#they could mean 'find it' in an organizational sense too but i doubt it and if that is the case um. bmaybe fix your search function first | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mssleepy876b · 3 years

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Family Ties- Chapter 2

Summary: Family can be a positive and negative force in one's life. Detective Jay Halstead knows that personally and he helps a new Intelligence family member through it.

Requested? No. But promised @resanoona that I would post mine once she posted hers

Word count: 1502

Warnings: domestic violence

A/n: Unedited Sorry for any mistakes

Family Ties Chapter 2

Jay was able to slip away about 20 minutes later. Brie had finally settled into a calm sleep. Now that Med and Intelligence knew her name, Brie was a priority for both staffs. The pain medication they had given her upon arrival had her sleeping for several hours. They still were able to complete most tests to evaluate her condition but there was concern about possible head injuries, but they needed her awake to test for those. Natalie waited until Brie woke up again before she ended her shift later that day. Natalie trusted Ethan to take over due to his experience with PTSD patients and Natalie worried Brie might have the early starts to it. Brie was awake and speaking to Maggie when Natalie walked in. “Hi, Brie. How do you feel?”

Maggie slid out quietly and Brie smiled as she left. “Better, Dr. Manning. Just curious about the next steps.” She said to her.

“Well, that is why I am here. I have to end my shift and unfortunately there is not a female doctor on the incoming shift, but I have a colleague that I trust that I want to introduce you to, okay?” Natalie said calmly.

Brie took a deep breath trying to control her fear. “Okay, we can try it.”

Natalie called out, “Come on in, Dr. Choi.”

Brie watched as he entered slowly and showed Brie his hands as he entered. “Hello, Ms. Jacobs. Dr. Manning has told me about your case and your injuries. Her time in the ED is over but she wanted to be sure you were in good hands. She asked me to take over for her. Would that be okay?”

“I guess so.” Brie said quietly.

Ethan came closer. “I know you had a hard time recently and I promise you, I will stick with you until it is time for you to either be moved to a new department or for you to get to go home.” Brie nodded as he moved closer again. He gently took her hand and felt her pulse rise slowly and then calm as he spoke to her calmly. “Detective Halstead left two officers out here who are watching for anyone who is not allowed to be here as well as to bring you to the 21st district to keep you safe until they can get your things for you.” He said.

“Please call me Brielle or Brie. Did they catch Michael yet?” she asked.

“I don’t know, Brielle. All I know is that Detective Halstead made it very clear to the officers that you were not to be left alone and to follow you wherever needed in the hospital. He even argued with his brother about it. Okay?” he told her as Natalie slid out.

“Dr. Manning told me Detective Halstead’s brother worked here. I haven’t met him though.” She said quietly.

“I am sure we all just wanted to be sure that you felt safe and did not want to make you feel overwhelmed with new people.” Ethan said. “I can bring Dr. Halstead in, if you want?”

“I am not sure yet. This is so confusing. Who do I trust? Who does Michael know? Can he find me?” she said with tears coming to her eyes.

“I understand, Brielle. I promise, we have protocols in place that will keep him from finding you as well as the protection that Detective Halstead insists on for you. You made an impression on him. I don’t usually see him this protective over people he has just met, Brielle.” Ethan said taking her hand in comfort.

Brie blushed taking a deep breath. “What do we do next about my health, Dr. Choi?” she asked trying to change the topic of conversation.

“Well, we already know due some X-Rays we took when you arrived that you don’t have any broken bones or fluid that has gathered anywhere. I am concerned about your head injuries though. I would like to send you for a CT Scan now that you are awake. It would let us be sure that there is no bleeding under your skull and no future concerns. If there is nothing, then we can release you to the Intelligence team to help you restart your life in Chicago and get you safe. Do you have a history of pain medication making you sleep?” He said releasing her hand as she nodded to answer his questions.

Jay returned to Med’s ED about an hour later after Brie had met Ethan. Her tests all came back clear, but she didn’t have any clothing with her to change into. Ethan was standing in her room with Will who Ethan had introduced her to while undergoing her tests. Maggie had been able to find scrubs to give Brielle so she could feel covered. Jay entered with Hailey at his back. Ethan nodded at Jay and Will tapped his shoulder.

“Looks like you have charmed several of the doctors, Brie.” Jay said smiling at her as he and Hailey were greeted by the doctors in the room.

Brie blushed at Jay’s words and spoke quietly looking down at her lap, “I doubt that, Detective. Michael always said no one would be charmed by me. He said that I was too plain or simple. Your brother and Dr. Choi have just finished going over all my test results. They have been looking after me since Dr. Manning had to leave for the day.”

Jay nodded and joked trying to help Brie smile, “Just making sure, my brother has been known make a bit of a pest of himself.”

Will shoved him lightly causing laughter to fill the room. Jay’s laugh caught Brie’s attention. It made her smile for the first time in a long time. She blushed as Jay’s eyes caught hers. Hailey caught the look between them but was unsure what to think.

Jay looked to Will and Ethan. “Well, what is the medical verdict?”

Ethan spoke, “She is clear to leave. Just needs to rest and allow her body to heal. If her headaches get worse, she needs to return to us. She will see more bruising come up in the next 24 hours and we have given her a prescription for pain medication should she need it.”

Jay nodded. He turned to Brie. “We have Michael in custody Brielle. That means we can take you to get your things, if you want.”

She thought about it before she spoke. “Yes, please. It may take a few bags or boxes but there are things that are my family’s that do not belong to him or that his money didn’t buy for me that I want. I will take a few clothes but most of them can stay. He bought them and insisted that I dress a certain way. I need to leave things so he doesn’t miss me too much because he will then come looking. Leaving most of the clothes and jewelry will make him think there is a chance for me to return. After last night, I never want to go back to that house once I get my things from there.”

Jay thought about it. “I can get us some boxes. Do you want Hailey and I to take you now?”

“Would that be possible before we go anywhere else? Maggie was nice enough to get me these scrubs, but I would feel better in my own clothes. Maybe start to move on from this.” She said.

Will spoke up. “I’ll see if Maggie and I can find us a few boxes for you, Brielle.” He said sliding from the room.

Ethan then spoke, “I’ll get your discharge paperwork started. And I’ll get the copies that you all need, Jay.” He then nodded to Jay and Hailey as he left the room.

Jay moved closer to Brie and his cologne or after shave filled her nose. It gave her a sense of safety and being looked after. “Why did you come to Chicago, Brielle? You mentioned earlier that Michael met you soon after you arrived.”

“I had come to work for a local charity organizational committee as their office manager. I moved in from the suburbs. I am surprised that my parents didn’t come looking for me other than Michael might have coddled them with the wrong picture and idea that I was safe with him. I enjoy helping others and my organizational skills got me the job. It was my only escape but even there I was watched by Michael’s guards. They told him everything including details about the bookkeeper who would be nice to me. He quit less than one day later. I think Michael had him scared off.” She said quietly.

“Well, I will talk to Sergeant Voight when we get to our office. See if we can find something that will allow you to help and be safe and get yourself on your feet.” He said taking her hand.

#jay halstead fanfiction #jay halstead imagine #jay halstead imagines

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luminous-studiess · 3 years

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I’m considering going into law as a career path but I’m not sure...do you have any insight or advice?

hi!!!!! uh ok several thoughts coming from someone who struggled with “is this really what i want” before going into law school/the first three semesters. under the cut because this is LONG.

1. the first question you may want to ask yourself is whether or not you have enough interest (note: not passion.... more on that later) in law as a subject to study it for 3-4 years. are you updated on current events, both in your country, and abroad? do you have an idea of what law school in your country is like? why do you want to go into law? admittedly these are questions you yourself have to answer, to see if it really is worth it. the why is very important, because this may be the only thing that sustains you when you’re wading through coursework and dealing with scary professors and getting cold-called. if you think that it’s something you’d be interested enough in to put in admittedly a lot of time, emotion, and suffering into, then that’s great!! ok. this may tie into the next thing you have to ask yourself: 2. do you have an interest in/or are willing to learn the skills which are required in law school and beyond? law students are required to read huge piles of text, be able to digest it, retain it, and then regurgitate it both in class discussions and in exams. this means that you need to at least be a diligent, patient reader, an efficient and clear writer, and a strong speaker. in your later years, you will have to draft pleadings and memoranda. this requires extremely sharp writing skills, logic, research abilities, and (weirdly enough), organizational skills. you need the patience to make an argument for a client, usually crafted out of documents and legal provisions and mountains of cases. you don’t have to be all these things right away-- my classmates and i, in our first semesters, had no idea what was going on, and nobody knew how to speak up when called without panicking or stammering or (in my case) nearly crying. but you learn those things in time. are you willing to put in the effort? then you can do it, absolutely. 3. are you ready for the lifestyle law school requires? i’ll say this right away. it can be one of the most unhealthy environments you’ve ever been in. i’ve mentioned the heavy coursework-- it depends again on where you’re studying, but the course load can usually vary from 10-20 cases (say... 5 to 100 pages at most per case?) per class, plus a handful of laws and articles. you have to have read these -- skimmed, briefed, digested, taken notes -- and then be ready for class discussions, where you could get cold-called. this entails pretty much an entire life which revolves around studying. it does get easier, and it does get lighter (in the sense that life does come back), but the first semester or so of law school will be completely about trying to chase every deadline, every requirement, and yes, every bit of sleep you can catch. the actual environment can be difficult as well-- in some law schools, the learning atmosphere can be tense, to say the least: the professors can be quite strict, if not downright harsh, and you can spend entire class sessions getting grilled through the socratic method, aka an endless barrage of questions you may not know the answer too. the culture shock coming in is pretty hard as well. suddenly, you’re grouped with so many brilliant, hard-working, eloquent people that it becomes easy to doubt yourself. from experience, law school took such a toll on my physical and mental health (poor sleep, poor eating habits, bad class performance and being afraid of the professors) that i was very close to quitting. however....... IT GETS BETTER. okay, hopefully, i haven’t scared you away. now make these considerations: 4. if you have a strong reason for wanting to go to law school, and getting through it, then even the hard parts become worthwhile. initially i wanted to go to law school because i was mildly intrigued by how i could use the speaking and writing skills i got from my college degree. after becoming quickly disillusioned by my first few weeks, i had to rethink why i would want to stay. one reason, admittedly, is that the promise of a well-paying job can keep you working through everything despite all the pain, suffering, and embarrasment. that sounds really covetous ngl but...... i once mentioned on this blog that i wanted to work in something i wasn’t extremely, wildly passionate about, so that i would have the money and security to fund my real passions. living, and living well is so expensive. not all of us can work in things we absolutely, completely love, so if there’s an opportunity to sustain yourself well, so that you can keep doing the things you like in the side, then it is an opportunity worth pursuing. another reason, at least for me, is that while one aspect of law and lawyering that most ppl see is the “jeff winger” “harvey specter” sleazy lawyer aspect, admittedly, a lot of the law is embedded in the things we do, and the rights we possess. if two people are fighting over a piece of land, they turn to the law to resolve it. if someone is being arrested without cause, then it’s the law that’s being disregarded. you do have the potential to help many people, just by your knowledge of basic civil rights, to some labor laws, to property rights. you don’t necessarily have to work pro bono all the time, but you can accrue enough knowledge to help individuals who don’t know the law as well, and as deeply as you could. and that in itself can keep you going-- you know that you could keep someone out of jail, or help them claim support, or protest unfair labor practices. 5. the journey can be more beautiful than you expect. ok this sounds like live, laugh, love bullcrap but to illustrate: i was completely afraid and lost during my first year of law school, but i had the total luck of becoming blockmates with smart, funny, kind people who became my family in law school. we studied together, went drinking at the end of the sem, had lunch and dinner and breakfast while reading and talking and fighting and teaching each other things. i know for a fact that some of these people will be my bridesmaids, and people i’ll contact for work, and to hang out with 10 years in the future. these people keep you going. as much as i mentioned terror professors, there are also the ones who taught so well, and gave me so much inspiration through the sheer passion they had for the law. there are professors who spend the entire day talking one-on-one to the students to check on how they are. i broke down in front of two professors after class in my first year-- the first one awkwardly comforted me, and the second pulled me into the faculty reading room to have a good, private cry. she handed me a tissue afterwards. you have the opportunity to learn from both brilliant and kind professors and fellow law students, and suddenly, things become a little easier. cases actually make sense. you know how to study for exams and how to speak up in class. you finally get 8 hours of sleep (i do tbh). you find a little to like about learning each and every day. so, in short-- law school is brutal, and it can be unmerciful. but you don’t need to be smart to get through: just be a little interested, very hard-working, and have a lot of grit. please let me know how you’re doing, friend! good luck.

#law school #lawblr #law advice #law school advice #studyblr #luminous law

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cherryeoo · 5 years

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Morning Star (Ateez Fantasy!AU) Ch 3

Summary: Two unlikely companions join together to ride the rollercoaster known as: Life. With a yin and yang balance, they soon discover that there’s not only beauty in the beast, but beast in the beauty.

Flipping on her desktop lamp, Saetbyeol sinks into her chair, locking her purse in the desk’s only drawer. Tapping her finger on the smooth surface of her desk, she impatiently waits for her computer to come to life. Today was going to be an exhausting day.

Saetbyeol was usually always the first to arrive in the morning. She wasn’t a morning person per-say, but she liked to get a head start on her work so she wasn’t having to get off late or be the last to leave. The glow of her computer monitor illuminated her face, exposing the exhaustion in her eyes. Taking a swig of her coffee from her travel mug, she opened her web browser and document software. The cave incident left her so baffled that she began thinking of any and all possible explanations - no matter how bizarre it seemed. Before she could document and publish the article, however, she had to find solid evidence on what could’ve caused this. The scenes from that day constantly flashed in her mind; the whole situation was unsettling.

Shaking the images from her mind, she cracked her fingers and let out an audible sigh before typing ‘behaviors of hunters’ into the search bar. Time slowly passed by as she read article after article on hunters and their occasional strange behaviors, but none of it matched with what she saw in the cave. The carcasses - piled perfectly on top of one another with only their livers missing. It just didn’t add up.

Her next option was to research murders and bizzare patterns as well as various killings, but regardless of how deep she ventured into the rabbit hole, Saetbyeol couldn’t find similar cases. She didn’t want to rule out murder, or a deranged hunter, but she couldn’t find any solid reasons as to who would do such a thing, or why. Hunters never stacked carcasses neatly and perfectly, so maybe it was a warning? Maybe a serial killer lurked in the shadows and utilized animal carcusses to send out a subliminal threat?

Breaking her concentration, she heard the bells on the office’s front door chime. Looking up, she saw San walk in and towards his desk. Removing his thick black jacket, he draped it perfectly over the back of his chair. Placing his belongings neatly in their proper places, he pressed the power button on his computer as he waited for the machine to come to life.

Saetbyeol never once paid attention to his strange organizational behavior, but after the cave incident, she had become more aware of her surroundings. However, considering San was her co-worker, she didn’t dwell upon his actions. Sensing someone watching him, San spun around in her direction only to catch her watching his every move closely. Smiling sweetly at her, he waved to his mysterious co-worker. Her eyes quickly darted back to her screen, fully prepared to go back to ignoring him at all costs. Cheeks flushing just the slightest tinge of pink, she hoped he couldn’t see her discoloration from across the room. San frowned, he was always curious about her and why she never spoke to anyone other than the girl he saw her with the other night. Shaking his head, San makes his way to the coffee bar to make himself some tea.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Saetbyeol groaned in frustration - she was getting nowhere. She was just about to give up and try a different route when she noticed a comment from an anonymous user with a link to another article. Furrowing her brows, she gnawed on her lip - she might as well check it out. Clicking on it, she stared at the words in big bold letters, Mythical Creatures: A History, the color of a dark red wine, maybe even a blood hue.

As she scanned the article, Saetbyeol quickly perceived that it was written by an amateur author. The more she read, the more skeptical she grew - what even was this? Fiction perhaps? The author talked about the reality of mythical creatures walking amongst human beings which which, in return, earned an audible chuckle from Saetbyeol.

The author probably wrote it to get a rise out of people and to fuel others’ superstitions. There’s no such thing as mythical creatures and even if there were, how would people know? Did they see one? Doubtful. The more she read, the more absurd the article grew - such creatures apparently took the form of human beings to fit in which caused Saetbyeol to, once again, question whether or not the author had seen such a sight, to which she, yet again, declared that it was doubtful.

It took everything in Saetbyeol’s power to not roll her eyes at the mention and definition of each creature. There’s no way people actually believed these things, right? She had to give the writer some credit, though - a lot of the information was very detailed, but there’s no way they weren’t making this up. Sighing, Saetbyeol moved her cursor to close the tab when suddenly, a familiar word caught her eye: Kumiho. Gnawing on her lower lip, she hesitantly clicked on word to read more. Just as the page finished loading, her boss called to her; Saetbyeol jumping in her chair as her head whips in the direction of her boss’ voice. “Yes boss?”

“Can I speak to you in my office real fast?” Ms. Kim stood at the bottom of the stairs that lead up to her office.

Jumping up, she made her way to her boss and up the stairs to her office. Returning to his desk, tea in hand, San noticed Saetbyeol was nowhere to be found. He wondered if she had gone to the restroom or to get something to eat. Why was he suddenly so concerned about her?

Shaking his head, he made his way back to his desk, setting his teacup down on top of the coaster next to his keyboard. The room had started to fill up with more of his coworkers, their voices becoming louder as they started to bid good morning to their friends while working on bringing their computers to life. Sitting down, San’s eyes scanned the crowd of people, eyes darting left and right in hopes to catch a glimpse of Saetbyeol, but to no avail.

“What do you mean I have to work with him?!” Saebyeol replied to her boss. The two of them were good friends from college, but at the end of the day, Ms. Kim was still her boss, so she had the final say in decision-making.

“I know this isn’t easy for you Saetbyeol and I’m not doing this to punish you by any means, but I am teaming you up with San for your cave investigation. An outsider's view might be a good thing, not to mention the attention he’ll bring to the story.” Ms. Kim replied giving Saetbyeol a sympathetic grin.

“So you are using him for publicity! This isn’t even his department anyway!” She groans as she folds her arms across her chest.

“Well, yes, but I’m doing this for you. You know I’ve always wanted you to go far in your career, so I’m using this opportunity to help you out as well.”

“Fine, whatever. But don’t expect me to be nice to him.” Saetbyeol snaps back, glaring at her boss and old friend.

“I’m not expecting you to, but do try to at least work with him.” At that Ms. Kim dismissed Saetbyeol.

She stormed out of the office, back down the stairs and to her desk. Flopping in her chair, she snaps her head in San’s direction, shooting daggers from her eyes into his back, hoping he could feel it. As if abiding by her wishes, San tensed up and turned his head to lock eyes with her, suddenly taken aback by her gaze. The look of pure hatred twisted the features of her face, her eyes cold as a storm brewed within them. Confusion overtook his body - what had he done to her that made her behave this way towards him? Had he taken her mug by mistake? Did he say something about one of her articles without realizing it? Eyes growing wide, Saetbyeol whipped her head around - focusing on her computer screen in front of her.

Frustration coursing through her, Saetbyeol tries once more to read the article she had found in the comments, but her attention was pulled elsewhere once more. Saetbyeol watches out of the corner of her eye as her boss makes her way towards San’s desk. Great she’s going to tell him the news. Pretending not to be paying attention, Saetbyeol fixated her eyes upon the monitor, but didn’t read the words virtually plastered to it. Stopping in front of him, Ms. Kim places a file of all the copies Saetbyeol made of her report from the cave and her findings so far beside his hand. Watching San flip through them, his eyes grew wide as they dart straight to Saetbyeol - he must’ve just been told the news.

Feeling her cheeks flush, she bends down, pretending to pick up something off the floor so her hair could fall freely from behind her ear to hide her face from his view. Straightening up slightly, she could see his shoulders tense up through the curtain of her black locks as he sighs; nodding in agreement with Ms. Kim, knowing he, too, cannot refuse. His reluctance was obvious, but being the good poster-child he was, he confirmed his agreement without too much hesitation.

As Saetbyeol continued to watch, a warm feeling of anger began pooling in the pit of her stomach. Sighing, she fully straightened up, unlocking the desks drawer, as she grabbed her purse and stormed out of the building. She needed fresh air before she snapped. How could Ms. Kim team her up with him? Of all people, why did it have to be Choi San?

An audible sigh escaped her lips - she was going to get so many glares from this, as if she already didn’t get enough. San was the most desired person at their workplace, but he was also the most unavailable person in the office. Clenching her jaw, Saetbyeol ran a hand through her hair once she realized how her female co-workers would react. San was fairly popular amongst women - especially those in their office. Countless times they had tried to make their move on him and each time, he politely turned them down. That, alone, was going to cause trouble for her, but she had to at least give him some credit - he was always a professional gentleman, even to her.

But she was cold, closed off from everyone; never made friends or spoke to anyone, and when she did it was laced with intense sarcasm. No one approached her for anything, and she liked it that way. Honestly, her only true friend was Mirae. Her boss knew of Saetbyeol’s past, so how could she do this to her? Ms. Kim said it was for Saetbyeol’s benefit, but there’s no way anything good is going to come out of this.

Paying for her lunch, Saetbyeol slipped into a secluded picnic table nestled under a tree. She always came to this park near the office for lunch, or whenever she needed some alone time to cool off or to think. Glancing down, Saetbyeol took a quick glance at her bandaged ankle. The bleeding had stopped, but considering the wound’s vulnerability and placement, it was easy to re-open the tear. Noticing no signs of blood seeping through the bandage, however, she went back to focusing on her lunch - doing her best not to think of the fact that she is going to have to work with the Choi San.

San was still so confused as to why Saetbyeol acted with such anger and rage towards him. She obviously knew that they would be working together from here on out. San knew how she kept to herself, how she never spoke to anyone and what others thought about her. If someone started to talk about her around him, he would instantly change the subject in hopes to get the negative attention off of her; he hated how people spoke about her. They didn’t know her, nor did they ever try to, but it’s not like he attempted to, either. He had tried to approach her once in the past, but it blew up in his face, so instead, he secretly admired her from afar; his interest growing everyday. Now that he was getting his chance, though, he had to admit that while he was thrilled to get to know her, he was reluctant as well - he knew what their interactions would do to her. More people would start to stare and talk badly about her - pondering and speculating as to why the two of them had grown so close. They wouldn’t care about the fact of their pairing being for an assignment; human beings only ever cared about drama and how to twist stories for their own benefit.

San glanced once more at her now empty workstation, her frustration apparent. Sighing, he stood up, mug in hand, as he made his way back to the coffee bar for another cup of tea. Passing by her desk, he stopped in his tracks as he noticed the article she was reading. What did this have to do with the cave’s case they would be working on together? Noticing the new, unread article in a tab next to the currently open one, he frowned. Leaning in a bit to get a better look, he rolled his eyes as he moved the mouse's cursor to the small ‘x’ button in the top right-hand corner of the tab, closing both tabs pertaining to mythical creatures.

“How stupid,” San’s voice was soft, irritation seeping into his body. He never thought Saetbyeol, of all people, believed in such wild stories. He would have to ensure she didn’t look up such things if he was to work with her. Their pairing was already going to cause trouble - he wasn’t going to allow her to make a fool of the company, let alone themselves, as well. Deleting that day’s browser’s web history, he continued on his way to the coffee bar.

Satisfied with his beverage, San moves gracefully between the scattered crowds of employees discussing various projects they were working on. It wasn’t uncommon for people from different departments getting teamed up, but why choose someone from the news and another from the entertainment section? Contrary to popular assumptions, those two categories were in no way connected - not for this story, at least.

Looking out the window, San noticed Saetbyeol walking back towards the building. Should he approach her? Just as she was about to enter, Saetbyeol was stopped by one of their fellow coworkers. He watched as the man got closer and closer to her as she tried to put a comfortable distance between them, but the man was not letting up. The look in his eyes made San’s stomach twist, anger boiling up inside him.

The man was taunting her. He watched as Saetbyeol tensed her shoulders, curling into herself as she lowered her head to avoid his intimidating gaze. The more he pushed, the more uncomfortable she grew. She wanted to just disappear. Tears started to sting her eyes as he continued to tease her as to why she was taken to the bosses office - repeating how he thought she was finally getting fired. San noticed her small frame begin to shake. He normally didn’t get involved in people’s affairs, but he could tell how truly frightened she was. He knew what consequences this would bring, but he wasn’t going to allow this to continue to happen, not to his new partner. He would protect her of what people had to say from now on.

Standing up, San quickly made his way out the front door. Looming behind the man taunting Saetbyeol, he cleared his throat, lowering his voice to sound more menacing. “Is there a reason why you are tormenting my partner?”

Snapping her head up Saetbyeol stares at San. His demeanor was suddenly menacing and quite frightful; completely contrasting his usual cheery and warm self. She had to admit she was scared of the San she was currently seeing. She had never once seen him show any sign of anger or aggression, so this was new. Glancing up at him, she saw his jaw clenched tight as a nearly visible fire danced in his eyes. Their co-worker turned around to face San, he stood just a few inches taller than him, but that didn’t stop San from confronting the man. She couldn’t hear any of the words the two of them exchanged as she froze in pure fear and anxiety. It had been a long time since she had a severe panic attack like this, but it wasn’t much of a surprise - it was triggered upon receiving the news about working with San and now, with her co-worker cornering her and San acting out of character, it only intensified.

Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she noticed their co-worker backing down and heading back inside. Thankfully, only a small crowd of spectators had formed, and those who did gather around,all had their attention on San. Quickly wiping away her tears before anyone saw, she tried to calm her breathing when suddenly, a firm, but gentle hand grasped her shoulder. She already knew whose hand it was, but the feeling of him touching her, made her shy away from his touch.

“Are you okay?” His voice was laced with genuine concern, yet she could still hear the anger in his deep tone. He could tell she was still trembling, her breathing still somewhat uneven. Faint whimpers left her mouth as she started to speak.

“I-I didn’t ask for you help. I would’ve been fine on my own.” Her voice trembled uncontrollably as she tried to calm herself before she went back inside. She didn’t have any strength left to yell like she wanted to. She knew that her words were a lie, she wouldn’t have been fine on her own. Actually, if San hadn’t come to her aid, she would’ve been a lot worse. She couldn’t say it out loud, of course, but she was thankful that he showed up.

Flinching at her words, a deep sadness welled in his eyes, but only momentarily has he quickly replaced it with his usual gaze. Her words stung, and he didn’t understand why. He just helped her, why was she still behaving like this towards him? Deciding not to think too much of it he took a couple steps away from her, allowing her to have the space she needed to calm herself. This wasn’t his first time seeing someone have a panic attack, so he knew what to do in situations like these. To be honest, this was a whole new Saetbyeol; one had never seen before today. The girl before him was a fragile being - not the cold, hard-headed person he had always seen.

She truly was a mystery to him, but it intrigued him more. Maybe now he could finally crack her mystery.

Everyone else has quickly cleared the area, leaving her and San alone as they stood in the cool afternoon air. Small snowflakes had started to fall from the sky. Watching them, Saetbyeol began to finally feel her body relax, exhaustion consuming her, but she willed her body to remain upright. She couldn’t let San, or anyone who might still be watching, see her in this vulnerable state. This was the first time he had ever heard her voice, aside from when she was being short and sarcastic with people and when he overheard her talking to her best friend the other night after she got off work. The sound of it made him feel warm and soothed, it was soft and higher pitched than he imagined. This was her real voice.

“My name is Choi San. It’s nice to finally meet you after all this time --- partner.” He smiled sweetly at her, reassuring her that she had no reason to fear him. Making both of his hands visible, he extended his left hand out to her in a friendly gesture, hoping she would return his handshake.

Fear crept up within her once more, looking from his face to his hand she gnawed on her lip. She wasn’t used to physical contact with men, but she had already felt San’s hand. The feeling of his hand on her shoulder - faint, but still there. His touch was different, it was soothing and even though she shied away from his previous touch, she never felt fear from it. This was her first time ever being this close to him, or anyone besides Mirae, for that matter.

She was guarded but she didn’t feel afraid like she had with their coworker who, moments ago, stood uncomfortably close to her. She could feel her walls slightly crumbling in his presence despite how hard she tried to keep them standing. She still didn’t trust him, but if she was going to have to work with him for the case, she decided she would at least try to get along with San.

Slowly and hesitantly, she extended her right hand, placing it in his larger one. Watching his fingers curl around the back of her hand, swallowing her’s whole, she mirrored the movement and curled her fingers over his. Unable to take her eyes off his hand she spoke softly, yet hesitantly, “My name is Yoo Saetbyeol. It’s nice to meet you as well.”

#atzwriters #atinynet #ateez #san #ateez fanfic #ateez san #choi san #atiny #fanfic #writings #fanfiction #my works #cherryeo #cherryeo; Morning Star #q; Morning Star

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apressmangirl · 5 years

Text

west ham high 2019 field trip permission slip

basic information

FULL NAME: allison marie pressman MEANING: (allison) truth; (marie) sea of bitterness, rebellion, wished-for child REASONING: her parents just liked the way it sounded with her older sister’s name. cassandra and allison. little did they know she’d end up being... NICKNAME(S): allie PREFERRED NAME(S): allie BIRTH DATE: february 7th, 2002 AGE: 17 ZODIAC: aquarius GENDER: female PRONOUNS: she/her ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: hetero- SEXUAL ORIENTATION: hetero- (though she’s never experimented) NATIONALITY: american ETHNICITY: a jumble of white european ancestors

background

BIRTH PLACE: west ham, ct HOMETOWN: west ham, ct SOCIAL CLASS: upper-middle-class FATHER: jim pressman MOTHER: amanda pressman née eliot SIBLING(S): cassandra pressman BIRTH ORDER: cassandra, then allie PET(S): she used to have a goldfish named, very creatively, goldie. it died on her 11th birthday. OTHER IMPORTANT RELATIVES: cousins campbell & samuel eliot PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIPS: none ARRESTS?: none PRISON TIME?: none

occupation & income

SOURCE OF INCOME: sporadic babysitting and dog-walking CONTENT WITH THEIR JOB (OR LACK THERE OF)?: can’t complain PAST JOB(S): none SPENDING HABITS: minimal. she doesn’t feel the need to spend much on anything but food. MOST VALUABLE POSSESSION: a pearl necklace her grandparents got her for her 16th birthday

skills & abilities

TALENTS: organizational skills, really good listener, articulating ideas/thinking things through SHORTCOMINGS: pretty much anything you have to study, haggling, cooking LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN: ASL, english DRIVE?: well, she has her learner’s permit. JUMP-STAR A CAR?: nope. CHANGE A FLAT TIRE?: maybe? she’s never tried. RIDE A BICYCLE?: yes. SWIM?: very well, actually. she swam competitively until high school. PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?: she tried to teach herself guitar once. wasn’t a success. PLAY CHESS?: yes. BRAID HAIR?: of course. TIE A TIE?: definitely not. PICK A LOCK?: no.

physical appearance & characteristics

FACE CLAIM: kathryn newton EYE COLOR: blue HAIR COLOR: blonde HAIR TYPE/STYLE: somewhere between wavy and curly GLASSES/CONTACTS?: neither DOMINANT HAND: right HEIGHT: 5′5 WEIGHT: 127 lbs BUILD: slim, but she carries her weight on her hips EXERCISE HABITS: she ran in gym class. back when they had gym class. and she still keeps up with her swimming even though she’s no longer on a team. SKIN TONE: fair. TATTOOS: none. PEIRCINGS: one in each earlobe. MARKS/SCARS: small scar on her chin where she had to get stitches after a tag accident as a kid, raised but not discolored birthmark on her inner thigh NOTABLE FEATURES: thick eyebrows, button nose, big eyes USUAL EXPRESSION: slightly skeptical, watching everyone around her CLOTHING STYLE: comfortable & practical, but still cute. a variety of sweaters and graphic tees paired with all her many jeans. JEWELRY: always wearing a gold necklace with a simple star. often a pair of simple stud earrings. ALLERGIES: none. BODY TEMPERATURE: 97.9°, slightly below average & the reason her wardrobe consists of a number of sweaters and long-sleeved shirts DIET: whatever sounds good PHYSICAL AILMENTS: none

psychology

MORAL ALIGNMENT: lawful neutral TEMPERAMENT: melancholic ELEMENT: water MENTAL CONDITIONS/DISORDERS: none SOCIABILITY: medium-high. allie enjoys socializing and getting to know new people, she just feels like she already knows everyone in new ham. EMOTIONAL STABILITY: usually pretty levelheaded when it comes to her emotions. it’s hard to really get a reaction out of her other than mild annoyance. PHOBIA(S): the squeaky sound your teeth make when they rub against each other. ADDICTION(S): none DRUG USE: some weed use. ALCOHOL USE: less than most kids her age. PRONE TO VIOLENCE?: no.

mannerisms

QUIRKS: always wearing her star necklace HOBBIES: bothering her sister, searching spotify for new music, day hikes with grizz, swimming, teatime HABITS: sleeping in past noon, staying up past 2, bouncing her leg when she sits for too long NERVOUS TICKS: biting the inside of her lip, fidgeting her fingers DRIVES/MOTIVATIONS: her sister, her best friend, figuring herself out FEARS: losing her sister, not being enough. POSITIVE TRAITS: resilient, loyal, lively, observant NEGATIVE TRAITS: explosive, malleable, self-doubting SENSE OF HUMOR: she’s silly & loves to have fun, especially physically. the stupidest stuff can make her laugh. she especially likes a joke made out of an awkward situation. DO THEY CURSE OFTEN?: a little too often, probably. CATCHPHRASE(S): none

favorites

ACTIVITY: jam sessions with her sister ANIMAL: birds, specifically swans BEVERAGE: grapefruit flavored seltzer BOOK: when you reach me by rebecca stead. she had to read it for school in sixth grade and never forgot it. CELEBRITY: kristen bell. COLOR: blue. all shades. DESIGNER: “uhm... i don’t think i know any designers?” FOOD: a baco: soft taco spread with sour cream, wrapped around a hard taco layered in this order: meat, beans, cheese, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, extra cheese. FLOWER: hydrangea GEM: opal HOLIDAY: new year’s eve MODE OF TRANSPORTATION: long car rides MOVIE: the princess bride MUSICAL ARTIST: “i can’t pick just one!” QUOTE/SAYING: “in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of god” - aeschylus (courtesy of grizz) SCENERY: the view of a beach from up high on a cliff SCENT: her favorite tea, earl grey; the smell just after it rains SPORT: swimming SPORTS TEAM: usa olympic swim team TELEVISION SHOW: the vampire diaries WEATHER: thunderstorms VACATION DESTINATION: any beach. literally any one.

attitudes

GREATEST DREAM: to find a purpose or a calling. GREATEST FEAR: losing her sister. MOST AT EASE WHEN: hanging out with cassandra at home, just doing normal mundane things LEAST AT EASE WHEN: asked to make a decision that affects others BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: assistant stage manager on the school play this spring. BIGGEST REGRET: not realizing how much her parents did for her MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT: when she was 8, she called harry a “big doofus” in front of all the neighborhood kids and refused to play tag if he was playing too BIGGEST SECRET: that once she wished she was sick instead of cassandra so that she could get a little attention TOP PRIORITIES: her sister

#task01 #push me harder — inspo #newhamhq: task

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funkymbtifiction · 6 years

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Wings / Strengths Weaknesses

To save everyone (and myself) time... [I shortened these from here.] I basically use these as shorthand to type characters from.

Gut Types:

1w9 - Seeking Rightness and Peace

Calm although eruptions of temper are possible. Detached quality. Tendency to formulate and embrace principles that have little human content, but this is also their strength. When awakened, may be objective and balanced, cool and moderate in their evaluations. More unhealthy, might have perfectionistic expectations not humanly possible to meet. May hold social or political opinions that are supremely logical but ultimately heartless and draconian. The rules come first no matter what. Can be merciless or unwittingly cruel. Often a little colorless in their personal appearance. Many Ones with this wing are plain dressers, preferring functional clothing that is appropriate to context but not flashy. The emphasis on function may extend to their general lifestyle. Practicality is highly valued.

1w2 - Seeking Rightness and Love

This wing generally brings more interpersonal warmth. High standards are tempered by humanism. May understand and partly forgive humanity for not doing its best. Work hard to improve the conditions of others, sacrificing time and energy to do good works. When more unhealthy, can be volatile and self-righteous. Authoritarian inflation and moral vanity on the low side. Can give scolding lectures or display a kind of touchy emotionalism. “Do as I say, not as I do” attitudes possible. Hypocrisy likely because the person is so convinced they have moral good intentions. Overlook inconsistencies in their own behavior. Dependency in relationships. Far more likely to be a jealous intimate subtype than Ones with a 9 wing.

8w7 - Seeking Power and Stimulation

Expansive, and powerful. Gregarious and generous, they may display a cheerful bravado. Can be forceful but with a light touch, funny. Often have a sense of humor about themselves. Extroverted, ambitious, materialistic. May talk loud and be sociable partygoers. Driven to bring the new into being. Can be visionary, idealistic, enterprising. Willing to take risks. 7 wing brings an intellectual capacity. Aggression combines with gluttony to form an virulent tendency to addiction. Prone to temperamental ups and downs—can be moody, egocentric, quick to anger. Tendency to court chaos, inflate themselves narcissistically. Some are ruthlessly materialistic. Can use people up, suck them dry. Maybe be explosive or violent, prone to distorted overreaction.

8w9 - Seeking Power and Peace

Aura of preternatural calm, no self doubt. Take their authority for granted. Gentle, kind-hearted, quieter. Often nurturing, protective parents; steady, supportive friends. Informal and unpretentious, patient, laconic, somewhat introverted. A dry or ironic sense of humor. Aura of implicit, simmering anger. Slow to erupt but when they do it’s sudden and explosive. When unhealthy, callous numbness. They can be oblivious to the force of their anger until after they’ve hurt someone. Calmly dominating, colder; may have an indifference to softer emotions. If very unhealthy, they can be mean without remorse or aggressive in the service of stupid ends. Paranoid plotting, muddled thinking, moral laziness. Can be vengeful in ill-conceived ways, abuse those they love, don’t know when to quit.

9w8 - Seeking Peace and Power

Modest, steady, receptive core. Great force of will. Get things done, make good leaders. May have an animal magnetism of which they are only partly aware. Can seem highly centered, take what they do seriously but remain unimpressed with themselves. Strong internal sense of direction. Relatively fearless and highly intuitive. Not intellectual unless they have it in their background. When more unhealthy, they manifest contradictions. Can be passively amiable then horribly blunt. May be slow to anger and then explode. Or angry but don’t know it; may confuse being assertive with being rude. Placidly callous—both styles support numbness. Tactless and indiscriminate and indiscreet. May be unwittingly disloyal, spilling everyone’s secrets. Sexual confusion, sometimes they are driven by lust.

9w1 - Seeking Peace and Rightness

Model children. Virtuous, orderly, and little trouble. Great moral authority plus good-hearted peacemaking tendencies. Often have a sense of mission, public or private. Principled expression of love. Desire to contribute, do little harm. May be well-liked, modest, endearing, gentle yet firm. Great grace and composure, bursts of spontaneity and sweetness. Elegant simplicity. When unhealthy, they self-neglect. Dutiful to what they shouldn’t be. Play the good child, settle for being overlooked. Passive tolerance of absurd or damaging situations. One-sided relationships where the Nine gives too much. Rationalize, minimize, tell themselves they everything’s fine. Placid numbness creeps over them. Intolerance of their own emotions. Gradually deaden their soul.

Heart Types:

2w1 - Seeking Love and Rightness

Conscience and emotional containment. When healthy, they act from general principles about the value of serving others. Ethics come before pride. May hold themselves to high standards. Discreet and respectful of other people’s boundaries. When upset, tend to go quiet and experience strong emotions internally. More melancholy than Twos with a 3 wing. When less healthy and unhealthy, tend to confuse their sense of mission with self-centered needs. Go blind to their own motives; invade and dominate others. Believe their actions are perfectly justified by their ethic of helping. May repress their personal desires and focus on others as a way to avoid guilty dilemma between the rules and their inner needs. If really blind they will warp their ethics crazily to justify personal selfishness and prideful hostility.

2w3 - Seeking Love and Image

This wing brings Twos an extra measure of sociability and the capacity to make things happen. When healthy, can be charming, good-natured and heartfelt. Really get things done, serve effectively on projects that involve the well-being of others. Thrive on group process and are generally good communicators. Enjoy keeping several threads or projects going at once. Unhealthy Twos with a 3 wing can be quite emotionally competitive and controlling. 3 wing brings a double dose of vanity. Strong tendency to live in one’s images. May grow brazenly deluded, preferring their glamorous, self-important scenarios to reality. Tendencies to deceit and emotional calculation. Highly manipulative. This wing is also more extroverted; dramatization of feeling in the form of hysterical snit-fits is far more possible.

3w2 - Seeking Image and Love

Highly gregarious. Tendency towards playing a role. Social perception, prestige and recognition important. Personal warmth, leadership qualities. Sincere desire to do well by others; may be genuinely nice. If they have achieved success, generous in their mentorships. When unhealthy, they are preoccupied with seeming ideal. This can extend to friendships, family, work. Want to seem a perfect spouse, friend, parent, employee, good child. Strong social focus because they need validation from others. Preening and boastful behavior possible. Bursts of egotism. Wanting to be on top, better than others. Slip into impersonation easily, may falsify feeling and not know it themselves. Deep emotional self-recognition is lost. Malicious intentional deceit is possible. Behavior of con-artists and sociopaths.

3w4 - Seeking Image and Identity

Less image-conscious or project an image more implicit and subtle. 4 wing brings a degree of introversion. May measure themselves more by their creations, artistic or social. Compete with themselves more than with other people. Motivation and ability to work on oneself. May accomplish everything they set out to do, then embark on self-analysis. Will still like a challenge, but thoughtful, intuitive or humanistic concerns of prime interest. The low side of this wing can bring a haunted, self-tormented quality or a haughty, competitive pretentiousness. Might be snobs or accuse critics of being too plebian to appreciate them. Cool, hard shell. In private, can lapse into self-questioning and melodrama. Instability and moodiness can be factors. Unrealistic grandiosity.

4w3 - Seeking Identity and Image

Outgoing, sense of humor and style. Prize being creative and effective. Intuitive and ambitious; may have good imaginations, often talented. Colorful, fancy dressers, make a distinct impression. Self-knowledge combines well with social and organizational skills. When unhealthy, have a public/private split. Conceals feelings in public then goes home to loneliness. Can enjoy their work and be dissatisfied in love. Tendency to melodrama and flamboyance; true feelings often hide. Competitive, sneaky, aware of how they look. Some have bad taste. May be fickle in love, drawn to romantic images that they have projected onto others. Could have a dull spouse, then fantasize about glamorous strangers. Achievements can be tainted by jealousy, revenge, or a desire to prove the crowd wrong.

4w5 - Seeking Identity and Knowledge

Withdrawn, complex creativity. Intellectual, exceptional depth of feeling and insight. Very much their own person; original and idiosyncratic. Have a spiritual and aesthetic openness. Will find multiple levels of meaning. May have a strong need and ability to pour themselves into artistic creations. Loners; enigmatic and hard to read. Externally reserved, internally resonant. When they open up it can be sudden and total. When unhealthy or defensive, easily alienated and depressed. Many have a sense of not belonging. Can get lost in their process, drown in their ocean. Whiny, ruminate and relive past experience. Prone to shame. Air of sullen, withdrawn disappointment. May live within a private mythology of pain and loss. Can get deeply morbid and fall in love with death.

Head Types:

5w4 - Seeking Knowledge and Identity

Abstract, intuitive cast of thought, as though thinking in geometric shapes instead of words or realistic images. May be talented artistically and inhabit moods. Combine intellectual and emotional imagination. Enjoy the realm of philosophy and beautiful constructs. The marriage of mental perspective and aesthetics. Fluctuate between impersonal withdrawal and bursts of friendly caring. Can get floaty and abstract. Act like they’re inside a bubble, sometimes with an air of implicit superiority. Cliché of the “absentminded professor” applies especially to Fives with this wing. Environmentally sensitive and subject at times to total overwhelm. Touchy about criticism. Can be slow to recover from traumatic events. Melancholy isolation and bleak existential depression are possible pitfalls.

5w6 - Seeking Knowledge and Security

Detail, technical knowledge, thinks in logical sequence. Intellectual, extremely analytical. Loyal friends, offering strong behind-the-scenes support. Kind, patient teachers, skillful experts. Sense of mission and work hard. Project an aura of sensitive nerdiness, clumsy social skills. When defensive, unnerved by others’ expectations. May like people but avoid them. Sensitive to social indebtedness. Has trouble saying “thank you.” Fear of taking action, develop “information addiction” instead. Asks lots of questions but doesn't get around to deciding. When unhealthy, they suspiciously scrutinize other people’s motives but can blindly follow. Misanthropic and Scrooge-like when defensive. Cuts off their feelings consistently. Cold, skeptical, ironic, and disassociated.

6w5 - Seeking Security and Knowledge

Introverted, intellectual. Many interests, competencies and skills. Original, idiosyncratic point of view. Bookish; interested in history or feel rooted in the past or related to a long tradition. Good at predicting the future. May test friends for a long time but become a friend for life. When unhealthy, project a willed remoteness. Hidden dimensions, intensity and activity. Tension between needing to be seen and withdrawing for protection. Might act arrogant, cryptic or cynical when afraid. Can be diplomatic and say things without saying them. Counterphobics are cool loners or argumentative and violent. Can brood over injustices, entertain conspiracy theories, spend time alone building cases. Paranoid. Sneaky vengeance, passive/aggressive toward others, self-attacking and self-destructive at home.

6w7 - Seeking Security and Stimulation

Outgoing, nervous. Want to be liked, pursues others. Can be charming, sociable, ingratiating. Fast tempo. Personal warmth. Cheerful, forward-looking drive, disarmingly funny. Self-effacing, gracious, curious. When unhealthy, may be self-contradicting and want two things at once. Sometimes test others overtly, drive you crazy with mixed messages. It may be hard to follow what they’re saying. When threatened, impossible to please. When counterphobic, accusative. Some get caught up in big plans they hope will result in material security. Insecure, irritable, petty, irrational, chaotic. Mood swings, inferiority complexes, runaway fears. Hair-trigger paranoid flare-ups . Falsely accuse others and not realize it. Other times plead to be taken care of. Conservative in their lifestyle.

7w6 - Seeking Stimulation and Security

Responsible, faithful, lovable, nervous and funny. Oriented to relationships, want acceptance. Steady, willing to stick with commitments. Openly vulnerable, unguarded, tender sweetness. Has trouble expressing anger. May evade authority but are still aware of it. Canny and practical, they look for deals and loopholes. When unhealthy, may have episodes of sensitivity or insecurity. Get their feelings easily hurt. Sensitive to comparisons. May avoid testing themselves. Grow dependent and addicted to other people, afraid to be alone, suspicious and skittish. Easily feels guilt, may act irresponsibly. Shallow, falls in and out of love easily. Breezily betray others by running away. Can be reckless, unstable, and self-destructive. Hates to be told what to do.

7w8 - Seeking Stimulation and Power

Generous, gregarious, expansive. Loyal to their friends. Leaps aggressively to their defense. Loud or boisterous, urbane and witty. Enjoy social celebrations, storytelling, jokes, food and travel. Self-confidence for worldly matters and getting what they want. Talent for making something out of nothing. Shares what they have, wants others to share their interests. When unhealthy, demanding, selfish, impatient. Self-justifying narcissism. Wants what they want right now. Aggressive, greedy for money, pleasure, recognition. Can demand others say only what they want to hear—sugarcoated truths. Lashes out angrily if reality doesn’t meet their expectations; sometimes vengeful. Moralize to others while being irresponsible. Amnesia for promises. Particular difficulty with sexual fidelity.

- ENFP Mod

#enneagram #enneagram wings #1w2 #1w9 #2w3 #2w1 #3w2 #3w4 #4w3 #4w5 #5w4 #5w6 #6w5 #6w7 #7w6 #7w8 #8w7 #8w9 #9w1 #9w8

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eisforeidolon · 5 years

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Episode: Nightmare Logic

Sometimes stories need you to skip over some of the show and just tell - to keep the pace, to maintain the focus, etc.. A good story finds a balance that knows when to do which, and using show don't tell as a catchall axiom about writing has always kinda bugged me for that reason.

That said, so much of the tell about Leader!Sam straight up contradicts what they're actually showing in the episode. In addition to loving Mary Sues, Dabb has what feels to me like some weird, out-of-place fetish for making Sam a leader since this is the second time he's pulled a team of nameless nobodies out of his ass to make it happen. Here one of his writers is inflicting the same type of shoddy storytelling that we've seen previously with Wayward and Mary and see currently ongoing with Maggie (from pointy end? to Everybody Loves Maggie onward to leader! in ten. freakin'. episodes. FFS.) on Sam to do it. Actually show us characters being good at something or building them up realistically? Not important in Dabb's cheap imitation Supernatural, arbitrary declarations that contradict what the plots have actually happen are perfectly acceptable here!

It's as if the writers think that they can just attribute a few technological innovations to Sam, have him be in charge, and wham-bam awesome leader status achieved! Him actively compromising his ability to function and refusing to use the resources he has is admirable leadership because …? He could be training some of these AU people to be new MoL and having them help him with the organizational and research side of things, but instead the writers have him just treating them as his personal hunter army to order around. It's fucking weird – both that he would do that and that the AU people would go along with it. Are Dabb and Glynn just that abysmally clueless about what being a good leader looks like? I'm pretty sure I said this before, but it'd be one thing if we'd actually seen Sam gain these people's allegiance, or if this was going to evolve into him realizing that he's not a great leader without improvement or that he doesn't actually want to be a leader. I really don't think they're going for that though, because of how the other characters react.

Bobby comes out aggressively about his leadership being bad. I think it's meant to feel unwarranted, because Mary jumps right in to immediately give Sam a big pep-talk speech about how he's unreservedly doing great and was totally born to do this! Which, even putting what the episode actually shows us of his leadership aside, would be more convincing if she wasn't already established as a terrible judge of both people and situations. Who was it that fell directly for the BMoL's schemes and hooked up with Ketch? Who was it that scoffed at the very idea Jack could be influenced by Lucifer? If I didn't believe Dabb and crew to be a bunch of dumbasses who have no idea what a cold malfunctioning robot the Mary they've written is, I would think they were intentionally providing more reason to doubt Leader!Sam. Except it is pretty clear they're generally clueless, so I'd be quite surprised if we're not supposed to see this as a valid refutation of what Bobby said. The same way they generally substituted having Ketch tell us Mary was the most awesome hunter evar for actually showing her being all that exceptionally awesome.

Speaking of Mary, am I the only one that's starting to get the impression that the real reason they resurrected her was because they wanted to write bad, soapy romance and know the fans revolt when they do that with the guys? I aggressively do not care about her hooking up with AU!Bobby. And that whole scene with the projection of AU!Bobby's son beating the crap out of him and Mary? I'd have a lot more investment – or, you know, any at all – if they'd actually written the two characters in a way to make me care about them for themselves rather than just assuming I must already do so because of their relationship - or their regular world clone's relationship - to Sam and Dean. So lazy.

Anyway, back from that tangent, Dean I'm not surprised to see bristling at any suggestion of a slight to Sam as a knee jerk reaction. So that's apt enough, but the part where AU!Bobby just randomly changes his mind by the end of the episode so that he, too, is telling us Sam is a good leader? The problem is there's no basis for it in what happens in the episode, other than maybe Bobby getting knocked in the head too hard, being woozy from blood loss, and/or becoming emotionally compromised. Compelling.

I mean, they can have all the characters repeat it, but what actually happened? Sam sent Maggie on a hunt that she wouldn't have been ready for if even if it wasn't a trap. He cuts her down from the attic, which could have been done by literally any of the four of them. He doesn't figure out what the monster is or take it down. While it's excusable that those are Dean since the episode clearly wanted us to wonder about the djinn's interaction with him in relation to Michael? Sam doesn't even go and talk to Maggie after the fact and help her deal/calm her down, even though she and her hunt were his responsibility - Dean does that, too. Like, it doesn’t even happen onscreen, so why the hell did Sam not do that as supposed leader-guy?

So what, exactly, was here to suddenly make AU!Bobby change his mind when he was, actually, the one the episode showed to be right? A good leader knows they can't function as well on no sleep. A good leader delegates minor tasks like listening to check-ins and finding hunts. A good leader accurately gauges the ability of those they lead and does not send cannon fodder like Maggie out by herself as a fighter, period – hell, a good leader would remember in SPNworld you really can't save everyone, and thus sending out any of these AU people alone is spreading themselves too thin for questionable benefit. (Even before you add Michael!monsters to the equation, he and Dean don't hunt alone the vast majority of the time, but these randos who've only been in this world for a few months should? At the end Sam does change that rule – but just because Michael's setting traps, which is less good leader and more minimal acceptable competence.) A good leader deals with the fallout of his own regrettable decisions himself.

The episode went out of its way to give replacement goldfish Bobby this sad sob story about being a leader and losing his son in the other world. If, rather than having him take back what he originally said, he instead gave Sam some pithy advice about being a leader – like getting some sleep and learning to delegate? Which we could then see Sam take to heart and implement going forward? Hell, they could throw in a line about how he'd been overworking himself as a method of distraction while Dean was gone and he just hadn't had time to readjust yet and it's even more sympathetic! That would both soften the harshness of AU!Bobby's original speech (showing the emotional through line with him the writers clearly wanted), and show Sam as being capable of learning from his mistakes and therefore perhaps growing into someone who is actually as good of a leader as Mary's mouthpiece speech tried to paint him as.

Not even to mention that, asked by Dean how they'll deal with everything? Sam says he'll just work harder, he'll basically stop sleeping altogether! A good leader would realize that, aside from emergencies, the answer is not to be incompetent even harder, it's to delegate and focus his expert energies more exclusively on the big stuff no one else can do - like the whole Michael problem. If these AU!people aren't competent or trustworthy enough to be handed regular hunter tasks dealing with bog-standard hunts themselves, they really shouldn't be hunting at all. Even if the writers have got a hard on for sleep-deprived Sam they desperately want to indulge, it's hardly like the Michael problem isn't sufficient to justify that without having him also waiting up all hours for calls from unnamed Bozo #5 checking in from a hunt because apparently no one else can do that.

In short, the writers seem to go out of their way to show Sam making terrible choices for someone who is a real leader (rather than just the guy haphazardly in charge) and compound it by having Sam seem to take away exactly the opposite of the lesson that would actually make him a good leader, yet I don't really get the impression we're meant to see that. Instead, this episode just gets to the end and has the only one other than Sam himself to voice any real question about his leadership just parrot along with the chorus that Sam is a good leader - regardless of basically everything they actually showed us Sam saying and doing or, more aptly, not doing. Thanks, I hate it.

I did think the monster story in this episode was done decently well, I'll give it that. In contrast to last week, I think it set up an interesting mystery around it and had a fairly satisfying follow-through. Well, mostly, insomuch as I'm going to like any of the Michael's rule-breaking monsters stories (I'm going to imagine somebody ran into town for some lamb's blood while the djinn was incapacitated.) Basically, with the Sam story so incoherent and the cringey romance bullshit with Mary/Bobby – so far as I'm concerned, all the actually enjoyable parts of the episode went to Dean. Sussing out who and what the monster was, the confrontation with it and the callback to the Michael story, and also the rather nice interlude conversation with the daughter of the old man who owns the property. (I'm pretty sure when Sam fans wanted Sam to bond with more side characters, it wasn't in the sense of a faceless mass of cardboard nobodies and listening to Mary whine about her love life while Dean still got the characters with actual personalities.)

#writer incompetence #negativity for ts #anti Dabb #anti mary winchester #long post #this one is probably not for anybody #who is really into leader!Sam #I've found the concept weird #all along #suffice it to say #the execution here #did not change my mind #spn season 14 #spn 14x05

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americaswritings · 6 years

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A Beautiful Lie | Day 3

Prompt: Fake dating au

Summary: During a live interview Tom reveals that he has a girlfriend. When he pleads you for help, you jump in to be his fake girlfriend for a while. But no one of you realizes how grave of an impact his beautiful little lie will have.

Words: 4.1k

Warnings: swearing, horrible writing

Pairing: Tom Holland x reader

A/N: Okay so first of all, yes I am not dead! I know I have been absent for more than a while and haven’t updated this story in what feels like forever. I am so sorry! Hoewever, I feel like I owe you an explanation.

There were a lot of things happening in my life, which I can’t talk about yet. To make up for it this chapter is extra long!

I hope you forgive me and I hope you enjoy!

This is for @underoossss writing challenge.

Add yourself to my taglist!

Series Masterlist

You stared after Tom for a while before turning your attention elsewhere. The doors leading to the main area where the show would take place were still closed so you couldn’t get to your seat just yet. Sighing you took out your phone, hoping that the time would fly by so you wouldn’t have to be alone for long.

You leaned against the wall and scrolled through your messages. There were a few from Haz, Harry and Elysia asking how the Oscars were going so far. But then there was also one from Jacob, congratulating you and Tom.

For a second you wondered how he already knew, but Zendaya had probably already texted him the news. You quickly answered all of them, leaving Jacobs message unreplied. You felt guilty.

You put your phone back into your purse and realized someone was making their way over to you. Glancing up you saw a young man with dark hair and sparkling eyes casually walking into your direction.

“Hey, gorgeus”, he smirked when he reached you and you huffed. “From all the things you could have said you chose that?”

You grimaced and he laughed. “Sorry, I just can’t help myself around such a beautiful lady.”

You blushed at his words and he gave you a satisfied grin. “Uh- I’m actually here with someone”, you explained, not daring to look at him. “He is one of the presenters this evening.”

You peeked into his direction to see the man still smiling at you. “I should have known that you are already taken”, he commented, but his smile had grown warmer and friendly.

“I’m Nate!” He held out his hand and you eyed it for a second before shaking it. “(Y/n).”

“I came over, because you look a little lost. Why are you here all alone?”

You fiddled with the hem of your dress before putting back on your dull smile. “As I said my boyfriend”, the words felt weird on your tongue, “is one of the presenters this evening. There are still some organizational matters for him to take care of.”

The man, Nate, nodded in understanding. “What about you? Aren’t you here with someone?”, you asked, hoping to not have to talk about yourself anymore.

Nate cringed at your question before laughing it off. “Well, my date jumped me yesterday so that kind of sucked.”

You couldn’t help but break into laughter. “Why would she do that?! It’s the Oscars”, you wondered then. “Turns out she was using me just for the fame and now found someone better to play with.”

You clenched your jaw and although Nate seemed to be completely loose talking about it, you still felt an uneasy feeling in your stomach.

For one, because you felt sorry for him, but then you also couldn’t help but project his words onto your and Toms situation.

Was he just using you for fame? Were you only something that brought him into the headlines for a while, before he decided that he had found something better and moved on?

But no, that couldn’t be. It was Tom you were talking about. He wouldn’t use you nor anybody like this.

But somewhere deep inside of you doubts were nibbling on you. Harrison’s words had planted an idea into you; something he might not even realized he had done.

“Okay I know it sounds bad, but you don’t have to feel bad for me”, Nate’s voice woke you out of your thoughts and you quickly put on your smile again.

“Sorry, I just-”, you didn’t finish. “Went somewhere else?”, he finished and you nodded in gratefulness that he seemed to understand.

“Sorry!” You felt a little embarrassed about it, but Nate quickly shook his head. “Don’t be.”

You talked to him until the doors opened a good few hours later. You found out that he was actually very funny, a little sarcastic, but what completely took you by surprise was that he seemed to have a deep side as well.

He knew that something was off, but didn’t ask any further and instead tried to distract you for a while.

You had even exchanged numbers.

“C’mere!”

A familiar voice caught your attention and you spun around to find Zendaya petting an empty seat next to her.

Relieved that you had found her this easily you slid into the seat next to her and exhaled.

“Thank god! I already thought I would never find you and have to sit alone.”

Zendaya grinned in amusement before starting to poke your arm. “Hey, I wouldn’t have let that happen! I might would have even called out for you on stage to make sure we find each other!”

You laughed and watched the people passing by, hoping to make out Tom somewhere.

You hadn’t seen him since your conversation with Zendaya earlier and you feared that you wouldn’t see him again before his presentation started.

“Searching for your lover boy?”, Zendaya teased and you giggled.

“I just wanted to wish him good luck, that’s all”, you muttered, a little disappointed that you wouldn’t be able to do it.

“I am sure Tom will forgive you”, Zendaya joked and you nodded, knowing that Tom wouldn’t be mad at you.

“But since you already started the topic.” You turned your head to meet Zendayas cheeky grin. “I wanna know everything!”

“Okay, so I think you have to be a little more specific!”, you commented and she laughed.

“Is Tom a good kisser?”

You broke into a fit of coughing at her direct question and Zendaya broke into loud laughter. “I suppose that’s a yes?”, she giggled and you shook your head in playful annoyance.

“No comment”, you smirked and leaned back in your seat. It was nice talking to Zendaya. She could always make you laugh and didn’t seem tensed about the situation.

But that didn’t mean you weren’t terrified of her questions. How should you answer the question when you had never kissed Tom?

“Have you done that yet?”

“Done what?” You frowned, trying to figure out what she meant when suddenly you realized what she was talking about.

“Oh my god Zendaya! I’m not gonna talk about this to you!”

The girl didn’t seem to mind your rejection and laughed even more.

“I can’t believe you and Tom are a thing”, she suddenly said in a more serious tone.

“Really? W-why?”, you stuttered, now insecure when Z got serious.

“I don’t know to be honest. I guess it makes sense considering how close you always were, but I can’t believe Tom kept his mouth shut.”

“I guess he didn’t have a choice or else he wouldn’t be breathing right now”, you shrugged, but Zendaya didn’t react to your joke.

“So you were the one, who wanted to keep it a secret?

You gulped, hoping that the show would start any minute and release you from this situation.

“No, no, we both wanted that”, you protested and Z turned her head to you.

“I get that you didn’t want people to know. Trust me, I really do, I just wish you would have told me before all of this chaos started.”

Your guilt was heavy, but at the same time you hadn’t been able to tell her any sooner. A part of you wanted to tell her the truth, but you had made Tom a promise.

If you started to tell more people you wouldn’t be able to stop. “Where do we draw the line?”, Tom had asked and so you had agreed with him.

But right now, looking into Zendayas disappointed chocolate brown eyes made you fill with blame.

“I’m sorry”, you whispered and you hoped that she could see how true it was.

“We should have thought about you too.”

But the girl already wore a smile again, patting your shoulder. “Don’t worry. I know how love can be sometimes. It makes blind.”

You gave her a grateful smile when suddenly the light was dimed and the show started.

It all went by in a rush. Too many impressions were overwhelming you, but although your head had started to hurt, you felt happy. Sitting next to Zendaya made you forget about everything around you for a while.

All the press and fans that would be going wild about you and Tom were out of your mind and you just concentrated on having a good time.

Eventually it was Toms turn. You knew that he was beyond nervous about his presentation, but he covered it up perfectly- just like you had expected.

Seeing him on the big stage suddenly didn’t scare you anymore, but instead you felt unbelievably proud.

You could still remember when Tom had first told you about his dream of becoming an actor. It wasn’t uncommon for kids to have such imaginations, but with him it had been different.

You had always known that it wasn’t just a phase. Tom wanted this and if he had set his mind on doing something, there wasn’t anything or anyone that could stop him from fulfilling his passion.

Tom had talent and finally people had witnessed how special he was. And somehow you were still here, by his side in all of this.

You knew that people were talking. How Tom would dump you and Haz sooner or later and choose more famous people to hang out with instead, but you couldn’t imagine it happening ever.

Tom was too smart and too kind-hearted to lose himself in fame. He didn’t care much about money nor fame. All he wanted was to act, the one thing that seemed to make him genuinely happy.

Applause erupted and you joined in, wearing the biggest smile while watching Tom leave the stage with a smile himself.

You glanced towards Zendaya to see her watching you with a smirk. “What?” “Nothing”, she shrugged it off.

You were making your way out of the hall along with a crowd of other celebrities. The show had just ended and you were hoping to find Tom somewhere.

Searching the crowd you tried to make out his figure, but had no luck. So you searched for an empty corner to wait for him.

“Here you are!”

You glanced up from your phone to meet Tom’s relieved eyes. “I just wanted to call you”, you explained while putting your phone back into your purse.

“Sorry, I had to clarify some things backstage, but now I am ready.” You nodded before reaching out to hug him.

He was confused at first, but quickly pulled you closer into his chest. “I am so proud of you”, you whispered into his shoulder, but it was loud enough for Tom to hear it.

You felt his lips curving up into a smile before he stepped back to get a look on your face. “Thank you. That means a lot to me”, he whispered. “I hope you know that.”

You smiled, nodding while your eyes didn’t leave his. For a moment you had forgotten about your surroundings, only you and Tom being important right now. “I do.”

He smiled as well and you felt how vulnerable the moment was that you were sharing. You had missed this, just being with Tom without caring about anything else. And as much you loved teasing and joking around with him, you needed these moments as well.

Moments when you and Tom were honest with each other. It reminded you that you could tell him everything, even your deepest feelings, and he would make it his mission to help you.

It was just who he was.

“About earlier”, Tom started and you knew the moment was over. You glanced to the ground, fiddling with your hands. “I don’t blame you for this Tom”, you interjected before he could say anything.

“Why? You should do it. This is all my fault!”

You sighed again, before reaching out to take his hand into yours. “C’mon, that doesn’t matter now. Zendaya isn’t mad at us and the reporters will eventually focus on a different topic.”

Tom nodded, but a frown was still covering his face. “I guess you’re right”, he stated and you grinned.

“Besides, it will allow us to spend more time together without being suspicious.”

Tom laughed at that and you were glad to relief some tension. “Now let’s go back to the hotel”, you suggested.

“You don’t want to go to the after party?”, Tom questioned and you shook your head.

“I am hella tired, aren’t you?”

“Fair point”, Tom remarked and chuckling you made your way to the entrance.

The ride to the hotel hadn’t been easy, but eventually you had arrived. You had just put on some sweatpants and a loose t-shirt when Tom returned from signing a few more autographs.

“I can’t believe they waited all this time for a signature”, he chuckled while beginning to change.

“Well I can”, you smirked, continuing to rub the make-up off your face.

“Yeah?”, Tom replied and you tried your best not to gaze into his direction. “If you didn’t know me, would you be standing out there too?”, he asked with a grin and you snorted.

“Totally!” You both laughed at the sarcasm in your voice. “I would be your biggest fan, Holland”, you added and he chuckled.

“How come I can imagine that so easily?”, he smirked and you huffed. “Oh shut up! Just because you delivered a not so terrible speech today doesn’t mean you’re irresistible.”

You turned to find Tom already in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt lying on the bed while scrolling through his phone.

“Trust me, I know you can’t resist me”, he grinned and you rolled your eyes, but not without being able to stop a smile from forming on your lips.

“You wish”, you chuckled while awkwardly walking over to the bed, stopping in front of it in uncertainty.

Tom didn’t seem to notice at first, but then he looked up with a questioning look on his face.

“Is there anything you need?”, he asked while raising his brow.

“Yeah the bed so make some space.”

“Oh.” Tom quickly moved to the side, putting his phone on the nightstand.

“I could sleep in the armchair”, he suggested, but you shook your head. “There is enough space for the both of us”, you explained, still a little unsure about the situation.

It wasn’t like you and Tom hadn’t slept in the same bed before, but that had been years ago. While getting older you had become more aware and insecure of the situation and build walls around yourself.

But at night when you were sleeping, you were completely vulnerable. And you didn’t want to make this awkward for any of you.

Keep it simple.

“Are you sure?”, Tom wondered, visibly insecure himself. “Yeah, it’s no problem. Just don’t steal my blanket”, you tried to loosen up the tension a little.

“I will give my best”, he winked while getting comfortable. You did the same and soon Tom had switched out the light.

You woke up to the light flooding your room. Tom was still asleep next to you so you reached for your phone.

8:30

Yawning you checked your messages and social media. But all tiredness vanished when you saw the hundreds and thousands of messages and followers you had reached.

Zendaya had uploaded the photo of last night and you had to admit it looked pretty adorable.

The comments were filled with hearts and cute messages and your mood brightened up immediately while reading all the positive messages.

The people really seemed to be happy for you.

“What are you looking at?”

Tom’s voice woke you out of your thoughts. He had turned around, watching you with tired but attentive eyes.

“Social media. The people really seem to like us together”, you explained, grinning when you mustered Tom’s curls falling messy into his face.

He looked so much younger like this.

“See, I told you they would.” He had never said something like it, but you ignored that and just smiled.

“What’s the plan for today?”, you asked instead.

Tom yawned, burying his face in his pillow. “Nothing to be honest. Just relaxing”, he murmured and it took all your attention to understand his muffled voice.

“That sounds lovely”, you smiled, really looking forward to a day off.

“Tell me something I don’t know”, Tom smiled and you rolled your eyes.

Later you found yourself at the couch, scrolling through your phone again. All the comments begged for you to be seen and you couldn’t force yourself to stop reading.

“Can’t get enough of all the love?”, Tom teased you from across the room. “Ha ha”, you commented, not looking up from the screen.

“Unlike you I don’t get compliments 24/7″, you defended yourself.

It was silent for a second until you gazed up to see Tom sitting down facing you.

He hadn’t been able to unhear that you were bothered about it.

“Is that hard?”, he asked and you raised your brows. “What exactly?”

Tom cleared his throat. “I mean it somehow has become normal for me to look at my phone and see tons of compliments and lovely messages. Does it bother you that you don’t?”

You would have liked to smack him for that question, but his voice told you that he wasn’t intending to hurt you nor make you look small. He actually seemed to care about your thoughts and feelings towards the situation.

“Of course not!”, you called out, but Tom raised his brow.

A look that urged you to tell him the truth.

“Okay fine”, you sighed.

“Sometimes it might be a bit difficult to see one person get tons of love and attention while being invisible. I mean, I am happy for you and you deserve everything of that, but at times it makes one feel less of a person, like you are better than me.

When I am depressed I can’t just scroll through my phone and see all the love of people that care about me. I will just sit at home and stare at a black screen.”

You didn’t know where your emotional outburst came from, but suddenly everything you had always kept to yourself came to the surface.

Talking to Tom just had that effect on you. He always gave you a reason to tell him your deepest feelings and you knew that you could trust him more than anything.

But now, when Tom was asking this question you just felt bad. You had never wanted to say those things out loud, especially not to him, but now it was too late.

But at the same time you felt like a small burden was falling from your shoulders. All this time you were feeling like you lived in Tom’s shadow and although you were fine with it most of the time, sometimes you struggled to accept it.

How should you learn to love yourself when you were always in the dark? When your two best friends gained all the attention and you were standing in the back as if you didn’t know them?

It was silent. You had put your phone away and were facing Tom, who seemed deep in thought. He was being completely serious and you could see on his face that he was surprised by your words.

“I’m so sorry. I should have asked this way sooner, but I never really paid attention to how you felt with me being famous.”

Tom’s voice was soft and like a warm embrace. “Don’t!”, you protested while rapidly shaking your head. “Don’t feel guilty. None of this is your fault!”

Tom smiled a little, but still seemed sad. “I just wish I would have known this sooner”, he sighed.

“I should have come to the conclusion that it isn’t easy for you, but I guess I just wanted it to be easy and ignored it.”

“Tom!”, you demanded for him to stop and he stilled.

“Don’t do this to yourself! You deserve this more than anyone. I am unbelievably grateful that people see how amazing you are and show you how much love you deserve. It makes me so happy to see that people finally recognize you for all what you are.”

Tom’s eyes didn’t leave yours while you spoke and you could feel the nervousness kicking in.

Butterflies were erupting in your stomach and you did your best not to stumble over your own words.

“Thank you”, he smiled and you nodded with a smile yourself.

“You don’t have to thank me, Tom. That’s what friends are for, right?”

Tom shifted, but didn’t move away from you.

“Right.”

You smiled at him once more before trying to reach for your phone, when you suddenly heared his voice again.

“But I wanna say something too.”

You looked back at him with an amused smile on your face.

“Go for it, Holland”, you encouraged him with a smirk, but Tom’s calmness told you that he was still being serious.

So you gave up your playfulness and waited for him to continue with a serious expression.

“I want you to know that, (Y/n), you’re not invisible. You are all I’m looking for when I enter a room and everything I could ever ask for. I don’t know why you’re still here or how I got you to be my friend, but please know that I am really grateful for that.”

You felt a lump in your throat and gulped to cover up how touched you were by his words.

“I care about you! So whenever you’re depressed you text me, okay? I don’t want you to be alone and feel less worthy of love. You deserve so much more than that!”

Tom was watching you with sharp eyes, waiting for you to make him the promise.

His words felt like a cure and poison at the same time.

They seemed to make up for every moment you had spend wondering why no one seemed to be interested in you and if you were less beautiful or smart or funny than Harrison and Tom.

But simultaneously they reminded you that Tom couldn’t keep his promise. As much as he might want to, it wasn’t possible.

You remembered when you had one of the worst days imaginable. Coming home you had broken down in tears and spend the rest of the evening crying until you eventually fell asleep. But through those tears you had called Tom multiple times and send him messages.

And you could still remember his only message.

Sry, but I’m busy. Call you back later.

Not only had you found out that he had been out partying with Harrison, but also he had never called you back.

He had never asked you about the evening again, so you had just dropped it.

Or the other little moments when you had needed him and he had been unavailable; in an interview, filming, on press tour. It was always the same.

But right now that didn’t matter. Bringing it up would only make Tom feel bad about something he couldn’t control.

Well, except for the partying.

So you nodded.

He gave his best, so you should do too.

Besides, his words gave you weak knees. He cared about you. You are all I’m looking for when I enter a room and everything I could ever ask for.

Only a few words and your mind was going wild. Maybe he felt the same, maybe he was in love with you too.

The hope that you so desperately tried to ignore grew and you began imagining what could happen next.

Maybe he would kiss you.

“Thank you”, you smiled, tears in your eyes.

“You don’t have to thank me. That’s what friends are for, right?”

His words felt like a punch in the stomach. Although he was only repeating you without any bad intentions, it felt like a slap.

You were brought back to reality. He wouldn’t kiss you. Why should he? You were just a friend to him.

Before he could sense the impact his words had on you, you forced a smile on your lips and reached for your phone.

Your mind was numb, while you scrolled through social media.

You didn’t read any of the messages, was your mind too distracted to deal with the sudden rejection.

But you feared that if you stopped acting like you were distracted, Tom could talk to you again.

And right now his presence felt more like a burden than a gift.

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kinetic-elaboration · 6 years

Text

September 19: 3% (as of 2x07)

I had this sudden bout of need to write done some thoughts on the 3% after watching 2x07 last night and--they felt deeper in my head but anyway here they are.

Basically some attempts to figure out the exact contours of the Offshore/Inland relationship.

What we know about the Offshore/Inland relationship:

The central idea of the Offshore is that everyone earns their way in; no one is born into that society. A consequence of this rule is that the Offshore is entirely reliant on the Inland for at least one resource: its population. From the point of the view of the Offfshore, then, the children of the Inland are a potential resource, to be protected and nurtured at least to a degree, and the adults of the Inland are the 'unworthy,' who deserve not just their squalor, but the Offshore's contempt. Their main use--their only canonically confirmed use--is to produce more children. Otherwise, they are derided, and the Offshore has no (obvious) reason to care for them in the way it might care for their children up to the age of 20.

The Offshore residents do sometimes return to the Inland, but only for specific purposes--to serve as soldiers or doctors for particular events. They do not routinely visit or hold regular 9-5 jobs on the Inland. The separation is supposed to be as complete as practically possible.

What we know about the universe:

It's the future, clearly. There have been huge strides in technology, but in recognizable directions from current tech: we see sensitive communication devices, high tech computers, high speed submarine travel, and of course the simple sterilization techniques. So we can guess that this universe once looked like our present day, but that its technological capabilities have greatly expanded with time. We also know that not only have those advances been hoarded by the Offshore, but apparently all tech, even that from our current era, has been stripped from the Inland. They not only lack fancy communication devices in the form of rings and headsets, they lack cell or landline phones, computers, televisions, radios. They have toasters, according to Elisa, and perhaps some other appliances, but little else. It is also notable that there used to be at least 2000's level tech in the Inland: there are old computer screens stacked in the background of one scene, and tech-savvy people like Fernando can salvage parts for a makeshift walkie-talkie.

We also know that animals like lions and zebras have become extinct, as Rafael mentions in 2x07. In fact, except for fish, it's not clear which animals still exist.

We know that just as there used to be technological wealth in the Inland, there was more general wealth as well. The abandoned bank where Michele met the Old Man is architecturally quite beautiful. It's also...abandoned, as are the orphanage, and various other houses and buildings in the Inland.

We know that the Process has been going on for about 100 years and juuuust enough about the Founding 'Couple' to assure me that (either in the last season 2 eps I haven't watched or in future seasons) we'll find out more about them, and, hopefully, the state of the world at the time they founded the Offshore.

The History of the Inland/Offshore

Is the destitution of the Inland and/or its technology gap with the Offshore artificially created along with the Offshore and the Process, or is it the result of some other natural event? The extinction of the animals makes me think that there was already environmental damage being done, either long-term or in one fell swoop, following some sort of disaster. And, we know from the way the actual, real world works that some people are always going to hoard resources, that disasters can occur and poverty can increase while some people remain remarkably rich. So my assumption is that the Founding Couple just exacerbated that gap, hoarding the last of the wealth (in terms of money but also technology, natural resources) in one place, and leaving the Inland to spiral down into an ever worse state of poverty and destitution.

But I'm interested in the timeline: had this society suffered through a disaster, perhaps an environmental disaster tied to a mass extinction, before the Process began? Were the Founders interested only in increased fairness, or did they also have a certain sense of human survival in mind? I'm picturing a scenario in which a resource crunch makes it impossible to share what remains with everyone, prompting the creation of a special paradise where those resources can be enjoyed by some, at least, and from there the creation of the Process, which determines which people are 'worthy' of enjoying those resources. Some characters seem to assume that there are enough resources for everyone, if only the Offshore would stop hoarding--but we don't know that to be true. If there truly is not enough for everyone, not only does 'merit' seem like the most fair way to determine who 'wins' the best of those resources, but it also seems the best way to improve humankind's situation as a whole: the smartest and the hardiest and the most creative get access to the most technology, etc., allowing them the best chance to make discoveries and advances that could solve long-lasting resource-deficiency problems. (Basically the same argument that underpins the existence of selective schools and universities; the smartest people 'deserve' the most help in becoming even smarter, the most support in growing and learning.)

Similarly, I'm curious as to how all of this society's tech ended up concentrated in the Offshore? Was there a mass disabling of the Inland's technology? Suddenly your computers/phones/tvs/radios stop working? That would be an extremely effective way to subjugate a large population.

The relationship between the Inland and Offshore

I have a lot of questions about this aspect of the universe but it basically all comes down to: what is the extent of the Offshore's control over the Inland?

At the very least, the Offshore needs the residents of the Inland to continue having children, to replenish the population of the Offshore. This is more complicated than it sounds: the Offshore needs the right number of people, it needs the right sort of people--healthy, smart, educated, and loyal to the concept of the Offshore/Inland divide and the Process itself. It also needs those children to survive the first twenty years of their life, which means it needs to ensure some level of basic safety on the Inland.

Like any minority elite ruling over a majority population that vastly outnumbers it, the Offshore also needs to keep the Inland powerless, for its own survival: to quash revolts, and to ensure complacency wherever possible.

Keeping all of this in mind, what would the Offshore do to meet these goals?

Precisely what it's shown to be doing, first of all.

Surveillance: We see this more in S1, but the Inland is littered with cameras. Aside from the registrations/ear pieces, the cameras are the only tech around, and it appears that there's fairly little respite to be had from them. Not none, obviously: the Cause members have found plenty of places to meet in S2. Still, my impression of the Inland is very much a surveillance state.

Sewing mistrust between neighbors: at least when necessary, as when Marcela makes a call for information on Cause members linked to Ezequiel's death. She's able to dangle a carrot (help in the Process) rather than threaten a stick, but it comes out the same. People will jump to turn on each other.

Military presence/Violence or the threat of violence: This is a little murky, because, aside from the build-up to the Process, when we know there are Division soldiers in the street, it's not clear how often or how extensively the Inland is patrolled by Offshore agents. However, Marcella does have contacts in 'the militia,' and is possibly even their official or unofficial leader; people like Gerson police the Inland for the Offshore, in an admittedly less...uniformed way, and to their own gain.

Registration: Being counted and officially registered is not dissimilar to being surveilled. The keeping of data on everyone (or nearly everyone, or everyone in theory) is a way of exerting control over a large population. It implies that you can always be found, that you can never escape. This is also the practical structure that underpins the Process itself, as Fernando explains, the organizational structure of their whole society relies on this human data.

Control over communication: It's quite obvious that the tech gap between the two societies isn't accidental; it's too complete, and the presence of dead or outmoded technology in the Inland shows it was not always a wasteland in this way. But in the present, the Inland people have no phones, no email--possibly no mail--no TV or radio news created for and by themselves. They have only the devices in their ears, through which they can hear the Offshore, but the Offshore cannot hear them.

Religion: A fervently believed narrative, imbued with the reverence assigned to religious faith, keeps the majority of the Inlanders from revolting. They accept their poverty as being their own fault, if they failed the Process; believe in a bright future for their children, if the children are under 20; and celebrate the success of the Offshore residents, as their due--and anyone who disagrees with these tenets is amoral, disgusting, a traitor to the ideals of the Founding Couple. (I imagine there is other cultural and quasi-religious propaganda going on too, for example the pre-Process procession, a sort of gift or treat for the people of the Inland, which also reinforces their belief in the power structure that aids the Offshore at their expense.)

Total control of the government: There is a Council, and it appears to make decisions for both the Offshore and Inland--but no Inlanders serve on it, of course. I doubt they have any sort of voting rights either.

Brain Drain: taking the top 3% of each year's children from the Inland not only plays into the "reward" narrative that underlies the whole system, it also ensures that the smartest and most creative people leave the Inland and give their allegiance to the Offshore instead. If you conceive of the relationship between the two as a 'war,' or adversarial in any way (as Marcella at least seems to), then it makes sense to want to poach all the best 'warriors' from the other side. (I don't know if this is a conscious thought on the part of Offshore authorities, but S2 does show how dangerous a 3%-er or two can be if left to rot on the Inland.)

Continuing extreme inequality: I'm not sure what other methods the Offshore uses to ensure that the two areas remain sharply diverged in terms of wealth distribution and resources, or even if, at this point, they have to do anything at all to keep up the status quo, but they do gain political power from this discrepancy in quality of life, especially when combined with the existence of the Process as a possible bridge from one life to the other. The Inlanders won't revolt against the Offshore if they hope to someday join it. And if they are rejected, they can hope that their children will advance, a nearly as powerful incentive. This system will self-perpetuate, but only as long as the Inland is a hellscape and the Offshore is a paradise. If there were a reason to hold allegiance to the Inland, people would take it.

Squashing of dissent: And of course, when pockets of organized dissent do form, like the Cause, the Offshore can gather all of these tools together to defeat them: use surveillance to find them, torture and violence to eliminate their members, and their control over the majority populace to reign in their influence.

(An aside, but, considering this list, it's pretty clear that Fernando's ideas to disrupt the Process are better than Ezequiel's bomb idea. The Offshore has formidable weapons, including propaganda weapons, and probably wouldn't have the hardest time recovering even from the death of a generation of Process applicants. They could spin it into a positive for them, probably incredibly easily by--correctly--blaming the Cause, and then broadcast their narrative to the whole of the Inland. Fernando is striking at their tools of control: those communication networks, their monopoly on information, the registration system that makes the Process possible, etc.)

Overall, we know quite a bit about how the Offshore keeps the Inland from starting a revolution, though fairly little about how it nurtures its primary Inland resource, the children.

What else might the Inland be doing, which we haven't yet seen?

Population control: I doubt we'll actually see this, since the Offshore seems intent on encouraging the Inlanders to have as many kids as possible, but if there is a resource crunch in any way in this universe, or if they ever anticipate one on the Offshore, they'd need to exert some control over the total population's numbers. The Offshore always stays in proportion to the Inland, taking 3% of its population every year, which makes sense if they wish to keep a balance that is apparently working. But that means that a population explosion on the Inland would create a population explosion on the Offshore, and perhaps cause a rationing in their resource among themselves.

Use of the Inland population for labor:

It is incredibly unclear to me what people actually spend their days doing, on either the Offshore or the Inland. I suppose the Offshore people could spend a lot of time in leisure activities--except we don't see any of that, what leisure might mean on the Offshore, and at least some of them DO have jobs: we know that some work for the Process, or serve in the military, or on the Council, or as doctors. Even more strangely, we don't know what people on the Inland do when they're not preparing for the Process. We know Silas is a doctor and Fernando's father a preacher. Money does seem to exist. But what other jobs do people have, or could they have? And how do they become qualified for those jobs? Is it all apprenticeships and informal learning, or are there schools? (I'd guess the first but it wouldn't be a retcon to include a school in a future season.) How do people earn money? What do they use that money for--just food and other essentials? Are there are stores? Is housing free and assigned or do people rent?

Looking at this from the Offshore's point of view, I would say that the people of the Inland should definitely not be idle. A large, idle population living in squalor is a potential boiling pot of rebellion.

I also think that the Offshore would want to prioritize leisure for its citizens as much as possible. The jobs they definitely have not outsourced both cannot be outsourced and are prestigious anyway. But there are always jobs that have to be done and no one wants to do. For example--the manufacture of their tech?

Putting all this together, I'd guess that the Offshore assigns work to the people of the Inland as much as possible and is probably in as much control as possible over the issuance and flow of money--probably in a way that appears to be hands off (they seem to have no money themselves) but nevertheless is near complete in practice.

Control of Inland bodies: I'm a little vague on this (see outstanding question 2), but I noticed that the upcoming Process participants not only have their registrations checked and their photos updated, they also get vaccines. And we already know that 'vaccine' doesn't always mean 'vaccine' in this universe. I'm wondering if the Offshore is doing something to the 20 year olds, and if they also have the habit of taking over Inland residents' medical care in other ways. I'm not even suggesting something nefarious. I'm thinking more along the lines of maybe literal vaccines, antibodies, vitamins, strengthening agents, or other sci-fi innovations, to keep their child population healthy--in other words, to protect the most important Inland resource, the crop from which they'll cull their future members.

Outstanding questions:

The Offshore and Inland children's education: The Offshore would definitely want the Inland children educated, because if they are not educated, they can never be good Offshore citizens. Even more specifically, the Offshore values particular skills and traits. It's not just looking for the general 'best,' but has an idea what 'best' means. So it would probably want a hand in molding the children. (Canonically, it looks they actually rely on failed Process participants to train up-and-coming Process participants, as Fernando does, but it seems...like a risk to put all your faith in failures, imo.) But how does it do so? Outside of running schools, which would require much more day to day involvement of Offshore people in Inland life, I'm not sure how they ensure they get a proper crop of new Process participants each year.

The Offshore and Inland children's health: We know that the Inland has doctors, and that their medicine isn't as good as on the Offshore. And I doubt the Offshore cares much about what happens to adults--provided enough of them are healthy enough to have healthy children and, perhaps, to work. But how do they keep the children safe and healthy? The Process is physically grueling in places. It is not for the weak or the half-starved. How do they draw the line between making the Inland a terrible place to live, a place from which all children would be desperate to escape, and also ensuring not only the most basic health and safety, but a general environment in which children could thrive enough to grow into 'the 3%'? (I doubt we'll get an answer for this, and perhaps we're supposed to assume that the very best of the best will rise to the top no matter what: if a child is naturally sickly, he doesn't 'deserve' the Offshore anyway, for example, or if a child would be smart with the proper training but isn't naturally smart on her own, she's not quite 3% material. Characters like Fernando and Joanna bear out this theory some: he is physically disabled and she came from the lowest of even the Inland low, no family at all, and they still both passed the Process, essentially. I'm not entirely sure I buy this, though... The crowd that gathered at the beginning of 1x01 didn't exactly look like they were malnourished as a whole, so at least some needs must be being met.)

I feel like I had some other thoughts but these are already excessive! So I'm done for now.

#the year 2018 #2018: fandom thoughts

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royallypsychotic · 3 years

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sumukhcomedy · 6 years

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LeBron James: The Rollercoaster Ride

I am a month older than LeBron James and probably half his size. For people like me who grew up in Cleveland as part of the age group that LeBron is, we feel as if we’ve grown with LeBron. We were aware of him at St.Vincent-St.Mary High School before the national media was. We saw him racking up the Ohio Mr. Basketball awards. We were proud to see him on the cover of Sports Illustrated in high school and his games broadcasted on national television. We chuckled as the local media covered LeBron driving in a Hummer like it was big news (news of how corrupt sports can be perhaps).

At the same time, the Cleveland Cavaliers looked like complete crap. Ricky Davis was shooting at his own hoop to get a triple-double. Coach John Lucas basically admitted after the fact that the team was tanking to get to LeBron. What a perfect fit. The pride of Ohio basketball could play in Cleveland.

I’ve never cared more about a NBA Draft Lottery and remembering being in the house I grew up in and ultimately so excited when it was announced the Cavs would be picking first overall in the 2003 Draft. LeBron was going to play for the Cavs. And what has progressed has been a 15-year career unlike any other in the history of the NBA and a rollercoaster ride for those of us who love basketball, appreciate LeBron, and have the strange connection of having observed the guy since his high school days while also being in high school ourselves. So, for the sake of the fact that Clevelanders like myself love Cedar Point, I will break down LeBron’s career and my perspective via Cedar Point rollercoasters.

“Mean Streak” – Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-2010)

“Mean Streak” was an acceptable enough ride at Cedar Point before it was closed after 25 years of operation. It was an enjoyable wooden coaster but at the same time it also jerked your neck around so much that you got whiplash. By the end of it, you asked yourself, “Should we have actually waited in line for a far better rollercoaster?” The same could be said of LeBron’s first go-round with the Cavs, none of which I would say is LeBron’s fault. The first 7 years of LeBron’s career which garnered only one Finals appearance was filled with fun moments in watching his progression but also in organizational blunders that led LeBron to leave. There was a lot of talk of finding the “Pippen to LeBron’s Jordan” and that was supposedly going to happen with Larry Hughes and didn’t even come close. Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones were seen as big splash signings and weren’t at all. As much as the team may have spent, they never found worthy pieces to be on LeBron’s supporting cast and it’s still pretty unbelievable to see that LeBron dragged that awful 2007 roster to the Finals. There are 2 moments from this time that are most worth remembering with LeBron. First is “The 48 Special” against Detroit. After that night, I knew that LeBron was simply too good to never win a NBA title. Even if he wasn’t going to do it in Cleveland, he was going to do it somewhere else. The second was his miraculous shot in Game 2 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals against Orlando. It was an amazing moment for Cavs fans but ultimately the team lost the series and it kind of is a symbol as a whole of those first 7 years in Cleveland. Like “Mean Streak” it was enjoyable but shaky and ultimately not successful.

“Millennium Force” – Miami Heat (2010-2014)

Since opening in 2000, Millennium Force has easily become one of the best rollercoasters in the world especially if you are able to experience it at night. Say whatever you may about LeBron’s time with the Miami Heat (and I, as a Cavs fan, will say that I loathed it and “The Decision,”) LeBron came to the peak of his career while coming together with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. This time period marked some of LeBron’s best performances but also led to only a 2-2 record in the NBA Finals (and 1-3 if not for Ray Allen’s 3). The Millennium Force is in some ways overshadowed or less talked about than many other coasters but it is a peak performer in entertainment and consistency. The same could be said of this Heat team who in reality should have done better than 2 titles but also lasted for as long as they possibly could particularly given Chris Bosh’s unfortunate health issues and Dwyane Wade’s age now showing.

“Raptor” – Cleveland Cavaliers (2014-2018)

Raptor is my favorite ride at Cedar Point and so to, for biased reasons, will LeBron’s second run in Cleveland for me. But, much like the twists and turns that the Raptor brings, so too was LeBron’s time in Cleveland which saw so much off-court drama and change that made me wonder as a fan if anyone was even happy playing on that team. Regardless, this 4-year stretch saw the best basketball played in the history of Cleveland and saw LeBron do amazing things I never thought I would see a basketball player do in front of a crowd that will forever love him. LeBron accomplished a goal in bringing a title to the city and ending a 52-year curse. If only I could ride the success of the Cavaliers over this time as often as I can ride the Raptor on a slow day at Cedar Point.

“Top Thrill Dragster” – The last 3 minutes of the 2016 NBA Finals (2016)

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Top Thrill Dragster is 0 to 120 MPH in 4 seconds and is awesome. The line to wait for it is usually forever. Sometimes it’s been closed for the day when I’ve been to Cedar Point. Even though the last 3 minutes of the NBA Finals felt like they took forever, the thrill of it was just as unthinkable as Top Thrill Dragster. I’ve rewatched these last 3 minutes probably over 100 times. I’ll be lucky if I get to experience Top Thrill Dragster that many times.

LeBron James is just an unthinkable athlete with a career so unique to anyone else. He was thrust in the spotlight in his teenage years and lived beyond that hype. He hasn’t succumbed to any major personal downfall like Tiger Woods. He didn’t falter to personal demons or addictions like Maurice Clarett (equally popular in Ohio at the same time LeBron’s popularity was rising). And when we look back at the top picks of the 2003 NBA Draft, none of them have sustained remotely to the level of LeBron. Darko Milicic fizzled out early, Carmelo Anthony is almost seen as a joke now to some with his only hope being a glimmer of the offensive firepower he once had, Bosh is unfortunately out of the league, and Wade’s age has caught up to him.

Many will point to LeBron’s legacy and his 3-6 NBA Finals record and discount him as compared to Michael Jordan and many of the other NBA greats. But the 3-6 Finals record can be attributed to a combination of the Cavs organization, the Heat organization, LeBron himself, and LeBron being ahead of his time. The Cavs organization never fully surrounded LeBron with the right people in his first go-round with the team. The rosters assembled couldn’t possibly match up to the kind of teams they faced and it’s still miraculous that LeBron took the team the 2007 Finals. The Heat organization surrounded LeBron with a great cast but it never fully understood LeBron and ultimately lost him because of that. LeBron himself does shoulder some blame because of his attitude and some criticism could be made of his ability to attract free agents in his first stretch with the Cavs and also that his role as a de facto general manager with both the Heat and the Cavs has just been terrible and he’s left behind his previous teams in salary cap hell with awful players.

But the biggest issue for LeBron is that he simply was ahead of his time. He came into the league at a time when teams like the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs and the big man game of Shaquille O’Neal were reigning supreme. The run and gun nature of Mike D’Antoni and the Phoenix Suns was just starting up and was looked at with doubt that it would succeed. LeBron’s decision to join forces with Wade and Bosh and create a “Big Three” started a trend in the NBA. It was a trend that unfortunately hurt him when Kevin Durant decided to join the Golden State Warriors, making it a much harder mountain to climb for him to win a NBA title. The most criticism of LeBron to me could be done of his time with the Heat where that was the greatest opportunity to win titles. The 2007 Finals was unbelievable to even get to. The 4 Warriors-Cavs Finals have asterisks associated with them. It would have been ideal to have a Best-of-7 series with the best, healthy rosters of these teams and that never happened.

If LeBron wins a 4th NBA title with a 3rd team and, especially a team in the iconic Los Angeles Lakers who have been seen as a joke over the past few years, I’d have a hard time not calling him the greatest of all-time. The numbers and records don’t matter. It’s the sheer dominance and uniqueness of his career over the years.

I’m not affected by “Decision 3.0” as I was by “The Decision.” In a way, in these subsequent two weeks, I think it was the best move. For the rest of the world, it’s fitting for Cristiano Ronaldo to play for Manchester United and Real Madrid and now the recent transfer to Juventus. These are the biggest soccer clubs in the world. It makes sense for LeBron to unite with the biggest name in the game of basketball worldwide: The Los Angeles Lakers. It’s even bigger if he can revitalize the team to its “Showtime” era.

It also just makes sense. It’s a time now for LeBron to try to be the greatest basketball player of all-time but he soon wants to be a business mogul. That sense of business is not going to be learned from Cavs owner Dan Gilbert who he has never gotten along with but rather Magic Johnson, an iconic and beloved player that seems to be most in the mold of both life and personality to what LeBron could pave himself to be in the future.

As a Cavs fan who lives in L.A., you’d probably think I’ll be making my way to many Lakers games this season to see LeBron. But that’s likely not going to happen. I can’t afford that! I’ll stick to being an NBA fan and seeing the much cheaper Clippers (they actually have what could be an entertaining roster).

But for LeBron to end up in L.A., to win a title for Cleveland, and to have gone through such a rollercoaster ride of an experience as a basketball player in 20 years, it’s pretty remarkable. And maybe one day we’ll all look at him as the greatest of all-time. That’s not bad in my mind for a “kid from Akron.”

#lebron #lebron james #nba #cleveland #los angeles #cavs #lakers #cedar point #rollercoasters #magic johnson #dan gilbert #akron #heat #showtime #cristiano ronaldo #basketball

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fireandseaweed · 6 years

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All the Oceans and the Brooks || Brooks, Caspian and Percy

Brooks tries to steal some dough (bread) and has a run in with some unhappy Greeks.

“Who the hell are you?” The question came as a surprise to Brooks. The last time he had checked over his shoulder before plunging his hand into the reserves, he had been completely alone. He hadn’t gone completely ignorant of the fact that swinging in and back out unnoticed had been harder, if not almost impossible since getting to New Rome. Damn these demigods and their superior senses. Back in New York Brooks could have robbed everyone around him blind before a single person realized their wallet had been missing. He had planned on changing his ways once arriving. Finding a new path, leaving all the lying and thieving behind him, and all that jazz. But with the war breaking out and everything going to shit he had found it easier to survive by slipping back into the old patterns that he already knew so well. At least, that was until he had gotten caught. “I’m doing my damn job.” Brook’s tone changed immediately before standing up straight and confidently, making eye contact he was way too uncomfortable to make when he was actually being himself. “At least I was, until you interrupted.” He turned back and began digging through the food again, hoping that would be enough to get the man who had caught him to go away. It wasn’t. “And what exactly is your job again?” Brooks wish he knew more about this war so that he could make up a convincing lie. But in his moment of weakness, Brooks did what he did best. He grabbed a loaf of bread and ran for it.

Caspian was on patrol. When he wasn’t with Kol, or training, it was really the only other thing to do. He wanted to do more of course, but there wasn’t much to do. Percy’s superior organizational skills had this place running pretty smoothly. So when he heard the shouting from the food storage he had no choice to stop and inspect what or who was disturbing the peace. He stopped at the entrance and narrowed his eyes, trying to put a name to the face that he saw inside talking to a Greek guard. He was about to dismiss the situation when the one Caspian couldn’t recognize grabbed something from the store room and bolted. If they were underwater, he wouldn’t have got away. However, they were surrounded by air and a pesky thing called gravity existed. As he moved to chase after the boy, he tripped over his own legs. The guard that was inside came sprinting out and tripped after Caspian. With multiple grunts the two got to their feet as fast as possible and were after the thief. “Stop! That is not yours! Others need it more!” He called out, already running out of breath. Curse running.

Things had been going far from well. More injuries and more deaths meant that there was only so much that Percy could cope with in his usual rational (or as rational as he could manage) manner. Swallowing a gulp of water, he had rounded a corner to see a strange sight. Caspian and a few other Greeks giving chase to a very familiar figure that was hurtling right towards him. It took him a moment to place the face, after all there were so many people within this part of the city that he knew and that were under his care. However he had met this person a few months back, in New York. They’d been unaware of the truth about the demigod world, and after a monster attack Percy had been forced to intervene and establish what had really happened in the world so that he wouldn’t get eaten ignorant. But now, he was somewhat disheartened to see the chase that was going on. Scraping up a puddle, he littered the cobbled streets with water before causing it to freeze into a thin icy film which he hoped would slow the other demigod down enough for them to discuss what the hell was going on.

Brooks was so sure that he was in the clear until he felt his foot slip out from under him. He was outrunning those guards chasing after him, and as soon as he had got out of eyesight he knew he could slip into shadows and enjoy his lunch in peace. But somehow, even in April, patches of ice had somehow appeared along the road. Brooks had been running so fast that he had no time to stop or prepare himself for the fall. He barely stopped, just smacked his back against the ground and rolled. He kept the bread tucked to protect it from dirt. Protect his meal to the very end, he supposed. He knew he had no time to run at this point. He also had no idea what was going to happen to him. It was war time. Was stealing punishable by death? As a figure caught up to him, Brooks broke into tears and screamed out to whoever was coming up to him, “Stop! Wait please don’t kill me! I’ll give it back I swear!”

Spotting Percy and then the ice, Caspian began to slow down and melted the ice in front of him and the other guard. He watched as the thief slipped and hit the ground. Caspian wasn’t angry as per say, he was just upset that someone would be selfish enough to take for themselves when there were others that needed it more, especially since people risked their lives to obtain food and resources. Caspian had more of a stern look on his face, but as soon as the boy broke into tears, he was taken back. “Nobody is going to kill you. I just want the food back.” He looked over to Percy who was the one who truly apprehended the thief. He hoped that his uncle hadn’t seen him stumble and cause the other guard to fall. “What do we do here Percy?”

Raising an eyebrow at the situation, Percy took a look at both Caspian and then Brooks. As he fully realised exactly who the other was, he had to admit that he felt somewhat disappointed that this was happening. “What exactly has happened?” he asked with a frown, concern furrowing his brow gently as he couldn’t imagine that this would be good for morale. Things couldn’t get much worse though. Situations like this would almost certainly turn worse if they were left to rot and he didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks if he could help it.

For whatever reason, crying in front of the dude who had saved his life and introduced him to this entire world just seemed wrong. Brooks cut the act and wiped away the forced tears. “Uh- Hey Percy. Long time no see.” The two barely knew each other, and yet Percy was the closest thing Brooks had had to a real friend in what felt like years. Realistically, it was probably much longer. And all because Percy had saved him from that monster and then told him about demigods. It felt like forever ago. He looked at the kid next to Percy, definitely not the best way to start off friendships. Or any type of relationship.”Sorry” He held his arm out towards them, loaf of bread in hand and ready to surrender, “So, I get this probably looks bad.”

The guard explained how he had noticed Brooks suspicious behaviour and interrogated him and Caspian confirmed his story. “Yes, and then he made a run for it and he slipped passed both of us and that is where you stepped in.” He pointed at Percy whilst saying the last part. Caspian then reached out and took the break from the boy and then passed it to the guard he started heading back to the storage area. “I just do not understand why you would want to steal it. You could have just requested for an extra loaf.” Caspian had no idea who this man was, but Percy seemed to recognize him and Caspian was unaware what the procedures for this would be.

Rubbing his eyebrows exhaustedly, Percy sighed and shook his head. He couldn’t really decide what they were going to do with this situation. Taking the loaf of bread, Percy frowned as he looked at it in his hands. Swallowing he bit his lip and glanced from Brooks to Caspian. “You can go,” he said to the other Greeks stood around before handing them the loaf so they could return it to the stores, “Brooks, Caspian, follow me.” Caspian had just been doing his job and he’d done it well enough, at least all things considered. “Brooks, I know you’re brand new to this world, so we’re going to give you the benefit of the doubt, but if you get caught stealing again we’ll be left without any choice but to take action. “We’re all Greek here, there are some Romans too and we’re being forced to fight for our survival. None of us want to fight, but the only way we’ll make it is together.” He looked at Brooks. “Caspian makes a good point, why did you not just ask for extra food if you needed it?”

Brooks breathed a sigh of relief. Of all the things Percy had just said, ‘benefit of the doubt’ was the phrase that stuck with him the most. It was a sort of bittersweet statement with a mixture of meaning. On one hand, Brooks was off the hook. On the other hand, Brooks felt like he was a child being scolded by his mom. She wasn’t angry, just disappointed. It somehow made Brooks feel even worse. Maybe he would have been better off if Percy or the other kid, Caspian, had just punched him in the face. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He repeated again and again. He couldn’t tell if he was even acting anymore or not. “I’m not used to being the kid who gets to just ask for more food. That’s not how it worked in New York.” His eyes darted to the ground as he tried to find the right words to say. His stomach felt like it was free falling and he hated that feeling. “I guess- I guess I felt bad. It didn’t seem right to ask for more food when I’m not doing anything around here to earn it. The logic is twisted I know.”

Caspian followed, listening to conversation. He didn’t really have much to add. He had never had to live off the streets, he had always had some kind of family, and with the Nereids way of life being so interconnected, nobody went without food or shelter. Kolby had told him all about it and now it being brought up again, he couldn’t help but feel bad for the kid. “In Atlantis, if a thief or scoundrel was caught, they were given three options. One, leave Atlantis and never return. Two, serve out a sentence or three, try out for the Atlantean guard, and if fit enough, serve the guard.” He was talking to Percy more than anyone else. “Perhaps Brooks could join the guards here. He would learn our ways, learn discipline,” he turned to Brooks before adding the last part, “And you will be doing something, so you would not feel bad for asking.”

Percy listened to the two responses carefully. Taking a moment, he took a long breath and scratched the beard that he had grown in the past few months since the war had broken out. “Well we’re not going to exile you, and I think that sentencing you isn’t going to be feasible or useful.” He chewed his lip thoughtfully. “I don’t want to put you on the front lines and force you to fight when you’re not ready, you’re just going to die.” He scratched his chin before continuing. “But I think that joining in on missions and running supplies might fit into your particular skill set and it’ll give you the chance to make a decision about whether or not you want to join in the fight. Either way, it is time that we outfitted you properly, we can’t expect you to act like a Greek if we don’t treat you like one.”

Act like a Greek. It was strange but those words were actually uplifting to Brooks. It had been forever since he felt truly part of something. Even longer since he had been part of something that he actually wanted to be a part of. He still hadn’t decided whether or not this was something that he wanted to be a part of but he wasn’t going to figure that out by sneaking in and out of camp and swiping bread from the supplies. It would be a nice change of pace for Brooks to actually earn the food he ate. Brooks held his arms up in surrender, “I’m in. No more stealing and no more running, promise. I can help.” He cautiously took a few steps forward hoping that neither one decided to throw a punch just to prove a point. “Thank you Percy. Seriously. And hi. I’m Brooks.” He held a hand out towards Caspian and put on his best performance smile. This was how normal people made friends right?

Caspian let out a small sigh. It released the tension in his body that had built up since the chase. It wasn’t like himself to be so uptight, but he guessed that it was just the war. “Caspian.” He said back with a smile. “If it makes you feel any better, I am not from around here either. I have been here longer, so I have learnt the ropes, but I am sure you will too.” He shook the others hand, still remembering the first time he shook someone's hand. “I can show you around now if Percy is fine with that?” He offered looking up at his uncle.

Biting his lip gently, Percy followed along with the conversation that was going on between the three of them. “You’re a child of Hermes, Brooks,” Percy pointed out remembering the caduceus that was present the moment that Percy found Brooks. It had floated above his head eerily and it had been Percy’s job to explain the situation to him. It still seemed ridiculous that Percy might well know Brooks’ own dad better than Hermes’ son. Yet the god’s decisions were their own and Percy wouldn’t take responsibility for it. “You’re welcome, we’ve got to stick together in this and we’ve got to make sure that everyone’s fine.” He paused for a second and shook his head. “If you don’t mind Cas, I’m going to tag along and make sure that Brooks settles in alright, I also want to make sure that he gets a weapon. So if you’ll follow me, that is what we’re going to do first. Unless you’ve got something better to fight with?” It was a genuine question. You never know which demigods were pre-armed.

Admittedly, Brooks understood that Hermes was not an inherently bad god. Yet somehow he thought that every time somebody asked Brooks about his heritage that they were judging him for being the son of the god of thieves. Maybe that was just Brooks own insecurities showing. Still, he couldn’t help but flinch whenever it was pointed out to him. “Lead the way.” Brooks followed closely behind the two not leaving much room as a sign that he wasn’t going to run away again. “I’ve never really used much of a weapon.” That wasn’t a lie. Brooks owned a pocket knife because it was helpful for lockpicking and cutting the plastic and zip ties off of things he had stolen from stores, but he had never been much of a fighter. In a battle between fight or flight, flight almost always won out in Brooklyn’s case. “Back on the streets I was really good at talking myself out of any danger. If not, I was usually able to outrun anybody chasing me.” He couldn’t confidently claim the case would be the same against any type of demigod. Up against them, things turned a lot more dangerous.

Caspian nodded and walked next to Brooks, interested in making new friends, especially ones that were around his age. “I use a trident, which is not always effective on land. If not, Percy and I are lucky to have the ability to control water. I suppose you can manipulate words in the same way.” Caspian wasn’t really sure what Brooks being a son of Hermes meant. He knew all about the god of course, but had no idea what his children were capable of. “At least you can run fast enough. I still trip over my own feet.” He added these comments in, not realizing that Brooks had no idea where Caspian was from and how much he had actually adapted. “The usual weapons though are daggers and swords, so maybe you should start with those? It depends if you like short or long range when it comes to fighting. Staying and fighting or running is something that you can learn whilst training. It comes with confidence.”

Leading the two of them through the Greek base, Percy brought them to a large shop that had once sold water sports equipment for people to use on the lake. Right now it was one of the many armouries that had sprung up across the district to equip the various Greeks in their fights against the Romans. “Well, since you’ve never used anything or fought really we’ll start with the basics, swords, spears and shields.” Biting his lip gently, Percy smiled brightly as he moved through the racks and pulled down a spear which he handed to Brooks, pulling down a sword as well he handed that to Brooks as well before having Caspian hold a shield. “I’m tempted to try something more unorthodox with you true, how do you feel about battle axes?” he asked curiously. It wasn’t that he was sure what weapon would suit Brooks, it was more that he wanted to try everything just to be sure.

Brooks could tell that the makeshift armory had not always been a location to pick up various tools used to kill people. If it had, New Rome had a lot more issues than Brooks had originally imagined. He listened as Caspian explained that he used a trident to fight, which seemed incredibly impressive. Brooks couldn’t imagine learning to use a weapon like that one. But he had picked up on the fact that Caspian had fallen behind while Brooks made off with the bread. He must be clumsy. Or- wait hadn’t he mentioned Atlantis? As in, the underwater city of legend? Jesus he had so much to learn. “Confidence. Right. Okay.” That was going to be a problem. Inside, Percy began explaining weapon training basics that no teenager or kid Percy’s age should have this much knowledge knowing. He handed a spear which Brooks took in one hand and then a sword that Brooks took in his free hand and attempted to mess around with both. He spun the sword around a couple of times like he had seen on television. Then he tried imagining what it would be like to carry the sword or spear around New York City. Trying to sneak through a crowd or get away from people through a narrow alley with a huge ass spear strapped to his back seemed impractical for Brooks. But this was not the streets of New York. That wasn’t even including the shield. “I could work with these I guess. Maybe.” Brute strength had never been Brooks’ expertise. At Percy’s words, Brooks eyed the axe nervously. “They look pretty… conspicuous. I have always been better at not standing out.” He changed his tone quickly, hoping not to annoy or anger Percy, “But I can try anything.”

Caspian watched as the other held the weapons. The boy didn’t seem comfortable with them but Caspian wasn’t about to say anything. He felt that it wasn’t really his place and watched curiously to see how this would turn out. At the mention of a word he didn’t understand, he lent towards Percy and gently asked, “Uh, what does con-spic-uous mean?” His english was decent considering he had recently learnt it, but his vocabulary wasn’t too great.

“Conspicuous is like when something is overly obvious,” Percy explained with a gentle smile before taking the weapons out of Brooks hands and putting them back on the rack. “None of those weapons are inconspicuous,” he replied with a laugh, “there are different options, we can give you daggers, they’re easy to hide on your person, but they’re hard to work with. You’ve got to get up close and personal, and that is where the real danger is. If you can’t see the whites in their eyes you don’t get the value from the weapon.” That was something that Annabeth had said to him before. Taking a pause he stroked his beard thoughtfully. “The other options are long ranged weapons, we’ve got custom firearms, crossbows, short and long bows, blow darts, throwing knives, axes and even some javelins. So ultimately the choice is yours.”

How did anyone go about choosing the weapon he might use to take someone’s life? Specifically, when one had never used a weapon before in his life. Every single one he eyed around the room had that sharp and dangerous look of finality to it. Any one of these weapons could kill a person and Brooks new that in war time, eventually it may come down to kill or be killed. The idea terrified him. “Well that’s a morbid saying.” Brooks gave a humorless chuckle and ran his fingers across the shelves as he listened to Percy describe the weapons. “Not going to lie to you, I have no idea where to even start with picking a weapon.” He figured carrying blow darts around in battle would cause someone to just laugh in his face before beheading him with a giant ass sword, but this was the demigod world. Who knew what all was going to happen in the field. “I guess I should try a mixture of both. Maybe if I had someone who could help me train with some? This is purely a guess, but I would say I’m going to be better with something small and hideable.”

Caspian nodded, “A knife or dagger would be the best option. I can help train you in fighting, but I cannot help train you with a dagger.” Caspian was a skilled fighter, he recalled the time he held his own against Percy and allowed it to fuel his confidence in future fights. He had been training all his life, how hard could it be to train someone else? As for the knife issue, Caspian preferred not to be so up close and personal, hence the use of a trident or his water abilities to push people away or strike them with icicles. “Maybe Percy can help you with weapons training? He seems to know what he is talking about when it comes to knifes.” Another name came to mind when it came to people who could train Brooks, but unfortunately she wasn’t around at the moment, and he wouldn't dare say her name in front of Percy, not now.

Swallowing gently, Percy thought about Annabeth. She was the obvious choice to train Brooks. One glance at Caspian told him the same thing. “We’ll all help,” he said with a shrug, “there is lots for you to learn and the more people helping you with that the better. If we allow you to fall behind on your training then it could be problematic, I’ll do my best to get you up to speed Brooks, but this is going to take hard work on both sides.” He thought about his first time fighting with a real weapon, it wasn’t that he’d been afraid, it was more that he’d been entirely terrified by everything that was going on. It’d taken him years to adjust to this world and he hoped that Brooks would manage to do just as well. “Here,” he said reaching down and pulling down a set of celestial bronze daggers with leaf shaped blades, “this will start you off for the moment. Do you have somewhere to sleep?”

“Thanks!” Maybe Brooks was making up for the former thieving by being obnoxiously enthusiastic and thankful, but he figured that was his best option here. These two obviously knew what they were doing and Brooks could use some allies like that. “I’ll accept help wherever I can get it. Seriously.” Percy expected something of Brooks, and Brooks would be damned if he was going to let Percy down after saving Brooks’ life. “I won’t slack off, promise. Scouts honor.” Then he honest to god saluted. What the hell was wrong with him? “Um, I can pretty much sleep anywhere.” He purposely avoided the question. It wasn’t hard to pick up on Brooks lack of a good family life, but he was still embarrassed to admit that he had been sleeping in alleyways and in the forest for as long as he could remember.

Caspian couldn’t help but laugh at the salute before moving his hand over his mouth in a blink of an eye and looking at the floor. Caspian had officially moved from soldier mode into casual mode. He cleared his throat, “Brooks can sleep with Kolby and I.” He offered, “I mean he could always stay in our room.” He was sure Kolby wouldn’t mind, or maybe he would. Caspian was just trying to be polite and make new friends. He was also pretty confident that Percy would assign Brooks his own room or perhaps he’d bunk with a few other young demigods. He had heard about how in Camp Half-Blood, demigods used to bunk together according to their godly heritage. Caspian would then sleep by himself, or maybe he’d share the Poseidon cabin? “I am just saying.” He finished off.

“I think that I’ll leave you in Caspian’s very capable hands then,” Percy replied with a gentle nod towards his nephew, “believe me you’re in good hands.” He turned to leave, his hands slipping into the pockets of his jeans and gently pressing against the cold metal of Riptide in as a pen. “Oh, and try not to get in anymore trouble if you can help it Brooks,” Percy said with a gentle smile. Children of Hermes were hardly capable of staying out of trouble.

#p: brooks #p: caspian #f&gwar #f&gwriting #chatzy para #para #all the oceans and brooks

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personalcoachingcenter · 3 years

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Be Successful In LEADERSHIP with these Invaluable Tips

New Post has been published on https://personalcoachingcenter.com/be-successful-in-leadership-with-these-invaluable-tips/

Be Successful In LEADERSHIP with these Invaluable Tips

Being a good leader seems tough. And as we’ve seen throughout history with exiled kings and mutinied ship captains, it’s no easy task to inspire others. It’s easy to get down on yourself and doubt that you have what it takes.

But, like everything in this course, we’re here to tell you that you can do it! The idea of a natural-born leader is a bit of a myth, and it’s possible for anyone to become a leader… or at least more leader-like.

So today, we’ll show you how leadership styles can be different, which skills are most effective, and how to make sure your team stays in sync. I’m Evelyn from the Internets. And this is Crash Course Business: Soft Skills [Intro Music Plays] Nowadays, the word manager has a bad rep and reminds people of a demanding, inflexible, or out-of-touch boss.

On the other hand, a leader is seen as a supportive, visionary, or proactive boss. But those are just stereotypes. A good manager has to have good leadership skills. Managers play a big part in shaping a company’s culture.

They influence behavior and productivity, and set the vibe, which is why organizations are so different. It’s like how Amazon has 14 codified leadership rules that lead to high productivity, but a lot of burnout and competition.

Or how Walt Disney focused on creating a magical experience by calling park visitors “guests” and employees “cast members.” People usually don’t quit companies. They quit managers. We all have at least one story of a boss we couldn’t stand.

So that’s part of why leadership skills are so valuable. Here’s the thing, though: a leader isn’t just a manager or a larger-than-life historical icon. Sure, there are standout activists like Marsha P.

Johnson or supreme court justices like Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A leader can be anyone who works well with others and inspires them to achieve their goals. Like a sports team where some players help out just as much as the captains or coaches, in business you can show leadership in small ways too.

An effective leader creates a positive and productive environment. An ineffective leader creates a negative environment with a lot of tension. Leaders have 7 core skills: forming strong relationships, making effective decisions, coordinating teamwork, communicating well, being ethical, motivating others, and providing direction.

Basically, they help bring people together to accomplish things that nobody can do alone! And there are lots of different leadership styles, so you can pick what works best for you and switch it up in different situations.

Like, you wouldn’t deal with a difficult customer the same way you’d pitch a new client. Commanding leaders live by a “do what I tell you” philosophy. They’re forceful, blunt, and straightforward, like a military commander shouting at their troops.

This style is good for getting things done fast or when someone really isn’t listening, but using commands too much can make people frustrated. When it’s warranted, some commanding leaders are effective.

But it can be associated with bad leadership. Visionary leaders give general guidelines and set broad goals, but they basically let people find their own path. They’re the “come with me” leader.

This style is great if your team thrives without much direction. But if you’re less experienced than the rest of your team, you could be perceived as too idealistic and it could rub people the wrong way.

Affiliative leaders focus more on relationships. They’re the “people come first” leaders, who try to solve conflicts by accommodating and making people happy. This style can help us feel supported and motivated… but it can also come at a price.

If people are placed too highly above performance, some people may start slacking off. Democratic leaders are most likely to ask, “what do you think?” They want to build an environment where people are involved in making decisions and most everyone agrees with each decision.

This style can make sure decisions are fair, but it can also make them slow. If a meeting is already taking an hour, we do not need a sharing stick. We need a fast decision! You know the phrase “do as I say not as I do?” Well, pacesetting leaders want you to “do as I do, now.

” They’re more likely to set a highly ambitious goal and adhere to their own high standards. This style can work well for a team of highly motivated people or overachievers, but perfect is the enemy of good.

And it can be exhausting to keep up with a pacesetting leader. But coaching leaders, like every pee-wee football coach, are all about providing support, offering advice, and helping people change and grow.

They’re likely to say, “try this.” This style of guidance is usually helpful, unless the team is super experienced and just wants to get work done without a lot of input. To visualize all of these leaders, imagine telling a team to solve a puzzle in the office break room.

A visionary leader would give an inspirational speech about how everyone has the power to put together a great puzzle, then show examples of teams who solved puzzles as a benchmark. An affiliative leader would use the puzzle as a tool to build a sense of community and get people excited to work on other projects with each other again.

A democratic leader would survey everyone to figure out the best way to put the puzzle together, and then divvy up the pieces each person needs to handle. A pacesetting leader would set a timer and then dive straight in, while expecting everyone to put together as many pieces as they are.

And a coaching leader would show people how to fix the pieces they tried to jam together in a frenzy, and provide a good book on puzzle-solving for everyone to read. Now, this is super simplified. People are complicated and can’t be separated into neat little boxes, so we blend leadership styles together.

Someone like Michelle Obama is usually described as a charismatic leader. She may blend visionary and affiliative styles together and use diplomacy and charisma to smooth things along. And the leadership style that works best for your company or team may not work in everyone’s.

Oprah may be great at leading those book clubs, but she probably wouldn’t be a great hockey team coach. So while leadership seminars and retreats may seem flashy or help you network a little, they’re not going to magically change you into a great leader overnight.

That’s not how anything works. To see how to judge who you should take leadership advice from, let’s go to the Thought Bubble. You’ve been working at a popular ethical clothing brand for about five years, and you’ve just been promoted to lead the communications team.

Together, you’ll write press releases and develop multimedia campaigns for all your new products. You’re understandably nervous. You’ve never led a team before, and you really want to do well. So before you start, you book a ticket to a 2-day leadership conference in Brooklyn.

There are hundreds of attendees, a charismatic keynote speaker, and panels of entrepreneurs. You hear about people’s successes and failures, and by the end of the weekend you’re feeling inspired. But when you get home and review your notes, they’re mostly a list of meaningless buzzwords.

You realize you felt super empowered because of the environment, not because of the information. Most of the advice was pretty superficial, like “be the mentor you wish you’d had” and “be free to be yourself.

” And those hyper-specific leadership tips from that venture capital tech firm CEO don’t really apply to your job. Every organization is different, so seek out advice from people with leadership styles you admire.

That’s way better than listening to blanket statements from people that just seem like influential leaders. Instead of going to generic conferences, read articles from academic sources like The Harvard Business Review.

Or find advice from experts who study and teach business and organizational management. You’ll still need to think critically about anything you read or hear, since everyone has their own biases. And even the best articles won’t lead to instant success, even though they can give you new ideas to try.

The absolute best way to become a better leader is to practice. Try different styles and learn from mistakes to find the approaches that work best for you. Thanks, Thought Bubble! Just in case you’re wondering, Crash Course Business isn’t a leadership seminar.

We’ve got some pretty awesome academics putting together research-based advice. Good leadership essentially boils down to the golden rule, with a twist. Treat others as you want to be treated — and listen to how they want to be treated, because you’re different people! One of the best ways to build people up is to provide positive feedback and genuine praise.

We all like to know that we’re appreciated. We tend to underestimate how much recognition can really mean to people. So, awards like employee of the month or a handwritten thank you note can go a long way to show we’re invested.

Just don’t go handing people plastic keychains as a thank you for 40 years of service. We celebrate achievements all the time with retirement parties, birthday parties, graduation parties, and baby showers.

So we can do it for business achievements, too. Plan an event like a nice dinner to celebrate the end of a big project and reflect on good things that happened. And if your budget is tight or your team is small, you could put together something informal, like going out for drinks to welcome a new coworker.

Nothing brings people together in an office like free cake. Also, it feels good to see positive feedback empower others, but we don’t need to celebrate everything. If your coworker’s best friend’s dog just had puppies, put cute pics on the fridge and leave it at that.

No matter what your company’s celebration style is, your achievements always matter. And you can definitely develop the skills to lead and help other people feel appreciated. So if you take away nothing else from today, remember: Anyone can focus on building leadership skills.

Life and work can change a lot. Pick a leadership style that works for you, but you may need to switch it up. Follow the golden rule, and celebrate achievements to boost team spirit and productivity. No matter how good a leader is, office politics can get complex.

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cherryeoo · 5 years

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Morning Star (Ateez Fantasy!AU) Chapter 3

Her next option was to research murders and bizarre patterns as well as various killings, but regardless of how deep she ventured into the rabbit hole, Saetbyeol couldn’t find similar cases. She didn’t want to rule out murder, or a deranged hunter, but she couldn’t find any solid reasons as to who would do such a thing, or why. Hunters never stacked carcasses neatly and perfectly, so maybe it was a warning? Maybe a serial killer lurked in the shadows and utilized animal carcasses to send out a subliminal threat?

“Can I speak to you in my office real fast?” Ms. Kim stood at the bottom of the stairs that lead up to her office.

“What do you mean I have to work with him?!” Saetbyeol replied to her boss. The two of them were good friends from college, but at the end of the day, Ms. Kim was still her boss, so she had the final say in decision-making.

“So you are using him for publicity! This isn’t even his department anyway!” She groans as she folds her arms across her chest.

“Well, yes, but I’m doing this for you. You know I’ve always wanted you to go far in your career, so I’m using this opportunity to help you out as well.”

“Fine, whatever. But don’t expect me to be nice to him.” Saetbyeol snaps back, glaring at her boss and old friend.

“I’m not expecting you to, but do try to at least work with him.” At that Ms. Kim dismissed Saetbyeol.

She truly was a mystery to him, but it intrigued him more. Maybe now he could finally crack her mystery.

#atinynet #ateez #atiny #ateez fanfic #choi san #morning star #san #ateez san #writings #fanfic #my works #sassy-kpop-glitter

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junker-town · 4 years

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The Bucks’ loss in the 2020 NBA Playoffs is a total organizational failure

The Bucks were outclassed by the Heat in every way.

The Milwaukee Bucks’ five-game series loss to the Miami Heat was like watching a car crash in slow motion. The Bucks’ obituary was being written in real time as Miami exposed glaring weaknesses in both their game plan and roster construction, but Milwaukee was either unable or unwilling to hit the brakes until it was too late.

There is no point in sugarcoating it: a second round elimination amounts to a total organizational failure for the Bucks. Blame starts with ownership, trickles down to the basketball decision-makers in the front office, fully encompasses the coaching staff, and finally hits the players. This series can’t be seen as anything but a referendum on each decision that ultimately led to the result.

The reality is that the Bucks were a great team that had an amazing season — that’s why anything less than a trip to the Finals was always going to be catastrophic. Milwaukee was playing at a 70-win pace during the regular season. Giannis Antetokounmpo deserved to win both the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards soon to be on his mantle. The Bucks had the league’s best defense, finished No. 8 in offense, and lapped the field in net rating — finishing +3.1 points per game better than the second best team in the NBA.

The Bucks were awesome this year. Unfortunately, to steal a line, it doesn’t mean a thing without the ring. It’s hard to blame Bucks fans if they’re already feeling exhausted by it all.

While Milwaukee’s failure will get all the attention, it’s worth emphasizing that the Heat won this series even more so than Milwaukee lost it. If the Bucks’ loss falls on every level of the organization, the Heat deserve the same widespread credit for their five-game win. It’s not just that the No. 5 seed Heat pulled off the upset — it’s that the series was never even close. There was no doubt Miami was the superior team and superior organization from the opening tip.

Now that it’s over, let’s look back on the all the ways the Bucks failed — and where Miami shined.

Bucks owners made an unforgivable mistake by playing it cheap with Malcolm Brogdon

Malcolm Brodgon was one of Milwaukee’s very few success stories in the NBA draft after Antetokounmpo was already on the roster. Brodgon established himself as one of the team’s best players during his run to the Rookie of the Year award in 2017. As he entered restricted free agency in the summer of 2019, Brogdon was coming off a remarkably efficient season where he joined the exclusive 50/40/90 club and also proved himself to be the Bucks’ top guard in the playoffs.

Milwaukee could have kept Brodgon at the cost of nothing but ownership’s money. Instead, Milwaukee chose to trade him to the Indiana Pacers for their first round draft pick after he had agreed to a four-year, $80 million deal. Ownership didn’t even try to cover it up at the time — Brogdon was let go only because the team didn’t want to pay the luxury tax.

“Was re-signing Malcolm an imperative?” Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry asked in a news conference before the season. “I think re-signing Malcolm was a luxury.

“Our view was that Malcolm is a phenomenal player. But for that amount of money, we thought we could have those dollars better spent elsewhere.

“And we’ll find out.”

Perhaps it’s worth pointing out that the Bucks did spent a lot of money locking up Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, and Eric Bledsoe, who were all set to hit the open market at the same time as Brogdon. The Bucks still had the second-highest payroll in the NBA and no team finished the season above the luxury tax threshold. There were rumors that Brogdon wanted a larger role that he apparently wasn’t going to find in Milwaukee.

None of that is a legitimate excuse. The Bucks knew they were in for a championship-or-bust season. They know Giannis becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2021. Ownership should have been doing everything they could to put the best team on the floor, and that went out the window when they decided to play it cheap with Brogdon.

Brogdon was essentially the exact player the Bucks needed against the Heat: an elite spot-up shooter who could also run offense and create for teammates. Brogdon had an excellent year for the Pacers, making a strong push for All-Star consideration as he took on more playmaking duties. Even as the Pacers were swept out of the playoffs by the Heat, Brogdon still averaged 21.5 points and 10 assists per game in the series.

What’s even more insulting is that ownership decided not to pay the luxury tax with a championship contender after they asked Wisconsin tax payers to contribute $250 million to the team’s new stadium. Bucks ownership — led by New York hedge fund managers Wes Edens, Marc Lasry and Jamie Dinan — paid $550 million for a franchise that is now valued at $1.6 billion. They still put half the cost of the new arena on tax payers and just watched one of the team’s best players leave because they were too cheap to pay him.

Hey, Wisconsin taxpayers did their part ‍♂️

— NoTechBen (@NoTechBen) September 5, 2020

Eventually Bucks ownership will sell the team at a massive profit. The tax payers will be left with the burden of a paying off a depreciating asset with the new arena in the years to come. The very least they could have done is re-signed Brogdon to give Giannis the best possible chance at winning a championship. Here’s what Antetokounmpo told The Athletic on Brogdon in November.

“Definitely wish he was still here,” Antetokounmpo said. “One of my friends, one of the guys that I always teased every day when I see him — call him ugly, we’re just going back and forth. I’m going to miss that, but at the end of the day, you got to do what’s best for you. I wish him the best, I wish his team the best and I’m excited to play against him.”

Giannis shouldn’t be framing this as Brogdon’s decision to move on. Brogdon had no control over his future as a restricted free agent. Ownership could have and should have kept him. The coaching staff could have given him the additional creation duties he wanted.

Is Brogdon still a “luxury” for the Bucks after a five-game loss to the Heat? It sure doesn’t feel like it.

Mike Budenholzer’s philosophy on minute-management doesn’t make any sense

There’s a good chance the Bucks-Heat series would still be going on if head coach Mike Budenholzer played his best players more minutes. Think about how infuriating that sentence is for a second.

Coach Bud’s philosophy towards minutes distribution is well known. Antetokounmpo is poised to win MVP again despite finishing No. 71 in minutes per game during the regular season. Giannis actually played more minutes in the All-Star Game than he did during the Bucks’ march to the best record in the NBA. While it could be seen as admirable to protect your best players during the dog days of January and February, Budenholzer’s complete inability to adjust his minute allocations during the postseason is baffling.

Antetokounmpo played 37 minutes in Game 1, 36 minutes in Game 2, and 35 minutes in Game 3 against the Heat — all losses for the Bucks. Co-star Khris Middleton also didn’t crack 37 minutes in a game before the Bucks were down 3-0 in the series. Here’s what Budenholzer said after the Game 3 loss, when he referred to his best players getting 36 minutes as “pushing the ceiling.”

Here is Mike Budenholzer's full response when I asked if he regretted not playing Giannis Antetokounmpo (34:54) or Khris Middleton (36:02) more tonight: pic.twitter.com/qdj5LrltQ9

— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) September 5, 2020

It’s worth noting Miami’s best players played similar minutes in the series, but they were also winning the entire time. The better comparison is the team that ended Milwaukee’s season last year, the Toronto Raptors. Head coach Nick Nurse has regularly pushed his stars past the 40-minute mark in his team’s series against the Boston Celtics to battle out of an 0-2 hole to tie the seres.

Budenholzer eventually played Middleton 48 minutes in the Bucks’ Game 4 overtime victory after Giannis hurt his ankle. The Bucks won that game, and they wouldn’t have if Middleton played his customary 36 minutes in regulation. It was simply too late at that point for any real adjustments — the series was already out of hand.

Budenholzer will say that Antetokounmpo played so few minutes because he was going so hard during those minutes. That’s fair, but it’s also true that the regular season should have been used to ramp up for the playoffs. Giannis and Middleton had to learn how to handle 40+ minutes per night at times during the regular season so they were used to it in the playoffs.

The most disappointing thing about this was Budenholzer’s inability to learn from his own mistakes. The exact same scenario played out last season for the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Raptors. Middleton only played 36.8 minutes per game in that series, and Antetokounmpo played 38.5. Milwaukee lost four straight games to lose that series after starting out up 2-0.

Budenholzer’s minutes management isn’t the only thing wrong with the Bucks’ coaching decisions — it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Budenholzer’s lack of tactical adjustments were a killer

It isn’t hard to see why Budenholzer was so obstinate in changing his game plan in the playoffs: his strategies helped make the Bucks the best regular season team in basketball. The Bucks played one style and they played it really well. But as we see in the playoffs every year, the best coaches are the ones who are willing to adjust when things aren’t working. Coach Bud refused to do that until it was too late.

The Bucks built the best defense in the league by putting Brook Lopez in drop coverage against the pick-and-roll all year. Miami was able to exploit it with Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic hitting pull-up jumpers and floaters away from the rim. The obvious move for the Bucks was to start switching screens to take away the in-between space where the Heat were thriving, but there was only one problem: the Bucks never practiced it during the regular season.

The Bucks being so ill-prepared to adjust their defense showed the most when Lopez wasn’t on the floor. In lineups with Giannis or Marvin Williams at center — more mobile defenders than Lopez — Budenholzer still played drop coverage.

Bucks go small with Giannis but they love to keep him in a drop. Instead of a switch and taking away the roll and making Herro go vs. Giannis, Herro is able to make a routing play. Come off, wait for the defense to help on the roll and skip to Dragic for a 3. pic.twitter.com/iOgeH3SH12

— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) September 5, 2020

A refusal to tailor scheme to personnel was maddening for Bucks fans to watch. Again: this should have been worked on in the regular season so the team could be ready to switch in the playoffs.

Budenholzer also showed a lack of imagination in how he used both Giannis and Middleton. As Miami followed the game plan to defend Antetokounmpo put together by the Raptors last year — building a wall with multiple defenders to deny his drives to the paint — the Bucks kept ramming Giannis into that wall over and over. There were so many other ways to get him the ball in advantageous positions that the Bucks chose not to explore.

Why didn’t we see more actions with Middleton as the ball handler and Giannis as the screener? It worked effectively whenever Milwaukee went to it.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has only 18 possessions so far in the Playoff as the PnR Rollman. He's 11/12 (91.7%) from the field in these possessions, producing 1.56 PPP, while also drawing 6 shooting fouls. Just 18 possessions.

— Dean Maniatt (@AllTheBucks) September 4, 2020

This is the Middleton/Antetokounmpo Side PnR I mentioned as a way to get good looks. The Bucks run it in the 2nd possession of the game. The Heat know that Giannis will slip, they both go under to switch, so Middleton gets a wide-open 3. The Bucks went back to that play never. pic.twitter.com/ICzjVcNmMX

— Dean Maniatt (@AllTheBucks) September 5, 2020

If the Bucks want to see what good coaching looks like in the playoffs, look no further than the Heat. Miami played drop coverage during the start of the regular season before going with a more switch-heavy scheme after the trade deadline, as detailed by the great Nekias Duncan.

It’s hard to win in the playoffs only playing one style, regardless of how successful you’ve been with that style earlier in the year. The Bucks needed a changeup, but Budenholzer didn’t have them ready for it.

The Bucks’ roster was also flawed after too many failed draft picks

Budenholzer’s coaching certainly cost Milwaukee a chance at the series, but the Bucks’ struggles go beyond even that. Ultimately, Milwaukee’s roster just wasn’t good enough. Even scarier, they don’t have many realistic avenues towards improving it in the immediate future.

Beyond the decision to let Brogdon walk over money, Milwaukee has simply been terrible in the draft since selecting Giannis in 2013. Here’s what the Bucks have done with their recet draft picks:

Jabari Parker with the No. 2 overall pick in 2014

Rashad Vaughn with the No. 17 pick in 2015

Thon Maker with the No. 10 pick in 2016

D.J. Wilson with the No. 17 pick in 2017

Donte DiVincenzo with the No. 17 pick in 2018

The Bucks used their first round pick last year to trade Tony Snell in another cost-cutting move. DiVincenzo, who had something of a breakout year this season, is the only one of those draft picks to work out to any degree.

Hindsight is of course 2020, but teams simply cannot screw up the draft so often and expect to build a title contender. Joel Embiid went one pick after Parker in 2014. Montrezl Harrell and Larry Nance Jr. went after Vaughan in 2015. Domantas Sabonis went one pick after Maker in 2016. OG Anunoby went shortly after Wilson in 2017.

By blowing the draft so often, the Bucks had to rely on older veterans in the postseason that simply didn’t have enough athleticism to keep up with the Heat’s younger roster. If George Hill, Ersan İlyasova, Kyle Korver, and Robin Lopez weren’t good enough this year, they certainly won’t be in the future either as they’re all in their mid-30s. Eric Bledsoe was a disaster offensively, too, averaging 11.8 points per game on 32 percent shooting for the series.

The Bucks now need to overhaul parts their roster in the final season of Giannis’ contract next year. The only problem is they have no cap space and very few appealing trade assets. In that way, letting Brogdon go actually gave the team less flexibility, as he still would have been tradeable on his $80 million deal. What are the Bucks supposed to do now?

The Heat shined in all the ways the Bucks failed

Miami nailed two first round draft picks with Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, both taken outside the top-10. It made a hugely beneficial trade in-season by acquiring Jae Crowder and Andre Iguodala from Memphis. It landed a marquee free agent in Jimmy Butler. It also has a coach in Erik Spoelstra who isn’t scared to adjust his game plan in the pressure cooker of the NBA playoffs.

Yes, Giannis deserves some blame. He only hit 52.7 percent of his free throws in the series and had a noticeable lack of counters beat Miami’s wall. He certainly needs to add a mid-range jumper to his arsenal, among other things. Giannis will be better in the future. He’s still only 26 years old, an age where LeBron James and Michael Jordan came up short, too. It was the Bucks’ job to surround Giannis with the best environment possible, and they botched that by having a coach who wouldn’t adjust within a playoff series, by letting Brogdon go to save money, by wasting draft picks nearly every single year since his arrival.

Antetokounmpo said all the right things after Milwaukee’s second round playoff exit. He has talked publicly about wanting to stay in Milwaukee long-term so many times that it might be hard for him to actually leave as a free agent next summer. If Giannis takes a step back and looks at the reality of the situation, though, he’ll see a team that doesn’t have many good young players or appealing trade assets, owned by people who refused to pay up to keep one of his better teammates.

If Giannis really is happy in Milwaukee, the Bucks will have plenty more chances to win a championship. Maybe there’s a miracle Chris Paul trade around the corner even if it feels like other teams can beat Milwaukee’s best offer. Maybe this loss had more to the do with the matchup than anything else — Miami had also beat the Bucks twice in the regular season at full strength.

It’s just hard to look for positives right now. The Bucks blew it and the entire organization deserves to feel the heat. The nature of NBA basketball means the star player will get most of the blame, but the Bucks’ problems aren’t about Giannis. They’re about everything else.

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itsprincechiru-blog · 5 years

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Waterfall Vs Agile

Waterfall vs Agile

The basic trait of civilization is order and protocol. The chaos and non-structured attempts to build something has never resulted in a fruitful outcome in any spectrum. Software Development isn’t an exception either. Since the inception of software development, the learned people of the industry have tried to bring in protocols, process and methods to drive the process which we commonly refer to as Methodology now. All the methodologies that have surfaced during the course have a common goal, better productivity, and smoother operation.

However, the question arises if there is a common goal, then why did we need different methodologies? Well, as we human, evolved, the methodologies have also evolved. In 1970, when Winston W. Royce developed the Waterfall model for software development, no one would have thought that there could be a better process than that. However, 31 years later, the Manifesto of Agile Software Development was released and an ever going debate started since then, which is better Waterfall or Agile?

Being in the industry for a long time, I can assure you of one thing, that there is, of course, a debate on the applicability of the methodologies, but terming this as “which is better” debate is a bit too over the line. The debate of Waterfall Vs Agile is about transformation, applications, readiness, and up-gradation. The debate is not about why Waterfall should be discarded, but how Agile can fulfil the gap holes of Waterfall. But every debate, demands a winner, and so does this. So, here we are, trying to find the answers for the Transformation that we need.

Waterfall vs Agile – What is the Waterfall Model?

Waterfall Methodology came into Software Development practice during the early 1970s. The implementation of the Waterfall model was inevitable and so was the need for it. The waterfall model introduced a new linear approach for large software development projects. Basically, the Waterfall Method is comprised of 6 different stages which have a cascading relationship. So, the linear approach says that if you need to proceed to Stage no 2, you need to complete Stage No 1, as simple as that. The stages are following –

Planning

Analysis

Design

Implementation

Verification

Maintenance

During the time, when Waterfall was introduced, the software projects were well defined and the scope was fixed. Hence, it was very easy to implement the linear sequential flow just like a waterfall to complete the software development process. Each stage of this method represents a project development stage. So, basically, one completes a software development project step by step.

Let’s understand what these development stages are.

Planning:

This is the first, basic and utmost importance stage of project development. The scope and the requirements of the projects are defined and fixed here. It requires researches, investigation, interviews, brainstorming, discussions and many other techniques to reach out to the conclusion. The planning phase also includes the primitive or high-level planning on “how to approach” points of the project. However, the most important part of planning has always been the complete clarification of the required details and scope definition.

Analysis:

What do you do when you have a task on your hand? Yes, the very first thing that you do is you analyze your work to determine how you are going to start and then proceed. This is nothing different. This is the place where consistent documentation is prepared. The analysis of the functionality and how to build software is discussed. It talks about the language that would be used for development. This is also the stage which ensures that everyone is on the same page.

Design:

What do you think is a design? Well, I believe you have guessed it correctly. Yes, it is the prototype for the entire development model. One can create an architecture, design diagram or functional decomposition, whatever it may suit, but it outlines the project.

Implementation:

This is the stage of the project development where you actually code and build the software.

Verification:

This is the testing phase. Once the project is developed, it needs to be tested whether the acceptance criteria are matching. In other words, we need to determine, ‘have you built the right product’? The testing phase identifies every deviation from the requirement that was finalized during the planning phase. Once all the deviations are closed, exit criteria are met.

Maintenance:

This is the last stage of the project development where the software development needs to support the post-production activities.

Waterfall vs Agile – Significance of Waterfall:

There is no doubt that Waterfall brought order and organizational paradigm into the software development model. However, with time, the demand from the software development project increased, and the loopholes of the waterfall model cracked open. Since the inception, the waterfall model has remained one of the most preferred software development methodologies for close to five decades, but in the late 1990s, the need for reforms was sensed.

But why? What are the loopholes? Whom did it bother?

The Sequential Impact:

We carry out the process sequentially in Waterfall. So, imagine you found an issue in Testing phase, that you have committed in the planning or designing phase. Yes, so you need to go all around again to find the issue and fix it. It is time-consuming, cost incurring and not at all customer friendly situation.

Customer Dilemma:

Have you ever wondered the feeling of waiting to get a glimpse of your ordered product for months? Well, if you have, then you know the plight of the customer. The customer waits for months to get to see the product and if the delivered product is not as per the expectations, then it adds insult to the injury. It has been quite a common case in Waterfall projects.

Documentation:

The comprehensive documentation requirement of the Waterfall approach is a time-consuming process. The rigid processes that are followed often make things harder for the software development team to complete the formalities on time. The breach of SLA is quite a normal scene in a Waterfall project, especially if the scope is not fixed.

So, even after following a methodological sequential approach, we ended up with some critical drawbacks in Waterfall. The Agile Methodology rises from those depths of issues and brings new light to the dark corners of the software development process.

Waterfall vs Agile – What is Agile?

What does Agile means anyway? Agile is something that is dynamic in nature. Unlike Waterfall, Agile is an Empirical process. An Empirical process is based on the experience and observations and not on theoretical or planned approaches. So, Agile is a flexible approach that is based on smooth operation.

Agile is basically balanced on 12 Agile principles and 4 Agile Values defined by the Agile Manifesto.

Waterfall vs Agile – Agile Principles:

Early and Continuous Delivery

Welcome Change

Deliver Working Software Frequently

Business and developers work together

Motivated Individuals

Face to Face communication

Self-Organizing Teams

Team Retrospective and Adaptation and shared workspace

Working Software Progress

The sustainable pace of development

Technical Excellence and Courageous professionals

Simplicity

These 12 principles basically outline the Agile Approach along with the 4 distinct Agile Values.

Waterfall vs Agile – Agile Values:

Individuals and Interactions over Processes and Tools

Working Software over Comprehensive Documentation

Customer Collaboration over Contract Negotiation

Responding to change over Following a Plan

Waterfall vs Agile – How is Agile Methodology implemented?

Agile is a three-way approach. Here are they –

TimeBoxed

Iterative

Incremental

Let us try to understand these three approaches one by one.

Time Box:

Time Box simply means, defined time is allocated for execution.

Iterative:

This signifies that an entire process is divided into many parts, one by one.

Incremental:

This signifies that we build something part by part, each time increasing the final product to reach to the target product.

Now, see all these three approaches together. Agile process is comprised of iterations which are time-boxed in nature and follows the incremental approach. So, your planning, designing, development gets distributed in different iterations.

Iteration – I

Planning

Analyze

Design

Develop

Test

Outcome: Product Increment I

Iteration – III

Planning

Analyze

Design

Develop

Test

Outcome: Product Increment III

Iteration – II

Planning

Analyze

Design

Develop

Test

Outcome: Product Increment II

Iteration – IV

Planning

Analyze

Design

Develop

Test

Outcome: Product Increment IV

Final Outcome = Product (Product Increment I+ Product Increment II + Product Increment III + Product Increment IV)

How Iterations can help?

We are dividing the entire requirements into small parts. Now, we pick multiple small requirements in every iteration to provide a product increment. The product increment is presented to the customer and the customer is aware of the development of the project. Also, if there is any change required, all we need to do is to go back to the specific iteration and fix it, rather than hovering around the entire project.

Example:

Let’s take the example of a Car Manufacturing. A customer provides all the information regarding the specification he/she requires for a car. The requirement includes car body type, colour, engine specifications, tire specifications, space management, interior, and exterior. Now, the waterfall approach would be to build the whole car and showcase it to the customer. The customer gets to see the product after 6 months and then determines whether it is as per the requirement.

The Agile approach would be different. Here, the team will build only the engine and ask the customer to verify whether it is as per the requirement. The hollow body will be built next to and presented to the customer, followed by the exterior, interiors, car tires and so on. Finally, every product increments will be assembled or organized to get the final products. This will again be showcased to the customer. Now, the customer has seen the product increments every 15 days or so, every small requirement was verified. It was easy to make some changes and asked during the course of development as well. From the manufacturer’s point of view, the requirements are broken down, so it easier to develop and focus. Even if anything goes wrong, it can be easily amended and the changes can be incorporated into further product increments.

Hence, it is a Win-Win situation for both customers and developers.

Waterfall vs Agile – Benefits of Agile:

Agile recommends working with a smaller team. The team focuses on specific requirements in every iteration and continuously deliver the product in all of these iterations. This ensures that the customer gets delivery frequently and early. It is easier for the team to focus on the requirement in different parts. The design and analysis become simpler for the team, as well as the development process. It is very easy to incorporate change as well. Whenever a change comes, we can simply, accommodate that in one of the iterations as per the requirement, preference and priority. In simple word, the Agile takes care almost every issue that comes across in modern software development.

Waterfall Vs Agile?

As we said, every debate has a winner, and we need to derive a conclusion in this case well. As we have seen, if the scope of the project is fixed, then the waterfall can still be implemented. However, if you work in dynamic project scope, Agile is the only way to go forward.

SOURCE:https://www.learntek.org/blog/waterfall-vs-agile/

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