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paranaturalpop · 3 years

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I rate your pnat ships by how well they work as foils

I’m Professor Pops, welcome to Literature 405: comparing and contrasting in pnat ships. Love is in the air but all that really matters is narrative symmetry!

Mina and Agent Day (submitted by @anxanhh)

two women on missions who need a confidante.

Mina is a calculating woman of science with a tender, vulnerable heart deep down that she guards. Day is a fun, giggly love goddess but beneath the surface she is just as calculating.

They are both focused on their prospective goals to the point of subterfuge.

They have similar missions, to solve the many mysteries of Mayview, but they’re at odds instead of working together. Will these lone wolves learn to let their walls down and work towards a common goal?

Their spectral energies are complementary colors!!!!!!!!!!!!

9/10 so different yet so alike. They should kiss and also develop as people.

Spendcia

Where's that post about paranatural having what my hero academia wants?

These two had interacted in cannon only once before we found out they were dating, power move on Zack’s part

The cousinhood and the consortium seem to have bad blood…. Enemies to lovers????

As teachers, Garcia is tired and phoning it in while spender is energetic and committed. But when it comes to mystery solving Spender is burning himself out while Garcia keeps him grounded.

Garcia does things like pack spender lunches with little hearts drawn on the bag but was surprised to be called his boyfriend. He acts chill but inside he is deeply invested in spender but also knows about spender’s isolating tendencies.

8/10 there's a reason these two have been off and on again for 6ish years, they’re walking a tightrope of vulnerability.

Imaax (submitted by Rubyya)

The Destiel of Paranatural. No I will not elaborate.

Here’s a pnat history lesson, the original ship name was Maxaac, but Zack weighed in on twitter with a much better alternative: Imaax. Also sometimes called Team Lightning Rod.

Black and blue colors, just like the emotional bruises they leave on the people around them.

Isaac wants to be seen as heroic and Max wants to be seen as aloof. It presents in different ways but deep down they both really care what other people think.

They both fear sincerity. Isaac protects himself with theatrics and Max with sarcasm.

Isaac puts on a big show of having strong ethics but he’s a little mean on instinct. Max puts on a big show of cutting people down with his snark and devil-may-care attitude, but when push comes to shove he’s kind and cares how other people feel.

Max immediately insults every person he meets and they still want to be best friends with him, while Issac tries so hard to be cool and nice but people just can’t stand him.

The meta tension between Isaac, who wants so badly to be the protagonist, and Max “magnetic personally” Puckett who is exhausted with being the protagonist, is delicious.

There’s a reason official art tends to portray them together. They bring out the best in each other. Isaac brakes through Max’s performative pessimism and Max brings Isaac down to earth.

10/10 these two were written as a pair and it shows.

Suzabel (submitted by Rubyya)

One of my fav tropes is ‘enemies to friends’ where the enemy part is completely one-sided. Isabel probably thinks she and Suzy get along great.

Both the heads of their respective clubs, but with very different leadership styles.

Isabel only studies her grandfather's spectral style to please him and is a near master of it, while Suzy is incredibly self-motivated even though her actual skills are lacking.

Isabel is at a crucial time in her life where she’s learning to distance herself from adult authority figures in order to take on more personal responsibility. Suzy is already blazing with independence and could help her adjust.

Inversely, Isabel could teach Suzy a thing or two about treating your club members with respect and doing the emotional labor necessary to prevent future conflict.

Red and pink! Valentines colors!

Isabel could kill you but would never, Suzy would actually try to kill you.

Investigative reporter/person living mysterious double life is a great dynamic.

Back when Izzy had Eightfold they had the ship name ‘Paper Girls’ which is awesome

7/10 Don’t ask me how I know this but they would kill at karaoke together. And they’re ok foils.

Bullymagnet

Max ‘too cool for clubs’ vs a boy who defines himself by his tight knit group.

Max is learning to be less passive aggressive and johnny is learning to be less aggressive aggressive.

Max’s entry to spectral life was when he injured Johnny and saw a shade of a doctopi on him, and Johnny's first shade was Max's doctopi after the hit ball game.

Johnny refuses to commit to not bullying max anymore even though he really likes him, and max is working on being nicer but he’s still gonna be snarky with people even though they’re his friends. Old habits die hard.

If he hadn't seen that shade, Max might have joined Johnny's gang. He has the style, the stunts, the snark.

8/10 Just two bros whose lives are changing forever.

Isaac and Dimitri (submitted by Rubyya)

Here’s my pitch for a ship name: Brainstorm

Orange and blue are complementary colors.

Isaac hurt Dimitri accidentally somehow. Hurting others accidentally is the central theme of chapter 5.

Idealist/pragmatist is a classic dynamic

They both have relationships with their spirit partners that are rooted in fear.

Dimitri’s self concept is overly dependent on his sense of intellectual superiority, and Isaac’s on ethical superiority.

7/10 have not directly interacted in the comic yet but the narrative symmetry is there

Johnny and Isabel (submitted by Rubyya)

Burnhound Vs Shockadile

These two are natural leaders who know how to treat their friends with respect.

These jocks are both lethal weapons, but while Isabel is a master martial artist, Johnny is a passionate but blunt instrument.

They’re both going through similar identity crises.

Isabel is struggling to reconcile her violent and disciplined upbringing with a good, gentle heart and Johnny is trying to reconcile his violent and self-centered lifestyle with a developing respect and empathy for other people.

Johnny dies his hair red, so he would think it’s cool how Izzy emits a fiery red aura when excited.

8/10 there's a reason these two were the team leaders in the hit ball arch.

Violet and Lisa (submitted by Rubyya)

People have been theorizing about what kind of cryptid Lisa is since day one meanwhile Violet gives off big normie energy.

Lisa is very plugged into all the Mayview weirdness as the queen of the school underground, while Violet was the only person who thought to go get a teacher during the hit ball arch. Lisa was also the only one who really spoke openly about how something was clearly very wrong with Jeff, everyone else talked around it and played by the so called ‘rules’. Lisa’s secret brokering Vs. Violet’s ‘sunlight is the best disinfectant’ attitude presents two different approaches to trying to survive in a school run by a mysterious shadow organization within a town that contains several other mysterious shadow organizations.

“If you were, I’d have to be jealous too.” just two middle schoolers pinning over their crushes.

7/10 two girls against the world.

Isaac and Johnny

ship name: Firestorm?

Just 2 fiery redheaded mediums with anger management issues that command primal forces and wanna be best friends with max

Johnny chooses to have red spiky hair, Issac has had red spiky hair thrust upon him.

Both met Maxwell Pucket and decided they needed to change for the better.

I’ve said this before but Johnny and Issac have equal and opposite philosophies. Johnny doesn't care about the greater good, he just cares about a small group of people who he loves. Issac cares about the greater good, but can’t connect with individuals and ends up hurting them. Together they form one GoodTM boy.

Both their spirit partners want revenge on Spender. This spells trouble.

If there’s anyone to teach Isaac about unconditional friendship, it’s Johnny

Isaac has sworn off violence and Johnny worships at the altar of it.

9/10 they’ve only interacted in canon once so far but I’ve think we’ve got a big storm coming.

Suzy and Collin (submitted by Rubyya)

The Bakudeku of pnat. I will continue to not elaborate.

Suzy once stole Collin's phone which prompted Collin to try to cut her hair which prompted Suzy to stab Collin and at no point did either of them think to move to a different bus seat. As different as they are they are also very much the same.

Collin is the definition of mouth service (constantly disapproving of suzy’s antics but going along with it anyway.) while suzy is all action.

Despite their different attitudes they both seem genuinely passionate about the journalism club.

Fashion icons. Suzy’s sunglasses and legwarmers, Collins sweater vests and wrist bands, this duo could walk for Paris fashion week: middle school edition.

We’ve gotten an indication that Collin cares a lot about what Suzy thinks of him (taking off his wrist bands when she made fun of Max's) but we haven't gotten any sign yet that the feelings are mutual.

5/10 I think their story is yet to be told and we’ll get to know more about how they compare/contrast to each other in the future. Maybe brought on by Dimitri's betrayal?????

Cody and Isabel (Submitted by @a-bitchtm)

Cody is gay by WOG but that doesn't matter here since we are evaluating thematic compatibility, not romantic compatibility.

Red Vs. Blue

Izzy’s arch about stepping into her role as leader through communication and honesty contrasts Cody’s role as the secret class president. Izzy finally told Isaac the truth about the consortium, while Cody blatantly lied to max about being president.

Both seem to have generally good motivations and the skills/talent to back those motivations up.

Isabel is in the process of unlearning the ‘firm hand’ philosophy that she learned from her grandpa and Cody’s dad straight up tried to mind control him into murdering a toddler.

They were both taught to fall back on their capacity for violence and intimidation but those teachings conflict with the people they really want to be.

6/10 just two kids who are being led astray by authority figures trying to learn to be themselves.

Cody and Collin (Submitted by @gatortavern)

They both like vests.

Both beholden to blood thirsty predators

Collin is a journalist, Cody is a vampire/leader of the shadow government. It’s a huge power move on Cody’s part to hang out with Collin.

Cody’s support of his friends is enthusiastic while Collin would have you believe Suzy has kidnapped him.

4/10 they hang out for a reason but those reasons have yet to be fully developed

Isabel and Max (submitted by @Paranatural-goofiness)

They’re both people who have learned to put up walls to keep people out. Isabel through violence and intimidation, max through sarcasm and mockery. T

he other side of this is their mutual journey to let their walls down and connect with other people more genuinely, starting with each other.

Their search for acceptance and identity has led them both to become incredible athletes. Spectral fist martial arts = shred eagle stunts

As we saw in the hit ball game, Izzy faces things head on while Max is all about evasion. However we’ve seen how Izzy has actually learned to be evasive and guarded about her feelings while Max is a little more forthcoming.

8/10 Never has there been faster friends.

Isaac and Cody (submitted by Rubyya)

Drama kings

Isaac wants the likability Cody has.

Parallels of power: Isaac with power he didn't choose and cant control vs. Cody who also didn’t choose to have his power (elected), but wields it like an instrument.

Involuntary anime hair and involuntary glowing monster eyes

These two definitely both fall under the category of “lawful”.

I can see these two ending up on opposite sides of a conflict because they both have such rigid personal codes and an intense sense of duty.

I know I’ve been approaching almost all of these platonically but Isaac probably really wants a cool vampire boyfriend deep down

7/10 Unstoppable force, meet immovable object. You two should watch anime together.

Hijack and PJ (submitted by @gatortavern)

They both wanna join the activity club so bad

Both have immature ideas about heroism and villainy.

Both aspire to heroism while at the same time understanding that they aren't that yet and maybe never will be.

They both, like many people in this comic, wanna be friends with max.

5/10 Two supernatural babies who should play wii sports together

Stephen and Isaac (@Gatortavern)

Two boys who are easily overwhelmed

Lawful vs. chaotic

Isaac has enough secrets to give Stephen his conspiracy fix for a long time.

In their own ways they both just want everything out in the open.

Isaac is Stephen's dream, someone actually living a secret double life, and Stephen is Issac's dream, someone with a cool scar who would think he’s actually very interesting.

5/10 these two are both very intense in their own way.

Johnny and Ed (Submitted by @theevilbrainman)

Two souls lost in the wind

Two people for whom friendship and loyalty is central to their character, and they’re both struggling with personal growth because of it. Johnny is afraid to change because his friends have always liked the person he already is, and Ed is struggling to even define himself outside of Isabel, the person he cares about the most.

Both impulsive and uninhibited.

They both live lives free from expectation. Johnny’s wild bully persona means no one is surprised by his antics or cruelty, while Grandpa Guerra doesn't really care if Ed takes up phantom fist like Isabel. He actually calls him a freeloader. Not having much expected of you can feel free but it’s also lonely and can warp your self-perception.

6/10 these two crossed paths at exactly the right time.

I didn't cover every submission because even though only 9 people submitted you sent in 34 ships between you. Pnat’s fanbase is small but very dedicated.

Honorable mentions:

Johnny and clear sinuses, submitted by @gaul-the-unmitigated

Isaac and therapy, submitted by both @squidgeons and @somethingfishysgoingon

PJ and Johnny, submitted by @gatortavern, who seems to be under the impression that Johnny Would protect PJ and not destroy him just by breathing near him.

Day and Scabs, submitted by @gatortavern, because funny.

Special thanks to everyone who sent in ship between people who have never interacted in cannon, which was a lot of you. My eyes are opened now, so many possibilities.

#paranatural #pnat #q #ships #valentines #dr. zarei/agent day #imaax #spendcia #suzabel #bullymagnet #shipping #pnat spoilers

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coolcattime · 4 years

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Character Dossier: Medli

Name: Medli Mistwalker

Age: 19

Race: Water Genasi

Class: College of Whispers Bard.

Sexuality/Pronouns: Lesbian, She/Her

Short Bio:

Medli is an excitable, teenage water genasi with a love of music and an obsession with magic. She will go out of her way to learn more about magic, finding a lot of joy in both knowing about it and practising it. She is quite a charming individual, having a talent with making up stories and mimicry. Some would call it lying but she would be quite insistent that such wording downgrades the talent involved.

She is quite clumsy, though she also seems lucky enough to find a way to turn clumsiness into something that looks impressive. It is hard to tell what is intentional on her part and what is just an accident. If she intended to cartwheel the whole time or simply tripped and then did so to avoid falling.

Medli is completely against violence, getting quite upset if she ever has to hurt anything. Due to this, all of her spells are ones that can’t hurt people and Medli tries to avoid fights if she can. That being said, she isn’t completely defenceless and has some tricks up her sleeve if she does need to do some damage, though she prefers just to help keep the people she’s with safe instead.

Physical Description:

Medli is quite an odd-looking individual, with blue skin and hair, her features look being more similar to a tropical ocean than they do to most humans. She is shorter than most, standing at about 5’2”. She is about average weight, though her genasi heritage, general lack of muscle mass, and odd diet means that her weight is mostly made up of fat.

She has scales on her forehead, cheeks, neck, shoulder, hips, lower back, and upper legs. Many of them have small scars around them, and quite a few are missing. She also has gills on the back of her neck though one is damaged and has a scar over it along with part of her neck. Other notable scars she has are multiple small ones under her hair and one on her left wrist that extends slightly round onto the front of her arm.

Hair:

Medli’s hair is deep blue in colour and acts like it’s constantly underwater both in the fact that it moves and flows by itself and that it’s always wet. This fact is inconvenient in the winter and in general when in a colder climate as it freezes, becoming brittle which causes Medli a lot of stress. If it ever was still it would go down to her waist. To Medli, her hair is her most beloved feature, with a good amount of her self-esteem tied to it.

Outfits:

Medli usually wears a simple outfit made up of a white off-the-shoulder crop top, an orange tiered maxi skirt, and a pair of old brown gladiator sandals. They are all made of a cheaper but comfortable material designed to be easy to perform in. She has a single ear piercing, a hoop made of dark blue metal.

She also has two accessories she nearly always wears, the first being a silver circlet made up of two metal rings with four blue jewels as a centrepiece. When she first received it at twelve years old, it was too big to fit her correctly, though that didn’t stop her from attempting to wear it (it often becoming a necklace). Now she has grown enough to properly fit it and she wears it as much as possible.

The other is a green blanket, decorated with an orange sun on one edge and an orange moon on the opposite one. It’s made of thin material, enough that that is almost see-through when it’s stretched out. Medli wears it folded and tied around her waist so that the sun can be seen. Medli has always had the blanket with it being the first possession she ever had, though she has done her best to take care of it. The most notable damage done to it is that at one point it was cut in half, though it has now been sewn back together along with being embroidered with constellation patterns.

Interests:

Medli has a passionate interest in magic and magical knowledge. She spends a lot of time practicing magic and studying arcane theory. She has a journal detailing her notes and theories on different spells, some of which is completely ridiculous but that is generally stuff that Medli cannot cast herself. The notes on spells she can cast usually detail the uses she can think of for them, as well as the way she’s seen other people cast them and their general effects.

Medli also loves playing instruments, she can play three different instruments but her main focus is the violin. She loves making music and did so even before she began to learn bardic skills that linked music and magic together. Even though she isn’t an expert, she loves playing the violin and it brings her a lot of joy, though she can get quite stressed about any perceived imperfection or when attempting to play an unfamiliar piece.

Important Relationships:

Lady Clarissa Mistbreaker. (She/Her) A middle-aged, half-elven woman who has gotten to her current position through being ruthless and manipulative. She has been the Baroness of Mistwalker Island, a title held by the head of the college, for the past four decades. It is a well-respected position, given to the best bard at the college as chosen by the previous Baron or Baroness, though there are only rumours of the trails Clarissa had to go through to prove herself.

She dresses in refined, formal attire, wanting to make sure she always looks prepared and professional while also being imposing. This is seen clearly in the long, green military-style coat she usually wears; the collar being decorated with the fur of an Arcanaloth. She is also never seen without at less one of her custom weapons; one a short whip made of a violin string, and the other an enchanted hand-crossbow.

Clarissa has known Medli since she was a baby, having been the one to find her abandoned on the docks of Mistwalker Island. At first, she has little interest in the girl, simply putting her into the care of the college but then she realised the unique opportunity she had been presented. She would shape her into the perfect prodigy.

So, Clarissa started mentoring Medli, giving her private lessons from a young age. Medli enjoyed most of these lessons, especially those where she learned to play instruments, looking up to Clarissa as most of the students at the college did. However, there was a darker side to the mentorship as it led to Clarissa abusing her prodigy under the guise of teaching her. She would belittle her for nearly everything, for asking “stupid” questions, expressing her fear or dislike of violence, and even the names she chose for her pets. When teaching her violin, she would whip her across the wrist whenever she made a mistake or used a technique different from what Clarissa thought was best. She also did her best to make sure Medli feel isolated from the other students, including encouraging the bullying Medli experienced.

Throughout Medli’s life, Clarissa has controlled her actions, and even running away from Mistwalker hasn’t stopped her from attempting to do so. Medli is her prodigy, and she can’t allow her to leave while she is still learning and Clarissa especially can’t allow her to be corrupted by the untrained tiefling she is now traveling with.

Idric Ba’lor. (He/Him) A tiefling man who with only one remaining horn, with the other being wore as a necklace after being smashed off when he was younger and first getting a footing in life.

Being a few years older than Medli, Idric has become a fairly well-known, if potentially polarising figure, playing roles as a violinist, merchant, and generally charming adventurer. More recently Idric captains his namesake ship: The Balor, a former cargo ship turned home and stage for performers and merchants. Idric is usually found in flamboyant attire, most notably a buccaneer’s coat that looks to have been originally designed for someone far taller and broader than Idric. The coat now is littered with marks of by-hand-tailoring, both intentionally and not; the most obvious of these being a series of embroidered constellation designs.

Idric first met Medli a couple of years ago, back when she was running anyway from Mistwalker and before he became Captain of the ship that he took his name from, and have since become close friends, with Idric taking a mentor-like figure. Though it took a while for Medli to come out of her shell, she trusts him fully and looks up to him a lot.

When working beside him, whether it be selling items with outlandish, largely false backstories or falling onto whatever adventure they accidentally started and are now roped into, Medli has felt useful in ways she never did back at the college.

Idric also holds a lot of contempt towards Medli’s former ‘mentor’ Clarissa, a feeling that definitely is mutual. The two first met when she held an open-challenge violin contest at the college, one that quickly became far more of a “duel” with Clarissa failing to best the younger violinist. Clarissa took this as a personal humiliation, for one he was self-taught while she was in charge of a bard college and for another, this battle took place in front of a crowd, her crowd. This hatred has only grown since Medli left the college, with Clarissa believing that Idric has manipulated and stolen her prodigy away and Idric continuously learning more about the treatment of his friend at the hands of a supposed mentor.

Heather “Heath” Mistwalker. (He/Him) A fallen aasimar the same age as Medli, Heath is another student at Mistwalker College, having become a student a little over a decade ago. It was only when he came to Mistwalker that he started calling himself Heath, wanting to sound tougher in the vicious environment of the college. He looks relatively normal for an aasimar, lacking a defining odd feature that most of them possess. Some say that he is quite attractive, some say he would be even more so if he changed his hair cut to something more flattering.

It wasn’t long after becoming a student at Mistwalker that Heath grew to dislike Medli due to an incident that ended with the small group of friends he had made being expelled, with him only being allowed to stay due to this being so soon after he had started attending the school. They had told him that Medli was nothing more than a spoilt brat, getting away with more than anymore else in the college due to being Clarissa’s favourite, and losing the friends he had made because of her proved this to Heath. The fact that he and his friends had stolen Medli’s goldfish and nearly killed it seemingly not being important his mind.

Since then, he has been a bully to Medli and desperately attempted to gain Clarissa’s favour and attention, the small amounts of attention he did get further fuelling his actions. Though Heath doesn’t know that Clarissa subtly encourages the behaviour in an attempt to toughen Medli up, having no particular interesting in him. He is instead sure that he is slowly winning her over by proving how inept Medli is. After all, he knows that he is better than her, that he deserves to be the school’s prodigy, no matter what he has to do to prove it.

Mouse Mistwalker. (He/Him) A goliath a few years older than Medli, Mouse is large and muscular enough to intimidate people without intending to while still being surprisingly light on his feet. During his time at Mistwalker, he was studying to be a rogue. He knows a few spells, though is most knows for using Mirror Image.

Mouse met Medli during a family visiting day at the college, where both were alone and not expecting any visitors. On this particular day, she has gotten curious about her parents and asked Clarissa, only to be yelled at, and was found by him crying in the corridors. Mouse conformed Medli, telling her that family is over-rated anyway. He managed to cheer her up, and the two spend the day talking, with Medli being extremely happy to talk to another student without being yelled at, and became fast friends.

Even as Medli was outcasted by basically everyone else in the college, Mouse continued to be her friend, thinking a little of those who would pick on someone smaller or weaker than themselves. After one particularly bad incident when Medli was twelve in which nearly all her hair was cut off, he gifted her a circlet as she had previously mentioned wanting one. It didn’t cheer her up as much as he would’ve liked but she did like the gift.

Mouse graduated from Mistwalker College a few years ago and Medli hasn’t seen him since.

Altair Delphine. (They/Them) A Scourge Aasimar with chaotically formed shapes and winding veins of embedded stained glass indiscriminately coating parts of their body. Between the multi-coloured glass and blueish, almost bruise hued skin, Altair has a unique look.

Having attended the prestigiously brutal Penattrey Institute, Altair has received unparalleled exposure to powerful magics, influential mages and limit-breaking situations. Their feelings on this time are complex, however, especially considering the crushing expectations forced on them by their parents, school, and divine heritage.

Said immense pressure led to Altair running away from the Institute, just before receiving their final exam results. And so, Altair needed to find a way to support themselves.

Which, after a failed stint at opening a diviner’s tent, meant Altair took an ominous offer as an apprentice for Lady Clarissa herself, using their prolific divination abilities directly for her.

This is where they met Medli.

A mutual struggle to fit in at a college designed to spark a killer instinct neither was interested in, led to a fast friendship forming between the two mostly on the backs of an avoidance of responsibility, something Altair very much enjoyed doing. For this duo, it mostly meant skipping obligations and finding a quiet spot to indulge their passions, for Altair this was mostly creating and maintaining a custom deck of tarots as well as tailoring and redesigning their outfits.

Despite Altair’s floundering social skills and occasional unintentional insensitivity, Medli was glad to have a new friend, someone she was genuinely excited to talk to. She loved listening to them discuss their passions and watch them draw or paint and was happy to be able to share her passions and hobbies with someone genuinely interested in them instead of mocking or yelling at her. It didn’t matter that their interests rarely aligned, the two developed a sincere and safe bond.

This bond was tested regularly by Heather and the other bullies who regularly made odd demands or interrupted the duo just to make them uncomfortable. Coming to a climax with a particular argument about Medli skipping “Poisons and Other Untraceables” that led to a particular nasty outburst and then Altair drawing out a flash of smoke from his deck with Medli lying about the “toxicity” of the spell.

Altair was still at Mistwalker when Medli left, though they left not long after. Medli doesn’t know why they left or where they may be now.

Misc.:

Medli was raised in and received an education from Mistwalker College: a once prestigious boarding school, the reputation of which has become shadier over time. The college has always prided itself particularly on its powerful bards, but also on the wizards, rogues, performers, and politicians that are raised within its walls. Though those who investigate see the pattern of suspicious, usually manipulative, and sometimes downright criminal behaviour the graduates often show. They are also well known for taking in taking in orphaned or abandoned children and raising them. Most who graduate from the college end up taking the last name Mistwalker, seeing joying the “Mistwalker family” as a great honour, quite a few returning to the college whether they take on a full-time teaching position or simply to help out with any problem the college might have.

Medli suffers from night terrors. Despite how often she has them, she doesn’t like telling people that she does until she is sure that she trusts them, to the point of sometimes lying about having one when someone finds her either having one or just having woke from one. They happen more frequency when she is stressed.

Medli has had four pet fish over the years: Mister Bubbles, Coyrim, Talula, and Mister Bubbles the Second. Unfortunately, all of them have passed away.

Medli is a vegetarian which was a problem while at the college due to a lack of options, meaning that she mostly ate pasta and bread as they were always available. Since starting to travel with Idric, she’s expanded her diet a lot.

[The characters Idric Ba’lor and Altair Delphine belong to @atlass-coat and their character descriptions were written by/with him]

#original character #character dossier #original writing #dungeons and dragons character #water genasi #bard #college of whispers #tw abuse #i've never really done something like this before so i hope that it's good #because i do wanna do more of these #and medli is like my favourite character i've ever made #so i started with her

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tarisilmarwen · 5 years

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Tari’s Top Twenty OTPs - #6

OTP: Zuko/Mai

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Zuko: Firstborn son of Fire Lord Ozai and prince of the Fire Nation, Zuko was cast out and banished from his home after speaking out in a war meeting in defense of Fire Nation soldiers going to be callously sacrificed on the front lines, his father challenging him to a duel and then burning off half his face in punishment. Ozai charged the young prince with an impossible task–find the Avatar and bring him back in chains–as the only way to regain his honor and his place on the throne. Zuko is relentless in pursuing his goal, his desperation and need for his father’s approval driving him to determinedly chase Aang across the world. Over time, however, through his experiences and the good influence of his uncle Iroh, Zuko comes to the realization that everything he’s ever known is a lie, starts to overcome the abuse his father put on him, grow humbler and wiser, still retaining his noble core. Zuko breaks out of the roles set for him in order to define and shape his own destiny, and joins the Avatar to help bring peace and stability to a world at war.

Mai: Zuko’s friend and childhood sweetheart, Mai is a stoic, cynical girl who hides her emotions beneath a veneer of indifference. Years of emotional neglect and abuse from her own parents have left her without the ability to express herself or stand up for what she wants, and she passively follows along with Azula on their journey to capture Iroh and Zuko. Through her adventures, however, and especially after her reunion with Zuko, Mai starts to come alive, starts to express her feelings and break free from the walls and false shells she’d put up for herself. She becomes happier and more assertive, and eventually also rejects the propaganda of the Fire Nation to side with Zuko and help him escape.

Together: Despite or maybe even because of the emotional abuse both of them have suffered, Zuko and Mai are pretty much the only things that make each other genuinely happy. They were sweet on each other for a long time, and it doesn’t take long for them to reconnect when Zuko chooses to side with Azula in Ba Sing Se and come home to the Fire Nation. They can be prickly and fumbling with each other at times, but also help each other grow and influence each other in positive ways. Zuko helps Mai let her guard down, helps her learn to express herself and be open with her feelings. Mai becomes a trusted confidant for Zuko, encouraging and comforting him when he’s down, and being happy for him when things go well for him. They are immensely comfortable with each other, and can often be found snuggling together in absolute contentment.

How I Got Into The Fandom: See Aang/Katara’s entry.

When I Started Shipping Them: I sort of multishipped Zuko for a bit following Season Two with pretty much all the girls he’d had significant interaction with. (Minus Katara lol.) Zuko/Mai I’d always thought was pretty cute, because of their little kid crushes on each other, and then when Season Three came out and Mai and Zuko were an established couple, I was absolutely giddy. That, plus a helping dose of spite due to the hate they were getting from a certain unnamed group of fanon shippers, quickly made me into something of a Maiko stan, and I just rooted for them harder and harder the more of them being a couple we got to see.

Why I Love Them: You’d think with Zuko being an overdramatic angry angst machine and Mai being so emotionally stunted she doesn’t even recognize her abuse as abuse the two would be a complete disaster together, and they aren’t always perfect in how they relate to each other at first, but it is still an absolute joy to watch them figure out how to have a happy, healthy, wholesome relationship in spite of their issues. They mutually care about each other so, so much. Mai tries so hard to be a comfort to him. She’s the only thing Zuko regrets leaving when he defects. They trust each other enough to respect each other’s decisions, even when they seemingly don’t make sense. Mai is very “Starfire”ish in how she relates to him, bolstering him up and combating his intense self-hate with words of encouragement. And I’ve always kind of had a thing for childhood crushes growing up and getting together. I’m a sap, what can I say.

Three Favorite Moments:

1. Finale reunion.

The world is saved. Things are at peace. Zuko struggles alone by himself in his room, trying to get his robes on. From the door, a familiar sultry voice pipes up. The surprise and then joy and relief on Zuko’s face is adorable as he turns to see a smiling happy Mai leaning up against the wall. She comes over and–in a very domestic, married-like way–helps him put on his clothes, while making coy remarks about Zuko’s new royal station. Zuko, still very much regretting having broken her heart and left her when he defected, posits for reassurance that she doesn’t hate him. Mai gets an adorable blush and says, “I actually kind of like you.”

Which of course is the understated Mai-way of telling him she loves him and forgives him.

The two kiss, passionately, deeply, then break apart with adoring looks. Mai jabs a finger in his chest and warns him, “But don’t ever break up with me again!”, to which he gives a sheepish smile before they relax again and embrace, a moment of pure contentment and bliss as the morning breaks and a new age dawns.

2. “I love Zuko more than I fear you.”

Azula has always prided herself on being a “people person”, on being able to manipulate and predict people’s actions. Which makes it immeasurably satisfying when she’s caught completely off guard by Mai’s betrayal.

Mai is supposed to be the passive one. The one who keeps her head down and goes along with orders quietly. The one who doesn’t make waves. And oh boy does she make them at the Boiling Rock. Even though she’s angry and hurt by Zuko’s leaving her, even though he left her, deserted her, dishonored her, even though she doesn’t completely understand his actions or why he would betray the Fire Nation, she still loves him enough and trusts him enough to stand up for him and save him. And finds herself brave enough to confront one of her long-time abusers and tell her completely off.

Zuko inspires her to make her own Heel Face Turn, and it starts a chain reaction of events that lead directly to Azula’s breakdown and downfall. Epic with a capital ‘E’.

3. Couch snuggles.

“Nightmare and Daydreams” was an absolute gift of an episode I tell you. Aside from the adorable Aang/Katara interactions in the main portion, the episode featured a cute little B-plot (which would later turn out to be absolutely crucial to the plot and Zuko’s character development), with Zuko choosing to spend the whole day and well into the night canoodling with Mai. At her house. Alone. And for a good portion unsupervised. XD

They snuggle on the couch together, Mai leaning into him comfortably and Zuko gleefully throwing around his royal authority to spoil her. When Mai mentions there’s a war meeting coming, to which Zuko has apparently not been invited, the mood sours, however, and the rest of the night and most of the following two days become about Mai trying her hardest to lift Zuko out of his funk. She does her best, but Zuko refuses to be comforted and just sort of sulks around at her house being moody, still not leaving her presence even if she can’t do anything to help him.

He only snaps out of it when he’s sent for and invited to the meeting, upon which both he and Mai brighten, because she’s happy when he’s happy and down when he’s down, and she loves him so much and wants the best for him always.

#maiko #Zuko #Mai #avatar: the last airbender #shipping #talking bout ships #meta rambling #tari's top twenty otps

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mrsspidermanmaryjanewatsonparker · 5 years

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You seem pretty well versed in Peter and Mary Jane’s history, and I just want to ask, can you go in depth about Mary Jane’s personality? I know her history, her terrible home life, her history with Peter, but I want to know about HER. Her personality. Her dynamic with Peter. I feel these days that she’s been reduced to the “Pretty love interest” for Spider-Man, which I hate. I KNOW Mary Jane has a lot of depth and evolution as a character.

I know she’s a party girl. Fun loving. Spunky. Independent. Funny. Intelligent. Confident. But I want to know MORE about her, as a person. What else does she do in her life? How does she interact with other people? Before she got in serious relationships, did she sleep around? Was the type of gal that did drugs? Is she open minded? Those seem like weird questions, I admit, I admit, but they really help define her character. How energetic and charismatic is she? Does she completely control the life of the party?

Mary Jane has really become a character I’m really interested in, but I’ve never really seen her “Comic Accurate” personality adapted to a modern adaptation right. The closest I would say would be the Spectacular, but even then she felt too calm.

So I want your answer. I wouldn’t mind hearing an in-depth one. I know you’ve got idealized versions (And I do to, I think I can go on an essay long rant about why I think the two complete each other) but I want to hear YOUR opinion. And if you could adapt the story into the modern day, what would your idealized Mary Jane be like? How would she and Peter’s lovely history happen?

Sorry for the long, oddly specific question, but I really want to figure out MJ, and you look like you have the matching passion and knowledge to help interested fans in her like me.

MJ’s personality is tricky because it evolves over time. But modern MJ when written correctly would have, as we all do, multiple sides to her personality.

She can be goofy, funny, carefree, a party animal, a worry wort, self-deprecating, harsh to her loved ones, selfish, self sacrificing, brave, fearful (but never cowardly), ambitious, beat herself up, socially savvy, very confifident, innately sociable, can keep a secret and just about everything between all that.

Her dynamic with Peter is also very complicated, it’s ort of easier to talk about examples you throw out at me. But I guess on a fundamental level her dynamic with Peter is all about mutual emotional fulfilment and how that is ultimately mitigates the extreme baggage that comes from life with a hero.

You can phrase it in many different ways but fundamentally MJ loves Peter because of his sense of responsibility.

In essence her Dad was her male role model in terms of a romantic partner, but in the negative. So she found herself attracted to a guy who on a certain superficial level (studious, a bookworm) was like her Dad but on a much deeper level was the polar opposite. Peter wasn’t a raving tyrant, he wasn’t a selfish dick, he wasn’t irresponsible.

She grew up under the fear of a (verbally) abusive man but in Peter she saw a guy who in spite of having a lot of intelligence and raw physical power to also be an abusive and exploitative person, instead NEVER truly abused his gifts and chiefly used them selflessly, even at personal cost.

It is not canon but a great summation of this is in Spider-Man: Reign #4 where MJ’s ghost tells Peter she didn’t love him because he could beat bullies like Flash up but because he could but never would.

Similarly in Web #6 MJ ponders how she could never marry peter due to the worry over his risking his life and how if he didn’t do that he’d have been someone she’d have jumped to marry. But then she realizes if he was someone who was selfishly going to use his abilities for fame and fortune he’d never have BEEN the kind of person she’d have fallen for.

So MJ, unlike Peter’s other girlfriends, is the one who loved him for the thing that most defined, him his sense of responsibility.

But it’s a double edged sword because in caring about him, she obviously doesn’t want him to be hurt, hence you have this brilliant narrative tension.

Wrapped up in this is the fact that MJ understands Peter’s issues with guilt and responsibility because she also renegaded upon her responsibilities and has felt guilty about it ever since because it also hurt her family.

So they are kindred spirits but whilst Peter passively stood by and let the burglar escape MJ actively ran away from her pregnant sister.* Then both of them kept that pain all to themselves for years before admitting it to one another, whilst also keeping their true personalities concealed behind public masks, meaning MJ gets that about him too.

But in confiding in one another they were able to remove those masks and be themselves in one another’s company.

You asked what else MJ does in her life. Mostly she has great ambitions in regards to usually acting, modelling, night club owning, stuff like that. MJ enjoys the spotlight and always has since she was a child.

Her interactions with most people used to be light and jokey or flirtatious. Now they are more even handed though she can be lightly flirtatious just because its in her personality.

MJ’s sex life is very much up in the air. Fans have presumed she had a lot of sex prior and after her first relationship with Peter but there is little on the page evidence confirming or denying this. Certainly she went out on a lot of casual dates.

MJ in terms of drugs is also something never touched upon in spite of her name. However the subtext of the Harry drug story implies MJ is aware of Harry’s drug abuse and she does dump him during that arc specifically when he is as high as a kite so it could be implied from this that MJ has little time for drugs.

When you think about it, between her abusive Dad and her need to maintain a facade around herself it’s unlikely MJ was going to use drugs. She wouln’t want to risk losing any control of her facade. She did smoke in high school though and later due to stress when she was married to Peter, but only briefly.

Is MJ open minded? Well...that depends upon the topic doesn’t it. She isn’t racist or homophobic. She was okay with doing a nude scene in a movie or wearing revealing lingerie on a modelling gig, only really being concerned with how Peter might feel about her doing that, so she’s no prude. She did display an initial prejudice against clones during the Clone Saga. Again what topic are we talking about.

How energetic or charaismatic is she. I mean...very charismatic and energetic most of the time. but it depends upon the situation. She’s not gonna be charismatic or emergetic after someone has died.

MJ could probably control the life of a party if she put her mind to it, yes.

Regarding the Spec cartoon, yes maybe MJ wasn’t comic accurate and more calm but in fairness everyone was because you aren’t going to present a modern cartoon with the same over the top characterization as a Stan Lee 1960s comic book. Peter was comparatively more chill in that show.

In terms of how I’d adapt her and Peter’s story and her characterization it would basically be as it was from the comics but with modern dialogue and pacing with more foreshadowing towards MJ having a hidden personality. I have mapped out my ideal Spider-Man TV series and in that you get MJ in season 2 ala her Romita era debut and then things are as they are in the comics up until she breaks up with Harry. I’d leave them separated unlike what happened in the comics (due to them repurposing an older story where they were together but that’s another issue) then have her and Peter fall in love as they did in the Conway run and break up as they did in the Wolfman run but change it from Peter proposing to MJ to asking her to move in with him.

My rationale is that in the modern day its very uncommon even for a college senior to be discussing marriage. You’d get the same thing with him surprising MJ with a crackerjack box or something but it’d have his apartment key in it instead of a wedding ring.

Additionally, I’d have her outright dump him (as opposed to the pair just not going steady anymore) and leave New York within the same story, the same story where Peter graduates, just because it’d make for a good season finale and makes the story more concise. In essence MJ just hard runs away from Peter the moment commitment rears its head.

This would lead to more of an impact in the next season when he’s dating Felicia and MJ (with no foreshadowing, which is how the comics made things happen) shows up at Peter’s door.

Again from there things would progress as they did in the comics except when we get to the MJ backstory episode I’d work her scenes from Parallel Lives into that too.

For reasons I won’t go into, for this hypothetical adaptation I’d bring the events of Hobgoblin Lives way forward in time so instead of happening when Peter and MJ are married shortly after the Clone Saga they happen shortly after Ned Leeds dies and after Peter and Felicia have broken up again. They would form the basis of another season finale wherein MJ’s role would be functionally the same as in the comic book but with two additions. Since this would be the season finale there should be some payoff for her and Peter’s relationship.

So after she, Peter, Flash and Betty formulate their plan to smoke out the real Hobgoblin MJ asks Peter how he copes with this stuff and he shows her by taking her out webswinging and we homage Sensational Annual 2007. Then later after Hobgoblin beats Peter hard he recovers at MJ’s place and she covers for him and they almost kiss before he heads off to save Betty.

I’d open the next season with the storyline wherein Peter proposes to MJ and they eventually get engaged. But instead of them marrying immediately I’d adapt loads of stories that in the comics happened after the wedding and use those to present challenges and doubts to Peter and MJ about getting married. It’d basically be a whole season about whether or not they will get married at all.

So you’d get things like the Jonathan Caesar storyline, the return of Black Cat, Kraven’s Last Hunt as the mid-season finale and the penultimate episodes would be the introduction of Venom. Obviously Venom debuted confronting MJ so there is that, but also Brock is a divorcee, the symbiote is literally one of Peter’s ex’s and a lover scorned, whom he tried to kill in a church bell tower. In the first Venom story and in my version Spidey and Venom end their first battle in that same church bell tower.

All of which is thematically juicy for an arc about relationships and marriage (because wedding bells get it).

I’d make 2 major changes though, one of which is Venom’s battle with Felicia from the second Venom arc would happen before he confronts Spidey for the first time and Peter would defeat Venom in his classic suit. The idea being that MJ makes a new version of his classic suit both because she prefers it and because it represents his true self vs the black costume which is what he’s like to be.

The classic suit = friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man/ the black suit = bad ass scary Spider-Man.

So only by being himself, by being the person MJ loves, can Peter defeat Venom this dark reflection of himself.

The story would end with Peter and MJ reunited but both clearly having doubts, as though Venom has ‘poisoned’ their future relationship.

The actual finale would mostly be an adaptation of ASM Annual #21 but with more of a focus upon the doubts each character has and unlike the comic we see HOW those doubts are put to rest. For MJ its having a conversation with Bruce and with Peter its having a conversation with the hospitalized Felicia.

Through their conversations the pair realize that rather than all the stuff they’ve been through (Venom, Kraven, etc) showing them they shouldn’t be together, the fact that they’re still together in spite of all those things proves that they can make things work. So the season wraps up with them getting married.

The next season would be a Harry Osborn centric season but MJ in response to Peter’s parents seemingly returning would seek out her sister and her Dad in jail and reconcile with them like she did in the Clone Saga.

Then I’d do the clone saga so that’s essentially going to be the same thing except obviously Peter will not be hitting any pregnant women in this version because fuck that shit. Also Peter and MJ wouldn’t leave New York although Peter would still temporarily retire as Spider-Man.

Finally I’d do a season set after the Clone Saga leading up to the pair reuniting with their kidnapped baby, Peter losing his powers and truly retiring forever, then we go into a Spider-Girl TV show.

*This is important also because when MJ closed the door after Gwen died to comfort Peter she was choosing to do the OPPOSITE of what she’d done with her sister.

In essence Peter made MJ a better person, he made her confront her issues or helped her to do so and she grew as a result. She became a more heroic, more self-sacrificing and more responsible person. This was always the case since before they were dating Peter pushed for MJ to give a witness statement to the cops about a murder which she didn’t want to do out of fear.

In turn MJ made Peter fight all the harder. He very much needs her in his life as she has emotionally, mentally and physically saved him multiple times, see Kraven’s Last Hunt for an example.

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coachingreviewsite · 5 years

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Learn to Improve Your Leadership Skills

New Post has been published on http://personalcoachingcenter.com/learn-to-improve-your-leadership-skills/

Learn to Improve Your Leadership Skills

Improving your leadership skills now will help you to be more successful in all areas of your personal and professional life. There are a number of different characteristics that make a person an effective leader.

Make sure to engage people as a leader. You must learn how to motivate, involve, and excite others. Inspire them to engage their passions, strengths, skills, and creativity in the tasks at hand. Do what you can to acknowledge and appreciate each person's contributions and efforts. You should make them all feel like they did something to move the project forward.

Watch out for project creep. This can happen when your project's scope isn't clearly defined. If you have control over the project, resist the temptation to add more project objectives as time goes on. If you are receiving external pressure to expand your project, resist it with all your might. Your subordinates will thank you.

Conducting yourself in an ethical manner is critical, regardless of whom you are dealing with. Ethics is a major part in any successful business. When your team knows you are to be trusted, they will do a better job for you. By having a code of ethics within your company, your business will be successful.

It’s the Manager: Moving from Boss to Coach

www.leadershipnow.com

"NOT SURPRISINGLY, a Gallup World Poll found that the great global dream is to have a good job with mission, purpose, and at a living wage. But the vast majority—85%—hate their jobs. If you couple that fact with George Gallup’s “single most profound, distinct and clarifying finding ever” that 70% of the variance in team engagement is determined solely by the manager, then the issue becomes the manager. That being the case, the single key to maximizing human potential and organizational growth is to improve the quality of the manager. The most important person in your organization to bring teams together and lead them to great decisions is the manager. Jim Clifton and Jim Harter of Gallup explain how to build a strengths-based culture that attracts the best employees and maximizes their potential in It’s the Manager. They cover five major topic areas—Strategy, Culture, Employment Brand, Boss to Coach, and Future of Work—an offer 52 discoveries from Gallup’s largest study of the future of work. The most important sections for me are Employment Brand and Boss to Coach. The practice of management has been stuck in time for more than 30 years, despite the world and workplace going through extraordinary historical change. “The problem is, while the science of management has advanced significantly in the past three decades, the practice of management hasn’t.” In the new working environment, one of the biggest challenges is for managers to go from boss to coach. The old boss-to-employee, command-and-control leadership environment has “worked” when it comes to building process-efficiency systems, engineering large buildings, and creating infrastructure. But the top-down leadership techniques of the past have not adapted to a workplace that now demands coaching and collaboration to thrive. However, I would argue that top-down and coaching and collaboration are not necessarily mutually exclusive. That said, coaching requires three things: establish expectations, continually coach, and create accountability. Their research has found that “employees whose manager involved them in setting goals were nearly four times more likely to be engaged than other employees” and those who receive “daily feedback from their manager are three timed more likely to be engaged than those who receive feedback once a year or less.” Gallup analytics finds that most current team leaders do not have the natural tendencies for managing people. We often promote people for the wrong reasons like success in a prior non-management role and tenure. Organizations still think largely in terms of promoting up the corporate ladder when other options exist like changing teams, projects, or even managers. Unfortunately, many organizations still offer only one way “up”: Become a manager, even if your strengths aren’t in management. Some people who aren’t really cut out to be managers may do an OK job, but they never feel quite right managing. And this affects their wellbeing—and the wellbeing of those they manage. Gallup research fronds that great managers have these five traits: Motivation (inspiring teams to get exceptional work done), Workstyle (setting goals and arranging resources for the team to excel), Initiation (influencing others to act; pushing through adversity and resistance), Collaboration (building committed teams with deep roots), and Thought Process (taking an analytical approach to strategy and decision-making)." https://www.leadershipnow.com/leadingblog/2019/08/its_the_manager_moving_from_bo.htmlhttp://www.leadershipnow.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-atom.cgi/weblog/blog_id=1/entry_id=1750

Converse with your employees in a way that makes them feel important. Everyone needs to be heard. It is always best to lead by example. Don't yell at your employees, embarrass them in front of their co-workers or belittle their ideas. Opportunities for improvement can come from anywhere so be open to suggestions.

In order to be an effective leader, you need to stay in touch with your emotions. Do not allow yourself to make any of your positive traits turn negative. For example, if you are normally a very confident leader, do not allow added pressure to turn you into someone that is overly arrogant.

Remember that you are not someone who is perfect. Even as a leader, you still have things that you can learn, and you don't singlehandedly own all the intelligence in your company or organization. Stay humble enough to realize that you are still going to need help every now and then, and the people you lead will think highly of you.

Listening to your team is one of the more important skills to have as a leader. In many cases, your workers will have great additions or changes to an idea that you may have. Once you have communicated your message, listen for feedback to expand your success in new directions.

Always remember that there is an inverse relationship between what's on your mind and your personal productivity right now. If something is on your mind, write it down. If you need to, work on it now. If it can wait or can't be helped right this minute, set the paper to the side and get to work on something you can do right now.

Who is the Best Boss You Ever Had? What Makes a Great Boss?

www.teamworkandleadership.com

"Ask yourself, who is the best boss I ever worked for? If you were asked why they were the best, you would probably say things like: “She was so positive.” “He made me feel appreciated.” “She took the time to know me and coach me.” “He listened carefully.” “I felt like she would do anything […] The post Who is the Best Boss You Ever Had? What Makes a Great Boss? appeared first on Teamwork and Leadership Bloggings with Mike Rogers." https://www.teamworkandleadership.com/2019/07/who-is-the-best-boss-you-ever-had-what-makes-a-leader.html

You should never procrastinate if you want to be seen as a great leader. When people think of having a boss, they imagine someone that is in charge and knows how to get down to business. Putting off projects and not following through is not the best way to present yourself to people.

Caring for others is the heart of great leadership. A leader should never look down on others or view followers as a tool to be used to get results. A true leader never has to bully others to get results. Genuine concern about the welfare of others leads to trust, the foundation of loyalty.

Have a clear vision of what you want to accomplish with your business in the short term and the long term. You and your employees will be better able to stay on course when everyone understands your vision so make sure they understand it. Make small changes when necessary but always stay focused on your vision.

You should always show confidence and sincerity toward your clients or your colleagues. However, you don't want to be arrogant. No one likes an arrogant person. You must realize it takes true sincerity in order to gain the trust of the people you work with. Insincerity is obvious, so practice speaking and acting with total honesty and sincerity when you interact.

Vulnerability and leadership

globalleadershipfoundation.com

"One only has to look at the current thinking and work around vulnerability and leadership to appreciate the impact that being vulnerable has in becoming a more authentic, compassionate and effective leader. A strong contributor to this field is researcher and author Brene Brown. In her book Dare to Lead she says, ‘vulnerability is the […] The post Vulnerability and leadership appeared first on Global Leadership Foundation." https://globalleadershipfoundation.com/vulnerability-leadership/

Every good leader should be an expert at delegation. Some leaders make the mistake of thinking they have to do everything important themselves. However, if someone else can handle a task in an efficient manner, delegate it to them. Just be clear about expectations, timelines and understanding of the task.

Recognizing those that work for you is an important part of being a good leader. There are some people who enjoy praise just as much as their salary. If someone in your organization does something exemplary, take the time to recognize their effort. It doesn't need to be anything more than a simple "good job"!

Two qualities that employees should be able to expect from their leaders are trust, and confidentiality. A good leader will make it clear that any employee can confide in him, and not risk information being shared with others. It is unacceptable for anyone in a leadership role to break the confidence of anyone.

If you are interested in being considered for a leadership role, you must act like a leader. Think about what you appreciate in a leader and emulate those traits. Dress correctly, speak without profanity and show trust and respect to your own current leaders. Always put your best foot forward. These traits demonstrate that you are ready for leadership.

Never get defensive when receiving feedback, even if it seems negative. Create an environment where your employees feel free to offer both positive and negative feedback. You can't solve a problem if you are unwilling to hear about it. Listen respectfully and know that solutions to problems can come from anyone within your organization.

Becoming an effective leader helps you to take charge of your life, at work and at home. Many experts before you have mastered the art of leadership, and you can learn from their tips and techniques. Applying the information you have learned here can help you to develop into an admired leader.

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personalcoachingcenter · 5 years

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Learn to Improve Your Leadership Skills

New Post has been published on https://personalcoachingcenter.com/learn-to-improve-your-leadership-skills/

Learn to Improve Your Leadership Skills

It’s the Manager: Moving from Boss to Coach

www.leadershipnow.com

Who is the Best Boss You Ever Had? What Makes a Great Boss?

www.teamworkandleadership.com

Vulnerability and leadership

globalleadershipfoundation.com

youtube

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thedeadshotnetwork · 6 years

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3 ways to strengthen your relationships, at home or at work Strelka Institute/Flickr It is very important that all partners, whether romantic or business, share the same goals and vision of the future. Working on clear communication with your partner will improve productivity. When forming a partnership, it's important to think about possible outcomes — like what happens if the business closes. When in doubt, bring in a neutral third party to help make a tough decision. We work with a lot of partnerships. Some of these entail family-member or husband-and-wife teams, like our own. Often, they are friends who want to work together because each brings something unique and useful to the partnership. There have been many brilliant partnerships (think Steve Jobs/Steve Wozniak/Ronald Wayne, at Apple; or Larry Page and Sergey Brin, at Google; even Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers; and Laurel and Hardy!). However, whether it's a family relationship or not, partnerships come with both blessings and issues. If you are already in a partnership or just considering the move, here is some advice we've learned firsthand over our decades of experience. Make sure goals align. Once, when we were hired to set strategy for a company owned by two equal partners, we asked what they wanted the company to look like in ten years. They described completely different visions of the future! One partner described the one location business they currently owned as having additional square footage and better operating procedures. The other described a 100-location franchise operation. So, we had to start by spending the next two days getting the partners to compromise on a business plan. Five years earlier, the partners had been on the same page, but over time their visions for the business had changed. Unfortunately, this can and does happen. Here's how to act when this happens to you: Communicate openly and honestly. When you are in business with others, it is imperative that you speak frequently about the organization. Both the current and future organization. If this stirs unpleasant emotions, partners may choose to stay silent. But that is a response that can only lead to disaster down the line. It can be helpful to work with someone from outside the company to facilitate communication between you and your partner. Look for a coach or consultant with excellent communication skills and a background in business and someone whom both partners can respect. Yes, it is a bit like marriage counseling, but a partnership is very much like a marriage. Set written goals at least annually. Another way to ensure that both partners work toward common goals is to write them down. Okay, we know this isn't new advice, but frequency also matters. We suggest an annual goal-setting/strategy session with more frequent meetings to review and determine actions. We find that this keeps partners communicating and focused on the most important issues and opportunities. Flickr / decoded conference At the beginning, consider the end. While you're forming your partnership, think about how you will unravel the business when the time comes — and it will, in scenarios like these: One partner wants to sell and the other doesn't. Whether it is because of age, desire or a myriad of other reasons, one partner may decide it is time to get out, while the other wants to continue in the business. For instance, we know of a company where one partner is 25 years older than the other. Within the next 10 years, the older partner will want to start unwinding his holdings in preparation for retirement. Unfortunately, the partners haven't discussed how this will happen. How will they value the company? How will the business afford to pay the partner who wants to sell? If possible, while the partnership is amicable, we believe the partners should make these decisions. A partner dies. Are you prepared if your partner dies? First, the business may suffer some degree of trauma due to its losing one of its principals. However, unless you have made provisions in advance, you, as the remaining partner, will inherit one or more new "partners." Specifically, the heirs of the deceased partner will own his/her shares. If you don't want to be in business with your partner's spouse and/or kids, you should look into key man insurance or put other provisions into your partnership agreement . Both partners are ready to retire or want to sell the business. This is the easiest situation. Both partners agree that it is time to sell. However, there can still be complications if one partner wants to sell his/her shares to a family member or to key employees while the other partner has different plans. Again, make sure that you know how you will value the business in order to ensure that the sale is fair to all. Know how you will negotiate tough decisions. All partners eventually face disagreements. When this happens to you, how will you decide? In 50/50 partnerships,disagreements can be difficult, especially if both partners feel strongly about going in different directions. We worked briefly with 50/50 partners who had a history of butting heads. We worked with them through a couple of their battles. However, in the end, they came to an impasse and decided the only way out was to sell the company. This might have been avoided had they predetermined a tie-breaking mechanism — while the relationship was still amicable. Here are ways to address such an impasse: Expertise or roles rule. If the partners have specific expertise or roles within the organization, the partners may agree to defer to that partner's expertise. For instance, in our partnership, Doug's expertise includes finance, accounting - basically anything to do with numbers. Polly's expertise lies with the people realm. Polly always defers to Doug when it comes to decisions that have to do with finance. Doug defers to Polly when the decision has to do with people. This could also work when roles are well defined in categories like sales and marketing versus operations. Bring in a neutral third party (NTP). We have helped partners to work with an NTP who can be the deciding vote. We ourselves have played this role in some partnerships. To make this work, the partners agree, in advance, that they will pitch their ideas or side to the NTP. The NTP then votes in favor of whichever idea appears to be in the company's best interest. This person can be a paid outside coach or consultant. Alternately, he or she may be someone to whom the company gives a small amount (e.g. 2 percent) of the company's stock, in return for this service. That way, the mediator has a vested interest in the company's success. Partners often find each other through mutual passions. Other times, it's through the combining of disparate skills that make the union a cohesive whole. Unfortunately, however blessed the "marriage" seems in the beginning, it is bound to run into issues as it progresses. To navigate the rough times, make sure you have ways to stay aligned, make tough decisions and, when needed, eventually dissolve the partnership. Having these tools in place will make the partnership stronger — to say nothing of more pleasant. NOW WATCH: This animation shows how terrifyingly powerful nuclear weapons have become December 2, 2017 at 09:16AM

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tortuga-aak · 6 years

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3 ways to strengthen your relationships, at home or at work

Strelka Institute/Flickr

It is very important that all partners, whether romantic or business, share the same goals and vision of the future.

Working on clear communication with your partner will improve productivity.

When forming a partnership, it's important to think about possible outcomes — like what happens if the business closes.

When in doubt, bring in a neutral third party to help make a tough decision.

We work with a lot of partnerships. Some of these entail family-member or husband-and-wife teams, like our own. Often, they are friends who want to work together because each brings something unique and useful to the partnership.

There have been many brilliant partnerships (think Steve Jobs/Steve Wozniak/Ronald Wayne, at Apple; or Larry Page and Sergey Brin, at Google; even Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers; and Laurel and Hardy!). However, whether it's a family relationship or not, partnerships come with both blessings and issues. If you are already in a partnership or just considering the move, here is some advice we've learned firsthand over our decades of experience.

Make sure goals align.

Once, when we were hired to set strategy for a company owned by two equal partners, we asked what they wanted the company to look like in ten years. They described completely different visions of the future!

One partner described the one location business they currently owned as having additional square footage and better operating procedures. The other described a 100-location franchise operation. So, we had to start by spending the next two days getting the partners to compromise on a business plan. Five years earlier, the partners had been on the same page, but over time their visions for the business had changed. Unfortunately, this can and does happen.

Here's how to act when this happens to you:

Communicate openly and honestly.

When you are in business with others, it is imperative that you speak frequently about the organization. Both the current and future organization. If this stirs unpleasant emotions, partners may choose to stay silent. But that is a response that can only lead to disaster down the line.

It can be helpful to work with someone from outside the company to facilitate communication between you and your partner. Look for a coach or consultant with excellent communication skills and a background in business and someone whom both partners can respect. Yes, it is a bit like marriage counseling, but a partnership is very much like a marriage.

Set written goals at least annually.

Another way to ensure that both partners work toward common goals is to write them down. Okay, we know this isn't new advice, but frequency also matters. We suggest an annual goal-setting/strategy session with more frequent meetings to review and determine actions. We find that this keeps partners communicating and focused on the most important issues and opportunities.

Flickr / decoded conference

At the beginning, consider the end.

While you're forming your partnership, think about how you will unravel the business when the time comes — and it will, in scenarios like these:

One partner wants to sell and the other doesn't.

Whether it is because of age, desire or a myriad of other reasons, one partner may decide it is time to get out, while the other wants to continue in the business. For instance, we know of a company where one partner is 25 years older than the other.

Within the next 10 years, the older partner will want to start unwinding his holdings in preparation for retirement. Unfortunately, the partners haven't discussed how this will happen. How will they value the company? How will the business afford to pay the partner who wants to sell? If possible, while the partnership is amicable, we believe the partners should make these decisions.

A partner dies.

Are you prepared if your partner dies? First, the business may suffer some degree of trauma due to its losing one of its principals. However, unless you have made provisions in advance, you, as the remaining partner, will inherit one or more new "partners." Specifically, the heirs of the deceased partner will own his/her shares. If you don't want to be in business with your partner's spouse and/or kids, you should look into key man insurance or put other provisions into your partnership agreement.

Both partners are ready to retire or want to sell the business.

This is the easiest situation. Both partners agree that it is time to sell. However, there can still be complications if one partner wants to sell his/her shares to a family member or to key employees while the other partner has different plans. Again, make sure that you know how you will value the business in order to ensure that the sale is fair to all.

Know how you will negotiate tough decisions.

All partners eventually face disagreements. When this happens to you, how will you decide? In 50/50 partnerships,disagreements can be difficult, especially if both partners feel strongly about going in different directions. We worked briefly with 50/50 partners who had a history of butting heads. We worked with them through a couple of their battles.

However, in the end, they came to an impasse and decided the only way out was to sell the company. This might have been avoided had they predetermined a tie-breaking mechanism — while the relationship was still amicable.

Here are ways to address such an impasse:

Expertise or roles rule.

If the partners have specific expertise or roles within the organization, the partners may agree to defer to that partner's expertise. For instance, in our partnership, Doug's expertise includes finance, accounting - basically anything to do with numbers. Polly's expertise lies with the people realm.

Polly always defers to Doug when it comes to decisions that have to do with finance. Doug defers to Polly when the decision has to do with people. This could also work when roles are well defined in categories like sales and marketing versus operations.

Bring in a neutral third party (NTP).

We have helped partners to work with an NTP who can be the deciding vote. We ourselves have played this role in some partnerships. To make this work, the partners agree, in advance, that they will pitch their ideas or side to the NTP.

The NTP then votes in favor of whichever idea appears to be in the company's best interest. This person can be a paid outside coach or consultant. Alternately, he or she may be someone to whom the company gives a small amount (e.g. 2 percent) of the company's stock, in return for this service. That way, the mediator has a vested interest in the company's success.

Partners often find each other through mutual passions. Other times, it's through the combining of disparate skills that make the union a cohesive whole.

Unfortunately, however blessed the "marriage" seems in the beginning, it is bound to run into issues as it progresses. To navigate the rough times, make sure you have ways to stay aligned, make tough decisions and, when needed, eventually dissolve the partnership. Having these tools in place will make the partnership stronger — to say nothing of more pleasant.

NOW WATCH: A Navy SEAL explains what to do if you're attacked by a dog

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touristguidebuzz · 7 years

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Interview: Virtuoso Travel CEO on the Future of the New Luxury Traveler

Wellness travel is evolving to focus more on mental and emotional health. Virtuoso

Skift Take: Wealthy travelers define luxury in many different ways, based on who they're traveling with and why. However, there is consensus in terms of the growing demand for more human connectedness and meaningful experiences for both adults and children.

— Greg Oates

What is the definition of luxury travel in 2017? It depends.

The future of luxury travel revolves around the fluidity of the digitally-connected consumer mindset, who is comfortable fluctuating between a wide spectrum of accommodations and experiences depending on the context.

“It’s become nearly impossible to profile the luxury client today, because travelers are seeking deeper experiences, inspiration, personalization, and self-discovery,” says Virtuoso CEO Matthew Upchurch. “But they’re achieving it by traveling in a variety of ways, including business, leisure, romantic getaways, family or multi-generational, and personal enrichment.

“These motivations aren’t mutually exclusive, and consumers don’t want to be pigeonholed as a particular type of traveler,” he continues. “They self-identify based on how they view themselves. Their perceptions of themselves and their expectations from their travels vary based on who’s with them and where they’re going.”

The luxury consumer psychographic is so much more bifurcated today than even a few years ago, partially because of the rise of experiential one-upmanship on social media. In effect, luxury travelers want to upload everything stored in their personal devices into their physical IRL (in real life) travel experiences.

Today, our networks, to a large degree, define our lifestyle value systems and priorities. As the high-end Monster audio electronics company promotes: “You are who your friends are.” Or, as Peter Vidani, founding creative director of the micro-blogging Tumblr platform, posits: “We are what we share.”

Luxury travelers have the resources to accomplish living out their social media dreams. However, according to Upchurch, with so many opportunities available at the click of a mouse, high net-worth travelers are relying more on travel brands and travel advisors to guide the individual consumer journey from conceptualization to conversion.

That personalized stewardship, he says, provides a continual feedback loop between the advisor and client over the long-term, which develops the kind of trusted relationship that Virtuoso has always tried to promote.

On the brand side, based on the growing sophistication of data-driven consumer profiling, travel companies are developing a more customer-centric engagement strategy to drive higher loyalty and lifetime customer value. That’s shifting the industry’s focus from targeting demographic segments, based on traditional connotations of luxury, to psychographic profiles based on personal lifestyle.

“I’m frequently asked about the definition of luxury, mainly because luxury has become one of the most overused words today,” says Upchurch. “My feeling is that luxury is having someone — an actual person — know you well enough that they can anticipate your needs and know what it is you truly value, and then respond by fulfilling that request. It’s simple in concept, but increasingly more difficult to deliver against.”

Skift spoke with Upchurch to try and find a few commonalities in today’s shifting luxury travel landscape. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Skift: How is the definition of luxury travel evolving?

Matthew Upchurch: Today’s luxury consumer travels in a much more personalized way, taking on various travel personas depending on the trip. Knowing how to ask the right questions to get at the core of what the traveler hopes to experience and achieve is the key. At Virtuoso, we know that’s the role of the travel advisor. People don’t go to advisors for information anymore; they go for clarity and curation. They need someone to distill the abundance of information available to them. What stresses people today isn’t the lack of information; it’s not knowing if they are asking the right questions.

From the Virtuoso standpoint, loyalty is created on two fronts. One is emotional, where the advisor delivers security, relaxation, ease, fun, inspiration. The second is structural, where the more the advisor knows about the client, the more there becomes a mutual investment. And while this is in the context of the travel advisor-client relationship, it also absolutely applies to the hotel-guest relationship, particularly when dealing with luxury consumers.

That’s one of the truest values the travel advisor brings to any supplier, but hotels in particular. The advisor oftentimes has multiple cycles to gather data on their client, which they in turn share with the hotel. It translates into a better guest experience, which fosters brand preference.

I always say automate the predictable, so that you can humanize the exceptional. Normally it’s in the context of technology and its role in enhancing the traveler’s experience. In this case, though, if you define luxury as getting precisely what it is you want, when you want it, it takes a human being to fulfill this promise because so much in the end depends on the quality of human connection.

Skift: How are brands competing to evolve their digital communications to engage the luxury traveler before, during, and after the travel experience?

Upchurch: The biggest issue with digital communications and strategy is that the compensation models are about conversion — driving business directly to the brand. Digital platforms, particularly with the larger brands, are not deemed a success unless they’re focused on converting customers.

Brands need to readjust. The important next step comes in including partners like travel advisors in the communication. If the end goal is to convert the do-it-yourself consumer and divert them from other online channels, then band together with your partners who share a common purpose and increase the likelihood of its effect. Travel advisors, who have a proven track record of driving more business at higher yields, need to be part of the digital conversation.

Without question, relationships and connections make a difference in the traveler’s experience. What has actually happened in our industry is this bifurcation between optimized commodity-economy companies and optimized experiential-economy companies. Within any product or service group, there are do-it-yourselfers, collaborators and delegators, and we have held steadfast in the belief that even as technology becomes more ubiquitous and more powerful, that very expansion of technology actually creates a craving for authentic, genuine, trustworthy human connections.

At the same time, though, it’s also about knowing how to communicate with the customer. Agencies and advisors are using artificial intelligence, chat, and even something as simple as text messaging as a means of making themselves fully available to the client. Advisors will set up a three-way Skype session between themselves, the client and the person on the ground in the destination to develop the relationship further and make the trip more tangible to the client. Whether its email or knowing they can reach the advisor 24/7 via cell phone, the success comes from communicating with that client in the exact way they want to be reached. That’s just another example of personalization.

Skift: Wellness is now mainstream in every luxury travel experience. How is that evolving?

Upchurch: Wellness as a travel niche is expected to hit $680 billion this year. It is expanding 50 percent faster than the overall tourism industry, and we’re seeing hotels respond by implementing services and programs that appeal to this traveler.

Today, wellness travel encompasses physical, mental, and social well-being, as well as spiritual health. There’s no doubt that this trend will only continue to flourish. Last year we launched Virtuoso Wellness, a program and corresponding community made up of advisors who specialize in this niche, and the travel partners who have wellness as their core offering. At Virtuoso Week, our annual event held in Las Vegas, we added a half-day, interactive Wellness Zone, and the response was amazing. More than 650 advisors browsed health and wellness products from 18 preferred partners, while participating in demonstrations that included custom blending aromatherapy body butters. A traditional Mexican healer performed a ritual energy-cleansing, and we had a paddle-boarding yoga instruction and a Turkish Hammam demonstration with a customary soap foam washing.

Our Wellness Community was designed as a hyper-specialization around a passion point that allows our advisors to be at the forefront of wellness trends and the latest offerings for their clients. In just one year, we now have 38 partners across 19 countries that are part of the Wellness Community, with strict criteria for participation. Just having a spa doesn’t make it a wellness property, as spas have become ubiquitous. They have to offer structured wellness experiences with multi-day wellness packages offered throughout the year.

Skift: How are brands adapting their customer experience for multi-generational travelers so parents can still have a luxury experience when traveling with kids?

Upchurch: According to our advisors, multi-generational travel has been the number one trend for five of the past six years, and several years ago it began eclipsing travel with immediate family. Much of what’s driving it can be attributed to the baby boomer generation and retirees. This group has saved wisely and they now find themselves with both means and free time. And while travel has always been a retirement goal, we’re seeing that traveling with their family is of key importance.

From a product side, you’re seeing more suite and villa product being developed and more connecting rooms, all to accommodate families. You’re seeing more family programs, and not just kids clubs, at resorts. It’s the responsibility on the part of the property to include the local culture, to employ residents who are willing to have conversations with guests, effectively becoming a portal to the destination. At Virtuoso, we have partnerships with companies that provide local experiences, not just simply concierge services, to make the destination come alive.

Skift: How is the luxury travel industry encouraging greater diversity and inclusivity?

Upchurch: Tourism has always fostered greater appreciation and understanding of others’ beliefs and cultures, but in this current negative news cycle, travel serves as means of connecting people as opposed to separating them.

In many cases, it’s luxury travelers who have taken the lead in helping troubled destinations. They are already global citizens, both educated in and doing business all over the world. It was the luxury sector that actually helped Mexican tourism rebound from sensational media coverage of its troubles a few years ago, which was something that was quite personal to me, having been born in Mexico and knowing firsthand what an amazing country it is. Consumers, who quite frankly had a healthy skepticism about what they heard, played an incredible role in Mexico’s turnaround.

While they represent a smaller percentage of total arrivals, luxury traveler spend has a greater economic impact. They are also opinion leaders in their communities and social circles. The luxury traveler is the one who delves deeper into culture, goes beyond the typical tourist traps, and is dedicated to having their travel be a force for good through the sustainability of the environment and preservation of cultural heritage. Luxury travelers are early adopters and if you want to see which destinations will return or become hot, look to where they’re heading. They set the trend.

Skift: What’s your take on the transformative travel trend, and what are the factors driving the buzz, both for adults and children?

Upchurch: The transformative power of travel is palpable and never has it been more important and needed, especially as it relates to children. September 11 was an inflection point. People who intellectually knew the power and greater importance of travel started to plan their travels differently. And it changed the advisor-client relationship because the advisor was no longer reactionary; their role became to assist families by planning with purpose.

And while 9/11 may have been a tipping point, the world is — and will continue — going through turmoil. The U.S. is feeling polarized due to our political climate, as is the E.U. due to the United Kingdom withdrawing via Brexit, and many other countries are still feeling the effects of terrorism. In a way, we are depending on future generations to further evolve and fix these issues, and turning them into global citizens by exposing them to different people, cultures, religious beliefs and ways of life — all of which comes from travel — is a crucial element to achieving this goal.

At Virtuoso, we’ve registered the term “Journey to Global Citizenship,” which is this notion of educating children through travel. Exposing them to other people, cultures, languages, cuisine, and showing them what exists beyond their own neighborhood. With travel comes tolerance, an understanding and appreciation for the different. Oftentimes travel will enhance what they’re studying in school, or sometimes it’s a way for grandparents to bring the entire family closer together and further instill family values. In either case, the end effect is that children become more aware of their place in the world while developing a better understanding of others, all of which will ultimately give them an advantage throughout life.

This is an excerpt from a Skift Trends Report, produced in partnership with International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM). The report explores the many disruptions in luxury travel where tired narratives about what upscale travelers want no longer suffice. The very definition of “luxury” is nebulous today, meaning different things to a widening arc of customers with myriad psychographic profiles, age brackets, and personal lifestyles, emerging from a continually expanding range of source markets.

Get Your Copy of This Report

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personalcoachingcenter · 5 years

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Learn to Improve Your Leadership Skills

New Post has been published on https://personalcoachingcenter.com/learn-to-improve-your-leadership-skills/

Learn to Improve Your Leadership Skills

It’s the Manager: Moving from Boss to Coach

www.leadershipnow.com

Who is the Best Boss You Ever Had? What Makes a Great Boss?

www.teamworkandleadership.com

Vulnerability and leadership

globalleadershipfoundation.com

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