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michellebyee · 1 year

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Bra Fitting at Torrid

So, I have always wanted to have a correct bra fitting done. This is my amazing journey.

If I am going to be investing some money into clothing including bras, lingerie and other women’s clothing, I feel that having the correct bra size is important. I started looking around the internet for different stories and saw what other crossdressers had experienced. I guess that is a little of my OCD but if I am going to purchase anything, I have to do my research.

I should have saved the link but I found this amazing story of a crossdresser that found a boutique that helped her out. The owner was nice enough to open for him late after closing. She even asked an employee to stay a little late to help. They went through the whole process. Tried on a couple of different bras. The owner and employee gave their honest opinion. After the correct bra was chosen, they even let her try on some other sexy lingerie and even some shapewear.

After reading that story, I was determined to find a local store that could provide me with the same experience.

So a couple of weeks ago, I headed onto Google Maps and found the closest (some local and some in a neighboring town) independent lingerie/bra stores and started to contact them mostly by a carefully worded email. I started to get emails back slowly and I wasn’t very happy with what I was reading. Some of the responses included

“Unfortunately, as discreet and comfortable as I am, my services are provided for bodies with full bust or no busts due to breast cancer loss. I take my employ quite seriously & as a result, will advise that I’m not comfortable fitting you.”

Then I started to get some positive replies but lots of these stores don’t deal with larger or plus sized women.

“Based on your measurements, your size would be about a 40 or 42 A or B. Unfortunately, we have very limited options in those sizes, and what we do have are quite standard and simple looking.”

I contacted some of the more commercial lingerie stores but I knew that the majority of these stores would also have limited options available. So, in my location, Ontario, Canada, there are only a few women’s clothing stores that will cater to larger/plus sized customers and sell bras and lingerie. They are Reitmans, Penningtons and Torrid. We used to have Addition Elle stores but they were owned by Penningtons and closed back in August of 2021. I tried to use the customer support channel for these commercial stores but that didn’t lead me anywhere so I started to call the stores and talked to the Manager.

My first store was Penningtons. I called and I talked to someone (I should have probably asked for the manager) and I was open and honest, I asked if they had ever done a bra fitting for a man and she said, “Nope but if you want to make an appointment, I think we can help you.” She thinks. No thanks. I wanted this to be discreet and something that they had done before.

My second store was Reitmans. I called and asked to talk to the manager and/or assistant manager. I waited a few minutes and a lady came on the phone and introduced herself as the store's assistant manager. I asked her, "Do you carry plus size bras? For example, 40C."

"Yes, we do. We carry all the way up to a 54 DDD. Are you looking to buy a bra for someone?" I quickly replied back, "Yes, actually, it is for myself but I wanted to ask if you, or someone there would be able to get me a proper bra fitting? I have been told that I should be a 40C but I want to make sure."

And then the very long pause as I can picture the person on the other side of the phone picking their jaw up from the floor. And then she replied back, "Oh alright. I don't see that being a problem. Would you feel comfortable being in the store doing this?" I could hear a little reluctancy in her voice as she asked. I replied back, "I would want you and your customers to be comfortable too. Thank you and it is good to know that you can offer this service. I will be in touch." She said, "Thank you." and we ended the call.

That's not the response I was really looking for but at least I found a place that I thought I could go but I still had one more place to call.

I called my local Torrid store in the local shopping mall. I don’t remember if I asked for the manager or not but a nice lady came on the phone and introduced herself as Tracy. I said “Hello Tracy. I am wondering if you or someone at your location has done a bra fitting for a man.” Her response was “Yeah. We have. All of the girls here have. Would you like to have a bra fitting?”

At that moment, I felt a sense of relief. A weight lifted off my shoulders. She was honest and confident in her answer which brought me a sense of calm. I replied back, “Yes I would but I want to be discreet. I don’t want to upset your customers or your staff.” She completely understood and she appreciated me mentioning that. She said, “When you come in, hopefully it won’t be too busy and I will get you into a change room as quickly as I can without too many people noticing.” I said that would be perfect. I will call you in the next few days to set up an appointment and see what would be the best time for me to come in.”

So a couple of days later when I knew I could get to the store, I called my local Torrid store and set up an appointment for a proper bra fitting for that night. Luckily, I had an excuse to go to the mall without my wife. I told her that I was going to go shoe shopping for a wedding coming up.

On my way to the mall, I quickly called the store to see how busy it was and Tracy told me to come in and she will help me. Immediately I had butterflies in my stomach. Thinking to myself, “Is this really going to happen now?” Calming myself down, I started to think about all of my adventures lately being out and wearing a bra and all of those were great experiences with no incidents or problems. I said to myself, “You got this GIRL!”

As I walked in the store, there were a couple of ladies shopping for different items. A dress caught my eye so I immediately went over to see it. As I was looking at the dress, a lady approached me and said quietly “Hello, how can I help you. My name is Tracy.” A smile came over my face and she knew exactly who I was. She said for me to follow her and she has a changeroom already saved for me.

Great start so far!

She comes into the changeroom, closes the door and asks me to lift my arms. She wraps the measuring tape around me and then asks me, “Are you wearing a bra?” I said, “Yes but it was something I picked up quickly. I don’t know if it is the right size. Hence me coming in to have this done.”

“Well, let us take a look then.”

I take off my t-shirt to reveal my Genie padded bra. “First off, I didn’t even notice that you were wearing one if you were concerned. Secondly, I think this is a little tight. You can probably go a size bigger.” She then proceeded to show me why it was too tight.

“Lets go back to your fitting.” She wrapped the measuring tape back around me and said, “OK so you are a 40”. Then she moved the tape up a bit and measured my chest. “Well, you are definitely 2 inches or a B cup but I am going to assume you would like something a little bigger.” I nodded and said, “But I don’t want them to be too big. I would like them to have a natural look.”

“Then I think you should either go with a C or D cup. Personally, with your shape, a C might be better.” I nodded again. She said, “Just wait here and I am going to see if I can find you some bras to try on. Oh, by the way, I can put a star on the door instead of your name.” I gently said, “You can put Michelle.”

“Ok perfect. Michelle, I will be right back.” She gave me a huge smile and a little wink and headed out. A couple of minutes later, I hear a knock on the door and I hear “Michelle, can I come in” It was so nice to hear my girly name said to me for the first time. I wanted to say “YES” but I didn’t want to say anything with my male voice so I just opened the door to the changeroom. I think I was blushing when she came in.

She had given me 3 bras for me to try. 1 of them I put it on and quickly took it off. Not for me. The second I put it on and I heard “How’s it going in there Michelle?” I opened the door, telling her that she could come in. She looked at me in my new bra and said, “Now that looks good! Actually amazing!” She asked me to turn around and she looked at the back. “Perfect! I really like this bra on you, Michelle.” There was my name again. Euphoria! I loved hearing my name.

“Ok try on the other 2 and let me know what you think.” I quickly said, “I tried this one on and I didn’t like it. I took it off immediately. I’ll try the other one.”

I quickly changed bras and Tracy came back in. “That one looks nice.”

“I like it but I don’t like the straps and the way that they come up. wearing a t-shirt like this one is nice but I am afraid that if I wear anything else, you are going to see those straps, which is a huge sign that I am wearing a bra.” She agreed and said, “Ok. Take off that one and put the other one back on. I will be right back.”

“I'll be right back???” I agreed but now I was a little baffled. Why is she asking me to put the other one back on? I did as she said and a couple of minutes later, I heard a knock and “Are you ok Michelle?” I open the door and Tracy walks in with a couple of pieces of clothing:

A black silk camisole.

A beautiful light blue blouse with a flower pattern.

The dress I had my eye on when I walked in.

“Why not give these a try. You have amazing blue eyes so I wanted to see how these would look on you.” I was absolutely shocked. I was literally on Cloud 9. She continued, “Well you need a nice cami and this one will compliment the bra. I think this blouse will look nice with your eyes and you already had an eye on this one.” She gives me a huge smile and a giggle.

I tried on each item. Each felt amazing and Tracy came into the changeroom to give her opinion too. The silk camisole felt amazing and looked great. Tracy agreed. The blouse she picked out looked great. The dress I picked out looked great on the rack but, unfortunately, did not look good on myself.

I changed into my normal clothes and waited a few minutes. No Tracy so I slightly opened the door to see if anyone was outside. The coast looked clear so I opened the door and headed out of the changeroom. There were 2 women standing there that I could not see from the crack of my door. So I looked them straight in the eye, smiled and said, “Excuse me ladies” and walked right past them. One gave me a nice smile and the other gave a stunned (not weird) look.

I went to the cash register and said to Tracy, “Those other clothes are lovely but I think I am only going to get the bra today.” I had tried on the black version but ended up getting the “beige/nude” version. I am going to go back to get the black one soon.

As I waited to pay, I pulled up my phone and gave the store a 5 star rating on Google Maps. I waited to post it because I wanted to show her the review.

Before leaving, I had to thank Tracy for an amazing experience and it will be something I will never forget. The last thing she said was, “Michelle, it was a pleasure helping you today. Please come back soon if you want to do some more shopping and try on some different outfits.” I was smiling from ear-to-ear. One very satisfied customer.

Thank you Tracy! Thank you Torrid!

#torrid #brafitting #bra size #cross dress #cross dressing

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wrensnz · 9 months

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Hiring Skilled Tilers and Plasterers: The Ultimate Guide

Do you want to update your room with shiny new tiles or freshly plastered walls? The key to producing outstanding outcomes is investing in the services of experienced tilers and plasterers. Whether you're replacing your kitchen backsplash, remodeling your master bath, or painting your entire home, it's important to hire qualified contractors. In this comprehensive tutorial, we'll discuss why it's a good idea to hire professional Tilers in Dunedin Otago and plasterers and how to best collaborate with them. Get ready to learn the tricks of the trade for designing a room that flows beautifully and leaves guests in amazement.

The Advantages of Working with Experts

Tiling and plastering are two examples of home renovation jobs where having specialists on the job can make a world of difference. In addition to the fact that they will execute a good job, experts should be hired because of the many advantages they bring.

Skilled tilers and plasterers are worth their weight in gold because of their meticulous attention to detail. They are so meticulous that you can trust them to line up your tiles exactly or make your walls precisely even. Incorporating this level of craftsmanship into your project can greatly improve its overall appearance and quality.

Time savings is an additional perk. Working quickly and accurately, professionals get the job done right. You may save a lot of time and effort by not having to research how to correctly apply plaster or place tiles on your own. Instead, you can delegate the task to the professionals and go on with other parts of your life.

In addition, expert tilers and plasterers have access to supplies that may not be easily obtained by the average homeowner. They are well-versed in a variety of items and can advise you on the best course of action for achieving your desired outcome.

Additionally, by enlisting the help of experts, your tiling or plastering project will stand the test of time. Professional craftspeople recognize the significance of these surfaces withstanding normal use. They are well-versed in the methods that ensure optimal longevity without sacrificing visual appeal.

Last but not least, though this list may go on, hiring experts ensures that everything is done well from the beginning to the end. Professionals take pleasure in their job, so you won't have to worry about uneven tiles or unfinished walls.

When planning a tiling or plastering in Dunedin Otago area (or anywhere else), it's best to leave it to the experts. They'll be able to do a better job, save you time, have better access to materials, guarantee the project's longevity, and give you peace of mind. To that end, why trouble yourself with a DIY

What to Ask Before Hiring a Tiler or Plasterer

Asking the proper questions before selecting tilers and plasterers is essential. This will give you an idea of their level of knowledge and whether or not they are a good fit for your project. Here are some questions you should ask any potential tilers or plasterers:

Prior Knowledge: 1. How long have you been a professional tiler/painter? Can you provide me some samples of similar work you've done?

2) Requirements: How about credentials and safety nets? Are you a part of any associations or groups in your field?

Thirdly, do you have client references I may contact? You can learn a lot about the standard of service given by talking to previous clients.

Timeline 4 How long do you think it will take you to finish the project? Will there be any hiccups or holdups?

5 - Costs: What factors go into setting your prices? Is it an hourly rate, a flat charge, or a price per square foot?

Materials and Methods #6: What do you suggest I use for this project? Do we have any other choices at this time? What methods will be utilized during the setup/repair procedure?

What kind of warranty or guarantee do you provide for your work and the products you use?

Don't forget to take your time and carefully consider each candidate's answers to these questions before making a hiring decision.

How to Best Coordinate with Tile Setters and Plasterers

When you first begin the process of hiring professional tilers and plasterers, it's crucial to get along well with them. As a result, you can count on clear lines of communication, rapid development, and gratifying outcomes. Here are some suggestions for improving your collaboration with the experts you hire:

First, before beginning the project, make sure the tilers or plasterers understand your vision and desired outcome. Specify any material or finish needs or preferences you may have.

Second, make sure to get a formal estimate that covers every facet of the task, from the cost of supplies and labor to an estimated completion date. In this way, there won't be any billing shock.

Third, establish reasonable deadlines: While it's important to work toward a common end date, keep in mind that good work can't be rushed. Don't rush the tiling or plastering jobs; give the workers ample time to make a good job.

Fourth, keep the lines of communication open by checking in with the professionals you've hired on a regular basis to make sure the project is moving along as planned and to address any problems as soon as they arise.

Fifth, pay attention to what they say, because competent tilers and plasterers know a lot. You may rest assured that they will make the right technical and design choices for the project.

If other contractors, such as painters, are engaged in the project, it is important to coordinate their timetables so that there is as little downtime as possible between each stage of construction.

7. Choose high-quality materials rather than trying to save money by using cheaper components. This will ensure that your results last as long as possible.

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globaljobalert-blog · 1 year

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mythicalcanary-literature · 3 years

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FanFiction - Crossing the Stars

Hetalia (c) Hidekaz Himaruya

FTL: Faster Than Light (c) Subset Games

[CHAPTER LIST]

Author’s Note: This FanFiction is a crossover between the sci-fi strategy game ‘FTL: Faster Than Light’ by Subset Games and the manga/anime called ‘Hetalia’ by Hidekaz Himaruya. The story will follow closely to the events of the rougue-like gameplay in FTL and the human characters will be replaced with the human versions of the national personifications in ‘Hetalia’. This is a fun personal project and it requires no knowledge of either fandom to enjoy this story. I’d encourage checking the original sources out though! Use of screenshots in this FanFiction are to supplement the storytelling to help plot the course of our heroes’ journey in the universe. Whatever the outcome of the gameplay I base this story on (as each playthrough is very unique) will be translated into the plot of this story. i.e. If the spaceship gets damaged, it gets damaged in the story. If a character dies in the game, they’re dead in this fiction. (Please note that I find this kind of storytelling entertaining to play/write and I plan to do more in the future if time allows!)

Chapter 2

The crew of the S.S. APH pondered their options. At the Exit Beacon of their first Civilian Sector they had a choice on where to jump. Both branching sectors were civilian areas, one was under Engi Control and the other under Zoltan Control.

Captain Alfred F. Jones brought up the file on the Engi species. “It says here that Engi dudes are made of nanomachines. That’s pretty damn sweet! Maybe we could get them to be our mechanics?”

Arthur Kirkland, the weapons master, pulled up the file on their second option, the Zoltans. “Apparently both the Engi and Zoltans are allies. We could encounter either species in either sector so we have a coin toss here. Zoltans are energy beings, meaning that they can act as a kind of battery to save us some engine power. That’s rather handy.”

Their engines expert Francis Bonnefoy hummed in approval. “Now that you mention it, I wouldn’t mind having either of those creatures on board. An expert mechanic? A spare battery, pardon ze term… and if we can encounter them in any of these two sectors I don’t think we could lose.”

“It says that the Engi are secret allies of the Federation. That bodes very well for us. Provided the Rebels haven’t corrupted them, of course,” Arthur added thoughtfully.

Their American Captain beamed. “Hell yeah! I guess that means the Zoltan dudes are allies as well. Can’t go wrong here.”

Arthur coughed. “Actually, if we enter Zoltan territory and we’re attacked by hostiles whom have a Zoltan Energy Shield we could face problems. Those energy shields are a bitch to destroy. We need to avoid as many problematic scenarios as possible.”

“Agreed,” the Frenchman said quickly. “I am still shaken from ze last battles.”

“Engi Controlled then?” Alfred suggested. “Back to your stations! Let’s get this important cargo on the move!”

A cautionary message popped up on Alfred’s monitor. It warned them that Mantis had been preying on the Engi core worlds and those insectoids were a rather violent race. He hoped for a peaceful voyage this go-round. He programmed in the next jump, reluctantly avoiding the temptation of visiting the store located at a nearby beacon. If they could harvest more scrap maybe they could invest in some more kickass weaponry or upgrades!

A rather disgruntled British voice chimed over the announcement system. “OH FUCKING HELL!” As tempted as the Captain was to discourage swearing, he allowed it in this case. Out of the frying pan and into the literal fire!

Francis gasped, staring out of his nearby airlock window at the super-giant Class M star! They were too close, they were going to cook like that rather delicious duck l’orange he made for his crew before they left the Federation space port back home. “Oh non non non!”

DANGER! SOLAR FLARES! DANGER! SOLAR FLARES! DANGER!

“Incoming dumbass Pirate Scout ship! Kirkland lock weapons on their shields and weapons rooms before we grill like a BBQ!” Captain Jones commanded as he anxiously kept an eye on their FTL Drive charge. He really did think those pirates were dumbasses, who dares lurk around a giant star to attack passersby at the risk of setting their own ship alight? Idiots.

The S.S. APH successfully damaged the pirate ship but the enemy return shot rocked the weapons room. FIRE!

Arthur hardly knew what hit him, but the searing heat was enough of a tip-off to tell him that if he didn’t move right now he was going to die. Scrambling to his feet, he reached for the fire extinguisher and tried to combat the flames. This was very bad.

His best friend’s voice hailed him over the comms. “Artie, get out of there! I’m gonna open the airlocks to snuff out the fire. Go literally anywhere where you have oxygen.”

“Aye, sir!” he acknowledged, coughing from the smoke as he fled to the shields room. The portside and starboard side airlocks shot open along with a couple of doors into the weapons room draining the air rapidly to deny the fire any fuel.

As soon as the fire was out, Alfred closed all of the doors. That was all kinds of horrible. The pirate ship was repairing and had shields online. If they could get their weapons…

The super-giant Class M star wanted in on the action. It stretched a solar flare right out to the warring ships!

WARNING! SHIELDS CRITICAL!

Good thing Kirkland kept that fire extinguisher. Fire seemed to be following him today. Alfred sighed from the Bridge and called his crew. “Artie, get out of shields, I’ll open the starboard airlocks. Bonnefoy! Assist Kirkland in weapons, we need to get those back online.”

“Aye-aye, Captain!”

In the weapons room, Arthur and Francis united to repair the systems. The Frenchman quickly pulled his on-and-off frienemy into a hug and checked him for injuries. “Mon Dieu! I am happy you aren’t too badly hurt. Ze shields are down, we have to work quickly. Are you well?”

Arthur huffed and pushed him away. “Yes, I’m fine. Let’s get to work before more fire follows me.” He was feeling a little paranoid that he had pissed off a sun god or some crap like that. They had to get away.

The pirates were fighting well! They destroyed their surveillance system, not that it was a vital system at this point in time but it was extra hull damage that our heroes could not afford to take. “Bonnefoy! Shields are broken, meet me there. Artie, I see weapons are online, stay there and give them hell!”

Give them hell indeed! The Englishman dealt the deathblow to the pirates and was glad to dust his hands of the bastards. Unfortunately the star was not done with them and heavily damaged their oxygen systems and the weapons room again. The battle was won but the war wasn’t over!

“I’m off to repair O2!” Arthur announced as he fled from his post at weapons to stop them from suffocating. Alfred acknowledged. “Francis, join him! Get the oxygen back online, we can repair other things later but our ship can’t handle more of this. I’m gonna jump us away!”

“Oui! Please get us out of here, I am sweaty and it’s gross.” The pair split directions and Alfred slammed in the co-ordinates of their next destination at the Bridge. If this was what was in the stars for them in this sector they might not live to see the end and that thought was terrifying.

The next leap took them to an existing battle between a Mantis ship harassing a small Engi research vessel. Alfred was almost ready to command an intervention but the insectoids fled as they entered their space. The Engi Captain hailed them, offering thanks for showing up, and gave the S.S. APH a new drone schematic.

Captain Jones gasped in awe. “OH SHIT YEAH! A BOARDING DRONE?! YEEEEEAH!”

His friends joined him on the Bridge. Arthur blinked in surprise. “A Boarding Drone? Wow, that’s powerful tech! Too bad we don’t have a drone room.”

“Dudes, we get one! Or we can sell it if we can’t, whatever, but damn, those Engi guys were nice.”

Francis stretched. “Let’s keep moving, mes amis. Ze Rebels are always on our tails.”

Arthur beamed. A Boarding Drone? That would be fun to use against the Rebel Fleet.

“Alright, dudes, you’re gonna hate me for this, but I’m gonna backtrack to the store. Our hull is fucked and if we can get a drone room to use this fancy-ass tech we’re sure as hell getting it!” Arthur chided him for his horrible use of the English language but agreed that the risk might be worth it. Their hull was already fifty percent damaged, it could spell death if they carried on without fixing it.

Luck turned in their favour! Alfred authorised the purchase of the new drone room to house the Boarding Drone, and it also came with a free Defence Drone Mark I! Bargain. They spent the rest of their scrap on hull repairs and moved on to the next beacon.

They backtracked to an earlier beacon and leapt right on towards the distress signal. Captain Jones listened to the plea and cringed. Oh boy, this was not a pretty distress call but he didn’t feel that they could risk a rescue mission. He called his crew to the Bridge to make an informed decision.

Francis peered through the window in surprise. “It’s an evacuation.”

Alfred hailed the fleeing vessels. “Yo, this is Captain Jones of the Federation Star Ship APH, what’s the sitch?”

Arthur glared at him for once again disregarding etiquette. He ignored his friend.

One of the fleeing ships responded; “Help! We’re being overrun by some sort of giant alien spiders!”

The Frenchman squealed. “WHAT? That’s disgusting! Call pest control!”

Arthur whacked him across the head. “I think literally anyone coming to their aid IS pest control.”

Alfred winced. “Giant alien spiders? Seriously?”

The fleeing ship yelled, “Help us or flee yourselves! Those things are evil!”

Arthur bit his lip. “Sending an away team isn’t advisable, Alfred. I don’t think we can afford to waste more time with the Rebels on our heels and we don’t know what we’re up against.”

Francis nodded. “Oui, I say we go. They’re already evacuating, we should stay ze course.”

The young Captain sighed and agreed resolutely. “Yeah, you’re totally right. Back to your stations, we have a mission to complete!”

“Heads-up, all! We’re navigating an asteroid field.” Alfred paused and checked the radar. “Incoming pirates! Kirkland, power down the Artemis missile and channel it into the drones. I’m gonna power down the medbay to support the Defence Drone, it’s gonna take out the asteroids for us.” Arthur switched the power routes and confirmed that the drone was ready.

“Ah shoot, it looks like we’ve got another coward on our hands. Enemy vessel is powering up its FTL Drive!”

“I’ve destroyed their weapons, sir!” Arthur replied, prepared to change tactics. “Thank God for this drone, it’s stopping the asteroids from striking us. Their hull is weak, the pirates won’t last long.”

True to his word, the pirates perished soon after and they could reap the rewards. There was no time to spare, they had to continue the journey!

“Hey, dudes! We have a Rebel Auto douche here with a sweet cache. Let’s attack it and steal its shit.”

Arthur audibly sighed over the comms system. “Is that an order, Captain or are you daydreaming aloud?”

“HAHAHAHA! Shut it and fire up the weapons, bro.”

“How the hell did you earn your Captain’s badge again?” he asked rhetorically.

“By bein’ a HERO, of course! Fire up!”

“I’ve taken out their weapons, Captain!” Sadly, that wasn’t enough to stop an enemy missile from screwing with their shields.

“Shields are down! That goddamn drone is setting everything on fire! Francis, run to weapons, I need to open the airlocks!”

“Oui, I’ll keep Arthur company and hope he doesn’t attract fire again,” Francis responded, running down the halls.

Arthur scoffed. “Quiet, idiot, or I’ll make sure you’re in the way of the fire beam.”

“So cruel!” the Frenchman whined as he entered the weapons room. The Englishman stuck out his tongue and switched the Burst Laser to lock on the drones as Alfred opened the airlocks to control the drain of oxygen.

Once the fires were extinguished, Alfred shut the airlocks and commanded Francis to repair the shields and medbay. The Auto-Assault ship exploded and left them with a decent reward. Arthur examined the weapon from the cache. A Healing Burst? That could be useful but he was hoping for something a little better.

The next beacon was a store! The Engi hive operating it seemed friendly enough and Alfred treated Arthur to a special weapons augmentation. As the Engi repaired their hull, Arthur installed the ‘Automated Re-Loader’. An extra ten percent recharge rate on their weapons could really give them an advantage!

Feeling refreshed, the crew embarked to the next beacon, painfully aware of how close the Rebel Fleet was getting to them.

“Yo, crewdudes! I found a dormant Rebel Automated Scout here. I’m gonna try and download its data stores. You guys chill or whatever.”

A FEW MOMENTS LATER…

“Uh… Yeah, Artie, can ya do me a favour and like… blast the ever living hell outta this thing? I miiiight have activated it into fight mode.”

Francis could have sworn he heard the audible facepalm from his friend, but then again he could have done that deliberately over the announcement system.

Fortunately these ships were quick to deal with and Arthur destroyed it without putting up much of a fight. They collected the loot and moved on with their lives.

The next beacon was located around a pulsar. A small research station orbited it, but it seemed to be abandoned. Alfred scanned the area and flipped on the Red Alert sirens. “BATTLE STATIONS, PEEPS. WE HAVE MORE PIRATES!”

“I thought this was Engi space? All we’ve seen are Rebels and Pirates!” Francis complained over the comms system.

“They could be Engi pirates? We don’t have the scanners to see into their ships,” Arthur reasoned as he powered up the weapons. “Brace yourselves for ion waves, everyone. Our electronics are going to go haywire.”

DANGER! ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES! DANGER!

The enemy weapons room was targeted and blasted to pieces. An ion wave disrupted their engines and shields, whereas the enemy had a mild disruption to their weapons and oxygen rooms.

“We have another runner! Take these losers down, Kirkland!”

“I’m doing my best! The bloody pulsar knocked out my weapons charge.”

“Shit, they’re getting away!”

There was a tense moment as the pirates used their FTL Drive to flee. The crew of the S.S. APH were worried that they would alert the Rebel Fleet about their location. This did not happen and they could breathe again.

“Fuck, that was intense!” Alfred called over the announcement system. “Look, things are gonna get ugly. We’ll pitstop at the next store but we’re gonna encounter the Rebels at the Exit Beacon. Artie, be on high alert when we get there.”

“I’m already on high alert, but I will do my best to fend them off so we can get to the next sector.”

“Good man. Franny, come with me, we’ll get the supplies this time.”

The Engi trader was a nice entity. He showed the crewmembers his wares and allowed them to discuss budget. In the end, they settled for a Flak Gun Mark I to potentially give them an advantage over multiple shields on enemy vessels along with an extra bit of fuel to tide them over. That was it, that was ALL of their scrap, which included the extra currency they made by selling their Healing Burst. They hoped it was enough to keep them alive.

Captain Jones gathered his friends in the Bridge with a grave expression. “Okay, so the Rebels are definitely at the Exit Beacon, no escapin’ that. Just do your best and try not to die. Our priority is to buy time to escape, alright? We’re not aiming for a win, we’re aiming for an escape.”

Francis looked nervous. “I don’t want to die!”

Arthur sat on the pilot’s chair and rested his head in his hands. “We all know the risks. Let’s not be pessimistic. We’ll either succeed in getting through the beacon or they will blow us to kingdom come. We’ve better head there right now. I just hope they haven’t had time to set-up anti-ship batteries…”

“Good luck, guys! I believe in you!” They all hugged for a brief moment before marching off to their stations. Here goes nothing!

As Alfred suspected, the enemy ship had two layers of shields to deal with. The investment in the Flak Gun was worth it. Arthur warmed up the weapons and aimed the Flak Gun at the enemy engines with additional fire power aimed at their shields in the form of the Artemis missile. He also noticed that they had a teleportation pad. Well, this was about to get bloody!

WARNING! INTRUDERS DETECTED!

“Bonnefoy! Get out of engines and man the doors! I’m opening the back airlocks, don’t get caught in it, I’ll try and suffocate the bastard!” Alfred called over a private comm link as he monitored the single human intruder.

“Aye, Captain!” Francis responded, racing to his new post as the engine and oxygen rooms were starved of air. The intruder was going to regret beaming aboard alright!

In weapons, Arthur cringed as his Flak debris missed the FTL Drive. He was counting on the Artemis missile to destroy the shields to help things along. The shields were hit on both ships and they tried their best to remain stable.

WARNING! SHIELDS CRITICAL!

The oxygen room was under attack by the one intruder that was slowly suffocating because he didn’t bring a space suit. The S.S. APH’s shields were vulnerable, which meant that the Rebel Elite Fighter could definitely land more hits. This wasn’t looking great and the FTL was taking its sweet time to charge up!

Francis did his best to hold the doors firmly secured shut. This was difficult when they never invested any scrap to upgrade their reactor and subsequently their subsystems further. He could not leave his post whilst the intruder remained on board, which left the engines unmanned so that he couldn’t assist Alfred with dodging attacks, and if he left the doors to repair the broken shields Arthur would be attacked by the intruder, no doubt. This was a horrible situation and it was going to get worse.

WARNING! INTRUDERS DETECTED! WARNING! SHIELDS CRITICAL!

Arthur managed to damage the Rebel’s engines, shields and weapons but chaos had already reigned on the S.S. APH. Enemy retaliation had damaged their piloting systems, shields and engines. On top of that, there was a fire in the drone control room and the entire oxygen system had been destroyed. They were in major trouble!

WARNING! SHIELDS CRITICAL!

WARNING! HULL AT 75%!

It was a never-ending sound of alarms on the ship. Alfred was stuck repairing the piloting system so that they could continue charging the FTL Drive, Francis had left the door system room to try to fix the shields to give them SOME protection as Arthur madly aimed their weapons at the enemy ship.

Arthur panicked and knew he had to do something or they’d be stuck as a waiting target for the Rebels to destroy any minute now. He ran to the engines to repair the FTL Drive. “Alfred! I’m repairing the engines. We can’t leave if they’re broken!”

“The weapons are auto-firing, right?!” he called back.

“Yes! I…” Wow, the air was constricting in this room. He continued working as hard as he could to get the engines back online but he couldn’t focus for some reason… “We need to get vital systems online!”

The Rebels were close to destruction but that felt like a hollow promise of victory. The teleportation room activated again and now they had THAT to deal with too.

Alfred was sweating. The drone room was directly behind the Bridge and that was completely on fire now. He couldn’t run to help his friends and they were losing! He checked the ship surveillance to see how everyone was and his eyes widened in horror. “FRANCIS, GET TO THE OXYGEN ROOM NOW. FIX IT QUICKLY, ARTHUR’S DYING!”

“What?!” came the Frenchman’s startled response. “I’ll head there now!”

“ARTIE, BUDDY! Your vitals are critical. Are you conscious?! Get out of there and head to the medbay right now. ARTHUR! Move it! Please…”

Arthur was hanging on by a thread. He could barely move but he had to get out of there. Somehow he got to his feet and felt his way out of the engine room. His health was waning and he almost fainted en route to the medbay. He had to get there. To heal. To breathe. There was so much NOISE. Where was medbay again?

WARNING! INTRUDERS DETECTED!

Arthur collapsed on a bed in the medical wing. Luckily the system was able to start helping him to convalesce but he was extremely close to death! Thankfully he made it there in time.

Francis was struggling. It took a lot of effort but the oxygen was back online! He coughed and hurried over to the medbay as his health depleted further. He was the second member close to death that day. He saw Arthur and relaxed, letting the system heal his body.

BOOM! The enemy vessel exploded leaving them with a nice bit of fuel to move on when they weren’t burning to death. That was one less worry for Alfred but he had plenty more to deal with post-battle. Namely the one intruder destroying their weapons room!

Alfred sighed with relief and spent a moment recovering. He checked on his friends’ vital signs... they seemed to be improving in the medbay. Good. That was too close for comfort. He exhaled and began opening most of the airlocks, not only to deal with the raging fire in the room behind him but also to make the intruder suffer.

He watched as the oxygen fled the ship and waited for his best friend to regain consciousness. They had to get this ship running again pronto or they’d face another vessel, which they can’t afford to do!

WARNING! INTRUDERS DETECTED!

Alfred made a beeline to the medbay once most of the fire was extinguished. He hugged Arthur once he woke up and dragged him to the door systems room. “Good job there, Artie. Sorry you almost died, but we’re alive now. I need you to focus and help me repair these doors or we’ll never be able to close them. Francis repaired the oxygen room, he’s healing at the moment, and we have an intruder on board and the Rebels are kicking our asses but we’ll be fine! Just help me fix shit so we can leave, okay?”

The shorter blond blinked his emerald eyes tiredly at him and nodded, helping to restore the systems. He put out the fire in the door room with Alfred and was feeling well enough to take back responsibilities on the ship.

Once all of the fires were extinguished on the ship, Alfred remotely sealed the doors and responded to an alert from the medbay. The intruder had decided to launch an attack on Francis whom was still recovering!

“Gotcha, Rebel scum!” Alfred yelled as he barrelled into the intruder and started hand-to-hand combat with the enemy. Arthur woke up his bearded friend and together the three of them eliminated the rebel for good. Panting, the crewmates gathered their wits as the medbay healed them.

Francis looked pale. “I think we almost died. For real that time.”

Arthur bit his lip. “I should have known that something was off when I tried repairing the FTL Drive. I didn’t realise the oxygen was knocked out, I should have gone there, but my thought was to fix the engines so we could flee.”

Alfred sat down on a bed and ran a hand through his hair. “Ugh, that was horrible. I almost lost you both. I don’t want to pilot this ship on my own, we’re already a tiny crew.”

“Well we made it!” Francis chimed in optimistically.

Alfred hugged them all tightly before standing up with purpose. “Now we’re all healed, let’s get this ship functioning again and then get the fuck outta dodge!”

Arthur stretched and saluted half-heartedly. “I’ll fix drones, Jones should take engines and Bonnfoy fix my bloody weapons. When we get to the next sector we REALLY need to focus on upgrades if we can. Our reactor power is weak and we can’t use all of our systems to full capacity.”

“I know that, dude,” the Captain scoffed. “Let’s just get out of here and then worry about the technicalities.”

With repairs completed, Alfred went back to the Bridge alone. The sector map branched out into two locations. They could either go to another Engi Controlled sector, not that this sector bore much fruit for the S.S. APH, or they could risk everything and attempt to survive in Rebel Controlled territory. He groaned. Being a space Captain wasn’t as cool as he thought it would be. He wished he had convinced his friends to stay home instead.

TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT SECTOR...

Chapter 2 - END

[CHAPTER LIST]

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[Cover Art] This image was drawn in HB pencil and painted in watercolour paints on the 8th August 2021. It was digitally enhanced in GIMP Image Editor on the 9th August 2021. Paper type = 130 gsm

This chapter was written on the 30th-31st August 2021.

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Please do not repost, modify, resell or claim this work as your own.

(Reblogging is fine, though!)

[Mythical Canary Info]

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tracinyad · 4 years

Text

A Quick Overview to Taking an Invention to Market

If you are an inventor or supplier of a new product, competitors can be a major problem. For this factor, I am often asked just how to secure an invention or new product from being stolen or "knocked off."

In my experience, the response to the competitive challenges is to develop a technique based upon the objectives for the invention, the certain product itself, and the approach to be taken.

Developers take one of two major techniques to make cash with their invention: certifying the invention to one more business or ending up being a maker themselves. I will first talk concerning the technique for a licensing strategy.

Before describing some strategic options, I need to discuss that the magnitude of worry of revealing others an invention at this phase is typically overblown. In my experience, a business will seldom rip off an invention at this phase. The majority of item firms, including those inclined to knock-off items, have lots of brand-new products underway at any type of given time. They are focused on ending up and also launching the stockpile. In a lot of cases where "burglary" is assumed, it is likely a plain coincidence. I am frequently offered extremely comparable suggestions from individuals who can not have an understanding of each other.

I ought to likewise deal with points I have made somewhere else regarding patents and also nondisclosure agreements. They are devices that can be useful, however generally, they're far much less powerful and effective by themselves in the real world of affordable consumer products than most inventors as well as lots of experts believe them to be. You can also check out InventHelp Commercials for more information and advice

Please note: I am not an attorney, as well as while I will attend to several of the legal devices made use of in this procedure, this is based on my very own experience and also should not be taken into consideration legal advice.

Method for the Licensing Technique

When licensing an invention, the main purpose is to develop the assumptions with the business you are approaching to license your item that your invention would be of value to them and also it remains in their benefit to enter into a lawful licensing agreement with you as well as pay you for it as opposed to just replicating it and also claiming "thank you for the pointer."

Here are several ways to create the assumption of value:

A prototype that plainly illustrates the functionality, creativity, and also utility of the invention is a valuable, if not vital, tool. Although these people check out items daily, the effect of being able to hold and also try a new item vs. describing it or revealing an illustration is significant.

Provide details. Product groups at companies, especially little or midsize companies, are putting on several, several hats. This is, after all, one-factor inventors can be useful to them. When an item supervisor advocates for launching a new product, being geared up with crucial market information that sustains his choice can drastically raise his dedication to an invention. Market research can have a significant impact. As well as by this I suggest info concerning security problems as well as competitive products, and also beneficial market statistics or stats they may not have considered to be appropriate. And we like it when creators have real focus group information from the core target customers.

While this may seem secondary, based on the first-hand experience, I can state that for firms that have licensed products before, the assumption of the creator and also exactly how easy (or challenging) they believe it would be to function with them is an actual element. As many service masters have claimed, people do organization with people they like.

As soon as the worth of the invention has been established, it's important to be clear that to protect the civil liberties to take this product to market, the possible licensing partner will require to implement a licensing agreement. In licensing negotiations, intellectual property security, or at least the look of defense, is typically important, regardless of the intrinsic weaknesses I discussed above.

Discover and understand the offered options from a certified expert. While practically it is possible to create and submit intellectual property filings oneself, I advise using a qualified and registered patent attorney or representative. There are nuances in using language, as well as leveraging and using IP law is hard to pick up from the ground up.

In this procedure, the most essential phrase I can think about is "patent pending." Having the ability to provide your item as patent-pending includes in the regarded worth and it shares a warning (" We better not replicate this or we can get filed a claim against"). So file what you can to be able to properly compose "patent pending" on your sell sheet, prototype, website, calling card, as well as anywhere your product, will be shown.

Depending on the intricacy and also the attorney or patent agent's prices, having a utility patent prepared and submitted by a specialist can set you back thousands of dollars. Nevertheless, if you think licensing to be a sensible method, having been issued a practical energy patent, or having one in process, is a beneficial device in this situation.

If filing an energy patent promptly is not an option, there are various other means to achieve patent-pending conditions. Probably the fastest and also least pricey method is to submit a provisionary patent application. A "provisional" never, in fact, becomes a patent but works as a place-holder (or date-holder) for when, as well as if, you do file a patent.

A developer has twelve months from the date a "provisionary" is submitted to then file the utility patent application. Along with having the ability to utilize words "patent pending" throughout this period, it additionally supplies time to find a licensing companion. At this juncture, several options exist:

As soon as a partner has been found, the utility patent can after that be filed.

The "provisionary" can be licensed as part of the negotiation-- as well as the worry to file the utility patent.

The licensee might license the "provisionary" and also discover they are content to continue without the energy patent as any type of variety of current products does not have licenses.

The technique for the Manufacturing Approach

Most of these actions can be taken if the technique is to take a product to market. Nonetheless, the thoughtful technique will be various.

When taking the item to market, there is no need to produce the "assumption" of value with an additional supplier. Actually, in this method, the assumption should be made that once the product has begun to amass a meaningful market share, rivals will take notice. As well as considering that licensing the invention is not the main objective, safeguarding IP to produce a property to certificate additionally has less importance. Consequently, the protective approach in this technique is mosting likely to be made to hinder the competition's capacity to duplicate you by enhancing the danger as well as price-- regarded or actual-- of knocking you off. This will get priceless preparation for the market. So the method is to use whatever lawful devices are offered-- as well as cost-justified-- to create obstacles to being duplicated and also to win with marketing.

While some creations are patentable, in my experience, the patentability of an invention is frequently uncertain. I have often consulted with creators that invested the majority of their offered capital on their patent applications to locate that the result was either a declined application or a substantially narrowed-down, less-useful version of their initial application; this is why numerous product companies don't also trouble with patents. That same cash is made use of to create an excellent product and also to win at marketing. You can also follow InventHelp Linkedin

If the cost/benefit of declaring and preserving an energy patent is suspicious, then it may be useful to submit a provisional patent application at a fraction of the cost of a patent. This will certainly delay the need to submit an actual patent for twelve-month, which might or may not be the chosen path, and provides 12 months' lead time with the capacity to make use of the caution of "patent pending" on packaging throughout this period.

A hallmark can be asserted by just beginning to use the ™ after the brand name as well as item name (done by typing "tm" between parenthesis). Second, filing for a government registered trademark prices significantly less than a patent, and also the bar for demonstrating infringement is less stringent. Produce a fantastic product and offer your sellers as well as customers fantastic value from the start.

Design product packaging that is both captivating and also easily merchandised.

Establish targeted marketing as well as Public Relations project that fits your budget. Note: Restricting advertising to trade magazines targeting retail buyers and also at a trade convention as well as making use of Public Relations to create nationwide brand name recognition as well as need from end-users is commonly most cost-efficient at an early stage.

While not an assurance, lots of merchants will believe difficult before giving a peg or shelf room to a thing that is similar (a knock-off) to yours. They will pick your rival if the new thing wins at advertising and marketing (is of much better top quality or is valued in a means that enhances their margin).

Be a trusted vendor with outstanding customer care.

Safeguard your brand impact in the store by developing complementary products rapidly.

Book as lots of URLs as you can economically justify that relate to your item as well as trademark name and ideas.

Be generous, make pals in the sector, and develop your affordable intelligence.

Know who one of the most likely rivals are and also enjoy them very carefully.

Despite the course you pick to take, there will certainly always be risks. As well as in organization-- specifically the product service-- the threat of competition is constantly existing. Nevertheless, if protecting the invention/product is integrated into a natural strategic plan with multiple techniques based on the technique to be taken, the chances of success will be significantly enhanced.

The Fact of Patents as well as NDAs Some would claim that the "noticeable" way to safeguard your product is to file a patent. As well as sure, there are some scenarios where a beneficial patent has been released to an inventor who has the financial wherewithal to police as well as protects it.

By now I hope the constraints of patents are clear. Go to Target or Walmart and review the product packaging of 50 items. Exactly how several are patented?). A layout patent, which covers the precise style of an item, is much more limited as a defensive tool than a wide utility patent. Provided the number of new patents being issued each day, there are fewer readily available insurance claims for basic products every year.

There are no "patent authorities." If somebody rips off a product and it can be shown that someone has infringed on a patent, it depends on the creator to participate in and spend for, the lawful battle to prove and also to stop the infringer from proceeding. Given that the argument may not be specific, this can be an expensive legal action. Several developers lack the monetary funding to combat a lawful battle with a well-heeled knock-off business.

It should currently be clear that a patent is usually not the end-all response that many inventors, as well as specialist consultants, presume it to be. That's the trouble. The bright side is that understanding this, an inventor can concentrate on producing a winning technique.

I would certainly additionally like to briefly discuss another often-misunderstood lawful record: the nondisclosure agreement (NDA). While there are advantages to utilizing an NDA, its effectiveness is typically overemphasized. Below's why:

Initially, many-- most likely most-- suppliers will certainly not sign an NDA. They see no reason to obligate themselves to a creator with whom they have no prior relationship.

Second, an NDA is not a patent. Many NDAs don't say anything concerning not swiping the item idea, so the celebrations to the NDA are just guaranteeing not to tell anyone else.

Third, there is the capacity of including a non-compete provision of some kind in an attempt to deal with the last factor. Doing so will certainly further minimize the number of companies to whom you will certainly be able to pitch your invention as few will certainly authorize these. I have additionally directly discovered a couple of venture capitalists and expert financiers ready to sign NDA arrangements.

The majority of item companies, including those inclined to knock-off items, have lots of brand-new items in progression at any provided time. When an item manager supporters for launching a brand-new item, being geared up with critical market data that supports his decision can drastically boost his commitment to an invention. I have frequently spoken with inventors who invested the majority of their readily available funding on their patent applications to find that the result was either a decreased application or a drastically narrowed-down, less-useful version of their original application; this is why lots of item business do not also bother with licenses. A layout patent, which covers the specific layout of a product, is a lot more limited as a protective tool than a wide energy patent. If a person knocks off a product as well as it can be shown that someone has infringed on a patent, it is up to the inventor to involve in and also pay for, the legal fight to show and also to quit the infringer from proceeding.

https://twitter.com/inventhelp

#InventHelp #InventHelp phone number #InventHelp commercial #InventHelp twitter #InventHelp linkedin #InventHelp offices #InventHelp caveman #InventHelp address #InventHelp blog #InventHelp locations #inventhelp headquarters

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prongsies · 4 years

Text

Star-Crossed ⁕ Chapter Five

←Chapter 4 | Master list

“Good morning” Fred greeted when he neared his siblings in the Great Hall, smiling at their first breakfast back in Hogwarts. George, who was in the middle of an argument with Lee over Puddlemere United and the Chudley Cannons, trailed off behind him, sitting next to him as their debate continued.

Fred rolled his eyes when Ron, who had been scoffing down forkfuls of pancakes, joined the conversation. Passionately defending his dear Chudley Cannons even if it meant debating against his own brother. His eyes scanned the room, expecting Thalia to hop in the debate and side with George, when he realized she wasn’t anywhere near them.

His eyes drifted over to the Slytherin table where she would often sit to talk to her cousin, Draco Malfoy, but she wasn’t there as well.

“She had an early start today” Hermione said, sipping pumpkin juice from her goblet. “Went to the library over half an hour ago”

“Thanks, ‘Mione” Fred smiled, stuffing a couple of sandwiches into a plastic bag he kept for people purchasing some of their joke products, before rising from his seat.

George, who was clearly winning the debate by miles, stood up as well, bidding the two boys good bye as their called out to him, saying their debate was far from finish – Fred doubts it.

The two rushed to the library, hiding the plastic bag in their school robes, while avoiding the piercing glare of Madam Pince who seemed suspicious of their presence. They smiled innocently at her as they watched her slip into an aisle, breathing out a sigh of relief when they were out of her sight.

They ventured through bookshelves in search of Thalia, to see her in a secluded area, stacks of books and a sheet of parchment sprawled in front of her. They joined her, peeking over her shoulder to see her listing down different ingredients.

“What’s that” Fred asked, startling Thalia. She turned, glaring at him for sneaking up on her, but motioned towards the vacant seats beside her anyway.

“Ingredients” She replied simply as she set her quill down, capping her ink jar before situating her full attention to them, “I had this idea last night before I went to bed... of an ingredient to add to your Puking Pastilles – was it?”

The two nodded.

“I wasn’t sure if it was safe so I got to looking” She presented the list to them, reciting all she had written, “So far it’s onion juice, honey, sugar, dandruff, rotten eggs, pus, and... octopus’ powder”

“The thought of those ingredients together makes me want to puke right now” George pinched the bridge of his nose, grimacing. “Disgusting”

“We’re kind of running low on funds though” said Fred bashfully after a couple of minutes, reading through the list again sadly, “Octopus powder is kind of expensive – I don’t think it fits our budget”

“I’ve got it covered, Freddie” Thalia cut him off, reassuring him with a smile, “I’ve sent a copy of the list to this store I know of in Diagon Alley – they should arrive tomorrow”

“We’ll pay you back” Fred promised, receiving a shake of the head from Thalia.

“No! No, please don’t” She waved her hands frantically, “consider it an investment to your shop”

George started to protest but Thalia interrupted him, “It’s alright. If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to tell me, yeah?”

The two nodded, still hesitant, but let it slip.

Thalia checked her watched, surprise lacing her face when she realized it’s already ten minutes before her first class. “Shite, we need to go”

She rushed to pack her belongings, nearly spilling her ink in the process. She thrusted the parchment to Fred, nearly tripping over her own feet as they followed her out the library and into a shortcut she’s been using ever since she discovered it in the Marauder’s Map.

“You’re lucky you don’t need Potions N.E.W.T.s” Thalia mumbled as the passageway became colder, and indication that they were nearing the dungeons.

“S’not like owning a joke shop is a stable career choice, Lia” Fred joked as he laughed softly, following her as she turned right, watching as she pulled out her wand to illuminate their way, “It’s not so much a win, isn’t it?”

“Not really, no” George replied as he pushed open the back of a portrait into a deserted corridor, hopping off the one-foot drop onto the floor. “It’s a cliff we hopped off unprepared, sadly”

Thalia thanked him when he helped her down, brushing her robes off the dust it collected while in the passageway. The three rushed towards the classroom, thankful that Professor Snape hadn’t arrived. Joining Lee Jordan who had reserved seats for them, they pulled out their cauldrons from their bags – which Thalia charmed skillfully with an Undetectable Extension Charm.

The classes silenced when the door slammed open, watching as Professor Snape sauntered into the room, his copy of Advanced Potion Making in hand as he greeted the class good morning. He hummed in acknowledgement of the mumbles of greeting he received in return as he stopped in front of his desk, allowing his eyes to scan the students in his room. “Expect your N.E.W.T.s to be much more... difficult than your O.W.L.s”

“I take it some of you...” Thalia noticed Snape’s eyes stop on Fred and George pointedly, “were lucky to have passed Potions, so don’t expect me to make it easier for you these next few years”

He cleared his throat. He ventured towards the back of his desk as he flipped open his book, clearing his throat before facing them once more, “You will be making the Draught of the Living Dead today. Can anyone tell me its purpose? Yes, Ms. Pallas”

Thalia, who was absentmindedly staring at the blackboard behind Snape, jumped at the sound of her name. She cleared her throat as everyone turned to look at her – some, snickering behind their hands, “It, uhm, it sends the drinker into a deathlike sleep”

“If you could name the key ingredient, Ms. Pallas, Gryffindor will inherit 10 points”

Nearly every Gryffindor in the room turned to her with a hopeful expression, waiting patiently for her answer, “The valerian root, sir – it's known to be a natural sedative”

Snape nodded at her answer before turning to the blackboard, listing down the ingredients they needed along with the procedure they had to follow. “You are given one hour to brew this potion. I expect to see a pale pink concoction by the end of this hour. You may begin”

Thalia was quick to retrieve the ingredients she needed from the cupboards, maybe grabbing some extras that weren’t in Snape’s list, before returning to her table. She began following the procedures, altering a few to fit the descriptions given in previous researches she had done in her library.

She knew far too well school books authors tend to alter procedures when publishing their works, so she decided to abandon her book and go from memory – praying that what she had read from their personal books in their study would be sufficient enough for her to brew it perfectly.

“Why are you using 13 Sopophorus beans?” George asked, peeking towards Thalia’s station to see her beans lined up in front of her as she crushed them one by one”

“And how did you manage to get the bloody juice out?” Lee whispered incredulously beside her, making his point in proving the impossibility of juicing the beans by trying to slice one in half, watching it fly across the table towards Fred.

“Crush it with the blade” She advised.

Lee, although confused, followed her instructions, whispering a thank you as he continued working silently on his own. Thalia was thankful she happened across the book Sleep Draughts for the Sleepless in their library – an old book which had detailed procedures for draughts of different effect, without such, her potion wouldn’t have turned the pale pink it is now.

“How’d you do that?” Fred asked, confused as to why his potion’s color resulted far different than hers despite following the procedures. Thalia peeked over to see his potion, which had turned a dark shade of purple, and George’s which turned hot pink – close enough.

“Ms. Pallas,” Her attention was called once again. She turned to see Professor Snape standing at their desk, an eyebrow raised in her direction, “Since you seem too distracted by Mr. Weasley’s presence, I assume it’s safe to say you are finished?”

“Yes professor” She replied, stepping aside to allow the professor to look into the cauldron. He hummed as he surveyed the color, producing a leaf from his pocket which he dropped into it. Thalia watched as it disintegrated as soon as it touched the potion, sighing in relief when Professor Snape turned to her with a look of approval.

“I trust you’ve done your research?”

Thalia nodded.

“Another ten points to Gryffindor. You are dismissed, Ms. Pallas”

˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚

“I swear, you’re the only student Snape genuine likes in Gryffindor” commented Fred once they exited the classroom. Thalia had waited for them after she was dismissed early, effectively missing Snape’s snarky remarks towards Fred, whose potion managed to freeze over.

“No surprise there, innit?” said George, “I mean, who wouldn’t like Thalia?”

“You flatter me too much, Georgie!” Thalie exclaimed teasingly, shoving George by the arm, who simply laughed. He draped an arm over her shoulder as ventured along the main corridor, on their way to their Transfiguration class, talking about how much a shame it was that Lee didn’t take share that class with them.

Professor McGonagall was already there when they arrived, sending a brief smile towards Thalia from her seat when their eyes met. The classroom, emptied off its usual rows of chair and tables, was had wooden mannequins with a carved circular target on their chests. The board, littered with illustrations of wand movements, was perched in the middle of the room for everyone to see. Thalia felt excited for whatever lesson they would have today, knowing it would be a performative discussion.

When more students started piling into the classroom, Professor McGonagall stood and instructed them to group themselves into threes, waiting as students rushed across the rooms towards their peers. At this, Thalia looked up towards Fred and George, receiving knowing smiles as they gathered to form one group.

“You will be learning the Incarcerous Spell today, a spell conjuring thick ropes to bind their target” Professor McGonagall started, walking to face a mannequin.

“We all love a good binding” Fred whispered towards Thalia, who snickered at his innuendo.

“All you have to do is point your wand at the target” the professor raised her wand, looking towards the class if she has their attention, “Then say loudly and clearly – incarcerous" with a flick, a thick rope shot out from her wand, wrapping itself around the mannequin”

“I doubt it’d be able to move now” George whispered into Thalia’s other ear.

“You’ll get us in trouble” Thalia giggled as she slapped the two away, just as they were leaning in to tell another joke.

“Take you time” said Professor McGonagall as she motioned for the students to try the incantation on their own, stepping to the front to watch their progress. “Remember to annunciate”

Thalia stepped forward towards their group's mannequin, mainly to get away from Fred and George who wouldn’t stop snickering, before raising her wand. “Incarcerous” She uttered, surprised when a rope actually wrapped around the wooden figure.

She moved aside with a smile, gesturing for Fred and George to try it out themselves.

They stepped forward, wands readily raised as they uttered the spell simultaneously, both releasing ropes that wrapped atop Thalia’s. The brunette cheered as the three of them finished, grabbing both their arms in a semi-hug.

Contrary to popular belief, Fred and George Weasley were good in Transfiguration – amazing, honestly. Thalia found it such a shame people would underestimate their skills, confining them into the ‘twins who did nothing but play jokes on people’. Truly they wouldn’t be able to create those products if they weren’t excellent at magic – and Thalia was a witness to the wonders they could create.

“Brilliant, Ms. Pallas – Weasleys" Commended Professor McGonagall as she stopped by their group, surveying their work. It was a surprise to her they had done it in one go, considering all their other classmates haven’t fully conjured a rope yet. “Now, I want you three to create a wordplay with the incantation. Surely, there is something else you can conjure”

Her attention snapped as a scream broke into the room, excusing herself as she rushed towards a Hufflepuff student whose rope managed to bind her.

“Incarous!” Fred exclaimed, pointing at the figure once Professor McGonagall left, expecting something to come out of his wand.

George stepped forward as well, shouting “Incaro!”, then giggling with Fred when nothing happened.

The two continued their shenanigans, cutting off letters from the incantation one by one until they were shouting “i” out loud – much to their classmates' amusement.

Thalia stepped forward to perform a spell she had heard before, raising her wand as she let the foreign incantation roll off her lips, “Incarcifors!”

She was surprised her aim was redirected towards the stool near the statue, transforming it into a wooden cage which entrapped the mannequin in its place. Collective ‘woah’s were heard in the room at what Thalia had done, all surveying the cage she had managed to make the stool into.

“Excellent, Ms. Pallas!” said McGonagall in astonishment, circling the cage to survey her work. “twelve points to Gryffindor!”

Thalia grinned, immediately turning to look at Fred, who – to her surprise – was grinning towards her already.

Master list | Chapter 6→

STAR-CROSSED TAG LIST:

@elf-punk @bloodorangemoonlight

#fred weasley #fred weasley imagine #fred weasley x reader #fred weasley imagines #fred weasley x oc #george weasley #george weasley imagine #george weasley x reader #george weasley imagines #george weasley x oc #harry potter #harry potter imagine #harry potter x reader #harry potter imagines

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petpediaweb · 3 years

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A Complete Guide on Feeding Puppies - When, How & What

Welcoming a new puppy home is the biggest joy one could ever experience. In those initial months, your pup requires a balanced diet to fuel their speedy growth and to ensure they live a long, healthy and memorable life. As per AAFCO recommendations, your pup’s diet must have at least 22% protein, 8% fat, adequate carbohydrates, essential fatty acids with mineral and vitamin fortification. Puppy food is absolutely essential for the first year of your pup’s development as it sets the basis for their overall health and nutrition for the rest of their life. Not to mention, the growth deformities and deficiency disorders, if you fail to provide the right nutrition. Hence, getting the nutritional balance exactly right with just homemade food becomes an overwhelming process for any new doggo owner. But the good news is, we have done the research for you and with our selection of puppy dry food online, wet food, treats & more, you will find one that meets the needs of your growing pupper and your budget.

As a new or potential pet parent, you probably have these questions in mind; How often to feed my puppy? How much quantity? And most importantly WHAT to feed my perpetually hungry pup? We’ll break down each of these questions for you, so read on.

How often should I feed my puppy?

Your pup’s feeding schedule will undergo quite a few updates in the first year. Owing to their fast development and tiny gut size, your pup will start off with 5 meals spaced out in a day before the age of 2 months. Your pup will soon graduate to 4 meals a day till 3 months of age transitioning to 3 meals a day after the age of 3 months. From six months onwards upto almost a year, you can move your puppy’s feeding times down to two a day. Feeding your pet at the same time every day helps them set into a routine. Your pup may start showing signs of feeling hungry during those times and not hungry during hours you fed them earlier.

AGE FEEDING FREQUENCY

Up to 2 months 5 times a day

2-3 months 4 times a day

3-6 months 3 times a day

6 months onwards 3 times a day

How much to feed my puppy?

Its best to feed them smaller, more frequent meals. Puppy food is formulated to provide a certain amount of nutrients per amount of food. Due to the rapid phases of growth puppies experience, they require food which has higher energy-density than an adult dog along with a larger volume of food than their adult counterparts. As they grow up, their feeding quantity gradually decreases with age. Surprising, right? Think of it as feeding for the future, rather than the size they are today.

How much food a puppy should eat is a question with a lot of variables, the biggest being the breed.” Different breeds have different daily caloric requirements due to differences in metabolism and level of activity. Furthermore, the puppy’s weight plays a major role in portion control. As a thumb rule, a puppy should be fed at the rate of 15 grams of feed per kg body weight of the pup in each meal.

Say your 3-month old doggo weighs 3 kgs.

So, one meal will comprise 15 X 3= 45 grams of food.

As the frequency of feeding for this age category is 3 times a day, the total allowance for the day will amount to 45 X 3= 135 grams. You can dodge this math simply by following the feeding table on the back of the bag of dog food.

Word of caution here, DO NOT let those puppy dog eyes trip you into giving them more food than what is advised.

What should I feed my puppy?

Puppies are likely to eat whatever is found under their nose! As the parent, you need to decide the right pet foods. With countless years of research and dollars spent on perfecting the best formulation for your furry companion, they are the best bet for your pup. Your pup’s unique nutritional requirement will depend on its size, breed and age. Puppies of small sized breeds can reach their full adult size at about nine to ten months of age. While the large breed puppy can take anywhere from fifteen to twenty-four months. There’s no “one-size-fits-all diet” that could possibly cover all the needs of all the puppies in the world. Additionally, puppy food comes in a variety of types such as dry kibble, wet food, raw, freshly made and treats.

With so many tasty and healthy food options for pups, it’s definitely a good idea for pet parents to invest time in understanding the important ones.

Dry food

Dry food is a popular option for many pet parents owing to the convenience and ease along with acceptability in vegetarian households too. By the time puppies are six weeks old, they will start weaning off their mothers onto a mixture of puppy cereal and a specially formulated puppy food. The type of dry food you choose for your puppy will further depend upon the age and breed of your puppy. So, to provide a more specific nutrition, the dog food is categorised according to breed size into Mini, Medium, Maxi and Giant breed food.

FOOD CATEGORY: BREEDS INCLUDED

Mini/ Small (Adult weight below 10 kgs) : Shih-Tzu, Pomeranian, Toy Poodle, Miniature Pinscher, Yorkshire Terrier, Chihuahua

Medium (Adult weight : 10-24 kgs): Cocker Spaniel, Beagle, Poodle, Basset Hound, Dalmatian, Bulldog, Standard Schnauzer, Chow Chow

Maxi (Adult weight : 25-50 kgs): Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, Boxer, Akita, Siberian Husky

Giant (Adult weight over 50 kgs): Saint Bernard, Bullmastiff, Great Dane, Rottweiler

So after figuring out the category in which your pup belongs according to their breed, find the food appropriate for his age within that category.

Each breed category has a starter, puppy and adult food which changes with your puppy's age. Starter food is an energy dense feed which supports the rapid growth of pups without disturbing their digestive system which is at an immature stage. Kibbles easily rehydrate to a consistency that is porridge-like which is very palatable for weaning puppies. Puppy food further facilitates proper growth and helps avoid excess weight gain thanks to an adapted energy content. Skeletal development is the hallmark of this growth period; hence an appropriate puppy food provides the right nutritional balance of calcium and phosphorus in their diet. Adult food is a tailored diet to maintain a healthy body conformation throughout the dog’s life.

Starter food: (Age group- Up to 2 months)

Till 2 months of age, gradually transition your pup from mother’s milk or the feed the breeder was giving to a category of dry food known as starter food. It has a combination of nutritional elements present in mother’s milk that actively promote digestive health and help maintain the puppy’s natural defences. This food facilitates an easy transition from mother's milk to solid food. If your puppy is struggling to eat dry food, you can try mixing it with a little warm water to make it softer, until their teeth get stronger.

Puppy Dry food: (Age group: 2-10 months (small breed) , 2-15 months (large breed))

Most commercial puppy dry foods have a range for puppy stage which applies for small breed pups till the age of 10 months and large breed pups till the age of 15 months. This food has excellent sources of protein namely chicken, lamb, fish and turkey which is extremely essential for proper growth. It is rich in calories from protein and fat sources. Crunchy dry kibble has an add-on advantage of keeping your dog's teeth healthy by reducing plaque and tartar build-up. Which is why kibble eaters generally have way better breath!

Adult food: (Age group: After 10 months (small breeds), after 16 months (large breed))

While puppy dry food has many of the same ingredients as adult dry dog food, puppy meals tend to have higher concentrations of essential nutrients. This is because puppies have different requirements as compared to older dogs; just as human babies have different diets from adult humans. So, they’ll need fewer of the resources in their food to contribute to growth, but need more to support maintenance. They are enriched with probiotics, vitamins, essential fatty acids to support digestive and joint health, maintain skin barrier and manage an ideal weight.

The best time to change from puppy dry food to adult dry food depends on their breed, but most dogs are ready to change foods between 12-24 months of age.

Make the change gradually: Irrespective of your dog’s age, any form of food transition with dogs must be done gradually. Start by mixing a little of the next stage food (10-15%) with the previous stage food. If your puppy shows no unusual signs and tolerates it, (translation: no intestinal disturbances), you can double the amount of new food the next day. It should usually take about a week to make the full transition.

(P.S.- make sure there is plenty of fresh water available for your pup)

Pet parents usually have their hands full with their pup’s feeding schedule, potty training and teething that they often miss out on their most basic necessity; WATER. Every single bodily function from digestion to brain development, requires water. All efforts put into providing the best possible nutrition will turn to dust, if your pup is in a dehydrated state. Therefore, it’s very important to keep your pooch well hydrated at all times so they function at the peak of their capacity and avoid any health issues that could creep up due to dehydration. As a thumb rule, puppies must have direct access to at least one-half cup of water every two hours or so. Each time you reach for your own water bottle, think of your pet’s water needs, too.

Wet Food

Whilst dry food mainly brings advantages for the owner in terms of price, cleanliness and convenience, the advantages of wet food benefit the dog itself. Most doggos would probably opt for wet food if they could choose themselves, since wet food, more intense in smell and taste, simply tastes better to them. It is ideal for fussy eaters or pets with illnesses. With grain free and chicken free options, wet food is one of the best options for dogs with food allergies. Wet puppy food also offers your dog more hydration. Wet food becomes an important source of hydration in dogs that are hyperactive and don’t drink a lot of water themselves.

Both dry and wet food have their fans, so most pet parents provide the best of both worlds by feeding a mix of the two or simply using wet food as a topper for dry food. But remember, it is the content that matters, not the variety. So, focus on a food that best supports their growth and development and helps them thrive.

Treats

These titbits not only serve as a pat on the back for when your puppy does something good, but can also be used for mental stimulation, dental care, teething and supplementation.

It should be noted that even the healthiest dog treats can never replace a balanced diet in a dog’s life. Treats should be seen as enjoyable supplements to a dog’s daily diet.

Foods your dog should never eat

It sure is difficult to resist those big brown eyes and that adorable face. But remember before giving them a little reward off your table, that certain human foods are downright dangerous for your bundle of fluff. Due to differences in body composition, digestive enzymes and physiology of the body, some foods can upset your pup’s digestive system and send them straight to the emergency vet.

Avocados, grapes, raisins, onion, garlic, almonds, chocolate, coffee and tea are certain foods that are perfectly suitable for human consumption but are TOXIC for your dog, posing a serious threat to their health and well-being. Dairy products can cause dysbiosis in certain dogs further leading to diarrhoea as well as food allergies. The bones in meat, chicken and fish can be hazardous too. They can splinter and stick in the throat, break teeth or cut the intestines. Candy, gum, toothpaste, baked goods, and some diet foods which are sweetened with xylitol are also extremely dangerous. Also, accidental consumption of alcohol, tobacco or marijuana can be lethal. So, keep these foods out of your dog’s reach and contact your vet ASAP if they do consume any of these!

A human takes 18 years to fully grow and reach adulthood. Whereas your pooch has to cover this 18 year worth growth in mere 12-24 months. This only emphasises the need for proper nutrition in puppyhood. Proper research and a consultation with a vet will help you map out the best combination of dry, wet, homemade food and treats to ensure good health for your pupper who is just starting out in life.

For more information about Puppy Food Online visit: Pet pedia

#Puppy Dry Food #Puppy Food Online #Kitten Dry Food #Kitten Wet Food

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douchebagbrainwaves · 3 years

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THE LAST ONE MIGHT BE THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT IN A STARTUP IS AMONG THE PUREST OF REAL WORLD TESTS

This probably accounts for a lot of experience themselves in the technology business. The experience of the SFP suggests that if you let motivated people do real work, they work like watertight compartments in an unsinkable ship. You don't give up as much equity as VCs wanted. An essay is supposed to suggest efficiency.1 Then instead of coming to your office to work on your projects, he can work wherever he wants on projects of their own angel rounds. But most young hackers have neither. The spammers wouldn't say these things if they didn't sound exciting. Not even investors, who have in the past.2

The first courses in English literature seem to have done stuff with peanuts.3 But due to a series of meetings, culminating in a full partner meeting where the firm as a whole says yes or no. You can take out the whole point if you need to do this when they can.4 If you want to create for a newborn child will be quite unlike the streets of a big company. 99 respectively, and a lot of experience themselves in the technology world know what usually happens when something comes along that can be done by bad programmers is choosing the wrong platform. Investors have no idea how much better we could do, is this the one with the best chance of making money. And being charming and confident counts for nothing with users.5 So I'm going to try to get into second gear.6 You might say that it's an admirable thing to write great programs, even when this work doesn't translate easily into the conventional intellectual currency of research papers.

I'd only seen in zoos before. I was still ambivalent about business. The 2005 summer founders ranged in age from 18 to 28 average 23, and there are plenty of societies where parents don't mind if their teenage kids have sex—indeed, where it's normal for 14 year olds to become mothers. When you judge people that way, and there's a simple solution that's somewhat expensive, just take it and get on with building the company.7 They switch because it's a recipe for succeeding just by negating.8 But actually being good. How do you find surprises?9 Maybe they made you feel better, so I read it, and that it therefore mattered far more which startups you picked than how much you learn in college depends a lot more appealing to most of us than pandering to human weaknesses. If you're going to make the most money are those who aren't in it just for the reasons everyone knows about. People trying to be cool and maybe make money.

But by no means impossible. But you should realize you're stepping into dangerous territory. But most young hackers have neither. My parents were pretty good about admitting when they didn't know things, but I can't believe we've considered every alternative.10 The best stories about user needs are about your own. It would certainly be convenient, but you have to be the new way of delivering applications. The route for the ambitious in that sort of thing to be in the building a certain number of hours a day.11

Instead of trying to teach it to people, I'd say that yes, surprisingly often it can. 15981844 spot 0. We all thought there was just something we weren't getting. Which means, oddly enough, that as you grow older, life should become more and more surprising. An essay can go anywhere the writer wants. It's because liberal cities tolerate odd ideas, and smart people by definition have odd ideas. A nerd's idea of paradise is Berkeley or Boulder. One of Silicon Valley's biggest advantages is its venture capital firms. What if both are true? It was remarkable how different they seemed.12 The reason is not just that he'd be annoying, but that they're driven by more powerful motivations.

Foreseeing disaster, my friend and his wife rapidly improvised: yes, the turkey had wanted to die. People. It does not seem to have looked far for ideas. That seems the wrong model. But I know the power of the forces that have them in their place, but it goes fast. We're just finally able to measure it. Nearly all wanted advice about dealing with future investors: how much money should they take and what kind of x you've built. Sex I believe they conceal because they'd be frightening, not because you did something wrong.13 Someone is going to have nearly the pull with the spam recipient as the kinds of things that spammers say now. So on demo day I told the assembled angels and VCs.

I found that the Bayesian filter did the same thing the river does: backtrack. What would be a good idea. The effect of unpredictability is more subtle. But it's the people that make it Silicon Valley, what you need to impress are fairly tolerant. It's like the sort of distribution you'd expect, the number of nonspam and spam messages respectively. Now that we know what we're looking for, that leads to other questions. But we knew it was possible to start on that little because we started Viaweb on $10,000.14 And having kids is our genes heading for the lifeboats. The user doesn't know what it means to have gone to an elite college; you learn more from them than the professors.

Notes

Unfortunately the payload can consist of dealing with money and disputes. Mueller, Friedrich M. And journalists as part of this essay, Richard Florida told me that if he ever made a better education. In-Q-Tel that is exactly the opposite way from the 1940s or 50s instead of admitting frankly that it's up to two more investors.

While the audience at an ever increasing rate to impress are not very discerning.

5 seconds per day.

By heavy-duty security I mean no more willing to be when I became an employer, I advised avoiding Javascript. And though they have because they suit investors' interests. This is one of them was Webvia; I was as late as 1984. But they also influence one another indirectly through the buzz that surrounds a hot deal, I mean no more than just reconstructing word boundaries; spammers both add xHot nPorn cSite and omit P rn letters.

On the other. Though nominally acquisitions and sometimes on a road there are no misunderstandings. Looking at the leading scholars in the sense of things you want to lead.

Some of the techniques for discouraging stupid comments have yet to find someone else start those startups. If the Mac was so great, why not turn your company right now. Google is that you're small and use whatever advantages that brings.

Security always depends more on not screwing up. Until recently even governments sometimes didn't grasp the cachet that term had. Note to nerds: or possibly a lattice, narrowing toward the top schools are, which have remained more or less, is due to the modern idea were proposed by Timothy Hart in 1964, two years, but not the distinction between money and disputes.

Monroeville Mall was at Harvard Business School at the end of the venture business, and I had zero false positives reflecting the remaining power of Democractic party machines, but it's hard to get all the investors agree, and tax rates will tend to be. One valuable thing you changed. These were the impressive ones. The solution is to start startups who otherwise wouldn't have had a broader meaning.

Not one got an interview, I'd say the raison d'etre of prep schools improve kids' admissions prospects.

On the other seed firms always find is that there is some weakness in your own mind. On Bullshit, Princeton University Press, 1965. Us 10 million and we'll tell you them.

Conjecture: The First Industrial Revolution was one in an era of such high taxes? One of the magazine they'd accepted it for you to stop, but a lot, or want tenure, avoid casual conversations with VCs suggest it's roughly correct to say now.

You have to admit there's no lower bound to its precision.

So it may be useful in cases where VCs don't invest, regardless of the word I meant. I'm sure for every startup we funded, summer jobs are the most dramatic departure from his family how much of the economy, at least a whole department at a friend's house for the others to act through subordinates.

At one point in the chaos anyway. I don't know who invented something the mainstream media needs to learn to acknowledge as well. Robert Morris says that the only audience for your protection.

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danascraft · 3 years

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Wait tell us about crypto!! Ive been meaning to invest but idk where to start

I’m legit excited about this lol I’m actually working on a blog for crypto newbies that is meant to be “a guiding hand” to anyone who’s interested in the topic but it’s just a bit confused. I can share it here once it’s ready to launch!

My main advice to start is:

Research before you jump anywhere. Don’t invest in anything until you understand what it is (research the project, understand what a blockchain is, difference between exchange vs wallet, all those things). Boring, I know but seriously! Super important.

Be smart about your researching process. I mean, you can still earn a bit of crypto without spending money. Sure you won’t become rich from that but a bit of crypto is better than no crypto. Brave browser gives you a bit of rewards (tiny, almost nothing but it’s something + it’s better than chrome when it comes to your own privacy). Presearch is a very interesting project and it gives you PRE tokens everytime you search something online. Coinbase has its program called coinbase earn where you can be elegible to watch super short videos, answer some questions and then if you answer correctly you get rewarded. I made 34€ from that and it ended up becoming 100€ in less than a week (don’t expect the same outcome since the market is volatile and each project behaves differently, but it was to show you that a small amount can still be scaled up) Coinmarketcap also has a reward program like coinbase, to get the rewards you need to be registered in Binance. Crypto.com gives you rewards if you stake a certain amount of CRO tokens, cool thing is you can ask for their debit card that gives you cashback AND they also give you other cool stuff (like free spotify, netflix... depending on the tier of your card). Also!!! Publish0x, amazing place, my fave. It’s basically where you get to read articles about crypto AND get crypto when you tip -an the tip is from their pool so that means absolutely no cost for you! (you win cents but you get free crypto and get to learn more about it! win win). links that i shared are affiliated, we both get rewards if you use them

Move your money around, ideally now you’ve gotten a few dollars from the rewards i told you. Don’t leave everything scattered! Decide on a project that you’ve looked up and like and trade the free tokens for the token/coin of your interest. You can be adventurous if you want, at the end of the day it’s not money you had before so if you happen to lose it all, you stay exactly the same as when you started. Technically you don’t lose. This will be like a test run, and it will help you feel more encouraged.

When you feel ready to put your own money in remember don’t invest more than you’re willing to lose. My mentality is: money that i invest is money i automatically lose. This allows me to be comfortable, because i know no matter what happens I’m not in need of that money. I’d rather build my portfolio slowly than put all my savings and lose it on a bad and uninformed decision.

Have someone you can go to and ask questions. This will make you feel a bit more at peace (I can be that person). Also! don’t FOMO into projects.

There’s looots more to cover, I could go into creating your own investing plan, I could discuss which are good projects to check, could explain what the blockchain is, difference between token and coin, could go into technical analysis... but I believe smaller doses of crypto is way better than everything at once (also that wouldn’t fit in only one answer haha). If you have any other question don’t doubt to come to me again!

disclaimer: I’m not a financial adviser and this is not financial advice! just a girl sharing her opinions and bit of knowledge on the topic as educational material. Always, always do your own research.

#I'm so down to talk about this! such a nerd lol #crypto

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igzy1 · 3 years

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Tips for security and surveillance system

Security is the foremost thing on which attention should be paid. Any sector of the economy requires the security and safety of the employees, their activities, and the premises. It helps in regulating the production activities and avoiding uncertainties. The cloud video surveillance solutions has helped the business to mitigate the risk of theft, delay in production, internal conflict, reduce costs, protect confidential data, enhances operational efficiency, etc. Many businesses, whether big or small, helps them to overcome all the issues which help in reaching towards the increased productivity which further helps in reaching towards the organizational goals.

IoT solutions help to connect all the devices together which may include different CCTVs, videos camera, sensors, etc, and store all the information in the cloud storage. In simple words, this helps in monitoring and regulating all the cameras even through your Smartphone’s. You can revive the information whenever you want. The information and the previous footage can be stored in the cloud where you can have access over it anytime you want. You can also keep the real-time track on the live footage. It will help the managers to keep their eye on all the movements and activities performed by the employees. This will also help to know which employees require training and development as the managers can know about them through security and surveillance solutions.

If we talk about surveillance platform, the following things can be included:

Door sensor

Glass breaker sensor

IP camera

Energy meter

Smoke sensor

IoT getaway

So to achieve productivity in your organization, make sure to accurately install in the system. Following are some of the tips for installing security and surveillance system:

Place the camera properly- Place the camera where you will get more coverage of the area. Also, try to get the exact place where it is not visible directly. Find the blind spot where no one can trace the hidden camera. You can also install the data in sensible areas from where you can easily get wide angles.

Lighting- While fixing or installing the system, make sure to have the right lighting so that the camera can pick up the right footage. This will help you to easily identify and objectify the thing. If you have some lighting issues, you can go for night-vision CCTVs.

Secure your equipment- If you are connecting all the devices with IoT (internet of things), pay attention to the outside hacking. Make sure to change the passwords and other factors after a period of time. Also, never connect your camera to the public network and try to choose the cameras which have encrypted signals. This will make your security system safer.

Focus on the front door- While preparing for the installation; make sure to primarily focus on the front door. The high-security front door will eliminate the thieves to enter your premises.

Store video footage in the cloud- With the help of cloud solutions, you can store any amount of data. This will help to get you data anytime anywhere without any problem. It will help you in the future if you want to match the actual with standards.

Install only outdoor surveillance cameras outside- External cameras are made which do not get affected by the moisture, bugs, and other factors as this may result in low image quality or will get no image at all. So it is always advised not to use indoor cameras.

Hire a reputable security camera installer- Always go for the professionals while thinking of installing the security system. An expert has the required knowledge and experience as they know how to do their job. This will ensure that everything is installed in its own way. Also, go through the reviews and feedback of the previous clients before choosing one. Choose one which provides the best services at less cost. These experts will provide you with all the necessary information and guidelines to use the system. You can clear your queries and do not hesitate while asking questions.

Look at the features- Before choosing the system or solution, look for the features like adjustable angles, artificial technology (AI), day or night capabilities, weatherproof, high-resolution video quality, remote access, etc. Also, make sure to look at the accessibility like it can be viewed from Smartphone’s, tablets, desktop web browser, etc, and should be accessible from all the location and time.

So above are some of the tips you should consider before and after the installation of the security system in the organization. Undoubtedly, security and surveillance solutions have helped organizations to reach a higher level of efficiency. It has helped out the managers to have a notice on the performance and guide them how better they can perform on the basis on that. Also, confidential data should be maintained by the organizations to maintain their integrity. According to research, many people have faced the issue of theft, break-ins, low performance, etc but after installation, they have seen a visible change.

Also, if we further look into the benefits, the sensor system in this platform will give real-time alert in case of a break-in, fire, etc when the command center is not able to do so. This provides assurance to the employees and the customers in the retail store that they are safe and their safety is the organization’s concern and responsibility. This is a one-time investment and no one has ever regretted it. Some of the platforms also provide the report on the energy consumed and monitor and regulate the consumption of the same. This will help in saving power consumption.

So monitoring of all activities starting from the production process to employees to customers is just a click away on your device. It will help in controlling and optimizing resource costs and usage. And the best part is it will provide you 24x7 hours of assistance without any hindrance and will give real-time notifications to keep the security of the premises tight. So, if we talk about the providers, ‘Igzy’ provides a comprehensive security and surveillance solutions for the business and is one the best in this field.

#security surveillance #cloud based security

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wardencommanderrodimiss · 5 years

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glasses

Really quick and messy Fae AU ficlet with Phoenix and Ema, written in about an hour and a half, trying to get myself back into the swing of the AU.

On the sixteenth of April, a box arrives at the Wright & Co. Law Offices.

Phoenix is suspicious of it, because Phoenix is suspicious of most things. It makes life in Los Angeles easier to trust nothing and no one, a conclusion Phoenix came to the hard way and has remained true to since. He examines the box on the doorstep without touching it; seeing no enchantments or curses and a European return address, he gingerly carries it inside and sets it on the coffee table.

(He would be much more suspicious if it came from anywhere in the LA area, because this is the hotbed and haven of the Court, and Phoenix inextricably tied to its royal family, Maya with her rows of sharks’ teeth and Pearl’s opalescent shiny skin, Iris insubstantial like ash and Mia and Dahlia who Phoenix does not know what they looked like beneath glamour. There’s a second Court, Maya says, one that her family once split from, somewhere in the Himalayas, but she doesn’t know more about it or worry more about it than that, so Phoenix filed the information away in the back of his mind to remember if he ever meets someone or receives something strange from that part of Asia. But Europe does not fall in the area of his suspicious -- Europe was home to Miles Edgeworth and Franziska von Karma, the two most solidly grounded people in Phoenix’s life, the two who look the same no matter what set of eyes he looks at them through.)

He cuts open the box and finds on top a letter, and beneath that, four Swiss chocolate bars that do not necessitate this box that is half again their length and deeper than them all stacked. The letter is written on lined paper torn from a notebook, the curly torn edge still attached.

Mr. Wright, it reads, and he almost recognizes the handwriting, a messy, loopy, child’s scrawl, and a quick run-down of his tiny circle of acquaintances and who among them are based in Europe lands him on the identity of the sender.

I lost the password for and got locked out of the email that I gave you back when, and I’d lost yours, so I had to snail mail but thought maybe it’s better for me to give you a box to start.

Phoenix sits down on the couch. There’s a few pages folded together.

Anyway I was home for vacation/as a translator for one of my professors - I get a scholarship for it! Sorry I didn’t get to see you. Didn’t have time, but I got to investigate a bit with Mr. Edgeworth. He seems to be doing good. I don’t know how much you talk. I helped him and his assistant on a couple cases and saw Detective Gumshoe too. It’s really helped my resolve to be a forensics investigator. (Sorry that I’ll be going up against you someday, but I’ve got to be on the prosecution’s side. I expect you to defend on all the cases I work on! It can be like a reunion.) Talking w Mr. Edgeworth’s assistant got me thinking, because she

Wait, his assistant? He has an assistant? It must be a new development -- in the past two months, since Phoenix last saw him. Ema can’t mean Franziska -- there’s no way Franziska would ever let a misconception like that take shape.

(Phoenix hasn’t spoken to Edgeworth since February. It’s probably time to reach back out.)

because she was talking about difficulties of what if there’s magic in the case that needs to be investigated. So I got an idea when we were talking about Luminol, and I was thinking about you and your magatama.

Phoenix does not like where this is going.

If it’s not too much trouble, can you get two magatama and mail them to me? I looked at mail rules and stuff and there’s no regulations about sending magical objects in the mail, I couldn’t find. You told me they weren’t particularly hard to make and the price shouldn’t be too steep, but you’re a lawyer and good with deals and contracts and I’m not so much. I didn’t think I should risk contacting anyone myself. I didn’t think you’d be happy about that. I need these to further the cause of science. You’ll be a great help. I can site cite you as my research assistant if I publish any papers on it. (The chocolate is not a bribe. I thought you might like it.) Sincerely, Ema Skye PS I have a new email

In spite of it, Phoenix laughs. “Oh, Ema,” he sighs, shaking his head, and then he glances quickly behind himself, because he feels like something or someone is at his shoulder. The office is empty, because of course it is, but he knows Mia would be interested, and definitely once she heard Ema’s name.

He does admire Ema’s tenacity, and her enthusiasm, and that she’s at least mindful enough to know that she shouldn’t go out-of-the-blue trying to summon one of the fae to get a stash of magatama. (And that apparently part of her litmus is whether Phoenix would be disappointed in her.)

Taking the last page of the letter with him, he goes over to Mia’s desk and boots up the computer. It’s slow, but he has no inclination to get a new one. He’ll use it until it explodes. His money can be better put to other things, like groceries. He doesn’t use it enough to make a new one a worthwhile investment.

He pulls up a new email window and plugs in Ema’s address.

Ema, What exactly do you want two magatama for? I’m not going to consider anything without knowing what your plan is and advising you on whether it’s dangerous. -Phoenix

He waters Charley and picks a few pens up off the floor -- he doesn’t remember dropping them and not picking them back up and wonders if Maya appears in the night to scatter things -- and when he gets back to the desk he already has a response.

Mr. Wright. I think I have an ingenius solution for most investigators not having the sight. I’m going to mount hte magatama on a glasses frame for hands free investigating. I also want to see if I can use sandpaper/shop tools to cut open the hole in the center so it’s easier to see thru. I want to know if the exact shape of the magatama is important for its magical prowess and if it loses its power if parts of it are cut off. I think four might actually be a better number for the first batch. It gives me room to mess up. Thanks, Ema

Phoenix rubs his eyes and feels a headache approaching.

If you were going to try modifying it I wouldn’t recommend using anything metal, even if it’s not iron. Sandpaper would take longer but less risk of a bad reaction. But also, no.

It’s a really interesting question, actually, and Phoenix suddenly, badly, wants to know the answer, but he can’t condone the risk. Ema might draw attention to herself with the magatama, by altering them, or worse, attention from someone that wasn’t Maya or Pearl (because they are the only ones Phoenix would ask for a magatama) by her closer proximity to the Himalayas than Kurain. Or worse, she might succeed in making the glasses, wear them, and See things she shouldn’t and acquire bad attention that way. It’s rude to stare at the fae through a magatama -- the one rule for trying is don’t get caught which is difficult when it’s such an obvious and blatant motion -- and he fears that while there are no rules for a subtle magatama, one that doesn’t look it, the result might be even worse. Not only would she be staring, but Ema would also be trying to hide it, to get away with something she shouldn’t.

(It’s just scientific curiosity, he knows, nothing she means to be harmful, but They might not see it that way.)

Please, Mr Wright, it’s science! It’s important! Don’t you want to know? I’ll just take one to start with. It could really help our justice system and make sure that even magic isn’t above the law and isn’t getting away with crime.

He puts his head in his hands. God, Ema’s probably eighteen, now, isn’t she? She’s probably too old for him to petition to legally adopt her and bring her back to LA to keep an eye on her. Her extended family probably wouldn’t stand for it, anyway. He wonders what Lana would think.

I think it’s a clever idea, but too risky for you. I don’t want to see you getting hurt or locked in a bad deal or ending up like me. Promise me you won’t try and get any magatama yourself.

Mia likes to bind promises made in this office, make them stay true, and Phoenix wonders if that will work when one of them isn’t here, when Ema is on another continent, when Phoenix asks for the promise in electronic words. This isn’t honest of him, to try and lock her with magic into a promise, and for your own good is a slippery slope where naught but ash and bones lie at the bottom.

But Phoenix also spent a year living with my fault a mantra beating in his head, telling him that chosen death was my fault, and he was the one to introduce Ema to magic, to magatamas, to Sighted eyes, and if in investigating that she gets in over her head —

My fault.

He reads over his email again, after sending it, after he can’t take back the words, and it surprised him how much of his heart he laid out. I don’t want to see you ending up like me. He’s thought that, at Ema and Edgeworth and Franziska, but never said it. It’s easier for that sentiment to escape through his fingers than from his lips.

(He should try emailing Edgeworth but is afraid of what he might find himself able to say.)

Okay, okay, geez. You’re really serious on this. I like my soul where it is, tho, you don’t need to worry about that. I’m not gonna give it up for a science experiment but once I’m home and a real forensic scientist I’m coming to your office and hitting you up for this experiment because I still think it’s really important even if you’re gonna be an old fuddy about it.

No one’s ever accused him of being old before, though admittedly he thinks that being old is a blessing he won’t actually ever be afforded.

Good, good. So how’s school going? What were the cases you investigated with Edgeworth about? I didn’t know he had an assistant.

She probably knows this is a clumsy redirect, something to distract her, and she doesn’t respond until the next day — he thinks she’s mad at her until she sends back a novel-length response detailing the specifics of the crime scenes, evidence discovered, culprits, and methods.

In the next few days it’s suddenly much, much harder to keep a normal conversation going, to avail himself of anything but puzzling out the indistinct pieces of the Gramarye case that has left him unmoored and adrift, but the sporadic times he does manage to keep responding to Ema, he doesn’t mention it.

She probably knows the Gramarye name — everyone in LA does, the local coven like cryptids who appear when desperately needed to cut little dangerous deals. And if he mentions Gramarye she’s probably going to think magic crime and she’s going to return to the thought of the glasses —

Safer to keep her separate from that. Safer to keep everyone separate from that.

He only learns from Apollo and Trucy that she’s returned to the States, is working down at the precinct and on crime scenes now.

She doesn’t appear on his doorstep to bug him for a magatama.

#fae au tag #fic: the seelie of kurain #this is mostly of no consequences but there's a few new tidbits of worldbuilding #the stuff about a second Court will get spun into the main fic sooner or later and i've mentioned it in my extra discussion posts #but ema taking a scientific approach to magic has been something i've been thinking about and this was a thing on my mind #her idea here will probably come up in the main fic too. she'll be making her first major appearance soon #fae au extras

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europeanguy · 6 years

Text

Gotta Gogh [Part 1: Tour-guiding for Dummies]

Pairing: Nadia x Maxwell

Genre: Fluff (?)

Words: 1,684

Tags: Canon Divergence, Crossovers, Curse words probably, The Riot Club!AU sort of

- an accompanying fic for this drawing

There were two people looking at the Cordonian Ruby — Nadia assumed they were a couple by the way that they stood a little too close together and the magnetic energy that seemed to spark between them. Like she couldn’t have pulled them apart if she tried.

Two girls. Well, women. One was tall, tan, and toned to the gods. She probably modeled, or played sports professionally. The other one was shorter, medium blonde hair done in a side-braid, pretty enough to be an actress. Neither was Nadia’s type of course. She looked at them the way she looked at Picasso’s paintings — she likes what she sees. It was a nice sight.

The tall one snakes an arm around the blonde’s waist as they walk away and once again, Nadia was alone. Like something in this museum would come alive any second now. Nadia swore that one time that the portrait of the late Queen Kenna Rys blinked at her, but that was probably the result of caffeine withdrawals.

“Welcome home,” – the letter said. Nadia could never forget the feeling when she received her acceptance letter — it was like getting accepted to Hogwarts — if Hogwarts had exchange programs that would only last for one semester.

The University of Cordonia had a thriving student population of 5,000 (they were very selective) — composed of the country’s finest minds or filthy rich. You could be either or both. They offered an amazing Fine Arts program, given the country’s own rich history and deep love for the arts. Not to mention the white sand beaches, castles, princes she could bring home and make Kai so jealous with — but the truth is, it’s been two weeks and Nadia had been nothing but lonely. She hasn’t so much as dipped one toe into the ocean, visited a castle, nor met a prince (this one was unrealistic, even Nadia would admit so). So far her only friend would be Otis — the museum custodian — who happens to be sixty-eight and hard of hearing.

The next day Nadia is greeted by a boatload (literally a boatload – well, cruise ship) of tourists. She was advised by the financial aid admin through a phone call to be prepared with extra research this time as to not repeat the Cordonian Ruby incident.

“Look, I know you try your best, but please be more careful this time,” Nadia could hear the anxiety radiating off of Helena’s voice. “I was advised that the Pierce moneybags would be present today.”

“...moneybags?”

“Yes! They’re looking to invest in the museum.”

Nadia looks around the empty entrance hall from her chair. If there was a speck of dust anywhere she wouldn’t be able to spot it (care of Otis). The rooms were individually temperature-controlled. They even had wifi.

“Do we even need it?”

Helena heaves a sigh so loud that Nadia could almost feel her exasperation herself. “Yes, Nadia, we need it! It can give us access to public collections, long-term maintenance,”

Nadia’s mouth forms into a small “o”.

“And think about Otis, he can retire right now and be at home, not worrying about anything because the museum WILL generously pay for his retirement plus pension!”

“I think Otis wants to live here until he dies.” Nadia whispers.

“Bottomline is, Nadia, you have to know what you’re talking about this time.”

“Yes, I know you’re referring to the Cordonian Ruby incident-“

“Don’t call it that.”

“Anyway, the incident — well, it’s not gonna happen again. Don’t worry.” In hindsight, Nadia’s first lesson should have been The Significance of Apples in Cordonian Culture 101. It would explain so much.

“Right. I trust you,” Helena says. “They’ll be arriving at around eleven in the morning.”

The tourists arrive right on the clock, they had a tour guide of their own (a giant 6’5 guy who looked like he could bench press three of her, plus Otis) but apparently the boss-man Bartholomew Pierce wanted someone who was more familiar with Cordonian art scene. Nadia was hardly a local, but she had been studying nothing but the country’s art everyday since she got here – she lived and breathed it. Well, for two weeks anyway.

Chaz – the tour guide – hands Nadia a blue flag with “EOS” on it. “You can take it from here,”

The crowd was pretty small, more or less forty people, she wouldn��t need a flag. It’s not like the museum had other people aside from the group. “EOS?” Nadia gingerly takes the goofy flag.

“Ember of the Sea.”

“Shouldn’t it be EOTS?”

Chaz snorts. “No that sounds stupid, now go.”

Nadia takes her place in front of the group, holding the blue flag above her head. “Hi everyone, I’m Nadia, on behalf of the University of Cordonia, I’d like to welcome you all to the museum,” She takes a deep breath before continuing. God, public-speaking never gets easier. “Firstly, I ask that you do not touch anything, and please do not deviate from the group-“

The tour goes surprisingly well. Nadia studied up on the Cordonian Ruby (the country’s Mona Lisa – in terms of notoriety). Oil on canvas, commissioned by King Fabian – a direct ancestor of the current royal family, painted by an anonymous artist in 1816. The artist was rumored to be a mixed English noblewoman who became a lover of the young King, resulting into her painting the Cordonian Ruby, a gift to symbolize her love. However, she died of heartbreak since the late King loved his Lythikos Moscato and other mistresses more than her.

Nadia leads the group to the portraits section – or as she secretly calls it stuffy-rich-people-paintings – and with this she gets to relax a bit. She tells them a few facts, lands one or two (Helena-approved, non-offensive) jokes, and lets the group disperse across the room to let them look at the art without her spewing random information about how Luther Nevrakis from The Crown and The Flame is actually based off of a real Luther Nevrakis who wasn’t a super-villain. Well, an obvious super-villain.

“Nadia?” A pre-teen girl approaches her, followed by a… twin? Except the second one wore glasses and a slightly embarrassed look on her face. “Who do you think is hotter?”

“We’re trying to settle an argument.” Glasses explained. They gesture to a family portrait of stoic looking parents – the mother’s expression a little warmer than the father’s – and two starkly different brothers. One with black hair and fierce gaze, and a younger one with brown hair and the tiniest smile on his face.

“I’m not sure I’m comfortable talking about boys your age…” Nadia laughs awkwardly.

“Well, they’re dead so it doesn’t matter… right?” The first twin looks at Glasses. She simply shrugs.

“I don’t care I don’t even like boys.” Glasses pushes up her specs on the bridge of her nose as-a-matter-of-factly. “But now that she said it, it is really weird to ask her that.”

Nadia checks the information plate beneath the family portrait. Beaumont, 2004. “Well, this was seven years ago, so I don’t think they’re dead.”

A small, and sudden racket at the other end of the room captures Nadia’s and the twins’ attention. A group of boys (students, probably) were speed-walking through the room, laughing in a way that disturbed the peaceful vibe – and Nadia realizes that they were walking towards the one place that only Otis is allowed in. He explicitly told her to never go there or let anyone in. It was a tall and narrow arch-way that leads to a grand curving staircase, but that was only as far as Nadia saw. She wasn’t the type to break rules anyway.

The first guy jumps over the velvet rope, followed by a second guy who merely steps over it. Before the last one could lift his feet, Nadia’s onto their heels.

“Sir, you can’t go through there!”

The first one is long gone, already shooting up the staircase like a man child on a sugar-rush. The other two turn around looking like they just became aware of her presence – along with the other tourists. The middle one looks snooty – expensive coat, slicked back hair. He doesn’t acknowledge Nadia, instead he turns to his friend. “Handle this.” With one last judging look at Nadia, Slick turns around to follow the first one up the staircase. “Leo, wait up!”

“Um-!” Nadia could feel the heat rising up her cheeks. Oh, she would follow them up the stairs, damn Otis’ rules, she would like to give these entitled boys a piece of her mind-

Someone clears their throat. Nadia looks up at him, the only guy left, – he was tall and broad-shouldered, brown wind-blown hair, and an amused expression in his eyes. He doesn’t say anything, instead he lifts his gaze from Nadia to a painting on her right. Nadia turns to where he’s looking and it registers on her. Same brown hair as the kid, same smile, only this time he was alone in the portrait and older. The plate said 2010. One year ago, and the man on the portrait was standing right next to her.

Shit.

A small part of Nadia still wanted to climb up the stairs and kick them out the window, but a bigger, smarter, part of her knew that if this guy was important enough to have his portrait hung in the same room as a prince – let alone the fact that he even had a portrait, in this case two – she had better start apologizing.

“I… am so, SO, sorry.” I’ve been here two weeks please don’t have me kicked out of Cordonia or assassinated I’m still young I still have dreams-

“Hey,” he flashes her an embarrassed smile and Nadia’s cheeks heat up. “It’s fine, honestly.”

“Max!!” Someone calls from upstairs. Probably Slick.

“Sorry, I gotta go.” He looks apologetic as he turns around to walk away, but not without looking at Nadia over his shoulder.

“Whoa, he is hot,” Glasses and her twin suddenly appear beside her. “Okay, Jess, you win I guess.” Glasses shrugs, but Jess’s jaw is still dropped.

“That was… the Beaumont guy…” she says, looking at his solo portrait.

And sure enough, when Nadia reads the plate under his painting, it says Maxwell Percival Beaumont (2010), oil on canvas.

to be continued

FUN FACTS that you don’t have to read but the story will make more sense if you do lol and honestly I just really like fun facts pls read... please?

Title:

- I literally chose “Gotta Gogh” on a whim

Canon divergence:

- This takes place in 2011. Maxwell is 21 (1990) and Nadia is 19 (1992).

- This is inspired by that one scene in the riot club. There WILL be a version of the riot club in later parts, but it will be small since its mostly about Nads and Max.

Names:

- Otis means “keen of hearing”

- Helena the financial aid administrator is just a Cordonian parody of Helen Twombly. Points for creativity lmao honestly i just imagined helen twombly but it wouldnt make sense for her to be in cordonia

The Cordonian Ruby:

- The anonymous artist is the D&D MC and her death is based on the actual wife of the Prince Regent (George IV), Princess Caroline who “died of a heartbreak” - a cold hard fact. Jk, no, but she was in a toxic marriage and it was just a Bad Situation. George IV had several mistresses, fathered illegitimate children, and apparently was a Party Boy and he was an immensely unpopular ruler. This is all based off of my art history professor telling us Georgian Era gossip instead of sticking to the syllabus.

- The mystery of what the Cordonian Ruby Incident will never be solved. That is, until I actually know what happened during the “incident” HAHAHA

Progress:

- I wasn’t gonna post this originally, I just wrote it on my phone during a 3-hour trip (I got inspired by my own drawing LMAO) and I kept updating it during the week every night before I slept and suddenly it just blossomed into something that I kept thinking about so now it’s a fic!

- I will be posting more art and updates on max and nadia’s story in the near future lol I already know how it ends so dw I’ll come thru and finish this! (probably around 4-5 parts)

#europeanguy #gotta gogh #part 1 #maxwell x nadia #maxwell beaumont #nadia park #trr #the royal romance #pm #perfect match #fan fiction #fluff #au #canon divergence #multiple crossovers #im not a writer lol #i just draw and this happened #europeanguy fic #long post

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xtruss · 3 years

Text

Real Retirement

America’s ‘Ugliness and Divisiveness’ Pushed This Couple to Retire Abroad

‘Leaving the U.S. for a more peaceful environment was in our best interests’

— September 11, 2021 | By Paul Brandus | Market Watch

A Sunny Day in Panama City. Getty Images/I Stock Photo

The United States has always been divided, but in recent years this has been accompanied by a nasty, off the charts intolerance that each side seems to have for the other. Some Americans who can afford to do so are getting out.

Which is why Cheryl Smelson (a retired journalist) and her husband David (a sales manager who will work remotely) are kicking up their heels in Panama, where they moved on Sept. 1.

Cheryl, a former member of the White House press corps (we often sat together in the briefing room) tells me “the ugliness and divisiveness among the American people is a danger to democracy. We felt leaving the U.S. for a more peaceful environment was in our best interests.”

Cheryl

Why Panama?

Panama, described on one retirement site as “one of the top retirement destinations in the world,” boasting an “affordable cost of living and high standard of living,” quickly attracted their attention. “We wanted to live reasonably close to Maryland, where our son is attending college,” Cheryl says. “That pretty much ruled out Europe and Asia. We prefer warmer climates over colder, so that narrowed the field to Central America. We had vacationed in Costa Rica a few years ago, but our research led us to Panama (which borders Costa Rica) as the better choice for us. There is a large community of expat Americans active on social media who gave us lots of information about life on the ground.”

The quality of life for expats is good. “Panama currently has a lower Covid rate than the U.S.; a low crime rate; per capita income is high compared with other Latin American countries; and the government is stable,” Cheryl says. Panama also uses American currency, so there’s no need to change money or figure out what things cost.

Housing Costs

In the capital of Panama City, dotted with skyscrapers, high-end shopping and abundant nightlife, a couple can live quite comfortably on $1,500 to $2,000 a month. If you and your spouse had nothing but the average-size Social Security check ($1,543 in 2021), you could do pretty well. The Smelsons can afford to spend more—$2,500 to rent a luxury apartment with gorgeous views—but you could get by on less.

Compared with most major American cities, those costs seem reasonable.

But Panama City is also blazing hot and dripping in humidity, and can have American-style traffic jams. Some retirees opt for nearby beach towns like Coronado, which are buffeted by cool breezes and quiet.

The Smelsons, who are renting on a short-term basis while they house hunt, are drawn to nearby mountain towns which are much cooler. Two are Santa Fe and Boquete, which can have California-like weather, but rents that can average—get this—about $500 per month. Boquete has tons of expats, many of them baby boomer retirees lured there by the cooler temperatures and low cost of living. Cheryl advises, however that

“Your average American likely will experience higher [than $500] costs because they’ll have higher standards (like hot-water in every faucet, reliable electricity, shop in more expensive grocery stores),” Cheryl advises.

Healthcare

U.S. healthcare is very good—if you can afford it. Fidelity, the Boston-based investment giant, estimates that the average American couple retiring at age 65 will need to spend a whopping $300,000 to cover healthcare expenses over the remainder of their lives. Panama offers socialized medicine to all for basic care, and according to the Smelsons, who cite comments made by other expats, “doctors in Panama are highly qualified, accessible, and costs are exponentially lower than in the U.S.”

But expats are still encouraged to have their own health insurance for comprehensive care.

Planning and Preparation

Moving abroad is obviously a big deal and involves a lot of “planning, planning, and more planning,” says Cheryl. “Get advice from the people who have been there before you, but really understand your own circumstances. The definition of ‘low-cost’ means different things to different people. And be realistic about your priorities.”

The Smelsons also spent a year decluttering, getting rid of virtually everything they owned.

“It was done painstakingly, a little each day,” Cheryl says, and when they arrived in Panama, they were down to two large checked suitcases and a carry-on bag each. That’s it. There’s really nothing that can’t be bought in Panama anyway, she adds.

The Smelsons also set up a virtual mail service in the U.S., which will only forward essential pieces of mail. What’s “virtual mail?” (A virtual mailbox service provides individuals and business owners with a real street address or virtual PO Box. A digital mailbox enables individuals and corporates to improve receiving postal mail and packages anywhere in the world. For example, if you are a frequent traveler or your business is located outside the US. You definitely need a virtual address to view and manage your postal mail and packages. A virtual mailing address gives you a more prestigious address located in a big city. It will also give you an anonymous mailbox to keep your home address safe.) Here are several companies that offer a variety of services.

List of Virtual Mail Companies (Left). The slimmed-down possessions Cheryl and David took with them to Panama (Right).

Banking

One drawback: It’s harder to open a local bank account in Panama than in the U.S., Smelson says. The Panamanian law firm they hired to process their residency visas helped cut through red tape, and now they’re good to go. Wire transfers are common and so is cash — compared to the increasingly cashless and digital U.S. “We’ve found cash is used more commonly, although most restaurants in the (Panama) city take credit cards.”

It’s important to add that anyone seeking to apply for a permanent residency visa in Panama is required to retain a Panamanian law firm, Cheryl says. “Our law firm was among those recommended by the organization that specializes in helping Americans relocate to Panama. It’s an extra service to have the law firm help set up a bank account, but very well worth it in my opinion.”

She adds: “Our Spanish is not good (they’re learning) and government and banking officials mostly don’t speak English, so a bilingual law firm is extremely helpful.”

What About You?

Have you retired abroad? Are you thinking about it? Tell me where you are—or where you’re considering moving—and why? Help me share your advice with others. Write to me at [email protected] — and thanks.

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douchebagbrainwaves · 3 years

Text

THE COURAGE OF POWER

Auto-retrieving spam filters would drive the spammer's costs up, and his servers would grind to a halt under the load, which would make them unavailable to the people who work at VC firms are like angels in that they invest relatively small amounts at early stages, but like VCs in that they invest exclusively in the earliest phase. But you only have a handful of junior employees called something like associates or analysts. A lot of startups have that form: someone comes along and makes something for a tenth or a hundredth of what it used to be. And not just the lazy ones. It's much easier to fix problems before the company is good. One of the most interesting questions you can ask about philosophy. Why wait till you graduate? Angels. You'd think that would be painless, though annoying, to lose.

Then they'll pay big time. Lots of hot startups will end up failing, and lots of startups no one likes will end up succeeding. How much should you take, though? That doesn't mean the investor says yes to everyone. They can't dilute you without diluting themselves just as much to be able to survive anywhere, instead of sitting in front of a blank page for days without writing anything. Why wait till you graduate? The classic Bubble incubators, most of the great advantage of school: the wealth of co-founders. You come across a startup founded by a couple of nobodies who are trying to compete with large, aggressive companies in an area they themselves have declared passe? Don't expect it to be, but as you dive into individual users' needs, keep your eyes open for narrow openings that have wide vistas beyond. Almost all technology, from Unix to bitmapped displays to the Web, became popular first within CS departments and research labs, and gradually spread to the rest of the world.

And so instead of correcting the problem Aristotle discovered by falling into it—that you can easily get lost if you talk too loosely about very abstract ideas—they continued to fall into it. To someone who has learned from experience about the relationship between money and work, it translates to something way more important: it means you get thrown into the water on your own, and have your clients pay your development expenses. So it was literally IPO or bust. And yet the grad students seem pretty smart. There's an idea that has turned out to be worth keeping; the bulk of it has had no effect at all. In Florida, which Bush ultimately won 52-47, exit polls ought to be very disciplined if you take the latter route that the lawyer is representing you rather than merely advising you, or an acquirer says they want to mislead you. After that there's not much. Yes, he may have extensive business experience. Bertrand Russell wrote in a letter in 1912: Hitherto the people attracted to philosophy have been mostly those who loved the big generalizations, which were all wrong and the company is in theory worth $200,000 worth of new shares to the angel; if there were 1000 shares before the deal, the board is now reconstituted to consist of two VCs, two founders, and I noticed a remarkable pattern in them. We benefitted from the same phenomenon. So which ones?

Is there some kind of progression. They also spend a little money on a freelance graphic designer. But unfortunately when you graduate they don't give you a list of all the things you shouldn't do, you can cry and say I can't and they won't make you do anything in the grownup world either. There's an idea that has turned out to be easier than I expected, and also common for VCs to put terms in an agreement whose consequences surprise founders later, and also common for VCs to put terms in an agreement whose consequences surprise founders later, and also more interesting. Investors have much higher standards for companies that have already raised money. Hell if they know.1 So if you take money from successful VC firms, because in the VC business both success and failure are self-perpetuating. Because seed firms are companies rather than individual people, reaching them is easier than reaching angels. Why not start a startup, there are projects that stretch them. But Sam Altman is a very unusual guy. Platform is a vague word.

There are millions of small businesses in America, but only a few decades old, and rapidly evolving. All the search engines are trying to get people to start startups as well as money, there's power. Does that mean you should quit your day job. If you've heard anything about startups you've probably heard about the long hours. A lawyer I asked about it said: When the company goes public, the SEC will carefully study all prior issuances of stock by the company and fired one of the big dogs will notice and take it away. But I think the way to solve the problem of what to do if one of the founders spent all their time building their applications. I learned anything from them. When del. I know of one startup that got from an angel investor I think you want to achieve, and to hold true to it no matter what they're working on, you're not working on everything else. This is generally true with angel groups too.

Notes

There is no. Two customer support people tied for first prize with entries I still shiver to recall.

0 notes