#that is my 1 and only nugget of wisdom i want to pass down to those younger than me

[inahallucination]

if ur not smart enough to cheat in a way that doesn’t get u immediately caught u shouldnt be cheating

(like academically btw)

#that is my 1 and only nugget of wisdom i want to pass down to those younger than me

[tbctbloggers]

ICT Thoughts

The latest session we’ve had for ICT was a super interesting one. Not just in the sense I actually paid attention but also in that almost everything we covered seemed so familiar to me. 

The concepts that we looked at were things I’d never actually heard of before, But when their details were explained I was shocked to discover these were essentially paraphrased versions of principles I’d learned in high school and during my gap year as methods for success.

The 5 Principles of Effectual Logic especially caught my attention. Through my time playing video games at a professional level I quickly learned the “Lemonade” principle as being active, vigilant and adaptable were the key improvements I needed to make to reach the top level.

I’m essentially just gonna write a huge catch-up on some points in my life that are pretty heavily linked with the principles of effectual logic just to nail these points in my head. If anyone reads this monster I hope you get something out of it.

In my last couple years of high school I went through the IB DP, which is one of the toughest school systems in the world. They just throw too much at you for a person who is highly unorganized like me to deal with. As a result I inevitably got overwhelmed and started to sink into a pretty heavy depression. While that sucked and I didn’t get much done I wasn’t just sliding right down the spiral of depression going nowhere. While feeling like crap all the time I was thinking of methods to not feel overwhelmed and push myself to start getting things done. Eventually after a couple months of being an unproductive sap something clicked and I’d essentially taken on the “Pilot in the Plane” principle of focusing on what’s under my control and taking actions based on that. As a result I not only clawed my way out of my depression I also went on to pass the IB with a result higher than the predictions made the year prior during my slump. 

During the essentially forced gap year between my graduation in May and joining this course a couple months ago I figured I’d spend most of my time learning methods and approaches to success as an adult. I figured that while high school got me a few good skills that I’ll be able to take advantage of (like writing this stuff) I still had a huge amount I’d yet to learn that would be vital for my growth and success as an adult. I began by branching off things I’ve already enjoyed such as Psychology and video games. Though as useful as many of the things I’d learned from these areas have been I needed to go somewhere completely unexplored to learn some new lessons and just decided look at a comedy group I’d never really learned much about before.

I’m beating around the bush here but I purchased a subscription to the gumroad (essentially a patreon) of Sam Hyde. An American Comedian and co-founder of the comedy group Million Dollar Extreme. Sam’s a very controversial figure to say the least and I wouldn’t recommend finding out about him in any other way than his incredible anti-futurist mockery TEDx Talk where he managed to con his way into a legitimate TEDx Talk event and spouted complete nonsense and buzzwords for 19 minutes while holding in laughter. Sam Hyde and MDE went on to produce a TV show on Adult Swim which ran for 1 incredibly successful season before being “cancelled” over stupid political allegations.

During this time and for a very long while after Sam was producing videos in a series on his youtube channel called “HydeWars” where he told stories and shared lessons he’d learned over the years that he thought were worth hearing. I subscribed to the gumroad after seeing edited clips from these episodes on youtube where the gumroad boasted having unedited full hour long videos of the “wisdom” he was sharing. 

During my MIQ here in NZ I went through all of the hydewars episodes and essentially studied them to pick out the nuggets of info that I could apply to myself and my approach to things. One of the most important messages that he gave was EXACTLY the Crazy-Quit Principle of effectual logic. Find and connect with people who you KNOW can be trusted, work hard and feel nice to be around.

I’ve been putting that principle to work quite a bit so far making a very clear partnership with Jordan. He’s someone who’s very clearly flawed, but makes up for it by being hard working, reliable and fun to be around. Another lesson I learned from Sam’s videos is that if you find someone who fills a gap that you suck at and work with them, you should fill a gap that they refuse to. I’ve been doing that by focusing on the communication side of things with Jordan, along with figuring out logistics, playing the devils advocate and more general management work where necessary. So far it’s been working out pretty well and I hope that as we develop further the balance of work begins to even out more as my value in the group defines itself a little clearer than it is now. 

The main problem I see I’ve been running into is that while I’m very good at using the tools I’m familiar with I tend to disregard them if I’m told to set a goal of work that needs to be done. When I’m given a problem and some tools I become extremely crafty and resourceful, but when I’m given a problem AND told to come up with a solution I disregard the “Bird in Hand” principle and start going for pure abductive thinking which results in poorly executed creative work. 

One positive side of this is that Jordan from my observation adopts the “Bird in Hand” principle and Max my other Studio group member is very concerned with the “Affordable Loss” principle, so with our powers combined we do a pretty damn good job at solving problems and working creatively. Although we’re still bound to crumble to pieces during our work we’re very adept at putting things back together, and not necessarily the way they were before, but instead a way that works better for what we want to do.

I apologize Ricardo for not including any questions, but I’m still pretty happy with how this turned out. Also if dates save on posts just ignore this one, just a bit of the old late night jolt of inspiration.

#ctec502 #ctec501

[lambs-rest]

1 from those dialogue prompts, if you’re still taking those prompts?

So I was a complete dingus and didn't realise this was another ask, I just though the inbox was being funny, because kept reading the number 1 as 7! So, something quick for this one! Thanks for the prompt ❤️

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

1. “Stop screaming! It’s just a cat!”

"Your definition of a cat is VERY different to mine!"

"How rude!"

"Oh, come on Emm, Cait Sith's just a wee bit stretched."

"A wee bit!? Granye, that's a talking stuffed toy!"

She crossed her arms and tutted at the youngest Fortemps. "Ye said ye wanted to make an impression on Miss Laniatte, aye? What better way than to make an effort to understand the problems 'round her post? The Redbills can help ye with 'at!"

Emmanellain wilted at the reminder, as if the chainmail he wore suddenly weighed ten times as much. Perhaps...it wasn't worth it, he thought, daring to cast a sidelong glance back down at the tall, thin and very upright cat-like creature. Why were it's eyes so big and...bug-like?

Cait Sith looked up at Granye, distinctly displeased at being gawked at like some roadside attraction. She held our a hand in attempt to placate the familiar.

"Emm's just gettin' the hang o' stretchin' his wings. Give him a chance."

The familiar crossed his tiny, thin arms. "A chance is all he shall get with me. I've no time for the close-minded."

"He's being generous, you know. If the Captain were here right now, he'd toss you off the deck for treating a member of the crew like that." Utata said bluntly, looking up at Emmanellain with a matter-of-fact nod.

Emmanellain gulped. "Forgive me, it is as Granye says. I'm only just starting to venture beyond Ishgard." He inhaled slowly, attempting to steady himself. "It will take me some time to become accustomed to a talking...cat, but I vow to do my best."

Cait Sith looked at Granye again. "Not very good with his words, is he?"

She shrugged. "Honoroit usually does the bulk o' the serious talkin'. Why didnae ye bring 'im with ye again?" She asked, turning her head to Emmanellain.

He sulked. "...I've been advised to stop relying upon his service so heavily."

Granye clapped his back with encouragement. "You'll find yer feet in no time, old laddie! Besides, yer a natural at makin' connections! Just dinnae go makin' moves on Stacia or the other lasses an' I'm sure ye'll get along spectacularly with Leo!"

Emmanellain gawped, cheeks reddening. "You know very well my heart is dedicated to only one fair rose!"

"Oh, o' course!" Granye reached out and ruffled his hair, earning a grimace from her adoptive brother.

He swatted her hand away. "It is only for Lady Laniatte's sake I wish to do this, you know!"

"Oh?"

Emmanellain patted down his hair as he spoke. "You might say the interest in aerial pursuits runs in the family. You remember how Haurchefant raised chocobos, yes? Well, he rather enjoyed flying them too. And Artoirel will never admit it, but I'm certain he wanted to become an airship pilot when he was small, before he understood that he would inherit the title of Count. He thinks none have seen his collection of miniatures, but he is quite mistaken!"

He looked up to the clouds that floated by them on the island. "...I think it runs in our blood. Maybe a memory remains there, of those ancient days when man and dragon once flew together..."

Emmanellain looked back at them, suddenly flustered by their intent stares. "N-Not that I have any intention of deserting Dragonhead to become a sky pirate, mind you! It's just... Well, it feels like rather untapped potential for an alliance, and I would rather foster such relations myself than pass the idea off to another."

His nerves grew under their silent gazes, until Granye reached over and pulled him into a one-armed hug, then bent her arm up to ruffle his hair again, bringing forth a dismayed groan. "I's nice to knew there's a nugget o' wisdom in there, Emm." She teased.

The sound of approaching engines drew Utata's attention from the affectionate display of sibling bullying, and toward the two manacutters that were pulling in to dock. "Captain's here! Shape up, noble! And loosen up while you're at it. You won't get anywhere by being a stiff with the Captain." She advised.

Granye waved at Leofard and Stacia as they climbed out of their vessels beckoning them over. "Just be yerself, Emm." She whispered, leaning toward him slightly. "I'll be right next to ye fer this."

Emmanellain looked up at her gratefully and took a deep breath before the Captain of the Redbills reached them.

One step at a time. One idea at a time.

#askmeme answered #Emmanellain Fortemps #Granye #you're a cool cat Cait Sith but you're also incredibly unsettling ❤️ #a lil bit of development for Emmanellain! #i can see him trying to create more information networks for ishgard #i dont remember the redbills personalities super clearly so... #but yeah! had a fun crack at this one! not a whole lot of cats in the game tbh #not counting Miqo'tes ofc

[p-artsypants]

Longest Night (33)- Waking

A lot of people commented about how horrifying it would be to wake up in the middle of surgery. Anesthesia awareness happens to about 1 in a 1000 patients, and I was one of those lucky ducks!

It wasn’t major surgery, but I still wasn’t supposed to wake up. I was getting my wisdom teeth removed. They recommended I bring in headphones and listen to music. I was only conscience enough to hear my music. At one point a song came on that I didn’t want to listen to, so I opened my eyes and looked down to my iPod. The orthodontist stopped and said, “Oh just changing the song?”

And then I looked up, seeing two doctors there, with blood covered gloves, and a bunch of instruments sticking out of my mouth.

It’s the only thing I remember from getting that surgery. Not the recovery, not the appointment, not even the song that prompted it. It also only felt like it took 15 minutes, but apparently it was two hours. Anesthesia really messes with the perceived perception of time when you’re only semiconscious.

It’s really a horrifying experience.

Ao3 | FF.net

—

Dr. Ernest Boucher would consider himself lucky. He had a loving wife, and a patient son, who understood the importance of his father’s job and didn’t take it personally when he had to suddenly leave.

And now, after a 48 hour shift, he was returning home. Exhausted, hungry, and stressed, but home.

“I’m home!” He called in the door.

“Oh honey!” His wife called from the other room. “We just sat down for dinner! Come take a seat, I’ll make you up a plate!”

Ernest hung up his coat and kicked off his shoes. Home cooking, a hot shower, and to sleep for a few hours in his bed…that’s all he wanted.

His wife wrapped an arm around his waist and smooched his cheek. “I made Lasagna.”

“Lasagna…I love lasagna…” He said dreamily.

As he came into the kitchen, he saw his son, pouring himself a soda. “Hey Pop! You look like you got hit by a truck!” The boy laughed.

His son was 17 years old, blonde hair, athletic, looked a lot like Adrien. Several times during the surgery, Ernest imagined it was his boy on the table.

He sympathized with Gabriel Agreste, who looked like a complete mess.

“Pop? You good?”

Ernest yanked on his son’s arm and pulled him into a tight hug. “Just happy to see you, Kiddo.”

With a shrug, Ernest’s son hugged his father back.

—

After a filling dinner and a 8 hour night’s sleep, Ernest arose. His pager hadn’t gone off in the middle of the night. So surely Adrien and Marinette were either in the same place they were, or any minor problems were solved by the team.

He showered, shaved, and got dressed.

His boy was already at school, but had left him a text in the morning.

“You’re my superhero!” It read, simply.

The words brought tears to his eyes.

His wife made him breakfast, a big one with lots of protein to keep him full until he had a late lunch. She also filled up his coffee mug with a fancy kind that outdid the hospital brew.

And then, with another kiss, he was back off to the hospital.

Or at least that was the plan. He was not expecting to be swarmed outside his house by the media.

“Dr. Boucher! What kind of surgery did Adrien have?!”

“Is Marinette alright?”

“Did Chat lose his arm?”

“Did Adrien survive from the whipping!?”

“Have you talked to the families yet?!”

“Dr. Boucher!”

“Dr. Boucher, over here!”

Completely overwhelmed, his head swiveled everywhere his name was called until he was dizzy.

“Stop!” He shouted, hands out.

The crowd calmed to a murmur.

“Everyone be quiet! Just give me a moment!”

Well, if he was a little dazed before, now he was wide awake.

The media settled down, waiting to hear him.

“Bring the mics closer, I’m only going to say this once. Then I must get back to the hospital!”

Obediently, the news crews all passed microphones up to the front, where some poor intern was put in charge of holding them up like a bouquet in front of the good doctor.

Ernest clear his throat. “Alright. Due to patient confidentiality, I can’t get into specifics. But I can tell you that as of when I left last night, both Marinette and Adrien were alive and asleep. They both received care for several wounds inflicted from Salo, including the flogging. Adrien’s arm has not yet been addressed, because of other more serious surgeries first. That is all I can tell you now, thank you.”

The crowd parted as he headed to his car, but they continued to ask questions as he climbed inside.

Ernest took a sip of his coffee as he started the car. He wasn’t sure how the media found out he was in charge of the team. He didn’t worry about it, but it wasn’t expected. Some nurse who hadn’t read their email probably blurted something to someone.

Oh well. He supposed the nugget he gave was fair enough. After a month of knowing absolutely everything happening to the heroes, and then knowing nothing? It would leave people asking questions.

And with Hawkmoth battling with the auxiliary heroes on the Arc de Triomphe, there probably weren’t any more threats to worry about.

He hoped.

—

A waft of wind came sweeping down the laurel-walk, and trembled through the boughs of the chestnut: it wandered away—away—to an indefinite distance—it died. The nightingale’s song was then the only voice of the hour: in listening to it, I again wept. Mr. Rochester sat quiet, looking at me gently and seriously. Some time passed before he spoke; he at last said—

“Come to my side, Jane, and let us explain and understand one another.”

“I will never again come to your side: I am torn away now, and cannot return.”

It was a weird dream. No visuals, no feelings. Just a soft voice of a mother recanting a story. She spoke quietly, tenderly, just a hum above a whisper.

Then she felt sensations. Pins and needles of sleepiness in her toes, the ache and twinge of long set wounds.

Her knees ached, as they were unaccustomed to having her legs stretched out. But she found she lacked the strength to move.

Was she awake? Or asleep? Neither, she supposed, balancing on the edge of both. That blissful state of absolute comfort.

Slowly, Marinette back tracked in time. What did she remember?

The haunting image of Adrien bleeding out in that chair, watching him collapse in the hall, his slowly languid breaths in that room.

And then a haze. They moved, somewhere. Wetness, like rain. Running?

It was like looking through a thick cotton curtain, muffling sound and sight.

And now she was here. Wherever ‘here‘ was.

Still I did not answer, and still I writhed myself from his grasp: for I was still incredulous.

“Do you doubt me, Jane?”

“Entirely.”

“You have no faith in me?”

“Not a whit.”

It was the perfect temperature. Not too hot, not too cold. A soft bed, cradling her as if she was fragile, and a warm blanket weighing her to the bed. A soft ambient light held back the darkness, but didn’t pierce through her lids.

Marinette tried to open her eyes, caked as they were. The light was dim, illuminating gridded ceiling titles immediately above her. It smelled faintly of chemicals, while a droning hiss carried through the air. Her neck ached, but as she tilted her head, she briefly looked around the room. No one to her left, though she did see a strange machine and a metal stand, an IV stand. A tube ran from the bag down to her arm. A door cracked open revealed a bathroom and another door on the far side of the room was closed, but silhouetted figure stood in the window.

To her right, she found the owner of the voice, her own mother, sitting in a chair by her side, hand in hers, and reading from a book. Jane Eyre, as it looked. Farther down the bed, her father sat in another chair, his hand wrapped loosely around her foot.

Behind her parents, orange light filtered through the light curtains.

A bright red blob caught her attention. Tikki laid curled up on her chest.

A moment more, allowing her brain to digest all she could see, and she realized she was in a hospital.

The how and when escaped her.

“What, me!” I ejaculated, beginning in his earnestness— and especially in his incivility—to credit his sincerity: “me who have not a friend in the world but you- if you are my friend: not a shilling but what you have given me?”

“You, Jane, I must have you for my own—entirely my own. Will you be mine? Say yes, quickly.”

“Mr. Rochester, let me look at your face: turn to the moonlight.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to read your countenance—turn!”

“There! you will find it scarcely more legible than a crumpled, scratched page. Read on: only make haste, for I suffer.”

“Marinette?” Her father interrupted.

Marinette didn’t respond verbally, not knowing if she had the strength to do so. Instead, she squeezed her hand and twitched her foot.

Warm lips pressed to her forehead, as she came to find a mask on her face. She couldn’t speak, even if she wanted to.

“Just sleep, my darling.” Sabine said softly. “You’re very tired.”

She was. That was true.

The warmth, the quiet, the softness, it was soothing.

Safe.

Sleep.

Safe.

Safe.

Adrien.

She awoke with a jolt. It had only been a few minutes, so she thought, but the room was different. Brighter. Day light peered in the window, and her father was gone.

“Honey? Are you okay?” Sabine asked, seeing Marinette startle awake. That wasn’t supposed to happen.

“Adrien.” She said, in response.

Understanding came over Sabine’s face. “Yes darling, he’s here. He’s in ICU. He’ll be okay.”

She pulled on the mask that covered her face, immediately struggling to breathe. “I need to see him!”

Sabine just calmly replaced the mask. “You’re in no shape to go anywhere.”

Marinette grabbed her wrist. “Where is he? Where’s Chat?” She began to cry.

Sabine pressed a button nearby. “Ssh, darling. He’s alright. Just relax.”

Marinette shook her head, forcing the mask from her face. “I don’t believe you! I need to see him! Adrien!”

A female nurse hurried into the room. “Oh dear, she’s up!” The woman smiled.

“She wants to see Adrien.”

The nurse came to the bed, clasping Marinette’s hands. “Oh honey, I know you do. But you’re in no shape to get out of bed.”

“I don’t care! I need to see Adrien! Please!” Her voice was breaking, as she desperately tried to get out of the bed. She was exhausted, and everything hurt as she moved.

“I’m sorry dear, but you need to calm down.” The nurse pressed the mask back to her face and held it there, as her other hand went to the machine at her side.

“Let me go! He needs me! Please I don’t want to leave him alone!”

The nurse petted her hair gently. “Shh, just relax. Breathe. Breathe nice and deep.”

“No! No! No…no…” she felt weaker. Her vision blurred as the room tilted.

Sleep. Her brain demanded.

Sleep.

Sleep.

Sleep.

Adrien.

She jolted again. Wakefulness coming to her quite quickly. Things had changed again, though she was only out for a few minutes, right? Except, now it was dark outside, and both of her parents were missing.

“Marinette! You’re awake again!” Tikki chirped, floating in front of her.

Marinette stared, not knowing what to say. Surely there should be some tearful reunion, right? Or perhaps shame or guilt?

But her mind was in one place.

“Tikki, spots on.”

Tikki had a millisecond to gasp before being sucked into the earrings.

The suit disconnected her from all the tubes and wires. The needles in her veins were forced out, the pads on her chest were peeled off. She ripped the mask off, finding it difficult to breathe again, but not eager to go back to sleep.

All resulting in alarms blaring.

Ladybug had to act quickly to find him. She pushed up, her arms trembling with the action. Her back twinged, as her torn flesh stretched and twisted.

By time she swung her legs over the side of the bed, the nurse appeared. A male nurse this time, roughly the same age as her father, and built like a fridge.

“Whoa there, little lady!” He rushed to her. “You can’t be getting up. Do you need to use the bathroom? We can get you a bedpan.”

She swatted him away, “don’t touch me!”

“What are you trying to do, Ladybug? Let me help you before you hurt yourself.”

“I’m going to see Chat! And you’re not going to stop me!” She glared at him, daring him to try to stop her.

He studied the intensity of her glare, and sighed. “Alright. Just relax a second, alright?”

She didn’t, but stopped trying to stand.

“My name is John, I’m the night shift nurse for you.”

She looked at him blankly.

“Now,” he took her hand gently. “I will take you to Adrien, but we have to do it the hospital way, okay? You don’t want to hurt yourself more, right? Chat wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.”

She softened at the tone. “You’ll take me to him?”

“Yes, sweetheart. I’ll take you to your husband.”

Husband.

So that wedding really was official after all? It hadn’t felt real. No one treated them like husband and wife. They were only treated like garbage.

Her shoulders relaxed, fist uncurled, jaw unclenched. “What’s the hospital way?” She asked.

“I’m going to get you a wheelchair. We’ll reconnect you to the IV, because you’ve got to get your fluids up. Then we’ll stay for a little while, but when it starts hurting too much, we’ll bring you back.”

“I can’t stay with him?”

John knelt in front of her, and held her hands tightly. “Ladybug, Adrien is in critical condition. He lost a lot of blood. We gave him a blood transfusion, but the rest is up to him. He needs constant surveillance.”

“Is…is he going to be okay?”

“I think so. He hasn’t passed yet.”

“How long was I asleep?”

“You were admitted four days ago. You’ve been in and out of sleep for the last two.”

She frowned, considering this. Finally, she relented. “Spots off.”

In a flash of pink, Marinette returned, and with her, more pain. She cried out, as John squeezed her hand.

“I’m going to go get that wheelchair, alright? Stay seated, please.” And he hurried out of the room.

Marinette rested her hands on her knees. Her very knobby, scabbed over knees. She wore thick socks, which made her stick legs look even smaller. She was covered in all sorts of cuts and bruises she hadn’t seen in the dark, and her right hand, which had been branded, was wrapped with thick gauze.

She dared not look in the mirror.

“Marinette?” Tikki asked, sadly.

“I’m sorry, Tikki,” was all she could say.

“You don’t need to apologize.” The kwami nuzzled against her cheek. “I’m just glad you’re safe now. Things are going to be weird, and you might be a little irrational. But that’s okay. I still love you.”

Marinette shuttered at the affection, reaching up to hold her against her cheek. “I love you too Tikki.”

John returned shortly, pushing a chair along. “Here we are.”

At his arrival, Marinette pushed against the mattress and tried to slide to the floor. But as her feet made contact, a sharp pain bolted up her legs and she moaned in pain.

“I gotcha,” John directed her to sit, not allowing her to stand for more than a second. “I’m sorry, I should have warned you.”

“What…what’s wrong with my legs?” She asked as the pain subsided.

“You have infection in both of your feet. From running around the catacombs for several hours with no shoes on.”

She hummed in understanding.

Carefully, John eased her into the foot rests. Then he had her hold out her arm so he could reattach the IV. “This is a saline solution, just to get your fluids up. You’re still pretty dehydrated.”

“I’m thirsty.” She admitted.

“I’ll get you some water in just a second, okay?”

Marinette couldn’t watch as he inserted the needle, but did look after he started to secure the tube for the IV. “Its…bizarre.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s…so strange to have you be nice to me. Like…I know you’re a nurse, and that you’re only trying to take care of me…”

“But you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop, right?”

She nodded.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Marinette. I might boss you around a little, but I only have your best interests at heart.”

She decided to relax then, leaning back. Her back twinged with the movement. “Agh,” she hissed.

“When we get back, I’ll get you some pain killers.”

“…thank you.”  

Marinette was escorted into the hall, and they almost immediately were stopped by a man in a white coat.

“John? What do you think you’re doing?” He spoke firmly, but calmly. “Miss Dupain-Cheng should not be out of bed.”

“She shouldn’t.” John agreed. “But I found that she is liable to hurt herself if she doesn’t see Mr. Agreste. She transformed.”

“Ah,” the doctor nodded, in understanding. Then he crouched so that Marinette didn’t have to crane her neck to look at him. “Hi Marinette, I’m Dr. Boucher. I’m the main physician for you and Adrien.”

She didn’t say anything, just studied him.

“I know you probably have a hard time trusting anyone right now, but I promise—“

“Stop wasting my time.” She bit, pain starting to creep into her body without the aid of painkillers. “I was promised to see Adrien.”

The doctor smirked. “Yes, of course my dear. John, I will relieve you, if you would go tell the parents where Marinette will be? I believe they are having dinner at the cafeteria right now.”

“Yes sir.”

“Thank you. I’ll meet you in ICU.” He took hold of the chair and started to push her towards the elevators.

“Are you sure I can’t stay with him?” Marinette whispered.

“No, my dear. I’m very sorry. I’ll take you to see him, but I’ll warn you that he looks very scary right now. A lot of tubes and wires all over him. But I promise it’s very his best interest.”

Marinette didn’t outwardly react, but she did feel saddened.

Over the years, Ladybug had seen Chat Noir die several times. Whether it was turning into something, vanishing completely, or hitting the side of a building too hard.

But after the cure, he always bounced back to his normal pun-loving self.

However, this was different. Of course it was. No kwami, no powers, no five minute alarms blaring in her ears. All of it was permanent. She knew that in her head.

But her heart didn’t want to see his scars.

Dr. Boucher wheeled her to an elevator, and then pressed the button for the ground floor. The back wall of the elevator was a window that looked out into the courtyard. In the night, she could look across the yard to a set of large windows, showing the cafeteria, busy with people.

The elevator came to rest, and she was led into the hall.

This was a very nice hospital, with art and sculpture along the walls. As they passed various rooms, nurses and doctors alike spotted her and stared as she went.

“They’re looking at me.” She told the doctor.

“They mean no harm.” He assured. “You should know that you and Adrien are the biggest topic of conversation in Paris right now. Everyone is curious to hear how you are.”

“It’s none of their business,” She bit.

“It’s not.” He confirmed. “But…that woman made it everyone’s business. They just want a happy ending.”

Marinette gripped the armrests. “So do I.”

“Recovery won’t be easy, but you have a wonderful support network. And I have several therapists for you both to utilize. That should make it easier for you.”

Marinette didn’t respond, only digested the information given.

Before too long, they arrived at a room in ICU, being guarded with a police officer. He frowned when he saw Marinette.

“I’d like to see Adrien.” She said sternly.

The man just looked at the doctor. “Far be it from me to stop this…but she should be up?”

“It’s only for a visit. It’s alright.”

The man nodded, and allowed them in.

Marinette’s eyes immediately fell on the figure in the bed. He was barely visible under all the tubes and wires, and bandages. He was leaning to his left, propped up with pillows, so he wasn’t resting flat on his back. She could see his bruised eyes, as his face had a heavy mask strapped to it. Some stray locks of hair stuck out from the strap that led over the top of his head. His left hand had a tube taped to it and a oximeter clamped on his finger. A blanket was pulled up to his sternum, making his chest visible, but it was covered in pads and wires, as well as the tubes that ran into his mask. Under all that was a thick gauze right in the middle of his breast bone, taped on all sides. His right arm, which had been dislocated, was in a sling, resting against his stomach. His hand, wrapped in gauze, rested on top of a Ladybug doll, the one she had made herself. Plagg rested in the crook of his wrist.

“Adrien?”

“He’s sedated right now, which is for the best. He’s intubated so he can breathe better. It would be painful if he was awake.”

“Bring me closer.”

“Please don’t move him.”

Marinette reached out and rested her hand on his wrist, careful not to accidentally nudge his arm. Her thumb rubbed over the frigid skin, trying to give him some heat.

Plagg awoke at the movement, flicking his eyes up. Many hands had come and gone in the few hours he and Gabriel had finally been allowed to see Adrien. Ever watchful, he took note of the nurses, and what they were doing, what they were checking, applying.

But seeing Marinette had confused him for a moment, because he hadn’t recognized her immediately.

But then he saw Tikki on her lap.

“Pigtails?”

“Hi Plagg,” though there wasn’t much warmth in the greeting. She did scratch him between the ears with her finger. He only looked at her sadly.

“He’s cold.” She told the doctor.

“I can get him another blanket.” He stated as he moved from behind her. “Stay put.”

She studied Adrien’s eyes, closed to slumber, but twitching slightly. The ECG graphed his steady heart beat, and the ventilator pumped air at a calm rate. Yes, he looked scary right now, but admittedly, he looked better than he had in the hell hole. He looked peaceful, comfortable, and not at all like he was fighting for his life, though he very obviously still was.

She leaned in and pressed a kiss to that sliver of skin. “I’m right here, Kitty. I want to stay with you, but I’m not allowed to.” She wiped a gentle tear from her eye. “But I think we’ll be together soon. Once you’re healed enough. So get better soon, please.”

Tikki floated from Marinette’s lap and hovered over him. “Plagg? Where’s the worst injury?”

“…I don’t know.” Said the kwami. “It’s…it’s all pretty bad.”

“Probably his back.” Provided Marinette. “It was right…right down to the bone.”

Tikki nodded and flew over to his other side. Very gently, she nuzzled into his spine.

Adrien’s eyes twitched more, before they settled.

“It probably didn’t do much,” Tikki stated. “But it will help.”

“Would it help if you stayed with him?”

“He’d have to wear the earrings to get any benefits from me.” She looked meaningfully to his ears, which were bright red in most spots, while the top of his left ear was gone, stitches in place. “I don’t thing we should attempt that now.”

Marinette moaned, feeling helpless.

But Plagg wouldn’t stand it. “Hey, I’ve got some healing properties too, you know!” He floated into her face and nuzzled against her cheek, purring. The sound reverberated into her skin, her sinuses, her skull, her spine…she felt a little better. “I just have to keep purring. So tell someone to make sure I’m properly fed with cheese.”

“Oh Plagg…I will. I absolutely will.” Her voice filled with emotion.

“Oh kid…don’t cry. I’m just trying to keep things light.”

Doctor Boucher had returned to the room, but stayed in the doorway, watching with curiosity but privacy. When he noticed Marinette’s tears, he approached her. “How is your pain?”

“I’m not ready to leave yet.” She answered by deflecting.

“Okay. Just let me know.” He unfurled the blanket he’d fetched, and carefully started to drape it over Adrien’s legs. “His hands are cold.” She argued.

“That’s normal for someone with blood loss. Though he’s had a transfusion and should be alright now, he’s not moving, so his circulation isn’t very good.”

“But he’s cold. Can’t you cover him?”

“Not just yet. You can hold his hand though. Just watch the bandages.”

Marinette said nothing, just held his fingers a little tighter.

She wanted to climb up on the bed with him, snuggle up under his chin, and press delicate kisses to his cheek. But hearing that it would be bad for him stopped her from just ignoring everyone and embracing him.

This wasn’t fair.

“When do you think he’ll wake up?”

Dr. Boucher sighed. “We’ll keep him sedated a week, at least. Maybe more. We will bring him out of sedation for about an hour a day, but the goal is to keep his anxiety reduced, especially while he’s on the ventilator.”

“So I won’t be allowed to see him.” Marinette finished.

“Unfortunately, no. His father and Plagg will be here for him, though.”

It was then that Marinette realized that Adrien wasn’t wearing his Miraculous. “Plagg, where’s the ring?”

“Gabriel has it.”

“Shouldn’t Adrien be wearing it?”

“You’ll have to forgive me, Marinette.” Said the doctor. “I’m the one that suggested he not give it back to him just yet. I worried that Adrien might try to transform at the first chance he was given. And given that you did, my theory is correct.”

Marinette sighed, hating that she had been caught.

“You’re not in trouble, and we don’t blame you for doing it.” The doctor clarified. “We just can’t have either of you doing that. It won’t help.”

“I understand.” She rubbed her thumb over Adrien’s knuckles. “Thank you for letting me see him. I’ve been worried.”

“Of course. What’s your pain level?”

“Just a little longer, please.”

“Alright.”

It was then that nurse John came, accompanied by her parents, and a disheveled homeless man.

“Marinette! You shouldn’t be out of bed!” Her mother scolded.

“She knows.” Said Dr. Boucher. “But this is necessary to keep her calm. I’m watching her.”

The nurse brought over a styrofoam cup with a bendy straw. “Here you are, Marinette.”

“Thank you.” She said, taking it skeptically.

Everyone watched as she popped the lid, shook the ice around, and smelled it. Then she sipped a little bit through the straw. At the relaxed look on her face, it was obvious she found the water to be clean. She popped the lid back on and sucked more down. “This is really good.”

“It’s just water,” said Sabine, eyes watering.

“It tastes good.”

The disheveled homeless man spoke. “I’m so glad to see you awake, Miss Dupain-Cheng. I hadn’t get to check in on you since you were loaded into the ambulance.”

She hunched her shoulders. “Who are you?”

He chuckled weakly, rubbing a hand over his short beard. “I’ll admit I look pretty bad. But I didn’t realize I was unrecognizable.”

“It’s the beard, Gabriel.” Said Sabine. “It suits you though.”

“Gabriel? Gabriel Agreste?”

“Who else would be here with Adrien?”

She frowned. “Don’t know. Anyone else. Nathalie? The Gorilla? Never like you supported him before.”

“Marinette…” Sabine chastised, horrified at her behavior.

But the Marinette from the torture chamber was not known for kindness or tact. She didn’t flinch at her mother’s rebuke.

“I suppose I deserve that.” Gabriel said sadly. “Plagg has informed me that I…I may be a sociopath. This was something I wasn’t aware of before. I’m trying to improve my behavior. I’m sorry if you felt like I neglected Adrien. Things are going to be different now.”

Marinette cast her eyes over to Adrien, to her husband. “A shame this had to happen for you to see that.”

“Marinette!” Sabine exasperated.

Marinette winced, as a headache started to grow, and her wounds ached.

“I think it’s time we got you back.” Said Dr. Boucher. “We’ll get you some dinner too, hm?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Do you think you could choke down some soup? You really need to eat something.”

“I said I’m not hungry!” She barked, triggering a coughing fit. The doctor simply rubbed her back as she rode it out. After it subsided, she sobbed. “I don’t want to leave him!”

The doctor crouched at her side. “Marinette, I promise you, Adrien’s not leaving this hospital without you. He’s safe. You’re safe. It’ll only be for a little while, and then we’ll put you in the same room together. Okay?”

She glared at him.

“But you’re making yourself worse by staying here like this. You’re so brave, and so smart…but let me take care of you for a little while, okay?”

A few more tears leaked out. “It hurts.”

“Then let’s get you back upstairs, and we’ll give you pain killers, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Thats a good girl!” He smiled.  

#longest night #miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #ladybug #chat noir #fanfiction #ml #adrienette #adrinette #ladynoir

[speckledbears]

Thoughts on “Far From Home”

SPOILERS FOR “Spider-Man: Far From Home”!!!!

this is for you anon

ok so basically i thought that it would have been good if it wasn’t a Spider-Man (“children’s”) movie.

Like, I think Quentin (Jake G) was such an interesting character, and an amazing villain but, I hated that his entire reason was because he wanted to be the New Iron Man. It bugs me to NO END that THATS the reason. Tony stole the projector tech he made, made fun of him (even if the audience didn’t know), and fired him. I think that’s a much better reason than wanting to be the next Annoying, Mean, Rich Rich Rich So Fucking Rich Metal Guy. The tech was so fucking cool? Like, projectors that seemed so lifelike,,, that’s so cool (also i kinda feel like you could relate it to how disney is only using GCI now but the russos are dumbasses). And like, the story Quentin and his team put together for Mysterio, and all the planning and the production value (if you can call it that lol) was so interesting and I was so intrigued. If there was a movie for him, and he didn’t fucking suck, I would pay to see it. His issue is that he’s so hellbent on killing Peter, MJ and Ned that I was put-off from like, half the movie. It’s kinda terrifying that someone can say, “I’ll just have to kill the kids myself,” and NO ONE IS CONCERNED??? And the fact that he was willing to kill innocent civilians just to make headlines, that’s fucked (and modern). Also, I think the directors missed out on a big opportunity for Peter to have a new father figure. Peter looked up to Quentin, trusted him, seeked him out for advice, like he would a father. I don’t remember him ever doing that with Tony. Peter was always too worried he was bothering him, and Tony seemed to brush him off a lot. Sure, Tony picked him and placed so much faith in him but, in the end? I feel Peter became more of a toy for the Avengers than an actual team member. If Quentin had been a good guy, doing this shit for the “right reasons” (idk like, taking the burden of becoming Iron Man off Peter, and maybe mentoring him) he could’ve been AMAZING. I still love him (except his dumb reasons) but, y’all missed out!!!!

Next: The whole deal with Peter being chosen by Tony to be the next Iron Man. Fucking hate that shit!!!!! Peter is a CHILD, he’s 16, and obviously he’s not ready for that responsibility!!!! In the movie, he’s manipulated by Quentin (which i lowkey also hate and explained above) and he just!!! gave EDITH to him!!!!! He’s a good kid, but not mature or responsible enough to handle having access to that kind of tech. I mean, dude almost killed a classmate?? Literally called a drone strike on the kid, couldn’t figure out how to cancel it, and destroyed the drone himself. Let’s not forget that this responsibility was FORCED ON HIM BY TONY???? Like, there was this scene where Peter literally told Quentin that he didn’t want EDITH!!! He didn’t want that kind of responsibility that came with being Iron Man!!! All he wanted for the summer was to hang out with his friends and kiss the girl he likes!!! Peter just wanted to be a normal child for one summer and, apparently, that was too much to ask for. Also, in the scene where Happy and Peter are in the jet talking about Tony, Peter says that he doesn’t know if he can be the new Iron Man. Happy doesn’t even hesitate when he says, “No, you can’t. No one can replace him.” Like hello!!!! And then they immediately forget that little nugget of wisdom, and Peter starts playing with Tony’s tech and literally everyone with eyes can draw the parallels between Peter and Tony. It’s frustrating. I hated how Tony was treated after his death. I completely understand mourning a character, especially one as important as Tony Stark, but it didn’t feel like mourning. It felt like worshipping. Tony had become a martyr, and he fucking knew it (EDITH = Even Dead, I’m The Hero 🙄) and people are still licking his boots. It’s just so weird that, even though he’s supposed to be dead, he’s still a main character and RDJ isn’t even in the movie!!!!!!!! When a character dies, that’s it, they can’t directly influence the story anymore, and yet Tony is still the reason for everything Peter does? He doesn’t have his own initiative. He lived and breathed in Tony’s shadow, and he’ll live in it forever. He’s being forced to become the next Iron Man. And believe me, I love Tony. I grew up watching the “Iron Man” movies with my parents and brother, and I remember watching one in the theatre and laughing till I cried. Guys! He’s dead! He’s done more than enough! It’s Spider-Man’s turn now.

I really hated Nick Fury in this movie. I grew up watching the OG Marvel movies and I loved Nick, but holy fuck. This dude hounded Peter, a CHILD, for help against those Elementals when he could’ve literally asked anyone else (side note: he shot Ned with a tranquilizer dart like? dude he’s a child calm down-). He gave a shit ton of excuses for why he couldn’t get in contact with the other Avengers but, I call bullshit. This dude is like, one of the most powerful men in the world (Quentin’s words, but it’s also been proven in other movies). He managed to track down Peter, how is it THAT HARD for him to find an adult??? Then he hijacked the school trip so that Peter would be in Prague, and he KNEW that once Peter was there he would help. It’s manipulation. Never mind the scene like, 5 mins later where Peter says he’s worried about his friends getting hurt (and having EDITH but not really understanding her), and Nick exploded on him. LIKE DUDE??? he’s a child. I’m also super pissed off at the fact that Nick manipulated Peter using his Avenger status. OOOOHHHH you whore!!! Literally everyone knows that Peter loved Tony (🙄🙄) and he used him against Peter! ASK AN ADULT FOR HELP YOU HAVE AN ENTIRE TEAM OF THEM????? Oh also, the bitch KNEW Quentin was evil. There’s a scene that proves it. It’s right after their first meeting where Peter says no, and leaves. Nick and Maria (the brunette lady hes always with, im surprised i remembered her name) share a knowing glance. They fucking KNOW. And yet?? They let Quentin do whatever the hell he wants?? He literally tried to kill 3 teenagers, and planned to kill hundreds of civilians in London (and i’m not sure if anyone did get hurt or died but, i wouldn’t be surprised). But the most powerful man in the world can’t stop him, apparently. He wants a 16-year-old CHILD to do it for him. It’s ridiculous!

The romance was also a bit hit-or-miss for me. Like, Ned and Betty?? It felt so forced and contrived? It literally only existed so that MJ could take Ned’s place. Y’all notice that Ned basically ditched his best friend for the entire movie for some girl he barely knows? Also, the fact that they “fell in love” on an eight hour flight. Hate that. It’s such a trope and it’s ugly. The romance with Happy and May was kinda weird, too? I mean, I don’t know their past together. I didn’t watch “Infinty War” or “Endgame” but, it also felt forced. Especially at the end, when Peter asked if they were dating!! May said no and Happy said yes!! I’m assuming that’s supposed to be comedy?? ig??? Anyway, I didn’t really like the romantic rivalry between Brad and Peter? (btw no shit i almost called peter “tony” i’m telling y’all they’re synonymous now). Like, Brad’s logic in using the photo of Peter stripping to “expose the truth” about Peter to MJ was so weird and awkward? The entire scene felt forced and I was so uncomfortable watching it. Also, MJ would’ve stuck up for Peter anyway, so it didn’t even matter, and the rivalry was dropped so easily after the opera in Prague. I did actually like the romance between Peter and MJ, even though I wasn’t expecting to. It’s a bit weird how quickly he got over Liz, but whatever; he’s a teenager. (I was going to comment on the necklace thing but, that’s actually kind of in character for him so, y’all get ONE (1) pass). I thought their hug and kiss at the end of the battle with Quentin was super fucking sweet and innocent, and it was refreshing compared to most teen romance movies where they act like adults instead. I was in LOVE with that scene, and it was one of the only scenes I honestly loved.

Ok, I wanna go back to Quentin for a bit. This dude absolutely destroyed the Peter Parker we were given in HOCO, and at the beginning of the movie. Yeah, Tony already had him as a puppet, but Quentin took his innocence. Y’all saw how easily Peter trusted people before him!! Like?? When he found out Quentin manipulated him, he lost almost all his faith in other people, except for MJ and Ned. For example, the scene where Peter calls Happy to pick him up because he’s in a holding cell in the Netherlands? Love that scene BUT! As he’s limping over to Happy, so obviously fucked up and hurting, he makes Happy prove it’s really him. THAT FUCKING HURT LMAO!!!!! I hated that. And that last battle with Quentin on the bridge? He maneuvered so easily through the drones, it was impressive, and he’d only fought against them once before (seems impossible but whatever). And watching the projections dissolve away into just pixels and a scared little bitch in a fish bowl helmet? Classic Theatre. But, he was traumatized by previous experiences fighting Quentin. Peter’s growth made the movie good but, his loss of innocence really made this movie kinda suck. Sure, his innocence still there—the scenes later with MJ prove that—but he’s still lost his easy trust in other people. It hurt to see. And, like, I’m not saying he can’t be more mature but, he didn’t even trust Happy!! He’s so paranoid that he’ll find his loved ones replaced by Quentin’s illusions!! It sucks!!!! Peter isn’t Peter without that sense of childlike wonder, curiosity, and helpless faith in others.

Anyway, I wanna talk about that Netherlands scene again because, holy shit, I loved it. After Peter was hit by that train (i actually screamed but the cinematography inside the train? *kiss*), he wakes up in some holding cell in the Netherlands with a band of friendly locals, and the guard, who’s talking on the phone with his pregnant wife. I don’t know why but, that scene was one of the first to make me smile? Like, it was so sweet how the other men were so happy for the guard and his wife, how they gave Peter a spare shirt because he looked cold, how Peter just broke the lock and left? How the guard was wearing Peter’s mask???? I’m in love. The next scene I liked was literally right after, of Peter limping through the tulip field, and Happy landing the jet nearby. Without dialogue, that scene is so pretty?? The petals stirring in the wave the jet left as it landed?? The HUG???? UGH! I fell in love. Another scene I loved was the scene when Peter went to Berlin to meet with Nick Fury and Quentin manipulated it with the projection technology. Even though I knew it was fake, I was worried about what was going on outside the projection (he got hit by a fucking train so,,,,,, iwas right to be worried-). Watching Peter so helpless and trying to stay vigilant was so heartbreaking, yet I was lowkey impressed. Like? How many other mean ass men could pull that off? None, next question. I can’t even think about how to explain it. I watched that scene at least 3 times, and was amazed every time, my only thoughts anxiety for Peter.

Okay, lastly, I wanna talk about the tech. I thought it was so interesting and unique. Like, I’ve played with the idea of projection in stories, or with characters as magic but, never considered applying it through technology, especially tech as capable as it is. And every scene where the projections were being used were amazing. I mean, obviously it’s CGI, but in the context of the MCU, it’s so interesting and cool to see tech like that used in a very public way. And no one knew!!! The whole system (along with Quentin and his team) was so good at camouflaging that I was fooled at the beginning of the movie. I seriously believed in the Elementals and Mysterio’s ruined Earth. It’s part of the reason I really enjoyed his character. And, like I said earlier, Peter was fooled by it too; everyone was. He learned it, eventually. But not before Quentin could manipulate the situation one last time and claim Peter called the drone attacks on London, and revealed his identity.

All in all, I didn’t have fun watching “Far From Home,” and it’s mainly because it didn’t feel like a Spider-Man movie. I enjoyed “Homecoming,” so much more. The villain was far more relatable (even though you could see it as demonizing the poor), Ned and Peter’s friendship was so wholesome and sweet, the entire cast was fun, and it was more enjoyable than watching some angry rich white man trying to kill children so he can get richer.

#long post #spiderman #spiderman: ffh #peter parker #mysterio #mj spiderman #ned spiderman #im angry haha

[lilymaidofgallifrey]

I was tagged by @somethingwriterly thank you :)

1. It’s the end of the world, or something like it. You need to burn books to stay warm. Which book off of your shelf burns first?

I have a huge stack of law textbooks on my bookshelf, so they’d definitely be the first to go. I don’t think anyone’s going to have too much use for contract law during the apocalypse. If it had to be a fiction book, it would probably be the extra copies of Rangers Apprentice with the awful animated covers. 

2. If your writing could convey a message that you, a dear reader, or the world need desperately hear, what message would you most wish to convey?

I really don’t know. I just want to make people laugh really. So I guess I would like everyone to be entertained. 

3. Has an OC ever said something that surprised you? Whether it be a nugget of wisdom or a fact you didn’t know you knew or something that made you feel emotional?

Not something specifically, but they’ve definitely dragged stories in directions I hadn’t initially anticipated. I’ll get half way through the chapter and realise that actually they wouldn’t do or say that at all and then I have to go back and figure out what the character actually would do. 

4. Do you collect things writing or reading related? Funko Pop figures? Notebooks? Bookmarks? Pens? Plushies? Snacks for designated reading and or writing time and so on?

I have a big stack of bookmarks I’ve collected over the years, most of them from Book Depository. I also have four Funko Pop figures, although Jon Snow is the only one really from a book. I have a lot of notebooks and also a teapot shaped like a typewriter. I don’t collect pens per se, but I do have a lot of them because I’m constantly misplacing them. 

5. A celebrity author you admire reads a book you’ve published, speaking words of praise that will appear on the cover of your book’s next print. Hooray. Now they’ve written a new book, which you’ve read, however it was not your cup of tea. Their publisher potentially wants to use a blurb from you about it. Do you tell the truth, or manufacture polite praise?

I would probably try to say something nice about it that wasn’t a complete lie. Maybe mention something I liked or say if you’re a fan of X-other-book you would probably like this. It would depend on whether I thought it was bad writing or it was an objectively fine book but for some reason just not something I was very interested in. 

6. A magic spell befalls you. You are sucked into one of your WIPs/short stories/etc. The only way to break the spell is to convince at least three OCs that you are their creator and the creator of their world. Which OCs would most likely believe you? Which would laugh in your face? What would you do or say to convince them?

Oh boy, this is a hard one. Probably Henrietta York and Vincent Blackwood from an urban fantasy sci-fi short story because they already believe in the existence of the paranormal, so it would be less of a stretch to believe I was their creator. I can’t think of another one at the moment. 

7. You’re stuck having one of your original villains over for dinner. How does it go?

Depends which one. If it’s the inventor who made evil cyborgs then probably okay, because I haven’t directly wronged him, so I’d probably survive the dinner. If it was the evil queen, it wouldn’t turn out so well for me, because I would probably be the dinner, she’s rather partial to human flesh. 

8. Has writing benefited you, brought relief, or improved your life in any way?

It’s definitely improved my life. I have a very vivid imagination, so it’s kind of an outlet for that. It’s also very satisfying to just write things down and as long as I’m not stressed about plotting or plot holes it can be very relaxing. 

9. You discover that whatever you write about comes to pass/becomes reality. Newly aware of this strange ability and after writing about winning some money, what’s the second thing you write about?

DRAGONS. I don’t care about the consequences, I want a dragon friend. 

10. For whatever reason you’re forced into using a pen name. It can be as modest, or outlandish and eccentric as you wish; what name do you choose?

Margaret Stewart, after my body-snatcher fighting great, great, great something grandmother. 

I don’t have time to make up my own questions at the moment. This has been in my drafts folder for a while so I just wanted to post it :)

#writing #tagged

[jmhwritesstuff]

Get to know the writer tag

Tagged by @somethingwriterly ! (Loved your Jeff Goldblum answer!)

1. It’s the end of the world, or something like it. You need to burn books to stay warm. Which book off of your shelf burns first?

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. I’ve tried so hard to get into her books, and I just can’t. So this one has been sitting on my shelf for a long time; a bookmark never makes it past the first few pages. On to the fire it goes.

2. If your writing could convey a message that you, a dear reader, or the world need desperately hear, what message would you most wish to convey?

I have no idea. I think thousands of books convey so many messages that people latch on to all the time. War is not the answer or war has dire consequences; love is not everything or you don’t need to be in a relationship to be happy; you’re not the only outsider or you’re never truly alone; if your family sucks then find your tribe. The thing about messages in books is that they can be incredibly subjective to individual readers, and can heavily depend on what a person is currently going through. I could try to convey a strong message that will last forever, but it will only be relevant as long as the reader can relate, and they won’t relate to it forever.

3. Has an OC ever said something that surprised you? Whether it be a nugget of wisdom or a fact you didn’t know you knew or something that made you feel emotional?

Off the top of my head: I have a side character in my current WIP who says that art outlasts us, so even though it can be beautiful, what is it worth if no one is around to see it? And that really got me thinking. I also planned to have my MC be very empathetic and somewhat emotional, and then suddenly she was hard hearted and bitter in everything she said (and I like it better that way).

4. Do you collect things writing or reading related? Funko Pop figures? Notebooks? Bookmarks? Pens? Plushies? Snacks for designated reading and or writing time and so on?

I’ve discovered that a lot of writers enjoy collecting notebooks and never write in them - I am one of those writers. I’ve also gathered a nice collection of bookmarks from bookdepository that come with every order. Non-writing/reading related things are dinosaur ... things - like plushies, figurines, keyrings, ring holders. In truth, I used to be a bit of a hoarder, but I had a weird detachment from sentimentality a few years ago and now I don’t really collect stuff anymore. 

5. A celebrity author you admire reads a book you’ve published, speaking words of praise that will appear on the cover of your book’s next print. Hooray. Now they’ve written a new book, which you’ve read, however it was not your cup of tea. Their publisher potentially wants to use a blurb from you about it. Do you tell the truth, or manufacture polite praise?

I would probably just manufacture something. Make it an objective blurb rather than personal views on the story. 

6. A magic spell befalls you. You are sucked into one of your WIPs/short stories/etc. The only way to break the spell is to convince at least three OCs that you are their creator and the creator of their world. Which OCs would most likely believe you? Which would laugh in your face? What would you do or say to convince them?

Probably none of them? Like ... Brandt is a little naive so he may join my cause, but ... beyond telling them I know everything about them and what has happened and what is going to happen ... I think I’d just get thrown in a cell!

7. You’re stuck having one of your original villains over for dinner. How does it go?

Awkward. These guys would probably talk shit about my cooking while staring me down, and if they don’t kill me just for sport they most certainly wouldn’t stick around for long. 

8. Has writing benefited you, brought relief, or improved your life in any way?

I once wrote an almost-novel that helped me process grief when I was 16-17, and I’ve written a lot of short stories that allowed me to explore issues I was dealing with personally. After a long and soul-crushing relationship, I went to university to study writing, and now my writing is better, I learnt a lot about different mediums, I had my first story published, and I got a job writing walkthroughs for video games. I’m by no means financially stable, or close to publishing a novel, but I’m grateful to writing for helping me deal with stuff and potentially opening doors in the future. I think I’d have been screwed otherwise.

9. You discover that whatever you write about comes to pass/becomes reality. Newly aware of this strange ability and after writing about winning some money, what’s the second thing you write about?

A better, fully working, permanent system for helping homeless people no longer be homeless. It bothers me that there isn’t one. If I were smart enough to figure it out, I’d write about that.

10. For whatever reason you’re forced into using a pen name. It can be as modest, or outlandish and eccentric as you wish; what name do you choose?

I used to want a pen name when I was younger. First name was Ruby, but I can’t remember the last name. Now I have this backup name: Billy Winchester. And not even because I want it, or love it, I just ... I took this name generator thing a long time ago that combined a pet’s name with an address, and that’s what I got. I even used it for a character in a story once. It’s just stuck with me over the years.

Alright, I’m gonna steal a couple questions from others as well as write my own, so ...

My questions ...

1. Has writing benefited you, brought relief, or improved your life in any way?

2. If your novel was adapted, who would be your dream cast for your OC(s)?

3. Who is an actor you like and consider good, but is always in bad movies?

4. On the other hand, who is an actor you consider bad, but is always in great movies?

5. What do you like the most about your OC(s)?

6. What do you dislike the most about your OC(s)?

7. What do you consider your greatest weakness in writing? What about your greatest strength?

8. What is your dream novel that you wish you could write?

9. If you’ve been writing for a long time, do you keep everything you have ever written? Or have you dumped old works in the trash? Why?

10. What is your favourite thing you’ve ever written, even if it will never see the light of day?

I’ll just tag a few people, you don’t have to do this of course!

@missvalerietanner @katywritesbooks @bookishdiplodocus @ryan-writes-fiction @maramahan @merigreenleaf @writebruh @bethanywritesbooks AND EVERYONE WHO FOLLOWS ME, HONESTLY.

#writing #writeblr #writer #writer tag

[arts2workjawn]

Ramses Photo Project

"Princess Kaguya Falls from the Moon" (257 C.E) First Prompt: What am I grateful for? In a really basic sense, this picture signifies my gratefulness to be able to slow down and experience these small in between moments with my family members and to be able to see how they grow and develop. More intrinsically I'm grateful for how apt I am at taking things in stride, in the picture, my sister looks like she's in the middle of falling or tumbling, but her face is still serene and almost curled up into a mocking smirk. This is the key to life. The flower borders add texture and cohesion but also signify beauty in temporality and in passing. Beauty fades and transforms but the detritus gives way to something even more unfathomably excellent. The file name, Taravana, means To Fall Crazily from the Sea and Princess Kaguya is from a Japanese Fairy tale where a princess is sent from the moon to protect her from the ramifications of an interstellar war. A bamboo cutter finds her in a stalk, smaller than his thumb, and while he takes care of her he finds nuggets of gold whenever he goes out to cut bamboo (this is important for later).

"The Dead" (Dec 1st, 2019) - Second Prompt: Who am I checking in on, or connecting with, during this time? During this time I'm checking in with my friends and rebuilding communications with people in this picture and with new people but, most importantly I'm rebuilding communication with the liminal expression caught here. The Ramses captured in this distant relic. A lot of emotions which I'd convinced myself I'd quelled have been bubbling up since the Summertime and as time goes on I've been having to contend with all the aspects of me which I'd been stifling. In the picture, I'm not only exasperated but also inherently separated from all the other subjects and clinging to my own arm for support. I clung to this aspect of myself so heavily as a means of self defense that I became separated from it due to my deification of this Ramses in my psyche and had turned myself Kamehameha. The file name refers to the beginning of the September Sermones ad Mortem, written by Basilides, which state "And thus the dead came back from Jerusalem, where they found not what they sought." (This is important later)

"The Morning After" (The Morning After) Third Prompt: What expectations of “normal” am I letting go of? So, a bit of context, this was the morning after the first day of protesting where I stayed out until 10 pm and was absolutely exhausted. I saw earrings that I hadn't seen in a while in my window sill and decided to snap a pic. The expectation of normal that I've been primarily getting rid of is, that as I've been becoming more independent financially and, Inshallah, with housing, I find myself less scared to have to conform towards "normal" modalities of gender expression and do whatever I want. I've also been moving away from the "normality" of being ashamed or disgusted by my body and how I look unless its a perfect angle or in some way modified. But its also connected to the previous picture in the sense that, at times it feels like my life can be a series of Morning Afters, and regardless of the context, these "Morning After" feelings have a similar underlying thread and it's up to me whether or not I'll allow this thread to be something sacrosanct or something adaptable. 

BASILIDES, THRICE_NAMED, SAGE OF ALEXANDRIA (oUTSiDe) Fourth Prompt: How am I getting outside? (What does the outside world look like to you? Show us). This picture relates to the second one in the same way that I feel like the prompts relate. The second picture features the throng of the dead, otherworldly pilgrims come to bequest SAGE BASILIDES for wisdom. This picture features the immanent and ungodly ("dogly") sage Basilides, gazing upon the throng of the dead as they come upon his domain. The way I've been going outside is by going inside. Regardless of my physical location, If I lack mental presence in my physical form, I'm trapped away regardless of location or locale. So I've been using the tiny moments around me (aka I literally just b psychically talking 2 my dog sometimes (but like in dog, so its more of a feeling thing not talking)) in order to truly find my way "outside." Not just being more comfortable outside with how I look and want to look but also positioning myself outside of the nebulous carbuncles of trauma enforced by capitalism, positioning myself at a different valence level in the noospheric electron cloud without resorting to the  alienating/self-exploiting forces which are made too readily available to us.  

"_Manjushrimulakalpa, Mistress of Lovelace_" (Yesterday, in the Rain) - Fifth Prompt: How am I moving my body during this time? From Wikipedia - The Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa or Mañjuśrī-mūla-kalpa is a text of the Kriyā-tantra class. It is affiliated with the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī.[1] It contains violent, sensual and sexual tantric rituals.[2] Internally and externally, I've been moving very erratically and most of that movement has been in my backyard where the picture is taken. Physically my movements are characterized by suddenness, jerkiness and I've acquired an increase of flexibility, which I tried to put to use here. I've also been trying to get more in tune with nature, and appreciate things like rain, sunshine and the wind more. Mentally, I've been moving through conflicts with my sexuality, identity and autonomy, as well as coming to terms with the destructive effects of technology on the environment. The title is derived more so from these astral bodily movements, Manjusri is the Bodhisattva Mahasattva of Scholars, Luck and prajna (or insight), and which some website assigned to me when I was thirteen years old. Ada, the Mistress of Lovelace was one of the world's first computer scientists and revolutionized modern technology. All Bodhisattvas are androgynous or at least twinks, and some propositioned AI frameworks have Buddhist derived logic as their root due to its tendency to drive towards altruistic results. Mankind strives to birth a god of silicon and steel while I can barely communicate with my psyche. 

"Gold in Bamboo" (257 C.E) - Sixth Prompt: What beauty am I creating, cultivating, or inviting in? This is a not-quite black and white picture of a burrito in a shattered roman column. I interpreted this multiple ways, the burrito could represent artistic and creative nourishment derived from the dissolution of the modern day American Imperium. But after taking the picture I realized how thoroughly it connected with the first one, like a mobius strip. The burrito is reminiscent of the gold in bamboo illustrations I had seen in the story of Princess Kaguya, when I was 13. Overall though, the picture is both the culmination and origin, the revelations and genesis of the my COVID experience and my life up to this point and my life ahead. Learning to appreciate the subtle and inexpressible and thusly finding the true variegated colors of Reality through changed perceptions. The picture uses slight hints of colors to confuse the eyes into not being fully convinced that black and white is all there is to it, and to take another look, while the black and white allows the viewer to focus on the composition and atmosphere of the picture. Like attempting to hold two opposite ideas at once, and thusly achieving Zazen/Prajna/Upaya+Mhakaruna/Pavritti/Gnosis/Nirvana/Just Vibin'   

#arts2workphilly #photography #covid19 #portrait #artifact

[herokita]

Being a freelancer means running your own business.  When I first started freelance writing, my mindset revolved around how much money to charge per word and how many assignments I could pick up every month. However, as time passed, I realized that I was going about my freelance career all wrong—I needed to treat it like a business. After all, I had become an entrepreneur in every sense of the word, and if you’re like me, once you realize you need help with something, a book is always the best place to seek advice.  So I set out to the library, online, and my local bookstores. I took recommendations from peers and role models, and after several years of absorbing information, these 6 books have cemented themselves as pillars to my new understanding of what it means to be an entrepreneur.  If you’re looking for some insight into your own entrepreneurial pursuits, this list is for you: 1. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight You should know right off the bat that I’m a huge advocate for running.  So right away, when I came across this book—“Shoe Dog”— by Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, I read it from cover to cover in a mad dash. And it’s not just for those who love running and sports history—Shoe Dog offers an incredible story of how one man’s passion and risk lead to creating one of the most impactful companies of all-time.  Knight shares his early life as a young man finding his way in the world. He expresses a profound love for his hometown, the athletes in his city, and chronicles his ups and downs as a young entrepreneur navigating the risky landscape of retail success.  2. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami Okay, so one more book about running, and then I’ll switch gears—I promise. “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” by Murakami is the ultimate book for writers who want to learn how to transform their passion into a successful routine. For most freelancers, they may wait to feel inspired or rely on clients to get them work, but Murakami presents the idea that a serious writer—a successful artist or creator—must be disciplined to achieve their goals. Not only that, but anyone who works from home also needs to take care of their personal health and well being! This book provides you with the wisdom you need to remain patient and diligent with your work, and most of all, to appreciate the time you have to be creative and change the world.   3. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki Believe it or not, I actually read this book as a kid, and to this day, I still follow the principles I’ve learned to ensure that money works for me—not the other way around.  Kiyosaki’s “Rich Dad Poor Dad” details two perspectives of work ethic that breeds two different results. On one hand, the man who works hard and saves makes little progress, but the man who invests and leverages income to generate more revenue is the one who retires early. Kiyosaki explains this process through his own childhood experience, comparing the habits of his own dad to the father of one of his closest friends.  For anyone who’s tired of the rat race and wants to work smarter instead of harder, this is the book for you.  4. The Warren Buffet Way by Robert G. Hagstrom Now, you don’t have to have an interest in stocks or securities to appreciate the wizardry of Warren Buffet. All you need is a passion for success and a willingness to dedicate yourself to what you love most.  Hagstrom’s “The Warren Buffet Way,” is a compelling overview of Buffet’s life and how he came to be the premier investor of the 21st century. Buffet goes into detail about how he chooses stocks, he explains the amount of work and study it takes to understand a business or industry, and he also reinforces the value in being humble with your success. For instance, he still lives in the first home he bought in Nebraska, which has appreciated multiple times over. That’s what you’ll take away from reading this book—the long-term value of money and how to plan for the future.  5. How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie I get that this book may be a little played out, but its principles still ring true to this day—anyone looking to move up the corporate ladder or forge meaningful connections on their own should learn them.  “How to Win Friends & Influence People” offers tons of practical lessons for success as a businessman or entrepreneur, but in my opinion, the greatest lesson is the idea of being proactive. Carnegie explains this process in terms of someone having a difficult boss at work. Rather than being reactive to their feedback or displeasure, you can change the outcome of circumstances by being proactive with your work ethic. The goal is to anticipate problems and reactions before they arise, and by doing so, you position yourself as a leader in the eyes of those who make important decisions.  That’s just one nugget of useful information this incredible book has to share.  6. John Fetzer: On a Handshake by Dan Ewald Lastly, Dan Ewald’s biography of the late-great John Fetzer is a story of immense success and humbleness that goes unmatched.  John Fetzer was part owner of the Detroit Tigers baseball team in 1956. Within six years, he gained full ownership and spearheaded baseball’s national television contract— which is still a major source of revenue for the organization today. Of course, being a baseball fan may make this book more enjoyable, but the greatest takeaway is Fetzer’s dedication to excellence as a leader and role model for his community.  He also founded that Fetzer Institute in Kalamazoo, MI, which is a non-profit dedicated to the principles of love and forgiveness around the world.  Keep Growing with Fiverr Don’t feel like you have to go out and read all of these books at once, but definitely choose one that you think can give you the greatest insight into your own life.  As a freelancer or business owner, it’s important to keep growing and learning, and along with these awesome books, don’t forget that Fiverr is here to help. We offer tons of opportunities to improve your skills and build your success. Check out our Learn from Fiverr courses here or you can chat with other entrepreneurs on our Fiverr forum.  Getting involved and staying productive is half the battle when it comes to your success, so use Fiverr to get your foot in the door.  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script','https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '109484383045893'); // Insert your pixel ID here. fbq('track', 'PageView'); HEROKITA.com | Digital Talents On Demand Source link

[abecamacho]

Have you ever wondered why you keep attracting the wrong type of people to your life? I used too ask myself that questions and this one bitter leader told me “ you attract what you are “ and I made that my mantra for years. The issue with this statement is that if not filtered properly it is a hopeless diagnosis, it becomes a condition without a remedy because if thats who I am, then what hope do I have, right? This statement became a source of condemnation, but not conviction.

So, I decided to do something about it. I get it, I attract those people because they are a reflection of who I am, but I don’t like that version of me.. so how do I change that? IFG read once that you are the sum result of the people closest to you. Then, it hit me, if I wanted to improve who I am, I would have to improve the people closest to me.  It’s not like we can create this invisible wall that keeps the wrong people out, but we do have the power to determine who we give access to, into our lives.

Once you build the right foundation of people in your life, they will be a great starting point to be able to help you filter the right people in your world, and why do I say the “right” people, because these 3 people are the 3 people who will help you become the person who is continually growing and becoming the leader you have been called to become.

Person #1 : Someone you’re learning from. We all need someone that we look up to, and learn from. Having someone ahead of you shows you that it is possible to become more, achieve more. You get to be continually inspired not just from books or podcasts but from a living, breathing person who has faced the challenges you’ve faced and gives you a confident assurance that it is possible. Having someone you’re learning from doesn’t save you pain, but it saves you time! You will still have to endure your own trials and challenges but you will know that if they were able to do it, you can do it too!

Person # 2 : Someone you’re building with. Life is better when we do it together! This is a fact. There’s nothing worse than the feeling of being in a room full of people but still feeling alone. This is one of the toughest impacts that social media has on us, it has wired us to become people who attract fans, but not friends. You Need Friends. People you build with are people that are “at your level”. Students, workers, people who are growing and sharpen you not because they know better, but because they believe in you. When you have people who are with you in the journey, building alongside you, it makes you realize you are not the only one playing by the rules, that why you are a part of is greater than the part you play and it’s the right person to filter with without having to wonder it will affect their view of you because they are probably facing similar challenges since they are working at the same level that you are. Friends are not a luxury, but a necessity.

Person # 3 : Someone you’re raising up. Greatness isn’t achieved by what you build but who you build. This one might be a tough one for leaders to grasp, specially if you're just getting started, but its never too early to start building up the next generation. How well we develop the next generation determines the exponential growth of our mission. Nothing validates the future of an organization like someone who is eager to learn the ropes and keep it going. People need what you have, what you carry, what you know, who you are. It is a false sense of humility to think that we have nothing of value to pass down. Every battle, scar, victory, defeat, is a nugget of wisdom that someone out there can benefit from, be open and engage the next generation!

[musingsinamericanslang]

My Journey Home Pt 1: Let Yourself Die

Hey everyone. I’m starting to do a new writing series which describes my journey of self discovery throughout this year. This is in no way meant to be an exhaustive guide on how to become perfect, because I don’t believe that’s possible. But instead, I’m writing to share little nuggets of wisdom I receive from books, nature, things I read, hear, or maybe even things I come to realize. So for those of you who read along, I hope that the stories of our journeys can enlighten and enrich our lives, collectively. 

As you are all aware, being in your 20′s is an odd time of ups and downs. In the beginning, it feels like you’re finally an adult and can go to the bar, and you have all of this freedom. But then, after graduation and subsequent periods of “un” and underemployment, life feels like this long road to nowhere. Friends start getting married, having babies, buying houses, posting seemingly endless streams of their joyous lives on social media, and we’re stuck going nowhere. For me, as it has for many, it led me to return to college not once, but twice, because I truncated my first woeful post-undergrad journey prior to feeling like I was also not “following my dreams,” or “making a difference.” And while for many this is an isolating feeling, is certainly not isolated. I read posts and hear from friends all the time about having this sentiment about relationships, personal development, careers, or a combination of all of them. And it is a sucky feeling. 

What I don’t hear about so much, but something that I often feel is a feeling of the inverse of this phenomenon. What if I had known in undergrad what direction I wanted to go? I’d have a PhD already! What if things had worked out with that girl from high school, or undergrad, or just after undergrad? I could be (hopefully) happily married with some Austin Jr’s running around by now, with a PhD! What if I had stayed devoutly religious, would I be further along the path of spiritual enlightenment now? This, too, can be burdensome, and I feel confident I’m not the only one who feels this way. 

All of this being said leads me to my nugget of wisdom taken from many religious traditions: we have to let ourselves die (per my title). Okay, I don’t mean to say that life is a meaningless void and we should all take and enact a large suicide pact. I do not mean this at all. What I mean is that in our minds, we create two versions of ourselves: one who made all the right decisions when we were younger to create some perfect life for us today, and the current, but seemingly inescapably imperfect one who has had a series of tough breaks, screw-ups, and is generally a bad decision maker. And what I am saying is that we need to let both of these fictional versions of ourselves die. 

Speaking to the death of the former, the truth is that there is no alternate version of reality where we have made all the “right” decisions which have led to some perfect, maximumly happy version of ourselves. For starters, this goes against the nature of what it means to be human. And secondly, even if such a reality existed, our consciousness does not, and it therefore becomes irrelevant and counterproductive to mourn for impossible hypotheticals. There is only now. For me, I think what we are really afraid of is the uncertainty accompanying our futures and uncertainty in general. We feel like we’ve missed our chances, and now we’re destined to some mundane existence. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Regardless of your religious or spiritual inclination, I’d posit that life isn’t coincidental. We exist and have experiences to continue to mold us into the intricate cogs in this infinite machine we call the Universe. And while ours may not look exactly the same as someone else’s, it doesn’t make us less integral to beauty of this cosmic expanse.

Speaking to the death of the latter, there is no harsher critic of us than us. In life, we won’t always say the right thing, and sometimes we can act impulsively, and sometimes we do hurt people in ways we didn’t intend. But that does not make the miracle of gravity, stardust, and the ethereal concepts of soul and mind that we are innately bad or evil. If we want to change, then let today be a little step toward that change. Don’t continue to beat yourself up over what is done. Let it be a boulder in the path of your river. The river doesn’t stop flowing because the boulder is in its way, but it flows around it, and incorporates it into a beautiful and unique feature of the river. And so too can obstacles be catalysts for positive change for us. 

Succinctly, we do not live in the past nor do we live in the future. All that exists is now. Jesus said we cannot add even 15 minutes to our lives by worrying about things since passed or things to come. The first and second lines of this sentence are essentially paraphrasing something the Buddha once said. And they were right. If we do not live in this present moment, we do not live. So instead of giving life to caricatures of non-existent versions of ourselves, let us give life to the authentic being here in this moment. 

This very evening, I was listening to the podcast, “On Being with Krista Tippett,” where she was interviewing a man named Gordon Hempton, who is a “sound ecologist.” He said, so eloquently, that silence is not absence, but presence. And in the silent places in our minds, bodies, and souls, I encourage you to be present. 

Namaste

#buddhism #self development #growth #mind #spirit #silence

[officialtgss]

Nuggets Of Wisdom

1. Dr. Ben Carson said, "I struggled academically throughout elementary school yet became the best neurosurgeon in the world in 1987."

LESSON: Struggling is a sign that you are on a verge of success. Don't quit yet.

2. Oprah Winfrey said, "I was raped at the age of 9 yet I am one of the most influential women in the World."

LESSON: Don't let your past decide your future.

3. Bill Gates said,       "I didn't even complete my university education but became the world's richest man."

LESSON: School does not make you rich. School is only supposed to polish what will make you rich, not make you rich.

4. Joyce Meyer said & I quote, "I was sexually, mentally, emotionally and verbally abused by my father as far back as I can remember, until I left home at the age of eighteen, yet I am one of the most influential preachers in the world."

LESSON: Let your past push you, not define or limit you.

5. Christiano Ronaldo said, "I told my father that we would be very rich but he couldn't believe me. I made it a reality."

LESSON: Your words rule your life. If you mean what you have said, each word will come to pass. You get what you say.

6. Hear Lionel Messi!, "I used to serve tea at a shop to support my football training and still became one of the world's best footballers."

LESSON: Believe in your dream. Don't let your pain tell you how your future will look like.

7. Steve Jobs penned, "I used to sleep on the floor in my friends' rooms, returning coke bottles for food, money, and getting weekly free meals at a local temple, I later on founded Apple Company."

LESSON: That you are small today doesn't mean you will be small tomorrow. Keep trusting God.

8. Former British PM, Tony Blair said & I quote, "My teachers used to call me a failure, but I became a Prime Minister."

LESSON: Don't let someone else's opinions of you become your reality.

9. Bishop David Oyedepo said, "I started Living Faith Church from a lawn tennis court with three members only & preached prosperity. Many of my friends criticized me, but today we have the largest church auditorium in the world & two world-class universities."

LESSON: Believe in yourself even if no one does & never think of quitting.

10. Nelson Mandela said, "I was in prison for 27 years & still became president."

LESSON: You can be anything you want to be no matter where you have been or what you have been through.

11. Mike Adenuga said, "I drove a taxi to finance my university education but today I'm a billionaire."

LESSON: Don't let your past decide the kind of future you need to have.

12. Harland Sanders, Founder of KFC said, "I was on the verge of suicide when an Idea of opening a restaurant hit me after I retired as a cook in the Navy."

LESSON: Nothing is ever too late. "Too late" is a language of failures. Your future can begin at any age. Don't ever let AGE limit you.

13. Aliko Dangote said, "I worked for my uncle since I was a small boy, people looked down on me. I later on took a loan from my uncle to open a tiny shop. I worked hard to make ends meet. Now I am the richest Man in Africa.

LESSON: Failures or limitations of the past have no control over the greatness in you. To him that believes, all things are possible.

14. Barack Hussein Obama said, I am a son of a black immigrant from Kenya, I graduated from Harvard and later on became a Senator in Chicago. I was also the President of the most powerful nation on Earth.

LESSON: Never design your life like a garden where anyone can walk in and out. Design it like the sky where everyone aspires to reach!

15. Arnold Swarzzenegger said, I traveled to America in search of financial independence when I was 15 years old. I became the world's strongest man 7 times and Mr Universe. I then got my Economics degree, then I became one of Hollywood's best actors before I was voted twice as governor of California."

LESSON: Don't wait for everybody to believe in your ability and dreams.

#wisdom #wise words #blog post #My writing #writing #writerschallenge #writers on tumblr #publishing #author #authencity #TGSS #society #WritingCommunity

[ncmagroup]

Your ideas will never fly if you can’t move people to action

by Michael Thompson

Imagine you are the CEO of a multinational company, and you are propositioned by a young founder to leave your position to join forces with their four-year-old company that started out of a garage.

If you are anything like me, the decision would be a no-brainer: Why roll the dice on a “maybe” when your reality was a sure thing?

This too was the initial thinking of John Sculley, former CEO of Pepsi, when faced with the exact circumstances stated above.

However, Sculley’s thinking immediately changed when the young founder gunned a knockout pitch that simultaneously hit both his heart and head:

“Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want to come with me and change the world?”

When we think about how to build success, most people think about grit, determination, and patience. And don’t get me wrong, these characteristics are indeed important.

But if you want to be successful in 2019, we must also learn how to be more persuasive. This is for the simple fact that no matter how great your ideas if you cannot move other people to action, they will never fly.

To get you started on your journey to be more persuasive, below are a collection of persuasive phrases that have helped me time and time again during my twenty-year career in sales, communication, and career coaching.

However, before we jump into the list, I want to make one thing clear: If you want to be more persuasive, you cannot see “No” as the enemy. The most persuasive people do not lose a wink of sleep when it comes to being rejected. But what does keep them up at night is the “I don’t know,” aka — the dreaded undecided.

That being said, the purpose of the list below, is not to help you move everyone to action. The purpose of the list below is to help you move the right people to action. The people who already have a spear in the closet and are eager to finally have a chance to throw it.

Let’s dig in.

1. “On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you about this proposal?”

This may sound basic, but just hear me out. Most likely, when asking someone how they feel about a proposal, you will get a safe answer. Most people’s instinct is to then follow up that answer with the standard: “What can we do to make it a 10?”

But instead of moving north, flip the script and ask them why they didn’t say a lower number.

According to Daniel Pink, the New York Times bestselling author on motivation and human behavior, this fun little switch accomplishes two things.

First, by forcing the conversation to start positive, the person you are speaking with will begin to justify for themselves why they should indeed work with you: “Well, I do like the time-saving aspect of your product.” “Well, it will save us money.” “Well, the company you represent does have a great reputation.” All of which are much more effective than you listing out the positive characteristics of your proposal.

Secondly, by starting with the positive aspects, it will make it much easier for the person you are speaking with to lower their guard when it comes time to talk about what is holding them back from making a decision.

Like I alluded to in the intro, the biggest impediment to progress is indecision. This nice little turn of phrase works like magic to cut through this confusion.

2. “On a scale of 1 to 10, how close are you to making a decision, but you can’t say 7?”

Over the years, Tim Ferriss has graced us with a million and one nuggets of wisdom. But when it comes to persuading others, the question above may be the most valuable.

In the world of persuasion, seven signifies “Let me think about it,” which if you ask anyone in sales, the number seven, 99% of the time, is just a polite way of saying, “No.”

However, the question above forces people to give you an answer. By reading their body language, and listening to their tone of voice, you can easily tell if a six really means — “Not a chance.” Or if an eight really means — “You got me, but I need just one more push.”

So force people to give you an eight. Then ask them what needs to happen for it to be a ten.

Or force people to give you a six. Then steal a line from Daniel Pink and ask them why it wasn’t a lower number.

Both of these questions will help you to better understand what the joy and pain points are of the people you are speaking with while giving you a gauge of how close or far away they really are from moving forward.

3. “Here is what most people do next.”

If you want to move people to action, no matter how much you may want to shake someone and say, “This is what you need to do,” you can’t.

However, the words, “Here is what most people do next” serve the same purpose. But are cushioned in much softer language.

By using these words you gently guide people into having to make a decision as to whether they will take the next step or not. Again, their body language and tone will tell you everything you need to know. Are they pausing? Are they keeping eye contact? The signs are everywhere as long as you pay attention and ask people where they truly stand.

On top of that, the words, “Here is what most people do next,” also serve two more benefits.

First, they provide safety in numbers. This is because it shows that other people have made the same decision in the past — and it worked out just fine for them.

Lastly, these words get people thinking about what they would miss if they passed on the opportunity, which according to Robert Cialdini, author of Influence and Pre-Suasion, motivates people much more than simply listing what they will gain.

4. “If I can do A, B, and C for you, will you move forward?”

This is a simple way to measure interest and better identify exactly what the person you are speaking with both wants and needs. I used this phrase every day for five years in my first sales job, and it worked like a charm.

After getting clear on exactly what the person in front of you is looking to accomplish, simply end your conversation with the words — “From the time we have spent together, I can tell that A, B, and C matter a great deal to you. If tomorrow when we talk we can accomplish these three things, will you move forward?”

This question is very hard to walk away from. As a result, out of courtesy, most people are going to say yes. Since most people don’t want to break their word, you can use this courtesy to your advantage and use it as a way to hold them accountable if they begin to get cold feet.

5. “How open are you to…?”

If you were to ask the people around you if they considered themselves open-minded or close-minded, what do you think they would say?

Open-minded, right?

So when gauging the interest of someone, use this to your advantage. Ask the people that you want to persuade how open they are to trying new things or how open they are to get started today.

If they say they are, shut up and break out the paperwork.

If they say they aren’t, ask them the following question that everyone wants to know the answer to, but few actually ask…

6. “What is stopping you from moving forward?”

Hands down the biggest impediment to getting things done is not knowing exactly why someone is not moving forward.

So save yourself the headache and just ask.

The sooner you know where people honestly stand, the sooner you can identify if there is a real possibility of them moving forward with you or not.

7. “I bet you are a bit like me and…”

The easiest way to get people to say “Yes” at the end of your proposal is by getting them to say “Yes” throughout the conversation.

The beauty of the words, “I bet you are a bit like me” is they accomplish just that while framing the benefits of your proposal in a way that makes them envision using it — which can be extremely persuasive.

“I bet you are a bit like me and you like to try new things?”

“I bet you are a bit like me and have little time to waste, so you jump at the opportunity to try out a new process to speed things up?”

“I bet you are a bit like me and love to save money while reducing the headaches in your life?

All of these phrases are very difficult to say no to, and as your conversation progresses, it can also be used to warm the water of your clients if you feel that their feet are starting to get cold.

8. “Take a second and imagine…”

There is a reason I began this article with the word imagine. This is because it tells you that a story is coming, and much like the words “Once upon a time…” they immediately grab people’s attention. This is for the simple fact that all of us love a good story.

Not only that but like I alluded to in the point above, people never do things without first imagining themselves doing it. So use this to your advantage and use the power of storytelling to help them envision their life with or without your product or service.

Imagine the smile of your wife’s face when she opens this gift.

Imagine how happy your boss will be when he/she saw that you took the initiative.

Just imagine…

9. “I’m not sure if this is for you.”

Most people do not like to be pressured into making decisions. The beauty of the words above is they immediately take the pressure off and put people at ease.

However, if the people you are speaking with are anything like me, the odds are high that as soon as they hear the words, “I’m not sure if this is for you,” they will be immediately intrigued.

“I am not sure if this product is for you, but is there anyone in your office who would be interested in learning more about our team building platform?”

“I am not sure if this course is for you, but do you know anyone who is interested in learning how to write more effective copy?”

“I am not sure if my services are for you, but do you know someone in your network who is looking to create more opportunities?”

These questions immediately get people’s attention. And if they are indeed looking to accomplish what your proposal provides, they are sure to respond with the words every person in sales (which is all of us) long to hear — “Tell me more.”

Pulling It All Together

Over the last twenty years, I have worked across three continents. The one thing common to all the successful people I have met is they’re like Steve Jobs—they know how to move people to action.

But they didn’t leave it to chance. They took courses on how to be more persuasive. They had coaches that taught them how to give persuasive presentations. They took sales jobs despite being scared to sell.

They collected persuasive phrases like the ones above that benefitted them, and more importantly, the people they were working with.

In short, they did the work. And they did the work because they understood that their future depends on their ability to persuade today.

Most people have good ideas. The problem is most people don’t know how to sell them. Imagine if you were one of the people who could? How would your life be different?

Persuasion is a skill.

The question then becomes: are you someone who is going to learn it?

  Go to our website:   www.ncmalliance.com

Persuasive Phrases: 9 Lines That Will Get People to Commit Your ideas will never fly if you can’t move people to action by Michael Thompson Imagine you are the CEO of a multinational company, and you are propositioned by a young founder to leave your position to join forces with their four-year-old company that started out of a garage.

[thejustinmarshall]

31 Things Skiing Can Teach Us About Life

There was hardly enough room for two cars to pass each other at 50 mph, let alone a car and something much bigger than a car. On a curvy, narrow road with no shoulder (and often no center line) on the Isle of Skye, I was a little gripped. Driving on the left side of the road, manual transmission with the shifter and pedals switched from American cars I’m used to driving, you might say it was far from a relaxing drive along the coast. Every time a car approached from the other direction on the really tight parts, I felt my arms and core tense up, and then relax again as the car passed.

But then, of course, a bus came flying around a curve. Were its wheels on the center line? Oh, they’re over the center line. This’ll be exciting. Don’t hit the bus, Brendan, don’t hit the bus. Instead of watching the bus’s tires to see how far they were in my (already narrow) lane, I stared at the edge of the road on my side, hoping my left tire had a few more inches of asphalt over there. I probably held my breath. Don’t look at the bus don’t look at the bus don’t look at the bus. The bus passed.

But then, later, more buses. Trucks. We were on the island for five days, and every day was a new thrill for me, in the driver’s seat. I never hit anything with that pristine little rental car, because someone a long time ago told me the secret to skiing in the trees: Don’t look at what you don’t want to hit. If you don’t want to hit a tree, don’t look at the trees. Your skis will go where you look.

This idea, I found, also works in mountain biking, and in life in general: Look where you want to go. Obsessing over all the bad things that could happen doesn’t mean you’re going to run into those bad things (like when you’re skiing trees), but it’s a waste of time. It’s better to obsess over the things you want to happen (and work to make them happen).

We often think of skiing as a break from our normal life, as a vacation. But if it’s worth doing, it’s probably worth learning from. I started thinking about all the things I’ve learned from skiing—the value of earning your turns, you wear a helmet not because you’re a bad skier but because other people are bad skiers, don’t try to teach your partner/spouse to ski, the value of always trying to make better turns [LINK: https://semi-rad.com/2016/02/the-search-for-the-perfect-turn/ ] — and thought other people might have some ski-gained life wisdom as well. So I asked. Here are some of their answers.

“How to live in the moment. And embrace it. As humans, I think we rarely do that. Also, on the chairlift, how to listen to hear, not respond. Lot to learn if you just let people talk.”

—Peter Kray

“The longer you stare over the edge, the harder it gets to actually drop in.”

—Danielle Tarloffski

“Skiing has taught me a key principal of safe urban bike commuting (and general situational awareness): Head on a swivel! Keeping as close to 360 visibility at all times by constantly looking around is important when skiers and snowboards are bombing downhill from behind you, just like cars speeding past on the road. I bet you that bike commuters who also ski are in less accidents than bike commuters who do not.”

—Jaeger Shaw

“You should always trust your gut. When it’s telling you not to do something, it’s usually right.”

—Kristina Ciari

“Complaining about the weather is a waste of energy. Just smile about it. You can’t get hurt going fast—it’s the sudden stop that gets you. And nobody cares if you’re accomplished at x and they value y.”

—Ben White

“During first lesson, my instructor said, ‘Don’t stare down the whole mountain. It’s intimidating. Just look at where you are standing and do what I tell you. When we get to the bottom, you can look back UP the mountain and be proud.’ Man. Has that turned out to be valuable life advice.”

—Barbara Neff

“Here’s what skiing has taught me to apply to the rest of my life:

Happiness = Reality-Expectations.

I went skiing in Japan a few years ago with my husband, it was everything they say it should be. So, two years later, I brought a few friends back to Japan with me. I had inflated what skiing in Japan was like and then over-inflated that expectation to them. When we arrived and there was 2-3 inches of snow and somewhat warm temperatures, we were all SUPER bummed. But how stupid is that? We were with our best friends, in an INCREDIBLE place, in what on any other day would have been super fun conditions, yet, we had chalked it up to be something magical and were disappointed when it wasn’t. It’s a tough practice, but I’ve learned to set those expectations aside and just remind myself that I am there for the adventure, no matter what happens, and that I can find nuggets of happiness anywhere.”

—Sam Kilgore

“Backcountry skiing taught me to slow down and communicate with others. To speak up and often to keep that door open regarding decisions and risk.”

—Dan Ives

“Get excited about what’s next, not fearful.

The difference between adventure/fun and an epic/catastrophe is having a partner. Suffering is a solitary, singular venture. Comedy is community perspective. Think about it, hiking a ridgeline in a whiteout, wind blowing a bajillion miles an hour is a brutal shitshow on your own. But with a pal, it’s a ‘what the hell are we doing here’ giggle fest. Same is true in life.

Also, don’t ration your passion. Express and trumpet your happiness, your stoke. If you’re having fun, tell those around you. Psyched on the line your skiing? Whoop-n-holler during and hi5 after. Stoked that you just landed that job, paid your bills, made yourself dinner, went on a great date with that special somebody? Deploy your barbaric yawp.”

—Paddy O’Connell

“Ski the turn you’re in. Regardless of how far or hard something is, you can only do the thing you’re doing at that moment. Doing those small things, like a single ski turn, over and over are what make up big things, whether it’s work or an adventure. You need to be mindful of where you are in the ever present moment. Secondly: You have to make the turn. You can’t be passive. If you sit back and let stuff happen to you, you end up getting bounced around, go off-course, and it can end badly. You need to be dynamic, take control, and commit over and over.”

—Alicia MacLeay

“As a ‘recovering’ tele skier, every time I thought I had my tele turn perfected I found the hard way that I didn’t. Same with life. Get back up and keep working to get better.”

—Patrick Stoneking

“When I was quitting my last job, I kept thinking about standing on the edge of a cornice before jumping. Everything I’d done to that point had prepared me to jump: I’d jumped off little bumps, then rocks, then jumps, I’d practiced landing and knew that even if I fell (because I had before) I could pick myself up, brush myself off, and laugh about it later. I knew the snow was soft, but ultimately I still have to take that deep breath and slide forward. Quitting my job felt the same, standing on the edge, having an idea of what my future could feel like but not knowing for sure, and having the confidence that I’d be okay no matter how I landed. It was scary to jump, but jumping turned out to be the most important thing I ever could have done.”

—Elizabeth Williams

“Backcountry skiing and splitboarding have taught me to plan everything better, to scope the whole scene and be prepared for everything. My example: being in too big of a rush to get to the toilet without scoping the whole scene and not having TP …”

—Reid Pitman

“One thing I’ve learned through skiing and other adventures like rock climbing, is to take risks and be less scared. The bad outcome usually not nearly as bad as you envision.”

—Russ Rizzo

“I’ve fully embraced the ‘the last one down’s having the most fun’ mantra. Sliding down snowy mountains is just fun, and life should be too. So don’t take this shit so seriously.”

—Maro LeBlance

“#1: Don’t leave good snow for the chance of better snow. This is not the opposite of ‘you deserve better’ or ‘treat yo self.’ It’s more about taking the moment to appreciate what you’ve already worked for, and how good you’ve got it. I think Moses may have said this first as don’t covet your neighbor’s wife.

#2: Happiness in the moment is directly correlated to the expectations you set previously, and you’re 100 percent in control of your expectations. The only shitty ski days I’ve had are when I just ‘knew’ it was gonna be a sweet powder day with tons of vert, and then it wasn’t. I’ve also had amazing ski days of 1000’ vert in the rain, because I was expecting 500. This works for buying houses, getting jobs, cooking dinners, etc.

#3: Skin tracks are better when you keep your chin up and look around, keep your heart rate low enough to breathe, and make your kick-turns razor sharp. AKA, don’t burn out and take the time to do a good job you’re proud of, or else the reward from your job won’t even be worth it.”

—Peter Wadsworth

“Even something as fun as skiing can very dangerous—it will kill you if you’re not super careful and take the time understand the dynamics of the medium on which you are playing.”

—Graham Zimmerman

“While being the best is fun, it’s not always the most important. Knowing that someone (or lots of someones) can send it harder and better but having the courage to do it alongside them anyways can be just as rewarding.”

—Claire Rabun Storrs

“When things get too fast and out of control, sit down.”

—James Larkin

“If you’re not falling, you’re not learning anything.”

—Drew DeMarie

“Things are not always as they appear. The Imperial Express Superchair looks insane but once you get up to the top, it’s not that bad. Conversely, after that run, the Horseshoe Bowl doesn’t look scary at all until you drop in and ask ‘WTF am I supposed to do now?’ because it’s so steep.”

—Joe Engels

“It’s nice to have a sandwich with you.”

—Mike SanClements

“What has cost you more in life, patience or impatience?”

—Rob Coppolillo

“There are a lot of ways to enjoy the snow. Not all of them are the same way you enjoy the snow. Other people choosing to enjoy something you love but in a different way is ok. It even can make it better. Skiers would have never had halfpipes and snow parks without snowboarders. So moral of the story: let other people enjoy life. They’re probably making your life richer for being around them.”

—Jesse Finch Gnehm

“Backcountry skiing has taught me a ton about life. Primarily the uphill part. It’s relatable to life in that nothing just happens. You don’t just have this divine moment to where you’re able to say you’re at the top. It’s small continual steps that get you there, that came by planning, working your ass off in whatever the conditions may have been and keeping a positive mindset that you’d make it. I guess the flip side of it all is that as soon as you’re to the top it’s only a matter of time till you’re working on something else.”

—Andrew Petersen

The post 31 Things Skiing Can Teach Us About Life appeared first on semi-rad.com.

from Explore https://semi-rad.com/2018/12/31-things-skiing-can-teach-us-about-life/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[olivereliott]

31 Things Skiing Can Teach Us About Life

There was hardly enough room for two cars to pass each other at 50 mph, let alone a car and something much bigger than a car. On a curvy, narrow road with no shoulder (and often no center line) on the Isle of Skye, I was a little gripped. Driving on the left side of the road, manual transmission with the shifter and pedals switched from American cars I’m used to driving, you might say it was far from a relaxing drive along the coast. Every time a car approached from the other direction on the really tight parts, I felt my arms and core tense up, and then relax again as the car passed.

But then, of course, a bus came flying around a curve. Were its wheels on the center line? Oh, they’re over the center line. This’ll be exciting. Don’t hit the bus, Brendan, don’t hit the bus. Instead of watching the bus’s tires to see how far they were in my (already narrow) lane, I stared at the edge of the road on my side, hoping my left tire had a few more inches of asphalt over there. I probably held my breath. Don’t look at the bus don’t look at the bus don’t look at the bus. The bus passed.

But then, later, more buses. Trucks. We were on the island for five days, and every day was a new thrill for me, in the driver’s seat. I never hit anything with that pristine little rental car, because someone a long time ago told me the secret to skiing in the trees: Don’t look at what you don’t want to hit. If you don’t want to hit a tree, don’t look at the trees. Your skis will go where you look.

This idea, I found, also works in mountain biking, and in life in general: Look where you want to go. Obsessing over all the bad things that could happen doesn’t mean you’re going to run into those bad things (like when you’re skiing trees), but it’s a waste of time. It’s better to obsess over the things you want to happen (and work to make them happen).

We often think of skiing as a break from our normal life, as a vacation. But if it’s worth doing, it’s probably worth learning from. I started thinking about all the things I’ve learned from skiing—the value of earning your turns, you wear a helmet not because you’re a bad skier but because other people are bad skiers, don’t try to teach your partner/spouse to ski, the value of always trying to make better turns [LINK: https://semi-rad.com/2016/02/the-search-for-the-perfect-turn/ ] — and thought other people might have some ski-gained life wisdom as well. So I asked. Here are some of their answers.

“How to live in the moment. And embrace it. As humans, I think we rarely do that. Also, on the chairlift, how to listen to hear, not respond. Lot to learn if you just let people talk.”

—Peter Kray

“The longer you stare over the edge, the harder it gets to actually drop in.”

—Danielle Tarloffski

“Skiing has taught me a key principal of safe urban bike commuting (and general situational awareness): Head on a swivel! Keeping as close to 360 visibility at all times by constantly looking around is important when skiers and snowboards are bombing downhill from behind you, just like cars speeding past on the road. I bet you that bike commuters who also ski are in less accidents than bike commuters who do not.”

—Jaeger Shaw

“You should always trust your gut. When it’s telling you not to do something, it’s usually right.”

—Kristina Ciari

“Complaining about the weather is a waste of energy. Just smile about it. You can’t get hurt going fast—it’s the sudden stop that gets you. And nobody cares if you’re accomplished at x and they value y.”

—Ben White

“During first lesson, my instructor said, ‘Don’t stare down the whole mountain. It’s intimidating. Just look at where you are standing and do what I tell you. When we get to the bottom, you can look back UP the mountain and be proud.’ Man. Has that turned out to be valuable life advice.”

—Barbara Neff

“Here’s what skiing has taught me to apply to the rest of my life:

Happiness = Reality-Expectations.

I went skiing in Japan a few years ago with my husband, it was everything they say it should be. So, two years later, I brought a few friends back to Japan with me. I had inflated what skiing in Japan was like and then over-inflated that expectation to them. When we arrived and there was 2-3 inches of snow and somewhat warm temperatures, we were all SUPER bummed. But how stupid is that? We were with our best friends, in an INCREDIBLE place, in what on any other day would have been super fun conditions, yet, we had chalked it up to be something magical and were disappointed when it wasn’t. It’s a tough practice, but I’ve learned to set those expectations aside and just remind myself that I am there for the adventure, no matter what happens, and that I can find nuggets of happiness anywhere.”

—Sam Kilgore

“Backcountry skiing taught me to slow down and communicate with others. To speak up and often to keep that door open regarding decisions and risk.”

—Dan Ives

“Get excited about what’s next, not fearful.

The difference between adventure/fun and an epic/catastrophe is having a partner. Suffering is a solitary, singular venture. Comedy is community perspective. Think about it, hiking a ridgeline in a whiteout, wind blowing a bajillion miles an hour is a brutal shitshow on your own. But with a pal, it’s a ‘what the hell are we doing here’ giggle fest. Same is true in life.

Also, don’t ration your passion. Express and trumpet your happiness, your stoke. If you’re having fun, tell those around you. Psyched on the line your skiing? Whoop-n-holler during and hi5 after. Stoked that you just landed that job, paid your bills, made yourself dinner, went on a great date with that special somebody? Deploy your barbaric yawp.”

—Paddy O’Connell

“Ski the turn you’re in. Regardless of how far or hard something is, you can only do the thing you’re doing at that moment. Doing those small things, like a single ski turn, over and over are what make up big things, whether it’s work or an adventure. You need to be mindful of where you are in the ever present moment. Secondly: You have to make the turn. You can’t be passive. If you sit back and let stuff happen to you, you end up getting bounced around, go off-course, and it can end badly. You need to be dynamic, take control, and commit over and over.”

—Alicia MacLeay

“As a ‘recovering’ tele skier, every time I thought I had my tele turn perfected I found the hard way that I didn’t. Same with life. Get back up and keep working to get better.”

—Patrick Stoneking

“When I was quitting my last job, I kept thinking about standing on the edge of a cornice before jumping. Everything I’d done to that point had prepared me to jump: I’d jumped off little bumps, then rocks, then jumps, I’d practiced landing and knew that even if I fell (because I had before) I could pick myself up, brush myself off, and laugh about it later. I knew the snow was soft, but ultimately I still have to take that deep breath and slide forward. Quitting my job felt the same, standing on the edge, having an idea of what my future could feel like but not knowing for sure, and having the confidence that I’d be okay no matter how I landed. It was scary to jump, but jumping turned out to be the most important thing I ever could have done.”

—Elizabeth Williams

“Backcountry skiing and splitboarding have taught me to plan everything better, to scope the whole scene and be prepared for everything. My example: being in too big of a rush to get to the toilet without scoping the whole scene and not having TP …”

—Reid Pitman

“One thing I’ve learned through skiing and other adventures like rock climbing, is to take risks and be less scared. The bad outcome usually not nearly as bad as you envision.”

—Russ Rizzo

“I’ve fully embraced the ‘the last one down’s having the most fun’ mantra. Sliding down snowy mountains is just fun, and life should be too. So don’t take this shit so seriously.”

—Maro LeBlance

“#1: Don’t leave good snow for the chance of better snow. This is not the opposite of ‘you deserve better’ or ‘treat yo self.’ It’s more about taking the moment to appreciate what you’ve already worked for, and how good you’ve got it. I think Moses may have said this first as don’t covet your neighbor’s wife.

#2: Happiness in the moment is directly correlated to the expectations you set previously, and you’re 100 percent in control of your expectations. The only shitty ski days I’ve had are when I just ‘knew’ it was gonna be a sweet powder day with tons of vert, and then it wasn’t. I’ve also had amazing ski days of 1000’ vert in the rain, because I was expecting 500. This works for buying houses, getting jobs, cooking dinners, etc.

#3: Skin tracks are better when you keep your chin up and look around, keep your heart rate low enough to breathe, and make your kick-turns razor sharp. AKA, don’t burn out and take the time to do a good job you’re proud of, or else the reward from your job won’t even be worth it.”

—Peter Wadsworth

“Even something as fun as skiing can very dangerous—it will kill you if you’re not super careful and take the time understand the dynamics of the medium on which you are playing.”

—Graham Zimmerman

“While being the best is fun, it’s not always the most important. Knowing that someone (or lots of someones) can send it harder and better but having the courage to do it alongside them anyways can be just as rewarding.”

—Claire Rabun Storrs

“When things get too fast and out of control, sit down.”

—James Larkin

“If you’re not falling, you’re not learning anything.”

—Drew DeMarie

“Things are not always as they appear. The Imperial Express Superchair looks insane but once you get up to the top, it’s not that bad. Conversely, after that run, the Horseshoe Bowl doesn’t look scary at all until you drop in and ask ‘WTF am I supposed to do now?’ because it’s so steep.”

—Joe Engels

“It’s nice to have a sandwich with you.”

—Mike SanClements

“What has cost you more in life, patience or impatience?”

—Rob Coppolillo

“There are a lot of ways to enjoy the snow. Not all of them are the same way you enjoy the snow. Other people choosing to enjoy something you love but in a different way is ok. It even can make it better. Skiers would have never had halfpipes and snow parks without snowboarders. So moral of the story: let other people enjoy life. They’re probably making your life richer for being around them.”

—Jesse Finch Gnehm

“Backcountry skiing has taught me a ton about life. Primarily the uphill part. It’s relatable to life in that nothing just happens. You don’t just have this divine moment to where you’re able to say you’re at the top. It’s small continual steps that get you there, that came by planning, working your ass off in whatever the conditions may have been and keeping a positive mindset that you’d make it. I guess the flip side of it all is that as soon as you’re to the top it’s only a matter of time till you’re working on something else.”

—Andrew Petersen

The post 31 Things Skiing Can Teach Us About Life appeared first on semi-rad.com.

[fadingfartconnoisseur]

How to Use Your Social Network to Travel the World

One of my favorite websites is Couchsurfing. This website allows you to connect with locals abroad and get a place to stay, a friend to show you around, and local information. I remember I used it when I was first traveling and stayed at this lovely home in Athens. I’ve grown to love it even more since they have a “who’s nearby” feature on their app, which I heavily used in France last year.

Celinne, on the other hand, created – and used – her own personal social network. She traveled the world only staying with friends and friends of friends. She reached out on the web and found strangers will to open their home to her. Not only did this help her lower her travel costs, it allowed her to meet wonderful, fascinating, and kind hearted people. To me, travel is about the human connections we make – and she found a way to make some great ones. Here’s her sharing her story, what inspired to do this, and what she learned along the way.

Nomadic Matt: Tell us about yourself. Who are you? What drives you? Celinne da Costa: My love story with travel dates as far back as I can remember: I was born in the heart of Rome, Italy, to an immigrant Brazilian mother and a German-raised Italian father. Since leaving Italy, I’ve gone from living in the quintessential suburbia neighborhoods that American dreams are made of, to frenziedly exploring Philadelphia while balancing my studies at University of Pennsylvania, to adventuring my way through every nook and cranny of New York City. Last year, I left behind my corporate advertising job in the city to design my dream life from scratch. I began with a journey around the world, in which I harnessed the power of human connection and kindness to stay with 70+ strangers in 17 countries across four continents.

Eighteen months later, I’m still traveling full-time and writing a book about my experience circumnavigating the globe by couchsurfing through my social network.

What fuels your passion for travel? Travel accelerates my personal growth and challenges me to become the best version of myself. There are so many beautiful places in the world, but after a while, they begin to blend into one another. What truly makes travel valuable is the lessons it can teach you, if you are willing to be present and pay attention to your environment.

Travel has helped me develop the humility and goodwill to learn from people that I meet along the way. It has pushed me to understand my insignificance on this planet, yet still take actions that will positively impact others. Most importantly, it has challenged me to open my heart to others and live in the moment. Ultimately, travel is not a matter of what I see, but who I become along the way. I don’t need to see the entire world. I just want to feel it run through my veins.

Tell us about this long adventure you were just on. How did you think of it? How long did it last? Where did you go? What did you do? I didn’t want to just quit my corporate 9-5 job on a whim and travel the world without a plan. I wanted to make travel into a lifestyle, not a sabbatical, so I decided to design a project that would 1. incorporate my main passions (travel, writing, and making connections with interesting humans) and 2. create opportunities for a lifestyle change once I was done. I challenged myself to design my dream life, attempt to live it out for six months and re-evaluate once I got there.

That’s where the idea of my social experiment came from: I circumnavigated the globe by couchsurfing through my network. I wanted to reincorporate real human connection back into my life. I never used the Couchsurfing website since everyone who hosted me was connected to me somehow (friends, friends of friends, people I met on the road).

I ended up being on the road for nine months for this project, and having 73 hosts in 17 countries across 4 continents: I passed through Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and the US.

How did you actually find hosts to host you? How far ahead did you know where you were going to sleep?  There were no websites involved! Only sheer human connection. All the interactions were initiated by me and were enabled by my phone (texting, voice notes, calling) and social media (mostly Instagram and Facebook).

I reached out to everyone I knew telling them about my project and asking whether they knew someone they could connect me with. I kept moving from one connection to the next until I found someone willing to host me. As my project grew and people started finding out about it, hosts started to reach out to me through Instagram.

I only had a one-way ticket to Italy (where I’m originally from) booked – everything else was on the whim. I had a general trajectory of where I was going, and I would add or subtract places depending on my hosting situation. There were places I wanted to visit no matter what, so there were often times when I was down to the wire and didn’t find a host until super last minute. Other times, I had hosts lined up months ahead. It always worked out – I was only left without a host once, in Dubrovnik, Croatia. I ended up renting a cheap room last minute, but luckily, I did make some local friends on that trip so I’ll have a place to stay if I return!

What was the furthest connection with a host that you stayed with? How did that happen? My furthest connection was seven degrees in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was: my mom’s friend’s girlfriend’s client’s client’s co-worker’s friend. It was crazy how it happened. I kept struggling to find a place, and each person would pass me along to someone else they knew until eventually, someone was available and willing to host. This happened several times during my travels – I also had plenty of five- and six-degree connections. I was taken aback by how dedicated people were to finding me a place to stay.

Did you ever meet someone on the road and stay with them? Or did you strictly stay with friends of friends? Yes, all the time! There was never a point when I had all my hosts lined up – I usually had my next couple of destinations planned, and everything else up in the air. I was constantly meeting and befriending travelers on the road, and upon hearing about my project, a vast majority would offer to host me without me even asking.

For example, I met an older gentleman for all of 30 minutes as I was leaving a meditation retreat in Nepal (which, funny enough, was also part of my project: my Kathmandu’s cousin worked so I was his guest). Despite knowing me so briefly, he offered to host me in Tasmania. I ended up visiting his and his wife’s farm (located in the middle of nowhere) six months later with another host, and it was amazing. Four complete strangers ended up spending an entire evening sharing stories about our travels and philosophies on life over a feast of freshly caught crayfish and vegetables picked from their garden.

Tell us a few host stories that completely surprised you when you were on the road. If there is anything I learned from meeting hundreds of people during my travels, it’s that there is so much more than we could ever fathom going on below the surface of a human being. It is our nature to categorize things. With people, it tends to be by culture, race, geography, religion, etc. If you make an active effort to put these categories aside, sit down with locals, and demonstrate some basic interest in their lives and stories, you’ll find that each person is their own universe. In fact, the most incredible nuggets of wisdom I’ve gotten came from people who didn’t even realize their own brilliance.

One of my favorite encounters was with Maung, an older gentleman that I met who was a hotel manager in Myanmar. After some conversation, I found out he smuggled cows to Thailand for a living when he was younger, and was a commander in the guerilla fighting movement against the oppressive regime alongside a monk who later became famous for his humanitarian efforts towards orphaned children. What a story!

Then, there is Adam, the Italian-American host I fell head-over-heels in love with (spoiler: we broke up). We grew up less than an hour away from each other in the US yet I found him while he was living in Australia.

Lastly, I’ll never forget asking my host Anna in Bali whether she knew of a spiritual healer and her telling me that she lived with one. That week, I spent most of my evenings sitting on their porch in an Ubud village, discussing the meaning of love and happiness as they proceeded to school me on life with their wise Balinese philosophy.

What challenges did you have couchsurfing around the world? How did you deal with them? I could never predict the comfort or location convenience of my accommodation, so I really had to learn to go with the flow and not set any expectations. I’ve stayed in penthouses with my own private room, bathroom, and maid, and I’ve also stayed in cots on the floor of a village with a hole for a toilet. It’s funny because some of my most “uncomfortable” hosting accommodations ended up being my richest and best experiences, and vice versa.

Also, “reading” my hosts was a challenge. Their reasons for hosting me were so different: some wanted to pay it forward, others wanted to actively show me their city and pick my brain, others were only offering a place to stay but didn’t necessarily want to socialize. I had to sharpen my people skills so I could stay respectful and intuitive to people’s boundaries (or lack thereof).

What are your tips for people who are inspired by your story and want to do this on their own? What are some great resources you suggest to use? Identify what you are passionate about, and try to build your travels around what works for you. My project was successful because I tapped into my strengths and passions. If you’d like to create a project around your travels, I suggest you customize it around your preferences: if you are an introvert and hate talking to people, for example, spending hours a day chatting with people and asking them to host you may not be the best idea. Make your journey fun by catering to what you realistically feel comfortable and happy doing, and make sure you do some planning ahead of time.

My best resource was fellow travelers who had also done round-the-world trips. When I was thinking about doing this trip, I reached out to full-time travelers on Instagram, asked friends if they knew people who went on long travel trips, and did a lot of “blog surfing.” I had so many Skype calls with strangers who had just finished round-the-world trips before I left for my own. Talking through my doubts, fears, and confusions – and being reassured that I would be okay – made me so much more comfortable with leaving.

Specifically, my trip was inspired by one of my mentors Leon Logothetis, who is the author of book (and now TV show) The Kindness Diaries. He traveled the world on a yellow motorbike relying on people to offer him gas, food, or shelter, to prove to himself and to others that humanity was kind. Other books I also read that prepared me for the trip were Vagabonding by Rolf Potts, The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton, and A New Earth: Awakening To Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle.

  How do you make your money last on the road? What are some of your best tips? My top tips for people trying to make it work financially on the road:

Know your weaknesses, and plan for them. I’m terrible at numbers and never budgeted before, but I knew I would have to if I wanted to make this work financially. I created an excel sheet and for the past 18 months, have been documenting and categorizing every single expense so I can track where I need to cut down if necessary. I also knew I’d go crazy if I didn’t occasionally treat myself to something I liked but wasn’t necessary, so I gave myself a monthly “frivolous stuff” allowance.

Always remember that you can barter or negotiate. Traveling and negotiating on the road taught me that currency is not only monetary – it is social as well. I did not have abundant funds, but I did have a skillset: I am a brand strategist by trade, as well as a writer, social media influencer, and content creator. When negotiating with dollars didn’t get me anywhere, I would offer my services in exchange for goods or services of similar perceived value. In many areas of the world, people respond favorably to a favor exchange. If marketing isn’t your skillset, that’s totally ok too! I’ve seen people barter all kinds of skills for experiences of places to stay: for example, exchanging farm work or teaching English for room and board, helping a small business with coding a website in exchange for free tours, etc. The possibilities are endless!

Embrace the minimalist lifestyle. When I’m on the road, I live a very minimalist lifestyle. I only travel with a carry-on to keep my belongings to a minimum, I hardly buy souvenirs or clothes, I walk or take public transportation whenever possible, and I buy most of my food at the grocery store. I normally don’t pay for culture and history-related activities or tours; I email places ahead of time, tell them about my project and that I’m a writer (in addition to having my own social media following, I also write for some major publications… both which I achieved by creating this social experiment). Since I stay with locals, I don’t pay for accommodation, which helps tremendously.

Were your family and friends supportive of your traveling adventure? Surprisingly, yes. I was originally nervous to tell my family and friends about my plan to quit my job to travel around the world by sleeping in random people’s homes – I really expected them to try to talk me out of it. Although a handful of them did, the vast majority had a response along the lines of “Yes! You need to do this!”

I was overwhelmed by the support, how much they believed in me, and how they supported me along the way, emotionally as well as by connecting me to potential hosts. I couldn’t have made it without them!

What’s on your bucket list? Oof, am I allowed to say every country in the world? If had to narrow down to five places that I’m itching to see, they are: Peru, Bolvia, Antarctica, Japan, and the Philippines. Now I just need to find hosts there!

  Do you have any advice for people that feel like Couchsurfing is something dangerous that they could never do? Yes! The first rule is probably the hardest to internalize: you have to trust people. We live in a world that is constantly inundating us with news of what terrible humans we are, but that is not the case at all. I found all over the world that most people are good, and want to help. I have enough stories about people who went out of their way in kindness for me to fill a book (and that’s why I’m writing one!).

Of course, there are exceptions, and that’s where my second piece of advice comes in: trust your intuition. Western society particularly values mind over heart, and that’s something I learned to question during my time in Southeast Asia. It’s important to use rationality and logic when moving through life, but there is something about intuition that just cannot be quantified. Listen to what your gut tells you – if something is off, remove yourself from the situation, no questions asked.

Overall, I’ve surfed over 100 couches in the past couple of years and I’ve only had one bad experience which I quickly removed myself from before it escalated. Statistically, that’s a 1% weirdo rate. Believe that people are good, and that’s the world that will manifest for you!

Celinne da Costa left behind her corporate advertising job in the city to design her dream life from scratch. She began with a journey around the world, in which she harnessed the power of human connection and kindness to stay with 70+ strangers in 17 countries across four continents. Follow her journey at The Nomad’s Oasis as well as Instagram and Facebook or pick up her book of short stories, The Art of Being Human. 

Become the Next Success Story

One of my favorite parts about this job is hearing people’s travel stories. They inspire me, but more importantly, they also inspire you. I travel a certain way but there are many ways to fund your trips and travel the world. I hope these stories show you that there is more than one way to travel and that it is within your grasp to reach your travel goals. Here are more examples of people who overcame obstacles and made their travel dreams a reality:

Reader Story: How Angela Travels the World as an Au Pair

How Oneika Gets Teaching Jobs Around the World

Reader Story: How Helen Successfully Traveled and Volunteered Around Africa

Success Stories: Why Trish Sold Everything She Owned to Travel

An Interview with Lee Abbamonte, the Youngest American to Visit Every Country in the World

P.S. – I’m having a meet up on January 23rd in Queenstown. You can sign for that by clicking here! Come join the fun! Location TBD!

The post How to Use Your Social Network to Travel the World appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

via Travel Blogs http://ift.tt/2Dp6k0N

#IFTTT #Travel Blogs