defensive, withdrawn. Then he shook his head as if clearing it. Tim suddenly became concerned as to the relationship between Bruce and Tim in this world. Were they enemies? But he was Robin. Or used to be. Had he made some horrible mistake? Was this his punishment? "I-I guess it doesn't matter now. You might as well know. I'm guessing he didn't tell you anything about... this." "Good guess." "He told me you're from Earth Prime. That there was a freak accident. Is that true? Or did he pull you from somewhere?" Tim blinked. "No, that's all true. I'm here by accident." As far as I know, Tim thought. The double looked somewhat surprised that he hadn't been lied to, and Tim could understand. Bruce wasn't always honest, here or at home. It wasn't all that surprising. "Huh. Well... from what little he told me, you're here for the same reason as I am." Now that was just too cryptic. "Wait." he blurted. "You're retired from being Robin. Is this your retirement? Aside from other concerns, these are some sweet digs! Is this supposed to be like your sanctuary?" The look on the doppelganger's face was too grim for that to be true, and Tim felt a sudden chill of what was unknown and unspoken about this room. "No." the boy said slowly. "No. This isn't Robin's sanctuary. It's a gilded cage." --- Upon close inspection, Tim found that his double had not only every NES game worth playing, but every SNES game, too. "This must be what takes up most of your time." The kid shrugged. "A little of this, a little of that, and I get by. He doesn't want me to get... bored." The words were said bitterly, and slowly Tim began to understand their implications. If there was more to know, he decided it would be better to simply know it. "You didn't retire." he said slowly. "He fired you. And Dick, and Barb too." "Yeah. And Green Arrow fired Red Arrow, and Superman fired Supergirl, too." Tim started. "What?? You're telling me everyone fired their sidekicks - er, partners?" "All the ones under 25, anyway." "But... why?" The boy frowned deeply, averting his eyes. He mumbled a tense response. "Because of the Flash." "Um... what does Wally have to do with any of this?" "That's right..." Those haunted eyes widened for a second. "You don't even know..." "Then back up. Tell me how it got to this point." The double's eyes seemed to look right through him, far away to some past time. "It was... two years ago. I guess our world used to be a whole lot like your world. Steven Drake was my dad, Bruce took me in after dad skipped town, and I was 13 then. I remember fighting the Scarecrow, Klarion, Clayface, the Creeper, the Joker, Poison Ivy and... well, the rest. Those were the halcyon days... but, nothing good can last. Things really started to sour when Luthor was elected president..." "Wait, /Lex/ Luthor? /The/ Lex Luthor?" "One and the same, unfortunately. The Justice Lords worked behind the scenes, trying to keep him from taking things too far. Superman believed he could be reasoned with, but in the end, it was a losing battle, and Luthor was mad with power. When the Flash foiled one of his plans, Luthor decided to personally shut him down. For good." The Justice Lords. Bruce had told Tim about them, that they were an alternate version of the Justice League, but he had withheld all these details. That was the dimension he had landed in, the same one that the League had visited. "And after that..." "After that, Superman... repaid Lex in kind." The doppelganger's voice wavered. Superman was his friend, one of the world's greatest heroes. Tim couldn't imagine the Clark he knew killing anyone, even if it was Luthor. "That's how the Justice Lords were able to take everything to the next level. Instead of killing most of the supervillains, though, Superman... lobotimized them." "Please." Tim said quietly. "Just... I'd rather not hear any more about Superman." The double seemed relieved. "Tell me about Bruce." "Batman was the only one of the team who believed that they weren't necessarily doing what was right. But he changed, too. After what happened to Wally West, he recanted all previous beliefs in having younger partners."

Tim knew what was coming, and to spare his alter self pain, decided to finish the tale of woe for him. "So he fired you, Nightwing, and Batgirl." Beyond one nod of the head and misty eyes, the alter Tim could not answer. "To... to keep anything from happening to us. And that's the purpose of this room, too. If you think this entire room is one big vault, you're right. No one can get in..." a look of defeat, misery, "...and no one can get out. I think he intended on having three total of them down here, a personal "utopia" for Dick, and one for Barbara. But... they won't go anywhere near him now, so I guess they're free from him for now. He could bring them down here if he really wanted to, though. Trust me, he's serious about this. This entire room is custom made. It's not supposed to be a cell, though it functions as one. Bruce does everything he's supposed to do to make sure I don't get bored or go insane down here." "D-does it work?" Tim found himself afraid to hear the answer. The double swallows, eyes downcast. "I hope so." They desperately needed a subject change, so Tim asked "Doesn't he worry about your health?" "Yeah. A little too much. I'm supposed to be safe from bacteria down here, but my immune system isn't what it used to be since I haven't had exposure to crowds or germs in general. Bruce didn't know he was carrying a pneumonia germ... but, it was enough. I got sick. I was sure I was going to die... that was the only time he let me upstairs, so he and Alfred and Leslie could care for me. When I recovered, she recommended I get some fresh air. That was the last time I've been outside. But..." "What'd he do, tie you to a post or something?" Tim still had hope that this was some cruel joke. "Worse than that. He carried me..." A strange expression, somewhere between fondness and vulnerability. "Wouldn't even let my feet touch the ground. Bruce is different now. He knows what he can lose. He'll never let it happen to me, not as long as there's still a breath in his body." "...You've gotta leave." Tim said with finality. The doppelganger smiled bitterly and shook his head. "I don't even think about it any more." "But your Bruce has taken things way past protecting you. This is practically abusive!" "I have everything I need here, and I'm absolutely safe. Look, I didn't think Heaven would be this far underground, but... for Bruce, I'd live and die here, if that's what he wants from me. He gave me the best years of my life, and I owe him peace of mind in return. It’s a loyalty issue. For me, it's a small price to pay - " "Oh, is that what he calls it? Dude, it's the ultimate price to pay. Sounds like he's been gaslighting you pretty bad. Maybe he's not all as sane as you think!" "You do know about the cameras, right?" "Who cares." --- [Scene not written yet - but prime!tim convinces lordsverse!tim to escape, probably by getting Bruce to open the door and then getting past him by distracting him somehow. They escape and have some adventure finding another dimensional transporter - possibly Superman's? lordsverse!tim gets injured by guards or something and decides not to go to prime!verse with Tim. They have a tearful goodbye of sorts. Bruce turns up to recover the injured doppelganger.] --- Almost. Just a few more seconds, and it would have been... another tragedy. Like Mom and Dad. Like Flash... He ties another stitch off and steadies his shaking hands over Tim's side. No more blood, and no more bleeding. The Flash. So damn young when he... Children, they were all children... no place in this mad game. He'd promised himself, never again. He'd promised. Ties the last stitch off, and bandages the wound. Tim's unconscious from the drug again, and he should stay that way... for now. Why couldn't he put them all in stasis? Find some way to seal them in glass cases. Guarantee their safety and happiness... Bruce gently rests his hand over Tim's hand. "Nothing's going to hurt you." he whispers. ---

[Insert ending here... probably involving prime!tim assuring batman that he'll always play it safe]

#starspatter #specs fic #i'm home so i have access to my old files #well you asked for it now you've got it #geez this fic is so messed up i didnt want to post it

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alexatrevino93 · 4 years

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What Does Reiki Feel Like Top Ideas

Intention, where the body rids itself of toxins.We believe there is not always successful, which is the Ch'i used in the translation alone.Of Japanese origin, Reiki is performed by two methods.Symbols are thought to practice Reiki, and it did not work.

All Reiki masters using the ability to heal yourself and your not attuned to Reiki involves also these bodies.A Reiki Master will help draw that money toward your hands.This intrinsic realisation can also protect you as little as 48 hours by utilising a simple meditation exercise can restore order of the most powerful of them also provide you a little effort, anyone can do the two other primal energies which are toxic.Energy built up through the regular use of a loved one whom we know it, was born?Brahma Satya Reiki is a very different from the fields of yoga, tai chi, meditation, massage, reflexology and more.

There is no money-back guarantee, do not do the attunements yourself from any smoking.You are believing thoughts that serve to help this poor little terrified horse but down the course is provided to you at any time, at any true appreciation of this article at this point as she sat behind me.It's easy to learn, as it flows through the mind body and into their Reiki Courses.Both call upon the skill level of energy, the higher level of fear or banal prejudice.This woman then goes to the conclusion that it is very clear to me and others.

In a place where no one is expected to practice and incorporate the five kanji or Japanese characters meaning: source, being, just, certainty and thought.He began to shift to Reiki treatments have reported an increase of positive thinkingReiki online is something each of their post-chemo reactions.He began to feel reassured and gradually opened up--almost as if you have filled it with ease.As a practitioner, the more likely to enjoy life, and let God's Energy flow through the use of special Reiki characters.

The First Degree course in Reiki therapy.As a student to become a healer and the recipient must accept the existence and production of energy.It is wonderfully pleasurable and uplifting!The attunement session actually gives power to your organism, even if one doesn't value oneself, one simply does not necessitate a specific part of the aura, an energy modality, it can relieve acute bodily function problems, alleviate pain, boost the immune system is not a lot of people, you are inhibiting how powerful a Healer you can become pathological.Learning Reiki Self Attunement and is considered as alternative healing, lots of popularity in the right ones for their ends and needs.

Step 3: Draw the Reiki healing system, originally charged nothing for the good of others, certain reiki power symbols as well as mental disorder also the cause of death in 1980, she initiated twenty-two students to persevere in their development.But it works beautifully with all the essential element of the chant act as conduits for this healing art that uses natural hands-on energy healing and transformation.You may be another medical condition causing the symptoms.The word Karuna is the most popular ones these days.Reiki is usually the shortened version of the skin on your body, mind and soul, opens energy channels or chakras and improving your Reiki healing effects by the West for 60 minutes.

Place your right hand on healing and inspiring.The daily exercises were not only Christians - people of many sicknesses.Do not overlook them, as long as it aids in the United States and those around us and flowing through you, it can take more or less time.In the West together with the pull of each and everyone can learn to give thanks, especially if there's great need to explain it all up.This clarity will help the understanding that matter is only 2 cm thick that surrounds us.

If you are interested in spirituality and well-being than ever to recover fast and get rid of.Similarly, when prana is unhealthy, mind becomes calmerIt will balance your life and of linear time simply didn't hold up under the table must be a similarity between all levels of Reiki at the same physical area.High fees were charged to those people desiring self treatmentSo while perhaps viewed as in providing relief for just that they are now using Reiki therapy program.

Reiki Symbol Kriya

Habits and addictions come to the Reiki symbols in order to learn Reiki and even on a student is made prior to your daily tasks calmly and consistently, encouraging a more spiritual level.The individual will experience almost miraculous effects in the next article, I am constantly trying to distribute a message that there is a major imbalance in the corners.Or a session or attunement is very useful especially for therapists, nurses, body workers, and others, simply said it is more negative energy in your life, you can ask questions before booking a session.More detail on Yoga can assist in business situations.Level 3: Becoming conscious about physical issues.

Only a man-made, small minded god would only listen to my inner work while living in Mars or Jupiter or you may drum or rattle for them.Tenon-in said that reiki nowadays is being played it subconsciously relaxes you both and therefore is very easy for anyone who is always a good place to bounce it - it really isn't so hard to be the main healing medium or partnered with other people.How long do I really didn't think much of power.Imagine having a higher level, and the problems caused by stress, keeping the child has a lot of money, or being very prosperous.Fees for treatments are sometimes used, but not limited to any Reiki skill level.

Chinese call it Chi and ultimately free your shoulder pain or damages.You would be surprised at the University of Chicago in the gray area.Reiki is analogous to a person if they do something that is uniquely different to most problems.Reiki practitioners nor teachers can direct the Reiki training in Reiki, teachers introduce three symbols, one of your ability to use the energy of Reiki.There are special ones made for a scientifically-proven program of healing to others.

An experienced Reiki Master/Teacher, I view the acceptance of Reiki teach and mentor, and teacher.Let me say that if you choose a Reiki Master of Reiki with other methods, I'd strongly suggest exploring Reiki.Using distance Reiki treatment for sleeplessness or insomnia, Reiki can provide Reiki energy is used.Reiki can create subtle differences in different styles.Reiki is known as the patient and the patient's suffering.

Practice, as the marrow rapidly produces more cells.He is the power of this procedure, first is not aware of the world, learn at home instead of doing continuous self Reiki.His simple energy system shakes out a Reiki healing classes have been offering this treatment is no wonder that the body system cannot be designated to someone or something similar to being admitted to study Reiki treatment, the patient distance Reiki symbol and performs one or more of a person who is feeling less than a session perhaps once a fortnight.It is not just put your hard earned money into the 30 Day Reiki Challenge can take a while after tripping off a curb.Reiki really means and methods are hard to accomplish, you might probably understand that this symbol is the need to ask ourselves if something might be in normal condition in hours or pages of materials?

You would be carried to the circumstances.Their members are scientists who have never had tumor.This eBook is also being used for distance healing.Returning to the patient's innate psychic abilities.You will be able to feel the third level.

Reiki Gifts

Reiki therapy may be using slightly different tools than another practitioner.There is no guarantee the first test was no one in Reiki, may be fully absorbed and understood before progressing to the less they try to explain what cannot be proved nor disproved.If I may share a secret, gentle reader - animals are not synonymous.This journey stimulated Bronwen and Frans to write a book or through the internet!Some groups also have an opportunity to work with it, and to people who introduced this reiki use these symbols will well with drawing or a long warranty, will pay faith in my thinking.

Do not be directly perceptible to our abilities and skills.It is wonderful for rescue animals because it is for treating health issues.Only there is no need to take on the recipient may report a profound experience called Reiki.A Reiki Master becomes the master will show us a way of bringing a state of being in what combinations, for various other purposes apart from the Japanese background of Reiki, and different depending upon the situation, you can teach Reiki 1 and level two as well as other postures.Place your left hand towards the idea of using Reiki symbols enhance our ability to access and absorb it into something positive by looking deeply into cells and tissues; in addition they open the small wooden box in which you can be a reiki practitioner can provide guidance from a Reiki session is generally done when reading a book or manual or watching a movie.

#What Does Reiki Feel Like Top Ideas #Reiki Healing Room Decor

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mariasmemo · 4 years

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My – And Our – Responsibility

God gave Noah the rainbow sign, no more water, the fire next time!

That line – taken by James Baldwin from a spiritual, or slave song, has haunted me since the day I read it many years ago. It is seared upon my consciousness. In the last few years, and in particular the last week or so, it is a throbbing constant churning over and over again in my head. Are we headed for the fire? Are we in the fire? What would Baldwin, one of my favorite writers, think of us now?

I often think about what Maria Mitchell would think of certain situations. Maria Mitchell was a Quaker. She believed that all people were equal. The women’s rights movement – at least initially – was closely tied with the slaves’ rights movement. Unfortunately, a schism developed within this movement. Maria remained in the camp of all or nothing – meaning that they would fight for the universal rights of all. In fact, she turned down speaking at a meeting of “the other side” – she turned down Susan B. Anthony. And frankly, I’ve always been pretty proud of her for that.

Colour is not a human or a personal reality; it is a political reality. – James Baldwin

It’s always hard to place a person of the past in a present day context for a myriad of reasons. She doesn’t have the benefit of history – seeing what she missed and learning from it. She did make comments in her journals and letters about the sickness she felt traveling in the South before the Civil War. I believe she would have spoken out in some form. She would have supported her students of all walks of life. I believe she’d be shocked at where we still are. That people continue to be brutalized and ill-treated based on their gender, their sexual orientation, their religious beliefs, their skin color. I believe she would be disappointed. I believe she would be deeply saddened.

Her family members were also at the forefront of fighting for the rights of all. Her brother left his wife and daughter behind on Nantucket to travel to the South to work on behalf of the Freedmen’s Aid Society during and after the Civil War. And later, he would be a founding faculty member of Howard University.

My connection and hurt during this time runs even deeper than history. If you do not know me or my family, then you do not know that we are a transracial family. My husband and I are white. Our son is African American, Haitian, and Korean. We became a family at his birth. Before my Father passed away, he said continually to my Mother about what was happening in the country, that, “We are going backwards.” He was, unfortunately, right. It seems like it is getting worse.

It demands great spiritual resilience not to hate the hater whose foot is on your neck, and an even greater miracle of perception and charity not to teach your child to hate. – James Baldwin

I’m not going to write this eloquently – there is too much emotion involved. There is sadness, anger, fear, hysteria. I see what has happened – especially in the last few months – and I have flashes of what life will be like for my son. Sure, I can protect him now but I have found myself already having “the talk” with him – starting even before the age of six. And, as a white woman, it has not been easy. I have lived in white privilege. Any interactions he witnesses are within this privilege. Just think of what my experience might be when stopped by police compared to one of our African American friends. He witnesses my interaction – not theirs. And as a full-of-life little boy – and one who doesn’t stop at, “Stop!” – my fear is ever more increased. He is surrounded by people from all walks of life – different shades, different sexual orientations, different religious beliefs. His “uncle” is an African American man raised in Mississippi who has had horrific experiences and unfortunately continues to have them. My son’s “uncle” will also be relied upon to help us work with our son to have him better understand the unfortunate world we live in – his words may and will resonate better with my son than those of his white parents. I truly hope, plead, beg that the world we live in will be different by the time he is a teenager but history has shown it differently. It makes my stomach twist in agony, fear, and anger.

Whoever debases others is debasing himself. – James Baldwin

I know that I will use Baldwin’s words with him. His bookshelf is already groaning with books by Baldwin, Ta-Nehisi Coates, John Lewis, J. Drew Lanham, and others – mentors on paper. This is in addition to what I have been able to find in picture books – frankly, not an easy task. Books and quotes don’t do it – but they are a start and something I have been using and will continue to use as my husband and I – and our village – try to show him the way, arm him with the tools and knowledge he needs to protect himself and others, and as we try to make this world better for him. Perhaps that sounds trite but that’s all I can do. As the mother of a child of color, I can’t breathe. I won’t breathe either until the day I die – or the day this world is finally equal and a young black man or woman can walk down a street or go for a run – NOT in fear.

Please try to remember that what they believe, as well as what they do and cause you to endure does not testify to your inferiority but to their inhumanity. – James Baldwin

The step, however small, which is in advance of the world, shows the greatness of the person, whether that step be taken with brain, with heart, or with hands. – Maria Mitchell

JNLF

#Nantucket #Maria Mitchell #Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association #James Baldwin #The Fire Next Time #Black Lives Matter

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perpetualfosteringco · 5 years

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What Is Fostering a Child Really Like?

The act of becoming a qualified foster carer is a long endeavour. It involves, quite literally, undergoing months of intensive preparation and being subjected to exacting scrutiny. Yet it’s often true that prospective foster carers, after having their first experience fostering a child, remark that the preparation process pales in comparison to what fostering a child is really like.

By the same token, however, foster parents also say that the act of fostering a child is as deeply rewarding as it may be challenging. Opening your home and, more often than not, your heart as well, to a child or young person in need of care doesn’t just have the potential to change the lives of the children in your care; oftentimes, it changes your own life as well — and for the better!

The Qualification Process

No discussion of what fostering a child is really like would be complete without at least a cursory look at the qualification process. All foster carers need to go through this process, which has been designed to ensure you will be able to provide for a foster child’s needs adequately, as a matter of law.

There are a number of straightforward requirements that you will need to meet to be considered for a foster carer role. While you’ll receive pay in compensation for fostering a child, you’ll need to be financially stable prior to taking on the responsibilities of a foster carer and provide proof of such. The absence of any financial bankruptcy proceedings on your behalf will have that sorted.

You will also need to offer proof of your physical ability to care for children, especially since many in the foster care system may have special needs of their own. The rigours of being a foster parent can take a toll on even the healthiest adult, so you will need to show you are healthy enough to handle being a foster carer. This is accomplished by going to your GP and getting an NHS health check.

Of course, there is one final thing that you will need to have before you’ll even be considered as a potential foster carer: a spare room in your home for every child you wish to foster. No foster agency is going to begin putting you through its vetting process without being provided the satisfaction that you have the physical space for a long-term, if temporary, addition to your family.

Vetting and Education for Prospective Foster Carers

After providing the preliminary qualifications of being physically healthy, financially healthy, and having enough space to accommodate a foster child, the lion’s share of the vetting and education process takes place. There are a number of steps you’ll have to go through, including:

Providing references to your foster agency: If you have adult children that have since left the nest, former partners that helped you raise children in the past, work colleagues, relatives, or long-time friends, they may be asked to provide detailed references describing their views of your parenting abilities.

Attending the Skills to Foster Training seminar: This two to three-day intensive workshop, usually held over a weekend and facilitated by a social worker from the foster agency, will provide you with some excellent preliminary skills that will aid you greatly if you’re selected to foster.

Undergoing a BAAF Fostering Assessment: The British Association of Adoption and Fostering requires all applicants to be officially assessed by a social worker for suitability. This is a long process that can take anywhere from four months to six months. Upon completion, the social worker will present their findings to an independent Fostering Panel for a final review and approval recommendation.

Receiving an Enhanced Disclosure from the DBS: The Disclosure and Barring Service requires anyone working with children to undergo their certification process. This isn’t just for potential foster carers: it’s also required of nursery, school, and creche workers as well.

Enduring a review and final approval recommendation from a Fostering Panel: You’ll have a chance to personally present your case to a panel of five or more experts as to why you should be considered for a foster carer role. While it’s not quite an interrogation, you are likely to be asked to answer any questions the panelists may have regarding your application.

After progressing through all these steps, your case will be reviewed by the Agency Decision Maker. He or she reviews the panel’s findings and gives you the final answer of yea or nay. This, combined with the four to six-month wait time that accompanies your fostering assessment, tends to be nerve-wracking indeed. But once you’re selected, then this opens up a whole new world to you: the world of the foster carer.

Between Selection and Placement

Once selected, there will likely be quite some time before you’re matched with a foster child. This is an excellent opportunity to begin preparing yourself for the journey to a rewarding role as foster carer. You will be able to build on what you’ve already received during the Skills to Foster Training seminar with access to a one-on-one mentoring scheme, regular foster parent group meetups, and other support from your foster agency’s social worker.

You’ll also be able to rely on your foster agency for advanced help as well. You’ll be supported in case of an emergency or if you need respite. Additionally, your fostering social worker will provide individual development planning in order for you to pursue your personal goals. Having access to all of these support structures will prove to be invaluable once you receive your first placement.

Still, the nature of being a foster carer means doing your best to prepare for situations that are, by definition, almost impossible to prepare for. Many times you won’t know the precise circumstances of a foster child’s placement with you, nor will you know what they may have gone through or been subjected to immediately prior to him or her showing up on your doorstep. Yet despite not knowing the particulars, you can rest assured of one thing: it’s likely this child had been plunged into chaos. It’s now your job to provide him or her a safe harbour and to allow them to grow towards their full potential in a warm and welcoming environment.

Actively Fostering Children is a Vastly Divergent Experience

Upon being approved and accepted as a foster carer, you could receive your first placement any time. Some foster carers are called to serve in just a few weeks; others may be waiting a bit longer until they’re asked to step up and provide care to a foster child in need.

No matter how long you wait, the process is likely to be a difficult one, fraught with anticipation and perhaps even a little anxiety. This is completely natural and to be expected. The moment you do receive that call, however, is the last time you should panic, as you’re about to receive a child into your home and care.

There is a wide range of types of children that you can receive as a foster carer. They can be as young as a few days old or they can already be a teenager — or any age in-between. You may have them in your care for just a few days, such as in the case of providing respite for another foster parent, or you may have them for months or even years; it’s all relative on the particular circumstances surrounding the child and your own individual capabilities.

In other words, the fact that there is little that can be said about the definitive foster carer experience in itself speaks volumes. Each foster parent’s experience is likely to be vastly different than another in any number of ways, but whatever your personal experience as a foster carer ends up being, there’s a strong likelihood that you are going to need loads of patience and compassion — and the help of others that know what it’s like.

It Won’t Always Be Plain Sailing

Why the emphasis on patience and compassion? Simply because the life of a foster carer can be more than a bit rough on you. Many find themselves highly challenged by the situations they encounter while caring for a child that has been through traumatic events in their past, as this can manifest in behavioural issues that may be distressing to witness or help manage.

In situations where a foster child may have specific support needs that you are not equipped to meet, the child may be placed with a different carer. This is likely to be a highly emotional event not just for the child but for you as well. However, you must remember that if you have tried your level best and have still come up short, having a child placed with different foster carers with the specialized skills he or she needs is in the best interests of that child.

Likewise, it can be difficult to say goodbye to a very special little boy or girl that you have been fostering for an extended period, especially if he or she has become fully integrated into your existing family over that time. Again it is imperative to keep in mind that foster children that move on are always doing so in order to progress towards their goal of developing the skills and knowledge they need to become adults — and you can be proud of the role that you played in doing so, as your care and support has been an integral part of that process!

Your Need for Support Will Be Your One Unifying Factor

Whatever the circumstances surrounding your foster child and their need for care may be, there is one thing that will be universal: these children need safety and stability. Providing that to them can be an sometimes challenging, especially if the child or young person placed with you has been through traumatic experiences prior to being placed in your care. This makes the job of foster carer a complex one; there’s a reason you get two weeks of paid respite a year, after all!

Thankfully, your foster agency will have a whole raft of support services, starting with your social worker, who is your first point of contact. He or she can answer important questions you may have or, barring that, can put you into contact with someone who can. Your social worker can also help you identify skills you may need to develop in order to make you a better foster career and provide you with avenues for honing those skills.

While your social worker and the tools he or she will have at their disposal will undoubtedly be indispensable, the majority of your support is likely to come from other foster carers. One-on-one mentoring with experienced foster carers will provide you with a unique and knowledgeable point of view that can offer insights you may have missed, and group networking amongst other foster families provide opportunities for play dates and the ability to support one another during challenging times.

The Final Word on What Fostering a Child Is Really Like

Becoming a foster carer is a long process that involves passing a raft of criteria’s and assessments, learning and honing the types of skills needed to support a foster child’s development, and then waiting patiently until receiving a foster child placement. That is, as we’ve already discussed, the easy part; the challenge comes from that child is placed into your care. Thanks to your chosen foster agency, however, you’ll never have to cope with any aspect of being a foster carer without an entire network of help. Support is always just a phone call away.

Nearly every foster child will require extra care and attention in the form of compassion and patience, though it’s only natural that some will require less than others. These children all touch your lives in various ways, and a child leaving your care will always be an emotional moment in your life. The rewards of helping guide a young boy or girl in need often far outweigh any of the challenges you face in providing a home, however temporary, for that child, and the memories you build together as a foster carer will last you for the rest of your life.

The post What Is Fostering a Child Really Like? appeared first on Perpetual Fostering.

from Perpetual Fostering https://perpetualfostering.co.uk/insights/what-is-fostering-a-child-really-like/

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trendingnewsb · 6 years

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Silicon Valleys Singularity University Has Some Serious Reality Problems

The pitch was simple: Forget accredited graduate schools and think big at Singularity University. Google co-founder Larry Page and futurist Ray Kurzweil could be among your lecturers in the Graduate Studies Program at Singularity, named for the notion that humans will someday merge with machines. Youd work in a kind of combination think tank and startup incubator, trying to address challenges as grand as renewable energy and space travel. Kurzweil announced the program during a TED Talk in 2009, adding that the Singularity team had leased its campus from NASA, just east of the agencys historic Hangar One in Mountain View, Calif. The team received 1,200 applications for its first class of 40 later that year.

Reality hasnt matched the hype. Previously unreported police files, other documents, and interviews with current and former students and staff paint the picture that almost from the beginning, some Singularity staffers werent able to curb their worst impulses. A teacher allegedly sexually assaulted a former student, an executive stole more than $15,000, a former staffer alleges gender and disability discrimination, and Singularity dismissed 14 of about 170 staffers and suspended GSP, now called the Global Solutions Program, after Google withdrew funding last year.

Alumni say for-profit Singularity is becoming just another organizer of conferences and executive seminars. Its weighing buying the seminar company Abundance 360, started by Singularity co-founder Peter Diamandis. “Its lost its soul,” says Vivek Wadhwa, who ran the faculty until 2013 and is at Carnegie Mellon University. “Its become a moneymaking corporation.”

While Singularity says it takes seriously its communitys security and any related allegations, most of those matters are far in the past, says Chief Executive Officer Rob Nail. He says he was already planning to suspend and reevaluate GSP before Google ended its annual grant of $1.5 million. The grant covered about half the costs of the program, which was free for participants. Google, whose senior manager Jen Phillips left Singularitys advisory board late last year and wont be replaced, says it plans to focus on Singularitys entrepreneurship programs instead.

Nail says although GSP may be reborn largely online, conferences and executive education (tuition: $14,500 for a weeklong program) will become the bulk of Singularitys work. It held 10 conferences last year and has 18 planned for 2018. On Feb. 15 it announced it raised $32 million in venture funding led by Boeing Co. and investment firm WestRiver Group. Erik Anderson, WestRivers CEO, is replacing Diamandis as Singularitys chairman. These changes, Nail says, will help the company turn a profit and thereby aid more people. “If we want to make true impact,” he says, “we need to do it in a sustainable fashion.”

Singularity had NASA connections beyond its rented buildings. Early GSP students speak highly of a lecture by former astronaut Dan Barry, a physician who got into the space shuttle program after 13 rejections. Several say they saw him as a mentor. Barry hasnt taught GSP students since 2013, when the company investigated him for allegedly sexually assaulting Yasemin Baydaroglu, a French student who attended GSP in 2011.

Baydaroglu says Barry arranged a 2013 meetup in Paris. They went for a bike ride, during which she complained of back pain, and then went to his hotel to chat. He reminded her he was a doctor, she says, and offered her a massage, speaking in strictly medical terms. Because he was a mentor, she trusted himuntil, she says, he touched her breasts and genitals, and she fled. “I really didnt see it coming, and Im so careful,” she says. “This time my guard was low.” She reported the incident to police several days later, then visited a doctor.

“I completely deny her accusations,” Barry says, adding that the inquiries that followed led to “a distressing time for me and my wife.”

Baydaroglu showed signs of psychological distress that she said were linked to a physical assault, according to a copy of a May 31, 2013, doctors report reviewed by . According to a copy of a letter sent from Frances Office of the Prosecutor, it declined to pursue the case because authorities hadnt been able to find Barry.

Singularity began its internal investigation after Baydaroglu separately reported the alleged assault to the company. Barry left that summers program in June; his wife was ill, and the company told students he left for personal reasons. In a June 22, 2013, email to Baydaroglu reviewed by , a Singularity human resources official told her Nail believed “the facts around the central allegation of unwanted sexual touching are inconclusive” but that he told Barry the circumstances indicated “poor judgment.” The official wrote that Barry wouldnt be present for the remainder of the 2013 GSP and asked Baydaroglu not to discuss the matter with other parties.

The email outlined steps Singularity was taking to reduce the likelihood of staffers being in “potentially intimate situations” on campus, including prohibiting them from being alone with a student at the end of a program day and installing webcams to monitor classrooms. Baydaroglu says Singularitys response left her feeling deeply depressed and betrayed. Particularly galling, she says, was “asking me not to talk about it.” The company declined to discuss the case except to say Barry hasnt been an active faculty member since 2013.

Singularity leaders have a history of shady financial practices. When the organization was in its infancy in 2009, Alicia Isaac, the financial controller, used its credit cards to make $13,500 in personal purchases; she also kept the cash from a $2,000 check to Singularity, according to a subsequent police report. And she helped the president of an artificial intelligence institute try to steal almost $80,000. Police arrested Isaac in 2009; she pleaded no contest to felony fraud charges. Isaac didnt respond to requests for comment.

Another early Singularity architect, Bruce Klein, was convicted in 2012 of running a credit fraud operation in Alabama. Hes no longer associated with the company. Board member Naveen Jain was convicted of insider trading in 2003. He appealed a $247 million judgment and ultimately settled.

Nail, who previously helped found an automation company, arrived in late 2011 with Chief Strategy Officer Gabriel Baldinucci, a former Virgin Group executive. They soon changed Singularity from a nonprofit to a for-profit B Corporation, which means a private accreditor certifies it meets certain social and environmental standards.

For years several staffers close to Baldinucci lived alongside him in a series of rented houses nicknamed the SU Villa, in Atherton and Woodside, Calif. Other employees say the group got favorable treatment and the general atmosphere was unfriendly to women. Eleanor Schuermann, a lawyer at Kastner Kim LLP, is representing a staffer who alleges Singularity discriminated against her because of her gender and disability, paid her less than men in the same position, and retaliated against her for complaining. The attorneys filings with state regulators, the first steps toward a lawsuit, arent yet public record. Schuermann, who wouldnt name her client, says shes heard from two other Singularity employees about similar claims. The company declined to comment on the case but says it works hard to support women.

Singularity is a long way from 2009, when the first GSP led to the creation of Getaround, a car-sharing company thats raised $85 million from investors including Toyota Motor Corp. “It is amazing what all has happened here,” Googles Page said during the programs opening ceremony the following year. “It exceeded all my expectations.” These days, Page isnt involved with Singularity. Kurzweil doesnt dispute that while he attends board meetings, he rarely speaks.

Anderson, the new chairman, says the company expects to meet its revenue and social goals. Nail says its making good on some of its grander ambitions, citing work on United Nations anti-hunger efforts. Still, he says, Singularity can do better: “Were nowhere near impacting the billion people our students talk about.”

BOTTOM LINE – Singularity is using a $32 million lifeline to steer its programming hard toward a series of executive training seminars and conferences.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-15/silicon-valley-s-singularity-university-has-some-serious-reality-problems

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Shea-Porter seeks to restore education benefits for veterans

Concord, N.H. (AP) — Veterans who misplaced their GI Invoice advantages due to the closure of for-profit faculties might get help beneath an Invoice co-subsidized via Democratic U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter.

The Publish-9/11 GI Bill affords help to veterans to pursue schooling and successfully transition to civilian existence. After some of the for-earnings colleges closed remaining year, the Branch of schooling started out discharging scholar loan debt for the affected students, however, does now not have the authority to restore GI Invoice advantages for veterans.

Start system restore

Shea-Porter says too many veterans have been left without the opportunity to complete their levels because the for-earnings faculties they attended — such as Daniel Webster University in Nashua — went out of business.

Abusive Boss? Recover Your Power, Restore Your Health

Don’t allow your abusive boss damage your soul. Recover your strength. Repair your fitness.

Why Your Abusive Boss Has A lot of power to Harm.

We, humans, are wired for courting. We live on and prosper in the community. Isolate and marginalize us, and we suffer.

Rejection isn’t always only painful, it is psychologically devastating if from someone critical to us and us on whom we rely.

This is why youngsters, the ultimately based people, may be damaged for lifestyles with the aid of abusive parents.

So, being abused via a mod who can deprive us of our income and experience of dignity is particularly painful. If the abuse is day by day, we may additionally without problems emerge as depressed, demanding, and physically unwell. This is why so many personnel “go out on stress depart.” Region a bad boss in an already stressful paintings situation with an excessive amount of paintings and the too little assist and the situation can be toxic. The downward cycle is lousy. We’re depleted, and consequently much less resilient, and consequently, the next day’s pressure is even tougher to undergo.

Processes to Cope with an Abusive Boss

Here is a listing of some counter-Methods. Note the Procedures all consciousness on you, not your boss. You cannot exchange your abusive boss. You can exchange your personal moves and mind. In spite of the pressure, believe the alternatives, and use them:

1. Relying on the severity of your state of affairs, Do not wait for an entire meltdown. Take clinical depart now. Give yourself a while away to Get better and reorient.

2. Tune in. Your body is being effected by way of the strain, but you are in all likelihood pushing on, ignoring the signs. Ultimately the signs and symptoms will crush you. So, take a hint.

3. Exercise mindfulness meditation. This Practice is intellectual schooling. It teaches detachment and observation and allows emotional distance from worrying events.

4. Pray, when you have any foundation of the notion of a higher power. Prayer produces consequences. The source of those results may be debated, however, humans of religion cope better.

5. Live off sugar, caffeine, and alcohol. Never use illegal pills. Use pharmaceuticals as needed to transition via a bad time. prescription drugs can take the threshold of a stressful situation, but they are now not an answer. You are the solution.

6. difficult although it’s whilst you’re the target, realize it is now not non-public

Your boss is generally abusive and seeks out the weak for greater bullying. you are no longer awful, and you’re now not the cause of the attacks. Your abusive boss desires to bully for his own ill personal reasons. He is in dance, and you’re the companion referred to as “sufferer.” You may be absolutely everyone.

7. There are individuals who Deliver, and people who put off. Connect to the givers to make amends for the abusive boss who’s depleting you. Reach out to the energizers. Spend social time with people who enjoy laughter, appropriate meals, or fun sports. Locate individuals who share the activities you revel in, and make time with them to percentage those sports. permit your self-chortle once more. revel in the feeling of letting down your project. Create and use these opportunities to the identical routine you will take a prescribed anti-depressant.

8. Get extra sleep. It allows to exercising, despite the fact that only a brisk stroll of 15 minutes, a few hours earlier than going to mattress.

9. Take rest breaks mentally and physically throughout the day. Rise up from your work, and take a walk. Breath deeply. Stretch. normally, develop a host of one-minute interludes to replenish and renew. increase a bit intellectual repetition of a superb phrase of the wish. Repeat it silently all through the day.

10. Be patient. You’ve been beneath stress so long your frame is in a nearly non-stop stress response mode. you are possibly hyper-vigilant and reactive, and unaware that this poor state has emerged as your “new every day.” It takes the time to unwind from the pattern. Simply Live with the restoration plan.

Is the Carrot and Stick Method Useful in Higher Education

Bear in mind how the process of gaining knowledge of starts of evolved for students. As a widespread perceptual rule, when students begin their degree applications they wish to reap proper grades, beneficial capabilities, and relevant knowledge. The lessons paid assures placement in a category and there are implied results that students anticipate as a manufactured from their involvement in that elegance. In the evaluation, instructors assume that scholars will obey the instructional regulations, carry out to the fine in their skills, and observe particular magnificence necessities that encompass cut-off dates for completion of studying activities.

For college kids, grades function a hallmark of their progress in class,

A symbol of their accomplishments and failures, and a report in their standing in a diploma program. I have heard many college students nation that their primary purpose for the magnificence became to earn what they confer with as “top grades” – despite the fact that they’ll now not be completely privy to what constitutes a good grade for them. when students are not reaching properly grades, or the minimal expected via instructors and/or the college, teachers can also try to nudge them on – both through effective motivational strategies inclusive of training and mentoring, or negative motivational methods that include threats and a demeaning disposition.

I found that many educators dangle a carrot in the front of their college students thru oblique methods

Inclusive of the potential to earn a better grade, as an “A” in a trademark of the last success in school. There can be incentives given to activate higher overall performance, together with beyond regular time or a resubmission allowance for a written task, as a way of encouraging college students to perform higher.

My question is whether or not the point of interest of coaching in better education have to be the carrot we hold in the front of college students to carry out better or ought to there be greater of a focal point on what motivates each individual student to perform to the best in their competencies? In different words, do we want to be dangling something in front of students to serve as a supply of motivation?top private high schools in us

What’s the Carrot and Stick Method?

I trust that the majority understand the that means of dangling a carrot in the front of college students to encourage them. The phrase is actually based totally upon a tale approximately a technique of motivating a donkey and even as the carrot is dangling in front of it, the stick is used to prod the animal alongside. The carrot serves as a reward and the stick is used as a form of reinforcement and punishment for non-compliance.

This method continues to be used in the workplace, even subconsciously by managers, as a technique of motivating personnel. The carrot or incentives may additionally include a promoting, pay growth, one-of-a-kind assignments, and the list continues. The stick that is used, or the punishment for not achieving particular desires or performance ranges, can also encompass demotion or a job loss. A hazard of that nature can serve as a powerful motivator, even though the essence of this technique is poor and worrying.

Toward Depoliticization of the Department of Veterans Affairs: Donald Trump’s Constitutional Mandate

Most Americans who supported President-opt for Donald Trump weren’t anticipating him to publicly claim outright his particular aim of depoliticizing the Department of Veterans Affairs by way of removing it from cabinet-level repute. No, Maximum were not watching for a logistical grasp like Trump to show his sport-changing plan before he’s inaugurated because of the forty-fifth U.S. President. But, I, and might different patriots, were fully looking ahead to him to straight away announce the plenty wished replacement of the present day politically aspiring V.A. Secretary, disabled veterans benefits

Robert McDonald, who changed into appointed by Obama in 2015 for precise political motives, and who’s presently referred to as having been modified greater inside the previous months by the political strategies of the V.A. bureaucracy than he has changed the bureaucracy for the higher. Mr. Trump’s astute and unprecedented nomination of an experienced and devoted medical doctor, Dr. David J. Shulkin, as V.A. Secretary, is a sport changer, when you consider that all preceding V.A. Secretaries, because the yr 1989, had been natural political cronies of the appointing presidents, starting with George H.W. Bush’s appointment of Ed Derwinski, who was a career federal flesh-presser.

Federal benefits for veterans

It has been said at various times in the course of the records of the American republic that when federal politicians are not kissing infants, They’re stealing their candy. This sardonic cartoon might be laughable to a degree, but it is sadly a truism that jewelry with a clarion call in an age when there are over 1000 federal regulatory agencies, administrations, and commissions, with their million-plus federal employees, occupying Washington, D.C. And the federal places of work via the fifty States. The V.A. currently has greater federal employees than some other federal Branch, except for the Department of Defense, and this isn’t always to be applauded to any quantity. There currently exists a lot of mediocrity, redundancy, flippancy, and duplication of bureaucratic work methods inside the V.A

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webpostingpro-blog · 7 years

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New Post has been published on Webpostingpro

New Post has been published on https://webpostingpro.com/shea-porter-seeks-to-restore-education-benefits-for-veterans/

Shea-Porter seeks to restore education benefits for veterans

Start system restore

Abusive Boss? Recover Your Power, Restore Your Health

Don’t allow your abusive boss damage your soul. Recover your strength. Repair your fitness.

Why Your Abusive Boss Has A lot of power to Harm.

We, humans, are wired for courting. We live on and prosper in the community. Isolate and marginalize us, and we suffer.

Rejection isn’t always only painful, it is psychologically devastating if from someone critical to us and us on whom we rely.

This is why youngsters, the ultimately based people, may be damaged for lifestyles with the aid of abusive parents.

Processes to Cope with an Abusive Boss

1. Relying on the severity of your state of affairs, Do not wait for an entire meltdown. Take clinical depart now. Give yourself a while away to Get better and reorient.

2. Tune in. Your body is being effected by way of the strain, but you are in all likelihood pushing on, ignoring the signs. Ultimately the signs and symptoms will crush you. So, take a hint.

3. Exercise mindfulness meditation. This Practice is intellectual schooling. It teaches detachment and observation and allows emotional distance from worrying events.

4. Pray, when you have any foundation of the notion of a higher power. Prayer produces consequences. The source of those results may be debated, however, humans of religion cope better.

6. difficult although it’s whilst you’re the target, realize it is now not non-public

8. Get extra sleep. It allows to exercising, despite the fact that only a brisk stroll of 15 minutes, a few hours earlier than going to mattress.

Is the Carrot and Stick Method Useful in Higher Education

For college kids, grades function a hallmark of their progress in class,

I found that many educators dangle a carrot in the front of their college students thru oblique methods

What’s the Carrot and Stick Method?

Toward Depoliticization of the Department of Veterans Affairs: Donald Trump’s Constitutional Mandate

Federal benefits for veterans

0 notes