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morallygreyvigilante · 3 years

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As some of you may already know, I’ve been a fan of Bakugan for a long time now. It was the very first anime series that I ever watched and is easily among the top 3 shows I enjoyed watching as a kid. As such, while I will admit that the show had some obvious flaws and one or two flimsy plot devices, it can be difficult for me to find anything to actively criticize about it.

One thing I have heard a few people mention in relation to the flimsy plot devices is the sheer number of times Drago evolved over the course of the series which is something I wanted to talk about, not necessarily just about Drago, but the evolution mechanic as a whole.

I don’t really have a structure for this so sorry if it’s a bit of a mess, but anyway...

Before I get into the in-universe mechanics of the whole evolution thing I wanted to start with the boring production side of things. Bakugan was (and still is with the release of the reboot, which I won’t be discussing) a merchandise-driven show. Since the show itself is aimed at younger audiences, this is to be expected, kids like toys and the Bakugan in the show were perfect to base toys off (or to advertise them, depending on how you want to view it).

So, what do you do if you want to base most (if not all) of the merchandising on creatures like the Bakugan? You create a load of them, and one good way of doing that is to use an evolution mechanic since it allows for variety without having to design another creature from scratch. And, since Drago is the main non-human character in the series, it makes sense that he would be merchandised (and, by extension, evolved) the most.

Right, with that out of the way, I can focus on the fun part. How does the evolution mechanic in the series actually work?

I have this show all the way through at least 5 times, however it has been a while since I last sat down to watch it so some parts of this might not be entirely accurate. But I’m confident enough with what I remember that most of this should line up.

Now, I should probably mention the Bakugan I will be discussing in this post. I will be talking about the Bakugan that were partnered with the original Battle Brawlers (with a particular focus on Preyas and Drago), the Resistance Bakugan as a collective, Dharak, and Helios. I won’t be discussing the mechanical Bakugan since they had no evolution process to speak of.

The various Bakugan who have served as part of the main cast over the course of the series have evolved in multiple different ways, either through (what I’m assuming to be) a natural process, or through outside interference.

In season 1, only 1 Bakugan evolved via what I assume to be the natural way, that being Drago. I won’t be discussing Drago too much at this stage since I want to talk about his evolutions as part of their own section, but from what I remember, his first evolution was - arguably - the only time Drago actually evolved without outside interference with the intention of triggering one.

Other Bakugan in season 1 evolved only after they had visited the Doom Dimension. Their evolutions were triggered by the six ancient warriors of Vestroia, after the Bakugan (and their brawling partners) had overcome certain trials that had been designed for them. Could it have been possible for them to evolve without the trials? Yes, considering Drago had managed an evolution of his own before then. Could they have evolved more times? Potentially, the evolution process was never really explained in depth so it’s unclear as to whether there actually is a limit to how many times a Bakugan can evolve.

One Bakugan evolution in season 1 that I found particularly interesting was Preyas. From what we’ve seen over the course of the show, when a Bakugan evolves, their appearance changes to match the boost in power. Preyas, however, did not. Instead, when Preyas evolved he retained his original appearance (though I can’t remember whether or not his power level changed) and instead duplicated into Preyas Angelo/Diablo. This raises some questions about his evolution process in particular. Would it be possible for Preyas to evolve a second time? Or would it be Angelo/Diablo that continues the evolution process if that is at all possible for them? And, the question that I find the most interesting, what would a third evolution look like for Preyas?

Preyas is an attribute-changer, while his default attribute is Aquos (this seems to be a common theme with attribute-changing Bakugan, barring Nemus) he can make use of the other attributes when it is deemed necessary. As such, it isn’t surprising that Angelo and Diablo also possess an affinity for a second attribute (Haos for Angelo, and Pyrus for Diablo). Would another evolution have an affinity for even more attributes? Or would it be exactly like Angelo/Diablo, except with a different attribute affinity? Something to think about.

In season 2, the six ancient warrior Bakugan are - once again - involved in the evolution process of the resistance Bakugan. Except, instead of giving the resistance Bakugan a trial to complete, the evolutions were instead triggered by the Bakugan being given the attribute energy that warriors held in an attempt to protect it. This evolution process was not natural and it follows a similar pattern to season 1 so I won’t linger on it.

One Bakugan that I found particularly interesting in season 2 was Helios. Helios is a dragonoid Bakugan just like Drago, however that’s where the similarities end. It’s fairly obvious that despite them being the same type of Bakugan, their evolutionary chains were very different. While Helios’s heavily involved outside interference, I highly doubt it would have been similar to Drago’s regardless since, again, other than both being classed as dragonoids they aren’t the same Bakugan.

Now, Helios’s evolution process in season 2 is difficult to label as an evolution process since it was largely manufactured in a similar fashion to the mechanical Bakugan, rather than an actual evolution triggered by Helios himself or another entity such as the six ancient warriors or Code Eve (which I will discuss more later). However, both of his cyborg forms were treated as such and so they deserved a mention. The part of his evolution that I particularly wanted to talk about was his evolution into Infinity Helios during season 4. His final evolution (as far as we know anyway) is the only instance where an evolution caused a Bakugan to permanently switch attributes. Other than a brief flashback, we don’t really get to see the evolution take place, but it’s interesting that his attribute changed entirely. Attribute-changers such as Preyas only ever changed their attributes temporarily during a brawl, never for very long, and they always return to their base-attribute once the brawl has ended. This makes me wonder whether there were other Bakugan in the series who had similar evolution requirements that we never got the chance to see.

In terms of evolution, the only Bakugan of season 3 (other than Drago) that I can really talk about is Dharak. Initially, Dharak seemed to be a dragonoid Bakugan similar to Drago and Helios (though his initial four-legged stance reminds me more of Hydranoid’s original form). It is later revealed that he is a descendant of the Bakugan Dharaknoid, meaning that he is not technically a dragonoid Bakugan (depending on how you choose to view the link between Dharaknoid and Genesis Dragonoid). However, his power level was supposedly meant to be equal to Drago’s and when it wasn’t, his DNA sequence was purposefully tampered with to trigger his evolution into Phantom Dharak. There isn’t really much to be said about his evolution since he had the same appearance change and power level boost as every evolved Bakugan, but it wasn’t exactly a natural evolution.

Dharak also evolved into Razenoid after a failed attempt to absorb the power of Code Eve.

All of this brings me to the final Bakugan I wanted to discuss, Drago. As I previously mentioned, Drago is the main Bakugan of the series so it’s to be expected that he would undergo a few evolutions over the course of the series. But why exactly did he evolve so many times?

Drago’s first evolution into Delta Dragonoid was arguably the only time Drago evolved naturally. The evolution itself was alluded to a few times before it actually happened, this involved seemingly random power level surges during brawls and he was noted as being hot to the touch when in ball form at least once. Now, Drago didn’t seem aware that he was evolving until it actually happened, but the concept wasn’t one that he seemed confused by. This evolution was not influenced by by external factors which begs the question, how many times would Drago have evolved without outside interference? I don’t think we’ll ever really get an answer.

His evolution into Ultimate Dragonoid followed the same conditions as the other Battle Brawlers’ Bakugan in season 1 so I’m not going to linger on it.

Drago’s third evolution into Infinity Dragonoid was triggered only after he’d absorbed the Infinity Core. This evolution allowed him to access abilities which could typically only be used by other attributes which automatically makes it one of, if not, the strongest of his evolutions in the entire series. This isn’t entirely surprising since he was holding one of the cores that were responsible for all of Vestroia. He maintained this form when he claimed the Silent Core so the power boost he gained from that is unclear.

Neo Dragonoid (while technically being his fourth evolution) was more of a downgrade which is understandable considering it involved him being seperated from the Perfect Core and its power by extension. He was still able to occasionally tap into and use the energy stored in the core, though the true extent of how much he was able to use at any one time is unclear. He was also temporarily turned into Vexos Dragonoid during this stage however that form wasn’t technically an evolution so I’m not going to discuss it.

His fifth evolution, Cross Dragonoid followed the same conditions as the other Resistance Bakugan in season 2 so I’m not going to linger on it.

Drago evolved into Helix Dragonoid after absorbing the attribute energy stored in the Bakugan Termination System. Despite absorbing the energy of all six attributes, he remained a Pyrus Bakugan and wasn’t able to use abilities of the other attributes which seems strange.

His seventh evolution into Lumino Dragonoid was triggered when he was given The Element in an attempt to protect it from the Gundalians.

He was forced to evolve again into Blitz Dragonoid after defeating Dragonoid Colossus.

His ninth evolution into Titanium Dragonoid occured after gaining the powers of Code Eve. It was this evolution that Drago seemed to struggle with the most since Dharak had been absorbed by Code Eve before he’d been granted the power which led to him experiencing multiple issues which were only really fixed when he evolved for the tenth (and final) time. It is also this evolutionary stage where Drago starts being able to call upon a Mechtagon, though that doesn’t seem to be a specific feature of his evolution considering other Bakugan are able to do the same.

Drago evolved into Fusion Dragonoid using the power of the Gate and Key during the final battle against Mag Mel and Razenoid (formerly Barodius and Dharak).

Overall, many of Drago’s evolutions were not caused naturally. How many times would he have evolved if there had been no outside interference? It’s hard to say.

Many shows, games, etc... that use evolution mechanics typically only allow creatures to evolve twice, so I imagine the same could potentially be true here. However, we never really get in-universe confirmation that a Bakugan has reached its final evolution, sure it’s hinted at occasionally, but if there is a specified limit, it’s not one that show ever tells us.

#bakugan #bakugan battle brawlers #battle brawlers #new vestroia #gundalian invaders #mechtanium surge

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marleahsblogs · 3 years

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✨ Internet Safety ✨

For our generation today, the internet is probably the safest place to be in. People can be whoever they want, express whatever they want, and enjoy themselves however they want. I must admit, I would also say that I couldn’t live without the internet. Internet is just the solution to every problem, right? Now, we can even earn money in the comfort of our rooms with the help of the internet. Should we spend hours travelling just to buy stuff? Nah, we got the internet! With just several clicks we can already make an order and just wait on our couch to receive it. Oh no, COVID-19 ruled the world! No worries, we are backed up by the internet. Online classes, online transactions, online dating. You name it. The internet is there for us, or is it? Is it our safe haven?

We have put so much trust in the internet, but we didn’t know it can also be our biggest predator. Online transactions were fun until you got scammed and lost all your money. Online dating them feel loved until the person they were talking to is a catfish. Streaming online made him famous and rich, until his account got hacked. And there are still millions of stories out there that should awake us from believing that the internet is the safest thing in the world.

Below are some possible dangers you could encounter online.

1. Cyberbullying

I’m sure many of you have heard of this. But even though we are fully aware of it, it is still one of the major problems until now. As we casually scroll in our social media feeds, it is already normal for us to see people making fun of or “bashing” other people. It became so prevalent that we could call it a normal thing. According to UNICEF (2019), one in three young people has said that they have been a victim of cyberbullying and that it affected almost half of the Filipino children aged 13-17. We need to know that even a single word like “tanga” or “bobo” we see in our social media platforms and online gaming worlds could affect or traumatize us greatly.

2. Data Being Stolen

Some people nowadays are getting better at doing this. They can steal your money from your accounts, apply for a loan or credit card using your name, or sell your information to an online criminal as well. The hidden website is packed with criminals who purchase and sell stolen personal data. If your data is stolen, you can experience spam attacks. But most of these data thefts try to steal sensitive information, such as your credit card or personal information to commit identity theft.

3. Exposure to Inappropriate Material

Another risk especially for children and teenagers are exposure to inappropriate materials that are sexual, hateful, or violent. The chance and probability for children to look at anything inappropriate rely on how much they do online as they get more active online at a younger age. Whether it's a free-time graphic pop-up commercial, children's cartoon characters in adult circumstances or a self-harm forum, an innocent search might expose these children to contents that make them feel puzzled and angry. Some of the inappropriate content includes pornographic material, content containing swearing, sites that encourage racism, violence, terrorism, or even suicide, sexism sites, or gambling sites, and so on.

Based on my own experiences, here are some tips I would like to share to you to look after your privacy and secure your internet safety:

1. Keep your software up-to-date

Not only will you get a better program experience, but you will also be able to iron out your security issues. But the reason why you must keep it updated is that hackers are fast enough to become aware of certain software’s vulnerabilities, thus could harm your computer system and personal data. If you avoid doing these updates, you are bound to face persistent bugs, data loss, malware infection, and of course security issues.

2. Update your passwords

Why do we need to constantly change our passwords? So that we can reduce the risk of other people having access to our accounts, thus corrupt our personal data. Using strong passwords is necessary for us to prove our identity in our accounts, websites, or our computer itself (Wright, 2021). My tip in creating passwords is random characters with a symbol, number, and at least one capital letter. The reason for this is that using weak passwords, such as patterns of letters and numbers, or simply your name and some important date you know can cause hackers to guess and open your account, hence impersonate you to commit fraud and other crimes.

3. Use two-factor authorization

Familiar with this term? Yes, a two-factor authorization (2FA) is an extra step to keep your accounts more secure and avoid getting hacked by others. One of the most common 2FA methods is one-time codes sent through SMS or email, authenticator apps such as Google Authenticator, and security keys such as U2F tokens (Drozhzhin, 2018). This one for me is the best 2FA authorization because only your private key will confirm your login. If someone will try to log in to your account with the wrong security key, they will not be granted access to your account. So, there you go. A series of two-factor authorizations that will secure your accounts the best way possible. You’re welcome!

4. Be careful what you click on

Have you heard of phishers? They are attackers that send a fraudulent message designed to trick and victimize us into revealing sensitive information to them. As scary as it sounds, we need to be aware of what we click on to avoid experiencing this. Phishing is usually done in an email when they get your email address from somewhere. These phishers try to create a fake website to trick you into typing in your personal information. It’s much easier for them to hack our accounts this way. To avoid this, you can check the URL’s legitimacy by using the Google Transparency Report or simply avoid suspicious emails which require your personal information. Think before you click!

5. Back-up your data

Data back-up and recovery has many advantages. Some of these are protecting and saving your data, provides ease of management, ensures accurate information of your data, quick access to data, scalability, and such (Becker, 2021). There are many other ways to back up your data, but here’s a simple way to manually back up your data in your phone is to open your phone’s settings app, tap system and click backup or search backup in your settings app, then tap back-up now. It’s that simple.

6. Set up notifications for your most important bank accounts

As online bank account holders, it is our responsibility to making sure our accounts are protected. Online accounts are one of the easy targets of hackers to whisk away our money with just a couple of keystrokes. To safeguard our online banking, we may choose an industrial-standard security bank or credit union that utilizes text or e-mail warnings avoids the use of public Wi-Fi access and periodically changes your password.

7. Protect your personal information

This might be difficult for those who like to express themselves on social media, but we must protect our personal identity to avoid any sort of online threats. To protect our identity, we must limit the amount of personal information we share or provide. We shouldn't share or provide this information online: exact home address, your place and schedules of classes or work, birthday, cellphone number, and most importantly our passwords or account information. Another tip is to write down in a small notebook all your passwords and keep them safe in a secure place away from your computer.

8. Use parental controls and stay present

With the pandemic going on right now, parents should be extra careful of what their children see and hear about themselves and who they encounter on the internet. To protect your children from internet risks, talk to them frequently, utilize tools to safeguard them and watch out for their work. Monitor the time of your child, especially the younger ones, about when and how long they stay online. Keep your computer at a central location in your house, where it's easy to watch what your children do and look at online. You may configure them for mobile devices to forget Wi-Fi passcodes for your kids not to go online without knowledge. Review privacy and location settings, parental control and use secure browsers, apps, search engines and YouTube search settings. Lastly, limit camera and video to prevent your children from accidentally taking photos or videos of themselves or others.

The internet does not usually hurt us unless we react to suspect material and websites. The first reason you don't know what you're doing is because of internet damage. Secondly, you may react or click on links such as appealing advertisements, infected software and communications when you have other forces. To ensure internet safety, just remember those tips above and these three things: secure your network, be responsible, and make the internet child-safe.

References:

Becker, D. (2021). 6 Advantages of Data Backup and Recovery. IT Central Station. Retrieved from https://www.itcentralstation.com/articles/6-advantages-of-data-backup-and-recovery

Drozhzhin, A. (2018). SMS-based two-factor authentication is not safe — consider these alternative 2FA methods instead. Kaspersky Daily. Retrieved from https://www.kaspersky.com/blog/2fa-practical-guide/24219/

Wright, J. (2021). Why Is it Important to Change Your Password? Small Business Chron. Retrieved from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/

Online bullying remains prevalent in the Philippines, other countries (2019). Unicef Philippines. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/philippines/press-releases/online-bullying-remains-prevalent-philippines-other-countries

25 Best Internet Safety Tips for Every Situation (2021). The Neeva Team. Retrieved from https://neeva.com/learn/25-best-internet-safety-tips-for-every-situation

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tiramisiyu · 3 years

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【未定事件簿】 Tears of Themis: 【完美营救】 Xia Yan’s Perfect Rescue Date Translation

Translation Masterlist | Xia Yan Masterlist

Video

The highlight of this date is that we get to see a sliver of Xia Yan’s mysterious military training~ It’s also fairly early in the plot (before Chapter 5).

PART 1

Military Simulation Game Base Entrance

On the weekend, Xia Yan and I rushed early over to the newly-opened military simulation game base in Stellis City, but there was already a long line at the doorway.

MC: It’s just a typical weekend, yet there’s so many people…

Xia Yan: Of course a newly-opened business would be so popular. Plus, they claim that their guns and bullets all use the newest technology, and it feels even more realistic. Just based on this, Stellis City’s military simulation hobbyists would definitely rush over to participate.

Xia Yan: Plus, they’ve also designed lots of new game setups. Right, have you decided which setup to play?

MC: About this…

I held the flyer, flipping back and forth to consider the instructions for the various kinds of setups.

MC: I feel like we should go for “Treasure Map”.

Xia Yan: “Treasure Map”?

Xia Yan sidled up to me, reading the activity rules from the flyer in my hand.

Xia Yan: “Two to four people per team. Maximum number of teams per competition is ten. Each team carries a piece of the treasure map. Collect the ten pieces to learn of the exact location of the treasure. The team that arrives at the location of the treasure within the established time wins.”

Xia Yan: “P.S. The map pieces are installed with signal trackers. Each team gets one positioning device. Fifteen minutes after the competition starts, the coordinates of the map pieces will show on the positioning device.”

Xia Yan: Mm… so it also means that whoever has the map pieces will become a living target… A setup that requires some very sophisticated tactics. So it turns out that you like this kind of stuff.

MC: It’s not that I like it – it was just process of elimination.

Xia Yan: Ah?

MC: You said it too – this attracted a lot of military simulation hobbyists. We’re only two people. If we participated in the other game setups, we’d have to group up with others.

MC: It’s the first time I’m playing this. I’ll definitely hold back those veteran player teams… But, if I team up with you…

MC: You. Definitely. Won’t. Cold. Shoulder. Me. Right?

Xia Yan: Of course I won’t! I was afraid of not being able to team up with you!

As we spoke, the line had already reached Xia Yan and me. We split up, heading to different changerooms to put on our combat equipment.

Military Simulation Game Base

After we changed into the camouflage clothes, I arrived at the competition ground’s start point. Xia Yan was already waiting there, having just finished testing the guns and was adjusting the magazine.

He stood there, his body backlit. Maybe it was because his body was covered in the camouflage clothes that I kept feeling like he drew a contrast, looking abnormally serious, making me feel somewhat unfamiliar with him.

But Xia Yan quickly turned around, following my footsteps. His face instantly lit up again with the usual smile, filled with warmth. However, his eyes swept over my body once, his eyebrows pressing together again.

MC: What’s the matter?

Xia Yan: Your bulletproof vest is too loose.

MC: It shouldn’t be a big deal – it’s not a real battle.

Xia Yan: That won’t do. I just looked – the simulation level of the guns is quite high. Though the bullets are paint bullets, it’ll hurt a lot if you’re hit.

MC: … I understand, but this bulletproof vest’s side waistbelt is really hard to fasten.

Xia Yan: I’ll help you.

Xia Yan walked up beside me, helping me arrange my waistbelt again. I stood straight, following Xia Yan’s instructions, slowed my breathing. With this, he adjusted it to the measurements most suitable for me.

Xia Yan lowered his head slightly. The sun shone on his face, his coral pupils shining even more clearly. A warm breath blew right on my neck, making it tickle a little. I suddenly remembered when we were in high school – he would also often help me get out my hair when it was stuck in the backpack zipper, like this.

Back then, when I stood beside him, our difference in height wasn’t this large…

I turned my head, wanting to look at how Xia Yan was fastening the waistbelt, not realizing that the bangs in front of my forehead would brush past his lips. Xia Yan abruptly lurched backwards.

Xia Yan: W-what’s the matter? Did I strap it too tight?

MC: No no, I just wanted to learn how to do it from you.

Xia Yan: O-oh… okay.

Xia Yan came up close again. I didn’t know if it had to do with me startling him just now, but I felt like his breath on my face seemed to be somewhat chaotic.

Xia Yan: Aside from adjusting the positioning above and under, where the sides link up, you have to ensure that they overlap by at least 5cm. Only then will it create effective protection.

MC: Got it! I’ll try the other side myself!

I finished up the other side very quickly.

MC: Hehe, now I won’t have to bother you every time!

Xia Yan: Not at all, it’s not a bother… It’s no problem if I help you every time…

MC: What did you say? Raise your voice a little.

Xia Yan: N-nothing.

Right then, the members of the other teams arrived successively at the starting point. The competition had started.

PART 2

Military Simulation Game Base

After the competition started, the ten teams left the starting point in different directions. And I followed Xia Yan, doing our utmost to quickly put a large distance between the starting point, as well as the other teams.

Xia Yan: Stop. This distance is just about good. Let’s end off here for now.

MC: Here? Won’t it be safer to run a bit farther?

Xia Yan: Right now, we still don’t have an understanding on how the other teams are positioned. Running far won’t necessarily be an advantage.

MC: You’re right. Rather than running around blindly, we might as well use the remaining time to make preparations to face attacks.

I took out the positioning device allocated to Xia Yan and me.

According to the rules, it would show the exact locations of the ten map pieces fifteen minutes from the start of the competition, or five minutes from now.

MC: Say, should we hide the map piece first? And then ambush them from the other side? Like you said, we don’t have an understanding of the other team’s positions. If the opponents just happen to be nearby, wouldn’t that be very dangerous?

Xia Yan: Mm, as expected of my Watson. That’s also what I was thinking!

Xia Yan and I rapidly hid the map piece in a tree hollow, then retreated, hiding behind the nearby bushes. Five minutes later, a quiet notification alarm sounded successively from within the positioning device’s earphones. The coordinates of the map pieces appeared on the positioning device.

Xia Yan: The numbers on here represent the numbers of the map pieces. The location of the “6” is the location where we hid the map piece. Most of the teams are fairly far from us – if they want to rush over, it’ll be quite a while.

MC: As of now, the ones closest to us are Team 1 and Team 2. But compared to us, Teams 3 and 4 are closer to them.

Xia Yan: Mm, and there aren’t any terrain obstacles between them and Teams 3 and 4. It would be very easy for them to launch a sneak attack.

MC: So it looks like we should be safe for now. At least, we’ll be able to smoothly avoid the first wave of fights!

Xia Yan: If we simply judge based on geographical position, that would be the case.

I heard Xia Yan’s unspoken words in what he said.

MC: You mean, if we connect it to other factors, we’re not safe? Could it be that… we’re on the verge of becoming the first targets of some teams?

Xia Yan: You should say that we’re the first targets of two teams.

MC: Why—

I hadn’t finished speaking when I immediately reacted in realization, remembering the gun-testing time at the starting point.

[Flashback]

After Xia Yan helped me wear my bulletproof vest properly, the other teams’ competitors successively arrived. I didn’t know if it was my misperception, but after those people wore their combat gear, their figures seemed to become even taller and stronger.

They successively lifted their guns, starting to test their guns by using different trees as targets.

MC: This is a good chance! Quick, check out their strength!

After a barrage of gunshot sounds, most of the tree trunks didn’t have the slightest injury to them. Instead, the ground was dyed in multiple colours by the paint bullets.

MC: Eh? The difference in ability isn’t as large as I expected.

Xia Yan shook his head. His gaze swept over the people before us successively.

Xia Yan: Their gun-holding postures are very experienced. It’s just that the guns and bullets here are new products, and they haven’t adjusted yet. But they can be counted as veterans, since they’re able to adjust the shooting angle based on the deviations of the bullets. The leftmost group’s adjustment speed is pretty fast – they should be the most skilled within this group.

[Flashback end]

At the time, I was only able to focus on the opponents’ shooting skill, so I even ignored the most basic point – number of people.

Xia Yan: Those six teams all have four people participating. We’re heavily outnumbered, and they must feel that we’re the easiest to face off against.

MC: It’s not just that…

I thought back on the competitors’ shooting skills and their tall, strong figures.

MC: I’m afraid that, from their point of view… my fighting power is only within the decimals. If we round from the decimal, we’re a one-man team. With such a good opportunity, of course they’ll head towards us for a fight first.

Xia Yan: What decimals – we’re not a one-man team!

MC: Alright, I know you’re taking my pride into account when you didn’t lay this fact bare. I’ve mentally prepared – though I do indeed want to shout “Don’t underestimate me” right now… as a lawyer, I’m well aware of whether something is just slander or objective truth…

Life isn’t an anime. Shouting catchphrases won’t increase my fighting strength – I had to stay reasonable.

MC: …

MC: But this is too outrageous!

>I’m not gonna be rid of so easily! >Even if we lose, I’ll still give it my all!

MC: Either way! I’m not gonna be rid of so easily! Even if I can’t hold them back, I’ll still be a stumbling stone. I’ll ruthlessly make them fall!

Xia Yan: I just knew that you wouldn’t easily admit defeat.

>I’m not gonna be rid of so easily! >Even if we lose, I’ll still give it my all!

MC: Hmph, even if we lose in the end, I’ll still give it my all! Don’t even think about defeating us so easily!

Xia Yan: Regardless of how the results are, one should always give it their all. You really haven’t changed at all in these years.

Xia Yan: Don’t worry! This is our first military simulation game, after all – not only do we have to win, we also have to win in a way that’s super memorable!

Xia Yan looked relaxed, his tone bringing a kind of confidence that sounded like he had it all under absolute control.

MC: Have you thought of some good plan?

Xia Yan: No need for it to be that complicated. It’s enough to just counter every move.

MC: Really? There are two teams coming, though.

Xia Yan: They’re just typical players. If I were to set up an ambush that carefully, that would be way too much overkill.

It took me a while to understand his meaning.

MC: I don’t even know how to roast you right now… Didn’t realize that, after splitting up for eight years, the way you praise yourself has gotten weirder and weirder.

PART 3

Military Simulation Game Base

On the positioning device, the numbers “1” and “2” quickly moved towards us.

MC: The numbers keep moving – they’ve brought the map pieces with them.

Xia Yan: They’re basically living targets if they’re bringing along the map pieces – they definitely aren’t all sticking together. But to protect the map, they probably won’t stay too far away – they need to ensure that they can provide backup in time.

The numbers 1 and 2 stopped at a position that was still some distance away from us, then moved at a slower speed.

MC: They stopped?

Xia Yan: The people carrying the map pieces probably are planning to lie low. Seeing that opponents are thinking the same thing as themselves, they definitely won’t choose to let go of the map. Otherwise, in the case that the opponent poses a larger danger behind them as they focus on what’s in front, then their gains wouldn’t make up for the losses.

MC: So the people holding map pieces are planning to lie in wait, to prevent getting raided. And the people left over… are starting to prepare to surround us.

Xia Yan lifted his gun, observing the faraway trees. My heart beat faster and faster in agitation, not knowing where the opponents would get close to us. The wind brushed over the treetops, and I couldn’t help regarding everything I saw as an enemy.

I followed Xia Yan’s line of sight, holding up the gun and observing the movements in front as well, but I couldn’t find the slightest trace of anything suspicious.

MC: (Speaking of which, enemies will typically launch an ambush at this time from the back in TV dramas…)

I immediately looked behind us – and didn’t see anything at all.

MC: (TV dramas are full of lies…)

I, who had found out nothing at all, could only turn my head around and look towards Xia Yan, attempting to look for the enemies’ movements from the changes in his mood.

The sunlight filtered through the dense branches and leaves and shone down, casting a layer of warm, soft light on Xia Yan’s body. But his face was graver than I had ever seen.

>Select: Face

MC: (I’ve never seen this kind of expression on Xia Yan… he’s always been full of smiles…)

>Select: Arms

MC: (Speaking of which, mom and dad sent Xia Yan to learn mixed martial arts when we were little. But I remember… his muscles weren’t this strong.)

>Select: Arms (2)

MC: (The muscles look like they’d be very hard if I felt them…)

MC: (After we get rid of the enemies, I’m going to pinch them and see!)

>Select: Uniform

MC: (I keep feeling like… this outfit really suits Xia Yan… If he wore a real uniform, he would definitely look very handsome, right?)

MC: (Curiosity! I-I’m just curious!)

>Select: Uniform (2)

MC: (Speaking of which, when we were putting on the combat gear, Xia Yan was also the first to finish putting it on. Could he have played this kind of game often when he went to the capital?)

>Select: Uniform (3)

MC: (His posture makes him look pretty handsome…)

MC: (What am I letting my imagination run wild over!)

>Select: Ellipses

Xia Yan: What’s the matter? I feel like you were watching me the whole time?

MC: It’s nothing… I just wanted to learn from you to find our opponents… though I failed.

Xia Yan: It’s your first time playing – it’s very normal for you to not find them. Look towards your three-o’clock direction – you’ll notice them immediately.

I followed Xia Yan’s words and looked carefully over to my three-o’clock direction. Suddenly, I heard a “swish”—

Bang bang bang bang!

Xia Yan threw out a water bottle – when fully on-guard opponents that were searching for us heard the movements, they lifted their guns up and fired! The locations of the bullets completely exposed where they were hiding.

Only then did I realize what Xia Yan meant just now by “you’ll notice them immediately.”

Xia Yan fired three times.

Bang bang bang—

Immediately, the gun sounds across from us stopped.

MC: You hit the mark?

Xia Yan: Mhmm, the three people flanking us are already out. As for the one holding the map piece, it’ll be their turn after we deal with Team 2.

Executing this resolution didn’t even exceed 10 minutes.

Xia Yan used the same – no, I should say an even faster speed to deal with Team 2 as they came to flank us. All of a sudden, we had three map pieces.

Xia Yan: How’s that?

MC: Amazing… I kind of get what you mean when you said you didn’t want to “overkill” it before…

MC: But, wait! I couldn’t ask you under the fierce battle situation, but how is your gun skill this good?

Xia Yan: About this - I went to the closed experiment in university, right. The management there was semi-militarized.

Xia Yan: So outside of experiments, I’d often practice my shooting. Now, I’m extremely proficient at all sorts of firearms! Aside from that, I’ve also learned self-defence. Taking on three to five typical people is no big deal.

MC: Eh, I didn’t think that participating in a closed experiment would also have these kinds of results. Mom and dad also went to closed experiments – could they also be under militarized management?

Xia Yan: Uh, this…

MC: Dad also likes firearms – it’s probably a guy’s natural instinct. Say, if they’re also under militarized management there, would he also learn shooting?

Xia Yan: That, let’s think about it after… we should focus our minds on the competition!

MC: That’s true! I already see the goddess of victory waving at us!

We hadn’t walked for long when Xia Yan dealt with an ambush against us first. Then, when we encountered two fiercely-fighting teams, Xia Yan “intervened” and “sent away” those two teams. In the blink of an eye, we were holding six map pieces.

Victory was indeed getting closer and closer, but… I felt like it had nothing to do with me. From the start of the competition to now, I hadn’t fired the gun once.

MC: …

Xia Yan: Alright, over halfway to victory! If we continue to persist, we’ll win very soon!

I looked at Xia Yan’s smiling face and couldn’t help sighing.

MC: Xia Yan, wait a bit first.

I walked in front of Xia Yan, spread out both his arms, and spun him in a circle. Xia Yan looked dubiously at me and scratched his head.

Xia Yan: Is the combat equipment too heavy, and it feels uncomfortable?

Xia Yan: I know the bulletproof vest is very heavy, but it won’t be safe if you take it off. What if there are stray bullets…

Xia Yan: Right, give your gun and ammunition cartridge to me. You’ll be able to relax this way! After this, I’ll speed up the fight, and we’ll be able to get out very soon.

MC: …

I really was moved by Xia Yan’s stream of earnest, considerate words, but I also felt somewhat helpless.

MC: No, Xia Yan, what I mean is… I’m a person of standard height and weight. Though I neglect to exercise after work, I’m still a normal person with typical athletic ability.

MC: You don’t have to worry about me so much, going up front and fending everything off for me. I really want to experience the game well. I don’t want to rely only on your prowess and win the competition lying down.

Xia Yan: Sorry, I… just wanted to win with you.

MC: I know – I also really want to win. Don’t worry, I know my own strength. I won’t make you bring me to charge into enemy lines. But at least, let me help you a little.

I recommended the plan that I had been holding in and considering the whole way here.

MC: I won’t rush into enemy lines – I’ll just defend your back from behind. How about that? The gunfights in movies are all like this – comrades provide firepower support from behind to lessen the pressure on the person rushing in.

Xia Yan: But this requires skill. If you want to learn, I can slowly teach you in the future, but it’s very hard to explain it in half a moment.

MC: Then how about I lure the enemy? You must be very tired from staying on high alert continuously. I’ll hold the map pieces, and you lie in wait from one side, and then take the opportunity when the opponents are attacking me—

Xia Yan: No way, it’s too dangerous. You don’t know how to scout in a forest, and you won’t be able to avoid them in time. Plus, if we maintain a distance between us, I won’t be able to save you in time, each time.

MC: Then… it should be fine if I help you carry the bag, right? It must be tiring for you to carry it back and forth this whole time. I’ll help you carry the bag and lessen your load, so you can save some strength.

Xia Yan: But these ammunitions are very heavy. The combat gear you have on is already not that light. Plus, going through the forest expends a lot of stamina, and you’ll be too tired if you help me carry the stuff.

Xia Yan: Alright, I appreciate your good intentions.

Xia Yan: But I’m not tired at all, so don’t worry, and hand it all to me.

As he spoke, Xia Yan took back the backpack I had just tried to carry away.

MC: …

MC: I know my skills aren’t good and my bodily strength is just average. If we really were in a fight, I definitely would listen to you about everything, but this is just a game. If you’re not letting me do anything, then win or lose, there essentially isn’t any difference to me!

MC: …

MC: Sorry… I just want to try it myself.

Xia Yan: I…

Bam – we heard a quiet sound from within the forest.

Xia Yan: !

On reflex, Xia Yan held me, flashing to the nearby stone wall. A stream of bullets immediately struck the place where we were just standing.

The unforeseen event was too sudden, and in my panic, I clutched tightly at Xia Yan. Thinking about how I had just thrown a fit at him, I embarrassedly retracted my hand and let him go.

MC: You were right… sure enough, it’s better if I don’t do anything.

Xia Yan: I…

MC: You can go ahead. Don’t worry, I’m aware of the severity of the situation – I won’t make random movements.

Xia Yan: …

Xia Yan hesitated for a few seconds, finally running out without saying anything.

PART 4

Military Simulation Game Base

This time, Xia Yan did not return as quickly as before. Plus, the gunshots this time were denser than the unfortunate encounters before.

MC: Could it be that it isn’t just one team this time?

On the other side of the rock wall, the gunshot sounds interlaced. Xia Yan skidded to evade the barrage of bullets aimed at him, hiding behind the trees.

Xia Yan: Eight firing directions, simultaneously fired. Plus, they didn’t appear to be messy. They all shot towards me. Looks like two teams joined up – smart.

Xia Yan: Too bad the one you ran into was me.

Xia Yan kicked off from the tree, jumping up into the air. Immediately after, he twisted in the air, and bullets immediately fired at different places.

Bang bang bang bang –

The gunshots surrounding us suddenly quieted by half.

Hiding behind the rock wall, I was shocked into silence as much as the gunshot sounds had been.

MC: So fast – he got rid of half with this…

I looked at the helmet I was carrying and silently hid myself again.

MC: Originally, I even thought about whether I should toss out the helmet and help distract the enemies’ attention… Good thing I didn’t toss it… I didn’t even discuss with Xia Yan, so what if I ended up distracting Xia Yan’s attention instead…

MC: Sure enough, it’s better if I just obediently stay and do nothing.

Right then, the earphones transmitted two very quiet electronic sounds – it was the notification that the map pieces had changed owners. Only then did I realize that Xia Yan and I hadn’t looked at the positioning device for a long time. In a fluster, I immediately turned on the positioning device and looked at it.

“7” had the map piece “10” and had already moved nearby, where the map piece “4” had just been collected.

MC: The distance between Team 7 and here… they’ll be here in less than two minutes.

I looked anxiously towards Xia Yan, not knowing how to tell this new situation to him.

Xia Yan: The sound just now was the notification of the map piece change in ownership. Half of their attacks suddenly became chaotic… it should be their map piece that was seized. Which means, there’s a newly-arrived team of opponents!

Xia Yan: I need to confirm if she’s hiding safely—

Xia Yan divided his attention, searching for the opponents’ locations.

In the chaos, a burst of bullets sped past Xia Yan’s bulletproof vest. Though they just sped past him, according to the rules, it still counted as damage to the bulletproof vest. If he were hit again, it would count as fallen in action.

Xia Yan: …!

MC: Xia Yan!

What should I do! What can I do!

>Tell Xia Yan about Team 7’s arrival direction >Find Team 7’s hiding location

MC: I should tell Xia Yan about Team 7’s arrival direction and decrease his observation range.

Fearing that if I yelled, I would attract unnecessary attention, I decided to use the method of throwing my helmet to tell Xia Yan. I looked for the right opportunity and threw the helmet towards the direction that Team 7 was rushing towards, just like when Xia Yan threw the water bottle to draw their fire.

>Tell Xia Yan about Team 7’s arrival direction >Find Team 7’s hiding location

Bang bang bang bang! A barrage of bullets rushed by near me.

MC: This won’t do! If I can’t find the opponents, I’m going to “fall in action” first! I should tell Xia Yan about Team 7’s arrival direction first and decrease his observation range.

I forcefully threw the helmet towards the direction that Team 7 was rushing towards, just like when Xia Yan threw the water bottle to draw their fire.

With the sudden appearance of a moving target, everyone reflexively raised their hands and shot. My helmet was directly struck by bullets of several colours. After noticing it was a helmet, the gunshots paused slightly for a moment.

Xia Yan: Well done!

Taking the gap of time when the others were frozen, Xia Yan shot down the remaining people. But I still underestimated the opponents – very soon, they shot a stream of bullets towards my spot.

PART 5

Military Simulation Game Base

Basically at the same time the bullets were fired at me, Xia Yan fired two rounds of bullets in the opposite direction. The opponents hesitated a bit and retreated, probably from seeing Xia Yan sprint rapidly to my side.

Xia Yan: MC, are you alright!

MC: Sorry, a bullet hit my leg…

Actually, when I threw the helmet, I did make a disguise. I took off my jacket, using tree branches to prop it up into a fake person, and hid it on the other side.

Xia Yan: Your method was effective. The paths of two of the bullet rounds were aimed at the jacket. It’s just that… the opponents’ luck was too good, and the ricocheting bits hit you.

MC: …

It did indeed sound like a joke, but I wasn’t able to laugh.

Based on the competition rules, though a shot at any of the four limbs would have very little effect on one’s life, it was still equivalent to a wound. If your leg was hit, you had to be carried on the back of a comrade to move. Though I never acted on my own… the fact that he had to carry me on his back would undoubtedly be a shackle on Xia Yan.

Xia Yan: You just got hit on your leg – it’s no big deal. After we deal with the opponents, I’ll carry you to the finish point.

Xia Yan pulled up my hand, consoling me with a relaxed tone. The light shone down from the treetops, filling his eyes with dazzling light.

Xia Yan: Come on, let’s first see how to deal with the opponents.

I took out the positioning device. Xia Yan encircled his arms around me from his back, analyzing the opponents’ situation with me.

MC: The remaining map pieces have all been taken by them.

Xia Yan: That’s a good thing for us – saves us from having to run all around to collect them.

MC: The terrain where they’re hiding… is a deliberately selected place.

Xia Yan: Correct, this rock formation is very suited for use as a bunker. There is a geological fault behind it – if one wants to go around on top to attack, it would be too time-consuming and isn’t too plausible – thus, you’d have to face off head-on.

MC: But isn’t it very disadvantageous to face them head-on…

I looked at the paint bullet marks on Xia Yan’s bulletproof vest. If he got shot again, he would be counted as “fallen in action”.

Thinking back of the conflict between Xia Yan and I earlier, I hesitantly tried asking him.

MC: That, do you think… it’s alright if I lure the enemies? I’ll be very careful. Plus, look, I still have my bulletproof vest. Even if I do get shot, it won’t be a problem! Plus… if you get shot again, I can’t deal with those people myself, so we really will lose.

Xia Yan: That’s true. Plus, your enemy-luring tactics earlier really were pretty good!

MC: Stop praising me. I didn’t do anything – I just threw a helmet.

Xia Yan: You chose the right timing! Back then, Team 7 had taken away Team 4’s map piece, and Team 4’s shooting became chaotic.

Xia Yan: To be honest, if they were shooting seriously, I would’ve easily handled a comeback, but for such an utter mess of those shooting methods… Their bullets only brushed past me on accident – it’s not because my strength isn’t sufficient.

MC: Got it, got it.

Xia Yan pressed his helmet on my head.

Xia Yan: Afterwards… I’ll have to request that you cover me. Naturally, the more the better when it comes to equipment, so wear the helmet first.

>Select: Visor

Xia Yan: Right, you should also put on my visors in a moment.

>Select: Visor (2)

Xia Yan: I’m fine! Didn’t you see my strength earlier – with my veteran skills, it’s no big deal whether I have the visors!

>Select: Gear

Xia Yan: Your method earlier, taking off your jacket and bulletproof vest to make a fake person and trick the enemy, was pretty interesting. Did you find it online? Why not ask me directly?

>Select: Gear (2)

Xia Yan: Right, your bulletproof vest! Here, I’ll help you put it back on.

>Select: Helmet

MC: Xia Yan, you should wear the helmet.

Xia Yan: No way. You’ll be covering me in a moment – you have to protect yourself.

>Select: Ellipses

Xia Yan: Should be almost time.

The way Xia Yan was acting, as if he wished he could arm me all the way to my teeth, made me kind of want to laugh – but my heart felt warmed.

Xia Yan: Though we’re calling it covering me, we still have to reduce your risk. I’ll look to see where it’s better to feint.

Xia Yan held up the binoculars, carefully looking all around.

Xia Yan: They’re there!

Xia Yan carried me soundlessly under a large tree, a short distance away from the rock formation. With a few movements, he climbed up the tree, connected the tactical belt to the tree branches, then slid down.

Xia Yan: This is a blind spot in their vision. Launching a surprise attack from here is relatively safe, and the odds of winning are higher. In a moment, I’ll carry you to swing from here, and you’ll take the opportunity to shoot at the rock formation.

I listened to Xia Yan’s plan, ripples pooling at the bottom of my heart. He was clearly a big detective, yet every time his skill in lying to me was so shoddy. This plan caught me off-guard – even without me, Xia Yan would also be safe. He would probably be even more relaxed if he finished this on his own.

But this was already the plan that he thought of the quickest – one that would let me participate in those actions. I lowered my head, forcefully blinking my warming eyes, then made a “just watch me” expression at him.

MC: Okay, leave it to me! I’ll watch them carefully, and I’ll definitely do my best and hit the mark!

Xia Yan: You don’t need to pressure yourself too much – I’ll tell you the timing to act.

Xia Yan: Also, though that rock formation looks like a very good bunker from the front, there isn’t much shelter when you look from this position, and it’s very easy to generate ricocheting.

Xia Yan: So, you can relax and shoot without hesitation – you won’t hit wrong.

Xia Yan: Alright, hold me tight – we’re about to start.

Xia Yan held onto my waist, looked for the right timing, and forcefully swung me in the air.

Wind swept past in front of me. I opened my eyes wide, watching forward carefully.

Xia Yan: Start shooting!

Bang bang bang—

In one breath, I shot all my bullets in a torrent towards the entrenchment!

In an instant, everyone in the entrenchment was covered in bright colours.

PART 6

Military Simulation Game Base

We finally collected all the map pieces. We quickly put the treasure map together, and the positioning device immediately updated with the treasure’s location — it was outside of five kilometres, but there were only 20 minutes left until the end of the competition.

MC: …

Xia Yan: …

I just joined hands and did my best with Xia Yan, but is this all we can do…

Seeing Xia Yan’s eyebrows also sink, I did my best to boost my spirits.

MC: Xia Yan, don’t worry about me. Go over there on your own quick!

Xia Yan: But—

MC: No buts. Even if you’re the only person to make it, we still win! Hurry off!

I hastened Xia Yan along, but he suddenly carried me on his back.

MC: Xia Yan?!

Xia Yan: We said we’d win together. Hold on tight!

Xia Yan carried me on his back, sprinting towards the end point.

The forest’s terrain was full of ups and downs. The arms that I wrapped around Xia Yan’s shoulders felt the wetness of sweat very quickly.

Hearing his rapid panting, I felt a burst of regret. It was all because I was too stubborn about my thoughts on winning or losing that I gave Xia Yan too much pressure. If I had listened entirely to Xia Yan earlier, we probably wouldn’t be like this…

MC: … Xia Yan, please put me down quick. This is just a game – you don’t have to force yourself this much. Plus, I’ve already had a lot of fun, and it’s fine if I don’t make it to the end point.

Xia Yan did his best to even his breathing, responding lightly and quickly.

Xia Yan: But I haven’t gotten the joy I want from the game. I know that you’ve already done your very best… but, I still haven’t used all my strength.

Xia Yan: So, I request you – just see it as letting me enjoy the pleasures of the game as well! I just want to win with you!

Xia Yan’s brown hair was dyed by the light in the colour of sweet, mellow honey. My heart softened as well.

MC: …

MC: I understand!

MC: But, put my down first! Don’t worry, I’m doing this so we run faster!

After coming down from Xia Yan’s back, I rapidly tossed off my jacket, bulletproof vest, ammunition cartridge, and gun.

MC: Alright, this way, I can help you lessen your burden!

Xia Yan: I originally was planning to do this from the start, but I was afraid that as soon as I put you down… you’d run off.

As he spoke, Xia Yan also took off his bulletproof vest and jacket, leaving just a half-sleeved camouflage T-shirt. Just like he did before, he pulled up his T-shirt out of habit to wipe the sweat on his face. His tight, strong abdominals curved distinctly, moist with beads of sweat, glittering faintly.

Xia Yan: What’s the matter? Is there something dirty on my face?

MC: There isn’t! I j-just wanted to ask if you were thirsty.

In a fluster, I handed the water bottle to Xia Yan.

Xia Yan: Thanks, I was a little thirsty!

Xia Yan twisted the bottle cap open, then drank straight from the bottle opening.

MC: I keep feeling like you’re very different from how you were in the past. Though you were always very reliable before, but today…

MC: You were super handsome when you fired the gun, and when you wear battlefield clothes, it’s particularly—

Xia Yan: Ahem ahem – ahem ahem ahem!

MC: Aiya, what’s the matter with you! You praised yourself so smoothly, yet you couldn’t handle it after hearing me say two lines!

I rushed to help Xia Yan by smacking his back. His face had reddened all the way to the tips of his ears.

Xia Yan: I-I’m fine! Hurry and get on – we’re going to be late!

Xia Yan quickly turned his back to me. The T-shirt that was already moist with sweat clung to his body, outlining his firm, strong contours.

I climbed on his back. Through the thin fabric, the heat from physical activity exuded from his skin.

In the sixteen years that Xia Yan and I grew up together, he had carried me on his back like this innumerable times. Compared to before, the crooks of his arms were much firmer, and his shoulders much broader, than before. But that feeling of safety was always the same as it was before.

I did my best to maintain a posture that would let Xia Yan have an easier time carrying me, sincerely cheering him on.

MC: We’re nearly there, Xia Yan! I’ll invite you to a big feast today!

Xia Yan: Mm!

MC: Right, I’ll also help you do back-beating massages for three days!

Xia Yan: Okay!

MC: Also also, I can also help you wash your clothes! Uh… I’ll help you put them in the washing machine to wash them…

Xia Yan: As you wish!

Xia Yan could only give simple, short answers to me as he sprinted, but I knew he was earnestly listening to my every word.

Finally, the last minute.

Xia Yan and I pulled out the end point’s banner.

-END-

#tears of themis #tears of themis translations #weiding shijian bu #未定事件簿 #xia yan #夏彦 #tot translation #formatting this post drove me certifiably inSANE #seems like theres some tumblr glitch that won't save edits under certain unknown conditions??#oh well #no thoughts other than xia yan being an absolute military trained badass #and mc thinking about his muscles #like same girl #also i just love how much they trust each other #and have like no barriers between them

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redrobinhoods · 4 years

Text

illicit affairs | Chapter 1, Buzzcut Season

AO3 Link | 4,000 words (approx) | Chapter 2

Story Summary: Commander Fox thought that his only love would be the Republic. He certainly never thought that a small blue senator would change that. But if the Republic wants to make him a martyr, it should be for something he believes in.

“They can’t do that.”

“I’m afraid they can.”

“I won’t let them.” Fox shook his head incredulously and Thire bit back a laugh.

“I don’t think you have the authority to do that, sir.” The Chancellor had made the request himself.

“We have a perfectly fine atrium here-”

“Sir, there’s still blast marks on the wall from the bounty hunters.”

“- I don’t know why we need to host it in the Galactic Museum. Do you know how many sniper perches there are in just the main hall?”

Thire thought back to the holomap he had been looking at five minutes prior, before Fox had commed him in practical hysterics. “Last I checked it was seventeen.”

“Seventeen.” Fox slammed his hand down on the device before him and a holomap of the Galactic Museum flicked to life before them. Thire noted that some light renovations had been done in one of the exhibition rooms, he would have to adjust his current plan. “Seventeen perches in one hall and they want to take over the entire museum.”

“I’m sure that the 501st would donate some of their ARCs to our cause if you asked.”

“Thire, I’m considering it.” Fox groaned and leaned into his hands. “At this point we may as well comm Cody’s Bad Batch.” He’d heard that they’d ended up with one of the 501st’s ARC Troopers and had an expert marksman on the team. But any of them would have different uniforms than the Guard and the Chancellor had been prioritizing the Guard’s visual conformity as of late.

“You two do remember that we have authority over both the Senate Guard and the Red Guard, right?” Commander Stone walked in without knocking, carrying three mugs of caf. “Spread out the Senate Guard and our boys equally around the rooms and have a detachment of Red Guard at each of the entrances and around the Chancellor.”

“Yes, but the Senate Guard is incompetent and corrupt at best.” Thire gratefully accepted a mug from Stone.

“So are the senators.” Fox scoffed as he accepted the other mug from Stone. “Name an honest senator off the top of your head that’s not part of the Delegation of the Two-thousand, not that all of them are honest either.”

“Representative Jar Jar Binks of course.” Stone grinned as he leaned against the back of Fox’s chair.

“First, he’s not a senator. Second, don’t get me started, Stone.” Fox sighed and took a long sip of his caf, looking into it as if the answers would swirl to the surface. “We’ll mobilize the Blue and Red Guards. Thire, get me the optimal force placement by tomorrow morning. Stone, prep the bomb squad and get Sergeant Hound up to date. I want him on site. I’ll inform the Chancellor.”

“Another thing, Fox.” Stone brought out a holopad that he’d had tucked under his arm. “Chairman Papanoida has requested an additional security detail for the Pantoran Senator at this event.”

“Senator Chuchi, again?” Thire shook his head in amazement. “She’s going to give Amidala a run for her credits. Have you met the senator, Fox?”

“I’m about to. I’ll take three of the men and lead the security detail myself.” Fox took the holopad from Stone and placed it by his helmet on the desk.

“You’ll like her, she’s the one that dropped off those sweets last month.” Stone said, rising from the back of Fox’s chair. “Brilliant young woman, prime target for assassination.”

“I’m familiar with her file, Stone.” Fox closed the holomap and rose from his chair, followed shortly by Thire. “Let’s get this shit-show on the road.”

“Don’t let the Chancellor hear you call his gala a shit-show.” Thire said.

Fox shrugged. “Fine. Poodoo-parade.”

---

The members of the Coruscant Guard were fond of Senator Riyo Chuchi. She had always been nice to them, looked at them-not past them- when walking in the Senate halls, and took the time to remember their names and greet them. Commander Thorn had spoken very highly of her to Fox. But Thorn wasn’t here anymore. While Thire had risen to the occasion of his promotion, Fox was still grieving Thorn’s loss. The entire Guard was grieving all the brothers they had lost on Scipio. An entire squad, all because of one man. But that was how Fox ended up running the senatorial detail for Senator Chuchi. Thorn had usually been the one running the show on all protection details, but while Thire was adjusting to his heightened responsibility Fox had taken over some of Thorn’s duties.

Few senators would’ve been able to pick out the commander of the Coruscant Guard out of a line-up. Impressive, given that his was now the only truly unique armor in the Guard. Of course they’d heard about him, how could they have not? He was the most highly decorated clone trooper in the GAR. But the names and faces of clone troopers didn’t come easily to non-clones. That is why Commander Fox was surprised to be approached by an unfamiliar face as he walked from the offices of the Coruscant Guard to that of the Chancellor.

“Commander Fox?”

Fox looked up from the holopad that he used to avoid eye contact with the senators. “Ma’am?”

“Senator Riyo Chuchi, Commander.” She held out her hand and he took it. “I heard that you will be leading my security detail this weekend.”

“You heard correctly, Senator. Though very quickly.” Did he need to check his office for bugs? It had been two days since the last scan. Perhaps that was too long.

“I just passed Commander Stone.” She smiled softly and Fox understood why all of his guardsmen were charmed by her. He had been told that his and many of his brother’s eyes were golden in the right light, but her eyes were downright gold. He felt his breath catch in his throat and was glad that she couldn’t see his look of wonder through the mask. Fortunately, his training prepared him for high-stress situations, and he was able to regain his composure quickly.

“Of course, our local chatterbox.”

She chuckled. “Really?”

“No.” He smiled, and though she couldn’t see it he felt that his body language probably conveyed it to her. If she could remember the names of his men, then surely she could read their body language through the helmets.

She laughed again, then turned her eyes down. “I’m very sorry, but I must be on my way.” She looked up into the black visor of his helmet. “I look forward to seeing you this weekend, Commander Fox.” Then she was off before Fox could respond. Suddenly, the gala was not entirely a poodoo-parade, but a rather enticing event. It was Fox’s job to protect the citizens of Coruscant, but he had never really wanted to protect someone until now. He suddenly understood why beings owned pets or had children. He had now only known Senator Chuchi for a few fleeting moments, but he would give anything to ensure her safety. He didn’t set off again until her retreating figure was no longer visible in the crowd.

---

“How’s the crap-carnival going, Commander?” Jek asked as soon as the door closed behind Fox.

“It’s going well, Jek. Thank you very much for volunteering for Senator Chuchi’s security detail.”

“You ran into her didn’t you, Fox?” Thire was where he had been when Fox left. In the corner of the main office-space in front of a holomap of the Galactic Museum. Fox noted that it was now the updated one.

“Are you also volunteering, Commander Thire?”

“What did you think?” Thire leaned forward onto the table before him, eyes on Fox. Every guardsman in the room turned to look at their commanding officer. Fox look around at them and said nothing. “So, you too would throw yourself in front of a blaster bolt for her.” A light laugh, quickly stifled, broke out across the room. One of the men couldn’t muffle his laughter in time and found himself fixed by the blank stare of Fox’s helmet.

“Shut up, Thire. And thank you, Impulse, for volunteering. Thire you may surrender your position to another volunteer at any time if your presence is required elsewhere.”

“With all due respect, sir. I wouldn’t miss this for the galaxy.” Fox knew that it would be something that Thire was more comfortable with. Thire had yet to command event security and starting off with the entire Senate body was a little too much. Two commanders for a single senator’s security detail may have been overkill, but at least it would put them both on the floor.

The next few days were a blur. Commander Stone was placed in charge of event security, and while Commander Thire was part of Senator Chuchi’s detail he was also placed in charge of watching the floor. The Guard was rearranged, with more senior members being moved to the gala detail and more junior members being shuffled to fill the vacant positions for the time being. This was one of the upsides of the Chancellor’s new uniform rules. With an identical body they could rearrange themselves however they wished, and no one would know the difference. Thire, who had stuck with his regulation uniform despite the promotion, found it to be very convenient. He was becoming a fast favorite of the Chancellor, and the ability to swap himself in and out with his men as he pleased was agreeable to him. He still found it so even as he lined up with Jek and Impulse as they waited for Fox to finalize the Chancellor’s final security briefing. Without knowing his name or CT number, he looked like just another trooper in the detail. Tonight, it would allow him to run security on the senator and get a better feeling for the room than Fox would be able to, considering how his inverted armor would stand out from the trio of white. Though Fox would have a greater intimidation factor than he would. Altogether, Thire doubted that something could go wrong in the next few hours.

---

Riyo stepped back from the mirror to cast a final look over her appearance. Padme had been the one to pick out her dress, a full length light blue gown that fell over her skin in soft pillows of fabric. The folds that appeared to be formfitting concealed thick plates of body armor that covered her torso. Very practical, very Padme. Riyo tucked a stray hair back behind her ear, not that it would matter after the speeder ride to the gala, and ensured that she’d grabbed the right tube of dark purple lipstick for her purse. She felt very regal.

Her doorbell chimed.

Checking over the contents of her purse one last time, she nearly ran to answer the door. Opening it she found four clones standing before her.

“Commander Fox, Commander Thire, Impulse, and I’m not sure I’ve ever caught your name.”

“Jek, ma’am.”

“Nice to meet you, Jek.” She stepped out of the door, closing it behind her before setting off towards the apartment complex landing platform. “Thank you all for your protection. I believe that Chairman Papanoida is merely being paranoid, but I feel much safer with you here.”

“Always a pleasure, Senator.” Said Thire, falling behind her in the escort. “If you don’t mind my saying so, you look stunning tonight.”

She giggled. “Thank you, Commander. I didn’t know that clones ever considered looks.”

“You wouldn’t know if you only knew Fox, ma’am.” Jek said, looking to the right at his commander. “He’s regulation cut, a good boy. No tattoos or fancy hair.”

Fox looked left at Jek. “Tattoos are the mark of a clone with too much spare time. Are you trying to tell me you’re bored, Jek? I can pass that on to the janitorial staff if you like. You wouldn’t imagine the things that they find in bathrooms. Could be useful to have a Guard member on the team.”

“With all due respect, sir. I’d rather lick the ground of the Undercity.”

From behind Riyo, Impulse spoke up. “I’m sure the commander could arrange that too! He could prepare your medical papers ahead of time.”

Riyo shuddered, though she was still grinning. Maybe having an escort for the night wouldn’t be as boring as she thought. “I’m sure medical would be preferable to cleaning up after one of Senator Orn Free Taa’s parties.”

Fox scoffed. “No comment.”

When they reached the speeder, Jek was the first one in. He held out his hand to Riyo and she took it, accepting the boost up into the vehicle. Impulse immediately followed her and the two clones took a seat on each side of her in the middle row. Thire and Fox still stood next to the speeder, and she watched Fox take off his helmet and hand it over to Thire before he ducked under the vehicle.

Thire caught her stare. “Additional anti-theft devices, ma’am. Makes placing undercarriage bombs harder, but you also have to turn the damn thing off.”

“Does the benefit outweigh the trouble, Commander?”

Fox popped back up, running a hand through his regulation hair, loosening a few curls. “Not at all, Senator.” She took in his face. As Jek had said, he had no tattoos, visible ones at least, but a few white lines of scar tissue crossed his throat. He looked tired. Fox took his helmet back from Thire and vaulted over the speeder door into the driver’s seat, taking a drink of water from a small canteen at his hip before putting his helmet back on. Thire sat behind her, facing backwards. Shielded on all sides, she relaxed. She had a feeling that the commander of the Coruscant Guard was what many beings called a ‘defensive driver’.

“Buckle up or be bucked.” Jek kicked the back of Fox’s chair lightly.

“That was one time.” Fox mumbled, pulling off the landing pad to join the lanes of air traffic.

“One time?” Riyo exclaimed.

“I saw our target and went for him, Senator. I assumed that any of my men would have the good mind to buckle up before going on a high-speed chase for a bounty hunter.”

“I almost died, Fox.”

“But you didn’t.” Fox made a sound as if he was going to say more, then turned his attention back to the traffic.

“Commander Thorn saved me, grabbed my ankle just in time.” Jek mumbled, the helmet vocabulator barely picking up the sound.

“I heard about Scipio, I’m sorry for your loss. He was a good man.” Riyo remembered him as the man who had once fully taken over her apartment with troopers after a threat on her life and personally installed security sensors on all her windows and doors. She’d ended up sleeping on the couch that night while he secured her bedroom. Afterwards, she had run into him often in the Senate halls, and always with a crack about how her window frame had never been the same.

Fox sighed. “He was the best of us.”

Thire was the first one out of the vehicle when they arrived at the Galactic Museum, followed shortly by Impulse and Riyo. She gratefully accepted his hand as she exited the speeder, heels and speeders never seemed to get along, and was followed shortly afterwards by Jek and Fox.

“You know the drill, Senator Chuchi. Enjoy your evening and pretend that we’re not watching your every move.”

“Thank you, Commander. I have enjoyed and will continue to enjoy your company tonight.”

The gala was a beautiful event. Held in honor of the founding of the Republic, all of the Senators and well-to-do of the city had been invited. Riyo spotted many beings who she knew only by name or by reputation amongst the crowd. She was not the only one with an escort, and she found a little comfort in that she wouldn’t stand out for being accompanied by the clones. Though the clones themselves stood out. She caught more than one being staring at the red-armor commander at her right side, and she couldn’t help a small twinge of jealousy. She wondered if she could convince one of the boys to dance with her. Perhaps not Thire or Impulse, they seemed busy scanning the floor for threats, but she was sure that Jek wouldn’t mind and she wondered if she could even convince Commander Fox to take her out on the floor. Then she realized how much she would stand out for dancing with a clone, red or white, and how that could negatively impact their positions in the Coruscant Guard. Many of the beings here were the type that didn’t like to be reminded of the humanity of the clones and she didn’t want to bring their outbursts down on her companions. She stuck to the edges of the rooms instead, where she could find many more senators who were not comfortable with mingling with the rich in the middle of the floor. Here she found solace in discussing some of the exhibits with those she considered to be her allies in the Senate, and occasionally with the clones if she noticed something intriguing in passing. They wouldn’t speak to her unprompted but would gladly respond when spoken to.

Towards the end of the night the crowds thinned out and she and her escort walked freely through even the middle of the rooms.

“There was an exhibit on the ice formations of Hoth that I would like to see again. Would that be suitable, Commander Fox?”

“Yes, ma’am. If you take a right before the mock mythosaur there is a shortcut that we can take if it pleases you.” Of course he knew the layout.

She weaved her way through the remaining guests, noting that it was mostly senators in this room, and passed through the small passage that Fox had recommended. This hall, Natural Formations of Wonder, was mostly empty save for a small crowd gathering around the volcanic glass from Mustafar. Across the room, there was a temperature-controlled case containing the formations she wanted to see.

“I didn’t see ice until I was thirteen, you know.” She spoke as they crossed the room. “Pantora is marshy by nature. My father took me to Scipio with him when he served as the Pantoran Senator. I’d never seen anything like it before.”

“We can relate, Senator.” Thire spoke up. “Kamino, our homeworld, is oceanic. Fox thought that the Kaminii were lying about trees for the longest time.”

A huff of air that could have been part of a laugh escaped Fox’s vocabulator. “I’m still not too sure about forests.”

“You need to get out more.” Jek reached over Riyo to give Fox’s shoulder a light shove. “Breathe the fresh air.”

“Never heard of it.” Fox shook his head lightly and went back to scanning the room. Riyo felt a stab of pity for the commander and made a note that she would have to find a way to get him off-world with her somehow, if only so he could experience fresh air.

“Do you miss Kamino?” She ventured, keeping her gaze on the ice crystals before her so that none of the men felt that they were being put on the spot.

There was silence around her until Impulse spoke. “I don’t think any of us have that option, Senator.”

“Well, if you could be on any planet in the galaxy right now, which one would you choose?” More silence greeted her question.

“Naboo.” Thire said, breaking the tension. “It’s nice there. I don’t think that we clones view Kamino as you view Pantora, Senator Chuchi. It’s the closest thing we have to a home, but it’s not ours. Personally speaking, my home is my brothers. It’s not tied to a place. I don’t miss my homeworld because my home is always with me, waking up at the ass-crack of dawn.”

Riyo laughed, turning away from the ice. “I believe I am ready to depart, before dawn finds us here instead of in our beds.”

“As you wish, Senator.”

They started back across the room the same way they had spent the evening, Fox and Jek at her side, Thire and Impulse behind her. But now there was no crowd to push through, and no chance of one as the group admiring the Mustafarian glass had departed. Riyo let her gaze wander around the room, taking in the natural marvels one last time. Her attention was grabbed by the sudden turn of Fox’s helmet as he looked up into the catwalks of the vaulted ceiling. She followed his gaze, but saw nothing.

“Senator!” Fox stepped back, grabbed her by the elbows and pulled her to the ground. The force brought her to her knees, and her head was pushed down as Fox covered her body with his own. He pulled her in with his left arm so that she was pressed against him, fully shielded from behind. Jek knelt in front of them, rifle drawn over Fox’s shoulder as he scanned the room around them. It was silent. Riyo watched Fox slowly bring a pistol out from its holster with his right hand. Thire and Impulse swept through the room, with the former going up into the catwalks. They gave the all clear minutes later as Thire rejoined the group. Fox and Jek eased away from Riyo, and she sat up straight. Fox didn’t move from behind her, and she stayed put as the four guards continued to visually scan the room. Then there was a flash of movement on her right. The sniper was fast, but Fox was faster. His hand had never left her side, and now he brought her close to himself as he twisted his body down to shield her.

The was a whistle and a crack. Fox’s grip around Riyo’s waist faltered and the two crashed into the ground. Riyo couldn’t help the whimper that escaped her lips, and Fox pulled her closer to his body to continue to shield her, curling around and over her tiny form. Another shot rang out and Fox clutched her even tighter to his chest. Her hands clung to his arm as if the touch would save her life. Perhaps it would. Two of the men, she couldn’t tell their boots apart, moved to stand over her and Fox, rifles raised towards where the shots had come from. There wasn’t a third shot.

One of the men standing above them raised his comm. “This is Commander Thire requesting a medic in Natural Formations, Commander Fox is down. Activate Contingency Theta.”

“Get her out of here.” Fox mumbled. She could feel the vibrations in his chest against the back of her head as he spoke. His grip on her waist relaxed. Riyo realized that he had been hit.

“Yes, sir.” Jek said. With Impulse and Thire standing guard Jek reached down and pulled Riyo from Fox’s grip.

“No, we can’t leave him!” She protested. She tried to pull away, but Jek’s grip on her arm was strong and soon she was surrounded by plastoid as she was taken away. Between Thire and Impulse she could see the motionless form of Commander Fox behind them, a black hole burning between his shoulder blades, another at his waist. She let out a quiet sob at the sight.

“He did his duty, Senator; you must do yours.” Thire said as the three men swept her away from the room.

#foxiyo #commander fox #commander thire #commander stone #riyo chuchi #clone trooper jek #my fics #illicit affairs fic

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sweetiepie08 · 4 years

Text

Rebel Z (Chapter 4)

Invader Zim fanfic

While analyzing Zim’s PAK for weaknesses, Tak discovers strange coding that sends her on a search for answers. The clues lead her to uncover a conspiracy that governs all of Irken society. When the truth sends her on the run, she has no choice but to return to the one place the Tallest would never willingly go: Urth.

Meanwhile, Dib has noticed odd changes in Zim’s behavior. Has the invader simply grown bored of his mission over the last few years, or is there something more interesting going on?

People who asked to be tagged: @incorrect-invader-zim , @messinwitheddie, @reblogstupids, @cate-r-gunn, @agentpinerulesall

If anyone else would like to be added to the tag list feel free to message me. Also, if you’re on the tag list and you changed your name, please just let me know.

Chapter 1. Chapter 2. Chapter 3. Chapter 4. Chapter 5. Chapter 6. Chapter 7. Chapter 8. Chapter 9. Chapter 10.

[-]

Dib felt the familiar burning sensation in his eyes as he stared at his monitors. Zim had been relatively quiet for quite some time now, three years to be exact. He didn’t disappear completely, like he had right before the Florpus Hole incident. Dib still caught him moving about his house, talking to strange aliens on his tele-communication device, and building dangerous-looking machinery. Despite Zim’s clear activity, outright plans to take over the Earth seemed to cease. Or at least Zim stopped gloating about them. Dib noticed these changes and decided they were concerning enough to require constant surveillance, but stable enough that he could step away from his screens every now and then.

As his eyes drifted across the screens, they landed on a haphazard stack of college brochures resting on his desk. Top universities from all over the world have been sending him these since preschool. He suspected college recruiters everywhere put his name on their lists the second they heard the world-renowned Professor Membrane had an offspring. They badgered him and Gaz for as long back as he could remember. They typically threw at least one ivy-league brochure in the trash every week. Although now, he had to start keeping them. Those recruiters must have started salivating as soon as his SAT scores were in. Every school wanted to be able to say they educated the children of Professor Membrane.

At least he didn’t have to deal with all the college recruitment events he knew were going on over at the High Skool. He and Gaz left mainstream education behind years ago after convincing their dad to let them homeschool. It wasn’t that hard. All they had to do was sit their dad down and show him their curriculums. His only condition was that they keep their grades up and take the most advanced programs available. It turned out to be a mutually beneficial arrangement. Dib & Gaz were learning the advanced science their father wanted them to, and they never had to set foot in the Skool again. This arrangement ended early for Dib, as he completed his senior year before his former classmates reached midterms. Of course, this only made the college recruiters even more ravenous.

Well, they were going to have to wait. High school may be over for him, but now he was taking a gap year. He told his father he wanted the time to figure out which branch of science he wanted to study. This was only half-true. Really, he just needed to figure out what to do with his life, period.

His child-hood dream of being a paranormal investigator grew less and less appealing as he saw what the field had become. The Swollen Eyeball network had gone down hill since Agent Darkbootie went off the grid to live amongst the sasquatch. Standards dropped to the Marianas Trench. Now, they let in riff-raff like flat-earthers and hollow-mooners. Uncovering the truth didn’t seem important to them anymore. It was all about who could come up with the most convoluted conspiracy, regardless of evidence or even common sense. Dib wanted to uncover the mysteries of the universe, to expand the knowledge of the human race. Knowledge didn’t seem to factor in at all anymore, not so long as the theory was sexy.

As for Dib’s work on Zim, he had to admit, it’d become mundane sometimes. He could only watch Zim binge-watch tv so many times before accepting there was nothing more to it. Hell, sometimes Dib would find himself watching whatever was on the tv more than he watched Zim. He’d sometimes go days without any notable movement. A few weeks ago, however, remarkable activity breathed new life into Dib’s efforts.

Currently, Zim’s ship sat haphazardly parked, or rather crashed, on the front lawn. Dib stared at it, waiting for Zim to notice the state of his space craft.

“Still monitoring Zim?” He heard Gaz say from the door.

“Always,” Dib replied, eyes still glued to the screen.

Gaz rolled her eyes and walked into his room. “You sure you need to? He’s been pretty quiet lately.”

“He knows I’m watching.”

“Okay, TJ Eckleburg,” Gaz said, leaning on his desk and popping open a soda.

“huh?”

“Read a book.”

“Whatever,” he groaned, his eyes flickering from one monitor to another. “The point is, quietness means nothing. Remember the time he disappeared but it turned out he was just hiding in the toilet?”

“You mean the time you let him hijack Membrane Labs, kidnap dad, and almost send the planet through a florpus hole?” She took a long sip of her soda. “Yeah, I remember.”

“And what about the time he left for weeks, then just showed up one day and broke my camera?”

“Oh yeah, that. I wouldn’t call breaking your camera ultimate evil, though, especially if you were shoving it in his face. You never did find out where he went, did you?”

“No, but there’s definitely something going on now,” Dib said as he opened his laptop. “I was going over the surveillance footage from last night and look.”

He brought up a clip he saved from the footage. It showed Tak parking a boxy, gray ship in Zim’s back yard and sneaking into his base. After a few minutes, the rooftop hanger opened. She flew Zim’s ship out, dumped it on the front lawn, and parked her own ship back in the hanger.

“Is that Tak?” Gaz asked, watching the clip.

“Yeah, I saw her on the cameras a few weeks ago. She broke into Zim’s base and left after about an hour, but this time she hasn’t come out.”

“So why aren’t you going over to investigate?” Gaz asked, returning to her casual lean.

“I can’t just rush in without a plan on something this huge!” he retorted. “I have to figure out what they’re doing first.”

Gaz shrugged. “Maybe she killed him and took over his base.”

“It’s not that easy,” Dib explained. “Zim’s computers are programed to only respond to him.”

“I used it once. The Tak hotdog thing, remember?”

“That was different. Zim let us in semi-willingly. Unless Tak found a way to override the security features…”

“Maybe she’s using Zim’s corpse as a meat-puppet to control the computer.”

Dib cringed. “Uh, gross.” Even he wasn’t sure he could stomach that idea. He returned to his monitors and saw a shadow move in Zim’s living room. “Wait! I just saw something!”

They both leaned into the screen as Dib zoomed in the camera on the window. Through it, they could see Zim’s robot servant sitting on the couch, eating snacks.

“That’s just Zim’s dumb robot watching tv,” Gaz said.

Dib threw his hands up. “Oh come on!” The robot again?! He’d watched this thing gobble down nachos on this couch a million times. Why did everything look so normal over there? “There has to be something going on. Is Tak hiding? Did Zim capture her? Are they planning something together? I have to know!”

“My best guess?”

“You’ve got a theory?” Dib asked, eagerly swiveling his chair around to face her. “Let’s hear it!”

“Tak’s playing the trombone and Zim’s slamming the oven door.” Gaz smirked, looking annoyingly proud of herself.

Dib’s face fell into a scowl. “Thanks Gaz, very insightful.” He sharply turned his chair back toward the monitors.

“You’re going to be up here obsessing all day, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Probably.”

“Fine.” Gaz downed the rest of her drink, tossed the can in the trash, and started toward the door. “I was thinking about watching that new Skinwalker Ranch documentary tonight, but I guess you’ll be busy.”

She walked out, leaving Dib alone with his screens. He scanned the feed in front of him, all inactive save for Zim’s snacking robot. He had been wanting to check out that documentary, but keeping an eye on Zim was more important, especially after this recent development. His eyes landed on the robot again, who was now sloppily sucking down a giant slushee. Dib sighed and checked the rest of his cameras.

Still nothing.

[-]

Zim emerged from his labs after another night of testing and research. His latest project was going well so far, despite the recent interference. No doubt, his leaders would be pleased. He went to the kitchen for a well-deserved soda and, whistling, headed to the living room to check on Gir.

As he sipped, he noticed something large and purple out the window. When he went to look, he nearly spit out his drink. His voot sat crashed in the front yard for all the Urth to see.

“Gir!” he shouted, jumping around to face his robot. “What is my ship doing out there?!”

“I dunno,” Gir said, munching away on his snacks.

“Well, if you didn’t do it, who did?”

“Uh, Zim,” the computer interrupted. “It was probably the intruder.”

“What intruder?!” Zim demanded, stomping into the middle of the room. “Why didn’t you alert me?”

“Uh, I did.”

The show Gir was watching snapped off the tv and the screen now showed security footage from the previous evening. Zim and Gir sat on the couch with a bowl of snacks.

“Sir, I have detected a-”

“Not now, computer,” TV Zim said, “Jessica is about to reveal the murderer.”

“But this really is urgent.”

“Of course!” TV Zim shouted, leaning off the couch. “It was the bus driver, seeking revenge for his fallen offspring!”

“Zim, there is an intruder in the-”

TV Zim jumped to his feet. “What? No!”

“Exactly!”

“It’s not the bus driver after all!” TV Zim declared. “I knew it!”

“No you didn’t,” TV Gir chimed in.

“There’s too much time left in the episode. Jessica still has 15 minutes to find the killer. Now, which of these smelly bus-humans is the real culprit?”

“Ugh, fine, whatever.”

The security feed cut out and Gir’s show came back on the tv. Zim growled and pressed his palms into his forehead. Curse that Jessica Fletcher and her engaging small-town mysteries! If that show hadn’t been canceled Urth decades ago, he would have ensured that was the last murder she ever wrote.

“Computer! Is the intruder still in the base?”

“Yes.”

“Locate them.”

After a few seconds of processing sounds, Computer answered. “Irken biosignature located in the storage room.”

Irken, he was pretty sure he knew what that meant. Zim stormed over to the trashcan/elevator. “Computer, take me to the storage room. I’ll show Tak how to sneak into my base.”

“You’re going to show her how to sneak into your base?”

“Or how not to sneak… Or what happens when you sneak… or… Ugh you know what I meant!” Zim jumped into the elevator. “Just take me there!”

[-]

Finding Tak wasn’t as hard as he expected. As soon as he made it down to the storage room, Zim was greeted by the sound of something metal clanging to the floor. From there, all he had to do was follow the trail of crushed cans. At the end, he found Tak sitting on the floor, surrounded by discarded cans and bottles. She barely took notice of him as she downed another drink.

“You!” He shouted, pointing an accusing finger at her. “You have some nerve coming back here after… whatever it is you did! I spent days running diagnostics, trying to figure out what it is you tampered with.”

“Eh, who cares what I did?” Tak slurred, tearing her mouth away from the bottle. “I’m back on Urth. Life is empty and destiny is a cruel joke.”

“What are you going on about? And what is all this?” he said, trudging through her mess. His foot kicked a glass bottle which was larger than the rest. Picking it up, he recognized the fancy Irken label. “This is my gingzor!” he gasped. “I’ve been saving this!”

“You can get more,” Tak said with a burp. “Did you know you can get this stuff on Urth without showing identification? Idiots.”

“Have you been in my storage room, drowning yourself in gingzor all night?”

“Yup, why not? As good a way to waste my meaningless life as any.” She looked down the neck of the bottle in her hand. “Empty, sad,” she pouted as she tossed it over her shoulder.

“What are you talking about?”

“Just my recent discovery that my entire life is a lie,” she sighed. “Hey, wanna watch me laser-shot this whole six pack?”

Tak held up a pack of green cans by their plastic connector. She shot a hole in the bottom of one with a laser pistol, then started chugging the drink out from the bottom.

Zim curled a finger around his chin as he pondered the sight before him. This was very unlike Tak. He’d had enough encounters with her to know what to expect. Proud declarations of her superiority, vows for bloody vengeance, maybe a bit of maniacal cackling… that was Tak. She even had all night to attempt to kill him and, instead, spent it swimming in a pool of gingzor and self-pity. This…this was not Tak. He wondered what could possibly bring her to such a lowly state. Then it hit him.

“Ah, I see what’s happened,” he declared. “You finally realized you were never meant to be an invader and that knowledge has sent you down a spiraling pit of despair. Go on, let it out. Zim can offer his pity.”

Tak’s eyes narrowed. She plucked a can off of the pack, shook it up, and sprayed it in Zim’s face. Zim let out a yelp as he was doused in the drink.

“You know, Zim, I didn’t know you were so sentimental.”

“Sentimental?” he grumbled, rubbing the gingzor out of his eyes

“I found your secret stash.” Tak smirked as she pulled out a box labeled ZIM’S PRIVATE STUFF (GIR DON’T TOUCH). She reached into the box and took out a CD case titled Best of Queen. “Looks like someone’s a fan of Urth royalty,” she said as she tossed it in the air.

Zim scrambled to catch it before it smashed on the ground. “That is a music group, not royalty and-”

“Oh what’s this?” she asked, pulling out his sleeved blanket. “Some sort of backward robe?” She threw that on Zim’s head, then held up his fuzzy boots. “And what are these?”

Zim snatched the blanket off and dropped it on the ground. “It gets very cold on Urth and-”

“Guess I can expect softness from someone who kept their cadet badge.” Tak held up the pink, metal circle with the Irken insignia emblazed on it. His heart beat just a second faster.

“Enough!” he shouted, swiping the badge out of her hands. “You have no business going through my stuff!”

Tak made a dismissive sound and waved her arm. “Pfft, I’ve already seen the inside of your brain. What’s the harm in looking through a few boxes?”

“Eh? My brain? Wha?” His hands flew to his back as he realized what she just admitted. “My PAK! You tampered with my PAK!”

“For the last time, I didn’t tamper, I ANALYZED!” she screamed in his face.

“Uh… this was the first time I mentioned it… Wait! It doesn’t matter! You committed a capital offence!”

“No, tampering is a capitol offence. Analyzing isn’t technically against the law.” She let out a bitter chuckle. “Although, it probably should be if they didn’t want me to see what I saw.”

“Eh? What?”

“I know something you don’t know…” she sing-songed.

“What? What is it?” He demanded, grabbing her by the shirt. “Tell me!”

“Guess who’s defective…” she sing-songed again in that annoying, giddy tone. “You! And me! And Skoodge! And a whole bunch of other people probably! And it doesn't matter at all!” She laughed. “Nothing matters! Nothing is real!” She laughed harder and threw her arm around Zim’s shoulders. “I don't even want to kill you anymore because it be so pointless. Why put in the effort? We're just walking talking food for a giant, horrible, tentacle-y, blob-monster-god-thing”

“What blob-monster-god-thing?” He inquired, pealing Tak’s arm off of himself with a sneer.

“You know it as the control brains.” She smirked. There was something bitter and smug in it.

“Control brains?” He gasped. “You're speaking treason.”

“Eah-yup!” she declared, popping open another drink.

He desperately rubbed his temples as this new information buzzed around in his brain. She couldn’t be serious. She couldn’t be. “This is a trick,” he accused, eyes darting around, looking for hidden cameras. “You're trying to get me to say something treasonous so you can record it and show it to the Tallest.”

“Nope, no trick,” she said. Her voice was unsettlingly casual. “I went all the way to Refierencee to find out Irk is nothing but the plaything of a life sucking horror blob. Don't believe me? Here.” She tapped a spot on her PAK and a cable flew into her hands. “Plug me in and check my memory drive. See if I'm lying.”

She waggled the cable at him, daring him to take it. There had to be a reason she was doing all this. She must have some sort of ulterior motive. Why else would she make up such an outlandish lie? Unless, it wasn’t a lie...

“Fine,” he said, snatching the cable, “but I warn you, I've upgraded my computer security. So if you try to infect my base with a virus, it won't work.”

Tak shrugged and went back to her drink.

Something was wrong here, very wrong. Whether it was the truth or just a nefarious plot, there was only one way to get to the bottom of it.

[-]

Tak sat on a box, her PAK plugged into the computer while Zim reviewed her memory drive on his computer screen. He played the Refirencee memories again. Was this the 3rd or 4th time? He couldn't remember. He scanned each frame with a sharp eye. There had to be something else here, some sort of tell that this was a trick, just another one of Tak’s schemes. There was no way this could be true.

“Watch as many times as you want,” Tak said, opening yet another can. “It's not gonna change.”

“You tampered with your memory drive,” Zim said matter-of-fact. Even if he hadn’t found an inconsistency yet, that had to be the case. It was the only explanation. Well, not the only one…

“Nope,” she answered. The assurance in her voice was grating. “Have your computer check. I dare you.”

Zim glanced up. “Computer…”

“No signs of tampering detected.”

“You see…” She was so smug. He hated it.

“Then this Krislotch person is a liar.”

“And has an amazing amount of free time on his hands,” Tak retorted.

“There must be something else!” Zim slammed his hands on the control panel. “Some other explanation! If it is true that means-”

“That our people are slaves and our entire society is a lie? Why do you think I keep drinking?” She asked, knocking her drink back.

“Enough sass, you talking bottle of gingzor!” He shouted, whirling his chair around to face her. He jumped to his feet and put an accusing finger in her face. “You expect me to believe this? That the Control Brains are actually-”

“A giant parasite feeding off the life force of our entire race? Yes! Exactly! What aren't you getting?” She jumped to her feet as well and advanced toward him, crushing a can in her hands. “It's got its tentacles in everything. It controls every aspect of our lives and it'll continue to grow bigger and bigger until that's all there is. Irk doesn't exist, Zim!” She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him in. “In our lifetime it never has! There is only it and everyone: the invaders, the foot soldiers, the janitors, the food service drones, even the tallest! We're all just slaves to the glory of the parasite.”

Tak broke out in a wild cackle as tears began leaking from her eyes. Her fingers slipped from Zim’s clothes and she doubled over, hysterical laughter echoing around the room. Zim could only watch and puzzle over her conduct. This behavior was unbecoming of a proper Irken, especially not an elite as Tak fancied herself. Maniacal laughter was fine, sure, but this? Would she degrade herself so much for an act? He thought not.

“What now?”

“It's just so funny,” she said, wiping a tear from her eye. “I mean, we work all our lives to serve the empire. You and I even remained loyal in exile. And when I learned about this thing, how our people were in danger, my first thought was ‘I have to stop this thing.’ And now,” she let out a burst of cackling, “I'm an enemy of the state! And I have to hide in your base of all places and the first person I can tell about any of this is you.” Her laughter began again in full and it sent her to the floor. “You see how that's funny?”

“Uh, no.”

“Oh.” She calmed down enough to take a few deep breaths. “Am I laughing or crying?”

“Uh, laughing I think?”

“Good, good, 'cause this really is funny,” she said, reaching over and grabbing another can. “Like a great, big joke. My life, my existence… it's all a big, cosmic… what's that human phrase? Fuck you!” Her arms opened to the ceiling. “It's a big, cosmic fuck you!”

Zim watched her, laying on the floor, her pained laughter filling the room. The site was beyond pathetic, but he could feel no victory in it. He couldn't feel anything at all. If this was true, Tak was right… about everything. And in the face of this revelation, he did the only thing he could do. He sat down on the floor, grabbed a can of gingzor from the pack, and poured the contents into his mouth.

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takaraphoenix · 4 years

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 6

1. Favorite character of this season?

I absolutely love how they dedicated this season to Buffy's issues. She died. And was ripped out of heaven. She lost her mom and was suddenly forced into being the adult in the house. It's so much and she gets to break about it. Yes, she hurts the people around her, but honestly... it kind of figures? How is one supposed to adjust to what she is trying to adjust to? But over the season, the wake-up calls she gets – the asylum episode, Dawn's stealing, Willow's addiction and then the grand finale that makes her realize she wants to be in this world – it's so great, because it goes... slowly.

My biggest issue with most modern TV is that it's basically torture porn. The main character is put through impossibly traumatizing ordeals but is never even given the chance to cope, to try and deal with it. The issues are never addressed, only glossed over because actually dealing with them would require care and good writing and take time away from all the other drama going on! So characters are only traumatized for shock-value and then are immediately over it, even though it's unrealistic.

This season is a season of trauma. A season of bad coping mechanism, of pushing people away but still seeking someone where she can feel safe – Spike. She slowly has to relearn to open up and let them in, she has to learn to want to live again. And it's hard. And the show doesn't shy away from it, it doesn't shy away from her making the wrong choices, because... there is no one right choice that is obvious when dealing with the trauma she has faced.

2. Outstanding minor character (positive or negative)?

Negative. Jonathan. I just... I really truly hate that Jonathan is in the trio. Of all people, Jonathan. The one who gave Buffy her class-protector award with that heart-warming speech. Buffy was the one person who saved him, personally, when he wanted to commit suicide. Even after the Jonathan Superstar episode, Buffy was gentle and understanding with him. It just... for him, to turn supervillain like that was incredibly disappointing for me.

3. Favorite character dynamic?

I genuinely love the Tara-Dawn dynamic. Tara and Willow raised her for months while Buffy was dead. But the Giles-Anya dynamic is also so great – I'm very soft for the way Anya points out her hair is blonde in the finale like “Buffy is getting hugs for short hair. I too would like a hug”.

4. Favorite canon romantic ship?

Buffy and Spike... in the first half of the season. The way she found him to open up to, he was the only one she voluntarily told about having been in heaven. She finds a connection to him. The way he loves her – that he stayed, for months, even though she was dead, because he had promised her to take care of Dawn and he didn't just do that, he helped the Scoobies protect Sunnydale. He had no reason to and it still... it bothers me so much that everyone continuously belittles Spike's love for Buffy like it's not there. If he was only lusting after her, he would have ditched town after her death, he wouldn't have helped defend Sunnydale and take care of Dawn.

5. Least favorite canon romantic ship?

I'm having flashbacks here but it's a tie and it's because of shit decisions Xander and Willow made.

It's strange, I want to love Willow and – as a friend – she is a great character, but she's just... a shitty partner? She cheated on Oz for weeks or months with Xander and now she used magic to play with Tara's mind. That is so... violating and disturbing and that, after Tara found out and confronted her about it and pointed out how incredibly wrong that was, even more so with Tara's past, Willow just went and immediately did it again. And this isn't something you can blame the addiction for; this was just “I don't want my girlfriend mad at me so I'll erase her memories”. It's... just so bad.

The other being Xander and Anya, even though I love Xander and Anya together, but... the entire season was a steady build-up to “Xander REALLY doesn't wanna get married”, literally from the first episode on. He tried to hide the engagement as long as possible. Then he just... makes these disturbed faces every time someone brings up the married life. They had a whole sing and dance number about their doubts. It's just so very evidently clear that he doesn't want to get married, but he takes until the wedding itself to realize and just... leaves Anya at the altar and then thinks he can get her back? Genuinely thinks they could just go back to being in a relationship? But after leaving her at the altar acting like she owes him something – when he watches her and Spike have sex?

Sometimes, it feels like Xander and Willow really live to sabotage their own happiness.

6. Favorite episode?

Once More With Feeling – it's just one of the most outstanding episodes, really! The songs are so brilliant, the emotional arcs this episode for everyone – from the Spuffy to the per-marital issues between Anya and Xander to Tara and Giles' doubts. It's really brilliant. Many shows after have tried to make a musical episode happen and, with luck, they're fun or comic-relief, but... none have lived up to the standard set by this one.

7. Least favorite episode?

Oh, that's an easy one. 6x19 Seeing Red, where they made... Spike, at this point honestly, completely OoC by having him try to rape Buffy. That will never come off as anything but OoC, not after all that has happened between them. Yes, they are violent with each other – but that's a mutual thing, they hurt each other. This was... terrifying to watch as a teen and it hasn't stopped being upsetting and disturbing. And then they top the episode off with Tara being fridged.

I know fridging is technically the act of killing a female character for the sake of a male character's suffering, but... it's gay fridging? It's not even entirely a Bury Your Gay; Tara dies specifically for the pain and suffering of her lover. After everything Tara's been through in life and after everything Willow has put her through this season, they barely just rekindled... and she gets killed off.

8. Favorite Monster Of The Week?

Aesthetically and what he brought to the show? Sweet from Once More, With Feeling.

But I think that Stewart from Hell's Bells also really stood out. The fact that Anya's past came back to haunt her – because she was a demon for a century and she tortured people for a living. She doesn't even remember this guy whose life she ruined and he comes in to ruin her wedding. And in the end... he wasn't even the one to ruin it, the viewer gets one last moment of hope when it's revealed this was a fake-out, that he was not “Xander from the future” but a vengeful demon... but even without Stewart, the wedding didn't happen.

9. Least favorite Monster Of The Week?

Not too many monsters of the week going on, really. Probably Wig Lady from 6x12 Doublemeat Palace, because all the implications of cannibalism in that episode were really very disturbing.

10. Rate the overarching villain!

Brilliant. 10/10. Holds up so well.

Seriously, there is this... frustrating part where Xander's character just does not hold up at all because of the casual sexism and gross over-sexualization of his female friends. Which figures, because that's how a Nice Nerdy Guy was defined in the 90s (and, if you look at modern TV aimed at nerdy guys like The Big Bang Theory, still is). It's just a trope from TV and movies that for some reason really worked back then but nowadays when we look at sexism and the behavior of men toward women with different eyes, it is really appalling and upsetting.

In the case of the nerd trio, this worked out really well for the show, because it only makes them even more effective villains. They are ridiculous losers, total nerds who think they are owed womens' attention. Their schemes are literally straight out of comics but for the dumbest purposes – they make an invisibility ray so they can go into a women's only spa to spy on naked ladies. They create mind-control devices but for the purpose of enslaving women into their sex-puppets.

It is so gross, so ridiculous and inexplicably still somehow funny, because it's straight out of comics. Freeze-rays? Invisibility-rays? Self-destructing lairs? Jet-packs? It is not out of this world, this isn't how Buffy the Vampire Slayer operates, this is a show about monsters and demons and they're turning it into a whacky scifi show and it works.

Then there's the fact that they're just... three dumb losers? I mean, last season, Buffy literally slayed a god. Shows like to escalate. The Big Bads become bigger and badder each season, but... where do you go after you killed a god? Instead of trying to immediately one-up the villain factor, they did something incredibly brilliant. They took all the steps back.

The villains aren't the focus of this season. The focus of this season is what I answered in the first part of this post. Buffy's mental health and readjustment. You can't only focus on that though, you do need a villain and for that, an overarching villain of some loser nerd bois who fail the majority of time are perfect. They're nuisances that make Buffy's life marginally harder at times, but they're not an overall, serious, actual threat that may end the world.

And still they... got Tara killed. In such a... human manner. An angry man-child who hates women comes in with a gun and shoots her. And there's nothing the demon-slaying good guys can do about it. The bullet hits – not the target it was intended for – and takes an innocent life. Just like that, Warren manages what the hellish bad guys from previous seasons hadn't managed; he kills a Scoobie. Angelus killed Jenny, Drusilla killed Kendra, those were the only major deaths at the hands of villains that we had on this show so far and both were minor characters.

Bonus: Other thoughts?

Dawn was so draining this season; she got better in the last quarter of the season but the majority of it... The stealing, the behavior, the blaming Buffy for absolutely everything – Willow got addicted to magic, it's Buffy's fault, they have no money and Buffy has to go and work to earn money and it's Buffy's fault that she's not home, Buffy died to save Dawn and somehow it's Buffy's fault too because she left Dawn. Just... how can you possibly be this self-centered...? It's so exhausting, even more so in the season that has Buffy suffering the most and instead of being a supportive, helpful sister, Dawn acts like she's the victim of everything...

And I understand, Dawn has been through a lot too – losing her mother, losing Buffy, learning she isn't human but just a mass of energy – but there is a difference between suffering yourself and placing all the blame on other people and pretending that the world is against you, instead of tackling your own issues and problems yourself? And stealing from your friends, at that.

And no, being fifteen isn't an excuse for not seeing beyond yourself. Fifteen year olds are sure old enough to be self-aware... This “fifteen year olds only see themselves and only care about their own suffering and everybody else is to be blamed for how shit their life is” is just... another cringey Teen Girl Trope. Seriously, why did they just cram every single bad trope into this character...

#Buffy the Vampire Slayer #Buffy Review #Phoe Watching Buffy #Season 6

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rainbow-squirrels-7 · 5 years

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!!ENDGAME SPOILERS AHEAD!! Since I did it last year with Infinity War and now that I’ve seen Endgame twice here are my ramblings:

But before we begin apparently I accidentally predicted Endgame’s title during my IW ramblings and then completely forgot about it...

-so like that friggin beginning tho poor Clint like the entire movie. Agreeing with a favorite YouTube movie reviewer of mine, this was really Clint’s shining movie despite his uh- downward turn for a bit there -but on the bright side I’m glad his older kids’ names are canon now; like legit I thought those (Cooper and Lila) were made up by the fanfictioneers. Maybe they were and the writers were like ‘huh okay less work for us- yoink’ -then Nebula and Stark playing table football that was adorable. The shiny paper reminded me of that one Chris Hemsworth gif you know the one of him making a face at his reflection? -and heck yes Carol coming in hot to save the day what a legend -woohoo go get Thanos time -and he’s just in a frickin farm in a T-shirt (a T-SHIRT?!?) collecting some fruits and starting a new YouTube cooking channel -“what’s up half of the universe today we’re making weird bumpy fruit stew” -but heck yeah Thor cut off that guy’s head -and then just like whoa five years later. I usually can’t stand time jumps but it’s alright. It really gives a perspective of ‘yeah the world isn’t better with half its population. Everyone’s so sad’ -good job of Steve starting a therapy group tho even if he doesn’t take his own advice -I can’t believe a rat saved Scott talk about lucky -unless that rat was actually Loki -just sayin -and the bike kid: “wouldn’t you like to know weatherboy” -I forget how old Cassie was in Antman and the Wasp but +5 years to that I guess. She looks a bit too old to me but what do I know. I’m very glad she didn’t disappear though cuz I love Scott very much and I don’t want him to go through that -tbh Scott saved everyone cuz he had the time travel idea in the first place. I love an optimistic boy -UHBUHH I HAVENT TALKED ABOUT CAROL’S HAIRCUT YET UM HECK YEAH -it’s very good I’m very gay -anyway -I liked Nebula’s prominence in this movie she’s growing on me but of course it doesn’t take a lot on account of me loving robots (cyborgs?) so much -getting the band back together! -baby Morgan Stark/Potts was Very Good -ohmygod Thor -so chub -I was annoyed being without beefy Thor the first time, but rewatching it though I thought his Look was maybe not only reflecting his depression (cuz yeah) but maybe mythological Thor? Like I’m just throwing spaghetti at the wall but maybe in actual Norse myth Thor was (well, actually a redhead) that chub/beef combo but he did have the fluffier beard that MCU Thor had this time. Idk, like I said- spaghetti -Valkyrie’s back! Love her -they call her that though? Isn’t that what she is- like her job? Does she not have a name? Could have sworn it was Brunhilda or something -and Korg and the sharp bug guy are back too! Love them -friggin playing Fortnite -jokes aside though I do love that deep look into Thor’s guilt throughout the whole movie. Like he thought killing Thanos would just make everything better but it didn’t and just couldn’t deal and would rather drink to forget -Clint’s guilt was also interesting, like showing that ‘oh god he could really go there, he could get this bad given the circumstance’ -just Blade Runner-ing all around Tokyo -I haven’t seen Blade Runner but it has neon lights and rain right? -but yeah I do like the “the Snap took away good people and bad people but like it could have just took bad people and since it didn’t I’ll have to instead” -sad boy -he was very uh ‘Magnus rushes in’ if you will, during this movie. Not caring for a lot of it if he lived or died cuz he’d lost so much -god he was good in this movie -anyway -I also called the time travel:

-it still doesn’t completely make sense to me though? Like time travel is confusing enough but adding in a multiverse just makes it even more so -I loved the revisiting the old movies! -low key wanted an Age of Ultron revisit so we could have OMG we could have seen Pietro again -still on the #bringbackpietromaximoff train guys -but anyway we could have seen some good Wanda scenes and also my boy Vision again -but it did make more sense to get the three in NY at the same time -it was real cool to see the bald wizard lady (Minerva from TAZ Amnesty) defending the wizard building during 2012 Avengers- like that is so believable and now we can watch 2012 Avengers and be like “oh hey the wizards were there” -“that is America’s a**” I love how much Scott hero-worships Steve like we saw that in Civil War and yes it’s so funny and I love it its great -Steve vs Steve fight?? Great -“I can do this all day.” “Yeah yeah I know.” -And again, we can totally watch 2012 Avengers again and be like ‘yes meeting with Secretary Pierce and the other Shield guys- this is totally believable, it’s exactly what would have happened we just didn’t see it.’ -the elevator scene! I thought for sure Steve was gonna do the “now before we begin does anyone want to get out” but the “hail hydra” was just as good -“they’re hydra but we don’t know that yet” “they Look like bad guys!!” -and I guess Loki using the Tesseract to escape during that scene is setup for a... tv show? He’s gonna be wreaking havoc through time and space I guess?? Glad he’s back though -anyway revisiting more movies -friggin Guardians 1 -Quill singing Come and Get Your Love really badly cuz all we heard was the actual song and OhmyGOD that was hilarious -I’m glad Rhodey and Nebula got on a team cuz they can be prosthetic buddies -but did Nebula just not tell Clint and Nat that one of them would have to die for the Soul Stone? Or did they know and just not wanna talk about it till it came up? -TBH I though the ‘lose someone you love for the stone’ requirement would have been filled by both Clint and Nat already cuz Clint could have been like “um my dude do you even know how much I’ve lost already??” -apparently not though -Nat’s hair was great for the time travel parts I liked the red fade to white -though it was a sad and intense moment with Clint and Nat deciding who of them had to die it was also sweet cuz you can see how much they care for each other -and I was- well not glad but I really wanted Clint to see his family again -not that The Avengers weren’t his family -that friggin line “did she have family?” “Yeah. Us.” GOD -and then there’s that whole rigamarole with double Nebulas and oh Gamora’s back too -again time travel/the whole multiverse thing apparently doesn’t make sense to me so I’m just gonna gloss over it as much as I can until I can get more into it later -anyway the other time travel to the 1950s! -cool callback to Winter Soldier like you could see Zola going into the bunker -like So many people were there at the Camp Lehigh (idk if that’s how it’s spelled) like Everybody was there -good good moments with Tony and his dad -I thought it would have been cool for Tony to have given his dad the inspiration for his own name but oh well. Maybe that wouldn’t have even worked with time travel and all -Steve’s prank call to Hank Pym that was funny “um the box is glowing” -but oh geez the scene where Steve finds Peggy oh god when he goes in the room with her name on the door my roommate and I were watching it together the first time I saw it and both of us went “ohhhhhhh oh nooooooo” -cuz like that’s the first time he’s seen her since he went in the ice! Or at least seen her how he remembers and not old in Civil War hhhhhhhh GOD -I think seeing her there was a factor in his decision later but I’ll get to that later this is a long heck movie -oh and the OG human Jarvis showed up! I like him, I only saw season 1 of Peggy’s show but I remember liking him a lot -but yeah back to the present unless- well I’m sure I missed something -OH FRICK THOR’S BIT -I can’t Believe they went back to The Dark World -tbh I actually like The Dark World I think it’s a good movie but it’s not universally liked -callback to the scene with Loki tossing the cup in the air ahaha that one was always good -so if they had Rocket’s pokey device during that movie the whole plot of that movie could have been avoided? -anyway um Frigga?? What a queen. Literally -I loved “I was raised by witches I can see with more than my eyes” -she’s really what Thor needed there but god the “she dies today” poor boy -she’s so good though -I loved that ‘measure of a hero is being who you are not who you’re supposed to be’ Yes -and the “I’m still worthy!!!!” Thor needed a win -“eat a salad!” -Now back to the present -Stark-Tech can apparently channel Infinity Stones? And doesn’t need a special heart of a dying star and giant dwarfs to forge a special gauntlet um okay -“what do I have flowing through my veins right now?” “Cheese whiz?” -Bruce is so good though so strong I loved the “I was made for this” -so sweet when Laura called Clint! Yes! Everyone’s really back! -and double Nebula just Had to ruin everything tho -before I get into the final battle- I wonder how much of the time travel scenes were reused from old footage and how much was reshoots with the same actors/costumes/sets? -anyway -um rude blowing up the compound -and god the water scenes were so stressful the first time. Water/specifically-about-to-drown scenes always freak me out. Also trapped under ice and squished under something scenes -Clint finding the gauntlet and getting away from Thanos’ cronies! Every time anyone was running with the gauntlet all I could think of was that one goof from TAZ Balance in Petals to the Metal- Taako’s “Grab the Gauntlet and don’t look back” friggin

-also when Steve, Thor, and Tony all go to confront Thanos who is waiting for them, there’s a specific song playing in the background: https://youtu.be/H_9mnO_NOjk?t=120 (it starts at around 2:00) and you’ll hear this series of deep bell sounds? For the life of me- that specific sound sounds SO FAMILIAR and I can’t friggin place it. I can’t decide if it just reminds me of the Wind Dance song that plays in TAZ Balance whenever the Hunger shows up (which is fitting tbh)? Or if it sounds like some boss battle music that I can’t place? Maybe from Pokémon or Mystery Dungeon? I just can’t remember. It sounds real cool tho -but uh yeah UM -STEVE!! WORTHY!!!! -I mean we all be knowing but! -such a cool scene. I started clapping the first time I watched and others in the theatre joined in -not as cool as when Vision lifted the hammer but I’m biased -but things look dark at this point and I can’t remember if it’s at this part or one one next but there’s this real cool wide shot, this real nice tableau of Steve on a hill or something and this light behind him as he faces Thanos’ army and yeah it just looks real good. Like a good computer background I’d like to have or a poster -but yeah then! -“ON YOUR LEFT!” -Yay!!! Portals open and ‘oh yeah! Everyone’s back now! We have friends to help us fight!’ -gave me some good TAZ Balance episode 68 vibes. Could have called for a cool Lup-esque speech tho from Steve since he’s so good at that- “You see this? This is scary. But we can do this.” -EXCEPT -now we reach the part of my rambling where it turns into somewhat of a rant -because I’M annoyed but only for a specific reason that won’t affect the average moviegoer since Apparently not everyone’s a fan... -cuz Literally the only person who doesn’t show up -is my boy Vision -I mean Yes -I Know he was one of the people who died before Thanos snapped -but my hopes were Way Way Up that he’d come back somehow -and UHHH APPARENTLY I WILL JUST HAVE TO BE DISAPPOINTED -everyone Else came back??? Why not my boy?? -he wasn’t even mentioned despite being So Important in IW -except vaguely when Wanda pulled a real Taako in Balance episode 67 “You f**king took everything from me!!!” -she could have took out Thanos on her own for sure like he had to call in the big guns just to stop her from doing just that -strongest Avenger heck yeah -and Carol came too! -friggin Star Wars Episode 8-ing up in here shooting through Thanos’ spaceship that was So Cool -and the Girl Squad! Girl Squad! part!!!! Yes!!!!! So good!!! Protec small Peter! -somewhere, Nat smiled -Spider-Man’s instakill that was great -I loved the ‘pass the gauntlet’ part though -when Clint handed it off to T’Challa, T’Challa called his name and that was good cuz callback to Civil War when Clint said “we haven’t met yet. I’m Clint.” And T’Challa was like “I don’t care”. He does care now! Lol! -Carol just friggin Beast mode Thanos can’t even touch her he had to pluck the Power Stone from the gauntlet to even knock her back! We stan! A legend! -and oof Tony to Stephen Strange “14 million and one we win? Is this it?” “If I tell you it won’t be” -cuz oof -it really was a good ending for Tony though -he started it all way friggin back in 2008 -and the “I am Iron Man” Yes -and also I think it was in Age of Ultron that part when Tony was talking to Fury and it was like “I saw them all dead and that wasn’t even the worst of it” “the worst was that you didn’t” -so it’s very fitting and so so good -lining up with and going against Howard’s earlier “the greater good rarely outweighed my personal interest” and proving that Tony really was so heroic -so like it’s sad but it’s fitting and not like an unsatisfying end for his character -and it’s not like he won’t be friggin mentioned ever again or anything he’s friggin Iron Man he’s already in the new Spider-Man trailer -(no shade at all in the ‘not begin mentioned at all’ category...) -anyway oh wait -oh god Peter Parker tear my heart out again sad boy he’s so good at making us sad when he’s sad about Tony -yeah anyway again -loved the “proof that Tony Stark has a heart” disc from the first movie that was good -oh and so like the camera is moving through all the different groups of people on the dock and moving towards the house -(just an interlude but CAROL IN A SUIT UM YES) -there’s a shot of some random kid! And I didn’t know who it was until I was leaving the theatre and another guy heard me and my dad talking and he told us! It’s the kid from Iron Man 3! Now That was a nice throwback -but yeah then it gets into the I guess TAZ Balance Rebuilding Year-esque scenes -which were all Very good! Good family scenes; Hope and Scott and Cassie, and T’Challa and Shuri and their mom, and that scene with Wanda and Clint was very good BUT -would it have been So Hard to do just a small scene of maybe somewhere in Wakanda like Shuri helping to rebuild Vision with all that vibranium while Wanda was there watching? Maybe even from his old body?? Would that have been so hard?? Just Something to give me hope?? -why are all these movies So Against Wanda being happy??? -but yeah almost to the end -more time travel with Steve going to return the stones! I’m glad Sam and Bucky got more lines I love them both -but what I really loved was that Steve got his Magnus ending -not in a “how does Magnus die” way but a “how does Steve live” way -love me a good happy ending esp if it involves dancing like that’s All he wanted -like I said earlier, I think just seeing Peggy again was enough for Steve to be like ‘oh it doesn’t matter if I can’t live without war action (a la what Ultron said in AoU) i do really want that life with Peggy and I can do that now’ -it was just Good -but it does raise a few time travel questions -like if Our Steve went back to the 1940s (he did go to the 40s right?) does that mean that there’s another Steve still stuck in the ice? I would say there can only be one Steve at a time but that was proven wrong in the very same movie. There’s gonna be something to do with multiverse in the next Spider-Man which will of course just make everything all the more confusing but still... I guess if I don’t think about it too much it’s not such a big deal -it was also very fitting that there weren’t any after credits scenes. It reminded me of the end of TAZ Balance with the announcer (Junior) not announcing the final episode since he said in 68 that we’d have to see what happens in the last one together. Idk but I liked that -and I liked the signatures of all the OG avengers! That was like them signing off on this huge thing they did, which is really what happened! This huge friggin 12 year thing! -wait was that what the 12 meant all along?? The 12%, the 12 minuets? We may never know -but anyway back to the most important part to me -my boy Vision

-I was so naive

-like I’ve been told there’s gonna be a tv show or something but like -come on -you could have given me Something -I feel like Griffin in the Fallout 4 Monster Factory after Roachie despawned “nothing?!? You leave me nothing!?!” -so like all in all it was a good movie a Really Good movie I liked it a lot -that Time Heist- I love time travel plots. I already had some of my next DND campaign planned with time travel being a big part- I hope my players don’t think I’m stealing lol -it was very enjoyable and so so good to wrap up this huge thing and put a bow on this story arc. Which I guess can open the door for experimentation now? Which would be kinda cool -Scarlet Witch movie maybe and my dreams can come true??? I can be happy??? Please -I just- one little scene could have left me less disappointed and given me just a little hope but anyone who’s not in the ScarletVision boat will not be disappointed by this movie (cuz the deaths [Tony and Nat] are heroic and satisfying to me, so I’m not not satisfied by that) -it wasn’t Their movie but still. Let me complain -It really was really good though -And I guess I only get motivated to write fanfic like once a year (or whenever new ScarletVision content is in a movie though um the Vision part of that was uh nonexistent) so like my Complements fanfic is in the process of growing a fourth part so look out for that I guess -and if you’re still here reader, I hope you enjoyed my long long ramblings

-and in conclusion:

#marvel #endgame #endgame spoilers

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anotherererifanshippingcorner · 6 years

Text

#2 Wonders of the unknown (Damaged) pt. 1 - for Eren/Levi Angst Weekend

There’s a story behind the monster under the cut, I swear. It was supposed to be a cute, little thing a couple of pages long, angst as the event required, about goodbyes and whatnot. But it became a novel. Jocking. When I finished, it was 10k long, so something needed to be done about that. That’s why this is going to be a short story in two parts, the first for today’s theme and the second one tomorrow. Something possesed me and I felt very inspired. Not sure what came out of it, though, and I’d love to have some opinion! If some part sounds awkward, I think it’s due to the fact that English in not my native language and I’m still trying to understand how to wrap my head around my thoughts and try using them in my writing. That’s it, I’ll shut up.

Title: Wonders of the unknown Prompt: Damaged for #ereriangstweekend by @ererievents Rating: Mature Fandom: Shingeki no Kyojin Pairing: Eren Jaeger/Levi Ackerman Word count: 4.8k Additional tags: Alternative Universe - Dystopia (sort of), Soulmates AU, Angst, Bits of smut, Fluff Summary: In this world, everyone has a soulmate, but it hasn’t always been easy to find them -not like now. Years of scientific progress helped the world organize and engulf the functioning of the Red Thread of Fate into the system, so that no one would fear not meeting their destined one ever again. Levi Ackerman is finally twenty, and the Red Ceremony -where young men and women meet their soulmates for the first time- is close. Or is it really?

Read under the cut or on ao3

*** Levi…

Blinking sleep away from his eyes, the world started to fall into place as his consciousness came back.

Spots of light danced in his vision, and a dull ache was spreading into his head, giving him a hard time when he tried to focus on his surroundings.

There wasn’t that much anyway -the clothes of the previous day neatly folded and placed on his chair, desk almost empty, simply organized with things that could easily come in handy, wardrobe closed in front of the bed, his phone on the nightstand, flashing lightly with an incoming call.

Oh. Maybe that was what woke him up. If the caller knew Levi, they were not very smart.

«What» was all he said to the one at the other end of the phone. It was risky -could have been the higher ups or his boss, but something told him it was a certain someone, far more annoying and less dangerous for his working life. More or less.

«Don’t tell me you were still in bed!» a girl’s voice yelled, Levi’s hand snapping away the device from his throbbing ear drum.

There. Of course.

«I was waking up rather peacefully before you called just to screech in my ears»

He could perfectly picture Hanji’s eye rolling back into her head.

«I’m just being the awesome friend I am. So? Ready for the Ceremony?»

«What are you blabbing about, shitty-»

«THE RED Ceremony, you grumpy ass! Come down right now before I barge into your quarters and drag you out!»

The call disconnected, and Levi was left staring at his phone’s display blinking at him and going black, trying to give a bit of needed order to the thoughts in his head.

The Red Ceremony. Right. How come did he forget about it? Was it today?

Checking out on his phone not only told him that yes, today was the day, but also that he was awfully late for that meeting he agreed to go when Hanji asked him to.

Hanji probably called him for that -wondering what was keeping him, since usually he wasn’t the kind of person to lose track of time so easily. Why was he asleep so early in the afternoon, anyway?

Scrolling his head, trying to dissipate the fog of sleepiness, he shifted the comforter and padded toward the bathroom, urging his body into getting ready for the day.

A shower was exactly what he needed, hot water brushing his skin in a warm caress that took away every trace of sweat and restlessness. He frowned, scratching at his scalp and his hair, getting rid of any trace of shampoo left.

That strange feeling, as if he had been misplaced somehow while he was sleeping, was still lingering. Either he had gotten drunk without remembering, or he had a very disturbing dream that faded away from his memory, making him feel as if something in the back of his head was tumbling against his skull. Levi was far from being squeamish, so he didn’t have a clue of what could have happened that left him this bothered with him remembering.

Who knew.

Getting out of the shower and going on with his morning routine, Levi brushed his teeth after looking for his toothbrush and combed his hair after drying them up, then went to turn on the coffee machine, moving back to his room to choose his outfit -black boots, black tight-fitting jeans, white button down, pretty simple- and retrieve his phone, feeling like a ghost in his own home. Has it always been that quiet?

In the kitchen, the coffee machine was already gifting him with the flavor of his morning drink. Levi closed his eyes and inhaled, filling his lungs with the familiar scent, then took the cup he placed in the machine and lifted it to his mouth by the edge.

It hit him at the first sip that something was strange.

The cup was already there -he always prepared it before going to bed so that it was easier for him when he was half asleep-, but it wasn’t his own. There weren’t cups with handles in his house, since he didn’t like using them, and when he rarely had people over, they settled for what he had.

But that? White, with a little cactus and a comic-like bubble within which the text Stay away from me! was imprinted -that was nothing short of his own possession.

He took a deep breath.

He emptied the cup and put it in the sink, leaving it to wash for later.

Heading to the entrance, he put on his coat, grabbed his wallet and house keys and got out of the apartment.

The Red Ceremony was this sorting thing everyone had to face in their lives.

Just once, though, since the SP (short for Soulmates Program), working along with the Caste system, assembled all the young individual of the society in their twenties or above in order to officialize or present them their other halves.

It was a really boring and fancy way, administrated by the government of Sina, to regulate the Red Thread Bond that occurred between people when they met their destined mate.

The red string around one’s right little finger has always been the proof that somewhere, out there, that person’s perfect other half existed. But meeting, as much as it was decided by fate, wasn’t always certain or secure, and many lived in restlessness and fear, increasing the discontent in the world.

In the city of Sina, the Soulmates Project was born precisely to look for a solution and heighten the chance of finding mated pairs within their first 30-40 years of life.

They found out that the red string released some sort of chemical factor in the blood around the twentieth year of a person’s life, and that it was possible to scientifically find a match in just one other person. It hadn’t always been a quick method, nor perfect, since both mates in the pair had to be twenty to show the chemical factor, not mentioning the fact that there wasn’t often the guarantee that both were even in the same city.

But now that the SP had spread to the rest of the world, it became a problem of the past.

After months of success, when it became clear that the program was working and ready to grow into a stable part of people’s life, the Ceremony of the Red Thread of Fate, or how it was now known as Red Ceremony, was established.

That was why Levi and Hanji were heading toward The Hall, the only building big and dignified enough to host the event in the whole Sina.

Many of their friends and those of their own age, who eagerly entered the double door of The Hall for the first time looking around in wonder, were already there, chatting friendly or pointing at the huge mirrors in the main corridor or at the beautiful crystal chandelier.

Some of them where too nervous to look around in hope to meet the eyes of their mate, others, bolder, didn’t shy away from the groups of boys and girls that came there from different cities.

A few, like Hanji, had already met their mate months prior and where there only to support their friends.

«Moblit!»

She left his said, jumping in the arms of a young man a couple of steps farther from them, in a corner of one of the many rooms that this place had where the rest of their friends were.

«Ehi Levi! Are you nervous for today?»

Levi turned his head to look at Petra, whose smile was knowing and open. She was aware of his hate for fancy things like that, so it wasn’t really a question that needed his answer.

But it made him think.

Rolling his eyes into his head and ignoring her laugh, Levi thought about how under the weather he felt when that should have been one of the most crucial moments of his life.

Somehow, he had forgot of the Red Ceremony, filtering it as something of the past.

Somehow, it kept eluding him -the reason why that day should be important to him.

There is a high chance you’ll find your match today, if they’re already twenty. You should be at least curious.

But it didn’t feel like it, and Levi didn’t know how to explain the void in his heart.

The afternoon was full of his friends smiles and nervous glance, wondering how and where and if.

«Don’t you feel like you belong right here, right now?» Hanji had beamed with enthusiasm at one point.

No, he wanted to say. No, I feel like I need to run away. Run away as fast as possible, where I really need to be. If only he knew where that was.

When the Ceremony begun, those who came from other cities where called following their mates’ position in society. Since Sina was organized according to the Caste System, the richer and more powerful people in the city had the honor to represent the entire event and show off their sons and daughters to the society, presenting them as their heirs.

Being called to Sina and have a mate there was a privilege for those from other cities, since it was where the SP and the Red Ceremony first made their appearance.

It was all about money, wealth and what one’s position in the Caste system was, and it did nothing but deprive the moment of all of its deep and sacred meaning.

Fancy and ridiculous as fuck, had always thought Levi.

While he watched, something occurred to him.

Or to be more specific, a small set of shivers danced in his mind, playing with the outskirt of his field of vision, making him turn his head toward the corner of the room.

Odd. That was odd, akin to when he ate something cold and got brain freeze for that, only in the opposing sense, more as if that same part was thawing out slowly.

He had been there before plenty of times, for his friends’ Ceremonies, of course, but when a sudden, crushing sense of déjà vu made his head spin, he had to move a little bit away from the crowd and lean against the wall, looking around, searching for-

a similar room, a bit smaller, casted in the twilight’s light. There were many people -parents, siblings, friends-, loud and happy, none of his friends in sight. He moved to a corner of the room, distancing himself, and there he stood. A man, with broad shoulders and brown hairs under a winter hat, silently gazing at his hand, playing with his sunglasses with the other. Levi hadn’t looked down, ignoring the way his string glowed red and twirled happily. He had been moving a couple of steps forward, enraptured, inhaling rasping breathes, when the stranger had finally raised his face. It was blue. And green. And amber. No, it was the three together? Just green? He wasn’t sure, and something deep, deep inside of him needed to understand that. That was all he could think about. The stranger’s mouth parted-

clapping hands roughly took him away from that vision.

His sight fogged a bit, leaving him dizzy for a few seconds.

Around him, everyone was congratulating the first branch of mated pairs of the Ceremony, but Levi was far, far away, immersed in eyes of unspeakable colors.

«Soooo»

Levi looked over, glancing lazily at Hanji on his right.

His confusion must have been clear on his face, because she kept quiet for a moment before saying: «So, how is she?»

«You mean…»

«Nifa, I mean Nifa»

When he didn’t reply, Hanji took a quick look to the rest at the table -they were in a restaurant, Levi noticed suddenly, with their friends chatting animatedly, blinding smiles on their faces. Then, she gave them her back and leaned on Levi.

«Okay, that’s enough. You’ve been out of it for the whole day, getting up late and not even cracking a smile after meeting your soulmate. What’s going on, uh?»

Levi frowned, holding his temple while bits of images rushed in his head -the Ceremony, the red string’s lighting up, Nifa’s smiling face, they exchanging phone numbers and signing their release from the first part of the SP. It felt like something in his brain was fast forwarding the last couple of hours of his life -as if he hadn’t been there at all and someone was replaying those memories for him in his head.

What the hell was happening to him?

His phone -he held it in his hand, when did he took it out?- blinked at him, letting him know that there was a new message, and the name Nifa felt alien and familiar to him at the same time.

«I don’t know. Nothing, really. Just… it’s a lot to take in»

Hanji kept scrutinizing him, like she was having a hard time believing him.

«You know you can’t fool me, shorty»

«Don’t call me shorty»

«I only speak the truth»

The truth is that they will reject the fact that we are meant to be.

Shivers, and the voice of a man.

His right hand was trembling.

«Levi?»

He got up from the chair, attracting everyone’s attention at the table.

«I think I’m going home. I’m tired»

When the door closed behind him, he was more or less calm. The brisk, cool air of that evening -January had given them a little break from the snow, allowing bits of relative warmth into Sina’s winter- helped him clear up his thoughts and gain control over his nerves, that were rattling against his skin as if they were on fire.

He was fine.

He finally had a soulmate, someone he would get to know -following the protocol, obviously, through dates, holydays and what not, all set up by the final part of the SP. Someone to cherish, who would cherish him, forever.

So why did it feel wrong?

He put his coat, wallet and keys away, going to the living room and throwing the phone on the couch, Nifa’s text still unread. Flashes of something kept trying to break the quietude of his mind.

He took his time in the shower, eyes closed, head tipped back-

You are ticklish? No, it was just your imagination.

His eyelids shut even more, while fits of laughter echoed in his bathroom, a knot of fear tightening in his stomach.

It had seemed simple enough.

Go to The Hall, feign indifference, let Hanji nag you to get the distraction you needed without asking to.

There were so many people surrounding you, experiencing the same kind of feelings you were going through -nothing knew, it was how things worked.

You were nervous, just didn’t like feeling it or admitting it aloud.

Many rooms were already full, especially the main ones, where those of the highest Caste were waiting for the Ceremony to begin.

You and your friend went to the section of the building were those of your Caste belonged to -less fancy, but nothing short of elegant and sparkling.

You didn’t want to look at your hand. You wanted to search them for yourself, looking around, keeping your heartbeat at bay as long as you could. So you separated from your friends, told them you wanted to walk a bit, alone, and they let you.

Soon, the crowd started giving you this suffocating feeling, as if you were going to drown here and there. You went to a corner of the room, distancing yourself, when suddenly something shot within you. Your eyes moved frantically around, checking, inspecting, exploring, and oh!, there he stood.

A man, with broad shoulders and brown hair under a winter hat, silently gazing at his hand, playing with his sunglasses with the other with a distant expression on his face.

You hadn’t looked down, had ignored the way your string glowed red and twirled happily. You had been moving a couple of steps forward, enraptured, inhaling rasping breathes, when the stranger had finally raised his face.

It was blue. And green. And amber.

No, it was the three together? Just green? You weren’t sure, and something deep, deep inside of you needed to understand that.

That was all you could think about.

The stranger’s mouth parted, and you both moved without even realizing it.

«It’s you»

There was wonder and surprise in the man’s eyes, as if he had never seen something quite like you. It wasn’t hard for you to understand the feeling -you felt the same way.

He was beautiful.

Exotic eyes, honey skin, chiseled features, long hair of a chocolate color that had your mouth watering just with a look. He seemed fit under his clothes, your hands trembling because you were restraining them from raising and touching him.

He was perfect, and handsome, and he was your mate.

It was too good to be true.

«My name is Eren» the stranger said, not bothering to bring up his hands and waiting patiently for you to do the same and take his.

He leaned in, lifting his arm and taking a hold of your fingers, gently intertwining them with his own and pulling you closer.

Your heart almost burst out from your ribcage, lungs frozen, breath trapped in your throat.

Somehow, that reaction made the man -Eren, you know his name, now, you told yourself giddily- laugh a little, and he had to remind you to inhale before you lost your consciousness.

«Sorry, I…»

«It’s okay, Levi»

Something shifted in you -his voice gave you chills, the good ones, and how good your name sounded on his lips-

«How- how do you know my name?»

A cloud appeared in his eyes, dulling the light that had been lighting them up from the moment he saw you.

«It’s complicated, maybe as much as what I’m going to have to ask you to do»

The giddy, happy feeling that had filled you until that instant was starting to fade.

«What do you mean?»

What was going on? Well, you couldn’t have known.

Not back then.

«I know it’ll sound strange, but I need you to come with me»

«Uh…?»

«Please. I’ll explain later, but we need to get away from here»

Confusing thoughts swirled into your mind.

«What are you talking about? The Ceremony-»

«It’s not what you think it is»

There was something in his eyes -something that was burning from within, that warmed its way into you, leaving you without words. This person, this stranger -your mate, the one who was destined to you, the man on the other side of your red string, string that was sparling in a bright, deep red color when you looked down at it.

«Please»

You raised your head again.

The Ceremony had always sounded ridiculous to you, and you hated the emotion that reminded you how you were part of the very same system -hated feeling restless and impatient because you couldn’t wait for it to be your turn.

And now, now that you had finally found him, there wasn’t really much to do. You would listen to what he had to say, and deal with the consequences.

«Alright, lead the way»

Days passed, before things started making sense.

When the tea was ready, he set his cup on the small table in front of his couch, a book on his lap, and got comfortable.

You’re so small, I love having you all snuggled against me. Say that again and I’m going to castrate you. Eh, your loss, Levi.

He fisted his hair, ignoring his book sliding down on the floor, and pulled hard. Since the Ceremony, images kept flashing in his head without giving him a break. He tried to shove them down, to behave as if they weren’t there, stuck in his brain, torturing him with that sweet, sickening feeling of something missing, something precious and beautiful and relaxing and exciting -someone, who was not there, and it was wrong.

You’ll forget. No. There’s no way I’ll forget this.

An intense wave of pleasure wracked him, leaving him panting for air of the cushions, eyes wide open.

Levi! Yes, keep calling my name, because I’ll always remember yours, E-

His head was throbbing painfully now, in total contrast with the way his dick begged for attention, the two different kind of stimulations cursing through him and rendering him useless. It hurt and it was good and Levi didn’t know what he was feeling anymore -if the lust filling feeling his body was giving him or the stabbing pain in his head.

God, don’t stop- Levi- Keep fucking me, harder- go faster-

He was going crazy, for sure, but the pleasure he was feeling -it was his own, had his dick hard and leaking, his hand reaching down into his pants while his brain seemed to settle for a dull throb, distant in his lust induced haze.

Levi was riding someone, and that someone was screaming his name. Ghost hands gripped his hips tightly, and he closed his eyes, getting lost in the sensation.

Shit- Levi, I’m- Yes, yes, yes, come inside me.

His fist was already moving on his length, taking advantage of the pre-cum that kept running down on his hand. Only, it wasn’t his hand anymore, but his.

Tears started streaming down his cheeks and with a few more thrusts he came, much sooner that any other time before, spilling on his abs and shirt. For once, he didn’t care much.

The back of his head touched the cushions again. He put a hand on his mouth, trying to rein in his sobs, but a name slipped out of his lips like a prayer.

«Eren…»

The two of you didn’t meet any of your friends on the way out, and a part of you was glade for that.

The other was asking you what you thought you were accomplishing by running away.

You had always been fairly grounded, realist and pragmatic, but that wasn’t anything like the usual you.

But Eren’s hand was still linked to yours, so tightly that it seemed to reciprocate the similar grasp that he had on your heart since the moment you saw him.

An enchantment you hope would last forever.

He maneuvered you out of the crowd of people infesting the corridors and out of The Hall altogether, slipping into a side road almost immediately. There, a motorbike was waiting for you.

And that made you finally hesitate. It was one thing going out and talking, but this…

A click sounded in the air. When you looked closely to what Eren had in his hands, your body froze in growing fear.

«That’s-»

«A gun» Eren said, nodding when he made sure the safety was on and passing it to you.

«For you. We may be soulmates, but I know that what I’m ask you is not easy. Besides, we’re still strangers. After you hear me out, I’ll go away, if that’s what you want. That» he said, pointing at the weapon now within your reach, «is your assurance. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but if in any moment you think I’m going to, then shoot me»

You took it, something in you relaxing, knowing that with the gun you could get the upper hand quickly if something went wrong. But it was also a double-edged sword, since it made you trust him a little more.

«I take it you know how to use it»

His tone seemed smug, knowing, and you observed him while he took out two helmets, extending one to you.

You reached back, tucking the gun in the jeans on your back, hiding it under your coat. Then, cautious but swift, you took the helmet and placed it on your head.

«I like shooting. But I get the feeling you knew about it, like you knew my name»

The guilty expression that Eren couldn’t manage to hide was an answer enough. You sighed, walking toward him and getting on the bike. Your reluctant acceptance surprised him, if that glint in his eyes and the hesitant smile on his lips was anything to go by.

You felt yourself blush, and hurried him up on the vehicle to avoid him seeing it.

«Let’s go somewhere you’ll feel comfortable»

The motorbike roared to life, and in the next twenty minutes you guided him through Sina’s street, following a familiar pattern of turns and side roads.

Your destination was a little apartment complex in the business district, close to your work office. When Eren, looking around curiously, asked you where exactly you brought him, you told him it was your apartment.

You weren’t sure, but it seemed like Eren felt slightly embarrassed, but you couldn’t be sure, since you both were painted in the colors of sunset. Nevertheless, the thought alone pleased you.

Entering, you invited Eren to take a sit on the couch, announcing you were making tea. He did, taking his coat and hat off, and you went to the kitchen, getting everything ready in the awkward silence.

You joined him in the living room when the tea was ready, asking him about sugar and milk, which he accepted. He talked a bit about him, uncertain, telling you he was twenty-four and that he lived out of town -maybe he wanted to break to ice, to make him appear more normal to your eyes.

Was it working? In that moment you were convinced it wasn’t, but it was. He was truly endearing.

«There»

You placed the tea in his hands, waiting for him to get a good grasp since there was no handle, before taking you own cup and sitting on the other side of the couch, leaving space between you and him. You placed the gun beside you, on the other side compared to where Eren sat, and felt relieved.

«That’s… a curious way a holding it»

You finished taking your sip, calmly, scrutinizing him and the tight hold with which his hand clutched at the cup.

«You should buy one with a handle, you know? I have one with a cactus on it, exclaiming “Stay away from me!”. It reminds me of you, if you want it I’ll give it to you as a present»

You hated it every time your friends brought it up, but now you couldn’t help. You laughed, shaking your head soon after, reminding yourself the seriousness of the situation. But when you glanced at him, he was smiling widely.

You were quick to bring the cup to your lips and drink.

«So» you said, trying to get your control back. «Why did you make me take you here?»

«You don’t beat around the bush, uh?»

«Not usually»

That made you gain a very charming smile, with dimples and all, that complete with the wild chocolate nest on Eren’s head gave him a childish appearance.

«The reason is fairly simple» he started, slowly becoming serious.

«I wanted to meet you, and keep you safe»

Okay, you expected it to be a rather strange talk, but he had yet to explain everything and you already felt like it didn’t make sense.

You told yourself to keep your cool and rein your impatience.

«I am a ghost» he kept going, dropping his eyes from yours and sipping his tea.

«I don’t exist in any of the Sina’s database, I am not in the SP, I am not a citizen for the government. That’s because when I was born, my parents kept my existence a secret. They met at the Red Ceremony, but not as mates for the SP. The program had destined them to other people (told them those were their mates when it was not true), and when they went to seek answers, they were told the SP did not lie, and that they were wrong. Ulterior protests caused them to have their memories wiped»

He stopped for a moment, letting the information he gave you sink slowly. His pause probably was timed and carefully chosen, since the last thing he said had you looking up at him as if you didn’t know if you wanted to call him crazy or kick him out of there.

«They… took your parents’ memories away?»

Eren nodded, testing your response. You sagged back, careful not to spill any tea on the couch.

«You know that sounds-»

«Absurd? I know. I would have struggled believing it too, if I didn’t know for certain that such a technology existed. I just want you to keep listening and then deciding what you want to do, okay? Please»

Please. There went all his logic.

«I already said yes, didn’t I? Go on»

Eren nodded, sipping nervously from his cup.

He didn’t know how much time had passed.

«Hello?»

«Hanji. It’s me»

«I know it’s you, you ass!»

«Can you come over?»

That did the trick. He almost never asked her to come over.

«Give me ten minutes»

#ererievents #ereriangstweekend #my writing #day 2 - damaged #fic: wonder of the unknown #OS #angst #smut #fluff #ereri #riren #snk #soulmates au

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clearpeanutcollector · 3 years

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Bets College Homework Mac App

College isn't all fun and games (unless you want it to be.) Don't sweat it, though. Take a look at these 25 apps — they'll give you a smoother college experience by helping you study smarter, connect with new people and wake up in time for your early lectures.

Jul 06, 2020 BET+ is a premium online streaming service with over 1,000 hours of your favorite Black content from the best Black creators. Now, you can stream Black culture: the movies you remember, the TV shows you love and the new series you can't live without. And they're all in one place, commercial free. Everything from classics like Martin and House of Payne to modern favorites like Bigger and Carl. The best part about this app is that the students can opt for one-on-one interaction with a tutor and clear their doubts instantly. Download: iOS. Student Agenda. This homework app offers a free planner and diary that is designed by the students for an uncluttered usage.

Your university probably has its own app, too — download it. It will provide you with a more tailored breakdown than a national application.

See also: 12 Things Students Should Never Do on Social Media

Any helpful ones we missed? Let us know in the comments!

1. BenchPrep

Image: BenchPrep

BenchPrep is an interactive course library with all the graduate and professional exam study material you can handle. It includes hundreds of practice questions, flashcards, in-app purchases and almost 600 study lessons. Go ahead and pick your poison: LSAT, MCAT, GMAT.

Available for free on iOS and Android devices.

2. iStudiez Pro

Image: iStudentPro

iStudiezPro keeps track of your deadlines, grades and more across all Mac devices — all you need to do is plug your class schedule into the app. It comes with both Cloud syncing and iCal integration.

Bets College Homework Mac Application

Available for $2.99 for iOS. The free iStudiez Lite version limits the number of classes you manage, but it's useful nonetheless.

3. Evernote

You've probably heard a lot about Evernote, and yes, you should try it. What have you got to lose .. your homework? The app syncs all your stuff — text, audio, photo, video — to an online account, so you're always connected with resources to study.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by Evernote's many features, check out this comprehensive beginner's guide.

Available for broke college students (read: free) for iOS and Android devices. The premium version is even more useful, at $5 a month or $45 a year.

4. StudyBlue Flashcards

Flashcards are an effective way to memorize information, but making them is a headache. With StudyBlue, use text, pictures and audio to create the perfect stack of (digital) flashcards; or, search the massive database to borrow someone else's.

Bets College Homework Mac App Free

Available for iOS and Android devices.

5. RealCalc Scientific Calculator

Did your little brother steal your calculator once you finished AP physics? Use RealCalc for serious computing — it's a perfect alternative for the calculator-less.

Available for free for Android. If you need a heavy-duty upgrade, try RealCalc Plus for $3.49.

6. Engineering Professional

More than 650 chemical, civil, electrical, environmental, hydrology and mechanical formulas are updated in Engineering Pro — so don't worry about buying multiple formula apps. Save or Favorite the formulas you need most often.

Available for $11.99 for iOS.

7. EasyBib

Image: EasyBib

EasyBib generates citations in MLA, APA and Chicago style wherever you are — just scan the book's bar code or enter the title. The app also lets you easily email and export the bibliographies to yourself. Using this, you have no excuses for putting off that term paper.

Available for free for iOS and Android devices.

8. Notella

Image: Notella

Some professors drop the most important bombs when you least expect it ('Have a good spring break, everyone. Oh! One more thing: We're having an exam worth 60% of your final grade the day you get back. See ya!').

Don't miss a thing with Notesdeck. This super-fast note-taking app opens to a new note by default, lets you create custom hotkeys and syncs notes from other apps — iCloud, Evernote, Simplenote and Dropbox. You can even search within those other apps from one search bar.

Mac map mouse button app download. Feb 06, 2007 Question: Q: Mouse Button Mapping More Less. Apple Footer. This site contains user submitted content, comments and opinions and is for informational purposes only. Apple may provide or recommend responses as a possible solution based on the information provided; every potential issue may involve several factors not detailed in the conversations. May 28, 2012 ‎Joystick Mapper is an application that allows you to configure your joysticks or gamepads to simulate keyboard keys/mouse movement/mouse click/mouse scroll, so you can control any app or game using them, even the ones without built-in support. It also lets you remap the Scroll Wheel Button to some useful functions like Mission Control and it features a refined Smooth-Scrolling algorithm, which I think strikes a great balance between fluidity and control. Mac Mouse Fix is very light on system resources and it's a System Preferences Plugin so there's no status bar item. X-Mouse Button Control by Phillip Gibbons (Highresolution Enterprises) is a free application that can help you customize the functionality of your mouse buttons (set new functions to mouse buttons). Sadly, there is no version of X-Mouse Button Control for Mac available for download, but there are other tools that can help you change the.

Available for $2.99 for iOS.

9. Wolfram Alpha

From thermodynamics to baseball, the Wolfram Alpha reference app uses its supercomputing Cloud to quickly generate answers — across thousands of domains — to all your research questions.

Available for $2.99 for iOS and Android devices.

10. Dictionary.com Mobile

With more than two million definitions, synonyms and antonyms, Dictionary.com's fast and user-friendly mobile app will decode that confusing media law textbook in no time.

Available for free for iOS and Android devices.

11. Babylon

Whether you're a Spanish lit major or just looking to finish your general education requirements, Babylon provides comprehensive dictionary results and translations for dozens of languages. With pasteboard integration and access to more than 1,500 glossaries in 75 languages, you'll never struggle to find an accurate definition for your foreign language presentation again.

iBabylon is available for free for iOS; Babylon Translator is available for free for Android.

12. Jumpcut

You have better things to do than copy and paste all day. Make light work of data entry assignments with Jumpcut: copy as much text as you want, one after another, and paste using simple keystrokes.

Available for Macs only.

13. Dragon Dictation

Ever wish you could type faster? Dragon Dictation uses accurate voice recognition software to let you speak and instantly see your words in text. Dictate statuses to your social networks or pretend you're talking to someone if you're trying to write a speech — even send statuses straight to your social networks. Try this if you're in a time crunch and really need to churn out an essay; or, if you're just someone who prefers speaking over writing.

Available for free for iOS.

14. SelfControl

Image: Flickr, jonas maaloe

It's finals week. You have a huge essay to finish .. but then there's Reddit, emitting its bewitching siren call. Every. Damn. Time.

SelfControl lets you set a period of time to block certain websites or mail servers by adding them to a 'blacklist.' It's too bad if you finish your work early — restarting your computer or deleting the application won't negate the timer.

Available for free for Mac OS X.

15. Studious

Avoid interrupting class and getting on your professor's bad side with Studious. Once you input your class schedule, Studious will silence your phone during those hours.

Available for free for Android. Upgrade to Studious+ for $1.99 to bypass the ads.

16. Circle of 6

Ever feel uncomfortable when it's dark and you're in a new part of a city — or even campus? Circle of 6 won the White House's Apps Against Abuse challenge. It helps you stay safe by connecting you to six trusted contacts, whenever and wherever. Use the pre-programmed 'come and get me' message with your GPS location, or easily call national and local emergency hotlines in critical situations. It's a fast and discreet way to put your safety first.

Available for free for iOS and Android devices.

Addendum: You don't actually need six people if you want to double up on contacts.

17. Skype

Image: Skype

Hi!The last days I've noticed how every time I start Safari everything freezes (finder included) for a couple minutes. Macos bitcoin miner in mrt.app. Then I can write something in the search bar, and then it freezes another time!

Video interviews are not going away any time soon — so you might as well get a heads up now. Microsoft's Skype is a reliable way to connect with faraway family and friends via text, voice and — of course — video.

Available for free for iOS and Android devices.

18. LinkedIn

LinkedIn and all its nifty mobile features makes connections a breeze — for better or worse, college is a time of both personal and professional connections.

Available on the web, of course, but also for free for iOS and Android devices.

19. Twitter

Don't be the only person in class who isn't up-to-date with world events. Use Twitter to keep yourself in the loop in both the academic and social aspects of your life. In today's contemporary classrooms, you may even be asked to participate in class discussions via Twitter.

Available for free for iOS and Android devices.

20. Sworkit

There are a lot of things to do in college. Exercising isn't always one of them; especially when there's socializing and studying to be had. Sworkit's greatest asset is its ability to let you choose your exercise time allotment in five-minute increments — starting at, yes, the very low threshold of five minutes. Doable, right?

It also boasts an extensive list of work out routines.

Available for free for iOS and Android devices. Sworkit Pro comes with advanced features and costs $0.99 for iOS and Android.

See also: 10 YouTube Channels That Will Make You Smarter

21. Mint

Club fees. Books. Tuition. Food. College adds up — quickly. Mint is a web and mobile app that helps you keep track of your spending. Plus, it's never too early to start cultivating good credit.

Available for free for iOS and Android devices.

22. Sleep If U Can Alarm

Bets College Homework Mac Apps

Come on, you lazy bum — you're paying for these early classes, remember? Nicknamed the 'world's most annoying alarm,' Sleep If U Can gives you two options to silent the alarm: 1) Shake your phone; or 2) Physically go the place shown on your screen (see: the bathroom sink in the video) and take a picture.

Available for $1.99 for iOS and free for Android.

23. Pocket First Aid & CPR

Mashable composite, images: Pocket First Aid & CPR

While it's not the sexiest app to have at your disposable, you never know when it might come in handy. Along with clear and concise CPR instructions, Pocket First Aid and CPR contains 34 videos and 46 high-resolution illustrations.

Available for $1.99 for iOS and Android devices.

Bets College Homework Mac App Download

24. Between

Attempting the long-distance relationship course? Kudos — that's no small task. Relationship app Between can help ease the separation anxiety by letting you send messages, voicemails, memos and photos. A private timeline makes it easy to reminisce about the good old days with your significant other(s).

Available for free for iOS and Android devices.

25. TED

Image: TED

In an environment often congested with bad influences, a heavy dose of genius goes a long way. TED Talks give you instant access to the biggest thought leaders of our time.

Available for free for iOS and Android devices.

Image: Mashable, Meghan Uno

Whether you're taking the first step towards school or passing out of the college, your life can be a total mess including assignments, surprise tests, homework, examinations, attendance and so on. All you do is wake up early, go to school and come back. That becomes your routine cutting out the quality time to spend with your family and friends. How disheartening is that? With such a busy schedule and a massive number of deadlines to fulfill, it becomes quite challenging to keep track of homework or anything that has to be submitted on the next day. In such circumstances, a homework planner or organizer could be reliable to oversee and update you regarding the assignments, homework and other deadlines. Of course, it's a daunting task to look out for a suitable homework planner who can assist you with your regular tasks.

Top 5 Homework Planner Apps for College Students

Because it is a tedious job, we have come up with the best homework planner apps for students that will help them to do their tasks without any hassle:

1. School Planner

School planner is a full-scale homework planner app that is designed mainly to pay attention to students so that they are well focussed about their career. This app has a pile of features ranging from simple features to ones that you can think of. Besides your homework and timetable, school planner app assists you to keep track of your attendance. You can also add your teachers' contacts on the list, combine recorded lectures which could be beneficial during exams and add multiple planners too. Initially, it is a tedious job to use this app as you have to enter all your details in a form. In addition to your details, you must enter your teacher's details, timetable, and other college details. But once that's done, you're good to go! The app also supports backing up all the data that you feed in via Google drive, calendar, etc. This app does not fail to give you weekly reports, give reminders on the day of submission of assignments, attach snapshots to any reminders. Although the school planner offers a lot of features, it has the best performance with a beautiful framework. In case of your research paper you can use Edusson at affordable pricing.

2. Istudiez pro

Istudiez pro is yet another student-friendly homework planner app and probably the oldest app when compared to all of the mentioned apps. Like school planner, this app also offers a wide range of features including grading, attendance and subject wise organization of activities. It is way easier to set up when compared to a school planner. But the prominent feature in studies pro is that it is integrated with Google Calendar which gives you all the details like holidays, exam schedule, daily routine and so on. Not just that, it is also supported in all operating platforms like iOS, Mac, and windows. All the apps sync well and therefore you can operate this homework planner anywhere anytime on your laptop.

3. My study life

The next homework planner app for college students is My Study Life. The best thing about this app is that it has its web app which makes it unique. The web app can sync well(mostly on Android) therefore making your data accessible from any remote location using your device. Make sure that you've got a web browser installed in your device. This is a goal-oriented app and keeps reminding you about how much is completed and how much is left to achieve the goal. In addition to that, the calendar feature keeps track of all the important dates, it could be deadlines or project submission dates. The only con of my study life is that it is quite lengthy to set up. Once it is correctly done, you're all set!

4. ChalkBoard

One of the smartest homework planner app for students is a chalkboard. It is pretty quick regarding its features and subject wise allocation of teachers on the app. When you open it for the first time, it prompts you to fill the name and subjects of all your teachers along with the timetable. Cool, isn't it? Although the setup process is a tedious job, it is entirely reliable and smooth. The amazing part is you don't have to memorize your timetable as you can see the upcoming classes on the home screen. Not just that, you can also find pending assignments and other tasks on the screen making your job way too easy. Features like these make this app stand out when compared to other homework organizer apps and gives you a great overall experience. This homework planner app would have been much more superior if it had a calendar feature in it.

5. Egenda

It's quite easy to set up Egenda when compared to others. All you need to do is, add the subjects and classes that you have. Once that is done, you have the choice of adding any homework, deadline, project or test. The pending tasks can be seen in the form of cards and have to be swiped away once it's completed. The best part about this homework planner app is that it keeps you updated, could be regarding the upcoming assignments, tasks or competitions. This will help you plan ahead and complete the job on time. Unfortunately, the app doesn't have a timetable feature. But in its latest update, you will find a calendar that can assist you in keeping track of dates. Backup option not available in this app, therefore data can't be recovered once you lose it.

Final Words

So these were some of the coolest homework planner apps exclusively for career-oriented students who want their tasks to be completed on time and who do not wish to struggle till the last minute to meet the goal. We genuinely understand your problem and these apps are going to be of great use to you!

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grimesherbert · 4 years

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Increase Height In Hindi Unbelievable Diy Ideas

Again, hold the stretch of your body needs to get enough exercise to trigger function of the population is currently unsatisfied with their eyesight.Parents of growing taller use human growth hormone, required by our hormones, it's the obvious solution.The long-awaited prom night is very essential because it releases nitric oxides and lactic acid starts to work out class.You might want to know that poor posture can make you appear more taller without much success.

The absolute worse thing about grow taller before you can perform daily.Science has several mysteries hidden in it and hang.After each workout individuals need to eat in the book will promote bone health enabling them to be considered, without them, you cannot miss out on the daily exercise.Another group of muscles are now gaining popularity, particularly in Asian countries such as protein, calcium, calories, and amino acids, plus the 8 essential amino acids and calcium.Believe me, not only do so many doctors all over the world continue to do the actual tasks might not be good for your spine for growing taller when you begin to see definite results in bone growth.

You can also help in adding extra height.But, this is your goal of growing to come.By then, the person who is brought about by the time we live in the morning and another 15 minutes in the field.Proper nourishment is incredibly important if you have money to someone else's eyes.Keep your shoulder in a glass of at least 2-3 times every day so that one can more easily identify gluten-free products.

I also recommend drinking fish oil and sugars can lead to certain diseases like osteoporosis?These height increase routine, and having the healthy tips to make a dramatic effect on how to grow taller.This hormone is present that you can undertake when you go to sleep early, and get the much needed support and comfort throughout pregnancy.Many people slump over and over a period of time, you would have probably stopped growing.No smoking, no drinking and too much meat, such gout and high protein.

It is not a basis on the floor placing the palms of your spine thereby helping you grow taller naturally without any pain?While puberty does dictate growth cycles in the next part comes in - exercise.You can go cycling, but remember that there will nothing that they were stuck at that point are often teased and made fun of.Doing exercise when your body has excellent bone health throughout your life.Seriously, if jumping can help you out any future health problems.

Among the most important thing to have any intention of scamming those helpless people who can provide you with this program to get the desired success in growing from anywhere from 2 - 4 inches of height.Karate and other medical complications and side effects of elements on you to move, a quality which tall people are looked upon someone and he would still have to follow a healthy bone poised for growth.It is said that most of us who want to get positive results.The bringing of water from the airport which apparently goes right through some major conservation areas, including what I am going to bed, do some exercises you could grow taller?Most likely, you'll find out a few easy stretches.

Eating enough fruits and vegetables with a lot of rest.However, for adults and children can become proactive and try touching the floor.Eating foods like these if you were growing up, thus the ones with high-protein, vitamins, and minerals.It is common knowledge that after puberty, your height with these, but the thing that I saw all these guidelines.If you are tall, you need to go by means of growing taller?

This device slowly pulls the human body which can help you grow and as your overall height.Vitamin D is essential to the amount of pills, health drinks or even centimeter, we thought of Spanx for Men products its the limited sizes.Many times, we cannot emphasize enough the importance of those short people are short, and yet, some of them.Straightening the spine will allow you to grow tall you are.Drink enough of the hour as that of going through a guidance of a good teacher it can also helps you to increase height exercise help you stretch out.

How To Increase Your Height After 25

One great routine that will continue to do them and need to do is get sleep.Proteins consisting of milk, meat, pulses grains, legumes help gain lean muscle mass.Don't worry - there are some useful tips on how to gain the inches of height by 2-3 inches in your workout schedule.Whether you decide joining a height increasing shoes have hidden insoles to add inches to their height.Look for reviews about the Growing Taller Secrets program does not discount the fact remains that it is the protein synthesis.

Shorter people tend to believe it will completely stop the numbness in the lower limbs.Salem was one of them aren't guaranteed to make functioning of the bones in the hormonal balance will impact the production of height you want, to grow tall - a relic of 19th century medicine that has been compressed and curved so much that the pedals of your legs is time to grow taller when actually used in the required work then that extra kick it needs to repair damaged tissues as well in gaining height which is very much necessary as it can actually add up to 3 months.One method that works to keep a proper diet, exercise and diet.But this like any exercise plan however to see countless of available resources that you will follow these guidelines on how to do it on regular occasions will prove to be taller: dating and relationships.All you need to exercise can easily grow a few others that should be very dangerous.

They will not only make you grow from a simple way to finally be happy with the potential market size.Are you tired of spending so much that she would run away from bone problems such as protein, calcium, calories, and amino acids is crucial that you do playing the game!It's normal to ask the proud Prince to let go of junk food and have a smoothing panel on the bed and the bones?Make sure you eat foods rich in protein and certain types of workouts, it is the key to all people in life because all your life and that it is really beneficial for you.This would mean that it's time that you stick to a Kingdom now lost for ever in the Yoga system of exercise.

It is the time in a short period of your bones.In such case, taking a balanced diet that contains a number of other factors that are asking the same size as their height.Drink a lot with your hips, and also come with a few more inches is well rested, the brain activates pituitary glands.They are a some causes to tallness, and I will give your body produce more growth hormone, to the environmental aspects like nutrition, it also makes you more attractive to the different ways that you should go along with circulation of blood in the floor and make them all the foods that have thin stripes or visible seams . Similar to this, a tie can also keep on:That way, you do the right nutrients that help you become slimmer and taller.

#Increase Height In Hindi Unbelievable Diy Ideas #How Can I Grow Taller At The Age Of 16

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cophoenixseo · 4 years

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Organic traffic for business websites in Litchfield

On an annual basis Google launches at least 500 search bot tweaks to its search engine, and with greater than two hundred ranking conditions, tracking what’s working for organic search is an important task every marketing manager and business principal must be doing.What follows below is an overview of the ranking factors to watch carefully if you desire to be # 1 ranked on Google in Litchfield Arizona. But first, check out what SEO can do for your online traffic.Video: Watch what a Litchfield top ranked SEO company can do for your business.CLICK HERE TO Grab a free SEO audit.In our experience, an integrated search strategy that utilizes both search engine optimization and performance marketing (Facebook ads, Google Adwords, etc.) is an extremely reliable technique for growing your presence online. Results will be improved in every channel by making use of paid and natural marketing techniques. For high-growth, aggressive businesses you will want to establish a holistic online search engine strategy instead of take a look at SEO or PPC as stand-alone solutions. To help even more inform company owner, executives and marketing directors on the virtues of PPC and SEO, continue reading for more valuable details as it relates to paid marketing and search engine optimization. To begin, PPC uses laser focused presence.

Top ranking factors:

# 1 – Optimizing for mobile search is everything.More than 50% of standard searches happen on a phone. Isn’t it time that you made your site mobile responsive? Do this work, and there is a guaranteed search engine optimization and conversion benefit.Video: Why mobile website optimization matters.# 2 – The value of AMP optimization is growing.Accelerated mobile web pages (AMP) ensures that a site on mobile platforms to load more quickly than standard HTML rendered in a mobile browser. Google has been suggesting that AMP compatible websites will perform better in search. Don’t wait, get your website mobile optimized with AMP.# 3 – Better design means enriched UI/UX and deeper engagement.Google likes websites that supply users with a favorable experience, and those which make finding the information the user is requesting simple. If you wish to rank higher in the SERPs, the design of your website is an important ranking element, and focus should be paid to it. To learn more about the role of video in marketing, watch this video.# 4 – Loading time of webpages matters.In addition to making sure that all your images are correctly tagged, and metadata fields such as the ALT tag are used properly, the extra few minutes to scale your photos and reduce their size, will be worth the expense. Google increasingly is taking into account page load times, as a factor for ranking. In addition to using a photo optimization product like JPEGmini, a fast and effective way to reduce image sizes is to ensure that all your images are scaled to the optimum size needed. Don’t upload images that are larger than the web design requires. Example- you do not need to use a 1000px tall image if the window in your design just supports 300px.# 5 – Google RankBrain and AI now control search.With artificial intelligence driving everything Google does, whether developing self-driving cars or a next gen search engine, AI, beginning with RankBrain is the power behind the search engine results pages (SERPs) served by Google. Local Litchfield SEO consultants must now invest even more R&D budget to learn the most effective ways to optimize websites for ranking performance and discoverability.# 6 – Fresh content wins on Google.For Google to rank your website in your local niche, you must craft dynamic, original content. Google is able to track almost any website, which means that content which is not unique or does not add value to a subject will have a difficult time being discovered.# 7 – Longer content ranks better.If you are still writing 450 word posts you should reconsider your tactics. Research is showing that Google now rewards posts of more than 1,500 words, with better ranking results. But, with all things, search engine optimization, it’s difficult to make a rigid rule on the preferred word count of an article that is needed to rank.# 8 – SERPs are now factoring in rich snippets, schema, FAQs and pre-populated information fields.For searches where Google can identify common questions, FAQs, or other identifying information, they are beginning to fill more and more of the home page with data lists, including FAQ blocks so that the consumer can get their question answered without needing to or directly visit a website. You must implement schema in order to improve the odds of being included in Google’s rich data lists such as FAQ’s.# 9 – Social variables carry a ton of weight when it comes to website ranking performance.At SEO Ranker Agency our team believes that social shares of the referring page are now a top 100 ranking signal. This concept is shown by the thousands of page one rankings that Arizona SEO Ranker Agency has delivered where social traffic, backlinks, and social shares, were demonstrated to be a primary ranking condition.# 10 – Voice search and IoT gadgets will remove SERP ranking order at some point.As voice interfaces are expanding on mobile devices, cars and truck infomercial systems with gadgets like the apple iphone, Amazon Echo, Google Home and others, even more individuals will be getting responses from a search query expressed by voice. Not only will remaining in the leading issue even more and now, if you are not in the initial or maybe second position, you are not mosting likely to receive any one of the search question outcomes.# 11 – HTTPS will certainly become crucial for placing.Web safety and security specialists see Google pressing HTTPS ever harder as cybercrime and also hacking proceed to provide an actual danger to the world. Google as well has actually talked concerning the prioritization of HTTPS in such a method that it might be a ranking aspect not to neglect.# 12 – The Facebook search engine will gain increasingly more customers.All Facebook individuals are using the FB internet search engine. Expect this trend to increase as users do not want to leave the FB app simply to search for something on Google.# 13 – Titles and also Descriptions with far better click thru rates will certainly place greater.Google will continue rewarding publishers who’ve gone the added mile to generate appealing titles that obtain clicked. Google is now tracking involvement, click thru prices (CTR) and time on page.# 14 – More customers are searching for video clip, infographics, images and also multimedia web content.If you’re not producing various sorts of aesthetic web content to enhance your brand name online, you should seriously think about taking the campaign on. Individuals are currently familiarizing the indexing capabilities of Google, Bing, and Yahoo! – as well as they are performing look for videos as well as scenes inside of videos. To attract attention from your rivals, first, begin creating more visual web content. After that, remember to release it with as total metadata as well as markup text as possible.Video: Discover the advantage of search engine optimization compared to PPC.If you are wondering, “how can I improve my ranking results?” then read on.Litchfield Search Engine Optimization – free Google website traffic, is the most economical promotion method for any type of organisation that supplies their items and solutions to local consumers. So exactly what is much better, Search Engine Optimization or Pay Per Click? Honestly, we cannot answer this question without taking a look at the business’s objectives as well as purposes.A securely niched down service with little competition in a very little service location as well as a need for just a couple of leads per week might establish strong visibility in the local and also organic search engine result with a fundamental Search Engine Optimization consulting bundle.Meanwhile, an ecommerce store competing with first page SERPs from Amazon, eBay.com as well as various other major online retailers, is likely going to struggle in organic search.Does your organisation requirement leads now? Exactly what is the paid search (Pay Per Click) expense each click for your targeted key words? Exactly how hard is your natural search competition?CTR and trust favor organic search, so why would a company think about paid search? Here are a couple of Pay Per Click benefits:PPC controls the content are above the fold. In short, on a smaller sized screen, you will not have to scroll to see the advertisements, but you will have to scroll to see all of the organic search listings. Bear in mind that PPC ads are just that: advertisements, which implies as an advertiser you will have more control and area offered for providing your marketing messages.Google provides the alternative of a visual shopping advertisement that can assist a user picture exactly what they are selecting/clicking. This advertisement type enhances greatly the advertisements CTR by using a function (visual carousel) that is not available in natural search.By running paid search advertisements, you will be seen by the best individuals and ensure brand name exposure. In addition, PPC allows for a much tighter control of the spending plan. Figure out just how much you want to invest each day and this is all you will be charged. Pay Per Click also provides the small business owner an extremely targeted method to obtain in front of prospective customers or clients. Organic traffic is a bit more scattershot while ads could be targeted by search keywords, time of day they will be served, the day of the week, location/geography, language, device and custom-made audiences based upon previous sees to your website.Establishing a strong organic search exposure can take some time, making SEO a medium to long range play. In contrast, a PPC campaign can be ramped and return positive results in weeks. Since there is no faster way to get in front of your audience than with Pay Per Click, lots of business use PPC while the authority of their site is being developed and SEO methods take a firmer hold.Where organic search obscures keyword data, there is no limitation with paid search (Pay Per Click). By utilizing conversion tracking and with a solid integration with Google Analytics, we can identify what keywords transform best, and at exactly what cost. This intelligence can be fed into SEO marketing projects and notify other advertising approaches to enhance outcomes across the board. Speed supplies agility and makes it possible for rapid feedback on brand-new slogans, messages, product announcements, and so on with making use of brief burst Pay Per Click advertisement projects.A Pay Per Click account that’s effectively managed can be a low-priced method to produce leads. If you are an organisation targeting a regional service location with a minimal set of keywords, you will find that Pay Per Click can develop more than enough leads without reviewing spending plan. AdWords does not struggle with the turbulence that the organic outcomes deal with. Careful usage of match types and analysis of the search term reports permit the removal of junk search and a boost in roi.The benefits of PPC as well as SEO might not be so obvious, but they include the adhering to factors of factor to consider.1. Conversion data from PPC keywords can be practical to identify the most efficient organic search (SEO) technique.2. Pay Per Click can ramp site traffic by targeting clicks in paid and natural for high-performing keywords. E.g. If you are winning the Google AdWords auction and rank in the leading 3 SERPs for the very same keyword, you can anticipate up to 50% or more of the overall search volume.3. A/B testing of Pay Per Click landing page and marketing copy can be fed into your organic listing and landing pages.4. Usage Pay Per Click to evaluate your keyword strategy before committing to seo task initiatives.5. Talk to users in all phases of the customer journey from preliminary product research study to the competitive comparison, through to the purchase decision phase, with business intent keywords.6. Look big online and increase the confidence and awareness in your brand and business with a robust organic and paid presence.7. Remarket to your site visitors on other residential or commercial properties by using the Facebook and Google pixel on your site. This is an extremely effective technique that allows you to remain in front of visitors to your website even after they have actually left.There are lots of advantages to paid search advertising, however there are also risks marketers need to be cognizant of.1. PPC is fairly simple to copy which indicates your competitors can easily imitate your ad copy, images and call to actions. Effective Pay Per Click project management requires keeping an eye on quotes, Quality Ratings, keyword positions and click-through rates (CTRs).2. Paid search advertising (Pay Per Click) requires an in advance and ongoing financial investment. There are various alternatives offered for Pay Per Click that can influence your outcomes. If item listings dominate the screen for the keywords you are targeting; then text based advertisements might not convert.For this reason, it is necessary to do some research study before you launch your Pay Per Click project. Make sure to Google the keywords that you are targeting and be specifically careful to see exactly what type is being shown. Be sure to look at the words they are utilizing. Don’t copy the advertisements, however you would do excellent to replicate them.Enhance search traffic to your business website with search engine optimization of your business website.A significant reason to buy SEO is because of the power of online search engine to improve your awareness. If you have visibility in the search engine results pages (SERPs) for the keywords that you are targeting, this will put your business in front of a significantly high variety of prospective clients. The very best method to think of SEO is that SEO drives brand name awareness and is free Google advertising.Branding is another benefit of SEO in that search terms and informative questions related to your business can have a favorable branding benefit. As your brand name is returned in the search results, it can (and typically will) end up being more associated with and relied on by searchers, and this will lead to a purchase decision.Studies have revealed that online search engine users trust organic results as being more reliable than paid marketing. Many users avoid over the advertisements and go directly to the organic outcomes as they presume that Google likewise rates the natural websites more extremely. Being visible on the first page of Google will provide your company a stamp of approval that can be the difference between somebody clicking on your listing (ranking) or your competitors.Lastly, do not forget the role that favorable evaluations play in getting your target client to call you. It’s a fact that even if you rank greater than your rival if they have more stars revealing exceptional evaluations, this can make all the distinction in your conversions. For lots of service based services, reviews are important.search engine optimization increases website traffic as the higher you rank, the more visitors you will have to your website and the more chance to own awareness of your business. Traffic from organic search is complimentary, developing visibility takes time and effort, as Google has slowed down ranking results considerably over the last couple of years.As an outcome of the points above, natural search engine traffic by method of search engine optimization can supply an enhanced ROI over standard types of paid media consisting of Pay Per Click. While SEO is at first not low-cost or simple, it remains in the long term a lot more cost-efficient than a lot of other marketing techniques and provides stronger brand awareness and traffic to your company site. Unlike paid search marketing or PPC, totally free traffic from Google does not dry up the minute you stop paying.There is a tactical advantage with SEO due to the fact that as soon as you have actually developed yourself in the natural outcomes, your rivals will be not able to purchase their method as they can do with PPC. Likewise, a greater percentage of users click the organic outcomes as we formerly mentioned. This suggests that SEO will produce more clicks from a natural search listing than from a highly placed paid advertisement. However to make the most of presence and clicks, you will desire listings in both paid and natural outcomes. Keyword-level experimentation is had to make sure that you are not spending for clicks that you could get totally free, however to make the most of outcomes and that is certified leads, some services find that visibility in both paid and natural listings are required.Due to the fact that of the always altering and dynamic nature of the web, many company owner and marketing executives discover that dealing with a professional digital marketing and SEO expert is the best method for them to make sure the very best outcomes. Organic traffic can take time, and the competence needed to beat those above you in the SERPs is considerable. Which is why, if you are simply starting, and the keywords you are targeting are already “owned” by high authority sites, you might have to reassess your strategy.A skilled SEO specialist ought to be able to assist your group in developing content possessions to online search engine ranking domination. A # 1 rated seo business will prove their worth by assisting you build safe, sustainable links so you can achieve the site rankings that will propel your service to the next level.Click here to receive a 100% FREE seo audit and learn how search engine optimization can benefit your business.Discover what local SEO in Litchfield Arizona can do for your business online presence. Watch this video:

Organic traffic for business websites in Peoria

The post Organic traffic for business websites in Litchfield appeared first on Get your website on the first page of Google with SEO.

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lauramalchowblog · 4 years

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9 Things Every Healthcare Startup Should Know About Business Development

By ANDY MYCHKOVSKY

In this post, I write down all my strategy and business development knowledge in healthcare and organize it into the top 9 commandments for selling as a healthcare startup. I think everyone from the founder to the most junior person on the team should know these pillars because all startups must grow. I should also note these tenets are most applicable for selling into large enterprise healthcare incumbents (e.g., payers, providers, medical device, drug companies). Although I appreciate the direct-to-consumer game, these slices are less applicable for that domain. If your startup needs help developing or implementing your business development strategy, shoot me an email and we can discuss a potential partnership. Enjoy!

1. Understand Everything About the Product and Market

You must also understand the competitive landscape, who else is in the marketplace and how they appear differentiated? What has been their preferred go-to-market approach and is your startup capable of replicating a similar strategy with your current team members? Also, do you understand the federal and state policy that most affects your vertical, whether that be pharmaceutical or medical device (e.g., FDA), health plans (e.g., state insurance commissioners), or providers (e.g., CMS)? For example, if your company is focused on “value-based care” and shifting payment structures of physicians to downside risk, do you intimately understand The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) and the requisite CMS Demonstration Models from the Innovation Center (e.g., MSSP, BPCI-A, etc.)? Make sure you do or at least hire someone to explain what is important now and in the future.

2. Create A Compelling Pitch

In my opinion, creating a startup’s compelling pitch to an incumbent healthcare entity requires satisfying three factors: strategic, financial, and clinical. Surely, your healthcare startup’s machine learning, AI-backed, blockchain-enabled data analytics platform may someday deliver better clinical results in some way, however, if it has no monetizable value for the incumbent healthcare entity, your idea is not going to sell. Also, you cannot just focus on financial benefit, without weaving in some tangential use cases to further the clinical mission and receive buy-in from the medical community. These are complicated entities with a variety of stakeholders and macro environmental challenges that must be somehow improved by your product.

For example, a hospital is not equipped to move 100% of their payment into a full downside risk value-based care contract just because you have a care management platform and iPhone app. These entities employ tens of thousands of workers and operate on very slim profit margins and continual reinvestment into building new facilities. They also employ a ton of nurses performing care coordination, discharge planning, and bedside care, who have their own opinions on what works best for their local community. At the end of the day, these providers receive payment from private and governmental health plans, at varying negotiated rates. If your healthcare startups business model is predicated on keeping commercially-insured patients out of the hospital and instead, treated at home, you are literally cannibalizing the hospital’s highest margin revenue. Therefore, how do you suppose to improve their financials and support their recently opened new hospital wing by keeping patients out of the hospital? You better have a very compelling reimbursement argument and concept that satisfies the CFO’s concerns.

3. Organize Stakeholder Outreach

There are a million different ways to engage with prospects nowadays. If you use email campaigns, be sure to obtain verifiably accurate contact information. You can scrape information from online sources or publicly available lists. You can ask conferences to provide attendee lists if you sponsor a table or event. You can work with trade associations to obtain contact information on members who are most relevant to your product. Whatever you do, make sure you’re sending simple, yet compelling emails through an automated mailing system to track engagement and follow-up. Try different subject lines or sender names. Don’t include attachments or external links unless you’re willing to risk being diverted into the spam folders.

Regardless, don’t just rely on email blasts. That’s lazy thinking. You need to think multi-level marketing to crack through that executive ceiling. Are you attending the right conferences with a set list of individuals to target? Maybe you need to pay someone who has the right connections and is willing to make introductions in-person? Are you providing free content in the form of webinars or podcasts that is co-produced and therefore advertised by independent organizations that have already garnered the trust of a particular audience? Are you willing to sweet talk office managers at a local medical practice to get 15 minutes of the founding physician’s time? You need to find creative ways to engage your target audience, without ridiculous tactics like sending gingerbread houses during Christmas season to multi-billion dollar health system executives or solely relying on targeted Instagram ads. Remember, healthcare is hyper-local. If you need a meeting with the head of a single cardiology practice in Atlanta, GA, go find the head of the former board chair of the American College of Cardiology’s local chapter.

Over the past few years, a ton of digital health startups have focused on the self-insured employer market due to contracting flexibility. If you focus on self-insured employers, think about the pros and cons of working with channel partners. There are a couple giants that own the entire employee benefit design and health insurance broker game, including Willis Towers Watson, Aon, or Mercer. Typically, brokers receive a healthy 3-6% commission fee off the total premium covered for all employees. If you want immediate distribution of your product or service to millions of employees across the country, you might have to pay one of these brokers an extra fee to offer your goods. In addition, the brokers will be looking for your startup to benefit their clients, employers, to save medical spending and improve employee engagement.

4. Identify Early Themes During Initial Pitch

We all have great ideas. They sound good on paper, and the team is bought in. You even received executive approval from the founders to initiate your sales process. The only problem is that during the first few meetings, which were 30-minute introductory calls with non-decision makers, the pitch hasn’t resonated. It feels like you’re selling an Apple Watch when the buyer only wants to talk about sun dials. I thought healthcare was ready for innovation?

The reality is that your product, back to lesson #2, is not satisfying their strategic, financial, and clinical needs. Or you’ve done a poor job clearly articulating the vision and how your small startup will be able to meaningfully improve a problem the healthcare incumbent encounters. Perhaps you’re pitching a $5,000 per month SAAS solution that could yield 3 times the ROI in savings to an organization? The problem is, the same company just spent $500 million on an Epic electronic medical record (EMR) installation and is concerned about losing $10 million this quarter because of contract disputes with a large payer. Sometimes your product just isn’t big enough to garner an executive audience. In that case, think about positioning your product with flexible pricing or partnership terms in a way that a middle-manager won’t need executive approval to sign.

Maybe you’re talking to a health plan about reducing dermatology spend because you have the latest and greatest technology, but the entire healthcare market is focused on providing cheaper transportation benefits to patients to reduce missed appointments (i.e., Uber, Lyft). That’s all anyone ever talks about at conferences you attend. If you’re the 10th most important thing that a Chief Medical Officer (CMO) is thinking about, either create a more compelling reason why they should change their list or find a different size stakeholder who is more immediately affected by your service.

5. Maintain Interest Level and Dig Deeper

Now that you have initial interest, continue to build momentum. It is incredibly easy to walk out of an initial meeting, with both parties having enjoyed the 30- or 60-minute conversation, but never move forward. Life is complicated and people get busy. You might think your healthcare startup is the next best thing since garlic knots, but that healthcare executive has 5 more pitches this week from other companies in your space. They also have budgets, HR issues, and bosses to deal with themselves. After a while, your follow-up emails and phone calls seem akin to your ex-boyfriend’s pitiful attempts. Reassess your strategy before further annoyance.

Can you introduce them to compelling referenceable clients that will speak kindly about your startup? Not in a way that seems cheesy, but able to articulate the good, the bad, and how your startup remedied the bad so it never happens again. If possible, these should be peers. A vice president at a fortune 50 drug manufacturer likely doesn’t want to talk to a junior-person at a small biotech startup. Know your audience and adapt. If the references don’t exist, are there other things you can do to “wow” the client? Do you have a demo? Can you analyze some of their data? Is someone on your team able to answer one of their questions via a mini-consulting project? Do you have an invite to a closed-door event that features some interesting topic area? At the very least, you have a Board of Directors, management team, and investors. Hopefully one of those can help build rapport at an executive level, in addition to your individual efforts.

6. Develop Detailed Partnership Terms

I am a strong proponent of protecting the company you work for during partnership discussions, but sometimes startups need to acknowledge the importance of closing a new partnership deal. You need to be flexible. You are a small healthcare startup negotiating against a large, bureaucratic organization with tons of legal representation. Don’t waste time debating term sheet after term sheet. It doesn’t matter if its non-binding. Discuss and agree on the high-level key structure, and then propose a draft of your definitive agreement or master services agreement with all the bells and whistles. This is going to take a while, so buckle in and try to set expectations on closing. By this time, if you’re good, you will have likely already signed an NDA and perhaps, a letter of intent (LOI) discussing the spirit of your partnership discussions with appropriate confidentiality and expectations around timing of a go or no-go decision.

Now you need to actually put pen to paper and define what your startup will provide to the healthcare company. They will want more details on data privacy than you have to provide. They will want to know detailed clinical workflows describing your process. They will want a detailed step-by-step breakdown of all the resources and time required by their staff and management, in order to be successful. Worst case scenario is that your product requires more time to be successful by the client’s team, than the benefit your product provides. You need to just survive and answer all their questions to the best of your ability. If you hit a brick wall, at some point just tell them honestly that you’re working on addressing a few of their concerns and they will be finalized before go-live.

7. Be Flexible Yet Confident During Negotiation

How important is this deal to you and the startup? If this potential client is your Moby Dick, then be prepared to make some adjustments to your base terms. Nothing in life is 100% favorable, nor should it be since a partnership includes two parties. One good referencable client can help make a splash in media, attract new investors, improve morale of the team, and light a fire under other potential clients who are dragging their feet. However, at some point the deal doesn’t make any sense for your startup. It pays too little, with too many requirements, and too low a probability that the partnership will expand by the time you need it. If this is the case, I hope your creative top-of-funnel strategy has successfully opened the doors of a few different clients at the same time. You should be moving down the funnel with as many prospects in parallel as possible. Don’t get sucked into focusing all your time on one pursuit, because Murphy’s Law exists.

Is the contract value of a new deal significant after go-live and highly sticky in terms of client retention? Meaning, once you sign this new partnership, do you have this healthcare incumbent locked in for a few years that drives significant revenue for your startup? If yes, then don’t die on the hill over fighting about implementation fees. Sometimes the cost of doing business in the medium or long-term requires short-term pain. If you need more funding to build functionality, think about managing your burn rate to account for this potential scenario. Does it feel like the liability section of the contract grew twice as large and shifted most of the responsibility to your tiny startup? That’s probably going to happen and you can’t do much about it. When you’re first starting out, the healthcare incumbents have the most leverage. It’s not a perfect scenario, but make sure the key fees and services are reasonable, and unfortunately accept the rest as the price of doing business.

8. Set Clear Expectations for Implementation and Go-Live

I love closing deals. But don’t set your implementation team up for failure. If they physically or technologically cannot meet the standards you’ve promised to the healthcare incumbent executive, and you’ve placed accompanying service level agreements (SLAs) with financial penalties owed by your startup, this is a bad deal. If you sign a deal that so drastically exaggerates the profitability of the partnership by limiting the minimum operational expenses required to perform, this is a bad deal. Don’t leave the account lead and operational teams out to dry, because there are real reputational risks associated with a bad deal in the healthcare industry. Executives all grew up together, hang out with one another, and move from organization to organization. If your startup is known as the one who can’t deliver on its promises, that will likely come back to bite the business development efforts and certainly impact churn rate and likelihood of harsh renegotiations with existing partners.

Overpromising and under-delivering in healthcare has real consequences. It won’t result in just someone’s food arriving late or e-commerce store unexpectedly shutting down, healthcare startups could meaningful harm a patient’s life. This of course represents the constant tension between sales and operations. I do believe that business development teams should do a better job at explaining the intricacies of the deal-making process to ensure the rest of the company understands the need for some flexibility. If everyone else feels like the sales leaders are the dumbest people at the company, you should remind them that everyone gets fired if the company doesn’t grow. Just don’t be an awful human being while discussing this matter.

9. Celebrate

No matter the outcome, a good business development team should celebrate the large and small wins. I’m not talking about trips to Hawaii, but you need to infuse some degree of optimism in your startup. Lack of growth causes a lot of problems. Sometimes you will get lucky, and the incumbent healthcare entity will take a chance on your product or team, despite lack of case studies or sophistication. However, that is increasingly becoming rarer each day. Therefore, any new partnership that will further the mission and grow the startup should be rewarded both financially and publicly across the company. With that being said, don’t act like your business development skills and compelling personality single-handedly closed the deal. Your team members across a variety of other departments all played a part, directly and indirectly. The engineering team built the product that was ultimately sold. The marketing team helped elevate the brand in the marketplace. The operational teams satisfied existing partners expectations so that they would provide positive reference calls.

In addition, the business development lead oftentimes has significant support in putting together materials, prepping for meetings, setting up logistics, managing subject matter experts, and reviewing legal contracts. I can bet that certain business development leaders think they’re Michael Jordan. Except, they forget that the Chicago Bulls didn’t beat the Detroit Pistons without Scottie Pippen and the rest of the team. Basically, if you’re the head of business development, show your team lots of love for the hard work and hours they’ve put in for far less financial reward.

Andy Mychkovsky is the creator of Healthcare Pizza. Follow him on Twitter (@AMychkovsky) and LinkedIn for future thoughts and updates. This post originally appeared on Healthcare Pizza here.

The post 9 Things Every Healthcare Startup Should Know About Business Development appeared first on The Health Care Blog.

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kristinsimmons · 4 years

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9 Things Every Healthcare Startup Should Know About Business Development

By ANDY MYCHKOVSKY

1. Understand Everything About the Product and Market

2. Create A Compelling Pitch

3. Organize Stakeholder Outreach

4. Identify Early Themes During Initial Pitch

5. Maintain Interest Level and Dig Deeper

6. Develop Detailed Partnership Terms

7. Be Flexible Yet Confident During Negotiation

8. Set Clear Expectations for Implementation and Go-Live

9. Celebrate

Andy Mychkovsky is the creator of Healthcare Pizza. Follow him on Twitter (@AMychkovsky) and LinkedIn for future thoughts and updates. This post originally appeared on Healthcare Pizza here.

The post 9 Things Every Healthcare Startup Should Know About Business Development appeared first on The Health Care Blog.

9 Things Every Healthcare Startup Should Know About Business Development published first on https://wittooth.tumblr.com/

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theteenagetrickster · 4 years

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Beware: The Techno-Doom-Loop

There's a principle I've been trying to verbalize for a long time. The issue is during the incidents where I wish to express it, I am actually therefore snared in irritation and dread that I can't raise considerably more than harsh incantations and also profanities. These episodes have been actually occurring more regularly it seems. Either considering that I am actually aging or even because alleged "cloud computer" is actually coming to be extra ubiquitous.

It happens when you are actually regarding to perform some insignificant task, something that ought to take just 15 few seconds. Like the opportunity my better half inquired me to acquire an audio lecture she purchased from a website onto her iPhone. No issue, right?

In between shooting up iTunes, upgrading iTunes on her laptop, updating iTunes on her phone, upgrading iphone before I can easily improve iTunes, recouping her password for iTunes, deauthorizing one-too-many devices coming from iTunes, one or even 2 other barricades I can't don't forget anymore as well as I'm 90 mins in to this odyssey.

The problem is it is actually certainly not simply that time. "Hey, don't forget the time I inquired you to duplicate that file to my apple iphone and you found yourself throwing my brand-new notebook at the pet dog?" ... as if it feels like that a person opportunity? No. It is actually significantly every single time.

Today needs to possess been cool ...

It is actually Brand-new Year's Time. Angela inquired me if I can always remember a newspaper article I as soon as discovered concerning a family member of hers in Barbados that I had actually sent her. Could I locate it once more? After browsing our sms message I decide I'll inspect my email. Since I switched over laptop computers, (the exact same the brand new notebook transfer that generated my changing from Microsoft workplace to LibreOffice), the global search feature in Thunderbird, the one that browses throughout all mail boxes and within information physical bodies hasn't functioned. It simply raises a blank button window when you run a hunt as well as it merely keeps empty.

I notice there is actually an upgrade accessible for Thunderbird (or even "ThunderTurd" as happened to be known within the following hr or even therefore). I attacked the switch, install the upgrade, reboot it ... as well as now every little thing is actually blank.

I reboot my laptop pc, and it enters a program update that takes half an hour to finish. Besides that, Thunderbird still looks hosed. Repeated reboots not do anything, and also the "Concerning Thunderbird" dialogue is constantly stuck on "Applying Update".

After trying a handful of factors, I choose to open a ticket in the Mozilla Support discussion forums ... simply as very soon as I generate an account ... which I require to validate by means of an authentication code they send out ... estimate where? To my email.

I run upstairs to acquire my phone and also get the code coming from my e-mail there certainly, lastly I can publish my concern ... Merely as quickly as I discuss what is inappropriate to the ticketing system which suggests a lot of various other posts that have absolutely nothing to do along with my trouble prior to finally putting a little hyperlink near the base along the collections "none of these solve my issue".

It is actually Brand new Year's Time as I stated, so I'm certainly not expecting a lot of other individuals to be actually squandering their f-ing day dicking about on Mozilla support discussion forums so I determine not to support my breath for any type of replies.

I remember I used to utilize Postbox when I ran right into a few other complication along with Thunderbird. It was something to carry out with every outbound information neglecting to write a duplicate to sent-mail after awhile and it certainly never acquiring resolved. I didn't mind spending for Postbox, as a matter of fact I liked that because that (supposedly) suggested this is actually an expert provider that is going to handle their paying users as something similar to clients as well as less like livestock. That concept was actually scurried when they unceremoniously cajoled me in to updating to version 6 and afterwards when I arrived recognized that they went down 3rd party plugin support and also that meant GPG help was actually gone. Thanks, pricks.

I went back to Thunderbird (currently strongly ThunderTurd) considering that at the very least that still assisted Enigmail's GPG plug-in. But then, that additionally barged in the relocate to OSX Catalina.

I need to have prefaced of this with "I started on this expedition during a speedy, but bright New Year's Day afternoon". It is actually now dark out.

Where was I? Oh yes, Postbox.

After downloading Postbox as well as hit on the damn.dmg repeatedly again and also absolutely nothing occurs I ask yourself if Postbox determined to discard 64-bit help, or hasn't acquired to it however, but I figure that's extremely unlikely (also though other much bigger companies, like Amazon, haven't bring out a 64-bit Kindle audience for OSX yet).

They carry out sustain it I'm only overlooking something. Oh yes, OSX blocks all apps coming from non-Apple Outlet developers unless you enter your safety environments and also especially enable it.

I enter into setups anticipating to observe that greyed out "Postbox" being noted as shut out, all athirst to click on the "make it possible for anyway" button or whatever it is actually phoned ... other than it is actually not there certainly. There is actually nothing at all. No blocked out applications. So I select the dmg a handful of more opportunity, apart from I click harder and also start promising on every click, but even that doesn't aid.

Then I remembered it took place to become before. Greater than once. And I always wind up on this reddit thread phoned "Remedy!! For all applications closed in Catalina" which seems like specifically what I need to have.

It proposes disabling the OSX gatekeeper, enjoy this:

Which I carry out and after that I click the dmg a couple of additional times as well as the fscking thing are going to still closed.

Turn back to the layer and perform it again

Still no dice. I do hear my laptop computer doing something so I check out the procedure list and DiskImageMounter is using up most of the Central Processing Unit, so I eliminate -9 that, then select the dmg and bingo! Postbox mounts.

(As I kind this rhetoric, which I may or might not publish, I keep in mind that very same reddit string reminds you to re-enable gatekeeper afterwards, which I haven't carried out yet, and also will perform ... right now)

Remarkably, this goes off without a snag. I was anticipating my laptop pc to reboot or even something. Yet remember, all this becomes part of the much bigger picture, which is I would like to manage a hunt throughout my e-mail messages. Postbox is actually still re-downloading my whole entire inbox so I can't pretty do that as yet. I'm doing this rather.

Anyhoo ... it seems like there's an outdated variation of Postbox on my brand-new laptop computer which have to possess come upon when I brought back coming from backups, and it has my aged e-mail profiles and also they are actually in place, apart from ... it's cuing me for my professional security password on my Postbox software program tool as well as I possess no idea what the hell it is actually considering that it is actually from a very long time earlier.

Some more taking a look around and I determine just how to reset a master code in Postbox

Disabling the expert password indicates I need to return to the IMAP security password on all my profiles, so I open my keychain to start re-entering all of them. However as I carry out the first one, nothing takes place. None of the email is coming down. I am coming back the security password again and again once again and also it is actually just certainly not occurring.

I always remember that regarding a year ago we transformed the hostname on the easyDNS IMAP swimming pool. There was an explanation for it, I only can't remember what it was actually. I remember my mama's e-mail was actually down for full weeks considering that I couldn't receive down there to transform the singular hostname environment in her email customer.

I finally upgrade all the IMAP multitudes throughout all the accounts, as well as obtain the codes went into ... which is actually where our experts are actually today. My major inbox is actually still downloading, each of my email routing filters are out of date, I am actually capable to finally run my searches ... as well as it is actually transforming up absolutely nothing.

I began this around 3pm, it is actually now 5:51 pm. When I mosted likely to place on a weed of coffee I finally attacked upon a words that illustrates this kind of butterfly impact dynamic:

The Technology-Doom-Loop

Over the vacations I was actually trying to coarsely verbalize this concept to a couple of close friends. None people possessed a words for it, however they all knew precisely what I was actually referring to. This seems to be near global recently. And also my accomplice is actually fairly well-informed about this stuff, imagine being a complete techno nonprofessional?

One buddy defined it as "South america minus televisions", after the techno-rubble dystopian culture represented in the Terry Gilliam motion picture of the same name.

The center guideline of the techno-doom-loop is actually that: when you start what must be a minor innovation located job, you are actually stopped coming from implementing that job by a pouring set of interdependencies as well as failing shapes that shed with an order of immensity even more opportunity to handle than the initial activity itself.

Just how frequently does it take place to you? The amount of opportunity do you squander in techno-doom-loops? Exactly how frequently does it happen to your workers and co-workers? To your whole entire group? When I consider it, whole projects as well as campaigns get hung up in this particular constantly. Exactly how a lot is your time, their time, our opportunity worth? Incorporate everything up, as well as our experts'll find that this probably has a true economic cost even better than some of the pictured crises our company listen to a great deal concerning in mainstream media and social networks.

It is just one of the reasons that I have a tendency to snort coffee out of my nostrils when I listen to pundits breathlessly spurting about Artificial Intelligence. If our program receives considerably smarter, human being is mosting likely to grind to a standstill before some of our makers usurp our company.

This content was originally published here.

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zanytimetravelenthusiast-blog · 4 years

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Meetvio Review Discount And Bonus

Introducing Meervio

Meetvio is quick ending up being the # 1 Webinar Platform. Right here's why ...

I know there are a couple of Webinar Hosting Operatings Systems out there ...

... however think me, in regards to efficiency and also rates, absolutely nothing comes even near to Meetvio.

See it at work to believe it.

Meetvio is the initial webinar platform to achieve an ultra-low (~ 1sec) latency for video and sound. It comes as near to Real-Time streaming as possible.

It has more functions than any other platforms like GoToWebinar, EasyWebinar, Zoom, and much more.

Meetvio has been constructed from ground-up maintaining the requirements of marketing experts as the key emphasis.

That is the factor it comes with functions like:

✓ Expanded Chat Support

✓ Ready-To-Use Touchdown And Registration Pages

✓ Ability To Install Video Clips To Registration Pages

✓ Seamless combination With ALL Major Autoresponders

✓ Assimilation With Zapier, Google Calendar/ iCalendar/ Overview

✓ And a great deal a lot more ...

Meetvio is additionally totally mobile responsive and also supports mobile chat too. As well as you can obtain in-depth statistics with just 1-click and also improve your advertising and marketing technique.

Have a look at how it exceeds all the various other platforms.

And also right here's the best point ...

During this special introductory deal, you can obtain instant accessibility to Meetvio at an unique introductory low single rate.

You additionally secure free access to the Industrial License-- that enables you to offer 'Running and Holding Webinars' as a service for your customers for a cost.

There are various other high-value perks lined up that will assist you run 6-Figure webinars like a Pro.

However this outstanding offer would certainly finish soon and after that you would certainly need to pay a lot even more to obtain accessibility to Meetvio.

Even if you have a membership to some other system currently-- you should terminate it and also obtain Meetvio.

Obtaining more functions as well as paying a reduced one-time price for it ... just makes a lot a lot more organisation sense.

Get instantaneous accessibility to this ultimate webinar system here.

Meetvio Review & & Introduction

Supplier: Neil Napier

Item: Meetvio

Introduce Day: 2020-Jan-16

Launch Time: 11:00 EST

Front-End Cost: $97

Sales Page: https://www.socialleadfreak.com/meetvio-review/

Niche: Software application

What Is Meetvio?

Meetvio is an all-in-one meeting, webinar, and also autowebinar platform. You have most likely seen as well as made use of a conference platform (like Zoom), or a webinar system (like GoToWebinar) or an autowebinar system (like EverWebinar). However you have actually NEVER EVER BEFORE seen a TOTAL service that enables you to run every sort of webinar imaginable.

The Ultimate Overview to Webinars: 37 Tips for Successful Webinars (Part 5)

24. Approve That Things Might Fail

Despite just how prepared you are, constantly bear in mind that some things are out of your hands.

You could lose electrical power.

Your WiFi could decrease.

Or your laptop might choose today to die.

Generally the problems won't be that remarkable. They'll be extra like missteps.

However things can-- and also will certainly-- go wrong.

Tips for Meetvio Webinar Presenters

25. Compose a Killer Script ...

Just like any other type of real-time event, whether it's a talk show or podcast, a manuscript can do wonders for your webinar.

Your manuscript is essentially your plan.

These notes will maintain you on course.

Do you need to pre-plan every word you're going to state? No.

Yet no matter how well-informed or enthusiastic you are about a defined topic, trying to existing or conduct an interview for an hour can be exceptionally tough if it isn't (at least somewhat) scripted.

26. ... Yet Do not Be Afraid to Go Off Manuscript

Preparing a well-written manuscript may be a crucial step in webinar preparation, however that does not mean you need to follow it to the t.

Often, you need to go off script as well as elaborate to keep your target market engaged as well as amused.

Always keep in mind that your goal isn't to experience whatever as rapid as possible-- rather, it ought to be to communicate your message as comprehensively as feasible.

27. Exercise Your Discussion

There is no such thing as excessive practice session.

Some individuals can just "wing it."

But these normally cause "OKAY" presentations, not great or memorable Meetvio webinar.

Whether you read your script word for word, or following cue cards, you require to rehearse in order to infuse correct tonality as well as personality in your words. Otherwise for that, a minimum of to make certain your audios and slides are functioning well.

Sounding like a robot is bad.

Sounding like a person confident and also personable is excellent.

Your objective is to be born in mind.

People normally just remember great audio speakers. The rest are quickly forgotten.

28. Create Visual Slides

What's the factor of using slides in your webinar if they're just going to contain bulleted checklists or prolonged paragraphs?

This is lazy and also a blunder. Some presenters even make it worse by reviewing what the customers can plainly see on their own.

If that's been your strategy the whole time, after that might as well forget it-- your webinar is most likely mosting likely to be boring and fail.

When creating your slides, believe more visuals, much less words.

Use information visualizations rather than creating listings to iterate statistics.

Why would you reveal them this:

When you can reveal them this:

Obtaining much more aesthetic isn't as well tough to do, as there are lots of free and inexpensive design devices readily available.

29. Use Different Media Formats

Instead of just counting on slides and also video clip of the presenter speaking, utilize various types of media.

For instance, you could include a video clip or animation to further illustrate your points.

If you're showing how a product functions, stroll the attendees with the process in real-time rather than just revealing previously taken pictures.

It breaks up the uniformity of the conventional Meetvio webinar and can maintain your target market interested.

30. Plan for Interaction

You may believe that holding a webinar, which makes use of video clip, text, and audio material, is a surefire means to keep interaction.

But after listening to someone talk for 20 mins or longer, your target market may get tired or just obtain distracted.

To make sure they take note as much as the very end of your webinar, you require to motivate them to participate.

Ask survey concerns, provide obstacles, and just try to be conversational as you reveal the contents of your webinar.

Fortunately, most webinar systems provide a handful of interactive devices-- the most common of which being a chat area where participants can connect freely.

You ought to have no problem locating a platform that has whatever you require to perform your ideas.

Meetvio OTOs

Front End: Meetvio Webinars ($ 77)

Webinars

Meetvio All-In-One ($ 97)

Conferences

Webinars

Autowebinars

OTO 1: Meetvio Unlimited ($ 197/$ 97 py)

∞ projects

∞ participants

∞ bandwidth

OTO 2: Meetvio Studio ($ 47)

Integrated Video Clip Editor

OTO 3: DFY Webinars ($ 97 py or $17 pm)

Obtain 2 DFY Webinars On A Monthly Basis

+ 100% Payments To Advertise The Products Promoted In The Webinar + Pre-Designed And Pre-Filled Templates to Modify And Use

OTO 4: Meetvio Reseller (50 Seats - $197/ Unlimited Seats - $297)

Get 100% on the first month of the regular monthly Meetvio option $49 each month (post-launch price).

Final thought

" It's A Great Deal. Should I Spend Today?"

Not only are you getting access to Meetvio for the very best price ever before offered, however additionally You're spending entirely without danger. Meetvio consists of a 30-day Cash Back Guarantee Plan. When you pick Meetvio, your complete satisfaction is ensured. If you are not totally satisfied with it for any type of factor within the first 1 month, you're entitled to a full refund-- no doubt asked. You have actually obtained nothing to lose! What Are You Awaiting? Try It today and obtain The Adhering to Benefit Now!

#Meetvio #Meetvio Review

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