okay i prommy the personal anecdotes are done for now but i swear if i ever want to start sharing shit again i should just talk about the lit journal. like i wouldn’t share any identifying information or excerpts from the stories i read, but hoo boy did we get some. interesting ones.

many times i had the thought “ma’am/sir this is a wendy’s” while reading some of the stuff we were submitted

and also the other people on the staff. they were something!

sécrétions pas si magnifique

Once @wen-kexing-apologist brought the existence of the perfume Sécrétions Magnifiques by Etat Libre d’Orange to my attention, I felt like I had to at least smell it once. It has a unique marketing angle--it's supposed to smell like sex, to put it briefly--and reviews for it are highly polarized and fascinatingly vivid, particularly the negative ones. And yeah, the name means Magnificent Secretions. Naturally, I wanted to investigate.

A friend of mine got me some perfume samples as a belated Christmas gift and I asked her to include a sample of Sécrétions in the order. It took me a while to try it because I wanted to do so on a day when I was at home on my own and could put it on early in the day to give it a chance to fizzle out before my family got back. After all, some reviewers had said it was absolutely rank. A little while back, the right opportunity arose and I gave it a go.

My notes on the opening (the initial, soon-after-application scent):

Definitely aquatic, sweeter than expected (almost fruity), with a slight powdery quality. A really sharp metallic note (according to my info, this metallic note is via an aldehyde so it’s no surprise that it hits hard in the opening). Any muskiness seems to have been mostly swallowed up by the sweet gourmand note. The milky coconut notes are mostly just reading as sweet at this point. The whole thing is a really weird mixture. It’s not a complete juxtaposition, so I guess some skillful blending is happening here since the notes are so disparate. But it’s still a decidedly odd combination of elements.

And the drydown (the part after it has, you know, dried down):

It comes across as much more blended at this point. Aquatic and metallic notes that seemed volatile, like they wouldn’t last past the opening, stick around longer than expected. The gourmand notes get more distinctly lactonic and the salty aspect of the aquatic notes is a bit more noticeable. So at this point, it smells more like what I expected from its description—salty, metallic milk. The musk note is also in evidence but I really had to look for it, and it gets lost in the composition quickly.

(Segueing out of writing up my notes and into the general discussion...)

The sex smell concept makes a bit more sense at the drydown stage, but it’s still not a comparison I ever would have made unprompted. When you’re looking for it, though, it’s at least somewhat possible to read it that way. It’s not much like any sex smell I’ve ever come in contact with, but you could imagine it being one under certain circumstances (particularly since these sorts of smells vary so much between individuals). But even if I give it the benefit of the doubt in this way, it's still skewed in a direction that isn't entirely up my alley.

Basically, there are a number of secretions the name of this fragrance could theoretically refer to, and a good sex smell fragrance would, I think, smell at least a bit like all of them. The main ones would be sweat, semen, and vaginal fluid. And of the two I can sort of make out in this fragrance if I squint hard enough, the most prominent by far is what I can only call a semen accord.

Which may have something to do with why even when I could kind of see a way in which they accomplished what they were going for, this didn't appeal to me that much. A perfume that's supposed to smell like sex that is this bereft of pussy is, well, a choice. I dunno, maybe I’m just too bisexual for this stuff.

All of this might seem less glaring if it weren’t for the fact that the musk component wasn’t very noticeable either in the opening or the drydown. After all, sweat is pretty much the one universal sex smell. But I kept losing track of the musk entirely. It’s striking that seemingly volatile notes like the aldehydes in this stuck around for a surprisingly long time but the musk, which was never prominent, faded quickly. (I haven’t tried a lot of musk-heavy perfumes but my understanding was that musk notes usually stick around for longer than this.)

The saltiness combined with the metallic aldehydes caused this fragrance to give me a very distinct feeling in my nose. The combination of the smell and the nose feeling reminded me of the weird feeling/smell you get when you do a somersault in a chlorinated pool, something I haven't experienced in at least thirty years. That was a weird association to have side-by-side with the sex smell association. I found myself trying to imagine what sort of highly specific sex situation would result in this combination of elements. Things involving chlorine? Being upside down?

I guess there is one other thing I could liken that nasal sensation to: the feeling you get when, uh, ingesting certain substances through the nose. Not something I have a lot of familiarity with and what little I do have is decades old, but there was a similarity there. Once again, these associations evoke some pretty specific scenarios. Together, the chlorine/cocaine sensation and the predominance of the semen accord over any other "secretion" notes suggest some pretty specific scenarios rather than more general, highly relatable sexual situations. I couldn't help wondering what it might say about this perfumer that this is what he comes up with when commissioned to create a sex smell fragrance.

To sum up, this perfume sent me down a weird aesthetic rabbit-hole with some surprising associations. It was at least interesting to try. I think the perfumer would have liked it if this had caused some kind of bonkers erotic version of Proust's madeleine effect in me, but instead of bringing back memories it just made me feel compelled to somehow reconcile its weirdness with its marketing claims in a way that led to some truly random trains of thought. I didn't find this stuff repellent, like a lot of people do. I didn't find it sexy at all, like at least some others seem to. It was rather middling in terms of quality for me. There's something impressive about the fact that the perfumer was able to make something relatively cohesive out of such disparate notes, but just because it's not a total cacophony of unrelated smells doesn't mean it actually smells good. I guess if I had to say what the worst thing about it was, it's that it was, no pun intended, rather masturbatory. Because it turned out to be a pretty gratuitous exercise and it has the air of something that its creator/s thought was a hell of a lot cleverer than it actually was.

Review- Evivative

Evivative- Vichan (222k, T) *spoiler warning*

I actually liked the premise of the story. Harry gets expelled from school because he protected Dudley from a Dementor by using Underaged Magic. Then, he wins his court case and gets readmitted to Hogwarts, but needs to get re-Sorted. Before his return to Hogwarts, he comes across a some Dark Arts book that piques his interest in said subject. He's absolutely horrified at himself and hopes that it doesn't affect his Sorting. It does, and he gets Sorted into Slytherin.

Overall, Harry's relationship with the Dark Arts was well established across the whole story. There's growth, acceptance and a reasonable backstory, which makes Harry falling into the Dark Arts more realistic. The Dark Arts' nitty gritty information was detailed and well thought-out. At times it was confusing, but that could just be me being dumb.

When Harry first gets re-Sorted into Slytherin, there was an initial stage of panic and confusion. Snape informs the Slytherins to be civil and respect Harry, and they do. Which was weird, as all the years before this they were practically everything but civil. Just because of what Snape said, out of nowhere they were willing to toss all their history out the window and be nice to Harry. I understand the whole "Slytherins got each others back" rule, but it would have been more interesting to see them get past a stage of anger and suspicion before warming up to him. Especially Draco, as they have been openly passionate enemies before this.

Now the romance. I personally found it kinda iffy, because Harry just randomly develops his feelings towards the end of the story. Throughout, Draco was basically helping Harry to become a Dark Wizard, which was a good plot device for them to fall in love. It was just that it was never implied that it was about to happen. There was practically no indication that Harry had a crush on Draco and everything could've passed of as platonic. Then, towards the end, Harry just suddenly has a big fat crush on Draco. The romance could have been omitted completely, however, as it didn't really add any depth to the story.

I would say this is a high 6/10. I managed to read the whole thing so it must mean something.

Can you talk wbout the lugas missed in the tales of nekoluga post? Im talking about Bikiniluga and Betrothed Balaluga, of course. One is a wierd surge unit. and the other is a slightly more offense driven CC Unit. If you can, the PC exclusive would be interesting to discuss too, although I'ven't a clue if a stat block exists about it. I think its mimiluga? Dont quote me on that.

didn't talk about em cuz they aren't in the normal banner lol, i'll probably talk about PC exclusives at a later date (it is called mimiluga you are correct) but summerluga and betrothed balaluga (henceforth referred to as weddingluga)? absolutely

unit stats shown at level 30 because you aren't gonna boost them lmao

summerluga's true form requires three aku seeds, three epic fruits, and three red stones. weddingluga currently lacks a true form.

summerluga is a nekoluga variant that trades the KB + freeze of nekoluga for a level eight surge (level five in second form). while this seems decent in concept, its surge spawns from 150 to 1050 range. for reference, asukasli's surge is considered inconsistent, and its spawn range is one of her major flaws. her surge spawns from 400 to 800 range.

while this does make summerluga's surge inconsistent as fuck, it comes with some of the same benefits as asukasli. it can, rarely, hit backliners. it can, rarely, boost dps at the same range as the base attack. it can, rarely, create a wall that will permaKB a high knockback threat such as brollows or puffington. however, it's just too unreliable. if you need backliner DPS, you can bring a better wave/surge/LD sniper. if you need frontline DPS, most units can provide some form of it. anything that summerluga, with its 20400 health and 650 range, with no immunities, no trait target, and 19 second time between attacks can do, something else can do better. one of the worst ubers in the game. decent meme tho

weddingluga is a balaluga variant that trades in the uptime for multihit and actual DPS. as you may remember from the lugas review, balaluga has 28.9 dps at level 60+70. not 28.9k. 28.9. weddingluga has 3.2k dps at level 30 if all attacks hit, giving it decent chip damage and the potential to clear peons so that your attackers are more likely to hit their intended target. its freeze uptime is actually slightly higher than piccolan's despite the lower freeze time, due to its faster attack rate. however, it's still deeply flawed.

one of its biggest issues is its omnistrike. its standing range is 640. its three hits all have different omni, with the first hitting from -310 to 540, the second from -635 to 590, and the third from -960 to 640. while the backwards omni is only relevant versus zombies (and in some really weird niche situations with base hit and an enemy like angel doge or brollow that goes fast enough to go past it), it's nice to have, and can help in stages with a zombie threat or zombie peons. the issue, however, is that the omni doesn't reach to standing range, and doesn't go past its standing range (which happens to be rather low for a variant of a superbackliner, at 300 lower than piccolan). ponos could've theoretically made up for this somewhat by giving it piercing range, so that it can CC past its initial target. this does not happen. the omni actively makes weddingluga worse. if the enemy is at its standing range, it will hit once, giving it only a third of its total damage and dps. this hurts.

its multihit honestly holds it back even more. its freeze is only on the third hit, which matches up with standing range, but if either of the first two hits damage the enemy enough for a KB, the freeze won't connect, leaving the enemy to come back and block your attackers from hitting any frozen enemies. this will also prevent the other hit(s) from connecting, decreasing damage further (all hits connect in under a third of a second). multihit on a freeze unit can work, as seen with chronos, but it just holds it back, as does its omni. not a good CC unit, but can work in a pinch.

tl;dr: summerluga is too inconsistent to be any semblance of good, weddingluga could've been decent but they fucked it over, seasonal uber + luga + variant of an already not great uber in summerluga's case hurts

Old Habits Die Hard~: Ch. 1

Robert remembered when it happened. He remembered the day. In the midst of an upturn in his solo career thanks to the Honeydrippers he was invited onto many an international show. In many a genre. Variety. Music. Even the odd kids or teen fare. Things he thought he had long since past his appeal for. Never one to turn down a chance at new experiences, Robert took on as much as he could. This was one of them.

The show he remembered being called something like "El Dia Ardiente" "The Fiery Day" nicknamed "Viernes Ardiente" aka "Fiery Friday" due to it being a Friday night staple for young Hispanic kids in Mexico & the Latin Market at large.

It featured a group of young teens & twenty something dancers, Singers, actors, models & all around variety talents that were thusly nicknamed "Los Ardientes" "The Fiery / Hot Ones". There were cheeky skits frequently featuring the stars of the week, reviews of albums & concerts passed or announcements & interviews with stars from either those passed or upcoming concerts & albums. There of course was a bandstand type element where artists could appear & perform while the kids danced around.

A kind of Mexican American MTV. Sort of like Bandstand meets Laugh In with touches of SNL. Robert didn't know how to explain it. He just knew he liked it a damn sight better than Saville.

It was there that he met Katia. Or at least that's what he initially thought she was called. It turned out later upon meeting her that he had misheard her nickname amidst all that rapid fire Spanish being spoken. She was not called "Katia" but rather nicknamed "Gatita" or the even shorter "Gati" aka "Baby Cat" or "Kitten", the playful diminutive of her first name, Katarina. He quickly corrected himself. Yet as time went on, between the two of them joking references to the mixup kept popping up. And between the two of them the name "Katia" - along with her actual names & nicknames "Gati" & Katarina of course - stuck.

But first he saw her. Earlier in the day before meeting her. Catching fleeting glimpses of her throughout that morning's warm-ups. Clutching her script of sorts to her chest, hair in pigtails as she listened to the producer telling her any last minute changes he had made to her segments.

Later again when she was getting her makeup touched up at the same time he was. Now with her hair messily clipped up. Loose tendrils fireworking out & framing her face. Unfortunately for him, she was too far to make small talk then. Add to the fact she was yet again wrapped up in a conversation; this time with the stage director.

The next time he saw her was when she was posed behind one of the hosts for a "beachy" intro segment. The palm frond used for styling obscured her vision of him as well as did the lights. All he could do was hope that the thousand watt disarming dimple flashing smile he was shooting her could rival them if not outshine them & catch her attention. He saw her gaze in his direction with a slightly stunned look on her face. A sign of recognition perhaps? That he was in fact looking at her? Surprise at the "Hi" he mouthed & the wave he added? Robert wasn't quite sure. He'd find out later.

After that segment she disappeared into wardrobe for a quick change & reappeared soon after with her hair pinned up slightly more neater this time. Elegant. Coolly seductive. Clad in a rich earthy toned gown, cinched at the waist with a full skirt & stockings. Robert felt his knees weaken slightly. Not only would he be singing the songs of his youth but with a living reflection of the girls of his youth next to him. The ones he used to gaze after. Lust after. Chase after. Pine after. Follow home from school holding their books after.

And as she was directed towards & neared him on his stage he decided, this was it. He had to get to know her.

Taking her hand, he guided her up onto his platform carefully. Gentlemanly. Also placing a gentlemanly kiss to the back of her hand as everyone was busy setting up & finding their marks, greeting her. "Nice to meet you."

She curtsied a little with a half smile half grin at her own over-politeness. "You're so sweet. Thank you. I'm glad to meet you too, Mr. Plant."

Mr. Plant? My, she was being formal!

"Please, call me Robert. Katia I hear your name is?"

Here went the cliffs notes of the explanation.

"Gati I think you heard. Gati or Gatita. Like Kitten. Short for Katarina. Long story..." She rolled her eyes & smiled exasperatedly.

"I hope you'll see fit to tell me one day." He grinned, flashing his popped dimples at her again.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to bore you. It's so silly."

"You could never bore me, darlin'. Trust me. I can tell already." He patted her hand. Then moving on to caressing it. Keeping it locked gently between his two much larger mitts. Never having let go of it once. "So you're my partner for today, eh?"

"Yes, sir." He gave her a look, mouth peaking in a grin. "Um, I mean Robert. Yes, Robert. I'm supposed to kind of dance around you as you sing. And maybe with you if you don't mind. Sort of a little window dressing. Not that you need it though."

"Of course I don't mind, Gati. Though I must admit I've never had my window dressed before. Certainly not so prettily. A hell of a first time it's about to be I'd say. Lucky me, eh?" There went that grin again. Those dimples. And that thousand watt smile which she blushingly returned with a nod.

If only he knew what awaited him passed that "window dressing" and how nothing would be the same for him again...

With her doing a slowed version of the stroll, undulating next to him it was surprisingly hard to focus as he sang "Sea of Love". Focus on the camera. The audience. On anything but the lyrics, her & this moment. Moreso when she came to the point where she was instructed to turn in towards him & slow dance with him as he beckoned her to "come with me to the sea".

A petite brunette knockout in stockings & petticoated skirt looking up at him with seemingly bated breath as they slow danced to a doowop song. Where was he again? In time & place, he wasn't sure. It just felt so right.

Was he seeing things or was she mouthing the words "I love you" to him every so often? Oh, right! The song! Those were the words! The words currently coming out of his mouth. She was mouthing along to the song. Was she playing along though? Was he?

He didn't quite know.

Running through the number a few more times didn't make it any easier. More time to get lost in the song. And her. More time to lose himself in her eyes. Her perfume. Her softness folding into his arms & yet somehow outright enveloping him. Her lips as they mouthed the words "I love you" over & over. Holding in a tentative breath or seeming to at times. Holding with them a kiss he longed to steal. Or feel.

It was enough to make him snap!

He did snap...

It was later that day after they had done the little promo bumpers for his appearance. Robert surrounded by Gati & a few of the other kids. Gati in another full skirted number. This one black with white polkadots, equally cinched at the waist with a bow at the collar. Robert even managed a little Spanish after a few quick notes by Gati & the kids on pronunciation.

He was surprised he could manage the finer points of the language in any regard being in such close proximity to her. Inhaling her perfume again. Watching those full lips pout & part as she taught him how to roll his R's as necessary. That sight of her trilling her tongue so definitely made his trousers shrink. As did the bright smile that followed after his attempt.

It was too much...

And so it was that as a wrap was called and the kids & crew scattered to the winds after the customary surrounding him for autographs & pictures, Robert cornered Gati. Literally cornered her. She barely had time to react when as she walked away, he called out, "Gati!" Her only managing to whirl around, skirt & petticoats fanning out around her, as tendrils of her hair fell to frame her face. All of it coming in slow motion to him.

When her lips had barely parted in response "Wha--?..." He pounced. Wrapping his arm around her waist & pressing her to him, claiming her lips in a kiss that had been all day in coming. He felt her gasp against his mouth. That bated breath again. And growled. Her lips faltered against his until he guided her in a smooth & easy rhythm that she hesitantly picked up.

"Mmmm..." He purred, feeling his trousers grow tighter still, rivaling some of his more famous pics from the Zep days. Just as he had thought. She tasted as sweet as she looked.

He continued the kiss even as he backed her against the nearby wall. Helping the trembling & shocked thing stand, while also helping to press her against him. When he accidentally - or was it instinctively? - ground against her gently, eliciting another gasp from Gati, he broke the kiss. Giving her a chance to compose herself & breathe.

Surprisingly, Robert found himself needing a bit of a breather himself as well.

Was it her perfume that made his head spin?

Was it the feel of her near?

Or just her?

He didn't know.

So instead he tried to lose himself in some small talk, trying not to show just how taken aback he was by his actions & his reaction to her. And how his shock rivaled if not dwarfed even hers!

"So... Gati... That long story about your name or nickname... How's about telling me over lunch? Or dinner, maybe?"

"Really? Tonight?" She looked a bit incredulous at it all. "Are you sure? I mean.. Sure you're not too busy for me? What with your shows coming up & other promos?"

"For you, luv?" Again, he made sure to flash his best dimple displaying grin. "I'll make time... So c'mon... Whaddya say?..."

"Okay!" She nodded, helping him wipe off traces of her lipstick carefully as she tidied up her own. "As long as you're sure... Wait right here while I get my things. I know a great place for lunch."

Robert couldn't believe his luck. Though he'd also assume that others wouldn't believe he couldn't believe his luck.

The one thing he really didn't believe was when one of the crew sidled up, apparently noticing him gazing at Gati, to him & in a mixture of Spanish & English told him something & revealed something to him that gave him pause & made his blood run cold. "Be careful, Mr. Plant. She's beautiful & brilliant... She's insanely talented... But she's also sixteen..."

Just his luck...

~

As ever, this is forever under construction & being edited~...

Hope you enjoy~!...

Thought I'd give some quickie reviews on some of the books I've read over the past several months. These aren't proper literary criticisms, just my personal feels take that what you will.

Most of these are sapphic as that's what I felt tv kept cancelling from me.

Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon - this was the book that got me back into reading. It's a huuuge fantasy epic with a lot of povs, a ton of queer rep, really strong characters - though sadly one of those povs is annoying as hell and does grind the story to halt. But the rest of the cast does balance it out. The story and world building is a little tough to get your head around but I really loved listening to this book in bed because it felt like being read a fairy tale for adults. And it's self contained, though there is a prequel coming out so I'm hoping to reread it before then.

Crier's War / Iron Heart by Nina Varela - This plot didn't quite live up to its premise for me, its essentially about a ruling class of android-humans (a la Westworld but medieval) who rule over ordinary humans, but the Automae didn't feel all that distinct from any other superior class, I guess after watching Westworld I was hoping for more but then again it is YA. On the other hand, the enemies to lovers main relationship between Crier and Ayla is really good, especially in the second book I loved seeing how their relationship developed past that initial enemy stage.

Girls of Paper and Fire trilogy by Natasha Ngan - unlike Criers War, I really loved the world building in this one, I adored the main protagonist and the journey she goes on without any Chosen One prophecy or powers needed. There's a lot of discussion of rape and trauma but presented in a way that doesn't make it too heavy. The second book is definitely the weakest until the last few chapters where it leads amazing into the final book which had me binging it to the end. There is a sapphic main romance, between two courtesans, and it's...fine. Like it's not my favorite ship I've read and I was definitely more into the plot with this one. There's just a bit of the miscommunication trope in the second book that annoyed me slightly.

These Witches Don't Burn by Isabel Sterling - This made me realise that sapphic modern day high school romances don't work for me any better than straight ones. There's nothing really wrong with it, just nothing that stood out for me, even the witchcraft which just didn't bring me in. The mc's love interest was kinda adorable though.

The Jasmine Throne / The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri - fuuuuck, these are good, the fantasy elements are so interesting and unique, I adore how morally grey the two leads are. For Rhaenicent fans this is a must read. I love how strong the romance is while still having so much plot and other interesting characters going on with neither distracting from the other. Actually quite a lot of horrific imagery in this, at least for me things like people being burned alive and consumed by plants which kinda made me imagine the Last of Us zombies but less feral. That last scene in the OS - what the fuck, Tasha, gimmie book three now or I'm coming for you.

This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone - I was really afraid that I wouldn't get into this with the style it's written but nope, it got me, and it works so well with the literelly timeless (or all time) setting, it is like reading a dream, I love Red and Blue's voices so much and it's one I instantly had to reread to notice all those little details that make sense once you get to the end. Again; Rhaenicent or Catradora etc girls - get on this. Also it's short, but doesn't feel short, which is always the best kinda novella.

The Unbroken by C.L Clark - This one started off strong but lost me by the end. Touraine is a really interesting protagonist and there's a lot of conflicting loyalties, but it just became kinda tiring by the end seeing her get shoved between them and even the romance as well started off good but lost me. I might pick this one up again as the problem might be I was listening to it on Audible and all the voices sounded the same, making it very hard to keep track of who was talking.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsin Miyur - Similar problem as the last one, I don't think Audiobook is the right format to get into something this confusing, but also just the performances themselves made me hate the characters. Don't consider this a fair review because I didn't make it far before dnfing, a lot of people love this, I just couldn't get a grasp on what was happening. Again, if I see a physical copy on sale I might try it again but it doesn't bode well that a lot of people have told me they gave up on the sequel even if they did love the first one.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker - a non fantasy sapphic romance and a classic, the movie is one of my all time favourites so I was excited to read the novel at last. I love that we get to see Celie and Shug's love story properly as they had to nearly almost cut it from the film. Didn't get me as emotional as the movie, I was surprised that the subplot about Shug and her dad wasn't a thing but it does make sense considering it's told from Celie's letters. I can't say I enjoyed it more than the movie but it did have a lot to make it feel like its own thing.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Ried - I. LOVED. THIS. I read it in one day and it just had everything, even with it not being a fantasy, it had that classic Hollywood magic vibe. It had tragedy, romance, rivals to lovers, confronting biphobia, found family, platonic soulmates, and it had me crying three times in one sitting. The fact that Netflix are adapting it into a movie instead of HBO giving it a seven episode series treatment like it deserves makes me think there's no god.

Babel by R.F Kuang - Is this sapphic? No. Is it gay? I...believe so. But its very much YMMV. I cannot see Robin and Ramiz' relationship as anything other than unresolved romance. But I also felt I had to put this on my list because even if you're not into that, this is just an amazing book and one for people fascinated by language and translations, with a pretty easy to understand magic system, dark academia, and also a massive Fork You to the British empire so; yay.

Malice / Misrule by Heather Walter - I've already done a whole post about this so I'll keep it short; loved it! I loved that unlike Maleficent in the Disney remake, Alice goes full on dark queen and embraces being a monster - but she's still someone to root for and Aurora is more than just a passive sleepy princess. It makes it fun to root for the bad girl without having too sad or depressing an ending that tries to guilt trip you (looking at a certain dragon show).

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron / We Set The Dark On Fire by Tehlor Mejia / The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow - How are these books connected? They aren't. They completely separate series with different settings and characters...but what links them is that they're all books about smashing the patriarchy within their respected worlds, they're all sapphic, and I completely forgot about them once they were done. Can't even remember if I got to the end of OAFW. I know that WSTDOF had a twist with its other main character that had me rolling my eyes. Just wasn't a fan.

Sweet and Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley - I feel like I would have enjoyed this book a lot more if I'd read it in high school but as an adult and after reading so many better books it just left me bored for a fantasy journey. The concept of a main character being magically unable to love or feel joy could have been a good allegory for depression in a smarter story but this just had really flat characters with a pretty dull final "villain".

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree - as coffee shop aus go, this is what you'd expect or want from that. It's cosy, it's wholesome, it has a really uplifting third act that's right out of a Hallmark movie. I do think it's a bit of a slow start, I could have done without pages and pages of building renovation plans, but as someone who works in customer service I could relate to a lot of the frustrations- though I would have loved a scene with Viv drop kicking a Karen out the shop for picking on Tandri. I would love to see more books like this, especially comedies / self-aware parodies like Onward or Willow if it had funny writers.

A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair - I have a bone to pick with BookTok about this because it was recommended to me as sapphic enemies to lovers...when it's not. It is sapphic, in that the mc is bi and has a dead "girlfriend"-ish. But the main romance is your standard ACOTAR hot-fae boy. Which would have been fine if I'd been made aware what I was into because I kept waiting for this guy to go away so I could get to my wlw fix which wasn't happening. But also his and Kira's relationship was my least favorite kind of enemies to lovers where they're fighting, they don't even know each other except for some charged banter and they just kiss mid battle...ugh. A shame because the world is interesting, I just couldn't get into the characters.

.

.

And that is currently it so far! It did make me feel kinda proud of myself looking over those and seeing what I've managed to read after I stopped for many years. But I've kinda given up reading fanfiction as it's been years since anything really gripped me, as I seem to always fall for rarepairs, and most of the sagas I fall in love with end up being left unfinished.

Should also admit; yes I read ACOTAR and the first Cresent City book, I also have the first Throne of Glass on my tbr. Are these straight fantasy smut trash with very poor diversity? Yes. Are they fun? Yes. I didn't get on the Twilight train in school, thankfully, so these are my trash.

Entry -003: History

Summary

I've always been attracted to weird hobbies and their online communities. It was through a fixed gear blog that I was exposed to Tom Sachs. I had an opportunity to buy the original Mars Yard shoes and didn't. I've gone off of Instagram and missed the opportunity to apply to be a #nikecraftweartester. I will perform the instruction piece anyways.

The Beginning

A bunny trail of obscure hobbies led me to finding obscure forums and blogs which led me to Tom Sachs. When I was growing up, hacky sack seemed like an activity the cool kids did. My brother and his friends played it. So I wanted to hacky sack. In 2005, I googled hacky sack and came across a niche group of people that took this sport. seriously. I learned that Hacky Sack was a brand, footbag was the sport. Footbag.org was the official website but modified.in was the active forum of the community (sadly, it's practically dead now). In 2006, I jumped into the deep end. I got the shoes. I modified the shoes for optimal performance. I got the hand-stitched bags. I made hand-stitched bags. I repaired the hand-stitched bags. I practiced.

I scrolled the forums. I became familiar with these strangers I'd never met. I eventually met some of them in real life. One was a charismatic Canadian who studied mechanical engineering. Apart from footbag, he started building and riding fixed geared bikes. I was curious and soon started pouring over fixed gear conversions, bike components and wares, fixed gear bike blogs. Prolly is Not Probably (now The Radavist) seemed to have the pulse on all the latest with fixed gear cyclists, including all of the momentous events happening in New York. I think it was on this site that I learned about Tom Sachs. I was initially drawn to the cameras and the subversive value given to the engineering and making of objects. The guts behind how things worked. Since I was thinking about studying engineering, this acted as a fine counter-balance to how I was also drawn to art, architecture and industrial design and some of the more slicker aesthetics.

In the fall of 2009, I was fortunate enough to move to New York City for college to study engineering. I found out that Tom Sachs was going to be in a show called STAGES and that he was going to be doing a talk in November. I went alone. I spoke to no one. I marveled in the back and took short video clips and bad photos. [Ok, upon reviewing my notebook from this time, I did somehow muster up the courage to introduce myself to Tom and say something lame about appreciating his art.] Anyways, it was divine. I felt out of place.

On my harddrive entitled "TOM SACHS THIS FRIDAY!!!.jpeg"

Blurry Tom Sachs and Casey Neistat, 2009. Miss you IRO Bikes

That bike was only built to be sold, it wasn't built to be ridden

Tequila Bike

In the spring of 2012, I had one of those magical days in New York by myself. Finals were over and I had the wind at my back. I went to Brooklyn and got a haircut. I went to the Armory for the opening day of the Space Program. I completed Indoctrination. I got to check out the LEM. I took whiskey shots with members of the studio and left out of the escape hatch.

May 17th, 2012

Pilot's View

A Peek Inside

Cockpit

When I got to the gift store, I saw pieces done in collaboration with Nike. There they were. The Mars Yard Shoes 1.0 in all of their Vectran glory. I contemplated blowing what seemed at the time to be an absorbent amount of money but I didn't. I was in college. It was too expensive.

Mars Yard Shoe

I kind of regret it but maybe I don't. Now, the shoes are impossible to get and I've even contemplated trying to make my own. I've researched how to make and customize sneakers. 3D print a lass and the mold for the sole, hand-stitch the upper - ahh - but here is my problem. My weakness. I don't do it. I have a fear of failure that prevents me from pursuing ideas I see as being too high stakes - even when they are not. But here

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner-eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

- Litany Against Fear, Dune

Ok.

I missed Mars Yard 2.0 and Space Camp on Governor's Island. I had left New York for Seattle. I went to the film screening of A Space Program and the talk that followed. I followed Tom on Instagram. For years. Then I stopped using it (not practical but surveillance capitalism gives me great pause - social media in the name of surveillance is the enemy). I missed out on being a wear tester. But I still want the experience. I want to find the sweet spots. I want to find the weak points. I want to wear something to death. And repair it. And repeat.

Thankfully, a generous amount of documentation has been shared online and I will note any assumptions made as I participate in this bootleg version of Tom Sachs' instruction piece. It may not be for the Mars Yard 2.5 model, but perhaps this model can be applied to a worthy alternate.

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Rev - New

Anti-viral drugs Market Growth Size, Industry Growth, Revenue Analysis, Developments, Emerging Trends, Future Plans and Regional Forecast to 2027

Healthcare professionals exploit antiviral drugs to cure illnesses triggered by bacteria tuberculosis, like strep throat and numerous kinds of pneumonia. On the other hand, antibiotics do not heal viral diseases like colds, flu, and most sore throats. The FDA has approved several drugs for the treatment and deterrence of influenza over the past few years. Treatments such as the yearly vaccination have long been regarded as the basic means of averting and supervising ailments like influenza. The global pandemic, COVID-19, has radically changed the way society perceived the effect of "flu-like" symptoms over the past year. A non-influenza virus caused COVID-19; a coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2. The signs of COVID-19 and influenza illnesses are observed as having many similar symptoms but may trigger diverse risks of complications in some diverse risk groups and may require different treatment, testing, and preventive procedures.

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The Efficacy Factor

The available Anti-viral drugs Market Growth focus on the three main groups of viruses such as herpes, hepatitis, and influenza viruses. Most viral illnesses are self-limited and do not require specific antiviral therapy, excluding those triggered by the human immunodeficiency virus. The antiherpes drugs present in the market currently constrain viral duplication by serving as competitive substrates for virus-related DNA polymerase save for the antisense molecule fomivirsen. The antiviral drugs work by interfering with a significant enzyme of the influenza virus, termed neuraminidase. The drugs repress the virus from evading from one cell to affect a neighboring cell. They are most effective if taken by patients inside a day or two of the commencement of symptoms. The availability of good healthcare services in many regions is estimated further to propagate the development of the antiviral drug market.

The prescriptions for dispensing antiviral medicines by practitioners have been vital to the growing use of antiviral medications. Furthermore, as the medicines can reduce the time it takes for symptoms to improve, many of them are used in selected circumstances to decrease the chance of infection in people exposed to the influenza virus. The speedy medical evaluation is an important factor for the effectiveness of antiviral in flu cases as the drugs may bring the most benefit for patients who start therapy within 48 hours of the beginning of the initial symptoms. However, the use of Antiviral drugs does not eliminate the possibility of complications, of which some can be life-threatening. For example, Antiviral medicines, such as zanamivir (Relenza) and oseltamivir (Tamiflu), may decrease indications and help in quick recovery from the flu a day or two prior, but oseltamivir came was recently scrutiny for lack of effectiveness. Following this, the World Health Organization (WHO) withdrew oseltamivir from its list of essential drugs.

The COVID Impact

The recent second wave of coronavirus instances has become a source of alarm, triggering an urgent need for antiviral drugs that may offer some respite. Hospitals and medical facilities have begun to run out of supplies and are under pressure to make available beds for patients showing severe COVID-19 symptoms. During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, an enormous demand for what has become the most sought-after antiviral drug, Remdesivir, has shot up significantly. The drug is being used majorly to remedy and ease patients experiencing severe COVID symptoms. Also, Pfizer, an American pharmaceutical company, cultivates two runners in the antiviral drugs segment to attack COVID-19 as a supplement to its vaccine that has already been rolled out globally. Both the candidates are still at a very initial phase of expansion with inspiring results for the pill candidate had encouraged Pfizer to initiate a clinical study on healthy adults to assess dosage and tolerance. The candidate called PF-07321332, which is the oral antiviral, is a protease inhibitor, a kind of drug that stops the virus from duplicating in cells.

Overhauling Drug Pipelines For The Future

A multitude of SARS-CoV-2-centred as a result of demand created by the pandemic are being launched through fast-tracked processes and expedited drug-discovery efforts. Nonetheless, the pharmaceutical business by and large has focused on just some specific viruses such as HIV and hepatitis C, and typically the process related to finding agents to combat identified and anticipated threats remains a lofty directive. Remdesivir's discovery and dispersal were encouraged by the careful forethought of researchers concerned in the Antiviral Drug Discovery and Development Center (AD3C), an NIH-backed project that started seven years ago. Its purpose was to vet current drug libraries for inhibitors of coronaviruses, influenza, alphaviruses, and flaviviruses, among others.

The greatest insurance against imminent viral threats includes an amalgamation of host-targeted and direct-acting drugs. The purpose would be to support and dispense such a drug in the vital time frame when other kinds of rapid-response medicine such as vaccines or antibody treatments do not exist. Tonix Pharmaceuticals is beginning an early-stage antiviral asset contract with OyaGen as the duo focuses on COVID-19 treatment. The research and license deal, financial data of which was not shared, concentrates on the antiviral inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2, TNX-3500, formerly OYA1, which Tonix has confidence in and can hit back against the pandemic virus and other potentially other viral illnesses. The active element of the drug has been reviewed for safety in humans in a previous study on cancer patients at the U.S. National Cancer Institute. As per the contract conditions, Tonix has been given a special license from OyaGen for tech and copyrights associated with TNX-3500 and other associated compounds. Tonix will run further studies to examine the safety and effectiveness of TNX-3500 in COVID-19.

The surge of the global pandemic since 2020 has achieved a significant goal of making the scientific community and the pharma industry players keep the quest to develop drugs that can reduce the impact of viruses, especially that of the novel coronavirus family. Many companies such as Romark's antiviral drug NT-300 phase 3 trial have lost the key goal in a phase 3 trial among minor to medium COVID-19 patients but could still have a turn at emergency use authorization (EUA). The firm has just published top-line findings from the 1,092-patient research, showing that patients given NT-300, an orally active, long-acting formulation of the well-known drug nitazoxanide, didn't vary drastically from a placebo group in the stretch it took to recuperate from COVID-19. If cleared, NT-300 could be prescribed in a similar way to Roche's Tamiflu. Based on the results, Romark states that it is working with the FDA to attempt to gain an EUA for NT-300. The development of a robust drug pipeline is projected to create the most

Table of Contents

1 Introduction

1.1 Definition

1.2 Scope of Study

1.3 Research Objective

1.4 Assumptions & Limitations

1.5 Market Structure:

2 Research Methodology

2.1 Research Process

2.2 Primary Research

2.3 Secondary Research

3 Market Dynamics

3.1 Drivers

3.2 Restraints

3.3 Opportunities

3.4 Challenges

3.5 Macroeconomic Indicators

4 Market Factor Analysis

4.1 Porter’s five forces model

4.1.1 Bargaining Power of suppliers

4.1.2 Bargaining Power of Customer

4.1.3 Intensity of Competitor’s

4.1.4 Threat of New Entrants

5 Global Anti-Viral Drugs Market, by Application

5.1 Introduction

5.1.1 Hepatitis

5.1.2 HIV/AIDS

5.1.3 Herpes

5.1.4 Influenza

5.1.5 Others

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I’m torn! I liked the episode but I also feel really anxious about it. Why Oliver doesn't trust her anymore? He admitted that he and Diggle had let her fall deeper and that maybe she didn't feel like she belonged this season and yet he doesn't back her play. Help me understand this please because I don't want to think like this about him. I wanted to enjoy episode 20 but this is upsetting.

Don’tcome to tumblr/twitter much because of my job but I love Arrow, though I’veonly been watching it for a year. There are some I’ve been following that werereally vocal about 5.19: they’ve basically been saying Oliver isn’t good enoughfor Felicity now and are angry at him for not trusting/backing her like she hashim. Is it them who don’t understand or me? I thought it showed Oliver afraid.No mistrusting. And Felicity asking for equality. I saw a reply you gave oncebut I don’t know anyone who does them like that.

I wasn't going to answer these initially because I feel they’ve been answered so fully by the names just below this but... I HAVE AN ABUNDANCE OF OLICITY FEELS THAT CANNOT BE DENIED.

I needed to vent them! Overuse of gifs ahoy!

OK, first? Q2 Anon: I can giveyou the names of a few people who answer questions FAR better than I ever couldif you’d like?

There’s @jbuffyangel (who did herusual amazing review of the episode which should answer all of yourquestions/worries) @callistawolf and @louiseblue1

There are others that I’m sureyou’ll find if you explore a bit ;)

There isn’t really much I cansay past what hasn’t already been said by the 3 above.

But I need to clarify (eventhough you can’t answer) something Anon 1. You liked the episode?

JUST liked?

Well I just about had a minicoronary. Honey, I don’t think you were seeing it properly. Episode 19 was likea piece fanfiction come to life. It was an episode to grin hard about and watchwhilst gripping the edge of your seat. Something to feel deep in your chest thenext day.

Everything in it – EVERYSINGLE SCENE – was a moment I’ve been waitingon pins to see.

And I mean, purely from thepoint of view of a fan: how could you not adore the return of the looks and the talking:

True, I DO think they made uswait a tad too long (kill me now – @scu11y22 knows especially, after episode 9how close I came to having a full on shit-fit – but just a shit-fit, not a loss of hope) for this but I also believethat they wanted the whole Prometheus Vs Oliver = Oliver’s lowest moment scoreto occur prior to any progressionthat could be made between Oliver and Felicity…

It’s because they want them -their steps back to each other - to be part and parcel with Prometheus’sdefeat.

And Prometheus isrepresentative of Oliver’s demons. Of his darkness and his pain. 

Something hecan no longer run from like he has been doing for years. What he needs to faceand defeat, to strive beyond.

It’s all so that thepenultimate moment, episode 20, can mean somuch more and have triple the affect it would have had without this.

Oliver can’t defeat Prometheuswith his current mind-set. He can’t even stand against him: Prometheus has brokena vital piece of Oliver’s soul: his hope.

Thinkabout it: Olicity closing the gap between them - healing thatbreach - each and reuniting possibly leading to the defeat of Prometheus. Andwhat’s necessary for the defeat of Prometheus? For Oliver to step forwards intoa light of his own making. A mission of his own choosing.

How much more epic can youget?

But you (Anon 1) (Anon 2, you’re fine girl/boy;)) werereferring more to the deceptive lack of trust in this episode, correct?

That supposed absence oftrust, the very thing that put a pause on this whole relationship? It’s anOliver Queen smokescreen. Possibly subconscious on his part, at leastinitially. A not-so-flimsy cover up for Oliver’s real problem. A problemthey’re going to bring about, in GREAT and uncompromising detail, in episode20.

But let’s get into specifics.

It’s what we’ve been waitingfor. And all of it, everything, was good. Everything coming will be better.

I think a problem a lot ofpeople might also be having at the moment is the sudden rise of emotionalintensity in the show.

Yes, I know: random. But.

Arrow has always been intensebut it increases with each season: the actors are pushed into doing scenes andplaying roles they’ve never done before, into bending rules and breaking pastboundaries. Season 5 has been exemplaryin this. But there’s been an upswing from episode 16, especially in regards toOTA and Olicity, that wasn’t as present earlier on. It’s been very welcome, butalso, a bit of a shock.

They’ve had to wait you see: there’s been too much story to tell first. We got a lot of Olicity before anything else in season 4 so they needed to be true to their other stories first but you all know the other reasons as well. Lord know’s I’ve gone on about them too.

So now, everything feelspowerful. Penetrating. Worrying? Thescript was so forceful in Dangerous Liasons, so intense: every scene featuringOliver and Felicity was a scene that left a mark on the audience. People arefeeling the heat - the kind of heat exhibited in 3.20 - and it’s such a burn that it people might consider it an omen.

Don’t feel anxious about it:not at all. It’s about facing the truth. About Oliver and Felicity facing eachother. About facing themselves…

And they found themselves ineach other once upon a time.

That still holds true. Therewas no way in hell that they were going to get to the root of each of their issueswithout them coming back to each other.

Oliver.

There’s no one he trusts,respects and admires more than Felicity Smoak.

But being honest with her -telling her about his 5.17 revelation (something he had to understand himselffirst) about his reasoning behind why he’s done what he’s done over the years -is something he thinks will make her fall out of love with him.

But it also might save herfrom becoming him.

This has absolutely nothing todo with trust.

For the first time, Felicityis the one he and Dig have to worry about… and like big tough Alphamales, it throws them completely out of whack.

It’s not about a lack of trustor a deliberate choice not to be there for her when she has been there for himevery single time he needed someone.

He can’t possibly be ok withher behaving like him because she’s more.She’s better. She’s the example he measures all other acts of goodness and evilagainst. No other woman (or man) has come close.

And that’s just some of the examples and only the women.

But there’s been a lack ofunderstanding between these two for the past year (A year… Christ, it’s beenmore than a year) and they need to hack it out but they wouldn’t be able towithout a stimulus.

Boom baby!

Now, Felicity TELLING Oliverthat he doesn’t trust her was soooooo deeply satisfying, not because I agreewith her. I don’t. She’s wrong. But I only know that because I’m the observer.

I loved it because she wasfinally being honest about how he’s made her feel. And how he’s made her feelisn’t just like she isn’t trusted:

It’s lonely. Alone.

She’s felt like she can’t goto him and ask for the assistance she needed, the help she wanted. The kind oflove she deserves. Honestly, I’m pretty sure she didn’t want his help either. Not at this stage. She wanted to rely onherself. To decide for herself. To make the choices he and Dig have always madefor her. To be their equal.

What she wanted was for him to say:

“Idon’t like it. I don’t want you to do it. You’re asking me to stand back andwatch you sell yourself because of a problem I caused. I don’t want it. It’llhurt too much… but I’m going to. I’m going to because I trust you. You alreadyknow I love you. And now I’m going to prove what that actually means to me. I’mgoing to place all my trust in you because I believe. In. You.

Always.”

Wonderful, right?

But this is from the point ofview of a woman who doesn’t fully understand Oliver Queen, through no fault ofher own. She’s the closest any woman has ever come to truly knowing him: sheDOES know him the best of everyone, even Thea…

And that is something he -subconsciously - can’t allow. He can’t have Felicity - the person he loves themost - close to his darkest demon. Can’t have her touched.

If she’d been ready at thetime of their break up, maybe she would have seen something else and NOT a manwho simply doesn’t trust her the way she craves to be trusted, the way she’dtrusted him and still does trust him. Even after everything.

But she couldn’t help missingthat because Oliver is emotionally stunted and very unaware of how his father’spromise and his survivor’s guilt have deepened that chasm inside him.

Oliver is also a man of hisword.

“We canprotect her.”

He made a promise to himselfand Dig and he was vehement in that promise.

It was a declaration ofintent: I want her in this but not at thecost of what makes her… her.

Do you think that ever goesaway for someone like Oliver? And do you think he ever forgets about that promise? No. It just grows stronger. It was crucial tohim; especially right at the beginning of it all.

And for Felicity Smoak it isan absolute - a requisite - STRONGER than his need to protect Thea.

He grew to accept at the endof season 3 - after choosing for her for most of the season - that Thea’s lifewas her own, that her actions were her own, her body was her own to throw itonto fire if she wanted to.

He’d hate it… but he’d get it.

He can’t do that with Felicitybecause she’s his cornerstone.

Even after they broke up, evenmonths later with this distance between them, she’s still the person who balances his world, who gives him structure.

When she first joined theteam, she enabled his night work in a way he didn’t think possible and she wasas safe as he could make her. Behind her computers. In HIS Foundry. Perfect.

She was where he could keep an eye on her andcontrol how deep into the life she was. In fact she only ever touched close todanger when she was in the field, which was few and far between for this exactreason.

Even when she opted – evenwhen it was her choice – Oliver (and by extension Dig) only agreed when theycould control the danger level.

But even then, things canstill go wrong.

The problem is that Felicityhas always been just as ‘in deep’ as the boys.

But she’s their precious gem:their lucky charm. Their lighthouse, their way home. The heart of the team.

What happens when a lighthousegoes dark?

The way home – your eyes –vanishes.

You loose sight of reality.

It was taken for granted, Felicity’s natural light. Her faith. He thought if he left it alone, it was stay exactly as it was...

The light on Oliver’s path –as pitiful and as small, as narrow and filled with thorns and without forks andchoices as that way has become – was, in his head, taken fully away in episode19. He was left asunder and confused.

Adrift. Lost at sea.... he’s already lost at sea.

He was lost at sea for years until he chose to stay away from Starling (I prefer the name Starling Cityto Star City btw).

After his return, she becamehis anchor. Slowly.

Overtime.

Moment by moment.

Until she becameirreplaceable.

And he didn’t realise just howdeep that went… until he broke her heart. Until she left him. Alone.

They’re as alone as eachother. Even when they’re with others. Even in a crowd. Even as they reached outto others, romantically or otherwise and it didn’t heal them.

Case in point: look at wherethey are right now. He thinks he’s a sociopathic serial killer and she’swilling to destroy her life to bring down the man who made him feel that way.

She is doing for Oliver whatOliver did for Thea in season 3.

All she’s asking is for him tolet her.

But he can’t.

He promised Dig he’d protecther. Just her. 

Not Laurel or Thea or Sara or anyone else, not even Dig…Felicity was the one whom he’d never have twisted. The one neither of themcould or would sacrifice. IRREPLACEABLE.

Most importantly, he can’thave her become him. He’s been protecting her from that since day 1: he can’tfathom its possibility.

Oliver has paid a lot ofprices, sacrificed so much of himself. And he’s lost things and people.

Her soul is the one price toohigh to pay.

Yet Oliver feels likeeverything he has touched, every person who’s into contact with him, hassuffered because of him.

And now? …He feels what’s shedoing with helix, how she’s behaving is because of him. A darkness that nevercomes out created by him. To Oliver, he has created thispath of a deepening darkness for the woman he loves. Now he has to put up withwhat she’s been putting up with foryears. And he doesn’t like it.

Drink it is:

Like a husband who’s arguedwith his wife, had his words royally and correctly thrown back at him and inthe dog house. Big time!

What Oliver doesn’t realise isthat light can alter over time. It can grow warmer or more distinct. Stronger.Can shift and shine a new way. A better way. A softer way. Some lights can draw weaker ones out andstrengthen them.

Has anyone noticed the increased use of both purple and green this year on Arrow? Oliver’s and Felicity’s colours. 

Not a coincidence.

When he sees her for who shereally is, when he finds out how her view of him – in walking in his shoes –has changed, has grown, when he discovers that his confession doesn’t have theaffect on her he thought it would, when she actually gives him a new andbrighter understanding of herself… he’ll see her light for what it is. For thebeauty in it. And he’ll love her all the more for it.

I think he’s going to tell her– when their air is ruining out, whilst he’s hurt and she’s defenceless – his painful truth andhe’ll be waiting for the worse case scenario reaction from her.

And… I feel like he’s going tobe given the shock of his life. Or something to that affect. (Am I justdesperate?)

Whatever happens, it’ll makehim view her as an equal in every sense of the term – he thought he alreadydid, but there was still that last layer of bubble wrap for him/her to pop.

And in walking in her shoes –in trying to move on, in watching her make the hard choices and being powerlessto stop her, in being on the other side of the fence and being the one who doesn’t get listened to – hisunderstanding and already super high regard for her will shoot past thestratosphere.

Like Wendy said:

“She’s beenthrough something now, and she sees him in a different light — and he also seesher in a different light. There’s a lot more mutual understanding, and eventhough I think it’s hard to top the mutual respect they already have for eachother, that goes up as well.”

Won’t be surprised if theyleave the bunker shooting each other awed, heart-eyed looks and thinking ‘wow’.

Remember the song?

I am so sorrythat I bothered youNow I know why you have to hideI didn’t know what you were going throughAll I could see was my own signI will just fade awayI will let you be hereI won’t say a word until you come to meUntil you come to meUntil you come to meThey just tell me what you’re in there forHow could I know you did not say?But now I know what I am living forTomorrow will be just another dayI will close my eyesAnd I hear a quiet peepI will wait in the shadows until you come to meUntil you come to meUntil you come to me, ohAh, sweet youth will all too quickly endAnd we will never be this freeSo all I ask is that we look againBefore we grow too old to seeI will fall aloneMy elm was sweet and envyStill I will be crying until you come to meUntil you come to meUntil you come to me, ah

Understanding. Readiness.Love. Trust. Heart.

I’llbe waiting for you. Until you come tome.

It’s a mutual thing (though Ido think this refers to Felicity more than Oliver).

And then it’ll be almost aseasy as falling, his new ideal. I think she’ll give him a new point of view.Or, at the very least, a way to see it differently.

Very soon they’ll be ready foreach other. The right fit.

A hero for a hero.

She has to open the door buthe needs to make her want to first.Strip each other down to the core.

And, come 5.22 (?) he needsstep on through it all on his own.

They’re going to fall in sync.

And by 5.23 we’re finallygoing to breathe that breath of sweet relief.

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Black hat SEO techniques can get a website to position well initially, but the web site will eventually be banned possibly temporary or permanently once research engines discover what they are usually doing. Site acceleration is of the essence looking engines and SEO, whether is actually within desktop or mobile. The development of Google's RankBrain is the starting of humanizing SEO. Now you should to finish off this off-page SEO techniques guide. In the success story associated with a website, both design plus search engine optimization (SEO) have fun with an important role as their own work is vital for the successful online presence. Since the onset associated with Google's Knowledge Graph SEO's close to the globe are typically in a madness marking up their websites along with semantic markup. As it is usually still the beginning of 2018, it will be exciting in order to find out these and additional SEO trends emerge as the particular year progresses. This is just going to be a little SEO 2019 PDF more popular therefore an SEO prediction for 2018 is that websites that usually are reachable by voice searches may lose some of their ratings. What SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION does in a nutshell will be convert all your web or even forum pages into a great deal more user friendly links, which usually in turn can then end up being indexed by search engines significantly easier and faster. In essence that without proper keyword research, you simply cannot nail local on-page SEO - or any type of SEO for instance. Tips you suggested for SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION Advance are valuable as Sites need to undergo SEO Review from timt to time in order to stay On top of lookup engine results, I was presently taking care of SEO progress Strategies to Improve website rating, Found Out your post related. The tone of voice search is getting vital regarding SEO. The moot stage of any SEO strategy, really still imperative to learn how in order to use keywords the right method. It means ensuring that will your site is designed, constructed, maintained with SEO best procedures to make sure that lookup engines don't have any specialized limitations with indexing or knowing your content. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION activities when boosted with each internal and external resources, that will is On-Page optimization techniques and also external Off-Page tactics like visitor blogging and social media advertising gives speedy outcomes. SEO trouble and top 10 google outcomes for keyword. The initial action for top-tier local SEO is definitely claiming all local listings such as Google My Business (obviously probably the most important) as well as other people like Yellowpages, Bing, and 411. Using AI and even more semantic search engines, how SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION is conducted will change. For way too long, SEOs have obsessed by looking in the Pagerank or whatever metric of the linking page. For SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION specifically, it is important in order to comprehend where voice search ultimately gets its data from. In 2018, we can be seeing citations ceasing in order to have a major impact upon SEO efforts, and similarly, we are going to able to be encountering a good even stricter standard on key phrase stuffing as semantic (topic-based) SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION matures. Google is also maintaining track of Accelerated Mobile Web pages as this format enables quick loading, giving a much much better reading experience and improves SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION of the website. Nevertheless NATURAL backlinks from real high quality sites, that will ALWAYS assist you with your SEO. Your own monitors are covered with dashes from Google Analytics, an SEO ranking band like Moz or SEMrush, reports through your CMS or marketing software tool, and a few Search engines sheets keep your results structured and keep a watch on your own search engine rank position. In 2018, SEO marketers require to up their game plus shift their focus beyond position and towards revenue. In this content, I will be talking regarding 7 On-Page SEO techniques that will will boost your ranking. I obtained Best off-page SEO strategies through this post it helps all of us a lot to build even more links. Listed here are few SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION trends which are to turn out to be kept in mind as these types of factors will be advantageous regarding your business growth by enabling you to shine among various. If your own content has answers of consumer questions, then you will have a win-win SEO 2017 craze. The optimization processneeds to be continued round the particular clock after consulting with the particular experts who guide you means best shape content that a person publish on your website that will might lead to optimum overall performance at that moment in period. Traditionally, that is why affordable SEO solutions in Toronto and elsewhere are usually a rarity. Screaming Frog is a tool that crawls websites to better analyse onsite SEO. But this will provide your whole website a particular SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION boost and, most importantly, the much better user experience without having harming brand and conversions. Social shares are usually a win no matter exactly how you cut it. SEO's discussion about shares and interpersonal links being direct ranking elements. May forget that SEO is regarding targeting real people, not just search engines. There are basically two main forms of search engine search engine optimization; these are the on-site SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION and the off-site SEO. Through this particular post I'll find all the particular SEO blogs in one location. Likewise, SEO styles like AMPs, long-form keywords, AI mobile optimization and more are usually equally effective in contributing in order to your company growth. Black hat SEO can obtain you towards the top associated with SERP in a short period, nevertheless, search engines will almost all probably penalize and ban the particular website sooner or later. So, it's about period you changed the way a person conceptualize that SEO strategies intended for mobile searches. While that won't get resolved in 2018, we need incorporate the SEO team alongside various other marketing, both paid and possessed initiatives. It does not really take essence of SEO today and another of the most notable ranking factors Google uses with this point. Ranking for seo tips” is a bit easier (medium tail keyword). In addition, lookup engine optimization is infusing key phrase focus and SEO best procedures across other digital marketing stations, including social, paid, display, plus PR to create optimal outcomes and benefit. Are usually you wondering if keywords will be going to be crucial in order to SEO in 2018? I think the particular biggest SEO trends in 2018 are the personalization of research engine results, featured snippets, cellular first indexing and voice lookup. Backlinks are usually still the most significant component of SEO, but it is usually not regarding the number of back links you build it really will be about creating high-quality backlinks. Mobile responsiveness, page load rate, image optimization are really great for a site UX. Furthermore, checking and fixing broken hyperlinks, 404 error are good exercise of on-page SEO. Although recommendation links will still provide several rankings to the site, the particular highest rankings will most most likely come through the integration associated with link building to SEO articles. You also wish in order to ensure that your images nevertheless index with Google when relocating to a CDN For customers of the Yoast SEO wordpress plugin, you will want to include the following code to the particular bottom of your file. Whichever way you choose to categorize keywords, one of the most important steps in SEO is doing keyword research. Properly, chosen SEO keywords help individuals to get your site through search engines. Very first of all, SEO is a good acronym for Search Engine Improved. Users don't want to wait for a internet page so if your internet page is slow in 2018, forget about SEO and your own bounce rate will down. Since this has been a major change in the particular SEO landscape, I took this upon myself to gather figures and present what mobile lookup optimization actually is, and publish this on our company's blog. In 2018, SEO technique should consider how we eat visual content, and how research engines go beyond text in order to explore changing search habits. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION trends evolve year-after-year which indicates you should keep up along with the pace to influence Search engines algorithm and stay up within rankings. Once you've found your keywords, use another SEMrush tool, the SEO Content Template, which is part of their Content Marketing Tool set, to work out the ultimate way to enhance your content. Intended for better SEO results it will be important to regularly update well-researched, fresh and quality content upon your site. fifty five Its difference from SEO will be most simply depicted as the particular difference between paid and past due priority ranking searching results. SEOQuake: A plugin for your own web browser, not WordPress, SEOQuake allows users to quickly plus seamlessly assess SEO attributes associated with any website without opening upward extra programs. Work the keyword expression into the SEO page name, content header, image, image betagt text, etc. SEO stands with regard to Seo and explains the procedure of getting visibility, authority plus recognition of all websites, internet pages, blog posts by Internet Search engines like google like as Google, Bing, Yahoo that will takes of 92% of company. It appears that with YouTube every funnel is quite popular(as in big) in a given Niche, a person can almost throw out the large chunk of the SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION On page off page optimizations, ect, and the video can rank up on page one(also in Google search)…. Links gained in this particular manner are 100% ‘nofollow' plus transfer no SEO juice, which usually makes this method a true waste of time. Within the current post we may be looking specifically at Off-Page SEO and some of the particular most effective ways to enhance your page rankings on research engines. Backlinks were always one of the primary attempts in SEO, but Google offers become a lot stricter upon what qualifies as a high quality backlink. One of the particular biggest trends in SEO within 2018 will be the continuing expansion of the Knowledge Chart and the growth of Showcased Snippets. Regarding example, considering the keyword tea” or marketing” may take very a long time for enhancing the ranking for every upon Google, however, using less looked terms like home tea-maker” or even SEO marketing for your business” can improve your chances associated with raking high in Google. Search Motor Optimization is done through composing SEO optimized content for the website. I WOULDN'T 301 REFOCUS users blindly to your house page in case you anticipate any SEO benefits from 301s. Nevertheless, 2018 SEO trends will prove in order to be the clincher. Canonical: This particular plug-in handles content syndication, which usually essentially allows other blogs in order to publish your job (similar to franchising) without hurting your website's SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION ranking—simply by having a rel=canonical may get your brand and content material out on the web within multiple outlets, ensuring a higher reach and bigger audience without having hurting your own search outcomes. Rich snippets and schema markup language is the one that one particular needs to work on even more to get a good increase in SEO score and furthermore for having a better positioning searching engine results page (also referred to as SERP). ” The wealthy snippets are a way in order to communicate with Google concerning the articles contained within the site. On the similar note, great SEO articles needs keywords but if a person overdo it, Google and individual visitors will hate it. Seeking to keep a healthy keyword denseness of 1-2% is recommended. SEO is definitely optimizing digital documents for individuals who use search engines. Search engines has stated publicly they think brands” are good for SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, as people trust them plus want to see them offered in search results. Even as we appear ahead to SEO in 2018, discover our predictions for exactly what we think will be 1 of Google's biggest years however for search. Meta explanation plays a major role within search engine rank of your post so composing an SEO friendly meta explanation is essential for ranking aspect. SEO is not just about building search engine-friendly websites. When you're working on SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, you need to be conscious of the existing factors that will influence your ranking. We would certainly like to increase visibility, we all want it to look in Research Engine Results Page (SERP), All of us should go with these alleged SEO techniques. Everybody knows that will SEO is an acronym that will means Search Engine Optimization. The particular analytical section of the SEO is regarding tracking organic keyword positions, site traffic and its engagement on the internet Analytics, Webmaster Tools and several other specialized tools. Staying on top of the particular changing trends in search motor optimization (SEO) is a should if a website will probably be observed by targeted customers. Considering that Google processes more than 3. 5 billion searches for each day, the 30% increase within voice search in only the particular next two years translates directly into huge numbers and an also bigger potential for optimizing your own SEO strategy to begin getting together with the demands of voice lookup now. It is usually true that constantly researching with regard to SEO techniques is a tiresome and tiring process, but presently there is no silver bullet with regard to maintaining high ranking except taking on change. Thus, cellular friendliness serves as one associated with the major factor that can continue in 2018 as the particular trend in SEO. Excellent rule in my SEO agency which usually i instill in all our clients which is ‘if a person want your business top associated with Google, it must DESERVE in order to rank top of Google'. At the same time, the growth of voice search and virtual assistants can become an ideal basis for your development of artificial intelligence systems as well as the promotion of those SEO strategies that take into account current trends. Within the below-mentioned article, I did drop my key phrase SEO” in the beginning alone. Alexatmedia is an marketing agency with 5 years' encounter In E-Marketing Field, We are usually using that technology to improve any kind of business plus help the business owners in order to be in the first of most them Competitors, Alexatmedia with the professional team had all the particular secrets to accomplish that, using Interpersonal Media and search engine marketing (seo), web designs, web growth, mobile app designs, mail marketing”, Alexatmedia leading your business in order to the top. Intended for this post, we decided in order to include some top digital advertising blogs that aren't hard-core SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION. Currently, 76% marketers use Social Mass media to support and boost SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, cites an article published with In 2017, marketers will perform everything possible to make their own Facebook posts or tweets position higher on the SERPs. As SEO is right now moving towards providing personalized expertise thus, UX will play the huge role in maintaining the particular search traffic. Therefore in addition to creating high quality backlinks, building a strong sociable media presence and posting your own web-links on directories, one associated with the latest SEO technique employed for off-page optimization is to type strategic relations with similar companies and promote your website via their work. Finally, those nine useful SEO ranking factors have got been revealed. SEMRush - Another great tool for SEO evaluation, particularly where it concerns company intelligence, SEMRush allows you in order to identify and analyze the key phrases that your competitors are making use of. Optimizing intended for artificial intelligence (AI): With the particular rollout of Google RankBrain's AI technology, our team at C-K published a SEO for RankBrain POV a couple of yrs back that speaks to common optimization considerations. SEO is important because can make your website relevant in order to your keywords throughout the research engine ranking process and will certainly lead to improved search motor ranking. Many spamming sites have the tendency to make use of such Black Hat SEO procedures. From targeting the appropriate keywords using Google Keyword Adviser to sharing valuable information- content material marketing was and will continually be one of the most essential SEO trends for a lengthy time to come. Whilst classical techniques will continue in order to be effective, the SEO tendencies and tactics mentioned on this particular page can significantly change the particular way we perform search motor optimization. Content marketing and advertising is maturing and trying away infographics and video marketing may just add value for your own SEO techniques. ⭐ One of the best strategies adopted by businesses nowadays is an SEO focused content material strategy. John - we have around one, 000 video podcast episodes, plus currently kicking off a improve of our own site specifically to enhance our SEO (we've decided really easier to rebuild than in order to try to fix our frankenstein monster). Search engine optimization (SEO) involves various factors, yet we are confident that the super fast website should become your number one priority within 2018. With the increase of voice search, over fifty percent of Google searches originating through mobile devices, the impending mobile-first index, and mobile-friendliness being the ranking factor, you simply cannot afford to ignore mobile SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION anymore. One of our favorite online toolkits is SEMrush, which includes a number of tools for SEO, content marketing, and search engine marketing. Emma may be the Head of Conversation & Marketing at OnCrawl plus write about SEO and research engine updates. These people are focused on doing the particular actual search engines like plus hope to be rewarded intended for doing so. White Hat SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION is really a focus upon quality. 2018, certainly will be an interesting 12 months for SEO and only period will tell who manages in order to maintain the right blend ahead on top. You are usually able to optimize your cellular site to become fast upon Google but if you possess trouble with understanding SEO after that don't even try to improve your mobile site. Organic SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION: is the phrase used in order to describe an all natural positioning within the free listings associated with Google search results. Video marketing, infographics, link building were among the particular most talked SEO trends intended for quite a while now, nevertheless if you have limited your self with only those may not really earn you benefits that are usually to be offered by some other effective methods that you may not have known. Correctly, chosen SEO keywords assist people to find your web site via search engines. When it arrives to creating an SEO technique, website owners need to concentrate on question-centric long-tail keywords within natural language because they are usually close to user's conversational presentation. If you are searching for an SEO consultancy or even someone to manage all your own digital marketing or digital education, please call us to know just how we can help bring website visitors your website and enhance your own sales. Because hidden content material will probably be ignored by Google which usually will impact your overall SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION strategies of 2018. You must end up being witty enough to select greatest SEO Company that handles sociable media marketing technique very nicely. The SEO trends regarding 2018 and the years in order to come are not some unattached concepts you need to deal with separately. SEO, within general, covers all types associated with businesses, blogs, and websites. I imply, most websites outsource their SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION for an agency - is actually just not cool ripping straight down someone's online presence for activities they did not take. You can build links through Digital Marketing or content advertising blogs too, because these are usually (SEO, Digital Marketing or Content material marketing) closely related topics. A successful SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION campaign always begins with key word research. SEO strategies that as soon as were along with the video game may not apply to the particular current search engines like search engines. But, the most substantial SEO announcement might have already been Google's mobile update of Apr 2015 - this update triggered non-mobile-friendly websites to get reduce rankings.

The 1 Major Thing I Didn't Give Up When I Found Out I Was Pregnant

There's no need to put your travel plans on hold in the first trimester. Image Source: Pixabay I was in Auckland, New Zealand, when I found out I was pregnant with my first baby this past February. My husband and I live in San Francisco, but we were just three days into a 10-week trip abroad. Right before we left, I had some suspicious symptoms. But since we had been trying for a while I didn't want to get my hopes up. Once I did get the positive test 6,500 miles away from home, I knew right away that I wouldn't be booking a flight back home if I didn't have to. Instead, I ended up spending my entire first trimester overseas. Since my future baby will get enough chances to disrupt my plans, why let her start now? We had planned our trip to New Zealand and Australia as a "bucket list" adventure to have before starting a family. Knowing that it would be harder to do a three-day overnight hike or make last-minute plans on a road trip with children, we wanted to take advantage of our relative freedom. When we found out I was expecting, it strengthened our resolve to make the most of it. It definitely changed the trip (I'll have to drink some of that famous New Zealand sauvignon blanc stateside), but it also taught me a lot about how other healthcare systems work. And I got practice balancing my own needs with my child's - something I'll need after the baby comes. Many people I met while traveling or even acquaintances back home told me they would have come home after finding out they were pregnant. But since my future baby will get enough chances to disrupt my plans, I thought: why let her start now if it's not necessary? I'd give up alcohol, but I wasn't going to sacrifice travel yet. Related Pregnant? The 1 Thing You Must Do Right Now Is It Safe to Travel During the First Trimester? "It is generally safe to travel during the first trimester," according to Dr. Jane Fang of Golden Gate Obstetrics & Gynecology in San Francisco. Dr. Fang is my ob-gyn, and during my travels I kept in contact with her practice regularly with emails and phone calls. Being in touch with healthcare professionals back home helped make me comfortable. It also allowed me to manage any tests or precautions I had to take while abroad. Instead of googling like crazy, I was able to ask specific questions like: is hiking OK? Yes! What about jet boating? No. If you're planning a trip either as a pregnant lady or someone who might become pregnant, I suggest getting an email address for your doctor's office ahead of time. In my case, I called from abroad, and they kindly offered that I email with the OB coordinator to cut down on costs and time-zone challenges. Besides the hydration risk for women experiencing severe nausea, air travel is safe for pregnant women at this stage. During our trip, we had some flights planned. That left me wondering about the safety of air travel in the first trimester. "It's harder to fly if you experience severe nausea or vomiting because air travel can cause dehydration, which will worsen the symptoms," Fang told me. While I did get sick about a dozen times on my trip, it was manageable. And I made sure to hydrate well before, during, and after flights. Besides the hydration risk for women experiencing severe nausea, Dr. Fang says air travel is safe for pregnant women at this stage. I interacted with healthcare professionals abroad, as well. The day I took my home pregnancy test, I was able to get a blood test to confirm the pregnancy at a New Zealand lab. Luckily, New Zealand has a very straightforward and affordable healthcare system, even if you are not covered in their system. Out of pocket, the blood test cost $25. A couple weeks later, I visited a doctor in Christchurch, who was able to answer my initial questions and also give me an order for a seven-week ultrasound to further confirm the pregnancy and look for any potential risks. Out of pocket, the doctor visit cost $150, while the ultrasound cost $160. While this was an extra line in our travel budget, it was affordable for us and not the sticker-shock prices you would expect in America if you were not covered by insurance. These three pieces of care would cost me $685 in the US, according to the Healthcare Bluebook, instead of the $335 I paid in New Zealand. I made sure to email any results or reports to my doctor's office back home so they could add them to my file and have my doctor review. I took a three-day overnight hike in New Zealand while six weeks pregnant. Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Annie Gabillet When You Should Come Home There are some cases when travel doesn't make sense during early pregnancy. For one, you'll want to leave if you're in a place where you can contract diseases like Zika, chikungunya, dengue fever, or malaria. This is usually a risk in tropical climates, Fang explains. Other than that, she says, "you would only have to return home right away if you are experiencing an ectopic pregnancy or a miscarriage." By getting an ultrasound, I was able to determine that these were not of immediate concern for me. I also happened to be somewhere with an easy-to-navigate healthcare system. While it took an investment of time to learn about the differences and find practitioners, the lack of language barrier really helped. And in general, I felt confident about the level of care. If I hadn't, I would have come home. Related If a Product Is "Natural," Is It Safe For Pregnant Women? We Uncover the Truth! The Pros and Cons of Traveling During Your First Trimester I didn't have to concoct elaborate excuses for not drinking at social events. Far from home, I could be "out" as a pregnant lady much earlier than usual. I didn't have to concoct elaborate excuses for not drinking at social events. And I was able to enjoy more fresh air and exercise while exploring new cities and taking hikes. It also gave my husband and me time to reflect and mentally prepare for the big change coming. I was thankful that we had the one-on-one time. And his support made the whole experience manageable. Yes, there were days I wanted to just curl up in my own bed. I felt pretty gross from weeks six to 12, which meant the sight of a food menu alone had me feeling queasy. Since my morning sickness manifested as "night sickness" around dinner time every night, I wasn't much of a date. Luckily, we stayed in a lot of Airbnbs, and I made myself the bland food I could stomach. I felt bummed to miss out on delicious local wine, but I figured the no-booze rule wouldn't be fun at home either. By being abroad during the first trimester, I also had to manage my care more proactively. Sometimes I daydreamed about how easy it would be to just show up for my next doctor appointment back home and follow her instruction. Instead, I had to understand every test and milestone. In order to make sure nothing fell through the cracks, I had to keep track of my file and figure out the right questions to ask local doctors who did not know my situation. It did add stress. Now that I'm home and 16 weeks along, that first trimester feels like a different world. I've been able to talk to my doctor in person, and the symptoms are getting better. But by going outside my comfort zone and educating myself about how to travel safely while pregnant, I believe I prepared myself for some of the uncertainty and challenges of motherhood. At the very least, we had the bucket-list experience we hoped for. http://bit.ly/2xFNOxs

The 1 Major Thing I Didn't Give Up When I Found Out I Was Pregnant

There's no need to put your travel plans on hold in the first trimester. Image Source: Pixabay I was in Auckland, New Zealand, when I found out I was pregnant with my first baby this past February. My husband and I live in San Francisco, but we were just three days into a 10-week trip abroad. Right before we left, I had some suspicious symptoms. But since we had been trying for a while I didn't want to get my hopes up. Once I did get the positive test 6,500 miles away from home, I knew right away that I wouldn't be booking a flight back home if I didn't have to. Instead, I ended up spending my entire first trimester overseas. Since my future baby will get enough chances to disrupt my plans, why let her start now? We had planned our trip to New Zealand and Australia as a "bucket list" adventure to have before starting a family. Knowing that it would be harder to do a three-day overnight hike or make last-minute plans on a road trip with children, we wanted to take advantage of our relative freedom. When we found out I was expecting, it strengthened our resolve to make the most of it. It definitely changed the trip (I'll have to drink some of that famous New Zealand sauvignon blanc stateside), but it also taught me a lot about how other healthcare systems work. And I got practice balancing my own needs with my child's - something I'll need after the baby comes. Many people I met while traveling or even acquaintances back home told me they would have come home after finding out they were pregnant. But since my future baby will get enough chances to disrupt my plans, I thought: why let her start now if it's not necessary? I'd give up alcohol, but I wasn't going to sacrifice travel yet. Related Pregnant? The 1 Thing You Must Do Right Now Is It Safe to Travel During the First Trimester? "It is generally safe to travel during the first trimester," according to Dr. Jane Fang of Golden Gate Obstetrics & Gynecology in San Francisco. Dr. Fang is my ob-gyn, and during my travels I kept in contact with her practice regularly with emails and phone calls. Being in touch with healthcare professionals back home helped make me comfortable. It also allowed me to manage any tests or precautions I had to take while abroad. Instead of googling like crazy, I was able to ask specific questions like: is hiking OK? Yes! What about jet boating? No. If you're planning a trip either as a pregnant lady or someone who might become pregnant, I suggest getting an email address for your doctor's office ahead of time. In my case, I called from abroad, and they kindly offered that I email with the OB coordinator to cut down on costs and time-zone challenges. Besides the hydration risk for women experiencing severe nausea, air travel is safe for pregnant women at this stage. During our trip, we had some flights planned. That left me wondering about the safety of air travel in the first trimester. "It's harder to fly if you experience severe nausea or vomiting because air travel can cause dehydration, which will worsen the symptoms," Fang told me. While I did get sick about a dozen times on my trip, it was manageable. And I made sure to hydrate well before, during, and after flights. Besides the hydration risk for women experiencing severe nausea, Dr. Fang says air travel is safe for pregnant women at this stage. I interacted with healthcare professionals abroad, as well. The day I took my home pregnancy test, I was able to get a blood test to confirm the pregnancy at a New Zealand lab. Luckily, New Zealand has a very straightforward and affordable healthcare system, even if you are not covered in their system. Out of pocket, the blood test cost $25. A couple weeks later, I visited a doctor in Christchurch, who was able to answer my initial questions and also give me an order for a seven-week ultrasound to further confirm the pregnancy and look for any potential risks. Out of pocket, the doctor visit cost $150, while the ultrasound cost $160. While this was an extra line in our travel budget, it was affordable for us and not the sticker-shock prices you would expect in America if you were not covered by insurance. These three pieces of care would cost me $685 in the US, according to the Healthcare Bluebook, instead of the I paid $335 in New Zealand. I made sure to email any results or reports to my doctor's office back home so they could add them to my file and have my doctor review. I took a three-day overnight hike in New Zealand while six weeks pregnant. Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Annie Gabillet When You Should Come Home There are some cases when travel doesn't make sense during early pregnancy. For one, you'll want to leave if you're in a place where you can contract diseases like Zika, chikungunya, dengue fever, or malaria. This is usually a risk in tropical climates, Fang explains. Other than that, she says, "you would only have to return home right away if you are experiencing an ectopic pregnancy or a miscarriage." By getting an ultrasound, I was able to determine that these were not of immediate concern for me. I also happened to be somewhere with an easy-to-navigate healthcare system. While it took an investment of time to learn about the differences and find practitioners, the lack of language barrier really helped. And in general, I felt confident about the level of care. If I hadn't, I would have come home. Related If a Product Is "Natural," Is It Safe For Pregnant Women? We Uncover the Truth! The Pros and Cons of Traveling During Your First Trimester I didn't have to concoct elaborate excuses for not drinking at social events. Far from home, I could be "out" as a pregnant lady much earlier than usual. I didn't have to concoct elaborate excuses for not drinking at social events. And I was able to enjoy more fresh air and exercise while exploring new cities and taking hikes. It also gave my husband and me time to reflect and mentally prepare for the big change coming. I was thankful that we had the one-on-one time. And his support made the whole experience manageable. Yes, there were days I wanted to just curl up in my own bed. I felt pretty gross from weeks six to 12, which meant the sight of a food menu alone had me feeling queasy. Since my morning sickness manifested as "night sickness" around dinner time every night, I wasn't much of a date. Luckily, we stayed in a lot of Airbnbs, and I made myself the bland food I could stomach. I felt bummed to miss out on delicious local wine, but I figured the no-booze rule wouldn't be fun at home either. By being abroad during the first trimester, I also had to manage my care more proactively. Sometimes I daydreamed about how easy it would be to just show up for my next doctor appointment back home and follow her instruction. Instead, I had to understand every test and milestone. In order to make sure nothing fell through the cracks, I had to keep track of my file and figure out the right questions to ask local doctors who did not know my situation. It did add stress. Now that I'm home and 16 weeks along, that first trimester feels like a different world. I've been able to talk to my doctor in person, and the symptoms are getting better. But by going outside my comfort zone and educating myself about how to travel safely while pregnant, I believe I prepared myself for some of the uncertainty and challenges of motherhood. At the very least, we had the bucket-list experience we hoped for. http://bit.ly/2qjXbM2