#I just live within walking distance of my polling place and never have a reason to walk up there

[sillimancer]

amazing how one shot of dopamine and a hot meal can do for one's spirit. I ate scalloped potatoes and went on a little drive and now I've got the pomodoro timer out. who is she.

[maybe-writing]

Trevor could not think of many, if any, times in his thirty years of life that he dreaded going to his childhood home as much as he did right now. He dragged himself up the well-kept sidewalk, with the perfectly manicured lawn on his left, and the evenly watered flower bed on his right. He climbed up the beautiful wooden steps, ornate with ceramic garden gnomes and smiling turtles. He pulled open the screen door, and firmly face-planted into the sparkly white front door.

Trevor rapped, almost furiously but not too aggressively mind you, on the door until he got an answer. A woman in her sixties, with a half-painted face, and hair still tightly wound in curlers opens the door to greet him “Hi Trevor honey, so glad you could do this for us.”

“Hey mom, it’s not a problem.” It was a problem.

“Yeah, well the car is in the shop, so we had no other way to get to the polls.”

“Quick question. You never lock the front door when you are home. Any reason?”

“Oh, you can never be too careful in these crazy times.” His mother glided through the kitchen to move a few things and make a space for the make-up mirror, “These neighborhoods are getting quite dangerous.”

Trevor’s face couldn’t help but to show all of his furious confusion. He whipped his head around to the large bay window positioned quite squarely at the front of the house. Outside, two women in their late forties, covered head to toe in neon. Shoes, leggings, track jacket, fanny pack, even the hair ties that held their hair up in a tight perfect ponytail were matched. In sync as they shuffled past the front yard.

Mr. Abernathy in his yard, maintaining his already well-maintained lawn, as he always had since Trevor was six. Next door, a new young family that he had never met, barely older than Trevor was in his yard. He was tossing a football with a five-year-old, his platinum blond hair trimmed neatly into a precise mushroom. A woman was brushing the sunflower golden hair of a three-year-old girl in a bright pink dress. Trevor looked back at his mother bewildered. How could this woman think this slice of all-American, sugar free, all organic, Anglo-Saxon wet dream of an echo chamber could be remotely dangerous?

Trevor moved into the living room, “I’ll just be a few more minutes to put my face on,” his mother called from the kitchen island. Trevor nodded as he stepped behind his father watching a local news station. They were interviewing the candidates for the mayoral election. They were talking to the man who was currently polling the highest, taking his photo op. John Smith, not a very unique sounding name, but that’s the name he picked.

Trevor can see his father out of his peripherals, locked onto every word. Trevor was more fixated on the man, and he used that word very loosely, on the screen. His emaciated cheeks almost seemed to vacuum into his mouth every time he talked. They highlighted his sharp pronounced cheek bones. His sunken eyes, with harsh dark circles, made the yellow tint in his irises more noticeable. And Trevor couldn’t help acknowledging how soulless they were. His voice was hoarse, raw, and definitely sinister.

“So, this is the guy?”

“He wants to keep the city safe” his father remarked with gravel and venom in his statement.

“Those bumps on his forehead seem new, and like they are still growing.”

“You just want to find the worst in people.”

Trevor leaned over the couch to try and get his father’s attention, “He’s possessed by a demon. That is the main point of his campaign.” Trevor gazed at his father who seemed to be going through extra effort to avoid eye contact. “He told people to call him John Smith, because his true name can’t be translated from Latin.”

“I thought you were supposed to be Mr. Open-minded now.” The way he said it, Trevor knew it was meant to be an insult, but it didn’t quite faze him. So he simply leaned back and waited.

“I’m ready. Thanks again so much for this,” his mother said. Trevor nodded sweetly but disappointed. His father pulled himself from the couch in a manner reserved for unhappy buffalo. “Say thank you Jeff,” his father let out some semblance of the words ‘thank’ and ‘you’. Trevor’s mom glared at him and hinted at a try again. Jeff mumbled out what sounded like a statement relatively close to ‘mind your business Peggy’.

They all settled into his car, Jeff in the front seat and Peggy in the back, “There is a polling station on Maple Street.” Peggy cooed from her spot in the car. Trevor punched the address into his GPS and noticed that it was only 20 minutes away.

Trevor’s head filled with a multitude of ideas, and the possibility of changing his parents minds in 20 minutes was impossible. As he pulled out of the driveway and rolled onto the street, every neighbor they passed gave a big wave. They were clearly planning something horrible.

Why did Trevor agree to this? He couldn’t have something else to do today? He could have stayed home with his wife. Lord knows it was needed at this time. He should have said no, but they were his parents. He could stall, until they had no choice to give up and go home, “It looks like there is a branch of my bank on the way. You guys mind if I stop?”

“You’re the one driving,” Jeff grumbled, “It’s none of my business.” Peggy reached from the back to swat his arm as he stared out the window. They exchanged a small mumbled conversation of hushed inaudible words.

Trevor parked his car and informed his parents he would be back in a flash. Much to his dismay there was no line. The one time he would have been happy for a line at the bank. His snail pace through the rope guides seemed weirder than he intended. He had no desire to make the poor teller believe he was trying to rob the place, so he moved at a normal pace.

“Hi, how can I help you today?” the bright-eyed girl said in a not too threatening, please don’t have a gun, tone.

“Yeah, can I get my balance on my accounts.” Trevor said, only then realizing how stupid it sounded.

“If you have the app, you can do it yourself.”

“Yea, I know,” Trevor mumbled practically defeated. The girl finally connected the dots and took down his information and began looking up his account.

Is this really the best he could do? Meandering around a bank? This was amateur hour. “I’m sorry, it seems the computer is going a bit slow” She has clearly done this before. If he was going to do this, he was going to need to work a bit harder.

The computer found the time to finally get the balance and the teller printed it up, “Is there anything else I can get you today?” She asked, and Trevor had a few ideas but nothing remotely good enough. He could actually rob the bank, but that seemed like a lot of paperwork. He thanked her and made his way back to his car to deal with his ornery father.

“Are we all good?” Jeff said through a scowl. Trevor drove down the path set by the GPS. Trevor recognized where he was and where he was going now. The female voice told him to make a right at the light. He sat there waiting for the light to change, and the longer it took the more he built up his courage. Once the light turned green, he drove straight.

“I thought you were supposed to turn left?” Peggy called from the back.

“This is a better way,” Trevor never remembered ever lying to his parents, “we can avoid the traffic.”

“Make a U-turn” the robotic female voice said from his phone.

“We just go this way and be there in no time.”

“Make a left turn,” Trevor turned off the GPS.

“This way doesn’t seem faster,” Jeff growled after ten or eleven turns down back roads and side streets.

“Just the next left and we should be within spitting distance.” Spitting distance? When has Trevor ever said that? He knew where he was, so he knew the street was going to be backed up enough to hold them off.

As they turned onto a practically empty street, Trevor felt like the universe was really working against him today. He wasted fifteen minutes and was only a few miles away from the destination. There was a breakfast place near, and at 9:30 in the morning it could be a good way to waste time.

“I didn’t have breakfast yet; you guys ok if we stop? We have time.”

“That sounds fun,” Peggy beamed. Jeff mumbled an incoherent form of ‘fine’.

“Table for three?” the dark-haired girl asked as she grabbed the menus and silverware. As she walked them to an empty table in the empty restaurant, Trevor felt the universe was playing a cruel trick on him for playing a cruel trick on his parents. The waitress barely let them sit down before trying to get them drinks, and headed off in a flash.

“So I need to ask,” Trevor stated to break the tension “What is so appealing about this guy?”

“Well I know you lost your faith but we haven’t,” Jeff barked.

“I still very much consider myself a Christian, which is why I can’t see myself voting for a prince of hell.”

“In case you didn’t know,” Jeff huffed “he is consistently surrounded by priests and religious leaders praying for his well-being and anointing him.”

“Other people call that an exorcism,” Trevor stated without looking up from the menu, “Besides that feels like a fruitless effort. Whomever used to own that body is clearly dead.”

“He wants to make real changes.”

“Burning down churches will make some real waves.”

“He won’t burn down every church,” Peggy tried to add, “he didn’t mean that.”

“I’m sure your church is safe. Didn’t Pastor Griffin make a sermon about voting for him, because God said so?”

“You don’t get it.”

The waitress seemed less eager to return to the table this time around. After dropping off the food she practically ran away. The silence was necessary but still awkward. “He wants to put something in place to avoid any more of those riots.”

“Those ‘riots’ started out peaceful, much like this breakfast should have.”

“It always starts ‘peaceful’ with them.”

“Chloe’s doing great, since you asked in such a nice way. She’s pregnant, twenty-one weeks. So, you’ll be grandparents.” His father’s face didn’t move. His mother forced a smile that almost looked like she filled her pants with something foul. “Don’t choke on your meal with excitement.”

“Well as long as you don’t name it anything ridiculous like Dayquan or Latasha.”

“Why would we do that?” Trevor asked angrily.

“You know how THEY are.”

“They?” Trevor almost felt punched in the gut, “Have you always had a problem with Chloe being black?” His parents have always been nice to Chloe. He met her in college and when he brought her home after his third semester they were welcoming. Then again,he remembered how

his parents were also pretty upset about the one black kid in his high school being an affirmative action and how it would affect Trevor getting into a good college.

“We just thought you would be with someone different.” Peggy said under her breath.

“They destroy our cities, try to take over by marrying our children, and he wants to make sure that it doesn’t happen by strengthening the right people.”

Trevor felt the biggest wait fall on his shoulders “I finally get it.”

“He’s the only one who gets it.” Jeff snapped.

“No, I do,” Trevor said solemnly, “so let’s finish up here and we head to the polling station.”

Trevor settled the bill and drove the last few miles to take his parents to complete their civic duty. These weren’t people who were brainwashed or led astray by the serpent magic of a hell beast. These were who they were, and he was talking to them.

Jeff marched back to the car proudly displaying his ‘I voted’ sticker. He plopped down into the seat triumphant and arrogant. “All good?” Trevor asked.

“Yup,” Jeff said with no gravel, but all the smugness.

“Great,” Trevor said kindly. Jeff's eyes slightly narrowed but a grin slithered across his face.

The car ride back was much shorter, without any pit stops, and silent. Trevor pulled into the driveway of his parents’ home, “Thank you,'' Jeff said softly as he poked his head back into the car.

Trevor knew his father took the change in behavior as compliance to the cause, and that didn’t bother him, “Of course,” he could think what he wanted.

As Jeff and Peggy walked back into the house, Trevor had to accept who they truly are. He had to accept that he would change, or they wouldn’t be there for the birth of their grandchild. Either way, he would never dread having to pull into this driveway ever again, because he would be doing it less often.

[billyagogo]

A survivor. A funeral director. A marriage divided. How Americans' COVID experiences shape their votes

New Post has been published on https://newsprofixpro.com/moxie/2020/11/03/a-survivor-a-funeral-director-a-marriage-divided-how-americans-covid-experiences-shape-their-votes/

A survivor. A funeral director. A marriage divided. How Americans' COVID experiences shape their votes

In Wisconsin, a funeral home director who has watched the COVID-19 pandemic rip through her community can only blame President Trump.

In Texas, little can change one woman’s loyalty to the president — not even her own struggle for breath as she lay in a hospital bed.

In New Mexico, an underemployed firearms instructor plans to cast his vote as a rebuke to Democrats he says were overzealous in closing businesses.

In Arizona, a Joe Biden voter found political detente with his Republican wife as the lingering effects of infection continue to cause them pain.

In Michigan, a school bus driver won over by the president before the pandemic deepened her devotion and took up arms to protest shutdowns.

Even before the coronavirus sunk in its teeth, the United States was deeply polarized. Facts mattered less than feelings and political parties acted like tribes.

The virus — a shared, microscopic enemy that demanded a unified response — offered the nation a chance to come together. But from face masks to shutdowns, the pandemic quickly became the main thing Americans were fighting over.

As the death toll grew so did anxieties about who would win the presidency.

Election day arrives as the virus surges like never before, with an average of more than 80,000 new cases reported each day last week — well over previous spikes and up more than 44% from two weeks earlier.

Once concentrated in urban centers like New York and later in Sun Belt states, the virus is now ravaging the rural Midwest and Rocky Mountain states.

Field hospitals have been pitched in parking lots from Texas to Wisconsin. In the past week, hospitalizations reached new highs in 18 different states.

Treatment is improving and infections are increasingly concentrated in younger people with high odds of survival, but experts predict a significant rise in the U.S. death toll, which now tops 230,000.

The surge poses a dilemma for officials trying to balance health concerns with economic ones as the public grows wary of more forced shutdowns.

Polls suggest that most voters have made up their minds — and record numbers have already cast their ballots.

All of the issues that divided America before coronavirus have been eclipsed.

This is the pandemic election. And these are the stories of five voters.

The funeral home director The first call came in late March.

A 70-year-old had died shortly after being taken off a ventilator. Michelle Pitts sent a hearse to pick up his body from the hospital.

Michelle Pitts, owner of New Pitts Mortuary, stands outside her Milwaukee funeral home.

(Kurtis Lee / Los Angeles Times)

There would be no funeral, just a burial at the cemetery attended by three relatives. The family was too worried about contagion.

Pitts was left with the feeling that “this virus was going to be bad.”

The calls kept coming, at all hours. Pitts could only watch as the coronavirus spread through the neighborhood. As owner of the New Pitts Mortuary, she has been serving the predominantly Black northside of Milwaukee since the 1990s.

The disproportionate toll the virus was taking on Black people was obvious to her. The two dozen victims her funeral home has handled included bus drivers, nurses and grocery clerks — essential workers who didn’t have the luxury of sheltering in place.

“If you live in this community, you know someone who has either contracted the virus, or died,” she said. “It’s an American tragedy plain and simple.”

As the months wore on, Pitts couldn’t stop thinking about the ages of the deceased. Early 50s. Mid-40s. Late 30s.

She herself was 60.

Pitts remembered the expression of the parent standing over the oak casket of a beloved son, who days earlier was taken off a ventilator. She recalled the woman whose husband died before he could line up a life insurance policy to help take care of the couple’s two young children should something happen to him.

How are they doing now, she wondered?

To sustain herself, she often recited her favorite scripture, a section of Psalm 23: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.”

In late October, she filled out her ballot.

There was never any doubt that she would vote for Biden. In her view Trump had only responded to the pandemic with callousness.

She deposited the ballot in a nearby drop box.

“I felt like a weight was kind of lifted off my shoulders,” she said. “As if it was my time to be heard.”

— Kurtis Lee

The survivor It had become her evening ritual: Order dinner from Doordash, mix a cocktail, draw a bath and pretend she was swimming in her complex’s off-limits pool.

“It just became very lonely,” said Jaime Vollmar, 35.

Meanwhile, her hours as an operating room technician at two plastic surgery clinics were severely cut.

It all seemed overblown to Vollmar. She knew friends who had contracted the coronavirus, but nobody who died from it.

Then, in early October, Vollmar and her boyfriend decided to take a risk and get together for dinner with another couple. The woman hosting began to feel ill that night, and within days called to tell Vollmar she and her husband had tested positive for the virus.

Vollmar also tested positive.

After two weeks of feeling “like death” at home, Vollmar was admitted to United Memorial Medical Center in Houston. During sleepless nights, she struggled to breathe as she watched a monitor showing her blood oxygen level drop.

She began to wonder: “Am I actually going to survive this?”

Her second priority was making it to the polls to vote in person.

She had supported Trump in 2016 and appreciated all he had done on immigration, the economy, even the pandemic.

“He did a great job. He’s human,” she said, adding that her bout with the virus “gives me more appreciation for him.”

Jamie Vollmar was admitted to United Memorial Medical Center in Houston after contracting COVID-19.

(Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)

Vollmar was released from the hospital Friday. At the polls, she plans to “be a dork” about safety and wear a mask, keep a distance of six feet and encourage others to take more precautions.

Looking back, Vollmar believes that she might have contracted the virus when she tasted the dinner host’s new vaping flavor — watermelon strawberry bubblegum.

“It was a heavenly flavor,” she said from her hospital bed. “But not worth all this.”

— Molly Hennessy-Fiske

The expectant father Marcos Sanchez was irked.

Driving by the local hardware store in the early days of the pandemic, he’d see lines of hundreds of people waiting to get in.

Yet Sanchez, a 35-year-old firearms instructor in Española, a small city tucked in the mountains of northern New Mexico, wasn’t allowed to work after an order from the state’s Democratic governor closed all businesses except those deemed essential.

Sanchez, who had been steadily growing his business for two years, had no income for three months straight.

“It’s frustrating because they’re raking in money and I’m struggling,” he said.

The way Sanchez sees it, the pandemic was an act of God. The shutdowns were an act of man.

Under current restrictions, he can work again, but must limit his shooting and self-defense classes to a quarter of normal capacity. With a second child on the way, he’s now contemplating whether his business can continue.

“I’m not blind or ignorant to the damage that the virus has done, but I see the damage it’s done economically and that leads to a whole lot of other problems,” he said.

Rio Arriba County, where Sanchez lives, went for Hillary Clinton in 2016 — 64% versus 24% for Trump. But Sanchez plans to vote for Trump, like he did four years ago.

His decision is largely based on his opposition to firearm restrictions and his religious beliefs, particularly his objection to abortion. But the pandemic has also played a role.

Trump is not a perfect candidate, he said. He thinks no candidate ever is. But most important for him are the kinds of policies a person will enact once they are in office, and Trump has opposed widespread economic shutdowns in the face of the virus.

“You have to ask what’s worse,” he said. “The virus or the constant anxiety we’ve been putting ourselves in?”

— Kate Linthicum

The activist Bill Whitmire had to leave for a doctor’s appointment, but his keys were nowhere to be found.

It’d been months since he felt clear-headed. Lapses in memory and reasoning — so uncharacteristic for a 56-year-old who prided himself on being organized — had become the norm.

He chalked it up to the coronavirus, which he believes he contracted back in January, before testing was available in the United States.

His wife, Ann, came down with the virus in June. She still faces bouts of nausea, body aches and feeling like she has no energy.

The pandemic brought the couple closer together — and not just in their shared suffering.

She is Republican and he is a Democrat, which seemed like less of an issue when they got married back in the 1980s than it did in 2016, when she voted for Trump and he went for Clinton.

“Sometimes we have to agree to disagree,” he said.

Whitmire kept an open mind about Trump in the beginning but grew increasingly disenchanted with him — especially after the pandemic struck.

As a former high school biology teacher, Whitmire was appalled by White House news conferences, in which Trump repeatedly contradicted his own health experts.

“He acts like he’s cured the virus: ‘We’ve rounded the corner, it’ll be over soon, live your life,’” Whitmire said. “Yeah, right.”

For the most part, Whitmire and his wife avoided conversations about Trump and kept focus on their common values of compassion and helping the less fortunate. But it was clear that Ann was losing faith in the president too.

Whenever her husband would turn on a presidential news conference, she would leave the room in disgust.

Anger and grief turned Whitmire into an activist. He joined Marked by COVID, a support group for people who have lost relatives or suffered other effects of the virus. On Friday at the Arizona state Capitol in Phoenix, he lit candles honoring victims and listened as a woman who survived — but lost her sister — sang a haunting rendition of “Amazing Grace.”

“I will never forget it,” he said.

Ann, still ailing, did not attend.

When they they both filled out their ballots in mid-October, he enthusiastically marked his for Biden.

She made him promise not to tell anyone who got her vote, only that it was not Trump.

— Richard Read

The militia member Michelle Gregoire stood guard outside Karl Manke’s Barber & Beauty Shop with a 9mm semiautomatic pistol and a flag emblazoned “Don’t tread on me.”

Manke had no intention of following state orders to close this past May as coronavirus infections were climbing. Gregoire and dozens of other members of a militia known as the Michigan Home Guard were there to keep out the authorities.

She had long been disillusioned with both major parties. But Trump’s outsider status and unusual political style had appeal.

She reluctantly voted from him in 2016, the same year she made a failed bid for a seat in the Michigan state house as a libertarian.

“I was scared when he took office,” said Gregoire, now 29.

That changed when she got a $16-per-hour job as a school bus driver, plus a bigger tax refund. She and her husband were saving to ditch their rental in Battle Creek to buy a house big enough for them and their three children.

Gregoire was growing more political. She decided to run for a state house seat again — this time as a Republican.

Last November, she joined the militia, which claims to have at least 1,000 members and says on its website that it is preparing “for tyranny, social discord, natural disasters or anything else that may arise.”

The pandemic only fortified her faith in Trump, whose downplaying of the virus reflected her own experience.

“I don’t social distance, I don’t wear a mask,” she explained. “If anybody has COVID, I should have COVID… Nobody around me has tested positive.”

Gregoire lost badly in the August primary for the house seat. She is still jobless, saying that she has not been allowed to return to driving school buses because she is facing charges of trespassing and resisting arrest stemming from her militia’s occupation of the state Capitol in Lansing for a week in May.

But she paid off mounting credit card bills using the $2,400 her family received in checks as part of the federal stimulus package, each accompanied by a letter signed by Trump.

She was planning to vote in-person because it feels more “patriotic.”

— Jaweed Kaleem

Read More

[jugandbettsdetectiveagency]

The Serpent and The Swan - Ch.9

*throws an 8.5k words chapter at you in shame for how long this took and runs away back to my sick bed (probably the only reason this got finished today)* Enjoy!

Ch.1 / Ch.2 / Ch. 3 / Ch.4 / Ch.5 / Ch. 6 / Ch.7 / Ch.8 / Read on AO3

Betty blinked into wakefulness as the rays from the rising sun slanted into her eyes. She’d tried to stay awake for as long as she could, not only to act as a watchful eye while they rode across the open, unsheltered planes, but also to keep Jughead company as he navigated their path in the direction she had pointed them. The comforting warmth emitting from his back as she lay, resting against him, had too much of a pull, however, coaxing her in and out of sleep as the steady plod of hooves rocked them both gently.

It was just barely past sunrise, the sky a breath-taking array of oranges and purples as it woke up the nature around them. The land stretched out, unencumbered before them, the distant mountains standing shadowed and singed by the burning dawn light on the horizon. Betty stretched her stiff limbs as delicately as she could while keeping her hold around Jughead’s waist secure, a yawn threatening to burst from her lips. She craned her neck to peer over his shoulder, heart fluttering when his eyes flicked down to meet hers briefly, corners crinkling with a fond smile.

“Good morning, my love,” he murmured, his voice heavy with drowsiness. Betty could see the deep, purple shadows beneath his eyes and held him a little closer. Her breath caught in her throat at the endearing name he’d addressed her with, realising with a little thrill that it was the first time something akin to a confession of love had been spoken between them – not that she’d had any doubts left about the level of his affections at this point. They were to be married, imminently, and that reminder simmered contentedly at the back of her mind for the whole length of their travels.

“Tell me your favourite memory,” Betty mumbled into the crook of his neck as they rode, hoping to offer a distraction – distraction from the uncomfortable length of time they’d been sat in a saddle, from the obvious exhaustion painted across Jughead’s face, from the fact that both their factions were on the brink of collapse. He was quiet for a long moment, so much so that she began to wonder if he’s even heard her, or if he had an answer; the thought made her hold tighten.

“There were a lot of times with my mother where I remember feeling at my happiest,” Jughead spoke eventually, his narrowed eyes trained on a spot in the distance. “But they’ve all since blurred into one emotion, not really a memory.” He exhaled through his nose, the sound catching just enough to hold a hint of amusement, his abdomen flexing beneath her fingers.

“There was a year not too long ago when we got a particularly warm day back home. I took Jellybean out into the gardens and let her run across the grass while I watched her; she’d not long learned to walk alone and she was so entranced by it all. She went over to one of the bushes that lined the courtyard and when she tugged on the leaves it erupted with white butterflies.” Betty felt as if those same butterflies now lined her stomach as she watched Jughead’s features soften exponentially while the memory played behind his eyes.

“It was like nothing she’d ever seen before, and she just watched as they flew around her, landing on her dress and arms. The expression on her face… it was filled with so much wonder, and an innocence that I never wanted her to lose.” Jughead sighed, shoulders sagging with the motion. “I wanted to make sure she never lost it,” he added, his quiet admission drifting away quickly on the early morning breeze.

“It’s not too late, Juggie,” Betty whispered, almost as if she were afraid of pulling him out of the place of content in his mind. “Yes, JB will have to grow and learn the ways of our factions, much like you and I, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t work to leave the world a better place for her until then,” she consoled. Jughead didn’t reply for a while, and Betty resigned herself to believing the subject was closed until the raspy tones of his voice reached her ears again.

“I’ve never met anyone who wants to heal things so selflessly like you do, Betty,” Jughead said. The awe underlying his statement sent shivers down her spine, heart thudding pleasantly in her chest.

“It’s not entirely selfless,” she confessed into the material of his jacket, glad he couldn’t see the warmth in her cheeks. “Your happiness makes me happy,” she whispered. One of her hands was lifted so he could press his lips against it, warm despite the brisk chill surrounding them. They rode on peacefully for some moments before Jughead spoke again.

“I have another favourite memory.”

“Oh?” she asked curiously, eyes closed as she waited for him to continue.

“Yeah. It’s of you, wearing that dress at the Solstice, the first time I saw you.” Betty’s eyes snapped open at the smirk she heard in his voice. “I swear that imagine is never going to leave my mind,” he added gruffly.

“That dress was all Kevin’s fault!” Betty insisted, slightly scandalised but grinning shyly all the same.

“Remind me to thank Kevin,” Jughead murmured, just loud enough so he knew she’d hear. She swatted at him playfully, revelling in the hearty laugh it earnt her, as the sun drifted higher.

***

“I think we’re getting close,” Betty announced some time later, straightening to glance over Jughead’s shoulder at their surroundings.

She’d never been allowed to visit Polly before, but she had fading memories of the area in which her sister had told her she lived from visits with her family into the village of their faction. It was customary for the royal family to venture out into the heavily populated areas of their lands from time to time – ‘reminding the people you cared’ Alice had called it once, but there was a distinct undercurrent to the way her mother spoke that made Betty feel as if these jaunts held more gentility than genuineness in the Queen’s eyes. Betty, on the other hand, had enjoyed the fleeting feelings of freedom that accompanied these scheduled outings, finding the lives and stories of the people she encountered as much fascinating as they were entertaining. She wanted to know them, these men and women that looked to her family for guidance, and wanted them to know her, making a vow at a young age to frequently venture outside of the castle walls to do just that when she was ruler.

“Polly’s house should be just over this ridge,” she instructed, pointing at the crest of a hill some feet in front of them. Jughead kicked his feet gently against the horse’s sides to propel them into a mild gallop as they neared their destination.

All of a sudden Betty felt her breath catch in her throat, fingers beginning to tingle with anticipatory nerves as the modest building came into view. Sensing the tension in her frame, Jughead looked back at her with understanding.

“Are you alright?” he asked, placing a hand over hers.

Betty couldn’t answer, too focused on the sight before her.

A woman with flaxen hair was shooing a sprightly sheepdog out from under her feet as she manoeuvred around a small, cordoned off garden in front of the house, pinning sheets to a line. Her back was turned, her figure fuller than Betty remembered, but there was no mistaking her for anyone other than her sister. She didn’t appear to have heard their approach, lost to the light tune she was singing as she worked, and Betty felt tears gather along her waterline.

She wasn’t sure if it was merely the overwhelming feelings that accompanied having Polly once again within touching distance that made the threat of tears so imminent, because there was something else tickling the back of her mind as she watched this woman go about her morning routine. There was a lightness about her shoulders, a lilt in her sunny tune, an unrestrained smile playing about the corners of her lips even when they were relaxed in concentration – she was irrevocably happy in a way that Betty had only imagined, and it lit a tiny flame of jealousy beneath the burdens of royalty that forever hung around her neck.

When Polly’s gaze met hers their seawater depths quenched the fire.

“Betty?” Polly asked breathlessly, her disbelief evident, freshly washed sheet slipping from her fingers back into the basket at her feet.

“Hi, Poll,” Betty replied through the thickness in her throat, fumbling for Jughead’s outstretched hand, where he was already dismounted, to help her down. Polly took a few stumbling steps towards her, Betty the same, until they met, uncertainly either side of the waist-high, wooden gate.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” Polly gushed, fingers twitching as if she meant to pull Betty close. Betty pressed her lips together against a sob, trying to contain the wild bubble of emotions that threatened to overspill without warning.

“Yeah,” she all but mouthed. “I’m here.” With that they were clinging to one another, still either side of the barrier, laugh filled cries disturbing the otherwise peaceful air. Betty buried her face in the strands of Polly’s hair, breathing in her familiar scent eagerly as a wave of serenity she’d long been without washed over her. She felt her sister stiffen in her embrace, hearing her surprised “oh” before she remembered that Jughead was still stood behind her.

“Oh, Polly, this is Prince Forsythe. He’s my fiancé,” she said carefully, wishing she could offer her betrothed a comforting look for the obvious wariness in the face of their company, but her eyes were fastly fixed on Polly’s features, gauging her reaction.

“Prince… Forsythe?” Polly confirmed slowly, keeping her expression pleasantly neutral. Betty nodded, gesturing for Jughead to come forward.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you I feel as if we’re already acquainted,” Jughead greeted smoothly. Betty couldn’t help but feel grateful for his unwavering efforts. Polly returned his words with equal politeness but when her eyes turned to Betty there was no mistaking the concern pouring forth. Betty tried to offer the most reassuring smile she could muster, hindered by fatigue in a way she couldn’t help, hoping that her sister was appeased enough until she could explain further in private.

“Welcome. You both must be so tired,” Polly said, ushering them inside. “Come in, I’ll make you something to eat.” At the mention of food Jughead’s stomach began to grumble, and Betty threw a fond smile his way, enjoying the way his cheeks flushed and he shrugged sheepishly at her.

“Matty?” Polly called as she held open the door for them to enter. “Come out here, we have guests!” Betty took a moment to survey her surroundings, reaching for Jughead’s hand almost subconsciously as her nerves overcame her. The building was modest, but Betty could see that great efforts had been taken to make it as comfortable as possible. The closer she looked she could see how her stolen dowry had come into effect – the wattle and daub had been reinforced with stone, the floors lain with plenty of woven wool rugs to keep the chill out. A conflict stirred within her as she took in every detail, right down to the yellow flowers in the spun vase on the sill beside her. She ached for the days in which everything seemed simple, the days when her most beloved sister was across the hallway whenever she needed her. She was angry at being abandoned for a life she couldn’t imagine living – a life she never knew she was so desperate for until now.

The fussing cries of a waking baby drifted over from the corner of the room and Polly hurried over to a bassinet that Betty hadn’t noticed before. Her sister lifted the wriggling bundle gently into her arms, hushing and cooing as she stroked the downy blonde wisps on her son’s head. The scene caused an unexpected prick of tears in the corners of Betty’s eyes as she saw herself in her sister’s place, cradling a similar child against her breast, light curls exchanged for dark, while the sound of Jughead’s work boots trudging up the path, his calls of affection, grew closer and closer as the day drew to a close.

She blinked the dream away hastily as another presence entered the room.

“Poll?” The man Betty assumed to be Matthew – having never actually met him during his visits to the castle – asked with uncertainty. His eyes flew over her, no doubt cataloguing the similarities between her face and that of his wife, before roaming over Jughead’s tall frame and the bruises on his face with a hint of unease. His dark eyes lingered on the snake pin still tucked snuggly onto his lapel.

“Matty, this is my sister, Betty. And her betrothed, Prince Forsythe Jones. They’ve come,” Polly hesitated, her brow creasing as she quickly realised that she hadn’t an inkling as to why they were here. “To visit,” she finished instead, pulling her lips back up into a soft smile.

There was a pause in which none of them made to speak, and Betty felt the silence weigh heavily upon her shoulders. Jughead squeezed her fingers once, with the lightest pressure, in reassurance. She felt, rather than heard, his sigh before he pulled his hand from hers and held it out towards their host.

“You can call me Jughead,” Jughead said sturdily, his outstretched hand hanging in the air for some moments. Betty held her breath till her lungs burned before she saw Matthew’s subtle nod as he clapped his hand against Jughead’s.

“Matthew Bodham. I’m sorry we aren’t more prepared for your visit, Your Highness. If we’d have known you were coming…” he trailed off, sharing a look with Polly. Checking to see if she knew they were coming, Betty suspected. Polly’s tight smile told him she had not. Jughead dismissed his apologies swiftly.

“No need. This is somewhat of an unexpected visit for all of us,” Jughead replied regretfully. When another silence descended it was Polly who broke it.

“You’ve both been travelling for a while, I assume? Matty, why don’t you fetch Jughead some water to bathe and lend him some of your clothes. I’m sure you’ll both fit the same size,” she said politely, but Betty had known her long enough to hear the hint of impatience in her voice. She was unwilling to wait any longer for an explanation and wouldn’t hesitate to shoo the two men out of the room in favour of getting it. When Matthew assented and led a thankful Jughead away (after the latter had thrown one last concerned glance over his shoulder) through an open door on the far side of the room, Betty took a deep, readying breath.

Polly was looking at her expectantly, in such a way that made her squirm. Her piercing gaze was so much like their mother’s sometimes it was unnerving. The baby in Polly’s arms was blowing quiet bubbles between his lips and Betty welcomed the reason to look away from her sister’s face.

“What’s his name?” she asked in a whisper, inching closer. Polly relaxed marginally as her own attention shifted down to her son.

“Felix,” she said with unmistakable affection; she was positively glowing. “It means good fortune,” she informed, beginning a subconscious sway of her body.

“He was, wasn’t he,” Betty said thickly as she stroked a fingertip over Felix’s cheek, and it wasn’t a question. It wasn’t the royal quarters they had grown up in, it wasn’t the lifestyle they had both been accustomed to living, not the way they had expected things to go, but there was no denying it. Even in the way that the corners of Polly’s lips were no longer set in a perpetual scowl, the blue of her eyes clouded over with discontent – Betty had never seen her so comfortable and at peace with herself.

“Betty,” Polly began, her tone serious. “Why have you come here, and with…” Her eyes flicked towards the door that the men had departed through before she pulled her sister towards the kitchen, through an archway, and sat them both before the fire. At Felix’s incessant fussing she brought him to her breast and let him feed. His muted gulps filled the air as Betty tried to find the words to explain the whirlwind of events that had occurred.

“You told me in your last letter what Alice had intended for you, when your engagement to Archie ended.” There was a remorse in Polly’s tone that surprised Betty. It felt like a lifetime since she had mourned over the loss of Archie’s affections that it took a moment to realise that Polly still blamed herself for her sister’s unhappiness.

“Oh, no, Polly!” she hurried, grasping at her knee so as not to jostle Felix too much. “It’s okay, that’s not– Archie and I were not what I thought we were,” she said with a sigh. “We were never going to be. Despite everything that is happening, the one thing I will never been more thankful for is the fact that these events have brought me Jughead. He’s…” she began, wishing she could just show Polly what Jughead was exactly. She wished she could show her the way he was with Jellybean, how he attended to her with the utmost devotion and care. She wished she could see how much comfort his presence offered her, the simple way he would touch his palm to her back and Betty could feel the tension drain from her body. She wanted Polly to see that he wasn’t what people thought he was, what she once assumed him to be, because of where he came from, who his father was. He was kind, and gentle, with an intelligence that awed her, made her want to strive for more. Jughead didn’t make her want to change to please him; he made her want to change for herself, to make her find the strength he assured her he had seen within her and let it flourish in a way she never dared before.

Despite the words not coming, the tip of her tongue tingling with her every declaration of love for Jughead but not letting them become audible, Polly tilted her head knowingly while she looked into Betty’s eyes. “He’s not what you think he is, Poll. He’s so much more,” she confessed shyly.

“You love him,” Polly stated. Betty’s nod was instantaneous. “And he loves you?” Another nod – she had no doubt. “But… you said ‘despite everything that is happening’,” she repeated warily. “What is happening?”

Betty squared her shoulders and began at the beginning.

***

By the time she had recounted everything that had happened – the arrival of the Serpents, the events since the Solstice, their mother’s history with King Forsythe, the plan for her wedding, the truth behind their father’s death, the discovery of the Whyte Wyrm, and their backing in the form of the Blossoms – the afternoon sun was high in the sky, her throat dry and her eyelids heavy. Neither Matthew nor Jughead had interrupted them, for which Betty was grateful, knowing that they needed time to discuss everything. Polly’s quiet sniffles clutched at her heart.

“I’m so sorry,” Betty whispered. News of King Henry’s death had reached this part of the factions already, but still she wished she hadn’t had to be the one to tell her sister that he had been murdered as part of a plot to take down their home faction.

“Why are you apologising?” Polly huffed in frustration as she wiped beneath her eyes, releasing a humourless laugh. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I left you alone to deal with all of this and I wasn’t even there when–” she broke off, choked. Betty stroked at her sister’s hair soothingly in an attempt to extinguish her guilt.

“I don’t blame you for leaving,” and as she said the words she realised they were true. She finally understood what Polly had been chasing when she left her old life, her unsettled family, behind and considered the fact that if it had been her, if it had been Jughead, she might have done the same. The memory of tearing through the night on horseback with nothing but a few scribbled lines on parchment as explanation left in her wake only served to strengthen this notion. “It’s so good to see you again, Poll,” Betty breathed.

“You too,” she returned, tugging Betty against her for a brief, but crushing, hug. “So what now?” Polly asked shakily when they parted, the reality of the war that could erupt at any moment sinking in. Betty’s skin began to tingle all over.

“Jughead and I are headed to the Andrews as quickly as possible. They already have an alliance formed with the Lodges and it is our best bet for protection if we get them on the defensive. We’ll try and find any way possible to prevent it coming to a fight, but in case we can’t…” Betty didn’t need to finish her sentence, the implication perfectly clear and the thought too horrible to even entertain.

“You need to rest, I’ve already exhausted you far too much,” Polly fretted as she cleared her throat, brushing off her skirts as she stood, shifting a newly slumbering Felix in her arms. “And I’m sure the masculine tension between those two out there has become cloying,” she joked with a laugh, and Betty joined in, a lightness in her chest that she hadn’t experienced for some time now.

“There’s something else,” she began hesitantly when Polly looked over her shoulder to find her sister still stood in place.

“Something more than everything you’ve already said?” Polly question incredulously. Betty’s cheeks filled with colour, piquing her sister’s interest. “What?”

“Jughead said that it might give the Serpents who are still undecided about where their loyalties lie pause for thought if the tie between our two factions was stronger, in more legal ways,” she explained slowly, unnerved by Polly’s growing smile. “He said he wants us to marry as soon as possible. I mean, it was the plan anyway but with all this,” Betty shrugged, unable to keep her own grin at bay. His declaration of making her his rang in her ears, sending tiny sparks to the tips of her fingers.

“Typical.” Polly’s eye roll caused her brows to knit together.

“What is?” she asked in confusion.

“Men’s inability to just say something as it is,” she laughed. “He had to disguise his proposal as a political strategy in order to ask you, instead of just admitting how head over heels is for you.” She laughed again. Betty frowned at her.

“No, he didn’t. That’s not the way it happened. He wanted to– the timing is just unusual and he thought…” Betty tried to explain, flustered by the fact her efforts only seemed to add fuel to the fire spurring Polly’s laughter.

“Oh, I’m just teasing you, Betty. I’ve missed it, you know,” she conceded with a familiar twinkle in her eyes. Betty shook her head fondly – she’d missed it too.

She was surprised to find the parlour empty when they returned, nothing moving but the swirling specks of dust in the beams of sun pouring in through the windows.

“Where are they?” she asked nervously. Polly shrugged as she placed Felix back in his bassinet.

“Maybe they’re outside duelling for your honour,” Polly offered dramatically. Betty spared her a withering glance before she began to help with lunch preparations.

Her heart leapt at the sound of the outside door opening, followed by the catch of her breath in her throat when she saw Jughead’s attire. He was dressed in a loose, white cotton shirt and brown woollen pants, the cuffs tucked deftly into his own boots. He looked so undone that Betty couldn’t help but feel a shiver of appreciation slip down her spine. He grinned at her, clearly noticing her roaming eyes, his cheeks covered in the tell-tale flush of riding, hair mussed in a similar fashion, and it took all of her control not to pull him close by fistfuls of his borrowed shirt and seal her mouth to his.

The more she thought about it the more she realised how little time they’d had to explore the physical side of their relationship. Things had been so overwhelmingly hectic since that first kiss – that wonderful, blindsiding kiss – in the library that there had been no chance for more. She wanted to take her time, exploring his skin with her lips, feel his leaving burning trails on hers. While her nerves still simmered gently beneath the surface, the heightened emotions of the past few days were overflowing with nowhere to go other than into thoughts of what typically happened after a wedding.

“Hi,” Jughead murmured as he dropped an innocent kiss to her temple. Coupled with her wandering thoughts the action caused her eyes to flutter shut, teeth catching the corner of her lower lip to keep the shaky exhale she was sure to emit inside.

“Hey,” she replied, placing the utensils in her hand down on the table. “Where have you been?” she asked quietly, the domesticity of the situation making her head reel.

“I went with Matthew into the village.” At her sceptical eyebrow raise Jughead laughed. “I think I’ve convinced him I’m not going to knock him out and steal from everyone he knows,” he added with lazy eye roll. Betty tried not to let any pity she might be feeling at his obvious self-deprecating humour show as she tucked herself closer against his side, instead choosing to focus on the fact that Jughead was making any kind of jokes to begin with.

“He spoke to the pastor. Apparently, he’s an old family friend and has agreed to marry us, no questions asked – tonight,” Jughead whispered as he rest his forehead against the side of her head, lips brushing against the shell of her as he spoke.

“Tonight?” Betty repeated, unable to hide the nervous excitement she was experiencing. Jughead hummed his confirmation and began to rub small circles at the base of her spine.

“Listen, Betty,” he began, casting his gaze towards the table top, the fingers of his free hand tracing the knots in the wood. Tousled curls fell across his forehead, shielding his eyes from her as he spoke. “I know this probably isn’t how you pictured it, getting married I mean. You’ve had this idea put in your head all your life, you and Archie, and the dress and everything. And if I could I’d give you the wedding you deserve–”

“Hey,” Betty interrupted him, cupping his cheeks tenderly. His eyelids fluttered closed as she lifted his chin. She waited, stroking her thumbs across the soft skin until he opened them again, and she was met with such look of desperation that it stopped her breath for a moment. “None of that is important.” She clasped her hands tighter when he made to protest. “I used to think it was, but everything is so different now. All that matters is that it’s you and I, alright? You and I,” she repeated, searching his darkened eyes.

The desperation turned to something akin to adoration as he let out a deep exhale, the corners of his mouth ticking up.

“Okay,” he said softly, drawing her closer by her waist. “Right now I can’t give you much, but I do have this.” The warmth of Jughead’s hands disappeared, cold air flooding the length of her body. He reached around his neck, drawing something from beneath the fabric of his shirt. As he twisted the tiny circle of metal, the delicate engravings caught the light.

The ring had vines running all around it, leaves branching off it periodically, some of them carved in such a way that they looked like feathers. “It was my mother’s ring. I’ve had it with me since she died, and I never thought I’d find someone I wanted to give it to but now there’s you. I know it’s simple and if we ever get the chance you can pick something else if you want, just for now…” He shrugged.

A startled grunt caught in the back of his throat as Betty’s hands slid from his cheeks to encircle his neck, her lips meeting his in a bruising kiss. Her entire body hummed with a lightening current, intensifying at every point her skin met Jughead’s, powering her to continue. They pushed and pulled against one another, entering into an irreplicable dance as they unhurriedly explored this newfound facet of their relationship. Jughead ran his tongue along the seam of her lips, taking full advantage of the gasp it elicited to slip it into her mouth. The whine that fell from her lips broke the kiss as he pulled back to shush her through a heady laugh, glancing slyly towards the archway into the parlour, resting his forehead giddily against hers as Betty tried to stop the room from spinning in the most delicious way.

She saw as he watched the flush recede from her cheeks, following it with his eyes down the column of her neck and across her chest. From this position she knew he had a vantage point straight down the bodice of her dress and she arched her back minutely, knowing that the heaving of her breast would only aid her foray into enticement. She felt drunk on this new power she was just at the tip of discovering, a pleasant buzzing heightening her senses while dulling others. Jughead groaned quietly as Betty tugged at the short hairs at the base of his neck, leaving on last sweet kiss on the corner of his mouth before she loosened her hold.

“It’s beautiful, thank you,” she whispered sincerely. He smiled at her then, that smile she knew was reserved for her alone.

***

“Betty, come!” Polly took her by the arm excitedly and swept her over to the mirror in the corner of her bedchamber. “What do you think?” she beamed, stepping back to admire the sight.

Polly had commandeered Betty for the rest of the afternoon, convinced that even if it was to be a small, unknown affair that she was going to give everything she could to make her sister feel beautiful at her wedding. Betty had sat, unresisting, as Polly pulled out the gown she had worn at her wedding, slipping the off-white fabric over her body, before beginning to twist sections of her hair up into a myriad of intricate braids.

The dress was lovely and Betty couldn’t stop running her hands over the light fabric. It was simple, as Polly had had to make it herself, the skirts flowing to the floor in soft gathers. The neckline dipped in the centre while the rest of the bodice sat slightly off the shoulders, the long sleeves belled at the cuffs. When she turned to admire the dress Betty could see the way the thin, golden embroidery around each edge lit up in the light. She had never felt this pretty before.

“Thank you, Poll,” Betty thanked her sister, gratitude shining amongst the unshed tears in her eyes.

“No crying!” Polly demanded, blinking away the moisture threatening to spill over her own waterline. “We’ve got to get going,” she said, squeezing Betty’s upper arms one last time as she met her eyes in the mirror, offering a comforting grin.

The walk to the church was short, and would have taken even less time if Polly didn’t stop them every few steps to make sure that her hem hadn’t gotten muddied, bouncing Felix in her arms while she did so.

Betty took a breath to calm her ever active nerves, her stomach flipping uncontrollably while she picture Jughead standing just beyond the door.

And then they were pushing it open, and he was there. He looked up at the noise of their entrance, his face completely blank for one quick second. Betty felt as if time stood still as their eyes met at either end of the isle. She took in every detail of him that she could, the sharpness of his gaze, the smattering of freckles across his olive skin as they stood out against the crisp whiteness of the shirt he was wearing (another borrowed item).

And then his face split with a blinding grin and Betty could feel the tears welling all over again. The panic and heartache her life had been filled with lately melted away as she took each step closer, until everything else faded from view and there was only Jughead, waiting for her with a look that had the power to stop her heart.

“You look so beautiful,” he whispered when she finally stood in front of him, returning his grin with an uncontrollable one of her own.

Their joined left hands were tied together with a gossamer ribbon as the pastor began the words of the ceremony. She was in a daze, barely hearing the words through the blood pounding in her ears, lost in the way Jughead was looking at her, never breaking contact as they bound themselves as one before the eyes of God. The unshakable pull she’d felt towards him from the moment she’d seen him, emerging from the shadows in the grounds of her home, like the undertow of the current dragging her into indecipherable depths, was being cemented in reality. She felt it as he recited his vows to her, slow and sure in his every word, and when she returned the sentiment, not nearly as composed, she thought.

She welcomed this new uncertainty, unmatched in its force, because for the first time in her life, as her lips met his to complete the last piece of the puzzle, Betty felt at peace.

***

After a light meal and a round of celebratory ale, Polly and Matthew had retired for the night. They all had an early morning – the Bodham’s for the usual routine of farm life, and Betty and Jughead for something else entirely, the furthest from routine.

Polly had shown them to their room. Intended for Felix when he was old enough to leave his parents in the night, the room at the end of the hallway was sparsely furnished; a woven mat, some blankets and a few pillows were arranged before the newly lit fireplace. The look Polly let linger in Betty’s direction before she bid them her final goodnight had her blushing profusely.

They both stood in the room, a few feet between them, as the silence of the house settled over them, save the barely audible sound of the wind weaving through the foundations of the house and the periodic snap and crackle of firewood. Betty briefly considered suggesting more ale but thought against it at the last minute; no matter how enticing the idea of alcohol to relax her achingly tense muscles was she decided a clear head might be better. Besides, as she watch the firelight play over the sharp angles of Jughead’s face she knew she wanted to remember as much of this night as possible – it may be the only one they got. The moment dragged on.

“Betty, we don’t–”

“Jughead, I just–” They began simultaneously, both trailing off in nervous laughter. Betty twist her fingers together, playing with the solid weight of the new band settled around her ring finger. She liked having it there already, and couldn’t imagine ever having to take it off after this.

“Betty,” Jughead tried again, his voice low and gravelly. She looked up at him from beneath her lashes, his body cast in shadow as he turned towards her. He reached towards her, beckoning her closer with her arms. She went to him readily, folding herself against the length of his front, face tucked into the crook of his neck. His lips pressed against her hair, still littered with braids. “Just because of this,” he wrapped his hand around hers, sliding a thumb over the wedding band. “It doesn’t mean I expect anything of you. Everything has happened so fast, so unexpectedly. With this we can go at whatever pace you want, I am at your mercy,” he insisted earnestly.

Betty shivered delicately against him; hearing her husband admit that she had all the control, over him, over them, made something stir in the pit of her stomach, slow and warm, as she focused on the feeling of the hard planes of his chest against her.

“I want to,” she admitted into the fabric of his shirt, listening to the uneven thud of his heart beneath her ear. “I just… I don’t have any experience with this, like you might be used to, and I want to make it good for you,” she continued on, despite being sure that he’d be able to feel the heat in her cheeks through his clothing. He tugged on her shoulders to get her to look at him, his face twisted in confusion.

“Like I’m used to? What do you mean, Betty?” he asked innocently, free of judgement or accusation.

“Well, I know that men aren’t expected to… to wait like women are. And I remember you said that you and Cheryl were nothing more than friends but that doesn’t mean that there weren’t others. Which is alright, neither of us could have known what would happen, and even if we did I wouldn’t…” she huffed out a nervous breath. She was aware that she was rambling, hoping that Jughead would stop her before she continued to make an even bigger fool of herself. Betty looked up at him bashfully, unsure of the expression she would be met with.

Jughead looked beguiled, eyes resting on her face with an open sincerity that made Betty shift, although not uncomfortably, beneath his gaze.

“Betty, I love you,” he breathed, relief coating his words, like his body was finally free enough to say those words, to let them rest on the air between them, content to just float as if on the still waters of the calmest stream. “I never thought I’d experience a love like this, not even sure if it was something that existed. Until you, I hadn’t wanted this. But now, here, I’ve couldn’t be more grateful that this is brand new – for both of us,” Jughead finished pointedly, smiling as understanding dawned in Betty’s eyes. Her fingers ran over the plush apple of his cheek before gliding into his dark hair and caressing sweetly.

“I love you, too,” she said, because she needed to.

Jughead dipped his head down to press a light but determined kiss to her lips. Coupled with the almost reverential way he was cupping the planes of her back as he held her close, the sensation was so overwhelming that Betty’s breathing stuttered, and the whimper she let out would have caused her to flush if she weren’t already heating up from the dizzying strokes of his tongue against hers.

His fingers caught on the laces of her bodice, tugging at them lightly but still not enough to pull them open as he searched her face for permission. She nodded quickly, catching her lower lip between her teeth as the first knot came undone under his deft movements. The pads of his fingers ran down the newly exposed skin of her back, leaving goosebumps in their wake, before coming back up to rest on her shoulders, slipping just beneath the fabric of her dress.

“Are you sure?” Jughead murmured thickly, thumbing the material with slipping restraint. The need clearly coiled up in his body caused Betty’s confidence to bloom, shrugging her shoulders until the dress fell to the floor with a heavy whoosh, leaving her in only her underskirts. His hands swept up her sides, knuckles brushing the underside of her breasts. Betty couldn’t help but arch into his touch, sighing as Jughead finally cupped the soft flesh, teasing the dusky peaks of her nipples while his mouth came down to litter her collarbone with kisses interspersed with small bites, soothed quickly with warm licks.

“Juggie, please,” Betty moaned, not quite sure what she was asking for. Her hands scrambled for purchase in the fabric of his shirt, desperate for him to be rid of it, but still letting out a whine of displeasure as he pulled away from her to lift the offending item over his head. He returned swiftly, already addicted to the feel of her smooth skin beneath his calloused fingers, a groan vibrating in his throat against her lips as she raked her nails down the ridges of his abdomen.

As he lowered them both to the floor Betty felt moisture gather in her eyes at the gentle way he laid her out beneath him, resting above her on his elbows while he pushed stray strands of hair away from her face. The nervous adrenaline coursing through her body was shifting into a valley of excitement as he kissed her once more, settling between her parted legs. She could already feel him, hard and wanting against the inside of her thigh, as he laved her chest with unhurried attention, drawing more heat to the aching at her core.

A litany of unintelligible whimpers were leaving her throat, barely registering to her own ears as she gave herself over to the sensations Jughead was able to ignite within her. He lifted his head to pepper Betty’s heated cheeks with cooling kisses, eyes shining brightly with something more than just firelight.

“What is it, Betty? Tell me what you want,” he crooned through barely moving lips, enamoured by the way her mouth parted to pull in choppy gasps of air, chest heaving enticingly before his eyes. "Tell me,” he repeated.

“I want you,” she replied breathily, the only thing she was sure of anymore. “I need you to–” Her words were lost to a sharp inhale as his hand disappeared beneath her skirts, Betty’s fingers clutching at Jughead’s shoulder blades as he explored the length of her thigh with the barest of touches.

“To…?” he teased, mirth flashing in his smile, but Betty was too lost to his ministration to chastise him, to the feeling of his thumb running over her hipbone, so close to where she needed him.

“Touch me,” she stammered, far past the point of caring to feel shame at her wanton request.

***

It wasn’t long until he complied, unable to resist any longer himself. Jughead groaned, dropping his face to the crook of her neck as he ran his fingers through the wet heat at the apex of her thighs. Her hitching breaths and soft sighs were only serving to further increase the clenching in the pit of his stomach, the pressure between his legs, as he continued, wanting more, greedily drinking in every sound he could make her emit. His hips gave an aborted thrust as he found a spot that made a loud cry slip past her lips, hushing her with a kiss, unable to deny the pride swelling in his chest at making her feel this way.

Betty gasped sharply as he slid one finger inside of her, pausing as her hand flew to grip his bicep.

“Okay?” he asked, free hand tucking her hair behind her ear. She swallowed thickly, eyes fluttered shut as she nodded, shifting her hips experimentally to adjust to the new feeling.

“Y-yes,” she reassured, trying to relax into the sensation. “I’m okay.”

Slowly, Jughead began to move his hand, adding a second finger when Betty began to writhe beneath him. His thumb came up to rub small circles against her clit, sparking a chorus of mewls to leave her in rapidly increasing succession. Jughead leant forwards to mouth at the hollow of her throat.

“Come on, Betty,” he encouraged just once before he felt her flutter around his fingers, briefly imagining how she would feel around him as he moved to swallow the cries that accompanied her fall into orgasmic bliss.

Jughead watched as Betty licked her lips, eyes still closed while she tried to control her jagged breathing. When she finally looked at him her pupils were blown wide, overcome with something primitive that he’d never seen within her before.

“I didn’t know it could feel like that,” she gasped when she finally spoke, the contrast of her sweet, airy voice and laid open body bolstering the affection already consuming him. The feeling of her hands working at the button on his pants brought him back to reality.

The temptation to make sure, one more time, that this was what she wanted, that she’s comfortable with taking this next step – while on the floor of her estranged sister’s house, no less – is quashed at the raw determination he found in her expression. It reminded him of the moment they first met as she stood before him, all fire and flowers, informing him that she wasn’t going to put up with his nonsense.

Through all his reminiscing she had managed to start working his pants further down his hips. He kicked them off, eyes never leaving her face as he watched her take his body in, completely bare for the first time. He could feel the erratic thumping of his heart in his chest as he held perfectly still, allowing her the next move.

Jughead couldn’t stop the gruff noise that was pulled out of him at the feeling of her hand tentatively wrapping around his hardness for the first time. He tried not to move his hips as she worked him carefully, with slow, unsure jerks of her wrist, biting back a smile despite himself at the look of unwavering concentration on her face. She found a rhythm after a few moments and he couldn’t stop the way his hips bucked towards the circle of her hand.

“Is this good?” she asked shyly, as if she hadn’t just fallen apart beneath him. He could only nod, warring with himself to push her hand away before he couldn’t hold back any longer, and getting lost in the sensation of Betty bringing him closer to release.

“Betty, you have to stop… if you want to…” Jughead got out between slightly clenched teeth, even while his body drew closer to her embrace. She glanced up at him then, twin spots of pink rising to her cheeks as she nodded, bringing his hand to the waist of her skirts.

Jughead watched, enraptured, as the rest of her body revealed itself before him. She squirmed beneath his explorative gaze, giggling as his fingers brushed a ticklish spot across her waist.

“You are so beautiful,” he told her, hoping that she could hear just how sincerely he believed those words to be. Betty bit her lip, something she seemed to be doing a lot and it only added to the desperate want he could feel about to bubble over, and shifted her thighs further apart, bringing him closer by the back of his neck.

“Make love to me, Juggie,” she whispered, lifting her hips as he pushed against her slick folds. “Please.”

He pushed forwards slowly, stopping at every wince or noise of discomfort she made. Trying to control his breathing, he wished it didn’t have to hurt her, that their first time could be something that transcended all inevitabilities as he waited as patiently as possible for her to encourage him further inside of her with a whispered “keep going” or “it’s okay”. The thought of her comforting him through this as she pushed his hair back from his forehead made him huff out a breathless laugh, stilling once he was finally fully inside.

“You can move,” she assured after a moment. “Please move,” she pleaded, raising her hips against his.

“You feel so good,” he repeated to her, a man lost to the power of the woman below him, giving herself to him entirely.

His pace picked up once they began to find their harmony, her quiet moans sending him hurtling towards the edge much faster than he would have liked. He slipped his hand between their bodies, hoping to get her there before he succumbed to every bright sensation coursing through him.

His hips were just starting to lose their rhythm when he felt her stiffen beneath him, her right leg lifting to hold him in place against her while she clenched around him, exhaling her cry of release into his mouth as he followed quickly behind.

They stayed like that for a while, breathing erratic, coming down from this newfound high. Betty wiped the sheen of sweat away from his forehead the trembling fingers, and Jughead took the time to kiss away the droplet trickling between the valley of her breasts. She winced when he pulled out, immediately curling up to his side as he tucked her securely against him.

Jughead started when faint sniffles echoed against the crook of his neck and he squeezed her tighter.

“Hey, what is it? Are you… did I hurt you?” he asked in apprehension, swallowing away the sickened feeling rising in his throat.

“No!” she reassured instantly, shuffling further into his embrace as a shaky exhale of relief left his lips. “No, I’m just so confused.” He waited for her to explain, running a comforting hand over her back repeatedly. “That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced,” she admitted timidly. “I’ve never felt so happy, or so complete. And then I think about everything that is happening out there, and the fact that this might be our only chance–” Her throat caught and she turned into him once more, letting her implication hang on the words unsaid.

“We don’t know what is coming next,” Jughead said truthfully, not wasting his breath on pointless reassurances that everything would be alright; they both knew it would be a lie. “Let’s just enjoy this, right now. We have some time.” He felt her nod against his neck and pressed a lingering kiss to the damp hair at her temple.

They drifted off into a sleep that wasn’t quiet peaceful, but being in each other’s arms was enough to make it contented.

[sinrau]

https://link.medium.com/PqJbDFGcj8

I woke today, as you might have, to news that…secret police were abducting people off the streets of Portland. Heavily armed men, with no badges, driving unmarked cars, simply disappearing people from the streets, with no explanation given. Onlookers horrified as men in fatigues drag protestors away.

If that feels ominous to you, it is.

It’s de facto martial law, by any other name.

There are about 110 days until the next American election. And America is now in a fight for its life.

Imagine the following scenario. America’s new secret police descend on cities nationwide — just as their chief has already literally, proudly promised — in a new national policy of repression. They can snatch up anyone they want, anywhere, for whatever reason. They begin doing just that. Oddly — or maybe predictably — they begin targeting critics and opponents of the Administration, whether protesters, or just people out for a walk or a drive. Who’s going to stop them? They’re secret police, after all, operating at a federal level.

Donald Trump’s polls have taken a battering given his astonishing indifference to a lethal pandemic. And yet — 110 days from now — his poll numbers are still within striking distance of the Presidency. He still has an Army of American Idiots whose support is unwavering. That army makes it possible for him to come within a hair’s breadth of winning the electoral college — or winning it outright.

And on election, and the days leading up to it, all those secret police, those armed men now patrolling the streets, snatching people up anywhere, everywhere — they make all the difference. They repress enough of the vote for Trump to cruise to a victory. The Supreme Court and Senate certify that victory.

Bang! American democracy comes to a final, ignominious end. Because you know and I know that another four years of this…well, America’s going to end up somewhere between Russia, Iran, and North Korea, as a society. Not a democratic one, but one ruled by a fascist-authoritarian dynasty, and their cronies.

America’s fascist-authoritarian implosion is now complete. Democracy has died. Trump is America’s Gaddafi, Kim, Putin. And by the way — Coronavirus still ravages the country. Poverty skyrockets, depression and suicide soar, society stops functioning. And in the middle of it, the fascists’ cronies win big, being handed control of everything from the nations’ energy grids to its school systems to its hospitals. Who cares if they don’t work? The point is to make money — and there are huge, huge amounts of it to be made, as any Russian oligarch will tell you. Bang! Democracy’s dead.

Sound implausible to you? Then you haven’t been paying attention. I’m not one for conspiratorial thinking. And it’d be one thing if a normal President arrested a few protesters. But when Donald Trump creates a secret police force, that’s quite another thing. Why? Because there’s a pattern of behaviour that’s by now well established. A particular and precise one.

Camps. Actual…concentration camps. Kids in cages in them. Ripped apart from their moms and dads. Which, by the way, is genuine genocide. Raids. Purges. Ethnic bans. Inciting hate, spreading violence. Institutional, cultural, and societal dehumanization, of hated minorities, opponents, the press. Who does all these things? Only one category of people does, and there is a particular and precise word for them: fascists.

Fascists. Can we say it already?

Donald Trump’s pattern of behaviour is exactly that of a fascist hoping to seize power, and remake a nation. There is literally no other word to describe it. Liberals, even conservatives, democrats — nobody else does these things.

We all learn this in grade school, then again in middle school, then again in high school, then again in college. At least three to four times over our lives. What fascism is: this simple checklist and sequence of hate rising to power, going from camps to bans to raids to purges and so forth.

What’s been missing from that checklist in America? Only one thing, really: a secret police force. An SS, a Gestapo. Now there is one.

The fascist checklist is complete. You might object at this point. “But we’re not committing genocide!” Oh, my friend. But you are. Those “family separations” are a form of genocide. Putting kids in cages is a form of torture.

We all know this. The problem is that Americans have been playing dumb. Someone like me, who’s lived through fascist-authoritarian implosions, studied them — and there are many of us — comes along and says: “Hey, uh, guys. This looks a whole lot like a fascist implosion. Why aren’t you more worried?”

And while some Americans have been, by and large the response has come: “Shut up! It’s not happening here! This is America, dammit!” Indeed it is. Guess who the Nazis studied as a model to base their genocide of the Jews on? America, and its mechanisms of slavery. But I digress.

America’s been in a kind of deep, profound denial about its own descent into fascist-authoritarianism over the last three years. That’s exactly why the bad guys have been so staggeringly successful — it’s taken them just three years to accomplish more or less the entire fascist checklist.

Hence, the world looks on at Americans, baffled, bewildered, horrified. “Don’t they get it? Doesn’t anyone teach them what fascism is at school?” I get asked this literally every single day by friends from Europe, Canada, Asia, Africa.

I tell them: nobody doesn’t know what fascism is. Americans are just playing dumb. Why? Because that’s what their leaders and intellectuals do. Nobody much — at this late date — says it’s fascism. Not the opposition, not the media, not the intellectual class. Not regularly or enough, anyways. The result is that the average person thinks it’s going too far, impolite, impertinent. As a result, there’s been far, far too little resistance to fascist-authoritarianism in America. How can you fight a thing you won’t even name? Trump was impeached for bribery — not putting kids in camps. What the? Americans are playing dumb — all the way into the abyss.

What’s about to happen over the next six months couldn’t be clearer. It’s not that those secret polices are anything new: they’ve been targeting non-people, Mexicans and Latinos and so forth, hated immigrants and refugees, for the last four years.

What’s new is that they are now targeting Americans. That is a very, very clear signal of what the fascists are going to do. How they’re going to escalate. What the future holds. They are going to use the fascist institution they’ve built, and cross the final line — use them domestically.

Now the secret police doesn’t just come for the “non-person,” the immigrant, and throw them into a camp. It comes for you, your brother, sister, husband, wife, the good white American. And then it throws them into a camp, too. It comes for the opponent, dissident, critic.

All the machinery of fascist-authoritarianism that’s been constructed over the last few years will now be put to use against “real” Americans — not just hated others. It will be used to intimidate and frighten and bully people, in order to chew away at the workings of democracy — making it harder for them to vote, coordinate, organize, associate, make their voices heard. Just doing that much will now carry a risk and a price — you become one of the non-people, too.

You get disappeared in the camps. You get written up. Your papers have a black mark on them. The party does not approve of you. You are an undesirable now. You are an enemy of the state.

How likely are you to join that protest if you know the secret police will be there throwing people into camps? Be honest — don’t be a hero. Just be real. Even if your answer is, “I’d still go!” — for most people, that’s not going to be the case. This is how fascist-authoritarians steal power — by bullying, frightening, and intimidating people.

That’s also why it’s never taken a majority of fascist-authoritarians to destroy a society. In Germany, in the Islamic world, in a place like North Korea. It just takes a brutal enough minority — who use the institutions of the state, culture, and society, step by step, to frighten and bully everyone else into line. A minority can indeed seize control of a society. Trump has his Army of Idiots — and they’re a minority, true, but a very, very large one: somewhere between 30 and 40 percent of America. That’s more than enough to end democracy for good.

Americans should have challenged the construction of fascist institutions like secret polices and camps long ago. But they didn’t. Still, it’s not too late. Or is it? Nobody really knows — and the only way to tell is to try. To stand up and challenge it now, before it truly is too late, and Trump is the Fuhrer of a fascist America.

The endgame of America’s fascist implosion was always — always — obvious. That may be hard to hear. But it’s true. The institutions the fascists had built — camps, secret polices, secret trials, and so on — were one day going to be used against “real” Americans too. One day in the very near future. For what purpose? For taking away their powers, rights, voices. To make them pliable, submissive. If they weren’t going to be part of the fascist project — then they’d better not say anything or do anything to stop it. Why else does anyone build repressive institutions — but to create a fascist-authoritarian society? But Americans didn’t get that. They never quite seemed to understand that fascism was about to hit them, in the teeth, right where it counted. That it wasn’t just for the non-people. That it was coming for them. Because the entire point and purpose of fascism is that everyone becomes a fascist, either through silence and acquiescence, or through cheering, raging hate.

Fascii: the bundle of sticks. Everyone becomes a part of the fire. Everything goes up in ashes. Americans, playing dumb. They learned it in school. But they’ve spent so long pretending that I don’t even know if it’s become genuine ignorance at this point. Sorry to be blunt — but the stakes are too high to mince words. Americans need to act now. Who on earth doesn’t know it’s fascism when mass death and secret polices are at your door? When more than a hundred thousand have died of a pandemic, 90% of which could have been prevented? When an indifferent leader is pushing people to go out and infect each other? When protestors are being tear gassed, unprovoked? When reporters are being arrested? And now, when the secret police is literally grabbing people in the street?

What’s that old quote? First they came for the Mexican labourer, and I did nothing. Then they came for the Syrian refugee, and I did nothing. Then they came for the Guatemalan family, and I did nothing.

And then they came for me.

The old quote doesn’t go quite like that. The new one, though, does.

This is not a drill. This is American democracy’s last chance. But will Americans finally, finally stand up, and act like it?

Umair July 2020

[laurelkrugerr]

Becoming Your Best Virtual You

Marketing Podcast with John Jantsch on Becoming Your Best Virtual You

Virtual and work from home is getting a lot of hype right now, for obvious reasons. I’ve been a big fan of virtual work for many years, and there are some tools I’ve come to love and rely on over the years. I’m going to talk about some of those tools that I think a lot of people have either underutilized or are coming to a new appreciation for right now.

Some of these tools you might begin to use out of necessity right now, but as you get to know them, you might discover that you enjoy them so much you’ll continue to rely on them once we’ve returned to business as usual.

I’m going to run down my list of go-to tools, give you some case studies, and share how I personally use those tools in my daily life as an entrepreneur.

1. One-to-One Video

A lot of people are relying on one-to-one video at present because we can’t meet in person, but one-to-one video is a great communication tool even when we do have flexibility with how we meet up and converse with others.

By one-to-one video, I mean a video that you record specifically for one individual. The greeting and message is personalized just for them. And I’ve found over the years that this technology has many applications, from sending internal messages to remote folks on my team to interacting with clients and prospects.

The first way I use one-to-one video is to provide clarification when I’m sending a message. Say I’m forwarding on a long document with lots of detailed information. I might send along a one-to-one video highlighting the most salient parts of the document to help direct the reader.

I also find it’s a helpful tool when you’re working with a distributed team. For example, I work with a lot of web designers, and it’s quick and easy to record a video that shows minor edits that I’d like to see on a webpage they’ve already mocked up.

It’s also great for documenting processes. Using the screen capture tool allows you to walk someone through a process, if you’d like to give them a guided step-by-step walkthrough of what needs to be done in a given program.

It’s also a creative way to interact with clients or prospects. Instead of just sending a standard introductory email, which doesn’t stand out well or capture attention, use a personalized video to catch someone’s eye in an otherwise crowded inbox. It’s also a great way to send a thank you or to ask for a review from a happy customer.

The Tool: Loom

My go-to for one-to-one video is Loom. Even the free version of the platform has tons of functionality. You can film yourself, do a screen capture video, or create a video that shares your screen and shows you down in the corner.

Loom also makes the sharing process seamless. As soon as you’re done recording your message, you hit stop, it produces a link, and you drop that URL into an email. If you’ve integrated Loom with Gmail, it will embed the video directly into your email.

When someone gets the email, Gmail users don’t even need to leave their inbox; the video plays right within their inbox.

2. Video Meeting & Webinar Platform

When you’re working with a distributed team, it helps to have a way for you all to come together face-to-face. That’s where video meeting platforms come in. We use them for internal meetings, to talk with clients (to present ideas, brainstorm, or offer updates); we even use it for one-to-one sales calls.

Video is also a great tool for creating educational content and webinars. And some podcasters have started using video in their recording process. While they’ll only use the audio stream to produce the podcast, it’s helpful for them to be able to see their guest on the screen and makes the interview more natural and seamless.

The Tool: Zoom

The video meeting and webinar platform I’ve come to rely on is Zoom. What I love about Zoom is that there’s no software involved. No one needs to download anything to access the meeting; you simply forward a link and anyone can join from any device.

Zoom can be used for both webinars and meetings. The tool allows you to do a presentation (like a webinar) where everyone is an attendee and is muted. There’s a screen-sharing functionality, and you can incorporate features like chat, Q&A, and polls into your presentation.

Alternatively, you can use Zoom for meetings. Here, your team hops on the video and you can sit around and talk in much the same way you would if you were all around a conference table.

Of course, the one thing everyone must have to participate in a Zoom meeting is a way to connect. But it’s possible to do so via computer or phone. There’s an app for mobile devices, and people can even call in through a dial-in number, if that’s easier.

3. Live Streaming

Live streaming is becoming increasingly popular. And particularly during the current moment, where we’re not able to meet up in person, we’re seeing more personalities hopping onto Facebook, YouTube or LinkedIn to connect with their audience.

I think live streaming is an incredible tool for building community and speaking to your fans, but I find it’s often over-utilized. I think the key to creating great live streaming content is to start by asking yourself “What is useful for my community, prospects, or clients at this time?” That’s the question that should be driving you as you devise your live programming.

All of the major social platforms allow you to go live from within their individual apps, but I prefer to use an external tool.

The Tool: StreamYard

My go-to for live streaming online has become StreamYard. I find the tool helpful for a number of reasons. First, it allows you to broadcast to multiple platforms simultaneously. Rather than having to decide between addressing your fans on Facebook or LinkedIn, with StreamYard, you can do both at the same time.

It also allows you to add branding onto your video. You can put your logo or any relevant promotional information in the bottom third of your video screen. You can also easily incorporate Q&A and chat into your video, making it easy to engage your audience while you’re live.

It’s also really easy to record and hang onto your sessions. While it’s possible to download things that go live on other social media platforms, they don’t make it simple for you to capture that content. StreamYard makes it seamless, and then you have access to the content for future use, should you decide you’d like to reuse it.

Finally, StreamYard allows you to schedule out the time when you’ll go live and includes a notification on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, or your streaming platform of choice. By notifying your audience of when you’re going live in advance, you create a built-in audience for your content and ensure that you’ll have people there to engage with—it helps you to create more of a live webinar experience.

4. Collaboration Software

For many folks who are used to sharing office space with their colleagues, the biggest hurdle to remote work is keeping everyone on the same page when it comes to advancing your projects and agendas. You need a unified communication tool and work space so that you can bring together all the emails, files, revisions, and to-do lists in one place. That way, everyone is always on the same page, and you always know right where to go to look for information.

There are tons of great collaboration suites out there, from Basecamp to Asana to Microsoft Teams.

The Tool: Slack

Our team loves Slack for collaboration and communication. When you’re used to working in an office, you can just pop down the hallway to ask your colleague a quick question. When you’re working from home, Slack is the next best thing.

It not only allows you to keep up a friendly and more relaxed chat environment, it also helps you to keep communications unified and to make sure all relevant parties hear announcements and are kept up-to-date on the latest company news. Rather than having to call around to each person individually, you can notify the appropriate Slack channel, and everyone who needs to receive your message gets it right away.

Is Virtual Me Here to Stay?

A lot of these tools have become necessities right now because of the coronavirus pandemic. People are using the tools in new ways. Some are conducting networking groups online rather than in person. Others have even set up co-working video sessions, where folks log on, go on mute, work individually, and occasionally come up for air to say a few casual words to each other.

We’re even seeing families adopt the technology for fun ways to stay connected virtually. I’ve seen scavenger hunts, science experiments, play dates, book clubs, and dance parties all occur on the web in these last few weeks of social distancing.

While some of these virtual ways of being will likely go away when life returns to normal (a virtual family game night will never replace the in-person hugs and warmth you’ll feel), I suspect some of these new ways of working will stick around.

For example, I host a number of weekend bootcamps throughout the year with our Consultant Network, and we’re planning to move them to virtual events. While there are some things you may lose in a virtual setting (the spontaneous conversation over lunch, say), in terms of cost and ability to include more people, virtual has got in-person beat every time.

Tips for a Better Experience

When it comes to connecting virtually, there are a few steps we can all take to make it a better experience for ourselves, our clients, our families, and anyone else we may be connecting with online.

First, audio is a big deal. There’s nothing more frustrating than listening to fuzzy audio that keeps going in and out. Particularly if you’re presenting to a group, it pays to invest in a nicer, USB condenser mic (like the Blue Yeti). These microphones pick up more depth and character in your voice, and they make you sound a lot more professional than the mic on your iPhone headphones.

Video matters, too. Rather than relying on the built-in camera that comes on your laptop, spend a little bit more on something like the Logitech C922 Pro. A nicer camera will give you higher video quality, with better light and clearer visuals.

Speaking of light, make sure that you have natural light on your face, if you can. Don’t have the light streaming in behind you, though, or you become a silhouette. If you don’t have natural light wherever you’re recording from, investing in a ring light can help your video look less dark and grainy.

Finally, do what you can to eliminate distractions. I know it can be difficult when you’re working from home and might have kids or pets running around in the background, but anything you can do to make your background as clean and seamless as possible is a major bonus for video calls and presentations.

I love the company Anyvoo; they create easily portable backdrops for video calls. You can get whatever you’d like printed on the canvas—your logo, a peaceful mountain scene—and you simply set the background up behind you whenever you have to take a video call. It’s on a stand, so it can be assembled anywhere and is taken down just as easily.

Many of us are adjusting to a new way of working that became a reality very suddenly over the past few weeks. I hope these tools make the transition a little easier for you, and that some of them become favorites that will continue to help you grow your business even after we return to normal life.

Like this show? Click on over and give us a review on iTunes, please!

This episode of the Duct Tape marketing agency Podcast is brought to you by Klaviyo. If you’re looking to grow your business there is only one way: by building real, quality customer relationships. That’s where Klaviyo comes in.

Klaviyo helps you build meaningful relationships by listening and understanding cues from your customers, allowing you to easily turn that information into valuable marketing agency messages.

What’s their secret? Tune into Klaviyo’s Beyond Black Friday docu-series to find out and unlock marketing agency strategies you can use to keep momentum going year-round. Just head on over to klaviyo.com/beyondbf.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android |

Free eBook  7 Steps to Scale Your Consulting Practice Without Adding Overhead

“This training from Duct Tape marketing agency has exceeded my expectations and I couldn’t be happier” ~ Brooke Patterson, VanderMedia

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/becoming-your-best-virtual-you/ source https://scpie1.blogspot.com/2020/03/becoming-your-best-virtual-you.html

[riichardwilson]

Becoming Your Best Virtual You

Marketing Podcast with John Jantsch on Becoming Your Best Virtual You

Virtual and work from home is getting a lot of hype right now, for obvious reasons. I’ve been a big fan of virtual work for many years, and there are some tools I’ve come to love and rely on over the years. I’m going to talk about some of those tools that I think a lot of people have either underutilized or are coming to a new appreciation for right now.

Some of these tools you might begin to use out of necessity right now, but as you get to know them, you might discover that you enjoy them so much you’ll continue to rely on them once we’ve returned to business as usual.

I’m going to run down my list of go-to tools, give you some case studies, and share how I personally use those tools in my daily life as an entrepreneur.

1. One-to-One Video

A lot of people are relying on one-to-one video at present because we can’t meet in person, but one-to-one video is a great communication tool even when we do have flexibility with how we meet up and converse with others.

By one-to-one video, I mean a video that you record specifically for one individual. The greeting and message is personalized just for them. And I’ve found over the years that this technology has many applications, from sending internal messages to remote folks on my team to interacting with clients and prospects.

The first way I use one-to-one video is to provide clarification when I’m sending a message. Say I’m forwarding on a long document with lots of detailed information. I might send along a one-to-one video highlighting the most salient parts of the document to help direct the reader.

I also find it’s a helpful tool when you’re working with a distributed team. For example, I work with a lot of web designers, and it’s quick and easy to record a video that shows minor edits that I’d like to see on a webpage they’ve already mocked up.

It’s also great for documenting processes. Using the screen capture tool allows you to walk someone through a process, if you’d like to give them a guided step-by-step walkthrough of what needs to be done in a given program.

It’s also a creative way to interact with clients or prospects. Instead of just sending a standard introductory email, which doesn’t stand out well or capture attention, use a personalized video to catch someone’s eye in an otherwise crowded inbox. It’s also a great way to send a thank you or to ask for a review from a happy customer.

The Tool: Loom

My go-to for one-to-one video is Loom. Even the free version of the platform has tons of functionality. You can film yourself, do a screen capture video, or create a video that shares your screen and shows you down in the corner.

Loom also makes the sharing process seamless. As soon as you’re done recording your message, you hit stop, it produces a link, and you drop that URL into an email. If you’ve integrated Loom with Gmail, it will embed the video directly into your email.

When someone gets the email, Gmail users don’t even need to leave their inbox; the video plays right within their inbox.

2. Video Meeting & Webinar Platform

When you’re working with a distributed team, it helps to have a way for you all to come together face-to-face. That’s where video meeting platforms come in. We use them for internal meetings, to talk with clients (to present ideas, brainstorm, or offer updates); we even use it for one-to-one sales calls.

Video is also a great tool for creating educational content and webinars. And some podcasters have started using video in their recording process. While they’ll only use the audio stream to produce the podcast, it’s helpful for them to be able to see their guest on the screen and makes the interview more natural and seamless.

The Tool: Zoom

The video meeting and webinar platform I’ve come to rely on is Zoom. What I love about Zoom is that there’s no software involved. No one needs to download anything to access the meeting; you simply forward a link and anyone can join from any device.

Zoom can be used for both webinars and meetings. The tool allows you to do a presentation (like a webinar) where everyone is an attendee and is muted. There’s a screen-sharing functionality, and you can incorporate features like chat, Q&A, and polls into your presentation.

Alternatively, you can use Zoom for meetings. Here, your team hops on the video and you can sit around and talk in much the same way you would if you were all around a conference table.

Of course, the one thing everyone must have to participate in a Zoom meeting is a way to connect. But it’s possible to do so via computer or phone. There’s an app for mobile devices, and people can even call in through a dial-in number, if that’s easier.

3. Live Streaming

Live streaming is becoming increasingly popular. And particularly during the current moment, where we’re not able to meet up in person, we’re seeing more personalities hopping onto Facebook, YouTube or LinkedIn to connect with their audience.

I think live streaming is an incredible tool for building community and speaking to your fans, but I find it’s often over-utilized. I think the key to creating great live streaming content is to start by asking yourself “What is useful for my community, prospects, or clients at this time?” That’s the question that should be driving you as you devise your live programming.

All of the major social platforms allow you to go live from within their individual apps, but I prefer to use an external tool.

The Tool: StreamYard

My go-to for live streaming online has become StreamYard. I find the tool helpful for a number of reasons. First, it allows you to broadcast to multiple platforms simultaneously. Rather than having to decide between addressing your fans on Facebook or LinkedIn, with StreamYard, you can do both at the same time.

It also allows you to add branding onto your video. You can put your logo or any relevant promotional information in the bottom third of your video screen. You can also easily incorporate Q&A and chat into your video, making it easy to engage your audience while you’re live.

It’s also really easy to record and hang onto your sessions. While it’s possible to download things that go live on other social media platforms, they don’t make it simple for you to capture that content. StreamYard makes it seamless, and then you have access to the content for future use, should you decide you’d like to reuse it.

Finally, StreamYard allows you to schedule out the time when you’ll go live and includes a notification on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, or your streaming platform of choice. By notifying your audience of when you’re going live in advance, you create a built-in audience for your content and ensure that you’ll have people there to engage with—it helps you to create more of a live webinar experience.

4. Collaboration Software

For many folks who are used to sharing office space with their colleagues, the biggest hurdle to remote work is keeping everyone on the same page when it comes to advancing your projects and agendas. You need a unified communication tool and work space so that you can bring together all the emails, files, revisions, and to-do lists in one place. That way, everyone is always on the same page, and you always know right where to go to look for information.

There are tons of great collaboration suites out there, from Basecamp to Asana to Microsoft Teams.

The Tool: Slack

Our team loves Slack for collaboration and communication. When you’re used to working in an office, you can just pop down the hallway to ask your colleague a quick question. When you’re working from home, Slack is the next best thing.

It not only allows you to keep up a friendly and more relaxed chat environment, it also helps you to keep communications unified and to make sure all relevant parties hear announcements and are kept up-to-date on the latest company news. Rather than having to call around to each person individually, you can notify the appropriate Slack channel, and everyone who needs to receive your message gets it right away.

Is Virtual Me Here to Stay?

A lot of these tools have become necessities right now because of the coronavirus pandemic. People are using the tools in new ways. Some are conducting networking groups online rather than in person. Others have even set up co-working video sessions, where folks log on, go on mute, work individually, and occasionally come up for air to say a few casual words to each other.

We’re even seeing families adopt the technology for fun ways to stay connected virtually. I’ve seen scavenger hunts, science experiments, play dates, book clubs, and dance parties all occur on the web in these last few weeks of social distancing.

While some of these virtual ways of being will likely go away when life returns to normal (a virtual family game night will never replace the in-person hugs and warmth you’ll feel), I suspect some of these new ways of working will stick around.

For example, I host a number of weekend bootcamps throughout the year with our Consultant Network, and we’re planning to move them to virtual events. While there are some things you may lose in a virtual setting (the spontaneous conversation over lunch, say), in terms of cost and ability to include more people, virtual has got in-person beat every time.

Tips for a Better Experience

When it comes to connecting virtually, there are a few steps we can all take to make it a better experience for ourselves, our clients, our families, and anyone else we may be connecting with online.

First, audio is a big deal. There’s nothing more frustrating than listening to fuzzy audio that keeps going in and out. Particularly if you’re presenting to a group, it pays to invest in a nicer, USB condenser mic (like the Blue Yeti). These microphones pick up more depth and character in your voice, and they make you sound a lot more professional than the mic on your iPhone headphones.

Video matters, too. Rather than relying on the built-in camera that comes on your laptop, spend a little bit more on something like the Logitech C922 Pro. A nicer camera will give you higher video quality, with better light and clearer visuals.

Speaking of light, make sure that you have natural light on your face, if you can. Don’t have the light streaming in behind you, though, or you become a silhouette. If you don’t have natural light wherever you’re recording from, investing in a ring light can help your video look less dark and grainy.

Finally, do what you can to eliminate distractions. I know it can be difficult when you’re working from home and might have kids or pets running around in the background, but anything you can do to make your background as clean and seamless as possible is a major bonus for video calls and presentations.

I love the company Anyvoo; they create easily portable backdrops for video calls. You can get whatever you’d like printed on the canvas—your logo, a peaceful mountain scene—and you simply set the background up behind you whenever you have to take a video call. It’s on a stand, so it can be assembled anywhere and is taken down just as easily.

Many of us are adjusting to a new way of working that became a reality very suddenly over the past few weeks. I hope these tools make the transition a little easier for you, and that some of them become favorites that will continue to help you grow your business even after we return to normal life.

Like this show? Click on over and give us a review on iTunes, please!

This episode of the Duct Tape marketing agency Podcast is brought to you by Klaviyo. If you’re looking to grow your business there is only one way: by building real, quality customer relationships. That’s where Klaviyo comes in.

Klaviyo helps you build meaningful relationships by listening and understanding cues from your customers, allowing you to easily turn that information into valuable marketing agency messages.

What’s their secret? Tune into Klaviyo’s Beyond Black Friday docu-series to find out and unlock marketing agency strategies you can use to keep momentum going year-round. Just head on over to klaviyo.com/beyondbf.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android |

Free eBook  7 Steps to Scale Your Consulting Practice Without Adding Overhead

“This training from Duct Tape marketing agency has exceeded my expectations and I couldn’t be happier” ~ Brooke Patterson, VanderMedia

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/becoming-your-best-virtual-you/ source https://scpie.tumblr.com/post/613574090050174976

[scpie]

Becoming Your Best Virtual You

Marketing Podcast with John Jantsch on Becoming Your Best Virtual You

Virtual and work from home is getting a lot of hype right now, for obvious reasons. I’ve been a big fan of virtual work for many years, and there are some tools I’ve come to love and rely on over the years. I’m going to talk about some of those tools that I think a lot of people have either underutilized or are coming to a new appreciation for right now.

Some of these tools you might begin to use out of necessity right now, but as you get to know them, you might discover that you enjoy them so much you’ll continue to rely on them once we’ve returned to business as usual.

I’m going to run down my list of go-to tools, give you some case studies, and share how I personally use those tools in my daily life as an entrepreneur.

1. One-to-One Video

A lot of people are relying on one-to-one video at present because we can’t meet in person, but one-to-one video is a great communication tool even when we do have flexibility with how we meet up and converse with others.

By one-to-one video, I mean a video that you record specifically for one individual. The greeting and message is personalized just for them. And I’ve found over the years that this technology has many applications, from sending internal messages to remote folks on my team to interacting with clients and prospects.

The first way I use one-to-one video is to provide clarification when I’m sending a message. Say I’m forwarding on a long document with lots of detailed information. I might send along a one-to-one video highlighting the most salient parts of the document to help direct the reader.

I also find it’s a helpful tool when you’re working with a distributed team. For example, I work with a lot of web designers, and it’s quick and easy to record a video that shows minor edits that I’d like to see on a webpage they’ve already mocked up.

It’s also great for documenting processes. Using the screen capture tool allows you to walk someone through a process, if you’d like to give them a guided step-by-step walkthrough of what needs to be done in a given program.

It’s also a creative way to interact with clients or prospects. Instead of just sending a standard introductory email, which doesn’t stand out well or capture attention, use a personalized video to catch someone’s eye in an otherwise crowded inbox. It’s also a great way to send a thank you or to ask for a review from a happy customer.

The Tool: Loom

My go-to for one-to-one video is Loom. Even the free version of the platform has tons of functionality. You can film yourself, do a screen capture video, or create a video that shares your screen and shows you down in the corner.

Loom also makes the sharing process seamless. As soon as you’re done recording your message, you hit stop, it produces a link, and you drop that URL into an email. If you’ve integrated Loom with Gmail, it will embed the video directly into your email.

When someone gets the email, Gmail users don’t even need to leave their inbox; the video plays right within their inbox.

2. Video Meeting & Webinar Platform

When you’re working with a distributed team, it helps to have a way for you all to come together face-to-face. That’s where video meeting platforms come in. We use them for internal meetings, to talk with clients (to present ideas, brainstorm, or offer updates); we even use it for one-to-one sales calls.

Video is also a great tool for creating educational content and webinars. And some podcasters have started using video in their recording process. While they’ll only use the audio stream to produce the podcast, it’s helpful for them to be able to see their guest on the screen and makes the interview more natural and seamless.

The Tool: Zoom

The video meeting and webinar platform I’ve come to rely on is Zoom. What I love about Zoom is that there’s no software involved. No one needs to download anything to access the meeting; you simply forward a link and anyone can join from any device.

Zoom can be used for both webinars and meetings. The tool allows you to do a presentation (like a webinar) where everyone is an attendee and is muted. There’s a screen-sharing functionality, and you can incorporate features like chat, Q&A, and polls into your presentation.

Alternatively, you can use Zoom for meetings. Here, your team hops on the video and you can sit around and talk in much the same way you would if you were all around a conference table.

Of course, the one thing everyone must have to participate in a Zoom meeting is a way to connect. But it’s possible to do so via computer or phone. There’s an app for mobile devices, and people can even call in through a dial-in number, if that’s easier.

3. Live Streaming

Live streaming is becoming increasingly popular. And particularly during the current moment, where we’re not able to meet up in person, we’re seeing more personalities hopping onto Facebook, YouTube or LinkedIn to connect with their audience.

I think live streaming is an incredible tool for building community and speaking to your fans, but I find it’s often over-utilized. I think the key to creating great live streaming content is to start by asking yourself “What is useful for my community, prospects, or clients at this time?” That’s the question that should be driving you as you devise your live programming.

All of the major social platforms allow you to go live from within their individual apps, but I prefer to use an external tool.

The Tool: StreamYard

My go-to for live streaming online has become StreamYard. I find the tool helpful for a number of reasons. First, it allows you to broadcast to multiple platforms simultaneously. Rather than having to decide between addressing your fans on Facebook or LinkedIn, with StreamYard, you can do both at the same time.

It also allows you to add branding onto your video. You can put your logo or any relevant promotional information in the bottom third of your video screen. You can also easily incorporate Q&A and chat into your video, making it easy to engage your audience while you’re live.

It’s also really easy to record and hang onto your sessions. While it’s possible to download things that go live on other social media platforms, they don’t make it simple for you to capture that content. StreamYard makes it seamless, and then you have access to the content for future use, should you decide you’d like to reuse it.

Finally, StreamYard allows you to schedule out the time when you’ll go live and includes a notification on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, or your streaming platform of choice. By notifying your audience of when you’re going live in advance, you create a built-in audience for your content and ensure that you’ll have people there to engage with—it helps you to create more of a live webinar experience.

4. Collaboration Software

For many folks who are used to sharing office space with their colleagues, the biggest hurdle to remote work is keeping everyone on the same page when it comes to advancing your projects and agendas. You need a unified communication tool and work space so that you can bring together all the emails, files, revisions, and to-do lists in one place. That way, everyone is always on the same page, and you always know right where to go to look for information.

There are tons of great collaboration suites out there, from Basecamp to Asana to Microsoft Teams.

The Tool: Slack

Our team loves Slack for collaboration and communication. When you’re used to working in an office, you can just pop down the hallway to ask your colleague a quick question. When you’re working from home, Slack is the next best thing.

It not only allows you to keep up a friendly and more relaxed chat environment, it also helps you to keep communications unified and to make sure all relevant parties hear announcements and are kept up-to-date on the latest company news. Rather than having to call around to each person individually, you can notify the appropriate Slack channel, and everyone who needs to receive your message gets it right away.

Is Virtual Me Here to Stay?

A lot of these tools have become necessities right now because of the coronavirus pandemic. People are using the tools in new ways. Some are conducting networking groups online rather than in person. Others have even set up co-working video sessions, where folks log on, go on mute, work individually, and occasionally come up for air to say a few casual words to each other.

We’re even seeing families adopt the technology for fun ways to stay connected virtually. I’ve seen scavenger hunts, science experiments, play dates, book clubs, and dance parties all occur on the web in these last few weeks of social distancing.

While some of these virtual ways of being will likely go away when life returns to normal (a virtual family game night will never replace the in-person hugs and warmth you’ll feel), I suspect some of these new ways of working will stick around.

For example, I host a number of weekend bootcamps throughout the year with our Consultant Network, and we’re planning to move them to virtual events. While there are some things you may lose in a virtual setting (the spontaneous conversation over lunch, say), in terms of cost and ability to include more people, virtual has got in-person beat every time.

Tips for a Better Experience

When it comes to connecting virtually, there are a few steps we can all take to make it a better experience for ourselves, our clients, our families, and anyone else we may be connecting with online.

First, audio is a big deal. There’s nothing more frustrating than listening to fuzzy audio that keeps going in and out. Particularly if you’re presenting to a group, it pays to invest in a nicer, USB condenser mic (like the Blue Yeti). These microphones pick up more depth and character in your voice, and they make you sound a lot more professional than the mic on your iPhone headphones.

Video matters, too. Rather than relying on the built-in camera that comes on your laptop, spend a little bit more on something like the Logitech C922 Pro. A nicer camera will give you higher video quality, with better light and clearer visuals.

Speaking of light, make sure that you have natural light on your face, if you can. Don’t have the light streaming in behind you, though, or you become a silhouette. If you don’t have natural light wherever you’re recording from, investing in a ring light can help your video look less dark and grainy.

Finally, do what you can to eliminate distractions. I know it can be difficult when you’re working from home and might have kids or pets running around in the background, but anything you can do to make your background as clean and seamless as possible is a major bonus for video calls and presentations.

I love the company Anyvoo; they create easily portable backdrops for video calls. You can get whatever you’d like printed on the canvas—your logo, a peaceful mountain scene—and you simply set the background up behind you whenever you have to take a video call. It’s on a stand, so it can be assembled anywhere and is taken down just as easily.

Many of us are adjusting to a new way of working that became a reality very suddenly over the past few weeks. I hope these tools make the transition a little easier for you, and that some of them become favorites that will continue to help you grow your business even after we return to normal life.

Like this show? Click on over and give us a review on iTunes, please!

This episode of the Duct Tape marketing agency Podcast is brought to you by Klaviyo. If you’re looking to grow your business there is only one way: by building real, quality customer relationships. That’s where Klaviyo comes in.

Klaviyo helps you build meaningful relationships by listening and understanding cues from your customers, allowing you to easily turn that information into valuable marketing agency messages.

What’s their secret? Tune into Klaviyo’s Beyond Black Friday docu-series to find out and unlock marketing agency strategies you can use to keep momentum going year-round. Just head on over to klaviyo.com/beyondbf.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android |

Free eBook  7 Steps to Scale Your Consulting Practice Without Adding Overhead

“This training from Duct Tape marketing agency has exceeded my expectations and I couldn’t be happier” ~ Brooke Patterson, VanderMedia

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/becoming-your-best-virtual-you/

[goodra-king]

Becoming Your Best Virtual You

Becoming Your Best Virtual You written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Marketing Podcast with John Jantsch on Becoming Your Best Virtual You

Virtual and work from home is getting a lot of hype right now, for obvious reasons. I’ve been a big fan of virtual work for many years, and there are some tools I’ve come to love and rely on over the years. I’m going to talk about some of those tools that I think a lot of people have either underutilized or are coming to a new appreciation for right now.

Some of these tools you might begin to use out of necessity right now, but as you get to know them, you might discover that you enjoy them so much you’ll continue to rely on them once we’ve returned to business as usual.

I’m going to run down my list of go-to tools, give you some case studies, and share how I personally use those tools in my daily life as an entrepreneur.

1. One-to-One Video

A lot of people are relying on one-to-one video at present because we can’t meet in person, but one-to-one video is a great communication tool even when we do have flexibility with how we meet up and converse with others.

By one-to-one video, I mean a video that you record specifically for one individual. The greeting and message is personalized just for them. And I’ve found over the years that this technology has many applications, from sending internal messages to remote folks on my team to interacting with clients and prospects.

The first way I use one-to-one video is to provide clarification when I’m sending a message. Say I’m forwarding on a long document with lots of detailed information. I might send along a one-to-one video highlighting the most salient parts of the document to help direct the reader.

I also find it’s a helpful tool when you’re working with a distributed team. For example, I work with a lot of web designers, and it’s quick and easy to record a video that shows minor edits that I’d like to see on a webpage they’ve already mocked up.

It’s also great for documenting processes. Using the screen capture tool allows you to walk someone through a process, if you’d like to give them a guided step-by-step walkthrough of what needs to be done in a given program.

It’s also a creative way to interact with clients or prospects. Instead of just sending a standard introductory email, which doesn’t stand out well or capture attention, use a personalized video to catch someone’s eye in an otherwise crowded inbox. It’s also a great way to send a thank you or to ask for a review from a happy customer.

The Tool: Loom

My go-to for one-to-one video is Loom. Even the free version of the platform has tons of functionality. You can film yourself, do a screen capture video, or create a video that shares your screen and shows you down in the corner.

Loom also makes the sharing process seamless. As soon as you’re done recording your message, you hit stop, it produces a link, and you drop that URL into an email. If you’ve integrated Loom with Gmail, it will embed the video directly into your email.

When someone gets the email, Gmail users don’t even need to leave their inbox; the video plays right within their inbox.

2. Video Meeting & Webinar Platform

When you’re working with a distributed team, it helps to have a way for you all to come together face-to-face. That’s where video meeting platforms come in. We use them for internal meetings, to talk with clients (to present ideas, brainstorm, or offer updates); we even use it for one-to-one sales calls.

Video is also a great tool for creating educational content and webinars. And some podcasters have started using video in their recording process. While they’ll only use the audio stream to produce the podcast, it’s helpful for them to be able to see their guest on the screen and makes the interview more natural and seamless.

The Tool: Zoom

The video meeting and webinar platform I’ve come to rely on is Zoom. What I love about Zoom is that there’s no software involved. No one needs to download anything to access the meeting; you simply forward a link and anyone can join from any device.

Zoom can be used for both webinars and meetings. The tool allows you to do a presentation (like a webinar) where everyone is an attendee and is muted. There’s a screen-sharing functionality, and you can incorporate features like chat, Q&A, and polls into your presentation.

Alternatively, you can use Zoom for meetings. Here, your team hops on the video and you can sit around and talk in much the same way you would if you were all around a conference table.

Of course, the one thing everyone must have to participate in a Zoom meeting is a way to connect. But it’s possible to do so via computer or phone. There’s an app for mobile devices, and people can even call in through a dial-in number, if that’s easier.

3. Live Streaming

Live streaming is becoming increasingly popular. And particularly during the current moment, where we’re not able to meet up in person, we’re seeing more personalities hopping onto Facebook, YouTube or LinkedIn to connect with their audience.

I think live streaming is an incredible tool for building community and speaking to your fans, but I find it’s often over-utilized. I think the key to creating great live streaming content is to start by asking yourself “What is useful for my community, prospects, or clients at this time?” That’s the question that should be driving you as you devise your live programming.

All of the major social platforms allow you to go live from within their individual apps, but I prefer to use an external tool.

The Tool: StreamYard

My go-to for live streaming online has become StreamYard. I find the tool helpful for a number of reasons. First, it allows you to broadcast to multiple platforms simultaneously. Rather than having to decide between addressing your fans on Facebook or LinkedIn, with StreamYard, you can do both at the same time.

It also allows you to add branding onto your video. You can put your logo or any relevant promotional information in the bottom third of your video screen. You can also easily incorporate Q&A and chat into your video, making it easy to engage your audience while you’re live.

It’s also really easy to record and hang onto your sessions. While it’s possible to download things that go live on other social media platforms, they don’t make it simple for you to capture that content. StreamYard makes it seamless, and then you have access to the content for future use, should you decide you’d like to reuse it.

Finally, StreamYard allows you to schedule out the time when you’ll go live and includes a notification on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, or your streaming platform of choice. By notifying your audience of when you’re going live in advance, you create a built-in audience for your content and ensure that you’ll have people there to engage with—it helps you to create more of a live webinar experience.

4. Collaboration Software

For many folks who are used to sharing office space with their colleagues, the biggest hurdle to remote work is keeping everyone on the same page when it comes to advancing your projects and agendas. You need a unified communication tool and work space so that you can bring together all the emails, files, revisions, and to-do lists in one place. That way, everyone is always on the same page, and you always know right where to go to look for information.

There are tons of great collaboration suites out there, from Basecamp to Asana to Microsoft Teams.

The Tool: Slack

Our team loves Slack for collaboration and communication. When you’re used to working in an office, you can just pop down the hallway to ask your colleague a quick question. When you’re working from home, Slack is the next best thing.

It not only allows you to keep up a friendly and more relaxed chat environment, it also helps you to keep communications unified and to make sure all relevant parties hear announcements and are kept up-to-date on the latest company news. Rather than having to call around to each person individually, you can notify the appropriate Slack channel, and everyone who needs to receive your message gets it right away.

Is Virtual Me Here to Stay?

A lot of these tools have become necessities right now because of the coronavirus pandemic. People are using the tools in new ways. Some are conducting networking groups online rather than in person. Others have even set up co-working video sessions, where folks log on, go on mute, work individually, and occasionally come up for air to say a few casual words to each other.

We’re even seeing families adopt the technology for fun ways to stay connected virtually. I’ve seen scavenger hunts, science experiments, play dates, book clubs, and dance parties all occur on the web in these last few weeks of social distancing.

While some of these virtual ways of being will likely go away when life returns to normal (a virtual family game night will never replace the in-person hugs and warmth you’ll feel), I suspect some of these new ways of working will stick around.

For example, I host a number of weekend bootcamps throughout the year with our Consultant Network, and we’re planning to move them to virtual events. While there are some things you may lose in a virtual setting (the spontaneous conversation over lunch, say), in terms of cost and ability to include more people, virtual has got in-person beat every time.

Tips for a Better Experience

When it comes to connecting virtually, there are a few steps we can all take to make it a better experience for ourselves, our clients, our families, and anyone else we may be connecting with online.

First, audio is a big deal. There’s nothing more frustrating than listening to fuzzy audio that keeps going in and out. Particularly if you’re presenting to a group, it pays to invest in a nicer, USB condenser mic (like the Blue Yeti). These microphones pick up more depth and character in your voice, and they make you sound a lot more professional than the mic on your iPhone headphones.

Video matters, too. Rather than relying on the built-in camera that comes on your laptop, spend a little bit more on something like the Logitech C922 Pro. A nicer camera will give you higher video quality, with better light and clearer visuals.

Speaking of light, make sure that you have natural light on your face, if you can. Don’t have the light streaming in behind you, though, or you become a silhouette. If you don’t have natural light wherever you’re recording from, investing in a ring light can help your video look less dark and grainy.

Finally, do what you can to eliminate distractions. I know it can be difficult when you’re working from home and might have kids or pets running around in the background, but anything you can do to make your background as clean and seamless as possible is a major bonus for video calls and presentations.

I love the company Anyvoo; they create easily portable backdrops for video calls. You can get whatever you’d like printed on the canvas—your logo, a peaceful mountain scene—and you simply set the background up behind you whenever you have to take a video call. It’s on a stand, so it can be assembled anywhere and is taken down just as easily.

Many of us are adjusting to a new way of working that became a reality very suddenly over the past few weeks. I hope these tools make the transition a little easier for you, and that some of them become favorites that will continue to help you grow your business even after we return to normal life.

Like this show? Click on over and give us a review on iTunes, please!

This episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast is brought to you by Klaviyo. If you’re looking to grow your business there is only one way: by building real, quality customer relationships. That’s where Klaviyo comes in.

Klaviyo helps you build meaningful relationships by listening and understanding cues from your customers, allowing you to easily turn that information into valuable marketing messages.

What’s their secret? Tune into Klaviyo’s Beyond Black Friday docu-series to find out and unlock marketing strategies you can use to keep momentum going year-round. Just head on over to klaviyo.com/beyondbf.

from https://bit.ly/2QHKfPC

[bikethevote]

Bike The Vote L.A. Endorsement - Jesse Creed for City Council District 5

2017 Los Angeles CD5 Endorsement: Jesse Creed

Primary Election day: Tuesday, March 7, 7am-8pm Find your Council District: http://neighborhoodinfo.lacity.org/ Find your polling place: http://lavote.net/locator

Los Angeles’ 5th Council District, which takes in Westside neighborhoods east of the 405 freeway, is an area of enormous but mostly untapped potential for active transportation. As the home to UCLA and its dynamic student population, a thriving office district in Century City, three brand new Expo Line stations with a planned Purple Line extension in the works, and residents yearning for alternatives to soul-crushing traffic; the district is well positioned and in desperate need to chart a bold new course toward better and more sustainable mobility options.

Unfortunately, under incumbent Councilmember Paul Koretz, residents have seen a string of missed opportunities to create safer streets, from a sidewalk never added near an Expo Line stop to a gap in the Expo bike path that remains unfilled. One welcome exception to this trend has been the road diet and bike lanes along Motor Avenue in Palms, which have helped to revitalize an emerging community hub. And Koretz’ role in overseeing the construction of the Expo Line itself, now a rousing success, should be acknowledged - even if he seeks to distance himself from the failure to grade-separate the crossing at Overland Avenue.

But there is one particular missed opportunity that overshadows the rest. When presented with a chance to address a long history of crashes and injuries along a crucial cycling route to UCLA, Koretz abandoned all pretense of working toward consensus on bike safety improvements for Westwood Boulevard. Not content to stop there, Koretz poured considerable energy into denying future generations the mere possibility of those improvements by getting even a broad vision of bike lanes on Westwood removed from Mobility Plan 2035, short-circuiting more than four years of public input. Koretz consistently expresses support for environmental issues, but he fails to connect that commitment to urban policies, and to prioritizing active transportation as an alternative to driving.

Jesse Creed, on the other hand, has been a breath of fresh air, having articulated a strong vision for making it safe for Angelenos of all ages, abilities, and travel modes to get around, recently expanded on in a December 2016 op-ed for the L.A. Daily News. In his response to our questionnaire, Creed showed an impressive commitment to the safety of the most vulnerable users of L.A.’s streets, calling attention specifically to the challenges facing seniors and youth.

Creed also voiced support for completing the promised, but never-finished, study of Westwood traffic safety, and for bringing all stakeholders back to the table to arrive at a workable solution. He also emphasized that in order to lead, one must eventually move from listening and consensus-building to action, and “make decisions based on facts.” We think the facts support a decision to install the bike lanes, and after his recent press conference in which he reiterated his commitment to improving safety on Westwood, we are heartened to see that Creed is willing to consider those facts.

The rest of Creed’s questionnaire response is impressive for its breadth and depth of knowledge, touching on the need for thoughtful expansion of L.A.’s nascent bike share system, the opportunity presented by Measure M local return to expand the City’s investment in livable streets, and a note of urgency on L.A.’s Vision Zero initiative, which holds a great deal of potential but has suffered from a lack of visible progress so far.

For these reasons, we are excited to see Creed emerge as a prominent challenger in the Council District 5 race, and we look forward to seeing him provide the leadership needed to work toward safer and more sustainable transportation alternatives for all of the district’s residents. We endorse Jesse Creed as an outstanding leader who will help Council District 5 to realize its full potential.

(See below for Jesse Creed’s response to Bike The Vote L.A.)

1. What role do you see for walking, biking, and transit in improving the lives of Angelenos?

While Los Angeles has come a long way in just the past decade, we still don’t have a transportation system that provides great options to get around safely, regardless of their age, ability, or the way they travel. People feel trapped on the Westside with no good way to get in and out of their neighborhoods for several hours each day. Meetings get scheduled to avoid traffic and parents lose precious time with their children while idling in gridlock.  We need to make District 5, and the whole city, more transit-oriented with mobility options that are safe, widely accessible, reliable, and affordable to everyone. Implicit in that vision is the need to protect our most vulnerable community members: older adults aging-in-place in our wonderful neighborhoods, children walking and biking to school, and students traveling to UCLA. If we prioritize walking, biking, and public transit, we can help make Los Angeles a place that’s easier to get around, while reducing the number of people stuck in our notorious traffic.

I encourage you to read my op ed in the Daily News to get a sense of my thinking on transportation issues through the lens of one part of the network.  You can read it here  http://www.dailynews.com/opinion/20161210/la-leaders-must-step-up-on-sidewalk-safety-guest-commentary

2. In 2015, Los Angeles approved Mobility Plan 2035, the first update to the Transportation Element of its General Plan since 1999. Mobility Plan 2035 puts “safety first” in transportation decisions, and provides a vision for a transportation system composed of safe and quality transit, bicycle, pedestrian, and automotive options. Do you support the goals of this plan, and how would you like to see the plan implemented in CD5?

Yes.  Council District 5 has some of the best neighborhoods in terms of quality of life, but we also have huge job centers that generate an incredible amount of traffic on our major streets: Wilshire, Santa Monica, Sepulveda, Overland, Westwood/National, and Ventura—not to mention the 405. These streets can’t handle the demand if everyone drives, so it’s important that we build streets that support other modes. Mobility Plan 2035 is a smart approach: it recognizes that not every street can prioritize every mode, but that every mode needs a complete network. That allows the City to focus on bus and bike lanes where they will have the most benefit to the system.

Mobility Plan 2035 also revolutionizes the City’s approach to neighborhood traffic management by establishing a clear set of standards to keep cut-through traffic off neighborhood streets and prioritize walking and biking on the neighborhood network. This is another win-win—residents desperately want traffic calming, and it can be implemented in a way that creates a family-friendly bike network that connects schools, parks, and other local destinations.

3. Mobility Plan 2035 enacted a ‘Vision Zero’ for Los Angeles, with the goal of eliminating traffic-related deaths within 20 years. In order to meet this goal, LADOT identified a “High Injury Network” to prioritize safety improvements on L.A.’s most dangerous streets. However, after a year and a half, we still haven’t seen much action to reduce transportation-related deaths on City streets. What do you see as the hold-ups for improving safety on Los Angeles streets, and how would you work to address these impediments in reducing speeding to save lives?

LADOT has a mandate to reduce fatalities and serious injuries 20% by 2017. Well, it’s already 2017 and we’re not on track – not even close. We need to act faster and to treat traffic deaths like the public health crisis they are. In District 5, we’re fortunate to have relatively little violent crime (though that is changing). Instead, our residents are more likely to be killed or seriously injured while crossing the street, riding their bike, or driving their car. As the LADOT statistics show, older adults and young children are at the greatest risk, so safe routes to schools and improvements near senior centers – including our sidewalks – are particularly important.

Intransigence from some members of the Council has been a significant factor. Council members have a responsibility to listen to and respect their constituents, but in the face of a crisis, a true leader shouldn’t be paralyzed just because they don’t have 100% consensus. The focus should be on safety first and to listen to a greater cross-section of the community and work to build consensus, be open and honest, and make decisions based on facts

The High Injury Network identifies multiple streets in District 5, including Westwood, Santa Monica, Pico, 3rd, Beverly, Fairfax, and Ventura.  Based on community feedback, I would add Overland Ave. near the Expo line as a dangerous street as well, where an organized group of nearby residents is publicly protesting the speed of vehicles on the now six-lane highway.  If elected, I would sit down as soon as possible with LADOT to understand what projects are planned along these streets and get to work engaging stakeholders along each corridor.

4. Angelenos recently approved Metro’s transportation funding plan, Measure M, with an impressive mandate of support from over 71% of voters. What opportunities do you see for Measure M to improve the options for how Angelenos get around? Given that Measure M will return millions of dollars directly to the City of Los Angeles each year, do you support increasing the funding the City allocates to making it easier and safer for Angelenos to walk and bike?

Measure M is an important statement that Angelenos are willing to invest in improving their own mobility. It is a mandate to redouble our efforts to build transit, walking, and biking infrastructure so that we can have the more balanced transportation system that voters are demanding. The transit projects promised by Measure M—including the Purple Line extension to Westwood and the Sepulveda Pass transit project— will be the most exciting things to happen in the next term of the CD5 councilmember.  But the projects will only achieve their potential if the City makes the streets around each station more accessible for walking, biking, and buses, which are how over 90% of Metro customers access transit. I am aware of the great planning for first and last-mile that is starting to happen at Metro and support it wholeheartedly.  But I’m equally aware that the wrong leadership in a particular district can thwart Metro’s efforts, as I described in my Daily News op ed.

Mobility Plan 2035 calls for 20% of local return to be dedicated for walking and biking. The City currently only dedicates 10% of Measure R. I support Mobility Plan 2035’s dedication of funding. I also would make sure that all projects funded through local return are compliant with complete streets, which will require greater coordination between LADOT and BSS.

5. There is universal agreement that Westwood Boulevard is a dangerous street for people walking and bicycling. Westwood Boulevard is identified as a corridor on LADOT’s High Injury Network, bike lanes were considered a priority in the 2010 Bike Plan, and the project has wide community support, including from UCLA and the Westwood Village Improvement Association. However, implementation of continuous bicycle infrastructure on Westwood has stalled for years. Prioritization of safety improvements for the street was removed from the Mobility Plan 2035 by an amendment co-authored by Councilmember Koretz. Will you commit to implementing quality bicycle infrastructure on Westwood Boulevard during the next Council term? (If not, what specific alternative do you support to improve the safety of people walking and bicycling in the area, and to address the high rate of crashes related to speeding on Westwood Boulevard?)

Absolutely, the current situation is incredibly dangerous for people walking and biking—and driving too. Councilmember Koretz’s flip-flopping on this issue is a complete failure of leadership. It is not ok to say that a street on the High Injury Network is too dangerous to be improved, which is essentially Koretz’s position. The City’s job is to make it not dangerous. We need to complete the LADOT study, evaluate what makes sense in partnership with all community stakeholders, and commit to moving forward with safety improvements on Westwood. We might not get to 100% consensus, but I believe we can come up with a solution that satisfies the reasonable majority that wants to make things better.

6. Bike share systems have started to be installed across Los Angeles, but as systems expand to different areas of Los Angeles and neighboring cities, experts foresee two major obstacles: stations that are discontinuous/too far apart and stations with unsafe walking conditions that limit access. How would you envision the growth of bike share in the City of Los Angeles and regionally?

It is incredibly exciting that Los Angeles finally has bike share, and I support the expansion of the bike share system.  In the short term, I’d like to see the bike share program built along the Expo Line in my district, specifically near the Palms station.  That said, I recognize that bike share works best when there is a minimum station density that makes the system useful and when it is installed in walkable, transit-oriented neighborhoods. Downtown certainly fits that mold.  While I want CD5 to get a bikeshare program, it might make more sense for the City to expand out from Downtown more methodically, even if that means taking longer to get to other parts of Los Angeles. I want to see the program set up for success more than anything.